cherry blossoms at high park

Cherry blossoms at High Park is the blooming of the Sakura trees that lasts for about one week during the spring. The path to the lake is canopied in flower blossoms, and it's like being in a Disney movie. You'll notice A LOT of (Asian) people posing, which is oddly part of the whole experience. Of course there are people of all types of people, including some dressed in blazers and high heels, which leads me to believe they take the photos very seriously, or they just haven't been to a lot of parks. I wouldn't put it past anyone.

It's great being around happy and loving people. C'mon, there are even swans! I highly recommend it.

Micheline, a local of High Park, enjoying the beautiful weather:

 

<3, 

Jen.

Some Healthy Urban Livin'

I took a 5 hour bike ride with Jon and his Uncle Loren all over Toronto over Easter Weekend. It was 'It's The Small World After All' Village in real life. Somebody was like 'this culture seems like it has nothing to do with this culture - let's put them side by side.' It was really fascinating and something I can't seem to get over, despite living here for years.

We started off along the Belt Line, which was a long shaded dirt path along Elginton and Lawrence. We were poster children for Healthy Urban Living with our bikes under the brilliant weather whizzing past joggers and strollers. The path also started off downhill, setting an excellent place which really makes you feel good about yourself. The day did end with a bucket of fried chicken and cigarettes but we did our best.*

The three of us saw the Evergreen Brick Works peak out through the trees, and forced Jon to pose in the valley for the sake of creating art! Yah the photo looks totally forced, but uh, it's part of the art.

We were in luck because we coincidentally ran into a make your own pizza work shop.

Even though it was probably just for kids (hence Jen's shocked look), I paid $2 for buffalo cheese (delicious) on whole grain crust (like spelt and corn and other good stuff), baked in an outdoor kiln.

With free baked sweet potatoes.

Next to a teepee.

Next to this cool clay-like hut.

Which pretty much sums up fantasy summer camp living.

And here are some other cool aspects of the Evergreen Brick Works, like ponds and valleys:

Wow, I can't wait to see what it looks like in full summer greenery.

After our pit stop here, we biked through Middle Eastern neighborhoods, Rosedale, cemeteries, Yonge+St. Clair, and more. I can't wait to explore the city this summer.

It was one of those days that makes you feel lucky. There's so much.

Jen.

*No, it didn't really lol

unexpected appearance of spring flowers

After a stroll along Queen Street West (mah hood!) looking for indications of spring, I thought the tulips on the steps were really unexpected, and a bit ominous. Which mirrors my attitude towards the weather. I turned on the AC today in the car, and I was like "Is this really happening in March?" It's like I'm constantly on edge in an unstable relationship. Will it be sunny, or pouring rain, or angry hail? It feels too good to be true, but the only way to deal with it is to enjoy it.=)

an adventure at the kodak company: maybe knowing isn't the point

 

 

 

 

So we showed up at this destroyed broken-glass, spray paint, cracked pavement and charcoal building with with our shopping bags and beautiful Tibi dress. The whole time, I was like, 'Alright, I hope the squatters are nice.' Even though we tried to shoot fast, she got mild frostbite and I got a cold. Yes, it was worth it though. I'm learning more and more that letting go and having faith can lead to fantastic surprises.

Ish - this is perfect, isn't it?:
Choke by Chuck Palhniuk:
We can spend our lives letting the world tell us who we are.
Sane or insane.Saints or sex addicts.Heros or victims.
Letting history tell us how good or bad we are.
Or we can decide for ourselves.
And maybe its our job to invent something better.
It's creepy,but here we are,the crackpots of our time, trying to
establish our own alternate reality.To build a world out of rocks and chaos.
What it's going to be, I don't know.
Even after all that rushing around,where we've ended up is the middle of
nowhere in the middle of the night.
And maybe knowing isn't the point.
Where we're standing right now,in the ruins in the dark,
What we build could be anything.

We do not steer the courses of the heart.
In spite of what the self-sure stoics say,
the passions answer to a deeper art.

Words impose, aver, but slide apart -
on deep privations, dictums hold no sway.
We do not steer the courses of the heart.

The logic of the cold physician’s chart
will never sort their mysteries away,
for passions answer to a deeper art.

Ascetics to their impulses impart
a crude mortification - even they
could never steer the courses of the heart.

What subtle origins give them their start
our partial, apish memories mislay,
and so they answer to a deeper art.

By slow revision, they play their part;
not them to us, but we to them obey.
We do not steer the courses of the heart.
Our passions answer to a deeper art.

We do not steer the courses of the heart.
In spite of what the self-sure stoics say,
the passions answer to a deeper art.

Words impose, aver, but slide apart -
on deep privations, dictums hold no sway.
We do not steer the courses of the heart.

The logic of the cold physician’s chart
will never sort their mysteries away,
for passions answer to a deeper art.

Ascetics to their impulses impart
a crude mortification - even they
could never steer the courses of the heart.

What subtle origins give them their start
our partial, apish memories mislay,
and so they answer to a deeper art.

By slow revision, they play their part;
not them to us, but we to them obey.
We do not steer the courses of the heart.
Our passions answer to a deeper art.

Credits:
Ish: Model, makeup
Jen: Photographer, stylist, props maker
Dress: Rent Frock Repeat (founded by two awesome ladies in Toronto)
An adventure at the old Kodak Factory at Eglinton and Keele