Souvenir

Two weeks has past since I got back, should have start with a holiday post, but the amount of photos I greedily took might take hopelessly long to edit. So I decided to start with what I can. 

After unpacking and putting my home back to order, I was able to enjoy some of the souvenirs from my trip. Some may say I am strange because I find more joy in throwing things away than buying. However of the things I do buy, I truly love. This time I got myself a beau blue teacup from Franc Franc, which an expert in antiques meticulously helped me pick out :) , a set of gold spoons, and the most delicate green tea white chocolate cookies. Coincidentally, they can be "consumed" in a single setting. 

Trying to get back into exercising, I went to QE park. But I changed my mind when I saw the Botanical garden dome. It was currently under reno, but it was still opened. I have lived in Canada for almost twenty years but never once did I enter, well the souvenir shop was as far as I've got….. but it is never too late to discover this gem. However it breaks my heart when I asked the staff whether the parrots can fly. He said " Their wings are chipped, it is for our benefit." Is it really our benefit to build our happiness or other's misery? I am confident the answer is a definite "No". But just seeing how resilient the parrots are against the inhumane treatment made me admire their beauty even more. They really taught me a powerful lesson. 

Family

Traveling between 2013 & 2014

A little update of how I spent my holiday. Very grateful for the week off, allowed me to rediscover the beautiful Vancouver. Whenever I came back from a vacation, from the moment I stepped out of the plane, it feels like my vacation has only began. I am thankful for my fabulous friend Camila who showed me so many secret spots and fancy restaurants around town, can't wait to try them one at a time. 

A little home cooking experiment is always on my to do list during the holiday. This time I made strawberry bread pudding. The whole house was filled with fragrant from berries, milk and caramelizing bread.

And then it is off to Whistler, one of the most enchanting place to be in during the winter months of Vancouver is always up on the snowy mountain. It is there I can feel completely alone , surrounded by fog, snow, evergreens, the calls of raven and my own heart beat. Snowboarding on this gorgeous day with dear friends was more than I can ask for. Although we always lost each other while going at different speeds, we all learned valuable lessons :P  The ride back to town in the premier pacific coach bus was super relaxing. Thank you YL for teaching me chess along the way :) To end the day, we ate at the authentic t-suki sushi bar, where we all fell in love with the power sushi, made with natto beans and tuna.

Here are my best moments in 2013. Looking forward to what's to come in 2014 ~

Time Capsule

Dear diary,

I want to tell you that this year was one of my happiest year. Life was ordinary. The "extraordinariness"  came from obtaining internal peace. I have learned that no matter how the extraneous factors revolved, the most important thing in life is always constant. In all scenarios we are able to make a choice, whether it is to change the circumstance or to change our approach to the circumstance. I admitted that I have fears, quite a few actually….  yet at the same time I am determined to confront them. I've learned to dare myself out of my comfort zone and always always ALWAYS rely on Jehovah through the thick and thin.

When I was young, I looked up to my mother as role model. Flipping through photo albums, I was in awe in how fashionable she dressed, how beautiful her facial features were, but most of all how she was always surrounded by friends, some of whom remained close family friends down to this day.  I was so envious, because at that time my one and only friend was Milk, my guinea pig. 

In time, I discovered that beauty is vain, but true friendship is invaluable. Today I am very fortunate to be surrounded by people who really want the best for each other. There are differences along the way of course. There are time when biding farewell, diverging in our own separate ways seemed like the only option. However, as we continue down the journey, the intersections merged, once again we are reunited on the narrow road. Much to our delight,  with gained wisdom and compassion, we proceeded toward the common destination, enjoying each other's company.

 Looking back I am grateful for the storms, without them I might not have realized the need to change, grow and learn. 

The world is only a mirror, if we smile at it, it will smile back. 

This is my 2013.

                                                                   Love,

                                                                          Peony

As our Winter tradition, we spend a weekend in Harrison Hot Spring Resort. The trip was short and sweet. Here are some highlights.