Easter Weekend Recap

This Easter long weekend initially we were going to make a wine & dine trip to NYC again, but since we are going to see the Smash "Bombshell" musical on Broadway in June and we had friends from out of town visiting, we decided that we would be tourists in our own city instead. The double-digit temperature and glorious sunshine on Friday was short-lived. These droopy tulips perfectly conveyed my feelings on the weekend weather - snowy and gloomy, really Spring?! 

After meeting our friends at our favourite Dim Sum hangout Lai Wah Heen, we went to catch the Douglas Coupland exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum. I can never get tired of photographing the spectacular ROM Michael Lee-Chin "Crystal".

Douglas Coupland popularized the term "Generation X". Some of his works are so intriguing that they can only be comprehended through your smart phone camera lens. 

The Light of the Desert, 900 carat Cerussite, at the ROM Earth's Treasures exhibition.

We also tried out a few new restaurants, such as the Luckee by Susur Lee. I am a big fan of Susur Lee, and his Luckee certainly lives up to his reputation. At Luckee, Susur Lee scales back his signature esoteric fusion in favour of good old-fashioned Chinese food. It's the upscale casual and comfort Chinese cuisine at its best. 

Every dish was like a food party in my mouth, so much texture, flavour and depth. This Shrimp Cheung Fun with crispy rice paper is a must-try.

This was Spicy Soy Bean Crumble Shrimp. The entree portion size was good for sharing; the food came fast and the service was excellent. We are going back to try their signature dishes  "Luckee Duck" (Peking Duck) and "Steamed Whole Sea Bass". I heard their "yum cha" is also very good. 

A staycation weekend wouldn't be perfect without hitting up a few antique joints. I added two sets of FBC teacup sets by Rosina Queen's. In case you haven't already noticed, I am at my "rose" phase of my china collection. 

How was your Easter long weekend?

Spring Pretty Pastels

Welcome to April! Are you enjoying the longer days with glorious sunshine? I am loving this cheery Spring weather, albeit on the cold side. 

I picked up these pretty tulips in soft pink the other day - they will be in full bloom by the Easter long weekend. I find that I really enjoy photographing flowers, especially when they are budding. 

I also briefly put together an Easter scene in our foyer using vintage pastel marble eggs. That's when I realized I didn't have any bunny figurine in my decor stockpile at home. How could I call it an Easter scene without bunnies, right? So I borrowed this bunny ring holder from my dressing room, and it saved my day. 

Aren't these marble eggs gorgeous in the Nate Berkus brass bird bowl?

Dream house is back on the agenda. Our next door neighbour just sold their home after a few days on the market for a lot more than their asking price. There was a fierce bidding war. GTA's real estate market is on fire these days in light of low interest rates and lower exchange rates - it's like you woke up one day, and all of a sudden the averaged price for a detached in Toronto was over 1 million dollar! 2 mil doesn't even buy a lot of house, especially in nice neighbourhoods. Although banks and government are tightening the rules on mortgages and investment properties, it really doesn't help when those loaded foreign buyers just pay everything upfront in cash. I am seriously concerned for our youngsters that owning a house may seem like a dream that will never come true. 

With that, I am going to sign off, and wish you a happy Easter long weekend!