Category: - Random Thoughts of a Quirky Blogger

Out & About #1170 | Goodbye Week + Pre-Trip Craziness Feat. Cong Caphe + De Mello

4/25/2026

Timing a job change is wickedly tricky. Between the handover tasks and countless farewell conversations about the office, I consolidated several other actions within the same span of a week. Truth be told: It maximized efficiency at the cost of sanity.

Besides my grand cookie venture and Pecan Frangipane Tart with Oat Crust over the weekend, I revisited the household's beloved Marbled Banana Bread for the first time in a while. Dare I say, it was even more delicious than the previous round.

My days in the office were limited. On a hectic Tuesday, one of the most senior staff members invited me out for coffee. I turned down her offer of % Arabica, instead leading her towards the comparatively cost-effective choice of To Go Coffee. My pick lay with a Pear Jasmine Latte, while hers a Hawthorn Berry Tea. Allow me to confirm that the espresso-containing concoction was noticeably better than its abnormally cloying matcha rendition.

I departed the office early that afternoon after snagging a slice of cake. Prior to my last day, it was pivotal to maximize my remaining benefits allowance where possible.

The next day, I opted to return to CoCo to claim my complimentary beverage. It was only natural to select the priciest option on the menu: Brown Sugar Pearl Milk Tea (plus an extra topping of pudding).

The visit coincided with a deposit return; The Beer Store increased the value of empties by 20% in honour of Earth Day, making for a pleasant discovery upon arrival.

Aligning my last day with the last work day of the week automatically defaulted to fewer people in the office. Nevertheless, those that considered me close enough of a friend or coworker physically presented themselves for my send-off. I hadn't expected anything greater than a few messages, thus was rather shocked to receive gifts and even a card!

The team member with which I had worked closely offered a farewell lunch as his treat. Cong Caphe was the obvious choice due to its proximity and our shared desire to sample their Banh Mi and Coconut Smoothie lineup.

When I had attempted a visit during their grand opening weekend, a treacherous lineup had extended through the door. This time around, the interior was peaceful, allowing for admiration of the interior decor. Similar to the original downtown location on Elm, the suburban location continued to embrace wooden furniture with floral seats and a comprehensive army green throughout. Gazing towards the ceiling, I appreciated that the ducts and piping had also been colour-coordinated for cohesiveness, rather than leaving the components as is to be wholly disjointed in theme.

Out & About #1165 | Black Sesame Tangyuan Cake + Black Sesame Bonbons

4/5/2026

What does the average person do over long weekends? I can't envision road trips or short vacations being a feasible option, for the addition of 1-2 extra days hardly accounts for catching up on lost time throughout the week.
In my case, there is not only an outstanding task list carried forward from last year, but new items that have resulted from an imminent change in routine.

My long weekend was spent at home in a relatively sedentary manner, navigating between floors only for the preparation of food. Considering the climbing cost of gas and required budget realignment though, the outcome wasn't wholly negative. I enjoyed a Black Sesame Latte, bibigo Pork & Vegetable Dumplings from Costco, snuggles with my CoCo Plushie (which I could have procured at the VIP price!!), and various beers from my haul.

1) Black Sesame Tangyuan Cake

While sipping on my Black Sesame Latte, I debated the possibility of a tangyuan cake. Such a creation would comprise of ginger syrup-soaked sponge, black sesame cream, and a glutinous rice flour (mochi) casing. With a desire to attempt Sunday Baking's latest Black Sesame Bonbons, any leftover black sesame ganache could be repurposed into the cream filling, I reckoned.

As someone who often has clear visions but an absolute absence of drawing talent, I was fascinated - and deeply appreciative - of generative AI's ability to transform my words into visuals. The concept of a Black Sesame Tangyuan Cake wasn't one that could be easily found on the web, yet Google-powered artificial intelligence succeeded in conjuring an image with great resemblance to the one in my mind. Of course, it wasn't identical. It didn't adhere to the full extent of my prompts, and further depicted layers that spurred questionability. At the same time though, it provided generally good tips (to which I paid no attention), added cake garnishes (for which I did not ask), and also generated a recipe for the concept (another element for which I did not ask). Consistent with my learnings thus far, AI was confirmed to be a fantastic tool for brainstorming and visualizing what is possible based on an abstract idea. Needless to say, it is merely a tool, thus requires verification and validation by the user.

A) Ginger Syrup

The soaking liquid for the sponge would adopt the traditional yellow rock sugar 糖水 with mild hints of ginger.

Ingredients:

245 g water
82 g yellow rock sugar
9 g ginger, sliced

B) Sponge

I took to Sunday Baking's No Butter Victoria Sponge again. Out of fear of overmixing though, I had missed several small pockets of flour. These flaky white patches, albeit infrequent and likely undetectable after the brushing of syrup, glared back at me in the cross-section. Aside from an amateurish appearance, failure to distribute the baking powder evenly had resulted in uneven rise: the cake wasn't as tall as I had envisioned and large voids had emerged around the centre.

C) Black Sesame Cream

After filling the handful of successful of white chocolate bonbon shells, Sunday Baking's Black Sesame Ganache filling was adapted for use in the cake.

The modified quantities for the Black Sesame Ganache are as follows:

215 g white chocolate couverture
90 g heavy cream
45 g black sesame paste

The Black Sesame Cream combined 250 g of heavy cream with the (unfortunately unmeasured) leftover ganache.

Leftover ganache
250 g heavy cream

Given that the quantity had resulted in an abundance of cream, it is advised to reduce the heavy cream by 40-50%. It is further noted that the potency of black sesame decreased drastically due to the high proportion of cream.

Out & About #1164 | A Tough Work Week, AGM Visit + Impending Ailment

4/2/2026

By virtue of presentation of my Matcha Layer Brownies, I quietly made the office aware of my participation in the Aprons in Action campaign. Unfortunately, the nestling of my banner next to the treats was too subtle to be noticed. (I later learned that printing a larger poster and tacking it near the sink also didn't help my case!)

I accompanied a coworker towards Sea Shanty Fish & Chips over lunch. The request for a Full Size order of signature Fish & Chips came as a surprise to me, for the pub offering deviated drastically from the components typically found in the colleague's packed lunch. But of course, the average person does not seek out what can be constructed at home when dining out.

Visually quite impressive, the haddock fillet had been lightly battered, exhibiting a golden glow and obvious, airy crunch.

While heading towards Walmart afterwards, an uncanny encounter was made: I crossed paths with one of my first year elective classmates! About 13-14 years have passed since that time, yet we recognized each other without hesitation. Astounding was the coincidental timing of it all, but even more so was how both of us retained the contact details of the other in our phones. Unexpectedly crossing paths after all these years reminded me fondly of the early years of adulthood, as well as the abundance of growth that had taken place in that duration. She relayed to me an imminent wedding and her move to the west side of the GTA. Naturally, we resolved to catch up one day.

Back in the office, a partially eaten box of donuts was offered to the kitchen. Adjacent to a trio of somewhat melty Chocolate Dips was the newly launched Ryan Reynolds Maple Butter Glazed Donut. Another member of staff hovered nearby, curious about the creation. We opted to split the donut in half for sampling - a wise choice, given its abhorrent sweetness. A Blackberry Yuzu Lemonade Quencher - with no presence of yuzu whatsoever, mind you - was inadequate in combatting the cloying qualities.

Fatigue crept up over the course of the day, prompting a trip to Costco instead of heading home for exercise. The decision was deemed appropriate, for it enabled relief from pre-long weekend crowds.

Out & About #1161 | Pi Day, Matcha Almond Cookies + Fig Roll-Ups

3/14/2026

As any local knows, spring in Canada isn't a guaranteed. Snow is possible any time between November to April, and the transition from winter to summer could last any duration from two weeks to two months. Just as I was ready to transition away from my down coat came flurries and ruthless winds.

The first weekend of March Break coincided with a handful of local events. One was the Grand Opening weekend of Cong Caphe's Mississauga foray. Having likely seen success from their pop-up in The Food District, the business took to one of the at-grade retail spots just north of Hurontario and Eglinton. Situated at the base of a high-rise residential complex, I wasn't surprised to arrive to find an absence of on-site parking within the proximity.

Of course, the impact of inadequate parking had been intensified with both Cong Caphe and Ramen Isshin's grand opening promotions taking place over the exact same timespan. Against my better judgement, I pulled up to the front doors of the establishments a few minutes after noon. By this point, the queues were extravagant and vehicles were stationed along the perimeter of the condo buildings.

Navigating towards the concrete walkways was quite challenging, for strict completion of base asphalt rendered a height difference between the road grade and gutter. Melted snow pooled here, turning to ice as temperatures stooped into the grim, evening hours.

Ramen Isshin's opening promotions included $1 ramen for the first 50 customers, followed by 50% off for the remainder of the day. Needless to say, we did not succeed in making the first batch of entrants. Evaluating the length of the line though, we likely weren't going to make the first 100 either. Cong Caphe's neighbouring lineup was equally tragic. Instead of being perched outside for an undetermined period of time, I decided to return to the comfort of the car and head elsewhere. $10 off ramen simply wasn't worth it.

While meandering back to the 403 on ramp, I recalled it was the 14th of March - otherwise known as "Pi Day". A quick web search identified the pizza spots taking part in the national food holiday. Blondie's at Robert Speck offered a paltry discount of $3.14 with a minimum purchase of twenty-five dollars. Meanwhile, Pizza Nova was offering $3.14 slices and Pi Co. $3.14 Margherita Pi.
The latter was the most intriguing deal by far, so I swooped into the covered garage across from Walmart and made my way towards the food court.

Another line awaited us. Despite its length, traffic appeared to move quickly. I decided to join the line, stepping away every once in a while for sanity's sake.

Queuing indoors enabled a temperate environment, as well as one equipped with indoor plumbing facilities, however unclean they may emerge.

Being poised stationary made me antsy, thus frequent trips were made towards other sections in the mall in the meantime. From To Go Coffee, a Flow Pod Lemon Tea was obtained. While my heart yearned from the Orange Lemon Tea, its base of green tea directed me towards an alternative. The Flow Pod Lemon Tea was the only tea concoction in which black tea could be substituted.

Mr. Surprise Toys had also opened its doors in advance of its Grand Opening weekend.

The Pi Co. lineup was far longer than expected. Approximately forty minutes would pass before we neared the counter.

In order to facilitate orders, the establishment was limiting all sales to the Margherita Pi between 12:00 - 3:14 PM. Customizable pies, salads, and wings would resume sale following the Pi Day promotion period.

Out & About #1159 | Yet Another Week, ENHYPEN Walk The Line + Boyfriend on Demand

3/7/2026

Often we tell others to "hang in there" when they express having a hard time, but is that really the best approach? Until when are they to keep holding on?
The saying "hanging by a thread" applies to situations such as these, for one's grip can only be sustained for so long. Continuous challenges without adequate moments of rest, recovery, and happiness inevitably lead to one's regrettably predictable demise.

Being "depressed" would be an understatement given the latest state of affairs. I'm merely living a nightmare that won't end - a reality where even fitful dreams are better than awaking to see another work day.

I'm absolutely done with this place, and have been for almost one whole year.

Similar to the soul-sucking days of consulting, those in my surroundings have strived to show support during these times. Whether listening to my ceaseless rants, dissecting dilemmas that have somehow plagued me, and just interacting with me in a way that shows appreciation and acknowledgement, I am deeply grateful for it all. It's nice to know that humanity exists in this world, even if not within my immediate team.

A small amount of anguish was released during a much overdue lunch walk with a coworker. The conversation comprised of future career plans, the unbelievable act of a team member failing to provide notice for a three-week long vacation and setting others as her out-of-office contact without discussion, and Roll Up The Rim insights.

I learned that Tim's Chai Oat Latte was far superior to their London Fog with Oat Milk. Their Double Chocolate Donut was much better than their Chocolate Glazed and much, much better than Chocolate Dip. It was also discovered that not all menu items were eligible to earn "rolls".

With knee pain being persistent and progressively prominent, a physio appointment was booked for the next day. Driving to Markham after being placed on a three-week waitlist simply was not feasible. A clinic hidden within a pharmacy provided swift treatment coupled with convenience.

On my way back home, I couldn't resist attempting another Roll Up The Rim chance.

Biscoff dipped in Chai Oat Latte proved a stellar pairing. Unfortunately, I lost all three rolls on this purchase.

A Fruit Explosion was received in place of the supposedly discontinued Chocolate Hazelnut Muffin. The concoction was less desirable than in my childhood days, for recent iterations have omitted the slice of apple on the surface and increased the stabilizer content in the jam filling.

With the exception of flights, setting my alarm for earlier than 7 AM hasn't happened for the past year. With an all-day training course scheduled to commence at 7:30 AM though, I found myself awaking groggy and irritable to pre-sunset hours.

I still arrived about ten minutes late, though the instructor was, thankfully, very friendly and lenient on latecomers.

During the well-deserved one-hour lunch break, I hurriedly ate my pre-packed lunch and made my way over to Costco. Within forty-five minutes, I had somehow succeeded in completing the trip for paper towels and detergent.

Out & About #1157 | Depressing Dilemmas, Mandarin Nostalgia + Uncle Tetsu Black Sesame

2/27/2026

When 2025 came to a close, my browsing partner had concluded it was a tough year for me. To be frank, I had spent so much of my time trying to stay afloat that the actual depth of the struggle wasn't an element I considered.

Unfortunately, with new years come new challenges. I suppose adulting is like that: Live and learn.

"The hardest is yet to come." I had foreshadowed. With tension in my body intensifying with every step, I heaved an enormous sigh, not knowing whether to shed tears of frustration, sadness, or both.

Every single work day has played out in a relatively similar fashion:
I commence by booting up the laptop, equipped with a plan in mind on how to tackle outstanding tasks
My inbox is overwhelmed by urgent tasks that are, in retrospect, not urgent at all.
I am subject to this manufactured sense of urgency and respond accordingly - not by applying a streamlined approach because of the timelines, but swiftly engaging in the same steps to conclude the task in hopes of moving on to other duties.

But this load never seems to cease. There is an incessant stream of emails, documents, calls, meetings, and more to obstruct the natural flow of work. And, above it all, is obviously none other than the delusional donkey reeking of incompetence and insecurity making drama to fake importance.

When I set foot into the mall and gazed high at the beaming, blue skies beyond the skylights, I thought to myself, "I miss my friends. I miss freely going out." It didn't take me long to realize "I miss being happy." more than anything.
It was a problem identified early in the career change, yet persisted unaddressed due to economic factors in play. For any overly pragmatic being, prioritizing financial stability over mental wellbeing was the default choice. With time, this becomes unsustainable, but I had never thought to remain in this state in perpetuity.

Strolling the mall, I made a handful of observations:

The former Middle Eastern light fixture outlet and former former space of Canada Post would soon see a new tenant
Easter displays had landed at Lindt, inclusive of a gold foil bunnies riding a moving (!) ferris wheel
Heesung as a spokesperson for an unfamiliar cosmetic brand
Adorable spring finds at Simons
Easter and Eid products at Purdy's

The nation also welcomed back another season of Roll Up The Rim. In honour of the pre-pandemic legacy, the franchise re-introduced physical cups that supported rim rolls.

Each mobile order enabled two digital rolls in addition to the physical cup, providing incentive for lovers of iced beverages. It was with regret that I did not win on the physical cup, but instead scalded my tongue on the piping hot Chai Latte with Oat Milk - delicious, by the way. That said, a donut was won from one of two digital rolls on the Tim Hortons app.

When a Lunar New Year lunch was hinted earlier last month, there was no hesitation on my part whatsoever to RSVP. Even more inclined was I upon seeing the invite: We were going to the exact Mandarin location frequented in my childhood!

Visiting Mandarin again after so many years touched a very deep part of my soul in a way that only nostalgia can.

Out & About #1155 | Year of the Fire Horse + Barburu First Look

2/19/2026

The first day of Lunar New Year is often a jolly one. I arrived to smiling faces in the office and several members fittingly dressed in red attire.

Alas, it would be an understatement to say that my day was negatively impacted at the onset of our despicable team meeting. If there is anything that never ceases to amaze me, it is the brazen audacity of the incompetent. Being confident about one's nonexistent abilities deserves contempt to start, but leveraging one's ability to obstruct the growth of others is another pitiful act altogether. Suffice to say, my response to confidential performance review results being exposed to the small team comprised of shock, surprise, and confusion.
I received plenty of outraged responses from my support network, yet found the mild reactions of my workplace to be unnerving. They had downright downplayed the severity of the act on the account that it failed to align with their personal perception of the individual. Moreover, the altercation led many to believe that I was, in fact, underperforming. Without comprehensive knowledge of the situation, these bystanders are not entirely at fault. That said, the sheer absence of observation and dismissal of obvious intents are quite mind-blowing.

I collected feedback from my peers, then proceeded with the rest of the hectic day with stormy thoughts, akin to a witch's brew simmering up to a chemical unstable response. While I could have overlooked the inaccuracies in my performance review (for I know my capacities very well), the blatant disrespect and breach of confidentiality were sufficient grounds to instigate a counter attack. Someone decided to wake up and choose violence. To that, I respond with an expressionless war cry.
My job is likely on the line. But if I go down, you're coming with me. One year of suppression later, the animosity is anticipated to be piercing.

Leading up to lunch, I reminded a colleague of Nani's Gelato's Buy 2 Pints for $19.99 Tuesday promotion. The Matcha Strawberry flavour would soon be concluding its rotation, accelerating the need to visit. Unfortunately, we arrived to find the establishment dimmed and empty: Nani's had changed their opening hours to be 2 PM. Dismayed - and me without my phone - we retraced our steps.
Along the way, I recalled Japadog's Wagyu Fest promotion. Off to Square One we went!

While a Japamiso BLT and Matcha Milkshake was requested beside me, I inquired of the Soft Serve varieties. Initially, the cashier had informed that only Vanilla Soft Serve was available, but then returned to confirm availability of Matcha as well.

There were seemingly further misunderstandings, for I was handed a single scoop of soft serve instead of the depicted swirl. Although the scoop was a smaller portion than expected for its $4.99 price tag, I was minimally bothered, already being full from lunch. The concoction was creamy, lightly grassy, and positively delicious. But after the first spoonful, the staff member requested to recall the cup.

A brief moment later, a plastic cup with a heaping swirl of Matcha Soft Serve was bestowed upon me. Mouth agape, both arms were extended to receive the lofty serving. Its profile was identical to the scoop I had received earlier: creamy, flavourful, and grassy without being overpowering.

Equally enjoyable was the Matcha Milkshake, or so I was told. We collectively agreed that the matcha creations offered impressive value: even at regular price, the Milkshake was just $3.99 while the Soft Serve $4.99. They were incredibly filling as well; I made a mental note to share the specimen next time around.

The Japamiso BLT entailed generally positive remarks, noting that the bun was "good" but the combination wasn't particularly unique and could easily be assembled without challenge.

Later happenings involved laying eyes on To Go Coffee's New Year Scratch Card promotion, indulgence in an Orange Madeleine with Tempered Chocolate Coating, and comprehensive review of corporate policies in preparation of launching a response in combat.

Days in and out of the office have felt endless. With each minute comes another meeting, another email, another assignment, or another unwarranted, trivial incident. Beyond tiring of the work itself, my spirit has been dampened with the constant influx of duties that neither bring about fulfillment nor sense of accomplishment. Learning has been stagnant, and progress of tasks exceedingly so.

Between meetings, I only managed to muster forty minutes for lunch. As opposed to a mall walk, I retrieved my skates from the car and conducted a few laps on the Celebration Square rink. With temperatures hovering about the freezing mark, the external environment was exceptionally mild - aka did not warrant handwarmers.

Out & About #1153 | Houjicha Ganache Truffles, Revamped Granola, and Orange Madeleines

2/15/2026

What is one to do with a 3-day weekend? The average person might schedule a social gathering. While I ought to be furthering progress on my vacation backlog, I instead invested efforts on practicing tempering. One project ultimately became five.

1) Strawberry Jam with Apple Cider Vinegar

When I set out to construct my go-to strawberry jam, I wasn't expecting chunky bits to emerge from my lemon juice. A bewildered look at the bottle informed me that the lemon juice had expired over one year ago! A two-pack had been procured from Costco a long while back, and this bottle had barely seen much usage. Its expiry confirmed that some items were simply better off not purchased in bulk. (Nuts were amongst the others.)

And so I swapped in an equal quantity of apple cider vinegar. The component was incredibly potent-smelling and effectively tinged the jam with its vinegary essence. This pungency saw a minor reduction the following day, but I was convinced to never undertake a 1:1 swap again.

Ingredients:

600 g frozen whole strawberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1.5 tbsp gelatin

Notwithstanding these early-day odour-related remarks, the profile had become more complex with the substitution, for it emphasized both tangy and sweet notes. The jam was enjoyed tremendously with plain Greek yogurt, combatting its thick consistency with a refreshing dose of acidity. Apple cider vinegar wasn't so bad after all.

2) Dark Chocolate Truffles with Houjicha Ganache

Inspired by none other than Sunday Baking's Strawberry and Lime Bonbons and blessed with the gift of time, my weekend project assumed a tempering mission.

A 300 g portion of Lindt's Zartbitter dark chocolate couverture was split between solid chocolate lollipops and ganache-filled truffles.

I succeeded in none of the chocolate lollipops. The first batch, Valentine's-themed hearts, partially solidified with muddled patches.

A subsequent attempt at bow-tie-donning animals saw matte finishes with dreaded streaks of white across their faces. The popsicles unmoulded easily, though the process caused a hairline crack to form in one of the moulds. I had expected better of my Daiso-derived animal mould.

Unhappy with the hearts, I resolved to break the pieces and return them to the larger pot of chocolate. This time, they would not be transferred to the moulds until just hovering about 31 C. They could be removed from moulds with minimal effort, but strange white specks had emerged this time.

Out & About #1152 | Costco, Stray Kids the dominATE experience + Career Contemplations

2/13/2026

By this point in time, I've mostly come to terms with how my work days will play out. This is, not to say, that the emotional rollercoaster has been integrated into daily routine - why, not at all! However, at the very least, I'm not astounded when the day begins to freefall from the unwanted involvement of a certain fatuous feculence.

Maintaining positivity is an arduous task. Throughout the week, I struggled to keep my head above water. The responsibility matrix had been revised out of pure idiocy: an increased workload for me (which didn't even seem possible, but here we are!), the requirement to shift from an automated Excel tracker to the constrained format of a SharePoint list, and reinstatement of useless meetings that could assume format of a straightforward email. The apparent aim was to hinder progress by making more redundant work for everyone, eliminating written trails to prevent accountability, and exchanging words without advancing understanding.

I was even accused of being too prideful to ask questions - a claim to which I could only scoff and silently rage - in addition to being informed that I wasn't all-knowing. And although no one embraces fulsome knowledge about everything, I, at a bare minimum, can identify logical consistencies. As someone who is eager to learn, there is never a moment when I'm not seeking out additional details. But why would I need to ask questions when I simply have none? Why would I seek out vague, incomplete responses when I could obtain swift comprehensively using other methods? Why would I choose to be reliant when I have ability to be independent and productive?

It pains me to think that no one along the sidelines would see this: the insurmountable stress summoned by a selfish, incompetent manager.

Throughout these ordeals, I've strived to find joy in the mundane.

Lunchtime chats with my Birthday Buddy was a healing exchange. Hearing her perspective affirmed a number of my suspicions, but also shed light on a different perspective: Many people would yearn to be in my position, even if the work itself wasn't fulfilling.
But I suppose I'm an ambitious character, or at least one that firmly believes obtaining a professional license wasn't to chip away at a cause that did not provide a sense of accomplishment or belonging. This was especially true when stifled by the reins of upper management.

Over the course of my ten months on the floor, an undeniable shift in food-sharing culture was witnessed. I relished in the exchange of gustatory opinions, and didn't hesitate to sneak away cookies of interest if spotted. Even senior members of staff had finally acknowledged my competence! "We might have gotten off on the wrong foot, but you're okay. You know your stuff. That's a compliment!"

These interactions were fleeting, yet nevertheless amounted to a supply of "small wins" that I frequently turned towards for support.

On the second day of work the week, I lay low at home. While I'd normally venture towards the office, life had other plans in store.

A Costco run was executed in the early evening hours instead of pilates.

Constituting dinner was a Polish Hot Dog and thirty-five cent bottle of water. While in wait of my order, I gazed in the direction of the condiment section in a daze, wondering how on earth I'd be able to draw close without leaving my cart. It was then that I heard a "Boo!"; one of my colleagues happened to be shopping at the same time. She later told me that her daughter had marvelled at my hair for being "purple like Rumi's".
Again, the exchange was short-lived, but it confirmed I wasn't hated by all in the office, as much as my manager had endeavoured to construct the illusion.

One of my concert buddies joined me shortly after, enabling my escape for ketchup and relish. We then parted ways, resolving to meet at the cinema for the 7 PM showing of Stray Kids: The dominATE Experience. Miraculously, I managed an unplanned CoCo run and arrived to the bustling lot with several minutes to spare!

Due to a bathroom run, I missed the first two minutes of the show. When I returned, a handful of last-minute attendees were also just settling into their seats.

Out & About #1150 | Vaughan Stopover, Slow Bite + Yonge Sheppard Centre

2/7/2026

The unexpected offer of a complimentary laser session led to a last-minute reconfiguration of my weekend schedule. foodrealm's recent visit to Philosophy of Beauty had spurred my own trip out to Steeles and Keele. The mid-morning appointment had bestowed relatively smooth driving conditions - a blessing given that ambitious baking goals had delayed my departure about five minutes. In fact, I arrived five minutes early, which accounted for an early turn into the adjacent commercial/industrial plaza. Truthfully, the Downsview district is not one that out-of-towners visit without an objective in mind.

Three receptionists were positioned at the front counter. One got up from the windowside lounge area to greet me. I carefully navigated around and over the robot vacuum towards the reception desk. Constant cleanup of the entrance area was understandable given the incredulous amounts of ice, salt, and debris dragged in from the wintry streets outside, however having consistently wet floor increases the risk of slips and falls, especially for older clients that do not have their eyes fixated on the ground to scan for potential hazards.

In advance of the appointment, I had provided my name, phone number, and email. Upon check-in, the receptionist requested proof of ID as well. The entire ordeal felt excessive and unnecessary, as if they could not trust a client without contractual obligations to pay. A one-page consent form was provided for population. Afterwards, I was directed towards one of the treatment rooms at the back of the facility.

Two narrow indoor plumbing facilities were spotted along the way. Boasting dried lavender, a monochromatic scheme, and two forms of room fragrance, the initial appearance gave off the illusion of refinement, tranquility, and neatness. Inching further into the stall informed of extremely poor design decisions. For starters, there was insufficient clearance between the sink cabinets and toilet. The toilet paper holder had been mounted to the side of the cabinet, at least one foot behind the front of the toilet seat, making it nearly impossible for the user to reach. Coinciding with this awful misalignment was the dangling of clean toilet paper sheets into the not-so-sophisticated plastic wastebin positioned directly underneath. Other observations include dust along the countertop, peeling paint on the side of the door, and a door handle that was not level. While I appreciated the soft, fabric-like napkins for hand-drying and the hook on the back of the door, I simply could not shrug off the senseless arrangement of the toilet paper holder.

Entering into the treatment room, I was overwhelmed by the clinical appearance. A (presumably reclining) treatment chair was positioned in a hollowed space at the back of the room, almost squarely facing the door, with the laser apparatus adjacent. Certificates and licenses had been hung in a grid-like format on the wall behind. Resting on a counter towards the left was an array of equipment organized for easy access by the technician: eye protection goggles/glasses, disposable razors, alcohol, and more. Further tools and ointments were stocked within the cabinets, away from public view. A wave of anxiety was experienced laying eyes on the scene, for the environment bore greater similarities to a cold, eerie laboratory than a spa treatment room. Belongings could be placed on the hooks behind the door or atop the nearby dusty chair. Delineating the layer of dust from the base of the chair were several quick swipes of a paper towel or washcloth; the result were subtle stripes of grey and black.

The technician had entered into the room to provide me with a briefing and cautionary speech, or so it seemed. As part of the promotion, I was permitted one "small area" for laser treatment. When I inquired of further details, she clarified that the visit was intended to be an "intro session" such that tolerance could be determined before subsequent treatments. Although I had confirmed prior experience with laser treatment, the technician declared that she would be using the lowest strength on the machine, as there were too many unknowns associated with past treatment history. Having announced this, she sauntered out of the room to allow me to prepare.

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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