going solo.

last week i decided that i needed some time on my own. i decided to do it yesterday. i woke up and almost chickened out. going to downtown with the purpose of just walking aimlessly by myself is never something i have done. in the end it was really...rewarding. haha.
for so many years now, i have been living my life in a sort of rush. there's always something to do, an errand to run, a lesson or an appointment to go to, places and people to see. downtown may have the fastest walkers...just exiting union station alone is a speed walking marathon. i'm afraid i've become one of them: zombies who cross streets with oncoming traffic just to get to work.
yesterday as i walked on king street, i had to remind myself to slow down and take in everything. the beauty in being by yourself is that you can you hop in and out of any store as you wish, dictate your own schedule, and not to be forced to keep up a conversation. sometimes you just don't want to talk.

a giant mushroom that i almost didn't see. imagine that.

i didn't get to downtown as early as i had wanted. which is fine though because it saved me money from having to buy breakfast. so i splurged a little with lunch. i discovered gilead cafe when researching on cafes to eat in. hidden away in king street west, this is a new addition to jamie kennedy's line of restaurants (reminds me of oliver and bonacini).
the cafe was simplistic, linoleum tabletops, speckled floors. you order from a chalkboard on the wall and the servers call your name to pick up your food. but the walls are lined with shelves of jars of vegetables in brine. the bathroom was quite lovely too...to me a venue can be simple as long as the bathroom is nice.

i spent my time reading the paper, writing letters and sipping coffee without having to worry about anything.

a grilled pecorino fresco sandwich on sourdough baguette with basil spread, fresh grilled red and yellow bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini ($9)

fries with mango mayo ($4)
it was a very satisfying meal. i didn't get dessert (although they have a nice selection of pastries, which i will try next time)
when i got out i realized that i was very close to the distillery.

i decided to have my dessert there. i went to soma chocolatemaker for some gelato. i had one in hazelnut. sigh. it's quite pricey. for $3.75 you can get a really BIG serving of gelato in rome.

it tasted like heaven. and it came with one nut.
i decided to check out buskerfest. on my way there i saw lots of street sales. one of the vendors had some enzo anglioni shoes but unfortunately were size 6. :( oh well.

buskerfest was totally crazy...i didn't stay too long. i don't like crowds. i was, however, able to buy a tablecloth which i will use for fabric to make more padfol!ios.
something i've never done before as well was go see a movie by myself.
i decided to go watch tuya's marriage. it made me cry. for those who love foreign movies, this is something you should see. it was nice to see that i wasn't the only one who went solo.
afterwards i walked to h&m and almost bought dresses that weren't even my size. i had to remind myself that i don't have the time nor the expertise to alter them myself. so i had to limit myself to one (which actually fits!). i got it for 70% off and am very pleased with it. i went to fabricland and found some plaid and wool fabric. i have patterns for coats which i would like to get started on before autumn officially starts.
of course i couldn't forget harbourfront. i was feeling a little tired already so i just sat and wrote more on a picnic table which overlooked the lake.

a very brave bird.

i walked back to bce place to get ready for a night out with the girls. haha. after a day being on your own it's nice to end it with a social gathering.

(we're orange like oompa loompas...the color tone of my camera was set to warm. argh)

we went to milestones (on dundas and yonge...this milestones is awesome, by the way) for a party. by 9:30 i was already so tired. is it a sign of old age? we left around 10:30 after they served the cake. but hungry stomachs required more food so went to mcdonald's on yonge. time flies by so quickly when you're having a lot of fun. i didn't get home till past 1 in the morning. this is normal to most people out there, but for me it isn't. parents shouldn't have to ground 23 year olds anymore, but my parents are a special case. dammit.