ahh, october. nothing like pumpkin spice lattes, crisp air, shades of red! orange! yellow! 

gone are the summer days as we eagerly embrace fall with open outstretched arms ... okay, just me then?

to those who have the summer blues, here's a little recipe that might help you get over your unnecessary depression. 

1.  invite tes amis over. if they refuse, bribe them with baking pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls (they will usually come when they hear this) 

2.  prepare your ingredients. follow instructions. don't get distracted. 

*side note: don't forget to take pictures of your process - obvi this is your top priority

3.  while preparing your delicious soon to be ooey gooey pumpkin cinnamon rolls, plug your ipod/iphone/laptop to your speakers and blast some classic '50s and '60s soul music 

personal fav:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQRIOKvR2WM 

4.  break out into a dance party 

5.  remember to keep track of time .... 

6.  migrate out of the kitchen and into the living room. pop in a classy movie. and by classy, i mean classy: The Young Victoria.  grab the drink of your choice as you indulge in your freshly baked treat (our preference? earl grey tea brewed to perfection). 

7.  proceed to swoon over prince albert.

8.  snap back to reality (oh there goes gravity)  - rap enthusiasts anyone?! 

9.  look at your pile of assignments and papers you were supposed to do instead of watching the movie.  ignore the sinking feeling in your stomach.  bring out a game to play instead 

10. play apples to apples and call it a day

mini fashionistas

has anyone heard of keirnan shipka? no? ok, allow me to introduce her.

kierana shipka, otherwise known as sally draper, is an actress on mad men.  she's been noted for her acting, charisma, and determination. recently, she's been crowned fashion's newest it girl thanks to her impeccable style. she's had articles swooning over her from style blogs to vogue. yes, you read that right, vogue.

kiernan shipka at ralph lauren (source: teenvogue tumblr)

the coveteur, which featured keirana, gave its readers a glimpse of her closet. inside her two closets you'll find pastel peter pan collared dresses, antique jewellery, and soft dainty flats. most of which, we will probably never be able to afford. regardless of monetary value, her closet reveals clean cuts, crisp colours, and shows individuality, which one can say is pretty rare in our world today.

she also happens to have been born in 1999, making her the ripe old age of 12 years old.

yes, i am in awe of a preteen who has better style than a 21 year old (me). while simultaneously drooling over her closet pieces and her facial ability to leap frog over the awkward stage in life that we call preteen, i couldn't help but be bewildered.

how strange is it that a 12 year can say that she can't live without her cole haan boots? Or the fact that she knows what taffeta is? maybe i'm getting old, but shouldn't a 12 year old enjoy his or her childhood? there's nothing wrong for a preteen to have hobbies and be interested in them - i.e. fashion. but it is concerning when materialism is soaked into our lives... to the point that children can name designers.

anyways, here's the link to the article with pictures. http://thecoveteur.com/kiernan_shipka
feel free to drool over her shoes, dresses, accessories, etc. i wish they came in adult sizes hah.

a revelation in revelations

hello friends!

i hope your weekend was relaxing and full of rest. mine was full of friends, bbqs, showers, and listening to a great message at church. when i decided to write a post today, i was going to write about music i was digging lately. but as i began to write my first sentence, it just felt so wrong. i don't know how to describe it. the sentences didn't seem right. instead, i thought about the message from church. and the sentences just flowed out. one after another. something i've noticed about a lot of blogs is that many bloggers don't necessarily discuss religion, which is fine by all means. when caitlin and i first talked about our blog, one of the main topics we wanted to write and discuss about was our faith. our faith is important to both of us and while it may repel some of you readers, it has shaped us into who we are today. so, having said that, you can either "command t" us (hah for you mac users) and skip this blog post or continue reading! 

one thing that has been tugging my heart lately is my lack of fire for God. even as i write this, i feel as if what i've admitted is some kind of heresy. instead, i need to go back and delete this post, write about what i ate today, and post an instagram picture of it.

i've started to notice that i've been pushing God out of my thoughts and have been completely focusing on me. what will i be doing once i graduate? what should i do this weekend? what do i need to do right now? how will this affect me- will it be beneficial to me? 

on sunday, the message stemmed from revelation 1-2:7. revelation 2:2 says"i know your works, your toil and your patient endurance...i know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake and you have not grown weary." and when i read that my first reaction was "kind of true, yeah God! it's hard being a christian in montreal! i help serve with campus ministry! i help out with small groups, i volunteer for this..." but if you continue reading it says "but i have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first."

i was floored. convicted - the kind where your heart drops to your stomach. but this conviction was not a conviction based on fear (of God), but was in the form of the sweetest conviction ever- is that a paradox or what? it really hit me how much i loved the world and what it offers. my citizenship was on earth and not in heaven. oh how i valued my family and friends opinions. how much love i have for earthly treasures. how much i loved myself. 

i began to think about the last time i was on fire for God. it was hard and i had to swallow my pride because, you know what, i can't remember because its been a really long time. i've abandoned the love i had for jesus. 

basically, what i'm trying to say is that my relationship with God is not exactly perfect. i stumble and fall, and a lot of times, don't want to get up. like, refuse status. but i know that God is patiently lending his hand for me to hold on to so i can get back on my feet. amazing how sweet and vast God's grace is. how much he pursues me. 

this post, or essay i should call it, isn't meant for you to think - oh ej, who does she think she is? trying to show off how much of a christian she is? no. i just felt compelled to write it because i wanted to reveal how raw and fragile my relationship with God can be. no one's relationship with him is perfect. we're not perfect. we are weak, sinful, and selfish. losing sight of this makes you think you are okay without God. and that, my friends, is a scary situation to be in. 

loving you,

ej 

Undercover Reporting

So, it is time that I introduce a certain special someone in my life. Yepp, that'd be my fiancé. hehe. The first thing you need to know about him is that he loves God and I love him for that! Secondly, is the fact that food ranks very high on his list of priorities. I am sort of a foodie and love wine and food events while he, par contre, just likes to eat really good food. I secretly documented him in action one evening while he made dinner for me during finals.  Let me say, the man can cook! Here, the proof:

The final result via (crappy) iPhone pic:

The verdict: VERY DELICIOUS! And: that I am a sneaky little finacée. But, all of my reporting has convinced me that I must learn how to make delectable meals like this, as well. Luckily, I came across the utterly mouth watering site of Rasa Malaysia. The writer is a girl who knows her food. I am a fan. I highly suggest you go over to her site and check out recipes like this. How good does that look??

  Anyways, I have a little set of pictures from le fiancé's and my trip to Toronto, that we took recently. We went to visit his family right after we got engaged and of course that meant a little bit of galavanting around town ;) Pictures to come!

Coco xo

  

Engagements, Internships, and Cream-filled Cupcakes

Heeeelllllllooo blog world! I have awesome news and adventures to share! hehe. First of all, EJ has already told you that I am engaged!! I will have to do a post on that all in itself. :D Needless to say, I am very happy and wedding planning has commenced! Also, I have come to find out firsthand that summer courses are NOT bird courses. When they say four months condensed into one month, they are not joking.

On a much lovelier note, I started an internship with an event planner in New York, two weeks ago. It is amazing to see the working world of New York, especially in a creative profession. I am so inspired going into work everyday as I walk the streets, ride the subway, and buy my coffee at the same little shop near my work every morning. I'm so blessed! That being said, I commute every morning about one hour from Jersey into the city. Oui, I am one of those. A (Jersey) commuter. The best kind obviously, but still ;) It is a loooong day. I usually get up around 7am and get home around 9:30pm! eeeks.

Anyways, I wanna share with you guys a little soirée that Michelle and I held at our apartment before the end of the semester. We were feeling antsy to be crafty and eat some good food with good friends. The result was a trip to Value Village where we picked up some glasswear and vintage plates. They have a total seventies vibe and it was such fun to use them. We also picked up two GINORMOUS racks of ribs for only $15,  which is not too expensive, and marinaded them in a spicy, sweet barbecue sauce. Mmmhmmm good. And of course, there was some bubbly for the celebratory dimension.

Because Mich and I are students, and don't have money to shell out on decorations, we improvised! I went to Dollar-ama (however in the world that is spelled...Doll-a-rama?) and bought cheap white table cloths. But that doesn't exactly look chic, so I asked the cashier for brown paper wrapping used to pack delicate things, and we spread them across the tables. Mich folded paper cranes out of colorful envelopes that we had. For the final touch, we put white tea candles (also from Doll-a-rama) into old glass jars and wine bottles.

This was right before Katya nearly killed everyone with the Champagne cork. ahaha t'was a merry night, indeed.

I also wore a total "Man-Repeller" vest. My fiancé told me that it looked like "poorly tended grass." Case in point.

Matt and Maria brought adorable and delicious cream-filled cupcakes. There were little toothpick flags that had everybody's names on them!

hehe SO FUN. Montreal me manque! I'll be back to school soon enough though. For right now, I'll enjoy the summer sun. 

Talk to you guys soon :)

coco xo

things lately...

bridal showers! one of my best friends is getting married in less than 2 months and i'm so excited for her.

good weather means desserts (obviously), which leads to multiple menchies stops with my friends. my favourite is the taste testing part... i think i've spent a good 15 minutes testing all the flavours... it's endless i tell you...

unfortunately, good weather also means all play and no work. it's been getting harder and harder to focus and study for my grad school exams. this picture is pretty funny! after i came back from the washroom, i found my little pup sitting on my books demanding that we play. pretty cute. 

 and when it rains (it does, it's called raincouver for a reason), nothing like a peppermint tea and some sketching.

yesterday was my sister's high school commencement, so the whole family headed over to PA. it felt so  weird entering the auditorium and then sitting in the same seats that i used to sit with my friends back in high school. on top of that seeing old teachers and classmates (who had siblings in the graduating class) made me quite nostalgic.

lil jung, or "sarah," as we like to call her, was co-president with her best friend, robyn this school year. not going to lie, i felt pretty proud to call her my sister as she and robyn kick started the ceremony. also, it's safe to say that she definitely trumped me when she received the allen hornby scholarship. whatever. 

                   

and last but not least, today was her official grad or "prom" as americans (i.e. caitlin) like to call it. nothing tests the bond of "sisterhood" when you automatically become your sister's slave for the morning. but hey, YOGO right? (you only graduate once) ;) - waddup drake.

concluding thoughts: i don't know if i have the patience to be a future mother of 3-4 girls. 

love on top!

spring, you're all about optimism, renewal, blah blahhhh, but move over... summer (the superior) season is here! vancouver ushered in the best season with sunshine! if you're from vancouver, you'll most likely understand my appreciation and thankfulness for the sun. considering the fact that this past month has been marked by constant rain, it's definitely note worthy.

speaking of good news, our blog has a majahhhhh  announcement! caitlin is engaged! yes, you read that right. alas, there are no pictures to display as of right now, but i promise you that it really did happened! mentally prepare yourselves for some wedding talk on this blog!

to celebrate, here's some flawless beyonce.

happy hump day XO

She's all grown up

Last week, my roommate (and one of my BFF's in Montreal!) graduated. She even had the nerve to leave the country, move, and take an incredibly cool internship. What is that roomie?!?

Anyways, we obviously had to celebrate our grad with an amazing all-grown-up style dinner. The lady of the day was feelin' some Japanese so we decided to try out Ginger restaurant on Avenue des Pins. Here's a sassy, somewhat informative review from Eatwellmontreal. Our dinner that night was the first time I have had hot sake with my dinner. AND OH. WOW. How good is sake? Why did I never know this? My definition of sake is as follows: Deee-licious and warm and smooth with a feisty finish. I am most likely a sake connoisseur by now.

Anyways, here are some lovely little pics!

The aesthetics of Ginger seemed super simple at first, a bit too plain. But, once the owner brought out the candles, whilst simultaneously dancing to *NSYNC  (we cannot hold this against him), the soft light fell over the restaurant and the ambiance was transformed. Crazy what a little light can do.


Have a bright sunshiny day :)
coco xx

Tea Time!

I am back in the Great White North! Is Canada still called that? Anyways, I got back to Montreal two days ago and am seriously so happy to be back! I've lived in the suburbs (of New Jersey, no less!) all my life and being in cities is still so invigorating, inspiring and exciting for me. Even my summer course, Introduction to Prehistoric Archeology, is looking promising. Can I just say that rocks have never been cooler?

I am loving being back, but it would be wrong for me to not fully express how much I love my little fam and being home with them. One particular day before I came back, I made a random tart with some deliciously sweet leftover ingredients we had in the fridge. I was in the mood for some coffee and sweetness, so I grabbed Beatrice Peltre's Tartine Gourmande cookbook and made her sweet crust to go with my filling. A wonderful choice of action, if I do say so myself.

The best part of this gastronomic venture, though, was having a fun time with my mama and baby sis. Those two make me laugh so much. Mama and I are way into Downton Abbey and so I told her that I wanted to pretend we were the Crawley ladies when we took our tea. hahahaha. Yeah, whatever, I am a nerd. And also secretly Cybil Crawley.

I love you mama and hermanita :)

hehe fun times. God bless this week :)

cocoxx

treated myself to a nice lil morning treat. nothing like an espresso and freshly baked lemon pistachio biscottis. mhmm.

Down the shore

Checking in from the Jersey Shore! Not with Snookie & Co., actually, just with my own (not so) lil fam. We are having a reunion with more of my family members down here. Watching sunsets on the rooftop, sharing my morning toast and jam with my baby cousins, running in and out of the Atlantic waters, and eating late dins of clams and pasta and garlic bread has been life as of late.

And this deliciousness is summer to me.

Today, after a long morning at the beach, we grabbed lunch at a local motel called The Shell. To say my family and The Shell have history is an understatement. My youngest memories of the beach are firstly,  digging for sand crabs at the shoreline with my Dad. But a close second, would be of summer afternoons at The Shell. My family has been coming to this classic shore dive for my entire life. The patio and pool are supposed to be reserved for customers only, but in the entire 21 years I have been living, we have only stayed at the actual motel twice. Management does not, and never has, minded what, when, or who shuffled in. Think live music bands playing Van Morrison covers, Coronas and margaritas covering wooden and plastic tables, and always for this girl, an order of the chicken tenders with curly fries. Ah, I love you Shell. You semi-dingey dive, you will forever remind me of summer.

I have been in full relaxation and baby cousin cuddling mode so I haven't snapped many pics down here, unfortunately. But! Here are some comical pics from my fam's trip to the city a few days ago.


Laday libertay!

Wall Street and my bro, being...a bro.

A hilarious capturing of my cousin's dragon face and then classic subsequent snicker.

        

        This is the view from the ferry from lower Manhattan back to Jersey. Looking out over the Hudson Bay at dusk is another delicious, cherished summer moment.

Hope your summers are off to an equally lovely start.

à trés bientôt!
coco xx