day 143 - 'play'

this is the third astral media sign i've seen. and i still have no idea what the heck is being advertised.

day 142 - silos

silos in the heart of the city. i don't know what those are for, but someone said it's a flour mill. i've got to find out one day what they really are for.

day 141 - the "gate"

this is the gate to the security zone during the G20 summit in toronto. this one is located at the corner of bay and front streets where our office building is. our building was still on "security" alert, only legitimate tenants can go in to the floors with their passes. it will be back to normal tomorrow. well, hopefully.

day 140 - 'create'

create what?

day 139 - orchid

a little orchid flower just behind my niece's dining table. with the afternoon sun about to set behind, it highlights the color and structure of this really majestic flower.

day 138 - what the...?!?!?!!

my family and i were waiting for the bus at the corner of Ellesmere and Brimley in Scarborough this morning. this..this...these thingamajiggs, whatever they are, are part of the landscaping of that particular corner. the structures are arranged in a circle and are made of metal, possibly iron. but i swear to you, they all look like an erect man thing. strange. really strange.

day 137 - finally!!

i was able to take a shot of THE FENCE, that which kept us safe from the protestors and the anarchists whilst we labour and toil at our cozy offices. three metres high and almost immovable. they were erected starting three weeks ago and completed last weekend. oh, yeah, it's to secure the "security zone" where the G20 summit will be held this weekend.

day 136 - donkey kone

the darn ice-cream man bolted right in front of our van, sans his music. the nerve!

day 135 - "equipment"

the martial arts studio call this pair of kid's gloves an "equipment". i would think they're too big for my little grandson darren. he could get lost in one of them, because darren is so tiny and the gloves, while not really big, is still big for little darren.

day 134 - bakugan

my grandsons asked me to buy this thing for them, consisting of some round plastic thingies that when you drop them on the accompanying magnetized cards, they open into something, like a bird or a robot or some damn things. $20 for this set with 6 toys inside. i don't get it. well, i did buy it, but i don't get it.

day 133 - a spray of shastas

we drove around today and guess what i stumbled upon - a patch of shasta daisies. a large patch, actually and there were just shasta daisies everywhere.

day 132 - storm clouds brewing

it has been a really hot day. as in really really hot. but thunderstorms are in the forecast, sometime in the late afternon. driving down the 401 going to don valley parkway, the sun is bright and hot and these storm clouds are brewing in the horizon. i hope it's not the kind with fierce winds that topple down trees. heaven knows we've seen enough of those already and today is just the last day of spring.

day 131 - weird cloud formation

it was a very pleasant day today, more sunny than cloudy and the temperature was in the mid-twenties, as if we are being prepared for the official start of the summer. but it's amazing how these cloud formations are just getting to be more eye catchers. just look at this one. half the sky was just gorgeous blue, then towards the southwest, this cloud formation looked out of place and yet, daintily pretty.

day 130 - CN Tower rising....

sitting at this new restaurant downtown, i was trying to take pictures of the traffic on yonge street. i turned and there's the CN tower that seemed to rise above the hustle and bustle, as if to say: yoooo-hoooo! here i am!!

day 129 - can you believe this?

an empty danforth avenue, on a monday morning! for a while during my walk from my building to the subway station, i thought that i was in a ghost town. the street was devoid of traffic of a full 10 minutes. yay!

day 128 - go watch

on the way to work, i pass by a number of restaurants on the danforth. this one (i failed to take note of the name) is open early to accommodate soccer fans. the big screen TV has a speaker feed at the entrance so you can hear the game being shown, but most notably the noise that the fans make with their vuvuzelas.

but, soccer fans, enjoy the world cup. at least it's not as aggravating as the G20 that's about to happen here next week. yes, i love the world cup, as long as it's taking place elsewhere.

day 127 - collector item

mickeyD has issued a recall on these Shrek 4 glasses, apparently there's some problems with the paint used. they sold for $1.99 (canadian) a piece. i don't really want to bring them back (we have two) because now they might become a collector's item and perhaps it will have some value later on.

day 126 - dinner tonight: salmon with rice and mushroom topping

sautee one medium onion, finely diced, a cup of cooked brown rice, a cup of sliced mushroom (here, i chopped the mushrooms because they were so big), in olive oil. season with pepper and sweet basil leaves. let the mixture cool down then stir in one-half cup of mayonnaise (i used the "olive oil" kind). place the salmon in a baking dish, season with a little lemon juice (fresh real lemon juice is preferred) and ground pepper. spread the rice/mushroom mixture on salmon, covering the fish evenly. baked at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, depending on size of salmon (i.e. thickness). when cooked, grill for about 5 minutes or until the topping looks golden brown. serve portions on top of mesclun mix salad with Kraft mandarin-orange dressing. wow!

day 125 - from the past...

my sister found this bread at a chinese supermarket in scarborough. it brought memories from when we were young children back in the old country when this was our favourite bread - the one with the red center. it tasted very good then, so that it's a wonder why i can't like the taste of this one.

day 124 - a bunch of

tropical fruits, that is!

day 123 - what the...?!?!

my friend chrissy and i met for dinner tonight and we went to our usual hangout, the pickle barrell at the atrium on bay. after dinner, i chanced to look up and i saw the light fixture above us. chrissy and i agreed that the lighting fixture looks like hospital bedpans hanging from the ceiling. pardon me, but hanging bedpans for your ceiling? hmmmm....interesting.

day 122 - another tropical fruit

these are called lansones or langsat. the fruits are oval in shape and grow in clusters. the opaque flesh is very sweet but the pits are too bitter. we used to enjoy lansones as young children back in the old country. we are lucky here in toronto that this is available especially during the summer.

day 121 - fruits from the tropics

atis or ates - i believe the english equivalent is "sugar apple" or "sweet sop" or some damn thing. the white flesh is so sweet, almost sugary sweet. but it has a lot of black seeds. i remember in the 70's, magnolia came up with an ice cream flavoured atis. ohhhhh, great heavens, it was so sinfully delicious!!!

day 120 - billboard

billboard on the danforth east of my apartment building where the pizza ad used to be.

day 119 - clouds over the danforth

i came home this evening and there was this weird cloud formation. the sun was shining brightly, and in the east, there are a few white fluffy clouds on the very blue sky, and yet there were these dark clouds hanging right over the danforth. it looked really, really weird i just had to whip my camera out of my purse and take pictures.

day 118 - danforth on a nice spring day

but hot like it's the middle of summer. tt's a beautiful quiet morning on the danforth.

day 117 - 'gasp'

"gasp" - isn't that the sound one makes when you hear or see something unbelievable, as in "gasp!"

day 116 - is this a peony?

well, it looked like a peony to me, but i'm not sure about the leaves. in any case, it's a beautiful flower, and the colour pink is perfect for a beautiful pink flower. drop me a note if you are able to tell me if indeed this is a peony or if it's something else.

day 115 - geraniums

at least that's what i think these flowers are, but correct me if i am wrong.

in roses, i like the colors white and yellow or blue (yes, there's a blue variety). in carnation, i like them pink. in tulips, i like the colours white, bright yellow and red. in irises, i like the deep purple ones. for this plant, however, as well as impatients and daisies, i like the deep coral-pinkish hues. if i am not allergic to these flowers sometimes, i'd have them all inside my apartment. pretty, non?

day 114 - halo-halo

literal translation is mix-mix. this is a native filipino dessert: a melange of sweet stuff like chick peas, white beans, red mung beans, young coconut strings, pineapple jelly, leche flan (creme caramel), with crushed ice and then saturated with milk and topped with ube (purple yam) ice cream. it's like a celebration of your sweet tooth. perfect for a scorcher of a day like today. if you're watching calories, you need not try it.