Sorry for such a long delay in between entries! It just seemed like it was just yesterday when summer started. It hardly seems like it’s mid-September. Granted, we didn’t have much of a summer this year, but the time still flew quickly.

This past week was by far the busiest week I’ve had all year. It has been non-stop since last weekend with TIFF starting, then Japanese classes, plus having my parents out of town. I was going back and forth between home, work, class and downtown. It was a little insane!

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Saturday & Sunday I went downtown and saw two movies. The first was Defendor with Woody Harrelson. The second was an animated film called My Dog Tulip, which had Christopher Plummer as the main voice actor. It was nice seeing films that were fun and lighthearted for a change, instead of the horribly morbid selection I had last year. I found both films to be very charming.

Monday was the only regular day I had, although I was busy trying to figure out how the rest of my week was going to work. Tuesday morning I made a big pot of Hokkaido stew before leaving for work. That meal ended up lasting us for the entire week. After week, I met up with Kari downtown to watch The Bare Essence of Life. It was a strange film, by far not what I had expected at all. However, no matter how bizarre it seemed, the way the story unfolded was really well done. I was glad that the director was there at the end of the screening to explain what her intentions were when she made the film. I think it helped the audience gain a deeper appreciation for what she was trying to convey in the movie. I enjoyed it very much.

I was super exhausted at work by Wednesday morning, but I still made it through the day and went back downtown at night to watch the last movie, Kamui. I’m so glad this movie was last, cause it was my favourite one at the filmfest. (And I’m not saying that just because I like ninja movies!) The story was captivating and moved at a good pace. There were the appropriate amounts of blood and gore and some really dry humour, but it all added to the movie. Of course, it also helps when you cast such a cute actor in the lead role. =)

It was a little painful getting up the next morning again, but I think when you’re in such a sleep deprived state, a bit of adrenaline naturally kicks in. It was very much appreciated since work has gotten quite busy these last few weeks. After work, I made it out to Sheridan for my first Japanese class. (Let’s not mention how I skipped class on Tuesday for the movie…hehehe). I think my energy was waning, but I made every effort to stay awake till the end.

Finally it was Friday, which meant the weekend was near! The one thing I was looking forward to all week was getting dinner at Sushi Kaji, which is listed as one of the top ten restaurants in Toronto. At $80 per person, I really had high expectations going in.

When we got to the restaurant, I had absolutely no idea where I was suppose to park. I really hate driving along Queensway cause it’s always so busy out of the streets. I finally found parking at the ‘1 hr’ zone (which I parked for 2.5 hrs), and we made it inside the restaurant at precisely 7:00pm. The restaurant itself was small, but quaint. We were led to our seats and picked our choice of dinner, which I would only categorize as ‘expensive’, ‘more expensive’ and ‘super deluxe expensive’. Hehehe. We settled on the cheapest one, which was still a 5-course dinner. I ordered a glass of plum wine and I think I’ve gotten hooked on it now. =)

Appetizers were served first. The first dish was grilled green tea soba noodles, followed by a sashimi tray. It was by far the best sashimi I’ve had. I remember watching an episode of Arashi no Shukudai-kun and the guest had requested for rare and delicious dishes that could be eaten in a single mouthful. Those spoons they had were exactly like that!

Next we had scallops and sweet potato tempura, which just melted in your mouth the second it entered. Sushi and noodles came after. First they came with two plates, which were placed in front of us. Then they came with two more, with the sushi doubled up and placed in the centre. THEN, when our first plates were done, they came back with another two plates of sushi!! It was astonishing how much sushi we had! I was already getting full, but I just had to keep eating. Near the end both of us had to slow down quite a bit. They served another kind of tea before bringing out the dessert. The lemon mousse I had was really nice. Everything was just so good! Definitely going back again once I save up more money!

My week was heading back towards ‘routine’ by Saturday. I worked the whole day before heading downtown to meet Kim and her friend Julie for dinner. Kim was the one who organized the Yatterman meetup last time in Montreal, so it was nice that we were able to catch up with her while she was in Toronto. We went for dinner on Queen Street before trying our luck getting a karaoke room on Yonge. We were super lucky that we only had to wait half an hour before a room became available. Once we figured out the sound system, it was Arashi galore! So much fun! And so much fake Sakurap! What a great way to end the night.

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Anyway, it’s definitely been an eventful week. I hope the next two weeks won’t be as draining with Kari’s wedding coming up! I promise a good wedding report for my next entry. =)