西炒飯

 

This was really good <3...  西炒飯 is a classic dish served in HK Cafes :) it is called "West" because it uses Western ingredients (hotdogs, ham, ketchup... etc). It is one of the best notable fusion dishes in HK cuisine <3

Today I Learned: Chipotle

 

Today I Learned that Chipotle (pepper) is a smoked and dried Jalapeno (pepper) :O... who knew??? all this time I thought it was another pepper 🤦‍♀️ 

worst air quality in the world

 

before we became the worst air quality out of other major cities

I'm stepping in at midday... because this is note worthy... I can't believe how polluted the air is (from the wildfires in Quebec). 

*worst air quality AQ216

Toronto has officially become the city with the worst air quality in the world! It has an AQ rating of 216 (or 10+ on the Canadian Air Quality scale 1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest... we are currently more than 10). This is what the sky looks like... :O... the sun is literally covered in smoke... >____<

so far, aside from Toronto, 20 states (in the United States) have declared air quality issues... (places like Michigan, Chicago and Indiana). 

I can't imagine how bad those living near the Quebec wildfires have it... I pray that the wildfires will be extinguished soon and everyone can enjoy good air again.

*I wanted to add that today was supposed to be a super sunny, fluffy white cloud and clear blue sky kind of day... but the smoke managed to cover EVERYTHING up! T______T

lilac

 

these didn't have any scent.

dandelions

 

make a wish and blow :D #dandelions

look what I found!

 

So while clearing change from an old coat... look what I found!!! a nickel! from 1947!! From when King George VI was still alive (and King of England!)

Cafe Hollywood

 

We had such a nice meal :)... it has been years since I've had this type of authentic Hong Kong cafe food

Township

 

after multiple ads... I gave in and downloaded Township (the game)... it is quite addictive :)

I took this screenshot because I loaded up the plane in record time (only took 2 minutes) and was reaping in the rewards :D

Tamper Evident Sticker

 

I wonder how many incidents and accusations it took to inspire Harvey's to use this sticker on all of their take-out and delivery orders?

Sun chips

 

These sun chips are good :P... I'm thinking of doing a review over on my review's blog... (will provide a link to the review when it is ready)

I thought they were less healthy and nutritious... however, when I decided to read into their ingredients list... I was shocked... (these chips contain: oats, corn, brown rice and whole wheat)

This new bit of info inspired me to do a review and recommendation :)

Today I Learned: how to prevent heat stroke

 

Happy Summer!! It is officially summer today!!

I wanted to share some things I learned on a Japanese TV program about preventing heat stroke.

Drink one sip of mugicha (麦茶 - むぎちゃ roasted barley tea) every 30 minutes. This will prevent your body from dehydrating

This also applies to comfortable, cool (AC-cooled) environments. Most people don't realize how important it is to keep the body hydrated and neglect this when they are in comfortable settings (e.g. cars, malls, and houses).

If your shirt is drenched in sweat, change into a dry one. A wet shirt will trap your body heat and cause heat stroke.

Eat Pork. If you have the choice of food, choose pork, pork contains Vitamin B1 and can prevent heat stroke.

That's all! Remember these tips, stay hydrated and enjoy summer! :)

To see all things I have learned on Japanese TV, please click and follow this label: http://cutiepiestephanie.blogspot.com/search/label/thingslearnedJapaneseTV

Canadian McDs

 

Canadian McDonald's logo :) the picture makes the red maple leaf look like a dot >___<

hello, plushie

 

who is this? and why is she/it so cute? :)

Pepperoni pizza from Costco

 

Costco pizzas are huge! :O... AND LOADED with Pepperoni (for their pepperoni pizza)

It took up THIS much space! :O

5G

 

I am officially on a 5G network! woohoo! 5G is fast :O

80s vibe :D

 

freezies were one of my favourite childhood summer treats

braided bread no more

 

unsuccessfully baked but delicious bread... this was supposed to be a braided bread... but it blew up 🙈

flowers

 

Dead Nettle

Why the strange name for these beautiful flowers? 

I took these pictures a few weeks ago!... Some are still here... but most are gone... summer is ALMOST here... and these are spring flowers... so... enjoy!

 Creeping Buttercup

What a cute name for these beautiful flowers <3... they are "creeping" because they creep across lawns

lilac

these smell sooOOOOOoo good

Phlox

I'm not familiar with these flowers... but I've been seeing them all around

Basket of Gold

I love the name :D... they are also very pretty :D

Judas Tree/Redbud

Why is it called a Judas Tree? also... this tree's leaves are heart-shaped :D... will post when they grow out :)

uprooted

 

another tree that was uprooted (from the wind storm)... but this one had to be cut/chopped down :(

boardwalk

 

caught a glimpse of the sun in the pond

Look at all these lilypads! :D the frogs must be happy :D

Vietnamese lunch

 

Basil, lime and bean sprouts, these are the essentials to every bowl of Vietnamese soup noodles :)

I had to get Bún bò Huế again :D It was so good <3 <3 <3

We also got some fried rice :)

Pocky

 

:D

day off

 

it was such a beautiful day <3

the breeze felt warm (it felt like I had a heater (with a fan) turned on!)

ugly?

 

This was made as an "ugly" toy (read the tag on its hand... it says "ugly doll")... poor thing :(... it looks cute though :P (NOT UGLY)

documenting a wildfire air quality warning part 2

9:36

These images were taken approximately an hour apart.

Although the sky seemed to be clear in this pic... the air was horrible... it smelled very smoky and woody (like when your neighbour has their fireplace on/lit or cooking on a barbecue grill)

10:22

the sky has "disappeared" and is replaced with a cloud of gray smoke.

10:50

I had to record this (30 minutes later) as the air/smoke worsened.

11:18

11:44

I had to take a picture because a hazy orange hue was forming

12:45

Things have started to clear up a bit... you can see the sky's blue colour lurking... Thankfully after this picture was taken, the smoky woody smell disappeared.

documenting a wildfire air quality warning

 

I'll be updating (and documenting) what is happening in Ontario... (it was announced that this would last a few days). There are over 100 active wildfires burning... and I was wakened up by the unpleasant odour of the smoke (the air smelled like burnt wood throughout the whole day). (I do not live in Ottawa but this is their air quality alert... (10 is the maximum) and it is recorded as 11 >___<

our poor trees... (you can google Ontario wildfires and see what is happening north of the province)

Everyone, stay safe!

This is taken from the traffic cam (on the 401 at Victoria Park)... photo credits: https://www.traffic-cams.com/toronto/ontario/feed626179didkey25032