Tuesday, February 02, 2010

I wish I'd written this down earlier because my memory has faded a bit...

My boyfriend is a musician. For New Year's Eve he and other local musicians played a night of covers. It was really fun,and between sets he would come see me, but for much of the evening I ended up just dancing with myself.

After our kiss at midnight he had to rush back to the stage to play the first song of the new year, a slow song. I was left standing there rather awkwardly as couples around me paired off. Into the song, he gestured for me to meet him just off stage left. He proceeded to kiss me while continuing to play the song. He later admitted it was actually really difficult. It's the sweetest thing he's ever done for me!

When that song ended, the finale was a cover of the Beatles' Hey Jude, which he pulled me on stage to sing along with the band.

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posted by Vanessa at 8:43 AM


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

I made yogurt this past weekend. It was surprisingly easy!

I read around on the internet about how to make yogurt without a yogurt maker. I found this Epicurious article to be a helpful guide.

There are two ways to make yogurt, either with a bacteria starter or with a few spoonfuls of yogurt you already have so long as it has "active cultures." I decided to go the former route. I bought this Yogourmet yogurt bacteria starter at a health food store but have since seen at grocery stores.

The only other ingredient necessary is a litre of milk. Although I don't drink 2% milk, I used it for yogurt because I like my yogurt thicker. I got a good consistency with 2% milk.

The first sterilized a two glass jars and their lids I had by boiling them in a big pot for 15 mintues and then set them aside. Next I brought my milk to a boil, stirring occasionally so it didn't stick to the bottom of the pot. The milk needs to reach 180°F (a thermometre is helpful for this) to kill any bacteria that might be in it. As I don't have a microwave (like Megan does) and hadn't been using my oven that day, I turned it on low to heat it up while I was waiting for the milk to reach 180°F. After the milk has reached 180°F it needs to cool down to about 110°F.

The milk is cooling down

Once the milk has cooled to 110°F ladle a small amount into one of the sterilized jars and dissolve the yogurt starter bacteria in it. The milk mustn't be to hot when the starter bacteria is added or else it will kill them. For this reason, after my oven was warm I turned the oven off. Stir the dissolved bacteria into the larger pot of milk. Once the bacteria has been well stirred in the larger pot the only thing left to do is to ladle it into the sterilized jars and incubate the jars.

The yogurt incubating in my oven

To incubate the yogurt I place the jars in a casserole dish, wrapped them with dish towels and placed them in the oven with the light on. The Yogourmet package says that your yogurt can be ready in as little as 4.5 hours, but the longer you incubate the yogurt the thicker it will be. I left it incubating over night and went to see Ohbijou play.

The next morning I checked the consistency of my yogurt. Deciding it was amply thick I put it in the fridge for a little over an hour to set the yogurt and had it as part of my breakfast later that morning. It was delicious!

Homemade yogurt

I tend to go through yogurt really fast. Next time I'm going to try making it using a few spoonfuls of this batch as a starter.

A friend of mine who can buy farm-fresh organic yogurt for $5.25/900mL asked me about the cost. The food thermometre I bought was $6.71 but it's reusable again and again. The Yogourmet starter bacteria was $4.28 for six 5mL packages that can make 1L of yogurt each, which works out to 71¢ per packet. Therefore the cost of 1L of yogurt (not counting the thermometre, electricity, time etc.) is equal to the cost of the starter (which would be a one-time cost if you then used yogurt as a starter), 71¢, plus the cost of milk you buy for a total cost of about $2.50-$4.00/1L depending on the milk you buy.

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posted by Vanessa at 11:04 PM


Monday, September 14, 2009

Scene: Walking back from breakfast Sunday morning.

Vanessa: "So there's this rhinoceros I really want to buy..."

Hayley: "What are you? An eccentric billionaire?"

Vanessa: "No! It's this porcelain rhinoceros I saw at Front that I really want."

And I've found him on the internet!


But at $38 I think I would like him better if I found him at a thrift store. If I did spring for it and buy him I would give him a good home on my bedroom ledge and use him as one half of a bookend or display him prominently in my home some other way.

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posted by Vanessa at 10:49 PM


Sunday, September 13, 2009

So along with probably every other woman in North America and the blogosphere, I saw Julie & Julia.

I really enjoyed everything about the experience of seeing Julie & Julia. I saw it with my best friend Hayley a few days after it came out in theatres. It was really funny to walk up to the box office just shortly before the movie time and see a long line of women with a few husbands and boyfriends in tow. There were women (and men) from all age brackets in attendance, which really enhanced the experience as the older ladies would laugh at Meryl Streep's re-enactments of Julia Child's cooking show; for them there was an added layer to laugh at because many of them had likely seen Julia Child's cooking show. Meryl Streep did such a phenomenal job as Julia Child, I'm sure she'll at least get a nod for Best Actress.

It was hard to leave Julie & Julia not feeling excited about cooking. Cooking has become a greater interest of mine in the last year or so. I really enjoy cooking well for myself and others. A few culinary projects of mine that I've been meaning to get to are:

- learn to roast vegetables properly (last winter I tried to roast yam but I burnt it/dried it out instead and it didn't really taste cooked);

- cook fennel. I've been coming across this vegetable at the grocery store and at markets so I want to learn how to cook it.
Julie & Julia also had me thinking about my dream kitchen. Julia Child's kitchens were so spacious. I would love to have a kitchen large enough for me to have a work table like the one pictured above. I would also love for that table to be able to double as a harvest kitchen table, but I would also want to have a dining room as an option too.

I love my place. The kitchen, however, has very little counter space. I have two small counters. The main counter space is about 2 feet wide by 3 feet deep and is where most of the chopping and food preparation happens. It can really get cluttered if dishes are not done right after a meal. The other counter is maybe only 1.5 feet wide and holds a dish rack, a block of knives, paper towel (which I use sparingly) and dish soap. My room mate has a chest of wicker baskets which holds kitchen things, the top of which gives us another surface.

We didn't have a kitchen table for nearly two weeks when we moved in (I wasn't bothered, I was on vacation for a week). We decided that to maximize our living space (our kitchen and living room are one big open concept room) a drop-leaf table was ideal. On Craigslist I found the perfect vintage arborite drop-leaf table--the pattern of the arborite even matched that of my grandmaman's kitchen tables. The nice thing about the drop-leaf table is how compact it is when the leaves are down. We now have enough surface space to cook and I will continue dreaming of my future kitchen when watching Julie & Julia when it comes out on DVD.

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posted by Vanessa at 6:17 PM


Wednesday, September 09, 2009

The boy and I left early Sunday morning and made it across the United States border in record time.

Although American culture inundates Canada so much so that it's nearly impossible to avoid, I anticipated culture shock. The first instance of culture shock came less than half an hour into the trip. We stopped to fuel at the first gas station we passed. We also decided to pick up some apples and bananas to eat in the car during the drive. I'd seen a self-checkout before, but only one at the Home Depot or Canadian Tire, not a dozen at once. It was strange. We didn't use it and instead let the lonely cashier ring our order.

We stopped for lunch in the Seattle neighbourhood of Fremont, where we'd gone to see the Lenin Statue. We ate a a funky diner that reminded me a lot of Sophie's and indulged in a weekend tradition I love, that of all-day breakfast. I had Eggs Benny and was mildly disappointed when I got hashbrowns instead of home fries--I prefer my breakfast potatoes cubed rather than slawed.

We walked around Fremont a bit after lunch and passed through a Sunday street market. I would like to have been able to check Pike Place Market, but we had to hit the road because or destination for the day was Portland. I saw the Space Needle from the car--I think it was my first time seeing it in person.



To be continued...

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posted by Vanessa at 9:18 PM


Wednesday, July 22, 2009


I came across this Jamie Oliver recipe for minted pea yogourt dip via Frolic. I made it for lunch today with mint leaves from my own potted garden. It is yummy and the perfect dish on a hot summer day.

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posted by Vanessa at 1:39 PM


Thursday, July 16, 2009

My invitation arrived in the mail yesterday morning. It was a good start to the day, primarily because I'd already seen the design, absolutely loved it, and couldn't wait to get it in the mail!

The bride's sister-in-law-to-be, a graphic design student, designed the invitations.


The wedding is taking place the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend, so the tree with autumn leaves fits perfectly.


I love how the leaves carry throughout the invitation as though the wind is blowing them. I really like the choice of a shimmery brown envelope for the RSVP, it ties in nicely with the brown tree trunk.

As not everyone who will be invited to the ceremony will be invited to the reception, I think the separate little "and the celebration continues..." card with the reception information is an ingenious idea! The bride and groom met at a swing dancing club, so they will be having swing dancing at the reception and are providing a dance lesson before dinner -- an excellent idea!

Only three more month until the wedding; I'm really looking forward to it!

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posted by Vanessa at 4:08 PM


Monday, June 22, 2009

I've taken to cycling after dinner around the town that I grew up to hate and have found a lot to love about it in its architecture. I think next time I'll bring my camera to capture it all.

* * *

After work the Saturday before last, I met one of my best friends and ran a couple of errands on Main, including buying nice stationary so that I would stop procrastinating and get something in the mail to my cousin while she's still teaching English in Korea. We unexpectedly came across a sidewalk sale as we walked down the street to the restaurant where we planned to have dinner. She found a nice skirt, while I admired the geometric patterned umbrellas.


Aside from meeting a friend from drinks, last weekend I was sure to enjoy the nice weather while it lasts. One of the best parts was enjoying fresh, local berries.

On Saturday I had some delicious blueberries. I have a very particular memory associated with blueberries. This particular childhood memory consists of visiting my Grandpapa in Québec during the summer. I don't remember what kind of car her had, but it was an older model from the 70s or 80s and had the option of seating three in the front seat. My Grandpapa lived in the Québec countryside. Grandpapa, dad, sisters, cousins and I would pile into the car and drive up a gravel country road to our ancestral lands. I remember it was a bumpy ride and occasionally a small rock would ping the side of the car, as happens when driving on gravel roads. My Grandpapa would then lead the way and show us to where the wild blueberry bushes were and we would pick blueberries. So many blueberries. This is one of my fondest childhood memories and I recall it whenever I eat plain blueberries.

On Sunday, I went to a local farm and picked gorgeous red strawberries. This is something I haven't done in years, but greatly enjoy. I was amused when a mum told her children, who were picking next to me, to leave the small ones and to come with her to find the nice, big red ones. There was a variation in the size of the berries, but overall they were generally smaller and less symmetrical than store bought strawberries imported from California. The added bonus of these local berries was that instead of being white on the inside and bland, they were juicy, red and much better tasting. It reminded me of having discovered a small strawberry plant in the front yard of my sublet last summer. The plant yielded about half a dozen fingernail-sized berries. Despite being puny, the berries were exponentially more flavourful than its imported cousins several times their size.

I don't eat anything near a 100 per cent organic, but it's something I strive for. Generally this was because there was no uniform regulation governing what produce could and could not be labeled as organic in Canada. In a few days, however, eating organic in Canada will become much easier as new regulations governing organic produce will come into force.

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posted by Vanessa at 11:38 PM


Wednesday, May 28, 2008

I've been in my sublet for almost one month now and started my job at the museum almost two weeks ago.

I've sublet a room in a three bedroom flat from a girl named Venessa. It reminds me of two summers ago. The other day my roommate was noticing the similarities between me and Venessa. Besides our names and both being brunette francophones, we both have similar blankets. She apparently used to have a tiger print blanket and I -- because it's been a rather chilly spring -- have an unfortunate fleece blanket with lion cubs on it over top of my white duvet. The similarities, so far, seem to end there.

Flowers on the kitchen table my first week there I really like my place. It's big. Much better than the closet I looked at in the West End. It has a big turquoise kitchen with a blue formica table. The living room is also big. My room is big too and has hardwood floor.

My roommate(s) are great too. I had three, however, the two Australians moved out about ten days after I'd moved in. He's a geologist and she's a photographer. They went on an exploration trip for his company, after which they are going to travel for a number of months and then return to Australia. That room is currently vacant and I'm not sure who will fill it come June 1st. My other roommate is a francophone so we often speak french together.

Humans aren't the only sentient beings around the house though. There are also a few whimsical animals. One of the neighbours' cat, Sameson, frequently gets into the house. There is also Phyllis the pigeon, who built her nest in the rafters above our back steps. Her baby hatched a few days before I moved in, so when I arrived there were two halves of a hatched egg on the bottom step. The whimsy of having a pigeon roosting above our back steps causing sporadic hazards has worn off though. Until last week there was just Phyllis and her baby. Now there seems to be a daddy pigeon and another baby. I've been waiting patiently for them to move downtown, but they've overstayed their welcome. When the pigeons are out during the day, my roommate's boyfriend, Jeff, is going to nail a board over the ledge they're nesting on.

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posted by Vanessa at 12:24 AM


Monday, May 12, 2008

Matronly Queen VictoriaI've just returned from a weekend away with my boyfriend. We had originally planned to go to Seattle as a belated 21st birthday and our one-year anniversary trip, but we couldn't afford it. Instead we decided to go to Victoria.

I was a little apprehensive about going after being stranded on the (deserted) island last summer after a bomb threat caused all ferries to be cancelled. This time, however, was flawless, fantastic and relaxing. I was able to take a sympathetic view toward the city and enjoy it.

Victoria is sometimes called the land of the "newly wed and nearly dead." The lampost banners of matronly Queen Victoria's aren't really contributing the creation of a youthful atmosphere. I haven't yet seen this summer's Tourism Victoria campaign but last summer I saw some of these ads in the SkyTrain stations.

Stung by misconceptions of the provincial capital as a place where a fun time consists of counting blossoms and feeding the cat, Tourism Victoria launched a campaign to change the city's image.
We went on "off days" and avoided tourist areas thus our visit was fairly tranquil. Victoria is great for used CD, clothing, and vintage shopping. Although I was sad to see that the vintage store where I'd bought my Manchurian silk shirt a few years ago has turned toward selling new and American Apparel-like clothes.

This trip was all about relaxing, eating and drinking. We went to an Italian restaurant for dinner where a jazz trio was playing and had one of the most intensely captivating conversations we've ever had. The next morning we met my friend David for breakfast at Mo:Lé and I had one of the most delicious omelettes I've ever had. Before we left, we went to my boyfriend's aunt and uncle's for lunch. They live in home in the countryside which overlooks a winery. We ate on their balcony and I was able to see lambs resting in a pasture.

What I realised on this trip to Victoria is that its small-city atmosphere would be lost if a bridge was built linking it to the mainland.

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posted by Vanessa at 10:37 PM


Thursday, March 13, 2008

The municipality responded to my crosswalk email quickly! The next day I received a response confirming that they'd received my email and were forwarding it to the appropriate person. This is the extent to which I expected to hear back from them. But when I got home I had a message asking me to call them back. I returned the call the next day and spoke with the Superintendent of Streets.

He explained to me that crosswalk lines are not just painted on. It's actually a special compound and it is too cold at the moment for them to apply it (maybe repaving the crosswalks at the start of winter was a silly idea then). "But isn't there tape?" he asked. I informed him that there were tapped on stop lines for the cars, but nothing for the crosswalks. So he said next time it was nice out he would have his crews tape down the crosswalks.

It was nice out the following day. So on my way to my bus stop mid-morning I noticed that they'd taped the crosswalks. Victory!

If you'll notice, across the intersection, there is no crosswalk!

But they only taped down two of the four crosswalks at the four-way stop.

Oh well, I suppose. It's something at least and the sense of safety seems to have increased in response, i.e. cars are actually respecting pedestrians trying to cross!

[Update, Tuesday, March 18, 2008:] Monday morning the real crosswalk and stop lines were painted back on, thus ending the crosswalk saga.

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posted by Vanessa at 10:07 PM


Monday, January 28, 2008

I know capitalism is evil and all, but I felt pretty excited when I recognised this reference to Adam Smith in Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America:


I was so excited in fact, that I marked it in pencil in the library book -- something I don't think I've ever done before -- so that other, less keen readers would know.

It would take a lot of hardwork and pain for me to acquire the math skills necessary to become an economist. Even so, I entertain a fancy of economics. It's a great way to enrich one's analysis of society; it truly is a social science.

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posted by Vanessa at 12:47 AM


Thursday, January 17, 2008

As a public transit user I was very interested to hear more about the provincial government's new transit plan announced this week.

The major points of the plan are rapid bus lines (green), the Evergreen Line (#2), and the Millennium Line extension to UBC (#3).

I am in complete support of the Evergreen Line. I've traveled to the areas the it would service and the bus that it would replace is always full. People in that area take the bus and I think they deserve the Evergreen Line.

I am less keen on the extension to UBC. While I am not an economist (I've completed 100-level micro and macroeconomics courses), I am trying to figure out a cost-benefit analysis:

The 99B-line, which the extension would replace, is always full a peak hours. The experience is a bit like being herded into a cattle car. However, as it is an express bus it comes frequently so you never have to wait, and it only makes a few stops so you don't usually have to stand for too long. The trip from the university to Granville Street, where half the bus gets off to make connections, takes twenty minutes tops -- not too long to stand if necessary. I think it'd be rare where you would have to stand the whole way from the university to the last stop at Commercial Drive. The bus is always full because it is an efficient route and it works.

If a SkyTrain line were built, assuming it had the same number of stops West of Granville Street, I don't think the time saved would be that significant. To the end to Commercial Drive the trip is 40 minutes by bus, so SkyTrain would likely cut the trip time in half. However, this particular project is not the most pressing transit need. Moreover, if the motivation for this project is the inability to find a seat on the bus, I would definitely consider it unnecessary. It is my understanding that once the Canada Line is completed the 98B-line will be cancelled. These are the same types of buses as the 99B-line so they could just add buses. Although as Darren Peets argues, it is true that "for the 99 route, we’re going to get to a point when we just can’t add any more buses to Broadway."

My final point of resistance to the project would be a repeat of Cambie Street, as Stephen Rees explains. I would hope that businesses and residents of West Broadway oppose this expansion vociferously. I would hate to see my favourite coffee nook close down; it was closed for a long time after an oven fire last winter so I don't think it could survive the effects of SkyTrain construction.

The one real merit of the UBC extension would be the environmental benefits. As SkyTrain is electric, it is cleaner than buses. However, buses are greener than cars.

Finally, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who noticed that the transit plan ends the need for immediate highway expansion. Besides, didn't Mike Harcourt advise the Minister of Transportation to provide citizens who would otherwise use this new highway with viable transportation options first? Can unnecessary, irreversible highway expansion be stopped?

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posted by Vanessa at 10:06 PM


Monday, December 17, 2007

Said the Whale West Coast Christmas EP I was quite happy to receive this early Christmas gift from local band Said the Whale, their West Coast Christmas EP available to download for free from their website.

I like dreaming of white Christmases as much as the next person; and when snow flakes start to fall, such as they did last year, I encouraged Mother Nature by playing Dean Martin's Let It Snow on repeat; but ultimately, living on West Coast I don't feel I can relate to most traditional carols about winter-white Christmases. So with lyrics such as "Here comes the rain, must be Christmas again on the West Coast," their song Christmas Under the Clouds excited me. Thus my appreciation for this Said the Whale song.

With less-is-more piano, Tyler Bancroft and Ben Worcester evoke images of a dreary, grey landscape. The song crescendos to an angsty Christmas wish, but thankfully it stays at just that. Untinged by a Kermit-the-Frog-esque vocal slip, the song then leads into a beautiful rendition of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas."

Anybody having spent a Christmas on the West Coast will be able to relate to this song. However, don't let the gloomy and drepressing weather get to you: grab a cup of hot chocolate, curl up by the fire and let visions of sugar plums dance in your heads.

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posted by Vanessa at 11:07 PM



I wanted to share a photo of these yummy colourful raviolis we had for dinner Friday. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture before covering them with sauce:


We bought these pink-and-yellow, orange-and-yellow, and red-and-green squash and cheese-stuffed pastas at the Italian delicatessen at the Quay Market. The Quay Market is suprisingly affoardable compared to the Granville Island Public Market. I don't think people realise this, which is probably why it isn't busier than it is.

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posted by Vanessa at 10:32 PM


Tuesday, November 06, 2007

I call it Corporate Whore Coffee Co. and endeavour to support smaller independent coffee shops. However, as a poor student I will make use of a free gift certificate, especially in light of the fact that Corporate Whore Coffee Co. is the only establishment offering me respite from the cold while I wait for the bus home from my night class Wednesday evenings.

Yesterday morning the situation that led me to order their mediocre drip coffe was slightly different. Having woken up early to go volunteer, I needed help easing into full consciousness, and decided to use said gift certificate. Drowned in milk, my tall medium roast was more palatable that I remember their dark roast being.

Never really impressed in the first place with the philosophising that adorns the side of their cups, I found this one by Madeleine Albright particularly shocking (forgive the poor quality camera-phone photo):



Upon further inquiry, I see how the decontextualisation of the phrase is what created schock value for me. It also made me reflect on my choice of volunteer organisation..

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posted by Vanessa at 11:07 AM


Tuesday, September 11, 2007

On my way to class Friday afternoon I saw a man flying a kite in the park. Returning home that evening I saw it tangled in the telephone wires.


Flying a kite seems like such an innocent and care-free passtime, it's desparing to see it on my way to and from the bus stop.

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posted by Vanessa at 12:26 AM


Saturday, July 14, 2007

My Friday the Thirteenth was not particularly unlucky. My boyfriend picked me up at work and gave me these:

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posted by Vanessa at 10:14 PM


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