What is nicer than brunch at a nice café with friends and crafting. On & Off kitchen and bar contain an aesthetic vibe, providing indoor and outdoor seating options for the customers’ preference. My friend and I went on a Read More
Hi there, back again with a Victoria trip after a long summer term. Not going to lie, Victoria is actually a great spot to go when you are not thinking about travelling somewhere else since it is close. This trip Read More
It’s my second solo trip and this time I’ve picked Toronto – a city where two of my best friends from primary and secondary school life. They immigrated to Canada over 6 years ago and rarely go back to Hong Kong. It’s my first time to visit them in Canada, in fact, it’s my first time to visit friends in a foreign country! The last time I met with them was already 2 years ago when we first entered university. That time we talked about the struggles of adjusting to uni life, reminiscing the good old days in secondary school. Two years later today, we are one year away from graduation and we start discussing worries of stepping into adulthood – internship, graduation, life and etc. It’s shocking how fast time passes which we are about to step into a new stage of life. We started to think more about our future and in a more mature manner, it was different from the time where we did silly stuff together in primary and secondary schools, but I am glad that we’re witnessing our growth despite our long-distance friendship.
We all have those friends we promise to see more frequently, but somehow years still pass before you can finally sit face-to-face for a good conversation. Despite this, every time you do, it feels as though no time has gone by at all. I’m guilty of letting too much time go by between conversations and meet ups, so when my good friend Holly reached out to me, I was more than happy to take the time and make the effort to see her. She suggested we check out the Hot Chocolate Festival happening in Vancouver, BC between January and February.
Bicycle-Themed Cafe
Musette Caffè was one of the cafe’s participating in the local hot chocolate festival. I had never been to this cyclist-themed cafe before, but it was nice to see an establishment that welcomes the sweaty athlete. As a runner, I used to feel a little awkward walking into cute cafe’s in my sweaty gym clothes, I felt as though I didn’t fit in. While I’ve come to embrace the running shoes and messy hair combo, I still appreciate a business that accommodates the active west coast lifestyle.
Perfect Location
Musette not only offers delicious treats and beverages, but also fuel like electrolytes and gels. Nestled between the mountains and the oceans, Vancouver is the perfect city for anyone with an active lifestyle. Musette Caffè is well positioned, just on the north side of the Burrard Street Bridge, a popular bridge for cyclists and commuters alike.
Hot Chocolate
Fabian Caramella at Musette Caffè
Both Holly and I have quite a sweet tooth, so I was curious to taste this bicycle-themed cafe’s take on a hot chocolate.
We both ordered the Fabian Caramella, Musette’s milk chocolate and caramel hot cocoa. The beverage itself was gentle, not too sweet, and still flavourful; but it was the side of hazelnut buttercrunch that really sold it to both of us.
“All are welcome, from the coffee connoisseur to the serious cyclist”
Musette Caffè
Looking for something to do this weekend?
Take your bike (or rent one) and cruise around false creek, Granville Island, and finally over Burrard Street Bridge and stop by Musette Caffè for a well-deserved snack!
It’s hard to believe that
another year has gone by. 2018 was a very long and difficult year for me, but
now that it’s over, I can look back on it with appreciation. It was filled with
many ups and downs, but I learned a lot, and for that I am grateful.
Some things I learned
this past year:
I need to stop
pushing myself more than I can handle. I had some serious mental health issues
this year because of pressure from school and pressure that I’ve put on myself,
and it made me realize that I need to stop trying to be a perfect student and
prioritize my mental health over everything, even school.
I need to be more
open with my loved ones about the issues I’m facing. My mental health issues
got so bad that I realized that I had to tell someone about them. I opened up
to my parents, my boyfriend, and my doctor, and it helped a lot. Just being
able to talk about what I was going through and have people supporting me made
a massive difference, and I hope to continue to be open about these issues.
Not all friends
last forever. I recently lost the last of my friends from my first year of
university. Though I had slowly lost touch with most of them before this, it still
sucked because it forced me to acknowledge that that part of my life is over,
and that the people who I thought would be my friends for life actually
weren’t. Though I still look back fondly on my memories with them, I know that
those friendships wouldn’t have worked long-term and that I will find true,
lasting friendships in the future.
While I went through a
lot of tough times last year, I also had some really positive experiences:
I finished my
third year of university, making me more than halfway through my degree.
I went back to my
old job and I’m really enjoying it. It’s fun and interesting, and I love my
coworkers.
I moved into a
one-bedroom apartment and got to experience the thrill of having my own place
and not worrying about a roommate.
I made a lot of
friends, and I’ve become very close to some of them. I haven’t had many close
friends in Vancouver over the past few years, so it’s nice to finally have met some
people with whom I have a great connection.
I started this
blog, which has been super fun and has encouraged me to get back into writing.
2018 was a very mixed
year, but I am looking forward to 2019. I’m much happier than I was a year ago,
and I think this will be a good year for me. I don’t have any concrete
resolutions, because I absolutely never follow through with them, but I do have
a few small-ish goals that I would like to accomplish.
I want to eat less
red meat (sorry, Mom!). It’s partly because I am a huge animal lover and feel
super guilty eating meat, particularly that of very smart and/or affectionate
animals like cows, and partly because animal agriculture is a major cause of
global warming, and I want to help reduce its impact. I’m not going vegetarian,
as I am a very picky eater as it is, but I am hoping that I can eat less or
even no red meat (and maybe less meat in general) to do my part to help save
the planet.
I’ve been saying
this forever, but I want to exercise. It’s partly because I want to get in
shape and be physically healthy, partly because I want to improve the look of
my body so I can be less insecure about it, and partly because physical
exercise helps improve mental health, which is something that I want to work on
this year.
This is kind of
lame, but I’d like to be more social. I am very introverted and I have a busy
schedule because of school, but I want to devote more time to maintaining the
amazing friendships I’ve made in the past year, and I think spending more time
with friends and less time worrying about school will be good for me.
I want to read
more. I’ve barely read anything for fun since I started university, but I have literal
piles of unread books on my bookshelves, and I want to actually get around to
reading some of them this year. It can be hard to motivate myself to do it,
especially because I have to read so much for class that it can sometimes take
the fun out of it, but I really want to make an effort this year. Over the
winter break, I finally got around to reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and it reinvigorated my love of
reading, so I’d like to continue pleasure reading, even if it’s just in the
summer when I have more free time.
Lastly, I’d like
to write more. I’ve loved writing posts for this blog, and I’d like to continue
it for as long as possible. I also want to do some creative writing, which is
my true passion but which I have not done for years. I constantly write down
potential novel or screenplay ideas, but I never manage to follow through and
completely plan them out, let alone write them, so this year I’d like to do
some creative writing.
I am looking forward to
(hopefully) accomplishing most of my goals this year, as long as I stay
motivated. What are some of your goals for 2019? Since I posted this so late
(sorry!), have you had any success with those goals so far?