topshop relaunched

Topshop/Topman relaunched their brand, which was originally a tiny capsule collection floating between the shoe section and the clothes on one level of the Hudson Bay department store, to taking over a whole entire floor. Of course, me and my sister had to go and check out the new Topshop/Topman and it totally exceeded my expectations. I spent most of the time walking around and basically getting lost in the store.

Boutique by Topshop - WooOoOoOooo! Shopping in Vancouver just got better. 

Walls of shoes... Pure bliss!

I ended up buying two things: a lovely black gold studded suede crossbody bag and a lipstick. I was trying to restrain myself from going crazy and buying everything, but I'll probably be back for more soon enough. Ah, my poor wallet...

weekend road trip

Finally got to meet the infamous Raja, my friend's strange little dog, when I went to visit her in Abbotsford for the weekend.

I took a half-day off work, packed my bag and headed downtown to Waterfront Station to catch the West Coast Express on time. I love train rides and spent most of my time looking out the window, watching the scenery change as the train lumbered along. Surprisingly, it was only an hour-long train ride to reach the final destination at Mission, where my friend picked me up from the station.

We went out for dinner that night and ended up driving around downtown Abbotsford since our first choice for dinner, a Greek restaurant, had closed down a couple of weeks ago. So, we ended up at this place on the side of the road, and unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the restaurant now...

My friend's dinner: Jack Daniels BBQ ribs with vegetables. The ribs looked really tender and tasty. She also had a side of roasted potatoes as well. 

My shrimp alfredo fettucine that was delicious but it was super filling. 

This picture was taken in the parking lot. The restaurant was surrounded by this massive forest and I'm pretty sure we saw an eagle earlier. 

The next day, we decided to head down to the Seattle Premium Outlets to do a little shopping. We were waiting in line at the border crossing when I spied this creature standing by the side of the road:

Looking a little anorexic there, horsey.

Got through the border crossing and made a stop at Bellis Fair before we headed over to the outlet stores and we saw this sign on the way:

"Hotel Transvyl... Bourne Legacyvania"
I'm interested to know what the plot is for "Bourne Legacyvania" 

The view heading down to the States. 

In line for Auntie Anne's soft pretzels and this lady was wearing what appeared to be a halter top, over a black dress, over a pair of jeans. I don't get it...  

Making fudge... that is a sweet job to have... 

The view heading home. 

Plenty of farms and acres of crops and land as we drove back home. 

This pretty kitty is a snob. 

My haul from our day shopping down in the States. I'm looking forward to the Halloween Oreos.

Overall, I was disappointed with our shopping trip to the Seattle Premium Outlets. There wasn't a lot of great sales, and I only ended up buying a leopard belt at J. Crew. When we were leaving, we found out that the following week was Columbia Day down in the States, so maybe there would be better sales that weekend. But, we did eat lots of soft pretzels... so yummy and buttery soft :D~

The sun setting as we head out for dinner.

Ralph taking a cat nap... in a weird sleeping position. 

Raja with his new hair cut.

Raja found a sunny spot for his nose. 

The biggest sunflower that I've ever seen. This thing is HUGE. You could wear the sunflower as a hat!

On my way home. 

randomness

Random photos from my iPhone while I'm out and about:

Sparkle ankle boots! So pretty!

See by Chloe grey leather lace-up booties that is on my wish list. 

Dinner! Just so we're clear: I didn't make this, my mum dropped off some food for me.

David Beckham immortalized in his boxers. 

The bunnies that come visit and hang out in the front lawn of my building. So adorable :)

Pan-fried dumplings in broth... also from my mum.

owl shopping

A new home decor shop has opened up on South Granville, West Elm, and since I had to pick up my chrome hoot owl from Urban Barn, I decided to drop by the store along the way. 

Donated some change to some cute firefighters and got this sticker. 

Chinese terracotta warriors are located all over the city and painted in different colours and patterns. I really like the royal blue colour on this figurine. 

Pottery barn kids has the Wild Thing decor! If I was a kid, I would be ALL. OVER. THIS. SHIT. 

Restoration Hardware has the most beautiful chandeliers. Now, if only I had a sugar daddy/inheritance/won the lottery, I would totally buy it. 

I think I found a new favourite store to shop for home decor stuff! They have the cutest owl ceramics and really great affordable stuff. I see myself coming back very often, especially during their sales.

I picked up 2 white ceramic mugs at West Elm. They're SO CU-UTE!

The chrome hoot owl that I picked up from Urban Barn that's sitting pretty in my living room. 

jumping on the red (band) wagon

Nothing like catching up with an old friend you haven't seen in years over a nice meal. My co-worker was the one the who suggested the Red Wagon Cafe, located on East Hastings. This little gem of a cafe is serving up delicious stick-to-your-ribs comfort food with a twist. I ordered the pulled pork pancakes (yay for having breakfast for dinner!) which also comes with an optional side of 2 eggs, and my dining buddies ordered the pulled pork sandwich and the croque monsieur.

Pulled pork pancakes: three buttermilk pancakes layered with pulled pork and served with Jack Daniels maple syrup. 

Look at how fluffy and airy the buttermilk pancakes in contrast with the sweet BBQ pulled pork crammed in between the layers... SO GOOD.

Pulled pork sandwich on a Portegeuse bun and served with a side of fries. This is a messy sandwich to eat, so make sure to have plenty of extra napkins

The blurry picture of a gooey croque monsieur: grilled ham and cheese sandwich with bechamel served with fries or salad (my co-worker ordered the salad with her meal) . Perfectly gooey and creamy with a nice outer crunch.

Doodles that previous customers have done on their placemats. My favourite is the octopus in the red wagon. 

I would totally come here again, if only for the pulled pork pancakes, but I'd also try some of the other items on the menu (pulled tofu sandwich, anyone?). I've heard that it gets super busy on Sunday mornings, with the line snaking out the door, but it's totally worth the wait.