Toronto's Public Transportation; A Mere Illusion

Just want to make a note of this.

Coming home from school today at 5:19pm I had to let ELEVEN trains pass me by because it was THAT busy. On the 12th train, I was finally able to squeeze my way through the pissed off riders and get myself comfy for the next 40 minutes (the ideal outcome in this ridiculously shitty situation). HOWEVER, 20 minutes or so later we arrive at Lawrence station at which point the operator announces that this train is no longer in service. Let me rephrase. During rush hour in a metropolitan city, the unionized, incompetent service that is the TTC decides to take a train packed with people and take it off the tracks. Am I the only one who thinks that this is a SICK JOKE!! Wait, it gets better. As we exit the train, the operator doesn't even wait for everyone to get out before closing the sliding doors on people. WE GET IT TTC, YOU HATE HUMANITY. Let me remind you that you are getting paid 70 000+ a year for this job. Start doing it like it's supposed to be done.  

Anyhow, the platform begins to resemble Boxing Day weekend, if you know what I mean. No word of a lie, I wait for another FOUR trains to come to a halt, open its doors, close its doors, and drive off. So that would make it a total of 15 trains that I was unable to get on. Um, NO. This should not be happening. It's unacceptable. I'm not even going to bust out the facts but just so you know Toronto has the longest commute time. 

So my usual 40 minute commute turned into an hour and 30 minutes. OH! On top of all that, I do not have a kindle at the moment and there was absolutely no room to bust out my fat book so I spent the whole ride watching a woman play Solitaire on her iPad. Plus, my phone doesn't work. Okay, I'm going to stop here. I'm getting mad again. 

The city is growing, figure it out Toronto!

The Sweet Life

Yesterday marked the final day of midterm exams for me and what a truly lovely day it was! 

Mind you I have a bunch of assignments with due dates quickly approaching. Oh, and have I mentioned its Halloween this weekend? Halloween weekend, to be more accurate. I mean between the ridiculous costumes, the parties and the assignments, you can easily see how I have my hands tied up. Absolutely no time to goof around! No one said it was going to be easy. Sigh. It's a hard knock life for us. 

Anyways, I am here to announce that I am back to living the sweet life! 

In other words, say hello to my Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes.

Yes. That's right. Cookies and cream. Absolute deliciousness in a little paper cup with a whole Oreo cookie at the base of each and every cupcake for a super big crunch in every bite.

It's Modern Family night tomorrow and as per every week my sister's boyfriend will be joining me for some comedic relief. And what is a TV night without a 3000 calorie snack? Unheard of! Thats what.

“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the 
steak to cook.”-  Julia Child

Martha Stewart's Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes Recipe
Makes 30 (I halved the recipe and it was plenty)

Ingredients:
42 cream-filled sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt


1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

3. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

4. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

Soooooo, No Democracy For You?

Tunisia is responsible for the first of many uprisings that swept through the Middle East this year, rebelling against dictatorship and fighting for democracy. In theory, I was somewhat excited to see how these protests would change the political structure of some of the most corrupt countries in world. However, given the reputation and history of this completely messed up region, is it wise to be optimistic? Or is it just flat out foolish?

On October 23^rd, which is today, Tunisia is due to elect 217 members of an assembly that will write a new constitution and pave the way for legislative and probably also presidential elections next year.

NAHDA, an Islamist party, is said to take 20% of those votes! Shoot me. Many have said that they have yet to decide. Yet to decide what? If they want to live in an oppressive and demoralizing country again or if they want to actually gain some rights? Yes, I can see how that can be a tough decision. Those who have to yet to decide may very well have made up their minds. The only factor stopping them from announcing it publicly is that NAHDA was a main target of repression under Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali until he was overthrown in January.

“Rachid Ghannouchi, the president of NAHDA, has reiterated that his party seeks to be merely one political force in a multi-party democracy. It has gone further than its rivals in proposing to water down the powers of the presidency, advocating a constitution that it says would follow the German or British systems in giving most executive powers to a prime minister.”

Yes, and I just want a Unicorn. But they don’t exist. Nor does the combination of an Islamist party and a democracy.

On the other side of the spectrum, the party representing democracy “believes that a constituent assembly and subsequently a parliament in which Islamists held a controlling bloc would be disastrous.” Really!? You don’t say!

If you are going to have an uprising, do it properly. If the future of Tunisia sees an extremist party gain power I’d have to say that democracy, my friends, is just not for you (so unfortunate!). Due to the complex web that is the Middle East, having more than just one country that stands for democracy would be somewhat refreshing. Even more so, hope that the rest of the countries that fought an uprising get their shit together now solely belongs to the optimists of the world. (not me)

Frustrated!!

That's Amore

I spent half of the day at The Delicious Food Show hosted by The Food Network and I was in heaven! Food is just such a big part of who we are, or at least who I am. It's something that we encounter every single day in so many different varieties and fusions. It can bring people together and create memories for a lifetime. It goes straight through the heart to your stomach. Starting to sound like sentimental granny, so moving on...

It was so refreshing to see so many knowledgable individuals sharing their passion and talent with others with no drama free and no flakiness (unlike almost everything else in this world). 

We tried cupcakes, sausages, wine, oysters, cuisine from all over the world and so much more! It was a buffet of delicious little samples and a surprise for your palette every time. I love the fact that Toronto is growing culturally and that new culinary minds are landing on our doorstep every year. We should be taking advantage instead of sitting in gloomy bars and fist pumping our way through clubs every weekend. We need some sort of balance, right? Right.

One thing that does upset me is this whole idea of "organic fresh foods". If we didn't go and tamper with the fresh foods our parents and grandparents grew right in their backyards we would not have to be GOING BACK to fresh foods. We would have them grown locally like generations before us did, plain and simple. But now, since everything is chemically induced and full of harmful bullshit, we have to go out of our way and pay more, mind you, for the freshest and simplest ingredients. Like helllooooooo , how does that make any sense?! 
I'm sorry, but as a society, we are so completely and utterly foolish!
 Just a piece of advice, make your own ground beef, chicken or turkey. It takes two minutes with a processor, plus you can add so many herbs and flavours that no grocery store can offer. Just keep in mind, if it looks like chicken and it smells like chicken, doesn't mean it's actually chicken (or maybe it is, bones and skin included).

However, in light of this amazing day and at the risk of pooping all over it, I'm going to set my complaining and bitterness aside.

Just remember, when the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine, that's amore.

One does evil enough when one does nothing good.

Warning: I'm about to vent.

Today, I was heading to school via the subway with my sister and a friend as this girl right in front of us droped her papers. I thought it was quite strange because she didn't seem to notice. When I looked up, I realized that she was ghostly white, with her eyes wide open, shaking back and forth and totally unresponsive. My sister quickly offered her seat in the likely case that at any given second she was going to faint. Within 5 long and scary minutes, she was finally able to mumble something. As it turned out, she was  getting off at the next stop. As she was slowly returning back to her normal state, she seemed quite embarrassed which I can understand. 

ANYWAYS, here is my issue(s). 
As this was happening, most people froze. Although I do understand that people are cautious/afraid to take action in such scenarios, but how can you just stand there and turn a blind eye? While a man was helping her get seated I tried to shout to the people standing near an emergency button to quickly pull it to notify the TTC operator. Did they? NO. My sister ended up walking to the back of the train to pull it herself. That's the first problem I have with these completely self-absorbed, inconsiderate individuals that live amongst us. The other thing that irked me was how the man who was helping her sit down kept saying; "ok, well this is your stop so you can just get off here". When I tell you this girl was unresponsive, I mean she could not stand, nor could she talk. I'm sorry, but I highly doubt that the BEST thing we could have done was kick her off at her stop and let her fend for herself. I was glad to see that the train operator came out at the stop and made sure the girl was stable enough to be left alone.

I do understand everyone is rushing to get to work or school, but have we lost all sense of decency and kindness? Has everything become about me, me, and me?

Next time you see someone who needs help, I ask you to take a moment to imagine if said person was your friend, a family member, or a loved one. Would you have left them then? I don't think so. 

If you turn a blind eye to the people in need all around you, do not expect anything to be different when that person is you.

Fresh Corn & Tomato Quinoa Salad

Mission Quinoa complete. And successful if I can say so myself.

Fresh Corn & Tomato Quinoa Salad with a Maple Syrup & Dijon Dressing. YUM.

I am a new lover of Quinoa. Cooking with grains is exceptionally simple and yet the outcome is delicious and healthy. 

Fresh Corn and Tomato Quinoa Salad

From Vegetarian Times (July/August 2010)

Serves 8

Salad:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 cups fresh (or frozen) corn kernels (from 2 ears)

1 1/2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes

1 cup finely chopped red cabbage

1 cup diced cucumber

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon sea salt

To make the salad: bring quinoa, salt, and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until water is absorbed.  Set aside, covered, for 10 minutes.

To make the dressing: mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth.  

Mix corn, tomatoes, cabbage, and cucumber with quinoa in a bowl.  Mix with dressing and serve.

Funny Yet True and Unfortunate

I was just scanning through the headlines of this week's print version of The Economist and came across an illustration that I got a kick out of.

That about sums it up.

Oh, and Gaddafi is now dead (as of today). We'll see what happens now.

The Delicious Food Show!

It is by no means a secret that my biggest aspiration is to move to New York and work at the Food Network headquarters, in their Marketing Department. I know people have their doubts but, my crystal ball seems to be on my side and how can it be wrong? Right?

This weekend, the Delicious Food Show will be going on here in Toronto and I am pee-your-pants excited. Not only am I excited to spend the whole day immersed in culinary goodness but, I'll be doing it with my sister, Elina and her best friend, Tanya. A common interest throughout.

I've been very much in love with the whole world of cooking lately. If you have been wondering why my Blog background is a kitchen, it is because it is Julia Child's kitchen. I thought it fits in quite wonderfully with my blown out obsession on the matter since she is exceptional in every way. 

Next culinary adventure: Cooking with Quinoa

I'll be letting you know how that goes (if it turns out edibile)

Bye for now. Keep those bellies full! Nom.nom.nom.nom.nom

Bygones be bygones

I was walking across the Finch parking lot to my car today bitching to myself about the mistakes I made on the exam, the cold weather, the BRUTAL TTC service, and not to mention the incredibly rude people that ride it every day. Common courtesy people, it's not rocket science. If you feel like you are above everyone else, drive your car to work. Period. We won't miss you.

Anyhow, as I approached my car I turned to face the subway station and the sunset was beautiful!

It even came out pretty on my piece-o-shit Blackberry that has chosen to go absolutely haywire on me today by periodically spazzing out and then shutting off.

Bygones be bygones, I say.

Just going to enjoy the nice things in life for now (that is, until the next utterly frustrating thing happens)

I've Got the Blues

Indigo is a shade of blue, isn't it?

Because that is where I will be spending this greyish and depressing day. I've got a lousy Finance Exam on Wednesday and instead of going to our prison-like University library, I will be cozied up in my favourite Indigo Starbucks Downtown with the prettiest view of the old City Hall. Surrounded by all of the books I have no time to look through (in theory) and the little things I always feel tempted to buy, but have absolutely no purpose for. Absolute bliss.

Yes, that's right, I fall right into their marketing scheme. SUE ME.

Good luck with all of your studies!

Ikea Who?

I have this thing where I'll be studying or trying to fall asleep and an idea will slowly creep into my mind and set up camp. The lastest one being book shelves! 

Did I so desperately need a book shelf? In the middle of midterm week? With 4 assignments due the upcoming week? Of course...not. But the match was lit and there was nothing I could have done about it. 

I think I visited every single website out there to find unique shelves. Did you know they have a shelf that looks like a tree branch? Or shelfs that you can literally sit in and read? I didn't.

Every aspect of my room has been thought out. It's a pure reflection of everything I love [aka New York]. Therefore, I absolutely had to find a cool way to integrate these book shelves.

During my 100th visit to Home Sense that week I found these amazing, vintage looking, fake books! I would assume most people use them to decorate their libraries and such. The "book cover" actually opens up and you can store things inside.

Anyways! With a little help from Isai I was able to create exactly what I wanted and I am completely in LOVE with them.

Slurp

Jell-o shots anyone?

My friends and I went out this weekend to celebrate the birthday of our dear friend and Detroit native , Mr. Matt Epelman. To make the evening special, his lovely girlfriend dug up a recipe for Jell-o shots. I have only tried Jell-o shots once in my life and I can tell you that they were far from the consistency Jell-o are supposed to be. They were more like artificial colouring, water and a butt load of vodka (FYI; not a fan). Anyways, when Natalie mentioned Jell-o shots I was slightly skeptical. 

But they were so cute and absolutely delicious!

Hats off to Nat. Feel free to make them again, and again, and again.

Goals. What are they good for?

At the beginning of this school year I decided that I would do my very best to improve my organizational skills. I went out and bought a lovely, sturdy, litte agenda. I sat down the very first week of September and entered every project and test I have coming up in the near future. I carry it around with me everywhere I go. It even has post-it notes sticking out from different directions to remind me of those extra important things that require some special attention. 

As you begin to frequent this blog, you will quickly begin to question the existence of this lovely agenda of mine. 

Let me explain how this works:

1. I open the agenda

2. I glance over the due dates quickly approaching

3. I take a moment to freak the fuck out

4. I close the agenda

5. Half and hour later, TA-DA we have freshly baked chocolate chip cookies & zero work productivity

Moral of the story: My agenda is about as useful as the roller blades I bought this summer. Sure, I can put them on and feel like I'm about to have the workout of my life, but is my butt nice and toned? NO. It is not.