Up, up and away!

June 19, 2011

After our first two failed attempts (1. weather 2. wasn't feeling well), Shivan and I finally managed to suit up and jump out of a plane! We chose to jump from Skydive Toronto, which is in Cookstown, about 45 minutes north of Toronto.

I ended up writing "NO FEAR" on my hands (you can see it in the vid), partly as a shoutout to Kenny & Co., but I was pleasantly surprised to see that Shania Twain had written and signed the same thing inside the plane that we jumped out of.

We crammed at least 10 people in the tiny plane that took us up into the air. Between three jumpers, their tandem instructors, and the videographer/photographers, it was pretty packed. The ascent in the plane was a little nervewracking. It took a lot longer than I expected to reach 12,000 feet, and I spent the majority of my time staring at the altimetre on my hand, hoping that we had reached the necessary height. I didn't even see Shivan jump out of the plane (he was first, I was third). By the time it was my turn, I didn't even have time to be nervous anymore. It was just like 1...2...3...GO!

There was a slight moment of hesitation on my behalf when we launched out of the plane, but when you're attached to a tandem instructor, there's not much you can do -- you just go with him! Skydiving was nothing like I had anticipated. Freefalling is nothing like the feeling you get when you're on a rollercoaster. No big Gs, no dropping stomach. It really is just like a whole rush of air pushing against you. I can tell you that I felt absolutely no anxiety about freefalling, as I was falling, however I did have a really hard time breathing/catching my breath, so I spent a good chunk of my freefalling just trying to breathe, instead of really enjoying the experience. That being said, it was still incredible, looking down and seeing so much scenery and just KNOWING that you're the closest you'll ever get to flying.

That's me pulling the chute cord. You can see the parachute deploying.

I was supposed to pull the cord when we reached 6,000 ft on my altimetre, but I was so caught up in the experience that my instructor had to place my hand on the cord to remind me. After that, a quick jerk upwards as the parachute deployed, and we spent the next few minutes gliding gracefully down to the earth. Got in a bunch of turns too, and those were stomach-dropping but fun!

After landing, I couldn't believe the adrenaline rush! Admitedly, I had to sit down to catch my breath, and the crash after all the adrenaline tapered down hit me harder than expected. I would have taken a nap in my car if I could.

Post-jump

Overall, an incredible, exhilarating experience. I'd do it again (if it didn't cost nearly half a grand after vids/stills/taxes) in a heartbeat.




It is one thing to be in the proximity of death, to know more or less what she is, and it is quite another to seek her.
-Ernest Hemingway

Recap: The Big Apple

Five days was definitely not enough time for me to spend in New York City. I arrived in the city on Wednesday afternoon. I met up with Tammy, an old friend from Calgary who moved to Toronto, and then to NYC for school. We roamed around the city, meeting first at Bryant Prak, walking to Central Park, eating street meat, and making a stop by the Nintendo store and the Lego store. In the evening, my cousin and her bf took me to Boqueria (named after the incredible market in Barcelona, one of my fav stops in Europe), a tapas restaurant.

Pockets in the wall of the Lego Store with pieces sorted by colour!

Thursday was museum day. I (semi-) conquered the New York subway system and made my way to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and later, the American Museum of Natural History. I'm not much of a art buff, so MoMA didn't interest me as much as the MNH, but I did get a chance to see "The Persistence of Memory" by Salvador Dali, "Water Lilies" by Monet, and "The Starry Night" by Vincent van Goh. They were all spectacular. I thoroughy enjoyed the MNH. It's like the ROM..but better! Also had some really good street meat. Waiting in line for over 25 minutes at 53rd and 6th. I think when I first counted, there were over 35 people in line! Absolutely worth the wait.

I can't even see the end of the line from this picture.

Thursday night was...memorable to say the least. My cousin took me to BonChon Chicken, a Korean restaurant that serves really, really good wings. YUM. I also met a bunch of her friends. Let's just say it was like real-life Sex and the City. Plenty of juicy gossip, scandalous news, sexy tidbits, and upscale fashion. It was nice to hang around girlfriends for a bit. Definitely a change from my gamer dudes back home.

Malaysian food for the munchies. Yum.

Friday was spent shopping around with a close friend of my cousin's. Shopped along Broadway and ate some yummy Malaysian food. Friday night dinner was extravagant and memorable, as we spent it at Morimoto (Iron Chef America, anyone?). Easily one of the most delicious Japanese meals I've ever had. Definitely pricey, but well, well worth it. Of course, in true New York fashion, we hit up another bar after dinner to continue the drinks. By Friday night, two other cousins had flown up from California and Texas to start our girl's weekend.

Can't seem to find the description of this on the menu..but trust me when I tell you it was yummy.

Avocado toast at Cafe Gitane. Tart, smooth, with a bit of a kick.

Saturday morning brunch was spent at Cafe Gitane, a hipsteresque cafe that serves French-Moroccan food. Tasty, I probably wouldn't go there again. No reservations allowed, and the wait was quite lengthy. More shopping for Saturday and Sunday. We also stopped by Joe's Shanghai. Best. Soup. Dumplings. Ever. MUST GO.

Soup dumplings!

Century 21 is easily my favourite place to shop in New York City. It's like...Winners meets Macy's. The store is MASSIVE (it spans over a city block) and has brand name everythings at cheap prices. Managed to pick up a bunch of Tokidoki purses. We also had dinner at Imperial No. 9, and hit up quite a few exclusive bars that I'll never. Partying til 3-4am in the morning every night is exhausting! I lasted until Saturday night, at which point I cabbed home early and crashed at 2 a.m.

Crack Pie from Momofuko. Doesn't live up to the hype

Unfortunately, between hanging out with my cousins and shopping, I never did end up making it to the Statue of Liberty, seeing Wicked on Broadway, or hitting up Serendipity 3. That being said, I did get a kickass view of the Empire State Building from the rooftop of my cousin's condo, visit Ground Zero, eat a lot of street meat, do a lot of shopping, and visit a bunch of museums. So, just because I didn't get to do all my bucket list items, I did have an extraordinary time during my stay. There's so much that I did while I was New York. I've detailed most of it, but there's still so much that was fascinating that I wouldn't be able to retell. The people, the culture, the experience, the atmosphere -- I'm glad I made the trip, even if it was all a little overwhelming. Still lots to do, and I'd have to spend over a week here next time I'm here. But all in all, I wouldn't have changed a thing.

View from the top of my cousin's apartment at 29th & Park Avenue.

Awesome view of the Empire State Building from her rooftop.

Ground Zero. Breathtaking, heartbreaking

The girls! <3 my fam

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can't do
Now you're in New York
These street will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Hear it for New York!
-Empire State of Mind (pt II), Jay-Z & Alicia Keys