Akon and Usher - Rogers Arena- May 25, 2011

 This is a concert I went to for nostalgia's sake since I liked 1997-2004 Usher. It was so hard to get tickets to this show but I persevered and finally found cheap balcony seats. The view wasn't the best but for $40, who can complain?

I couldn't get any good pictures of Akon but I did enjoy his set, rather surprisingly as I'm not really a fan. It was very upbeat.

On to Usher: this is probably the show with the most theatrics that I have ever been to! Usher is an amazing dancer, just amazing! I loved his homage to Michael Jackson, Moonwalk and all!Those fireworks that kept going off made me jump every time!

All in all, it was a good show. Listening to his oldies made us all forget about the rainstorm outside!

Black Bean Chicken Curry

It's been so long since I updated my blog! May was a crazy month for me as I moved into a new place. I've finally settled down so I have more time to cook.

I adapted my recipe from here, the only difference being I marinaded the chicken overnight with a jerk chicken marinade that I have had in my fridge for months! It turned out pretty well, very spicy.

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. New York Red Bulls - May 28, 2011

Happy birthday Steph:)

Steph and I had been looking forward to this match for months! We were really excited to see Thierry Henry play. I've been a fan of his since High School and he's one of the main reasons I support Les Bleus. Mais malheureusement, it was not meant to be. Henry got injured so he missed the trip to Vancouver.

This is the first time I'd seen the Whitecaps play since they entered the MLS and the first time I'd seen them play at the Empire Field. I was in total awe at the size of the crowd. When I first moved to Vancouver I lamented the fact that people in general didn't like soccer here. Well, things have obviously changed! It was such a great environment to watch the game and my disappointment about Henry not being there left as soon as the game kicked off.

We were awarded a penalty.

Some guy went up to take it

He scored! And my fantastic camera captured the moment:)

Cue the celebrations

It ended up being a tied game (1-1) because the ref was clearly on the Red Bull's side (*bitter post!*) but I had a great time:)

Baked Zucchini with Herbes de Provence

Like I've said before, zucchinis are one of the best vegetables ever! I know I got into them a bit late but I'm making up for lost time!

My friend told me about les herbes de Provence, which is a mixture of dried herbs that originated in France. I have some lavender flowers which I didn't know what to do with so I made my own mix.

Herbes de Provence

1 tsp each of dried lavender, thyme, rosemary, and marjoram. 

I sprinkled the mix on top of thinly sliced zucchini. I added some olive oil, mixed everything together and baked it until cooked. The lavender gave it an unusual smell and I loved the taste over-all!