LUXOMME

I'm currently texting my Parents right now with decisions on what I want them to pick up for me in Florida and simultaneously typing this blog post at the same time, so if it seems a little scatterbrained, that's why.

One of the things that have been on my bucketlist for a while is a visit to Ripley's Aquarium of Canada. I wasn't even aware they were building one until my friend casually mentioned it one day on our drive over to the mall, but aquariums are my thing. More specifically, the jellyfish. 

I adore jellyfish.

Most people I knew had either already gone or weren't interested in going, so when I brought it up during the CCF retreat and people were up for going, I jumped at the opportunity and sent out a mass text.




A bunch of us gathered for lunch at Kinton to fill our bellies up with delicious ramen before splitting up and making the trek over from Baldwin to the CN tower.









After gathering for a group shot, we made our way through the Aquarium at our own pace, meeting up at specific locations along the way. 
















The moving belt was an interesting touch, located in the middle of the entire path that we were to follow as we went through the Aquarium. There's something charming about just allowing the belt to take you through and not having to think about anything else other than the fish swimming right in front of you and above you.



















The jellyfish were located at the end of the path and one of the more memorable exhibits there.  Check out the section where they have jellyfish at different stages in their life cycle displayed.




















We emerged 4  hours later,  eyes squinting from the sudden change in sunlight but with happy smiles. 

For those of you who haven't gone, it's worth a visit. It's something different from the usual dinner, drinks, movies, and mall activities we are used to doing in social meetups, and the location is pretty convenient. Bring your fanciest camera or no camera at all, I definitely regret spending more time trying to take mediocre photos than soaking it all in. 

Top three memorable things at the Aquarium:

1. The moving belt through the Aquarium.
2. The Jellyfish life cycle.
3. The display containing live shark embryo's moving inside their egg sac.

And after all that walking and fish admiring, you can head over to the nearby Oliver and Bonacini's BIFF for buck-a-shuck to re-fuel. A bit ironic, but hey, circle of life :) 

naomi

Most people joined in on a volleyball and basketball game that was going on, but Sherv, Crystal and I decided to go venturing out into the woods instead. Brought back many memories from when I used to go digging in forests for "treasures"















And the rest of the pictures are pretty self-explanatory... Two definite highlights were first playing Mafia till the wee hours of the morning bringing back many memories of first year, and secondly, capsizing in the freezing water with Angie and Nicole, despite having given a long speech to Rachel about how we weren't going to flip... fail of the century.

But what I've realized through these four years and this past weekend is that it's not the friends who have been here the longest, but the friends who came and never left. Despite not having spent alot of time with these brothers and sisters over the past two years, I can't tell you how lucky I am to have them. 




PTL. 

naomi.

I was sitting at home yesterday, scrolling through instagram, when it hit me that today was St. Patrick's Day!  I quickly sent out a mass text to my friends saying something along the lines of 'I can't believe I almost missed it' and then realized that I don't really care about St. Patz, nor do I have any special plans for the greenest day of the year.

There was a time when St. Patrick's meant not having to fight in class for a spot in the front and green pancakes for breakfast washed down with some un-named liquid. I mostly watched as everyone partook in festivities.  I remember not even knowing that St. Patrick's day celebrations aka, drink till you can drink no more, was a thing in first year, but coincidentally had worn green on that day. Sixth sense maybe? I did celebrate in second year, my friends and I headed out somewhere, but I was reminded the other night that it didn't end so well either. For reasons other than what you would think. 

This year I stayed at home because a) It's Monday, b) It's still Winter Wonderland outside, and c) I don't particularly enjoy the color green. 

Nonetheless, I woke up rather late this morning due to late night chats with some sweet people reminiscing about old St. Patz shenanigans, and had an urge to bake something. Seeing as I have a ton of matcha in my pantry right now, courtesy of my Parent's trip to Hong Kong, I realized that there's really no better time to whip up something green! 









Mixed in with eggs, sour cream, vanilla, brown sugar, cornstarch, flour, and matcha powder. It doesn't look particularly tasty at this point.  



I find that mixing with a whisk while the bowl is on top of the stove set to low gives you the smoothest batter possible. Unfortunately, I was impatient today and didn't add the ingredients one by one... so my cheesecake had lumps. 







As my cheesecake cooled in the oven, I ran upstairs to slap on a green mud mask, sticking with the green theme. It's officially more than halfway through March which means that the warm weather will be coming soon! This hasn't been the greatest Winter for my skin, but hopefully nothing a few buffers and buffers won't fix!

I hope everyone had a fabulous time celebrating St. Patz whether you diligently went to class or painted your whole body green!  After all, there are only two types of people in this world, The Irish and those who wish they were. 

naomi