Monthly Musings.. August

deiu

This month we bid farewell to summer... it was a steamy one, but now it's time for fall.. check out Joe Fresh's amazing Fall Collection

ruguay

Jeff and I have decided on Argentina and Uruguay as our next travel destination!

o for a run!

OMG, I can't believe it's already August. In just under 2 months I have to, yet again, prepare myself for the 21k that awaits me at the Toronto Scotiabank Waterfront marathon! Why do I procrastinate so?? I MUST go for a run soon!

nderstand

I'm beginning to understand that change takes time and A LOT of patience so rather than getting down on myself, I've been trying to focus on the little things that make each day better.

tart Over

Things don't always work out the way we imagined they would. Instead of getting in a rut, feel rejuvenated after summer and begin the new year with a new outlook. September was always one of my favourite months as it marked the beginning of a new (school) year and a fresh start!

Note: this should really be part of September but I thought it was important enough to start thinking about now!

aste!

I'm talking a month of great events like Caribana, Taste of the Danforth, T&T Asian Night Market, Hot & Spicy Food Festival, Beerfest and probably more that I'm not even aware of! I'm drooling a the thought of all the good eats!

6 Fall shoes i would do...

Valentino Lace Couture D'Orsay

Sergio Rossi Catchet Suede

Miu Miu Bi-Colour T-Strap Patent

Alexander McQueen Biker Jacket Zip

Brian Atwood Platform Chain

Christian Louboutin Egoustina Tall MC


Photos courtesy of Neiman Marcus

So I bought me a ticket
I caught a plane to Spain
Went to a party down a red dirt road
There were lots of pretty people there
Reading Rolling Stone, reading Vogue
They said, "How long can you hang around?"
I said "a week, maybe two,
Just until my skin turns brown
Then I'm going home to California"
California I'm coming home
Oh will you take me as I am
Strung out on another man
California I'm coming home

- Joni Mitchell, California

By the sacred earth on which I kneel, by the shades that wander near me, by the deep and eternal grief that I feel, I swear; and by thee, O Night, and by the spirits that preside over thee, I swear to pursue the daemon, who caused this misery, until he or I shall perish in mortal conflict. For this purpose I will preserve my life; to execute this dear revenge, will I again behold the sun, and tread the green herbage of earth, which otherwise should vanish from my eyes for ever. And I call on you, spirits of the dead:; on on you, wandering ministers of vengeance, to aid and conduct me in my work. Let the cursed and hellish monster drink deep of agony; let him feel the despair that now torments me

- Mary Shelley Frankenstien from the original 1818 text

Coco Chanel

Lately I've been noticing a bit of a Coco Chanel craze happening in the industry. My first clue should have been when I was lucky enough to attend the Premiere of "Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky" at last year's TIFF. I feel like absolutely everyone crammed into Roy Thompson Hall was decked out in black and white with a hint of pearl! Inadvertently, I too was wearing these iconic shades and thus putting an emphasis on the genius of the Chanel brand.

Chanel represents to this day simplicity, elegance and beauty which were traits that could easily be transferred on the brand's creator Coco Chanel. Oh wait, did I say simple? Perhaps omit the simplicity as Coco Chanel, despite the simplicity of her style, was anything but simple. "Crazy bitch" may actually be a more appropriate way to describe her often totalitarian style of doing business. When you think of Coco Chanel, visions of Miranda Priestly from "The Devil Wears Prada" or the modern day Kelly Cutrone of "People's Revolution" or Anna Wintour of "Vogue" should come to mind. These women are the balls of the fashion industry and they learned it from empowered women such as Coco Chanel. Chanel ran her business much in the same way as she conducted her day-to-day living. In the film, she simply demands idolotry that we're only happy to grant. We watch as she manipulates a happily married man into her sordid love games and can't help but comment on how great she looks in her over sized cardigan.

In the spirit of Chanel, I have decided to bestow "Coco" as the middlename of my lovely little puppy as I feel she has a little Chanel in her as well... not to mention how in touch she is with the brands signature colours...

To Coco!

crying out for calamari...

it is with great sadness that i report the death of the beloved "MUSA" restaurant on Dundas Street... and the end of my love affair with their amazing calamari....

after returning home from 10 days in Malta my taste buds were all revved up to embrace the Mediterranean diet on a full-time basis and i thought, what better way to celebrate then with a dish of my favourite Cajun calamari on a bed of roasted vegetables from my newly coveted favourite restaurant MUSA on Dundas West?!

well my plans were soon shattered when i opened the Toronto Star to learn that an apartment fire had spread to my new favourite haunt, on a path of destruction leaving only a shell of a restaurant in it's place and a mass of rubble..

"Part of the roof has caved into the bar, blackened insulation spills from the ceiling and crumbled gyprock litters the floor. Half a dozen lamps — Fleischman’s favourite part of the decor — lay smashed and twisted in the rubble." - Toronto Star, July 12, 2010

with no definite plans to rebuild, i'm left with a sense of sadness and a lurking growl in my stomach for what i can whole-heartedly claim was the best calamari i had ever had... RIP..

My last supper at Musa on June 25th, 2010

JULY - monthly musings...

- jog 3 times a week (lets not forget we're running a 1/2 marathon in september!)


- unplan some outings with friends. sometimes it just happens...



- laugh more




- yellow. wear more of this

Featured Designer - Tibi Spring 2010

For the last few weeks, all I have wanted to wear was the Tibi Spring 2010 collection. With is subtle yet bright florals, flowing fabrics, and flattering silhouettes; what more could a summer wardrobe ask for?!
Here are some sunscreen-inspired escapes...


photos from style.com

please pay attention while we demonstrate the safety features of this aircraft...

so... i've been doing some serious soul-searching over the last few months... well, let's be serious.. i've been soul searching my whole life! But the other day, while walking my dog to the park, i passed a Porter flight attendant walking home...

I seriously have to stop and pause, as I was momentarily transported into another time! There she was, in her navy pillbox hat and slick Pink Tartan (you heard right!) pencil dress... it took my breath away!

For a number of years now, I've joked about the idea of going to flight school and working as a flight attendant for a major airline. There are a number of reasons why I never really persued this dream.

1) Flight attendents are Perfect! - Seriously people! These dedicated workers strut themselves up and down the aisles serving tv dinners and mini bar contents while soaring at 13,000 feet! And they do this with a smile on their face and not a single hair out of place!!! I'm not sure about you, but when I'm on a plane, I'm either fast asleep, deeply absorbed in the inflight movie, or gorging down my meal like it's the last supper! My hair always takes on this 3-day old greasy look while my skin seems to burst with acne from the increased pressure of the cabin.

2) Aren't they just a bunch of glorified waitresses there for our viewing pleasure?
- Let's be honest, you don't expect you flight attendant to be a doctor, literary professor or even College graduate. Why is that? Have we simpley deemed these men and women the "models" of the sky? Working in the service industry is HARD, and often takes intellegence AND common sense (can't say the same of some of my doctors or lit professors).

3) Do you need school for that?
To be honest, I've been a student nearly 90% of my life. The thought of going back to school for something that I may only do for a year or a couple of months is extremely unappealing to me. Isn't my combined serving experience and great smile enough?!

4)The airport is a pain to get to.. and expensive!
This is true of Pearson Airport, unless you have a car and live in Mississagua (neihter of which apply to me).. but now there is PORTER!! Not only do they have cute outfits but they also fly from the Toronto Island airport which is conveniently located in downtown Toronto!!!!!! GENIUS!!!

Anyways, despite all of the reason's I've outlined above, I once again find myself wanting to persue this career. So, I've reformatted my resume and submitted it to Porter... Hopefully you'll be seeing me on a flight near you very soon!

the virgin suicides..

there has probably been no greater visual inspiration than sofia coppola's "the virgin suicides"... from the almost acid-like colours to floral decadancies... the majority of the movie takes place in the two most surreal times of day... dusk and dawn...

now boarding all passengers...

the ticket has been booked and i'm on my way!!!!
where to this time, you may ask? well... let me give you a sneak peak...



now that you've been left breathless... i shall reveal... in it's 360 days of sun-filled glory... MALTA!!

why Malta? I shall explain...

so three years ago, my beloved British uncle decided to host his wedding in his (and my mother's) hometown of Oxford, England... now, everyone has been to England at least once in their life! I, myself, have been there more times than i can recall... no, i'm not complaining.. but there is something kind of blase in saying, "oh yes, i'll be summering in the UK this year".. so you can imagine my delight when my internet-savvy sister approached me with the idea of taking advantage of a new offer from Iceland Air to stop in Reykjavik, Iceland en route to London Heathrow.... GENIUS! i have to admit, it didn't take much to convince our co-traveller (my mother) into swinging by the dazzling Blue Lagoon or marvelling at the wonders of Geyser (worlds 3rd largest) and the colourfully painted town/city/capitol Reykjavik for a few days prior to the said nuptials... without giving too much thought, we booked and were on our way to the luminous and mysterious Iceland...

now i have to be honest, i went to Iceland with very few expectations... i kind of pictured to people to be similar to Slavic or Northern Europeans... blonde, pale, etc... this was relatively true... googling a few Icelandic phrases before i left, i was shocked by the incomprehensibility of their native tongue... being a language junkie i exhaustingly tried to master the complex use of accents and symbols but in the end, only managed to master a couple phrases... namely "Velkomin" = "Welcome" and "Bless" = "Thank you" (i think??)... the land itself was like nothing i'd seen before.. at first it made me think of the central parts of new zealands south island.. but with even less lushness... as far as the eye can see there wasn't a single tree in Iceland that stood more than 2-3 ft... i heard it describes similarly to the moon... with moss... everything was EXTREME... from the blueness of the water... scalding heat of the geysers... grandness of the waterfalls and vastness of the glaciers... Reykjavik, the only city, was similar to St. John's Newfoundland.. minus the avid drinking population... in a word... it was the most random place i had ever been.... which got us thinking... what if we picked a random destination each year to visit and discover it's glories... again, GENIUS!

so was born the annual random adventure... year 1: Iceland; year 2: Vegas (it was random for US.. a bunch of non-gamblers.. and we took a side trip to the grand canyon) and next; year 3: Malta! i can already feel the Mediterranean sun burning my Canadian winter-bleached face...

Remembering...

Buenos Aires, Argentina

lonely planet on your iPhone...

so I just recently got into the whole i"whatever" hype with my recent acquiring of a hand-me-down iTouch from a new iPhone customer and i have to say i've become quite wrapped up in the thing... for the first month i toted the touch sensitive pad around with me absolutely everywhere i went raving about all the wonderful functions and 'apps' available... everyone received an email from me with the signature "sent from my iPod".. it was great! just as the honeymoon was beginning to wear down, i discovered the lonely planet app...

now for any of you who have traveled with me or had the pleasure of browsing through my books shelf, you will know that i am an AVID lonely planet activist, user and lover... i have a lonely planet for everywhere i have traveled in the last 5 years and they pretty much all reflect the tender love and care i have for my travel experiences, often including food stains on the pages... i'm not sure if its the format, maps or price point or the sometime brutal honesty they contain (re: india) but i've been actively using their product since 2005 with very few complaints (exception: new zealand 'boot leg' version bought on the street in thailand.. probably my own fault)... most of my books are more like 'bibles' with penciled in notes in the margins, corrections, additions, etc.... i covet them as though they are my children and am reluctant to lend them to others unless certain promises are made in advance... firstly, you must add your comments (price changes, hotel closures, missing information, etc.) part of the fun of my travels is testing out recommendations and finding places and things not yet discovered by lonely planet adventurers... for a long time my dream job was working for lonely planet and writing my own renditions of the far-reaching globe... but i transgress... the lonely planet app allows you to purchase and store guidebooks and language books right on your iPod which can be accessed without a WIFI connection!!! this may not seem like a big deal, but after carting around the 1000+ page anthology of the india lonely planet for 3 weeks, i can understand what a useful tool this could be! not to mention the language guides which have an audio feature so that you can actually hear pronunciation!!! i'm telling you, technology never ceases to get the better of me!
currently, i only have the Mexican Spanish language guide and the San Francisco City Guide which come free when you download the app... as much as i am impressed and fascinated by this app, i'm not quite ready to hop aboard the eBook train just yet.. there is something about the smells and textile function of a living, breathing book that i can't quite get from digital media... once they figure out that glitch.. then we'll talk!

stuck in an elevator...

for a number of months now, people have been getting stuck in the elevator at my work... sorry, i should rephrase, STUDENTS have been getting stuck in the elevator.. it's an ongoing problem as they, in their haphazard excitement, jam themselves beyond capacity to go up one floor causing the disgruntled, crabby elevator to heave and eventually surrender to its inadequacy...
at first, i was struck by the horror of being crammed among 20 or so other bodies with limited oxygen for upwards of 4 hours... then i heard that one of the students had video-taped the experience and posted it on youtube much to his classmates amusement... in an attempt to find this video, i was overwhelmed by the number of videos people have created of their elevator "experiences" over the years... clearly this is a creative point of view i have yet to explore..
continuing my research, i was shocked to see the number of images of such an incident as well as stories.... found friendships, love encounters, sexual encounters.. suddenly, being trapped in an elevator didn't sound so bad!!!
but... as always, the cloud with the silver lining falters and the storm rages through... i later heard that the youtube captured elevator experience was not the fun and excitement that i had pictured... among the trapped was a student who fainted from claustrophobia, another in tears as she required washroom facilities and someone with unfathomable body odour... as i headed over to the elevators to visit my friend on the 9th floor this morning, i heard the all too familiar buzz of the emergency push button.... i think i'll be taking the stairs...

so this started off as a travel blog which was much more of a guilty pleasure as i told not a soul about it... and still haven't..
so in the spirit of guilty pleasures and needing a place to write, i return to you of faithful blog nearly 5 years down the road... let's reflect on what's changed!

1. graduated
so i suppose this should be a pretty massive achievement and yet, it seems almost irrelevant to even write here... i, like millions of others, completed my bachelors degree and quickly jumped into another degree in order to prolong my life as a student and avoid the much dreaded reality of the working world... well folks, i hate to break it to you.. but eventually that all comes to an end! despite the number of degrees you manage to notch on your belt, the real world undoubtedly catches up to you and brandishes you with its banality... two degrees later and I'm still working the same job... NEXT!

2. traveled
well this should be more exciting! (especially since this was meant to be a travel blog rather than a meaningless rant) post-quebec i continued my adventurous ways touring south america (chile, peru, ecuador), living in australia for a year, back packing through new zealand, southeast asia and hong kong, attending a wedding in england, touring scotland and iceland, taking in the flashy lights of las vegas and the infinite depths of the grand canyon, a few jaunts in NYC......
next............................. INDIA!

okay.. that sounded WAY more impressive after writing it down..

3. semi-permanent address
so the URL for this blog was my imperious search for a place that i may call home in this vast world.. and though i will never admit to finding this until i truly believe that i have deep in the core of my being, i will admit for the time being, that i am happily situated in the city of toronto with my wonderful and patient roomie who has foolishly decided to join my in this journey...

sadly... three points are all i can come up with.. hopefully i will see you again before 5 more years pass...

re-integration...

well this is always an interesting time... the time between when you get home from a trip and when you feel home... for me, this usually occurs at the halfway point of the amount of time i was away... so if i was away for a month, it would take about 2 weeks to feel re-integrated... but of course, there are always exceptions to this rule... every once and a while you will have an experience that you may never get over, and other times re-integration will happen much quicker... in my most recent journey to quebec for 6 weeks, within 3 days i was able to feel right back at home again... that may be because while in quebec i was still recovering from my re-integration from mexico, which, forever interrupted, may prove to be one of those trips i'll never get over... part of not getting over an experience, comes from the continuation of aspects in your old life, such as people, or habits... this is the case for me... but i don't view it as a negative thing in the least... having an experience stay with you in the long-term either through the friends you made and continue to keep close or by something new you may have brought back are what make these experiences so incredible, so worthwhile... so though i'm no longer spurting out random spanish phrases or gooping salsa over absolutely everything, i still hold some of the important things and people as close to my heart as i did when i was there and i hope to continue to do so... so maybe re-integration is not necessarily the best thing... maybe instead it should be called re-adjusting...

montreal

je me souviens

so just about nearing the end of this french adventure... funny how when you reflect on things near the end they seem to have gone by so quickly and yet reflecting at the beginning, things seem as though they might never end... bizzare..... anyways... this week markes the last week in this alternate french universe... it's funny what an impact language can have on a situation.... i mean 3pistoles is no monterrey and yet at times it felt just as foreign... and though i've only been here a fifth of the time i was in mex, to some degree it feels like the same amount of time... i've made some friends that i won't soon forget but at the same time i find myself wondering, "how is it that one can continue to live this sort of life of insecurity?"...

i've said many times in my life that i always wanted to continue travelling and that i couldn't see myself settled for a long time, if ever.... but as time wears on, my perspective has begun to change... eventhough wherever i go i manage to make incrediable friends, i've learned that there's nothing more difficult than realizing after you've made a certain connection, that you 're going to have to leave it.... and soon... try as i may it is unavoidable...

i told myself coming here that i was going to try and avoid becoming overly attached to people for that simple fear of again, having to let them go... for the most party i have achieved that but a few have managed to sneak through my radar... yes it's great to have international friends that give you the excuse and opportunity to travel, but it's also incrediably lonely realizing that though you may have a hundred more friends than the average person, you are utterly alone the majority of the time... sometimes i just feel so completely isolated... my friends, scattered as they are, seem to get the impression that i'm too busy on my exploits to have any time for them and they too begin to develope a life that seems to exclude me... in a way i alienate them into alienating me in return... this is not done (for the most part) through resentment, but rather just naturally and unconsciously... out and sight truely does become out of mind... and this is not something that necessarily can be prevented... i always thought i had created for myself a strong network of close friends that i could count on any time i was in need... and for the most part i believe i have... but there have been many times where i felt as though i had no one to talk to and as a result have found myself turning to a stranger... now this is much more exhausting as it requires more explainations, but i've found that it can also be incrediably rewarding... finding someone you barely know that you can actually trust can build the foundations to some of my strongest relationships... that fearless openning up and exposing your insecurities to the scrutiny of the harsh world can actually bring you closer to a stranger... this has become a major part of my new philosophy... i've realized that many of the walls that stand between people, come from the fear of judgement... but these walls can slowly be broken down by the simple act of honesty and trust... the results are truely shocking.... so when asked if i learned anything on this latest journey, my answer is yes.... forever learning... now, which language should i attempt next??

Quebec City

Leslie and I at Daegobert
Hanging out...