OMG, I'm in an English-speaking country!

Surprise, I'm home! Just for the hols though and not even for Silvester. Phooey. And what did I do as soon as I landed? I indubitably got myself a Tim Horton's coffee. French Vanilla to be precise. The morning after I landed, I indulged in this luscious bowl of steaming hot oatmeal topped with maple syrup and berries. It's so damn good to be home, man. Don't get it twisted though: I've missed my mom's homemade cookin' more than I've missed Timmie's. #keepinitreal



Whenever I fly back into Toronto, I'm always overcome with a strange yet familiar sensation. I mean I'll always consider Tdot "home" but when you're gone for such long periods of time, you just can't help but look at the city differently whenever you visit again. As much as I love my city, I can't picture myself living here in the next while (if ever). The reason being that there's too much of the world I still need to see! Plain and simple as that.

I don't know if anyone can relate to what I'm about to say... but I'll divulge anyway. I've lived in Germany for almost two years now and I have English-speaking friends in BS but all of that ain't nothin' compared to being surrounded by English 24/7. I'm so used to being surrounded by German, I was thrown off-kilter upon arriving at YYZ. Suddenly, I was forced to switch to English with the snap of a finger. I didn't panic but it felt strange at first.

Above all, I consider it a treat to be able to freely communicate with everyone around me (even if it's only for another 1.5 weeks). Not that my German's bad at all, but of course one communicates best in his or her native tongue. I'll cherish the brief time I'll have in my home and native land because I can speak a level of English I'm not used to speaking. This observation is not meant to offend because it's the truth. In light of all this, I've come to realize that there are so many nuances, idioms, phrasal verbs, etc in the English language. How refreshing it is to be able to hear/use these words and phrases again without getting a befuddled look from someone!!!!!!!!

Houses in Toronto vs. Houses in Kitchener

While visiting friends in Toronto/the GTA last month, I randomly took pics of the houses in their 'hoods. (Hallo Erika/Mike and Anh/Alex!) Ain't it interesting to see the stark differences? The houses on the left are located in Toronto's Junction 'hood (Keele St. & Dundas St. West) and the houses on the right are located in Kitchener (Weber St. West & Queen St. South). "Big city" vs. "small town" feel...?

Toronto 2013

It took forever and a day, but here it finally is. There were just so many pictures to sift through! While sifting, I realized most of the pics I took were of food (go figure). How could I not take advantage of having every type of food in the world at my fingertips?! #noexaggeration I made the bf try all your typical Canadian stuff like nanaimo bars, poutine, peameal bacon sandwiches as well as butter tarts. None of them really blew him away. Dry. Not surprisingly, however, his fave food turned out to be roti!

Toronto Skyline from different Views

Woodbine Park

Niagara-on-the-Lake

Gardiner Expressway 

Coxwell Ave. & Lakeshore Blvd. East

One month in my hometown (March 17-April 16) just wasn't long enough... sigh. It was still a fun@ss time, though! Much love to all of you who made our visit doper than dope!!!!!!!!! Right now I have the daunting task of organizing the massive amount of pics I took. After realizing I had a handful of Tdot skyline shots, this blog post was born. #hardlyhomebutalwaysreppin

Erika America - Urban Nomad - Mass Exodus 2013

It was a privilege indeed to have witnessed Ms. Erika America's collection on the runway. You go, girl!!! Never forget that we're your biggest fans!!! I had a great view even though I was in the bleachers. My apologies for the poor video quality, folks. My camera's not really meant for taking videos.

Happy Belated Easter!

I know I'm a few days late, but this pic is too fun not to share! No offence, (Kensington) Market Bakery, but I wouldn't have eaten any of these sweets anyway. They're just colourful pieces of art that happen to be edible. Only as a kid was the Hawaiian donut my donut of choice... feel me? Anyhoo, I hope you all enjoyed your Easter celebrations with familia and such! I know I sure as heck did. Cherishing time with familia is definitely a priority during this Tdot visit. & before I forget, Happy B-day Amurrz!!!

Honey, I'm hooooommmeeeee!

We've landed on Canadian soil safe and sound, hurrah! 'Twas an exhausting TXL-AMS-YYZ journey all in all but nothing too unbearable. Luckily, Schiphol Airport (Amsterdam) offers one hour of free Internet and that definitely came in handy during our 2-hour layover! With a little bit of time to "surf the Web," I stumbled upon a drawing called Yonge and Queen by Vincent Hui. Such fond memories!! Anyone who's from Toronto has to be familiar with this intersection (it's that iconic). So excited to be home!!!!!!!

Spring is in the air... everywhere I look around!

It's true that most of the snow here has melted and yada yada yada but what I'm more excited about is our visit to my home & native land!!!!!!!!!!!! The big journey begins in less that 48 hours. WOOOOO!!!!! I haven't been home in over a year (yet again) so for me this is a big effing deal! Culture-starved and in need of a homie-hug from ________ and __________ and maybe ________, Shelley ♥

Was ich aus Toronto vermisse

Meine Name ist Shelley und ich lebe seit neun Monaten in Deutschland. Ich bin Kanadierin, und ich vermisse viele Sachen aus meine Heimatland, besonders Toronto, meine Heimatstadt. Wo soll ich beginnen? Natürlich vermisse ich mein Familie und gute Freunde. Ich vermisse auch das Essen aus Toronto! Mann kann jedes Internationale Essen in Toronto essen! (z.B koreanisch essen, somalisch essen, jamaikanisch essen, u.s.w.) Vertrau mir, die Multikulturalismus Mischung ist unglaublich!

Zuletzt vermisse ich.... Trommelwirbel bitte.... Tim Horton's! Kennt ihr Tim Horton's? Wenn nicht, dann kann ich es euch erklären. Kanadier sagen "Timmies." Es ist ein landesweite Café Kette. An fast jeder Ecke in Kanada, gibt es ein "Timmies," wo mann günstig Kaffee und Frühstück bestellen kann. Mein Lieblingsgetränk ist "French Vanille." Obwohl ich vermisse mein Zuhause, im moment bevorzuge ich in DE zu arbeiten und vor allem zu leben. Wir wollen nächstes Jahr nach Toronto fahren. Bis dann, Leute!

we see what we want #Nyood #Toronto

... NOT WHAT WE ARE. [oldie but goodie photo taken sometime when I last visited Tdot - Jan 2012?]

New Era Cap Shop — Sternschanze, Hamburg

Much love to Cuzzo Lisa for the filmage! How fun was it to meet up in Hamburg, eh Cuzzo?! Spottin' and trying on Tdot caps at the New Era store in the Sternschanze 'hooooood, hardy har! So. I hereby dedicate this vid to my sissy Bondz, of whom I miss very dearly and with whom I had the pleasure of doing this vid with. <--- Throwback / 2010 / NYC / 61,800 views, son!

Goodbye Tdot, Hallo Germany (again)!

Omg, I can't contain my excitement. Two short months at home (no matter how much I try to deny it, Toronto will always be "home") and it's on to the next Life Challenge! Holy scheiße, I'm moving to Germany!!! As we speak, I am terrified, anxious, ecstatic and a jumble of nerves. But because nothing else in this world makes me feel more alive than living abroad, I am confident in my decision. This is what I love to do and no one can tell me otherwise. #optingoutofthecookiecutterlife

Some people assume I'm on a vacation 24/7. Um, no. I gotta eat too. It's not rocket science: so long as you work in the country you're living in, you'll be able to afford living there. And encountering the challenges of living in other countries is precisely what I crave!!! For example, the whole process of teaching myself German these past few weeks has been fulfilling beyond words. I am proud to say ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch jetzt :) My motto? Whatever you wanna do, whoever you wanna be — start living it right now. PS. Spot the asterisk & come visit! PPS. The map's old but ain't it a beaut?

Foods in Toronto that I will miss :(

It's not like I'm leaving forever. But since I knew I'd be gone for a bit, I made sure to indulge in some of my favourite Tdot foods these past two months. I've condensed the endless list below...



—Chef's Special Pad Thai from Khao San Road
—Korean Tofu Soup from Owl of Minerva
—Curry Chicken Patty from Randy's Take-out
—Montreal-style Bagels from Bagel House
—Sparky Gianduja Truffle from SOMA
—Pork Empanada from Baker's Best Bakery
—Walnut/Red Bean Cakes from Hodo Kwaja
—Green Olive Bread from St. Phillips Bakery
—Fat-noodled Pancit made by Mama Pascual :)

Grand Electric — K.L Vasos & $3 Tacos

Baiting the scene out: I'm visiting Toronto for a minute. And before I could decide whether I wanted to or not, I find myself being lured back into the Tdot food-y scene by my dear food-y friends. Trust me, it ain't easy finding food like this in Germany, so I'm juicing it for what it's worth while I'm here.



This, meine Freunde, is what they call a "Key Lime Vaso." What the $#%@ is a Vaso?! I'unno. The lime-y middle layer was 50% sour and 50% sweet (intense!!!!!!!!!!!), and Marievee couldn't decide if the presentation of this little do-hicky pleased her or not. A tad too much whipped cream für mich.



Amusing story: I took the photo on the left while Marievee took the photo on the right. And we both took our photos at the exact same time! You can kinda tell with the funky lighting goin' on. Pictured here are Grand Electric's Baja Fish Taco ($3) and Pork Belly Taco ($3). I preferred the Fish Taco because of its crazy combo of textures. So feelin' the fact that Grand Electric played a longass Kweli set, too. Can't forget to shoutout Lindsay for showin' us some BOH love. Congrats & keep doin' ur thang, girl!

Deuces, T.Dot! What up, Oz?

After being somewhat depressed in Toronto over the past year, I've finally made the leap. Bouncin' off to Oz on a Working Holiday Visa has always been a bullet point on my life's list of TO-DOs. So here I am in Melbourne, struggling like a mofo. Contrary to popular belief, the lifestyle isn't anything close to "living the dream." Who could enjoy smelling dirty feet every night at a hole-in-the-wall hostel? Still, I'm loving it. And you know why? Because every day I meet like-minded people from all over the world trying to make it here in Oz too. We're all trying to find jobs, to chase dat paper in order to buy expensive@ss groceries and pay next week's hostel fees. As young people passionate about experiencing the world, we'll hustle their arses just to get 'er doooone. So far, it's fulfilling as hell.

The Best Thing I Ever Ate ― PASTA

Seafood Spaghetti | Terroni Restaurant, Toronto

MURKED IS WHAT IT IS!!! Hahahaha. Not one strand of spaghetti is left behind whenever I go at this dish. And that's just the honest truth. Terroni Restaurant makes their pasta from scratch, and dannnggg is it cooked to a perfect al dente. Secondly, the sauce!!! It just tastes/smells like the sea!!!



And as if that weren't enough, the clams, mussels, calamari, scallops and shrimp elevate this dish to a seafood-y explosion of bombdiddlyumptiousness. [shoutouts/muchhh love to the fams all up in this vid]

Nadège Patisserie ― 1 Amazing Olive Oil Macaron

Nadege Patisserie's Olive Oil Macaron says "Eaaaat me, biaaaatch!!!!!!!" I concur, whole-heartedly.



But lime green???! To represent Olive Oil???! Hmmmmmph. Kinda misleading. Dark yellow, perhaps?

[Pt. I] Life is Sweet: A Cupcake House

I hate to admit we nom nom nommed 'em all down.

A [really bad] Dark Horse Cappuccino with a wimpy layer of foam. Pshh.

The one thing that struck me about the cupcakes at Life is Sweet is that certain cupcakes aren't easily distinguishable from the next. See the cupcake with purple icing? Yeah, it tasted very similar to the White Chocolate cupcake. What up with dat?! When a cupcake shop offers 11 different cupcake flavours, I'd hope each one of 'em stood out on its own, tasting uniquely different from the next. Of the six cupcakes I taste tested, my first pick would have to be Lemon Drop.



With one bite, I immediately experienced an explosion of tanginess, sweetness and sourness in my mouth. The Lemon Drop's lemon curd filling is what hits the spot. I'd rate the Coconut Cupcake 2nd to Lemon Drop, only because shredded coconut exists in the cake part of the cupcake. I'm a sucker for that. And sorry, Dark Horse Espresso Bar, but I'm baiting out your scene. You guys have never made me a crappy cappuccino before. Maybe the barista who made this one was tired. Shmeh.

[Pt. II] Life is Sweet: A Cupcake House

Let's be real. Hands down, I've had better cupcakes elsewhere. But for the sake of fairness, Cousin Lisa and I decided to give Life is Sweet a second shot by tryin' ALL their cupcake flavours. OD'in on SUGAR. Str8 up, the cupcakes I've exxed aren't worth trying. I already talked 'bout the Lemon Drop Cupcake in [Pt. I]. And so the 2 cupcakes that stood out to me were Mint Chocolate and Carrot. Why? Well, the Mint Chocolate Cupcake was just so different, but in a refreshingly positive way. Minty icing contrasts uber well with dark chocolate-y cake. And the Carrot Cupcake was the most moist of all the cupcakes we tried! Full of shredded carrot-y goodness, believe you me. Cream cheese icing wasn't too shabby.

Fahmee Bakery & Jamaican Foods ― $1.35 SPICY BEEF PATTY

As the search for the best beef patty in Tdot continues, I found myself at Fahmee Bakery & Jamaican Foods in Scarbz sometime last week. The lady working at the counter that day informed me that Fahmee does indeed make their own patties, of which there are 4 kinds: Beef (Mild), Beef (Spicy), Chicken & Veggie. Each patty is $1.35. Now. Let's just deconstruct this Spicy Beef Patty, shall we?

FLAKE ― Kinda dry. Could be softer and flakier and more flakified.
TEXTURE ― The beef filling looks/tastes kind of gelatinous. Odd.
FLAVOUR ― The beef filling satisfies, but lacks juiciness man.
SPICINESS ― Needs to be kicked up 8,000,000 notches. 'Nuff said.
VERDICT ― I give this Spicy Beef Patty a 7/10 for being unmemorable.

O&B Canteen — Gâteau Basque

Look at me! My name is Gâteau Basque and I think I'm so damn kool because I taste so damn good. Hmph!

I'm custard-y, creamy, the girls all love me annnnnnd I'm made from real vanilla bean pods so THERE!

Arggghh!!!!! Had my very first Gâteau Basque today and I. Am. Officially. In. LOVE. According to Marievee, this is O&B Canteen's signature pastry. It's so sick, she orders it every day! And it's so underrated, it's not even listed on the Grab + Go menuboard inside the restaurant! Creamy vanilla custard (that ain't too sweet) ensconced inside a cake-like tart-shaped thinggamabob. And some kinda flaky top that's lightly dusted with icing sugar. You just gotta try it to understand, maaaaaaaaaaan. So what the hell are you waitin' fooooooorrr?



...Cousin Liza didn't wait! Neither should you!!! Watch Liza's initial reactions below. [Oct. 10, 2010]



Gyahahahaha. Told you. Wish I could film ERRYone's reactions when tryin' this pastry for the 1st time.