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| {with Mao} |
I was quite excited to learn that The Melting Pot is opening an location in the uptown area so close to where I live. I brought my family there on Father's day, thinking they would appreciate and enjoy some new dining experience. However, as soon as we started ordering our food, we realize it was not as glamourous as it might seem. As a family of four, we are quite different in taste so we were all going to order our own cheese fondue but disappointed to find out that we can only order ONE type to share among the four of us in the same little pot. The price on the menu, however is per person. We all feel that it is a bit of a ripped off that our own portion is now being split into 1/4 portion for the same price (It's $46 per person or $92 per couple, I actually don't get why they put $92 per couple when it's not a deal to get a couple portion) Anyway, so at last, we settled on the Spinach Artichoke Cheese Fondue. For some reason, it took about 45 minutes to arrive. The good thing about this is though, you get to see how the fondue is being made, what kind of ingredients you put in. I was actually thinking to myself, maybe I can make this at home.
I remembered when I was a child, my dad took me to Woodbine Fantasy Fair and I tried on a kiddy high rope. It was so high for me that time that I started breaking into tears of fear. It took me a good half an hour to calm down and for my dad to convince me to complete the course while he followed me behind. I feared about insecurity and that the harness was enough to keep me safe. I was probably too young to even understand how a harness works.
To overcome my childhood fear, I challenged myself on the high ropes at YMCA Cedar Glen Outdoor Centre during a volunteer event from work. There were other activities at the centre too, including, archery, outdoor maze and rock climbing but I felt that this was a chance for me to untie my knot with the high ropes (see what I did there?).
To overcome my childhood fear, I challenged myself on the high ropes at YMCA Cedar Glen Outdoor Centre during a volunteer event from work. There were other activities at the centre too, including, archery, outdoor maze and rock climbing but I felt that this was a chance for me to untie my knot with the high ropes (see what I did there?).
{ The high ropes course }
Angry Birds is not my favourite online game app but I think the characters are quite cute and have their own personalities, so one day I decided to make an Angry Bird inspired cake topper out of homemade fondant. This is how it turned out.
I made my fondants out of marshmallows. It is pretty simple to do. All you need to do is microwave the marshmallows in a bowl for 30 seconds with half a tablespoon of water until they are fully melted. Then you add powdered sugar in them and stir until the consistency is thick enough for molding. There are a few recipes online that call for salt and other condiments. I like to stick with the basic so I followed this recipe. So far, it works just fine.
I found a defective wine box sitting in my basement so I decided to make use of it and turn it into a jewelry box for my jewelries. An environmentally friendly tutorial.
{Vintage Originals 1960's from Timex }
I have a friend who works at Timex. He sent me his company website one day and told me I could pick any watch there as my birthday present. My first thought was like... seriously? How am I going to find something I like from Timex??? I was never a fan and never worn anything from this brand even when I was in elementary. The brand always feels dated and old-school.
I always see cake moulds at Michael's that allow you to bake a heart inside a cake. I think those are super cute to make. But I really couldn't justify dropping $50 for a mould that I won't be using very often. So, I attempted my own and made these adorable heart-in-cupcakes just in time for Valentine's day. And, I'm going to show you how I did it! All you need to do is find a simple and moist cupcake recipe to use as a base.
MoRoCo has always been on my top to-try list because I am so attracted by the elegance and their store decor. I definitely have high hopes when I finally come to visit recently. But I must say I am not impressed. From the music choice (they were playing rock music when I was there, totally not the mood) to their service and food, I have nothing positive to give back. I think I'm only impressed with their decor and chinas. Servers are pushy. I have 5 different servers coming to me asking me if I want to order when I just sat down. I ordered a Chocolate Fondue from their menu, because it seems like it's one of the most popular thing that night. Everyone orders it, it must be good. It's $26 bucks but at least it can feed two people. There are other options too, but you will soon realize the fondue is the wiser pick because their cake costs $19 a slice!
For my birthday this year, I decided to do something different and fun. Something that I've been planning a few years ago. That is to go on a GIFT CARD SPENDING SPREE DAY TRIP on my birthday! It sounds like an exciting day already, doesn't it? I collected a bunch of gift cards over the years from many different occasions. I thought this is the perfect time to spend them all in one go. I also did some research and found out there's a lot of birthday freebies in Toronto as well. So, I took some time to plan my itinerary for my birthday so that I can make the most out of my day without spending a penny.
Let the spending spree begin!
10:00 A.M - Breakfast at Starbucks, Main street
My big breakfast all paid by my gift card. I had tuna melt Panini, Fruit salad and Skinny Iced Mocha with Whipped Cream. And no, I don't eat breakfast like this on a regular basis
12:00 P.M: Full Body Massage Therapy
Oh yes, that was relaxing! 45 minutes massage therapy paid by a gift certificate.
1:45 P.M: Lunch at Tim Horton's
Chocolate dipped donut and chicken wrap for lunch all paid from the Tim Horton's gift card. Did you notice that I didn't order a drink to go with my lunch? Here is why:
2:15 P.M: Afternoon Bubble Tea, Tasty House, Market Village
I'd rather have my favourite drink of all time, mango slush with tapioca and have it paid by my 10-year old stamp card. I'm glad that the shop is still there and I can still use the stamp card.
3:00 P.M Sephora at Yorkdale Shopping Centre
I bought myself a cute statement ring from Marc Jacobs with the gift card. The lid opens up and inside is a perfume balm. I love the scent a lot!
4:00 P.M: Holt Renfrew at Yorkdale Shopping Centre
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| Kate Spade |
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| Marc by Marc Jacobs |
The winning bag is Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Q Francesca Tote! I'm so happy I get to bring you home!!!
7:00 P.M Apple Store, Fairview Shopping Centre
Guess what? I was able to buy an iMac with my two Apple gift cards!
8:00 P.M. Dinner at Raa Japanese Cuisine
After a long day of accomplishments, I met up with my family for dinner. We ordered sushis and sashimis, oysters, just to name a few. Since it was my birthday, of course, I didn't have to pay!
10:00 P.M - Dessert at Sen5es Restaurant & Bar
To end the night, I met up with my boyfriend to enjoy desserts at Sen5es Restaurant & Bar. We ordered the pistachio crumble crunch and mango key lime cheesecake. They were both great especially because my boyfriend covered the bill.
This birthday spending spree day trip was a hectic but enjoyable experience. Trying to spend all my gift cards and get all the birthday freebies in one day are ambitious and challenging. Because the locations are all over GTA. I think I had way too much fun and I didn't want it to end so I continued the next day. I claimed my birthday freebies at Menchi's. $5 worth of yogurt! Yay!
I have to say, I was so spoiled on my birthday this year.
This is the list of freebies that I was trying to accomplish:
Next Day at 2:00 P.M - Menchi's
My Menchi's with waffle all free redeemed with my Smileage card!
I know not everyone would be able to collect that many gift cards and spend them all like I did. But don't worry, there are a lot of birthday freebies offered in Toronto that you could take advantage of.
- Starbucks (gift card) √
- Tim Horton's (gift card) √
- Full Body Massage (gift card) √
- Facial (gift card)
- Spa (gift card)
- One-person Karaoke (gift coupon)
- Bubble Tea (stamp card) √
- Sephora (gift card) √
- Forever 21 (gift card)
- Holt Renfrew (gift card) √
- Apple Store (gift card) √
- Menchi's (stamp card) √
Next Day at 2:00 P.M - Menchi's
My Menchi's with waffle all free redeemed with my Smileage card!
I know not everyone would be able to collect that many gift cards and spend them all like I did. But don't worry, there are a lot of birthday freebies offered in Toronto that you could take advantage of.
{ Birthday Freebies offered throughout Toronto } - Updated as of Feb 2017
- What a Bagel (Free dozen bagels on your birthday!)
- Menchie's (Free $5 coupon on your birthday when you register online) √
- Sephora (Free gift on your birthday!) √
- Parkers Dry Cleaners ($10 off drying cleaning service from Parkers Dry Cleaning)
Ontario Place (Free Toronto Star Play all day pass, including IMAX® 3D Cinesphere)- Boston Pizza (Free starter and a coupon for free gourmet pasta on your birthday from signing up to the newsletter)
- Hotel Gelato (Free gelato from Hotel Gelato on your birthday from signing up newsletter)
- Dlish (Free cupcake on your birthday)
- Medieval Times (Free admission with another purchased admission)
- Starbucks (Free drink if you register a card online)
- Dragon Legend (Free buffet on your birthday month for 2 persons for 2 consecutive years with a VIP membership)
- Chatime (a free regular size drink from Chatime when you register your birthday on your rewards card)
- Dairy Queen (BOGO free blizzard when you sign up to Blizzard fan club)
- Baskin Robbins (free ice cream on your birthday when you sign up to BR31 Club)
- Old Spaghetti Factory (free dessert on your birthday)
- Milestones (free meal with a purchase of 3 entrees on your birthday)
- Body Shop (free gift plus a 10% off purchase when you sign up their Love Your Body Club)
- Old Navy (free gift when you sign up with your email)
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