I rarely shoot posed portraits, but my sister got baptized yesterday and I thought I’d take some photos while everyone was dressed up.
These were all shot using the 24-70mm 2.8L on my Canon 60D. I also used the right light from Photojojo.
I Won 2048
I was late to the 2048 train. I only got the game last week and I finally beat it yesterday. I feel strangely accomplished.
In playing it a couple hundred times, I realized there is sort of a strategy to it, even if I didn’t exactly figure out where the “2s” spawn. Towards the end, I came close to winning many times and then finally did so by keeping these things in mind:
- Stack numbers. Start by pressing left or right until you can’t, then go the other direction.
- Don’t go down. When you have enough stacked, go up. Don’t go down. Going down leads to death. Alternatively you can only go down and avoid going up.
- Get rid of 2s in the top corner ASAP. Turn the 2’s into a higher number ASAP so you don’t get stuck.
- Careful with 2s and 4s beside each other. Think carefully when this happens and get unstuck or this usually leads to death.
- Remember to feed yourself when you get addicted to playing the game.
The New Come And Get It
Pop-up restaurant Come and Get It now has a permanent home on Queen West, a few blocks away from its previous Spadina location. I believe the menu is still very similar at lunch but things get switched up to a tapas style during dinner time. It still follows a similar menu of choosing a flavour and format. The menu has icons of little people, but I’m not sure what they mean because I went with my friend Melody and according to the chart, we ate 8 little people’s worth of food. We went for one of each item, except the poutine.
To start we had the Bag O’Bites ($3), which were plantain chips served with a side of spicy mayo. I have never had fresh plantain chips and quite enjoyed this. We also used this as utensils to scoop up stuff we dropped from the flat bread.
The Snack (3.85) was a one bite ceviche served on a crispy chip, which reminds me a little of Asian shrimp chips, only thinner.
For our Flatbread ($9.75) we chose Hawaiian Pork Belly as the topping. Seriously we don’t know what the icon of four people would mean on the menu. Four people would fight over this flatbread as we gobbled it up quite quickly. I loved the tenderness and flavour of the pork and sauce. It also had the crispy chip thing of the ceviche.
Lastly, we had the Chipotle Short Rib Sliders ($5.75) because we saw other people have them and they looked adorable. LOOK AT IT. Oh, and it was also delicious.
I’ve been obsessed with like “alcholic lemonade”-like drinks at restaurants lately. The closest thing to that here was the Chill Girlfriend $14 which had gin, St. Germain, basil, prosecco, cucumber and lime. It was very cool and refreshing and very alcoholic.
Anyways, I quite enjoyed the food at Come and Get It. But note that if you go, prepare to eat more than the menu suggests. Oh, I forgot we also saw Sandy Cohen (the dad from the OC) eating there, which was kind of awesome and random.
Boo Radley’s
Nash moved a couple blocks West of where he was so now we have a whole new area of food to explore. Our first stop was this very homey place called Boo Radley’s, named after the mysterious character from To Kill a Mocking Bird. The menu has a lot of familiar comfort foods such as the Pulled Pork Sandwich I ordered (pictured above). I also had a side of Cream of Asparagus Soup.
Nash’s pick the special of the day: a jerk tilapia with blueberry salsa was the best thing ever. It’s interesting that they have familiar things on the menu but offered such an interesting special that night! The fish was tender, moist and delicious and I loved the seasoning. Even the salsa was very good.
We couldn’t resist the dessert of the day, a French toast bread pudding with ice cream. We shared one but we sort of wish we got two because we licked the bowl clean!
This place will definitely be our new regular hangout!
Being Part of An Audience
For the past few years, every time I went to a show, I would be “working” in some sense. I’d either be photographing, writing a review, or both. It had been a while since I went to a show for the sake of going to a show.
Last Sunday, I went to Cloud Nothings as an attendee and as a huge fan of the band. I didn’t shoot it and I didn’t review it. I had a blast. I didn’t have to worry about my camera being destroyed by a rowdy crowd, think of the perfect sentences to write or frame the perfect photo. I didn’t have to stand in the front for 3 hours, hoping that nobody would try to steal my spot. Hell, I even joined in the mosh-pit full of bros for like 3/4 of the set. I came out smelling like man-sweat but it was worth it. For the first time in a while, I actually had fun at a show.
That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the shows I’ve seen in the past while. London Grammar and How to Dress Well were breath-taking in their own regards. I loved shooting them, but at the end of the day it was still work. To be able to fully immerse myself in the experience last Sunday was refreshing. It’s so weird how sometimes when I’m by the front of the stage taking photos, how removed I can be from the actual show. I think this year, I’ll let myself occasionally step back and be a fan, an attendee again. It’s definitely worth the price of the ticket.
Truffle Mac & Cheese @ The Crest
Before going to The Crest, I accidentally Googled the menu for the Crest Gastropub in Columbus Ohio and did not notice until we actually got to restaurant. Luckily, the Crest on St. Clair West was a pleasant surprise and one of my new favourite discoveries. The 6-cheese Truffle Mac ($8) heavenly. It was so simple, yet complex and I would return for this item alone. It’s definitely the best Mac & Cheese I’ve ever tasted (and I’ve had some with bacon).
I also had an order of Sweet Potato Chips ($6) that was served with Maple Aioli. They were thin and lovely. Definitely better than chips with normal potatoes.
To sip on, I had the Crest Lemonade ($9) which consisted of vodka, cucumber, basil and lemonade. It was very refreshing and I liked the addition of basil.
Nash ordered one of the day’s special, a Steak Sandwich with a side of fries. It was very flavourful and the portion was generous.
I’m definitely glad we went here, even if it was sort of by accident! This menu turned out to be way better than the accidental restaurant we looked up. Don’t be intimidated by the fancy sign outside. It’s definitely worth walking in.
iPad Ordering @ Heart Sushi
Mississauga’s sushi landscape is quite competitive. In fact, I’ve noticed that on Urbanspoon, competitors even leave negative comments on each others pages. Heart Sushi only opened a few months ago in Heartland and has already gained buzz and popularity. We decided to try the buffet dinner recently for Dad’s birthday.
The restaurant was big and spacious. Compared to 168 Sushi’s iPad ordering system this one was quick and efficient. We didn’t need to call someone over to confirm the order on the iPad. In fact, at Heart Sushi the system worked so fast that in minutes after hitting send we would see new food on the table.
The sashimi was very fresh and served beautifully on ice. There was a wide selection of items on the menu that had Korean and Thai items in addition to Japanese. The portions were a bit smaller than other places but this allowed us to try more menu items, so I was happy with that! Here are photos of some of the food:
Heart Sushi is definitely one of the best AYCE sushi places I’ve tried so far in Mississauga.
Burgers & Fries @ This End Up
We were in the Dundas West area for a party so we stopped by This End Up for dinner. A reservation is recommended. We didn’t have one and walked in randomly but luckily there was space at the bar. The space is relatively small and everywhere else was already reserved (Note: It was a Saturday).
I ordered the Chutney Burger ($14 pictured above) which had pork belly, cheddar, tomato and apple chutney, umami mayo and arugala. It was definitely one of the messier burgers I’ve eaten but it was totally worth the sticky hands. The chutney was flavourful and the burger cooked to a tender medium. The fries were so addictive that I finished them regardless of feeling full after the burger.
Nash went for the simpler Better Mac ($14) which was 2 ground patties, lettuce, cheddar cheese, pickles, onions and a special sauce. He ate it in minutes so I assume it was delicious.
We will definitely be back again when we’re in less of a rush to try some of their cocktails and other menu items.
Lunch @ Duke’s Refresher + Bar
Lunch with Nash’s parents landed us randomly in Duke’s Refresher + Bar, across from the Eaton Chelsea hotel where they were staying. It’s a sports bar that looks like it would have been perfect (and probably was) for the big olympic hockey game. It had a very homey vibe. There was even a thing on the menu where you could have your own personalized beer mug up on the shelf to be used every time you returned. What an adorable idea!
I had The Woody Burger ($12.95 pictured above) which was a BBQ brushed patty with American Cheese, “really special sauce”, carmelized onion on a bacon-infused foccacia. I loved the sweetness of the sauce and bread, which was not only bacon infused, but had a visible piece of bacon in it.The sandwich was also not heavy, a great choice for lunch.
Nash had the Hopped Up Fish & Chips ($14.50), craft beer-battered fish with a slaw, fries and of course tartar sauce. He also said it wasn’t heavy and light considering it was fried.
The bar also has it’s own house-made hot sauce which to me wasn’t that spicy but more of a nice flavour combination. We loved it on our fries.
There are also over 40 beers on tap and I had a lovely Coffee porter. If you’re looking for a casual pub to hang out in near Eaton’s Centre, this is a good one with decent food too!
Dear Kids That Egged My House
I cannot think of any reason why you would’ve chose our house out of all the ones on the block. We do not know you and have never provoked you in anyway. I’m sorry for whatever reason you think that we deserved to spend a few hours cleaning our window.
I’m sorry you have nothing better to do on a Wednesday night but get into mischief in the freezing cold. I thought that in age of video game systems, social media, computers, awesome toys, there would be hundreds of other things to do. Sorry your life lacks those things and had to spend all your money on eggs instead.
I’m sorry that the eggs didn’t stain my house. They took mom an hour to clean, but it eventually got removed.
I’m sorry your mother has never told you not to waste food. Think of all the starving people all over the world who would have loved to eat those eggs.
I’m sorry you like Justin Bieber because that’s the only way you’d think egging is cool. Justin Bieber is not cool. I’m sorry that you have been brainwashed.
I’m sorry that I didn’t catch your face or your name but next time I’ll make it up to you and post it on all my social feeds so the world can know cool you think you are.
Tiana Feng 