Blogging Pet Peeves PT.2

You can read PT.1 of my "Blogging Pet Peeves" here!

Please note: this post (and this one too) is not meant to offend anyone, but hopefully it'll make you laugh because you can relate! :)

1. BEGGING FOR FOLLOWERS. This is one of those things where you actually lose followers instead of gain them. If you want followers, create content that will make them want to follow you. :)

2. "READING" A POST. You know the comments that make no sense because it's obvious they didn't read the whole post? For example, you're telling a story (with pictures) about how your brother just celebrated his birthday and instead you get a comment greeting you a happy birthday and mentioning how cute you and your boyfriend (aka brother) are. 

What are your blogging pet peeves? :D

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Oh, You Fancy Huh?

Well, actually I was the opposite of fancy last Saturday.

My sister-in-law and my dad helped my fiance and i paint our new place. Our colors are going to be black & brown ! I know a lot of people say black and brown don't go together but it actually gave the place a really nice, warm and sophisticated look. :)


Halfway through our painting, my sister in law and i decided to take a break and grab screamers (slurpee w/ ice cream on the top & bottom) at a nearby convenience store. We didn't have time to change so we went there looking like we haven't showered in several days. Our hair was a mess, we smelled like dust and paint, I had paint splatters on my face (since it was black paint, it looked like i had massive black heads all over my face, hahaha!), my black sweater and shoes were more like dark gray b/c of the dust. My sis-in-law had large paint splatters on her jeans and we were both carrying two large drinks in our hands (for my brother and fiance). We looked like we hadn't showered or eaten anything in days. hahaha!


It's funny when I think about it because if that was several years ago when we were still in high school, we probably wouldn't be caught dead outside looking like that. In high school, I'd make sure my hair looked proper, my clothes were "cool", i smelled nice, etc, even if i was just going to the mall for 15 minutes. Now - yes, of course i still make an effort to look nice but I'm not afraid to look like a scrub once in a while if there's good reason for it. Emphasis on "if there's good reason for it". Trust me, it's not like i would purposely go somewhere with paint on my face. haha!

Are you less conscious about your appearance now compared to when you were younger?

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"It's Just Our Culture..."

You know what bothers me? When CULTURE is used as an excuse.

I'm going to arrive an hour later than our agreed meeting time but don't be mad...
it's just our culture.
I'm going to talk to you in a demeaning manner but i'm not trying to be rude... 
it's just our culture.
I'm going to show up to your party without RSVP'ing, it's not inconsideration...
it's just our culture.
I'm going to gossip about you but i don't mean any harm by it...
it's just our culture.
I'm going to tell you you look fat even though I know you have image issues...
it's just our culture.
I'm not allowed to date you because you're (insert race) but don't be offended...
it's just our culture.
I'm going to physically and emotionally abuse you but don't cry...

When have you heard 'culture' used as an excuse? 




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Don't Trust Me w/ A Gun

Last Thursday, I tried my hand at shooting for the first time. I'm not ashamed to say that I suck. I won't explain further but you'll see what I mean by watching the video below. At around 2:10, I pretty much almost broke the most important rule which was "make sure your gun is always facing forward towards the target". Haha, whoopsie!

For those who are wondering about the experience: it was loud, a little nerve wracking in the beginning, but tons of fun! I kept leaning back on my first try because the shell casings kept bouncing back towards my face!!! Also, I couldn't really tell if I was actually hitting anything - the target was too far for my near sighted eyes :P

P.S - i was wearing the same pullover in my last video... i swear, i have more clothes than that. hahaha! That pullover is just my go-to item of clothing cus it's so comfy (and i'm not just being biased. :P)

VIDEO: Eating my bacon cookie + shooting for the first time. 

Have you tried shooting before? 



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Eating for a Cause

So, you're all probably tired of hearing that i'm getting married in less than 2 months but... i'm getting married in less than 2 months and I should be eating well, exercising, all that good stuff but how can you resist when it's for a good cause!?

Last night, my sister-in-law + one of my bridesmaids and I went to a fundraiser called Bake for the Quake where different bakers come together to sell their specialties and hungry people like me looking for any excuse to eat come to buy them to help those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

As if you weren't drooling enough from my last post, here are some more pictures!




Yes, a bacon cookie (with ginger)! I'm a pretty big fan of bacon and it seems to be popping up everywhere nowadays - bacon mints, bacon cupcakes, bacon ice cream sundae.

What is the oddest dessert you've had?

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10 Things I Love - Food Edition

Thank you Lei for tagging me to write about "10 Things I Love". Since i've done this post before, I decided to do one focused on one of the things I love most - FOOD!

I used to be a really picky eater when I was a kid especially when I was culture shocked from my move from Hong Kong to Canada. In Hong Kong, I was used to eating rice and noodles, not sandwiches, salads, wraps and other 'north american food'. I didn't like spices, sauces, and anything "out of the ordinary"(yes, i considered salad out of the ordinary) I'm happy to say that i've since expanded my horizons in the food world! :P

Were you a picky eater as a child? 

Below are just some of my faves!

What are your favorite foods?

photo credit: 

poutine from http://www.awesomecanada.ca/ + baked potato from http://www.kraftrecipes.com/ + sushi from http://www.sushibarbluefin.com + okonomiyaki from http://www.pref.osaka.jp + eggplant from http://asiasociety.org/ + mango from http://www.klesickfamilyfarm.com/ + deep fried tofu from http://gastronomyblog.com/ + bbq from http://itallstartswithbutter.com/ + kare kare from http://goodhealthnewsandreview.com/ + burger from http://aprilandwes.blogspot.com/

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Preparing for the Culture Shock...

To prepare for my trip back to the Philippines in about 2.25 months, i've been talking to several friends who have been there recently to get some tips. You see, I haven't been back to the home land in 11 years!!! I don't know what it looks like anymore, what it smells like, what the authentic food tastes like, what the shopping is like, etc! I definitely don't want to look and sound like a foreigner so I can bargain well at the markets, hehe.

For those of you who don't know, I am originally from the Philippines although I only lived there for 2 years. My family then moved to Hong Kong for 10 years and then we moved to Canada. My first taste of culture shock was when we visited Canada before moving here. I was stunned. Where was everybody? I was used to the streets of Hong Kong which was packed at almost every hour of the day. People would walk shoulder to shoulder and you'd often get elbowed! And what do you mean the mall closes at 6PM? What do you mean the bus arrives every 30 minutes instead of every 5 minutes!? What do you mean people don't wipe boogers on bus and train poles? :P

Where did you experience the biggest culture shock? 

Speaking of cultures, travel, and far away places. Check out what arrived in the mail today all the way from INDONESIA! I ordered two prints from my lovely friend Tiara, one for me and one for my four year old cousin. Tiara's imagination, creativity, and skill radiates through her artwork. Seriously amazing! Check out the rest of her prints HERE! The quality is great, her prices are reasonable and my prints arrived quickly. Thank you Tiara!


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An Expensive Lesson Learned

Last Friday, I went to one of the busiest parts of our city to run errands and what I hate about this part of the city is that it's mostly pay parking on the street (as opposed to a parking lot). I found an area with many cars parked so I decided to park there too. This was 2:43PM. When I returned to where I parked my car at 3:17PM, I was stunned... I couldn't find my car!!!




It turns out my car had been towed. The signs said "no parking from 3PM to 6PM" and I didn't think to look since I saw many cars parked there when I arrived :( When I went back to my car, none of the other cars were there so either we all got towed or the other people were smart enough to look at the signs. Haha! And the kicker? My parking violation ticket was clocked in at 3:15PM, 2 minutes before I arrived. BOOOO!!!!

Total cost of lesson? $144.50 CDN. Ouch.

What's the most expensive lesson you've learned?

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Cheap or Thrifty?

When I was younger, I didn't really understand the value of money. In my tweens, I would ask my parents to buy me brand name clothing like Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, etc without a worry about money because well... it wasn't my money! Haha! I didn't think about how hard my parents had to work to gift me with that one piece of clothing that I begged for... all that mattered was that I was COOL!!! And now that I look back at my photos, i certainly did not pull off cool with my large circular glasses complete with protective string, awkward hair, etc... haha! (i'll post a pic sometime :P)

Now that i'm nearing my mid-twenties and I fully realize the value of money, i've really been into.... COUPONS! Some people think it's weird or that you're "cheap" but really... why would you pay for something full price when you can get it for almost, if not, fully free! (Extreme Couponing, anyone?)
Have your spending habits changed as you got older? 


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So tell me what you want, what you really really want...

I'm a pretty hopeful person, but at the same time, still human. I have moments of weakness, moments of frustration, moments of wondering "why am i doing this?", moments of feeling like i've been at Point A for so long that Point B is starting to look further and further away. Do you guys ever feel that way?

In my frustration and longing, i created the image below. I guess sometimes it's good to remind yourself of what you want so that you remember what you're working towards. :)

What do YOU want? 

P.S - Thank you to everyone who made love song suggestions in my previous post. I'll have a lot of listening to do in the next few days! :)

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Help Me Brainstorm: Love Songs!

As my wedding day approaches in just a little over 2 months, my fiance and I have been thinking of songs to be sang and played during the ceremony and reception. We both love old slow jams from the 90's and new songs as well. We'll be having mixtures of songs from Jason Mraz (to give that summer wedding feel :P), Side A (a Filipino Band), Corrine Bailey Rae, and more.
Here's where I need your help - Many of us grew up with the same love songs and i don't want to miss any good ones! We'll have music during the ceremony, reception, couple slideshow, and dance (for the slow songs) so we'll need lots of songs! :D
What are your favourite love songs??? It can be slow jams or fun/happy tunes (like that of Jason Mraz)

By the way, for those of you who were wondering which child I was in the kindergarten picture in my last post ("Kindergarten Kym", read here), i circled me for you! click here. :)



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Kindergarten Kym

Last Friday, my mom found my kindergarten graduation photo and we spent some time reminiscing about what my brother and I were like when we were little. Some of you have heard this story before but when I was in kindergarten, i was the shyest kid ever. As in, I wouldn't talk to anyone in school and I couldn't even muster up enough courage to tell my teacher that I had to pee (or poo, haha!). You can imagine the number of accidents I had in class. :P My mom just showed me my kindergarten report card and I got an "A" in all the academic stuff but a "B" for friendliness...and that's probably being generous.

can you spot me? :P

As I grew up, I started becoming the complete opposite of what I was like when I was younger. I went from not talking to anyone to now being a chatter box who loves meeting new people. Haha! My fiance is now also the opposite of what he was like when he was younger - he went from being a chatty, mischievous kid to now being an introvert.

Are you now the opposite of what you were like when you were much younger?

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Boring Wedding Stuff

I've been mentioning my upcoming wedding for a while now but i've never actually shared many details at all. You're probably wondering "is she really engaged?" yes... yes, i am. :P I didn't share any details because I didn't have many details to share, haha! (procrastination at it's finest)

We wanted a really non-traditional wedding that is unique and represents who we are. We went with a japanese inspired wedding with theme colors of gray & aqua (as you can see from the invitations i designed, pictured below). There are lots of exciting details incorporated in the wedding but i will keep that a surprise until after the wedding. :D

7 4 D A Y S L E F T ! 

Do you have any ideas for japanese touches we can add to our wedding?

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My 30 Minutes as a Baller.

Yesterday, I talked about my first afternoon tea experience at the Fairmont Pacific Rim and mentioned that I went on a tour of the hotel's rooms after tea. About 5 years ago, I started working in a hotel and trained someone who is now a good friend of mine and now also works at this hotel. It is one of the most prestigious hotels in Downtown Vancouver and one of the first picks for celebrities to stay at.

My friend started by showing us their "regular" room:




These regular rooms have TV's in the mirrors of the bathrooms!



Next she took us to the Presidential Suite (pictured above) and this is where Lady Gaga stayed not too long ago. The price? Oh... just $5,000 CAD per night. No big deal.

They have enclosed kitchens in these suites that have two entrances. One coming from the outside so that your private chef can come in and cook your meal without disturbing you.



This is the balcony of the Presidential Suite with a view from the 22nd floor. You're probably wondering why i'm holding my shoe? Lady Gaga has a photo of herself on this very balcony, holding her stiletto and using the heel to mix her drink. :P



Inside the huge bathroom of the Presidential Suite - you get to bathe and put on a show for the other surrounding buildings. haha!



Still in the same bathroom... If bathing for the world isn't enough, you can also poo for the world to see. ;P There are blinds that you can pull down for privacy but I wonder how many people actually use them?



This is the most expensive "room" in the hotel - The Chairman Suite going for pocket change of $6,000 CAD per night. The chandelier you see up there costs $200,000 CAD and made purely from Swarovski Crystals. Some people don't prefer this suite though because it's on the 8th floor as compared to the Presidential Suite which is on the 22nd floor.



You can't tell from this picture but this bathroom is about the size of a small condo, no joke. It was HUGE. And again, you can bathe for the world to see.

People have said to me that the windows must be one sided but I can assure you that they are not... i've heard stories. O.O




So there you have it... a glimpse of how ballers travel.

Which room would you like to stay in?

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My First Afternoon Tea Experience

To celebrate my sister-in-laws early birthday, our friend & I took her to the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Downtown Vancouver for Afternoon Tea. As we sipped our tea, we laughed and agreed that us having tea is a sign of getting old. :P We imagined that this is the sort of thing we'll be doing in years to come as my sister-in-law plans to have kids in the near future and i'm preparing to get married in 2.5 months. We first met when we were 9 and 11 years old so it's quite surreal to think that my sister-in-law (who was my best friend before we officially became family) is turning 26 in five days!

Anyway, i'll let the pictures do the talking...

 I was very tempted to photoshop the "i" into a "y" :P
Beautiful tea pots - we each got a different color pot :)
 I'm not really a tea kind of person (unless it's bubble tea :P) but I really enjoyed this vanilla tea!
 We started off with a plate of fresh scones (to the left), the sandwiches were on the bottom tier and the desserts were on top. $35/person.
 The Fairmont Pacific Rim served traditional sandwiches but what makes them unique is that they also serve sushi! Everything was fresh and full of flavour.
 After dessert, we were craving for something salty to off set the sweetness so we shared a plate of poutine with beef on top. It was delicious but wayyyy overpriced! A plate of plain poutine at other restaurants is about $5-$7 but this was $16.
 After tea, a friend of mine took us on a tour of the nicest rooms in the hotel (which i'll post about this week) and we ended the day with these chocolate buns (aka Chocolate Zeppole) from Giovane Cafe (attached to the hotel)! We originally came for their famous sugar buns but apparently, they sell out first thing in the morning. This was still a good alternative though. :)
 It is definitely not "first date" kind of food though... it was messy to eat, and the bun poo'd on my hand.
Do you notice your outings changing as you get older?


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Long Distance Friendships

click to enlarge... yes, you read correctly. the topic was "babies and boobies".

In 2009, I started blogging so I could document all the things I was making (like greeting cards, graphics, random things, etc) but little did I know that it would allow me to make great friends both locally and internationally!

Last Saturday, I had my first Skype date with friends i've been talking to online for a long time. It was fun trying to identify whose voice was whose and it was great to finally be able to put a voice to the face/picture. :) I was able to meet Nikolett for the first time last year since she also lives in Canada. In about 2.5 months, i'll be able to meet some of my friends who live in Asia when i fly to the Philippines for my 2nd wedding reception! :D

I remember a few years ago, people would get weirded out when you say that you met with someone who you met online but now, people are getting married to people they met online and creating long lasting friendships! I'm glad technology has allowed me to "meet" you guys! *awwwww* :)

What has technology done for you?

Speaking of long distance friends, my dear friend Krissy is celebrating her birthday on April 6th and she's giving away some AWESOME prizes, including a shirt from me! Enter the giveaway HERE!


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