My Best Friend Conchaboy

Seven years since we welcomed Concha home from a breeder in Alberta. With the right combination of tough love and pampering,  we got ourselves a garburator and half couch potato but by all means, he is a perfect dog.

Concha's photo by Hudson Wren

He earned several nicknames since his "gotcha day", from his first nickname "Conchaboy", then there's: Conchaboo, Conchabels, Belsbels, Smelly Belly, Conchapie, Pie-pie, Bellyboi, Smellyboi, Concha-banana, Whitespot, Conchang,  Fatso and the list goes on. I have composed a few songs about him that I regularly sing to get his attention and sometimes I can sense that he does his best to engage with me in his ways like a silent duet partner.

In seven years of being with us, Concha has gained a modest following on his Instagram account  (@Conchaandme) and has been regularly mentioned in my little spot online. He is a dear family member, my daughter's pillow, and my 🐻's afternoon cuddle buddy, his loud snores are music to my ears, and being in his presence brings me comfort, he slept beside me when I contracted Covid virus.

At seven years old, he is considered a middle-aged dog. Gray fur is showing up on his chin, and he doesn't crave long daily walks. He contentedly snores the day away as I work nearby. Conchaboy has mellowed down a lot, but he still occasionally goes nuts when he senses an upcoming surprise, like a walk with his "girlfriend" or being picked up by Boneheads for a day hike, to keep him active and socialized.

He is our best "boi," and because he is the best boi, We give him our best. We have brought him to most of our family trips and photo shoots. We feed him raw food to ensure that he gets nutritious meals.

As we celebrate his birthday, I wonder if he's aware that he is entitled to a birthday wish. If so, what would he wish?

If I could wish on his behalf... I'd wish for him to live longer...

(っ´ω`c)♡ ∪･ω･∪

Hotteok - Seasonal Favourite

Bungeoppang ready to get in my tummyヽ(;^o^ヽ) 

My Conchaboy's special person introduced me to 'Hotteok" - Korean Pancake

We met Concha's favorite human "J" or we refer to her as Conchaboy's human girlfriend at Concha's old doggy daycare where she used to bring her dog, later I discovered that she's our neighbor and I started regularly met up with her to walk our dogs together. Aside from being pretty and kind, she radiates energy that excites the dogs when she enters the dog park! Eventually, our dog walks turned into drives to visit other dog parks and stopping by to Korea Town Centre for produce and our favourite --- Hotteok.

Kim's Korean Waffles and Pancakes is a popular food cart located in Koreatown beside the Hannam Supermarket. Aside from Hotteok, they also sell 'Bungeoppang 'or the Korean version of Taiyaki. According to "J", Hotteok and Bungeoppang are well-known winter treats in Korea. Following the Korean tradition, Kim's is only open around October till April, Going to Kim's has become my adapted winter season tradition.

Kim's Korean Waffles & Pancakes Food Cart 

There's always a steady lineup of customers whenever we visit Kim's. The comforting scent of sugar and cinnamon mixture creates a strong spell that makes me forget my diet....but it wont...it evokes a nostalgic memory of me on a line up for bibingka and puto bumbong, a popular treat during the Holiday season in the Philippines. Similar scenario but different flavour. I don't have picture of my beloved puto bumbong and bibingka yet so that topic will be saved in the future, So here's a link of me enjoying Hotteok.  

Me, enjoying pancake in the 'cafe'.

Thank you J for introducing to Hotteok! Hope that all your prayers would come true! (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃

My Pandesal Story

The scent of freshly baked bread is very comforting, it's one of the best scents in the world. 

It's funny that this scent was at some point a source of mild resentment to me. I remember being forced to wake up early as a child to buy pandesal at the neighborhood's bakery/ corner store. It didn't help that the owner/baker was a middle-aged man with quite an unfriendly, rough, and intimidating disposition. I can still remember his voice whenever he yells at his help in the store. He was not a pleasant man to deal with, his baseline facial expression was the exact opposite of the atmosphere of the warm inviting scent, as soon I got my bag of freshly baked pandesal, I zoomed out of his place to have it enjoy at home with coffee.

Freshly baked pandesal

As I learned my way around Metro Manila, I came across the "pugon" baked ones, they are fluffier, bigger, and tastier, the only downside was pugon baked pandesal price was unfriendly for my student budget, it's one of my "humble" splurges. After leaving Manila, I never taste pugon-style pandesal for so many years...until...A few years ago, there was a bakery in Richmond that specialized in Filipino bread, and their main star - pugon-style pandesal, I recall that 🐻 and would regularly visit Old Manila Bakery for our pandesal and ensaymada fix...but sadly my beloved Old Manila closed...(a common occurrence in Metro Vancouver food scene)

Fast forward to Covid lockdowns, one of my "projects" was to learn to make pandesal and find ways to make it "healthier" for my daughter...

I figured  I should start with the basic: semi-whole wheat pandesal, the taste has to be the same (slightly sweet, and milky) and can be enjoyed even with less white flour.

I found a recipe that matches my memory of how pandesal should be. I tweaked the recipe so the taste remains the same and whole wheat flour is not overpowering. If I don't add whole wheat flour, I could emulate the 'pugon'- style pandesal - bigger, fluffier, and buttery - the way I like it. 

(っ˘ڡ˘ς)

The scent of pandesal emanating from the kitchen is now a source of excitement. Anything pandesal has become our bonding activity, we love it with butter, jam, cream, cheese, and Nutella, it doesn't sound healthy for now, but there are plans to add spinach or moringa powder in the future...I'll keep things simple for now as my dear daughter wants to get involved in the baking process.

My helper

Mr. Grumpy Baker passed on a long time ago (may he rest in peace), not sure who is the new current go-to-pandesal person of the town, but I hope he/she greets the patrons better.

My Retail Therapy

My love affair for variety (dollar) stores started way from my early years in Canada (mid-2000s). The neighborhood's dollar store was my first therapy to fend off homesickness and where I spent my initial "splurges" from my modest paycheque. One of my little splurges was a set of wooden decorative balls; I remember gifting my mom a few of them a while back. 

My greatest find in Dollar Store

I have expressed my love for them in my old defunct blog which I am planning to write a new post about in the future.) | ू*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ)｡oO

Then, one day, I happened to visit a local 100-Yen shop in Vancouver and my mind was blown away by the cuteness of everything they carry б（＞ε＜）∂ 

100 Yen rice bowls

Back then I really liked the idea of making unique pots, 100-Yen stores have become the main source of inspo and new materials.

During the lockdowns when I was finally able to materialize my ideas, after watching several youtube tutorials, my patio now is filled with Asian bowls and teacups. 

100 yen garden ornament

I don't want to say that my love for dollar stores has faded, I admit that I no longer visit them as much as before, my preference lately were the 100-Yen stores, they are now expanding to other cities recently, but my greatest finds from dollar store shopping was still the set of wooden balls that I now proudly display in my back yard. I cannot find them in any dollar stores anymore, but luckily my mom returned the wooden balls to me as she doesn't share my aesthetic taste, so lucky me! !(•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑ 

I still get homesick once in a while, and when my mind is urging me to go for (retail) therapy, there is plenty of places that give me the feeling of coming back home...

Tea Time in H Tasting Lounge

It has been planned a few months earlier, right after our afternoon tea at Trump Vancouver on one snowy weekend. We have decided that the next tea salon to visit will be the H Tasting Lounge of Westin Bayshore.

Aircraft illustration on the menu cover

H Tasting Lounge is still new to the afternoon tea scene of Vancouver, but it seems it has everything to match other tea salons in all Metro Vancouver could offer.

Live music was playing a favourite song as we were led to our seat, hinting that this experience will be different than others. The weather was lovely, and to our luck, we were seated beside the floor to ceiling window so we were able to see outdoors. The tea menu was presented to us, they carry the same brand of Tea as L' Orangerie's. While waiting for our tea set to arrive, my sister and I savoured the live music as we admired the H Tasting Lounge's interiors. The whole soul of the lounge pays honour of Westin's one-time resident - Howard Hughes.  

The menu has an illustration of an aircraft on the outside and a quote from the man, who was an aircraft enthusiast and a pilot himself: 

These were the unique experiences we had on this occasion: it's our first time having a candy floss, very nicely perched on the silvery trunk to form a pink tree. The whole tea set was presented in four sets - the Ferris wheel tray for the savouries, a glass box for the sweets, a plate for the scones, and the whatsitsname for the candy floss that formed into a tree and underneath it rest the confiture and butter for the scones. No tiered tray and still fab - big plus having a crooner with a seductive voice as background music!

Afternoon tea set

Ferris wheel tray - Learn the art of balancing act ೕ(•̀ᴗ•́)

As for our favourites: Pork bao and the steamed bun with salty yolk filling. The menu at that time seems to have a good mix of the typical afternoon tea fare - scones, cucumber sandwich, with Eastern touch. I am looking forward coming to H Tasting Lounge when they have their own themed afternoon tea in the near future and perhaps get myself a cocktail too. ( ͝° ͜ʖ͡°)つY

Themed Afternoon Tea Notch 8 And Trump Champagne Lounge

After I realized that I had been to several tea parlours around Metro Vancouver, I acknowledged that I had acquired an afternoon tea bug. Whenever we go out of town, I sometimes make sure that I should go for one; a bonus experience if I can find a tea parlour that does afternoon tea with a cultural twist. In regards, to adding a cultural twist to afternoon tea, I am very disappointed that I missed the opportunity to experience the afternoon tea-Filipino style at Marco Polo Davao during my Davao 2017 trip, It would be very interesting on how Filipino cuisine could be presented in an afternoon tea. It's something that I am going to search for the next time I visit the Philippines.

Notch 8

Themed afternoon tea is another trend that's been going around. My introduction to themed tea time was from Notch 8's Enchanted Forest Afternoon Tea. Arrived with our empty bellies and plenty of stories to share, my amigas and I decided to meet up to indulge in fairyland. After meeting each other in Hotel Vancouver's lobby, we all together checked in to the cafe, and we were led to the section of Notch 8's that was transformed into a lush magical place.

Our 'enchanted' edibles were neatly arranged on a layered log tray. The presence of the 'toadstools' (meringue with chocolate glaze) on the tray added to a 'forest-y' mood.

Unfortunately, the excitement of being with my amigas prevent me from taking decent photos of our afternoon tea. Safe to say we relished every tidbit and every second at those moments, before we knew it, it was time for us to go as they limit their guests' stay to one and a half hour.

Enchanted Forest Afternoon Tea

Trump Champagne Lounge

One snowy afternoon, my sister and I, met up to try Trump Vancouver's take on afternoon tea. We booked it a few days earlier without any idea what that day has a surprise for us. We headed to the Trump Champagne Lounge and ignored the snowstorm warning to satisfy our curiosity.

Little did we know, they were doing a 'Beauty and the Beast' (Tale as old as time) themed afternoon tea. I remember being on cloud 9 as I was on my way to the theatre to watch it when I was young. Now a mother to a baby girl, I am looking forward to the day I will read books to her every night, and Beauty and the Beast will be one of them.

Date in Origo Club

We got married in Richmond, BC;  A city known for its popular night markets and predominantly Asian restaurants. Most of these food joints give you the feel of traveling to Asia in one bite!  Recently I heard about a new French restaurant in Richmond. It also offers afternoon tea - that's something new and romantic!  As Valentine's approached, I suggested to my dear husband that going to an afternoon tea in Richmond would be our Valentine's date. I want to make a tradition to regularly visit the city where we had sworn to be each other's partner-in-crime for the rest of our lives.

Breakfast Tea

I booked ourselves for an Afternoon Tea for two in Origo Club without reading further on what this place has to offer. Let the first experience surprise me!

As we sat on our table, sparkling water was offered. I started to savour the ambiance while looking at their menu to decide which tea should I pair with my meal. Unlike most afternoon places, their tea selection was limited, with no signature tea blend. But one thing that Origo offers with their afternoon tea was pour-over for an additional charge. I was torn between pour-over coffee and breakfast tea; the English breakfast tea won in the end, with the thought of going back for the pour-over experience and champagne on the next visit.

Origo Club Afternoon Tea

Their signature "O" shaped tray was a visual treat itself with or without the sweet and savory treats that garnished it. Its design is my second favorite, next to Higashiya Ginza's wooden tray.

We both took note of everything we ate: about their scones, at first, I was worried that my dear 🐻would not enjoy the chive scone - he is not a fan of anything that's too garlicky. He ate his share of scones with no qualms at all. We both agreed that our favorite piece was the duck breast (Canard et Poire Pochée au Thym - seared duck breast, thyme poached pear). On the dessert side - the Matcha tart (Tartelette au Fromage Blanc et Matcha) is the one I enjoyed the most.

A row of savoury tidbits

Sweets on the top tier

During our stay in Origo Club, an entrance to another quarter with interesting displays caught my attention; upon reading later, I found out it's an art gallery that can be viewed by appointment only. Perhaps a peek in Origo's art gallery will happen in the future after a glass of Barons de Rothschild Champagne Brut.
It's nice to be back romancing in Richmond!

Unveiling My Bridal Veil

Most girls has vision of perfect wedding. To have a perfect wedding, the Bride has to get 'The One'.

The perfect wedding gown...

"I don't care about the gown, as long I won't look like a clown"

It became a popular belief that The Bride has to "wow" the crowd with her fancy dress. This is not the wedding that I want. My wedding is not just about me -- it's my husband's day too. It's the day we pledge to be with each other and take care of each other, till the end of our lives.

But then...

I am a big fan of shawls or any accessories that can drape on my upper body. My quick vacation in Manila made it possible to attain my little whim - a veil that is personalized, that describes me. I want it made of Pineapple cloth or "Piña" which is only made in the Philippines.
The whole process of turning the pineapple leaves into a luxurious cloth involves a long tedious process from extracting fibres off the leaves to gently applying intricate designs by talented embroiderers. Its mainly used to make formal attire in the Philippines and has also attracted the attention in the world of haute couture, because of this reason Piña earned the reputation of being the Queen of fibres in the Philippines.

Prior to our departure for our 2017 vacation, I found La Burda de Filipina online and directly contacted the Proprietress Marivic Gordovez to inquire with the help of a dearest friend back in the Philippines.

Traditionally the designs on the piña cloth are sewn by hand; due to our situation, there are time and budget constraints, the only option Marivic has is to have my veil machine sewn. Little bit disappointed, but i have something in mind to add a "hand-made" touch--- embellishing my veil with freshwater pearls, my birthstone, and Swarovski crystals to add sparkle😉.

Back in Vancouver, I am very delighted to find Beazu. They carry a vast variety of beads of any kind. Forgetting to buy freshwater pearls on my recent Philippine trip, I am relieved to find that Beazu carries them!

Each pearl and crystal was applied painstakingly as best I could, trying to be careful not to ruin a fabric that took time to create, putting my heart and soul into it. I have never worked with pineapple fibre before, but I am proud of the final result:

The final result

As I am writing this post, I would like to express my gratitude to my long time friend Olive. I am grateful for her help in purchasing my veil and many thanks to  La Burda de Filipina for the elegant veil, I am proud to own one, and I truly love it.

See the rest of the photos in this album.

On my way to be Mrs. 🐻

<----Trying on my Piña veil for the first, after the tryout bridal make up with Save the Date Beauty.


On the day of my wedding on 2017-11-23--->

(My) Mon Paris in Burnaby

I consider Paris one of my favourite cities, and she probably has a piece of my heart. I remember summer 2011, when my sister and I visited Paris.

Late last year, while walking around the neighbourhood, I passed a place that has a potential spot among my “favourites”; I noticed the illustration of an Eiffel Tower with a heart on it as a logo —it send a message to me clearly, the logo is something I can relate to, the love of the city of Paris; then there’s the word “pastries” - now that’s the magic word! But the sign also said: Coming Soon—that got me curious and swore that I will come back once this place is ready.

When Emily comes back:

We were in the early steps of wedding preparations: there’s checking of venues, searching for possible caterers, and recently checked a place where we were considered for our wedding favours. There are a lot of things going on that I forgot about the heart of the Eiffel Tower logo.

One rainy Friday afternoon, my other partner in indulgence, my sister decided to meet up. She mentioned this new bakery that she wanted to try out - - -Mon Paris. 

The place with the heart on the Eiffel Tower logo! I didn’t really see the whole name the first time I passed by it. I am thankful she mentioned this place and I was so excited to finally have the chance to try it!

Our first order from Mon Paris

Inside Mon Paris we were greeted by the decadent displays of chocolate Easter eggs, croissants, and other pastries. 

We were completely hypnotized by all the goodies, they are all talking to us: “try me, buy me, try me…”, it is a small place and we felt the only unoccupied table will be gone as soon another customer shows up, so we grabbed the table and proceeded to order right away.

Easter chocolate special

Warning!!! Not safe for dieters!!! (NSFD)

We both ordered London Fogs for a drink; it has a few pieces of lavender floating which we found cute; we had a hard time deciding which sweets to order with our tea as they all looked tempting! 

While ordering I kept glancing at the display of the rows of the colourful chocolates beside me; they all looked elegant. 

Mon Paris chocolates

That’s when I decided to choose Mon Paris chocolates for my wedding favours! My sister seems to think that it’s a great idea and volunteered to cover the wedding favours as her wedding gift for me. 

The owner of Mon Paris Chef Elena Krasnova, was present at that time, my sister and I discussed with her that we were very interested in ordering boxes of chocolates for my upcoming wedding.

We were absolutely impressed with our orders; the presentation is sophisticated, the taste not too sweet; Chef Elena mastered creating masterpieces by blending all the different flavours and textures.

St. Honore

Strawberry Cheesecake

Enjoying our dessert I thought about grabbing several pieces of Mon Paris goodies for my teddy bear’s upcoming birthday, but I can’t wait for a few more weeks so before we left, I grabbed a box nine of chocolates for my 🐻 to enjoy.

Morning Wisdom From Jethro's

WARNING!!! Not safe for dieters!!! (NSFD)

My gastronomical Guru, Denny's taught me that "Anything can be solved over a stack of pancakes". Then Jethro's Fine Grub came along with a sign with bold statements that caught our eyes:

Jethro's Fine Grub sign (back)

Jethro's Fine Grub sign (front)

Not really in the mood for having bacon for breakfast, but it gave us an impression that they take their bacon seriously. That's a good sign.

It was a weekday so there was no long line up which regularly happens in several popular brunch places in the Vancouver area during the weekends.
We have a table ready and the service is fast; the attendant gave us a Mexican hot sauce right away which I really appreciated. I always ask for hot sauce when I go to brunch places. They also regularly check if we need our coffee refill.

Smoked Salmon Benedict vs. Apple Cobbler French Toast

There are a lot of great choices on their menu; it took me a while to choose between Smoked Salmon Benedict and Apple Cobbler French Toast I forgot to take a photo of their menu. I decided to order the Smoked Salmon Benedict instead of the other, and my 🐻 ordered The Gold Rush.
At that time we were not really in an adventurous mood (but would be ordering Crab Cake Benedict next time we visit)

While waiting for our order, I enjoyed the funny illustration on their wall. For sure it's an offensive joke for vegans and animal rights advocates, but I can see the humour in it.

Bacon is all that matters!

My dear 🐻's facial expression was priceless when he saw his order..it's huge! He was speechless for a few minutes. I gladly proceeded to enjoy my Benedicts and shared some of my hash browns with my dear 🐻. I am also having some bites of the yummy huge pancake.
I remembered messaging my sister about wishing she was with us, we need reinforcements 😂! I even saw the customer's order beside us, french toasts--- and the slices of each toast were thick!

Serving comparison

My order: Smoked Salmon Benedict

And his order...The Gold Rush

What's in The Gold Rush? A giant pancake stuffed with banana, pecans, streusel, and caramel. Topped with whipped butter and more caramel, pecans, and streusel!

We both enjoyed it (I actually loved it) but we couldn't finish it. One of the attendants provided us with a take-out box with instructions on how to reheat our generous leftovers.

Want to accept the challenge?

Jethro's Fine Grub has two locations: the Dunbar location and the Fraser St. location, so there are two battlefields to choose from:

Jethro's Fraser Street Location

Next time, we will be bringing an army to share the giant pancakes with. I guess from their sign it might sound like having too much of good things is great, but the real joy is sharing it with people who are special to us.

We need another empty tummy to help us...

Update: It's a great sadness to write this update...Jethro's Fine Grub has closed.(◞‸◟；)

Ever Growing Stamp Collection

Stamps needing my attention.

I like stamps, i used to love them, but i still collect some of them.

My affair with stamps started when  i was in my preteen back in Manila and discovered my paternal grandfather's collection.

I decided to continue it but also unknowingly damage some of it, with life's constant change and numerous distractions,  my collection became an on and and off part of my life.

Where are they now?

They are still kept in a secure place in my apartment, not collecting dust but still being appreciated.
Though i am not an avid collector of postage stamps, i still appreciate these miniature piece of souvenir from other parts of the world, see the sentimental value and still gladly accept them when someone gave them to me as a present or pasalubong.

(*Pasalubong) Present from my sister

Another pasalubong from sister's recent trip.

The future of these beauties is still uncertain, aside purchasing several albums more, i am trying to find other ways to display them uniquely.

The Yakiniku Virgins

Grill that! 

It's the first day of Dine Out Festival and me and boyfriend (my teddy bear 🐻) decided to try a Japanese style barbecue at Gyu-Kaku, it's something new for both of us considering we've been to several sushi places or Japanese style restaurant around Lower Mainland. My 🐻 enjoyed the idea of cooking our orders in our table, it's a novelty to him and it makes you feel of being more in charge of your dining experience, you have the choice- which one to grill and how much you want to have. In our experience the only blunder that we made is placing the veggies directly on top of the grill instead of placing the foil where they where served on top of the grill. 😅 This blunder resulted to a semi charred veggies though i don't really mind because i also enjoy my veggies raw.

We are Yakiniku virgins!

I would say first time trying a new dish leads to a new experience, and new experience is learning something new! After posting another version of this photo in my Instagram account a follower commented "Japanese bbq= Yakiniku". New Japanese word to add to some of the words that i know: Harigato, Hai!, Gomenasai, Sugoi and few more words...

It's a sign that life is really prepping me to my upcoming trip to Manila and i will be in Tokyo for an overnight layover twice and get to see bit of Narita.

Tokyo, can't wait to see you!!!💕

My 2016 Christmas Tree

Outdoor tree from Costco

This is my first post on my blog. My blog: When Emily Goes Out is a collection of every experience that I cherish and things that I love. Now let's begin:

Bought from Costco, this outdoor tree was decorated mostly with handmade ornaments brought from various craft fairs in Vancouver.

The only "commercial" ornaments here are my Starbucks Christmas ornaments :). Can't wait till next Christmas and get to look at these beauties again.

Cheers for the new year---year of the rooster, life is great!

Swarovski Crystal Studded Christmas Ornament from Starbucks
(●´□`)♡