wild life

Some random shots of the "wild life" in Toronto.


Crystal's first rose. I am the surrogate gardener while Crystal is out of country. Didn't want her to miss the first beautiful bloom.


Cat on top of Crystal's shed. Couldn't resist.


Neighbourhood squirrel that likes to sabotage my pepper plants and eat my herbs. I caught him in a moment of rest. If only I'd had a bb gun instead of a camera!

Memoirs of a sensei, part one

ACROSS THE WORLD
Memoirs of a sensei
(Excerpts from my journal entries dated June 26, 1997 - June 29, 1997 on the tenth anniversary of my departure for Japan. More excerpts to come.)

ONE: The way I feel

“Somehow let me say how I feel. I think you’d take my hand if you could understand the way I feel.” (N. Honeytree)

Flight.
My weary swollen half-drugged eyes crack open. Blood shot, tear-streaked eyes. The reading light glares above me and it seems to have zapped all the energy from my just-turned-23-years-old body. I’ve always been paranoid of flying overseas because I think the worst place to crash would be in an ocean…the unfathomable depth, the inability to rescue yourself since no land is in sight, the interminable wait for the sharks to come looking for breakfast. How morbid. But it’s true I think. If a plane should crash on land at least there’s a hope of survival and the possibility of walking to a payphone to call for help. Ok, maybe not. But it’s my birthday so I’m allowed to exaggerate. It’s funny though, because if I’m going to drown to death on this flight, it won’t be in the ocean that stretches endlessly beneath me, it’ll be in a pool of my own tears. I’ll probably shrivel up from the saline water that drenches my face sooner than I’ll be eaten by sharks. Hmmmm. Comforting thought.

Staring at the airline logo on the paper bag in front of me, I wish myself a happy 23rd birthday and wonder, God, what the hell am I doing? I just left everything I know and love, and that knows and loves me, behind - in the only place I’ve ever known. Why exactly am I doing this to myself? Some invisible invincible force has wrenched me away against my will it seems. I didn’t choose this, I couldn’t have.

Although I’m emotionally stable for the moment, I have this ominous feeling that once I reach Tokyo I’ll lose it again. This is the wildest situation I’ve ever been in….there’s no telling how I’ll react when the plane touches down on the other side of the world. Ever since the plane lost contact with Canadian soil, I’ve felt myself being stretched. I am “different” for the first time ever. I feel so unsure of myself and of everyone around me.

I can see the shadow of the plane on the blanket of clouds underneath me. I hope the clouds will protect me from the water below since they can’t protect me from my own tears.

Arrival.
Sitting alone in the Tokyo airport. When we broke through the clouds and I saw land, it looked so different from what I had expected. From the little I’ve been told of this place I was imagining infrastructure as far as the eye could see. Zero land, zero space. But I was so wrong. There are the same patchwork squares of land joining together into the quilt that is Japan. Not so different from home.

It hasn’t taken me long to notice how much I stick out here. The lack of foreigners isn’t bothering me so much…it’s the language barrier that is frustrating. Communication is one of my strengths, so I really hate being unable to make use of that strength now. I hate being illiterate. It’s a good thing the signs here in the Tokyo airport are bilingual. One more flight and a bus ride until I can go to sleep and dream of home.

Saga.
I made it. I’m here. Lying in my new bed (a futon), in the middle of my new room (with tatami floors). It’s much easier to believe that everything will be ok now that I’m surrounded by people who have already done it and survived. Now I know it can be done, I just have to find the courage and the creativity to do it myself.

Every few seconds the “why” demon flits in and out and my stomach turns. I have to remind myself during the seconds in between that the whole point of this experience is to TRY. Not to be guided or to depend too much on other people for direction. To learn. To experiment. To explore.

Kanpai…

fifth day of vacation, and the house swap fiasco

soooo, Friday was the last official day of my holiday, not including the weekend. I spent the morning packing for a weekend away with some girlfriends, and was picked up by Amelia and Michelle around 11:30am. We had planned a house swap which basically means that Amelia offered up her house for the weekend, in exchange for a small house up north, near a town called Kinmount. So we drove about 2.5 hours northeast of Toronto and arrived at our new "home" about mid afternoon. We met the owner, who greeted us hesitantly and indicated she had emailled Amelia that morning to cancel. Uhhhh, ok, well....Amelia explained that she hadn't received the email, and well, here we are, and two more are on their way. The owner tried to be gracious, but she made it clear that she was unable to go to Toronto for the weekend, but she indicated she did have another place to stay so she was in the midst of packing up her car with things she needed for the weekend. She told us not to use the phone, computer or woodburning stove. She indicated there would be a real estate showing the next day at 1pm. She asked us not to tell the real estate agent if we notice anything not working in the house. Hmmmm. We were starting to wonder where this was all going. She packed up her car while we took the canoe down to the nearby river, and then went for groceries. We came home to a note that basically said, sorry, but you can only stay for one night. This, after lots of drama getting 5 bikes onto 2 cars and coordinating 5 crazy women's schedules. Sigh. Needless to say we were annoyed and disappointed. The worst part is that she popped back in awhile later and non-chalantly asked if we'd seen her note. Uhh, yes, we saw it, thanks..........ARGHHHHHHHHH!!

Anyway, suffice it to say that Amelia rocks because she managed to work some family connections and found us a way better cabin on a lake about 30 minutes away that was available on the Saturday night. So we stayed in crazy lady's house Friday night but packed up and moved out first thing Saturday morning. We ended up really enjoying our stay on Boshkung Lake instead. An adventurous end to my holiday!!

fourth day of vacation, and my favourite muffins

today i stuck close to home. made a batch of vegan muffins, so thought i'd share the recipe.



Anything Goes Fruit Filled Muffins
from How it all Vegan

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sweetener
egg replacer (for 2 eggs) - I use 3 tbsp of apple sauce per egg needed
1/4 cup oil - I use sunflower
3/4 cup sour soy milk - just add 1 tsp of vinegar to the soy milk and stir
1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen fruit

Preheat oven to 350F.
Stir together first 3 ingredients.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.
Bake 35-45 minutes.
Makes 6 large muffins.


Enjoy!!

Third day of vacation

Well, for someone who had no specific plans on how to spend her holiday, I've been keeping pretty busy! Today was a beautiful day, a bit windy this morning, and a cooler temperature, but blue skies and sunshine. I went off in search of a book binder to repair an old Dutch-English Bible that belonged to my grandfather (Paake) and was passed down to my dad (this is a secret project I'm working on so don't tell my dad). I found Don Taylor Book Binder at John and Queen. Had quite an adventure getting up to the 5th floor though - it was a really old building beside Urbane Cyclist. My favourite part was the tiny (maximum 2 people) elevator with an old-fashioned gate. Very rickety. Very fun. Anyway, I survived that errand and then went on up through Kensington Market, hoping to check out Left Feet - a vegan shoe and belt store. They were closed. I ventured a guess that perhaps someone needed a break to smoke a doobie? Continued from there up into the Annex and over to Little Korea to stop in at Mark and Danielle's house. I needed to borrow some computer contraband.... Then a quick stop at Kensington Kitchen to pick up some amazing takeout chickpea and lentil soup. And over to Crystal's Craven Castle to enjoy said soup with her who was feeling lousy today. Hope the protein helped you out Penner! I also took a moment to plant a cutting of my dad's lilac tree in Crystal's backyard. No rest for the weary! On the way home I stopped at my favourite Pulp Kitchen for a juice and cookies to go, and stopped in the nearby park to read, enjoy my snack, and bask in the sunshine. Then home to play around with aforementioned computer contraband, as well as figuring out how to make my email work. Success all around, but not without some good old fashioned swear words here and there!! All in all, a great third day of vacation!

Second day of vacation

So I've spent most of today as follows:

1) rearranging my living room



2) playing with my new computer and printer, yay.





3) waiting for the rain. Judging from how dark it has suddenly become in my apartment, and how the trees out my window are blowing around, i think it's just about to start.



PS. And now that it has started, I've discovered a leak in the kitchen ceiling!!!

First day of vacation

mmmmmm...i went strawberry picking today. first time ever. i love being on vacation.

future shop, a.k.a. the black hole

What do I have to say on this sunny friday afternoon? A big fat OOPS, that's what!!

I just dropped a whack of cash on a new computer, somewhat unexpectedly. I've been thinking about upgrading because I've managed to beat the crap out of my current computer. But I haven't been seriously shopping around for anything. Then my boss (a computer savvy type) called me yesterday and mentioned he'd seen a laptop with windows xp on it for 479. Since I was right near that store today (in Markham) I decided to stop in and have a look see. Thought I might buy, but wasn't set on it. Well, I got here (yes, I'm typing this as I sit in the big cushy future shop chair watching their gi-normous tv waiting waiting waiting for him to finish working on the one I bought) and the guy said they sold that cheap one, and that it was an old model anyway. So, of course, he showed me some current models and the update is...I bought one. I have 14 days to return it in case someone tells me that what I bought is really awful. Anyway, I think they are almost ready for me now so I will sign off and add more details later!!

fressen

About a month ago, or so (actually I just checked my calendar and it was exactly May 14th!...how timely) I had the pleasure of dining at Fressen with two friends, Cindy and Bridgette. We were so impressed with this 100% vegan restaurant, with lots of wheat-free menu items, that we decided to take photos of each dish before inhaling all the food. For those who think the dishes look small, they are. The premise of the restaurant is that you order several dishes, all priced at $9, and share amongst your party. This may not look like a lot of food in the photos, but it really did go far, and we all left feeling nice and full - and healthy!

Photo #1
a. Layered zucchini and portabello mushroom rawzagna slathered with pesto, sundried tomato paste, and hemp butter (on the right).

b. Rice flour wrapped squash ravioli (w) with basil and creamed sesame butter, sautéed with leeks and basil in a tomato and olive oil sauce (on the left).

c. Warm avocado and corn salsa sandwiched between fluffy spinach blinis accented with pepper purées (in the background).



Photo #2
Stewed sweet potato, onion, carrots and chickpeas in a cumin infused tomato broth moroccan stew.


Photo #3
Steamed bundled asparagus on a warm bed of tahini creamed quinoa with miso hemp butter.

a night on the town

So I had quite a busy and social week/weekend. Friends of mine, Stephen Gordon and Janelle Enns, got married yesterday. The bridemaids organized a night on the town on Thursday night, so I thought I'd share some of the pictures! We had dinner at Thai Paradise, followed by dancing at Crocodile Rock.

Amelia (pictured here on the right) came up with the brilliant idea of dressing Janelle up 80's style, to match our post-dinner plan to go 80's dancing. This is the dress she selected, and tailored herself, for Janelle to wear.

...the lovely lacy gloves, complete with pink ribbons,

...the hair in progress, courtesy of stylist du jour, Crystal Penner,

...the finishing touch on Janelle's terrifically teased hair - a lacy bow,

...some perfect purple eyeshadow,

...and VOILA, we were graced with the presence of the Material Girl herself!

This is the best shot of the evening, taken by a random guy on the dance floor.


At the wedding itself, I didn't take many pictures and the ones I did take mostly turned out blurry. Not sure what's up with my camera. Luckily, I salvaged a nice shot of Chris and I.



Thanks to Stephen and Janelle for a wonderful celebration! It was an amazing day.

being nice actually works.....sometimes

So this is my first attempt at blogging by blackberry (bbb).So far, so good.

I just had a great experience at Fairweathers and thought I should tell the world about it. I found a great pair of pants on the 19 dollar rack, so decide to get 2 different colours (sexy red and boring beige). Noticed that the price tags said 28, so wondered if they were really on sale. Took them to the counter to pay, and commented to the saleschick that I was being rather daring in purchasing red pants -- but slyly mentioned that I couldn't resist since they were on sale. She raised her eyebrow and said she didn't think so. She went back to check the rack, and then called her co-saleschick (who appeared to have some seniority) over for advice. Saleschick number 2 proceeded to look in the master book and confirmed that indeed, the pants were not sale. I thought about it and said, well, I'm not sure I can afford to buy both pairs at full price, but as long as I can bring a pair back if I change my mind, then I'll pay for both now and think about it. Saleschick number 2 then furrowed her brow and said out loud that it was false advertising to which I replied, well, don't worry...I'm not going to make a stink about it. I guess that was my golden ticket because she then decided to give them to me at the "sale" price. Wahoo!!! So cheers to Fairweather. I already loved you, but now you've got a friend for life! And for those readers who see me wearing my new sexy red pants, you'll know the story of how they came to be mine!

PS. Just for Rhonda, here's a pic. They may not look that sexy in this photo because I grabbed them out of the laundry basket just prior to this photo! Ha ha ha. Enjoy...

Paradise Lost

So I woke up to the news this morning. This is what I heard.
1)Newsflash. Someone was shot at Parliament & Shuter. So close to my place, I'm surprised I didn't hear the gun go off.
2)Toronto drivers are pissed about the DVP/Gardiner being closed for the Becel Ride for the Heart. This will impact on people getting to the Blue Jays game. Boo hoo.
3)There is a double layer of digusting smog over the city today. See #2 and think about this for a moment.

This city is a freakshow!!

Speaking of bikes and smog (but not guns, luckily....!), I have a story to tell you. Last week I took some time off work. Chris and I spent 4 days in Bancroft which is my heaven on earth, forced relaxation, blissful chillout zone. Came back Tuesday afternoon, and Wednesday had to head up to York University for an information session about grad school. Since I was on vacation and it was a beautiful day (and I was still blissed out from the weekend in Bancroft), I decided to ride my bike to the nearest subway station (Queen), bring it with me, and ride from the end of the subway line (Downsview) to York...about a 20 minute ride. I love doing this to avoid the dreadful bus ride, and just to annoy the drivers on those North York streets. Problem is, there are many HUGE trucks in the area that tend to knock my socks off, so it's often me who gets annoyed, and jumpy. Anyway, all goes well, I arrive at York in one piece, I attend the info session. In the back of my mind I realize that I have to get back to the subway pretty quickly after the session ends because I know there's a cutoff for when I'm allowed to bring my bike with me on the trains (due to rush hour) but I'm just not sure what time that cutoff is. I put it out of my mind. The session goes overtime, to 3:10 or so. I visit the washroom, chat with someone I know, then hop on my bike (incidentally, which is chained to a railing because the Social Work building at York has no bike racks) and bust back to the station. Well, a little too late I'm afraid. I arrived at 3:45, and the cutoff, I was politely informed is 3:30. Of course, everybody hates cyclists, so I couldn't get them to bend the rules for me. I guess being sweaty and stinky with helmet head didn't help with the charm factor. So, I geared myself up for a long, stinky, noisy ride alllllll the way back downtown. The ride itself was fine, it was the traffic, construction, lack of food in my tummy, headache etc that I found challenging. Needless to say, I lost my bliss somewhere along the way...BUT I SURVIVED!!!! And the whole experience evoked memories of the triathlon I completed in August 2005.







For those who care, this is a map of my route:




It was 23km, which to some may seem short and to others very loooooong!! For me, it was an accomplishment. And I lived to tell the tale. Lucky you :)

Random Acts of Bike-ness

So, last night I met my friend Chris Harrison for dinner at Fresh (Queen & Crawford). After dinner, as I was getting geared up to ride home on my fancy new KHS Flite 200, I realized that I'd forgotten my bike lights and it was already dark. For those who have spent any time with me the past few months, you'd know that this is par for the course. I've been forgetting and losing things left, right and centre. More on that in a future post.

Last night though, my friend Chris joked that I should stick close to a cyclist with lights, and just as he said it, we saw one coming our way, so I said a quick good-bye, hopped on and hurried to catch up with her. Not long after, we both had to stop at a red light. When it turned green, I started up a bit more quickly than her, so she gave me a sideways look as if to say "go ahead".....and I said out loud to her "actually, i forgot my lights at home so i thought I'd let you lead"....we both laughed and picked up some speed as we headed east along Queen Street. Then we came to a crowded section around Queen and Euclid where there was a bit of a gridlock and we had to ride through a small space left between two poorly positioned cars. It was a bit tricky to navigate, so I rung my cool yellow bell to alert all the crazy drivers to watch out for us. That's when she shouted back to me that we made a good pair because she didn't have a bell on her bike! It was funny. By the time we pulled up to the red light at Bathurst we were very chummy, and she asked me for directions to where she was going. She turned off Queen a few blocks later and I was left to ride the rest of the way home alone, musing about this random act of bike-ness with a fellow cyclist. One of the things I love about living in Toronto.

Newsflash (re: my MSW application)

For those who haven't already heard, I was accepted to both University of Toronto and York University to do my Masters of Social Work starting in September.

Wahooooooo!

I accepted the offer from York, for several reasons, one of which is that they offered me a significant financial package which takes some of the stress away from my decision to take a leave from work and do this degree full-time for one academic year (Sept 07 to April 08).

Stay tuned for more exciting information re: my academic endeavours!

The Life and Times of Annalise

This is my annual newletter update to my friends and family, far and wide. I wrote and sent it on January 31, 2007.

Oh my. Am I ever squeaking by this year!! Instead of a Christmas newsletter, I am sending out a “New Year’s update” and with it, wishes for a very happy year to come. These New Year’s wishes are a little late, but I figured as long as they are offered before the end of January, they count!

2006 was a year of firsts for me.

I rang it in with some wonderful girlfriends, in a hot tub out in the country (Warsaw, Ontario to be exact). I even made Olie Bollen for the first time (on my own)! The winter of 2006 found me packing up my small basement apartment in the Annex where I lived for a year and a half, and moving to the east end!

This is the first time, since moving to Toronto 7 years ago, that I’ve lived east of downtown, and let me tell you, sometimes it feels like another universe! I also spent some time up north last winter, in Bancroft Ontario, with Chris’ family. During one visit, he convinced me that I should try show shoeing…another first, and a very funny one at that!

Eventually, spring came, and as it began turning into summer, I took a vacation in June 2006 and traveled out to Vancouver to celebrate my “double-sixteenth” birthday. I visited my friend Rhonda (whose “double-sixteenth” birthday was also that week) and we took a road trip to Tofino so I could see the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean on the eve of my birthday (nothing but water between me and Japan). Rhonda taught me two new skills while I was in Vancouver. For the first time, I learned:

1) how to knit
2) how to play cribbage

Who knew a vacation could be so productive?

During the summer of 2006 I tried so hard to grow my own vegetables, but it’s pretty tough to do this well on a patio. This picture shows you some of the results!

In the fall I went apple picking and made applesauce, and also did a big batch of salsa. Then I accomplished another first-time feat, canning!! Thanks to Cheryl’s perseverance, and Mrs. Penner’s guidance, I’m still enjoying the fruits of my autumn labour.

I took another vacation in October, with the full intent of staying home and having some quiet time. That worked for the first few days, but then when my cousin Mary called me from L.A. at 9pm on Wednesday night asking me to fly down (free flight) and drive back to Toronto with her (4000 km), I hopped on a plane the next morning at 7am! We drove all weekend, crashing in Denver the first night, Chicago the second (thanks Christian!) and home the third. This was my first cross-country road trip. No time for sightseeing, except for one picture in Utah.

Like that crazy road trip, December was a whirlwind too. I handed in applications for two Masters of Social Work programs on December 15th. (I’m now working on another application due Feb 1st for a Masters in Health Administration, which I would do in combination with the MSW).

And, then I headed to Florida for the Christmas week with my family (our first ever “family vacation”!). I woke up Christmas morning with hives all over my body that lasted the whole week (went to the hospital twice in order to get it under control). Miserable. The general consensus is that I was having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic I was taking at the time. It was great to spend time with my whole family in one place, but my poor health was definitely a barrier to fully enjoying the company and the sunny warm weather (I’ll make up for it next month in Cuba though!).

So far in 2007 (some more firsts and some continuations):
-I’m taking an official stab at being vegetarian. Have been toying with this idea for many years, but never felt I had the time, money or energy to actually figure out how to do it healthfully. But now, I feel I am ready to take the leap. I am even teetering on the brink of being vegan (Mom, I can SEE you rolling your eyes at me!!) for a number of health reasons.
-I completed a 3-week knitting class in January so I can now do more than just the knit-stitch.
-I tried boxing! I joined a gym in the fall and they have free boxing sessions once a week.
-I enrolled in a 6-week drumming and meditation group, which started this past Monday evening.

It promises to be an adventurous 2007!!

My friends, I will leave you with a funny picture of Chris and I,


and finally, a quote by W.B. Yeats. My wish for each of us is that the coming year will allow us to find stillness in our lives, so that we may be energized to accomplish that which is most important to us.

We can make our minds so like still water
that beings gather about us that they may see, it may be,
their own images,
and so live for a moment with a clearer, perhaps even with a fiercer life,
because of our quiet.

Showshoe Fiasco

These past 2 posts were originally entered on another blog site in winter 2006. I am copying them here to get me started. Hope you don't mind the "old" news.

So... a bit of time has passed and I think I am now ready to make another little entry in this here "blog". 2 major things have happened since my last entry.

1) I moved. Yay! I am very much enjoying living above-ground after spending 18 months living under-ground. I now wake up to sunlight streaming through the sliding door windowns which lead from my bedroom to my balcony. Oh yes. Pure bliss. As long as my downstairs neighbour takes a break between doobies to let the building breathe in some fresh air.

2) I snowshoed. Say what? Yes, I strapped 2 large beaver-tail shaped pieces of wood to my feet and hopped around the snowed-in forest. So much fun!! Unfortunately, I took them off mid-hike to walk a non-snowy section and upon coming to a very snowy downward climb, just kept going and wound up with my entire right leg encased in a snowbank, up to my hip. My foot had broken through the snow, over a creek, and had plunged down to embed itself in the creekbed. So when Chris pulled me up and out, my boot stayed down under.

So, I'm settled in from #1 and all dried-out from #2. Spring is teasing us. I'm enjoying the sunshine and blue sky today.

In the beginning...there was Buddha

Well, here goes. I've heard smatterings about all this blog nonsense and I've finally caved in. I'm not travelling or doing anything marvellously exciting these days....but hey, I guess just LIVING in these times can be pretty interesting. After all, Canada elected Stephen Harper to be prime minister.

To begin, I thought I'd introduce you all to Buddha. This is what I've named my tummy because it's beginning, with each passing year, to resemble Buddha's tummy more and more. This photo made me laugh so I thought I'd share.