Birthday Business

V and I celebrated his birthday with dinner at Bistro 101 in Granville Island a couple weeks ago. It's runned by the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts and all the food is prepared by students. Basically, we enjoyed a fine dining experience without the fine dining prices. The Groupon coupon that V found made it even sweeter deal. Overall, the service, food, and presentation were all fantastic!

Hanging out at Granville Island during the day


The restaurant had a very calming atmosphere. V mentioned that they had just recently renovated, which really upped the level of sophistication.


My appetizer and entree: halibut and steak


The highlight was definitely my dessert that was almost too pretty to eat! It was a burger made from a sweet pastry as the bun, strawberries as tomatoes, melon and kiwi slices as lettuce, white chocolate as cheese, and a piece of brownie as the patty. Creative eh? And surprisingly tasty! It came complete with fries made of shortbread and sweet fruity dipping sauces. MmmMmm.




I also had a mini birthday celebration of my own with some friends last week. It feels weird to think that I'm already in my mid-twenties! Not long until I reach the big three oh! Good thing 30 is the new 20 nowadays...

Dinner was at Felico's and it was great! Greek food never disappoints :) I want to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday and those who made it to dinner. I had a wonderful time and I hope you all did too!


A few snapshots from dinner:


L: Me with V and A - all smiles
R: Ly and Ernz chowin' down


L: G waiting anxiously to start eating
R: Photo op with J and Winf, my weekend girls. Love you!


L: With Cin and Lyds
R: Paparazzi shot - when you least expect it


L: The Famous Platter that V and I shared
R: BCIT buddies

Thanks for all the love :)

time for a much needed update!

What I've been doing in the past few weeks...



Hiking up the Chief in Squamish
It was definitely a good challenge for someone like me who has not been active for quite some time. The top was breathtaking and made every aching step worthwhile in the end. Next up: Grouse Grind!



Celebrating Canada Day at Granville Island
My first time! The place was packed and very lively. The parade was fun and I enjoyed walking through the market.



Hanging out at Jericho Beach for V, M, and K's birthdays
Definitely a nice beach. We had access to the a private tennis club facility and made good use of their barbecque (thanks K!). We played some frisbee, beach volleyball, and soaked up a lot of sun.




Biking along the Seawall and enjoying some Fat Burger and fries afterwards
For me, this was the most enjoyable :) I'll never get sick of biking while enjoying the picturesque view of the water. Must and will do this again this summer!



As you can tell, I've been desperately trying to make the best of the gorgeous weather that we've been having in Vancouver. If you aren't doing the same, I advise you to start NOW. Go outside and enjoy the sunshine. Don't forget to load up on the SPF!

Freeeeedom

The week of exams is finally over and done with! what a relief! 7 in 5 days was just seriously too intense.

Feels awesome to be done! It'd be more awesome if I wasn't too sick to enjoy it. I woke up this morning feeling like I got punched in the throat. Not the best feeling. My immune system was working overtime and it finally gave in :( I'm going to need a good week to rest up and recover from the exams+sickenss...

On a happy note, I bought 2 sets of scrubs for the upcoming hospital clinical term! They're not the most flattering, but they'll do. I'll definitely need to hem the bottoms though.


Right after our last exam on Friday, me and my friends took no time to start celebrating our long-awaited freedom. First off was lunch at Red Robbins. I haven't been there for so long! I was debating whether to get the chili burger or the bbq chicken burger. I ended up getting the bbq chicken. It wasn't so great. I guess I just wasn't a fan of the crispy onion bits in the burger. Next off, shopping! First metrotown, then we headed downtown.


So it was also A's birthday dinner at Ichiro in Steveston on Friday. It was great seeing everyone again! We also went for some cosmic bowling after dinner. I definitely need to practice on my bowling skills...