janet kwan photography

Food review: Liberty Burgers & Wings

Janet — Sun, 06 May 2012 06:46:18 +0000

I was lucky to be invited again to take photos for a second food review. Taking pictures of what I eat?? That’s me in my element. As with many Asians who do the same. I’m surprised I’m not on this blog too.

We drove up to Main St. Markham (Hwy 48) to try out Liberty Burgers & Wings.

Read our review.

Mmmmm juicy burger

Great onion rings. Light crispy batter, just the way I like it

Pitaya

Janet — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:00:53 +0000

I was recently introduced to a pitaya. My mom said it was a “dragon ball fruit”. Directly translated in Chinese, it’s “fire dragon fruit”. The outside does look like a fireball from Dragon Ball. Flames and all.

The pitaya doesn’t really have a strong scent. The texture is similar to that of a kiwi. Not really sweet but definitely not sour. I think I smelled a very faint hint of starfruit. I think it would be nice to use this to tone down really strong flavours. If you’re feeling adventurous, try it and let me know what you think

[Credit: Wikipedia]

Food review: Harry’s Drive-In

Janet — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 23:48:07 +0000

Last week, I had the opportunity to take photos for my friend, John, who was writing a food review for BlogTO. I won’t go into detail about the food, except that my favourite part of the meal was the strawberry milkshake.

Check out the review

Book report: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns)

Janet — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 02:19:03 +0000

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns) – Mindy Kaling

You may know her as Kelly Kapoor from The Office (one of my favourite and frequently-quoted TV shows). She’s also one of the writers/directors, so the jokes on the show? Yup, she wrote them. Which shows in this whimsical semi-autobiography. It’s not just a telling of her life from childhood. It’s a collection of stories, thoughts and, as she puts it, mini-essays.

Before picking up the book, I thought all I would hear was Kelly Kapoor’s voice in my head. At times, she was there but for the most part, I felt like Mindy was just chatting about her observations and life lessons she’d learned. She talks about her childhood, being chubby, family, friends, love and career struggles. Things that, you know, normal non-Hollywood people think about. And in between her funny anecdotes, she inserts a bit of serious talk in a light-hearted way. I was pleasantly surprised.

One last thing I noticed was that I talk and think like her in some ways. I know. I was shocked too. Oh well

For more hilarity, read an excerpt from her book or check out her website.

Next up:
Bossypants – Tina Fey
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking – Susan Cain

Side project

Janet — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 04:45:45 +0000

When 2012 started, I decided to try something new. New to me, anyway. The idea is definitely not. I started taking a photo a day with my iPhone. Mainly because I want to remember the eventful days and the seemingly uneventful ones. It’s easy to keep up with it when there’s “something” to take a picture of but it’s the ordinary days that require some creativity. And discipline. I’ve long sinced failed to keep up with it daily but I still try. I want to remember the big and small things that happen this year and the people who are on this adventure with me. It is by no means a documentary but just a collection of snapshots. Like Instagram. Without the filters.

Jan was here.