Category: Friends - Random Thoughts of a Quirky Blogger

Out & About #897 | Back to Downtown, The Pilates Body Session #4 + Minami

5/13/2023

Sunday had been rainy, ironically. With the new work week, the cloudy curtains were withdrawn to reveal ample sunshine and brilliant blue skies.

It would be my first time heading into downtown during the morning rush in almost five years.

Instead of trekking south of Union Station towards the glorious waterfront, I headed northwest instead. Roy Thomson Hall was the defining landmark of the intersection, doubly serving as the divine conjurer of DAY6 memories.

Upon my arrival, I was informed of two unfortunate circumstances - beyond the temporary lack of benefits and vacation days:

Work location shift to City Hall - Oh! The horror!!
Unassigned seating at hotel stations (And I assure you, the griminess was atrocious.)

The pending relocation was supposedly for the benefit of staff: a newer space with improved connectivity within the division. Though I couldn't refute the 90s hardware and stained carpets, I was quite fond of the building, along with the memories I had made within it.

My lunch walk led me to Assembly Chef's Hall, for I was curious about Palgong's recent opening.
Alas, the once-bustling dining facility now housed more vacant stalls than customers. Notable names such as Tachi have closed since my last visit; the only familiar spot was Lost Coffee.

Palgong was situated by the entrance of the connecting office building, their menu positioned before the counter just like their Finch location. In consideration of my hankering for milk tea instead of a Mint Chocolate Smoothie though, I swiftly exited and began my trek towards CoCo.

Out & About #894 | Wonderland Perkopolis Day

4/29/2023

Due to schedule conflicts, last year's Wonderland trip had been scrapped and replaced with CNE (832). For this year's run, the group collectively agreed on Perkopolis Day. Beyond being amongst the first to experience the amusement park's public re-opening for the summer season, it also included the added benefit of a discounted ticket.

Leading up to the weekend, the forecast had been dreary. Precipitation was expected, prompting one of our party members to recall our equally overcast 2021 visit, joking that I was the cause for poor climate conditions.

One day earlier, I had lined my car mats with Canadian Tire flyers in an effort to prevent yet another round of deep cleansing. After a breakfast of coffee and a Coconut Bun (with crumbly filling) from Lucullus, I geared up in nylon bottoms and a trusty, fleece-lined windbreaker - my "weatherproof" jacket, as my birthday buddy had disapprovingly declared. The comparatively appearance-conscious members had taken to layering hoodless outerwear with cotton hoodies and more cotton innerwear - for reasons beyond me, of course - while my carpooling partner and I were the only ones donning outdoor-appropriate apparel from head to toe.

We witnessed a downpour in the morning, which made for slick roads but an easier parking process.

Yukon Striker was my suggestion - Why not start strong? The wait was a mere thirty minutes - a shocking reduction from the first year of operation.

I had initially proposed riding it a second time, but the queue had lengthened when we exited the platform. We detoured to the Behemoth instead, as the classic coaster was often known to have the longest lineup. But, this time, our wait didn't even exceed one hour.

My carpooling partner and I took to the front two seats, while the remainder of the party sat in the third and fourth rows respectively. Traversing across each hump introduced a new gust of iciness - gusts so ruthless our lips were left numbed and fingers frozen.

The sleepy polar bear voiced concerns of nausea after these first two rollercoasters, thus retreated to the sidelines while we continued queuing. My memories of the Backlot Stunt Coaster were vague, but riding it again assured me that no future visits would be made; constantly banging into the side of the cart was far from my idea of enjoyable.

Making my rounds with my birthday buddy ensured that there was a voice of reason on the team. Furthermore, it enabled me to ride on the less popular attractions, such as the carousels, without having to persuade the others. Once again, the lines were extremely short.

Entering into the kids' area, sightings of the Peanuts crew were made. Alas, Snoopy was nowhere to be spotted!

Out & About #891 | Rainy Uptown Trek + LUNA Bakery

4/22/2023

It was at least late January when I had been informed of orderlyblue's intent to visit Ontario. Being the meticulous planner that she is, the itinerary was confirmed to me at least a month in advance. Upon nearing her two-week cross-border stay, meetup plans were finalized for the morning of her departure.

A traumatizing Wednesday had thankfully been met with a somewhat speedy recovery, albeit not to my usual capacity. I awoke to rumbling in the abdomen and a churning stomach; the mild pains transformed into diarrhea - repetitive counts actually. While I had regained the ability to form sentences and operate a motor vehicle, physical health had not returned.
I managed ingestion of Salted Pork Congee and a small banana before departing, willing myself to be freed of any unforeseen digestive issues over the hour-long commute.

Precipitation was anticipated for the bulk of the day, with a heavy downpour accompanying me into Toronto. The address provided to me was for a new condominium complex near Fairview, which meant unfinished streetscaping and unsigned inter-condo roads. For reasons beyond me, the duo - orderlyblue and a 99-liner whom she had established a recent friendship with - opted to traverse through a sod-filled planter to my vehicle instead of navigating along the adjacent muck-free, concrete walkway. Attempts to brush off the mud were in vain, and the floor mats (and carpet!!) would now be stained with dampened sod.

From the pickup point, a twenty-ish minute commute would ensue. The first destination of the day was Cafe Landwer.
Visiting on a Saturday morning with a tight timeline was absolutely frazzling. Reservations were permitted neither via OpenTable nor the Yelp waitlist during peak times, so I had merely hoped for the best (in that weather conditions would deter like-minded brunchers) and pulled up outside the restaurant for a waitlist check. Amazingly, I was informed that was no wait at all!

While the two non-natives slid themselves into a booth, I rounded about the building into the parking garage. Interestingly, the parking pass now expires on the same day of issuance at 11:59 pm, rather than the following morning, as it did in fall 2021.
When I eventually made it into the restaurant, the interior was found to be absolutely bustling, with all seating observed as occupied. Verifying my understanding with the West Coast duo, I learned that crowds had quickly flooded inwards after our arrival. We had just made it in the nick of time!

Skimming the offerings on the laminated menus laid before me, I was again overwhelmed with the same sense of disinterest experienced the previous evening while looking at the web version. There was no appetite to be found, and only a sense of foreboding should I dare challenge my unstable digestive system.

Both the waitress and myself had recommended the Shakshukas, though neither appeared visibly curious about the chain's signature dish.
"I'm not really a fan of tomato sauce." the 99-liner admitted. She opted instead for the Eggs Benedict Florentine, remarkably the first item to be listed under the "Breakfast" header. Meanwhile, orderlyblue took to the Farmer's Breakfast.

Our entry into the space had been made around the 11 AM mark, with all members of party congregating by 11:15 AM. Orders were taken with swiftness, yet sustenance was nowhere to be witnessed until long after 11:39 AM.

The Farmer's Breakfast was gargantuan: two sunny-side up eggs and a (presumably) vinaigrette-tossed cucumber-tomato-red-cabbage salad laid on top of a sizable crispy pita. Tahini and labaneh were served in separate condiment dishes for dipping and/or smearing.

My eyes had widened at the portion size of the dish, however orderlyblue appeared unfazed, gradually depleting the entirety of the spread - minus the pita. The golden runniness of the yolks were an aspect to marvel at, along with the occasional bites of pita and tahini. "It tastes healthy, and refreshing!" She remarked, while digging into the chopped salad.

Meanwhile, the Eggs Benedict Florentine was comparatively normal in stature. Presented on a quaint, vintage-looking rimmed plate, its constituents included two poached eggs with baby spinach over grill-pressed challah - no English muffins here! - and a roasted, smashed potatoes. (Technically, the menu description reads as "crushed potatoes", though "smashed" is likely more fitting due to their overall intactness and single, lengthwise incision for improved surface area.
The 99-liner ate almost silently, thus I barely caught sight of the cross-section of the eggs before their elimination. On the contrary, she worked through the potatoes with sluggishness. It wasn't until nearing the end of the meal that I noticed she had peeled away the skin and brushed out the insides for consumption.

Out & About #888 | CN Tower Climb

4/15/2023

I may have responded a bit shortsightedly when a fellow July baby proposed undertaking the CN Tower Climb together. The venture seemed new and exciting, yet I hadn't researched tremendously before giving my approval and relinquishing the non-refundable twenty-five dollar registration fee.

It was only after constant pestering and haunting tales of climbers fainting by the stairwell that I commenced proper training. Frankly, the Stairmaster was the fundamental reason of why I had requested a gym pass to start.
Four training rounds were conducted leading up to the event, with the latter two totalling 27 minutes (at a relatively quick pace) and 34 minutes (while maintaining steady-state cardio).

Prior to the event, I readied myself from user reviews on reddit and blogs. Most had advised going early in the day, as the stairwell only became sweatier and smelling fouler throughout the morning. Alas, I had already booked for the latest slot possible.

My climb would not start till 9:30 AM, however we departed around the 7 AM mark in order to obtain parking first, then walk over to MTCC.

It was only upon reaching Hall C that we realized half-price Sunrise Special tickets were retailed at the CN Tower, not the convention centre grounds. The sleepy polar bear ran back while I slowly prodded behind to conserve energy. A banana was consumed along the way.

The sleepy polar bear succeeded in procuring the CN Tower ticket with just one minute to spare. Apparently, climbers did not need tickets to access the Observation Deck, for that would be our final destination after the climb.

Heading back to MTCC, we were welcomed and guided within by volunteers in black shirts. Numbers on the floor would lead the way to the check-in desk, where volunteers would issue wristbands, and yellow headbands had enough funds been raised. Any specific inquiries would be deferred to purple shirt-donning staff, as those were WWF employees, rather than event-specific staff.

Upon completion of check-in process, the numbers led to Coat Check and other booths. A tent had been set up for the Platinum Panda experience for climbers that had successfully fundraised $1000 and up. A table lined with plastic water glasses and sponsor booths were found nearby. Separate booths for t-shirt collection, prize collection, and photobooth service were positioned along the opposite side of hall, across from check-in.

Out & About #887 | Pistachio Cake + Cycle Class

4/9/2023

BamBam has been everywhere lately, jumping between music broadcast shows, BamJip, as well as various YouTube channels to promote Sour & Sweet, his first full-length album. As an ahgase, I revel in the deluge of fresh content surging my way. But beyond squealing in excitement and laughing hysterically at his witty remarks, I've come to learn of the artist's impressive growth, as well as identify with a number of his struggles.

His love for beer and the colour purple were new discoveries to me, as was his tremendous struggle to continue life as an idol, artist, and entertainer. Dissimilar to those who base their decisions firstly off emotions, BamBam's greatest struggle was not in regards to producing art synonymous with his inner world. Rather, it was failing to achieve the desired results despite the amount of effort invested. Another aspect to the equation was the importance of being authentic, yet still respectful and considerate.

Some declarations seemed to be no-brainers to him:

Facing problems head-on instead of escaping from reality to avoid stress
Having confidence and being self-aware nixes the need to be jealous or wary of a significant other's social circle, or worse, projecting one's insecurities on another person
The lack of value of learning something if it would unlikely pose a drastic change to one's life, and further entails no benefit nor loss
The significance of taking care of oneself via the latte joys in life, even if the reward is as simple as a can of cold beer after a long day
Embracing the joys associated with interactions of "my people" rather than new faces
Accepting that not every situation can be changed, and learning to be alright with the discomfort
Taking opportunities at one's most dire and taking a leap of faith in response to others' sincerity
Trusting the results of one's own hard work, despite lacking trust in oneself as a person

I identified with more than just a handful of his comments, especially those spoken in the realms of rationality. That said, I find greater moderation in Bam's thoughts and actions than in myself: Self-indulgence, while playing a relatively minor part in his daily routine, never goes untended. Maturity has developed from his extensive experience in the entertainment industry, from which has given way to a more sustainable mindset and more balanced regime. Observing him throughout this process has been a gift to me, both as an ahgase and a mere speck of matter in space.

Pasta salad cravings have perdured since the previous week, with all hints for tri-colour fusilli mixed with peppers and olives dismissed - or temporarily forgotten - by the sleepy polar bear.

When readymade renditions could not be located at Loblaws, matters were, naturally, taken into my own hands. My request for dry pasta was met with a box of De Cecco fusilli instead of the standard Unico packages, much to my surprise. The premium-looking box and "Product of Italy" label raised eyebrows, for it shouted "Alert: Expensive!" from all angles.
In reality, the item was on clearance, thus cheaper than our typical budget pick, but superior in quality. Cooked in salted water to a consistency between al dente and soft HK Café spaghetti, the beautiful, swirled specimens retained their shape throughout the mixing and tossing process that would await them.

Mayonnaise - Miracle Whip, really - is the customary condiment choice in our household. Often is it blended with wasabi, ketchup, and/or Dijon mustard for varying takes on potato salad. For fusilli though, I looked towards an oil-based dressing, which is seldom my go-to. Olive oil, rice wine vinegar, coarse salt, and a sprinkle of sugar formed the base, while two cloves of black garlic were meticulously broken down by hand and smothered into the pasta's ridges. At first, the salad seemed lacking with just sweet bell peppers (an orange and red each) and half a deseeded cucumber; black olives were pivotal in my view. However, once the flavours had an opportunity to permeate, the result was phenomenal: harmonious, textured, yet light on the stomach, as a pasta salad ought be.

Other meals/snacks of the week included: Peanut Butter on Toast, Loblaws Potato Salad, Chiang Mai Trail Mix from Basil Box, Minced Pork with Eggplant, Udon, Miso Soup with withering, week-old scallions, and Sirloin Oscar leftovers from The Keg.

Out & About #884 | Pound Cake with Black Sesame Cream, Yoga Mats + One Week of LA Fitness

4/2/2023

"Don't you have a lot of yoga mats?"
"They're not here." I responded, matter-of-factly. "And I need one for class."
"You have a big one in Vancouver."
"I brought my orange one over."
"No, there's one more, probably tucked away somewhere."

After discovering the utter lack of mats at LA Fitness, I took matters into my own hands. Being utterly convinced that a budget mat with fast, free shipping would suffice for the grimy gym studio floors, I resorted to Amazon. And then, in the absence of a carrying strap, I DIYed my own variation with thin elastic cord.

Composed of supposedly eco-friendly TPE material, the surface was smooth, unlike my bumpy Gaiam one (that I had left at the sleepy polar bear's) and proclaimed to be nonslip. The mat arrived within twenty-four hours, from which point ensued a thorough sanitization process: once with soapy water and another with tea tree oil and water. It was with relief that the mat did not emerge reeking of rubber or cheap plastic.

However, it was nevertheless, subpar for its price. After a short while in bird dog position, a dent formed where my knee was. It persisted for the duration of my workout, like cheap memory foam. The surface was decent and indeed nonslip, but gripped toes excessively during dynamic movements, causing my toe to bend underneath instead of assisting it along its path. The foamy texture further caused insulation of heat, rather than its dissipation. My POPFLEX version, albeit far pricier, was just so much better. (That said, both mats susceptible to streaking and surface discolouration, regardless of usage count.)

Leading up to the sleepy polar bear's birthday, I have begun my preparations accordingly. Reservations have already been confirmed, up to three weeks in advance. A last-minute present also wound its way to me, for it is difficult to resist stationery necessities at clearance price points.

Meals of the week comprise of: Steamed Pork with Pickled Radish + Gai Lan/Kale, Tomato Minced Pork with Sweet Bell Peppers over Macaroni, and Myungdong Shabu Shabu takeout of Wang Mandu, Bibimbap, and Kimchi Jeon.

The roster also includes Homemade 杏仁蜜棗茶 to the rescue for parchedness and perpetually sore throats.

Out & About #882 | Escape the House + Sauga Shenanigans

3/18/2023

Weekends for the average adult are catch-up days. Those tasked with raising young children may beg to differ, though this statement will likely hold true for the vast majority of societal contributors. (Adult-aged children need not apply.)

Rising earlier than I do on the standard work-from-home day, I prepared myself for a 9 AM arrival at Costco on Saturday morning. The entirety of the grocery list was obtained in under ten minutes, though not without intense frustrations with the sleepy polar bear, who offered to assist in the morning warehouse run for the first time ever and delayed it with the purchase of a single Hash Brown (Oh, the never-ending Hash Brown woes!).

Returning from Costco (and a fully-charged lecture about attaining base goals before adding innovation into the equation), I transitioned into chores and the heavily unanticipated, annual tax return process. Lunch was consumed swiftly, then supplemented with snacks of homemade Cha Siu (not executed by yours truly) and a fizzy orange juice-mango passion jam medley.

From the glossy sheen to magnificent marbling to crispy, charred edges, the homemade rendition was not only far more delectable than Magic BBQ, but economic as well.

The evening hours were scheduled to spent at an escape room with friends. Leading up to the appointment, I began to suffer queasiness in the stomach. Just as I had readied myself, the sleepy polar bear informed of having departed solo, without prior confirmation of my intents. With less than twenty minutes left to the booking slot, I raged with incredulity and hurried hopped into my own vehicle to make up for lost time.

Thankfully (or not so thankfully), my extreme speed guided me to the facility in sixteen minutes. Much to my relief, our commencement time was not strictly enforced.

Browsing the archives, I realized that my last escape room experience had taken place in December 2016. Pricey admission, paired with a tiresome commute into downtown Toronto, had unfolded into a relatively dismal turnout with minimal excitement. Given this record, I had turned down escape rooms for good, much like pho. Alas, one positive experience was all that was needed to turn the tables.

In reviewing room choices and prices for HintHunt and Trapped, I learned of the current market prices for a sixty-minute experience: $30 to $40 before tax. These were extravagant rates to me, for the event is brief and level of enjoyment is entirely dependent on the facility's "Game Master(s)".
When go karting was eliminated as an alternative, I took matters into my own hands, eventually securing a stellar deal on Groupon for Escape The House. It was, by far, the most budget option possible: $64 after taxes for a group of four, or $16 per person.

Upon arrival, we signed our names on the waiver and were instructed to place our belongings in a locker. Any device capable of capturing media were prohibited to preserve the integrity of the game room, and reasonably so. The key would remain with us until after the game session.
Adjacent to the lockers was a single stall bathroom. It was surprisingly clean, despite being a unisex stall, though I grew progressively wary of the toilet's restrictive flushing capabilities.

There were three rooms on offer at Escape The House: Turbulence, Trapped, and Last Stop Motel. When my first choice of Last Stop Motel was fully booked, I entered onto the waitlist but booked Trapped in the meantime. The waitlist notification was never received, thus we merely continued with Trapped.

A briefing was provided by one of the staff members prior to entry. Beyond walkie-talkies, unlimited hints, and cautionary warnings about ceiling panels and biohazard signage, we would be given a rundown of our room format.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Out & About #877 | Smiles, Gym + Chocolate Ganache Mochi

2/26/2023

"I'll be hermiting within for a month." I had declared upon returning from Calgary. "A month, if not more - whatever it takes to finish."

And while I've proven loyal to these words, my endurance is withering. Exhaustion perpetuates as I tirelessly sort through the expanse, simultaneously balancing matters demanding attention in the present.

In the days following Valentine's, I munched on the remnants of my chocolate creations and smiley fries to assuage me till Friday.

These crisp rounds with ketchup-gushing eyes were paired with kale (of course) and a bottle of Heineken into which I mixed a few glugs of Yuzu Choya, then immediately regretted.

Calgary | DAY 3: (Pt. 2) Wedding + T.Pot

2/5/2023

Read Part 1 HERE !

Returning to the hotel with less than forty minutes till we were to report downstairs meant hasty moves. In order to remove all obstacles in my path, the sleepy polar bear was urged to remain in the lobby as I scurried about the room, fixing my makeup and unveiling the second bulkiest pair of footwear in my luggage.

Getting ready in a foreign environment is never an easy feat. As such, I was grateful for the choice in ceremony venue, and consequential minimal travel time.

At the core of this last-minute Calgary trip was the wedding celebration of my dear friend. Our friendship commenced in ̶t̶h̶e̶ my first year of high school, persisted well into university years, suffered a brief period of stagnancy during the post-grad, job-hunting phase, and was ultimately revived upon reaching some degree of life and career stability.

Having witnessed how several of her past relationships had unfolded, I was extremely thrilled at the news of finding her Mr. Right.

The exchange of vows took place in a conference room at the basement level of our hotel. Family members had ventured far and wide to assist in room setup, wedding dress train handling, and, most importantly, to witness the "legal joining in matrimony" of two loving parties.

It was a tremendous honour to partake in the ceremony, for the primary constituents of the audience were family members. A total of three Torontonians made up the close friend list in attendance.

Out & About #872 | Matcha-Oolong Mochi Brownie + Pre-CNY Visuals

1/20/2023

As those with distinct preferences shall inform: Cravings are unique and exceedingly specific.
On days where I yearn for chocolate, the desired format may be liquid (hot chocolate), toothsome (truffles), crunchy (clusters or chocolate bars with nuts), fudgy (brownies), or beyond these profiles entirely.

For at least one week, I had contemplated the possibility of swirling three flavours into Sunday Baking's Mochi Brownie. Success had been seen with both the original in a loaf pan and swirled with matcha in a standard square baking pan. I continue to experiment with my stash of Paragon tea powders, as eager to unlock new flavour profiles as to deplete them before expiry.

Commencing with the mochi layer, I exercised caution to prevent scorching of the mochi mixture. Ever since replacing our microwave, I've noticed the need to reduce reheating times by at least 20%. This mochi was no expectation, for ten seconds on full wattage had rendered it lumpy and rigid. Water was gradually mixed into the dough in an attempt to reinstate its chewy qualities.
The result was acceptable, albeit thinner and retaining less structural integrity than desired.

For any future mochi-crafting endeavours, it is recommended to grease the bowl beforehand. The spoon spatula pictured in Sunday's video was a great alternative to the flat scraper spatula, providing more control and kneading power.

Next came formation of the batters. The original recipe called for two eggs. Despite having contemplated doubling the recipe and making two loaves (chocolate-matcha swirled and chocolate-oolong swirled), I ultimately opted to utilize three eggs instead of four. Adhering the roughly the same formula as my reduced sugar Oat Fudge Bar layer, I painstakingly prepared three batters.

This was a truly tedious process. While the original chocolate layer was a breeze to prepare, Matcha and Oolong required first melting white chocolate callets and butter together, then portioning them out as evenly as possible before whisking in the respective tea powders.
A total of four bowls piled in the sink, including the one for mochi. Then came the spoon spatula and three whisks. Instead of the "one-bowl, hand-mixed" format that SK often advertises, I had - accidentally, mind you - embarked on the path of more dishes.

Even with each layer comprising of only 46 g of granulated sugar, the result was still too sugary for my liking. I allude this finding to the existing sugar content in the white chocolate couverture, for I had not experienced this issue with semisweet Surfin.

In spite of this, the crackly surface and fragrant, chewy cross-sections were phenomenal. Fearing that the brownie would result cakey as opposed to fudgy, I removed the pan at the 48-minute mark. The underside of the centre was a bit damp at this point, though I had tested other sections of the slab sufficiently with a toothpick and deemed it done.
Its crackly surface, contrasting textures, and splendid aromas were absolutely captivating. That said, peak gustatory performance lasted just one day. Witnessed on the subsequent day was an overall dampness, followed by rigid, unyielding mochi. Heating individual pieces led to disintegration of the brownie, making it an unviable option to reinstating chewiness. I quickly resolved to undertaking future trials in the warmer months, hoping for the assistance of increased humidity levels.

The middle of the week saw Jinyoung's long awaited solo EP release. In the office, I could hardly reveal my excited demeanour, especially with a new member of staff seated directly before me the entire duration of the day.

"Cotton Candy", as well as the other four tracks on the album were played on loop that day - both in the office and the commute home.

When lunchtime arrived, I decided to venture a bit further than normal.

WHAT DOES "QUIRKY AESTHETICS" MEAN?

Quirky = a term that commonly refers to something/someone distinctly different and unique
Aesthetics = the visual aspect of things

Together, Quirky Aesthetics refers to the things, events, and happenings seen and perceived by this blog's creator - quirky perspectives in a visual form.

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