Twenty-Three

23 November 2017

lifestyle

Twenty-Three

I am officially twenty-three years old. (Well, technically since Sunday... but I took my sweet time writing this post).

WOW. That is actually sooo crazy for me to say that, especially since the past year flew by extremely quickly. And, in all honesty,  I actually regret not playing Feeling 22 by Taylor Swift more often... (I'm lowkey listening to Feeling 22 right now as I write this... sooo, I guess it's all good.)

But, this year I wasn't too hyped for my birthday. I'm not exactly sure why... I just wanted to keep cool, stay in, and have a lowkey night. So, you could imagine that my birthday weekend was just exactly that! And, I couldn’t have been any happier. 

FRIDAY:

I was off from work and no school (because of the ongoing strike), so I decided to just have the day to myself!  I like having my alone time, and I genuinely think it is important to have time for yourself, you know, enjoy the day, do what you like. So, why not? I already made plans for both Saturday and Sunday… so, why not? 

SATURDAY:

I actually spent the majority of my morning attempting to get some more school work done (although the teachers are still on strike, the government is trying to pass this bill that allows us to go back to school this week while the negotiations are still occurring). Anyways, long story short, we actually might be going back to school as early as Tuesday - yay! So, like I said, I was attempting and just trying to get my motivation back… 


Other than that, I had plans with Jay, who wanted to take me out to dinner at a restaurant I've never eaten at before - Copacabana. I was so hungry early on during the day that I actually finished getting dressed super early. I was clearly excited about going to this restaurant I've never been to. Plus, I was super hungry... did I mention that already?

Jay picked me up a little late, and I was kind of annoyed, only because I was hungry and was scared we would miss our reservation! And, the drive up there was just terrible. Waaaay too much construction going on... c'mon let's get it together Toronto. 

When we got there, I was surprised to see my sister! And, she got mad at Jay saying we were early. I couldn't believe. I rushed to my surprise birthday guys!  

The food was served via waiters who brought meat (steak, lamb, chicken, etc.) to the tables and cut it into pieces for us. There was non-stop meat coming and going. It was delicious. 

I was actually sooooo surprised that I actually got anxious. I was wondering about who was attending if what I was wearing was okay, what we were doing after... a lot of "whats" were running through my head! And, since the traffic was super bad, the guest start coming in slowly, and so it was actually kind of exciting to see who would walk through the doors next. 

It was more definitely a surprise - thank you, Jay and Ash! 

And, it was such a surprise that I didn't take any pictures. I did take a few snaps, but I was sooo smart that I didn't save them. Opps. But, hey, I was having so much fun that I was just living in the moment (for once). 

SUNDAY: 

Sunday was the day of my actual birthday. In the early hours, I actually opened a few presents I received! Jay got me red converse (yessss, I needed a new pair of everyday shoes), and a, very, expensive pair of Nike tights. Thanks boo!!! My friend Kimmie got me make up. And, I got more gifts that I am all sooo grateful for.

For my actual birthday, my family and I went out to lunch to their favourite buffet.  It was fun and it was much-needed family time. We've all been so busy with work and school (well, my sister has been busy with school). So, this time together was perfect.

The rest of the Sunday was beautiful. And, I wanted to spend as much time with Rosie. I took her for a really long walk and took her to the park to play around. I wanted to spend as much time as I could before going back to school. And, I was happy I did. I love spending every free moment with her.  Follow

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Canada Day Recap

04 July 2017

life toronto

Canada Day Recap

This past weekend, Canada celebrated its' 150th birthday! I still cannot believe how young we are! But, since 150th is a big milestone for Canada, I already had the mindset that I wanted to be out and about celebrating Canada!
Plus, I'm freaken patriotic to this great nation! 
So, of course, my sister and I decided to have a sister day and head downtown to watch the Toronto Blue Jays play against the Boston Red Socks. Spoiler alert: the Blue Jays lose; but, it was still great to spend the day with my sister and other patriotic Canadians int he stadium. 

*if you follow me on snapchat, you probably already saw a lot of my pictures/videos on there!* 
Since it was Canada Day, the Rogers Centre was doing some special by giving away free hats to the first 20,000 fans who checked in with their tickets. So, my sister and I (the literally the rest of Toronto) headed to the Rogers Centre as early as possible, even though the game would start at 1:00 pm.  We got to there around 10:15 am, and all the lines to every different gate were packed. 
Luckily, my dad got us boxed seat tickets, so the line up at our gate was almost non-existent! Like literally only 50 people were in front of us, which is not bad compared to the hundreds of people in the other lines! So, yay, we were getting these hats. 

And, we did! They were great quality snapbacks with a red maple leaf representing Canada! And, it felt great to be among the 20,000 fans with this limited edition hat. So, the waiting out the next couple of hours until the game started wasn't bad at all. In fact, waiting those 2 1/2 hours felt like nothing because my sister and I did a lot of scooping the area since we had no in and out privileges in the Luxury Suite area.

Yea that's right! Those boxed tickets I mentioned were in a Luxury Suite! So, my sister and I were not only early, but hardly anyone was in the building, and so it was extremely easy for us to roam around, and start eating some of the snacks the suite provided for us! 

And, our view was amazing. I didn't expect our box to have a blessed view of the field. The last time I came to a Jays game was when I was younger. And, we were in the regular stands. It was a fun experience, but this...  It was absolutely the perfect experience. 

Fans got super excited when they started to open the dome fo the Rogers Centre! It was absolutely perfect because at the time, it wasn't raining and the sun was shining. What a way to watch the game. 

But, on a day like today, I was happy I was sitting in the box hiding away from the sun. 4 hours in the sun?? My skin gets dark quickly, I would have been baked! 

I think my favourite part of this entire experience was during the opening of the game. We had 3 generations of military men (one who actually served in the WW2), to come and throw the first pitches. I thought it was absolutely perfect and beautiful to watch. Then, we had a bunch of military men and women mark onto the field and unfolded the Canadian flag. And, the stadium was singing with joy our national anthem. 

I loved everything about it! And, again, our seats had an amazing view. 

Like I said at the beginning of this post, we lost. But, hey. I enjoyed the experience, and it was fun being here with my sister. We haven't had a lot of sister time over the past couple of months/years... so, this was long overdue.

OHH, before I end off, I just want to say after years of using snapchat, I finally had some of my snaps make it to the Blue Jays vs. Red Socks snap story! Although, my second submitted snap had far fewer views than the other 2 snaps... Leads me to believe they deleted it -.-  Oh well, I still made it!

Enjoy the rest of your week to all my Canadian and American friends celebrating Canada Day and the 4th of July!  

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Aquarium Adventures

24 January 2017

life toronto

Aquarium Adventures

I've lived in Toronto my whole life, and I'm always discovering something new about my city.  When I heard that a Ripley's Aquarium was going to built in Toronto, I'll be honest, I wasn't excited about it at all. Call me weird, but I really don't have the need to spend money on tickets to see fish floating around. But, that place is constantly busy and filled with tourists. So, I was obviously not understanding the appeal.
My cousin's friend actually works there. And, employees actually get a certain amount of free tickets for the year, and she had 3 left over. She decided to give them to my cousin, who in turned gave them to me and my mom. And, we decided to hit the Aquarium.

Although we decided to go on a Thursday, I'm not exaggerating when I say it was packed. Firstly, there was a line not online inside but one forming outside of the location, circling around! And, that was just the line to buy your tickets.
Thank goodness we already had ours. But, finding the doors to enter the place without lining up for tickets was hard. We eventually found a door and surpass that line.  

I do have to say, the aquarium was actually beautiful. There were a lot of little fishes floating around. I saw a few sharks, stingrays, and a sea turtle. That was pretty cool as you only really see those guy in movies.

I took a few pictures! Take a look!

One thing I really like about this place was that there were different sections where you have the chance to touch some of these guys. I actually got to touch a stingray, and it was NOT how I expected. It was slimy  (I think that's really the best way to describe it).
But, it was definitely an experience.
Would I go there again? Probably not. Unless my little cousins would want me to take them. But, I definitely wouldn't be spending money on tickets. 
Have you gone to the Aquarium? How did you like it? Follow

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Lady Gaga - Joanne Listening Party

21 October 2016

listening party

Lady Gaga - Joanne Listening Party

Last night I went to my first listening party, and I couldn't be any happier that it was for the fabulous Lady Gaga! Although she wasn't physically there, we were still able to watch her perform on live stream where she was performing live at another listening party in the States. 
It was such a cool experience. We first got an email saying we won passes to to Lady's Gaga listening party at a secret location. Once we confirmed our attendance, the address of a bar downtown was sent to us, and what time the doors would open. It was drizzling outside, so I was not too impressed that the doors didn't open when they said they were. And, the line to get inside was just too long, and unorganized. But, I guess that was because they had to check for our names on the list. 

The secret location was a bar/club and there were only a few tables and chairs to sit on. So, if you were late, you would be stuck standing the entire time. Also, those who got to sit on tables had more access to the free food they were blessing us with. 
No complaints from me! I didn't eat beforehand, so I was happy with all the free food! They, also gave us tickets to redeem free drinks, and you already know I took advantage of that! The drinks were good and I was happy I didn't spend a dime hehehe. 

Today her album, Joanne, was released and made available for purchase on iTunes, and at last night's listening party, we were able to listen to all of her songs. I have to say, this album was absolutley soulful and amazing. There was a bit of a country vibe, which I did read beforehand that she was moving in a different direction. It was different, but it was perfection. You can literally hear stories within each song. 
We were able to listen to the entire album twice before she went live stream. And, during her live stream she performed 5 songs, and spoke to us a bit mentioning the inspiration behind each song. She sang Diamond Heart,  Just Another Day, A-YO, Million Reasons and Grigio Girls. 

After listening to the entire album, I was hoping she performed Come to Mama and Hey Girl (ft. Florence Welch). These were just a few of the songs I absolutely enjoyed from the album! 
Her voice was absolutely powerful. I've never been to a concert of her's, but after last night, I think I might have to! 
It was an amazing experience.  Follow

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A (Not So Typical) Day in The Life

10 September 2016

blog challenge

A (Not So Typical) Day in The Life

My life is not so typical.  I do not have a daily routine like others may have because my usual class and work schedule varies on a day to day basis. I can either wake up early in the morning because I have an 8:00am shift, or I can sleep in until 10:00am and slowly get ready for my 1:00pm shift. It varies.
It's kind of exciting actually because I'm always doing something different.
My dad's cousin came into town for about 2 days before hopping onto another flight and heading out to New York City! So, for those 2 days, we had to blitz through all usual things tourists would see here in Toronto, and instead choose some of the more important landmarks.
This is a not so typical day in the life of Nessa. 

Good morning!  It's 7am.  Not only was I awoken by a phone call from my dad telling to get up and get ready (urg), but also from Ms. Penelope.  I think she was getting annoying that I wasn't showing her any love. She was nudging at my arm, and would stop until I was petting her. Talk about needy. Just kidding, she's a cutie, and I was happy to comply.

8:30ish am - My morning begins with just my mom and I as we take a little drive into downtown.   My mom is currently picking up a few things from work.  While waiting for her, I'm also waiting for the sun to come out.  But, for now, I'm really enjoying the view and the cool breeze.  I love when the sky looks all pretty with different shades of pink and purple. I love it.

9:35am - Since my mom has work later tonight, we decided to make a quick stop by the house for her to gather her things. You know, just in the case the day runs long and doesn't have time to come home before work.  We decided to take local way home because there was just too many cars on the highway. We didn't mind, I like spending more time with my mom.
Oh, I took a selfie for this hour because I usually don't take selfies and I've been loving my hair this morning. It's giving me that Ariana Grande vibe.

10:15am - BREAKFAST TIME. Remember I mentioned earlier my dad calling me and waking me up? It was for this exact moment. His cousin and hubby are staying at a hotel, and my dad wanted us to take them out to breakfast.  We went to this cute breakfast/lunch diner where there was a huge selection of breakfast. I didn't realize how many different ways you can make a breakfast dish.  It was a huge and delicious breakfast. I'll probably be full for the rest of the day...

11:58am/noon - We are back in downtown, but the other and more busier side of the City! Even though I live here, I always find myself taking pictures of the CN tower. I love my city, so why not right? Anyways, this is the first of the 2 main places C and L wanted to see during their short stay here. Because the admission to go up to the top was a bit on the expensive side, my mom and I decided to sit this one out. Besides, I've lived here my whole life and had my fair share of exploring my city, including going to the top of the CN Tower many times growing up.  I want the lovely couple some romantic time alone.

1:00pm - Although my mom and I decided to not go to the top with them, even though they were very persistent, they went alone! We even encouraged them to take their time. They aren't in Canada all the time right? So, there's really no point of them rushing just because we are waiting. Well, technically we aren't waiting for them.  My mom and I are at a coffee shop. We took our chargers out, and are currently both talking and being on our phones at the same time. Our version of a little coffee date!

1:30pm - I wanted them to get a feel for the city, so we decided to take a walk. Even though the sun was out, and it was a bit hot, walking never felt so nice. Because the lake is literally on the other side of the street, and we are walking between high building, the breeze was just absolutely beautiful. Also, during this walk, I found myself taking a lot of upward pictures of buildings. I don't know why, but I find buildings really pretty haha.

2:00pm - I'm on a boat! Okay, not really. We are technically on a Ferry Boat. But, what's the difference? I really have no idea. But, any who, during my coffee date with mom, we were talking about other little things to see before we head of the downtown core of the city. Then it hit me, let's take them to see the city line! Not many tourist know this (I think), but there is a Ferry Dock literally only 15 minute walk from the CN Tower. The ferry fare is super cheap, I'm talking literally $7.50 for to and from the city.
The ferry here can take you to three little "islands". By random selection, we decided to go to Hanlan's point. Even though I mentioned I lived here my whole life, I never been to this island. So, that was a good change. But, on the way to all three islands, this 5 minute ferry ride give you the chance to see the beautiful glimpse of the city line.

2:45pm - I'm leaving Hanlan's point feeling extremely relaxed, and now a bit tired. This mini island was basically a beautiful big park to walk or take a bike ride or walk your dog like others did. We decided to sit near a mini pond, or maybe it was part of the lake, I'm not sure, but nonetheless, it was still relaxing. We had a great time just chatting away.

4:00pm - I just dropped C and L back to their hotel room. They wanted to rest a bit and charge their camera battery before heading out tonight. I also dropped my mom off to work, and I headed back home. My book shelf has been bothering for for the last week. It think it is too full, I don't know. I'm just not feeling it. This is a picture of where I'm starting from. I'm thinking of buying a second shelf to spread some of the books from this shelf, and other books that are just laying from my desk... hmm...

6:10pm - Okay, I instead took a nap because I was pretty exhausted. I'm good now. Since my mom is at work, and my dad just got off work a couple hours ago, we are taking the cousins to see my sister in Hamilton. I'm going to driving this long 40 (45?) minute drive to my sister.  But, thats not the last stop for the night...
6:50pm - We are in Hamilton. We are currently waiting for the sister bring her presence into the car. Haha, she asked us to call her when we were 10 minutes away so she can get ready. I think she's pretty much starting to get ready now. My sister goes to school in a different city for those of you wondering!

   7:40pm - The drive was definitely longer than I remembered... Not sure if it was because we made a pit stop to pick up my sister on the way... But, it doesn't mater, we are here! If you cannot tell from the pic, we are finally in Niagara Falls! And, what a view we have.

8:32pm - I'm not sure how the time flew so quickly, but we walked from one end of the falls to the other end. So, we got to see the American falls, and also the Canadian falls up close! We also went inside the souvenir shop there before it closed. We were pretty much just talking and walking around while waiting for the lights to shine on the water. 

9:52pm - Dinner time! We are still here at the Falls, and we decided to eat at the Kelseys here! The family is enjoying a beer/wine, and I'm here drinking gingerale because I already know I'm the designated driver for tonight! Boooooo.

10:37pm - We sent the lovely couple onto the Niagara Sky Wheel! If you've been to London before, it looks exactly like the London Eye! We thought it would give them a beautiful view of the entire city and falls. Plus, more romantic time for them without my dad, sister, and I tagging along!

11:15pm - Bowling anyone? They wanted to play some bowling, so here we are! It's been a while since I went bowling, only because I know I suck. But, today, I was actually winning for once! I even got 2 strikes in a row! Not too shabby. But, I also think it was because I was the only not drinking ;)

12:00am - Before heading back to the city, they wanted to hit the Casino first. Since my sister is finally legal to even enter the facility, it was perfect! I didn't want to take a picture from the inside, not trying to be arrested for some conspiracy of cheating. I don't know. But, this place was amazing and full of zombie looking people. I personally didn't play any of the games, but I did enjoy watching the others.
Well, this was fun! It was like I was also giving you a tour of the city today! Like I mentioned earlier in the post, this is not a typical day for me. I don't always go into the city and travel to Niagara Falls! Maybe next time I'll go through an actual regular (and more boring) day in my life! 
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