If these pics  are to be posted any later than today,  then by the time i step into the new year, i would have already tossed my resolution even before i could keep up with it.  Yeah.. if you trying to figure out what that is, its “NO” PROCRASTINATION. Its been close to a month since i got back from Canada after a reaaally tiring and probably the most hectic travel i have ever undertaken. Its been no less than a roller coaster ride.

Despite of all the troubles of losing a lot of important work due to a laptop which i cant trust no more.. added with lack of preps for my exams and adding a lil more trouble of losing my MBA assignments and getting almost close to losing a semester.. At the end of it..  It was all worth it  when it comes to meeting long lost buddies in a foreign land, trying out amazing cuisines, getting high on international booze 😉 ,  Eating at the World’s largest INDIAN Buffet – Tandoori Flame, Climbing the  CN Towers – world tallest building in the northern hemisphere and seeing the ground through a glass floor,  and visiting the Niagara falls, Visiting a few unmentionable places 😉 ,  A walk in one of Toronto’s Castles –Casaloma, Witnessing an absolutely fantastic evening of music and fireworks and ice skating at the Cavalcade of Lights in Toronto and last but not the least finally being able to lay my hands on a brand new Nikon.

Most of ya’all would be following the entire collection of pics on facebook n picasa. 🙂

A first couple of days in the week I landed was more of tryin to recover from a really rotten jetlag and gettin to know the area around the hotel we stayed at. The place was a really comfortable and cozy suite called Staybridge at Markham. Had really scrumptious breakfasts and sundowners.. the rooms were really well maintained and the staff were very friendly and courteous. Had a gujju manager so an occasional conversation in hindi made sure we felt at home. Also met a few goofies from India staying in the same hotel. Made a few new frens as well.

Met my buddies Arun and Daman from Chandigarh.. not to mention i had to carry a pressure cooker all the way from here.. Was only hoping i didnt get stopped at the airport for carrying it from here.. Its really strange how your friends in a foreign country always expect you to carry the item which you least expected you would have to carry. Just fell in love with Arun’s ride, a really neat Passat.

The first weekend was more of exploring the city by ourselves.. my colleague n i head out to the city center called Downtown area with the other goofies from our hotel.. Eaton Center .. one of the largest malls in Toronto was our first stop before heading out to CN Towers.. Damn.. that was one huuuugeee building. Also happened to take a walk on the worlds longest street called Yonge street at 1,896 km. Thats Freakishly long.

The next day was a loooooooong drive to the Niagara and the best part was doin it on a clear sunny day. It is an amazing high.. Spent almost an entire day at the downtown area.. lost a few dollars gambling at a casino. And on the way back.. an amazing Pakistani biryani from a small restaurant called Karachi Boy. The weekend couldnt have ended in a better way.

The rest of the week followed with a few client visits and eat outs but thanks to the MBA assignments, i had to opt out of the eat outs. My colleagues went gaga over Bier Markt, a niche restaurant which serves beer from all over the world including India.. No extra points for guessing which Indian Beer.. yep… Kingfisher 🙂

One of the best evenings during the week was spent chillin out at one of the nightclubs in the downtown area and picking up my brand new Nikon dslr.

The second weekend was exciting, befriended a gurl from Bangalore named Pallavi.. She worked for CGI and was stayin at our hotel and she certainly was not a goofie 😉 . We went n checked out Casaloma,  the harbour front and Cavalcade of Lights.  Had lunch at Little India.. pretty average food but after a long exhaustive walk at the castle, the taste didnt really matter. We hogged away to glory.. Everytime i somehow end up doin somethin wild while on a foreign trip, the previous time in Melbourne, i picked up a porno magazine for my friends wife coz she wanted to gift it to her hubby on his birthday.. This time i walked into a store called Condom Shack and picked up birthday gifts 😉 for my best buddies in India.. and i wouldnt have dared do it if i were in India. Anyways i aint gonna elaborate on what i saw there and what i bought. All i know is my colleagues and Pallavi both were scandalized 😉 . Wish i could have taken a pic of their faces. 🙂 .This store was packed with a bunch of neat little gadgets and contraptions I didn’t even know existed 😛 .

The last day was almost spent entirely shopping at a local Walmart store and the rest working on finishing the MBA assignment. There are times that you learn lessons the hard way and i happened to be do just that.. Worked for 2 weeks on my assignment and the next morning my Laptop hard drive is toast !!! I only wished my office could have provided me with a more stable laptop. Why couldnt it be like my old Dell !!!

Anyways, the journey back was fun.. British Airways truly rocks.. superb food n drinks on the plane. and the layover at Heathrow was a delight. We even stopped for a drink at an exclusive outlet which belongs to the client to whom we provide IT support. and that experience was a WOW 🙂

This post my buddies is the last one for this year. I wish you and your loved ones a very happy and prosperous new year 2010. Hope all of you folks stay recession proofed. May you all TRY to stick to your resolutions.

Cheers,

Me