Millennial Burnout is Real

Over this past decade, we have made massive strides in normalizing Mental Health, slowly chipping away at the associated stigma; however, millennials continue to be the butt of all jokes. Millennials have been dubbed the burnout generation and it is infuriating because burnout is very much real! Behind the pretty facade of my blog, I am struggling to balance two healthcare positions and university courses.  

In addition to my never-ending work load, I am a millennial living in Vancouver, a city that consistently ranks as one of the most expensive places to live. The cost of living in Vancouver is not only high, but so is the housing market. I have not even gotten to the worst part. Imagine being educated, holding a  university degree from UBC, a highly revered University in the world; yet it is still impossible to get a decent job because the job market is ridiculously competitive. Needless to say, I want to scream because my generation has been up to fail. 

It makes me sad because I am working hard, yet I still feel like I am not accomplishing very much. Everyone seems to be far more successful than me. I started this blog 5 years ago and my peers who started later than me have built up phenomenal platforms, but I cannot help feel that I am trailing everyone. 

I am not a mental health expert, but if I had to describe burnout, it would be working hard day in and day out only to feel like you have accomplished nothing. Long gone are the days when you could just show up with a degree and expect to secure a fabulous job and then retire comfortable at 60. Remember when houses used to cost $200,000 well that is a downpayment for me in Vancouver. Wages are stagnant, commodities continue to rise and owning a home in Vancouver is practically an impossibility. 

Burnout and mental health are intertwined and can arise from a number of things. But one this is for certain, millennial burnout is often accompanied by depression and loneliness and eventually you become exhausted and simple tasks become impossible. This blogpost is a  perfect example because I said I was going to post it November 6th, but I could not find the energy or mental focus to complete it. So here we are, two weeks later and I am finally getting around to finishing my blogpost on Millenial Burnout. Sort of ironic if you ask me. 

Millennial Burnout is REAL.

BYES

Brunch in Fort Langley at Sabà Cafe

Brunch is a social-phenomenon that that has steadily grown in popularity. What once may have started as a late breakfast or early lunch is now its very own meal category. Now brunch is my favourite meal of the day, so any Sunday adventure of mine has to include brunch. For this brunch, I made a reservation at Sabà Cafe + Bistro. 

Sabà Cafe + Bistro: family-owned, made from scratch, pastries, rustic, terrace, seasonal, local

There are so many aspects of Sabà Cafe that resonated with me so I had to give them a visit. We were seated at a little table in the courtyard which by the way was gorgeous! I can just imagine dining under the stars on a warm summer's evening. If you visit Sabà Cafe you will understand what I am imagining in my head. It reminds me of a special night I had in California in Venice Beach at C&O Trattoria - unfortunately, I did not take any pictures there that night because it was late and I was tired. 

Taves Family Farm | Pumpkin, Corn & Apple Fun

It is fall, it is October which means the countdown to my birthday is on, so let the Halloween fall shenanigans begin! My friend Ruby (@rubygillett ) and I are on a mission to compelete our ultimate fall fun bucket list. This is only the beginning and I cannot wait for everything else we have planned. Taves Family Farm has been on my list of things to do for quite sometime. Taves Family Farm is a third-generation apple orchard in Abbotsford. 

They have a huge selection of apples that you can U-Pick. There are the usual suspects like Gala and Fuji, but personally I am an Ambrosia gal. I find Ambrosia Apples are are crisper and cleaner in taste. There are other varieties too like Honey Crisp and Jona Gold. Basically there is an apple for everyone to u-pick at Taves Farmily Farm. 

Now fall just would not be complete without pumpkins. There is a pumpkin patch, but the highlight for me is the wicked pumpkin display that is hidden inside the corn maze. I am talking hundred of pumpkins of varying sizes arranged into a pathway and a "river." In the middle is a little hut covered in even more pumpkins. Super cute area and I took way too many pictures there. 

Taves family farms also gets the award for the toughest corn maze because we were literally lost in it. At one point I contemplated just pushing my way through the corn stalks because I was full on lost and felt like I was walking in circles. They kept the paths very narrow with zero clues on which way to go. 

These were more or less their free activities, but Taves Family has even more family friendly activities for a small fee. Petting zoo with cute goats, pedal-push carts, giant jumping pillow and other fun little activities for kids.

Re-Visit Taves Family Farms? YES

BYES

 

Dip & Sip Cocktail Mixers for a night in

 

Craft Cocktails are all the rage and I just cannot seem to get enough. I have found some amazing bars in Vancouver that serve up delicious concoctions with the right amount of buzz at the end, but sometimes I just want to lounge on the couch at home in my sweats and watch Netflix. I have been trying to make cocktails at home, but it is hard and it requires a lot of syrups, ingredients and bitters. I am trying out some cocktail pre-mixes and the first two are from Dip & Sip, a Vancouver-based company run by the cutest French women, Claire! 

Claire focuses on sourcing the best possible ingredients and when possible to use local and organic. I picked up two kits, the Paloma Blast and the Cinnamon Old Fashioned. The Paloma Blast is a combination of organic raspberry balsamic shrub, grapefruit juice and house-made lime cordial. It is best paired with Tequila or Mezcal. This is a very grapefruit forward mix with some added sweetness from the raspberry, but mostly a tart drink. Claire even threw in her Hibiscus Sugar to rim my glasses. This is when I discovered that I absolutely suck at using the sugar and made a massive mess all over my glass. 

Punch Studio gives me a Hair Transformation + Hair Donation

If you follow me on Instagram, then you have already seen the hair transformation I have undergone. Aimee Cox, co-owner and stylist at Punch Studio is the talented women with the scissors who took my long locks and snipped them away to give me a sleek stylish cut that I am in love with! 

Hair is a big part of my identity and I am sure it is for many of you too, so I really wanted to find someone who was going to understand me and translate my thoughts into reality. Punch Studio is a fairly new addition to Mount Pleasant and embodies all the vibes I love. From dusty rose walls to pink styling chairs facing arched mirrors, to fresh plants and fluffy Pampas lining the shelves, Punch Studio is basically a Pinterest board come to life. But what really drew me to the boutique salon was Aimee herself. 

Aimee is a wealth of knowledge in both hair and life - because stylists are practically our therapists am I right? - and being someone who craves new information, Aimee was a pleasure to chat with. 

You could call it an exaggeration, but Aimee literally gave me the best haircut of my life. She was efficient, quick and detail-oriented. My hair length is even all around, thinned in the right places and shaped to compliment my face. As a bonus, Aimee gave me a lesson in achieving that tousled hair look.

Condition your hair, from the ROOTS down to the ENDS

In addition to the stellar haircut, Aimee gave me the rundown on why I need to be conditioning all of my  hair, including the scalp. My thick hair gets oily fast. I do not mind the oil build up because it is natural and nourishes my hair, but in an effort to slow down the oil production I only condition the tips of my hair. According Aimee's extensive experience with hair, I need to add moisture back to my roots with the conditioner otherwise, my body will produce oil. It has been a few weeks since my haircut with Aimee and I have been diligently following her conditioning advice. The result - my hair is less oily! 

In total, we chopped off 12 inches of hair which I have sent to Wigs for Kids, a phenomenal organization in Vancouver that constructs wigs from donated hair for children with medical hair loss. The minimum donation length is 10 inches and there are a couple other restrictions that can be reviewed on Wigs for Kids. 

Do I recommend Punch Studio - YES

Aimee Cox gets a 10/10 

BYES

Sunflowers, Mountains & Blue Skies in Chilliwack

Being the flower obsessed person that I am, I was not about to miss out on the Chilliwack Sunflower Festival. Despite this being year 3 for the festival, this was my first time visiting. Blanketing the fields are sunflowers, but also 50 varieties of dahlias and also some gladiolas. 

When I think of Sunflowers, I picture the giant bright orangey-yellow petalled flowers with the deep brown centre that can grow 3 meters tall. At the farm, you will encounter these tall beasts plus over 25 other types of sunflowers. There were white petalled varieties to dark burnt orange purple-hued petalled sunflowers. There were sunflowers half a meter to of course the towering behemoths. 

Berry Picking at Krause Berry Farms Langley

My obsession with Krause Berry Farms runs deep, so deep that I actually plan my summers around their berry schedule. COVID-19 did throw a bit of a wrench in my plans, but everyone adapted, so I did get my fill of sweet juicy BC berries. Krause Berry Farms has become part of my normal summer routine and it is about time you did the same. 

For starters, Krause Berry Farms is so much more than just a u-pick farm/ berry market.

MARKET | on any given day, it is brimming with baked treats, fruit syrups, fresh produce - also grown at the farm! - cute homeware and more. The market is also stocked with fruit and berry pies all of which are made on-site by a team of grannies and younglings in training. You can watch the pie-making action through the window on the porch out front.