dolceartist

a smile in your mind. 29. artist. storyteller. vlogger.

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January 31, 2023

Catching some morning light before leaving for in person work. The days are getting longer.

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January 30, 2023

Chung tried this new recipe which I still need to ask him for the link to - it was AMAZING. Soy sauce chicken rice with a fried egg. A classic Asian cuisine meal.

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January 29, 2023

We visited BPM cafe for the first time today and tried 2 items on their hidden menu - donut lattes! I can’t believe we didn’t know about this cafe before when they’re right on Cathedral High St. Look at their magnificent monstera!

Chung made his staple ginger chicken meal with roasted brussel sprouts for dinner.

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January 28, 2023

Lunch with Michelle, Gab and baby J at The North Taiwanese Cuisine

This restaurant is sooo good - our third visit here! I love that it’s authentic and family owned too. We went at the perfect time to get a table almost right away. The entire time we were eating there, there was a line/crowd of people outside waiting for a seat.

We had to eat fairly quickly because of this but we still had good chats with the Chois about what it’s like to be new parents for the first time, how they’ve learned to navigate prioritizing their own needs and not being fearful of disrupting baby J’s schedule now and then.

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January 28, 2023

Finally checked off this task from my to-do list! It’s been a year of me wanting to move this stretched canvas from my parents house to ours. We tried last January with Jason’s car, but it wouldn’t fit diagonally - a few inches too small. It’s not super fun to have to rent these vans from Home Depot because they are usually filled with sawdust, but you can’t beat the price. I purposely picked a day when the weather would be good and thankfully my parents don’t live too far. Chung was a trooper!

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January 27, 2023

Miso Sesame Soba Noodles

A new recipe that I decided to try! It was pretty good but the sauce was a bit thick and heavy for me. I find the natural earthy flavour of plain soba to be really good already. Would still make this again though!

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January 25, 2023

The cute face of a husband who had to shovel snow in cold, cold Canada!

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January 24, 2023

Tiring in person work day. Headache and just feeling bummy overall.

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January 22, 2023

In the evening we celebrated Lunar New Year as well as my father-in-law’s birthday! We also had a video call with Chung’s family in Hong Kong. It was my first time meeting 1 Yee Ma since she arrived in Canada. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that so much of C’s extended family now live here. We didn’t get to chat with C’s brother about life things that we were planning to discuss...

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January 22, 2023

After church this morning, we had lunch with my GongGong for Lunar New Year! Chung had to teach Sunday School so he joined us afterwards.

Even though I am not as close with my grandpa, it’s always really good to see him. He’s much more introverted than my grandma so he enjoys having time to himself and being in solitude. Even though he has some health issues, he is overall in good spirits. He smiles and chuckles genuinely when my mom is being her usual silly self. A funny moment happened at lunch when Chung was serving himself noodles, but my grandpa thought it was for him and took the bowl first.

I’m really thankful for the efforts my parents made to do their best to prevent the generational trauma from affecting me too much.

[dolceartist]

January 21, 2023

Tonight we had dinner with my Popo at her house for Lunar New Year/just to spend time with her. One of the resolutions that Chung and I both had on our minds was to spend more intentional time with my grandma.

Before the pandemic and when my parents still lived at their old house, my grandma was able to drive and she would watch Chinese TV at their house every night until they told her it was time for them to sleep. Since they moved and she isn’t able to drive anymore, this tradition ended. My grandma developed a back condition the last few years as well I think because she is always hunched over looking at her phone.

She is constantly forwarding WhatsApp messages which I know my parents find annoying. I’m happy to receive them though because at least I know she’s keeping herself busy. This stage of life has made me reflect a lot on our elderly population and how lonely they must feel.

I realized during this dinner that my grandma’s stories aren’t as coherent as they used to be. She is still very confident about the years she is remembering, but it’s hard to know how accurate it is. She tends to start a story and then go on a long tangent, ending up somewhere completely different to where she started.

Even though we are nearing our 30s, our stage of life is exciting and there are still so many things to look forward to. It’s hard imagining a time in our life where we will be a bit of an afterthought for our family and seemingly only a priority during special occasions. I want to make my Popo feel cared for and loved. As my Yee Ma said over Christmas, we wouldn’t be here without my grandparents - as dysfunctional as they were.

[dolceartist]

January 19, 2023

Chung’s new recipe for a salad. Personally not my fav because everything was chunky and the onions were too strong haha. At least it was healthy and the bread was good!

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January 17, 2023

One-Pot Creamy Mushroom Pasta

This is a new recipe that Chung made this week and it was DELICIOUS. He doesn’t usually make pasta but I always love it when he does. So simple and satisfying. I was sad that I didn’t get to eat it for lunch the next day (since I was working in person). Thankfully there was enough leftover that I actually got to eat it today instead!

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January 15, 2023

We went to an escape room at Omescape - the theme was Hong Kong Afterdark. I think it was supposed to be 2 hours, but we spent at least 2 and a half hours there! As you can see, we had a pretty big group. It was perfect for me because I tend to not like to be too active during these games. I’m definitely a follower. This room wasn’t as simple as just trying to escape.

The story was that the head of the triad had been murdered and there were 3 suspects. As we solved different riddles, new spaces would open up and new evidence would appear. We had to agree as a group at the end to vote one as the new triad leader, to exile one and execute the other. It was a creative storyline that definitely matched the themes of HK dramas we have watched. The room itself was so detailed and well designed - they recreated a HK street with authentic style shops. In the end, we didn’t “win” but the last moment was actually hilarious because Chung, Bryan and Isaac were all pushing each other to change the final vote.

[dolceartist]

January 14, 2023

SG at the Lings. Holding baby Jonas for the first time - his perplexed expression is so funny!

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 January 14, 2023

Brunch with Jillian & Stephen at Ramona’s Kitchen

I haven’t been to this restaurant since before the pandemic! I think we’ve only been here maybe twice. I remember the first time was to with Jeff, Tiff and Matt to prepare for their wedding day (this was summer of 2019). Since it’s been awhile, I ordered my go to fav: smoked salmon benny! The tri-colour potatoes is a nice touch, but not too special. I would definitely try something new next time. We finally got to chat with S for the first time and turns out he’s the more extroverted one. They weren’t engaged yet when we had our vow renewal in May. Lots of exciting things coming up for them in their next chapter. Can’t wait for their wedding this September!

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January 13, 2023

Chinese Tomato Egg Stir-Fry

I feel like I end up taking more photos of Chung’s meals than mine haha! This is a nostalgic meal that hubby ate growing up. He says it’s not exactly the same as the way his mom would make it, but I still find it to be such a yummy comfort meal. I don’t even normally like tomatoes too much but the mix with the eggs is a perfect combo of textures. This is another meal we don’t usually repeat too much either but I guess the beginning of the new year is a time to refresh the recipes we usually follow.