Downtown Kitchener

 

I walked around a bit in Kitchener today and realized there is a lot of stuff here! There are a lot of restaurants and cafes I would like to try. There's Caribbean food, African food, Turkish food, Mexican food, Vegan...and it goes on. I would like to try all of them :D There are a lot of vintage, thrift shops here too. I was carrying too much stuff and am too broke to go into any of them. Later in the summer when I have made some money I shall explore them :) I also found lots of second hand bookstores. I love that. I need to come downtown with only my camera next time and explore. There are a lot of old buildings here too. They're very worn down but I love buildings that have character. Having lived in K-W for 18 years, it's sad I haven't explored Kitchener much. This summer will make up for that :)

Macarons!

I know macarons have been popular for awhile but I  never really had much interest in it before. People were always saying how they were such delectable treats but it never tempted me much. This past weekend, as some friends and I were preparing a graduation gift (a box full of treats and goodies) for our friend, I tried my first macaron! It was a chocolate one from Loblaws. It did not taste like what i'd expected it to be. I always thought macarons were hard cookie sandwiches with a cream center. I like my cookies crunchy but chewy, kinda like it's not fully cooked but it is and when the chocolate is gooey...oooh yummyyy!!

Anyway, I'm off topic. I thought macarons were mini cookies that were too hard for my liking and with some sort of cream in the middle. Ignorant I know. But boy was I wrong. The meringue took me by surprise. It was so light and delicate. The buttercream center was delicious too. I went back home and decided I needed to attempt at making one. I would say it was somewhat successful??? hahaha making them is certainly very delicate. Everything needs to be perfect. You can't over stir your mixture otherwise the meringue won't rise but you need to stir enough so that everything is incorporated together. You can't over cook it, otherwise it'll burn but if you undercook it, the meringue will fall in on itself. The buttercream center is tricky too. You have to cook the egg and milk until it almost looks like a pudding, not long enough will mean the buttercream is too runny but if you cook it for too long, it'll start to curdle. Complicated indeed but overall I think my first attempt was a success. It's a bit sweet and I had a batch of meringue where I cooked it a little too long and it started to crack but now I know for next time. Next, I will attempt at making different flavours! I can't wait for my matcha to arrive. Green tea macarons! :)

Grace

It's funny how God always knows the things you need to hear or see or read. Today I came across a much needed reminder of how our God is the only one who can satisfy. We create lies and build up idols in our lives to give us comfort from the things we fear the most. Whenever there is something going on in my life and I don't know how to deal with it, my first instinct/coping mechanism is to run away from it. Instead of turning to God and trusting that He is in full control and authority, I seek ways in which I can solve it. When it becomes too overwhelming, I ignore it completely until it slowly creeps back up to haunt me.

I've been running away from dealing with this whole internship for awhile now. At first Europe was an excuse to not have to think about it, to rest and enjoy myself. But then I came back home and the reality of it hit even harder. I was so afraid, still am so scared and I hate the doubts that are floating around inside of me. What happened to my unshakable faith when I first made this decision? Now all I ask myself is, what did I get myself into? I think it's about time I stop running and face my reality. What do I have to be afraid of when I have our almighty God behind me every step of the way? Every challenge, struggle, trial and toil, I know God will help me make it through.

Our God is so gracious. He never gives up on us even when we may have given up on ourselves. 

ESP vs. ITA

I got on my Spain jersey today to cheer on my team. Truthfully, I was a bit disappointed. They did not play well. If they were playing against Germany, they definately would've lost. There were so many times where the Italian striker got past the defence and was one-on-one with Casillas. They also started with 6 midfielders aka no strikers! There was hardly any attack coming from the Spanish side. Torres had an opportunity to score right when he substituted on but he waited too long. If they want to take the cup this year, they're gonna have to work a lot harder and have a better game plan. Makes me a little sad, Spain can do so much better than this. Good news is Fabregas scored the equalizing goal hehehe I should've worn my Fabregas Barca jersey instead :P

La Furia Roja

EURO CUP 2008 CHAMPIONS!

WORLD CUP 2010 CHAMPIONS!

This year, Spain is missing two of their star players. The absences of striker David Villa and defender Carles Puyol is going to be significant. Many of the Spanish players are below desired fitness from injuries this year and they're getting old :( This makes me so sad. Obviously I'm still cheering for Spain. They still have the talent and skill but i'm afraid Germany just might get past them this time around. But I will not lose hope. I have faith! hahahha GO ESPANA!!

Cala Salada, Eivissa

i have a new love (or obsession rather) with rubber stamps. why didn't i realize how wonderful they were before? i've been stamping everything! making cards, notebooks, letters, tags, everything with stamps. i don't have many though so many of my things are getting repetitive. i wanna buy a box set of alphabet stamps for scrapbooking as well as stamps with random objects and words on it. it's too bad we don't have cute, large stationary stores in canada. i'd totally stock up like crazy if i were in asia :)