Good Food Moment #72, 85, 322...: Ossington

There are so many little gems on Ossington between Queen and Dundas I could spend days just hopping from one place to the next depending on the time of day/night. My perfect Ossingtonesque weekend would look a little like this:

Friday night dinner at Pizzeria Libretto as pictured, followed by Mango Margaritas at Reposado. The jazz/blues band would be playing on Fridays and they make you want to sing unabashedly along to Sinatra. Saturday brunch at Lakeview with an order of Lemon Ricotta French toast. Shopping at Jonathan and Olivia and a walk down Queen street furniture store hopping, afternoon coffee with Peter of the Communal Mule, back down to Ossington for drinks at the bar and later dinner at Union. I'd then quite simply spend all day Sunday lounging at the Trinity Bellwoods park eating Natas from a nearby Portuguese bakery. *sigh*

Good Feet Moment #65: Cinderella at Siam

Perched atop Siam at Siam overlooking downtown Bangkok. It was here over cocktails at sunset that led to a decision to move to Toronto later in the year.

Good Find #78: Funky Green Fish Ceramic Lamp

I am a Craigslist Treasure Hunting Queen, and this funky green fish ceramic lamp is one of my prized conquests. I got it for $15! I got it off the husband of a dentist who found this lamp sitting in the empty space she had just bought for her new practice. I guess she didn't think it was dentist waiting room worthy.

Jan. 2009, Id -by Roxy

This was Georgia O' Keefe inspired and was created while I had the shingles and was in home quarantine. Apparently this is what you'll paint after two weeks of pain killers, self containment and isolation. I call her Id.

Acrylic on canvas.

Good Food Moment #94: Brunch at Le Cartet

My absolute favorite place for brunch in Montreal, Le Cartet. Their menu is delicious and all their brunches come with a Mimosa option, what could be better on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Old Montreal?

Good Food Moment #3: High Tea at the Oriental, Bangkok

I simply love high tea. It's divine. My family and I are classically trained in high tea admiration. This was at a particularly magical spot, overlooking the Chao Praya river at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Bangkok.

Good Feet Moment #125: A Patch of green in NYC

This was taken walking through Central park in May 2009. I went to visit a dear childhood friend of mine whom I grew up with in the Philippines. She's one of the few darling people I'm blessed to know for as long as I can remember.

p.s. this picture also got me in serious trouble... somewhat illegal wearing of Liana's sandals. OOPS.

A Lamp made of Sticks

One of my random creations, pictured: lamp compiled of sticks. The base was actually originally a candle holder given to me by a friend (thanks MJ!) In one of Q's more vodka induced moments it was knocked over and all the glasses which held the candles broke, reducing it to just an iron rod of sorts (sorry MJ.) After an inspiring trip to IKEA, bought some sticks, cut them up, stacked them in, threw a bulb and lampshade on top and voila. I personally think it's genius. A bright idea, really.

May 2009, Tic Tac Toe - by Roxy

I made this for a good friend of mine who had just bought a new house with his girlfriend. It now sits in their living room, I think. I should get a picture of it in it's new home to make it real. This is one of those painting that went through two very distinct phases: first it was more about a tree, then it became more about a game. I kind of miss the part when it was more about the tree.

Mixed media, mostly acrylics on canvas.

Winter Windowsill

In one of my room makeover moments I put my little bottles collection to good use and put them along the windowsill. It's a disaster for dusting, but what a pretty little disaster it is, don't you think?

Good Feet Moment #57: Strawberry Fields Forever

Strawberry picking at Whittamores, June 2009. This later made delicious strawberry preserve. I saw preserve instead of jam because we didn't add enough sugar to make it as thick as it should have been, besides, preserve sounds better.

July 2009, Happy Birthday Q -by Roxy

A Birthday present for a very special someone.  I wish the rain had more gold in it. Most of the gold flecks got washed away with the water so now it's only obvious when you look at it from certain angles. I keep alternating from wanting to hang it horizontally to vertically... no, horizontally.


Mixed media, mostly acrylic on canvas.

Good Feet Moment #34: Lac des Sables chez les jumelles

My dearest neighbors up north whom I love, this post is for you. Pictured: hanging out by Lac des Sables in Sainte Agathe des Monts. A very good place to be.

Nov, 2009-Jan 2010, Untitled -by Roxy

My latest painting: mixed media, mostly acrylics, newspaper scraps and left-over paints from Q's painting company. My first chapter in Toronto, realized.

Mixed media on canvas.

Good Food Moment #23: Taho at Goldilocks, San Francisco

Comfort food number one: Taho is basically soft tofu, tapioca balls (similar to the ones used in bubble tea) and hot brown sugar syrup.

As a child I would sit by the window in the afternoons at my Grandmothers house and wait for the Taho man's cries: "Tahooooooooooooooo!" before running out to greet him with pesos in hand.

Pictured: Liana as she happily devours her half of the Taho. Taken in Daly City, South San Francisco, which is basically Pinoy central.

*Posted in loving memory of Angelina Santiago Tucker.

Good Food Moment #261: Bistro A Champlain, July 2009

Every summer my family and I go to a gorgeous little restaurant in the Laurentians called Bistro A Champlain. Their food is to die for, and their wine selection is legendary, no really, there are over 35,000 bottles in the private cellar below the restaurant. The wine list is just over 200 pages.

The owner and his wife are actually sitting in the next table over in this picture.