Free Toronto parking secrets and why you should never be the

From Toronto parking wins to the "multiplier" mindset, learn how to turn small tools into big opportunities. Don’t just be the mouse—build life on your terms!

How I Found FREE Parking in Toronto + Why You Shouldn't Be the Mouse

Hey guys — here’s the weekly newsletter from Noelle’s POV!

This week I spent part of March Break at Uncle Cory and Kat’s house hanging out with my toddler cousin Alyce, and today we went on a full downtown Toronto adventure that honestly felt like a movie. Before even getting to Amsterdam Brewhouse, we achieved what may be humanity’s greatest accomplishment: finding FREE PARKING downtown. Not just free parking — elite, mysterious, hidden-level free parking. Most people would’ve seen the big “no parking” sign and given up, but we looked closer and discovered tiny secret text saying “no parking 7pm–7am except with permit,” which basically meant we unlocked a perfect daytime spot. It was so convenient and unbelievable that we legally cannot disclose the location (national security reasons). Alyce was bundled up cozy in her stroller like a little sushi roll in a Japan-blanket style wrap while we walked to the restaurant, where we immediately recorded a dramatic video of the legendary “DAMMM” sign. Inside, the food was massive — giant pizzas, enormous schnitzel, and chicken wings so big they looked like they came from prehistoric chickens. Alyce happily ate chicken tenders and fries while colouring, and I invented a genius life hack by ordering plain wings with hot honey and BBQ sauce on the side so I could have TWO flavours at once. Even with strategy, the wings almost defeated me.

After surviving lunch, we walked to Ripley’s Aquarium, which was the busiest I have EVER seen it — not a complaint, just an observation because apparently all of Toronto had the same idea as us. We stepped onto the moving walkway that carries you under the tanks, and suddenly tiger sharks, nurse sharks, and giant sea turtles were swimming above us like we were inside a nature documentary. Stingrays were lying dramatically on the sand being silly, and Alyce had a brief emotional moment but made a heroic comeback powered by snacks and an apple and ended up loving the fish (honestly same). Uncle Cory, Kat, and I were equally impressed, especially when we reached the giant jellyfish tank glowing and changing colours from green to neon pink, making the jellyfish look like floating aliens. After the aquarium, we made a VERY exciting Starbucks stop —

Alyce fell asleep instantly, everyone else got hot drinks, and I got a lavender cream iced matcha with a cake pop, which tasted suspiciously like ice cream disguised as a drink. Finally, we made the victorious walk back to our elite, legendary, once-in-a-lifetime free parking spot, a discovery we will truly never emotionally recover from or stop talking about.

Don’t Be the Mouse (But You Can Still Ask for a Cookie)

This week, while reading If You Give a Mouse a Cookie to Alyce, I found myself thinking about something completely unrelated to bedtime stories.

And if you haven’t read it — whether you have children or not — I highly recommend it. It’s a true chef-d’œuvre in its simplicity, and somehow, it says a lot more about life than you’d expect from a children’s book.

If you know the book, you know the pattern. You give the mouse a cookie, then he asks for milk, then a straw, then a mirror, then scissors… and it keeps going. One request leads to another, and another, until you realize that what started as a simple act of kindness has turned into a never-ending chain of needs.

And somewhere along the way, I thought: this isn’t just a children’s book.

Of course, the mouse isn’t wrong — he’s simply following his curiosity. But somewhere along the way, it made me reflect on how this pattern can show up in our own lives.

In this world, there will always be people who keep asking — for more time, more resources, more support — often without realizing how much it actually takes for someone else to deliver it. Behind every “small ask” is someone’s time, someone’s energy, someone’s budget, someone’s mental load. And while each request may seem reasonable on its own, the accumulation can become… a lot.

But what struck me even more is the contrast.

There are also people who, when given a small piece of something — a bit of information, a tool, an opportunity — will take it and build something from it. They don’t just ask for more. They multiply. They look for answers, connect ideas, experiment, and create something bigger than what they were initially given.

And in a way, the mouse does this too.

Give him a cookie, and he doesn’t just stop there — he creates a whole sequence of actions. He asks for milk, then a straw, then looks at himself in the mirror, trims his hair, sweeps up, draws a picture, and eventually ends up back where he started. It’s not just asking — it’s a kind of continuous motion, a chain of ideas building on one another.

The difference, perhaps, is awareness.

And to be clear, I’ve seen myself on both sides of this spectrum at different moments in life. This isn’t about pointing fingers — it’s a mindset I find myself reflecting on, in myself first.

At the same time, I will be the first to admit something about myself: I almost never ask for help.

For years — and still today — my friends tease me about it. I am the one who never asks for anything. And the truth is, that comes from somewhere deeper. For some of us, that is a kind of trauma response.

I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have truly asked someone for something. If help comes from a genuine place, I receive it with gratitude. But asking for it myself has always been difficult. Because in the way I was raised — culturally and through education — asking for help often meant that you couldn’t do it on your own. And that belief stays with you, even when you know the world doesn’t quite work that way.

And at the same time, I also recognize that sometimes people ask more simply because they are going through a difficult season. Life happens, circumstances change, and we all have moments where we need more support than usual. That, too, is part of being human.

But in a world that is increasingly shaped by technology, access to information, and yes — even AI — I find myself coming back to this idea.

We are surrounded by tools that can help us think, build, and move faster than ever before. AI might sound big, complex, even intimidating, but it is also something much simpler: a tool. A tool that can help you write, learn, plan, organize, explore ideas — and sometimes even unlock potential you didn’t know you had.

And I find myself increasingly drawn to this idea of multiplying — not just in theory, but in my own life.

Starting with my work, I’ve been thinking more intentionally about how to build beyond it. How to create, explore, and find ways to generate supplemental income. Not out of urgency, but out of a desire to one day stand fully on my own — without having to report to a boss, and with the freedom to design life a little more on my own terms.

What’s exciting is that today, the opportunities to do that feel almost endless.

And maybe that’s the shift.

Not waiting for more.

Not asking for the next thing.

But taking what’s already in front of you… and seeing how far it can go.

So perhaps the question is not whether we should ask for the cookie. Of course we can.

But what do we do after we receive it?

Do we keep asking for the next thing, and the next… or do we take what we have and turn it into something more?

In a world full of consumerism, of endless asks and expectations, I find myself thinking: be a multiplier. Take what you have and build from it. Use the tools around you. Be curious. Be resourceful.

So yes — you can absolutely ask for the cookie.

Just don’t be the mouse.