+

William Fitzsimmons ft. Priscilla Ahn - I Don't Feel It Anymore

I leave smudges,

as I press my hands on glass.

Peering in and,

daydreaming of you.

Just alive in,

a golden haze,

and we breathe in slow. 

Nothing ever grows. 

In the midst of the slow music, warm lighting and wrapped in my blankets, tonight I feel like I belong.
October is here at last; the most romantic month I could possibly ask for and I am determined to make it my own.

Cheers,
-t

Friday Blessing

I have seen countless people who have burst into tears out of nothing more than happiness and I always wondered if that was a normal reaction. Today I found my answer: yes. Yes a thousand times because I am sitting here, typing this post, as I wipe my smudged mascara from underneath my eyes. Yes, as I recall this early afternoon and yes, as I close my eyes and picture my mother.

Today marks my first day volunteering at an outpatient exercise program where participants have suffered from a stroke, brain injury or are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and have been discharged from either a hospital or rehabilitation centre. It is a program aimed to have participants engage in exercise to strengthen their balance and walking while having the opportunity to interact with others. This program acts as a bridge to help former patients ease back into their former lives while still getting the exercise they need to achieve their everyday tasks.  Coincidentally, one of the instructors who runs the program is also involved in the aquatic programs run by the city (which is where I work part time too).  What a small world! It was really nice to see a familiar face and instantly I felt a little more comfortable with running one of the exercise stations.  All in all, my first day went incredibly smoothly and I was so thrilled to have gotten to converse with most of the patients there. They were all sweethearts and the determination they had was incredible! It was very touching, especially the three women who had multiple sclerosis. To see them gather every ounce of strength they had to complete the exercises was great and somehow, it comforted me and instilled more faith in my mother.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Quick sketch of him, and a vanilla latte (I couldn't resist!)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

We bumped into each other at the bus stop and we began to converse in all things related to Kinesiology--it was really nice. And the more we talked, the more I realized that he was not who I thought he was. I admit, my first impression of him was far from pleasant; he seemed arrogant and...well, for a lack of a better word, bitchy. But I do take that back. He reminded me that sometimes, it is worth to get to know the person a little better before brushing them off as scum.  Talking to him reminded me of all the right things I am doing in life. Again, it was a bit like self-confirmation? And while he probably doesn't think much of me, I do admire his leadership abilities and his confidence.  

Today has served more than a restoration in humanity. This Friday has opened new doors for me and I feel so good. 

So fucking good. 

Cheers,

-t

Late Birthday Post

Last Sunday I turned 21 years old. I never had the chance to truly say how much I enjoy growing and learning with every day. I continue to learn so much about the people around me and with that knowledge, I have learned to grow on my own. I take from those who I admire and create a better self.

Needless to say, the past several years have been a huge eye-opener; from needing to mend close relations to buckling down with school, I have come to a point in my life where I cherish every challenge, every enemy and every ounce of frustration because without all of that, I simply would not be able to believe.

To sum things up, I would love to share with you one photo which, I feel, sums up that celebratory night:

photo credit: Ms. Kate Rogers

And yes, I am only average and enjoy my small wild nights.

Cheers,
-t

p.s. The man standing in the photo? A great, great man.

a new home for old words

Hello all,

I've become accustomed to this site and what a difference it is from Wordpress. I do not dare badmouth Wordpress but I do believe this site seems to be more user friendly for the ones who are hopeless with HTML, and I finally have the post template I have been yearning for. (It only took me a year or so...) However, I digress. I hope that I will love and cherish my blog more than ever now that I have the ease at which I can customize my posts and overall aesthetics of my blog. And I hope that readers will continue to tune in every once in a while.

Cheers to finding a new home for my future thoughts,
-t

Celebration

Since school has started, it has been one hectic ride. Fortunately, I have amazing friends who plan the best therapeutic adventures. As a consequence, I am suffering from withdrawal of fine dining and continuous laughter! While we are all growing up quickly and paving the way to our separate futures, time has stretched and strained our relationship but has yet to break it. I am thankful for today; our ability to strengthen our relationship through our differences is a blessing.  After today, I realized that you cannot take friends for granted, special occasions are to be celebrated and iced soy lattes tickle my stomach. 

This smoked Montreal meat sandwich was massive, but scrumptious.

At the Crema Cafe.

On accident: he was bringing over the rest of the jasmine tea.

.

Cheers,
-t

thoughts (fall)

The summer has passed and it seems like we’ve moved onto different lives. Humid summer days are long gone and cooler sunny days have arrived. New (and lingering) people arrive with the breeze as it brings in new chances and familiar feelings.

Busy days bring about careful planning and appreciated company. Rapid daylight contrasted with drawn out evenings. We curl up in thick sweaters and wool socks; fingers curled around large porcelain mugs, or the stem of wine glasses, allowing time to pass in a hazy daze. Our hair falls over our eyes  as we breathe out white smoke, our skin skin smells of cinnamon, candles scents, other herbs and coal. We make distinct sounds of rubber hitting concrete as us city dwellers travel along the streets.

These changes are slow and creep up on this large city. Sometimes too busy to acknowledge the change in seasons, we forget how to adjust. How can one even adapt if one does not expect? We breathe, in and out; in, out, in, out. But do we breathe with ease, or are the breaths short and rapid? Merely gasps.

We always forget the things we ought to never forget.

James Vincent McMorrow

Last night I had the privilege to see James Vincent McMorrow perform. I really wasn’t sure what to expect but he proved to be another talented artist. He hit every high note beautifully and you could hear and see the passion he has for his music. Though he seemed a little stiff at times, he still sang the crowd into an Irish trance. His band members were also nothing short of spectacular and you could see that they were one big family; always poking fun at each other and looking out for each other.  And not to sound too fan girl-like, but on top of being a spectacular artist, he has a great sense of humour—he really got the crowd laughing several times!
Anyways, here are a few photos from last night. I apologize for the lack of quality but I hate using flash at these small venues. I dislike the idea of distracting or blinding the performers! (click photo for a larger view)





On another note, maybe some of you guys have noticed that I’m slowly transforming my blog into more of a photo blog as well as a place for words. I hope to continue with this slow, but definite change despite this semester’s schedule. Hope you guys stick around!
-t

Nostalgic Saturday

Lately, I have been making routine visits to Starbucks; this morning was no different.

Met up with an old high school friend and decided to read, draw and so forth on the second floor patio of a Starbucks in our neighbourhood. Needless to say, I took some photos to remind me that it is alright to slow down and relax a little in between my hectic schedule. (click photos for larger image)

Can you spot the bee?!

Her name is J.

Have a sunny Saturday!

-t

Friday: Day Off

It must be my lucky day today because the weather this past week has been cool and cloudy. However, today has been nothing but beautiful and what better way to spend my day off then to wander the city? I started my Friday off with a caramel macchiato, accompanied with a chapter of "Sport Psychology for the Athletic Trainer: Roles and Scope of Practice"--no joke. I proceeded downtown to browse the bookstore and ended up with Haruki Murakami's After Dark and Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five. Both of which I am excited to read despite the ridiculous amount of reading I already have for school.

Sometimes, I need a period of time to myself where I can allow my instincts to drive me to specific places; to slow down and absorb everything, taking pictures of the small details and rediscover faith in humanity. Sometimes, all I need is a few hours of silence to assure myself that everything will be alright. With that said, here are a few pictures from today's venturing.

Hope everyone's having a great Friday as well!

-t

Coffeehouse

The sky was gray.  It was a dirty gray that draped over our heads as the people scurried around the city, hoping to avoid the potential rainfall. Cars sped past the great buildings which loomed over the busy streets. Downtown always seemed to run at a quicker pace as businessmen juggled their smartphones and briefcases while the women broke out a sweat to keep their composure while balancing their morning coffee while fiddling with their leather purses. Cyclists forget their hand signals as cars attempted to weave through the traffic. Streetcars slowly trudged past pedestrians and lights flickered from green to yellow to red as flashing numbers reminded people to run faster. And while all of the hustling and city noise ran at a constant outside, the coffeehouse in which I sat in muffled it all. I watched as elderly men and women prayed to get to the streetcar stop in time; as couples watched the flashing number only to continue crossing; as a cyclist at a red light reached over to open the newspaper stand to only find it empty.

I sat by the window, back facing the only two men in the coffeehouse with me. Steam rose from the black porcelain cup and my cell phone didn’t make a sound. In fact, no one made a sound. The handle of the cup was just big enough for my index finger to loop through leaving my other three fingers and thumb to support the weight of the cup in my hand. Occasionally, I checked my phone for any new messages and I’d alternate between phone and coffee, coffee and phone. I placed the cup in front of my phone and then behind it. I kept rearranging their positions slowly and quietly. And between the fidgeting, I continued to watch them pass me by—pass the coffeehouse without another look. I forgot the time, the date, the reason why I ended up in a coffeehouse in the first place. Regardless I felt safe, hidden with my old and repeated thoughts as opposed to the foreign ones. Loneliness and depression accompanied acceptance and peace as time passed by in that small coffeehouse.