Happy Canada Day everyone! I hope you all had a good one.

Sadly, I have had to return back from Tofino early. Yes, I had a crazy surfboard incident. 11 stitches on my forehead. If you’d like to see the stitches, click here. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! So it’s back to work for me.

Pictures from Tofino coming up soon.

So yesterday, instead of surfing and being on the beach, I spent the day with Allan and my Dad in the garden and in the kitchen for Canada Day. We made hamburgers, garden vegetables, spring salmon, and potatoes. Yum!

My Dad has been meticulously taking care of a garden for as long as I can remember. When we lived in Australia for several years, I remember eating oranges right out of our garden. It’s been a long struggle for our family to make ends meet, but somehow my Dad has always found time to take care of the garden in the morning before work and after working 12 hours a day. I remember helping out in the garden when I was growing up, and eating fresh vegetables and fruits throughout the year.

Here’s just a sampling of pictures from our garden from yesterday, and the meal that we cooked up:

Freshly picked veggies and fruits from the garden: HUGE raspberries (my favourite), boysenberries (they are basically large and juicy blackberries), new potatoes, peas, basil, mint, and cilantro.

A view from one side of our garden, click to see where everything is located. Click All Sizes to see the large size.

The view from the other side of our garden, again, click to zoom in.

I used to have a rooftop patio in the west end but had to move all my planters to my family’s house when I moved into Allan’s apartment with no patio for a couple years. Fortunately, our new place has a patio so I’m planning on moving my planters over soon so I can start gardening again.

Lilies…

The blueberries starting to come out…

The plum tree, still green… but they will be ripe and juicy soon!

Fuji apples starting to ripen…

Tomatoes starting to get ready!

Garden-grown garlic drying out (shame I didn’t get that bug in focus!)

Green grapes starting to form on the vine…

Dill! I love eating herbs straight from the garden.

Flowers in the garden…

Our family’s secret recipe for hamburgers! Lots of fresh herbs and onions from the garden, and lean organic beef.

Hamburgers all cooked up from the charcoal BBQ with hickory smoked chips.

New potatoes and fresh garden vegetables (all except the broccoli)..

Grilled spring salmon (just caught last week) on the BBQ and grilled zucchini from the garden! Yum!

Yes, we definitely enjoyed some home grown and home cooked food yesterday!

How did you spend your Canada Day?

So, I’m off to Tofino! Time to quickly publish the post I prepped last night and head straight from work to the ferries! I’m not going to get started on the ferries though.

So I’ll be in Tofino until July 6th. Finally, a long week of surfing, camping, time by the beach in the sun (and rain), camp stove cooking, and friends.

Every year, we get a big group of people together and head over to Greenpoint in Tofino for camping and surfing on Canada Day.

Let me show you all the crap we bring along with us! Ah, the joys of car camping. Our equipment is well-worn and not in great shape after camping trips every other weekend, but they still hold up!

First off, time to prep the shallots. I got this idea from my friend Trev: prep all your food in advance where there’s light, good knives, and cuttingboards and then you don’t have to worry about all the mess and disaster while you are camping.

Pro Tip: Wear your snowboard goggles to prevent from massive eye hysteria while cutting up millions of shallots. It works. LOL!

Here’s all the food we prepped last night. Needless to say, we were up late. But it’s such a bonus not having to wash everything and cut it all up when you are hungry after a long day of surfing and it’s dark and cold out. Click on the photo and then click on “All Sizes” to see a bigger version so you can see the text.

Also very necessary: camping equipment. MEC Tarn 3 tent, MEC rollout mats (WAY better than having a bulk air mattress in my opinion, and much lighter)… and we normally don’t bring camping chairs when we go on our own but considering how much we miss them when we have a big group of people we decided to go buy some fancy Roots camping chairs with foot rests. Can’t wait to try them out. Allan’s not a big fan of how bulky and heavy they are in the car, but they will be nice to bring along every once in a while. We are also bringing our golf clubs so we can play 9 holes of golf at Long Beach Golf Course. Golf equipment + surf equipment + camping equipment = VERY full car.

We’ve also got tons of food, not to mention 40 strips of bacon from Granville Island (WOHOOO!), two coolers, a camp stove, a cast iron grill (a MUST for car camping cooking), lots of hoodies, my underwater camera case for my DSLR, my DSLR of course, and lots of supplies.

Food we will have there: Pacific Halibut, scallops, bacon, sausages, breakfast potatoes, everything you need to mix up Mojitos, lots of beer, cane sugar colas, tons of fruit, chocolate vegan cake, Uprising Breads, New Moon cookies, and tons of crackers and chips! I love food.

Not picture: 2 huge surfboards, also tons of wetsuits (bringing wetsuits to share with friends too)… I love my Roxy 5 mil wetsuit, but I bought Allan a new O’Neill Infiniti Drylock 5/4/3 for his birthday this year (a little early, his b-day is in July) and I have to say I am VERY jealous. It’s a darn nice wetsuit. Also pictured, lots of groceries, beach towels. And of course an absolute essential: TWILIGHT! Hahahaha.

Lots more not shown here, but you get the picture. It’s a full car.

Can’t wait to be out there for 8 days, hopefully our food lasts.

In other news, I booked my accommodations for Costa Rica! 3 nights at Paradisus Playa Conchal and then 4 nights in a villa rental on Langosta Beach (loved that beach when we stayed there last). Lots of time for surfing, relaxing, and hanging out on the beach. The weather: Humid, thunderstorms, sun, and rain. Just the way I like it.

Sadly, won’t have much time to blog in Tofino, but I’m looking forward to posting when I get back on July 6th! See you soon, and HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!

Happy Canada Day (believe it or not, this photo was taken with a friend at my Xbox 360 clan’s annual meetup. Yeah, Patron tequila is trouble)!

Yesterday (while getting my monthly wax), my aesthetician and I talked about Vancouver, and how people generally just seem to be discontent here.

If it’s the weather, then it is too hot or too cold. Too rainy or too dry.

The buses are too busy, the traffic is terrible, the men here aren’t good looking, they aren’t happy with their jobs, people in Vancouver dress too fancy, people in Vancouver dress too casual… etc etc. And the list goes on. And yet, when asked about Vancouver, everyone LOVES Vancouver… it’s the best place to live!

So why do so many people seem unhappy here?

I do this a lot myself, too… complaining. My friend once challenged me to keep track during the period of one week how many times people complained about something. I lost count, it was in the hundreds.

My friend also challenged me to not complain once, during the period of one week. I tried, but I eventually failed.

I’m not convinced that this is a problem that is just with Vancouver; I’m fairly certain it is a widespread problem.

And my theory has come down to this: The majority of people don’t know how to make themselves happy, just on their own. Without constant stimulus, without constantly being around others…

When was the last time you sat, alone for an hour, and were happy?

I’ve been doing a lot of people watching lately. And it seems like everyone is constantly on the go. When they are riding the bus they are playing on their phones, when they are out for dinner or sitting on a couch with a loved one they are Twittering, and even when they just have to walk down the street they call a friend so they have something to do while they walk.

I even saw a phone commercial the other day that was talking about turning downtime into uptime.

But you know what?

We humans need downtime, in my opinion. I think we all need time to be introspective, reflect on life, be grateful for what we have, step back and put things into perspective… all the clichés.

I’ve learned a lot about myself over the past few months, about how I need to manage stress and take time to relax.

Here are a couple things I am trying, that maybe you could try (or maybe you already do!):

• I switch my Blackberry to “Bedside Mode” every night at 8 or 9 pm. This turns off the antenna so I don’t get texts, e-mails, calls etc so I have time to disconnect myself a few hours before bed. Nothing is so important that it can’t wait till morning.
• Every night, I’ve been doing yoga before bed. The audio, relaxing kind so I don’t have to watch a TV screen or worry about other people in a class. For one hour, I stretch, do poses, and breathe. If my mind tries to think about anything, I try to focus away from it so I think about nothing. Clear my mind. This has done incredible things for me. I sleep better, I’m happier, I’m more relaxed.
• I’ve been focusing during the day not to worry about anything. Whether it’s work or my relationship or friends, if I ever start having any negative thoughts or stresses, I just try to focus on the positive or the actions I can do to rectify a situation without getting upset. It’s done amazing things for my friendships and relationships.
• When I go to the gym, I try not to watch the TVs or listen to music. Instead I think about myself and how I can improve myself and my life in a constructive positive way.
• At work, after I go to the bathroom (this is embarrassing), I stand in front of the mirror and take three deep yoga-like breaths. It somehow helps me reset and let go of any stress I may have been holding.
• I try and get outdoors on the weekend and away from the computer.
• I’m traveling by myself to Costa Rica and plan on having lots of introspective time, and surfing.
• Surf. Surfing is good for the soul, mind and body.

I don’t mean to sound all preachy or like I have it all figured out. I don’t. I still get unhappy and stressed at times. But I’m really trying to get out of this negative-mind-rut and change things for the better.

I hope that these tips have helped people a little bit.

Do you have any tips of your own for having a little “you” time and being happy?

So, as most of the people who read my blog or Twitter know, these past few weeks have been really hard on me. This past week was spent as a recluse, a complete invalid… hoping my eczema would clear up. After numerous appointments at the doctor, several scares, restraints, supervision and all sorts of craziness I don’t even want to get into, we’ve finally found a solution that seems to be working. And it’s clearing up. It’s by no means healed or perfect yet, but there’s signs of progress for the first time in a long time. There really is a light at the end of the tunnel.

And you know what? I’m tired of wallowing in my own misery.

So while Friday and Saturday was mostly spent recovering still, I decided I NEEDED to get out of the house on Sunday.

First stop was the driving range. First time all year. In July… how sad is that? Nevertheless, we got out and hit some balls and boy, it felt GREAT to be out in the fresh air!

I’m really looking forward to getting to the range some more times this summer, getting out for pitch and putt and maybe a couple full courses later on in the summer. I’m also considering bringing my clubs to Costa Rica since the place I’m hoping to stay at is supposed to have a great golf course.

I don’t have a top of the line set, but for you golf heads, I’ve got a Callaway Big Bertha ladies iron graphite set, with a Big Berta 3 Wood, and a Rossi putter. No driver yet.

After the range we met up with my dad for Father’s Day for lunch at Earl’s (his choice). I had the Green Curry Chicken and it was delicious!

I can’t even tell you how much I love my dad. He’s been there for me my whole life, he’s held our family up through tough times with his amazing work ethic, and inspires me to be entrepreneurial. He works hard in construction 6 days a week and comes home late but he always seems to have time for his kids. He taught me how to ski, how to bike, how to play sports and love sports. He introduced me to the greatest sport of all time and my beloved team, the Vancouver Canucks… and he always encourages me to aim high in life. He’s extremely good-natured, kind, generous, God-fearing, and funny. I love you Dad! Happy Father’s Day!

After lunch, Allan and I headed down to Holt Renfrew to check out the shoes section. I’ve been doing so great with my budget over the past 3 months, sticking to it completely! And I’m so happy to be able to say that shoes are part of my budget. I haven’t bought any new clothes or shoes or anything in the past 6 months and new summer shoes were a real treat!

Holt Renfrew was having a big designer sale, so I tried on about a hundred shoes (including these cool Cole Haan heels) before deciding on some flip flops and a dressy wedge.

I love shoe boxes!

These shoes are TOTALLY me! First of all, I love Michael Kors. Second of all, they are my favourite colour (orange). And they will work well in the city, or on the beach! Love the comfortable, practical jelly. So stoked! And they are cheap too!

My big splurge was definitely these 2009 Prada Cutout Wedges. I completely fell in love with them. And they were on sale. Perfect for the city or walking around a resort in Costa Rica! They are very well constructed, made in Italy, with leather and cork. They are dressy but still summery, and REALLY comfortable! Love love love!

So… I think I’m back! Time to start updating the blog regularly again, and start living my life again. This week will be full of work, and then it’s off to Tofino on Friday for 9 days for the annual camping and surfing trip. And then a couple more days of work before Costa Rica. I hope my skin holds up. But even if it doesn’t, I’m determined to have a great time, get out there, and enjoy all the amazing things this world and life has to offer.

Hope you all are having a great summer so far!

In a last ditch effort to save my skin, I’ve decided to go the only route I know works 100%. Fly somewhere humid, with the ocean.

So yep, for the first time in my life, I will be traveling by myself to a foreign country.

I’ve made quite a few posts about my experiences in Costa Rica already, and how much I adore the surfing and the culture there.

So, my flight is BOOKED! I’m flying down to Costa Rica for July 10-19. I can’t wait. Planning on staying in Tamarindo and on the Guanacaste Coast.

Humidity, the sun, the salt water, the beach… it’s all going to be great.

I’m a little nervous to go there by myself, but since I’ve been to all the places I’m thinking of staying, I feel fairly safe and confident about where I’m going.

Still working on finalizing details on hotels, condo rentals, surfing etc… will keep you updated!