Blue Crystal Snowflake

I've never been into collecting coins but this $20 silver coin in the Royal Canadian Mint's current holiday gift guide has me re-considering numismatics.

Whew.

Just got home from a dinner date, at the end of which the boy told me he didn't feel the spark and he didn't like to play games. And I must say that was a relief.

Now, as a dyed in the wool introvert, I'm not the most sparkling of conversationalists - but I tried my best and I swear, while it wasn't the worst dinner date ever, it certainly wasn't fun because I felt like I was carrying the conversation.

So glad that's over with.

Hmmm.....

So, I'm meeting a guy for drinks tomorrow night and I'm trying to figure something out. I don't know if this is something he does all the time - it's too early to tell - but in our last couple email correspondences, he's replied back to my email queries in fairly succinct direct responses. And I don't know if this is annoying or not.

Here's a pseudo-excerpt of our last emails:

Me: I know we decided on meeting at X less than an hour ago but do you have any objections to a change in venue?
He: Nope.
Me: ....I was thinking of going to Y....have you ever been?
He: I have been a few times but never for drinks. Let's go there instead.
Me: ...Do you have a cell number I can reach you at in case something comes up and I'm running late, etc...
He: ###.###.####

I don't know...these to-the-point responses seem to lack charm and imagination. I should be more open and optimistic though, right? At least he's flexible and accommodating...

3 nights, 4 days

Our trip to Brazil was short, intense and very productive. Our flight late Sunday night was delayed a couple hours because of mechanical problems so we didn't leave until 1:30am, which meant we had more time to enjoy the Maple Leaf Lounge at Pearson. This was my first visit to any First/Exec Class lounge so I have nothing to compare it to - the furnishings had a retro-60s vibe which were forgettable but what impressed me the most was the self-serve open bar!

There was beer on draught, wine and various liquors available for mixed drinks. I was hoping that there would be a bottle of port in the mix and found one sitting on the bar with the Grand Marnier and other after-dinner liqueurs. Happy!

The flight was supposed to be 10hrs+ but our pilot knew of a "short-cut" that shaved about an hour off our time. We had Executive Class seats and our 767 was re-furbished with sleeping pods so I was actually able to lay flat and have my best sleep on a plane ever! I waited anxiously for the seat belt light to go off and when it did, I quickly adjusted my seat and laid back for what turned out to be about 6hrs of shut-eye. As a result of that, I didn't get to enjoy all the other perks of flying Executive like the Grilled Alberta Beef Tenderloin with Morel Mushroom Sauce and the better wine selection - a small price to pay though for some rest. We arrived in Sao Paulo in time to head to our hotel for a quick shower and made it to the office around 4pm. We spent a few hours there setting the agenda for the next few days and before heading out for a low-key dinner at a pizza restaurant which was surprisingly good.

The next few days took on the same rhythm - we'd meet in the hotel's executive lounge for breakfast around 8am, get picked up around 9am, work until about 7:30 and then head out for dinner with our partners. We usually arrived back at our hotel around 10:30 and then we'd have our own de-brief over drinks in the hotel bar for the next hour or two before finally calling it a night. All in all, it was a great experience as business trips go.

The flight back was unremarkable. We arrived back in Toronto around 5:45am yesterday and I took a cab to my mother's since that's where my car was. I slept a couple hours, woke up in time to catch up with my mom over dim sum and then headed back downtown to my place. I was a bit torn between going back to bed and fighting through the fatigue. I opted for the latter, fully expecting to hit the sack early so I did a bit of cleaning and then soaked in the tub for awhile before settling in to catch up on my TV. My quiet night in didn't play out as expected though - I joined a couple friends for dinner and drinks in the Annex and finally got home to reunite with my bed around 10:30. What a great sleep!

The Time Traveler's Wife

I don't know why it took me this long to read The Time Traveler's Wife, but it did and I get now why it's an international bestseller. What a fantastic love story! I'm tempted to watch the movie but am turned off by the reviews which are mixed at best. Such a great read, though!

Travel-worthy

I'm leaving on my first ever business trip tomorrow night - and it's an international one at that all they way to Sao Paulo, Brazil!

I spent about 5 hours at the office this afternoon finishing up a document, printing off stuff for my trip binder and backing up all our files onto a USB for easy-access the 4 days we're there.

Before that though, I made a stop at Sephora to pick up my Beauty Insider birthday gift, a trio of Shimmer Lip Glosses perfect for travel, as well as their retractable foundation brush and angled eyeliner brush. I don't know why I hadn't gotten them sooner since I travel so much - they're certainly much more convenient then my full-size MAC equivalents!

There's more last minute prep to get through but first...dinner calls!

Hello 33

Image from The Cupcake Shoppe

Today's my birthday.

I turned 33, and frankly, it doesn't really feel all that different from 32. The day was notable for the many lovely well wishes I received today: postings on my Facebook wall, MSN messages, emails, text messages, phone and video calls, and a very well attended lunch with my team at work.

I celebrated tonight by heading to the gym to work-out with my trainer, KB, who I have a serious school-girl crush on. (I've been meaning to blog about my decision to work with a personal trainer but haven't had the time to organize my thoughts properly thanks to the project that's kept me busy the last 9 mos.) Anyway, I feel like a silly minor-niner for admitting this but he made my day by giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek when I told him I was spending my birthday working out with him. And when we ended our session, he opened up his arms to give me another hug to wish me a good trip as I'm leaving for Brazil on business Sunday and will miss training next week. *sigh* No joke, just thinking about it makes me feel like a dope.

So, to recap the last year:

* I'm still single and (admittedly) half-heartedly looking;
* My niece, Piglet, continues to bring so much joy - I have this one photo of her smiling the sweetest smile you ever did see as my wallpaper and it never fails to make me smile too;
* I had a fantastic 2.5 weeks in Europe this Spring and spent some really good QT with my extended family;
* I've settled into my new home and have met some really great neighbours; and
* My work life is progressing well - I'm on another major strategic project that has raised my profile considerably and has challenged me to grow.

Life is good.

Handcrafted Rugs from Amy Butler!

I literally gasped when I saw this image below of one of Amy Butler's new rug designs. Can we say gorgeous?!

I think this one here, Bright Buds, is my favourite:

Lazy Sunday

It's been a lazy long weekend Sunday - I spent the first couple hours in bed reading a cheesy Nora Roberts romance and didn't get up until after noon after which I killed some time watching a couple episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer before deciding perhaps it might be a good idea to head out and enjoy the late summer sun...

So out I went onto Queen West to browse the shops...and ended up in trouble at Girl Friday where I picked up this numph sweater:

It doesn't look like much in the photograph but the wool's hand-dyed so every sweater is a little different.

And then there was my stop in Cat Tilt, where I found this gorgeous Hard Tail cotton wrap in white with a subtle laser-burnt pattern:

After all that browsing, I felt the need for a snacky-snack so made a stop at the recently opened Quaff Cafe:

YUM!

What do you do

I spent the last couple hours on Skype talking to my cousin's now ex-fiance. I called me to tell me she had something to tell me and I thought it was that she was pregnant. But instead, it was to say that she and M had broken up after a month-long seperation. He essentially told her that after 12.5 years together, he didn't love her in that way any more and that she should move on with her life.

So what do you do when you break up with your best friend? I thinks that M is confused - she's asked him for answers, explanations as to how he could fall out of love with her and the best he can do is to say that the passion isn't there anymore...to which we both wonder, is he being unrealistic to think that a relationship maintains the same level of passion throughout the life of the relationship? Doesn't it mellow out and settle down? We would both think so.

I thought that she had found the love of her life - that they were in a comfortable place - but maybe it's that comfortable feeling that was their undoing.

I'm certainly not taking sides - I love them both having met them the same time in 1999 (M and I didn't grow up together, he being in Amsterdam and me in Toronto) - but I can't lie and say I don't sympathize with how confused I feels having been in a similar position a few years ago when my ex broke things off.

I really hope they work things out because they seemed so good together....but if they don't, I hope they're able to let each other go without inflicting too much unintentional damage...

If only...

...it wasn't for the dealbreaker. But alas. There is, so there is no "us" for wL and I. It doesn't stop him from being thoughtful though. We went to the Jason Mraz concert together a couple Saturdays ago, and he offered to make me a copy of his mixed cd after I had mentioned that I wasn't familiar with the songs from his second disc...but instead of doing that, he got me the original. Very sweet, non?

Too bad about the dealbreaker though.

Sunday Brunch

I've been in my place just over a year now and hosted the last of my housewarming brunches with A&M, W&K and J&M. We used to spend a lot of time together over martinis so it was lovely of J to give me these pretty glasses:

I made a strata based on this recipe with turkey kielbasa, red peppers, broccoli and mushrooms and paired it with this yummy arugula salad with lemon-parmesan dressing which was super-easy. This will definitely be added to my repetoire of regular recipes.

AWESOME

Came across Mysterious Letters through Grace's Twitter feed and was charmed. The letters and postcards read very much like Nick Bantock's Griffin & Sabine, only they're real!

In April 2009, we sent a personal, handwritten letter to each of the 467 households in the small Irish village of Cushendall. We hoped these unsolicited letters would prompt neighbourly discussion, spreading across the town, promoting community curiosity.

The art work consists solely of the discussion between the recipients about what on Earth these letters are, who sent them and why, etc.

Sunny Summer Saturday

It's a gorgeous day in Toronto with the summer weather we've been due FINALLY having arrived. Believe it or not, I started the day early - I was up and out before 8:30 in search of a paper but all the shops in my neighbourhood don't open until 9. I didn't have change to buy a paper from the box, so I had to make change, stopping at Tim Horton's for a large regular before heading back to the last Toronto Star box I saw at Queen and Spadina.

I was back at my place just after 9, made myself a quick breakfast sandwich and relaxed with the paper on my balcony. I recalled the last time I was out there and the sunburn and subsequent sexy snakeskin peel I got so I loaded up on the SPF 55 and soaked in the heat. So nice!

I spent the rest of the day doing a few things indoors, like brewing some black currant iced tea in my Crazy Daisy pitcher:

It's perfectly refreshing but needs to be sweetened...so after coming back from a grocery run, ahem, glistening with perspiration, I decided I needed a drink. So my brilliant brainstorm? A black currant caipirinha while I prepared the mango salsa to go with the grilled chicken for dinner tonight!

Then I'm off to see the geek in the pink, Jason Mraz, at the Molson Ampitheatre! I'm really looking forward to the concert and have been listening to his tunes most of the day.

500 COLOURS!

Grace at Design Sponge tweeted about this and I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to see these pencil crayons over at Social Designer. Talk about the ultimate back-to-scool palette! I've blogged about this before...the excitement of back-to-school shopping and how I'd buy a pack of Laurentians at the start in anticipation of all the maps I'd have to colour for geography class, etc. There was one year that I got the box of 60 colours rather than the usual 24 and that was a big deal because my palette was 2.5x bigger than my usual!

But 500?!? That's crazy talk! And the displays! Oooh. I'm seriously thinking of subscribing and getting the Aurora display to hang it on my wall as art! Maybe as a birthday gift to me...?

Bugged

I was ever so hopeful a couple weeks ago when I saw that the ranunculus bulbs I planted actually had a few buds growing. But since then, I've noticed that my flowers have grown rather sickly. I thought it first that maybe I was over-watering - I remember reading that the bulbs need well-drained soil because they don't like to be waterlogged...but I took a closer look tonight when I was relaxing on my balcony and noticed that my flowers were pretty much infested with aphids. I've got chills and goosebumps now just thinking about it because I HATE bugs.

I was just reading up on how to eradicate them and since I don't have ladybugs handy and a hose to spray them off is out of the question there's pretty much no hope. I'm going to have to dig them all out and start fresh again next year.

Sadness. I was so looking forward to pots full of pretty flowers.

An Extraordinary Correspondence

S first introduced me to the extraordinary correspondence of Griffin and Sabine by Nick Bantock back in university. I was excited by the vicarious thrill the original trilogy presented because the story unfolds as a series of postcards and even letters the reader can pull out of envelopes.

I didn't know until last year that there was a subsequent trilogy that completed the series. I finished the last two tonight on my balcony and was, to be honest, a little disappointed. It seemed as if the story was hastily concluded. I suppose the implication of the final 2 postcards is that Isabella is the lioness and Matthew is the mercurial scribe who mated and that the "frantic shrieking phalanx of dark birds as they succumbed to samurai blade and cat's claw" were the malevolent, mysterious Frolatti's dark angels?

Avian Tendencies

Have I ever told you about my fixation with birds? I haven't always been into them...it's just something that's developed in the last couple years and my interest has manifested in home accessories that are peppered throughout my home.

Here's the soap dish I picked up recently in London where I drop my keys once I'm home:

As we move into the living area, you'll find this collection on my DVD player - the copper-coloured mercury glass specimen was picked up earlier this year on sale at West Elm, the silver bud vase is from Urban Barn and the white bud vase is from Graham and Green:


This perched bird side table is from Pier 1 Imports and the pair of tealight candle holders were purchased on my trip to Vancouver last year:

In my bedroom you'll find this enameled and bejeweled bird box from Monsoon:

And another soap dish, this one from Urban Outfitters, where I keep my watch:


On my desk is this cutie which I found at Chatelet on Queen West:


And my most recent purchase is this pair of Salt'n'Pepper shakers from Target in Philly:

Oh! I almost forgot my copy of Charley Harper's Birds and Words, a book of stunning illustrations and commentary:



Not dangerously obsessive, right?

Lovin' the ABCs

How gorgeous is this?

Harry Potter/Die Hard Mash-Up

Too, too funny!


via

Lobsterlicious

I had dinner at Scaramouche tonight, a restaurant that I've wanted to try for as long as I've indulged in fine dining in Toronto. It's been called one of the most romantic restaurants in Toronto because of the number of proposals that have been made there over the years, and I suppose it's because of this that I haven't been to date. It doesn't sound like a place you'd go with your friends.

I finally satisfied my curiosity, and it's really their Summer Lobster Menu which lured me in:

The prix fixe menu comes with 1.5 lbs of lobster out of the shell in 2 courses and hello! Was it ever tasty!!

I started with the lobster ravioli:

And followed that up with the poached lobster:

wL had the steamed lobster below:

And for dessert, I had Scaramouche's famous coconut cream pie which was surprisingly light and just sweet enough without being cloying and artificial.

Now, I will admit that this is the first time I've ever had coconut cream pie so I am no expert, but I think you'd be hard-pressed to find one more perfect than the pie at Scaramouche as far as I'm concerned.

Other observations - the average age of the diners there was decidedly older than wL and I by a good 15-20 years. The dining room decor was rather dated and I was unimpressed by the views of downtown Toronto which it's known for, but the service was impeccable and I loved the complimentary valet parking - it felt very L.A. :)

I had heard that they were closing this year because the condominium they're located in wanted to renovate and build additional residential units but they were able to negotiate an extension on their lease through to the end of 2010 so go check them out if you're so inclined. The Lobsterlicious prix fixe ends tomorrow with the close of the Nova Scotian lobster fishery season but it'll be replaced in August by the Sparkling Menu made up of courses using the freshest local and seasonal ingredients to be paired value-priced sparkling wines from around the world. Bubbly for dinner? Tempting, non?

Letting go

I'm taking an extra long Civic Holiday weekend beginning tomorrow morning when my mother swings by to pick me up for our mother-daughter road trip. We're heading to Sewell, NJ to visit J and his wife, M who are close friends of the family and to indulge in some serious retail therapy at outlets and malls in Philadelphia, and possibly Woodbury Common.

I've spent the last 18 months or so focusing my energies on settling into my new home, so have neglected the periodic additions that refresh a wardrobe. I've become more and more dissatisfied with my options in the morning and have decided it's time to rectify the situation.

The first step is to purge, which, as a packrat, is very difficult for me to do - I finally got down to business tonight after procrastinating the last year. I really should have seen to this before my move but it was easier to pack everything up and unpack it then to sort through it and make decisions about what stays and what goes. Silly, I know. I spent about 30 minutes tonight sorting through my drawers and closet and now have 2 bags - one of which will go to my mother, and the other to be donated. I could be more ruthless - there's still tons of stuff that I can do without - but like any disease, recovery can be slow.

The one good thing about editing before a big shopping trip is that I have a better sense of what styles I've maybe grown out and what needs to be replaced. I can't wait now to hit the first store on Friday!

Generation by KNOLL

This is totally geeky, but how wicked-cool-fantastic-fun is Knoll's new Generation task chair for the office?


Play the video and check out the flipbook on the site. I tried embedding the link for the latter but it doesn't seem to work...Available for order online July 31st!

101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived

I finally finished this and I have to admit I was disappointed. First, because I thought this was a more academic analysis of fictional characters then it actually was and second, because it was such a S-L-O-W read. I just wasn't engaged and I blame this on the fact that I felt misled. But 'tis done.

Hmmm....

I came home a bit later than usual tonight having stayed to listen to our analyst call and bumped into a couple of my neighbours in the hall. Seems my neighbours 2 doors down sold their place in the first week above asking(!)

Their unit is my size in square footage with a different layout and assuming they paid the same price as I did, their return on investment was 46%. Forty. Six. Per. Cent. That's a lot of money. I won't lie and say that the thought hasn't crossed my mind to sell given the tight supply in my neighbourhood - but I love my place and I love my neighbourhood and if I were to move elsewhere, it would cost me as much or more for probably less space...so no moving for me. Just daydreaming.

Visual DNA redux

I was looking at all my old posts on memes and quizzes and decided to take this one again since I last did it. While my answers have changed, the outcome hasn't - I'm still a Sofisticat more than 2 years later.

KC Roberts & the Live Revolution

I love that Matt Fullbrook, who plays bass, wears the original Blue Jays cap - even though I'm not a baseball fan.

N and I checked out the Beaches Jazz Festival at Woodbine Park this afternoon and this is where I heard the rockin' cool sounds of KC Roberts and his band, the Live Revolution. His funky beats and singing style reminded me a bit of Jamiroquai and the way he threw in rapping rhymes brought to mind Jason Mraz.

My favourite songs of the 75 minute set were Play My Life, which you can give a listen to here, City By The Lake which he introduced as his rap love song to Toronto, and Let's Get Outta Here - all of which I suspect will be on his upcoming release, Parkdale Funk.

They're performing again Thursday through Saturday in front of the LCBO as part of the Streetfest so if you're in town and are looking for some beats to shake your ass to, check them out.

For more tunes head on over to the MySpace page.

Oxymoron: Straighten to curl

You know how you always want what you can't have? Well, when I was young, I wanted curly hair. Maybe it was because the dolls I played with had pretty ringlets and I wanted to be like them, but I'm Chinese. My hair's straight and it was never going to be curly, no matter how hard I tried...and believe me. I tried.

I remember the first time I ever got a perm. I must have been about 7 or 8 and it was an awful experience because I came home from the salon and cried because my dad hated it as soon as he saw it. I think I went back crying the same day to the salon and my mom's friend who did my hair relaxed it for me and undid the damage, so to speak.

Through the years, I've tried various ways to achieve those perfect curls...perms never did work - I was ever hopeful each time but finally swore off "permanent" solutions after the perm from hell in high school. It's funny since I can't even remember now what grade I was in but it was horrid and I thought my life was over because my hair was poofy and fried. But I did live.

I tried curlers too - the old-school pink sponge ones. I'd roll them in my hair carefully and hopefully before bed but again - big, frizzy poof. Velcro rollers were good for giving my hair body and a bit of a wave, but never the ringlets I craved.

Curling irons didn't seem to work too well either because while my hair came out curled, it was only ever the ends that were curled, no matter the size of the barrel - 1" or 1.5".

It wasn't until I got my haircut last summer the day of my friend's wedding that I finally got the ringlets I always wanted as a kid. Eva styled my hair afterwards and curled it with a straightening iron. Yeah. That's right. A straightening iron gave me curls. Oxymoronic, right?

I went in for my semi-annual-ish haircut yesterday and she styled it again with the iron. I wasn't crazy the first time since the curls were a little too tight, but this time around, they were just right. This is me, right after my appointment - I took this in the change room since the salon was so busy and I didn't want to hold up Eva's chair with her next client waiting:


I thought for sure my perfect curls would be goners when I woke up this morning since I threw my hair up in a loose bun before going to bed but they survived another day! If anything, they looked even better:


So I've decided maybe it's time I invest in a straightening iron for those days when I feel like being a kid again. I've seen some in professional hair & beauty supply shops here but am going to wait and see what the prices are like in the US since I've got a trip planned to Philadelphia the next long weekend in a couple weeks. My little mental shopping list is slowing growing!

Gallery Plan

I've been staring at the empty frames over my sofa for too long now so I've decided it's time to deal with them once and for all. So guess what I did tonight? I used some scrap craft paper I had lying around (see! I knew my pack rat tendencies would come in handy!) and traced out the shapes of the frames and then taped them to my wall:

I'm not convinced that this is the configuration I want but the next to-do on my list tonight is photo-editing...and perhaps browsing etsy for a print or two...?

Butterflies and Birds

Stumbled upon these delovely placemats through my twitter feed:


Which led me to this sweet pendant:

All over at greenergrassdesign.

One Word Meme

Been awhile since I've done one of these. via Adrienne.

1. Where is your mobile phone? bag
2. Relationship? wha?
3. Your hair? ponytail
4. Work? numbercrunching
5. Your sister(s)? younger
6. Your favourite thing? home
7.Your dream last night? nope
8. Your favourite drink? chai
9. Your dream car? disinterested
10. The room you're in? living
11. Your shoes? barefeet
12. Your fears? failure
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? married
14. Who did you hang out with this weekend? mom
15. What are you not good at? sports
16. Muffin? Carrot
17. Wish list item? TulipTable
18. Where you grew up? Toronto
19. The last thing you did? Ate
20. What are you wearing? Shorts'n'T
21. What are you not wearing? Watch
22. Your pet? Nope
23. Your computer? MacBookPro
24. Your life? Crossroads
25. Your mood? Chill
26. Missing? Piglet
27. What are you thinking about? Sleep
28. Your car? Accord
29. Your kitchen? Scavolini
30. Your summer? Cool
31. Your favourite colour? Purple
32. Last time you laughed? 4:30pm
33. Last time you cried? Dunno
34. School? Missed
35. Love? Sure

Weekend Update

So, long week. On the work front, it's been quiet although I got some news that made me think harder about what it is I want to do next and where it is I want to do it. In fact, the next conversation in a series of conversations is slated for tomorrow morning so I'm got some prepping to do.

Otherwise, it's been a fairly expensive, but fun week. I went shopping Monday night at Banana because AL had an email discount for 25% off. I really didn't need anything but I've been really bored with my wardrobe so I bought a few things, including the linen blouse and shawl cardi here:

banana buys by phoenixc featuring Banana Republic fashion

I also ate out almost every day this week: twice for lunch at the Queen Mother Cafe (Monday & Thursday), a Summerlicious dinner at Biff's Cafe (also Monday), take-out Burrito Boyz (after yoga on Wednesday), and finally, lunch at Bocca on Baldwin and dinner at Lee Garden on Friday. I'm not feeling as guilty about my poor diet this week as I thought I would be - particularly as I consumed about 1.5 bottles of wine this week along with those lunches and dinners and there was ice cream cake at work - twice. Next week I will do better.

I vowed not to spend any more money until the next long weekend which is 3 weeks away as I'm planning a shopping trip and visit to J, who lives in NJ, just on the other side of Philadelphia. I've already begun planning the days and while my initial thought was to shop them all away, it occurred to me that I should probably check out some of the sights seeing as I've never been to Philly before...so maybe I'll run up the Rocky steps (though I've never seen any of the movies) and check out the art museum and the Liberty Bell, though I've heard that's rather underwhelming. Is there anything else I should check out?

But! I got to thinking a couple days ago while I was browsing for BBQ grills for my mother. I came across this buying guide and thought perhaps a charcoal grill is the solution for summer grilling since I don't have a gas line out to my balcony and propane tanks are a no-no in my condo. I had my eye on a compact Weber grill at Home Depot which I found online. I spent the afternoon today with my mother, driving from one big box store to another - Rona, Home Depot, Canadian Tire and finally Lowe's. HD didn't have the Weber grill I wanted in stock and I thought I was going to have to go without as I wasn't willing to pay for online delivery fees but I found this affordable, portable and compact Aussie Grills charcoal grill at Lowe's in a brilliant cobalt blue. I wasn't familiar with the brand but upon subsequent research, it's apparently the Weber of Australia, so it must be good, right?

Oh, and I bought an orchid, too - I'm hoping it survives beyond the first bloom. :)