birthday weekend

I turned twenty this past week.

Spent the weekend with some friends (minus Shantel and Myra, unfortunately).

(death of Jenga tower)

Ended the day at David's Tea with Georgia, MJ, and David!

a relay of sorts - January

from my neighbourhood walks, taken a few weeks ago

Last week was eventful  in comparison to any other school week. As I've mentioned in the previous post, Monday was stressful due to school applications for abroad. And consequently, Twitter was bombarded by obscenities fueled by frustration and despair, mainly directed to the university and its unreliable tech service. But at the end of the day, all was well after being cheered up by two of my favourite people and finally having my application go through successfully (eight hours later). Now, all I can do is wait until April! Fingers are continually crossed.

The following day was much better. I had some alone time before my 3-hr class, so I picked up my reserved copy of the latest issue of Lula (featuring Charlotte Gainsbourg on the cover). Lula always manages to put together a visual dream in material form. I feel like floating whenever I flip through the pages. (Take a peak here.)

And that night, my friend Amanda and I had an interesting time with The Vaccines. At one point, Freddie and Pete were singing "Blue Jay Way" by The Beatles to us for no given reason. They played a pretty good albeit short set at the Horseshoe. But the highlight of the night was definitely going home to a mass of tweets about "Angles" - The Strokes' fourth LP. I was restless all night and couldn't sleep. I sent so many people delirious text messages that I ended up receiving a slew of concerned responses in the morning.

Wednesday to Friday ensued with much gushing and excitement. (The Strokes have that effect on me.) Saturday came, and Shantel and co. picked me up for a joyride to the west. We had an impromptu snow adventure at High Park, where Shantel, her brother, and her roommate went tobagganning down a very steep hill that led to the lake. I opted out of the tobagganning venture, though, and was perfectly happy to assume the role of audience for the feat. It was also bitingly cold. I feel like it's been -35degrees since last week with non-stop snow since Thursday. But I've actually been enjoying bundling up and dressing warm. Layers all the way!

boxful of cheers

I was having a trying time on Monday due to school complications. And in an effort to lift my spirits, pals Melody & David met me after my last class and handed me this wonderful box of treats:

All the chocolate-types of sweets were picked by Melody, while the fizzy, weird ones were from David (of course). Said school complications have been ironed out now, though, so 2011 still hasn't disappointed. In fact, things are looking up!

flotsam and jetsam

Some updates, not that they really matter:

• For October, the Toronto Public Library is holding a month-long art display at the North York Central branch. Ten of my photos, including a little blurb about this here blog is mounted on the wall. Go check it out if you like, but we we're not forcing you. Really.
• Earlier this month, Shantel was in town with her roommate Nicoletta for Nuit Blanche. We went out just to browse all the arty things that were in store for the night, not really intending to stay too long. But then a series of funny incidents and random encounters led us to staying out much later than expected. We essentially got home a little before 3am. (And to think, I anticipated to be home before midnight...)
• Also, I just recently jumped on to the bandwagon and watched The Social Network with Georgia, and to be frank, we didn't expect it to be as intellectually intense as it actually was. It's kind of interesting to note that the roots of Facebook and its conception, like most things men create in life, always involve a girl. This observation doesn't pertain to the "intellectual" bit of the story at all, but it resonates with a topic that I've been meaning to write about on here. I'll probably get around to doing that in the near future.
• But of course, it's Thanksgiving weekend, so enjoy your days off! (if you're in Canada)

wedding bells

Photo from Green Go's blog

The past few days have been quite eventful. A couple of friends and I decorated The Garrison for our friends' wedding party. We did the best we could to spruce up what is usually just another dingy rock club. The party, in itself, was also amazing. I regrettably didn't take much photos, and I have yet to finish up the roll of film I used that night.

Yesterday's turn of events also ended up the most amusing - mainly due to the hilarity of friends. Among other things, Ra Ra Riot played the Mod Club and surprisingly did a lot of Rhumb Line songs (which never disappoint). I also interviewed them earlier today, which turned out really well despite the fact that Cooper, the resident Golden Retriever at the Arts & Crafts offices wanted my head for lunch.

another sunday

Sundays have essentially become time for one's self. It has become a routine to walk around the neighbourhood, books and magazines in tow. Usually, I head to the nearby school's field or playground, sit under a tree and read. But it drizzled a little bit this morning, so I went to the nearest Starbucks.


Reading in popular coffee shops such as this is never ideal, and sometimes, you can't help but overhear seemingly compelling life-conversations at the table next to yours. It's a different kind of entertainment, which also depends largely on one's patience/level of tolerance.


I snapped the photo above after getting back, just to test the natural light streaming from my east-facing window. There's nothing particularly special about it, except for the guanábana milkshake my dad made earlier. The last time I had this fruit was in ice cream form when I went to Ecuador for a school trip. It's currently giving me nostalgic vibes.

Ice cream and music attribute to a great summer.

I'm gradually getting back to the swing of things. My mild insomnia that transpired over the course of the past few months has essentially gone away. Thanks to copious amounts of allergy medication and a fully-booked, tiresome vacation schedule (oxymoron?). Waking up in the early morn like the rest of the world is so refreshing. And of course, nothing beats a hearty breakfast to kick-start a day.

I met Myra early in the afternoon today to catch up and exchange stories, naturally. We stopped by Public Butter in Parkdale just to browse and potentially shop. Myra almost bought a cute little hat straight from the '60s, but she eventually decided against it. That girl. She promises to post more on this here blog, by the way - under the condition of having me point a gun to her head, so to speak. (Her terms, not mine.)

Fast forward to the Big Chill, where The Morning Benders were set to play a free performance - by way of Soundscapes - we all got our much-needed fix of ice cream. The weather wasn't as unbearable as it was in Washington, DC or Woodbridge, VA, where I just recently visited, but it wasn't entirely pleasant either. Hints of nimbus clouds formed to tease us, but it didn't pour. Thank goodness.

The acoustic performance was short and sweet. I think everyone thereafter all proceeded down to Union Station for Metric's "worst-kept-secret" show. By the time we arrived, the streets were already filled with thousands of psyched fans and curious passersby. Unimpressed and totally beat by the increasing temperatures, we didn't stay too long in the sea of people.

like the sunset.

"Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia." - Charles Schultz

Inspired by the rainy weather, I crawled right back into the endless sea of blankets, and swept right into my bed. Here are some of the tracks I listened to.

With artists such as Dustin O'Halloran, it slipped my mind whether I should look outside my window, to see if the skies had cleared up. Instrumental pieces are always soothing alternatives nearing the end of a busy week.

As we speak, I'm baking some wonderful banana loafs with walnuts. The entire kitchen is perfumed by these little cakes in the oven, kicking off Monday morning with a bang. Cheers to a wonderful week ahead.

miniature cupboard atop life-size dresser

another one of our thrift finds from today

Today, I realized how beautiful the sun can be. Summer has definitely begun (with constant work, over-sized bugs, and angry drivers), and I think that we should high-light some pre-check ideas to get your days in motion.

1. Try something invigorating, like cooking. I personally love to cook - making up experiments as I go, so I always end up in control of the things I eat. Try going on food blogs to grab some tips and recipes, so you've got back up plans for these long summer nights. My first place to check out, would probably be Simply Recipes. Don't be afraid of the steps, just make sure you're enjoying what you're creating.

2. Music is essential. Look up music blogs (http://hypem.com), or even mixtapes. I'm currently listening to: Kevin's Mixtape

3. Go for a walk, and explore your area. Snap some pictures, take some walks with pals, grab an iced coffee. Don't stay inside, when the weather's become much more appealing. I always carry around my camera, and my journal: this way, I'll always have something to doodle into, or capture great moments.

Harness that positive energy during the 2-4 months away from school. It's time to focus on personal energy, rather than the energy we reserve for our obligations.
Take time for yourself, and learn to enjoy your own time, with your own rules.

xoxo

Birdwatch

There's something about Sundays that are so refreshing; it's like the birth of a new week. Imagine being reborn over 52 times a year.

Today, I went for a stroll around my neighbourhood and discovered some neat little specialty shops along Avenue Rd. I can't believe I've neglected to notice them before.

There's a store called Birdwatch that sells a great variety of birdhouses.

Heat and Shoes

Myra and I went to check out Brenda Hoffert's open exhibition of "Shoes" at Gallery 888 today as a part of the CONTACT Photography Festival. It really piqued our interest, not only because of our love for shoes, but because of Hoffert's intention of getting to know people through the statements made by footwear. Getting there was a bit disappointing, however. I expected to see more but the quantity was low, about 8-10 framed photographs, without much variety. The room it was set in had very limited space, and the gallery itself seemed to be a modest keep.

Nonetheless, we did fancy a couple:

This one is called "Fashionista". The Louboutins made that quite obvious.

I don't remember what this one was called, but Myra and I loved this the most.

Besides the "Shoes" disappointment, we did have quite an eventful day. Both being non-drivers and also being recently deprived of metropasses, we naturally trekked along Queen St E, to and fro the gallery, despite the sky-rocketing temperature and humidity levels. Making pit stops here and there, we noticed a strange mix of eclectic/interesting and overall sketchiness around that part of town.