Saturday, July 31, 2010

Saturday Shoes - Toronto

Remember the fabulous yellow rubber ducky cake served at the baby shower I went to in the spring?
Well it was from Katie's Cakes located here in Toronto.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Book Bag by Eyrea

You have to go check out Eyrea's book bag she made - it is fantastic!

TGIF - Foodie Fryday

I can't resist markets when we travel. These were taken in Chinatown in Honolulu last November.



Thursday, July 29, 2010

Toronto Thursday - Landmark



The Corned Beef House has been a landmark on this corner for years. It is a 2 minute walk from the office so it is a mainstay of our lunch spots.
It is being torn down to make room for ANOTHER condo development. Tomorrow is their last day in these premises.
They plan to open somewhere close by but haven't finalized plans. He has also changed his website to "Under Construction".

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Wednesday's Words -My favourite Hawaiian Word



But my favourite Hawaiian word is:

Humuhumunukunukuapua'a" is actually a proper noun. It is the name of the Hawaiian state fish, a Wedge-Tail Triggerfish.






NATIVE TONGUE A HAWAIIAN GLOSSARY
Author: E. Kalani FloresClick on the bold hyperlink to play a .wav sound file of the word and explore the Hawaiian language:'aina{noun} Land, earth. alelo{noun} Tongue, language. aloha {noun-transitive verb, noun-stative verb} Love, affection, compassion, mercy, sympathy, pity, kindness, sentiment, grace, charity; greeting, salutation, regards; sweetheart, lover, loved one; beloved, loving, kind, compassionate, charitable, lovable; to love, be fond of; to show kindness, mercy, pity, charity, affection; to venerate; to remember with affection; to greet, hail. Greetings! Hello! Good-by! Farewell! Alas! aloha 'aina {noun-verb} Love of the land; to nurture and care for the land. halau {noun} Long house, as for canoes or hula instruction; meeting house. hele {noun-intransitive verb} To go, come, walk; going, moving. hula {noun-transitive verb} 1. A dance characterized by rhythmic body movements, a hula dancer; to dance the hula. 2. Song or chant used for the hula; to sing or chant for a hula. huli{intransitive verb} To turn, reverse; to curl over, as a breaker; to change, as an opinion or manner of living. kai {noun-stative verb} Sea, sea water; area near the sea, seaside, lowlands; tide, current in the sea. kama'aina {noun-intransitive verb} Native-born, one born in a place, host; acquainted, familiar. [Commonly referred to a long-time resident of Hawai'i, as distinguished from a visitor.] kanaka maoli{noun} Full-blooded Hawaiian person. [Also refers to an indigenous person of Hawai'i whose ancestry predates the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778, such as a Native Hawaiian.] kapa {noun} Tapa, as made from the inner bark of various plants. ki'i pohaku {noun} Stone carving, petroglyph. kokua {noun-transitive verb} Help, aid, assistance, relief, assistant, associate, deputy, helper; co-operation; to help, assist, support, accommodate. kumu {noun} 1. Teacher, tutor. 2. Beginning, source, origin; starting point. 3. Bottom, base, foundation, basis, main stalk of a tree, trunk, handle, root; hereditary, fundamental. 4. Reason, cause, goal, justification, motive, grounds, purpose, object, why. kupuna {noun} 1. Grandparent, ancestor, relative or close friend of the grandparent's generation, grandaunt, granduncle. 2. Starting point, source; growing. lei{noun} Garland, wreath; necklace of flowers, leaves, shells, ivory, feathers, or paper, given as a symbol of affection; beads; any ornament worn around the head or about the neck; to wear a lei; crown. lu'au {noun} Hawaiian feast, named for the taro tops always served at one. This is not an ancient name, but goes back at least to 1856, when so used by the Pacific Commercial Advertiser newspaper; formerly a feast was pa'ina or 'aha'aina. mahalo {noun-transitive verb} 1. Thanks, gratitude; to thank. 2. Admiration, praise, esteem, regards, respects; to admire, praise, appreciate. makai{noun-stative verb} On the seaside, towards the sea, in the direction of the sea. makua {noun-stative verb} Parent, any relative of the parent's generation, as uncle, aunt, cousin; progenitor; main stalk of a plant; adult; full-grown, mature, older, senior. malama {noun-transitive verb} To take care of, tend, attend, care for, preserve, protect, maintain; care, preservation, support, fidelity, loyalty; caretaker, keeper. malihini {noun-stative verb} Stranger, foreigner, newcomer, tourist, guest, company; one unfamiliar with a place or custom; new, unfamiliar, unusual, rare, introduced, of foreign origin; for the first time. mauka {noun} Inland, upland, towards the mountain, in the direction of the uplands. mele {noun-transitive verb} Song, anthem, or chant of any kind; poem, poetry; to sing, chant. nalu {noun-transitive verb} Wave, surf; full of waves; to form waves; wavy, as wood grain. 'ohana {noun-stative verb} Family, relative, kin group; related. 'olapa {noun} Dancer, as contrasted with the chanter or ho'opa'a (memorizer); now, any dance accompanied by chanting and drumming on a gourd drum. 'olelo {noun-transitive verb} Language, speech, word, quotation, statement, utterance, term; to speak, say, state, talk, mention, quote, converse, tell; oral, verbatim, verbal. oli {noun-transitive verb} Chant that was not danced to, especially with prolonged phrases chanted in one breath; to chant thus. 'ono {noun-transitive verb} Delicious, tasty, savory; to relish, crave; deliciousness, flavor, savor. pilikia {noun-intransitive verb} Trouble of any kind, great or small; problem, nuisance, bother, distress, adversity, affliction, accident, difficulty, inconvenience, perturbation, tragedy, lack; in trouble, troubled, bothered, cramped, crowded. See 'a'ole pilikia. pule {noun-transitive verb} Prayer, incantation, blessing, grace; to pray, worship, ask a blessing. 'ukulele {noun} A four-stringed instrument shaped similar to a very small guitar. [Literally defined as "leaping flea"; probably derived from the Hawaiian nickname of Edward Purvis, who was small and quick and who popularized this instrument brought to Hawai'i by the Portuguese in 1879.] wai {noun-stative verb} Water, liquid or liquor or any kind other than sea water; to flow, like water, fluid. wikiwiki {stative verb} Fast, speedy; to hurry, hasten; quick, fast, swift.
©2003-2004 Media-HI, Inc. All rights reserved.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Monday's Child

In honour of my niece who just recently turned 20!! Blanket knitted by her devoted aunr.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Toronto - Saturday Night in the City



Summerlicious ended last night, unfortunately. It is a great way to try different restaurants. We went last night to Fuzion on Church St.
Originally, the 120 year-old Victorian house was home to department store founder Robert Simpson. Sadly that  department store is long gone.


Maybe it's age but it was so dark in there we could barely read the menu!

There were 3 selections in each category and I have removed the items that were not selected by any of our party.
I don't have any photos as I didn't want to turn on the flash on my blackberry in these surroundings.

$35 Dinner- plus taxes and gratuity

Organic Arugula and Radicchio Salad, Roasted Acorn Squash, Mushrooms and Candied Pistachio, Warm Pancetta – Pomegranate Dressing

or

Spiced – grilled Calamari with Tuna Carpaccio and a Green Vegetable Agrodolce, Sweet Pepper – Chili Vinaigrette

Mains
Lavender and Honey Glazed Cornish Game Hen, Crispy Chevre Corn Fritter, Collard Greens, Peaches and Cream Corn, Cashew Butter - my sister had this and it was extremely good.

or

Duo of Wild Boar Tenderloin and Braised Shank, Sun Choke Chips, Ragout of Broccoli – Artichoke, topped with Apple Gremolata - DH really enjoyed this.

or

Crisped Potato – Wrapped Lemon Sole, Braised Endive – Leek “Coins”, Crab and Celery Slaw, Sweet Pepper Puree - my selection, good but not fantastic.

Desserts
Flourless Bitter Sweet Chocolate Brownie and White Chocolate – Lemon Pistachio Semifreddo, Spiced Blackberry Mole

or
Unbaked Vanilla and Buffalo Ricotta Cheese Cake, “Brulee” Lemon curd, House made Raspberry Jam

or

Fresh Fruit “Bruschetta” with Toasted Almond – Rose Water Pound Cake, Macerated Seasonal Fruit, Sweet Mascarpone Cream


My BIL didn't order from the set menu but chose instead the Artic char which he enjoyed very much.

Handy Household Hints - Coffee Filters

Just came across this interesting article for alternative uses for coffeee filters.

Smile

Sunday Skies - Route 66

Taken from the car while driving on Highway 15 in California.


And I just like the effect in this one

Friday, July 23, 2010

South Asia Festival



The weather last Saturday kept calling for rain, but it held off so around 6pm we headed down to the festival.
The plan was take some photos, hoping there would be good photo ops. There were some but not a lot.
And pick up take-out for dinner.
First stop - some samosas to ward off the hunger.











TGIF

The man in this ad used to be a VP at our company.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Toronto Thursday

Billboard across from the King St office. I love how it has the CN Tower on the ad up against the "real" CN Tower.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Thirsty Tuesday - Toronto

Really cool billboard on a pub near the office.




Full ad from across the street - tall green and white building in background houses our office.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Saturday Shoes - Toronto

Billboard at Islington subway for Goodwill

And check out a friend's daughter's shoes over at Toronto Girl Chronicle blog. She's the last photo "Bright Watercolours".

Friday, July 16, 2010

TGIF - Gardening

Some random shots of my garden which I must admit I have been neglecting this summer. It's been hot and I do have to work full time to make a living!! It is overgrown and needs some major redesign. Maybe I'll work on it this weekend and devise a plan with some instructions for my gardener Manuel Labour to perform during the early mornings next week when it is cooler!!






Sadly the lavender is ready to be cut back.






Thursday, July 15, 2010

Toronto Thursday

A small popular diner near the Coxwell subway station that has been around forever.




Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Wednesday's Words

I am not a prude or shocked by most things. I was reading the daily 24 free newspaper which someone had left on the subway a while ago and came across an ad for this. I was amused more than anything but was still a little taken aback.
I was more taken aback by the labia reduction ad and the wording in it. Made me laugh. Especially with the picture of the pope appearing to be looking at the ad as well.


I guess a girl just needs to get this done before she does any vajazzling!!!