....now the party don't start, till I walk in....

Friday, January 22nd, 2010.

Countdown to LA: 1 day!!!

Countdown to Sydney: 12 days.

Wow. Time has flown so fast we don't even know what to do with ourselves anymore. It feels like forever ago we sat down with a list of themes, determined to find the best one for our goodbye party. When we settled on "Almost Famous", we weren't sure we'd be able to pull it off. Truthfully, everything we know from the late 60's/early 70's we learned from that movie (among a few select others). While it may not our era of choice for music, we learned that the clothing definately was!

The turnout was amazing, all of our closest friends came as well as a lot of people we hadn't had the chance to see in a while! Nothing like a going away party to reunite you with long lost friends!

With the cosumption of alcohol and the fact that we were leaving, we were positive the tears would be flowing along with the Champagne. Surprisingly though, we didn't shed too many tears!!! I still think it hasn't hit us yet, we are so focused on going to LA that it really just feels like an extended vacation. All that will change as it's our last night in Canada and there is still so much to do and so many goodbyes to be said.

That being said, I really should get back to packing. We will update from the airport in the am.

Perpetually dreaming,

Linds & Naz

....she's a brick.....Hooouuuusse.....

Tuesday, January 12th, 2009.
Countdown to LA: 11 days!
Countdown to Sydney: 22 days!

O-M-F-G!!! 11 days......eleven short, hectic days. Thats all we have left in Canada and we need to put our "house hunter" hats on. Our list of prerequisites has grown exponentially from our first blog post way back on the eve of Halloween. Since then we've discovered that our house MUST include the following:

-internal laundry
-2 bedrooms
-close to the city (and beach, and Uni and clubs and restaurants, etc....)
-on a high floor to deter bugs and spiders
-partially furnished
-under $600 per week (we will be starving students/driftes after all)
-in a "un-sketchy" part of Sydney
-NOT in a quote un-quote quiet neighborhood
-hot neighbors, preferably brothers (double preferably twins - only if we can tell them apart, if not, who cares? Its all fun)

So with this list in mind, we set out on ANOTHER search of the perfect apartment....so far, these are the top 2 contenders:

Apt #1:

Pros:
-furnished
-very pretty
-we LOVE the one red wall
-cheap ($575 per week)
-in the heart of the city
-2 floors

Cons:
-the bond is high (over $3000)
-the tiles in the kitchen (we plan to re-tile)
-the couch (but we can get a cover)

Apt #2:

Pros:

-the pullout couch

-close to the Uni

-downtown

Cons:

-theres someone lurking in our kitchen!!!

-high bond

Next step: finalizing our goodbye party on Saturday. There is soooo much to do!! We need to organizing the playlist, guestlist, drinks, decorations, drinks, costumes, food and drinks.....we promise to keep you updated on all the fun!! Did we forget to mention the theme??? It's "Almost Famous", think, hippies, woodstock, rockstars and band-aids.....2 words come to mind : Penny Lane....

Perpetually Dreaming,

Linds & Naz

...they'll name a city after us and later say its all our fault...

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010!!!!

Countdown to LA: 18 days.

Countdown to Sydney: 29 days.

Happy new year!

It all seems real now (as it should, only 18 days to go!). I think it really started to hit me after my family trip to the Dominican Republic. DR by the way was beautiful. The clear ocean, the white sand and time spent with my family. I got to go parasailing and swam in a real cave for the first time in my life. Not to mention started a pretty awesome base tan for the year ahead.

Now, the fear, anxiety and excitement has taken over. Anxiety mostly about the many many many things I have yet to do (apply for my visa, pack, open a new bank account, pack, get an OHIP letter, pack, buy a laptop, pack etc.). The fear of leaving everything familiar and secure that I've been around all my life and starting over from scratch. And the excitement that I'm finally doing what I have wanted to do for 23 years! Now, whoever said moving half way around the world was easy.....?

I've been getting sick, I keep hearing bad news, and everything is taking a lot longer than I thought. Everyday just seems like a bad day but I know it is completely worth it and that's what is getting me through it all. Though I must say I would be having a complete nervous breakdown right now (we're talking 5150s and strait jackets) if it weren't for Lindsay. She has to deal with my daily mini erratic breakdowns along with all the stress she's under. So I'm sorry and thanks for keeping me (relatively) sane Linds! Couldn't and wouldn't be doing this without ya <3>

Now its time for a new year and a new life. Luckily, we got to spend New Years Eve with some of our friends for the last time in who knows how long...

Some pics for your viewing pleasure:

This quote by Alan Cohen is what I will be taking with me into 2010:
"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power"

...all I want for Christmas is you....

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009.

Countdown to LA: 25 days.

Countdown to Sydney: 36 days.

Last night, we had our annual Girls Christmas Dinner. We've been so busy with the upcoming move and everything surrounding it, we had very little time to prep for it. Needless to say, we were a little more than nervous that it would be a disaster. Luckily for us, we have the BEST friends in the world, and it turned out to be a smashing success!

There was food for days, including (but not limited to):

-egg rolls

-lasagna

-chicken fettucini alfredo

-cheese stuffed mushrooms

-couscous salad

-cream puffs

-and more wine than any alcoholic could ask for!!!

It was fantastically delicious and as the vino flowed we all settled into some much-needed girl talk and bonding.

Special shoutouts to Steph - our hostess with the mostest! She set up a beautiful Paris-themed table and made sure everyone had a great time! It made us super excited to be hosting our own dinner parties in Sydney and starting new traditions there!!! Kinda sad, we won't be able to attend the Christmas dinner next year, but we'll be sure to be there in spirit!!!

Perpetually Dreaming,

Linds & Naz

Snap Happy

Thursday, November 26th, 2009. 10:37

Countdown to LA: 58 days.

Countdown to Sydney: 69 days.

Confession - Naz and I are sloppy drunks. Not in a clothes coming off, making out with each other, falling down in the street way(save for a few special occasions). No no, we keep it classy. We are sloppy in the sense that we lose and break things when we're drunk.

Case in point #1: In August, Naz had cousins visiting from LA. We took them to Century Room, got completely wasted, and I broke the screen on my camera. It works, but I can't see the pictures until I upload them. This makes for an entertaining morning-after, when we reminisce over the nights event we don't remember...

Case in point #2: Halloween night, Naz and I are out with our friends wandering Church St. At some point in the night, we were happily taking pictures with her camera. We don't know when, where or how it happened, but Naz woke up the next morning sans her camera. Frustrating since she NEVER brings it out with her and only did due to my aforementioned broken camera.

This leads us to the topic of this post....we need new cameras! We are moving out of the country in T-58 days and don't have the proper means to document it!!! We are therefore using our blog as an outlet to weigh the pros and cons of the top contenders.

To help us make our decision, we are narrowing the list based upon price (we are on a budget) and a few "must-have" features. For simplicity's sake, I'm keeping it between Nikon and Canon. These are my 2 favorite, tried and true brands (yes - I've been through my fair share of picture takers). So far, here are the top 3:

Canon SD780 IS - $219.00:

This badboy is surprisingly cheap for all that it offers (christmas sales anyone??) and truth be told, its already the frontrunner. It offers 3x zoom, 12.1 megapixels and a 2.5 inch LD Display. It comes with a staggering 18 different shooting modes including: long shutter, sunset, ISO 3200, colour swap and beach setting. Plus it's cute, small and has a variety of colours for the fashionably-minded to chose from.

Canon Powershot SX120 IS - $229.00:

This camera is geared towards someone wanting a little more creative control with their photography. It has 10x zoom, 10 megapixels and a 3 inch LD Display. With settings such as "AV Aperture-Priority", (which allows you to isolate a subject) and "TV Shutter-Priority" (allowing you to select the shutter speed to blur action), you always maintain control with the outcome of the picture.

Nikon Coolpix S570 - $199.00:

This camera is a handy little camera, boasting 12 megapixels and 5x zoom. It has 6 shooting modes (including portrait, close-up and landscape) as well as vibration reduction and best shot selector.

When you've gone through as many cameras as I have, you start to wonder...."is it worth it to pay a little more so it will last longer?" But knowing my drinking habits, it is most definately NOT worth it. I will probably break the damn thing 14 months and you'll see another blog post comparing models. I'll let you know which one I chose, but in the meantime, feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Perpetually dreaming,

Linds

"...these streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you..."

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009. 11:44 am
Countdown to LA: 59 days.
Countdown to Sydney: 70 days.

Phew! What a trip! Naz and I spent the weekend taking in the sights and sounds of New York City. I hadn't been to NYC in almost 4 years, so I had to reacquaint myself with the Big Apple. We also discovered a few things:

1) A weekend is not enough time for all the sights in NYC

2) We are truly, utterly and completely obsessed with the city

3) We need to move there STAT!

Now, I've said it before and I'll say it again - Naz and I are heterosexual lifepartners. In saying this I mean, that we are so alike, so cosmically connected that if I didn't know any better, I'd think she was me. Which leads to our "dirty little secret"...Naz and I did NOT plan on going to NYC together. We planned these trips separately and just so happened to be there at the same time. Even when we try to do things apart, we still somehow end up together!

In the 2 days we were there, we took in many of the beloved New York sights:
-Central Park
-MoMA (specifically the opening weekend of the new Tim Burton exhibit)
-The New York Public Library
-The Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island
-The Empire State Building
-Bryant Park
-The Met
-Rockefeller Centre

We had such a great time in New York, we've decided its the next stop on our world tour (after Sydney of course). Naz, Steph and I (aka The Holy Trinity) have decided to spend summer 2011 in Manhattan. Spending the days tanning in Central Park and the nights partying in the city that never sleeps....

Perpetually Dreaming,
Linds & Naz

New Moon Premiere Tonight!

Thursday, November 19th, 2009. 11:21 am.
Countdown to LA: 65 days.
Countdown to Sydney: 76 days.

Tonight is the big night! The premiere of the Twilight Saga: New Moon. We have our tickets for the 10pm showing (yes 2 hours before everyone else gets to see it) and we are very excited.

New Moon is one of my favourite books in the series. It definitely didn't start out that way, but it grew on me. It is very emotionally raw as it deals with the protagonist Bella swirling into a deep depression as her soul mate Edward leaves her. I really hope the movie stays true to the book and am curious to see how they film the passage of time which in the book was four blank pages simply stating the months from October to January in an amazing way that symbolized her empty life without him and really left an impression on the readers. I have faith in Chris Weitz, I think he will do an excellent job in picking up where Catherine Hardwick left off. Hopes are also high for the expanding cast including Dakota Fanning, Michael Sheen and a bigger role taken on by Taylor Lautner. I have always been on Team Edward but I'm thinking I may switch sides after tonight...



The only thing we're not looking too forward to is the crowds of screaming girls whom I am sure are waiting in line right now. Hopefully I'll still have my hearing after the movie as we will be beginning our road trip to NYC immediately after the screening. Wish us luck!

Perpetually Dreaming,
Linds&Naz

p.s. Good news for us; we always thought Australia gets their movies a few weeks after North America but New Moon actually opened a day before on November 19th in Oz. This makes me happy as we will be in Sydney for the premiere of Eclipse, the next movie in the saga.

You're a hot mess and I'm falling for you.....

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009. 10:27 am.
Countdown to LA: 66 days.
Countdown to Sydney: 77 days.

So...sunday night we partied with rockstars. Not anyone most people over the age of majority would know but rockstars nonetheless. We went to a concert featuring The Maine, A Rocket to the Moon, Cobra Starship and Boys Like Girls. I'm pretty sure we were the only people legally drinking in the 19-over section.

Naz has been in love with Gabe from Cobra Starship for a few years now, so when she found out they were playing a concert in Toronto she obviously had to go. We bought tickets a few months back all ready to battle it out with pre-teens in the General Admission crowd for a good view. Fortunately for us, the stars aligned, luck was on our side and we didn't have the need to throw any punches for a good view.
It just so happens that last year, while Boys Like Girls were in Toronto on tour with Good Charlotte, Naz ended up partying with them on their tour bus. She has stayed in contact with Boys Like Girls' tour manager ever since. So the night before the concert, she contacted John, the drummer from the band and he hooked us up. He put us on guest list, gave us four free tickets (which we promptly scalped for drinking money) and invited us to the after party.


We had a great time at the show - we drank, danced, sang and partied with our sunglasses on at night. After the show, we convinced all the bands to head over to Century Room for the afterparty where we hung out in the booth with Cobra Starship. Here is when the problem started. Naz started out the night in love with Gabe and ended it totally over him. Gabe is NOT as hot in person, he kinda looks like a really tall 12 year old. Maybe it was the clothes he was wearing, but even our "beer goggles" couldn't help him out. But we do have a long list of crushes so I guess we'll just have to move onto meeting the next one....Hello? Bradley Cooper?

Perpetually Dreaming,
Lindz & Naz

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi???

Tuesday November 10th, 2009. 9:53 am.

Countdown to LA: 74 days.

Countdown to Sydney: 85 days.

Last week, Steph - the third member in our trio, moved back to Toronto from San Fransisco. So we decided, being the amazing, fantastic friends that we are, to throw her a welcome home party. We started off with Dins at Moxies. Yummy, cheap food and delicious drinks were the perfect kickoff to a fantastic night.

Naz and I shared the 3 dip med bread appetizer (delicious as always). And I had a Moxie-sized Peach Bellini - this thing was bigger than my head!!!

So after a few hours of eating, drinking and talking, all of us girls decided to head downtown. We headed to a Burlesque bar called Jezebel.

Now, we had never heard of this place, and its easy to understand why. The entrance is located in an alley way and its looks like the type of shady place I usually try to avoid....but apparently its pretty popular, with people waiting upwards of an hour to get in. Naturally, we didn't wait to get in...our friend Morsel knew the owner so we were whisked away up a private entrance so the people waiting outside wouldn't be mad.

Inside, we had a blast. It wasn't too much of a burlseque bar, there was one dancer but she wasn't very good in my opinion...but the music and crowd was good so I can't complain.

We danced the night away and Steph had a great welcome back to Toronto! Soon, it will be our going away party that will have to be planned! We have so many themes ideas up our sleeves to make it the best night ever!!!

Perpetually Dreaming,

Linds&Naz

They've got all the right moves...

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009. 10:43 am.
Countdown to LA: 80 days.
Countdown to Sydney: 91 days.

The OneRepublic private concert at Tattoo Rock Parlour last night was surprisingly good. Now, I am not a fan of Ryan Tedder as Lindsay is (he is too short and I feel all his songs are sped up or slowed down versions of Stop & Stare) however, last night we both left with a crush on the lead singer.

This does tend to happen to both of us whenever we see celebrities live and in person. Case in point;

EXHIBIT A:

Edward Norton

Before we partied with Edward (Eddie as I like to call him) during TIFF this year I really felt nothing for him. I thought he was a great actor and admired his talent and body of work, but I never thought he was hot or sexy. Boy, were Lindsay and I both wrong! The way he walked into that party, his swagger, his suit, everything, we both fell hard and added him to our Freebie Fives where he remains to this day.

EXHIBIT B:

Katy Perry

Before seeing Katy Perry live in concert this past summer, Lindsay and I both thought she was cute, campy and fun. After the concert, we both had crushes and I had my first girl crush ever!

EXHIBIT C:

George Clooney

Okay maybe this one doesn't count...but you get my point.

So last night we found Ryan to be charming, funny and a musical genius (he plays so many instuments and has written all the hit songs for everyone from Kelly Clarkson to Beyonce this year) which makes him pretty hot to us! OneRepublic's new songs were great as well. I personally loved 'Secrets' and 'Good Life' the most. [OneRepublic's new CD 'Waking Up' hits shelves November 17]

(Pictures taken with Lindsay's busted camera since mine is lost on church street :(...)

All in all, it was a great time and a great private concert with about 100 people in attendance. And we left with another member of our Freebie Five which is slowly turning into a Freebie 20...

Our next (planned) concert event is Cobra Starship and Boys Like Girls in 2 weeks, we'll keep you posted.

Perpetually Dreaming,

Naz

Stop and Stare

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009. 11:49 am.
Countdown to LA: 81 days.
Countdown to Sydney: 92 days.

So, exciting news...some may know that I am in love with One Republic, like in a seriously heart-breaking, unrequited way. I have, however, never seen them in concert. So, imagine my surprise when I come into work this morning and found out that I have 2 free tickets to their private concert tonight!!! Luckily, my partner in crime, Naz (or my heterosexual life partner as I affectionately call her) is free tonight to accompany me!

We plan to strap on our best (slash comfiest) dancing shoes and party the night away.


Ryan, my love....I am coming for you! Pics to come tomorrow!

On another unrelated note: Our third PIC (partner in crime) is coming home from a much too long stint in California....can't wait for the adventures to come!

Perpetually Dreaming,

Linds

Church on Halloween

Monday, November 2, 2009. 3:53 pm.
Countdown to LA: 82 days.
Countdown to Sydney: 93 days.

Halloween...from what we remember, was a fabuolous night! Our ever-revolving costumes went from Russian Mafia Wives, to Russian Mail Order Brides to finally settling on the Real Housewives of New Jersey.

[The best part of our outfits was the daring new lip colour by MAC. Lindsay is wearing the 'MAC Red' lipstick, Naz is using the 'Russian Red' lipgloss. And we are def going to sport these colours after Halloween as well. TIP: for a great longer lasting effect layer the lipgloss on top of the same colour lipsick.]

We started out the night at Enzo and Andy's fabulous apartment. They fed us shots like we were homeless kids in a shelter. After about 10-15 shots and a bottle of wine, we were in a fine mood to party. So, off to Church St we walked-the land of gays, love and fun.


[Right, Clockwise from Top: swine flu, Miss Swan, Pirate, Major Tease, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Pilot (Maverick), football player, Single Lady, Fairy]

A Bottle of wine and a bottle of vodka later, we had lost a camera, broken a bracelet, forgot a pair of sunglasses, damaged a purse and realized how much we'll miss our friends when we leave. But what we remember of this night we will never forget!

Perpetually Dreaming,

Linds&Naz