Tales of this City

One of my mini resolutions for 2008 was to read, explore and learn more about Toronto - my new home city. This July will make it 7 years since I moved here and although I feel that I have done my fair share of exploring and discovering, there's so much more for me to see and do. I have always loved reading fictional stories set in real places. That way, when the characters are walking down a certain street, or looking at a particular landmark or speaking of a certain well known location I can draw on my own picture and memories of that spot and to me, it gives new dept and meaning to the story and almost makes the characters that much more real. Over the past 7 years I have tried to get to know about more Canadian authors and read more of their works. Before I moved here, my knowledge of Canadian literature/fiction was limited to the works of L M Montgomery. Although brilliant in their own right, her stories are hardly representative of Canadian society as a whole and I was thirsty for more.

I first came across the brilliant and award winning author, poet and activist Austin Clarke at back in 2005 at a conference at York University. Struck by his presentation, I wanted to know more about his work. Browsing through the library I found The Toronto Trilogy the books that first launched him into the North American literary spotlight. The books follow the stories of a group of West Indian immigrants as they struggle to come to terms with the city and their new lives away from the comfort (and the warmth) of the Caribbean world.

Eager to read more his works, I next picked up The Origin of Waves - a story about a chance meeting of old friends on a cold winter's day in downtown Toronto. Although I didn't enjoy it as much as the books of the trilogy, it was still a fairly good read.

Margaret Atwood is one of Canada's most well know author in recent times who has won countless awards - both local and international - for her novels, short stories and poetry. She is quite partial to setting her characters and story lines firmly in the streets and alleyways of downtown Toronto and in one book in particular - The Edible Woman - I was thrilled when she mentions a particular bus route that I often frequent myself! Cat's Eye is another of Atwood's books also set in Toronto.

More recently, one of my colleagues loaned me her copy of Richard B. Wright's award winning novel Clara Callan. Set primarily in a small town a couple hours of Toronto, with occasional jaunts over to the city, the book is about two sisters who made very different life and career choices, but who continued to be bound by ties of blood, family and a shared past. Told through a series of letters between characters, as well as diary entries by Clara the protagonist, this book would have been almost ordinary until you stop to think that the author is male, and yet he has managed to write from the perspective of a woman with a clarity and insight into the female mind that makes me wish he could transfer that power to many more of his species! Like with The Edible Woman, there is a particular scene in the book where one of characters is describing a hotel in the downtown area and commenting on its popensity for being a "by the hour" sort of establishment. As I read those lines, I realised that I actually knew of said hotel and commented how it is has only very recently gone through some much needed renovations and is now one of the hippest spots in Queen West, much sought after for art shows and such.

Saving the best for last, my all time favourite books set in Toronto are the Vinyl Cafe Series by Stuart McLean.

The books are a series of short stories featuring the zany adventures of fictional characters Dave and his wife Morley and their children Stephanie and Sam as they amble through life in Toronto. Taken from his widely popular Sunday morning variety radio show of the same name, McLean has woven this family so much into popular Canadian culture that many find it hard to believe that the characters are not real! The timbre of the tales move from the outright hilarious laugh out loud kind, to the quiet and sombre tales of lost love, growing older and experiencing hard life lessons. Through it all, McLean manages to maintain a real connection with his audience - be it through the spoken or the written word - and to date his tales continue to delight audiences across the county.

Plans!

Just finished confirming details for my upcoming trip to NYC this weekend. Here's what I have planned:

Sunday, June 29:
- Arrive into EWR via Porter Airlines (cheepie cheepie seats, yey). ETA 10:30 am
- Proceed to Penn Station and rendezvous with friend - NJ Daddy and his 8 month old son, NJ baby.
- Head over to Shea Stadium to catch the 1:07 game - Mets vs. Yankees
- Back to NJ Family's place where hopefully NJ Mummy will be done with work and we can all spend a nice evening catching up.

Monday, June 30:
Head back into NYC.
The Exploration of Central Park will include; ride on carousel, row boat in lake (try not to fall in), tea (or pint) at the boathouse, check out Alice in Wonderland exhibit, listen as the Delacorte Music Clock chimes out the hour, at some point promenade along the Mall and tip my hat to that master storyteller Hans Christian Anderson, pause for thought at Strawberry Fields before going on to relive my childhood at the Victorian Gardens.

Make my way to Grand Central Station to meet old school friend and her husband and then the 3 of us will head up to the Bronx to "The House that Babe Built" to watch the Yankees play the Texas Rangers.

Tuesday, July 1:
Happy Canada Day! And the reason I'm on this mini break to begin with!
- Explore Greenwich Village and Soho stopping at the Guggenheim Museum Soho to check out Andy Warhol's version of The Last Supper. You know, just to compare it to old Leo's that I saw when I was in Rome!
- Indulge in a little bit of shopping perhaps? Used books? Vintage clothing stores? Sidewalk steals?
- Head back to Penn Station to catch the bus back to the T Dot. Make sure to purchase ear plugs in case the guy in the seat besides me is trying out for a place in the tuba section of the local band!


So, those are my tentative plans. Of course there's always the scores of museums and art galleries to go explore in case the weather is shite - and lately, its been all that. If you, gentle reader have any comments, suggestions or stories to share about NYC, please do - I'm all ears!

Summerlicious

For me, summer is all about..............

Delicious cherries from the neighbour's tree

AND

Fresh, tasty salads that are filled with all sorts of things-that-are-good-for-you,

AND

Ice cold blended fruit drinks (with a splash of rum)

AND

Angel food cakes (light and fluffy) topped with whipped cream (light) and garden berries.

Testimonial

My Very Best Friend is getting married this September. It has been 22 years, but I remember the day we met like it was just yesterday. It was the first day of school in Grade One and my mum was ushering me into the classroom and asking me where I’d like to sit. As I looked around the classroom at all the little girls bawling their eyes out, I recall feeling rather alarmed. Not because I was afraid to be at school – I had been looking forward to this all summer – rather because I’d never seen so many girls crying all at once! I scanned the classroom and decided to sit besides the only other little girl who wasn’t crying. The rest as they say is history.

Very Best Friend met her soon-to-be husband when she was studying in Glasgow and now she needs to apply for a spousal visa to be able to get back into the country so that she marry The Man of her Dreams and live happily ever after. The church has been booked and the minister has been notified; the deposit on the reception room has been paid, the invites have been printed and the bride and groom have their wedding gear on a hanger ready to go. All that stands between Very Best Friend and her wedding is one of the immigration officers at the British High Commission in Bombay.

To prove that this is not a marriage of convenience and that they are not out to pull a fast one on Her Majesty’s Government, Very Best Friend and Man of Her Dreams have to provide various pieces of evidence that support the existence of their 2 year relationship. And since I met husband to be (her’s not mine) when I was there in December 2006, VBF asked me to write a letter of personal recommendation.

As I struggled with this particular request, I couldn’t but help laugh at the irony of someone like me – who is the farthest away from being able to sustain a healthy and viable relationship – as the one being asked to testify to love.

The first draft of the letter looked something like this:

Dear Mr. /Ms. Immigration Officer,
The first boy who ever paid an iota of interest in me was (as I later discovered) cozying up to me only to get closer to a good friend of mine who was the actual object of his affections. Although I wasn’t particularly bowled over by him and his attentions, when the truth came out I still felt the sting. My last boyfriend broke up with me OVER THE PHONE 3 days after I came back from a 4 month vacation. Talk about a kill joy. Over the 3 days since my return he repeatedly dodged my phone calls and emails. All 14 of them. Did I mention that we had been dating for 4 years? And oh yeah, I also later found out that one of the primary reasons he wasn’t taking my calls was because he was out dating someone else.
Suffice to say, I have not been lucky with love. Lying Cheating Self Centered Bast*rds seem to be my lot in life. I wouldn’t say that I am done with love (there’s the eternal optimist in me) but at this point in my life, I’m not about strongly advocating it either. In my opinion it is a whole lot of work for very little results – that too not guaranteed.
So you should particularly note when I now write to you to vouch for the validity of this couple. Being around them makes me want to believe in love again. Makes me want to give it another try. Can I say any more?

Now, please give my Very Best Friend her visa so that at least one of us can live Happily Ever After.
Sincerely etc.

After MANY MANY rewrites, this is what I came up with:

Dear Sir/Madam,
I have had the pleasure of knowing Ms. Very Best Friend for the past 22 years. We met in Grade school and developed our friendship over the 10 years in Elementary and High School and then later at St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai.

The Very Best Friend family happened to live just down the road and it was a common practice for VBF and myself to be popping into each others houses. Even after her family moved away from the neighbourhood our two families remained close, meeting often for birthdays, anniversaries, festivals and other occasions. For as long as I can remember, VBF has been an integral part of all my family celebrations and is well acquainted with my extended family as well. Although my family immigrated to Canada in July of 2001, we have maintained close relations in spite of the geographical separation.

I was very pleased to hear of her acquaintance with Man of Her Dreams (MoHD) back in late 2005 when they met while working at the XXX in Glasgow. I gathered from her emails and our conversations that he had soon become an important part of her life. They began dating in May and I had the pleasure of meeting him in person in December 2006 when I visited VBF for a week. During that stay, I got well acquainted with MoHD as he took time to show me around Glasgow. We met several times over the duration of my holiday and I found him to be a kind and generous individual and it was evident that together they made a good team.

VBF returned to Mumbai in January of 2007 and in April that year, MoHD made a visit to India to meet her family. It was on that trip that they became formally engaged – an event that was witnessed and celebrated by her family and close friends.

VBF asked me to be maid of honour at the wedding and I accepted with great pleasure. The wedding was supposed to be this April, but sadly her paternal grandmother passed away last November and both MoHD and she thought that it was only fitting to push back the wedding so that the family could pay proper respects to the deceased.

Like any couple in love, they are not enjoying their current separation, but planning out the details for their September wedding makes the time fly by, and thankfully they have all the conveniences of modern communication to make the separation bearable! MoHD even made a quick visit to Mumbai this January as a surprise for VBF’s birthday and they spent a happy two weeks together before he had to return back to his PhD studies at the University of Paisley. Still, I know that they are looking forward to the time when they can be together again, and this time for the rest of their lives.

I am extremely happy for my friend right now as I see that she had found someone who loves respects and truly cares for her and who I am certain will make a great compliment as a life partner. I am very much looking forward to being at the wedding this September and see them take the step into married life as their love and commitment to each other continues to grow and develop.

Sincerely,
Jaded, but Happy Maid of Honour.

More Poetry

I did find a picture of a Toronto sunset that Shutterbug sent me some months ago. Penguin Pal, this one's for you!

Breakfast with the Banker

It was a privilege and honour to be part of an inspirational and illuminating session this morning that featured as the key note speaker, Dr. Muhammad Yunus – Economist, creator Mico-crdit Loans and winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize for Peace. 


At first glance, Dr. Muhammad Yunus does not look like a Noble Prize winning economist. He doesn’t look like an economist at all – rather like someone’s Uncle or Gandpa who wandered into the conference in error. He is a small man, almost diminutive in comparison with the typical North American male. Dressed in traditional Bangladeshi clothes that seem rather out of place in the setting for the Top Employers Summit, I watched as Dr. Yunus chatted with some of the top brass executives just before his key note address. When Dr. Yunus came up to the podium and started to speak, his voice and mannerisms matched his looks. After the booming tones of Mayor David Miller who gave the introductory speech, Dr. Yunus’ voice was almost soft in comparison. He was quick to point exactly what I had been thinking; that he’s no typical banker.


“When people hear about my work, and learn about the title of my book “Banker to the Poor”, they then to have this expectation of the tie wearing, briefcase wielding Corporate banker. The reality is I am no Banker. In fact, I don’t even know too much about the banking industry! Perhaps, that is what made my venture successful in the first place.”

In the tradition of the Bangladeshi people, Dr. Yunus proceeded to tell us about his work in the age old form of storytelling in a manner that captivated his audience as he lead us down the path of discovery over how a simple idea changed millions of lives.

In 1972 when the country of Bangladesh was formed, Dr. Yonus was a professor of economics at Middle Tennessee State University. Wanting to help rebuild his country that had suffered so much during the war for independence, he moved back to his home town of Chittagong and was appointed into the economics department. Two years later, the country was hit with a devastating famine and hundreds of thousands were dying every day. Dr. Yunus recalls that “elegant theories of economics are but empty words when outside the classroom death, poverty and misery rein.” He wanted to do something more than theorize about change, and thought, “why not go outside the classroom and help? Not as an economist – but as a human being, reaching out to another human being.”

It was a visit to a village near his native town that proved to be the spark that fueled his now world famous concept of microcredit. The over 6.9 billion that the Grameen bank (that Dr. Yunus founded) has given out since its inception all started when Dr. Yunus handed out what basically amounted to $27 to a few women in the village who were weighed down with the burden of their loans.

Dr. Yunus says, “When I first wanted to start this process, I spent a lot of time talking to bankers. Each time, they listed to my idea and then showed me to the door. I was confident that my idea was viable, so the next time I went back I began to speak to them in their own language – banker talk – offering myself as a guarantor for the loans. This time, they listened and agreed to my plan even though they warned me that I was a fool and like the proverb would probably soon be parted from his money.

People often ask me how I came up with the principles and objectives by which the Grameen bank is run. As I mentioned before, I am no banker. So what I did was look at the lending patterns of traditional banks - and then do exactly the opposite! For example, traditional banks assess you on how much you have before they decide how much to give. With us, the less you have, the more you qualified for a loan. The poorest people who had nothing at all were considered the best candidates! So also, traditional banks typically lend to men; with Grameen bank about 97% of the loans are taken out by women.”

Dr. Yunus firmly believes that poverty exists not in the person, but in the circumstance. He gives the example of Bonsai trees. They are grown and cultivated from the very same seed as a regular tree. But because they are constantly manipulated by external sources, and given a very specific growth space, they never achieve the full height or potential as a normal tree. “There is nothing wrong with the seeds,” he says. “There’s just not enough space for them to grow.”

Not content to sit by and rest on the laurels of the success of the Grameen bank, Dr. Yonus was always thinking about the next battle in the war on poverty. He was the mastermind behind a radical plan to turn the beggars of Bangladesh into a new breed of sales force. And slowly, but surely, his plan worked. From about the 9,000 beggars who had first signed up for this plan, many have since stopped begging altogether. When one of the Grameen bank’s administrators said that it was a shame that not all the beggars had gotten self reliant, Dr. Yunus asked to give them time. “After all,” he quipped to the audience, “they are in the process of a major restructuring of their business!”

Although Dr. Yunus has created a business model in which social good, not profit, is the objective, in 2003 alone Grameen Bank made more than $11 million, proving that the two goals are hardly mutually exclusive. “Business and Charity need not be at odds,” Yunus states. “In fact, marry the two and you’ll have a match made in heaven”. Yunus then went on to briefly mentioned other "social business entrepreneurship" ideas, such as the creation of a "social stock market" in which the primary goal of the shareholder is not to obtain greater dividends but rather to support organizations that are helping reduce poverty, clean up the environment, improve health, and accomplish other worthy goals. Yunus explains that most people are already in tune with social responsibility – a fact cemented by the abundance of funds raise through charitable donations each year. “People already are willing to give away money, so why wouldn’t they continue to give in the same amount if we ask that they “invest” it instead?” Dr. Yunus explains that this is what lies at the core of Social Banking. He goes on to state that in fact money invested – not donated – under the norms of Social Banking give back ten fold than that of a regular donation. The same amount of money can be recycled on multiple occasions as a new loan each time.

Dr. Yunus concluded his remarks with these sentiments. “The pundits propose that the concept of Micro-credit is great, but that it will work only in poor countries. I disagree. People everywhere are the same. They all need help, and they would like to live in dignity. We have seen that this system works, and more like it will also work if taken up and championed by leaders in the community such as yourselves. The only place where poverty belongs – is in a museum.” 

Thought for the Month

The Beer Baron gave me a Happy Bunny calender for Christmas that I put up at my desk at work. On days when I am particularly frustrated by the apparently complete lack of intelligence in the rest of humanity, I look over to my calender and from it I draw strenght and comfort. Past "thoughts" for the month have been:

Nobody's Perfect. I'm as close as it gets.

I'm happy. Don't wreck it by talking.

You go girl. And don't come back.

On days when I am particularly frustrated by the apparently complete lack of intelligence in the rest of humanity, I look over to my calender and from it I draw strenght and comfort. Because really........

Trials of a Single Brown Girl with a Marriage Minded Mother

Last month, one of my many cousins tied the knot at a simple, but elegant ceremony just outside of Sydney. A mutual friend who was at the wedding sent us pictures so that we could all oooo and ahhh appreciatively over the beautiful setting, the gorgeous couple, the tasteful decor and all other aspects of the happy occasion.

Scanning the photographs online, my mother gushed excessively over the bride and her dress; Over how happy she looked and how happy HER mother looked, and over how happy HIS mother looked. She could not stress enough how happy everyone appeared to be.

My mother has taken to excessive gushing over every photograph that is wedding related. This amounts to copious amounts of gushing at regular intervals thanks to the fact that I have recently reconnected with a whole bunch of my high school friends - who are all married, and all have their wedding photographs posted online.

While looking (and gushing) my mother also throws significant looks my way that are accompanied by various strange eye and eyebrow gestures. My mother used to study classicalI Indian dance and she is very adept at manipulating her facial expressions. While this modern version of facial yoga is perhaps fascinating to some, I studiously look away during every performance and pretend like we're not looking at her hopes and dreams getting (yet again) dashed, but rather at something quite common place and usual.

If you think that I am over reacting to my mother's recent obsession with getting me married, let me tell you a little story that will perhaps put my situation into focus. A few months ago she pitched me the idea of going "see" a "boy" in Texas. She was even willing to pay for my flight out there and back, and even contribute a bit towards my hotel. All I had to do was go spend some time with this guy and see if I "liked" him.

On the surface, this sounded like quite a good deal really.

Free flight - check

Free accommodation - check

Chance to see new city (even if it IS in Texas) - check

All good things really you're saying... as you wonder why I wouldn't go off on a little vacation just to please my mum. After all, I'm always going off on little trips here and there. Well, yes that is true. But I do NOT go on vacation with the intent of "seeing" prospective suitors/husbands. I do NOT like the idea of my mother trolling for men for me to go visit. And I CERTAINLY do not like all of the above if the man in question is RELATED to me!

Yup - turns out that the guy she was trying to set me up with is actually my cousin! My dad and his mum are first cousins. Our grandfathers were brothers. Now, I can fully understand if this was some 5th cousin twice removed or some equally vague relative. Those are the kinds of relationships where one acknowledges that one is related, but over dozens of generations of a tangled genealogy no one quite remembers how the two families were related in the first place. This situation was quite different. Call me a prude, but I'm of the opinion that if the relationship is close enough to figure out, then the only kind of kisses those two should be sharing is the quick-peck-on-the-cheek variety. Honestly, when the guests show up to the wedding and are asked "Bride's side or Groom's?" - there should be no hesitation!!!!

When I realized just who she had pegged as the groom in this Bride of Frankenstein kind of set up and I began to protest about how a) vile an idea it was, b) she should really stay well OUT of my private life, c) she had a better chance of me agreeing to having my eyes plucked out and d) that she should not be trying to set me up with guys with who I would probably end up having mutant children.

My mum's response to my barrage of angry statements is that there is absolutely no danger of mutant children because she has already consulted with a doctors in regards to the same.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wasn't sure which part of this entire situation I should be most upset about.

The fact that my parents are determined/desperate to get me married.

The fact that they are so determined/desperate that they'll stoop to considering family members.

Or the fact that they are determined/desperate enough to talk about this with total strangers.

I do know that I was so staggered by her last remark that I was left gaping at her back as she majestically swept out of the room. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe that round 1 went to my mother!

An Early Christmas Present

As of 9:05 am this morning, Operation "Explore Oceania" was officially underway!

In regular person speak, that means my tickets for my trip to New Zealand and Australia have been finalized and booked and *gulp* paid for! I leave on November 29th and arrive into Wellington, New Zealand on December 1st - loosing an entire day somewhere along the way over the Pacific! 

On December 9th I depart for Sydney, Australia where I will spend the next 3.5 weeks shuttling between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane/Gold Coast and IF possible a hop over to Tasmania as well. 


Scheduled return to Toronto via LA on January 7 2009. 

I'm Bringing Sexy Back

I've been so caught up with Ballroom dancing over the past 6 months, that I'd almost forgotten the joys of West Coast Swing. Thanks to JulieFest this past weekend - I'm back in love with that dance all over again!

To celebrate her 50th birthday, dancing diva Julie Epplett decided create an entire weekend dedicated to her love for the dance! She brought in Mike Topel - a diva in his own right - to lead a series of WCS workshops and styling sessions and invites were sent out to all and sundry. And since it was a Madonna themed weekend, why not invite the grand dame herself? Well, that's just what Julie did! Lady M was a no show, but perhaps that was all for the better as it would have taken the spotlight off the rest of us party guys and gals!

JulieFest offered an entire weekend of WCS and at first I thought that I'd only sample a few bites here and there. On Friday night I went to the class on combining Cha Cha Cha with WCS patterns and wow was it a revelation! Who'd have thunk that you can alternate between two styles of dancing in the SAME song! After the workshops, I stuck around for the dance even though I wasn't quite sure if I remembered everything I had learned a year ago. Apparently my trepidation was showing in my steps coz one of my partners leaned in during a dance and said, "Look, I can tell that you've got it - somewhere in you. You have the feel of a dancer - now just own the idea! I KNOW you can give me something more."

I could only gape back at him (while trying not to miss time) and wonder if he was still taking about my dance moves! I tried to keep what he said in mind as I went through the rest of the workshops and dance sessions for the rest of the weekend. Obviously something went right because on Sunday night as I danced with the same partner, he gave me a big beaming smile and (much to my general embarrassment) shouted out, "Alleluia!!! She's got her SEXY back!"

Nature's Poetry

O setting sun! though the time has come,

I still warble under you if none else does, unmitigated adoration.
From "Song at Sunset" by Walt Whitman

Holy City of Pushkar, North India

On the road to Aurangabad, India

Covent Gardens, London

Lake Pichola, Udaipur - North India

Lake Pichola from City Palace, Udaipur - India




Bhandipur National Park, Karnataka - South India


View from West Umeda Buildings, Osaka - Japan


Bandra Bandstand, Bombay - India

Juhu Beach, Bombay - India

Springtime in Shakespeareville

Thanks to an amazing deal with tickets and train fare, and then finding a most wonderful (and VERY affordable) little B&B, my friend Shutterbug and myself found ourselves heading to the idyllic town of Stratford, Ontario last weekend. A mere hour and half away from Toronto, Stratford is a heaven of the arts smack dab in the middle of farming country. Most noted for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival from April to October and the Stratford Summer Music Festival in July/August, the town is aptly called the "Heart of Perth County".

Although it was the first weekend in May, Spring was taking a vacation as the rain poured down the entire train journey from Toronto there. Still, it was a great occasion for me to break out the funky rain boots that I'd bought in Montreal.

Thankfully we were able to amuse ourselves indoors for all of Saturday afternoon. By the time we walked over to the main street for dinner and then to the Festival Theatre for the evening show of Hamlet, the rain clouds had moved on and a feeble but determined sun was shining through. By the next morning, the rain clouds had all been blown away and although a keen wind still lingered, the weather was much more Spring-like and far more conducive to walking around and exploring the town. Shutterbug was delighted at the prospect of being able to fully try out her new camera and all of the photographs in this post are thanks to her good eye and amazing new toy. For most of the morning we wandered in and around the main street of Stratford taking in the quiet of the river and the bright tulips and other spring flowers. Even the town jail looked inviting enough - and not just for the criminally minded! Of course my joy knew no bounds when I discovered all sorts of wonderful book stores and even more wonderful - they were all having sidewalk sales! Yes, my bags were several books heavier on the return trip home. In keeping with our theme of "Discovery and Relaxation", we found this nice little restaurant just off the main path and spent a few hours sipping wines and sharing tales. And then spent the remainder of the afternoon stretched out by the river as I read and Shutterbug took pictures! Our weekend in Stratford was capped off with a drop in to the town's first ever documentary festival for a screening of one of the shorts that coincided perfectly with the amount of time we had to kill before we caught our evening train back to the city and to the real world!

Table for One, Please

I have been reading blog entries of The Bride and Curly who are both currently deep in chasms of loneliness at this point of time. Curly's parents are away on vaykay and The Bride's hubby is away on business for 3 months. Two smart, sassy, beautiful and wonderful women - who are right now miserable with their current state of singleness.

About a year and a bit ago, this would probably have been me as well.

Then I went away on an extended trip where for the majority of four months I spent time with myself, by myself and with myself. True, I met friends and family along the way and often hung out with them. But I also spent extended periods of time where it was just me and my thoughts; an island in the middle of a bustling world. When I returned home, I was faced with yet another sense of alone as I was confronted with a four year relationship that had dissolved into nothing. 


In the year that has followed, I have learned to be content in singledom like I never had before. It wasn't easy, but it was surprisingly not very difficult either. Perhaps my time away when I traveled to new and often unknown places alone, now enabled me to step into that otherwise unknown territory of spending weekends alone, going to movies or the ballgame alone and eating at restaurants alone.

There are days when I feel a twinge of self pity as I watch couples on the subway or at the movies, or hear my colleague making weekend plans with her partner. I remember the time when I was in that situation and momentarily I feel a sense of loss. 


But when the moment passes, I realise that although I'd like to be able to have a special someone with whom I could make weekend plans or movie plans or life plans... I know that I don't need that someone to continue making plans in general. 


Curly, Bride... I hope that your current situtions improve. And believe me, if I were in the same city I would happily loan myself out to you right now! I enjoy my time alone - but good company is ALWAYS welcome!

The Punch Line

Riding home on the Subway the other night, I was lost in my own little wonderland world when I was snapped back to present day by a sudden loud exclamation and shout from another passenger. I looked up just in time to see a guy on the platform flip “the bird” and a young girl shaking her fist at him as the train pulled out of the station. The girl was best described as Trailer Park Chic with a definitive early 90s theme to her clothing. I think she was still getting her fashion trends from 90201 episodes. Her partner was cross between a budding K-Fed (pre access to Britney’s money) and J-Roc (from Trailer Park Boys) with a temper like Tyson’s and a vocabulary that would make Howard Stern blush. Together they made a charming couple.

Girl: That was my ex. What an AHole he is. Beat me up all the time. But I got him good as well.
Boyfriend: Too bad I didn’t see him earlier – I’d have loved to punch him out.
Girl: Yeah, that would have been great.
*pause*
Girl: But maybe not. I suppose that would go against my parole. I’m not ready to go back to jail. Me and [insert friend’s name] are going shopping to Buffalo next weekend.

The Boys of Summer are back!

The weather is totally crap and un-spring like.
The last bits of hardened snow refuse to melt.
Wearing flip flops is still a vague and distant dream.
But then, baseball season begins and suddenly the storm clouds seem to roll away, we shed some of those winter layers and restaurants and pubs begin to clean out their patio spaces and we all roll out the red carpet to welcome back the "Boys of Summer".

The arrival of the baseball season is cause for celebration for both fans of the game and everyone else too. It does after all mean that soon, very soon we can finally pack away the parkas and welcome the sunshine and warmth back again. Of course, this is Toronto and that could mean that we play the Home Opener in -10 weather with an inch of snow on the ground. It's the thought that counts!

A team’s Home Opener is always a big deal. The game is usually sold out – or almost close to that. And that’s a whole lot of people for a 50,000 seat stadium as in the case of the Rogers Centre where the Jays play. Even if your team is at the very bottom of the standing, the Home Opener is the time when every fan can hope (even for a short while) that “this will be the year”.

The Rogers Centre - home of the Toronto Blue Jays, with the CN tower in the background

My very first home opener experience was back in 2002 when I was a rookie game day staffer at the Box Office. That day also marked the first time I was featured on the evening news. Yup, a truly heinous shot of me bravely trying to hold a smile and a “professional front” while a hoard of angry fans stormed the Box Office in protest of long lines and ticketing systems that didn't quite work like they should. Thankfully, most of the TV segment included my left arm and side and not a whole lot of recognizable features! Not surprisingly, more than 50% of the part time staff quite after that night.

In all my time working with the Jays, I never actually WATCHED a home opener game. It was by far the busiest day of the year and for the most part us staff were running around making sure that things were going the way they should, talking/meeting/greeting clients and the likes. If at all you were lucky enough to finish work at a “decent” hour you’d probably have missed most of the game anyway! But it was also one of the most exciting days of the entire season and the hard work and long hours were worth it. There is an electricity in the air at every game. At the Home Opener it is ten times that with the excitement and anticipation rising to a fever pitch.

Last year, I watched the Jays home opener online. I was in Tokyo and it was technically the next morning, but I was determined not to miss it.

This year, I went to the game and actually watched, cheered and participated in the experience from start to finish. I thought I'd miss being part of the "behind the scenes" experience. But it was not so. I was just as excited (if not more) to be there as a fan and be just one of the many who were thinking, "Perhaps this year is OUR year."

Culture Curry

Hosted a bunch of friends over at my place yesterday for a night of all things Bollywood. The "plan" was to have 3 or 4 people over. It ended up being 8 or 9! Thankfully the Mater was around to help with the cooking as gourmet chef I am NOT!

The menu:
Coconut shrimp curry
Beef kebabs
Masoor Daal
Green peppers and potatoes with Indian spices
AND
Mango chutney

We watched the 2006 remake of “Don” and were alternately thrilled by the spectacular action sequences and then seconds later were reduced to hapless laughter by the very BAD sub titles!

It really is quite difficult to keep a straight face when the arch villain is sneering “Don’t think you are so cleaver. I have my vision on you.”
Or when in a moment of tender passion, the hardy hero says to his lady love, “I cannot idolly sit by and watch this injustice take place.”

Bollywood movies have come a long way. Subtitling obviously hasn’t.


And yes, if you were keeping track; I did manage to go 2 hours back and forth across the city to get my hair cut AND cook dinner for 9 of my friends - all in one afternoon!

Quick Fix

The hair situation had gotten to a critical point. I was utterly miserable in the knowledge that I looked good.... but felt terrible! So I called my hairdresser and begged her to "fit it".

And the doll that she is she managed to find 10 minutes in her busy busy day today to squeeze me in and tame my locks.

I am now the proud owner of a brand new "do".

And I'm loving it!!!

Mirror Mirror.....

Had a session with my hairdresser last Saturday as split ends were rampant. Lamented the fact that my hair looks "Blah." She gave me a new cut and style that looked great as I left the salon. Two days later, as I left for work on Monday morning I was struggling to come to terms with new hair. I realised that there was not so much love happening any more. In fact, I rather hated it!

To my surprise,
My coworker Ms. Shopaholic: I LOVE your new look! So trendy!
My other coworker Ms. Fashioneesta: Amazing cut! Love the lines!

Neither of these girls would say something they don't mean. It's not in their nature. They both reacted with genuine delight to my new style. Problem is - I STILL hated it! Every time I look in the mirror (or any reflective surface for that matter) I see a girl with helmet head. A weirdo style that does not gel with the personality. I am no style queen. I am certainly no trend follower. My hair is currently incongruent with the rest of me, and I’m not quite sure what to do about it. I cannot chop off all my hair as I am supposed to be growing it out for the September wedding. So does this mean I have to go through summer with this miserable mop? I suppose I should be glad that at outwardly I (supposedly) look good. Inwardly, I’m not so sure.

In a Nut Shell....

Was tagged by Tim and have to describe my life in 6 words. Cripes! Might as well ask Einstein to explain his theory of relativity in one sentence!

After much pondering, here's what I came up with:

Blithe dancing on sun kissed streets

I now tag Curly Girlie and The Bride. As we used to say in grade school...."pass it on, no returns"

And we raise our glasses to......

One year ago I met some of the nicest people who through their words and ways had inspired my trip to Japan. 

Cheers to Blog buddies!