What a wonderful couple of days!

I won't lie; I was super excited for this "weekend" (which in literal fact was a Tuesday and Wednesday) and by being so excited I was literally setting myself up for some kind of letdown. That's just the way the world works.

But not always!

The hotel room we stayed in was lovely, with a queen sized bed for each of us to sprawl in like the bed hogging monkeys we are capable of being. They were even fancy, and you could set how soft or firm it was! A great treat because when j flopped on mine I was alarmed by how firm it was. Making it lovely and soft lead to a fantastic nights sleep!

But let's cover the day before sleeping!

After arriving in Toronto, we made our way to the Ripley's Believe it or Not Aquarium, which was fantastic to explore. There were loads of gorgeous fish and some big sharks and a couple of freaking HUGE stingrays. We even got to pat a little shark, some horseshoe crabs, and the little sting rays. 

Lionfish are one of the most beautiful types of fishes! I love them!

Sea horses and sea dragons are amazing. I still remember finding the dried out carcasses on the beach on Flinders Islamd :)

The paranah were amazing. I love how they sparkle, and especially that the sparkle shows in the photo!

We also took selfies with the big sharks!

Probably one of the best bits was that we were going through all the exhibits in time to watch the creatures being fed! We got to see some sharks being tempted with chunks of meat, and some jellyfish coming alive when their food was squirted into the water around them. We also got to see a diver feeding the stingrays by hand which was amazing. The big ones weren't really feeling it, but the little ones were having a field day swarming the diver!

After we'd finished petting the stingrays, we made our way into the gift shop for some shopping. Sunset bought some really pretty rings, and a keychain. Myself, I got a mug and a matching shot glass, as well as a really nice sweater - it has a subtle pink jellyfish on it and it's really comfortable!

After that we made our way to the hotel, where I realized I'd forgotten the two that would make up the holy trinity - pjs, medication, and of course my iPad! Not the best start but shit happens! 

For food, we decided to try out the Hooters down the road. It was pretty great! Those girls must have some serious confidence to wear those booty shorts though! The food was AMAZING. I got ribs and wings with curly fries. Tammy got a burger and curly fries. I love curly fries! The ribs were glorious and the wings were delicious. It was very satisfying! We took dessert to go - we were too full to indulge after our meals! - chocolate cheesecake and lime key cheesecake. Deliciousness!

So. Today!

Our day today started at about 10am by the time we were dressed and walking out the hotel. Not too bad!

We made our way to the mall, where we bee lined for the Disbey store, at which I spent way too much money! I got myself another mug, a backpack and a Nala plushie! The plushie called to me as soon as I saw her, the bag I had to pick up on my third trip past it, and the mug was a battle! I just couldn't decide which one I wanted! After a lot of internal argumenting, I went with the grumpy mug. 

I'll post mug and other goodies pictures when I get home. 

Since we still had time to kill after the Disbey store, we went to the big book store for a look around. I was going to get another Pokemon game walk through, but they weren't in good enough condition and I haven't finished the game I'm currently working on yet. That said, there were oodles of interesting books and I had to take down several names (aka, photos) of books I want to read in the future. 

A quick stop at Maccas and Starbucks and we were on our way to see Phantom of the Opera! So excited! 

When we got in, we stopped by the merchandise store to see what was available. Sunset got herself some nice goodies, including a really nice tote bag, while I got myself a nice tee, which I'll model for a photo when we get home.

It. Was. Amazing. 

I mean, it is a lot to live up to, since my first live show I ever saw was Lion King and I honestly don't think anything will ever top that performance, but I was blown away by the amazing quality of the cast and their voices. The show was brilliant, and thoroughly enjoyable and it was both money and time well spent! 

After the show, Sunset and I were feeling peckish so we decided to have a look for a dessert shop to nibble on some yummies. 

Unfortunately that lead down a road of disappointment. The restaurant we chose had a "dessert bar" that was basically a tiny little shop of cookies and a couple of cakes. We were disappointed but decided to get something to eat there anyway. Ugh. 

The waitress that tended to us was grumpy, the food was bland and not enjoyable at all, and over all it was a disappointing end to a wonderful day. I guess it happens.

At any rate, we're on our way home now; I'm suitably exhausted and pleasantly satisfied with the overall trip. I'm looking forward to coming back to Toronto in March, when we'll be going to see Beauty and the Beast! That trip will only be a day one, but we're going to be seeing my all time favourite Disney story. I'm stoked.

Forgot my iPad, and Toronto Adventures

Not very happy with myself, forgetting my iPad! Especially after I downloaded every free book I could find in preparation for the train trip to keep me occupied. Since I forgot it, I have to use my iPhone as a book, which isn't bad per se, but I'd rather not drain the battery too much with no where to recharge it. Besides, once we land in Toronto I will need my phone to take photos of all the fishes in the aquarium! 

It's kind of bitterly cold today; it would be fine without the wind but you know, the wind is a bitch! Oh well! We won't be outside too much today, so I can tough it out like a big girl. 

The train is comfortable, and the view our the window is kind of lovely. There still isn't a whole lot of snow, but there is more of it left in the paddocks we are passing than there is in the city! 

Taking photos from the movie train isn't the best, but here is one anyway!

Static Shock, and still no snow to speak of :(

I am quite sure that I have never gotten as many static shocks in my 20-odd years of life in Australia, as I have since moving to Canada! Every time I turn around, whether at home or at work, I am getting a solid static shock and it is driving me insane.

From what I understand, its due to the dry weather and the lack of humidity. We're trying to find a little water fountain to keep at home that will hopefully help to reduce the amount of static shocks Sunset and I are getting, but there doesn't seem to be much I can do about the ones I'm getting at work. Bummer.

It has been snowing yesterday and today, which has really caused the pace to pick up at work. It's like everyone has suddenly realised that it IS winter, and that its a good idea to own a coat and/or some solid winter boots. Funny that!

I enjoyed the snow today though, what little of it I saw. It was big, fat and fluffy flakes that were being puffed around on a light breeze. It wasn't overly cold, but they weren't melting fast and when we finished work, there was a nice dusting on the ground. It should snow more over the next few days, but we'll see if it actually happens. I'm still quite disappointed in the lack of winter that is happening so far, and I'm wondering if it'll actually pick up - we are in the middle of January now! - or if this lacklustre effort is as good as it is going to get.

I told Sunset the other day that we need a backyard, so I can play in the snow without being judged by a whole apartment building full of neighbours; I really like snow so far, but all I've been able to do is crunch my way through it and occasionally grab a handful of the stuff to oggle at.

Tomorrow I have a short shift, and then Sunset and I are going to Toronto on Tuesday to see the Phantom of the Opera on stage, and check out the Aquarium. I'm really looking forward to both!

An Aussie in Canada

Its almost 1 am, and I seem to feel that that is a good time to start a blog!

You can call me ThistleProse. I'm an Australian, born and bred, who for reasons unknown (and known) decided a working holiday in Canada was the way to go.

I've been here since November, and its finally decided to start being winter. I mean, previously it was mostly just like winter back home; occasionally wet, but mostly just chilly. Pretty big let down, really, after going out and buying a big ass winter coat filled with feathers and some fancy snowboots to keep my feet warm.

Mostly, though, I was disappointed about the whole lack of snow on Christmas Day thing. I was really looking forward to it being a white Christmas! I wanted snow, and lots of it! Naturally, it didn't really start snowing until almost the second week now of January.

Because hey, why give the Aussie girl what she wants, right?

Still. I'm happy there is finally some snow on the ground and it looks like we'll be getting a lot more before the week is out so I'm happy about that too.