summer picnic

last weekend, carl and i packed little lunch and went to high park for a sweet summer picnic date♥
(you can get the recipe for the tuna salad roll i made here)
the weather was just perfect. with cool breeze from the forest, it was a perfect day for a romantic walk-in-the-park.

one day old capybara, biggest roden in the world. wow... even one day old baby is the size of full grown bunny. yikes.

high park zoo was having a fundraising event to raise $50,000 to keep the zoo up and running. we made a small donation and got a badge saying 'i ♥ high park' i love it!

we spent time lying down, looking up at the gorgeous sky full of green leaves.
this is one of the best things in life you can enjoy whenever the weather permits, especially in long-wintered toronto.

vintage vintage vintage

karen loves clothes. especially from small boutiques or vintage shops. maggie's farm is a recent addition to roncy which we both fell in love with. this tiny place is packed with awesome finds, especially children's clothes and shoes. i found a pair of black suede shoes i completely adore, but it didn't fit :,( karen really liked the architecture of the shop, saying "we can totally live here!" well, dear, we cannot live at a shop, but hopefully we will find a cozy place to live soon. it is so hard looking for apartment to rent in toronto. arrrrrgggggggg......................

happy birthday mom

happy birthday mom♥

you are my star

you are my mentor

you are my friend

you are the best

i cannot ask for more

love you always

pinot grigio +

my last trip to lcbo for drinks enlightened me with bonus wine charms along with a fresh bottle of pinot grigio. yes, i got the wine because of the charms. i believe one bottle comes with one package of charms attached to them, but for some reason this one had two and now all four of them are mine! lucky!

running update

ever since i finished 5k in april, i've been super motivated and been running ever since. my time for 5k was 31.55 minutes at the time. about 3 weeks later, my time has shorten to 24.10 minutes!!! wow! 24!!!!!!!!
i cannot believe it! yes the route i took today was very flat and i ran at night time when the lake breeze was brushing against my face, but still! that's 8 minutes quicker than before. i am so so so so so proud of myself today! and it was the very first time i completed 5km non-stop. yea, my legs feel bit sore and my lungs were hurting really bad when i finished, but i feel amazing. i try to run 3-4 times a week. also i've been running with a friend once a week and i think this helped me improve so much. keeping track of my runs with my phone's app is just amazing. i am just so happy my legs, lungs and heart is getting stronger everyday. i was such a lazy out-of-breath-after-walking-up-the-subway-stairs person 6 months ago and now i feel great! i want to be one of those super grannies who finishes half marathons when i am much older!

new sweater

don't you love my new sweater?

happy mothers day♥

happy mothers day ♥
i love you mom and miss you.

spicy and sweet

the weather is getting warmer and warmer. more reasons to go outside and enjoy the weather and delicious food! i had so much fun with the girls the other night, exploring and discovering exotic food. ethiopian beef and vege tibs, you are amazing. we were so full from so much food, but really who can say no to gelato? mmmm i want some more already!



you can read more about our ethiopian experience here

music for the soul

last week, i was invited to attend a very meaningful concert at st. andrew kim catholic church. the concert was to raise money and awareness for the children with autism. it's been a while since i've been to a church (i went on new years eve with a friend).





the programme consisted of piano, violin, cello and the ever so proud soriel choir. my best friends are members of the choir and it was amazing to see them sing so beautifully. it was a gorgeous evening. i fell in love with cello. i wish i had learned how to play.... but never too late! oh.. i wish... anyways, kudos to the fantastic team!

save the high park zoo

lately, little farms/zoos/animal habitats in toronto are struggling with budget and soon will be forced to shut down. high park zoo is one of them. it is not much, but it will be really sad to see the animals go from this lovely park. this place can be so much more than few peacocks, emus, llamas, bison and some funky giant beaver-like animals (capybara) but money is always the issue with great things. sigh. the park needs to raise $50,000 by next month to keep its doors open for public to enjoy. i like coming to high park to ride my bike, jog or read a book in gorgeous weather. i hope the animals will be able to stay in their homes at high park. i know it won't be much, but i am going to send in my donation this week. every penny counts, right?