Birthday Travelganza Part 5: Toronto

After two crazy weeks and five amazing cities, I am happy to announce I have made it to my final destination in my home and native land! Toronto embraced me with sunshine and smiles and it felt so damn good :)

I flew in from NYC with Porter which drops you off right in the heart of the city at Toronto Island Airport. Getting through customs was a breeze since there was basically 30 other people on my flight (yet another reason why I LOVE this airline).

I went straight to my Toronto apt, jumped in the shower, threw on the cleanest clothes I had and walked down Queen St to surprise my roomie Nicole at Davids Tea. It was so awesome to be reunited with her after 6 months you have no idea.

 

After this it was pretty much non-stop.
Had a rooftop beach party with my neighbours

Reunited with some friends at Betty's (one of my fav pubs in Toronto). It was a perfect night of people dropping in and out so I could have some one-on-one time with them and catch up. I've discovered how helpful it was to blog about my aussie adventure while I was away. Most confessed that they were living vicariously through my phot albums and blogs and already knew everything about my trip. I love that :)

The weekend was full of coffee dates, BBQ's, beers and very little sleep. My bod is still running on Oz time so I often wake up at 4am for no reason.

So it's official. I've hit the quarter century. 

25 and still going strong!

Thank you to everyone from all the cities I visited over the past two weeks for making this experience an unforgettable one. It sure feels good to be back :)

Birthday Travelganza Part 4: LA/NYC

I stood in front of this sign at the Sydney airport for a solid ten minutes and thought to myself 

'am I really doing this?' 

The answer was yes. 

I ended up going with the window seat after all. But scored BIG time since I was in the first row in the economy section. I had heaps of leg room and didn't have to worry about bugging the french dude in the aisle seat anytime I had to pee. Oh and the cute male flight attendant would occasionally pop his head through the curtain and offer me warm croissants and other goodies only business class had the luxury of enjoying. Best Birthday flight ever. 

 

So it's official. I am back in North America. I knew it the moment I stepped off the plane and the hostile airport security yelled at me where to go. What ever happened to 'Welcome to Los Angeles, please head this way to collect your luggage' ?  Meh... a girl can dream can't she?

God I miss Australia already. Luckily it was a sunny day in California so after going through the headache of American customs and stripped/patted down to virtually nothing, I hit the bar. Met some cool dudes, some not-so-cool dudes, and some really creepy 50-something men who think they've still got game. I laughed, and continued to drink my beer.

I went to the ATM and realized how much I hate American money. It's so dirty, bland and boring. The Aussies not only have colourful bills organized by size, but it was rip/waterproof too. So brilliant my mates are :)

After finally making it to rainy NYC I realized how not attracted I am to this city. I used to think NYC was so cool, but now coming back to it for the third time I see nothing but an overpopulated piece of land that looks concrete old and rusty. Living in Australia has really changed by perspective on things... I realize now sitting here in an NYC cafe how much I never want to live here. #realtalk

But let's talk about something I do love about NYC shall we? The BAGELS AND CREAM CHEESE. 

I kid you not when I say I was literally shoveling this stuff into my mouth. Australia doesn't specialize in this at all. It was VERY difficult for me to find places that had bagels anywhere in Aus and the ones that did tasted like crap. New Yorkers... now they know what they're doing when it comes to this shit right here. Hands down.

My time is short here in NYC but since it's so crappy out I could care less. It is afterall only a one hour plane ride away from TORONTO.

4 cities down. 1 MORE TO GO!
Toronto, this is it!

Birthday Travelganza Part 3: Sydney

The official halfway point on my birthday tour, Sydney embraced me with open arms. I didn't realize how much I missed the smell of the ocean until I arrived back in Bondi. I'm seriously going to miss going for morning runs along the beach...big time.

It was so great to see old friends again and say a farewell to this beautiful country of Australia.

Had a nice big dinner at Bondi Pizza with both my Canadian and Aussie friends 

Enjoyed many open bar nights on the rooftop patio of Diageo (the nights got a bit blurry)

Had a good old fashion Aussie BBQ with the Whalley Family- my long lost Aus relatives. 

How cute is this little munchkin? I'm going to miss her big time

Another thing I'll miss about Australia? THE COFFEE.

 None of this drip business- everyone here is a barista even in their own kitchen.

I find it rather fitting that I'm ending my time here in Sydney where it all began. Over the past 6 months I have learned so much and met some really great people. I couldn't think of a better way to ring in my 25 years of living than by going out and actually living it. 

Goodbye for now dear Sydney... I will most definitely be back.

Next stop: NYC

Travelganza Part 2: Melbourne

As if Hobart wasn't a great way to kick things off, arriving in Melbourne really kept the momentum going. If you're not up to speed, I'm travelling over the next two weeks to five different cities to ring in my 25th birthday. 

Melbourne reminds me a lot of Toronto, but operates much more effectively. 

The transportation system is brilliant weather you're driving, tramming it or riding your bike. My friend Erin snapped this photo out of the sunroof of our friends car as we drove through the city and I think it captures the beauty of Melbs perfectly:

I love cruising around Melbourne and checking out all the cool buildings. The architecture here is unrivaled with colours and shapes that will put anyone in awe of it all. 

Hands down this is the culture capital of Australia. The people here don't have to try hard to be cool- they just are. You won't see girls running around in hoochie dresses and heels like they do in Sydney (and Toronto). Instead, you'll hear a live band jamming on the corner in a warehouse jam space or local pub. If you love music and beer gardens, then you'll LOVE Melbourne. Sidenote* sometimes you have to walk down a sketchy alley to get to a great bar, but trust me when I say the reward is always a great one. 

I said my goodbyes to my roomies and our awesome Melbourne pad.

I'm REALLY going to miss Gill and Shannon. We had some of the best nights in Melbourne together and all piled into Shannon's warm comfy bed on our last night (yes we spooned and we're okay with that). 

If you ever make it out to Melbourne, check out my Aussie Adventure Blog post 'Must Do's in Melbs' 

2 cities down. 3 more to go. 

Sydney: brace yourself! 

Birthday Travelganza Part 1: Hobart

One city down, four more to go.
If you have no idea what I'm talking about. Allow me to catch you up to speed:

I'm travelling over the next two weeks to five different cities and celebrating my 25th birthday along the way. I'll probably be completely sick of airports by the end of it, but having a laptop (aka- my child) with me makes things more tolerable. Now if only more airports had free wifi...
but I digress...

As I flew into the beautiful state of Tasmania I was completely taken back by it's beauty. As we drove into Hobart, I suddenly felt like I was in Vancouver -a city surrounded by mountains and right by the water.


All in all it was a fantastic experience and one that I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone travelling Australia. Here's what happened in a nutshell:

-Got a tour of the oldest brewery in Australia (Cascade)



-Road tripped out to Bruny Island where I ate a lot of cheese, drank a lot of wine, found the stairway to heaven and got shucked.



-Climbed a mother fuckin' mountain in Wineglass Bay (and told myself the whole way up I am not getting old)



-Drank the best coffee of my life, hit the Salamanca Markets and bought heaps of goodies for my fam back home (I've had to dump some clothes to make it all fit)

Next Stop: Melbourne. Bring. it. on.

two. five.

Two weeks. Five cities.

Can she handle it?

Hobart

Melbourne

Sydney

New York

Toronto

let the madness begin.

Behind the Scenes

video blogging on the streets of Melbourne and dissecting the street style. Full article coming to MTV Canada's new online magazine FORA this summer :)

Riding on a Dream

Meet my friend Rob. 

Rob is one of those rare people you meet in your life.
The kind that puts others before himself and inspires me on a daily basis
Over five years ago, Rob started an organization called Skate4Cancer 
which has grown into a supportive community for young people
affected by cancer. 

Although he does so much to promote cancer prevention, one thing he does
every couple of years is traveling to a country and skateboarding across it.
I made a documentary about his very first skate from LA to Toronto when I was
in Uni and will never forget the day Rob crossed the Canadian border with
Martin Streek by his side. I cut together a shorter version for Youtube-
but if you want to see the full doc. contact me :)

Since then Rob has boarded across Canada, New Zealand and has just skated
a major chunk of Australia. Unfortunately he was injured on this skate and
needs to take some time off to recover but there is no doubt in my mind
he will be back to conquer to remainder of Australia. When he starts
something, he is determined to finish it. 

Rob started his Aussie skate in Sydney where I embraced him and the rest
of the team. I introduced them to my favourite spot in Bondi to watch
the sunset- a place that has played a significant role on my journey. 

I met him with open arms again in Melbourne where the skate community
came together at Prahan Skate Park for a good old Aussie BBQ. When two
teenage boys came up to him and asked him to sign their boards I couldn’t help
but smile :)

It is so amazing to see how Rob has inspired people on a worldwide
level now. They are not only following him, but open their homes up to him
and the team anywhere they go- offering beds, showers, etc. It’s times like
these you realize how beautiful the world really is :)

So be part of the movement and support Rob on his journey.
Check out the website, subscribe to their Youtube Channel and join
their Facebook page to stay updated with events. 

Lets Dream. Love. Cure. together :) 

Fora Fun

As many of you already know, I'm currently travelling Australia and blogging about it here.
Some even more exciting news, I've been asked by my dear family at MTV Canada to write some articles for them about Aussie Beauty in their new online magazine FORA.



It's completely interactive and streamlines beautifully with Twitter and other community forums. I'm really happy with how my page turned out :)  You can move the polaroids around and watch a video I made called '5 Things Canadians Can Learn from Aussies'.



If you live outside of Canada, you'll have to watch the video on Youtube which I've also posted on my Aussie Blog.

I'm always interested to hear your thoughts/suggestions so feel free to comment or Tweet me.
It feels so good to be able to do this stuff while I'm travelling. My Mac and I are inseparable... it's getting kind of serious :)

skype me baby

As a traveller, I actually look forward to holidays because I know I'll be able to spend some quality skype time with friends and family. So proud of mamma Tagg for learning how to use this program - she brings her laptop with her to every family function so I can be part of it from the other side of the world. Had a lovely Easter dinner with the fam today and loved catching up with everyone. 

Even though I keep them updated on My Aussie Adventure, it's always nice to have some face time :) 

Don't have me on skype? Add me: ataggio -and we'll have a video party!

Dear Blogspot:
I have not forgotten you. I've simply been travelling my way through Australia and updating my Aussie Adventure Blog with Tumblr. I hope you don't think I'm cheating on you. He just offers me some things that you can't at the moment.

I promise to write more often when the trip is done. Please know you will always have my heart.
I can't believe it's been six years already. Looking forward to so many more  <3

Love always,
-Alicia

Good Morning

There is something about this song that completely changes the tenor of my day.
That is all.

Feels Like the First Time

So last night I grew the balls to get on stage and do stand up comedy for the first time.

I don't really remember very much of it because it all happened so fast, but I was told afterwards that I did a great job. On a sidenote, this was also something on 'my list' of things to do before I die... so I am pleased to check that one off now.

If any of you are thinking about this, I highly recommend you try it.

My dear co-worker at MTV, Derek Forgie hosts the event about once a month in support of the HSSE. It's a very warm and welcoming environment for people who just want to get up on stage and try stand-up for the first time.

Join their Facebook Group and come out and participate in their next event. It's only $5 and each act is about 5 minutes a piece.

Here are some friendly tips I learned from last night:

-be prepared for the spotlight (it was so damn bright I couldn't see a single person in the audience and it was weird hearing them laugh but not being able to see them at all.

- don't be afriad to adjust the mic stand/take the mic in your own hands

-use the stage. Act shit out, especially when giving anecdotes.

-Chill out. Drink a beer before you go up and loosen up a bit.

-out of courtesy to the other acts, keep it as close to 5 minutes as possible.

in health and humour,

-A

MLG Time Lapse

Pretty cool to see the transformation.

Also kind of creepy that I was being watched for 5 days...

Google Street

Big news. Google Maps has just launched street level views for Toronto. What does this mean? I can finally explain to friends where the hell I live now!

Check it:

View Larger Map

To the left is Burrito Boy. To the Right is Tequila Sunrise.

Where does that leave me? 

Heaven. 

Back on blades again

When I quit figure skating six years ago to work in TV, I never thought those two worlds would ever come together again for me. I was a competitive figure skater for over 10 years and stopped at the end of high school so I could attend Ryerson for television and concentrate on working in TV. 

After years of freelancing with Insight Productions I received an e-mail from my producer saying that they were teaming up with CBC to create a new entertainment show called Battle of the Blades. Not only were they looking for a floor director, but they were looking for someone to do this from ice level. I couldn't believe what I was reading. This job had my name written all over it. The question was, could I fit back into my skates again? (The answer is no, but luckily my sisters always had bigger feet than me). 

Walking into the Maple Leaf Gardens for the first time in over ten years immediately brought back all the memories. The smell of the arena, the runny noses, and the sweet sweet sound of my blades crunching edges into the ice. I felt right at home again.

We had our first meeting on ice with the participants when suddenly I was surrounded by hockey legends and figure skaters I looked up to growing up. 

I think the general feeling at that moment was shared by all of us; we were excited to get going and bracing ourselves for the long days ahead.

Even though we've never done a show like this before, I felt completely comfortable knowing I had such an great team around me in every dept who I've worked with in the past. From the producers to the TVA's, I knew we had such a solid group on board.

I mean, look at this Leafs Dressing Room: Peter and Sandra brought life to a room that's been boarded up and vacant for years!

Before I knew it, it was our first show day. The audience started piling into the Gardens and really brought life to the arena again (some even sporting their leafs jerseys). As I skated around before the show, I thought to myself, 'Wow, I get to do the two things I love to do tonight: Skate and help run a live TV show.' And of all places, the Gardens!

So if you haven't booked your tickets yet, get on it. Tickets are $5 through Ticketmaster and are selling fast. Then let me know what day you're coming and make sure we get some embrace time. I'm only here for one more month before I head off the Aussie to conquer more TV. 

and stay tuned for more pics from the rink!

After Hours

One of my favourite people to drink with is my good man Clint. As an Instructor at the Toronto Institute of Bartending  you can imagine why. Not only does he teach me how to make fun drinks, but his knowledge on the history of certain cocktails is impeccable. 

After hours, we like to make our own drinks and play around with different mixes. The possibilities are simply endless. Last night, we decided to pay omage to our good man Tom Collins and somehow created what we like to call:

'The BumbleBee Twist: A member of the Collins Family" 

So without further adieu, here is how you can enjoy one...

What You'll Need: 

-lemons

-simple syrup (equal parts sugar/water)

-ginger beer

-Absolut Raspberry Vodka

-After 8 chocolate straws

-ice ice baby

How to Make it:

-mix 2oz vodka, 1 oz squeezed lemon, 1/2 oz simple syrup 

-add ice, and shake

-strain into a glass filled with ice

-top with ginger beer

-garnish with a lemon twist

-use wedge from your twisted lemon and place on glass

-break After 8 chocolate straw and place in the grooves of wedge

-Serve and enjoy!

Stay tuned for more of our late night creations

New.Beginnings.

Ok. So I'm at this weird crossroad in my life.

After working slightly over a year for MTV Canada which is a place thriving with incredibly creative and brilliant minds; I started thinking about my future in this industry. I absolutely love the company and love what I do so much that I could see myself working there for a long long time. This led me to realize how lucky I am at the age of 24 to have such a sweet gig. I must be doing something right if they like me enough to keep me around this long.

But then, it happens... every time I log onto a social network, (Facebook whore) I see yet another album of a friend who has posted their experience from Europe (or the like). 

And then there is me... the one who has never been outside of North America. Seriously.

I've done my share of US states including the incredibly gorgeous Hawaii. And like any other college kid, had my share of spring breaks in Cuba etc.

But I've never lived outside of the city for more than a couple of weeks. Toronto is the only life I know. And I feel like now is that time go out and experience this sort of stuff before I settle down to a 'real job' if you will, (although working in TV is definitely not your 9-5). 

So I took the leap of faith. I sat down with my producer and talked it out. She was completely on my page, in fact even had stories to tell of when she did the same thing.  

Now it's happening... I'm taking this next year off to travel to Australia. I'm not just going for the beaches, boys, and sexy accents (although it is rather appealing) but to also try my hand at working in TV land out there. 

So what's the point in traveling if you're just going there to work you ask? 

TV works a little different...it's a lot of freelance which when planned out right can allow you to travel in between gigs. This could mean Fiji, New Zealand, Thailand. Hell, I'm going to try and hit everything I possibly can while I'm on that side of the world. The more money I make out there, the more I can do with it. 

And then it became real. I found a super great deal through a company called VAustralia and literally jumped at the chance to book a flight. I had butterflies in my stomach watching the payment go through and the itinerary show up in my inbox. 

I'm stoked. I'm reuniting with my Whistler homies and old friends. Everyone is telling me it will be an experience I'll never forget. "You'll love it Alicia. You'll never come back"

But then, my heart drops. My company posted a job two days after booking my flight for a position that has my name written all over it. As I read the qualifications I'm mentally checking off the list in my head:

-Online social butterfly? Check

-Understanding and evolving with these social networks? double check

-portfolio of writing skills? triple check

-Photography skills/photo editing- check check could this job get any better? check

-HTML/ web understanding - check check I can feel the tears forming check

I have to stop here... It hurts to replay this in my mind.

The perfect job at the worst possible time.

Why do I feel like I'm making a mistake by leaving?
I'm not. I just have to keep telling myself that.

I can't wait to look back on this day and laugh about it :)

a little inspiration from Steve Jobs

As I stand here at a crossroad in my life. I stumbled upon this...




"Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick...don't lose faith. I'm convinced the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that's as true for work as it is for lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking...and don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."
-Steve Jobs

Thanks Steve. I needed this.

EGG-cellent Choice

So I'm the type of girl that enjoys making food but hates following recipes. You won't find teaspoons and measuring cups in my kitchen. I like to eye everything out and experiment with what works and doesn't when it comes to food. So if you're anything like me, perhaps you will enjoy my food posts. So with that being said, feel free to change/experiment with this one. 

Weather you're cottaging, camping, or just feel like firing up some breakfast on the BBQ, this next recipe I'm about to share will change your life. My sister's boyfriend Adam has been making this in his family for years and it's not only delicious but super easy to make.

What you'll neeed:

-cupcake tin

-carton of eggs

-margarine/butter

-chopped veggies (onions, mushrooms etc)

-shredded cheese

-BBQ/campfire/grill

-friends to enjoy it with

-start by scooping a small spoonful of margarine/butter into each tin

-add chopped veggies 

-cook over grill until veggies are cooked 

-crack an egg into each tin

-cover the egg tins (to ensure complete cooking coverage)

-add cheese to top of each egg

-once cheese is melted, remove from heat, and let it cool briefly

-scoop each egg onto a plate

-serve and enjoy!