Autumn in Toronto

Autumn has always been my favourite season. There's just something so comforting about the weather, the colours, the food and the smells. Last year, while in Seoul, I really missed out on the autumn festivities in Canada, and was feeling rather homesick. But a friend was nice enough to take a photo of some trees in Toronto and send it to me.

This year, I've really indulged and made up for lost time. We went on a hike yesterday through Rouge Park, in the east end of the city. It was so beautiful and refreshing to be surrounded by nature in all its glory. In Korea, it's very easy to enjoy watching the leaves change because there's mountains no matter where you look. As long as you've got a clear view of the horizon, you're bound to see some peaks.

In Toronto, there's a lot of parks and wooded areas where you can go take a walk and indulge in nature's mastery. But Rouge park -- which can easily be compared to New York's Central Park or London's Hyde Park -- is the only place where the Ontario Green Belt reaches Lake Ontario... so it's rather special.

We also lucked out with the weather yesterday. It was warm for autumn temperatures and the skies were a shade of blue that could easily be compared to southeast Asia's deep blue waters. Yes, that good! I was pretty happy and felt like kid again, as I indulged in fresh air, and fall's bounty.

Here's a photo collage from our afternoon out. I'm glad I had a chance to take these shots because now you guys can see what I've been talking about for so long!

xo
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To top it off

There are various pockets around my neighbourhood in Seoul that cater to my senses.

I enjoy my late afternoon walks home from school, because they help clear my mind after hours of entertaining students with the joys of speaking English. The brisk walk to my apartment is just what's required after a day filled with limited words and simple vocabulary -- I never imagined how draining not talking could be.

And as you've become aware now, Café DaVinci is a regular haunt, where I feel at peace and find inspiration on a per-latté basis. In fact, just the other day, S and I became preferred customers, with membership cards. 10 per cent discount on lattés, anyone? Yes, we're just that awesome!

But perhaps my most favourite place among all the hustle and bustle that encompasses this busy nook in Seoul, has to the rooftop of my building.

View from my building, facing east

It took me a few weeks after moving in to find myself on the seventh floor, staring out at Seoul. I can't properly explain to you how those first moments felt, when my feet hit the cement floor, high above ground level. All I can say is that it took my breath away, not because of the spectacular view, but because it finally hit me that I wasn't in Toronto anymore.

Needless to say, I've made many more trips up to the top, sharing the view with anyone who's willing to watch it with me.

Being on this rooftop is eyeopening on so many levels. For one, when I go upstairs at night, I'm greeted with about a dozen or so neon crosses, identifying the various churches in my neighbourhood. You'd never see anything like this in Toronto. I mean, the churches do exist there, but they're certainly not advertised with a 'follow the neon cross to Jesus' tower.

Secondly, I have a direct view of Namsan Tower to the west. Yes. I know. Despite the vertical jungle that is Seoul, I am still able to get an unrestricted view of the city's famous landmark. There it stands, nestled between two towering hi-rises. On clear nights, it's beautifully lit, and is worth the 40-or-so stairs I have to climb in order to see it.

Korea University's main building is also visible if I look to the north. It has a beautiful mountain as a backdrop, and I've watched the leaves on it change colours this season. Spectacular show!

Korea University's main building is visible in the distance. Directly under, is the roof to my neighbour's building, where I've seen them dry everything from hot chilly peppers, to underwear.

Incidentally, the mountains in Seoul aren't so high according to my friend from Taebaek, Gangwando, one of the most mountainous and beautiful regions, in eastern Korea. She called them molehills...

Perhaps they are. I've yet to compare. I'll let you know when I know. But for now, they will have to do.

I can't wait till the summer, when I can park myself up there with a good book, without freezing my assets off.

Finally, one of the most uplifting and heartwarming reasons why I absolutely love my Seoul rooftop, is because it's just that... a rooftop in Seoul.

Standing there and looking out into the vast distance is a reality check and a thrill all at once. When I'm up there, I can't deny that I'm far away from all that I know. I'm a stranger to the city, and it is a stranger to me. But with each passing day, we're getting to know each other, and so far, it's going well. Who knows, maybe when the winter passes, and spring swings by, Seoul and I can share a rooftop date, without the awkwardness that comes with dating someone who speaks a different language than you.

Here's hoping.

A view looking south, towards the Hangang river and Gangnam, in Seoul

xo
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Critical Mass

Wow, this city gets more interesting by the minute!

I finally had a chance to end my week in style - the company of good friends, a beautiful evening avec sunshine (thanks, Mother Nature... no hard feelings, right?), a spacious patio, and margaritas in glasses that resembled fishbowls.

I was in heaven.

After a couple of hours and a few ounces, Kabs and I decided to head on down to Dundas Square to check out the Caribana eve happenings. We could tell that activities were abuzz, as people leisurely strolled around Toronto's downtown core... many with confused looks on their faces. They clearly weren't from this part of town.

As we crossed Bay Street, we came across a swarm of cyclists, headed south during rush-hour traffic. It seemed like a large group at first, but as they stopped and collected at a red light, we noticed the masses, capped off with a row of police officers on their bikes.

Curiosity getting the best of me, I asked one cyclist what was going on.

"Oh, it's Critical Mass!" she said, nonchalantly.

This one was going to be tricky.

"Not sure what that is," I replied. "Is it a biking group?"

"Nope. We gather at Spadina and Bloor on the last Friday of every month and cycle around the city," she said. "It's for anyone."

"Oh that sounds like fun!" I replied.

The lady gave me a half smile that I didn't think too much of at the time, and rode off as the light changed.

When I got home, I Googled.

And what do you know? Critical Mass is actually a form of protest, showcasing how unfriendly the city is when it comes to cyclists.

It does take place on the last Friday of every month, as she mentioned... but it happens in about 300 cities across the world.

It baffled me. I've lived in this city for half my life and have NEVER encountered Critical Mass before.

It excited me on one hand... but on another, it broke my heart.

Do I really not know Toronto as well as I'd like to?

xo
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Photo courtesy of TorontoCranks

Walk for Thought

The Summer issue of Zoomer magazine had an article by Cecily Ross, where she reflected on how she always ends up walking when dealing with a case of writer's block. She said that some of the clearest ideas and verbal images come to her as she briskly walks the landscape surrounding her house in the burbs.

I couldn't agree more. I wonder if it's a trait that a lot of writers share.

For my fellow Torontonians, imagine this:
I walked from Queen and River to the Eaton Centre yesterday. Then, after a dinner with V, we walked all the way to Dufferin and King.

My feet chastised me for it today, but yesterday it was exactly what I needed.

I had some of the clearest thoughts in days during that walk. Mum says it's something that might run in the family. It turns out my brother walked the Yonge/Bloor line last year during the usual Toronto Transit strike. And now that I think about it, he had a lot of thoughts at that time too.

In fact, with all the thinking going on, I never realized how much I was moving.

It all makes sense though. Think of the number of times people have advised you to go for a walk to clear your head when you're upset.

I read another article that says London, England is one of the best cities in the world for those of us who like to travel by foot. No wonder some of Jane Austens best dialogues between her characters happened as they walked the English countryside.

Classic and timeless!

xo
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