Out & About #1032 | Home Organization Cont., Cong Caphe + AGO

I can never quite predict my sleep patterns. Sometimes, I crash into bed and remain stationary until the whirring buzz of my alarm. Other times, my body is fatigued yet the mind is restless, pouncing back and forth between thoughts conjured by recent stressors.
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Truth be told: alcohol aids not in promoting deep sleep, but rather a drowsy, relaxed sensation that transitions to disrupted slumber. Small quantities rarely render an impact, however, but I'd be mindful of consuming too much too late.

​With barely four hours of sleep under my belt, the morning commute was indeed a struggle. Nearly zombie-like in my demeanour, I sluggishly eased into the morning after an incredibly justified intake of cold brew.

​My coworker surprised me, along with another member of the team, with a handmade bead bracelet. While slightly juvenile for my tastes, the gesture was appreciated nevertheless. Mine would be appropriately themed in green, with colourful, cubed letter beads strung together to read "Jinyoung". Naturally, it summoned a giggle from me and I happily slid it on my wrist.

Despite the splendid weather, inadequate rest had suppressed sharpness, diminishing my ability to command alertness and consequently discouraging my initial contemplation of cycling in the city.

Recently introduced by Amazon was a streamlined return procedure. Instead of a shipping label, a QR code would be sent to customers to enable drop-off at any Staples, Canada Post, Purolator, or Intelcom location. The method neither required a shipping box or printer, nor incurred any additional charges to the customer. If desired, though, one could opt for a Purolator drop-off with "box required".

Located at the northeast corner of Armoury and University is likely one of the neatest, most spacious Staples outposts in the city. Besides a Mos Mos coffee counter and dedicated workspace with glass walls (termed "Staples Studio"), the location also offered a "solutionshop" section with a separate counter for Amazon returns. A member of staff would scan the QR code, print a label, and tack it onto the return item in a matter of seconds. Then I'd be on my way. The process was swift and seamless, and ideal for individuals without printers such as myself.

IKEA would constitute the following stop.

In response to move-in week for post-secondary students, the homeware giant had introduced a number of new dorm-friendly items. Although the selection was impressive, I ultimately strode out without making a single purchase. For starters, I'd need to take measurements to ensure feasibility of the items. Secondly, I was keen to avoid transporting items back home on a rush hour commute with limited GO train seating.​

​During my visit, there were an unsurprisingly high number of students browsing the store in groups. Majority of the staff were moving about the store assisting these young customers, some of which were accompanied by parents eager to facilitate the move-in process.

​While routing back, I'd take to Cong Caphe's Elm location instead. A queue had formed outside of the coffee shop, prompting me to inquire the reason from the nearest member of the crowd. Taking half a headphone off, the young woman replied, "It's not for this." gesturing to the café entrance. Only later did I learn of the adjacent tattoo parlour's twenty-five dollar Tuesday piercing special. That said, I hadn't realized piercings were in such high demand.

​My first order of business was to wash my hands. Many products had been handled over the course of my IKEA trip, resulting in griminess. Two individual bathroom stalls were located on the lower level of the establishment, where additional seating, a communal table, and a water station could also be found. The lavatory stall was narrow, but fairly clean and well stocked with toiletries.

After the quick glance about the cozy space, I'd ascend the wooden stairs back to ground floor, taking note of the low ceiling.

​An Iced White Coffee was requested from the signature Vietnam Phin Coffee lineup. Depicted as a concoction of coffee, condensed milk, and coconut milk, I had anticipated a latte of sorts and was surprised to be presented with a slush with noticeable chunks of ice instead. The five point star decoration was an interesting touch; the non-uniform ice shards made for an odd texture in addition to posing some difficulty with consumption in the presence of a plant fibre straw.

​The beverage was delicious though, with Vietnamese coffee and coconut presenting itself as an unexpectedly harmonious combo.

​Though the morning barely hovered past the double digits, the lack of clouds and abundance of sunshine did make for a sufficiently warm afternoon, making my saunter steamier than anticipated.

Following a largely unproductive day in the office, I returned home for a much-deserved RMT session.

Kaizen's Erin Mills location would be booked given the utter deficiency of slots at the Meadowvale outpost. Although seemingly smaller on the outside, the interior was quite spacious, with a hallway of rooms that wrapped around the reception area. Similarly vast was the accessible washroom stall, which was well furnished and pristine. 

The masseuse was somewhat surprised to observe my tolerance for pressure, though I'd argue normalcy given my regular use of foam rollers and massage balls.

​The subsequent office day had been forecast as being warmer than the previous, thus I had adjusted my attire and lunch route accordingly.

Morning adventures would commence at the York and Bay Concourses. Acquired within seconds from the York Concourse sampling station were two KIND granola bars. Commuters who had filed into the line were greeted with giant smiles and the warm welcome of "Good morning beautiful Torontonians!". The full-sized products would be distributed with extreme swiftness, contrasting direly with operations of the Bay Concourse counterpart.

​Despite having both accounts set up already, I was unable to log into the Starbucks portal. After several frustrated trials, I displayed my screen towards one of the members of staff, explaining that I indeed had both accounts but was simply unable to login. She had suggested that I come back later in the day, though I ultimately succeeded in negotiating the gift card without returning. The total delay had amounted to ten minutes by this point.

Even upon arriving in the office, the troubleshooting did not cease. In hindsight, the Bay Concourse stopover had been utterly unwarranted. The Instant VIA packet was revolting.

Office snacks were discovered in the latter half of the day. The two-bite brownies that had piqued my curiosity during the latest Costco run had materialized before me. Suffice to say, I immediately sourced a plate and chopsticks from my locker to engage in the gustatory experience.

​Albeit similar in appearance, the bite-sized parcels were indeed inferior to the coveted Farmer's Market original. They were merely crumbly - devoid of the dense chewiness, gratifying surface, and moist centre of my go-to storebought formula.

When noon rolled around, temperatures were discovered breezier than forecasted. In fact, conditions were discovered even cooler than the last in-office day! Alas, indoor activities had been scheduled for my lunchtime itinerary well in advance. I'd invite my coworker once more for a TPL MAP-enabled visit to the AGO.

Unlike majority of the city's arts and culture attractions, there are a number of ways to visit the Art Gallery of Ontario at no cost. The website lists these options for transparency:

1. Being an Ontarian under the age of 25; restriction: age limit
2. Reserved tickets for Wednesday evenings between 6-9 PM; restriction: First Wednesday of each month only
3. Reserved bookings under the TPL MAP Program; restriction: must be eligible for a Toronto Public Library card (live or work in the city)
4. Canoo Cultural Access Pass for newcomers to Canada; restriction: newcomers and permanent residents only

​The second and third options are the most inclusive, though admittedly challenging to secure reservations. 

Our entry into the lobby prompted a member of staff to inquire whether my coworker and I were under the age of 25. A second member of staff would pose the same question as we neared the welcome booth. "I'm flattered!" my coworker chuckled while exchanging a surprised glance with me.

Verification of my online booking would be required for ticket issuance. Besides matching the library card number on the booking confirmation to my physical card, I was also required to provide a piece of ID. This strangely scrupulous process was identical to that of the Bata Shoe Museum, but enacted at a much slower pace.

​Some few minutes later, we finally received printed tickets and were scanned into the gallery area.

One of my favourite discoveries from the KAWS: FAMILY visit was the collection of landscape paintings depicting the province through its various seasons. Titled "Futurescape", it comprised of a plethora of nature scenes foreign and familiar. Viewing the pieces from afar were as incredible as admiring their textural variances up close.

​The second floor would feature a number of Indigenous pieces. I could relate to none, and was also taken back by the artwork descriptions positioning writeups in the native language above the English version.

​Jinny Yu's Cuboids were positioned adjacent to the Indigenous & Canadian Art section. Geometric, colourful, and abstract, the pieces contrasted against the busy, animal- and community-heavy works of the neighbouring exhibit.

​Of the trio of rotating exhibits, I had been most intrigued by Bright Signs. Having lost my coworker in the browsing process, I navigated towards the top level of the gallery.

​The elevator doors opened to reveal the exhibit name in bold, sans-Serif font backlit with faint blue LEDs.

​The largest room was dedicated to Progress Palace, a three-component "immersive experience" involving a rotating shimmering sculpture of mirrors, stairwell frame, two projected screens, and strong beats.

​LED signage and tributes to television would follow.

Television Works took advantage of the flashing staticky background to animate acrylic paintings of landscapes.

​"Television Works" took advantage of the flashing staticky background to animate acrylic paintings of landscapes.

​I'd cross paths with my coworker by chance, and we'd continue our journey together.

​About ten minutes would be spent hurriedly striding through the remaining rooms, for lunchtime was quickly coming to a close.

Tarralik Duffy: Let's Go Quickstop presented nostalgic items in larger-than-life formats. I could relate to most of them, in particular Magic Baking Powder and Robin Hood Flour (pantry staples of mine), Carnation Evaporated Milk, and Vienna Sausage.

​Victorian era works and sculptures constructed from dollar bills would be skimmed quickly. Finally, we powered through the gift shop and exited back onto Dundas.

​AGO was undoubtedly expansive, and I often enjoy roaming the seemingly endless corridors of artwork. My coworker declared the gallery less intellectually stimulating than the Bata Shoe Museum. I somewhat agreed, for art is subjective and requires substantial background to understand and appreciate fully.
Nevertheless, I had enjoyed Bright Signs, thus fulfilled my objective for the day.​

Finally, we made one quick stop at Patchmon's Thai Desserts & More.

Keen to try Thai Pineapple Cookies, I procured a box of four at the steep price of eight dollars. From their outward appearance to their supposed construction method, the tri-colour pastries were extremely similar to Taiwanese Fenglisu, if not identical.

As a lover of pineapple cakes, these jam-filled parcels were devoured without hesitation. While drier than the typically sweet and zesty fenglisu, I relished the tender shortcuts casing and elimination of simmered wintermelon in the filling.
In consulting the Thai ahgase, she, too, was not sure of the difference between Taiwanese and Thai Pineapple Cakes/Cookies. At their given price point, I'd likely adhere to my usual budget picks should cravings emerge. Alternatively, I am equipped with the knowledge and equipment to craft my own, if needed.

​Meals of the week comprised of: Braised Daikon and Pork, Scrambled Eggs with Chive and Pickled Radish, Congee Queen takeout of Salmon Congee and a horrifically funky Battered Fish with Sweet & Sour Sauce.

​Thursday evening would see sampling of Choya Uji Matcha Umeshu from Vancouver and Kronenbourg 1664 Rosé Wheat Beer, as a minimum one-week drought would ensue in the upcoming twenty-four hours.

More errands would round off the short work week. When a failed attempt to bank had led me into the early afternoon hours, I mindlessly took to the nearby McDonald's.

Resulting from the impromptu detour was a S'Mores McFlurry and a duo of Strawberry and Apple Pie.
I will admit to wincing at the new paper packaging and wooden spoon - vehicles will no longer be protected from melting soft serve in the absence of plastic cups. The product itself was delightful, however, embracing crunchy graham bits and swirls of chocolate syrup.

Strawberry Pie was immediately deemed dismal on the bases of tacky, cloying filling and a pasty exterior. Apple Pie, on the other hand, was brimming with cinnamon-laced apple morsels and absolutely scrumptious.