Conference Swag!

Conferences are great opportunities to learn and to network but I can’t deny that one of the things I like about them is also the variety of conference swag. Biomedical and biotechnology companies give out a lot of quality office supplies and other knick-knacks and I’ve found that with a few well-placed stickers, this stuff can look quite cute and pretty too. 

Before...

After! Of course, their original purpose of advertising for the company is lost but...oh well. ;)

This was one of my favorite notebooks. Doesn't it have a lululemon inspirational feel?

Really, this was the only word missing. :)

For the Love of Carrot Cake...

I have noticed lately that all my posts currently involve some form of food. My papers and punches are collecting dust as I’m spending more of my time in the kitchen with friends. Food is something that brings people together and I find it interesting that during a recent conversation about my friends’ dream homes, every one of them wanted a large kitchen island as a hub for entertaining.

This rather interesting creation should have been posted a long time ago. My friend Casey’s birthday is on Valentine’s day and he once jokingly told us that in the past, it was difficult to find friends to celebrate with him because so often, they are out with their significant others. Well, our church fellowship group was planning on meeting up that weekend to watch sports anyway so Amy, Emily, Tim and I decided to bake a cake to celebrate him gaining another year on his dish. ;)

This carrot cake recipe has been described as “the best carrot cake I have ever had” by more than one person. It was also an excellent way to put more vegetables in the diets of the guys of our group.

Since the gathering was in the evening, our plan was to bake the cake in the afternoon and bring it out as a surprise. Unfortunately, we were off to a slow start and so had barely managed to finish the baking portion before Casey arrived. The assembly and decorating of the cake is a comedic story involving a cramped laundry room, a mess of icing and multiple attempts at breaking away from the group without being noticed.  Oh the things we do for our friends… J

We got this recipe from here. I'm sure this is not going to be the last time we make this!

Match Day! (Belated...)

Match Day. Two words that strike both extreme anxiety and excitement in the heart of any graduating medical student in Canada. After months of labouring over application forms and sweating at interviews, it’s the day that you find out what residency program you have been matched to.

This year, it was March 2nd and my friend Nissi, decided to congratulate all her friends who matched with this creative and cute little gift:

My match day was a long time ago but she decided to make me one too to thank me for giving her all the cardstock that she used for this project. (I saw it on sale at Michaels and just couldn’t resist!) Her calligraphy is beautiful and whenever I see her work, I want to take up lettering. Maybe one day, I will actually follow through…