what I loved at beerfest

Yesterday was one of my favourite days of the year. It was my day at Beerfest in Toronto. It was a beautiful day in the city. There was a ton of vendors, I tried my best to try things I've never had before, here are a few of my favourites, oddly, none of them are actually just beers. 

1. Somersby Blackberry - I've been waiting for weeks to try this, since I first saw it in the LCBO magazine. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find it in any stores, despite their ad campaign. It was refreshing and delicious. They also made beer cocktails, somersby and kronenberg blanc. It was absolutely fantastic. I'm a big fan of beer cocktails.

2. Coors Light - I know this is a beer but they were making beer cocktails at their booth. The one I liked was a cranberry drink, with just a hint of cinnamon. Mixed with the beer made it a great drink. Perfect for when you want a cocktail, but not a hard liquor.

3. Smirnoff Ice - They had two new flavours, the Fruit Punch Ice VII and the Raspberry. They were both really good. They weren't overly sweet. I'm sure they would also taste great mixed with beer. 

4. Sully's Hot Dogs - You can't drink all day without food. We had great hot dogs from Sully's. The best part had to be the bread. They butter-toast it. It tastes the outside of a grilled cheese sandwich. It was really great. 

Those are my top picks. As I mentioned, none of them are just beer, maybe that's because I was trying new things and some of them I didn't love. Sometimes with things like beer, you have to stick to what you know. I was really impressed with the items above. Hopefully you'll get the chance to enjoy one on a patio before the summer is out. 

talking online

Dating is hard. Online dating is also hard. I don't think it is any harder, it just happens much faster than regular dating. Today, I was enraged once again by someone on an online dating site. They told me I was fat.  And maybe I am, but really? That's your opening line. Why do people think it is ok to just insult someone you've never met before. If you aren't interested in someone, that is no reason to insult them. I wish people in the future would have better manners and realize there is another person on the other end of that computer. Someone you know nothing about, you don't know that person's history so you have no right to make any assumptions and most of all, you have no right to completely insult that person. 

I hope people would practice better manners in the future. 

things toronto girls know

I'm a fan of lists - buzzfeed has it pretty nailed down, so I thought I'd share 10 things twenty-something-toronto girls know to be true.

1. Riding the TTC in heels is truly an art. There is often delays and the subway is ridiculously busy at the strangest time, committing to wearing heels is truly something to be celebrated
2. If you're travelling through the city during rush hour, you have to add an hour to your travel time. And since rush hour never seems to end, it is difficult to get anywhere
3. You know living in Scarborough and dating someone in Etobicoke is basically a long-distance relationship
4. You know how to correctly pronounce Etobicoke
5. You've been to at least 4 weddings (probably this summer alone) where you don't know what is going on because the city is so multicultural
6. You also know how to swear in at least 4 languages - see #4
7. You know that having a 416-number is something to covet
8. Streetmeat is only acceptable after 12:30am
9. You've outgrown the entertainment district - king street is more age appropriate
10. You know if a song comes on that says "Toronto", there will be excitement in the club

out of the loop

I didn't get a chance to post from boston. I was so busy that if I wasn't sleeping I was out with the group. I came back from being away and felt ridiculously out of the loop. I didn't know what was going on in the world of my friends. I feel just about caught up. Its funny that despite being so connected by so many things I still feel confused. I also finish my classes this weekend. I am looking forward to it but I'll be signing up for the next ones soon. My agenda looks so empty next week its eerie.

continuing education

I'm currently taking Marketing Communications from a university online. I took two classes this semester. I took 4 college courses last semester, I forgot that university is harder. I have a lot of assignments due this week. What is really crazy is I will be taking three classes next semester, if they are anything like this it will be a lot of work. I figured it would be easier in the fall because it won't be as crazy as the summer. Is this something that everyone does? Over-commit themselves to many things? Am I the crazy one? I hate feeling as if I'm not doing enough. I need to constantly feel as if I'm doing something to enjoy myself, better myself or better the world. Other  people are like this too, right? I'd love to blog more today but I've got to get outside and enjoy this beautiful toronto sunshine!
next week, I'll be blogging from Boston! Should be wicked awesome.

fancy restaurant

my friend and I went to a fancy restaurant last night called Origin North at Bayview Village. I'm usually not very good with the fancy restaurants because the food is usually too weird and the prices are too high. I figured as part of the 'survival guide' aspect, I would give my fellow twenty-somethings in toronto an insight on options in the city.

The food was a little unusual. They kept talking about sharing the food but it didn't seem like some of it was shareable... how do I share a burger without making a complete mess?

We did however share: MASA CHIPS + avocado + salsa + pumpkin seeds
It was pretty delicious, the portion was a little small, only a few large chips.

I had: RIGATONI + smoked tomato + fresh ricotta + chorizo
The chorizo wasn't really worth the extra money but the sauce was really delicious.

My friend had: CHINOIS DUCK + flour tortilla + cucumber + hoisin + sriracha + sour cream
He really enjoyed it. I'm not a huge duck fan but it was pretty good.

Dessert was really delicious: WARM CINNAMON SUGAR DOUGHNUT + walnut caramel + soft serve
I don't think I really need to describe why this is really delicious.

The bill came to $96 after taxes but before tip. This did include four alcoholic drinks.

I think if you're looking for something that isn't a cookie cutter chain this would be a great choice. Also a nice option if you live uptown.

nail polish i love

I just have to share this nail polish. Anytime I wear one of these three colours, I get so many compliments. I'm what I'd like to refer to as 'thrifty' because it sounds so much better than cheap so I hate paying lots of money for any beauty products. I bought these three polishes 3 for $8 about 6 weeks ago at Shoppers Drug Mart, I think the regular price is $4.99. 

This nail polish goes on smoothly, only needs two coats. It dries pretty quickly, great for someone impatient like me. It typically last a couple of days without any chips, and I very rarely put top coat on, again because I'm very impatient. 

I would say this is part of a girl's survival guide in the city because it is a great polish at a great price, because not all of us can afford/have time for a shellac mani every couple of weeks. 

Shocking Seas - Iced Queen - Green With Envy

i know its been two days

but! I have to say how amazing the JT & Jay-Z concert was. It was absolutely fantastic. The music was of course amazing, there really was no doubt about that. They played a nice mix of new and old music because we all want to know we want to hear the classics. Moving between JT and Jay-Z was seamless. It really felt like it was both of their concerts. The DJ that opened was great too. I really loved how the DJ played until they came on stage. All performers should take a page out of their book - no one wants to stand around in a hot venue staring at an empty stage. Bravo JT & Jay-Z!

networking...

well... as a twenty-something in any city should probably try at least once in their life, I went to a networking event last night. It was a really lovely event, run by what seems like a very wonderful team of marketing experts.

The speakers were absolutely phenomenal. These people were very inspiring, but still... I'm not exactly sure how to proceed. I find it very difficult to connect with people where they only reason I know you is because we went to a place to meet. It seems a little odd. However, on one of the speakers blogs, he recommended trying to network at Starbucks. Easier said than done but he had a point, why are we so afraid to talk to each other? Why do we look at people as if they are crazy when they simply want to have a conversation with us. On the other hand, people who are good at it, seem really good at it. Maybe just practice makes perfect.

A couple of weeks ago, a woman came up to me on the subway platform. She simply complimented my dress. I was pretty uncomfortable, I don't get a lot of people (particularly women) just walking up and offering up compliments. I said thanks, I actually just got the dress that day and told her where I got it from. I talked about her dress and she told me she was getting rid of it. She was planning on moving to Australia for a year, having lived in Australia for 6 months, I couldn't help but get excited about the conversation. I asked her about her plans and she said she wasn't sure yet, and she started asking me lots of questions. On our short subway ride, we exchanged numbers. We haven't spoken since but I guess to network I would reach out to her? I mean, isn't that how networking is done?

Again... wish me luck!


Here is the link for the "Network at Starbucks": http://raeallan.com/2013/07/11/networking-are-you-making-the-most-of-your-third-place-i-e-starbucks/

let's get married, girl I just wanna get married...

Meet me at the alter in your white dress, we ain't getting no younger we might as well do this.

If you haven't noticed, I love 90s/early 2000 music...and this guy might have been on to something.

Well... my hair didn't turn out exactly how I planned... but I was still rocking it.

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. The bride and groom truly love each other. Its been a long time since I've been to a wedding where I knew both the bride and groom. They were absolutely amazing.

Their wedding however made me consider, how do you find that person that will have and to hold as long as both as you both shall live. Is that person out there for everyone?

Also, I usually hate speeches, I find they take up so much time. But tonight I thought about how wonderful it would be to write that speech for people I love, guess I'm getting old.

Alright, enough of being sappy. The open bar and my last night of cable are telling me its time for bed.  Stay tuned for tomorrow's post about the great big sea concert... I'm such a nerd.

so many hair products...

Am I the only one that uses at least 6 products to keep my hair in a curly updo for a wedding? Maybe I'm using too many but really I have no idea what I'm doing. I feel like if I just keep putting things in my hair, maybe something will work out. Last year I went to a wedding in the summer, spent all day doing my hair just for it to fall in the Toronto heat. Our first beautiful day in a bit, the humidity is 26% (compared to the 81% we had on Sunday), so I'm hoping for beautiful hair. Or at least that the mess looks like I meant to do it - that's better right?

Wish me luck!

quit playing games

with my heart.

Who knew those backstreet boys were on to something... well probably anyone who actually understood the song.

I don't understand why people need to play games with each others heart. Can't people just be honest with each other and not make it so complicated when they like each other. Just like each other and enjoy each other. It shouldn't be so difficult. People seem to make things so difficult with people they really like. Just like each other,  it's really that easy. 

why is it so hard...

To get motivated to work out?! And it seems so easy for other people. Are they just lying to us? Are those hashtags of loving the gym and protein shakes all a farce?

They must be, I mean protein shakes are definitely pretty terrible.

I'm forcing myself tonight to do it. Sometimes its easier than others, its mostly habit I suppose. I used to enjoy it but that was when I felt like I was making progress. Now I feel like I'm stuck in a fitness rut and anything I want to do is so expensive. Maybe I'll pull a "bridesmaids" and follow around a bootcamp. 

have to start somewhere

This is the first of what I hope is many blog posts. I hope to share my experiences with the world about living in a city I absolutely love. I'll talk about the places I go, the people I meet and sometimes about how difficult is accepting that I'm now a grown up. I know my other twenty-somethings can agree. Or maybe they don't and its just me. That's ok too. Look forward to sharing with all of you!