Have you ever had a body scrub that was purchased at a store, and was very waxy, sticky, or hard to get off your skin? I have to say that 9 out of 10 body scrubs I have used possess at least one of these qualities, and the 1 out of 10 that don’t are far too expensive. As another homemade Christmas gift this year, I made a lemon body scrub that is completely natural, leaves no residue, and will rid you of rough, rigid, dead skin. It is inexpensive, and very easy to make. You need 4 ingredients, and the batch will be enough to fill 2 – 4 small jars.

You will need:

- 1 cup sea salt

-1/4 cup oil (I used olive oil, but if you have it, almond oil, coconut oil, or even vegetable oil will suffice)

- 1 tsp of grated lemon rind/ lemon juice

- 1 tsp of grated orange rind

Mix the sea salt and oil together in a mixing bowl, then add the lemon and orange. if the consistency is watery, you may want to consider adding a bit more sea salt. The biggest thing I noticed with the scrub was that the olive oil and the salt separated. This can be easily solved by shaking the jar.

Also, the scrub should last a few months without going bad because it is oil-based, so do not worry about the lemon or orange going mouldy.

- 1 1/4 sticks butter

- 250 g cream cheese

- 2.5 cups icing sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Just simply mix it all together, preferably with an electric mixer, and enjoy!

Since my Mom is a grade 1 teacher, I thought that this would be a suitable Christmas gift for her to put in her classroom. I call is the “crayons on canvas”, and I was inspired to make it from a website I stumbled upon. I got an awesome deal on the canvas, and just bought a 64 pack of crayons. I think I ended up using about 60 of them. What you need for this project:

- Blank Canvas

- 64 Pack Crayons

- Hot Glue Gun

- Hair Dryer.

It’s really simple. All you need to do is line the crayons up in order by colour, glue them onto the canvas, and melt them with a hairdryer.

Glueing the crayons onto the canvas.

Melting the crayons down.

The necklaces were great because although they were cheap, they still look classy, and they can be personalized by using different colours, or by being different sizes depending on how much of a statement you want them to make.My friends and my Mom loved them.

The steps you need to take if you want to create a necklace like this of your own are simple:

First, put all three beads on the wire side by side, then manipulate the wire to get them into a triangle shape. Leave about 2 inches of the wire on the end to make the loop for the chain.The loop can be made simply by twisting the remaining wire around a small loop big enough for the chain (this is where the pliers come in handy).

Second, wrap the wire tightly around all three beads, after you wrap around about 5 times, it should start making a circle shape rather than a triangle. The first necklace I made was OK, but I feel that I did not wrap enough wire around. After adding much more wire to the second one, and created a much thicker “nest” I realized how much better it looked. I would estimate that I wrapped the wire around about 25 – 40 times, but you can tell how much wire you think looks good as you create it yourself. TIP: leave the wire on the spool instead of cutting a set piece. This make it easier to manage, manipulate, and gives you the freedom to add wire or take away wire as you please.

Once the nest is thick enough, tighten it by wrapping the wire around the nest in three separate places. Each “place” should be equal distance from one another, and each should be wrapped 2 – 3 times.

Finally, hold the loop made for the chain next to the nest, and secure it by wrapping the wire from the spool around it a couple of times. To make it extra tight, loop the wire from the spool underneath one of the “places” on the back side of the necklace.

Here we are at the very beginning of cave one, where the light is still prominent. My favourite part at this point? The contrasting colours of our hard hats, and the sweet lights to boot!

This is “Buddha” and his crystal clear reflection in the water. Legend has it that he brings peace to the animals of the cave (the stone wolf, and his friends – shapes of rock that look like animals).

These are a few of the thousands of spiders that seek shelter and warmth and the mouth of the caves. Most disgusting part? My head was within inches of these creepy crawlers the whole tour of the second cave. SICK!

This was the waterfall at the end of the tour. It was a dangerous climb up there to say the least, and we were already so soaked from the rain that it di not matter if we were standing right underneath it. Grand finale!

I did miss blogging, and I must admit that I do not really have that good of an excuse for why I haven’t posted in a month. I have been reminded of how enjoyable it is, and, if you care, I will be posting a lot more frequently from here on out!

Anyways, back to the topic of this post. Our little house that we moved into this year is a bit different than the one we occupied the last two. First, we are very close to downtown (about a 20 minute walk). Second, our house contains at least all of the colours of the rainbow, and then some. Third, we have neither a microwave nor cable this year. Finally, the house is much, much older than the town houses of our previous complex.

The closeness of downtown has made this year in Victoria an entirely different experience than the last four. I actually have learned my way around the city from the amount of walking I have done (this would come as a shock to my family and friends who are aware of how directionally challenged I am). I have been able to take in a lot more of the culture of the “Old Victoria”, as everything around the street I live is a lot less modern than the area by campus that I occupied previously. Included in this is Fernwood village, which is literally two blocks away. Here we can find telephone poles that have been painted into all kinds of different hippie creations, sidewalk sales (where I got an elephant skirt for a dollar!), coffee shops, vintage hotels and more peace and love than you could ever hope for.

Our house is essentially the definition of a paint job on drugs. We have a (multi) yellow dining room, a (multi) blue kitchen, a burgundy bathroom, a green bedroom, a red bedroom, and purple window frames. Unfortunately, I got stuck with the boring white room; however, I did get the biggest room, and I do basically have the downstairs area to myself. Our sinks are a little finicky, our drains are useless, our cupboards don’t quite shut right, our heating is good old oil heating, and our wall patches are literally paper-plates pasted onto the wall… but we have absolutely fallen in love with this house. One of the coolest features of it? Hot Hot Heat used to live here, and they got evicted for trying to turn a room (presumably mine) into a recording studio!

This year we opted out of purchasing cable, which has resulted in a lot less time wasted, a lot less Jersey Shore (see “time wasted”), and a lot more opportunity to explore the beautiful downtown area that is our backyard. It is actually quite a lot easier and freeing than I had first thought… and I may never go back to having cable (as long as I can stop by my parents house every once in a while to catch up with PVR).

Also, we showed up on moving day to discover that we had no microwave! To some college students, who rely on microwavable dinners and the necessity of defrosting meat, this may have been a nightmare… but to a health conscious, vegetarian eater such as myself, this seemed to be a push in the right direction. Microwaves actually due take nutritional value out of food, and with all the talk of radiation and cancer, I figured this was a good opportunity to cut the appliance out of my life. Again, not as hard as it may sound.

Here are some pictures of my favourite house:

This is the curtain we have in the kitchen. It was an impulsive buy from a desperate street vendor in Bali this summer. It just happened to fit the window perfectly! Also, the bright yellow, and dark yellow contrast are the colours I was indicating when I said “multi-yellow”. The purple? That is the colour of all the trim, and all of the window and door frames in the whole house.

This is one of my favourite features of the house – the crystal doorknobs. Although they are only on two of the doors in the house, I must admit ever since I was a kid I have wanted these doorknobs in my house. Other than these two, none of the doorknobs in the house match. Just another crazy feature of this gem of a house.

This is the burgundy bathroom. In the reflection of the mirror you can see the cool shower curtain that was surprisingly in very good condition when we got the house! Other cool features of the bathroom: vintage bathtub, hand-painted mural on the door, separate taps for “hot” and “cold” (which are installed on the wrong sides), and cupboards that will not stay shut! No secrets here!

These are some of the sights you may see in our kitchen should we invite you over for dinner one day!

This is where Alex keeps all of her jars. These jars signify why in no way do we need a microwave. The chili peppers are courtesy of Mexico, and the red cupboard is courtesy of our free-spirited Landlord. The “dining room” is basically the only communal space in the house, and is all of about 10ft by 10 ft. So far, we have used the dining room area the most of any room of the house, especially since we often have to prepare food out hear since our kitchen is all of about 4ft by 2ft.

This is the glass bottle that is randomly hanging outside our door, we aren’t quite sure what it is for, but we wouldn’t be surprised if some hippies of the past used it to catch rainwater.

Below is the sign that was already on the front door reminding us to turn the heat off before we leave. Again, we have oil heating, and yes, again, we are students.

Finally, below are pictures of my room. Since my walls are the only boring white walls in the whole house, you might notice I tried to spruce things up a little bit with some decorations. They work for me! Love this house!

The above picture, and the picture to the bottom right are my grandmother’s contributions to my room. Above, is my makeshift curtain, which was a table cloth at my Granny’s house. She insisted I have it after I told her I liked the elephants on it. The bottom right is a Norman Rockwell plate that my Nanny gave me. It was given to me when I left for university, and it is a picture of a girl leaving by herself at a train station. She told me she purchased it the day I was born and waited to give it to me when she thought it looked like an image of me. AWE!

The flower pot is a special item as well. My Dad dug it up from the ground when he was a kid, and has kept it all these years.

Little bit of love makes a lot of difference!

You will need:

250g Soba Noodles (For those of you who live in the Surrey/Langley area, check out H-mart on Fraser Highway… For those of you that live in the Victoria area, check out any Fairway Market)

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 gloves of minced garlic

300 g shitake mushrooms

375 g pea shoots

1/4 cup light mayo

1/4 cup soy sauce (I like the sodium-reduced one)

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp hot sauce

1 cup Cashews (optional)

You will have to:

Add the soba noodles to boiling water, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until they are tender (don’t overcook!)

At this point, you will want to drain them, and to help them start cooling faster (and prevent unnecessary hunger!) run them under cold water.

While the noodles are boiling, you want to saute the garlic with half of the sesame oil, and half of the vegetable oil, only for about 15 seconds. Add the cut up mushrooms, and saute them until they are tender (shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes). Transfer the mushrooms to the same bowl as the noodle mixture.

In the wok, add the other half of the oils, and stir-fry pea-shoots until they are very wilted. I know when you first put them in you willbe overwhelmed and think there are too many, but trust me they wilt down to nearly nothing. When these are finished add them to the bowl with the mushrooms and noodles as well.

Mix the mayo, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and hot sauce together, then pour it over the noodle mixture. Toss the noodles until they are fully covered, adding a tiny bit more rice vinegar if necessary. Put the mixture in the fridge and wait for it to cool!

If you please, you can add the preferred amount cashews on top of the mixture. I load it up.

 Granville Island: My favourite part of Vancouver. I have fond memories of the “kid’s market” growing up, as well as various family outings to see “It’s a Wonderful Life” at the Art’s Club Theatre Company. Now, I enjoy the giant public market that offers a vast selection of the freshest, most delicious food I could imagine. After picking out my favourite gelato, cheese, fruit or ethnic cuisine from inside the market, it is great to be able to wander around outside on the docks, staring at one of the best views of the city, or watching various street performers do whatever it is they do best. It would also be a shame to miss the pond where all the geese and ducks can be found, as it provides great photo-ops. To finish off the day, there is a great selection of restaurants that can be found scattered all throughout the gem that is Granville Island.

Whistler Village: I had the opportunity to visit whistler twice this summer. Once during the day to go bungee jumping, (See previous post for details!) and once overnight with my girlfriends to hit the town. Both times were so much fun! Especially since my experiences were full of great deals. First, I got to go bungee jumping with a groupon, which saved me 50% and got me a free T-shirt! Second, my friend’s sister happened to get us a great deal at a hotel in town that offered 50% off dinner in their very fancy restaurant if you arrived before 6. On a budget, as always, my friends and I were thrilled to experience both the gorgeous sites of the day, and the bumpin’ night life that left us with quite the hangover for the drive home. Don’t miss out on Garfinkel’s or any of the bachelor/bachelorette parties you happen to come across during your visit.

Richmond Night Market: Although I would like to say this way my idea, my boyfriend was definitely the one who was pushing for us to go. Getting lost three times on the way there and back didn’t manage to ruin the experience for us, as the night market was not like anything we had expected. I was thinking that the stands were going to be full of homemade products that hippies or homebodies had made, but we found that cellphone skins, socks, cheap jewelry and electronics were the big hits at this market! The food choices there were also very unique. We only tried the candy apples because we had eaten dinner with friends before we came, but we will for sure be back to try the deep-fried cheesecake, and the variety of different Asian Cuisines that were offered! My advice for you: Come hungry, and bring a map!

Downtown Vancouver: I must admit that I frequent downtown Vancouver on a regular basis. This summer alone I have gone downtown to work, party, meet friends’ new boyfriends, see Live @ Stanley Park, shop, and believe me I could hardly wait to get down there and see the damage done from the Stanley Cup Riots when I got home from Australia. However, since my guy had never rally had the opportunity to explore downtown, it was fun to take him down there and show him the sites. There is nothing quite like being on Granville street at nighttime. The lights and the noise make the experience fun, even in the most sober of situations. Yaletown is a great place to get lost, the sea-wall is full of fascinating views, and Davie street has some of the nicest, and rudest people you will ever encounter working as a promotions representative. Shopping downtown does not even compare to most places in British Columbia (Downtown Victoria is slowly becoming an exception), and the unlimited list of places you can eat, cuisines you can try and unique places you can drink leaves you with no choice but to enjoy yourself. I love this city.

 Kitsilano: Since an out of town guest from Australia was visiting, we decided to show him around Kits beach, in hopes that maybe it might compare to an Australian beach. Fortunately, the beach offers a great view of the city, and has the most amusing people rollerblading past as you take a stroll. I like this beach because of the sand it offers, compared to some of the beaches around here that are very rocky. Not too far away is yet another abundance of restaurants that will satisfy any appetite. The one that comes to mind is “The Eatery”, where hundreds of sushi types are offered, and one of the best restaurant atmospheres that I have experienced.

Although I have only worked with them for less than two weeks, I am already amazed by the empathy and intelligence that these kids express when working with animals. We teach them about animal welfare, cruelty investigations, pet care, exotic animals, farm animals, domestic animals, native animals, and everything in between; but it doesn’t matter how many points we go over, they are always curious with new questions, and anxious to know how they can help.

I expected the kids to want to take home the dogs and cats they meet, which they do, but I did not expect them to so eagerly be willing to participate in fundraisers, volunteer work, raising awareness, and expressing immense amounts of sympathy for the animals waiting to be adopted – all actions that are encouraged, but not required. The empathy that the kids are learning for the animals through discovery of common abuse, neglect and inadequate care in reflected in the way in which they treat one another throughout the week. I have noticed that as the week progresses, the kids begin to make more of an effort to include others, express kindness and share ideas. For example, I will be asked questions, and will not even get the chance to answer them before a fellow camper eagerly chimes in with their newly discovered knowledge. I truly believe that the experiences that these kids are taking part in will shape them to be better people. I also appreciate being able to express my views on animal rights to people that want to hear what I have to say, and want to know what they can do to help – because we all have the ability to help. They reassure me that my efforts to help animals are the right thing to do.

Not only am I amazed by the kids I work with, but obviously I enjoy the animals as well. The attention that the animals waiting for a home are craving is very sad, but being able to keep them company and show them love is something that I enjoy doing, something I enjoy teaching kids to do, and something that I enjoy watching kids do without the need to learn how to do it. They are genuinely concerned about facts such as the decline of older pet adoption rates, or the stereotypes pitbulls face. So concerned in fact, that they create “take action” projects on these subjects, trying to raise awareness, and working so hard on them that they insist on taking them home so they can work more and help more animals.

I can honestly say that this is the best job that I could ask for. I have so much pride in what I do, and I am so proud of the kids I get to work with. Get involved! You’ll love life a little more.

For more information about how you can get involved, please visit: www.spca.bc.ca

Our last day in Sydney was spent receiving a tour of Bondi Beach –  the final breathtaking beach of our tour. The long hike up to and through the  many different viewing points was well worth it. We even got  to see some  humpback whales in the wild. The final night was spent meeting  up with a few of our Contiki friends one last time  at  a great restaurant right in the harbour. We then went to meet up with our temporary roomies at a bar that was hosting trivia night. Before we showed up and won a giant case of beer for our team (which had conveniently been named the Boston Bruins prior to our arrival), Kirsten nearly got herself kicked out when she was caught sneaking her vodka into the bar. Of course she managed to not only sweet talk her way into staying, but keeping the vodka as well! We finished the night at a karaoke bar, where Kayleigh and roomie sang a fantastic duet to “A Whole New World”.

The next morning the boys were even nice enough to drive us to the airport to see us of – to the worst flight of our lives. It seemed that even “the sleeper” aka Kirsten had trouble taking a nap on that cramped 13-hour flight. However, we were all relieved to arrive safe and sound to Vancouver, especially to the hotties at customs. My Dad welcomed me back, while Kayleigh’s boyfriend not only surprised her with a bouquet, but gave Kirsten and I a rose each as well. It was a good welcoming.

Overall our trip was absolutely amazing. I’ll be in debt for an eternity, but it was worth every penny.