MiKE: Some more beautiful pics...

Seems like my life here has settled into a rather monotonous, if somewhat stressful, routine. As in, study, study, sit back and relax a bit, study, go for classes, study, study, buy groceries, study, study... you get the idea. Oh, but don't be misled into thinking that I am in some sort of prison or something. I don't know where I read it, or who wrote it, but I am pretty sure that one very famous prisoner has ever written to the effect that his body could be imprisoned, but never his mind. The corollary, of course, is for people to be thinking - if one were to be in a cage, even a gilded one, could one know it?

So once in a while, when the body feels cooped up too much (I am not in a jail, anyway) I give myself a treat by going out to a meal. This time, I went to Sai Gon Palace; yes, it is the place I blogged about in the first week when I was here in Toronto. But what to do? It serves really good Vietnamese food. For people who would visit me, I would bring you here for a meal. Well, something's gotta be right - they have been in business for more than 15 years (cannot remember the year i saw on the signboard). They are on Spadina avenue, and walking south from my apartment, I will pass by this interesting junction with College street:


And after that meal, since the weather was turning cold, I had decided to go get a 'car jacket' from the Gap; the gap sells clothes which are on a relative budget for the boutique-ness they represent. In other words, they are much like G2000/U2 or maybe even Esprit, but somewhat cheaper than the latter. I got a woolen jacket that stretches up to mid thigh, though not quite yet a trenchcoat, for about $150. Yes, it is expensive (I think), but I am thinking that some times, we have to spend the money - because we cannot take it with us, if you know what I mean.

The Gap store is on Bloor Street, east of OISE, about 1 km or so. Given the nature of city traffic, many people walk around downtown. I know I do, it gives me my cardio workout; and it is not the slow saunter that people living in tropical singapore are used to, due to the effort to try not to perspire. Here, people do fast walks, in a bid to warm up as much as possible; and even so, I often get overtaken by people. On the walk back with my new car jacket and feeling warm except for my neck and face, I caught sight of this and just had to take a picture:

This is Bloor Street, looking west to the sunset. In the distance along the road is a church, which was in the picture in the previous post, but at a closer distance. The tall building on the left side of the road is just opposite OISE.

It is in moments like these that remind us, that we are not imprisoned.