WOTE @ The Ex

To kick off the weekend, we hit up the The Ex (or CNE, whatever you want to call it), which is an annual 2-week fair with food, games, markets & concerts.

We usually spend our time browsing the market, playing the games & eating but this year, the main purpose was seeing Walk Off The Earth!

The concerts are free with the CNE admission ticket so BONUS! They weren't playing until later though so took advantage of the rest of the activities. 

The food @ RibFest:

The games:

dC lost both bananas by the end of the night but I won him one back ;)

Completed our giraffe family by adding momma giraffe to last year's baby giraffe!

 Finally the concert started & we got rained on hard - but it was SO SO SO worth it!!!

If you haven't checked them out yet - despite my ranting - you totally have to!

The videos wouldn't upload last night but you'll be seeing them asap!

Two Years as a City Girl

As I sit here, I actually cannot believe that two whole years have passed since the day that I moved to Toronto. Two full sets of seasons. Wow.

That means two years since the awful packing & the crazy moving weekend, that coincided with Halloween partying.

Unsurprisingly for me, I'm still putting the finishing touches on the apartment. Since I moved out of my room in my parents house and had to buy all my furniture, I focused on the important things first and the decor second. I've slowly built up some more furnishings - an extra dresser (because apparently I've been able to afford lots of shopping), a bookcase and a new TV.

I'm still working on the wall art though - I just put up another picture today actually. I have lots of picture frames to fill though. The hardest part is figuring out what pictures to fill them with. #firstworldproblems

I definitely still L.O.V.E. my apartment and feel extremely lucky to have found it, minus the rent increase that's happening this week *whomp whomp* It still speaks to me and small kitchen aside, is perfect for my needs. It is definitely where I feel most comfortable. Even after a weekend of visiting my family in the house I grew up in, I cannot wait to get back to my apartment. My things are here, my life is here.

But I've definitely thought about moving. A little bit bitter sweet, but life is changing and things need to change with it. So as much as I love this place and this neighbourhood, if things go as I'd like them to, there may not be a third anniversary. However I'm not going to get too ahead of myself here...

So today I will take in everything with the same excitement and unjadedness that I did two years ago when I spread my wings in this city and everything else -like the fact that it's Monday - can take a back seat.

ROM-kinda fun!

I celebrate Orthodox Easter (next week) so this was a perfect weekend for just relaxing and having fun. On Friday we hit up the ROM because I had never been. This is a selection of the fun we had!

The Museum subway station is by far my favourite in Toronto!

Oh heyyy, what's up?

Feeding the animals

Raccoons are my fave (yes, there's a story)

Getting silly

Someone got some 'unwanted' attention

Europe, my love!

Hope everyone had a happy Easter!

Happy 1 year TO anniversary to me :)

Yes, it has officially been one whole year of city life for this girl, and what a year it has been - new place, new job, new life! You can read my very first post on it here!!

Some new friends entered my life, some old friends came back, other old friends were asked to leave and I have learned so much from each and every one of them.

My self-sufficiency in terms of making it on my own has even surprised me! I'm still working on some organizational kinks, like I talked about here last week, but everything's great!

The one lack-lustre thing is how bored and irritated I am getting with my not-so-new-anymore job. I guess that should be expected from me thought because I can only last in a role for so long before I've gotten what I'm gonna get out of it and want to move on. Oh well.

I can't believe all that's transpired in the last year but I can't wait to see what's next! :)

I must say, this view still gets me every time:

Good morning & Happy Monday!

oh ya and...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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Gotta break out my inner designer!

I've got a couple of posts up my sleeve soon but top of mind right now - the fact that I've been in my apartment for nearly a year (1 week shy!) and have really done nothing to my space.

There is one picture on the wall, and it's a pretty small one. My curtains could use some 'hemming' in order to avoid the extra hang on the ground. My closet space hasn't been utilized to its maximum potential. Not only that, I'm really not comfortable with all of my space. My computer desk is so cluttered that every time I sit down at it, I get flustered and really just want to get up and leave. And my living room just doesn't give off the vibe that I want it to.

I will only blame part of my infrequent posting on that, but either way - something's gotta change. So when I realized my upcoming milestone, I started really thinking about all the things I wanted to do. They include:

1. Putting up the canvas picture in my dining area

2. Put up a shelf in my room. Decision - above my desk to give it a 'unit'-type feel for pictures and more desk org.

3. Update my picture collage and put it up in my bedroom.

4. Create a postcard clothesline, like this:

  via

5. Re-arrange my living room based on what I'm envisioning and hope it looks good in reality!

I've got 1 week -  ready, set...GO!

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The year that was...2010

As usual, it feels slightly surreal to find myself at the end of yet another year. You mean to tell me the big prep for 2010 was 365 days ago? Are you sure?

Not to say that 2010 went by uneventfully, that is far from the truth. In fact, this past year has been really good to me and for that I am actually very grateful.

Here are some of the highlights, mostly in order:

• Met the greatest boy in the world <3
• Lost the greatest boy in the world - Rockstar
• Got through my previous job alive....and without a criminal record - a serious achievement
• Spent 2 wonderful months in Bulgaria (here too) with family & friends at parties & beaches...L.O.V.E.
• Spent a weekend in Berlin with my flatmates from Germany and reminisced about exchange while partying like we were never apart <3
• A fairly painless job hunt compared to others & friends in high places to get my foot in the door!
• Getting the life that I want - big girl job in the big city!
• Ditching two boys from my past that are uberly useless douches - thanks for comin' out Mikey & Megaman
• Despite being a ridiculous hypochondriac...I'm healthy :)

But most importantly...I started this blog. And along the way I've made some wonderful bloggie friends & been honoured with some fantastic readers! Anything and everything that has happened in 2010 - good or bad - has been better because I've been able to share it with all of you.

So YOU my dears, are the reason why 2010 is going down in the books as *golden* - thank you muchly :)

I think this song is a very effective summary of how I feel about the way 2010 treated me...minus being a cash money hero with money falling from the sky while living the high life LOL

XO,

Great Start to my Birthday Week!

My Birthday is a big deal to me, always has been. I've always declared a Birthday week, which never seizes to make my dad roll his eyes. He apparently thought that i was going to grow out of it.

Well that's what makes me said...I think i might. I haven't counted down this year or made a gift wish list or felt hugely excited. Not to mention i made my birthday event barely a week beforehand. Sad. Brings a tear to my eye. But i blame the big move for the distraction!

I've been getting more excited this weekend. Spent most of it with my awesome friend JD [she's off blog record]. On Saturday we went to IKEA - a highly dangerous place for us. She bought this picture:

We spent a good 30 minutes maneuvering this into my car. Phew. Then I spent the evening catching up on my missed Grey's episodes. Lame, i know. But i was oh so tired! But more importantly - WTF is going on with Cristina?!?! I don't even want to go there actually...

Today we hit the Santa Clause Parade which was pretty fun! It wasn't as freezing as I had expected & once I managed to slowly make my way to the edge of the sidewalk, I had some prime picture-taking real estate! :)

Here are a few shots:

33 days till Christmas, in case you're wondering.

 

Santa is coming!

Don't worry Santa, my list is already in the mail.

The Swarovski Christmas Tree @ the Mall

I may or may not have also shopped a bit. But only good deals i promise! Plus, I haven't shopped for myself in over a month! Ever since I started shopping solely for this apartment. It's my Birthday week. I deserve gifts from my myself - just some cute tops, a dress & some accessories :)

But as for Christmas, that doesn't start till December 1st in this household! I've been buying some decorations and I'm so excited for my Christmas kick-off night!

For now...HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEEK TO ME!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

PS: I'm working on this work/blog balance thing, I promise!!! xo

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Channeling Paris Hilton on my 1st Day of Work

I was hoping to update sooner but work has been pretty busy right off the bat! Ok ok i went for drinks & karaoke after work on Thursday night and came home at 1am but that's besides the point...

Anyways, I LOVE IT! I know it's only been 3 days but i feel like it's going to be awesomeness. I think back to my previous jobs and say to myself, "I always knew I was born for bigger & better!" I walked by the admin assistant the other day, who is such a sweet lady, but couldn't help thinking "good fucking riddance, i don't have to deal with that dumb shit anymore". Corporate...it's all i've ever wanted ♥

Working with a bunch of my friends makes it all that much better! But i have actually been really busy. I haven't had any formal training yet - that starts next week - so I've kind of been floating around trying to figure out what ppl are talking about. Which is pretty much impossible because apparently only 3-letter acronyms are allowed in conversations. Seriously. EGM this, NPI that. WTF?!?!?! I'm looking forward to being less confused, that's for sure LOL [my 2 acronyms don't count :P]

Now it's the weekend & i don't know what to do. There's blue skies outside, but i'm sure that means it's FREEZING! Still, a walk would be nice. I should probably grab some groceries too so that I'm not eating the same thing every single day. I wish I had more time to cook like before though :(

Sorry this is so lame - i don't have a good excuse for that but hopefully my work ID card photo (taken on my 1st day] will make up for that. It's even better in real life...idk if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

My drug bust mug shot AKA permanent work ID photo.

Have a great weekend & I promise to get my blog/work balance in order ASAP! :)

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Welcome to me, TO!

Goooooood afternoon from my new location! In case you are wondering - i'm LOVING IT! Except i just had THE craziest weekend known to man.

Friday

Wake up early & pile all my crap into truck.

Drive 2hrs to new place.

Unload all my crap.

Wonder why i chose the 14th floor? [sshh 13th i know]

Be thankful i'm close to the elevator though.

Have daddy & uncle put up curtain rods across impossible windows. [THANK YOU!]

Change phone number - 4yrs together, i'll miss you old one!

Have awesome friends help me put together my furniture with some vino & pizza :)

Realized my [super extra heavy & impossible to carry] IKEA coffee table was damaged :(

Pass out.

Saturday

Realize i don't have milk for coffee or cereal.

Had an epiphany - i can boil water ON THE STOVE for tea & oatmeal!

Tackled the unpacking that is my closet & bathroom! [i'm never going shopping again]

Freaked out b/c time flew by & i needed to get ready for Halloween!

HAD LOADS OF HALLOWEEN FUN!

Came home after a night out in TO - so weird!

Sunday

Wait forever in IKEA exchanges - but whatta smooth exchange it was!

Buy loads of IKEA stuff. This is my receipt:

I won't tell you how much, but there's been more expensive trips!

Buy loads of stuff at Walmart too.

Make 5 trips from parking garage to apartment to bring it all in.

Be thankful for nice neighbour guy who helped me carry my [super extra heavy & impossible to carry] IKEA coffee table to the elevator.

Spend 30 minutes figuring out how to work my new IKEA can openner.

EAT delicious clam chowder :)

Unpack more things i purchased & put together coffee table.

Unwind with my Sunday night TV & joy @ accomplishing so much this weekend! :)

And here i am today. Being pretty lazy actually, but i'll tackle the knick knacks tomorrow. The place looks great but the walls are pretty bare. I'll update once it's a bit cleaned up but i leave you now with today's view from my balcony :)

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Packin' up my life

Ok, maybe not my whole life but a good part of it! 

I've never gone through the gawd awful awesome process of moving before, being lucky enough to have been able to attend a great university nearby [YAY no debt!] so this is all new to me.

But after doing this for 3 days - more like 2 b/c i skipped doing anything at all on Tuesday - i think i'm going to live in my new place FOREVER!

Packing this shit up all over again?! No thank you, i'm not that big of a masochist. Plus, i can only imagine how much worse it would be to have to pack everything and have a deadline! At least i can leave stuff behind in my old room, or come back for things i forget.

I now completely understand why some people stay at home until they're married. Who the heck wants to move more than absolutely necessary?! No one smart.

This probably wouldn't be so bad if i didn't own so much useless awesome crap. Trinket boxes full of useless trinkets anyone? Come visit and TAKE THEM ALL! I'm not taking them, but i have to sort through everything to find what i do want.

Here's what's been taking up my time this week:

The only glasses i own are of the wine & martini variety. Shocking, i know.

HOW am i going to pack this up?!

It doesn't look like an improvement but it is.
[sorry for the dark photo]

2 of 3 suitcases.

Whoever lets me buy any more stuff should be shot.

So if you don't hear from me for a long time - it's because this pack rat drowned in her sea of stuff!

PS: Moving help is always welcome! No? Meh, i tried.

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Apartment? Check!

Good news - my blogging will not be disrupted by homelessness since i have found a place to live!!! Yay me :)  It wasn't easy though - day 1 was very discouraging.

By Friday evening the options were looking pretty slim. One superintendent showed me a place (where someone still lived!) that was not in great condition, and all they were going to do was clean it up a bit - no painting, no floor re-doing, NADA - and she wanted to charge $1150 + $80 OUTDOOR parking!!! Yeah - i wasn't having any of that. Problem was - most of them were like that :(

Saturday morning i woke up determined & we hit the pavement, but there wasn't much to see. By Saturday afternoon i realized that the 1st place i had seen was the one.

It's the perfect location, perfect size, perfect floor-to-ceiling windows & cuteness. Like my friend said, it's just so ME! 

I'm so excited! But i still haven't had time to bask in enjoyment because i have to call and rent a moving truck, get my cable/internet installation all sorted out, figure out what i'm going to bring with me and what i will leave behind - and then PACK!

I haven't moved too often in my life but I've travelled plenty to know that packing sucks. And this packing-my-whole-life will likely be worse. Luckily for me, I have 4.5 days to settle in before starting work :)

It makes me feel all warm & fuzzy inside to think of how well things have actually been going lately :)

This song also makes me feel warm & fuzzy - enjoy!

The Michael Bublé version, because he's so dreamy

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TGIF, kinda

This has been a BUSY week and i haven't even started working yet! Short week meant even less time for me to space out my usual procrastination.

Tomorrow is the day i've been dreading - apartment-hunting day 1. Which honestly, is only going to go into a maximum of day 2 because i do not have the time or energy to deal with this. I'm not buying it so as long as it's liveable in - i'm sold. Rented actually, i guess?

As if that wasn't enough - i have to get up early. I haven't done that in months - literally. However, I'm spending the weekend with this lovely lady, who will likely help me decide on where the heck to live. And probably come IKEA shopping with me! :D

Wedding, July 2009 - we had a great time <3

But i still just wan't this weekend to be over. So i can get to the easy/fun part - decorating! I'm just so tired right now....

The awesomest thing this week was...the Chilean miners being saved!!!

[credit]

The dumbest thing this week was:

Gee thanks Facebook. Thanks for nothing.

Happy Weekend Everyone :)

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Big City, Big Job ... Big Girl :)

Guess who got a job headed in the direction of her dream career, & is moving to the city!!! You got it...yours truly :)

And my first gift to myself was the purse i told you about last week! Woot Woot!

<3

*pause* I definitely just saw a commercial for the company I'm going to be working for as I was telling you this. Crazy!

Apparently this was the easy* part though. I need to find a place and move in 3 weeks. And i've never been apartment hunting in my life. Let alone long distance apartment hunting. I'm sure even LDRs are easier than this.

*If you've been here you know that searching for a job hasn't been easy at all. On the contrary, super frustrating.

First of all, they all look the same. After looking at 20 places i feel like i've looked at 20,000 and it's all a big mush in my head.

Second of all, some of the places i called wanted "at least 24 hours advance notice" before going in to look at an apartment. Gimme a break, people. You're a fucking superintendent! Your job is to always be at the building - what's the difference exactly when i come in for a 15 minute tour??

Third of all, and the reason i'm complaining (a trademark of mine) even though when i should just be excited (which really, i am!) is because...the unknown scares the bejesus outta me!!!
I'm generally a confident person (over-confident some might say), but this is BIG! And way too full of unknowns for my liking.

So complaining is my way of freaking out about things that scare me - without actually admitting that i'm scared. Denial, denial, denial.

Where's my therapy lounge chair?  

That's a lot of sharing for one post. Point is: job-hunting is done. Apartment-hunting here i come! [please pray for me]

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