Sun's Out

My 21st Birthday ft. My New Timothee Chalamet Shirt

Driving 'round town

September 13, 2020

It's the start of my third year at university!

I was supposed to be studying abroad in France for the next 8 months, but with the pandemic worsening throughout the summer, it was canceled.  As devastating as it was when I first got the news, I think I'm in a really good place :)

Suddenly, I had space to add 10 more credits, instead of taking a full year's worth of French credits that don't really count towards my degree requirements.  I could still finish with an Honours in Biology, but I was also doubting if I wanted to continue down the path to vet school or working in a lab.  And there were many reasons for my doubts, that I won't go into depth explaining here.  Long story short, I decided to do a joint major in Biology and Information Systems.  I enjoy programming and the appeal of IT is that there are so many different paths to take and you are constantly learning something new.

So that's a little update on my life, which I have been meaning to do for a long time!  I feel like every week I have something to update you guys on, but I don't always have the time to sit down and write out my thoughts.  I'm currently writing this as I listen to an online lecture...oops!

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On this day, my housemates and I all went on a spontaneous drive to Kawartha Dairy and Jackson Park.  At the ice cream shop, I got a scoop of moosetracks and a scoop of salted caramel truffle.  I really love getting ice cream from Kawartha Dairy because their flavours are very well balanced (i.e. not too sweet)!  If you're ever near a place that sells Kawartha Dairy I highly recommend going!  It's a local favourite.

Anyways, I'll let you guys for now!  I've got a few more posts I have to write!  Oh and I should probably listen to my lecture ;)

Mornings under the pouring rain

It's raining this morning, but we didn't turn back as we crossed over the bridge and sat by the river.  You poured us coffee and we sat under the rain - you dipping your feet into the water.  We talked about dreams, memories, singing plants, and Coraline.  The rain was still pouring down as we had our last sips.  Together, we walked back up the path and kept on walking further out.  Out to the labyrinth garden where the Nichol's grow kale, cabbage and tomatoes.  It was a beautiful garden and someday I wish one of my own - one with lemon and lime trees, and with rabbits coming and going.  The raw kale tasted so good - the other plants you tried to eat, I'm not so sure.  And as we made our way back, we stumbled down a another path.  A path with big, white mushrooms and beautiful flowers that we both picked.  The path lead back to the bridge and we headed back home.  Thank you, Dana.  I had a wonderful morning.

My 200th post!

April 30, 2020 | Toronto

JP12: What do you actually care about?


I've mentioned before how I struggle with expressing my emotions.  Growing up, I never learned a healthy way to communicate my thoughts with others because I was so afraid of being wrong or judged.  Confrontation, y'all, is such a hard skill I'm still trying to learn.  And don't even get me started on opening up to people and not being ashamed to tell my story.  Like when a friend asks 'how's it going'?  Listen, this is like one of the dreaded questions of all social interactions.  And I'm too quick to shut it down with 'nothing much, you?'.

When my friends make an effort to call me up at night, it seriously means the world.  I love to just listen to what's going on in their lives.  If there's ever any problem, I want to be there to listen.  But moreso, lately I've been getting out of my comfort zone and making it a two way exchange by sharing my thoughts and giving my opinions on their issue.  Because I think for me, it's so easy to forget that my friends do want to get to know me.  Like really get to know me and understand me and feel what I'm going through.  And so, when we call and we talk, like really talk, it means the world.  Because, that feeling of comfort and vulnerability is a quality in my friendships that I want to cherish.

Canon M50

Familiar surroundings, people, and illogical transitions

April 27, 2020 | Toronto

JP9: Where do you think your dreams come from?

Okay, this is the first entry I'm writing where I actually fell asleep before getting around to writing it. Usually, I'm up 'till 1 am writing these, but it still counts as being the same day (right?).  Last night, I was on an unexpected Skype call with Dana and Adelheid and then I had to finish some other unrelated writing.  When all was said and done it was 3 am and so I guess that's my excuse...

My dreams have always been a mix of familiar surroundings, people, and illogical transitions.  They're on the verge of being so quintessentially normal that I don't stop to think how bizarre they are until after I wake up.  Bridge to Terabithia.  That's what they kind of remind me of.

I find that I only dream when I fall into a deep and long slumber.  And this has got my thinking... Would I care if I never had another dream?  I can never recall what I dreamt unless I think about them the minute I wake up.  Then again, the ones that I do make for really funny stories.  I still remember certain dreams I had from over ten years ago.  That's crazy.  I don't think I consciously told myself to remember them.  So, what am I going to remember about now?  Yesterday, I was watching the mail lady cross the street to my house and thinking: it's probably just junk mail.  I rarely get mail.  Then, later that evening, I went to go get the mail and to my surprise I had two letters in my name.  My first tax refund.  Pretty cool, I think lol.

A photo from two years ago that I never posted...

20

Here's to my 20th birthday spent during a province-wide Covid-19 emergency:

Placed a little TO skincare order.

12 am walks.

Dana's infamous 2-layered lemon cake with blueberries and açai seeds.

Thank you for a wonderful night <3

orange glasses for a queen of class

I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me

A Day Off: all for the gram

I have a week off from school - just enough time to study for midterms and destress with friends.

My Canon M50 (Ft. Toronto Christmas Market) !!!

I started this blog back in 2014 using the only camera I had - an iPhone.  A proper camera has been on my mind for the last 5 years and 2 days ago I finally got one!

~

The entirety of yesterday was spent wandering downtown with my friends Adelheid, Dana, and Serenity.  My camera arrived just in time for me to take it on a spin as we visited the Toronto Christmas Market.

As someone who grew up in Toronto, I have no idea how I never thought to visit the market until my friend mentioned it a few weeks ago.  There's a fair amount to see in terms of the food, shops, and decor.  We spent most of our time feasting on overly priced fair food and maneuvering through the crowded shops.  The experience reminded me of the St. Lawrence Market which is just a few minutes away.  It's got that same variety of food vendors and vintage stalls with an equal amount of hustle and bustle.  My only regret is that we couldn't stay past 6pm to experience the night crowd.

By the end of the day, I was so tired that I nearly missed my bus stop coming home.  I ended up snoozing at 8pm and waking up at 11pm thinking it was 5 in the morning.  Instead of going back to sleep I stayed up to edit these photos.

You best believe I bought this little rat fella.  They say to spend your money on what makes you happy.  ~this~ is the definition of what makes me happy.