Lately {in our garden}

Thanks to the green thumb and dedication of my dear hubby to our garden, I get to enjoy these beautiful white flowers at the end of a busy working day. If there is one thing that feeds the soul, it is definitely a flower in bloom!

God bless,
Mei Ann

Sharing with THIS & THAT THURSDAY

Salut Montreal!

Work dictates for me to fly to Montreal tomorrow. It will just be a total of 12 hours but I am more than happy to fasten my seat belt and visit this place my hubby and I once called home. How I miss living in Montreal where the old world blends perfectly with  haute couture, contemporary arts and of course award winning gourmet. I wish I will be able to squeeze in my schedule a lunch in one of my favorite restaurants, bring home a dozen of the best bagel in town and a kilo of Schwartz's smoked meat. 

À plus tard Montreal!

Where in the Word : {Golden Gate Bridge} San Fransisco

As I write this blog post, celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Golden Gate Bridge are underway in various  areas surrounding the bridge including fireworks display {visible along the waterfront from Fort Point to east Marina Green}.

The first time we saw the bridge was 12 years ago when hubby and I spent the whole month of  December visiting my parents and sisters-in-law in San Fransisco and Los Angeles prior to migrating permanently in Canada. Confession time: the first time I saw the bridge, I was a bit disappointed because well.....it was NOT golden! The disappointment didn't last long though. As soon as the fog dissipated and revealed the fullness of this engineering wonder, I was completely amazed and in awe. Since then we crossed Golden Gate bridge several times {the latest was June of last year when these pictures were taken}, and every time was like the first! 

Some interesting facts about Golden Gate Bridge:

• Construction started in January 3, which lasted for four years {1937)
• It is estimated that between the day it opened in 1937 and early last year 1,929,869,448 vehicles crossed the 1.7 mile long bridge
• The fabricated steel was manufactured in the US states of New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania and shipped through the Panama Canal to San Francisco

Our favorite spot to admire the Golden Gate Bridge is from the  Marina Green Park.

This place for me is where nature meets human celebrated ingenuity. A perfect combination!

Bites and Nibbles @ Fionn MacCool's {Ajax}

Location : 36 Kingston Road Ajax, Ontario
Ambiance : Typical Irish Pub

Another reason why I love Fridays?  Happy hour with my hubby right after work!

A couple of Fridays ago, we went to Fionn MacCool's Irish Pub just a block away from home. We were both hungry so we decided to have dinner at the pub instead of just our usual end-of-work week-drinks.

The dining area was already full when we got there but we were led to one of the smaller round high tables near the bar by the glass window {perfect lighting for my camera!}. We didn't waste any time to order beer which was served ice cold. Just what we needed on a Friday sunny afternoon.

 

 

Jayvee and I shared Fish and Chips and  Chicken Pot Pie with Grilled Vegetables. The fish batter was not too thick or too thin, just enough to coat the delicious haddock. The vegetable slaw side dish was tangy and sweet - a perfect combination to the golden brown fried fish. The pot pie was OK. I love the flaky crust and the big chunks of chicken were tender and tasty.

Funky Friday

I just LOVE Friday. No matter how you say it - Biyernes, Vendredi, Venerdi, to me it means the gateway to the much anticipated weekend. We are leaving the city for a relaxing couple of days in the countryside ... ah PURE BLISS!

Happy Friday everyone!
Mei Ann

Linking up with:

deb duty photography

A Robin's Nest

I guess hubby and I were not the only one enjoying our backyard these days ...a  robin is nesting in one of our bushes! She's in her nest day in and day out. I was praying from a safe distance that I'll have the chance to take just one photo of  her precious eggs without disturbing her. Voila, she flew out of the nest chirping as if telling me to hurry up and take a shot then she's back again and sat so pretty!

Bites and Nibbles @ Gourmet Malaysia

Location : 4466 Sheppard Ave. East Scarborough, Ontario
Cuisine : Malaysian, Indonesian and Singaporean

 

We used to frequent this place when it was still Rex Saigon Cuisine and we were quite disappointed when it closed about a year ago. Gourmet Malaysia took over, yes definitely not Vietnamese but a treat nonetheless.

Hubby and I tried the Roti Cannai as appetizer : 3 pieces of hot-crispy on the outside-flaky and soft inside phrata served with chicken curry {they have beef curry too}with anchovies. This dish alone made our trip here worthwhile!

 

 

For main course we sampled the beef  with satay sauce and Hainanese chicken on rice. Both were equally tasty and satisfying. 

I can see a return trip in the future as there are more dishes to try. I didn't even had the chance to try any of their  dessert!

Selamat menjamu selera!

Gingham

I am so thankful for this long weekend. I needed this time to cross out as much items as I can on my to do list - including spending time in the craft room in between a scheduled out of town trip, grocery shopping, cooking and house cleaning (honestly, sometimes I wonder where do I get all the energy}!

Cath over at Moxie Fab World has a line up of interesting craft challenges like the Gingham Challenge. Who doesn't love a gingham pattern on a card design? It is so versatile and easy to work with.

 

CHEERS!

Mei Ann

Where in the World : Rome, Italy

"All roads lead to Rome" so they say. 

So true! This is where our holiday started .....

.... and this where it ended.... but the memories  last forever .... 

ah La Dolce Vita!

Bites and Nibbles @ La Taverna de' Mercanti

Location : Piazza de' Mercanti, 3rd Trastevere Roma
Famous for : Home-style Roman cooking

After a whole morning of sightseeing in central Rome, take a break, recharge and enjoy good home style-Roman cuisine at the charming La Taverna de' Mercanti. Located at a quiet Piazza de Mercanti from which the taverna is named, this sixteenth century house is frequented by locals and tourists. 

We had crisp and cold garden salad with simple but tasty olive oil, herbs and freshly squeezed lemon dressing - perfectly refreshing after hours of walking in humid and hot May day.

We truly enjoyed the delicious Pizza Margherita and Pizza teleggio e tartufo {cheese and truffle} cooked in traditional wood-fired oven paired with Montesanto Chianti Classico. I was having so much fun devouring the pizza, sipping wine and chatting with hubby and best friends that I forgot to take pictures {but trust me, you can never go wrong with their pizza}! Of course, like any other traditional Italian feast, pasta will always be present and in this case, it was Rigatoni Marinara with lots of fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Lunch can be a bit pricey but this Roman dining experience was all worth it. The ambiance is a real memory keeper - from the old  facade of the building adorned with ivy and bougainvillea flowers, torches, the rustic walls of the interior embellished with ancient farming tools and lighting to the red and white checkered table cloth.  A true La Dolce Vita!

Where in the World : Capri, Italy

After a day of walking aimlessly and eating pizza {the best I ever had!} and calzone in Naples, hubby and I took an early morning ferry from Calata Porta di Massa and headed to the Isle of Capri.

I have to say this: Rome, Castel Gondolfo, Assisi, Florence, Pisa, Siena and Pompeii were all beautiful and captivating but Capri took my breath away - the towering cliffs caressed by white clouds, colorful coastlines and white stone villas are just postcard perfect! 

After 50 minutes of traversing the beautiful bay of Naples while sitting on the deck of the ferry, we reached Marina Grande where one can take the funicular railway to reach the top of the town of Capri. It was still early in the morning so we wandered around the Marina and just let ourselves go with the flow like the locals did.

Instead of taking the funicular, we walked our way up to the town {a little more than 2 kilometers of narrow winding streets of gated villas and lemon trees} were we marveled on the beauty of this majestic island  and enjoyed lots of gelato on Piazza Umberto I {La Piazzetta}.

Instead of going straight back to Naples in the late afternoon, we took a ferry to another beautiful coastal town of Sorento. While we were having pizza and humongous mug of beer in the village market, a couple of very good friends of ours from Canada who traveled with us in Rome surprisingly passed by in front of us and voila we had an instant party!

 

After so much laughter, beer and endless stories about the places we've seen and the food we enjoyed in the last 5 days, we said our goodbyes and hubby and I sailed back to Naples.

The sun was setting when the ferry reached the harbor as if telling us that all good things must come to an end.