welcome!

“I love you. I’ll be seeing you.” – Noah

Whatever happened to secret admirers, candy grams, and those boxed superhero Valentine’s Day cards you find at local drugstores?  As we get older, the innocence and excitement of Valentine’s Day often gets replaced with the pressure to have someone to watch The Notebook with.  We miss the simple days of getting up in the morning, eating chocolate for breakfast and counting the cards in the shoebox that sat on your desk at school all day!  The true test of one’s popularity index could only be correctly measured on this day.

So we started thinking – every year, starting in November, we spend hours looking for the perfect Christmas cards…then even more time writing out personal notes to all of our friends.  And every year, without fail, we forget to actually SEND them!  Why the simple task of walking to the post office and depositing the cards is too much to handle, we’ll never quite figure out.

But this year, we have an idea to rectify this conundrum: we’re bringing back the cheesy goodness of Valentine’s Day!  If you’re looking for a cute idea, march to the nearest drugstore, pick up a boxed set of Valentine’s Day cards, and send them to all of your friends.  Cheap, cute…and the best part?  No lineups at the post office.

Does anyone have Jake Gyllenhaal’s home address?

Loosen that tie and take off those killer stiletto’s.

While many people are dreaming of spending half of February camped out in the Molson House, watching medal-worthy hockey games, we’re already WAY beyond that.  Visions of sunny beaches and margaritas have been dancing in our heads since the clock struck midnight on New Years Eve.  And yes.  We DO realize it’s only January!  A girl can dream though, right?!

Nothing makes us happier than planning a fun night outside with our friends, burning oodles of calories playing strenuous games of bocce (Ha.  We wish!) and pretending to lunge for volleyballs when they come careening our way.  So, while sitting in our office, swaddled in piles of blankets while drinking hot tea, we started planning our spring and summer calendar of events.  As a company, we are already knee-deep planning bbq’s and golf tournaments but we also share a love of entertaining friends at home, especially in the hotter months.  But sadly, if your condo is anything like ours, an acre of luscious lawn is not included in your strata fees. 

So when the temperature finally moves up to t-shirt appropriate digits, why not take advantage of what little outdoor space you DO have.  Throw open those sliding glass doors and invite friends over on a random weekday for a little “après-work” party!  Who needs a stuffy bar when YOU have “beer cocktails”!  That’s right, we said it!  Did you really expect the usual beer and nuts kind of shindig from us?! 

Our favourite recipe (okay, we admit, it was the cute name that initially caught our eye!) is the “Skip and Go Naked” cocktail:

Combine beer, lemon juice and gin, with a dash of grenadine

Now throw up some classic white paper lanterns, dig out that old Sublime cd, and relax with your friends.

Sigh.  We can almost smell the Coppertone.

Party Dresses and Reef Sharks – Oh My!

Before we delve into the beautiful resorts and adventurous swimming sessions of Koh Tao, we wanted to bring some awareness to a Vancouver charitable organization that we support yearly – The Cinderella Project.  

This organization provides underprivileged high school graduates throughout Greater Vancouver with formal attire so they can attend their graduation festivities with pride. Without assistance, these students could not afford to participate in celebrating this important milestone.

“The Cinderella Project works to remove social barriers and promote inclusiveness and diversity. It recognizes outstanding young people who have succeeded in the face of overwhelming odds and boosts their confidence and self esteem through respect and positive mentorship.”

So how can you help out, you ask?  Well, for the ladies – we’re sure you’ve all heard the saying, “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride”.  If that rings slightly true for you (which, personally, is SO not true!  We think it’s only because we are such good-looking additions to the bridal photographs! ha ha), then your closet might resemble the one from “27 Dresses”.   To make room for new 2010 purchases, go through those lovely dresses, pick out the gorgeous ones that you don’t intend to wear again, and donate them to The Cinderella Project.   For you, they may evoke memories of too much wine and a bridal toss gone bad, but for a graduating student, they will be a large part of memories that will last a lifetime.

For more information on where to donate your dresses or to find out other ways you can help out (guys, you may not have a dress to donate but they are also looking for suits and tuxes), please visit their website at:
http://thecinderellaproject.com/index.htm

Now that we’ve cleared out that closet, you may wish to fill it again with resort wear, because we’ve got one more post from the beaches of Thailand:

So I am back in Bangkok after spending just over a week at the beach. 4 nights in Koh Samui followed by 3 nights in Koh Tao.

While walking Chaweng Beach in Koh Samui, I came across the most incredible resort for a destination wedding. If it is up to me, this is where I will get married: www.thelibrary.co.th.   If you appreciate design, you will love this place.

After Samui, we headed to Koh Tao, definitely one of my favourite islands in Thailand. What is interesting about the island is that there really isn’t much of a beach. The whole island is comprised of hotels on cliffs and there is one main little town that has the most INCREDIBLE restaurant! I’ve said it before and I will say it again, if you go to Koh Tao, you have to go to Papas Tapas- some of the best food I have ever had.

The best part of the trip was the boat trip we took around the island. Amazing snorkeling and…. we got to swim with sharks! I almost backed out at the last minute but knew that opportunities like this don’t come up often so sucked it up and got in. They were reef sharks so only eat plankton but it was still a little scary!

All in all, an amazing trip. If anyone would like any other information on Thailand, don’t hesitate to send me an email or give me a call, I would be glad to help. 

I am wrapping things up here in Bangkok and will be home on Tuesday. For the first time ever, I am looking forward to coming back. With a job like I have, why wouldn’t I be excited to get back to it!  Besides, I can’t leave Robyn to do all the work forever.

See you soon Vancouver!

Koh Samui – Seafood Feasts and Festivities!

A handful of idyllic beach bungalows, quaint beach front restaurants and an overall sense of seclusion – that was Koh Samui, 20 years ago.   The picture today is in many ways a stark contrast to the once remote and “underdeveloped” island. Starbucks, Pizza Hut, McDonalds and countless 7 Elevens now inhabit one of Thailand’s most popular islands.   It is amazing how much a place can change.

I do have to say that despite the development of the island, nothing will ever top a seafood feast on the beach.  After the sun sets, the beach comes alive with neon lights, loud music and fireworks.  Take your pick of one of the many beach restaurants that line the shore and spend hours indulging on a variety of different Thai seafood delights.   My absolute favourite “seafood feast on the beach” dish is Pla sam rod (fish with 3 sauces).   It is spicy, sour, sweet and soooo delicious.  A close second for me is Pak bung fai dang (Morning glory, stir fried with chili).  The best vegetable in the world if you can cook it like the Thai’s.

After dinner, dance with your toes in perfectly white sand whilst sipping an incredibly cheap Mai Tai , Singha Beer  or the infamous Thai bucket, definitely an acquired taste!  The attached photograph of Ark Bar on Chaweng beach I took last night over a game of cards and some highly entertaining people watching.

Next stop, Koh Tao…I am on the ferry as I write and typical of the island life, we are an hour behind schedule.  Thank goodness for air conditioning!  Koh Tao – an island famous for its diving, where whale sharks are plenty, visibility is incredible and prices are cheap!  Plans thus far include beach massages,  sun tanning, island hopping….and of course, lots of eating.  I will keep you all posted, Sawasdee Ka from the Lomprayah ferry Koh Tao-bound!