Dare I say Toronto is the best city in the world? If only it didn’t snow so much. :)

It takes me hours to get out of bed because I keep watching “just one more” TED Talk and quickly reach 8-10 TED Talks in one sitting. I’ve come across some pretty compelling ones the last couple of days but I’ll leave you with Simon Sinek’s How Great Leaders Inspire Action. That was probably the most relevant one for me. Every business has to have a purpose. Seriously, shut up with the features and benefits. That’s all secondary. :)

Chris and I have decided not to take another trip this year. It’s smarter to save the money and splurge on a bigger trip next year for the combined MBA graduation/honeymoon trip. So, in the mean time, I’ll just have to keep the nostalgia coming by visiting old travel photos. I couldn’t decide which version of these photos I liked better, so both will get some love.

More San Fran cityscapes. :) These were taken at the top of Twin Peaks. I remember that the wind was so strong that day, it was a bit scary to be so high up. It was gorgeous though. Chris and I are planning a small trip to the southern US, potentially New Mexico for a Breaking Bad road trip. The place looked pretty scenic in the show, so it’s definitely tempting.

I have my first assignment this semester due on Tuesday. You know what they really love to teach you in business school? Michael Porter’s Five Forces. My god, that framework has been hammered into our heads over and over and over and it sinks in a little deeper each time. They really want you to get good at it and to get good at it, you have to use it A LOT and that’s exactly what’s happening. It ought to come in handy.

Here’s a couple from San Fran, for my lack of posting lately. :) I just LOVE the hills and the staggered houses and buildings. The problem is, I just don’t think I could drive there! I’d actually be too worried about my car just rolling away. Being a passenger was scary enough; I always felt like the vehicle was going to give up on an uphill climb or come crashing down, although that fear was really quite unwarranted since the likelihood of cars rolling around was low as long as good drivers were behind the wheel. But I can’t believe there are residences on Lombard Street whose dwellers would need to park in and out of their garages on that crazy steep hill. Doesn’t seem to be the most practical area to live and to maneuver a vehicle? Love the city anyway. I also have a new found addiction to cityscape shots.

Both photos have been listed at my Etsy shop!

Here’s Alcatraz Island in San Fran. What a crazy looking place. We couldn’t actually get on the island because tickets were sold out forever and ever, so we hopped on a ferry and tried to get as close as possible. I wish we could’ve roamed through the abandoned buildings though. So cool.

I’m so ready for the long weekend. It’s my birthday weekend actually. My team at work surprised me with a red velvet cake, it was so sweet of them. :) And of course, the cake was delicious. All I want for my birthday is a road trip to a hidden gem that’s photo-worthy, so that’s just what we’ll do. And as a footnote, we can’t forget some wedding planning. It’s coming up so fast!!

As promised.

Got all my marks back from this past semester. All A’s except a nasty B+ from Managerial Accounting. B+’s used to be just fine and so I’m not sure how they got to be so nasty in the MBA program. They feel like a slap in the face every time, lol.

I’m ONE SALE away from 600 sales at my Etsy shop!! So excited. Thinking about how to celebrate the 600th sale. Maybe a giant 1-day sale. We’ll see!

Oh and for the love of documentation: today was my first day at General Mills. :)

Here they are! Newly listed at my Etsy shop. I have a few more shots of these Victorian houses; will share them in the next post. The architecture of homes in San Francisco are so beautiful. I think the average price of a small but nice looking home is $2 million. Puke!

On another note, I watched this video yesterday and I’m more scarred by it than any horror movie I’ve seen. Ignorance is bliss.

Is this overkill yet? Haha! There are so many more but I’m going to force myself to move on from the bridge and onto other pictures in the next post. (I think.) So yesterday’s post was the view of the bridge from the east and then these ones are the view of the bridge from the west. Chris and I hiked through a series of coastal trails. Stunning I tell you.

Tomorrow I start setting up for the RAW:Toronto’s Spectrum showcase. I’m kind of nervous because it’s my first show but excited at the same time. There are so many little details to tend to. Let’s hope it all goes well. If you haven’t bought your ticket, you still can right here. :) Hope to see you there on Thursday night!

I didn’t post yesterday as promised so I’m posting three pictures today. :) I’m calling this Golden Gate Bridge Part 1 because there are a few other shots I want to share on the next post. We literally climbed every hill in San Francisco and walked for miles to see the bridge from every point, lol. I’ve got San Fran with blue skies and San Fran with fog. :) Such a gorgeous bridge. These are now available at my Etsy Shop. And for your interest, check this photo out from back in 1937 when the bridge was being built. It’s pretty wild. More to come!!

I’m trying to get started on my accounting case study but keep getting distracted by Jamaica photos so I caved and am blogging instead. Here’s Chris and I under the Caribbean Sea. :) Hats off to waterproof point-and-shoot cameras! We accidentally left the battery of our Canon D20 at home and had to borrow a friend’s waterproof camera instead. I beat myself up the whole time I couldn’t take more underwater pictures. It was a shame.

Alright, I really have to get working. Have a super-fantastic Canada Day long weekend!