white on rice

I've emerged from the one-way GO tunnel I've been jetting through all week (but only for a minute) - long enough to update my blog (I guess there is light at the end of the tunnel).

I'm impressed with all my blog followers - if I needed motivation to aimlessly document this random and yet destiny-filled journey, you would certainly be it (thanks for your emails and postings). The strange yet intriguing blog sub-culture has gone from 'what's a blob?' to 'blogging is the new pink'. I'm happy to be on board with the latest trends (I am now in that highly superficial yet obsessively addicting 'trendy' industry after all). I haven't been avoiding spitting my letters into this cyberspace vortex - just too crackerjack consumed with the life called Rebecca (mom, I know its not all about me! lol...oh wait a second - it's not???). Apologies all around (as if you really cared).

Well, the suspenseful await of the Toronto update is............nEwS fLaSh.........this city is growing on me like WHITE ON RICE. Well, maybe more like black on smog (are we allowed to invent our own 'would be' hackneyeds - or do they not graduate to such a title until the wheel turns and turns and turns - I guess 'would be' it is).

But really and truly now, I think I'm becoming one of them: a Toronto city slicker (not to be confused with greasy spoon - but there are a few of those here too). Is that bad? Am I that soon to conform and follow the crowd? No, I think its called survival of the fittest in a Dog eat Dog world.

I've now OFFICIALLY experienced subway rush hour which unfortunately did offer free pin-ups (no not that kind) against the wall, a beautiful merged scent of hundreds of bodies forehead to forehead, and the wonderful sport of pushing. Good thing I'm not a pushover, or dare I say a sitting duck (actually, not quite right on the terminology, but trust me I'm no sucker for financial scams either - oh, just look it up). Good news is I think I've passed initiation: I can now mindlessly blur my way through the transit system, be in a rush for its own sake (something that is highly regarded in these parts), push people out of my way, rudely stare at people's shoes for the entire ride, grab the first seat available before someone else can sit down, bulldoze my way through 'slow' people, cut people off who can't for the life of them walk in a straight line (take a class or get some help for that already), use the escalator as a race to the finish line and give a vehement and what I'll label 'Torontonian glare' to anybody who might choose to step on my toes so to speak. Yup, I'm now one of those important people I talked about on one of my last blog postings. Ahh, take a deep breath in, the air is fresh!

Weapons of a Fashionable Kind
For all of those who've expressed concern for my safety (ha!), don't you worry because little did I know my Fashion Design course ARMED me with weapons of a fashionable kind.
I have rulers protruding out of my bags, one being a dangerous metal meter stick but perhaps the most deadly is the L-squared - that one is a lawsuit waiting to happen (but handy I must say). Probably the weapon of choice would have to be the gun-like carrying case for my drafting papers. I've had several comments that it looks like a gun case and trust me nobody messes with me. Although, I was a bit hesitant going into the banks with it...didn't want them to pull out a swat team on me (and they would have been disappointed with their great efforts only to find some marker paper). Wait a minute, I seem to remember going to 2 different banks with it on the same day - that is a bit suspicious, why would I do that.
I also lug around a colour theory kit and a sewing kit so at any given moment I could paint or sew up a storm. I didn't say it would be skilled - not yet but just wait for it. My waiting list of label 'promoters' includes Jay, Jon, Jerome and I'm sure there are more who signed up but I have a sneaking suspicion they just want FREE clothes (I know how guys think -man, I feel used).

While on the subject of drafting supplies, those who are smart enough to distinguish a gun case from a paper case and to make the relation with the rulers, have asked me on several accounts if I'm an architect. They have a sparkle in their eyes when they ask (as if talking to someone who truly contributes to their city) and a respect I could only dream about. When my standard 'no, I'm in Fashion Design' answer shatters to the ground I don't know whether to feel worse that I've disappointed them or that they so rudely showed me their sudden loss of interest through their obvious facial expressions. Next time, I'll witness their reaction when I declare 'yes', of course as I falsely exude satisfying confidence - oh come on, just for a day. My fashion buddy Ashley is longingly waiting for someone to ask her the same question.

Re courses: Sewing Constr. is taking practice (never sewed b4!), Intro to Fashion is the easiest, Elements of Design (zeitgeist!) is the most tedious, Math is a necessity, Evolution of Fashion is kinda mind-numbing but strangely interesting, Textiles is the most fascinating and INTERESTING, Pattern Drafting is the most practical and educational, while Colour Theory is kinda done b4 and therefore a nuisance. On average, I do seem to have anywhere from 2-6 hours homework per class. All in all, I'm having a good time at 'school'. But I would like to know when I can have a social life. This weekend from morning-night (quite literally) comprised of HOMEWORK and errands. BUT, I did meet this super hot guy at the Laundromat today. ;)

Well, 5:45am comes early so I'll have to end here for now (on average I get a whopping 5 hours of sleep per night). But I'll try to update a couple more times this week (well, lets make that once), and hopefully post at least a couple pics. And again, to all those who emailed, I'm not ignoring, I've read some, haven't read others, but will get back to you hopefully this week. I'm really not the self-absorbed beeeeatch you think I am - lol, well, maybe these past two weeks I have been. ;)

ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies

Well I told you I'd open the door to some more hackneyed phrases and today is 'ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies'...

So, we'll leave it at that.



Ok, fine, I have a couple minutes before my supper is done and I need to go to bed. Here is a short and sweet (wow, a double cliched posting) update:
So, I've been lied to about this whole extravaganza. Or perhaps for my school's sake I should say 'misinformed'. Bigtime.

LIE: I was told 3 hours of school a day and a possible 3 hours of homework per day. 6 hours of 'school' total - per day. This meant I could still work evenings.
REALITY: Today I had 9 hours of CLASSES. And get this: No lunch or supper break. Other days I have 6 hours of classtime. Homework is on top of this.

LIE: You can choose class times.
REALITY: Only to a very limited extent.

LIE: If you need a few days off then you can 'talk to your teachers'.
REALITY: If you miss more than 2 classes in a term you get an automatic F. They are strict on this. Sickness, doctor's notes, subway breakdown, as they detailed, are not valid excuses.

LIE: It takes 30 min from my apartment to the school.
REALITY: On a good day it takes 45-50min. On a not-so-good day it takes an hour. On a bad day...well I haven't really experienced the 'real' rush hour even though I have definitely experienced rushes.

The last couple days I've arrived home from school nearing 10pm.
Not to mention eating supper at this time of night does not help the waistline (although I did lose the 15 lbs I gained while in Cayman. Its probably more like 10 now though).
I kinda started getting the idea something was not quite right when at orientation one of the 2nd term Fashion Design students said it would basically be long days and sleepless nights...I thought she meant with work as well. She looked at me shocked and said that I would not have time for that.

CONCLUSION: Ask me no questions and I will tell you no lies because as you can see one lie leads to many...

So don't ask me and I won't tell you that:

'I love Toronto! Best city ever!'

'The transit system is great!'

'The people are SO honest'

'I have so much spare time'

'Of course I can afford this month's rent'

'School is super laid back'

'The commute is a breeze'

'The people are SO friendly'

'The pay here is above min. wage'

'City of Opportunity'

'I will reply to all of your emails in detail within a week'

And 'yes, of course I have time for three meals a day'


...good, I'm glad we didn't have to lie here.

Most people saved for a couple years or their parents are 'helping' them. So what do you do in a 'misinformed' situation like this? Beats me, that's why I'm asking you - obviously. Well I guess it could go in one of two ways: it somehow works or it doesn't - ha (in which case I may see some of you in two weeks instead of two years)! I'm sure by God's grace and tons of prayer everything will smooth out. Maybe I wasn't supposed to know the truth of the matter, because then I never would have come yet....but now I'm here so you just gotta deal.

I have 3 helpful tips for the day:

1) Don't get sucked into the name game peoplez because 'thinsulate', 'coolmax' and 'gortex' are all just types of polyester.

2) LuluLemon is now incorporating a thin aluminum threading in their clothing to eliminate odour from residing in the fabric (although I for one am not obsessed or even attracted to this over-hyped brand like most girls)

3) If you don't know the fibre type then burn it.
Cellulose (plant) fibres will burn.
Protein (animal) fibres won't burn.
Man-made fibres will melt.

Now don't go crazy on the first one because I don't want to be blamed for any burnt down wardrobes or neighborhood fires. Especially if you have a lot of cotton in your closet. ;) But always remember, if you're surrounded by fire to throw a wool blanket over your head - it doesn't burn baby.

Oh my goodness I have math in the morning and I'm not a human calculator like my banking dad so time to get some sleeeeeeeeeeep.

ThE sOuNd Of ThE cItY

listen to the sound...
Where do I begin with this one? This is probably the craziest thing I've pursued as of yet. Why would anyone choose to move to Toronto - I haven't yet discovered. I'm sure I'll soon figure out why it's a city to love. One thing for sure is there is never a dull moment and for those of you who like the psychologically strange game of people watching then this is the place for you.

The Cross Country Trek
I left on my West Jet flight last Sunday - the best airline ever. I was originally going to live downtown at one of the shared, smaller than tiny and completely unaffordable hotel-student housings. Luckily my student advisor found me a much better deal. The taxi brought me into my new inner city neighborhood which was interesting in itself. We pulled up to one out of a lineup of older mile high apartment buildings. The apartment landlady was a such a sweety and stayed up late, on a Sunday evening at that, to let me in so I wouldn't have to pay for a hotel my first night here.
My large apartment was barren, but she lent me her sleeping bag (a lifesaver since the heating doesn't seem to work in my apartment) and I had brought a sheet and inflatable mattress so I was good to go. The balcony is huge but sketchy, I ventured out there once, and for my life's sake that will probably be the last. It's also laden with presents from the neighborhood pigeons who seem to like my space better than any other balcony they could choose from. I don't have curtains, so they're always peeking in.

Toronto Wildlife
Upon taking a closer look at these city birds, I couldn't help but notice these large round shaped creatures balancing on the edges of the garbage bins 8 floors below. They were shaped like beavers, but way bigger. At first I was excited that I had discovered a new species, found only in the dumpsters of Toronto, but then, no...I had heard about cat-sized rats but not dog-sized or rather, mammoth sized rats. Much to my relief I believe I saw a mask which concluded they had to be raccoons. But even that seems a long shot considering their enormity. Oddly enough, I haven't seen them since. While on the subject, the other day while walking down Yonge St., a small kitten-sized BLACK squirrel scurried by. Aren't they supposed to be brown? Maybe its just me. Or maybe its the infamous Toronto smog that's colored them dark. And last but not least, I can't seem to get away from the cockroaches. Granted, they are at the tiny, 'cute' baby stage, but I'm all too familiar with their growth spurts. Now, in Cayman they had the excuse of thriving in a tropical country. What is their reasoning here? I guess its just really dirty or they come in on backpacks. Or maybe I'm just a naive Albertan who is used to a rat and roach-free fairyland. Oh wait, I did see a massive cockroach on Jasper Ave., so at least Edmonton is tainted. And who woulda thought they don't sell roach poison at Walmart? I guess these are the friends that stick around.

Day 1
I braved the ever applauded Toronto transit system. It seems decent, but perhaps they've just never really experienced any other. I ended up taking the long route via bus to one of the subway stations. From there I hopped onto the crowd-pushing-everyone's-in-a-hurry Rocket. Ride the Rocket. It reminded me of the mind-the-gap Tube in London. Stepping out of Union Station, the city towered above me. Welcome to the city of Mammoth proportions. They don't call it GTA just for fun. After gaining my bearings, I strolled past the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, with all their fancy service (reminded me of what NYC would look like), and made my journey to find my school.
Close your eyes and listen to the sound of the city...no, wait, the smell of the city. What is that smell? Is it the wafting aroma of the world renowned fine dining - no, actually I think its the pigeons again. Putting the disturbing distraction aside, I followed the CN Tower which is two buildings away from my school. Finally. By this time the school is closed - now all the way back home. From school to home vice versa is a tedious 50 min odyssey (longer if you take the wrong route!) involving bus, rocket and hike. Pack your bags, its a long way home. Oh wait, did I mention this 50 min adventure would take about 10 min by car?

Day 2, 3, 4 5.....
I don't know, its all a blur and I'm all blogged out and done in. So to keep it short, lets just say that everything is coming together nicely. I'm somewhat settled in my apartment (but trekking to the stores and back is a pain), I went to school orientation (they gave me no joke like 20 lbs of supplies - which included awkward drafting rolls- to take home and back again on the first day of school - try hauling that through the transit system. Man, people are impatient - why is everyone in such a hurry. They must be important people), and have gained a general 'feel' for GTA (at least York and downtown). Ahh, life is good. School starts on the 10th and job hunting has already begun. Moving to a new city, going to school full-time, getting an almost full-time job = challenging but doable. Moving to GTA, going to school full-time (with more hours then they informed you of), getting an almost full-time job = almost impossible. Wish me luck because fast forward begins now.

Livin in the hood
Ok, so I'm used to ghetto living cause I lived EE Cayman afterall. That was actually enjoyable, most of the people were cool to chill with, and not to mention paradise was across the street. I don't really know how to paint THIS picture. I'm not gonna complain or judge but I guess I've officially gone from middle to low class. Its just the name of the game honey. Jed, you said I'd stick out like a sore thumb, and well I guess you're kinda right - on my block anyway. But Jenni, unlike you said, no one has pointed out my red neck - yet.
How can I describe my neighborhood? Well, I guess I'll just repeat what was said to me through the window of an SUV: 'baby, you bring class to this neighborhood, you give this neighborhood a good name - you be the most innocent thing I seen on these streets'. As they drove by, that awkward 'you don't want to but have to' glance over showed me that these were some B-Rad wannabees (watch Malibu's Most Wanted with Jaime Kennedy to get the picture -man I love that movie).

And that pretty sums up my first week in Toronto. And the images on this posting are thanks to the great workings of Yahoo Images.

Beautiful Bahamas

Bahamas deserves more than one day. On our Florida trip, we took a small overnight cruise from Fort Lauderdale; sleeping on the way, spending the day in Nassau and sleeping on the way back. Two nights and a day.
Bahamas was that small piece of paradise I had been yearning for since leaving Cayman. Granted, the 'cruise ship' (if you can call it that) was more than a little sketchy - a blast from the past...a step back in time. And for some reason everyone seemed to have a strange obsession with bingo. The pool was half full and I really thought it was some kind of joke.
Thankfully I managed to find my own little spot in one of the worn ancient red couches at the end of the ship, looking onto the ocean through the salt water stained window. I'm not big on reading (it puts me to sleep), but Ocean Star was my book of choice that completely engrossed my attention for that journey through the ocean depths.
Despite my advice on avoiding cruise ship outings, the 'rents booked one anyway. Luckily we were a smaller ship and so it wasn't as crowded as the chock-full cruise ships that endlessly heap into Georgetown, Cayman. Those unsuspecting tourists book shore trips in packed to the brim pontoons which I've witnessed are a bad vacation waiting to happen (my co-worker Shane and I saw one of these unfortunate vessels tip over with a boat full at Stingray City). Anyway, we embarked on our snorkel trip, passing celebrity homes along the Paradise Island shoreline. It was medicine to once again be fully submerged and rest at the bottom of the ocean floor with sand between my fingers. The snorkeling was a little disappointing and in no way compared to the crystal waters of the East End trip Shane and I used to lead every week. But I love that underwater world, melting into oblivion.
From there, we came across a fish fry and enjoyed a good Caribbean meal. The 'rents found the heat murderous but I had no complaints. We parted ways, and I headed straight to the beach. On the way I made friends with some cricket players, and then a man at the beach named Living Stone. After intriguing conversation, he offered a short tour of the island. It cut into my beach time, but it was great to see a little of what the island had to offer, with some great Bahamian hospitality. Mom and dad tried conk for the first time (gotta love those fattening conk fritters!), and I tried raw conk for the first time (it was interesting, as my sisters would say). All this, a goodbye mango gift, and we were headed back to the boat of disheartening reality. The pics depict the curious and odd 'towel dog' that the cruise ship staff left on my bed, the marketplace, the beautiful waters, Queen's staircase, and Atlantis Resort at Paradise Islands.

Florida Sun, Royal Palms & Reptiles

At the beginning of September, before I even knew I was going to school, I decided to join the 'rents on their trip to Florida which was really a celebration of mom's 60th. You do not look 60 mom! I didn't have a job yet, so I thought, heck why not because I was desperately missing the warm air and palm trees. I would have appreciated more time at the beach but somehow sightseeing was more important to a certain someone.
Going to Florida also gave me a chance to check out the IADT school in Tampa. It looked good, but not quite the standards of their Toronto campus I had visited 2 years back while I was in the city for a tradeshow. It was at that moment I decided to pursue the Toronto school, being that the one in California was still out of reach financially. Good decision or not? I guess my thoughts are still ambiguous on that one and only time will tell. But I'm glad I went to Florida, otherwise I'd still be in Edmonton in some boring job.
As for our trip in Florida, we pretty much did it all. But a word of advice is never to book one of those cheap fax trips - so not worth it and I'll leave it at that. But to sum it up we went to Coco Beach (last year when I went it was much warmer but you gotta love RonJons - world's largest surfshop!), Sea World, (saw Shamu), Arabian Nights dinner theatre, Busch Gardens (which I wouldn't recommend although dad did have fun getting soaking wet on that water roller coaster dealio), Disney World (Magic Kingdom and Epcot), Las Olas (got my hair done at Yellow Strawberry again, and by fluke world-famous stylist Jesse Briggs did the honors), Ft Lauderdale Beach, West Palm Beach mall, and one of those crazy gator land/tour places (kind of creepy). Oh, and dad tested his need for speed at Nascar. And that's Tom Perry, not Tom Petty (free fallin') -gee, get it right. I would have liked to experience that as well because I crave speed but my VW Jetta can only push certain limits. But I had to sit that one out because dad wanted to have the only bragging rights. And brag he did. In fact, go ask him about it, he'll give you an earful. Anyway, here are some pics that highlight the trip. And oh my goodness I totally forgot about our 'el cheapo' cruise to the Bahamas for a day...I'll do a separate posting on that.