Through the eyes of Suzy...

 Everyone dreams about traveling and exploring new cities around the world. Other than the obvious reason of wanting to escape the endless amount of work hours and stress of every day life, why else do people want to travel? Here are five reasons why:

 1. It's a new challenge: What's better than leaving your comfort zone and taking on a new challenge? Many people love to face and enjoy the challenges of traveling in a new place. For people who are drowning in their daily routine, traveling may seem like a good idea.

 2. You get to learn about yourself: If you are never put in a position that forces you to think on your feet and protect yourself, you will never know how truly independent you can be. When traveling, you become very self-aware and self-sufficient.

 3. Expand Your Knowledge: You know how sometimes you feel as if you know enough in your life? For instance, after I finished my university final exams I felt as if I knew enough things to last me months, until I began traveling during the summer and realized that academic knowledge is nothing compared to the things I can learn while exploring the world.

 4. It gives you stories to tell: Traveling makes it extremely easy to grab the interest of people when you meet new people. When you have countless unusual stories from your traveling days, it becomes a piece of cake to sound interesting!

 5. It widens your understanding of other cultures: You may be well-aware of other cultures out there, but you won't truly experience it until you are a part of it. Although we will expect to come across different cultures when we travel internationally, you can be surprised by the different cultures and lifestyles within you own country.

 Whenever you travel, you realize how big the world is and how small you are in comparison.

Through the eyes of Suzy...

With summer officially rolling in, I know how difficult it can be to resist the temptation of going out and having fun every single day. The weather is still chilly, but once you start basking in the sunlight, it will be incredibly hard to stay seated on your office chair for hours at a time. For those of you who have trouble staying focused or being productive, here are some tips that may help you procrastinate less during the summer!

1. Create Daily To-Do Lists: This is extremely simple, yet highly effective. You can write this on a post-it note or on a blank sheet of paper – it doesn't really matter as long as you can see it every day and cross things off of the list. For me, writing the list down on paper has proved to be so much more effective compared to thinking about the list in my head. The satisfaction of physically crossing something off your list when you completed the task will keep you motivated to finish your list.

2. Have The Right Mindset: Tell me something. Do you have dessert before dinner? How good would your appetite be if you had a big piece of red velvet cake before proper nutritious food? Working hard before playing requires the same mindset. To have that delicious piece of cake, you need to eat dinner first. As in, to have a couple of drinks with your buddies – for example – you need to get your work done! If you finish whatever you have to do and reward yourself after, you will feel extremely accomplished.

3. Take Breaks: This may seem contradictory to what you are trying to accomplish, but think about it. If you're burned out all the time, you are not going to get stuff done! Your brain and body needs occasional breaks to recover from working hard. Go on a short jog to clear your head or simply lie down on your bed for a few minutes.

4. Listen To Audiobooks On Your Commute: This one is something that I recently started doing. To go to work, I have to commute for approximately 40 minutes. Instead of listening to music, I gave audiobooks a try. So far, it has been amazing in terms of motivating me to work harder during the day. Search up audiobooks in the Self-Development category and you will find a variety of helpful ones to choose from!

Through the eyes of an intern....

 As Toronto waits to welcome tourists from around the world during the Pan Am Games, you should be putting together a list of places to visit while you're in Toronto. Here are a few of the must-see attractions around the city:

 Ripley’s Aquarium: The gigantic aquarium is home to more than 13,500 marine species. A visit there will surely get you up close and personal with diverse sea life; from corals to cuttlefish and sand tiger sharks to sea turtles. The aquarium focuses on conservation issues and provides an interactive educational experience.

The Royal Ontario Museum: The ROM is among the world’s leading museums of natural history and world cultures. It offers a wide-range of collections that draws in people from all over the world.Trust me, the ROM won't disappoint.

The Aga Khan Museum and Ismaili Centre: The centre houses, preserves, and displays over 1,000 artistic, cultural, and historical artifacts from a millennium’s worth of Islamic history. It aims to expand visitors’ understanding of Muslim and non-Muslim communities through exhibitions, libraries, cultural, and educational events.

 CN Tower: Stretching over half a kilometer into the sky, the CN Tower is Toronto’s tallest and most defining landmark. Take the chance to see a breath-taking aerial view of one of the world's most beautiful cities.

Kensington Market: This market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown, Toronto. It's an old neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. Should you need a souvenir from your trip to Toronto, then make sure you visit Kensington Market.

Harbourfront Centre: This is where the world comes together in one place throughout the year. The centre features concerts, dance performances, readings, films, and kids’ shows every weekend and many week nights throughout the year. It emphasizes culturally diverse acts, and the corporate community’s involvement enables an incredible draw of international talent.

This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There area ton of other attractions throughout the GTA.

Through the eyes of Julia....

With the summer social season upon us, we are sure to find ourselves wondering what we should bring to the neighbourhood party, the office BBQ, or family potluck dinner. Below are the four easy recipes that will solve any culinary need you may have this summer.

 1. An Easy Appetizer:

 7-Layer Dip

 Difficulty: *

 Prep Time: 15 mins

 This Mexican inspired dip is always the first appetizer to go at picnics and parties. You can customize the layers if you wish, but the secret to success is serving the dip in a shallow dish to ensure each layer is thin for dippers to experience all the flavours in every bite.

 Starting from the bottom in half inch layers:

Refried beans

1-2 diced tomatoes

Sour cream

Salsa

Guacamole (make ahead tip: add the guac as the top layer the day of serving to prevent browning)

Grated cheese

Optional Layers: black olives, diced red onion, and jalapeño peppers (for the truly brave!)

 Tortilla chips for dipping

2. One-Loaf-Does-All:

Zucchini Loaf With Streusel Topping

Difficulty: **

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 60-70 mins

This sweet and savory loaf amazes me with its ease of preparation and flawless results every time. The sour cream in the recipe is a healthier option than butter or lard adding moisture and density, while the cinnamon-brown sugar streusel topping makes a second piece irresistible.

2 cups flour
1 cup wholewheat flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup sour cream

Optional: 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tablespoons melted butter

• Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately before combining

• Divide mixture between 2 greased loaf pans

• Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle over each loaf

• Bake at 350 for 60-70 min

3. A Light and Healthy Meal:

 Zucchini Noodles With Creamy Avocado & Cucumber Sauce

 Difficulty: *

 Prep Time: 15

 Cook Time: 5

This light and refreshing recipe is perfect as a side dish, or main course. Making zucchini noodles requires a spiralizer or a steady hand to slice the zucchini into long thin strips.

 2 zucchinis

2 tbs cooking oil

 5 cherry tomatoes

 ¾ avocado

 1 tbs pesto

 ¼ large cucumber

 1 tbs milk

 1 tbs olive oil

• In a large sauce pan at medium heat, combine noodles, cooking oil and ½ cup of water

• Cover and let simmer until tender (4-5 mins)

• Slice the cherry tomatoes and set aside

• Combine all other ingredients, blending until smooth

• Top noodles with the sauce and tomatoes

4. Dessert!

Blueberry Pie with Sour Cream and Brown Sugar (adapted from Canadian Living)

 Difficulty: ***

 Prep Time: 35 mins

 Total Time: 2 hours 35 mins

This twist on a crowd pleasing classic will have people raving about your cooking skills. This pie is consistently sweet due to its unique streusel topping, and brown sugar and sour cream filling. Creating a delicious pie requires you take the time to chill the dough. Refrigeration allows the gluten in the flour to relax, which creates the perfect light and flaky crust.

Filling:

1 cup sour cream

1 egg

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

 1 tsp grated lemon zest

 1 tsp vanilla

 Pinch salt

 3 cups fresh blueberries

 Pastry:

 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

 1 tbsp granulated sugar

 1/4 tsp salt

 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

 1/4 cup ice water

 Streusel:

 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

 1/4 tsp cinnamon

 1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

• Whisk together dry pastry ingredients, cut in butter using pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs

• Drizzle in just enough ice water, tossing with a fork, to form ragged dough

• Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1-2 hours.

• Soften pastry at room temperature (5 mins) after chilling. Roll out dough to fit your pie plate. Chill in pie plate (30 mins)

• In bowl, whisk together filling ingredients, stirring in blueberries last. Scrape into pie shell. Bake at 425 (15 minutes)

• Mix streusel topping together using fingers, sprinkle evenly over pie.

• Bake at 350, covering crust with foil if browning too quickly (40 mins)

These four recipes have been tested to perfection and are a great addition to any party. Bon appetit!