in this two-parter, i divulge what happened in that trippie last week. already, it feels like a lifetime ago, that’s what tons of work and other stuff going on back here can do to you….
(pictured at right, a striking storefront in lester b. pearson’s “new” terminal 1. lovin’ their beautiful domestic terminal.)
the flight to t. was possibly the most uncomfortable red eye ever. good thing the next one will be in executive class. (yeah, baby.) i still won’t give up those crazy overnight flights because i am able to sleep a bit during a flight and tend to plan a slacker day for that first day in the city.
at my cousin, alai’s apartment, where i was staying, we got caught up and that was good. nothing like the blunt and fresh perspective of my elder (by four years). after he went to work, i happily sought out the mother ship, pacific mall where i can shop for chinese goodies that i don’t find in vancouver. goodies like cheap-cheap-cheap cds and dvds, flashy trinkets (amongst which i look for the most grown-uppy), cell phone accessories, and a satisfying variety of girlie stuff (think winnie-the-pooh and hello kitty).
i went a little beserk in the dvd store and bought 10 in about 15 minutes. they are (can’t you see how giddy i am?!) crash, alfie, sideways, closer, bride & prejudice, a vanessa mae concert, a bond concert, a ballroom dancing instructional video, 2046, and this other chinese flick. (yeah, if it weren’t enough that the dvds are dirt cheap, i liked to go for big flicks that, unlike an inane movie like “jersey girl,” doesn’t ever end up in the bargain bin for 7.00 apiece. =P)
in the evening, i met up with Big Ex and he took me to vietnamese at xe lua where he ordered korean-like (spicy) noodle soup and i ordered a chinese-like noodle soup with a quarter of a roasted duck. he introduced me to these vietnamese rice rolls that were really delicious! alas, time spent with my second-to-oldest friend was too short. =(
after Big Ex, i met up with alai and we went to system sound bar where thursday was free cover for ladies and hip hop night. it’s interesting after halifax to go to hip hop night in toronto where the hip-hoppers were mostly asians who aren’t known for their dance moves…. it was not bad but i felt so old. last call seemed to go on for about an hour and i didn’t want to turn in the towel before the younger kids did. noticed l.e.d. marquees that girls (two of them) wore on their belt to declare they are “hot girl” or some nonsense and one guy wore a marquee that scrolled “tony.” alai pointed out that doesn’t necessarily have to be his real name….
not used to sleeping at 5 a.m., i woke up early on friday and waited for my cous to wake up. he took me to st. lawrence market that is like any other market, i swear, in any other city (farmer’s market to halifax, pike place to seattle, and granville island to vancouver) but we came across a churrasco of the st. lawrence and that is a temptation i have staved off and managed to forget for ten years!! did not heed alai’s suggestion to get a peameal sandwich and got one of churrasco’s famous portuguese bbq chicken sandwiches. with its special sauce, mayonnaise, tomatoes, lettuce, and shredded roast chicken bits, i was the happiest and most satisfied girl. alai also bought a half dozen tarts for 0.99 each. two of them were portuguese custard in a flakier pastry. i ate four tarts on friday….
then it was more shopping time as i went to three places on my list due to their absence from the vancouver scene, uo, h&m, and sephora. very quickly, uo was a disappointment. might be because it’s a boho year and all i wanted was some of the housewares. maybe i’m growing up and out of uo in general. h&m was a veritable paradise and i tried on clothes like a maniac – camisoles, white oxford shirts, lingerie, sweaters, and coats. as i was walking around, i saw a pink section (so 2 years ago, not that i’m tossing the pink items in my closet just yet), an orange and brown section (orange is a little weird for me), and finally a green section that was the bonanza as i got a v-neck sweater (19.90) and a corduroy waistcoat (79.90) in the same shade of green. i was blissfully happy and especially so when the night was chilly and i had a cute coat to wear! sephora was also plenty of fun, to be able to explore the scents in a way you can’t at their open-24/7 online store. too bad the prices still seemed crazy even in canadian dollars.
the flukiest thing was running into this guy i used to see around school where i studied. i was walking by the escalator as he was coming up it and his face registered. i’m thrilled that he’s settled down in toronto with a fabulous and benevolent job for a lawyer. =P and he knew smy, too. it was an impromptu convergence of the transplants. very cool.
smy took me for my virgin experience of ethiopian cuisine at the ethiopian house. since the wait was long, it certainly heightened my appreciation for the food but it was definitely good on its own. not altogether bad food to ingest in the pre-marathon days….
smy was so nice to keep me company and we enjoyed coffee and (white) hot chocolate at a yonge street second cup (how much more toronto can you get?) as my other plans for the evening went to pure rot. good friends are great to have and discover.
i’ll tell you about the rest next week….
I’m quite over the boho look although I never got into it in the first place. It sounds like you had a really good time and you got some good bargains! It’s good that you can meet up with your ex :-) I don’t meet with mine although I don’t want to! TC and I keep in touch and MBF and I are still mates, so I’m growing up. I stayed in a club until the end last Saturday and I was sooo proud of myself!