My bags were packed and ready to go for my flight today at 2 pm.

I definitely don’t travel light when it comes to Costa Rica. First, I have to have both dressy and casual clothes since I am staying at a nice resort and then winging it in a cheap apartment rental for the rest of the trip. My baggage: One large suitcase and one small suitcase, and a carry-on bag with laptop/camera.

Lots of bandages and supplies to take care of the cut on my head while I’m gone.

I have a ton of camera equipment (for my Nikon D90 and my GoPro camera). And I bring my own yoga mat, haha. Got all my clothes packed and ready to go!

I also package up all my toiletries and don’t bother with travel sized bottles. I probably should, but I usually find it wastes a lot of product in the end. Plus, I am super paranoid of bugs so I bring lots of different kinds of bug repellant. Haha!

So there you have it folks. I don’t pack light and I bring the kitchen sink with me Let the finger pointing and laughing begin

I’m writing to you from my rental Dell laptop. It died in the middle of my Sims 3 game. Thanks for the no-warning, battery! Bah! I can’t believe games don’t autosave these days. 2 hours of gameplay lost.

So, I’ve still got a bit to go before I actually hit Costa Rica.

It’s always a long haul there when you are flying for free on points! My AAdvantage credit card has been good to me. Last year I flew both Allan and I to Costa Rica for free, and this year I was already able to fly myself there again!

American Airlines is great for redeeming points, but the connecting flights are brutal!

Yesterday, I flew to Dallas on a 3.5 hour flight from Vancouver, and then connected immediately for another 3 hour flight to Miami. It was a short night at the Miami International Airport Hotel last night before waking up early and flying into Liberia, Costa Rica later this morning.

Then, I head to my all-inclusive resort for three nights, at the Paradisus Playa Conchal. I haggled for a great deal there!

I plan on playing some golf on their beautiful Robert Trent Jones II course, doing yoga in my room with the air conditioning off, dancing, taking lots of photos, swimming in the ocean and avoiding the pool at all costs, and ultimately just relaxing.

Then I head to Tamarindo for the best part of my trip. Four nights in a little apartment rental on Langosta Beach. I’ll be able to see the ocean from my room! I loved Langosta last time I was there so I’m hoping the surfing is still good there.

The plan: Four days of surfing (provided my cut heals fast enough), laying on the beach, partying in town, cooking in my kitchenette, and going to my favourite restaurants in town. And if everything plays out, hopefully a boat excursion to surf at Ollie’s Point and Witch’s Rock.

And plenty of sunsets and watching the thunderstorms and enjoying the tropical rain.

The end result is I’m hoping my skin heals right up in the humidity, and that I come back super relaxed and refreshed.

Traveling by myself is scary, but I suspect there’s going to be plenty of time for introspection and meditation. And I’m really looking forward to that.

Well, stay tuned. I’m hoping to have lots of photos for you over the next week!

Lots of love from Miami! XOXO

Now, it’s no secret that hair salons, nail salons, and any other sort of beauty service is TOTALLY a matter of personal preference.

That being said, I’ve gone to a LOT of nail salons in Vancouver. Very expensive ones, new ones, old respected ones, and budget ones. And let me tell you… yesterday I found the best nail salon in Vancouver, in my opinion based on my preferences.

Please note: This post wasn’t sponsored at all, they didn’t ask me to go there… they didn’t give me any services for free. This is totally a review because I was blown away.

Yesterday evening I went to Spa Diva. I had the Grand Manicure and the Medi-Pedi. Seriously the best manicure and pedicure in Vancouver. I found it after reading several online Vancouver forums about where the best is in Vancouver. Looks like all the referrals were right!

Spa Diva is kind of a no-frills place. It’s very clean, simple, and it doesn’t have any super fancy spa chairs or anything like that. The owner and sole aesthetician, Maggie Chan has been doing nails for 10 years. This isn’t a place for spa parties. She doesn’t trust anyone else to do the same level of quality job that she does, so that’s why she’s the only one. I can see why.

But if you want some SERIOUS TLC for your hands and feet, this is the place to go.

She’s got tons of products. She uses only high-end products and good quality tools. Check out all her certificates. This girl seriously cares about your nails. Note: She doesn’t do any fake nails.

Yesterday evening she spent a total of 3 hours on my hands and feet. Yes, 3 hours. For a manicure and pedicure. (Granted I got some extra treatments and got the reflexology hand/foot massage) If you are always in a rush, this isn’t the place for you. She is an extreme PERFECTIONIST, and will not let you go home unsatisfied.

I have horrible feet and hands because of all the sports and activities that I do. I also cut my nails SUPER SUPER short, so keep that in mind while reading this review, but my guess is that her service is just as incredible for people who like having long nails. Also, I have ugly feet and hands. So I present you with a blurry photo

So if you want a place to go where your nail service will be meticulous, professional, clean, and incredible, please go see Maggie.

I am blown away.

————

P.S. Tomorrow I leave for Costa Rica. WOHOOOO!

It was Allan’s birthday on Sunday so we decided to have a little get-together over at our place on Saturday night.

Allan likes beer, so we stocked the fridge full of his favourite beers for the party.

There was barely any room in the fridge for food, including the fridge door!

Allan got a new BBQ for his birthday and we finally made use of our new patio. We got the Weber Q300 barbecue and we LOVE it! It heats up really hot, really fast and evenly distributes the heat no matter how high or low. It’s also really portable, and has a good-sized cooking surface. Good value, too! (Despite us looking all over town and them being sold out EVERYWHERE we finally found it in a small independent and I haggled till the bitter end for a good price)

We provided some small appies for the party. I made up some cheese and bread spreads. Pictured here is the double cream brie and red pepper jelly, fig spread with parmigiano reggiano, smoked mozzarella and ham, and cheddar.

We cooked up some 3-night marinaded Maui-style ribs from Granville Island, along with homemade hamburgers, ribeye steak and beef filet mignons. Sides were risotto and grilled veggies.

There weren’t many leftovers!

I also found THE BEST rum EVER in the liquor store the other day. I’ve never had expensive rum before and wow, is it ever worth it. It’s called Zaya Gran Reserva, aged 12 years and handcrafted in Trinidad & Tobago. 5 times distilled. It is really, REALLY good. We made some mojitos from it, although some people preferred to just sip it.

Shelley McArthur, AWESOME Communications Director from Top Table Restaurants (some of my fave restaurants in BC) sent me this incredible mojito recipe from Keith Trusler, Bar Manager at Blue Water Cafe. Top Table has some of the best bartenders in BC so definitely check out Araxi, Blue Water Cafe, West, or Cin Cin for divine drinks. The taste is all in the careful preparation! We used the Zaya Rum, but the Havana Club rum still tastes great for this recipe:

Blue Water Cafe Mojito, by Keith Trusler

1/2 lime, divided into 8ths
10 mint leaves, bruised to release flavour (roll into a ball and clap with your hands)
1 1/2 ounces Havana Club Anejo Reserva Rum
Club Soda and Crushed Ice

In a tall glass, muddle lime and mint with the simple syrup. Top with crushed ice. Pour in rum and stir together. Top with club soda. Enjoy!

Sooo good.

After mixing drinks for a while, I decided to sit down and believe it or not the BOYS got into the kitchen and started mixing up their own drinks.

One of the best ones was the watermelon martini made with Grey Goose, Sourz and Simple Syrup. Yum!

Other not-so-good drinks the boys made was mixes of beer and gin and gatorade. Not so good.

Believe it or not, there are THREE people on this chair, haha.

Here they are mixing up more drinks.

Here we are outside, after inspecting a huge beetle that was on the porch.

It was a great night! Lots of food, drinks, and fun. It was great to have some of our friends over too, since it had been a while

What did you do this weekend?

Sadly, I have had to return back from Tofino early. Yes, I had a crazy surfboard incident. 11 stitches on my forehead. If you’d like to see the stitches, click here. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! So it’s back to work for me.

Pictures from Tofino coming up soon.

So yesterday, instead of surfing and being on the beach, I spent the day with Allan and my Dad in the garden and in the kitchen for Canada Day. We made hamburgers, garden vegetables, spring salmon, and potatoes. Yum!

My Dad has been meticulously taking care of a garden for as long as I can remember. When we lived in Australia for several years, I remember eating oranges right out of our garden. It’s been a long struggle for our family to make ends meet, but somehow my Dad has always found time to take care of the garden in the morning before work and after working 12 hours a day. I remember helping out in the garden when I was growing up, and eating fresh vegetables and fruits throughout the year.

Here’s just a sampling of pictures from our garden from yesterday, and the meal that we cooked up:

Freshly picked veggies and fruits from the garden: HUGE raspberries (my favourite), boysenberries (they are basically large and juicy blackberries), new potatoes, peas, basil, mint, and cilantro.

A view from one side of our garden, click to see where everything is located. Click All Sizes to see the large size.

The view from the other side of our garden, again, click to zoom in.

I used to have a rooftop patio in the west end but had to move all my planters to my family’s house when I moved into Allan’s apartment with no patio for a couple years. Fortunately, our new place has a patio so I’m planning on moving my planters over soon so I can start gardening again.

Lilies…

The blueberries starting to come out…

The plum tree, still green… but they will be ripe and juicy soon!

Fuji apples starting to ripen…

Tomatoes starting to get ready!

Garden-grown garlic drying out (shame I didn’t get that bug in focus!)

Green grapes starting to form on the vine…

Dill! I love eating herbs straight from the garden.

Flowers in the garden…

Our family’s secret recipe for hamburgers! Lots of fresh herbs and onions from the garden, and lean organic beef.

Hamburgers all cooked up from the charcoal BBQ with hickory smoked chips.

New potatoes and fresh garden vegetables (all except the broccoli)..

Grilled spring salmon (just caught last week) on the BBQ and grilled zucchini from the garden! Yum!

Yes, we definitely enjoyed some home grown and home cooked food yesterday!

How did you spend your Canada Day?

So I’ll be in Tofino until July 6th. Finally, a long week of surfing, camping, time by the beach in the sun (and rain), camp stove cooking, and friends.

Every year, we get a big group of people together and head over to Greenpoint in Tofino for camping and surfing on Canada Day.

Let me show you all the crap we bring along with us! Ah, the joys of car camping. Our equipment is well-worn and not in great shape after camping trips every other weekend, but they still hold up!

First off, time to prep the shallots. I got this idea from my friend Trev: prep all your food in advance where there’s light, good knives, and cuttingboards and then you don’t have to worry about all the mess and disaster while you are camping.

Pro Tip: Wear your snowboard goggles to prevent from massive eye hysteria while cutting up millions of shallots. It works. LOL!

Here’s all the food we prepped last night. Needless to say, we were up late. But it’s such a bonus not having to wash everything and cut it all up when you are hungry after a long day of surfing and it’s dark and cold out. Click on the photo and then click on “All Sizes” to see a bigger version so you can see the text.

Also very necessary: camping equipment. MEC Tarn 3 tent, MEC rollout mats (WAY better than having a bulk air mattress in my opinion, and much lighter)… and we normally don’t bring camping chairs when we go on our own but considering how much we miss them when we have a big group of people we decided to go buy some fancy Roots camping chairs with foot rests. Can’t wait to try them out. Allan’s not a big fan of how bulky and heavy they are in the car, but they will be nice to bring along every once in a while. We are also bringing our golf clubs so we can play 9 holes of golf at Long Beach Golf Course. Golf equipment + surf equipment + camping equipment = VERY full car.

We’ve also got tons of food, not to mention 40 strips of bacon from Granville Island (WOHOOO!), two coolers, a camp stove, a cast iron grill (a MUST for car camping cooking), lots of hoodies, my underwater camera case for my DSLR, my DSLR of course, and lots of supplies.

Food we will have there: Pacific Halibut, scallops, bacon, sausages, breakfast potatoes, everything you need to mix up Mojitos, lots of beer, cane sugar colas, tons of fruit, chocolate vegan cake, Uprising Breads, New Moon cookies, and tons of crackers and chips! I love food.

Not picture: 2 huge surfboards, also tons of wetsuits (bringing wetsuits to share with friends too)… I love my Roxy 5 mil wetsuit, but I bought Allan a new O’Neill Infiniti Drylock 5/4/3 for his birthday this year (a little early, his b-day is in July) and I have to say I am VERY jealous. It’s a darn nice wetsuit. Also pictured, lots of groceries, beach towels. And of course an absolute essential: TWILIGHT! Hahahaha.

Lots more not shown here, but you get the picture. It’s a full car.

Can’t wait to be out there for 8 days, hopefully our food lasts.

In other news, I booked my accommodations for Costa Rica! 3 nights at Paradisus Playa Conchal and then 4 nights in a villa rental on Langosta Beach (loved that beach when we stayed there last). Lots of time for surfing, relaxing, and hanging out on the beach. The weather: Humid, thunderstorms, sun, and rain. Just the way I like it.

Sadly, won’t have much time to blog in Tofino, but I’m looking forward to posting when I get back on July 6th! See you soon, and HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!

Happy Canada Day (believe it or not, this photo was taken with a friend at my Xbox 360 clan’s annual meetup. Yeah, Patron tequila is trouble)!

If it’s the weather, then it is too hot or too cold. Too rainy or too dry.

The buses are too busy, the traffic is terrible, the men here aren’t good looking, they aren’t happy with their jobs, people in Vancouver dress too fancy, people in Vancouver dress too casual… etc etc. And the list goes on. And yet, when asked about Vancouver, everyone LOVES Vancouver… it’s the best place to live!

So why do so many people seem unhappy here?

I do this a lot myself, too… complaining. My friend once challenged me to keep track during the period of one week how many times people complained about something. I lost count, it was in the hundreds.

My friend also challenged me to not complain once, during the period of one week. I tried, but I eventually failed.

I’m not convinced that this is a problem that is just with Vancouver; I’m fairly certain it is a widespread problem.

And my theory has come down to this: The majority of people don’t know how to make themselves happy, just on their own. Without constant stimulus, without constantly being around others…

When was the last time you sat, alone for an hour, and were happy?

I’ve been doing a lot of people watching lately. And it seems like everyone is constantly on the go. When they are riding the bus they are playing on their phones, when they are out for dinner or sitting on a couch with a loved one they are Twittering, and even when they just have to walk down the street they call a friend so they have something to do while they walk.

I even saw a phone commercial the other day that was talking about turning downtime into uptime.

But you know what?

We humans need downtime, in my opinion. I think we all need time to be introspective, reflect on life, be grateful for what we have, step back and put things into perspective… all the clichés.

I’ve learned a lot about myself over the past few months, about how I need to manage stress and take time to relax.

Here are a couple things I am trying, that maybe you could try (or maybe you already do!):

• I switch my Blackberry to “Bedside Mode” every night at 8 or 9 pm. This turns off the antenna so I don’t get texts, e-mails, calls etc so I have time to disconnect myself a few hours before bed. Nothing is so important that it can’t wait till morning.
• Every night, I’ve been doing yoga before bed. The audio, relaxing kind so I don’t have to watch a TV screen or worry about other people in a class. For one hour, I stretch, do poses, and breathe. If my mind tries to think about anything, I try to focus away from it so I think about nothing. Clear my mind. This has done incredible things for me. I sleep better, I’m happier, I’m more relaxed.
• I’ve been focusing during the day not to worry about anything. Whether it’s work or my relationship or friends, if I ever start having any negative thoughts or stresses, I just try to focus on the positive or the actions I can do to rectify a situation without getting upset. It’s done amazing things for my friendships and relationships.
• When I go to the gym, I try not to watch the TVs or listen to music. Instead I think about myself and how I can improve myself and my life in a constructive positive way.
• At work, after I go to the bathroom (this is embarrassing), I stand in front of the mirror and take three deep yoga-like breaths. It somehow helps me reset and let go of any stress I may have been holding.
• I try and get outdoors on the weekend and away from the computer.
• I’m traveling by myself to Costa Rica and plan on having lots of introspective time, and surfing.
• Surf. Surfing is good for the soul, mind and body.

I don’t mean to sound all preachy or like I have it all figured out. I don’t. I still get unhappy and stressed at times. But I’m really trying to get out of this negative-mind-rut and change things for the better.

I hope that these tips have helped people a little bit.

Do you have any tips of your own for having a little “you” time and being happy?

And you know what? I’m tired of wallowing in my own misery.

So while Friday and Saturday was mostly spent recovering still, I decided I NEEDED to get out of the house on Sunday.

First stop was the driving range. First time all year. In July… how sad is that? Nevertheless, we got out and hit some balls and boy, it felt GREAT to be out in the fresh air!

I’m really looking forward to getting to the range some more times this summer, getting out for pitch and putt and maybe a couple full courses later on in the summer. I’m also considering bringing my clubs to Costa Rica since the place I’m hoping to stay at is supposed to have a great golf course.

I don’t have a top of the line set, but for you golf heads, I’ve got a Callaway Big Bertha ladies iron graphite set, with a Big Berta 3 Wood, and a Rossi putter. No driver yet.

After the range we met up with my dad for Father’s Day for lunch at Earl’s (his choice). I had the Green Curry Chicken and it was delicious!

I can’t even tell you how much I love my dad. He’s been there for me my whole life, he’s held our family up through tough times with his amazing work ethic, and inspires me to be entrepreneurial. He works hard in construction 6 days a week and comes home late but he always seems to have time for his kids. He taught me how to ski, how to bike, how to play sports and love sports. He introduced me to the greatest sport of all time and my beloved team, the Vancouver Canucks… and he always encourages me to aim high in life. He’s extremely good-natured, kind, generous, God-fearing, and funny. I love you Dad! Happy Father’s Day!

After lunch, Allan and I headed down to Holt Renfrew to check out the shoes section. I’ve been doing so great with my budget over the past 3 months, sticking to it completely! And I’m so happy to be able to say that shoes are part of my budget. I haven’t bought any new clothes or shoes or anything in the past 6 months and new summer shoes were a real treat!

Holt Renfrew was having a big designer sale, so I tried on about a hundred shoes (including these cool Cole Haan heels) before deciding on some flip flops and a dressy wedge.

I love shoe boxes!

These shoes are TOTALLY me! First of all, I love Michael Kors. Second of all, they are my favourite colour (orange). And they will work well in the city, or on the beach! Love the comfortable, practical jelly. So stoked! And they are cheap too!

My big splurge was definitely these 2009 Prada Cutout Wedges. I completely fell in love with them. And they were on sale. Perfect for the city or walking around a resort in Costa Rica! They are very well constructed, made in Italy, with leather and cork. They are dressy but still summery, and REALLY comfortable! Love love love!

So… I think I’m back! Time to start updating the blog regularly again, and start living my life again. This week will be full of work, and then it’s off to Tofino on Friday for 9 days for the annual camping and surfing trip. And then a couple more days of work before Costa Rica. I hope my skin holds up. But even if it doesn’t, I’m determined to have a great time, get out there, and enjoy all the amazing things this world and life has to offer.

Hope you all are having a great summer so far!

In a last ditch effort to save my skin, I’ve decided to go the only route I know works 100%. Fly somewhere humid, with the ocean.

So yep, for the first time in my life, I will be traveling by myself to a foreign country.

I’ve made quite a few posts about my experiences in Costa Rica already, and how much I adore the surfing and the culture there.

So, my flight is BOOKED! I’m flying down to Costa Rica for July 10-19. I can’t wait. Planning on staying in Tamarindo and on the Guanacaste Coast.

Humidity, the sun, the salt water, the beach… it’s all going to be great.

I’m a little nervous to go there by myself, but since I’ve been to all the places I’m thinking of staying, I feel fairly safe and confident about where I’m going.

Still working on finalizing details on hotels, condo rentals, surfing etc… will keep you updated!

I realize that I’ve dropped off the face of the planet lately in terms of my blog, and e-mails.

I just wanted to explain to everyone why I haven’t been posting as much lately.

I’ve been going through some skin problems that have been causing me to feel like a bit of a recluse. I’ve been to all sorts of dermatologists, doctors, allergy specialists, counsellors, massage therapists, acupuncture, everything! It’s just a bad case of eczema.

But obviously it is affecting a lot of different aspects of my life, which basically makes it so that I’m staying inside all the time, and therefore have nothing to write about.

It’s made work hard, my relationship hard, maintaining friendships, etc.

Sorry for the sob story. I’m just doing my best to do everything I can to get rid of it, including the current allergy elimination diet that I am on. It leaves me feeling weak, dizzy, and really out of sorts.

I’m going to Tofino this weekend, so hopefully some waves and some fresh ocean air will bring me the peace I am looking for.

Anyway… sorry. I’ll do my best to update the blog, but over the next couple weeks it might be light. Sorry everyone.

So I’ve been learning to cook with a lot of restrictions but still try to make things delicious.

Last night I tried my hand at making a risotto with scallops.

For the risotto: I used Arborio rice, vegetable stock, cipollini onions, olive oil, and a mushroom reduction. I mixed in some separately cooked broccoli and mushrooms to try to be a little healthy

For the scallops: Just salt and pepper, cooked in a little olive oil and some bacon fat for flavour.

Toppings: Just a little crumbled bacon, and a sauce made from basil, garlic, and onions and lemon juice (similar to a pesto).

All in all I think it turned out delicious. The plating is a bit ridiculous… a TOWER OF FOOD! Haha. But It was still fun to make.

Do you have any recipes to share that have to deal with food restrictions?