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Sometime in mid-January, I wound up at the One Love Jamaican Vegetarian Cafe, a quaint little restaurant at College & Bathurst.  This restaurant is run by the same couple who sells the famous Corn Soup at Toronto's Harbourfront every summer. (Yes - they make a killing selling hot soup in the SUMMER). And this isn't just any normal Corn Soup: the line-up's for this tasty treat wind around and around their little cart, and people actually leave in frustration when they run out. They've finally set up a permanent shop in Toronto and I went with a good friend to have a great vegetarian meal.

While I was there in the small, unassuming (and slightly uncomfortable) cafe, a short, energetic lady came in, dressed in big, thick workout clothes. She was carrying a very expensive camera and was snapping photos of everything around her. All the while, she was trying to strike up a chat with anyone who would listen.

In all honesty, my response to overly friendly people is the same as most Torontonians - "this woman is crazy." My initial judgment is that she was indeed insane. and the burden of proof was on her to show otherwise.

Eventually, we ended up talking for quite some time, and she pulled out a business card. It read "“www.toronto365.ca: LIFE is to be enjoyed, get out & have FUN!”Ann (crazy lady) revealed that she is in fact quite amazing. Having traveled to more than 40 countries around the world, she decided she was going to start a "Staycation" Blog about Toronto. For 365 days, she was going to try something new every day. She was going to see the city on a dime and discover new and hidden gems.

From the Winter City Festival, to meeting George Stroumboulopoulos of The Hour, she truly is hitting a wide range of notes. It's a fresh, fast-paced, city life.

Nonetheless, something about her blog, though exciting and entertaining, reads like a mid-life crisis. She left a lucrative import/export business to start up this blog, and she's doing it for free. A single lady, jumping from one issue to one cause to one party, without getting attached and committed to anything... it's a little depressing. The layout of her website is as erratic as she is, and the banner image, displaying a young, hip urbanite out on the town starts to look a little sad after a while. After all that traipsing through the city, what does this urbanite come home to? Another night alone planning a day meeting people she will likely never see again? 

The writer of this blog does a good job of convincing you that she is indeed committed, attached and passionate to challenging herself. I may be completely misjudging her motives and her intentions for this blog, but a part of me still questions her lifestyle; this get-up-and-go and live-every-day-like-a-party lifestyle.

This seems to be the everyman interpretation of the famous Latin words "carpe diem". Like seizing the day always means you have to jump off a bridge or go scuba diving in the winter. Yes, there's a bit of that involved in correctly seizing a day. But at some point, that all becomes a distraction and an escape from the reality of your life.

I'm not fully convinced about the concept, but it's still an interesting blog. From attending live tapings to taking part in Improv Comedy Shows, she's got more experiences under the belt than most people can dream, and she doesn't care how crazy she looks running into a restaurant taking random pictures of patrons and their food.

Note: You'll find my little run-in with her on Day #18 of her staycation!

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Comments

Yulu
02/13/2010 12:26pm

so cool - def gutsy of her to do this but it also reminds us to not judge at a first glance. thanks for sharingg

Reply
Layla Q.
02/13/2010 12:57pm

JazakAllah for sharing this blog. Huge props to what this woman is doing- trying to enjoy life, be healthy and all that :)
Anyway...
I find this entry of yours extremely hurtful. You are being judgemental and rude about what this woman is all about.
"Nonetheless, something about her blog, though exciting and entertaining, reads like a mid-life crisis. "?

You asume she treats everyday like a party but you dont know her life history. I could go on, but seriously, this entire blog entry is rude and judgemental.

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