2013 T'was the year

Two thousand and thirteen, oh t'was definitely a memorable year. Although it probably sounds pretty typical, I am still going to claim this year passed by so quickly in comparison to other years. I have learned so much about myself this year and that every cloud has a silver lining. Although I wish I would have done some things differently, I do not regret at all the choices I have made in my life so far. All the crap and all the good I have been through were supposed to be a part of my journey, and I have learned my lessons from them. 

Review: Everything on a stick (Throwback)

These pictures actually belong to a post I wrote some time ago, when the restaurant had just opened its doors. I had a really bad experience, despite of some dishes tasting good. But because my rant is so outdated I decided to only post pictures. The restaurant's staff probably improved their work over the course of time. They might have even changed their menu. Out of the food I got to taste I only disliked the rice, which tasted really bland. I should go back their soon to write another review! Also, excuse the terrible picture quality, see what had happened was... I was not skilled enough with my Iphone camera yet, hehe.

Spoiled ask girl (food files)

Can you tell I watch itsJudysLife too much? Okay I give in. My so and I indeed eat out way more often than I would like to admit. What happened to keeping a healthy diet? I cannot explain the reason behind this, but since I have returned from Toronto I have been eating like crazy again and have visited the gym a number of 0 times. It is actually not that funny though, I should take better care of my body and overall health again. But darn, the temptation!

The other day I had lunch with my so at New King, one of our favorite places.

Quality time is essential (review Jinso)

I love spending quality time with my loved ones, and my favorite way to do so is by having dinner together. My so and I had dinner at an Asian fusion restaurant named Jinso. We had lunch there before, which left a good impression on me. This time I really enjoyed the appetizers of Jinso snacks, but the main courses (terriyaki chicken & 7 spice lamb chops) were a bit of a let down. The meat was beautifully cooked, but the flavors definitely did not excite my palette.

Sweettooth (review Maître Paul Cupcakes New York)

I went out grocery shopping, because I am planning to start eating healthy again -- and way less than I am used to. I really dislike not fitting into my old clothes, so it is that time of the year again. But I wanted to use this weekend to stuff myself full with sweets and greasy products for the "last" time, and when I passed the freezer of the supermarket my these cute cupcakes caught my eye.

Study Abroad Recap III: Ultimate visitor's guide to Toronto (Food)

A while ago I started my study abroad recap series with a post about Torontonian neighborhoods. Another post followed with links to my posts about tourist sites I got to visit during my time there. This post is all about food! I am a major foodie and spent many Canadian dollars to feast on foods that are unavailable (or very rare to find/expensive) in Europe. I did not provide a link to all the food I ate, so you will have to check out my daily blogs if you are curious to see everything I ate there (including homemade meals, lol). 

A: Airplane (Air Transat) || i + ii

Study Abroad Recap II: Ultimate visitor's guide to Toronto (Tourist Sites)

A few weeks ago I started my study abroad recap series with a post about Torontonian neighborhoods. Today's post is about some of the tourist sites I was able to visit. Be sure to click the links if you are planning to visit Toronto to get an impression!

A: Bata shoe museum || i 

Garter addict (OOTD)

I have been collecting garters for over 5 years I think. Unfortunately they are not really convenient to wear, seen as they do not keep my thighs warm, and they tend to peek out underneath my dresses/skirts. Also, the hosiery to wear them with tend to rip really easily or slip off the clasps easily. So when 'House of Holland' came out with their first pair of garter tights I was sold! 

It was definitely an investment (they costed me about €20 or more back then), but I never regretted buying them. Despite of their good quality (at least 50 dernier I think), they did rip after a while. Of course I still wore them, ripped or not, lol. But then I spotted a pair of garter tights at the Primark! For less than €3! 

Sucker for cream and cheese (review Vapiano)

Hi guys! The other day I met with a friend to catch up, and we decided to have dinner at Vapiano. I usually order the bruschetta, and a pizza or pasta carbonara. I think this place is very affordable and has a nice atmosphere. Their lounge area is also a great place to meet for drinks and desserts.

Study Abroad Recap I: Ultimate visitor's guide to Toronto (Neighborhoods)

This is my first study abroad recap post in which I show you an overview of the most prominent neighborhoods in Downtown Toronto I visited. Click the picture captions to get a visual impression of the area and on the map to enlarge it!

Mysteryland drama 2013

One thing that bummed me out while studying abroad was the lack of partying I had going on. Unfortunately, campus was nearly empty because of summer. The parties I did visit were nothing compared to those I am used to. Also, apparently Europeans are known abroad to be party animals. So I decided to make up for it when I was back in Amsterdam, and what way better to get your party on in summer time? A music festival!

Study Abroad Day 53: End of another chapter

Today was D-day II! Time to go back home to my family, and leave a new home and new friends behind. This study abroad experience passed by way too fast for my liking. It seems like it was just yesterday that I arrived here, but it was already time to back my bags again. My flight was in the evening, so I decided to do some last minute tourist stuff. Unfortunately, my planning went sour once again!

Study Abroad Day 52: Hungry wo-man on Toronto Islands

Hi guys. Sad day... Today is unfortunately my last full day in Toronto and also my last chance to visit the Toronto Islands. After I woke up I packed a bit of my stuff, and decided to symbolically say my goodbyes to the foodtruck by ordering a C$2.50 hotdog from the brown truck.

In the afternoon I met with friends and we walked to Eaton Centre to eat at the Urban Eatery. After we finished lunch we walked south to Harbour Front, and I tried to inhale as much Toronto air as I could and admired the tall buildings one last time.

The ferry ride was very crowded and took a while, but the view was absolutely magnificent!

The island we visited actually consisted of a huge park! There were lots of people, and there was a charity marathon for which people were dressed in tutu's and fairywings.

We continued walking to the waterside, where a tiny beach was, and we hung out for a bit talking, taking pictures, and enjoying the gorgeous view.

And then it was time to leave and head back home! I had lots of packing to do, and I wanted to catch a good night sleep, so we left before the sun went down.

Although it was my last night here, I decided not to go out for dinner or get takeout. I thought it was the perfect time to once more stroll around the supermarket aisles of Metro! I bought a Hungry Man Meal and shepherd's pie tv-dinner and headed home. The pie was really tasty! The other meal was not bad, but not really good either, lol.

And now I am off to bed! My last time sleeping in it :( Night night!

X

Sefanja Rubina

Study Abroad Day 51: Cronut burger lush

Today it was time for The Ex! The Ex is also called the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), and it is an annual fair located at The Exhibition Place. I knew a lot of weird food would be there (e.g. bacon with chocolate, fried kool-aid), so I could had been waiting for weeks! But of course something was doomed to happen that day... I forgot my lactase pills and painkillers, meeeh! Darnit, lol. This meant I could not go all out trying out stuff unfortunately. But I was excited for the experience nonetheless!

Before meeting with friends to go to the fair, I got up early to visit the U of T bookstore one last time for some souvenirs. I tried out some tops, and I really liked the one with the maple leaf on it, but the price was a bit steep for my liking! I eventually bought a mug and a few pencils and pens.

I quickly went home for some light lunch and to get ready!

When I arrived I felt like I entered a combination of an amusement park, a carnival, and a zoo. We first checked out the farm building full of (smelly) animals. I found it pretty disturbing that the sign in front of the cows said "beef" and the sign in front of the pig stalls said "veal", lol.

I was so damn hungry walking around in the farm building, I could not wait to get to the food building.

I was on a hunt for (1) a cronut burger, (2) Nutella fries, and (3) a corndog. I also wanted to try out some friend chicken and waffles, and red velvet pancakes. Pretty much anything we do not sell in Amsterdam, lol. But because I had to protect my bowels, I was very selective and ended up trying only a cronut burger and corndog. The C$10 cronutburger consists of a cronut—aka the lovechild of a croissant and a donut—and a beef patty.

Although the price was pretty steep, the burger tasted like nothing I had ever tasted before. It was de-li-cious! I love the combination sweet and savoury in my food. The burger was topped with some maple bacon jam, and it tasted very good (although it might sound a bit off). I heard a few people got food poisening from the burger, but luckily I was one of the lucky few that did not!

The corndog was a major disappointment! I did not expect for it to be covered with soft dough. I thought it would be chewy almost textured like bread. So that was a bummer... Unfortunately the fair would close down soon and I did not have anyone to join me with eating, so I could not try any more dishes. Because my stomach was feeling fine, I decided to have a scoop of cherry flavored icecream to end the night in terms of food.

Because the buildings were closing in a bit we rushed over to another building where clothes and other stuff were on sale, before the exhibition would close for the night. This hall really reminded me of the Dutch 'Nationale Huishoudbeurs' (household exhibition). I bought a black top with a sheer back for C$5. After that it was already time to go home, boohoo. No rides on the rollercoasters thus unfortunately...

Although it was shortlived, I really enjoyed my time at the CNE. Unfortunately we arrived at the fair too late for us to be able to take our time exploring the entire exhibition. I was actually planning to go there earlier, but I felt so tired from the previous days that I decided to sleep in a little and meet up with the rest later. Anyways, my main reason for going there was to try out weird foods, but like I mentioned earlier I forgot my pills so I had to limit myself.

I took the streetcar and subway back home! Tomorrow will be my last full day in Toronto :(

X

Sefanja Rubina

Study Abroad Day 50: Groupie love at TSOQ

You see those two beautiful women standing next to me? Right before I came to Toronto I found out about them on Instagram and knew I could not return home without having stalked their asses at least once to tell them they have a groupie from Amsterdam.

Study Abroad Day 49: Waving rainbow flags and peameal bacon

Today was a day filled with lots of fun, but also very tiresome! I wanted to visit at least two neighborhoods I had not been before, and a friend decided to join me. She picked me up and we walked south towards St. Lawrence market. I did not know what to expect there, but I knew I had to get me a peameal bacon sandwich. Every other tourist magazine recommends it! On our way there we saw some lights and camera's and found ourself in the middle of a movieset!

Study Abroad Day 48: When I become a mommy

Today I got my 'It's Judy's Life' on, because I decided to finally visit Target! I was überexcited and took the subway to Main street. From there I had to walk maybe 5-10 mins to get there. I am not sure what to write about my experience there.

 

To sum it up, I LOVED it, even though they do not carry a lot of make-up products I was looking for. I am more than convinced that when I become a mommy Target will be my favorite store. That is, if I somehow end up living in North America permanently.

I just hád to visit the humungous Metro there, after leaving Target. Just to look around you know! Superstores are not common where I live, unfortunately.

A few hours after I got home I met with my fellow Dutchie to hang out together one last time. We decided to watch some television and drink the Caribana wine we did not get to drink, hoping for some Jerry Springer or Maury to be on air. But noooo... Luckily we did get to watch Grease and had a fun evening together.

X

Sefanja Rubina