exploring toronto

Photo c/o Lex Murillo

Among the perks of winning in our company's CEO Excellence Awards was getting  to see some of the major tourist spots in Toronto, Canada. A day tour had us visiting a winery to sample their ice wine, exploring the quaint shops at Niagara on the Lake Town, and of course, seeing the Niagara Falls up close.

Photo c/o Lex Murillo

Meanwhile, one of our bosses treated us to dinner at the revolving restaurant high atop the CN Tower, where we got a spectacular view of the city and enjoyed great food.

The awards night itself was held at the historical Casa Loma, a full size castle where several movies have been filmed like X-Men and Scott Pilgrim.

Photo c/o Lex Murillo

But apart from exploring the popular places, I also did my best to get to know downtown Toronto by exploring on foot. I'd walk around every chance I get, taking in the sights and observing how daily life is for the people there. It wasn't that hard to do really, because the place is very pedestrian-friendly.

It was spring and the weather was definitely perfect for walking. I had to layer though because it's still pretty cold for a girl from the tropics like me. Armed with a selfie stick (which was a good conversation starter LOL), I'd go around and take photos using my trusty phone.

It wasn't just about the place of course, but the people. It was great meeting people from different Sun Life offices, as well as everybody else outside the company, like the Pinay receptionist at our hotel's Executive Lounge and the charming waitress at a pub called Earl's.

Photo c/o Lex Murillo

I'm totally getting all sappy here, but yes, everything about the Toronto leg of the trip was awesome. Much thanks to Sun Life! To have our efforts recognized and rewarded is definitely something. The work I do for the Sun Life Foundation is special to me because of all the lives I get touch by way of the stories I write, and I'm thankful to our adviser Joub Miradora (guy in glasses at the photo above) for the opportunity, as well as my former bosses Kane Choa and Bong Osorio of ABS-CBN Corporate Communications for teaching me what I know.

Yup, I just went the cheesy-thank-you-speech route. LOL. Sorry, I can't help it! Milestones like this tend to get me emotional and thinking about all the people I learned from throughout my career. Yes, "throughout" talaga hahaha.

Montreal entry coming up next :)