One Reader!

Yeeeees! Well I've got one reader at least. Good thing I'm just doing this for me now :) Summer is finally here and we have had some hot hot days here in Toronto. I'm busy packing and no longer even pretending to look for work. I'll be moving to the High Park area in a couple of days where I may not get reception for my mobile phone. After all these years of resisting, I finally cave and wind up somewhere that the phone won't work. Isn't it ironic, don't you think?

This post is going to be full of randomness. I had a great birthday (see below). 27 sounds much more mature than 26 and although I don't have the look or behaviour to back it up, I'm enjoying it as an age. I'm also enjoying new and old music, have started playing catch and am training for a 10k...sort of.

The best thing that has happened to me recently is coming home to a June metropass. Dropped through my mail slot by a friend who found it. I've still got 4 days to use it. So awesome. Take that tokens. There is no signature on the back so I can't track down the owner. I hope it's not a fake.

K, I'm going to either take a nap or try to finish The Book of Negroes. I'm thinking the triple shot latte I made myself will inhibit both sleep and concentration when trying to read. Wish me luck.

My Peace Sign

In case you were wondering, which you obviously weren't, I chose the colours for my peace sign so that it was made up of all the colours in the South African flag.

Sala Kakulhe - Stay well

Edmonton?

Sunsets

Did you know, that sunsets can be spectacular all over the world? I saw lots of amazing sunsets during my travels but being back here in TO, in my apartment with a nice view, I am catching heaps of great sunsets. Sure, I'm not in some exotic sounding location but a nice sunset is a nice sunset, I don't discriminate. Point being, take time to look outside your window or up to the sky, it will always be worth it, no matter what time of day really. I saw a giant reddish moon the other night on my way back from Hamilton and today the moon and sun were out together. In the book I'm reading, that's supposedly a bad thing, but I love it. It reminds me of Cape Town because it happened a lot there.

I've managed to see lots of people lately, running into old friends has been great. Apparently I look happier, that's what the survey is saying for the most part. I'm going to have to credit the quitting of the soul sucking job for that one. Amazing what a place can do for or to you. The lack of income can be tough but then again when you have great friends, they take you out for Indian food, have you over for dinner, buy your tea, serve you coffee, let you house and pet sit and make even update your resume for you so you can pretend to look for work all while you mooch off of them.

Things are good.

Not Summer Yet

Hmmm, well it's still pretty chilly here but I suppose we have to wait until the 21st of June for summer to officially be here so we can really get our complain on. I don't actually mind the coolness, I can wear all the early spring clothes I thought I'd miss out on. You know, like a puffy vest and mittens. Sigh. Obviously, my tan is disappearing faster than the chocolate bar I 'won' at my friend's shower this weekend. Although it's probably too close to call.

As part of an attempt to recreate Cape Town summers, I went for a swim in the pool at my building and then sat in the sauna. The pool was too warm to be the Atlantic ocean and the waves were nonexistent but the sauna was nice and hot. All I need is a Savanna or Foundry and some bars over my windows and I'll be set...

The sunsets have been pretty nice here too though.

On Top of the Bottom of the World

Return of the Mac

Well, here I am, back in Toronto. Been back here for a minute now. Getting settled in, for June at least. Then it's time to move again, you know, just to keep things interesting. Took a tour of Humber yesterday to glimpse my future. Compared to UBC, the campus feels tiny. Highlights are that it used to be a mental hospital (mmm and I got in), I can get free massages and it's near the lake. Not sure if I mentioned before but being near a large body of water is near the top of my list of things needed in my life. The commute is going to be long enough but should allow for some reading or sleeping.

For now, I'm still trying to get my life organised, catch up on appointments, load new music, catch up with friends and uh, look for a source of income. Can you say medical studies? I sure can!

Oh and you may not be but I'm enjoying this weather. I like when the sun is out and I like the breeze. I even got to wear my puffy vest today, which I had been itching today. Summertime heat though, is welcome at anytime.

Keep Moving

Apparently sitting still is tough. I was in Toronto and am now in Ottawa for a couple weeks before I head to Edmonton and then back to Toronto. Depending on housing and employment I could spend June just about anywhere.

If you think Ottawa and Edmonton are a bit of a downgrade from say New Zealand and Fiji, how do you think I feel? Just kidding, both have their pros and cons - for example, I left Fiji with a lot of bug bites, whereas the frost warning for Ottawa tonight should kill any mosquitoes foolish enough to think it was a good time to come out and breed. Point - Ottawa

Since my return, I've noticed a severe lack of colourful houses as were present in Cape Town and an absence of hammocks, both things I hope to do my part to rectify. As well, I've decided the grocery stores here are much too big. I almost had a panic attack in a giant Loblaws today and have vowed to stick to the smaller ones, if I can find them. Our favourite Pak 'N Save was very large but it's warehouse feel was somehow less intimidating. Plus, they sold wine and that's an aisle that's fun to spend hours searching around in. Canada could use a few more hummus options. Pam's, a exclusively New Zealand brand, made an incredible hummus that without, I'm having trouble making a really really good sandwich.

Oh something else that's weird about being back - have you ever noticed that everyone drives on the wrong side of the road here? That's been a tougher adjustment than expected.

A few photos to follow...

I'm Back!

Well in case you weren't aware, I have returned safely to Canada and just realized that I am still continuously writing in the passive tense. It's a problem I have had.

Right, so let me just say that I LOVE Canadian customs. When I landed in LA it looked like I was going to have to get fingerprinted and I was trying to think of a way to ask if it was mandatory without winding up on a no fly list. I'm not sure if it was my Canadian passport or because I was in transit but I did not have to place all 8 fingers and 2 thumbs on the glowing green pad. I saw the customs guy give someone the thumbs up and thought 'oh, how friendly', only to realise he was telling the person to put their thumb on the pad. Oh how glad I was to avoid all of that.

Why do I love Canadian customs? Well, not only were there no finger print stations in site but on my re-entry to Canada form, I didn't even have to mention where I was actually coming from. As far as the Canadian government is concerned, I was just in LA. That's it! Bizarre. Oh and the best question was "Did you contract swine flu?" Um I certainly hope not was my reply and this seemed to be good enough. The good news is, I'm no trouble maker...

Um

Actually, it`s not the 4th of May, nor is it Monday. It`s Sunday, 3rd of May, 2009. Note that!