Welcome to Toronto!

Today was fantastic! It is my first official day in the big city and so far, I am in love with it. Thank you Eric Ng for showing me around! 

First we had lunch at this delicious place called Starving Artist on Landsdowne Ave. Surrounded by beautiful little houses, this amazing gem specializes in the yummiest waffles. I had the "Starving 4 Vegan" - four mini vegan and gluten free waffles served with fruit salad and fresh mixed greens. The waffles were crisp on the outside, soft and moist on the inside, and they had a lovely hint of banana in them, which was really nice. They were not too sweet, and just perfect with a drizzle of syrup.

After brunch, we took the transit downtown to Eaton Centre and met up with our good friends, Eli and Leah, as well as their adorable 16 month old, Keiran. I hadn't seen either of them for at least a few years. And Keiran... it was my first time meeting the little guy and I am seriously in love with him. He is one of the most joyful and energetic babies I have ever seen. It's great seeing Eli and Leah so happy. Kieran is a very lucky boy to have such fantastic parents.

After our afternoon hangouts with the Kleins, we were headed towards Kensington, via Chinatown, which was great. The sidewalks were taken over by the overflow of the shops' offerings to the loads of people that walked on that strip. It gave me a slight sense of being in Hong Kong, just in a much smaller scale. Kensington was equally as wonderful. The narrow streets were sandwiched by the neatest shops and restaurants, and sprinkled with pedestrians. I managed to find my sister a little gift at one of shops, called Good Egg. Pretty excited about that! And then we treated ourselves to mini cupcakes from Miss Cora's Kitchen, which was a delightful treat. We walked around for a bit, just browsing, and then we decided to stop for some food at The Grilled Cheese. It was everything that I had hoped for. Simple concept, simple menu, tasty food. I had the "Dill-icous," which was truly delicious. Dill havarti, pesto, sun dried tomatoes, and onion. Nom! I even got the pickle I was hoping for when I saw their wall of pickled goods. It was all kinds of goodness in my belly.

When we left Kensington, we had some time to kill before heading to a show, so we headed for the BMV Books on Bloor Street. This place is packed with books and magazines... all three stories of it. I went up to the 3rd floor and grabbed myself a copy of Ghost World for $6.99. I wanted to get more but that would mean an extra 50lbs to my luggage when I go home, so I decided that buying anything more would be a bad idea. I plan on going back to Bloor and checking out the famous Honest Ed's!

We headed towards Queen Street for the show after BMV. Side note, I seriously can't wait to go back to Queen Street - so much shopping! We made it just in time to see Late July, Eric's friend's band. I really enjoyed them. It could be because of the girly lyrics, mostly about love... I am a huge sucker for love songs.

After the show, we started our walk back to Eric's place, but was sidetracked by Smoke's Poutinerie. I haven't had a poutine since I became vegetarian 8 years ago, so one of the things on my "to do" list was to have a really good veggie poutine. That was exactly what they had there. Eric and I shared the Veggie Deluxe Poutine, which had fried onions, mushrooms, and peas loaded on top of golden fries, veggie gravy, and cheese curds. It was very good... so very very good. 

Today was a good day. 

Final words - I ♥ TO.  

Thank You Friends

I had a really really great birthday weekend. One of the best!

Thank you to all of my cousins who came out to have a wonderful meal with me. You are my bestest friends.

Thank you to my beautiful Mother for driving to the city and being here on my day. You are everything that I want to be. 

Thank you to all of my friends who made me mixtapes and cds, came out for drinks and hangouts, and sent me messages and birthday wishes. I am truly blown away and I feel totally blessed and so very grateful. You guys are seriously the greatest people in the world.

Thank you to my Eric, my love, for being the most amazing companion and understanding friend I have ever known. I love you very much. 

I feel like the luckiest girl in the world... I AM the luckiest girl in the world. Thank you!

A few highlights from that night...

Fresh organic veggies from Amy's garden.

Me with a couple beards!

Ryan showing off his flat head.

Birthday note from my Mommy.

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

Today, I am 26 years old. I feel pretty good about it. As a teenager, the number 26 has always been my favorite number. It's awfully embarrassing, but this is why...

The boy that I was in love with from grade 4 to grade 9 had the initials, CM. C is the number 2 on the telephone keypad, and M is the number 6. I was a pretty huge dork. I still am because that number has stuck with me into adulthood. It is still my favorite number.

Last night, I got three more birthday mixtapes from three amazing and wonderful friends. Actual cassette tapes! I am so pumped! When they handed me the tapes across the table, I was so touched and surprised - my heart bursted with love. Mark, James, and Steve... you guys are too sweet to me. Thank you so much!

I also attended the Sonic Boom Festival last night. I was there to see City and Colour - which I love. And of course, the one and only, WEEZER!!! A little back story for you... as a girl, I did not listen to western music. I was all about the Hong Kong pop stars that my parents listened to and I had no idea anything else existed besides that. As I got a little older, I think when I was about 10 or 11, I was slowly introduced to bands like Nirvana, Silverchair, and No Doubt. I did not own any of their records. My parents never really had the money for me to blow on stuff like that, so I would watch MuchMusic all the time, hoping that some of my favorite videos would come on. I usually had the VCR ready to press record. I wish I still had some of those tapes.

Anyways, I had a birthday party, I think I was turning 12 or something like that, and one of the gifts were a gift certificate to the local CD shop in Peace River, where I grew up. I don't think I even hesitated or stressed over what I was going to get with that gift certificate. I brought it to the shop, picked up Weezer's Blue Album, and I went home a happy girl. 

They blew my mind with every single song that they played last night, even the newer ones that I was on the fence about. Rivers' stage presence and energy was just so amazing... I think I have a small crush on him now that I've seen him perform live. They played a good balance of old and new, but it was when they did Say It Ain't So, that was when I was the most pumped and oh so happy. That was one of my favorite songs as a teenager, and it was definitely one that stuck with me all these years. There is a very special place in my heart for this band. I can't wait to see them again! 

Birthday Mix CD - Volume One

I got my first Birthday Mix CD today!!! YEEHAAW!!! I am super excited and really really happy about it. Thank you to my good friend Tony Bao for this wonderful gift. The awesome cover and the little kitty on the back made my day. Here is the track list from his mix:

1. Ceremony - New Order

2. Airbag - Radiohead

3. Only Shallow - My Bloody Valentine

4. Rock n' Roll Star - Oasis

5. Pump it Up - Elvis Costello

6. This Charmless Man - The Smiths

7. Come Together - The Beatles

8. Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division

9. The Electric Co. - U2

10. Message in a Bottle - The Police

11. Serve the Servants - Nirvana

12. Rusty Cage - Soundgarden

13. Geek U.S.A. - Smashing Pumpkins

14. Debaser - The Pixies

15. New Sensation - INXS

16. Clocks - Coldplay

17. In the Sun - She & Him

18. Pictures of You - The Cure

19. Last Goodbye - Jeff Buckley

Camping Weekend

I love camping... I think it comes from my small town roots. There is something about the smell of campfire on an dirty old sweatshirt that makes me feel comforted and happy. As a teenager, many weekends were spent camping with my friends and drinking around the fire. We grew closer to each other as we shared stories, laughter, and tears. Those are still some of my best memories. This past weekend, three of my best girlfriends and I went on a little trip to Lake Wabamun, just outside of Edmonton. It was like we were in High School again... laughing, crying, and sharing stories about everything and anything. We've been through so much, as individuals and as friends. They inspire me to be a better person and to try my hardest at everything. I love them with all my heart and soul.

Mixtape, My Love

My birthday is slowly approaching - September 5th, to be exact - and I have been pondering this idea and hoping that you will help make this wish a reality. I did this once before a couple years ago after my Dad passed away... I felt I needed inspiration and encouragement, and the only way I felt that was possible was through music. I can honestly say that I am in a much better state of mind than I was two years ago, however, I still have plenty of room to learn and to grow. I know my life has not reached its full potential and I am no where near where I want to be. This is where you come in, my lovelies.

I am a true believer in signs - the universe is telling you something, and you need to follow your heart until you find out what it is. I know, how cheesy. But seriously... these past couple weeks, it seems like everything I do, every book that I pick up or article that I read, any video that I watch... somewhere in there is the mixtape. My mind is all about mixtapes. I've got a fever, and the only prescription are more mixtapes. I felt I need to cure this hunger and make my birthday wish come true.

For my birthday, I wish that you, my friends, would make me a mixtape. They can be songs that make you laugh, songs that make you cry, songs that make you smile. Or they can be songs that you listened to as a teenager, songs that remind you of me, songs that remind you of you. There are no limits, no preferences, it's all just about love, music, and friendship. I will listen to these mixtapes and think about you, your life, and how you have touched mine.

My friends are a huge part of who I am. My closest friends are like my family and know me better than anyone else out there. Without my friends, I would not exist as I am today. Thank you to those of you who've sent me mixtapes - or mix cds - in the past. I still listen to them, with you in mind, and I appreciate every thought that went into the songs that were chosen.

Girlfriends

First post. I figured I better make this a good one. Tonight I had a coffee date with a few of my closest and dearest friends. Opportunities like this happens once every so often... sometimes it's tough to find a time that works for everyone. The wonderful thing is that we always pick up where we left off. It doesn't matter how long it's been since the last time we spent together, in what combination we are in, or how long we have to laugh and chat... we always make it count. We're pretty easy to pick out of a busy coffeehouse - just follow the laughter and you will find us there. I always leave our date inspired, delighted, and encouraged to do something amazing with my life. Each and every one of them has taught me so much about life, love, and friendship. They are all such talented, smart, and beautiful women... I feel very blessed to have them in my life.

This photo was taken at Amy and Mike's wedding on July 21st, 2007 in Peace River, AB.