Shop, eat, shop, eat, shop, gym? ...shop?

I've realized that I enjoy getting groceries. I think it's because I missed having access to big groceries in New York. I like exploring and browsing products in the aisles and trying new food products.

Like they have this peach-mango tofu dessert at the ValuMart that I really like! And Oreo CAKESTERS are AMAZING. You must have one if you haven't yet. And I found that I love those pre-packaged Thai sauces, so I just add chopped veggies and meats, then I can make easy and delicious noodle and rice dishes!


(See full-size image here)

Also, while shopping in Kensington Market (which is a neighborhood known for bohemian, vintage, and produce shopping), I found the most adorable aprons! So I had to buy one for myself, so I can cook in style... even if I do live by myself, hah.

I do enjoy wearing fun clothes, for myself. I think some people misunderstand this. What I prefer to wear, tends to be over dressed for the usual everyday situation. If I had my way, I'd just wear flirty party dresses everyday, everywhere. And maybe pearls and a tiara. And I'd alternate boots with heels. (Okay, I still actually do that last part regularly.)

But in reality, I end up wearing jeans, tees, and sneakers most weekdays, because I usually don't like the extra attention that people give me when I dress up at work/school. Like I have to explain myself for looking nice! And it's annoying, even if they supposedly mean well. It's like this bizarro contradiction of my own vanity and modesty. Yes, I have some neuroses.

Also, people think that for some reason, wearing a dress is not as comfortable as wearing jeans and a shirt. Or that wearing a dress is more complicated! Unless you plan to be performing some athletic feat requiring you to flip around and flash your panties, this doesn't make any sense.

For one thing, a dress is in ONE piece. So I don't have to think about which top goes with which bottom. I just throw it on and voila! I look all tidy and nice. AND, dresses don't restrict your legs. This is a bigger issue for women, who vary so much in the waist/hip area. This is why trying on jeans is a pain in the ass –literally, whereas trying on dresses is more fun.

So anyway, now that I live solo in a new city, and it's summer (the BEST season for cute dresses), I feel inclined to play dress up even more than usual. Basically I am still playing dress-up and hair stuff, into my 30s and beyond. And now I can think of it as research for relating to girls' play in toys.

(photo by Mostlymaple)

Of course, with the allure of Oreo Cakesters and Torontonian foods, I haven't been getting any exercise to balance that out. And I feel that pudge getting in the way when I try on new pants. So today on the way home from boutique shopping... I joined the gym!!

Hath Hell frozen over??? Well, it's only for 6 weeks, because then I move back to that other city with the crazy school where I have absolutely no time for the gym or the people outside of school who I miss. Sniff. I just hope I make good use of the gym; it's actually in the building where I live, so I figure I have no excuse to avoid it. Except I have no gym shoes. Ooh! More excuses to go shopping!

Hmm. Maybe I should quit working for the corporate office types (even the casual ones) and become some kind of toy artist / illustrator. Then I really could wear party dresses and tiaras on a daily basis, and people wouldn't think I was crazy. Or they'd just accept I was crazy, because artists are allowed to be that way. Plus I'd have art openings where I'd have a reason to dress up! And I wouldn't have to deal with the demands of WalMart (which influences a lot of the mass-market toys) or working with the Commies in China, tainting our paints and plastics!

Then again, the life of an artist does not work well with the desires of a shop-a-holic. Doh!

Blargh

I accidentally ordered way too much food in Toronto's Chinatown for dinner and felt like I was going to regret it from the moment it arrived at the table. I wasn't even that hungry to begin with! I just wanted to try this noodle place that my cousin had recommended! It was so bad, I started to feel like I was in a food-eating contest. I stopped before downing the last two lychees in my drink.

I've generally overdosed on food over the last couple of days. My friend Amy stopped by for a wedding last weekend, so I joined her for a splurgy Omakase dinner last Thursday at Kaiseke Sakura (tragically, we both forgot our cameras). It was really wonderful, authentic Japanese food.

Then the other intern and I accidentally ordered way too much food at a Vietnamese food on Saturday. Plus we had the jumbo hot dogs at the street vendors for dinner. (Quite a bargain for Toronto food, and tasty too!) And last night, I met my friend Holly, who was visiting her brother who also lives in downtown Toronto.

After Holly introduced me to the delicious sushi from Sushi Marché, we went to get "Timbits" at Tim Horton's, which is apparently some kind of Canadian staple. Timbits are basically donut holes, so as you might guess, Tim Horton's is basically the Dunkin' Donuts of Canada.

I especially enjoyed the cruller Timbits, but ALSO I indulged in a special new strawberry blossom donut they had, that's shaped like a cute little pink flower, with red jelly in the middle and delightful strawberry candy sprinkles on icing. It is a sugary explosion of joy. It reminded me of the strawberry shortcake ice cream bar that you can get at New York ice cream trucks, which I also highly recommend!

I feel very lucky to know so many friends and family (who especially enjoy food), that even when I move to a new city (and country), I know I won't be go for too long without seeing someone I know. I think part of it is also getting older (having met so many people throughout the years), as well as having worked at such a huge company that employed such friendly people (Yahoo!).

I still miss my Karaoke-in' friends, but alas all my fun has to go on hold again, because I'm totally behind on my HOMEWORK! Isn't it enough that we have full-time jobs to deal with? As well as adjusting to new living environments!? I am reconsidering taking that year off from school or... perhaps dropping out. This is redonkulous. I have a degree already after all!

BTW, the judges on "Canadian Idol" are way too nice. Where is Canadian Simon??

(Donut image from Flickr user, Kodamakitty)

Hello Summer!

I am so happy summer is here. It's my favorite season. Today I joined the other Toy Design intern to check out the local street festival, and thanks to my first paycheck, I got myself a shirt, purse, and some books. Guess I'll be shipping stuff back to New York later!

I'll say more about Toronto later, but for now I will say it's been treating me quite nicely, and it's a lovely place to live –in the summer, that is. The temps range between upper 60s and low 80s, which is just about perfect for me. The only thing is that I can't read the freaking weather reports on tv because they're all in CELSIUS! Thank goodness for the internets.

On a downer note, I am already behind on my goddamned summer homework. Can't a girl get a break!?

Also: that guy I liked so much... apparently now has a girlfriend!? Goddamn!

Okay, I admit, I am not entirely surprised. And I don't even want to know when this happened. But doesn't he know that I am the one???

Well, if he's anything like my exes, he'll snap out of this cloud of stupidity in a year and ask to be with me again. Except, from past experience, I'll have to make it clear that I'm over it by then, and then he'll marry the next person he dates. Apparently that is my lot in life. In the meantime, I am doing my best to forget about him. –Like, pretending that he's dead, so I can still look back at the memories with some remnant of fondness.

ANYhow, Spin Master is a great place to work so far. Oddly, it shares some striking similarities with my old days at Yahoo (as opposed to its more somber days now), which is a good thing:

• The company was started by a few young guys, now in their mid thirties


• People work in open cubicles, mostly decorated with piles of toys


• Everyone who works there is super friendly and likable, and people are free to wear jeans or summer dresses to work


• When you start your job, they give you your name printed on a purple star (Yahoo! prints it on a gold star)


• Free bagels and various shmears/spreads on most mornings


• Employees are super nice to the interns, giving them real work, inviting them to big meetings and throwing them fancy dinners


• Marketing folks do their best to make designers antsy at their jobs


• Designers struggle to balance meetings with time to actually design


• Engineers like to tell Designers what can't be done


• They manage to recover from PR disasters (like selling date rape drugs by accident, or pushing porn online)


• I end up having to decline contract work, because I have enough work to deal with as it is, and I like to keep my free time free


• I often get away with free lunches (for things like open brainstorms and presentations)


• They offer volunteer opportunities to employees, to give back to the community


• It's part of my job to play with things


• We produce things that bring general goodness into the world (At least, I like to think so)


• It's fun to answer strangers who ask what you do


• I found myself watching the other designers try on wigs and afros (Some of you might remember that an afro played a key role in an early Yahoo! commercial)


• There is an upcoming tropical-themed office party, luring us with a limbo stick and karaoke video games

Things at Spin Master that are not like my old job:

• No free espresso bar (but of course, we get free drip coffee)


• Lots of women work here


• No free gym, no free commuter bus (but free rent and utilities for interns!)


• Facebook is blocked (which is wise on their part, especially if they knew my habits)


• The other designers like to drink


• The things I work on... probably end up contributing to landfills more than I'd like them to


• Nobody IMs at work... and I don't mind it


• I use colored pencils just as much as I use my mouse, and sometimes more than the mouse


• People don't really care about having the latest gadgets (my supervisor doesn't even own a cell phone!)


• The office generally empties out by 6:30pm


• My vast knowledge of cuteness, fashion, pop culture, and toys comes in super-handy


• People don't presume that this industry is all anyone ever thinks and talks about


• The office is walking distance to the local funky fashion district and all kinds of awesome shopping


• No stock options, no six-figure salary. –Doh! (It's not about the money, right? RIGHT?)

If they get me a Brobee doll, I'm pretty close to being sold on working for them post-graduation. Also they have an L.A. office!

Also, that thing about how the sun doesn't go down here until like 9pm? It completely messes with my head, because then I feel like I should stay up later than I should, and then I don't get enough sleep and I get groggy all week at work. Which leads me to getting to bed now.

(BTW, I am very much digging the album "Shine," by Estelle. You may have heard her single, "American Boy" featuring Kanye West. It's the perfect album for summer listening.)

Hope you're all enjoying your summers too!

It's hot here, eh?

After staying up all of my last night in New York – to pack and clean up my apartment for my summer subletter, I finally made my way to Toronto! Tomorrow I start my internship!

Here are some highlights so far...

• While waiting for my flight, I noticed that Jill Hennessey, star of Crossing Jordan, was on the same flight! Not sure how I recognized her, because I don't think I've ever watched a full episode of her show.


• This was also the tiniest international flight I've been on. There were probably at most, 50 seats on the plane? I think I've been on buses bigger than this plane. Well, it was less than a two-hour flight, so I guess it was like jetting from SFO to LAX.


• The nice Canadians kept offering to help me to carry my enormous suitcases.


• The cable guy who came in to fix my Internets, asked me if I was over 18 years old. I said "yes," and laughed. He said, "Are you sure?" (He was Asian, too.)


• The temps are in the 80s with a lovely breeze, and the sun doesn't go down until like 9pm!


• My condo rental (expensed by my summer employer) is clean and hotel-like, with in-unit washer-dryer, a bay window in the bedroom and weekly housekeeping!?


• I like how everything is presented in English and French here. Maybe I'll brush up on my Francais.


• There's a grocery store with nice produce, right next to my place, and a drugstore on the other side. I went grocery shopping and amused myself by buying things like "Kraft Dinner" instead of "Mac 'n' Cheese."


• With my open new kitchen, I actually cooked myself a meal (vegetarian Pad Thai), which I hadn't done in ages! And it was actually tasty.



• Toronto is very, very clean. I don't think I've seen any graffiti anywhere. Even the hot dog stands seem significantly tidier than in New York.


• There are a lot of athletic people around here. Like 90 percent of the people I see passing through the doors are wearing athletic gear or coming back from a bike ride. But that may be because there's a gym below my condo. This makes me feel a little like a lazy slob. So I'm actually pondering joining the gym.
  
  But I suspect that thought will pass after this week is over.

Okay, I should probably start my homework that was due last Thursday. Hopefully by next week, I'll have more to report on Toronto!