Got off work early on Friday and headed downtown immediately to check out some places downtown. Visited a good number of places in the Bay St corridor (including a little bachelor unit in Ivan's building). Out of the Bay Street corridor, I'd have to say the best bachelor units are at 25 The Esplanade.
The bachelor unit I looked at was about 650 sq ft, for $1200 (all in - utilities, heat, a/c, etc.) The room has a small solarium with glass walls (which you can convert into a bedroom), a bathroom with separate tub and shower stalls, a giant closet, washer/dryer and an open concept kitchen. It's essentially one big open square with the aforementioned occupying space on the perimeter, leaving the centre completely open.
The vacant unit I looked at was on the 11th floor - so half way up, with a south view over the railyards and the lake. Lots of natural light.
The building is very well maintained (probably the best I've seen so far, even compared to brand new buildings). The amenities are amazing (and free of charge) - full gym, outdoor track, 6 garden terraces, billiards room, party room and bbq area, as far as I could see. Security is tight - this is the first place that asked my agent for his real estate licence and picture ID, in addition to the standard business card.
It's pretty much equidistant from union station, St Lawrence market, and queen's quay ferry terminal. There's also a Loblaws and the Bier Markt nearby.
So why is it so cheap? What are the downsides? 1) There's no parking - which for me is an upside, because I don't have a car and it drives down the prices of the units. 2) South view, while beautiful, is also noisy because of the rail yard. 3) The only time any of the good units go on the market is because the owner died.
The wedge units (not the one I'm looking to rent) are considered among the best condo units in the entire downtown core. Those units have a 240 degree view - that's pretty much a full north, west, and south view. The only other comparable view is at 1001 Bay, which overlooks campus - sacred ground that will not likely ever be developed.
The more I think about this building, the more I want to live there - at least for a year to see how I like it. Anyway, the one unit I visited on Friday came on the rental market on friday, and by this morning, was already gone. Now I sorta regret not jumping on it...
-d
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
What I've been saying about Canada...
... but without the eloquence.
Haroon Siddiqui captures in his essay the qualities that make Canada the best place in the world to live as a person of colour.
Better than old Europe, that professes liberty, equality, and fraternity while the disadvantaged set fire to cars in ethnic slums, the new Union paralyzed by paroxysms of islamophobia, in denial of economic reality, and drunk on delusions of moral superiority. Better than Austrailia which is said to be very like Canada, save for the overtly racist white majority and intensely protectionist and isolationist tendencies. Better than the US of A, a foundering country with a careless trigger-finger and enough megatonnage to end the world.
We take it for granted that we can enter into competition with a white male and still win the decent well-paying job. It isn't so in most of the world. We take it for granted that we can see a doctor anytime we like, without paying through the nose, but complain that we must wait too long for a service simply non-existent or inaccessible elsewhere (Granted, the complaint is valid since we must always advocate for improvement and positive change). We live in peace, without fear, without hunger or thirst, but we complain about the annual price for such luxuries and necessities.
Of course, I paint in broad strokes (for we are not without our own problems - we do have poverty), but I mean that generally speaking, for us, there are no 'good old days' because our lot in the world has been better than ever.
-d
Haroon Siddiqui captures in his essay the qualities that make Canada the best place in the world to live as a person of colour.
Better than old Europe, that professes liberty, equality, and fraternity while the disadvantaged set fire to cars in ethnic slums, the new Union paralyzed by paroxysms of islamophobia, in denial of economic reality, and drunk on delusions of moral superiority. Better than Austrailia which is said to be very like Canada, save for the overtly racist white majority and intensely protectionist and isolationist tendencies. Better than the US of A, a foundering country with a careless trigger-finger and enough megatonnage to end the world.
We take it for granted that we can enter into competition with a white male and still win the decent well-paying job. It isn't so in most of the world. We take it for granted that we can see a doctor anytime we like, without paying through the nose, but complain that we must wait too long for a service simply non-existent or inaccessible elsewhere (Granted, the complaint is valid since we must always advocate for improvement and positive change). We live in peace, without fear, without hunger or thirst, but we complain about the annual price for such luxuries and necessities.
Of course, I paint in broad strokes (for we are not without our own problems - we do have poverty), but I mean that generally speaking, for us, there are no 'good old days' because our lot in the world has been better than ever.
-d
Friday, May 08, 2009
Going green
We've started ordering groceries directly to the office. Every week, I order a box of fruit, which is delivered straight to my desk. This week, I got a canteloupe, a bunch of bannanas, a box of strawberries, 3 grapefruits, a bag of apples, and 4 pears. It just happens to be whatever is fresh at the Terminal, local if possible. The food is guaranteed fresh, and we can exchange overripe or rotten fruit. I trade some of my fruits to my colleagues for veggies - namely carrots. I take home some of the bigger or messier items, and the remainder I eat at my desk as snacks. The odds and ends, cores and pits I throw into my secret compost under my desk where I raise and breed worms.
-d
-d
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
On predators and prey
This past weekend, I got shot at. Bullets landed not 10 m away from me. Pretty unnerving stuff.
We were conducting training with live ammunition, and the final assault on an enemy position involves crawling up to the position (with your comrades' rounds flying overhead) and clearing it.
The whole time, I was paranoid about getting shot. We trained in pairs at first, and then in groups of four. I had a really good teammate, so no worries there, but the other pair were pretty green. First couple of times, I sent the green troops up to the position, but eventually it was my turn (lead by example). I think next time, I'll choose my teammates more carefully.
For the latter half of the weekend, I led a reconnaisance patrol out to observe an 'enemy' position overnight. It's a strange feeling stalking through the forest, hiding in the darkness of night from patrols and spying on people. On the one hand, we're outnumbered and outgunned, so engaging in firefights and heroics is out of the question - we are clearly the prey in the big picture. On the other hand, we're stalking unsuspecting people who neither perceive us nor understand our intent, and are apprehensive (if not terrified) of our imagined presence. In this sense, the roles are reversed. We are the predators and they the prey. When morning comes and the sun rises, the roles revert back to their original state. We hide like frightened mole rats from the searing brightness of the sun, and they try to flush us out.
-d
We were conducting training with live ammunition, and the final assault on an enemy position involves crawling up to the position (with your comrades' rounds flying overhead) and clearing it.
The whole time, I was paranoid about getting shot. We trained in pairs at first, and then in groups of four. I had a really good teammate, so no worries there, but the other pair were pretty green. First couple of times, I sent the green troops up to the position, but eventually it was my turn (lead by example). I think next time, I'll choose my teammates more carefully.
For the latter half of the weekend, I led a reconnaisance patrol out to observe an 'enemy' position overnight. It's a strange feeling stalking through the forest, hiding in the darkness of night from patrols and spying on people. On the one hand, we're outnumbered and outgunned, so engaging in firefights and heroics is out of the question - we are clearly the prey in the big picture. On the other hand, we're stalking unsuspecting people who neither perceive us nor understand our intent, and are apprehensive (if not terrified) of our imagined presence. In this sense, the roles are reversed. We are the predators and they the prey. When morning comes and the sun rises, the roles revert back to their original state. We hide like frightened mole rats from the searing brightness of the sun, and they try to flush us out.
-d
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