Yucatan 2019

Remember when I went to the Yucatan? Me neither. The past several months have been a big blur, but here are some photos from my trip.

Mexico remains as photogenic as ever - I will never stop loving intricate doors against colourful walls.

Swimming in cenotes was a highlight of the trip, though their spectacularness was difficult to capture in photograph. Visiting the ruins of Mayapan was fabulous due to the lack of crowds. Fun fact: I desecrated the ruins by throwing up on the grounds. Good times.

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Discoveries of Summer 2019

Bike rides where you don't feel like you're in the city.

I've done this route multiple times and have yet to get sick of it.

Toasted homemade sourdough bread tossed in a caprese salad made with tomatoes from my dad's garden, olive oil I lugged back from Portugal, and Maldon salt a friend kindly brought back from England.

I was doubtful anything could improve a caprese salad, but I was wrong.

Strawberry Ice Cream

Strawberry is one of the first fruits to make an appearance in the summer and I kind of went nuts over them this year. So far, I've made preserves, pie, cake, sorbet and ice cream.

I'm slowly getting a better understanding of ice cream making and went with a custard-less base to let the fruit flavour shine through. While alcohol and corn syrup is supposed to make the ice cream less icy and more creamy (an issue with fruit-based ice cream because of the high water content), I went with neither because I don't mind my frozen strawberry slices a little bit icy.

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We The North

June 13, 2019: the day the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Championship.

It's hard being a Toronto sports fan. We're cynics because our hearts have been crushed time and time again. The New Yorker even wrote an article about how we're a bunch of anxious freaks when it comes to our teams.

The last major championship win in the city was in '93 by the Jays. (Sorry, Argos and TFC, but you don't count.) I have very vivid memories of the Joe Carter home run and attending the victory parade, which I'm not sure why my newly immigrant mother who knows nothing about sports would bring her child to, but am thankful for the experience.

The Raptors parade was last week and while it was marred with issues (the planned two-hour parade turned into five, etc.), it was so. much. fun. Champagne was poured on me, new memories were made. Just look at this city:

Don't ever doubt that sports can bring people together.

P.S. The Toronto Raptors mascot is considered the best in the league - this is my favourite write up on the dinosaur.

Hong Kong 2019

When I wrote that it's been a weird couple of weeks, I had no idea of the insanity that was to come. My past month included:

• A family trip to Hong Kong for my grandma's funeral.
• Getting super sick in Hong Kong.
• Being admitted into a hospital in Hong Kong.
• My one week bereavement leave turned into an additional week of sick leave.

To say it's been exhausting is an understatement.

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I did get to try the wonton egg noodle soup at Mak Man Kee and the wonton is definitely better than Mak's Noodle.

I also finally got the appeal of the pineapple bun - you gotta stick a pat of butter into a warm bun to make it delicious.