Day 1 of the hands-free law in Ontario

Why is it that people are prepossessed to be opposed to any new idea instead of accepting it? Far from any valid data collection, I’ve been observing people in Toronto for the past few weeks and it’s astounding the amount of energy people put into resisting change.

Toronto’s hands-free law came into effect today, preventing drivers from using their hands to answer/place calls, texts, emails, watch videos, use GPS devices, etc. while driving. The discussions surrounding the new law have been plentiful in the past months. My friends and family are included in the group of people who are pretty horrible drivers when they text/talk on the phone while driving, yet insist they can handle any situation that arises. One of my friends from university actually claimed that he didn’t mind the fine and would gladly pay the maximum of $500 if that meant he could answer his phone. WTF? Who the hell do you really think you are? It is this sort of ridiculous of thinking that encourages dangerous and reckless driving that can lead to disastrous events occurring on the road.

It broke my heart to read about the jackass who was driving (impaired) at a speed of 200 km/h by Jane and Finch. (http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/10/20/11458696-sun.html) His stupidity killed three people, with one more fighting for their life. His actions affected many more. He has single handed ripped apart families and destroyed the lives of so many affected. Why? Why do people have this notion of their actions not affecting anyone else? Why do people always think that it will not be them who ever gets into any type altercation. Just yesterday, I was in the car with a family member who remarked “don’t worry, nothing’s going to happen…you’re wearing your seat belt right?” I hate when people jest in such manner about such serious matters. Why do people assume that distancing yourself from such a possibility will make it any less real?

Back to the cell phone ban in Ontario, this article talks about drivers who still refuse to comply, whether it be for selfish reasons or because they didn’t know about the new law (bullshit!). The interesting thing is, shouldn’t a human being cognitively realize that multitasking in such a manner (especially by texting and/or emailing while driving) can take away from the act of driving itself and distract you greatly?

Listening to CBC radio in the morning, I heard about a study found that 20% of drivers thought they were exceptional, 60% thought they were above average, and 20% thought they were average. No one wants to believe their driving skills are below average, yet distracted drivers run amok in our society causing irrevocable damage to the people in it. Why are people so opposed to change when it’s being made to benefit everyone?

Sushi Island, Little Italy, Toronto

AA and I head over to Little Italy last night to try out the infamous Sushi Island for their all-you-can-eat special. He got the Salmon Skin roll and the Green Dragon roll, and I ordered the Salmon Teriyaki roll and Fire & Ice roll. We also got a plate of yam tempura for the table. AA said he didn’t really like his food too much but he isn’t much of a sushi connoisseur to begin with; on the other hand, I had very high expectations for this place. The two rolls I got were very unconventional and had a distinctly non-traditional flavour. Because both he and I had been fasting all day, we really couldn’t each that much and effectively wasted the all-you-can-eat option. I think I’ll revisit it with S who loveees sushi as much if not more than I do, get the sashimi and stick with the traditional rolls.

After having dinner, we head back to my building and hung out on the terrace to enjoy the night view of downtown Toronto. The buildings, the people, the noise...I'm really going to miss this place when I move out.

Funnies and TIFF

I absolutely love Google Reader. Some of the feeds I’ve subscribed to are great, always posting random things that make me smile. My fave’s have to be ‘What’s Hot in Google Reader’ and ‘WebUrbanist’. The following are some pretty nifty things I found because of those two subscriptions:

The Matrix running on Windows: Funny parody, must watch it!

Genderanalyzer: Analyze any website to see if it’s been written by a man or a woman!

Finally, Toronto International Film Festival (or TIFF) is planning on having numerous free TIFF screenings at Yonge-Dundas Square this year. Head over to their website to check out the schedule.

Dundas Square/Toronto Life Centre

I love Yonge-Dundas Square/Toronto Life Centre.

S and I headed over to the Futureshop located on Yonge Street (just north of Dundas) to check out their super duper crazy exciting customer appreciation day deals. Didn’t find anything that crazy or exciting actually. I was really hoping that they had some kind of special on this DSLR I’m looking into getting for the family (just in time for wedding preps) but no deal. They did have a 500gb hard drive and a 1tb hard drive that looked so tempting (I LOVE all things storage) but had to remind myself (repeatedly) that I had enough of it at home (and no computer to speak of).

Speaking of computers, every time I would wander into the laptop/Apple computer section of the store, I would be hounded by numerous salespeople looking to “help” me out. That’s great and all, but leave a girl alone! I just wanna play on the shiny machines before making a decision on something. The ratio of employees to customers who wanted to be helped was skewed!

After spending a little bit of time there, we headed to Dundas Square to wait for D so we could go catch a movie at the AMC. I absolutely love love love Dundas Square. Just sitting there and observing the hundreds of people who pass through it is soothing and relaxing. The multicultural mix of people all coming together seems a bit surreal. I think it’s wonderful to have the opportunity to just go sit in a public space and enjoy being without having to worry about explaining your actions or thoughts to anyone. For all the daydreaming I’ve been doing about moving to a small, remote community (preferably in the north) I sure do love being in a large city where you are just one of a few million, where you blend into the sidelines and remain a quiet bystander watching the world pass or you can meet hundreds of people every day, all with interesting tales to tell.

So we hung out there until D showed up and then headed to AMC to watch Post Grad. One word. AWFUL. That movie had all the elements of a somewhat pleasing romantic comedy: cute leads, interesting premise, and a dribbling of humour. What it lacked was good acting (Alexis Bledel, how can you suck that much?), direction, and originality. It seems the crew wanted to squish as much as they could into this movie and failed to build any one theme properly. I would definitely not recommend anyone watch that, be it in the theatre, your home or a horrid version on the internet. That is 1 hour and 45 minutes of my life that have been wasted with no redeeming factor (okay fine – Zach Gilford mmm).

Following the movie, S and I headed to Doner or Doner Kabob House (don’t know if that’s the official name). It’s on Yonge Street, just south of Gerrard Street next to the Big Slice. This place has the best chicken and rice with garlic sauce combo you will find in downtown Toronto. Their hot sauce is pretty awesome too, but be ready for some heartburn if you aren’t used to it. I love the family that runs it, always cheerful and who always remember my order. The lady often asks me about my: day/mom/work/school. It’s a staple in my diet, and one of the things I’m going to miss most about living in the heart of the city.

Toronto Thunderstorm

I hate storms.

I was never really scared of them when I was a kid, always enjoying the feeling of playing in the cool rain and seeing the random streaks of lightning light up the entire world. Those feelings have obviously changed in the recent past. The crazy storm we had last week was one of the worst I've ever experienced and I was hoping not to experience that again. One comforting thought during that storm was that I was able to shepard everyone (okay force) into the basement for any just-in-case scenario. Today, I'm stuck in the apartment alone, listening to the howling winds outside tear at the city.

I guess I should do something to take my mind off things, so I've put on a movie that is silly/stupid enough to entertain. Here's hoping the distraction works.