A little Holiday Reading: First Published Feature Story in Fernwood NRG’s Village Vibe!

It’s been a pretty busy last few months for me. Between new projects, a computer meltdown and starting a new position as Social Media/Web Producer for CTV Vancouver Island, I pushed aside blogging on my own endeavors for the time being.

But, I wanted to come back with some exciting news just in time for the holidays and into the New Year. It’s a new direction for me in an effort to build up the magazine/print publication section of my portfolio and I’m very excited about it! It started in November and I now have long-term plans in place to be a featured contributing writer for Fernwood NRG’s Village Vibe newspaper! It’s the free newspaper for Victoria’s Fernwood neighborhood that comes out every two months and it keeps Fernwood residents updated on everything that is going on in their neighborhood, from new stores opening to construction projects and events.

I wanted to share with you a little light holiday reading: my first published feature article for the Village Vibe. It’s featured in the December issue and it’s on the construction of Victoria High School’s new extension and the history of Fairey Tech, the technical unit that the high school had for over sixty years.

I hope you enjoy the article and rest assured, I’ll be back with more posts on great places I’ve traveled to, great events and experiences I’ve had, including more articles from Village Vibe!

Enjoy and have a great holiday season!

-Lilian

(When the window opens, flip to page 4 for the article)

Open publication – Free publishing

Is The Album Cover-Art a Dying Art Form? (via Leading Us Absurd)

Great post I just read recently, it raises some very interesting points on the evolution or de-evolution if you will, of album art today.

I personally think that there is definitely a lack of creativity with album art and certainly, in many cases it may not reflect the thoughts or feelings of the artist(s) themselves.

  I recently read an article in the New York Times that discussed the shrinking of album artwork. The piece argued that elaborate cover art seems to be out of fashion, and its in place artists are opting for simple designs that can be fully seen on computers and iPods. The close-up of Lady Gaga's face for Born This Way, and the Red Hot Chili Pepper's fly on a pill for I'm With You were cited as examples. While cover-art certainly isn't indic … Read More

via Leading Us Absurd

Band, Bubbles and Bennys: Victoria Taste Festival’s Premier Brunch at Vista 18

Since I stepped into Vista 18 the first time and sat down to a delicious brunch with a seemingly endless mug of coffee, it has become one of my favorite restaurants. A great spot for a glass of wine or cocktail, listening to jazz bands or a lone singer strumming his guitar while enjoying a panoramic view of the downtown core; Vista 18 had been an after dinner spot for myself and my partner on more than one occasion.

When I heard that Vista 18 was hosting the ‘Band, Bubbles and Bennys’ brunch event as part of the Victoria Taste Festival in late July, I grabbed a ticket right away and made sure to get there early enough to grab a good seat.

The band was just warming up as we took our seats and were waiting for the first course. Sitting at a table that included Gigi Seals, Executive Director of the BC Wild Salmon Council was a treat in of itself, as she regaled the table with stories of all the restaurants she’d been to and well-known chefs that she spoke to.

The first course was a delicious glass of pickled watermelon, paired with my favorite white wine of the day, See You Later Ranch Brut. It wasn’t too dry and had a citrus finish. We then moved to a mixed fruit and French vanilla yogurt parfait, complete with lavender and a little granola. This was paired with Sea Cider Pippins, which I tolerated but wasn’t my favorite as I don’t enjoy dry cider.

For the main course, I chose the Eggs Benedict with beef short rib and whiskey BBQ hollandaise sauce. I’d never had Eggs Benedict with short ribs before but it was amazing, tender enough to just melt in my mouth. The main course was paired with Vigneti Zanatta Glenora Fantasia Brut, a sparkling white wine that I put as number three on my list of favorite wines for the day.

In between courses, our table chatted about everything from fishing to remodeling homes and restaurants. The band played jazzy tunes and big band hits in the background as we chatted, adding to the comfortable, yet sophisticated atmosphere I’d come to expect from Vista 18.

For dessert, we were treated to a strawberry stuffed with dark chocolate mousse(one of my guilty pleasures) paired with hazelnut shortbread and Elephant Island ‘Pink Elephant’, a deep red wine with Granny smith apple cuvee and cassis dosage. It was delicious and it became my second favorite wine of the day, one that I will definitely order again.

Overall, it was a great brunch experience at Vista 18 and for me, a successful return trip to one of my favorite restaurants in the city.

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Lilian Sue-In Retrospect Writing Services, Owner & Operator

Elegant Comfort and Luxurious Service: Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Empress

Since moving to Victoria, the Empress has become one of my annual stops during the Christmas Season for the Festival of Trees. Although my partner and I heard many good reviews about the Empress’s restaurants as well as high tea, we’d never gotten an opportunity to try any of it until very recently.

About a month and a half ago, I was personally invited to afternoon tea at the Empress by none other than the Empress’s Director of Sales & Marketing, Angela Rafuse-Tahir. I had some idea of what I’d be experiencing, thanks to afternoon tea with Princess Cruises, so I gladly accepted the invite to experience not only the Empress’s claim to fame, but one of Victoria’s as well.

As I walked into the dining room with Angela, I was immediately taken with the antique vintage furniture, tapestries and the most beautiful wing back chairs that I’d ever seen. We were seated in comfortable armchairs next to the picturesque windows with a gorgeous view of the Inner Harbour on a bright sunny day.

The Afternoon Tea menu started with an elegant glass of strawberries and whipped cream and we were treated to a pot of the famous Empress blend of tea. The Empress blend was created exclusively for The Fairmont Empress by the Metropolitan Tea Company. It was a delicious and smooth tea and I discovered later that it contained components of several different estates including Assam (thick malty and full bodied), Kenya (floral-like flavor and a golden coppery infusion), South India (superb fruity and sprightly flavor), Ceylon (airy, almost piquant flavor), and China (burgundy depth with light oaky notes), which explained its complexity and uniqueness in flavor which I’ve never tasted in another tea.

As Angela and I chatted, we were served an array of delicious food, arranged on a beautiful silver three-tier tray. On the bottom tier were various sandwiches, ranging from smoked salmon and cream cheese to egg salad. On the middle tier, were the Empress’s signature scones with jam and cream while the top tier contained various sweet cakes, from vanilla-chocolate cake with marzipan, rose petal shortbread and delectable homemade truffles.

I also learned several interesting facts about tea culture at the Empress. Afternoon Tea was started by the Duchess of Bedford in the 18th century when she had a “sinking” feeling in the afternoon. She had her chef prepare a little meal with tea, and soon it became known as Afternoon Tea. In 1908, the restoration of the hotel’s original floor took place and the wood of the original floor was turned into tea lobby tables, so one may say you’re eating off the floor. Nearly 100,000 guests are served tea annually with an estimated 500,000 cups of tea and several notable guests have attended Afternoon tea including Spencer Tracy, Queen Elizabeth II, Sarah McLachlan and Shirley Temple.

Angela had also been gracious enough to give me a personalized tour of the Fairmont Gold lobby and evening lounge, an exclusive experience available with select packages at the Empress. With Fairmont Gold, guests have access to a private check-in lobby on the second floor, dedicated concierge, an honor bar in the exclusive Fairmont Gold lounge and daily breakfast and evening hors d’ oeuvres. Although I didn’t get a chance to see any of the suites as they were all booked, the lounge and private check-in lobby were indeed the epitome of exquisite luxury and proof that the Fairmont Empress goes above and beyond to ensure that their guests have the best experience possible.

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Lilian Sue-In Retrospect Writing Services, Owner & Operator

From Brunch and Wine to Traveling and Marketing: Changes on the Way

I wanted to take this opportunity to update you all on new developments and projects as well as blog posts that I’m working on, that will be coming your way in the near future.

In the coming weeks, you’ll be seeing blog posts on the Taste Victoria brunch at Vista 18, afternoon tea at the Empress as well as reviews of the eye-opening documentary ‘Art & Copy’ on the advertising industry and Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point (if you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend it, it’s a real eye-opener).

I’ll also be talking about my experiences on one of Wilson’s Tours newest walking tours, ‘Saloons, Scandals & Sweets’ as well as my first trip up island to the Courtenay/Comox area and stay at the luxurious Old House Village Hotel & Spa.

In the meantime, I’d like to tell you all about a new venture of mine that I’ve recently started on. A few months ago, I mentioned in a previous blog post that I’m expanding my list of writing services for clients to include tourism/travel writing, PR, blogging and social media.

Well, slowly, I’ve started writing more travel articles and have since expanded the list of other websites where you can view some of my work:

 

Trip Advisor

Sante Spa: The Best in Luxurious Treatments & Environment

My review of my one-of-a-kind spa treatment at Sante Spa Victoria at Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa

Eagle Wing Whale Watching: Searching for the Whales

My review of my first-ever experience going whale watching with Eagle Wing Whale Watching Tours in Victoria, BC

Boatswain’s Beach Adventure Park & Turtle Farm, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Visiting with sea turtles on excursion at Grand Cayman during a Princess Cruises Caribbean cruise

Dolphin Discovery, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Part two of my shore excursion in Grand Cayman, swimming with the dolphins.

Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, Las Vegas, NV

My first trip to Madame Tussaud’s in Las Vegas.

 

Tourism BC Blog

Discovering China & Botanical Beaches

How some friends and I discovered China and Botanical Beaches along the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail

A Historical Gem: Filberg Heritage Lodge & Park

My journey through Filberg Heritage Lodge & Park during my first time in Comox.

 

Big Time Tours (Online Community for Tourism/Travel Writers)

Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Resort & Spa, Parksville, BC

My experiences at Tigh-Na-Mara’s Grotto Spa and Treetop Tapas Lounge.

Scuba Diving for the First Time, Victoria, BC

Learning how to scuba dive from Wilson Diving.

I plan on building on this list as I continue to write more articles about tourism, accommodations, attractions and events out there. Currently, I’m also working on a couple of pieces for Life As A Human.com, which I will post to the Online Writing section of my blog once they have been approved.

I won’t reveal too much of what else I’m working on, however, I will say that I’ve also turned some of my attention to writing for magazines and here’s to hoping that I will have further published articles to share with you in the near future.

As always, thank you for your continued readership and support

 

Sincerely,

Lilian Sue-In Retrospect Writing Service, Owner & Operator.

The Art Form of Drinking Tea: Silk Road Tea’s Tea Workshop for Victoria Taste

Growing up in a traditional Chinese family, I was exposed to tea and its health benefits at a very early age. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve taken a liking to different types of green and black teas as well as fruit teas and I regularly drink several different types at home.

However, tea ceremonies and techniques for drinking tea weren’t a regular part of my upbringing; we’d only ever conducted the traditional wedding Chinese tea ceremony as a family so when I heard that Silk Road was holding a Tea workshop on the techniques of drinking tea; as part of Victoria Taste Festival I decided to sign up.

The tea workshop was run by Daniela Cubelic, the owner of Silk Road Tea and there was about twenty of us sitting around the bar with trays that contained four tea cups in front of each of us. We each also had four smaller tea cups filled with two different types of tea leaves and four larger cups on a tray with each type of tea leaf pre-soaked with water.

We tasted and smelled the tea of two different grades of Japanese Sencha green tea and Chinese Keemun black tea. From looking at the dry tea leaves, we learned that the shine as well as the size and uniform look of the leaves dictates whether the tea is high or low quality. One of the Keemun teas contained a mix of shiny higher-quality leaves as well as what looked like tree bark. According to Daniela, some tea manufacturers would mix higher quality leaves with lower quality in order to raise the quality of their teas and sell it for a premium price.

We also learned that green and black tea leaves are harvested from the same bush and it is the oxidation and drying processes that turn the tea leaves black. If the oxidation or drying process is done incorrectly, it can cause the leaves to become moldy, which can lead to the tea tasting bitter.

 In order to taste the subtle nuances between different types of tea, Daniela taught the group the technique for proper tea tasting.

• Cup your hand over the tea cup to smell the brewed tea
• Take a sip of the tea and gently swirl it in your mouth
• Take four or five deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling while the tea is in your mouth
• Swallow accordingly

Daniela also gave us some fun facts about tea as well, like how the British came to put milk in their tea. Apparently, the Chinese sold the British the lowest quality tea leaves and when the British started drinking tea, they found that adding milk cut through the bitterness and they became accustomed to the taste. The British started growing tea plants that specifically produced more bitter tea leaves in order to keep that taste.

Not only was the workshop educational, I also learned more about the nuances and techniques behind a beverage of my childhood, one that has also been the cornerstone of Chinese culture for thousands of years.

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Exploring the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail: Discovering China and Botanical Beach

Although I’ve lived in Victoria off and on for the last three years, I’ve never had many chances to explore the rest of the island. Sure, there was a drive up to Jordan River once, a romantic getaway to Nanaimo, but by and large, I hadn’t seen much of Vancouver Island. I haven’t even seen Tofino in 17 years.

So when the suggestion came from good friends of ours to do an excursion to check out the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail and China Beach, my partner and I jumped at the chance. Living in Victoria means a definite lack of sandy and warm beaches and I’d heard great things about China Beach, so it was a great idea.  We made the trek out to Juan de Fuca Provincial Park early one weekend and walked down a short trail to get to Botanical Beach.

Although Botanical Beach wasn’t our first choice, it was beautiful, like stepping into another world. Growing up in a big city, I have a tendency to categorize beaches into two different types: rocky and hard or sandy and warm. Botanical Beach turned out to be neither of those, but it was still gorgeous and it also supports many smaller ecosystems.

We could walk on the rocks during low tide and although they were covered with various types of seaweed, you could still see that the rocks had been polished, made smooth by the tides crashing in. The waves had even carved cliffs out of the rock overhangs on the beach, with trees majestically overlooking the beach.

Walking just a few feet away from the entrance to the trail led us to a completely different world. Although the rocks were also smooth as though they were carved and sculpted by the waves, the rocks had a porous quality to them. Instead of the dark rocks we saw when we first left the trail, the rock in this section of the beach was sandstone; layers upon layers of rock grains that were compressed to form slabs.

The sandstone rocks also contained several depressions, some of them quite deep, filled with water that the ongoing tide couldn’t displace. These tidal pools are home to some of the most unique ecosystems I’ve ever seen up close and personal. Filled with mussels and other shells, hermit crabs and plant life, it was one of the most unique things I’ve ever had the opportunity to take a photo of.

China Beach, our second stop, was different from Botanical Beach, almost like night and day. Though the water was cold, China Beach was home to the soft sandy beaches and white driftwood that everyone associates with the perfect beach. It was the kind of beach I’d like to set up a clambake and evening bonfire on with a few good friends.

It was a great trip to see some of Vancouver Island’s best beaches and next time, I’d like to go back to China Beach and if possible, have a nice picnic meal with friends and watch the waves crash against the shoreline.

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A Taste of Spain in Our Own Backyard: Dinner at The Tapa Bar

Although my partner and I have dined at several amazing restaurants in Victoria, more often than not, we would eat at a particular restaurant once; enjoy the experience, but still move on to next one on our list.

One Saturday night, however, we decided to re-visit a restaurant that became a favorite after our first time there over a year ago. Seeing how busy The Tapa Bar in Trounce Alley was on that Saturday night wasn’t surprising, it’s always been busy every time we walked by.

We waited about ten minutes before being seated at the bar inside, enjoying mojitos and a glass of white wine sangria before being seated outside on the patio.

It was warmer than most nights, even with the heat lamps and we decided to order just a few tapas plus a pizza.

The Veggie Cubanette was an open-faced sandwich with avocado, tomato salsa, beans and Portobello mushrooms. If you’ve never had grilled Portobello mushrooms, I highly recommend it. I can still taste that smoky, meaty flavor in my mouth, it’s absolutely amazing.

We also ordered the pollo de ajillo, garlic chicken wings that were served with bread. The amount of salt on the wings was good and the fragrant garlic was great to dip the bread into as a sauce.
Our last course was the pesto pizza, made with cilantro pesto, walnuts and green apples. Though I usually love pesto, I found that cilantro pesto was a little overpowering, the peppery flavor overwhelming everything else. It was also a little unusual to have walnuts on a pizza, but since we already ordered chicken wings, I wanted to try something different from the smoked chicken pizza.

In spite of the pizza, I’d say that overall, our second time at the Tapa Bar was still positive. The food, as always, is delicious and their drinks are creative. I don’t think I’ve had a glass of white wine sangria that I’ve enjoyed so much before.

It’s definitely a spot I’d want to introduce our friends to next time around.

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On Expedition with Great Pacific Adventures: Searching for Whales by the San Juan Islands

On my first whale watching adventure with Eagle Wing Whale Watching Tours, we followed the trail of a pod of transient orcas out to Sidney and Dock Island and I came back with some fantastic photos and the great experience of being able to see transient orcas up close and personal.

On my second whale-watching expedition, the search for whales took a different route. Thanks to a great Groupon deal, my partner and I were able to hop onto Great Pacific Adventures’ 45-foot Ocean Cruiser.  Settling into the comfortable bench seating inside the boat with a cup of coffee, we watched as fifteen to twenty foot waves crashed against the windows as Captain Jo-Anne steered the boat out of the Inner Harbour and into open water.

We stopped at Trial Island and once again, I saw several harbor seals relaxing on the rocks. However, unlike my first time to Trial Island with Eagle Wing, there were more seal pups lying on the rocks as well. We stayed by the seals for a little while and as we left Trial Island, my partner and I stood out on the back deck of the boat and admired the view.

We walked back inside as the wind picked up and when we took our seats, the fifteen foot waves started crashing into the windows once again. Captain Jo-Anne and the crew tell us that we’ve received a tip that J pod, one of the three resident orca pods around Vancouver Island and the West Coast were spotted around the San Juan Islands.

As the boat crossed the border and drew closer to the islands, my partner and I sipped our coffee and watched the sun glisten off the waves. We managed to catch up to J pod by one of the islands and as the boat stopped, we walked out onto the back deck and managed to see two fins pop up above the water line. Because US regulations state that all whale watching boats need to stay 200 yards away from the whales, we were only able to see fins rise above the water occasionally as the boat drifted along the currents.

Overall, it was a fun experience with Great Pacific Adventures; but I would’ve liked to see more whales and other wildlife closer to the boat for more photo opportunities.

 

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A Slice of Strawberry Shortcake and a Walk around the Lagoon: Spending the Day With Strawberry Tea and Hatley Castle

A few weeks ago, I was perusing the Tourism Victoria events calendar looking for events to attend with new friends of mine; when I stumbled upon the Strawberry Tea event being held at the Christ of Our Lord Church.

I’d seen the Christ of Our Lord several times in passing and the original Gothic-style architecture drew me to it even before we walked inside. Originally built in 1876, Christ of Our Lord is the oldest church in Victoria, but you’d never known it with the way it has been beautifully restored. The Cridge Memorial Hall has even been restored to the original design of renowned architect Samuel Maclure.

The four of us walked into the church and were seated at a table with beautiful, intricate china cups, plates and saucers and given enormous slices of one of the most delicious strawberry shortcakes I’d ever eaten. Paired with a great tea that contained a hint of strawberries, it was a great way to spend the early afternoon.

We left the church and decided to pay a visit to Royal Road University and Hatley Castle. It’d been three years since I’d last been to RRU, last time I visited was as an employee, but I was happy to see that it was still as peaceful and tranquil as I remembered.

We spent some time taking photos of the Lagoon and enjoying the castle grounds. Unfortunately, there was a wedding at the castle that day and my partner and I were unable to show our friends the full beauty of Hatley Castle’s gardens. But we plan to return there soon to show them exactly why out of all of the places I’ve ever worked in, RRU will always be my favorite environment. 

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