I’m no expert photographer. I only take snaps using my phone. But what am I going to do with all the content I’ve taken so far? Post them here!

Toronto is Canada’s most populous city and is often mistaken as the country’s capital. (For the record, that designation belongs to Ottawa). My appearance hardly stood out in Toronto as the place is one of the most diverse I’ve ever been in. Apparently, more than half of the residents were born outside of Canada. And the same figure can be quoted as to how many of the residents belong to a visible minority group.

For all the descriptions available online about Toronto, one thing obvious but not called out often, is how cold it can get. My friend said winter lasts almost 6 months. I do not know how factual that statement is. But I wouldn’t be surprised.

I was there for a work trip during the month of March in 2022.

Here are five pictures I took while visiting Toronto:

I passed by this view every time I went to work. Not bad, right? But I had no courage to skate there myself, although a colleague of mine encouraged the rest of us to try.

Besides Disney on Ice and all the fairytales the giant conglomerate would have me believe, the other myth they have instilled in my brain is how easy and glamorous this hobby can be. I remember 15 years ago on my first attempt, I kept falling and my bottom really hurt for a couple of days. I guess I’m still suffering from some sort of PTSD. I don’t think I will revisit this activity any time soon.

The weather wasn’t helping. Snow falls. Temperatures drop. And heartbreaks still happen.

I guess nothing can make the heart colder than a romance gone wrong. And Torontonians are not exempt from that suffering. Mathematics isn’t the only language that’s universal.

There goes the humblest and most informative plea I’ve seen in my life. Security cameras are common. But I guess to save everyone the hassle, if there is no cash available, what’s the point of breaking in?

I don’t know how much of the message is true. Nor do I know if the data point makes a difference. I do hope the pranksters don’t get a kick of just messing with the restaurant owner.

When I was growing up, western liberal democracies, like the one existing in Canada, were the gold standard of how I’d want my country to end up as. But one of the events I witnessed was people marching on the streets.

And I have no value judgment on the legitimacy of people’s concerns. Nor did I bother knowing. But I take the display of might as a reconfirmation that no matter which place I decide to settle in, none of those would ever be perfect.

My first order of business when I arrived in Canada was to have a meal. And my default is to ask employees in the establishment for a taste of their local cuisine.

Not only was the server dumbfounded on what that entailed for Canada. But so were the locals he asked around. The one pictured above is a chicken pot pie and that was the closest they can think of.

PS I did go to a “Canadian” restaurant as classified by Google.

All photos were taken on March 2022.