Genius multitasker

Watched the 2025 MTV VMA awards ahow last night while watching excel video youtube clips by Kevin Stratvert in preparation to an online TCHC group test returned positively with a 79% (it was a 70% pass rate)!

Hoping foe the beat with a hump day online interview, finger'a crossed!

M & D heading to Reina's wedding....
they're so cute & looking like they're headed to prom!

While they're out to party,
I'm holding my own sushi party at home!

Some candid shots of the partay!

Utopian celebratory day accepting many well wishes this morning (S bestie sent me the first message just after 1 this morning...and then she facetimed me around 8:30pm with Gia, Manu & Simba to see how my day was while re-wishing me bday messages again!!!
The fam & other bestie friends like Karen and Winnie also sweetly sent greetings on whatsapp throughout the day....feeling much luv!!!) before spending this arvo in my neighborhood coffee shack enjoying the beginning of this library book!

I'm so enjoying Andreas' writing/biography so much (almost 40% through) that I'm very interested in purchasing my own becauae he's very informative and full of good life knowledge that I'm encouraged to follow!

Perfect Pecan#PecanCrunchOatLatte

#JoseAndreas

#Dins #HamaruSushi

Labor Day 2025

Kotsy's diner giving Archie's diner flashbacks

Afterwards headed to Vaughan Mills Mall for shopping..

Abbeyite hangout

#SinaloaFactory #Guelph #abbeyites

I'm reading a library book 'Toronto Street Names - An Illustrated Guide to Their Origins' and under Jack Layton Way, it includes Jack Layton's moving quote in his final letter to Canadians which captured his outlook on life:

'My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world.'

Another interesting fact regarding Joe Shuster Way, the Toronto native along with writer Jerry Siegel created the Superman comic. Apparently in the original version, Superman's mild-mannered alter ego, Clark Kent, worked for the Daily Star , which was based on the Toronto Star and that the inspiration for the fictional Metropolis, Superman's home city, was Toronto!!!
It doesn't stop there...'The Superman' name was reused for a new character - the man of steel...where Shuster modelled the hero on the incredible Douglas Fairbanks Sr.,(!!!) and based Clark Kent, Superman's alter ego on a comabination of actor Harold Lloyd and himself.

So, Sir Henry Mill Pellatt was the eccentric creator of Casa Loma! Apparently, the castle is made up of Spanish tiles, thousands of stones ($1 each) from Scotland, mahogany stalls and nameplates for the horses are engraved in gold...whoa...

Scarlett Road is named after John Scarlett (known as the 'Father of the Junction', the neighbourhood around Dundas and Keele. this is why Dundas and Keele is known as the Junction.

The last and personally, most important takeaway note is on Steeles Avenue (as I lived the current majority of my life off Dufferin and Steeles locale)...the Steeles family came from Yorkshire, England as farmers. Bought an inn at the northwest corner of Yonge and Steeles (currently Centrepoint Mall) that is now a major transit point for travellers going north to Thornhill, Richmond Hill and Newmarket.

CNE 2025

Fantastic Dancing Turtles

The Unexpected Journey
Emma and Bruce Willis: An Unexpected Journey
-- A Diane Sawyer Special

Best laid plans gone awry…

Party of 3 packed to spend the night at Ames' after the 'Back to the Future' show at CAA Ed Mirvish. Unfortunately Ames wasn't feeling 100% while we were already set up at her place...so we 'pivoted'. Set everything back to pre-arrival and continued minus Ames.
We parked off Atrium on the Bay and had buffet dins at Spring Sushi off Dundas Square before the show.
Unfortunately,

HBD Ames!

Tacos, Cameron House & Jadea!!!

Cafe Landwer @ Yorkdale avec Fayewood including sweet potato fries & oreo milkshake

As today's a civic holiday, Fayewood came to pick me up at 9:30 and we stopped by a drive through Tim's for coffee before we went to her new place...where we met up with Melanie.
Received a super warm welcome from Commander Oden (;)) before heading up to Fayewood's room on the third floor where Mel met us and we spent the morning putting together her a table...

Afterwards, Romz joined after Fayewood stepped out to pick up a takeout lunch from Gal's Sushi where we made a makeshift lunch table and shared several japanese dishes!

Then I watched over everyone as Mel, Romz & Fayewood put together another desk before calling it a day over leftover cupcake treats from Commander Odin's birthday yesterday! yum!!!

#abbeyites

Rando Thurs sweets…avec deux c’s! #abbeyites

@Demetres - Shops of Don Mills

Carebears countdown...STARE!!! lol

SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?
cat tacos/snoozing TOTS unnecessary!!!
First cruffle: Bisco Fever
Honey Vanilla Ice Cream with
Blondies, Lotus Biscoff sauce, and
Lotus Biscoff Cookie Crumble....yum!
#CruffleFever

DELISH!!!

Nogi

As Dad has a highschool friends reunion dinner this evening, mom & I took this opportunity for a Japanese dins up by Times Square off Hwy 7 & Leslie. #Nogi

So, I completed watching the finale episode of After Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson.

The Well excursion

Yesterday Ames and Dad went to the Jays game (hurrah on the outcome!). While they had their exciting baseball excursion, Mom & I went window shopping at The Well (“We only live once,” a tagline reads. “Live well.”), the outdoor shopping mall at Wellington & Spadina. I've only seen the mall through passing along my rides to or from work back in the day.
I'm glad I was able to experience this yesterday!
I took a 'selfie' with the Bear icon as well as the cutest Amelia Quackhart dogtoy that I saw when mom and I stopped into the store to pick up some sustenance for Mr. Trudeua Miao.

After the game, Ames & Dad met us for dins at Le Select Bistro
(I ordered Risotto....it was sooo good!!!)
Ames ordered the croque mademe ;p

TGIF!!!

Leonard Cohan: If It Be Your Will

Watched the cinematic celebration of Leonard Cohan's music, life and legacy through his son, Adam's eyes:

Sting - Dance Me to the End of Love
The Lumineers - Democracy
Damian Rice
Leslie Feist - Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye
Elvis Costello - Everybody Knows
Courtney Love
Patrick Watson - Who Should I Say Is Calling
Adam Cohen - So Long, Marianne
Judy Collins
Bruce Springsteen
Ron Sexsmith - Suzanne
Bettye Lavette - In My Secret Life
Damien Rice - Famous Blue Raincoat
Shaar Hashomayim Choir/Willie Nelson/Celine Dion/Peter Gabriel/Chris Martin - Tower of Song
Courtney Love - Everybody Knows
Lana Del Ray & Adam Cohen - Chelsea Hotel #2
Borns - If It Be Your Will
KD Lang - Hallellujah

Beetlejuice!

At the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre
#fam

Farewell too soon #abbeyites

After Maija sent news/details of a fellow abbeyite's passing much too soon this past Tuesday, Fayewood and I made plans last night to attend the service for her this morning. Considering we're both passionately type A personalities, we planned our trip down to timing & outfit to a tee.

She messaged me as she was leaving her home this morning so that she was able to pick me up from my plaza's Starbucks where I had both our orders ready to go!

As our trip to the church flew by so quickly, we caught Jonathan & Maija at St Brigid Catholic Church's parking lot. With the extra time before the service, the four of us stopped at Celena's Bakery off the Dandforth for a quick bite (with our Starbucks drinks (that we'd purchased Caffe Latte Almonds jelly beans to offset).

Then we attended the very well attended service for our classnate (we'd arrived early enough to grab seats together with much space. However, by the time the celebration began, the priest requested everyone to close all fhe gaps as it was very clear that Sheila's very beloved to so many people.

RIP Sheila, gone much too soon

After the mass, Fayewood & I departed as she had taken off the morning but it's still a work day. We had a palette refresher lunch from the new iQ Food Co where I had an avocado + salmon toast that consisted of avocado smash w/ smoked salmon (The Smoke Bloke), cucumber, pickled onion, lemon, black pepper on sourdough. I finished this off with an almond brothers made of almond butter (unsweetened), toasted almonds, banana, coconut, dates, almond milk (unsweetened).

Day’s highlights

My oh my, it's honestly been much too long since S & I were able to find time for a one on one phone chat (let alone last time we've physically seen each other...I'm thinking it may have been for Gia's secomd bday).
So it was really nice to have her message me in the early arvo hoping I had a few mins to chat because life's been ganging up on her and needed to speak with someone who could help ground her.

Two and a half hours later... I think we'd chatted enough to help her keep her chin up and find new and different ways to move through daily life.

smiles

Elton John morning

After falling asleep to Canada Day celebrations & watching Canada's Walk of fame 2025 on CBC, I started this morning working out to 'Elton John & Bernie Taupin: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song' on PBS and then continued having brekkie watching 'An Evening with Elton John & Brandi Carlile' that I'd recorded back on May 30 which included Dan Levy interviewing the two perfomers.

Such a great way to wake up, jamming to classics!

Spent the morning working on the bridal shower project for Reina and happy to 'show and tell' that it's all ready!

Yaaassss, check mark complete & ready for the party, lol!

Then this afternoon I've been watching 5 national geographic episodes of Tucci in Italy where Stanley Tucci visits various places (Tuscany, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Abruzzo & Lazio) in Italy 🇮🇹 to sample the cuisine while learning about cultures (Italian/Austria-Hungarian/German/Ladin) assimulating with one another.
While watching his series helps itch my travel & noshing bug, my imagination only takes me so far...especially involving food shows, I wish I could also take part in the feasting!
It's also nice that because Tucci's in Italy, there's automatically a translation when he's conversing in Italian. However, it brings up similarities to my French background so it's a nice language refresher!

As Reina's bridal shower's coming up next week, I invited dad to stroll around our mall this lovely arvo...and after hitting up the miniso, I totally SCORED in finding such a fun and vibrant card for LITERALLY $0.99?!?!?!!!!

I ended up purchasing a bright and playful blank card that I plan to write decorate with the stationary from the Coldplay/Imaginary Dragons concert outing. :)