Year in Review 2018
P.S Before you read...Bare with me... this is crazy long post. From now on they will be reasonable length! See you next Monday! <3
This time of year is made for reflection. When a new year begins, so do the new adventures and memories. When we look back on our endeavours, we, naturally, split them up by year. Therefore, as this year comes to a close, and this blog begins, it seems like the perfect time to look back at all that happened in 2018. I’ll be honest off the bat that the focus will be on the positives of 2018. Not because I want to fool everyone into thinking that my life is filled with happy unicorns and rainbows, but because I can’t remember all the little things that made me sad and THANK GOD for that! Nothing drastically bad had stricken my life this year and so I want to focus on all the fun that made 2018, in my humble opinion, the best year of my life.
This time of year is made for reflection. When a new year begins, so do the new adventures and memories. When we look back on our endeavours, we, naturally, split them up by year. Therefore, as this year comes to a close, and this blog begins, it seems like the perfect time to look back at all that happened in 2018. I’ll be honest off the bat that the focus will be on the positives of 2018. Not because I want to fool everyone into thinking that my life is filled with happy unicorns and rainbows, but because I can’t remember all the little things that made me sad and THANK GOD for that! Nothing drastically bad had stricken my life this year and so I want to focus on all the fun that made 2018, in my humble opinion, the best year of my life.
January
I started the year motivated and passionate about attending
Soul Cycle classes in my area. It was a great way for me to exercise and
destress, because as we probably know by now, workout is a great stress
reliever. As I got busier at school, I didn’t make time to keep up attending
classes, but I did do other fun things. I went to the T.O Lightfest which is an
amazing art exhibit in the Distillery District here in Toronto which showcases
both local and international artists.
I also had the opportunity to join a club
that organizes the end-of-year dance/dinner for graduating Engineers at the
University of Toronto that would take place in March. I was tasked with
planning the theme, menu and decorations for the venue so I had a lot of
responsibility to stay on top of that, this month. Here are some brainstorming
pictures I sent my team for the table centerpieces.
Finally, I had always
wanted to visit a salon in the King West area of Toronto to treat myself and
get my nails done. So, this month I made my first of 3 visits to Her Majesty’s
Pleasure to get a manicure.
February
This month was slow. The planning process for the dance was
minimal, I simply had to finalize my centerpieces since I had the theme and
menu ready to go. School was, well… school. Same old assignments and projects.
During reading week, I had the pleasure of taking breaks to watch the Winter
Olympics where Canada showcased some amazing athletes like Mikaël Kingsbury,
Tess Virtue and Scott Moir, Mark McMorris and Kaillie Humphries. Canada came in
3rd in medal count (above the US I might add) and our country was
very proud. I also attended a concert with my mom where we saw Carla Bruni sing
at the Royal Alexandra Theater. I was pleasantly surprised at the talent she
had, since before that day I always just saw her as the President of France,
Nicolas Sarkozy’s wife. She played her French songs, but also put on some
classics like Highway to Hell, Moon River and The Winner Takes it All, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Here are some
pictures from that night.
March
March was a slightly busier month. Just before exams began,
all the projects and events were crammed together. First, was the Graduation
Dinner-Dance of which I invited my best friend, Alyssa, to be my plus one for.
And let me tell you, it was difficult convincing her to come downtown because
she is definitely not a city-girl. Apart from our fancy UberX ride to the venue
to carry all the decorations, it was a pretty low-key night. Everything went
off without too many hitches, and my
team and I had a great time, and hopefully so did the graduates. A couple days
later I was finally going to cross something off my bucket list. My dream of
seeing Justin Timberlake perform live would become a reality! I went with my
mom and here are a couple picture.
Yes, I know I am beyond
the years of Backstreet Boys, but his album The
20/20 Experience, released when I was in high school, changed they way I
understood music. It really shaped my life and that will forever be my
favourite album of all time (granted there are like 25 songs on both discs). I
wasn’t going to let the opportunity slide when his newest album released, Man of The Woods, which was the first since
20/20 which came out in 2013, so who
knew if he was ever going to release another album or go on tour ever again!
The show was amazing, and his vocals were, ands till are, beyond this world
considering he also dances! Amazing show! A couple days after the show I was
headed to visit my high school friend at Queen’s University to celebrate St.
Patrick’s day.
Needless to say, but my school does not have much school spirit
therefore events like these, or homecoming are more or less non-existent. This
was the 2rd time I would visit her, the first being Homecoming the
previous year. The weekend did not go as planned since her housemates
apparently did not understand the meaning of sleep at 3AM, so I left earlier
than we expected to get sleep and study for a midterm the following Tuesday.
The next weekend would include a bitter-sweet tradition coming to an end. I’d
lived on residence at UofT for he past 3 years, wanting to avoid commuting
1-2hours a day get to class from my home. This night would be the last Formal
Dinner at my residence since I was planning to be on co-op the following year
therefore no more need to live downtown for school. Here are some pictures from
that night.
I will always remember those girls and the
friends I made and the people I crossed paths with. That community helped me
tremendously though my first 3 years of University and I will forever be
grateful to Loretto.
April
And so begin exams! This month I had a sort-of farewell
brunch with some of my Loretto girls marking the end of a great couple years
living together.
We went to a brunch place on campus (pictured above) and it was phenomenal, but right afterwards we had to get back to studying. This study season would one to remember with a snow storm in April. Yup, you read right! Canada is not one to follow weather norms! We were ordering a lot of Foodora to avoid going outside in the blizzard. For example, this was often the view from my window (including the food).
I also used one of my study break to go see a movie, alone for the first time, at one of the VIP cinemas near Loretto. Exam studying also led to a couple fun nights with my residence friends in one of our buildings conference rooms, ordering pizza, being way too loud, and not doing enough actual studying, but I love those girls (Serena, Chika and Marianna), and miss seeing them everyday. Nearing the end of the two weeks of hell, I took another studying break and took a walk down to Harbourfront and bought myself a vintage-eques Leafs Sweater at the Air Canada Center (since, the name has changed to Scotiabank Arena).
And with that, exams were over, but not without a little more drama and stress. What I didn’t mention, because it would take way too long to explain all the crazy details, is that I got my co-op position for the following academic year which lifted so much weight off my shoulders and gave me clarity for what I was going to do come the end of the summer. The 30th of April would be my last exam, and on the 1st of April, summer of vacation began right away.
We went to a brunch place on campus (pictured above) and it was phenomenal, but right afterwards we had to get back to studying. This study season would one to remember with a snow storm in April. Yup, you read right! Canada is not one to follow weather norms! We were ordering a lot of Foodora to avoid going outside in the blizzard. For example, this was often the view from my window (including the food).
I also used one of my study break to go see a movie, alone for the first time, at one of the VIP cinemas near Loretto. Exam studying also led to a couple fun nights with my residence friends in one of our buildings conference rooms, ordering pizza, being way too loud, and not doing enough actual studying, but I love those girls (Serena, Chika and Marianna), and miss seeing them everyday. Nearing the end of the two weeks of hell, I took another studying break and took a walk down to Harbourfront and bought myself a vintage-eques Leafs Sweater at the Air Canada Center (since, the name has changed to Scotiabank Arena).
And with that, exams were over, but not without a little more drama and stress. What I didn’t mention, because it would take way too long to explain all the crazy details, is that I got my co-op position for the following academic year which lifted so much weight off my shoulders and gave me clarity for what I was going to do come the end of the summer. The 30th of April would be my last exam, and on the 1st of April, summer of vacation began right away.
May
As soon as exams were officially over, and the month of May began, my parents and I were on our way out of this country and to
England for 3 weeks. I’ll post something later on detailing everything about
that trip, but I’ll give a teaser by saying that it was the best trip of my
life. Sneak peek...
The trip took up most of the month and the last week was just spend relaxing before going to start my summer job.
The trip took up most of the month and the last week was just spend relaxing before going to start my summer job.
June
The summer month did not include much. I started my position
as a Lab Assistant to the best PhD candidate ever! She, and the department I
was working with of Geo/Mining/Civil Engineering, were the best. Everyone was
friendly and simply fun to be around. We listen to R-rated podcasts which were
hilarious. We also listened to some audiobooks that I could never keep up with
because my mind would keep wandering. As for the work I did, it focused a lot
on topics that were beyond my field of knowledge, but I needed a job and I was
ready to help with whatever they needed which is all they cared about. Anyways
the gist of the research I was helping with was to understand the behaviours of
contaminated water bodies due to mining activities. The people were definitely
more fun than the subject matter so I managed to still have fun at work. I also
made it a point for me to work out for an hour every morning before work at the
Hart House Gym and walk down to Union Station after work to meet my dad to go
home. I’m very proud to say I managed to keep up with that
almost every single day. Here are some random pictures I took during that time.
almost every single day. Here are some random pictures I took during that time.
July
The summer job continued through the month, but I did accomplish
another feat that I am very proud of. I strived this summer to do more
activities alone because I got in this slump of feeling like I needed to depend
on another person to do something or go somewhere. So since I wanted to go to
the Toronto Islands with a friend, but they cancelled… I went anyways. And it
was the most peaceful and fulfilling experience. I should also mention that I
forgot to wear sunscreen and had to live with almost 3rd degree
burns for the following weeks, but the day itself was amazing, just not the
days following (haha). Here are some pictures I took during my ignorance that
my legs were cooking hotdogs.
August
The month of August was more of the same with work, but I
also discovered a lot of good new music through my PhD candidate/boss I was
working with, Lauren. Songs from Rex Orange County, Kali Uchis and Daniel Caesar
became the anthem to the summer! I also continue my independent ventures by
discovering many coffee shops in the city and going to the CNE solo. The CNE,
or the EX, is one that I hold close to my heart because I used to go every year
with my dad, and since getting older, I’ve gone with friends. This year was
different because all of my friends were doing their own thing and no on wanted
to go with me. I’ll just say that spirits were very low at this point of the
summer, so I made the leap forward and just went alone.
I won’t say I had more fun alone because that wasn’t the case, but it was a very rewarding experience to know I could do it alone. In the midst of trying to “find myself” by doing many activities in the city and truly learning independence, that’s when I deleted my personal Instagram and Snapchat accounts. I’ll get into the whole story in a later post, but I was the best decision of my life and I haven’t looked back since.
I won’t say I had more fun alone because that wasn’t the case, but it was a very rewarding experience to know I could do it alone. In the midst of trying to “find myself” by doing many activities in the city and truly learning independence, that’s when I deleted my personal Instagram and Snapchat accounts. I’ll get into the whole story in a later post, but I was the best decision of my life and I haven’t looked back since.
September
The summer was over and it was time to get back into the
grind. Well not really. I was just moving from doing one job downtown, to
starting a new job closer to my house for my co-op. I’ll write in a later post,
about my experience halfway through the 12-month term, so keep your eyes out
for that. This month was also my bestfriend’s birthday, so I went out with her
and her friends from school (she goes to a different school than me so this is
the first time I got to spend her birthday with her). Other than that the month
was mostly filled with managing a new job and figuring out my life to be
honest.
October
As work would continue to churn away, I found time to spend
some quality time with my favourite people in the last months of the year. I
had always wanted to go to a Pumpkin Patch in this era of social media. It’s
one of those “basic white girl” things I had to be victim to, so my friend
Marianna and I trekked to an Apple Orchard and Pumpkin Farm north of my town
and we had the most amazing time and took these pictures as a result.
The following week my dad got the opportunity for tickets to a Leafs game which, this season, are in crazy demand. So much so that tickets are either impossible to find, or would break and shatter your bank account instantly. Lucky for us my dad got them as a gift from a client at work and so we went. Here’s a picture from the view from our seats. It was definitely the best seats I’d ever gotten for a hockey game or concert even at this arena, which made the experience even more memorable. And yes we won the game which made it an even better night.
The following week my dad got the opportunity for tickets to a Leafs game which, this season, are in crazy demand. So much so that tickets are either impossible to find, or would break and shatter your bank account instantly. Lucky for us my dad got them as a gift from a client at work and so we went. Here’s a picture from the view from our seats. It was definitely the best seats I’d ever gotten for a hockey game or concert even at this arena, which made the experience even more memorable. And yes we won the game which made it an even better night.
November
This was mostly a slow month, the highlight came when I
finally got the chance to visit my high school friend that moved to Ottawa for
university. We hadn’t seen eachother in over 3 years, so I made my way up to
Ottawa from Toronto and we spent the weekend catching up on 3 years worth of stories
and memories to share.
I also hadn’t been to Ottawa since we took a trip with out 7th grade class, so it was nice to revisit the city and do some major catch up with an amazing human being I get to call my friend. At the end of the month I hosted my birthday festivities with my friends. We had dinner on Friday the 30th where the people I love most in my life (excluding family) joined me to celebrate my birthday. I will forever be grateful for them because no matter what the future holds, they are the puzzle pieces that keep my life together whenever I need them, and I love them so much.
I also hadn’t been to Ottawa since we took a trip with out 7th grade class, so it was nice to revisit the city and do some major catch up with an amazing human being I get to call my friend. At the end of the month I hosted my birthday festivities with my friends. We had dinner on Friday the 30th where the people I love most in my life (excluding family) joined me to celebrate my birthday. I will forever be grateful for them because no matter what the future holds, they are the puzzle pieces that keep my life together whenever I need them, and I love them so much.
December
The month started off strong, on the first day of the month I
went to the Toronto Christmas Market at the Distillery District with my O.G
Loretto Squad. This is a tradition we’ve upkept somehow with our busy
schedules. All 5 of us have never actually been able to make it togther, but
we’ve at least made an appearance as a fraction of our group every single year,
dating back to December 201
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| Christmas Market 2015 |
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| Christmas Market 2016 |
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| Christmas Market 2018 |
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| Christmas Market 2017 |
This year was very special because one of the girls in the group who moved back to Vancouver 2 years ago, and hasn’t come back to Toronto since, came back simply to celebrate my birthday. I don’t know how to put into words how grateful I am but I made sure to let her know every chance I could while she was here for the weekend. It’s people like her that truly care about me that I’m eternally grateful to have in my life. The month slowed down after that, work took up a lot of time as usual. We had our office Christmas party in the middle of the month, I’ll give detail in a later post about all of that happened that night in my post entitled “Fate” so watch out for that, but it was a night to remember, for sure. Christmas rolling around was just as casual as every other year. I gave my mom her favourite Joe Malone perfume with her name engraved into the bottle. My parents also gifted me with a Canada Goose winter coat as a Birthday/Christmas present which I had always wanted but never had the guts to spend the money. For my mom's birthday we went to her favourite restaurant downtown, "Select Bistro".
Just before New Year's, my dad and I went skate at Harbourfront Center which is my favourite place to go thanks to the amazing view.
And now on New Year’s Eve, my plans are the same as every year: watch a cozy movie and the year-end-highlight-specials on TV until the ball drops in New York City for Rockin’ Eve.
As for you, 2019…
Let me just say that I hope this new year brings me many more
wonderful memories as this past year has. Plans are already in place for some
interesting adventure that I shouldn’t soil just yet. But a new year is an
opportunity for a new beginning, with this blog but hopefully with more
projects. I simply hope this year I am able do more of what I love with the
people I love. That would make 2019 a year to remember.
Happy New Year!
xoxo
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