Category: SSMC - Random Thoughts of a Quirky Blogger

Out & About #627 | A Muddled Adieu

3/27/2020

How does one land oneself in the category of a go-getter?

Oftentimes do those interpreted as such act swiftly to attain their goals or check off their to-do list. Locking in on a single objective, they conjure up a plan with utmost precision, then proceed with execution, more often than not possessing a Plan B at the backs of their minds should the first attempt result unfavourably. It's a pragmatic approach to life, which may not necessarily be appreciated by more contemplative types.

I recently had the luxury to attempt pourovers, in addition to burrowing into an insurmountable cloud of thoughts. Slowly but surely, my harbourfront days adjourned in a hazy hush. Nine months in the South Core has concluded. Truthfully, I hadn't stopped to recount that tales of such an endeavour until the arrival of COVID-19 and all its work-from-home-imposing statutes.
"Life doesn't wait for you" and I've consequently been mindlessly trudging along the treadmill of life until corona pushed pause.

Forever one to periodically reminisce but never to dwell without constructiveness, my time was brief but not without vast amounts of opportunities for development. While a seemingly short stay relative to the prospective length of my career, I remain grateful for such opportunities - such chances to contribute in the limited capacity that I am capable - and, moreover, thankful for those that have shed their expertise for my personal development, both as a colleague and a mere mortal persisting on her own journey.

Skills acquired throughout an arduous process translate into individual gain, however the bonds stemming from interpersonal interactions that empower one to truly thrive as a member of society, co-existing and cooperating.

Surfacing from the abyss of reflection, I continued on with regular day-to-day activities. In light of social distancing measures, many eateries had undergone temporary closures and staff reduction. Juicy Dumpling was one of these destinations.

Out & About #626 | Week #2 Quarantine Update

3/26/2020

"We can do Up Up Down Downs aka High-Low Planks."
"Ok."
"How many reps?" I added, "I die at 10."
"Then let's do 20."

Embarking on the second week of quarantine wfh, I was determined to set the tone right. Despite emails flying in and out at all times of the day, I took it upon myself to resume regular routine, just as I would on any other day of the work week.
Lunch would be consumed between the hours of 12 PM and 1 PM, while workouts could take place between 4 PM and 5 PM. Snacking would be permitted between the hours of 2 PM and 3 PM, if utterly necessary.

And on days where cravings were strong, I'd honour them. Because maintaining sanity is just about as vital as economic stability and physical wellbeing during these dreary, stifling times.

My heart yearned for sushi and CoCo, thus I set out to attain both following a damp day of unexpected March snowfall.

Two doors down from the closest CoCo was Sushi Park, a tiny but mighty family-operated shop that had been operating for years beyond the bubble tea shop's arrival. A quick search revealed that it was maintaining regular business hours; a single phone call later and I was on my way for Bulgogi, Shrimp Tempura, and an assortment of maki rolls.

Deluxe Sashimi was the priciest item of the order at $16.99, yet, regrettably, also the most disappointing. Fooled we were by the rigid cuts of despair, in all their saturated ploy. Shrimp Tempura was not far behind in terms of ratings; though not tasted, lukewarm responses stemmed from the strangely tawny beige pieces.
The Dragon Roll earned the greatest praise, spanning a profile of sweet and savoury. The Bulgogi set was quite balanced as well, given the inclusion of short-grain Japanese rice and a small side salad. At a mere $5.95, one couldn't go wrong with a set of California Rolls either.

As for the Miso Soup, there was little that could be said beyond "monosodium glutamate". Redeeming aspects were properly pickled pink ginger and smooth squirts of wasabi.

It goes without saying that more baking took place. Uncovered throughout the week were: the best Banana Bread formula on the planet, Thai Milk tea, and failed-croissant-dough-turned-turnovers.

Out & About #622 | Third Wave (Round 2) + Eric Nam Before We Begin (Toronto)

2/24/2020

An abnormally hectic Monday had dismissed all thoughts of my post-work activities - namely the arrival of Eric Nam on Canadian grounds.

It was with considerable anticipation that my favourite fangirl (whose nickname ̶m̶a̶y̶ shall change hereinafter) and I had purchased tickets to the Korean American singer-songwriter again.

Since his last visit, I have been following his releases with technology as the greatest enabler. From the weekly drops of K-Pop Daebak to the monumental drop of Before We Begin, and then the release of I Think You're Dope, I can't help but marvel at the diversity of his content and, to an even greater degree, the sagacity of his character.

Alas, the entirety of the workday was to take place prior to any thoughts of leisure activities.
A certain prehistoric creature had returned from exile in Kingston at long last, thus a venture to Third Wave was undertaken.

Our exit from the building was met with more of Impact Kitchen's samples in the lobby - this time with additions of Chicken Bone Broth and cold strips of paleo-approved Chicken Tender.

A doughy French delicacy with a sticky, glazed surface and satisfying puff pastry crunch, the bichon was a new addition to the display case. Third Wave's rendition utilized a black cherry filling that was equal parts tangy and jammy, as opposed to the conventional lemon curd. The ever-exquisite three-bite Financier was also obtained by a certain prehistoric creature following my rivetting recap of the ganache-y goody.

Consistent with my initial visit, the cafe's bakery items were complemented perfectly with the shop's bitter-end, Yemen-derived beans, purposed into a Cortado and Flat White.

Near the coat rack pillar is also an accessible washroom stall - impeccably pristine and unlocked exclusively with a push of a button from the barista/counter staff, presumably to prevent infiltration by homeless individuals.

Some five hours later, once OT labours had been carried out (and eyes were twitching from exhaustion), I boarded my Lyft to The Danforth Music Hall. Under normal circumstances, transit, by the unfortunate means of TTC, would have been my default option. However, given the lack of stability in my digestion system and fear of missing the start of the show, I opted for the swifter, ride-hailing service instead.

Out & About #617 | Toronto Light Festival (Distillery) + Miku (Winterlicious 2020)

2/4/2020

An ambitious undertaking after an extended weekend of ails, I managed to persuade a certain prehistoric creature to proceed with our long-awaited post-work plans as scheduled.

My condition had fluctuated over the course of the day, from tilting surfaces to general cloudiness in the head, though it sufficed to say that neither symptom convinced me from adhering to the itinerary at hand. We set out to the infamous Distillery District to catch the annual instalment of the Toronto Light Fest.

During daytime hours, natural illumination permits marvelling at the 19th century buildings and strips of individual shops in all their copper-toned cobblestone glory; come sundown, strings of bulb lights and flashing attractions are the thieves of attention.

With a common ground as photo junkies, we had initiated this proposal for the sake of experimentation and lens testing. Late afternoon times granted us with a comprehensive view of the gargantuan installations, while the diminishing appearance of our solar system's largest star enabled a surreal effect to befall our surroundings.

View the full album HERE !

Out & About #616 | Tiramisu from Truscott Bakery + Oreo Stuf Shoppe

1/31/2020

I owe many a restless night to our bipolar thermostat. Poor quality sleep has, unfortunately, been a regular occurrence as of late, and Parasite flashbacks hitting me at two thirty in the morning was the last thing I wanted.

Enter Monday with a vengeance for its too-short, two-day disappearance. I arrived at my desk to the marvelous sight of a Mocha from Pilot, along with a handful of snacks that a certain prehistoric had nabbed from the past weekend's Chinese New Year festivities.

The morning daze was gradually assuaged with the assistance of caffeine and sugar, and by lunchtime, I was ready for more exciting endeavours. Well, errands in disguise that later led to the discovery of an illegitimate Brown at UNIQLO. Despite its inauthenticity, the weighty figure brought joy nonetheless.

The week then proceeded with more mid-day errand-running: fresh fruit to aid digestion and powdered effervescents to keep colds at bay.

Having been denied of the drop-in zumba class last week, the arrival of Wednesday marked our redemption day.

The post-work plans commenced with tasty treats from Truscott Bakery, an Italian grocer within ten minutes of Clarkson (that I had, interestingly, never chanced across in all my years of commuting).

Far larger than I had imagined, the bakery offered a variety of breads, imported packaged goods, and even a small seating area for in-store consumption. A Buy 6 for No Tax Mix & Match sticky note was pasted at the corner of the pastry section, however I made a beeline for my two items of interest and swiftly maneuvered over to the checkout. This resolution was, regrettably, bulldozed by a supposed sale on ladyfingers. Two packs for $2.49 seemed reasonable in the moment; it wasn't until afterwards that I discovered significantly more competitive prices.

Moral of the story: Think twice about checkout-side merchandise.

Out & About #615 | Seara Bakery + Oatmeal Cookies

1/24/2020

Weekends these days are generally an extension of the regular work week, with the exceptions of errands replacing email correspondence and nonstop cooking in place of site visits. The 9-to-5 working hours hold consistent.

Sparse pockets of time are sometimes allocated towards baking projects, for the process enables creativity without fear of criticism for abandoning my post in the kitchen. Dried cranberries, raisins, and unsalted, roasted almonds had been obtained on the most recent grocery run, thus prompting the realization of Oatmeal Cookies.

An accidentally heavy handful of baking soda resulted in modest dryness, though the cookies remained suitable as a hearty breakfast item.
As an afternoon snack, it paired swell alongside the 8 Man English Pale Ale - a variety I had initially anticipated to prove as bitter as an IPA.

A quick round of cleaning took place before more errands. Oh, and hair-dying at home. For the very first time in my life.

The offer had been on the line for quite some time, but it wasn't until a certain prehistoric creature swung by to relieve me of my workload that the procedure properly materialized.
Consumed whilst awaiting the reveal of rose-tinged hair was Coffee Stout and a spice-laced cider gifted by my favourite fangirl.

Zero comments were extended towards my return to the real world with a mane of revived red. It was of no matter to me; I proceeded with my lunchtime excursions about the PATH for economical snacks, errands (yes, there is always more on the to-do list), and the Plant Positivity pop-up at Union Station.

It's been an unusually quiet (gloomy?) time in the house thus far, and I was reminded of Chinese New Year festivities only upon observing the floral Shiseido tunnel at Hudson's Bay.

Mid-week undertakings were scheduled to take place by Eglinton West: research results for low-budget physical activity pointed in the direction of free drop-in classes at York Recreation Centre. And nearby just so happened to be Seara Bakery, a colleague recommendation for Portuguese egg tarts.

Located in a sidewalk-less plaza near Keele and Lawrence, the bakery-café hybrid bore a great degree of similarity to SanRemo. That said, the seating area was roomier, significantly cleaner, and more pleasant overall. A double-sided laminated menu and napkin dispenser were positioned at every table; a cartoon-esque mural of the city adorned the south wall of the establishment

We took to sharing Crème Caramel as well as a single Nata - aka the primary purpose of the stopover.

Out & About #614 | DIY Sushi, Ninetails Coffee Bar + Lim Ga Ne

1/17/2020

Group activities are decidedly uncommon in my neck of the woods. So when a certain prehistoric creature extended an invite to a DIY sushi get-together with the promise of mahjong, I was more than thrilled to get going on the 401 early Sunday morning.

The day prior could be summarized to outright helter-kelter: in between weekend work shifts were "grosho" runs, and in between those were intermittent preparatory procedures for gathering-ready baked goodies. Without a doubt, I was worn to the core by the end of my sixth workday, especially given that badminton and laundry were the customary terminal tasks of the day.

Nonetheless, there was no shortage of enjoyment in presenting Chocolate Buttercrunch Cookies - made possible with the acquisition of fraktals from the Seasons Christmas Market at the table.
Apple Pie and an impromptu Mixed Berry (with hidden marshmallows) also received astounding feedback.

After being acquainted with nigiri-wrapping and shari-tossing techniques, we cleared the table and proceeded with the next order of business: Mahjong, with a side of mild alcohol.

The rest of the group guzzled Asahi while I had my taste at MacKinnon Brothers' Red Fox Ale; it was, regrettably, bitter and not reminiscent of amber ale in the slightest.

The Indian Roti House along Queens Quay was visited for a quiet weekday lunch, with our roti ordered online in advance for pickup.

A Mango Chicken Curry Roti - made mild (with special instructions for further mildness) - was shared amongst a party of two. Presented in an aluminium foil tin was a rectangular parcel, and within it a sweet-savoury mix of tender chicken bites and occasional strands of spinach. Its cloying properties were likely owed to canned mango concentrate, which yielded a degree of sugariness that would have paired optimally with higher notches of spice. Nonetheless, it was a highly enjoyable dish and ideally portioned for two.

The pick-up process was swift and effortless; the hair net-donning cashier was also incredibly amiable.

Out & About #613 | Pilot, Balzac's St. Lawrence + SanRemo

1/10/2020

With each passing year is incremental desensitization to the infamous New Year resolution buzz. Perhaps it is the coming of age, or maybe the progressively surging workload as a full-fledged human in the workforce. Our growth as mortals is somehow proportional - linearly or exponentially is for you to decide - to the daily task count that must be accomplished by day's end. And with that, we lose sight of the specifics of daily activities. A routine is adopted thoughtlessly, and time slips through our fingertips as do grains of sand on a Malibu shoreline.

As extensive as this collection of visuals may be, it merely serves to convey my early 2020 observations at a very high level.

Java is the notorious propellant of all Monday activities, in addition to majority of weekday morning happenings. To be graced with the smoothest espresso on the planet, one heads to Pilot. A decadent Mocha and exquisite Flat White soothed our fatigued souls from the evening prior.

Later in the afternoon was a second boost. Marked by a lunchtime walk about St. Lawrence (and prompted by the St. Lawrence Market's weekly closures) was a stopover at Balzac's. The two-part partitioned coffee shop was a cozy endeavour in the historical, parking-scarce neighbourhood: brick walls, wooden floorboards, and seedling-and-coffee-pot-embellished wallapaper contributed a certain zen-ness to the established environment.

The clock was ticking, so we chose our items to go: a Brewed Coffee for the prehistoric creature and a Ginger Mollasses Cookie for myself. My treat was chewier than it was crunchy, and not nearly spicy enough. The prominent presence of molasses was pleasant, though the tacky texture of the flat round left much to be desired. A slight gripe was also emitted at the absence of the ginger candy centrepiece adorning the surface of every other unit in the stack. Unfortunately, the specimen had been shoved into a paper bag swifter than the blemish could be diagnosed.

Out & About #612 | MiKi Sushi, Skating + Sam's Congee Delight

1/5/2020

Upon the mention of Hub, I can summon forth only memories of definitive quality. And while it's been brought to my attention, on several occasions, actually, that across from platform emerged their sister location, I had yet to find a chance to visit.

Immediately before MiKi's doors was a similar parking situation to Daldongnae - an access permitting entry via right turns only - and a scarcity of spots much like Katsuya's original uptown location. The interior was, in fact, a tad tinier than the famed cutlet eatery, though adopted a similar format to Hub. With a maximum capacity of thirty seats in the forms of four- and six-seaters, raised communal tables were in absence.

The floor layout was compact with a sushi bar that faced the dining area and washroom stalls at the back of the restaurant. Spotted within one of the two individual, gender-separated stalls was a multi-tier shelf, complete with air freshener, just like Hub.

A reservation was originally made for their opening time of 11:30 AM, however was later postponed due to collective tardiness amongst the group. Finding parking was my initial concern, but thankfully all three personal vehicles under consideration were able to be accommodated without issues.
Despite being geographically furthest, I was first to arrive and nabbed the table just short of the clock striking noon.

As I awaited the arrival of the others, FANCY played overhead; videos of orangecane's favourite septet cycled through on a small screen above, remaining consistent for the entire duration of our visit. The playlist blaring above, annoyingly persisted with more behind-the-scenes tunes, in the same manner, interrupted only by a few bursts of BLACKPINK and (G)I-DLE.

< Pictured above and below: Salmon Pressed Sushi, Tuna Pressed Sushi, Unagi Kimchi Donburi, Over the Rainbow, and Legend Dynamite >

The group was guided through the menu, with emphasis on their tried-and-true offerings. Aburi pressed sushi and wacky Special Rolls possess unwavering appeal to first-time diners, as did the positively irresistible Unagi Kimchi Donburi (well, to the vast majority at the table anyway).

Out & About #609 | Unagi Dolsot Bibimbap, Skating + Dave & Buster's

12/29/2019

There are those that rarely leave their hibernation zone even at the allure of their favourite restaurant. In my case, it isn't food but rather the promise of a visit to Playdium or The Rec Room. Because games and friendly competition never fail to make for an enjoyable time.

"You busy today?"
"One is never 'too busy' for Rec Room" I cocked an eyebrow while submitting my response.

Prior to arcade games was dinner at Onnuri, complete with my chauffeur of the evening urging makgeolli intake.
It was apparent that few diners ordered the rice wine, for it separated several times over the course of the meal. Moreoever, neither the traditional Stainless steel tea pot nor drinking bowls were provided to us. Ceramic tea cups were utilized instead.

We took to Ttedokmandu-guk and Unagi Dolsot Bibimbap, otherwise known as Man Doo Hyang and Hub's respective specialties. The latter was oddly delightful, even in the face of the uptown contender's more superior rendition. Despite being egg-less, sesame oil-less, and tobiko-less, it fared far better than expected of the Korean comfort food joint.

My chauffeur had been more than generous in bringing along a pair of old skates for me to use, while also lacing me up and steadying the numerous rounds along civic centre grounds.

Amusing was the very fact that I, as a local resident, hadn't ever completed a lap here in my two-point-five decades of existence, whereas the out-of-towner had glided across on more occasions than able to be recalled. I was thankful for the experience, for my last time donning skates was likely five years prior at Nathan Philips.

WHAT DOES "QUIRKY AESTHETICS" MEAN?

Quirky = a term that commonly refers to something/someone distinctly different and unique
Aesthetics = the visual aspect of things

Together, Quirky Aesthetics refers to the things, events, and happenings seen and perceived by this blog's creator - quirky perspectives in a visual form.

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