day 327 - new year's eve

it says it all, doesn't it? well, prosperous 2011 to all who may chance upon here.

day 326 - oh, Christmas tree!

this is the Christmas tree display at the Brookfield place. my little grandson had the impression that they were like UFO's decorated for Christmas. meanwhile, all he was interested in were the coins in the fountain below. hahahaha!

day 325 - snowflakes Christmas tree

walking around in the cold downtown toronto, i chanced by this Christmas display on front street. during the summer this serves as a large fountain among the trees and flower paths. i haven't seen this in the evening, but i would guess it is much beautiful to see as the base would be dark and the crap around it is unseen. if one tries to find the beauty in this city, there is exceptional beauty to be found.

day 324 - wishes do come true

my six-year old grandson was asking to have a wallet and a "credit card". so for Christmas, i bought a wallet at dollarama and gave him a gift card from mcdonald's, his favourite place. grandpa got him a $10 gift card from tim horton's so that now gives the little boy two "credit cards". he's so happy he can't figure out where to keep his wallet so that nobody can see it - until this morning it's on the Christmas tree, at some point he had it inside the linen closet but he said he might forget it there. he's been dying to go to mcdonald to treat me for breakfast.

the only thing that's a pity is he's too small for his age, thus he wears smaller size clothes and his man-sized wallet wouldn't fit in any of his pockets. i think i would have to convince him to just use a 'card wallet'.

day 323 - a Christmas centrepiece

this is our Christmas centrepiece arrangement which i had bought from the florist near my building. interesting story, 'though. i've been passing by this florist for twenty-two some years and last tuesday was the first time i ever went in to order some flowers. i was amazed that their prices were so reasonable that i ended up having two arrangements delivered and also bought two smaller arrangements for my dining table and a gift for a friend. all for the price just under one hundred twenty dollars, much less than that. and the owner even gave me a small arrangement for free for my bedside table!

however, our excitement during our Christmas lunch, or perhaps because it was lunchtime, we forgot to light the candles. well, there's still new year's eve dinner in the meantime.

day 322 - a Christmas birthday cake

we celebrated our Christmas today, boxing day. the grands opened their presents, which were a ton, and helped grandpa blow his belated birthday cake, the ever favourite ube (taro)-macapuno (young coconut) cake, to cap the sumptuous lunch we had (which we forgot to take pictures of!).

day 321 - Merry Christmas!

well, two photographs for today, it being Christmas, would have to be an exception. as you can see, the tree is lit, i managed to grab two sets of 35 at the nearby canadian tire store and the bonus is that they are the colours i wanted - blue and purple. the second bonus is that the colours are interchangeable, the one set from blue to white or vice-versa, and the other from blue to purple, all at the touch of a switch.

and lookie! more presents underneath the tree that i'm actually getting stressed over how to properly clean and vacuum that corner now. i know, it's Christmas day, but the good Lord didn't really tell us not to vacuum on his birthday. as long as i have the spirit in my heart, is all that matters.

merry Christmas to all who may chance upon here.

day 320 - presents

it's the morning before Christmas and there's reasonably plenty of presents under the unlit Christmas tree - unlit because we could not find the lights that we've been using the last several years, as our storage is desperately in need of overhauling and culling. but my son will be coming in the afternoon to bring the presents for the kids so this tree will be brimming with presents before the Christmas bells toll at midnight.

day 319 - a Christmas card

from an old flame...oh, that was so many years ago. but we have remained friends to this day. and he always sends me Christmas cards, with a short note - always wishing that i am happy and healthy. always, "happy" is his wish. i don't know if he's happy, but for sure that is my wish for him, too. and of course, i am happy. broke and poor, but happy, nonetheless. smile! it's Christmas.

day 318 - poinsettia

first opportunity today to take a photograph of the Christmas flower/plant. and this isn't the best i've seen. in fact, these ones are almost dead. however, i'm sure there will be more opportunity in the next few days so you can bet that at least until sunday, the theme will stick to the Christmas season. sweet, ain't it?

day 317 - "1918"

here's an old building on the danforth. the number is not the street address, that's for sure. i would guess that this was the year the structure was built. what i'd like to know is did they know then that they were going to halve the building? 1918. wonder how the electricals are, and the plumbing?

day 316 - bamboo wall

bamboo walls on the bar counter of a japanese restaurant, not at all polished. when i go back next to manila (if, i should say) i will go to the province and find a bamboo house - bamboo floors, bamboo walls, bamboo roof, bamboo stairs - everything made of bamboo. only, it's kind of hard to sleep on the floor, or even on the bamboo bed. yes, no cushions or mattress. but bamboo house, it's like communing with nature.

day 315 - business sign

"hear for life", get it?

snowy day in toronto, not a lot but steady. the nice thing? it's not bitter cold. which is good for a change.

day 314 - door

this door was up for sale at an antique shop on the danforth. whereof would one use it? i reckon (this is the second time i used that word - reckon - in as many days) one would have to custom made their door frame to be able to use this door. i do like the poppy drawing, though it doesn't come with the door. 'sold separately.'

day 313 - a beautiful autumn sky

it was a tad crappy today but at some point there was a golden sunshine that peaked through, which was all too brief and then the winds blew fiercer and the clouds rolled in again. this weekend, the forecast said, will be crappy as hell, rains, and probably sleet. i'm not ready for winter yet. i understand the earth is due for a polar reversal, ain't it happening yet?

day 312 - almost winter wonderland

the snow has stopped this morning but the cold continues, and we reckon it will get colder. why, winter is just around the corner, in a few more days, just before Christmas day comes. there is very little snow and it will be gone before the afternoon ends and the drab greyish hue will once again wrap around us with the sub-zero cold. give me summer already!

day 311 - super market

my friend and i attended a book launch tonight at the "super market" down at kensington market. yes, "super market" was the name of the restaurant/venue. while preparing myself to leave the venue, i noticed that on the wall of the restaurant, there was a half grocery cart hanging on the wall, and i thought, "cool!" and then outside, i saw that the fence of the restaurant was also made up of different 'half carts'. i think it was rather unique. but i wondered which grocery stores lost their carts to this fence?

day 310 - buddha

crappy night tonight and i knew i didn't have any food at home. i passed by the new chinese restaurant so i thought why not try it? if i stick to just one rice item and a veggie item, it won't hurt my pocket too much. so i ordered shrimp fried rice and stir fried bokchoi. and whilst waiting for my order, i was staring at this little buddha they had on the counter, with a little crystal ball that had water spinning inside it. well, it was something to amuse myself and forget my hunger.

day 309 - the york station

we went for our office group Christmas lunch and because it was too cold outside, we walked the underground through the royal york hotel and passed by this bar. nothing exciting, although the lunch (the meal) itself was pretty good.

day 308 - a Christmas centrepiece

here's a Christmas centrepiece being sold at Jerry's supermarket on the danforth. i think the price tag was somewhere along fifty-plus something dollars. it might be worthwhile for some who would prefer the scent of pines and logs and eucalyptus, the odd mints and apples (but that is a lot of scents, isn't it? i'm sure my nostrils will explode from so many scents to deal with), you know, outdoor fresh inside the home. but you can make this out of artificial materials from the dollarama, maybe between eight to ten dollars tops, and an air freshner (air wick or glade) for less than seven dollars with the tax, and voila! you got yourself a merry little Christmas centrepiece for cheap!

day 307 - Christmas on the danforth

there are Christmas trees everywhere on the danforth today. both sides, the whole stretch of danforth to victoria park on the east and after main street to the west. beautiful pine needles decorated with berries and cones. this one is in the front of canadian tire store.

day 306 - the red door

...i see a red door and i want it painted black...that was the song that first came to mind when i saw this door on my way to the subway station. and that is the song that was still playing in my head now that bedtime is nigh.

day 305 - three lovely grape tomatoes

beautiful dinner we had tonight. this here, actually, are what remained of my salad which was made up of mesclun greens, candied pecans, grape tomatoes and shaved asiago cheese. food for the gods. or goddesses if you will.

day 304 - quiet in the cold

i took a picture of this street at the height of summer, and here it is now towards the end of the fall and verging into the winter, at minus 15 and the temperature is still falling below...

day 303 - the first snowfall

okay, it isn't, but it's a continuation from sunday's and yesterday. it's not much, plus it's dry so the winds just carried them off elsewhere and didn't stay long on the ground because when i came home tonight, the pavement's all clear. but holy camoley, it is blistering cold! what can we expect come the real winter period?

day 302 - a Christmas display

a Christmas centerpiece, all natural and live materials make up this elegant centerpiece, and the pines also emit some very pleasant aroma. it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, in fact it's 19 days more and it's the big day already. gotta buy those gifts!

day 301 - it's looking a lot like Christmas!!

we had our first real snowfall this morning - one that stayed on the ground for longer than two hours. in fact the sidewalks were quite icy when i went out to take pictures. the winds were bitter and really biting.

i saw this window planter at one of the townhouses in the block next to ours. i think the ball is made of some kind of leaves, but the rest are live plants, as well as the snow-ice that's collected on top. pretty little planter, i say.

day 300 - reflections

yay! i reached day 300! what a feat. i took this picture while waiting for the partner to come back to the car, he had a TV that stopped working so suddenly so we went to goodwill depot and gave it away, hoping some enterprising person can make use of it. back to the picture, i was sitting in the car waiting when i saw the reflection of a large old tree reflected in the side mirror from the window of the car cast by the light from the setting sun. it was a beautiful day today, despite the cold.

day 299 - surviving the cold

walking around the neighbourhood, yes, in temperature of minus one with a windchill of minus seven, i saw this in the front of a house, and quite surprised that the leaves are still green and actually clinging to the branches still, with fruits! or berries? i don't quite know what plant this was but i was pleasantly surprised to see such vegetation in this super cold weather.

day 298 - moon at noon

if you can believe it, there's the moon at almost twelve noon. quite faint, mind you, but still visible. it was a beautiful day today, although this morning it was snowing a bit, but they didn't stay long on the ground; then the sun shone and the clouds lifted for a while. but there's no mistaking that old man winter is starting to move in, luggage and all.

if you place your cursor on the picture and right click it, you will see that that faint white spot is the moon itself. go.

day 297 - danforth in the fall

remember this in the spring ? yes, that tree's completely naked now. "the trees are bare and everywhere the streets are full of strangers..."

day 296 - business signs

sign along the danforth - my little grandson asked: "when you give them cash they give you 4 gold?" good question, grandson. it seems that everyone now pays cash for gold. what would they do with all the gold, melt it and make it into a....?

bedpan, perhaps?

day 295 - creepers!!!

yes, it's a real live chilean tarantula. this will probably give me nightmares just looking at this picture but it i've never seen one of these in person. it was in a container/cage but still, for a little thing, it is quite intimidating.

day 294 - a box on top

it was my six-year old grandson who noticed this box displayed on top of the bus shelter at the corner of bay and front street. i told him i had to take a picture and as he kept an eye on the traffic lights, he told me to hurry up. i had passed by this shelter a number of times in the past week and i never noticed this. trust a six-year old's keen sense of observation to discover those small, irregular things around.

day 293 - the first snow of the fall

the first snowfall, the one that actually stayed on ground (at least for a reasonably long while and made me slip and almost fell, that's what), happened this morning. it came hard for a good several minutes but soon after the sun came out and melted most of the white stuff, and only this remained to remind us that yes, winter is just around the corner, like it isn't already.

day 292 - danforth on a cold november day

an almost clear sky. bright sunshine. don't be fooled, it's been so cold and today the windchill reached minus 5 celcius. the sure thing about winter: the bitter cold.

day 291 - birds on wires, the sequel

in post day 277 , i had the picture of birds on hydro wires. i had to go to the clinic again on broadview avenue and today, the wires were almost filled with birds. i noticed, too, that people wouldn't walk on the sidewalk right beneath those wires. good thing that there is a small parkette right next to it and the parkette has a brick walkway, kinda pissy having to divert for a few more steps, but if you're prone to bird doodying on you, it is but wise to take the extra steps, especially on a day when all the birdies are in there. bad birdies!

day 290 - nouveau sink

today i discovered a new japanese sushi restaurant on the danforth. it is called Sushi Friends . the interior is so simple - a long upholstered bench on the west side with about 8 tables and although the tables are good for four diners each, they are set up for two giving diners a lot of space. the dark wooden floors are well polished and the wait staff are so friendly and polite, and a tad overzealous with their jobs, but otherwise they're very good.

the washroom is located downstairs, the stairs with the same dark wood as the restaurant floors. the washroom, surprisingly, is very spacious, even the stalls. and there are three sinks and the above is one of them. wow! i am terribly impressed! so impressed i took a picture. i know for one thing, my measurement of a good restaurant is the cleanliness of its washroom. if they are maintained well, you can bet they do the same care in the kitchen and most probably more.

and, yes, it is wheelchair accessible from the sidewalk. sweet!

day 289 - onions

a truck unloads its cargo: sacks and sacks of white onions. that's a lot of tears if you have to peel all of them. but if you just use one or two on pepper steak, that would be AWESOME, i say! AWESOME not to mention delicious.

day 288 - for this, too, will pass

today, it's miserable, windy and wet. and this tree at the coxwell parkette still has a few leaves hanging on. just like some people i know, no matter how much you encourage them to leave, they just won't. either they don't understand what i'm trying to tell them or they are just plain dumb (hahaha, i'm venting on my blog!)

day 287 - lighting fixture

we were at the pickle barrel tonight and they have this light fixture that looks so weird; if you have an active (make that crooked) imagination like me, you'd think this is something out of some smut magazines.

day 286 - good morning, toronto!!

i was up early today to go to wal-mart first thing, then we went downtown to the st. lawrence market. the sunrise is reflected on the buildings and the buildings, including the CN tower, look like they are rising from slumber. so, good morning to you!

day 285 - the danforth village

one of the banners promoting the danforth, this one on main street by the bridge.

day 284 - autumn flora

outside one of the shops on danforth, there is a little planter garden with very sturdy autumn plants and this is the end part of it. i don't know what kind of plant these orange thingies are, but they are very attractive and colourful. i should go back and take a picture of the whole planter.

day 283 - remember us?

on day 229 , i took a picture of these four young trees on the danforth when they still sported their golden leaves. since then, rain and wind had battered them and this is how they look now. pretty soon, there will be the snow.

day 282 - berries (again)

this is an intriguing plant, for me at least. i wonder if they are edible? i wonder how they looked like before they go to this stage? i think maybe i should take some lessons in plants and trees as my next goal.

day 281 - the last leaf

"the last leaf clings to the bough, just one leaf that's all there is now..." that is a line from the the last leaf, a song made popular in the 1960's by a group called the cascades who perished in an airplane crash. apparently they only had made one album and i used to know all the songs in that album.

there is this massive tree on one of the major routes of toronto's streetcar system; it is so ancient that i can only take a picture of it from half a block away to take a full picture, which isn't feasible since, as i said it is on major route which makes it busy with people passing by (which is fine) but also a lot of cars and buses ply the route. but the other thing that caught my eye was this one leaf hanging by a thread, which brought to mind that song by the cascades. ...and my last hope is with that lonely leaf...

day 280 - autumn leaves

these are leaves of a very young maple tree i found in the back alley of the townhouses near my building. the leaves were a tad diseased but i managed to find a few that were not which still looked good for photographing. the red colours really capture the essence of autumn's changing colours and i love this shade particularly.

day 279 - dew drops

it was foggy last night until this morning and the grounds were wet. at the little parkette on coxwell avenue, i noticed the reeds were the colours of faded gold. the bonus was they had beads of water hanging from their leaves.