Tina Week

Oh man. My last blog regarding Monday drinks seem an eternity ago. I'm currently sitting on floor of my cousin's house in London, looking at a slightly overcast sky with her almost-2 year old daughter keeping me entertained. I'm looking at the pictures of my last full week in Toronto. What great times I had!

So here's a rundown of "Tina Week" after Monday (after Monday's unoffical send-off, my work friends have deemed the week "Tina Week". In order to do it justice I had "last drinks" every night of the week with various friends I've made in Toronto):

TUESDAY
After work I met up with Christiane who's last day at work was the Friday before. We both connected on many cool topics, including Taiwan (she spent a year teaching English in Taipei 10 years ago - love her). We started off in Kensington Market for drinks, then a burrito dinner at famous Burrito Boyz, then pool and drinks at Andy Poolhall, then finally more drinks further up College St. Our night started at 6pm and it ended at 12am.

WEDNESDAY
It's Martini Wednesdays at Labryinth so Nicole tells me. What does that entail? Well, $4.25 martinis that's what. Nicole, Kris and Laura are already there when I join them at 11pm. Cheap drinks were had, 2am rolls round and last calls are called. We leave in search of greasy fillers for our stomachs and found Pita Pit, where we toasted Mihoko, a friend who left us many months ago to return to Japan. 3am outside on the footpath chatting with drunken merriment when three guys approach. They are also of drunken merriment ilk and for a while we chatted before the two groups decided to merge into one to continue well into the morning at their place aided by home-made icewine, which had lovely hints of pear in bouquet and palette and a light summery body. I felt very special when one of our new friends presented me with a piece of not-readily-available-in-all-butchers moose steak from his freezer as an impromtu parting gift. What Canadian hospitality! It was almost 5:30am when I made it to bed.

THURSDAY
Caught up with Kelvin and Deeple at Hoops on Yonge where I first met Kelvin. Deeple stayed for one before going to her class, Kelvin and I stayed for a few more, Deeple came back from class and we all got back into the business of drinking proper. Cheap drinks and good stories made the night great. One more day of work left so I wasn't worried about getting in late.

FRIDAY
I was only 10 mins late for work which was impressive I thought. Was taken out to lunch, then had the whole office wishing me off in the boardroom with a cake, coffee and presents. Even got a bottle of red and a bottle of sparkling wine from a few individuals from work. So nice. Had planned to go out for Friday drinks but unfortunately those plans fell through. I was kinda glad cause I heard my body quietly saying thanks. But not for long.

SATURDAY
The usual Saturday night crowd at Dave's for one last time - even Mihoko via webcam. I got there late but got a rounding cheer and applause upon entering - I love those guys! I made my famous, or rather I should say my mum's famous chicken wings which my friends have tasted before and loved. It was just an excellent night where everyone had plenty of fun, plenty to drink and endless shenanigans. I was the first to leave that night. I was pretty drunk and wanted to make it home and not hug a toilet bowl. I also wanted to preserve the memory of the night, a final impression that was just good. Really good.

Hello Drinks!

After work we headed out to Hemingway's, a NZ/Oz pub that I've been meaning to go to for a while. The sun broke through the clouds by the time we got there, so we were comfortably set up on the patio. Toronto and her patios. T'is the season.

After work drinks are such great bonding tools. Seeing these guys out made me wish I knew them more outside of work as they are such fun. Fortunately I get the pleasure of Diane's company everyday as our cubicles are side by side, and we converse conveniently through a gap in the partion wall. Lovely Luanne was there too, and with Ryan, who works offsite and who I really only communicate via email with when John is away and I look after some of his stuff when he's gone. We often forget Ryan has a face, voice and limbs too. They gave me a card and a present for my trip to London - how so very cool are they? (Very.) Kathy also gave up on going for her usual after work run and abandoned her child to stay for a second drink. And to that I raise my glass to her dedication to the cause. Rey and Amalia arrived a little later but their presence made me smile. Again what troopers as the sky was foreboding earlier on.

The duo that caused the greatest sensation must be mentioned, were Harvey and Kattrin. Kattrin actually organised both lunch and drinks with such expertise I dare say she brought the sun out too! Kattrin and Harvey took to the drinking like fish to water and showed me what marketing was all about - AND coming up with some great marketing ideas to get a name out. Work related or not, they were full of initiatives that really excited us all. In fact, their razor sharp senses fully developed the Buzz Club, its secret handshakes, code of conduct and merchandising all inclusive and all spur of the moment. I felt privileged to have seen the inception of the Buzz Club and the honour of Lifetime Member bestowed upon me.

What an awesome night out on the Yorkville establishment patio, and thanks to everyone for making Monday a memorable all-day event.

People from top left: Kathy, me, Diane, Rey; Harvey and Kattrin; me looking very lobsterish.

Goodbye Lunch

This was my work goodbye lunch. The restaurant of my choosing was Bloor Street Diner, a blend of American diner and Provencale cuisine. My rotisserie chicken was tre delish. Thanks everyone for coming out and being there for me. Tear...



Clockwise from top left: everyone; Labrina and Nadia with their burgers; my chicken and Kattrin's spinach salad; everyone.

Weekend 2 - The Beginning or the End

Friday night I find myself meeting a whole bunch of new people. It's sad to meet people, have a great time, and at the end of the night say, Well, it's been nice knowing you. Have a good life.

Saturday night I have a wonderful dinner with Deeple and Zanaida. We hang out at the West End on balmy summer's night, knowing it'll be the last time I'm ever doing this with these girls.

That's the down-side of travelling. The connections you make that you have to leave behind. But I've said it before, it's reaffirmed my faith in humanity. This world really isn't such a bad place, not especially if I find and connect with good people everywhere. It's open minded people, it's people who are interested in not the microcosm of their lives but sees the full picture. I wish I could collect all the fascinating and beautiful people I've met, put them in a jar like incandescent fireflies that they are, then release them into my night sky at home to continually delight me everyday.


L: Me, Toshi and Tomiko - this after one night, imagine after one week hehe!; R: Carlton - thanks for my invite!

L: Chris getting his birthday shots from Bambi our waitress; R: Kuni showing Chris the intricacies of a linen napkin chicken's anatomy.

Killer Queen

I got a FREE ticket to see We Will Rock You The Musical by Ben Elton last night. Friend from work had a spare ticket that they had reserved for some US media, so off I went to see the London hit.

Why are we giving tickets to media from the US? Having lived in Sydney and London, I forget that shows, theatre, concerts, musicals, performances etc do not get staged everywhere. The US media that came, were from a Detroit breakfast show covering this big production because it won't be staged there. Maybe in Chicargo. Depending on its success here.

Toronto is the only North American city besides New York that is guaranteed the best selection of performances.

Well done to Ben Elton I say. The story line is waif-like, but he got money in the bank as soon he put the name "Queen" to paper.

I liked how the show has been tinkered to cater for the Canadian audience. The show refers to the Maple Leaf Gardens, the old home of the Toronto Maple Leafs ice hockey team (the Maple Leaf Gardens is an ice hockey holy grail). The lead, Yvan Pedneault, is a French-Canadian. In one small scene he speaks French to his chick in an attempt to woo her. She, by the way, wears underpants with the Canadian flag on it. There were also many parts of the dialogue that had the Canadians in the audience laughing, cept for one little Asian/Australian girl.

Weekend 3 - Buzzing Off

Friday night and it was time to meet up with my friend Lorenz, for our once every 2-3 month catch up. Each time we've go somewhere new as part of our exploration of Toronto. This week I chose Panorama, on the 51st floor of the Manulife Centre building on Bay and Bloor. It was an overcast day so the view was a little muggy, but I was still impressed with the vista that looked south towards downtown and the lake. It somewhat reminded me of the view of Manhattan from the Empire State, but this was cosier and closer (and we were sitting and sipping cocktails, so this was far more preferrable). I could imagine myself coming up here all the time. Like Loft in Sydney on King Street Wharf, sitting on deep, leather couches on the balcony on a sunny Sunday afternoon overlooking the boats in Cockle Bay. So it was strange to see this great bar practically empty on a Friday afternoon. Lorenz and I were literally the only two people that saw the afternoon "crowd" (I used the term very loosely) leave and the night time crowd come in. By the time we'd left, most seats were taken, including seats at the bar, but no where near capacity as you'd expect. So so different from a Friday afterwork drinks in London, or Sydney... Ahhh only 2.5 weeks till I leave so excited!!!


L: The view of downtown; M: the balcony; R: I sneaked a pic of a couple on the balcony overlooking the view of downtown.

This weekend was also Sachi's leaving weekend. She and I met at Second Cup, and through her I've met a bunch of great people. We have a Saturday thing ie, we usually meet up on Saturday night for a home-cooked dinner and drinks. Finally the weather has improved that we could have it out on the patio. Toronto is ALL about patios.

We will miss you Sachi, see you in Japan hopefully!

L: Sachi's friend Ai, M: Dave and Nicole; R: Sachi!!!

L: Sachi's boyfriend Dom; M: Dan and Miki 1; R: Miki 2 and Neil. These photos taken by Dave.

Hot Docs Festival

One of Toronto's fastest emerging film festival is Hot Docs, which is also the largest documentary film festival in North America. I was very happy to see this year's program featured a Spotlight on Central and Eastern Europe, considering I had just travelled through there prior to coming to Toronto.

The film that really got me thinking about my travels was Never Been Better. The filmaker, a Bosnian, fled the war in 1995 to the Czech Republic. Ten years later she was allowed to apply for a Czech passport, and this started her thinking about her identity so she wanted to revisit the region to answer her personal questions. She took two weeks to drive through Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia & Montenegro and Croatia, the three countries involved in the war and interviewed people of the three dominant faiths in this area: Orthodox Christians, Muslims and Catholics.

I found the same tension that she spoke of in the film, but I also felt so much more was missing. The Q&A session afterwards however revealed her intention of keeping the story to just those two weeks, ending on the final day when she received her Czech citizenship. This was a highly personal film and I was glad it made me re-examine what I've learnt about this volatile region and what my experience there meant to me. I hope to visit Central Europe again one day.

In Memoriam Alexander Litvinenko was the film that left the greatest impression on me out of all the films I saw. It is the story of murdered Russian secret service agent Alexander Litvinenko, who died of polonium poisoning in London, November of last year.

In 2004, two years before his death, Litvinenko was already being interviewed by filmmaker Jos de Putter. Litvinenko spoke of his time with the secret service the FSB, formerly the KGB, and how he became a persecuted man when he became disillioned with the organisation's activities. During an incredible episode of this period, Litvinenko was charged and trialled for crimes the FSB alleged he committed.

The courthouse on that final day was crammed with media and film cameras as Litvinenko's denoucement of the Putin government was powerful. He had evidence indicting many supposed terrorist acts by Chechen separatists were in fact FSB orchestrations to push and keep Putin in power; in one campaign in 1999, over 300 innocent civilians were killed. As the judge gave the not guilty verdict, however, the cameras captured a most absurb turn of events. Instead of walking away a free and innocent man, a band of masked FSB men with guns stormed the courtroom, apprehended Litvinenko and locked him away for two months. The media and public watched in shock. The courts had no power.

When Litvinenko was released, he continued with his work on exposing the unlawful acts of the Putin government. He believed journalist Anna Polikovskaya was murdered because she too spoke out against the government. Eventually Litvinenko and his family had to leave Russia for the safety of Britain.

The day he received his British passport was one of the happiest said his father, that he was proud of being an Englishman.

Two months before his death, the Russian government had passed a law that allowed it to pursue its targets at home, and abroad.

Unimaginable, or one would think.

Arabian Night

Moroccan inspired Foundation Room is a great space for a cocktail or two. It's dark and intimate, softly lit by tea lights and Moroccan chandeliers that glitter with coloured glass. Deeply coloured and heavy drapery and fabrics contrasted by mirrored tables makes this subterranean bar/lounge on the corner of Front and Church a retreat into the exotic.

We sipped our sparkling wine cocktails and nibbled on chicken skewers with lemon aioli, mushroom terrine served on pita and phyllo parcels of braised beef.

As usual, it was good catching up with Lorenz. We had met at the hostel here in Toronto. We'd both arrived from Europe, about a week apart, searching for something from this place. We'd meet once every few months and compare notes about how we felt about this city. Our conclusions are the same.

This particular evening as we swapped impressions and experiences about life in general, I noticed half of the bar was reserved, each table had seats on opposite sides, set in a general circular formation. Then came the Singles. One by one they came through the door, chatted to someone at the bar and were handed their name badges. In this harem-esque setting, Singles are preparing to flirt, flatter and fawn upon each other for a night of Speed Dating!

After observing and amusing ourselves with their collective body language (some very forlorn Singles. Out of practice? Or out of touch?) we left them to their 3 min bursts of endorphins. I hope they found what they were looking for.

We ended the evening and we left the Foundation Room on foot. At an intersection I noticed the street sign. We’re on Toronto Street. It's not my final destination and I can't wait to get home.

Weekend 9 - Pub Fare

Very quiet weekend to report. From studying Frommer's Guide to Toronto discovered Riverdale Farm, a real working farm not far from the downtown core. Had plans of visiting this weekend but thought perhaps a visit later in Spring will guarentee sightings of baby lambs and goats and such...

Was recommended to dine at House on Parliment by a colleague, after hearing me lament the absense of a pub that served a good sunday roast. So the venture was struck.

First impression was good pub atmosphere, down a couple of steps from street level, tartan carpeting, cozy, old tube map on wall, plenty of customers at time of arrival at 2:30pm.

No roast was on the menu which was disappointing, but found good replacements in pies. Mine was a Quebequois interpretation of a shepards pie, his was a traditional steak and (wild) mushroom. The pastry was sound, the filling not dry or runny, served on a good dollop of mash and couple sprigs of asparagus and capsicum (peppers to our English and Canadian friends) for colour.


Parliment Street is perpendicular to Gerrard Street, which extended east to become area known as Little India. Hopes of discovering that part of town were dashed. Without my Frommer's Guide to Toronto at hand, we did not find our way there.

Frommer's Guide to Toronto - damn you!

Break A Plate Or Two

Since living in Toronto, I've pretty much stuck to central Toronto, which is generally agreed to be bordered by Bloor Street to the north, Lake Ontario to the south, Bathurst Street to the west and Jarvis Street to the east. This fact amuses most Torontonians I've told. See the area I refer to (arrow shows where I live, which is in top left quandrant of central Toronto).

East side has a connotation here that it isn't the pretty part of town, nor the right side of the track. But a little further beyond the neighbourhoods becomes vibrant and very livable. One of such note is the Danforth. The Danforth has a large Greek community so it's also called Greektown. You know you'll get good Greek food here. I came for the Saganaki.

Saganaki is basically flaming cheese. A piece of cheese is put onto a hot plate, alcohol (vodka I think) is poured over then the whole thing is set alight, right by your table. Watch your eyebrows! I've never had saganaki before so Kathy and Laywah from work decided to take me for my first taste and first foray beyond Jarvis.

There are numerous restaurants, bars and clubs along the Danforth. During summer the "Taste of the Danforth" food fair attracts thousands for the various delectable outdoor food stalls that line the street. This reminds me of the Manly Food and Wine Festival we used to go to back home.

Saganaki is hot and melted so it's lovely on bread. We also had some grilled mushrooms and deep fried eggplant and zucchini. All tasty snacks to have after work. We strolled a little up and down the Danforth happy that I've push my boundaries just a little further today.


Clockwise from top left: Grilled mushrooms; Kathy;Eggplant and zucchinis; Laywah.

Weekend 10 - Long, LONG Weekend

As a Canadian public servant I've been privileged to have not only Good Friday off, but also Easter Monday unlike most Canadian workers (I thought in Oz and UK everybody got both days off. Someone confirm?).

Unfortunately I didn't take the opportunity to travel but the long weekend consisted of Deeple and Hellenic's birthdays, April 5th and 6th respectively. Thursday night Deeple and I bonded over pizza and drinks at East Side Mario's (we have inadvertantly ventured back into chain restaurant land!) and had a fabulous time. At the end of the evening Hellenic and Deeple went home to do whatever it is couples do for each other on their birthdays...

Good Friday lunch was spent with Deeple, Hellenic and Steve for all of their very first dim sum experience! Hey no pressure there to wow these critics. I entrusted the choice of restaurant to an usually good street mag and in particular I referred to the Chinese New Year edition which gave this place 3 stars. So that said, I'm ok to announce that the meal did leave all four of our tastebuds wanting.

I was ready to bunker down on Saturday for the weather over the entire weekend was rather bleak. What's better than vegging out in front of the tv feasting on junk food, books and dvds?

My choices of the weekend were:
JUNK FOOD
Cheetos
M&Ms
Leftover pizza (from East Side Mario's)

BOOKS
The Life of Pi
Frommer's Guide to Toronto

DVDS
The Notebook
Raising Victor Vargas
Adaptation

TV MOVIE
Fantastic Four

And I complain about gaining weight...

Come Sunday I was ready to mobilise within an instant of Deeple's phone call. I had been invited for dinner at Ernest and Amar's! If you recall, I spent Thanksgiving with them last year and they are famous for feeding their guests. You are lured by appetisers, swollen with mains, seduced by desserts and corrupted by alcohol. Our meal this time was a vegetarian curry lover's delight - I don't know why tofu repeatedly gets a bad rap in social circles. If tofu was prepared the way they were on Sunday, tofu stock prices would rocket sky high.

As most of the work force returned to the daily grind on Monday, I was happily applying myself and my energies at shopping at Yorkdale. Whilst I had hoped to purchase some lovely new shoes I couldn't quite find a pair that matched my imagination and I came away with a couple of work shirts instead. See, always work on my mind...

So anyway back at work today and have decided to go to Dublin after all since I'll be in London for 10 days why don't do a short jaunt somewhere because when will I have this opportunity again? Logged onto Ryanair and found that prices have already jumped 20 quid so decided this was it no more delay. Have now bought my ticket to go to Dublin on the 21st and back to London on the 23rd. I had looked at some hostels previously and decided to have a quick look again today but still can't decide. Then my brother came online so we chatted for a bit but that only lasted till lunch when I went to have a bite with the girls for our usual chitchat. Afterwards there were personal emails to reply to so I got distracted by that then I remembered I was seeing a movie tonight with Steve so I checked the times and emailed Steve to let him know. Suddenly the day has escaped and it's time to go home. Another working day for Tina.

Lunch and a Boston Cream Donut

Lunch

Today was work colleague's birthday so a bunch of us girls went to our ususl lunch spot The Bowl where I ordered the Bowl BBQ: grilled chicken, beef and ribs with rice and salad.

YUM.

Boston Cream Donut

After the filling lunch I had a craving for something sweet (us girls always have room for dessert). What could be better than a Boston Cream Donut from Tim Horton's? Sweet chocolate coating, soft donut surround and a light cream filling :)

Happy birthday Deeple, may our friendship last for all our birthdays to come!

Weekend 11 - It's a Bit, I Dunno...

The weather was a little grey over the weekend, so the motivation to "Get out there and experience Canada!" wasn't quite there. Weekend 11 was probably one of the quieter weekends thus far in all of my countdown days.

That's probably why on Saturday I felt restless and the urge to shop overcame my willpower finally.

I must say it is always a joy shopping at Yorkdale, a large indoor shopping complex a few stops north on the subway line. Reminiscient of shopping complexes in Oz, these large meccas of consumerism makes consuming a breeze. All stores under one roof is often the catch-cry and indeed what could be simpler than having all your heart's desires within the accessibility of one arena?

This also puzzles me, as the "famous" Eatons Centre in the heart of downtown Toronto, effectively consisting of the same stores, in a similarly sized city block, gives me such pains when I am there that I now refuse to enter its doors let alone pass my tight-fisted dollars to its vendors.

Without a detailed examination, I would claim the following defects in no particular order:

1. Poor layout - street level access creates no sense of 'arrival'. The mezzaine-style level shopping makes little impression, with the division and flow of spaces awkward both horizontally and vertically.


2. Lack of direct sunlight - two main floors of shopping are the basement and ground level utilising only artificial lighting.


3. Crowded - due to its central location it attracts a high volume of shoppers thus creating a stressful shopping experience.

Happy with my purchases and experience at Yorkdale I went out with my usual Saturday night friends to Rockwood, the same club we went to for NYE. Unfortunately the sound system gave out a couple of times during the night, and the incessent use of the air horn by the DJ troubled me a little ("More cowbells!" for those who know the Saturday Night Live skit I refer to). However, we were there as support for our friend's promoter friend at this usually fine purveyor of house music and we were given free entry. So to sum, as one of my life mottos declare: free is good.

Weekend 12 - Replay

Since I last blogged, I have purchased my ticket out of here. I will be departing on the 13th June, spending just over a week in London then fly out on the 24th to Taipei to surprise my mum and dad. In light of this I have gained an additional week to my countdown and henceforth shall blog accurately by naming this blog entry Weekend 12 also.

Let us begin. On Friday I, along with my patient acquiescence friends, the ever obliging Deeple and Zanaida, toured the third Toronto chain restaurant in my quest of tasting the delights of "local" food.

At Milestone's on Dundas and Peter, the recommended drink was the Bellini. Milestone's version is made with white rum, peach liquer, sparkling wine and sangria served in a martini glass. This fruity frozen treat is a great way to start the meal.

L: Sucking on the Bellinis; M: Hellenic and Deeple, my Clare and Ravi replacements!; R: Demolished roast chicken.

Deeple's boyfriend Hellenic also joined us girls for the first time and bless him he does take a verbal beating from us well. The story of Hellenic and Deeple reminds me to a T of my very very good friends Clare and Ravi back in Sydney, who became happily engaged last week! Congrats to them both and thanks Clare for asking me to be a bridesmaid! So the moral of the story? I'm available for weddings any time, any where. Did you hear me Deeple? Hellenic?

The meal was generally satisfactory, my roast chicken was flavoursome without any dryness. However as the price range was a little bit higher than Red Lobster and Jack Astor's, I was disappointed with the overall experience. Out of the three, this was in fact the more popular restaurant as we had to wait at the bar for 30 mins before a table was available. We've concluded that as I only had 11 more weekends left to experience Toronto, our time should not be mired in mediocrity and therefore, ladies and gentlemen, this will be my last tour of duty in the world of franchised restaurants. Next time you shall hopefuly see a much improved menu and rounder tummies.

Saturday night was again the usual gang, cooking dinner and drinking at Mihoko and Dave's. Somehow I got carried with the drinking part of the night which decided the dinner part of the night wasn't going to be a part of me so it all came out and down the toilet. Really what was I thinking? I'm turning 29 for crying out loud.