The Zhan Crew: 2017

Oct 8, 2017

Camping Addicts Journal

Outdoor October 08, 2017 0

In the past few weekends, my boyfriend and I traveled to three different state parks. We had so much fun exploring and being as primitive as we could. Here, let me show you each park we went to.

The first one was called the Stony Brook State Park. It is just a bit north of us, so the drive was not too bad. Our campsite was pretty secluded with only one family beside us. The campfire pit was amazing because it had a rack on it for us to cook our food. Talking about food, we have a selection of camping meals.

For Dinner

We brought our preprepared veggies including yellow peppers, red peppers, onions, and mushrooms. We found them in TOPS.
We also got two pieces of steaks. They were seasoned with black peppers and salt.

These two things were for dinner. Just simply put them on the rack and let them cook. If you want to cook them in a pan above the camp fire, that is fine, too.

For Breakfast

BACON, BACON, BACON (our favorite morning food when comes to camping)
Mashed potato, which needed to be heated up by a stove.

Our Drinks

V8, very healthy and keeps us away from hunger
Our coconut juice from Thailand, which can be found in the Asian food aisle in your local supermarket

Our second state park is called Allegany State Park, and we stayed at the Quaker area of the park. I would say this one was the most secluded campsite we had ever been on! There was no one beside us, and our campsite was surrounded by trees. We couldn't find firewood so we got charcoal instead and made delicious camp food out of it. The fire definitely lasted longer than campfire wood.

We just got back from our third state park: Cook Forest State Park. This state park has some really tall trees, and all the campsites are surrounded by them. It felt very wild and primitive. However, since Pennsylvania is known for its forests, many people from different states want to taste the nature of these forests. As you might conclude, this state park's campsite was not so secluded. Our campsite was surrounded by two families, but there were still a bit far from us.

I have some more videos of us cooking on the campfire. Here are some from Stony Brook.

A post shared by Lucie Arielle (@luciearielle) on Sep 10, 2017 at 12:20pm PDT

Sep 19, 2017

Driving Between The Borders

Travel September 19, 2017 0

We are the travelholics. Last weekend, we packed our road trip gears for another wonderful weekend! We drove through New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Yes, on the weekend, we drove through four different states! We also passed by the Catskill Mountains in New York. They are gorgeous. On the way back, we found another town called Kingston in New York. I went to school in Kingston, Ontario. These two towns are similar in some ways. Small towns and great people. We are thinking of going through these states later in the fall for the fall colours. The mountains will turn into red and orange. Can't wait for our next trip to New England!

Une publication partagée par Lucie Arielle (@luciearielle) le 18 Sept. 2017 à 17h31 PDT

Aug 31, 2017

The Progression of Being Hugged

Pets August 31, 2017 0

Our Super Cats - The Story of Jedie and Kedie

The progression of being hugged by the mama cat.

Stage 1: The Struggling

The struggling stage doesn't seem to bother Kedie. Look at his face! So calm. In the meanwhile, Jedie is trying to get away!

Stage 2: The Cray Cray

Yes, Jedie is the cray cray who tries his best to escape the scene.

Stage 3: The Take-A-Break Moment

Ah, no! Jedie is officially tired. In the meantime, Mr. Kedie is busy watching the stars above him.

Stage 4: The Escape

Ok! The Great Escape Round 2 is here! Jedie tries again, and Kedie just wants his picture taken.

Stage 5: The Falling and The Rising

Jedie tries to tell Kedie: I am the King. You are my subject. I get to jump off first. On the other hand, Kedie seems to be very confused what is above his head.

Stage 6: The King Jedie

Jedie has made it clear that he is the King, and he should have a solo photoshoot as Kedie continues to struggle.

THE END

Aug 29, 2017

Our Adventure in Pennsylvania Continues

Outdoor August 29, 2017 0

Our Adventure in Pennsylvania

Last weekend, we packed our clothes, sleeping bag, and cooking utensils for another amazing adventure in Pennsylvania. There is so much to see in Pennsylvania. On Friday night, we headed to Worlds End State Park to camp in our F150. We parked right beside the Loyalsock Creek. It was very dark out there and I was so terrified that wolves would suddenly appear to attack us. Well, I saw some rodents, interesting insects, and deer all around the Worlds End region.

Tips and tricks to camp inside your vehicle:

Need privacy? We bought a piece of fabric from Walmart that is thick and wide enough to cover up all the windows of our vehicle, except the windshield.

The windshield can be covered by the windshield shade. You can then cut the fabric into four pieces based on the size of your windows.
Then open up each window slightly, put each fabric into the slight opening, and close each window.

As for our truck F150, it is wide enough to fit a sleeping mat in the back seat area. Make sure all your back seats are up and push the front seats as far as possible to the front so that you can have more space in the back.
Get a sleeping bag and tah tah! That is how we camp!

Since we were so productive, we drove to Hamburg, PA. On the way, we passed by several interesting places such as Minersville, PA where houses are built so close to each other and residents have to park on the street. Hamburg is my favorite destination because it has my favorite store, Cabela's. I love the footwears at Cabela's. They are so cozy, and that is why I call it Coze-mart! The good thing in Pennsylvania is that there is no tax for shoes!

Aug 20, 2017

Tioga River Adventure

Outdoor August 20, 2017 0

Jimmy and Lusi's Adventure in Tioga River

Tioga River is a small river that runs between northern Pennsylvania and southwestern New York. The river is shallow for most parts. Some parts of the river are more like streams with rapid currents. It is a great river for kayaking. Our inflatable boat with a trolling motor only worked well for the slightly deeper parts of the river. For the shallow parts, we had to pull the boat and walk against the current. The bottom of the river is very stony, but our feet and the boat survived the 2-hour walk. Jimmy is a great crayfish catcher. He caught more than 20 crayfish, and he decided to keep them as pets in his aquarium. He also caught a froglet on the way back. When we were not pulling the boat, I had a good tan drifting on the Tioga River. It was nice to be surrounded by nature and chirping birds. I had a good time with my love. Here, I have uploaded some pictures and a video for you to enjoy.

Aug 15, 2017

Watkins Glen State Park

Outdoor August 15, 2017 0

Enjoy exploring the Watkins Glen State Park

Couple weeks ago, we discovered some very beautiful trails in the Watkins Glen State Park. It was such a great experience to walk through nature and breathe in the fresh air in the mountains. It was raining when we visited the park several weeks ago. That was my first time ever to walk in the rain surrounded by waterfalls and rocky mountains.

We started from the main entrance and we hiked the entire state park (including traveling back to the parking lot) in the rain for more than two hours (roughly 10 miles) while enjoying the beauty of our mother nature. We used the Gorge Trail in Watkins Glen. This trail is the one with all the beautiful waterfalls and mountains! Occasionally, there are waterfalls coming down from the mountains and you can walk through them. Jimmy took these opportunities to wash his feet. The waterfalls made me feel so relaxed and the sound of these falls felt like music in my ears. This is certainly the best place for physical exercise.

Here are some pictures, a video, and a map for you to view! Definitely, put this place on your bucket list!

Aug 8, 2017

Simple Fish Dinner Recipe for Busy Weekdays

Healthy August 08, 2017 0

So how to make some simple fish dinner?

The ingredients

Fillets -- You can get these at Walmart in the frozen section.
Beans -- You can also get these at Walmart in the frozen section.
Lemon -- half a lemon for each plate
Avacado -- a full-size avocado
Salt and black pepper --- for the taste
Butter -- adequate amount of butter based on the amount of fish being cooked
Olive oil

Directions

Add olive oil to your pan and make sure the oil thinly covers the pan
Put in the frozen fillets (amount of your choice)
Put in some packaged frozen beans
Put the butter in
Put salt and black pepper on each side of your fillets and over the beans
Now wait and let it cook for a few minutes and in the meantime, flip the fillets several times
Wait until the fillets turn to white instead of translucent and you know your dinner is almost done!
When both beans and the fillets are done, take them out and display them on the plate.
Cut a lemon in half and display one-half on the plate (make sure you squeeze the lemon juice out when you are eating your fish)
Cut an avocado to half and peel off its skin and display them on the plate
Enjoy!

Voila! Here is your healthy dinner for your healthy lifestyle even during the busy weekdays!

Aug 6, 2017

Floating on Lake Huron

Outdoor August 06, 2017 0

The Best Lake Journey at Lake Huron, ON, Canada

Welcome aboard to Ontario's best ferry Chi-Cheemaun! This is us entering the parking area on the ferry. It is so unbelievable how many vehicles it can take in. The ferry trip costs about $77 CAD. I know it is an expensive ride but it is definitely worth it!

Going up from the parking area and these are the stairs that lead to the majestic view of the Great Lake. As you can tell from here, the ship is gigantic (definitely seaworthy). It has several floors. It feels like a concrete building on the lake. I totally loved the ship and I wish I could live on it!

Here is a view of this gigantic ship. According to Wikipedia, this ship is 111 m (364 ft) with a 19 m (62 ft) beam and has a capacity of 648 passengers and 143 vehicles, including room for large highway vehicles such as buses and transport trucks. How impressive!

Here is the front view of the ship with an Ontario flag in the middle! I love my home province!

Look at the blue lake. How clean! I haven't seen a lake so clean like this one! I even collected some water samples from Lake Huron! Well, the water is bland, which means it is clean and chemical-free!

Here we go again! The vast blue lake of Ontario (Michigan as well). The blue lake and the blue sky are a perfect combination. I stayed mostly on the deck of the ship to take in all the fresh air.

A man trying to feed a smart seagull floating above the ship looking for human food. This guy actually started a trend of feeding this seagull. I captured the moment that the seagull was picking up the food from the man.

Just listen to the sound of the ship traveling on the lake and look into the vast body of this lake. I have to thank my boyfriend for taking me there. We later traveled to Sudbury on the way back home. It was a nice boating journey!

You can read more about the majestic ship, Chi-Cheemaun, here.

Aug 5, 2017

Lusi Goes to Sabrina's Wedding

Trending August 05, 2017 0

Sabrina and Peter Tied the Knot

My best friend since high school, Sabrina, just got married (08/05/2017). I am so happy for her and that is the kind of happiness beyond words can express. We had a lot of good times together back in high school. It was basically Sabrina and Lusi against high school and everything else. Look at her today! She is married. Time passes by so fast!

Sabrina is a fun and loving person. I feel so grateful to have her in my life. She always listens to my concerns in life and tries to make me happy. Throughout the years, she has given me some very good advice from school to relationships. I loved our adventures in downtown Toronto, our movie nights, our visits to Quiznos (portobello mushroom), and that one time when we had to study for our final high school exams at the Toronto Reference Library! I also learned a lot about bands like System of A Down, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Nightwish from her. She is a full-time cat lover just like me. She had at least three cats when she lived with her parents. As life went on, Sabrina made more friends in university and she introduced them to me. Our circle of friends grew!

Look at the food we had at Brina's wedding! I got a piece of chicken and a piece of steak at the same time. I told Brina a long time ago to get married soon so that I can enjoy all the great food at her wedding. Well, she certainly didn't disappoint me! Although I had so much food already, the cheesecake at the end was not left out. Oh look, Sabrina and Peter's wedding cake!

Aug 2, 2017

Singing Not Me, Not I on Smule

Trending August 02, 2017 1

Smule has many songs that you can choose from to sing with. Sometimes you can even sing with celebrities. I paid an annual fee so that I have the access to all the songs on the app.

Here is my cover of Delta Goodrem's Not me, Not I. This song was released after Delta was diagnosed with cancer. She definitely suffered a lot, but she never gave up her singing career. It only made her stronger. Today, she is a glowing superstar in Australia. Sometimes, I can hear her song "In this Life" playing in both American and Canadian grocery stores. She is such a great inspiration! Below, we have Delta performing her song "Be Strong". The lyrics are beautiful!

"No you're not defeated

And soon you'll be smiling once again

Then you won't have to feel it

Let it go with the wind

Time passes us by

And know that you're aloud to cry"

Jul 31, 2017

Healthy and Simple Breakfast

Healthy July 31, 2017 0

How to make simple and healthy breakfast in the early morning?

In my yogurt parfait

- Choose your favorite yogurt (vanilla, peach, strawberry, etc.)
- Choose your own fruits (in my case, I got raspberries and blueberries. Strawberries are also ok.)
- Granola (choose your own brand such as Quaker)

Mix them together. I got my yogurt parfait like the ones I bought from Starbucks and Tim Hortons.

On the said, you can toast some bread or waffles as more solid food.

There! It only took me 5 minutes to get everything ready for the busy mornings.

Also, don't forget that morning coffee! Ready to go to work!

Jul 27, 2017

HIMYM Field Trip in NYC

Travel July 27, 2017 0

My boyfriend and I are addicted to HIMYM and we watch several episodes per night. I know it is time to move on to some other shows, but man, we just can't stop watching the show. Since we love How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) so much, we decided to do a HIMYM field trip in NYC.

HIMYM Field Trip Guide

#1 Times Square

Just get into the mood of NYC. Go to Times Square to hang out with the crowd and the lights.

#2 McGee's Pub

Address: 240 W 55th St, New York, NY 10019

McLaren's was based on McGee's in NYC because the creators of the show used to hang out there. If you are a big HIMYM fan like me, you can't miss this place. The food is delicious (I am sure, although I just had some chicken wings and onion soup) and the place has the fastest service. The drink menu is based on HIMYM.

#3 Ontario Bar LLC

Address: 559 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Remember Robin's Canadian bar Hoser Hut? Ok, it actually exists in NYC. We didn't get a chance to go in there, but I know this place is super amazing. Feels Canadian already, eh!

#4 Empire State Building

Address: 350 5th Ave, New York, NY 10118

Remember that episode when Barney shows off his playbook and the part "He is not coming" to pick up women? We didn't visit the place this time but I covered this part in 2012. Good times!

#5 New Jersey

NYC is right next to New Jersey. Since they are having an argument about NY and NJ, why don't you check out NJ yourself?

Une publication partagée par Lucie (@luciearielle) le 18 Juil. 2017 à 6h06 PDT