30 @ 30

Posted on June 25, 2010 by boywithnoname

A couple of years ago, my friend Sam told me about this list she made.  She called it her “25 Things To Do at 25″. It essentially looked like a bucket list, but was filled with things she wanted to do/see/experience at the age of 25.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in one of the things on her list, which was to take a trip to a random city.  We somehow ended up in Whitby on a holiday weekend, but had fun nonetheless :).

Sam’s list inspired me to make a list of my own for when I turned the big 3-0.  So I have been working hard on the list since that time that we scratched off one of the items on her list.

It was difficult for me to come up with some things on the list.  Listing 30 items is no small task.  I avoided posting my entire list on any web presence I have (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.) because I wanted to make sure that I had 30 things on my list. But just the other day, when talking with my friend Phil in New York, I was able to finish off the list.

Granted, I turned 30 a little over 2 months ago, so I’m a little behind.

In no particular order here is the list:

  1. Do the Bike Train Tour
  2. Get Tattoo
  3. Visit CN Tower – July 14, 2010 w/Sam & Chris
  4. Watch Lacrosse Game
  5. Learn to Ride Bike w/o Hands – April 2010 w/self
  6. Visit Tommy Thompson Park
  7. Meditate in Buddhist Temple
  8. Learn Sign Language
  9. Learn Tai Chi
  10. See a Psychic
  11. Go on Sightseeing Bus – June 29, 2010 w/Delvin & Cameron
  12. Run Half Marathon
  13. Watch Cirque De Soleil Live
  14. Learn To Swim
  15. Visit Casa Loma – July 14, 2010 w/Chris
  16. Bike To Niagara
  17. Train to Random City
  18. See an Opera
  19. Learn Another Instrument
  20. Go Rock Climbing
  21. Take Photo at Every TTC Station – August 19, 2010 w/Melody (Bloor/Danforth line)
  22. Learn to Fix Bicycle
  23. Go to Shakespeare in the Park
  24. Learn to Sew/Use Sewing Machine
  25. Bike Around Montreal
  26. Walk from Finch to Queen’s Quay – July 17, 2010 w/Sam & Chris
  27. Walk from Kipling to Kennedy – July 8, 2010 w/self
  28. Learn to Juggle
  29. Go See Broadway Play
  30. Meet Tina Fey

I will have to keep in mind that somethings might require a little extra time or money on my part, which may cause me to rethink certain items on my list.  Needless to say, the list is subject to change at any time (How’s that for a fine print disclaimer? LOL).

Throughout this year, I’m going to be trying to scratch off all the things on my 30 @ 30 list.  This is by no means an easy task, but a challenge that I am willing to take on.  Thankfully I have the support and help of some awesome friends to help me work my way through the list.

Posted in Bicycle, Biodiversity, Cityscape, Culture, Cycling, Folding Bicycles, Food, Harbourfront Centre, Healthy Living, Just For Fun, Metropass, Museum, New York, Parks, Pedestrians, Public Spaces, TTC, Toronto, Torontonians, Transportation, Travel, Via Rail, public transportation, transit | 7 Comments

#21 – Take Photo at Every TTC Station (Part 1)

Posted on August 23, 2010 by boywithnoname

As the alarm on my cellphone clock rang at 6:30 am on Friday, August 19, 2010, I slowly started to awaken and my mind quickly raced to realize what was going to happen today.

Earlier in the week, I had finished writing my exam for summer school and had to start making plans to fill up my remaining days before starting back at school full time later this month.

A couple of months ago, I was talking with my cousin Melody about my 30@30 list and about some of the things that I had already done off of the list.  She was really fascinated by it and wanted to see what else was on the list.  She saw #21 – Take Photo at Every TTC Station and said that she would like to help me cross that off my list.

Flash forward back to me waking up on the morning of Friday, August 19, 2010.  I sent a text message to my cousin Melody if she would be able to meet me at the Warden Station at 9am for the adventure.  Fortunately, she messaged me back indicating that she would be able to make it and so began the day.

My cousin Mel and I luckily ran into each other on the bus heading to the subway station, so that saved us some time in waiting at the station and trying to locate each other.  We were both pretty excited in spite of being tired and not getting enough sleep the night before.  When I originally thought about doing this particular item on my list, I knew it would take a while to get through all the subway stops.  What with the getting off at the station, taking the picture and then waiting for the train and repeating all the way through the subway lines.

This is why we started when we did.  It was early enough to get through a bunch of the stations and we didn’t have to fight through rush hour traffic.

We started at Warden station and worked our way westward to Kipling.  It was a fun experience, but we did not manage to get to the Yonge-University-Spadina line yet as we both had other places to be in the afternoon and the timing of just doing the Bloor-Danforth line was a little longer than we expected.

Regardless we still managed to have a good time and we even managed to get off at a few stops to explore the area surrounding those particular subway stops.

For anyone that is going to try this out, I would suggest getting an early start and maybe packing some food with you as well as some water (particularly if you try it in the summer time because it can get really warm in the subway stations).  Also get a day pass or a Metropass (assuming those forms of payment still exist at the time you read this), to make the journey less of a hassle in case you decide to go above ground and explore the immediate area.

To view the photos that my cousin and I took on the Bloor-Danforth line, you can check out my Flickr photostream by clicking the link below.

A Picture At Every Subway Stop (Part 1)

And while this item isn’t completely done yet, I know it’s almost there and will soon be crossed off my list.

Posted in Environmental Issues, Environmentalism, Just For Fun, Metropass, Public Libraries, Public Spaces, TTC, Toronto, Transportation, Travel, Urban Exploring, public transportation, subway, transit | 1 Comment

green is black Changing Owners

Posted on July 27, 2010 by boywithnoname

Keeping this blog has allowed me to meet many different people, many of whom share the same interests and passion for the environment that I do.

I was fortunate to meet Kerry MacMullin thanks to my blog.  We have become good friends ever since I stepped foot into her former storefront on Yonge St.

Kerry, is the current owner of green is black, which is clothing store for the eco-conscious.  Those who want to know what their clothing is made of or who prefer to know that the clothing they buy uses ethically sourced and sustainable materials, green is black is the source for your fashion.

Kerry is going to be handing her business over to a new owner, but before she does she is having a sale on all the items in stock in order to allow the owner to have a fresh start.  Below is a snippet from the email that Kerry sent me regarding the sale:

The current inventory (with few exceptions) is now @ clearance pricing to allow green is black’s new owner a fresh start. The sale will go from now until August 31st, 2010 or until all current stock is gone: whichever comes first. If we don’t have your size of a given item, we’re sorry: no new stock will be brought in between now and then. All sales, during this period, are final as reflected in our updated Policies section and Delivery time has been altered from 2-5 days to 2-10 days to allow us to keep on top of the volume of shipping.

It’s a great sale and Kerry’s store carries some really unique pieces of clothing that would be a great addition to any wardrobe.

Remember, that the sale is going on until August 31st so you better act fast if you want to take advantage of these amazing deals.

Posted in Clothing, Consumerism, Consumption, Environmental Issues, Environmentalism, Fashion, Organic Products, Recycling, Reduce, Reuse, Social and Politics, Sustainability, Toronto, green, online shopping | Leave a comment

India’s cost-effective answer to the iPad

Posted on July 24, 2010 by boywithnoname

Apple certainly is gaining a lot of press with their iPad and their recently launched iPhone 4.  However, if you’re not part of the cult of Apple, then you may not be getting either of these products.

However, for many in India, they may be able to get a rather cheap alternative to Apple’s iPad.

From the country that has brought us the $2,000 car and the $16 water purifier, comes the $35 tablet PC.

MIT had developed a tablet PC for $100 as part of its One Laptop Per Child.  This pricetag was a little bit steep for Kipal Sibal the human resource development minister and he instead turned to more local sources for a viable solution.

Sibal turned to students and professors at India’s elite technical universities to develop the $35 tablet after receiving a “lukewarm” response from private sector players. He hopes to get the cost down to $10 eventually.

Mamta Varma, a ministry spokeswoman, said falling hardware costs and intelligent design make the price tag plausible. The tablet doesn’t have a hard disk, but instead uses a memory card, much like a mobile phone. The tablet design cuts hardware costs, and the use of open-source software also adds to savings, she said.

To read the rest of the article on Yahoo! News, please click on the link below.

India unveils prototype of $35 computer, paving way for solar-powered websurfing in villages

The other feature that this astonishingly affordable tablet PC boasts is solar power.  Well, it’s a feature that can be added on for a little bit extra.  But at $35, it’s still an amazing bargain.

Several global manufacturers are looking to be able to make this device, including a manufacturer in Taiwan.  It should be a very interesting bit of technology and hopefully something we can see in North America.

Posted in Apple & OSX, Computer geek, Consumerism, Consumption, Electronics, Environmental Issues, Environmentalism, In The News, Linux, Technology | Leave a comment

#26 – Walk from Finch to Queen’s Quay

Posted on July 18, 2010 by boywithnoname

Following in the footsteps of my trek from the west end of Toronto to the east end of Toronto (aka the walk from Kipling to Kennedy), I can now cross off another item from my 30@30 list.  This time I walked from the north end of Toronto to the south end of Toronto (aka the walk from Finch to Queen’s Quay)

Item #26 was accomplished on July 17, 2010 and it was a long trip but not as long as the Kipling to Kennedy walk. I met up with my friends Sam & Chris outside of Finch station.  And this is where our journey began.  We had all been keeping an eye on the weather and the reports on the news indicated that there was the possibility of rain or even more dramatic – a thunder storm.

Being the type of person that I am, I prepared for the journey with my hydration pack and a couple of apples as well as some rain gear (an umbrella and a rain jacket).  But there was some part of me that kept in saying: “It’s not going to rain.”

Thankfully, it only drizzled rain a couple of times within the first 2 hours of our trek down south from Finch & Yonge.  The drizzle of rain was something that the 3 of us found refreshing since it was rather humid outside.

The walk from Finch to Front (and also from Front St. to Finch) was one that Sam & Chris had both done before.  They indicated that the walk from Front St. to Finch was more difficult because most of the walk heading north is an uphill.

We noticed a lot of interesting stores and street furniture in the city.  I noticed around the Lawrence and Yonge area, a couple of interesting looking bike racks.  There were also some really neat pieces of art in that area as well.

Our first stop on the trek towards Queen’s Quay was at a French Bakery called Patisserie Sebastien which had the most delicious croissants.  Unlike a lot of croissants that tend to be oily and soggy and pretty heavy, these croissants were light, flaky, and tasty.  All I can say is: “Yummy!” This stop also served as our first bathroom break and a rest after a pretty steep uphill climb between York Mills & Lawrence.

Our second stop was just a little south of St. Clair at a sushi resto called Aki Japan Sushi.  It was a charming little place that had just opened a couple of weeks ago.  The atmosphere was nice and the food was really great and pretty reasonably priced.  For the 3 of us the bill came out to about $60.

From St. Clair onwards Sam & Chris were getting pretty tired from walking but they were troopers and kept on marching for my sake.  We made a couple of additional stops at College Park (for a bathroom break) and at Marble Slab so that Sam & Chris could treat themselves for making the trek down from Finch again.

By that time, the sun had already set and the city’s night life was starting to buzz.  We didn’t have too far to go and we made pretty good time to the foot of Yonge St. @ Queen’s Quay, which is the location of the well-known Capt. John’s Pier Restaurant.  Below is a picture of me in front of the boat.

It was quite a long trek but not as long as the Kipling to Kennedy walk.  In all it took us about 5 hours to finish the walk including stops to eat, rest and use the bathroom.  I’m making pretty good progress on my 30@30 list.  That’s one more things I can scratch off my list.

Posted in Cityscape, Food, Health & Wellness, Healthy Living, Just For Fun, Pedestrians, Photography, Public Spaces, Toronto, Torontonians, Travel, Urban Exploring, Walking | 1 Comment

Seasonal Bike Parking On Spadina

Posted on July 16, 2010 by boywithnoname

If you are a bicycle rider in the city of Toronto and you spend a lot of time cycling in the downtown area, you may pleased to know that the city has installed its first on-street bike parking along Spadina Ave., between Queen St. West and Dundas St. West.

It should be noted this is a pilot project, but if this proves successful, then the city may consider installing more across the city.

The racks are similar to the ones that they have outside the Sobey’s at the Harbourfront Centre.

The rack is also a unique design.  The front wheel is wedged between two metal brackets that form an ‘anchor’ of sorts for each spot.  The anchor spots, 8 in each of the two new racks, alternate with one near the ground, next to one that is raised in a ‘one up/one down’ pattern that allows bikes to fit better side by side.

City staff say that if this seasonal bike parking pilot proves successful, they will consider installing it in other high bike traffic areas as of next Spring.

To read the rest of the article on the Toronto Cyclist’s Union website, please click on the link below.

Toronto’s First On-Street Bike Parking Pilot Installed on Spadina Ave.

If you ride around the city, then you know how difficult it can be to find a place to park your bike.  Sometimes people will resort to locking their bikes to poles or nearby fences or the like.  It’s great to see the city introduce these new and much needed bike parking racks.

Posted in Bicycle, Cityscape, Cycling, Electric Bikes, Environmental Issues, Environmentalism, Folding Bicycles, Health & Wellness, Healthy Living, Public Spaces, Road Infrastructure, Toronto | Leave a comment