Things I have been meaning to do...

  

 

 

One of my resolutions this year has been to do the 'simple, everyday' things with Z that I always put off for another day just because something more seemingly important comes along.

I'd love to ride the TTC with Z this winter. Plant a tree in the spring. Enjoy a quiet, early morning bike ride on Lakeshore.

The above are a great reminder by Citizen Scholar - "Things You've Been Meaning To Do" - a series of illustrations by Joanne Neborsky

the non-blog entry week & other happenings...

I haven't blogged in over a week now, simply because it has been a crazy busy week. Last weekend was thanksgiving weekend in Canada and we enjoyed a great couple of days with family and friends. Our dear friends Nikki (baker extraordinaire) and Omar (chef extraordinaire) hosted an intimate dinner for Sana's family and ours. As always, the menu was simple and the food, par excellence.

On the menu:
Bite-sized pitas with eggplant chutney from Sue's
Pecan and peppers green salad (I will share the recipe this week, I tried it out for a dinner at my mil's and I got a lot of compliments!)
Italian bread with garlic butter
Mashed potatoes with beef gravy
Turkey with your choice of cranberry sauce or pepper sauce

For desert, Nikki had baked the most decadent chocolate cake I've ever eaten. It was soft, moist and it melted in your mouth and the best part is, prep time is only 15 minutes.

This week started off rather well because A and I enjoyed date night #2 on Tuesday. We watched Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy's documentary Children of the Taliban at the beautiful University of Toronto campus downtown. Just being at this campus makes me want to start school again - it envelopes you in this rich academic bubble!
The documentary screening was extra-special since I got to meet Sharmeen herself! I've been wanting to meet her ever since I interviewed her for The Grind Magazine a couple of years ago. She is as charming in person as she was over the phone! It was such a pleasure!

I've also been prepping for fall - putting the summer flip flops away and bringing in the boots and coats. This normally mundane activity was a ton of fun because Z participated. Our morning walks have come to a halt because the weather's been dangerously low unfortunately. I think winter's come knocking at our door rather early this year!

On a positive note, this weekend is really busy and we have a lot of fun things planned :)
And...and.. I'm starting grad school next week. I will be an MA/MFA grad-in-the-making...I'm so excited and a bit anxious too! I hope the transition to student-mom is smooth :)

Zoo Stories

I've never been one for zoos. Even though as a child I have vividly fond memories of my parents taking me to the Dubai Zoo and the Al-Ain Zoo. I love animals but I don't like them caged.

                                                               Z at Dubai Zoo, Jan 2009

Z loves her an-ee-maws (translate animals), so when we were visiting my parents in Dubai earlier this year, I took her to the zoo. Z, at 9 months, was most excited and babbled to all the an-ee-maws that were awake.

June 05, 2008 - given that we live just 5 minutes away from the Toronto Zoo, A and I decided we'd become members and take her once a week, atleast in the summer. Z loved it. Each time we take her to the zoo, she is animated, excited and bouncing of the walls with energy. It's an exhilarating feeling just watching her. I took her today and here's some of the new associations she made.

                

mooz

thead and gween birdie (translate red and green bird) 

                            birdie drinking mani ( translate pani, which means water in urdu)

                                                                    neigh neigh (translate horse)

I'd highly recommend a visit to the Toronto Zoo. It's such a fun way to spend the day!