lunch on the patio (almost)

Since we couldn't get reservations for the patio and we had a large group, we decided to get a table with an ocean view. It was the kind of weather where you want to sit outside, enjoy the sunshine on your face, do some people-watching and have a lovely meal, chatting with your friends. It was back to Milestones for lunch, chosen by default since one chickadee wasn't too keen on eating seafood or being surrounded by seafood (because, of course, the calamari would suddenly rise up and try to attack you with a toothpick if it had a chance). Ugh. Sometimes girls can be so annoying. And this coming from a girl!

I had planned on getting to the restaurant on time, but got sidetracked along the way. This is what happens when you decide to walk along the streets of downtown, because there is always something to do or see. Took a quick peek inside H&M and 10 minutes later, left with a dress that was nothing special on the hanger, but surprisingly very cute on the body. Left the mall, thinking that I had plenty of time to do some window shopping, when something caught my eye, made me stop in my tracks, tilt my head to the side and say, "Huh... you don't see that everyday," which was this creature/exhibit/sculpture hanging in midair:


By the way, that's a snake on the right, not... something else. So, of course I had to run across the street, pull my camera out and snap a few shots. Did some more window shopping downtown, where they were giving away free mini cans of Coke Zero, which has zero calories. They must have spent a lot of long hours cloistered away in some corporate board room full of very expensive top-notch marketing professionals, sifting through tonnes of consumer surveys to come up with that name. I'm totally blown away by the simplicity of it all. Pfft! Then it was off to the nearest bus stop, to catch a bus and head over to the restaurant before any more distractions made me super late for lunch.

I found a monkey swimming in my bellini!

Hanging off its tail, drunk off its tree. Tsk tsk, bad monkey!

Didn't find anything amazing that I wanted to try so we headed over to Beard Papa's, where I got a chocolate eclair to take home with me and to the Cupcake store, where I oohed and ahhed over the assortment of cupcakes. Finally, I picked out a pretty, sunshiny yellow lemon drop cupcake to devour.

Like a kid in a candy store... yum!

Saw this when I was riding the bus home. Goes to show you how much of an impact Yves St. Laurent had on the world and not just the fashion community, to have someone use his logo as street graffiti. He's an amazing designer and will be greatly missed.

Side dish:
What I find with a large group of friends and you're stuck sitting in the middle, is that sometimes you're involved in multiple conversations, most of them which you're unaware of until they call your name or get your attention. This was the case for me and my head was swivelling left and right, trying to keep up and not snub or ignore anyone by accident. Sometimes, when you arrive late to a party or a dinner, you sit at the end seat and are stuck talking to the people in close proximity to you, totally out of the loop from the rest of the group. This can be a good thing, depending on who you're sitting next to. It can also be a bad thing, depending on who you're sitting next to. But, I prefer sitting in smaller groups, since I like the intimacy and the chance of having a deep discussion about whatever topic should strike our fancy. Sitting in a large group, you sometimes feel like you need to lean back and let the conversation flow over you, because there's several discussions going on at once and also, because the stream of thought is beyond your control. Not wanting to be the center of attention could also be another reason why I might keep my mouth closed and appear quiet and unresponsive to others. Participating in a conversation takes a lot of effort, but being involved in several conversations is an art form that I haven't quite mastered yet.