Stockyards is a small joint located on St Clair Ave W. It was so small that we had trouble finding the place – we walked up and down St Clair probably about 8-10 times trying to locate it, and even asking locals. It was a dark, cold and windy night and after about 15 minutes of trying to find it, I was ready to give up.. but there it was – tucked between two already closed stores, we had found burger heaven.

We walked in, mesmerized the staff busily working away to fulfil constant orders. I was a little bit put off by the prices, but I sat by the bar, watching them cook away. I just love watching food cooked right in front of me and handed right to me hot off the stove. All the ingredients were fresh and it was soooo delicious. I normally am hesitant to go up north just for food, but it was completely worth all the trouble.

I ordered the Classic Burger. With two hands, I picked it up and it just melted in my mouth. It really was just heaven in my mouth. This may sound like a huge call, but this was no doubt the best burger I’ve EVER had.

I had a taste of the buttermilk chicken, and it was some mighty fried chicken. Forget KFC, this is THE stuff that goodness is made of. I am also not doubtful that the rest of the menu was of the same quality.

Porchetta Sandwich
Fennel and garlic scented pork loin, belly, and cracklings served on a baguette, with garlic aioli $9

Combo Classic Burger with Fries
6 oz. custom ground beef w/ lettuce, Stockyards mayo, ketchup, pickles, tomato and onion $9

Stockyards Fried Chicken Combo
Buttermilk marinated fried chicken, with fries and side coleslaw $13.50

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The Stockyards
699 Saint Clair Avenue West
Toronto, ON M6C 1B2
http://www.thestockyards.ca/

Stockyards Restaurant Review
Food
Atmosphere
Service
Value

Overall
Fresh and delicious. Worth the drive and every penny!

There are plenty of other things to do at Niagara Falls, all of them really cheesy and tacky. This includes the Movieland Wax Museum.

We’ve all heard about how scarily close the Madame Tussauds Wax Museums get to the real deal and so I had sort of the same expectations when I went to the Movieland Wax Museum especially after seeing the freakishly identical wax figure of Heath Ledger (as shown above). It looks so incredibly real!

To tell you the truth, I was pretty disappointed. A lot of the wax figures looked far from the individual. But having said that, there were a few that stood out and really surprised me how good they looked. Examples below!

It doesn’t take long to walk through the museum as well, it’s very small with not a lot of wax figures to see. At the very end, you can have a wax replica of your hand made at the Fun Factory Gift Shop.

Entry

Adults: $9.99 CDN plus tax
Children: $5.99 CDN plus tax
Kids under 3: Free

Movieland Wax Museum Review
Cleanliness
Staff
Location
Value

Overall
Not really worth the time, or money. But it's something to do if there's nothing better!

More photos:

Movieland Wax Museum Flickr Set
57 Photos

One weekend, I travelled to Niagara Falls. It’s usually only about an hour and a half drive away from the city of Toronto so it wasn’t too much of a drive, but it was a very snowy one! It was about -20C with windchill and there was snow all over the roads even though there was no snow at all in Toronto.

When we finally got there, the falls was so misty that we could hardly see anything and a lot of it was iced up. While it was extremely cold, it sure was pretty!

Because it’s so cold during the winter, the Maid of the Mist doesn’t operate but you can still get great views of the Falls via the Observation tower or the SkyWheel. The wheel is absolutely stunning at night!

Niagara Falls may be a bit of a drive, but it’s definitely a worthwhile visit. It sits on the border of the N.Y, USA and Ontario, Canada border and if you’re wanting to go see the Falls for yourself, make sure you visit from the Canadian side and not the U.S. side because you get a much more spectacular view of not just Niagara Falls but also the Horseshoe Falls! Can’t get better than that – two waterfalls in the one visit!

Pictured below: Horseshoe Falls on the left, and Niagara Falls on the right. Click to enlarge the panorama.

1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
   I moved to Canada. It was scary, exciting and a extremely different lifestyle that I needed to get accustomed to quickly.

2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
   Trying to find a job in Canada! A lot of recruiters kept telling me that it would be difficult to find a job as I had no Canadian experience or Canadian credit history. It really dampened my spirits for a long time but I was able to find a job in the end!

3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?
   Haha isn’t “unexpected joy” usually in reference to a baby??? That is NOT GOING TO HAPPEN IN LIKE A BILLION YEARS. Anyway, I suppose it was when I was able to find a job in Canada.

4. What was an unexpected obstacle?
   I’m not really sure? I knew establishing a new life in Canada would be hard (finding a job, finding a place to live, finding new friends, familiarising myself with the city).

5. Pick three words to describe 2009.
   Different, cold, exciting.

6. Pick a theme song that describes 2009.
   Not sure about a particular song.. But for sure the Ministry of Sound Annual 2009 CD1!

7. What were the best books you read this year?
   RED DRESS WALKING – This book really made me think about the way relationships work. They definitely take two people, and miscommunication is so easy to let it get in the way of things.

   Marley & Me – such a cute book!

   The Pact is another book that stood out for me but I didn’t quite like the ending but I liked the issues that the author raised.
   

8. With whom were your most valuable relationships?
   My SGI family who really helped me in Toronto. My bf and his family for being there for me and also being my other family.

9. In what way did you grow emotionally?
   I have definitely matured a lot since I’ve left Australia and am now living on my own. I believe I am more independent and appreciative of what I already had. I grew to appreciate my parents, that money doesn’t come by so easily, and is very easy to spend. I finally realised how hard it must’ve been for my parents to move from Malaysia to Australia to start a brand new life. I also learned to be more considerate of others going through the same hardships. So many people had lost their jobs in the financial crisis and trying to live life without an income is extremely difficult.

10. In what way did you grow in your relationships with others?
    Having matured a lot, I learned to be a better daughter, sister, girlfriend, friend to everybody, while realising I still have a long way to go. I am appreciative of everybody’s support for me. It has helped me so much to grow as a person and I am who I am because of all the people around me.

11. What was the most enjoyable area of managing your home?
    Getting new furniture for my own bedroom was fun! I was Ikea shopping a lot.. Hahahaa.. But the kitchen too! I never knew how to cook before I moved to Canada so I am proud that I can now live quite comfortably with feeding myself. The first time I cooked for myself literally was in the first week I was alone in Canada… Thank you to my mummy for all her tips over Skype. Haha!

12. What was your most challenging area of home management?
    I am a spoilt child because my mother had always cleaned up after us at home. Moving away meant I had to do everything myself. So going from cleaning NOTHING to cleaning EVERYTHING was huge for me but it’s definitely becoming a good habit of mine. While I’m incredibly lazy, I don’t like to be dirty, cleaning hasn’t been too hard….. Except for getting myself to clean the toilet…. So gross!!! Everytime I think it’s time to clean it I definitely ponder whether I want to hire someone to do it for me. Hahahaha. So bad!

13. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?
    Annoying people! For sure! People who only think of themselves. I’ve tried my best to not let them get to me. But they’re the biggest waste of my energy! I have a tendency to get easily frustrated with them. Haha.. Must change!
    
    I also realised how much time cooking takes! OMG! Sometimes I come home and I just want to eat RIGHT AWAY. I now know that that can’t happen. Hahaha… I also realised how much effort cleaning takes! OMG! Hahaha…. All my time just passes so quickly. Oh dear.
    
    
14. What was the best way you used your time this past year?
    I’ve caught up on a lot of tv shows! While you might think that’s a waste of time, I’ve been watching 30 Rock which makes me happy because it’s so hilarious and shows like FNL teach me a lot about people. So I don’t think they’re a waste of time at all! Haha!
    
    I also got to do a lot of reading. Books are fantastic.
    
    
15. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2009 for you.
    How about I pick two quotes that meant a lot to me for 2009? I’m not really creative enough to create a statement myself! Haha.

    “Everything depends on what is in our hearts. If we decide to ourselves that something is impossible, then, consistent with our minds in thinking so, even something that is possible for us will become impossible. On the other hand, if we have the confidence that we can definitely do something, then we are already one step closer to achieving it in reality.” – Daisaku Ikeda

    “The place where you are now is vital. Never avoid what you must face. Challenge your circumstances and steadily persevere. The path toward victory opens from where you stand.” – Daisaku Ikeda

    I read theses quotes a lot whenever I felt defeated. I visited http://www.ikedaquotes.org/ a lot for his wisdom which provided me a lot of inspiration and hope. In turn that motivated me to live my life to the fullest. Thank you so much to SGI. <3

On the Eve of New Year 2010, I went to Nathan Phillips Square to see the fireworks. It doesn’t compare at all to the fireworks we get in Australia, but it was still pretty.

And I kinda got to see Kardinal Offishall perform. Hahaha

Anyway – here’s a photo of Toronto City Hall.

This is me waiting for the countdown. I look all rugged up, but it wasn’t too cold. It was about 2 degrees and there were light flurries.

Here’s some photos of the fireworks at City Hall.

I wanted to get a photo of the skating rink and as I approached it, I was too excited. I kept walking towards it until I stepped onto the ice without realising and fell straight on my ass! My initial and only thoughts was “PROTECT CAMERA” and as I was holding my camera with my right hand, I fell towards my left side and hurt my elbow… It still hurts 11 days later! Hahaha…

Here are some photos of the ice when most people had left.