A Better View

We moved to a new home! My youngest has reached the age that she needs her own space and that’s the main reason we moved from a two bedroom to a three bedroom apartment. The main thing I like about this new apartment is the view from the balcony. We are still on the tenth floor but the balcony is facing a huge park. In the mornings the park is a really really serene place where birds sing and in the afternoon it is filled with children laughing and screaming while playing games.

Below is how the park looks like in summer as seen from the balcony. The grass is green, the trees are lushed with green leaves and the air is fresh and warm. I love to spend my mornings looking out and enjoying the scenery while having my coffee or doing some stretching.

CN Tower -- a different perspective

As close as one can be. I didn't know you my dear have patches but who cares?

wow... I almost saw the end of the earth.



The urban jungle

as far as the eyes can see.

No glass but the screen is needed. It was freezing in here.

the lake from high above.

See the following videos for more action: enjoy the ride

Family Day Adventures- Part 2- CN Tower

We had breakfast at Niagara Falls and out of the blues decided to go the CN tower. The map above shows our route by car. It’s about 126 km and takes around an hour 24 minutes. The route traverses the outline of the Lake Ontario. It would have been shorter if we can cross the lake on a direct path. During our travel we can even see the CN tower over the other side of the lake. See the picture below:

I enhanced the picture so that the outline of Toronto be more visible beyond the lake.

Defining the Toronto skyline at 553.33m (1,815 ft., 5 in.) and the world’s tallest for over 32 years, the CN Tower is Canada’s national Tower, an architectural triump, engineering Wonder of the Modern World and award-winning dining and entertainment destination. With breathtaking views from 3 observation levels including the Glass Floor and Sky Pod, world’s highest glass-fronted elevator featuring glass floor panels, theatre, ride, arcade, shopping and award-winning dining at 360 The Restaurant at the CN Tower – it’s Toronto’s must see visited by almost 2 million people each year.

CN Tower Highlights:

The Sky Pod ---- we skipped this, which means we're coming back definitely
Lookout Level and Horizon's Café
Outdoor Observation Desk ----- freezing in here
The Glass Floor ----- i will have to post this separately
"LEGO Racers: The Ride" Simulator Ride ---nope we're there just to observe hehe

360 Restaurant - I'd like to try this sometime, i find it romantic to have dinner here
Marketplace Shopping and Café
The Edge Arcade

Details:

1. Price includes admission to the tower and the viewing areas ( Lookout Level and Observation Deck). There is an additional charge to visit Skypod which can be paid upon arrival or on the Look Out Level.

2. Tower is open from 10:00am to 10:00pm Sunday — Thursday, and 10:00am to 10:30pm on Friday and Saturday. Attractions (Simulators, To the Top, and the Arcade) are open 11:00am — 7:00pm daily.

3. Food is available at the 360 Restaurant (reservations are recommended), the Horizon's Café, or the Marketplace Café.

4. The Marketplace features 12,500 square feet of quality shopping.

5. Cameras and video cameras are permitted (and are a "must bring"!)

6. Casual dress is appropriate; however, a jacket or coat is recommended for the observation level.

7. Appropriate for all ages (except for those with a fear of heights). Height restrictions apply for simulator rides.

8. Wheelchairs can be accommodated. Service dogs are welcome.

9. Parking is available in multiple areas around the tower.

10. Prices vary depending on time of day, time of year, and proximity to the Tower. During the Family day... a family of four costs around $65.00.

Regular admission cost can be found here.

next.... some of the pictures and videos we took.

What else is there in Niagara besides the falls?

Yup!!! The Clifton Hill.... the street of fun at the Falls.

But beware! it's fun but it can also be a pocket drainer.

There's the movieland! Did we watch a movie?? Nah....

Arcades with games and rides.... good thing my kids outgrew this kind of thing already.

Huge ferris wheel... not for the faint hearted... me included..hehe

Restaurants!!! No hamburgers for us. We went for a full breakfast at Denny's.

Souvenir shops!! my daughters favorite and my wallets lament.

Ripleys believe it or not museum. Interesting building!!!

Last but not the least.... the bridge going to the US of A.

Next trip will be beyond that bridge.... with me driving...lol

Family Day Adventures.... part 1

It was a holiday, at least in some provincial level. I am referring to February 16 being a Family Day. It’s an extra day after the weekend for families to spend more time with each other. I am fortunate enough to be working in a family friendly company so I had this day off too. Although most of the shopping stores were closed, most of the family attractions were generous enough to offer discount for families visiting their places. So, the zoo, the museums and other places have half price discounts!

It’s fortunate enough to have a mild weather this day. The maximum temperature is 1 degree and it was bright and sunny! This is the best we can have since its still winter. Perfect to go out and have some fun without the snow. We celebrated Family day in two places. The first place we went to is Niagara.

Off we went to Niagara Falls for breakfast! It’s a two-hour car ride but we wanted to be able to get away and see the falls in winter. We had a great big breakfast at Denny’s Restaurant. After that, we just had to get our butts for a walk to the falls. The air is chilly at 1 degree but the wind makes it feel a lot colder (colder means around –4 to –6 degrees), so under the bright shining sunshine we are wearing our coats hoods up. Meet Niaga Falls in winter:

The mist is alot thicker.....

The water is also denser. This is due to ice crystals in the water.


ice formations on the rocks near the fall.


The river covered with ice. Can we ice skate? Definitely not! It's too thin right now.

The falls seemed to be lethargic ...... I think I like the falls better in the summer time.

The Evergreens - My kind of plant

Resilient is the best word to describe these plants of old.

No matter how hot and no matter how cold.


It will stand it's ground and will not fold.

Seemed like Mother Nature's favorite plant to hold.

hot and cold... the fickle minded nature

Last summer the bike trail was green and lush.
The sun and the air were warm and balmy.
The leaves were singing and dancing.
Life’s hustle and bustle was everywhere.

This is the same bike trail in winter.
The sun and the air are cold and indifferent.
The leaves have gone leaving their branches bare and lonely.
Most of all... it’s quiet and eerie.

The creek was boisterous; anyone can hear it from a distance.
The water is rushing; going somewhere and boy was he late!
And it looks like nearby plants wants to come along
Nearer to the water they try to slither some more.

In the winter the creek has slept
Completely unmoving, frozen and still
Plants have gone as far away as they can from its frozen grip
And velvet white has shrouded its deep slumber.

Cedarbrook Farm - corporate offsite destination

This is where the company decided to hold our offsite conference. It is a farm outside of the city. It’s actually near our Burlington facility but it really doesn’t matter because I’m coming from the city which is 1.5 hours away.

When I got the notice for the offsite meeting, I was bit excited because they have chosen a rustic place. In a farm and we will be using a barn for our gathering.

This is how the farm is described by the website.

Cedarbrook Farm is offers a unique venue that will be of special interest to larger groups. It is a turn of the century post and beam barn that has been renovated as a large open concept meeting place. It boasts lots of natural light, has 30 foot ceilings, a magnificent stone fireplace, two washrooms, a smaller break out / meeting room, loft area and kitchen.

It provides a uniquely private, comfortable space for workshops and meetings. We combine elegant, casual seating as well as board table set-ups. Meals and snacks can also be served in this space.

The Barn is part of "Field Mouse Farm" and abuts Cedarbrook Farm. It is only a short walk from Cedarbrook, across a bridge and stream and up a pathway to the barn. During break times, the property provides picturesque walking trails through woods and fields.

The barn is so spacious and bright. Everything is made of wood. The floor is solid wood and it does not go well with heeled boots.

The huge wood chimney keeps us warm.

This is the upper loft area which we use during breakouts and group works.

Breakfast on the second day. Goody goods! Food was so nice. Lunch on the first day was slad greens, beef meatloaf and mashed potatoes and for dessert cheese cake with drizzels of caramel and chocolate. Lunch on the second day was green peas, chicken curry and rice and dessert was ice cream with drizzel of chocolates.

How was the meeting? Being confined inside a barn for two consecutive days is a pain in the butt literally!! Hehe. I am used to be always on my feet at work. Although it was nice to finally meet the rest of the QA team for both facility and really get our heads together to prepare for next year’s strategies and plan of attack.

A short video of the barns surroundings. There's not much greens to see since it's already approaching winter. All the leaves have fallen and the remnants of snow from last night can be found on the grounds.

To read more about the farm click here.

The Colors of Fall- The last Show

Before the last leaf falls to the ground
Before the first snow flurry touch the soil
Before all the colors has gone to sleep
And pure white overcomes us all

Let’s capture the last show
That nature has to stage
A kaleidoscope of colors
A cabaret of hues and shades

The show of all shows
Magnificent, grand and free
To entertain the eyes
Fill the mind of what they used to be

Until they bow and withdraw
Behind the white curtain they will stay
Until spring comes again
When they wake up and play

And begin a colourful show
All over again.

Stone Art at CNE - Awesome!

The Garden show at CNE does not only showcase a wide variety of plants but it hosts a series of shows that would entertain anyone interested (or bored from shopping)...hehe. One show is about this incredible man who piles stones one on top of another without falling over. He has this unbelievable grasp of the center of gravity on each stone or creation he does. Some garden owners will like it enough to have one in their garden. I know I would... if I have a garden and only if I can afford it. I do not know how much it will cost but in time when things are ready... i probably would ask. For now, I am just thrilled at watching and enjoying the magic this man has in his hands.

You know what?? I think... the man has laser vision and he uses this laser vision to glue those stones together. That's it... i'm sure of it. :)

oh my... those were really good! But I won't stay near it though, not when the wind is blowing in my garden (wishful thinking). Looking at them is one thing...understanding the science behind it is another.

The only thing that is keeping those stones from falling down is what we call center of gravity. The stones were arranged such that the combined center of gravity prevents it from falling. I will leave the rest of the explanations to Mr Google.

For now watch the man do magic on the following video.

CNEs Direct Energy Center and my Loot!

This building is the first we passed by upon entering the Princess Gates of the CNE. This is my favorite part of CNE because inside are showcases of everything I love. As you can see in the above cropped map, it houses the A. At home Pavilion, where appliances, furnitures, home gadgets are found. B, the International Pavilion where products from all over the world can be found. C. warehouse Outlets - some designer products like Revlon, Fairweather, Levis outlets are. D. IAMs superdogs where they hold dog shows and cat shows. The most beatiful cats and dogs can be seen here. They are so adorable. The Garden Show is also a must see.

A shot of the building facade.

The Lobby is full of people trying to find something to spend their precious money. Just like me, I do not know what I want to buy but I will know when I see it. I saw the hot water tub complete with all the water jet massage apparatus and I wanted to buy it ... but since i don't have a place to put it in...maybe next CNE or the next or the next..hehe.

This booth sells products from India. Lovely, lovely products.

This is only one of a few Philippine booths. I bought Boy Bawang and Ding Dong snack here.

My son's favorite spot. Yup, he asked if he can saty there while we do our window shopping.

And finally, after 2 hours of walking through this maze of woderful things, what did I find worth buying? A gazillion products and I bought only two things. If I have lots of money to splurge, I guess I could use a few more to tuck into my bag. The following pics are the two fortunate things that came home with me that day.

This is a variety of the San Francisco Plant (as we know back home). It is actually called "Croton" plant here. This is one of my favorite San Francisco Plant because of it's curly leaves. The only missing is the various colors that the leaves would exhibit. The leaves are all green right now with small dots of yellow. I hope in time the colors will come out. I still have to buy my San Francisco a pot to grow in.

This is the second that I bought. When we passed by the booth exhibiting products of South Africa, these artistic paintings have caught my eyes. The colors are so vivid. They were drawn on a clothe and they would make nice wall decors when framed properly. They come in different sizes and I chosed a poster size painting. Now, I only need to have it framed. It will go very nicely on my bedroom wall and would match the animal print blanket I have on my bed. Hehe... feeling nasa safari...

I would like to come back to that booth next year to get another one.

That ends the diary of a shopaholic. :)

Let's Go to the EX!!

The last hurrah of summer! Children always knew when summer is ending. It is when parents start to plan going to the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) Place. The slogan is “Let’s go to the EX!” where EX means the exhibition place. It is the neighbour of Ontario Place I previously posted. The EX is open starting August 16 to September 1. Yup, September 2 is the first day of school. Some students would feel sad when it’s CNE time but then after accepting that it inevitable, they decided that they might as well have fun. The exhibition place offers a gazillion activities for everybody. From children to seniors, there will be something quite interesting to see and do. The link above will give you all the information about activities in this place.

The Map above shows the CNE place. Click here to enlarge and be able to read the various information and legends. All places are accessible by foot. To be able to see everything, one must come early in the morning to cover as much ground.

For seniors, for pople who are carrying babies, or people who has disabilities or those that are simply tired can ride this train. It goes around the place at a specific shedule.

Children would be attracted by the fun rides and carnival type activities.

This building houses the pavilions of shopping galore. If you enlarge the map above, it is the huge building top right. It has the international pavilion that sells various products from all over the world. I will do this as a separate post because this is my favorite place in CNE.

Street Performances are all over the place too. These gentlemen are performing acrobatic stunts. They are very good, doing all those summersaults and human pyramids.

Part of the Candian Forces Display.

Part of the Farm showcase. Various animals are kept in the Farm building. People can pet and feed some of them.

This man is truly talented. I will post his talent on a separate entry. Watchout for him.

I guess the next few posts will be bits and pieces of our CNE adventure. There were quite alot of exciting and interesting activities worth sharing.