A LOOK BACK ON TORONTO

Have you ever felt homesick for a place that isn't even your home? You find yourself talking about it, reminiscing about the memories, the friends, the people and the vibe? For me, "that place" is Toronto.

There's something about this city that I love. A lot of people say Toronto is just like London and I don't necessarily agree. The only physical similarity is Dundas Square looking like Trafalgar Square, but then again it very much looks like New York's Times Square too - so it isn't really a big deal. The few slang words you hear resemble the way some Londoners speak aswell, but it's more about the atmosphere. It's a vibe that I don't get in London. If I showed you my phone right now, 95% of it shows images and videos from Canada. In the two years I've spent working in the 6, I pushed the limit of my phone's storage harder than I ever did in London. So allow me to share some memories and photos on this blog.

So without further ado, here's a blog all about Toronto:

The time we checked out Toronto's Inner Harbour and Islands

On my last weekend in Toronto, my cousins and I took a break from the hustle and bustle of the city and hopped on a little ferry to the Toronto Islands. With a live tour guide, we got to see the Skydome, the Toronto Island Parklands and the skyscrapers that mark Canada’s largest city. It gave us a chance to take in the scenic skyline without any distractions and the blue water made it stand out beautifully.

The time I ate great food & Poutines, obviously

I loooooove poutines. Once I tried it, I was hooked. I used to go to Smoke's Poutinerie for lunch and it was only a 5 minute walk from my work. The replies I received whenever I posted a picture of a poutine on my Snapchat was hilarious. I don't know why people take one look at a poutine and think the worst. It's only some fries, cheese, gravy sauce - with the choice of toppings you like. I received the craziest responses and I'll share one with you:

"That looks like someone took a shit in a blender, blended it, then left it on top of a heater to warm up then added expired yellow acidic cheese. Then added sewage water to the mixture and put in a box to sell. My eyes have never been so offended."

I'm not even going to hide the source. That was a message from my sister. Anyway, for me - as long as it tastes good, I can look past the appearance.

Another gem located on Queen St is The Burger Factory. The burgers there are to die for. And it's halal. So you know I HAD to try it. There was a time I'd walk there and grab myself a Juicy Lucy burger (a burger drenched in cheese) a few times a week. Trust me, my eating habits are actually disgusting. Don't hang out with me if you're on a diet. I promise you, I won't even motivate you. More awesome places to eat include Copacabana, Chako and BeaverTails.

The time I was obsessed with that Tower

I can't tell you how many times I've taken a picture of the CN Tower - from different angles.

On the way to work:

On the way back from work:

In between buildings:

From the inside - Read more about that day here

The time I awkwardly stood by things that I thought looked nice

The museum looked better on the outside than it did on the inside.

Winter, 2015 - I remember this day vividly. On this particular day, I went to an interview for a marketing job at a travel agency. Straight after, I met up with my cousin Fadumo and we visited a cat cafe then went to the museum. It was nice to take my mind off the nerves and stress that came with job interviews. I loved the look of the building before we even went inside, so I had to get a snap. I like how it matches my scarf grey and black. Me and the building did not plan this, by the way. It just happened.

Anyway, this day will always be memorable because I did eventually get that job!

British Invasion? Not that kinda invasion.

Fall, 2015 - Oh here I am, awkwardly standing next to something again. On this day, Maryan and I were walking through the city on a random adventure when we saw the words: "We The North" plastered on a wall. I was fairly new to the city at this point so everything was exciting to be honest. My cousin was my photographer and I'm pretty sure she said something about a British Invasion.

The time I was part of an awesome Film Fest

As part of my marketing job, I was helping to promote and set up our travel brand's very own film fest. After months of social media campaigns/ads, blogs, competitions, and email campaigns to get people to attend, we managed to get a full house at the event with people watching the travel videos of our 3 finalists. It was definitely one of my favourite moments. One of our Facebook posts ended up getting thousands of views, which was a highlight. My job taught me how to stay focused under pressure and manage so many deadlines. It was honestly a job I'll never forget. With a chance to write for Huffington Post and improve my knowledge on SEO, I left that job with good memories and picked up some skills along the way.

The time I went to Canada's Wonderland

September 2015 - If you don't know already, I'm a huge fan of rollercoasters and theme parks in general, so Canada's Wonderland was definitely a good idea. It's located in Vaughn so it's further out from Toronto. My favourite moment? Well, it was more like a terrifying moment - for my phone anyway. I was on the Leviathan rollercoaster, the tallest ride in the park travelling at 148km. As soon as we hit the big drop, I felt my phone sliding up my jeans pocket, ready to fly away. If I hadn't grabbed it on time, it would've flew off the ride and most likely hit a passer-by below. It didn't have a case at the time and I assumed it would be safe in my jeans. Long story short, I was holding my phone in my hand as tight as I could on a ride that was twisting, turning and doing loops. With all the strong winds, screams and unexpected turns, holding on to your phone should be considered as an extreme sport. Now I know not to keep anything in my pockets no matter how tight my jeans are. But it's cool though, I went back on that ride phone-free and had a blast!

There's that damn rollercoaster in the back.

So, there we go folks! A post about my favourite city in the world... for now.