Weddings

I've been fortunate to attend the weddings of some very special people.
Not only is it a chance to be a part of something special in their lives, but also a chance to see how different people wish to put together such an event and tie in various ideas that are meaningful and important to them. It's also a chance to learn about cultures and traditions that I may not be familiar with.
I usually don't post pictures on my blog with people in them, but weddings are all about the people, so I thought it important to include a couple here. I have though, tried to include ones that don't necessarily show the whole face or are somewhat iffy in quality for that reason.

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Here's a wedding...
When I was younger, I thought all weddings took place in churches. I guess that's how TV and Hollywood shows it to us.
Sometimes there are speeches at weddings. Most of the speeches that I've seen take place at the reception during the meal, in between courses. The bride and/or groom can speak, members of the bridal party can speak, parents and/or relatives of the bride/groom can speak. It can be just about anyone.
Some speeches are short. Some are long. Some are emotional. Some are funny. It's another chance for individuals to express
themselves.
I admire anyone who takes the risk to stand up and speak in front of a crowd and I appreciate the words that they choose to say.
This particular wedding had a colour scheme of sky blue and creme as you can see in some of the pictures and here in one of the flower
bouquets. The wedding took place on a hot, hot, day, and after the ceremony and a round of pictures outdoors, the flowers
were starting to droop a bit at the evening reception.
Another tradition I've learned about the "first dance". Sometimes the song that is used has personal meaning and I've learned that some couples take this tradition quite seriously and prepare for it. Dance lessons, choreography, whatever the case may be. I know that this couple has taken dance classes together (unrelated to the wedding) and by the
bride's request, for the wedding they practiced the final moments of the dance.
Sometimes the first dance spins into other special moments. The bride dances with her father...the groom dances with his mother. Dancing, dancing, dancing. It seems like this is an important part of the evening.
More dancing. You can see the colour scheme in the dresses of the members of the bridal party.

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And another wedding...
The bride gets prepped beforehand. Hair and make-up is a big deal and some people hire outside help to get the job done. In the Western weddings where the bride opts to wear a veil, it is put on before the ceremony during the hair/makeup shebang.





This particular wedding had a rainbow colour scheme. Each of the maids of honour, bridesmaids and junior bridesmaids wore a different coloured dress and the corresponding best man or groomsman wore a matching tie and pocket square. It created a beautiful effect when standing together and really
complimented the attitude that the couple has towards life. You can see that the floral bouquets were part of the theme as well.
This wedding was also a church wedding and included words from various verses from the bible. Each verse was carefully selected and those who read them were chosen for various reasons.
Throwing flower petals and releasing doves. Unique touches that the couple wanted to include in their day.
All of the seated receptions that I've attended had a similar format where there was some sort of head table with the bride, groom, bridal party and sometimes immediate family members of the bride and groom. Often there are wedding favours that are given out to the guests and/or items that are placed on the tables that relate to the theme of the wedding or to the couple themself. At this wedding, each table had a picture of the couple and a fun "did you know" fact about them on the back. As guests came in, they knew to look for the specific table name to do with the
fun fact. You can see the bouquets from the bridal party hanging by the windows. I thought that this particular wedding took great care in selecting the floral arrangements and they clearly highlighted the colour scheme chosen by the couple.
A shot of the exterior of the reception location. The reception location itself is a reflection of the couple as well. I have not been to a reception where I didn't understand why it was chosen as the location. They just made sense. This particular location was in the mountains. A little bit of
a logistical hassle, but so well organized that it really wasn't a hassle at all. There was potentially a short hike for ladies in heels, but definitely doable, and the setting was perfect for the couple.
A change to more sensible shoes, and the crowd forms for the first dance. This one was a well choreographed routine, yet again perfect, as the couple LOVES to dance!

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Yet another wedding...
I loved this wedding not only because two special people were getting married, but it was a wonderful example of opening one's culture to others, making it accessible and a wonderful learning experience.
This particular wedding comprised of a Hindu ceremony and a Persian one. Being completely new to both experiences, as I mentioned, I appreciated the fact that along the way significant moments were explained. I could go off into a rant about how the world would be a better place if everyone was open minded and learned more about each other, but this is not the time and place for that.

Hindu ceremony
Friends, regardless of culture, were invited to dress in traditional saris. It was wonderful. There were no judgments passed, just a completely welcoming chance to be a part of the wedding and learn more about the culture.
After getting ready, there was a little rushing and sitting around to ensure that everyone was ready at a set time. The wedding was to commence at an auspicious time.


This is the mundir. I guess it's sorta like the altar of the church? Each item had significance and/or was used during different parts of the ceremony. Before the ceremony began, the priest was preparing for the wedding.

The couple looked wonderful in traditional outfits.
The ceremony had many parts to it, but apparently we'd gotten an abridged version. I didn't feel like it was dragging on, so that was fine, but I can't imagine how a longer version would work and how people would be able to sit through it.

Persian ceremony


This is the Sofreh-ye Aghd. Here's an explanation of things from someone who knows.








There were also words spoken at the Persian wedding.







Mmmm...tasting honey. Sweet, like their love for each other.





This picture is part of the Persian ceremony but also shows that the Hindu set up just beside. It really was a combined event and I loved it. I knew that I was surrounded by people who were intrigued and eager to learn about any components of the day that they did not know about before.













I haven't been to a wedding that didn't include a cake. Some cakes were fake, some were real and un-touched, and others were devoured.
A Persian tradition involves a friend of the bride dancing with the knife and the groom needing to give money in exchange for it.
Another setting for a reception. Very relaxed and low key, just like this couple. A Hindu wedding usually takes place over a couple of days, which just means more time with family and friends and lots of chances to eat food!

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Another wedding still...
Although this wedding maily displayed Taiwanese traditions, you could see that Western influences were creeping in, for example, by the bride wearing a white dress.
On the wedding day, the groom and his buddies arrive in the car to the bride's house. Firecrackers are lit to signal his arrival and a younger relative of the bride offers food to the groom as an invitation to come to the bride's house. Notice that there are two oranges on the plate. Everything is in pairs (two people are getting married) or in even numbers. Instead of one flower girl, there were two. There were two bridesmaids, you get the idea. Oh yes, anyone with a job gets money. So, in exchange for the two oranges, the "greeter" gets money. In this case, 600TWD. Six being a lucky number (also, notice that it's an even number too). The Groom also brings the bridal bouquet with him.
The groom brings with him many many gifts. All symbolic. Rock sugar, cigarettes, alcohol, candy, roosters. Again, notice that there's two of everything. When the couple leaves the bride's house, some of each of the gifts (except the cigarettes - due to their meaning) are sent back with the groom.
The groom gets the bride from her room and offers the bouquet to her.









An older family member of the groom has the responsibility of being sort of a mentor to the couple. She also gets a monetary gift (from the bride's family) for her job. You can see her telling the couple to thank the parents of the bride and this is the time where they say goodbye as the bride now goes with the groom to his family's house.
The parents of the bride also put the veil on the bride at this time (as opposed to during hair/makeup time like in Western weddings).
The couple leave the bride's house and the bride's head is covered. You can get a glimpse of the colourful banner hanging in front of the house. On it, there are various gods depicts, each with their own symbolism.
Timing of different events is key. The groom arrived at the bride's family's house at an auspicious time, and fetched the bride from her room at an
auspicious time as well. When arriving to his family's house. They would also complete set things at specific times as well, much like in the Hindu ceremony.
As the bride leaves her family's house, she drops a fan with a red scarf which a family member collects.
Firecrackers are lit. Many many many firecrackers.
That night, the groom's family hosts a dinner reception for their friends and relatives. A select number of family members on the bride's side are invited and wear flowers to distinguish that they are on the bride's side. They are to enter the reception together and leave together. They need to leave a little earlier to let the groom's side enjoy the festivities longer.


The bride would change into a couple different outfits that night. I'd overheard that it would be six, but I don't think it ended up being that many.
There was no dancing during the event. Just a wonderful meal.
Throughout the meal, there was musical entertainment and a special moment was when the couple sang a duet.
The next night, the bride's family hosted a reception for their relatives and friends. Again, certain family members from the groom's side were invited.
The bride continued to change outfits...
And the couple along with their parents toasted the guests.
Another outfit and more toasts.
Couple and their parents made their way around the room to toast and thank each table for coming to celebrate their wedding. Close relatives would also approach the head table to toast with them.
On the first night, immediate family members of the groom would also make the rounds and toast with tables, and on the second night the same could be said for family members of the bride's side.
As there is no dancing at these events, as soon as the meal is over, guests start to head home and the couple waits by the doors to bid them goodbye, thanks again and sending them off with a small gift.

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I was also invited to a wedding that would have a little bit of a Korean flavour, however, due to prior commitments, I could not attend. Boo. Luckily, the couple was very understanding and I heard lots about the event and saw some beautiful pictures. Still...it would have been nice to be there in person.

It's interesting to see what happens at different weddings and learn about different cultures, but the best part is being a part of the couple's special day.

London, Oxford and Stonehenge (June 17th - 20th, 2008)

Better late than never...

London









On the left, a shot in Covent Garden. There's something about the vibe in London that I really enjoy. I can't quite put my hand on it, but I love to visit and I feel so comfortable and alive when I'm there. It's not just the fact that it's a big city and there's lots going on - it's the attitude that's there. The vibe.
Every time I go, there are more things that I add to the list. New this time was Dover Street Market. I applaud the buyers and merchandisers for the store. I like going into stores and seeing products placed together in a creative way, combining different pieces to make new looks. It's easy to have all of the same brand's stuff lumped together, but I think that in the real world, most people mix and match and don't dress all of one label head to toe, so I like to see ideas of how one person combines the pieces. I raved the same about Colette in Paris, and have yet to find a store in Toronto that goes to the same level. There are more and more concept stores, but they're not the same. There are also designer boutiques, but also, not the same thing. Anyway, Dover Street Market is quite neat and I'm looking forward to the next visit.
























HUH?!?














The queen's in the house!


Do they have this here because they know how many tourists come to visit them? Eitherway, I'm glad they do, because sometimes I get confused. I usually end up looking both ways just to be sure, but it's funny how you usually just turn your head only one way instinctively.

Here's a sad fact. I've never been on a public transport bus in London. Not even a double decker one. I always so on the underground or walk. But I should. I should ride a bus next time.




I also need to climb Tower Bridge. See?!? So much stuff to add to the list.












The previous time that I was in London, I went to King's Cross Station to look for Platform 9 3/4 and couldn't find it. I went to the Platform 9 and 10 area which is actually not in the main station and searched and searched. I don't understand why it was so easy to find it this time around.

Oxford


I've always liked walking around university campuses. Oxford is a cute little town and had beautiful looking architecture as well. Score!


More Harry Potter goodness. Christ Church College has such a beautiful dining room. I'm not sure if I would enjoy having to do all the traditional stuff being a student at these colleges. Maybe I would. Just realize that I'm a part of history and think about all of the people who have done the
same things in the past. Anyway, the Harry Potter thing. If you've seen the movies, you'll know that they made their dining room much wider, but you can definitely see the resemblance. The campus is beautiful and I can understand how location scouts would fall in love with it too.





So, apparently, some sort of famous people used to come here to hang out.






Stonehenge
Just a couple pictures of Stonehenge. I wish we could have gotten closer, but I guess that's what happens when they want to protect the space. It would have been interesting to go during the solstice and see what kind of crazies come out.

Ottawa, Canada (May 22nd - 26th, 2009)

I probably won't be much of a tourist during this trip, but it's still going to be nice to have a little bit of time to continue to explore the nation's capital.
I love how bilingual this city is and I always enjoy a chance to practice my French. I get the feeling that I won't speak any French while I'm hear, but I'll definitely keep my ears open to make sure that I can understand all of the conversations that I eavesdrop on.
I rode by the Rideau Canal today and was reminded how much I want to come back in the winter to skate on it.
It's Ottawa Race Weekend (which I only found out about yesterday) and I thought it might be fun to join in the fun and sign up for the 10k - yes, impromptu, but I figure I could handle it. Unfortunately, spots are already sold out and race day was on the one day that I fore sure couldn't attend. There were spots left for the marathon though. Yeah, right.
I also rode by the Glebe sidewalk sale but was too exhausted at this point to stop. I was also being way too rational in that I really didn't need any more knick knacks to clutter up my life. It would have been nice to walk around, enjoy the sun and the atmosphere, but like I said, I was getting tired and actually needed to find some food as I was starting to feel a little bit off.
So, for food, I headed to Byward Market. Love, love, love, markets. I stopped in Le Moulin de Provence to pick up some stuff and noticed that they are madly flaunting the fact that Obama stopped by to pick up some cookies. The line for BeaverTails was long and I kinda wanted to take a break from non-essential food groups. I've eaten a significant amount in the past little while, so I wanted to give my body a break. We'll see if I cave in by the end of the trip. I also had the self control not to buy fudge from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.
That's pretty much all I got done today, what with my mega nap and all.
I get the feeling that I'll only have time to pop into a museum for a quick visit and walk the core a little bit more, but I'm not too concerned. I'm not really here to be a tourist this time around.
Of course I'll get time to explore Carleton University, which is great too, because I love the feeling of being on campus. The buildings aren't completely inspirational here, but it still seems like a pretty inviting space. It probably helps that it's 20+ degrees.

Great

The jet lag continues.
I just woke up from the most wonderful nap.
Woke up at the time that I should probably think about going to sleep for real.
I'm completely backwards.

They say that jet lag's worse when you return back home. Totally true for me.
You're all excited to be traveling and like with me, you're super-tourist, forcing your body to get on track. I only really felt and strangeness on the first night that I arrived and then I was pretty good. Lots of walking probably helped the cause too.
Now that I'm home, I've decided to take a different approach. Just chillax. I'm sort of going to sleep when I'm supposed to, but if I need a nap in the middle of the day (which I pretty much have every day since I've been home - often due to the fact that I haven't been sleeping through the whole night), I do. I haven't crammed stuff into my schedule, but have given myself a little bit of a break as I've been going non-stop for quite some time. I'm doing some physical activity to try to get myself, but not as hard core as when I was traveling.

The nice the thing about being backwards is that I was good and awake for my presentation early this morning. I'm sure nerves had a little to do with it, but the timing was great as I had enough time to get the sheer exhaustion out of my system although not my completely over my jet-lag.

Doors Open 2009

I forget why I didn't end up doing this last year - but I remember looking at the list and sort of making a plan of where I wanted to go. I must have had another engagement or something.
Sucks that I can't go to Doors Open Toronto 2009 this year either.
The nice thing is that I can be pretty confident that it'll happen again next year and that there will be plenty of participating buildings that I will love to visit.
Toronto has so much stuff to do!

Porter! Porter! Porter!

Yes, I have now joined the growing Porter fanclub.
I'd already heard about their service, convenience and all that jazz and I got the chance to experience it for myself.
If you live in the city centre or don't mind driving into the core (as opposed to out to the boonies to get to Pearson), going to the City Centre airport is great. A shuttle bus from Union Station, an organized taxi stand, the ferry that actually gets to the island...it all seemed pretty good to me.
Check in was pretty much like any other airport. If you have luggage to check in you may have to lug it around a little bit more than usual, but I didn't have too much of a problem than that. The Bestseller with their gazillion garment bags on the other hand didn't enjoy the process as much.
Then, the part that I was waiting for. The airport lounge. It was better than I expected. Nice chairs. Good vibe. Computers to use. A fully stocked cafe with free(!!!) stuff. It was wonderful. I didn't get there with enough time to sit down and really make the most of the lounge, but that's part of the beauty of Porter as well. They only recommend that you get there 30min before before the flight, so with everyone else arriving last minute as well, after checking-in and going through security and stuff, there really wasn't much time to sit down and take advantage of the lounge.
Boarding was easy and the in-flight crew was wonderful.
I was looking forward to the chocolate brownies that they'd mentioned in the in-flight magazine (more free stuff!!!), but the double chocolate cookie that came with the sandwich, babybell cheese and melba toast snack package made up for it. Serving drinks in glass glasses was a nice touch.
There was definitely more leg room than in most economy sections and being a window seat lover, it was fun to be able to take in the Canadian landscape as we were flying at a lower altitude and could see everything. While we were flying over Lake Ontario, I swear the water was so blue and reflective that I got confused between where the horizon line was. I felt like I was just looking out at a sea of clouds and amazingness.
The only problem I can see with Porter is that there are still people out there who are a little antsy about flying in small planes. The only time that it was really obvious was when we whooshed down the runway and the plane kicked into high gear. The other time was on landing - the noise on impact kind of caught me off guard too. My particular flight had no turbulence and I've definitely been on some 777's with roller coaster dips, so people really can't use that as an excuse not to ride little planes. Big planes sometimes to weird things on take-off and landing so it's just luck of the draw. I have no fears of flying, so the random noises that happened on my flight didn't effect me too much, but I was trying to look for things that other people could potentially freak out at.
Anyway, I think Porter is amazing and I can't wait to take it again. Next time, I'm definitely going to arrive earlier than need be. Sure, lounging at home is great, but the TCCA airport lounge as darn good too.

Jet lag

I'm definitely jet lagged.
It's three in the morning and I'm not one bit tired.
Good thing is that I've already packed for tomorrow's trip.
Back to back trips. What was I thinking.

Phew!

My eyes are killing me. I was even good and took out my contacts for most of the journey back, but like I said, my eyes are killing me.
I've spend an hour or two trying get caught up with e-mails and fav websites, but I still don't see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I've got two days to try to get organized before I hop back on a plane again.
The next trip is most definitely be more laid back (not to say that this one wasn't) and hopefully I will have some time to even post some stuff.

Hot Docs 2009

Hot Docs is coming up and I was getting super excited for it.
I looked at all of the documentaries that would be in the festival and even made a schedule of the films that I wanted to see.
Sucky thing is that I won't be in town, so I will miss out on all of the fun.
Here's my list anyway. Yes, it's long, and no, I probably wouldn't have seen all of them, but if you happen to catch any of them, let me know how it was!
- Art & Copy
- Antoine
- Action Boys
- Cat Ladies
- Carmen Meets Borat
- Clubland
- Final Fitting
- Ganesh: Boy Wonder
- Invisible City
- Jackpot
- Laughology
- Objectified
- Over the Hills and Far Away
- Plane Days
- Pockets
- Prom Night in Mississippi
- The Tiger Next Door
- When We Were Boys

Oh, tonight at the screening, one of the festival programmers told us three "must sees":
- Episode 3 - ‘Enjoy Poverty’
- Winnebago Man
- Rough Aunties

I had briefly considered having the last one on my list...I forget why I took it off. I wonder if one of the three films will be like Slumdog Millionaire from TIFF08 (which was actually on my list for awhile and I don't remember why I nixed it). Maybe I'm just not good at picking the big hit of the festival.

Living in Emergency

Just got home from watching the final doc from the Doc Soup series (mental note - next year I need to actually know about this before the last doc is screened).
Anyway, the film was Living in Emergency.
It's a documentary about Medicens sans Frontieres and follows a couple MSF veterans and first mission doctors in Congo and Liberia. Other than that, I really can't go into more details because there's just SO much. SO much.
The film itself was okay. I mean, the cinematography and stuff was okay. I was a little disconcerted with the quality of the sound. I think I'm pretty good at deciphering accents, but there was some dialogue in the film that I couldn't really figure out. Perhaps more subtitling or something? I don't know if it was the sound system or the production itself, but I found some of the voices to be a bit muffled. As MSF has French roots, there was some French dialogue which I was lucky enough to understand, but there were some subtitles missing in these parts and I believe making sure that everyone understood the dialogue, the film would have been even stronger. Other than that, I didn't have any major problems.
The characters that were highlighted and the issues that were examined. Incredible. It was a powerful and emotional piece. All I can say is, hats of to all those who are part of the MSF organization or are somehow working with them. I have a deeper appreciation of you all.
Although I love what I do and I haven't even gotten to where I think I'm going yet, I still wonder if there's more out there that I'm meant to do.
Anyway, wow. I obviously loved this film.

In true doc festival spirit (Hot Docs is coming up!), there was a Q&A with Director, Mark Hopkins. No groundbreaking revelations from the chat, but I always appreciate directors taking the time out to attend screenings and speak with the audience.

Aww shucks

My hands are purple.
Those purple carrots are intense.

I'm a pack rat.

I don't deny it - I know I'm a pack rat.
It's pretty tough to convince me that something doesn't have some sort of nostalgic value that I won't want to reminisce about in the future.
I think I'm getting a little bit better though. I just needs many years to go by, because by that point, I will have forgotten about the context of most of the items (thank goodness for my bad memory), or I'll be in such a frenzy of cleaning that I'll get rid of it.
I've found out that I can still wear clothes that I wore in high school. Chalk it up to baby fat, going through a phase of wearing baggy clothes, or whatever it is...all I know is that it's impressive. I have grown taller though, so that does kind of limit that stuff I can still wear. It's actually a problem. When I can still fit into the clothing that I don't wear, I think...hmmm, one day I might want to wear it. You know, for some Halloween costume, or when it comes back in style. You know - vintage is all the rage. See, that's a mind of a pack rat talking.
I've also decided that I want to frame some of my childhood artwork. That along with all of the other thousand things that I said I wanted to do and frame.
Another trip down memory lane. I had a box filled with old magazines. Sesame Street Magazine, 3-2-1 Contact, Electric Company, Chickadee, Owl. Sigh. I kept them all in a box because they're so good. Lots of good activities and learning opportunities. Maybe my pack rat habits are even worse because I'm a teacher and think that I can somehow use all of these things in my classroom (although I have no idea when I'll have one again). Anyway, I decided that I wasn't worth the storage space that it was taking up and I'm sure that I will have the resources to get new magazines if I get my own classroom and want these kinds of magazines. At least I can recycle now.

Moving on with life

Well, saving $15000 (you never heard it from me) means that I've got a lot more time on my hands and have a lot less time specifically set aside for physical activity.
Surprisingly, I've been going to the gym quite regularly (I never thought I'd see the day that I would go to the gym on my own), but I still don't like it and would rather have another outlet to get some physical activity in there.
I would like to incorporate some sort of activity that I love into my schedule and have a set time for it, so I decided to head back into the dance studio and take some dance classes.
I went to my first one Thursday night and had a wonderful time. The studio is down the street from me, the level is good and the teachers and students are a great group (from what I can tell so far - and the studio has a great reputation). I am extremely sore today, but I know that it will go away. It's kind of funny that although I've been doing tons of physical activity this whole time, I've obviously been working a completely different set of muscles. My calves hurt and ton and my hamstrings (which have always been tight) are ridiculously tight. Everything else is fine though, and it was a tough class (without being too tough). Intense warm up. My abs are happy campers. I think I'm going to try to go at least twice a week. It's nice to do something that you love.
It's also nice to be able to cook again. Part of it is having time to cook and go grocery shopping, but I'm also home to eat too. That doesn't make much sense. I was home for meal times before, but for some reason, I don't remember really sitting down and truly eating. Something was off. Anyway, the point is, I'm cooking and glad that I'm doing it again. I'm not a master chef or anything close, but it's kind of fun and I enjoy eating what I cook. Last week I made a huge pot of beef stew and towards the end of the week dabbled with a salad and right now there's a pot of vegetable barley soup on the stove to go with the cheese, potato and chive bread that I bought from the Leslieville Cheese Market (which carries Brick Street Bakery breads). It smells good.
I'm hungry, I can't wait for the next dance class and I think I'm going to stretch my hammies now.

Wasting time on Bloor

I had some time to kill, so as I was out picking up my lunch, I decided to window shop on Bloor.
Bad decision.
Some things I've learned at Holt's:
1. The store really has a way of killing a girl's spirits
2. After deciding to wander into the "scary rich people's clothing area". I know, that's ridiculous to say, because everything in there is so expensive, but until today, there were still some areas that I was too nervous to go into. I came face to face with a gorgeous Balenciaga dress worth $5000. The sales lady was really sweet to chat with (which surprised me a bit).
3. Leather coats by Rick Owens are incredibly soft. Luckily, I will never be tempted to buy one because it's his stuff's not really my style.
4. I will always love bags. Balenciaga (ahem). Valentino (cough). Sang A (sigh).
5. Burberry is made for me. There was a super sweet hat that fit my head perfectly.

As I walked along Bloor, I noticed that:
- the renovations at Prada are done and store looks beautiful
- Noir didn't to pay their rent but have left their belongings in the space
- McDonalds is still planning to become a condo

Baby Proof: A Novel

Baby Proof: A Novel, by Emily Giffin

I haven't read a book not related to school or work in a year and a half. At least that's my guess because that's the last time I posted something on my blog about reading. I've picked up some of the books on my bookshelf and flipped through them, but it's definitely been awhile since I've read for fun.
Getting back into the reading groove means going with something mindless. Enter: chick lit.
So there's nothing really substantial to report here. I read the book in a day. That's how easy it was to read. I guess to a certain extent I was compelled to keep reading and that it was amusing, but let's be honest, it's chick lit. Nothing substantial.
This was your typical chick lit book. Girl is looking for true love. Surprisingly, there wasn't an underplot dealing with fashion.
Anyway, a fun book and I'm ready to move onto the next chick lit book!

- picture courtesy of www.chapters.indigo.ca

Staying in

Last night when I went to bed, I had these grand plans of all of the things that I was going to do today.
I ended up spending the whole day at home.
I might go out on my balcony later tonight to get a little bit of fresh air, but all in all, I had a great day.
I've started to read again (chick lit - it's a pretty accessible way to get back into reading) and so I stepped away from my desk, put some music on and sat on my lounge chair and read read read. It was nice.
My place also smells like stew.

Return to St. Lawrence market

Back on my weekly schedule (I hope) - the St. Lawrence Market.
My main attraction to the market is the the Farmer's Market on Saturday's, but if I wrap my head around cooking seafood, I'd probably buy some stuff from the the South Market as well.
I got to the market a little later than I had planned, but turns out there's an upside to sleeping in - vendors want to go home so they started marking down their stuff. Sure, I don't get the best choice of the stuff, but that doesn't bother me too much.
I ended up getting some ingredients for beef stew and then a series of baked goods. There was a sampling bag of dinner rolls, which I thought would be perfect for me. I like trying new things, even if it backfires, so not having to commit to a huge loaf of whatever was good. There were seven different types of buns in my bag: beet, rice, oatmeal, 5 grain, carrot&something, saffron&something and some other grain that I'd never heard of and have subsequently forgotten its name. I'll give 'em a try after I put my stew ingredients in the pot.
I also got a strudel from the place that I'd been eyeing since my first visit. I decided to go for one of their new flavors, wild blueberry and cream cheese. Sounds good huh? I'll also give this one a try after my stew's on the stove.
I did eat a couple things while I was there (I never eat at home before going to the market - that's just crazy!). A baked chicken samosa (kinda generic) and what I thought was a spinach and lemon baked triangle of some sort of savoury pastry thingy, but it didn't really taste like what it was supposed to be, so I don't know what it was. More leeky than spinach. Oh well, that's the fun part of trying things.
I have two purple carrots that the gentleman threw into my bag for good measure...not really sure what I'm going to do with them yet.

(Markets are the best.)

ER

I just watched the series finale of ER and for someone who's only watched the show this season (although I have seen a couple episodes here and there of previous seasons - but not enough to know any plotlines), I thought it was pretty good.
I thought they did a good job of using cameos and bringing back characters from previous seasons and I could tell that they were rounding the last bend towards the end (I guess it helped that my video player told me how many minutes there were left of the episode). It ended very well and the final scenes were perfect.
I thought the episode was well done and I'm left with the feeling that I need to go back to watch the pilot (and maybe, ahem, a couple other hundred episodes) to see the journey of the show. Darn it.
A good show. A very good show.

Films @ Ontario Place

Just got back from a screening of two films at Ontario Place. I haven't been there in ages. To be exact, I think since high school when Benson & Hedges' Symphony of Fire was still in its prime.
The first film was Hurricane on the Bayou. Apparently the idea of the film was supposed to be about the Bayou and conserving the wetlands in the area...but then, hurricane Katrina hit, so the producers wanted to include it into the story. The film followed a couple people and their journey and it was nice that they tried to create a story surrounding them, but for some reason it didn't have any effect on me. I did learn some interesting facts from the film, but it didn't have the power that most films shown in IMAX cinemas have. Unfortunately, I am very indifferent about the film.
The second film was Dinosaurs, Giants of Patagonia and it was great. Good for kids of all ages (although for the young children, some of the dinos may be a little scary) and parents will find certain moments quite amusing as well. The film focused on the discovery of a giant herbivore and carnivore species in Argentina and did a great overview of everything dino. Types of dinos, dinos vs. reptiles, vegetation of the time, life of a dino, extinction, paleontology...great, great, great. It was a wonderful overview of the age of dinosaurs by way of the discovery of two specific dinosaurs. This movie, I would recommend.
Also, I had my first movie theatre buttered popcorn in a long time. The first two bites were delicious and then I felt like puking. Ugh. That stuff is gross.

- pictures courtesy of www.ontarioplace.com

Gabriela Montero

I attended the performance given by Gabriela Montero at Glenn Gould Studio.
I wasn't really into the first part of the programme. Don't get me wrong, I love Brahms and Beethoven, but the selection of piano pieces from opus 118 and the Waldstein sonata respectively aren't my favorite.
Anyway, the real reason I decided to go to the performance was for the second part where "Improvisations on themes or pieces suggested by audience members (Please be prepared to sing the theme if Ms. Montero does not know the piece)". This is definitely a talent that I don't have but am completely in awe of. I wanted to hear first hand just how creative and talented this woman was and the extent of her improvisational skills.
The first suggestion from the audience was Autumn Leaves. Ms. Montero asked the gentleman who suggested the song to sing the melody and he whistled it instead. Some other audience members hummed along. She quickly played the melody and added a simple accompaniment and played it a couple times for the benefit of the audience (and herself?). I don't know if by that point she already knew in which style she was going to improvise, or exactly how her new piece would sound, but she took a moment to compose herself and then started her piece. I thought it started off as a ragtime piece, but I think it was actually more jazzy in feel and evolved into a bluesy piece. It was very lounge music in feel (well, actually all of these thoughts are just my take on her pieces and the style that I, personally, associated with them) and was so complete...I could have listened to her spin that piece all night. I think I'm really into lounge-type music. Total chill-out vibe where I can sit and drink my non-alky drink. The piece was so complete. Not just a little ditty with a single voice harmony and basic chordal accompaniment, it was both interesting and complex. I was already looking forward to the next suggestions to come.
Improv suggestion two was Peter's theme from Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf. I was surprised that Ms. Montero needed the melody to be sung to her, and because of how quiet the humming was, so didn't quite get it accurately before she started her piece. Seriously, I can't believe that she didn't know the piece. Anyway, her creation seemed to be very Chopin-esque. Also impressive.
Suggestion number three: the last movement of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Although she asked the melody to be hummed, she did know the piece and just needed a little bit of a refresher. I almost died when she turned it into a Bach contrapuntal piece. Daaaaaaaamn!
Next up, Hey Jude in the style of Debussy. The Debussy then turned into a style that I call battement tendu. I don't know why, I just imagined it being perfect for a battement tendu exercise. The piece then morphed into a tango. The transitions were seamless and of course I was absolutely gobsmacked.
The next suggestion was a sort of tango that I didn't catch the name of (although Ms. Montero immediately knew the melody which sounded very familiar to me). She said that the suggestion was to play it as a tango, but as the piece was already a tango she asked if she could do something different. She also said that she didn't really know how the piece would go, so I guess the improvisation is a fluid thing that just evolves as she plays. Her creation was a Chopin/Debussy combo that just tugged at the heart strings. I love dramatic pieces.
Unfortunately there was only one more creation left for the night and the suggestion was La Bamba. My description of her piece is that of a Latin sonatina but ending as a fun ragtime piece.
So incredibly impressive. I could have listened to an entire programme of improv. There's another performance tonight and I would highly encourage anyone who can rush downtown to attend. At least for the second hour.

UPDATE: the tango piece was Albeniz' Tango in D

Lode Runner

I just played a game of Lode Runner.
It's just as terrifying as it used to be. I'm in constant fear that the bad guys are going to catch me and that I won't be able to dig holes fast enough for them to fall in. The entire game I had that panicky feeling and my heart was racing just like it did when I played the game as a little kid.
I'm so bad at video games.

This apple emulator site that I found sure is fun, but I can't seem to remember all of the names of the games that I used to play.
I've played a couple games of Number Munchers already (although it seems kinda boring now.
I started a game of Oregon Trail as well, but it stopped when I was prompted to "flip the disk to side B".
Turns out, I still don't understand how to throw a shot put nor have I mastered the skill of pole vault for the Olympic Decathlon, however I seem to be better at the high jump compared to when I was young.
I think I'll have to play Lemonade Stand for old times sake as well.

Spring Awakening is in the city!

Remember I said that Spring Awakening was coming to the city? Well, it's here.
Read up about it before you decide to see it as it's a little bit controversial, but I would highly recommend it.
The touring cast is mostly different from the cast that I saw on Broadway, but the guy who plays Moritz is still the same and has already gotten a mention at blogto. I remember liking him as well. I think I liked most, if not all of the performers, come to think of it.
It was a great show.

Very Hungry Caterpillar Day

My brother tipped me google doodle for the day. It's super cute.
So apparently it's the 40th anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day.
Who knew. March 20th.


- picture courtesy of www.eric-carle.com

2 days, 2 ballets

Last night, I attended the Erik Bruhn Prize. Tonight, I attended Romeo and Juliet.

The Erik Bruhn Prize was wonderful. Imagine the best parts of the best ballets thrown together for one performance and danced by some of the best young dancers in the world.
The best pas de deux and variations. Phew - it was slick.
There were dancers from the National Ballet of Canada, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet.
I'm so tired right now, that I don't feel like writing much more. I think if you actually want to know more, you're smart enough to find out more on your own. Or you can just ask me in person.
I'm not sure when the next competition will be, but I definitely want to attend. I think I liked it better than a full length ballet.

Romeo and Juliet was good as well. It was the first time I'd seen this ballet, and I think I like more technical ballets than those that are all about acting and portraying a character. So yes, I did like this one, but it's not one of my favorites. It just seemed very different from a lot of other full length ballets that I've seen. Lots of little snippets put together. A million difference scenes for storytelling purposes.

A couple other things from the night:
1. The Four Seasons Centre is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. I love everything about it.
2. I like people watching at nights out. So interesting to see the types of people who are there and ummm, what they're wearing.
3. People give standing ovations too easily these days. I think the Erik Bruhn dancers put on a better show than tonight and although there were shouts of bravo and brava and a couple people standing, it wasn't crazy. And I KNOW that the audience was an educated one. Tonight, people started standing as soon as the curtain came down for the first time. C'mon. Honestly, c'mon. I know that there are people in the audience who know ballet, but I really think that there are a lot who know nothing and just want to...I don't even want to generalize something like that. Bottom line is that I think that standing ovations are something that really needs to be deserved and just not given out so easily. Ugh.
4. I was at Union Station to pick up a post-ballet snack (read: Cinnabon) and after being surrounded by the ballet-going crowd, it was kinda funny to see the Britney Spears crowd. Such a different group. I spent a lot of my year with Britney-girls, and seeing the crowds tonight made be remember just how different I am.

I'm kind of impressed

I ran on the treadmill for 40 minutes tonight.
I don't have this looming reason for me to run on a treadmill, yet I'm still doing it. I'm proud of myself and hope that I can keep it up.
I'm going a little loopy without excessive amounts of physical activity right now though, so maybe that's what's keeping me going to the gym.
I never would have thought that I would be a gym person. I still think it's incredibly boring and the TV really isn't enough of a distraction for me, but gosh darn it, 40 minutes is pretty good!
Now, if only the condo developers would build a rink next door.
One can always dream.

Yessssssssss!

Dancebreak is wonderful.
I just bought a ticket to the Erik Bruhn Prize.
See...it pays to have a wacky sleeping schedule.
Although I wonder if I missed out on an even better ticket for being engrossed in my internet/movie in the background daze for 11 minutes until I noticed that it was after midnight. Crap. The only reason I wonder if because I remember checking the seating availability a couple days ago and there was one straggler seat in the orchestra, smack dab in the middle, row p-ish. And when I went to buy my ticket it was gone.
I get obsessive about stuff like that. Enough that I played the checkout waiting game to see if someone would release their better ticket before I purchased my own. It worked. I did get a slightly better ticket than I'd originally snagged, but not the one that I'd hoped to get.
Now I just have to make sure that I don't check the seating availability again, because if that seat shows up again, I will have a freak attack.
So ballet in less than 20 hours, and then another one the day after!
Woot woot!

Procrastination central

I've been at school for 1.5hours and have gotten nothing accomplished. Good thing is that it is only 2pm and I still have lots of time to waste. The bad thing is that I'm running out of things to do (obviously, not counting the stuff that I'm supposed to do).
It's fashion week in Toronto.
I'm not going to any fashions shows in the city, but I still hope that one day I will. It would be even better if I got a cool invitation in the mail like these ones. Don't forget to click on the links to see the ones from NY and Milan.
It's such a nice day outside.
I'm trying to decide what I should do after I've wasted enough time here. I was going to so an impromptu trip to the theatre and watch Dirty Dancing, but by the time that I got to the box office, the rush tickets had sold out. Darn it. If only I didn't sleep in.
My sleep pattern is completely wack. I went to bed early last night at 1am (my average sleep time has been around 3am), but still didn't get out of bed until 11am. I've got to get my internal clock back in gear.
Still need to find something to do. It's too nice of a day to just go back home.

I like to think that it takes a lot to scare me but...

I just got home from skating at Harbourfront.
It took a lot of willpower to get myself out the door at such a late hour after comfortably being at home, but I'm proud of myself for doing it.
The ice was really bad tonight. I was a little concerned because it's been warmer recently, and my worries were legit.
Although the zamboni got off the ice just as I was arriving to the rink (I'm surprised that they had maintenance so late) and I was stepping onto a fresh sheet of ice, it sure felt horrible.
Not only is it a little scary for me to skate late at night on an outdoor rink like this one because of the darkness (I can only liken it to the feeling of confusion you get in certain situations when you've got bad night vision), but the cracking and creaking sound doesn't help either. It was so loud and hollow sounding.
I was the only one on the ice for the first little while, and I was pretty terrified of doing anything. The ice was in such bad condition that I had the fear that it was just going to give out and I've fall into an imaginary pool of ice cold water and drown. Obviously this would never happen there, but I was that scared.
Soon a couple more people showed up (wow - I can't believe that some people skate this late at night on a Sunday) and I felt a little better.
I did some edge work, but that's about it. I did a couple backspins, but didn't dare jump.
My mind was playing some games tonight and it was quite the session. I loved looking at the stars and watching the lights on the CN Tower. I ended up staying on the ice for an hour, mostly just skating in circles. At times I felt a complete calm, others a complete sadness.
I'm absolutely terrified that this will be the last time that I skate.

C'mon.

Eriq La Salle just showed up.
Jeez.

See, I don't need a TV

I'm currently watching the latest episode of ER.
This is the only season that I've watched, but I do remember some of the people who were part of the original cast. You know the really famous people. Namely George Clooney, Noah Wyle, Eriq La Salle and Julianna Margulies among others.
They brought back Noah Wyle a couple episodes ago, and Julianna Margulies and George Clooney just showed up on the screen a couple seconds ago.
Is it sweeps time? Are the ratings for the show in the dumps?
Doesn't matter - seeing Mr. George on the screen is never something I'm going to complain about.

Oh yeah, and then Susan Sarandon guest stars. Hmmm.

Awww man

I guess I shouldn't get my hopes up for things going more than 80% off at Hazel like I'd hoped they would.

CTRL-Ded (or Apple-Ded as the case may be)

Another website added to my bookmarks.

Giving Hazel a second chance

Remember when I said that I would never return to Hazel?
Well, I did.
But I had good reason. You see, they're going bankrupt and I'd seen advertisements of their 80% liquidation, so I wanted to see such a schmancy boutique at its worst. I wanted to see just how low the prices would go and find out if their stock was basically depleted.
There was still a bunch of stuff in the store (still completely haphazardly displayed) and they rented out a second location to help out with the sale but perhaps they have a lot less lying around than they first did. It's hard to tell.
The prices of course are bargains for what they are, but 80% off of a gown that's $3000 still doesn't make me want to buy it.
For the fun of it - I did try a couple things on. Why not, right?
Here's question for you - why do things that are incredibly expensive always look good on? I guess there's something to be said about quality workmanship and materials. Darn. One of the dresses was so cute and I would love to have it. Still - too expensive for me.
I think they're closing the doors forever soon - wonder if they'll lower the prices even more just to try to get rid of stuff.
To be honest, there was only one dress and one skirt that I liked, but if the price is right, I might be tempted to get them.

Now I'm hungry

This is impressive.
I love how creative people are and how pretty their creations are.
The question is: how do they taste?
I'll volunteer to find out.
I want cuppy cakes.

I'm smiling and reminiscing

I'm running out of things to have playing in the background on my laptop while I'm working.
I found something new.
The Amazing Race 14 (seriously - 14?!?).
Anyway, I'm watching the first episode and they've just arrived to Switzerland and are heading to Locarno and are seeing everything that I saw in the first week of working in Switzerland.
I know my love of Europe and my life there is overkill but I can't help it.
So, as I'm going through crazy highs and lows right now, watching this is making me smile.
And now they're heading to Interlaken. Amazing.

my book

I bought one. I finally bought one.
After much consideration (most likely too much), I ended up getting Semikolon.
I thought I would get a Moleskine, and there were a couple books at Indigo but in the end the thickness and quality of the pages in the Semikolon won me over.
The colours were an added bonus.
The books actually reminded me of the cloth-bound books from Bookbinders Design that I fell in love with in Europe. I would actually make the trip to Zurich just to visit the shop. I love stationary shops.
I have these grand plans for making a series of scrapbooks about my fabulous life using cloth-bound books. I'll have so many that I can make a rainbow of them and then I'll put them on my uber-chic, minimalist bookshelf. It will be lovely. But it'll probably never happen because I have tons of grand plans and there are so many three-dimensional things that I'd want to somehow incorporate into my memory books. Oh well.
Anyway, back to my book. I'm glad that there's an elastic closure and the added bonus of a loop for a pen. It actually came with a golf pencil but everyone knows how useless those are.
The next debate, what kind of pen to get. It's a big debate. Trust me.

Honest Ed's

I'm not really sure why I haven't actually set foot inside of this store, but this exhibit may be enough incentive to actually do something about it.
It sounds kind of interesting and I love hearing stories about people.
I remember hearing about how my Grandma/aunt used to line up at Honest Ed's to get free chickens/turkeys at Thanksgiving/Christmas.
Since coming back, I've driven past there a bunch and marveled at the advertised price of various odds and ends in their windows.
People have told me about how they get lost in there and how each visit uncovers a whole new wing of the store that they didn't even know existed.
I've heard stories about the finds that you can get in the store, yet I haven't gone in myself.
I figure I'm going to go and either be completely creeped out or think that I've entered a magical fairy-land (the good kind).

Entre les Murs (The Class)

I went to see this film awhile back.
I'd first heard about this first when I was doing my research for TIFF08. I was seeing what movies had done the other big festivals around the world and obviously Entre les Murs (which goes by The Class in English contexts) caught my eye as the Palme d'Or winner at Cannes and for it subject matter. The trailer looked amazing. Needless to say, I was disappointed when I found out that it wasn't coming to Toronto.
Anyway, it did come to the city a little while later and with extremely high expectations, I went to see it.
I was disappointed. First of all, I have to say that my expectations were REALLY high. I think the biggest problem was that the film was very different from the trailer and this is the movie had been a flushed out version of the trailer, I would have been happy.
Instead, what I found was that the film scratched the surface of many issues that arise in an inner city school (perhaps this would have been more shocking/interesting to people who aren't in the education field) but few of the stories went as in-depth as I would have liked.
The film was very much like a documentary, and that was fine, but the timeline seemed off kilter. It seemed like the film was going to span one academic year and it did, but the end was very abrupt and for a film that seemed to be marketed as the journey of an educator to win over his students, it seemed to leave out the part about how he did it. There was one section which showed him reaching out to a troubled student and the teaching strategies he used to do so, but it was such a small part of the film that I expected there to be more.
I liked the characters in the film. They were real and raw and they were living it, but it's just that story that wasn't pieced together quite right. I'm sure they had tons more footage, so maybe they just made some wrong choices in which bits to put into the production.
I think they did a good job of highlighting different stories and their backgrounds. Of course it's an added bonus that, for the most part, are real students who are basically being themselves, put in various situations and are not trained actors/actresses. That being said, perhaps they lost the chance to follow the overarching story (or at least what I thought it should be) by focusing on individual stories. Maybe I just wanted a film that needed 5 hours to be told.
Most of the issues that were raised about life at an inner school and the outskirts of Paris didn't surprise me. The one thing that did surprise me was that two student representatives were present at staff meetings where marks are discussed. I don't know from which grade this practice happens and perhaps in other situation or with other students it would be fine, but I just thought that it would open a huge can of worms by having students present at these meetings. Not to say that I think that teachers should always be doing things behind closed doors, I get that part of it, but I just don't know if students are mature enough to handle the confidentiality of the situation and the delicateness of some of the issues that are raised in these meetings. I do agree that it's nice to have a student's opinion at times and although some teachers are very close to students and know their backgrounds and special situations, often their peers have better insight into some of the difficulties that their classmates are going through. Still - it's really tricky and I'm a little torn about whether or not I agree with the practice.
As the final clip of the film started, I knew that it was the end. The credits started and I was left with the feeling of - that's it? I wanted more from the film. I think the thing was, as I watched the film, I enjoyed the issues, the banter, the characters, the stories...and then it jumped to the end and it was over.
I don't know. I guess I would recommend this film to others. I almost want to watch the film again, because I can't believe that I didn't have as strong a positive reaction as all of the critics have had. Makes me wonder if I missed something.

- picture courtesy of www.sonyclassics.com

Bipolar days

One fault of mine is that I'm incredibly indecisive. This coupled with my obsession to analyze, predict, control, plan...(I need a thesaurus) makes for some bipolar moments.
So yesterday I was having another bipolar day. Having to evaluate a peer is always tough, especially when you get negative vibes from them and really are just trying to do your job and be constructive especially in a field that I'm so incredible passionate about. Then I just spent the afternoon getting absolutely nothing accomplished. I even went to the mall to try to cheer myself up (well, actually to buy something that had to be bought for school purposes) and didn't even feel like being girly and shopping. Since sale season is over, there was no extra incentive. Of course factor in that my mind was racing about this and that and what I want to do in life and how I'm going to get there. It was shaping up to be a pretty blah day.
Meeting up with friends always makes me feel better, especially when it involves good conversation and yummy food, the day was starting to get better.
When someone who you haven't heard from in a year calls from their car saying that they're coming to the city for a couple hours and would love to catch up - you know, it's pretty special. Sure, I missed a chance to go skating again, but I can also think of it as if I hadn't made a tough decision, I would have been skating for sure and wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet up. And also, if I wasn't addicted to internet TV show streaming, I would have missed his call and missed out entirely. Everything happens for a reason. Everything in life is perfect. It was such a nice evening.

Anyway, friends are everything. People make all the difference in turning a day from gross to good. See, I did come back to Toronto for all the right reasons.

Should I be happy?

I'm really looking forward to putting my winter coat away for the season. I can't wait to wear my ballet flats without socks and wear non-winter stuff.
It's warmer outside today and although I don't know how long it'll last or if it really is a sign that spring's coming it also means that the ice at Harbourfront may start melting.
Boo.
Too hard ice isn't that fun to skate on, but it's way better than too soft ice. When ice starts turning into slush, it's disgusting. There's a spring to the ice at the Galaxy, but that's because they take care of the ice there and it's for figure skaters. I hope it's cold enough at night that the ice is still in good condition. I really want to skate as long as I possibly can. I need to skate.

Blind Date

It's a show.
It was the first time that I'd been to a show at the Harbourfront Centre and I quite liked it.
The premise for Blind Date is simple. An actress (Rebecca Northam) is going on a blind date set in a cafe in Paris. The date doesn't show up, but she selects a man from the audience to fill in and then who knows what will happen next.
The actress mingled with the audience beforehand, meeting people and basically sizing up the crowd and figuring out potential participants. The seating was intimate with people seated at tables and wine/water/beer/popcorn being sold. I got a major wave of insecurity.
Given everything that I've done in life and experiences I've had, I can't believe how incredibly shy I really am. I entered the room expecting it to be row seating which is completely unintimidating (to me) for someone attending the theatre on their own. When I saw the tables of four with candles and such and pretty much all of the tables already occupied with pairs or triplets of people, I had to take a moment to figure out my next step. One of the ushers (in character) approached me to help me find a seat, and interestingly enough, I was absolutely comfortable talking to him about this and that, laughing as his fake French accent, attempts to compliment me and his apparently astonishment that I was alone (which didn't bother me, even as I said it outloud), but as soon as he suggested that I join another table, I practically started to shake. It's something about meeting new people. Imposing myself. I don't know. I felt like I needed to retreat to the back of the room, which I eventually did and found an empty table to sit at.
Eventually, two pairs of people joined me (which didn't bother me at all, and I was quite happy chatting with them once they'd sat down) and I felt like I was at a pretty special table. We had a blast that night. One pair were ladies who had taken improv classes with Rebecca (one's not a realtor "to make money" and the other one's still in the industry as an editor). The other pair consisted of Rebecca's agent and his friend who was also in the industry as a writer. She said that she's got some kind of animated adult something-or-other coming up on TV.
Anyway, the show was wonderful. It was what exactly how I expected it. Awkward moments where the audience member didn't really know what to do/say. Funny moments where Rebecca put him on the spot. Of course there was a plan of where Rebecca wanted the piece to go, but as we heard in the Q&A session afterwards, there's always room for the piece to go into uncharted territories, which it did that night as well. I was a little surprised at the amount of PDA that happened on stage. I guess the guy loosened up quite a bit!
Even though I had an awkward moment at the beginning of the night, I'm so glad that I went because I laughed and had a great time.
The show is playing until the end of the week and they've just added extra seats to the showings (which are already sold out).

-picture courtesy of www.harbourfrontcentre.com

I feel like I just went through a bad break-up

Boy, my emotions have gone through the wringer this past little while. I'm NOT a crier by nature, but in the past little while I think I've met my tear quota for the year.
I'm slept many many hours which is a sign that my mind has been needing some time to recuperate.
Sometimes decisions in life are hard. I know I've made the right decision (every decision I make turns out to be the right one) but it doesn't mean that it was easy. It also doesn't mean that I know what I want to do in the future. You see, when you love something so much...it's never black and white.
No matter. One day at a time and I'm going to make the most of the next month before I have to make any more major decisions. Perhaps the month will be so wonderful that it'll make the decision for me.
I think I've got a temporary cure (I think the sign said until March 22nd). The rink at the Harbourfront Centre is practically down the street, free and basically empty at night. The ice isn't the best quality at that time, but crappy empty ice is much better than amazing busy ice, any day. I also was wearing jeans and my every day coat, but it was a little bit of an impromptu post-show trip. You can't beat the ambiance. I was in the core of the city I love, seeing the lights of the CN Tower, skyscrapers and the darkness of Lake Ontario. It was wonderful. It was quite dark though, so spins were kept to a minimum, but I managed to eek out a couple jumps. I call pull off a double salchow in my sleep. I wonder how long I'll retain this talent for. I did some axels and double toes as well and that's pretty much my entire arsenal. I suppose I could have tried a couple double loops, but I didn't want to push it. It's weird jumping in civilian clothing. I actually bumped into another skating girl who was leaving as I was arriving. You know, part of me wishes I had a skating compatriot downtown to enjoy the ice with, but part of me enjoys the alone time too (not like I don't get enough of that). I'm looking forward to going almost every night until they close. I'm just worried about how I'll feel afterwards. The timing could prove to be a disaster.
I figure I'm either going to have a phase of absolute depression or a complete honeymoon stage for the next little while. Actually, I think I'm going to flip flop between the two. Yesterday was very upsetting for me. My eyes hurt all day. Today I feel, not quite wonderful, but optimistic.
One day at a time. One day at a time.

intriguing

I was in line buying my lunch today (I need to start bringing my lunch to school/work/whatever), totally sizing up those around me.
Girl in a burberry coat. Surprisingly no-name la-dee-dah quilted bag with ghetto looking hardware (unless it was a Chanel that I completely overlooked - which could be possible). Big black umbrella (after using one a couple times, makes me think I want one, but they're so bulky when closed).
Dapper looking guy. Preppy look with sport jacket over cardigan. Random assortment of business luggage. Pulls out a black Business American Express to pay for his order which is obviously for more than one. What's his story.
Boy am I superficial.

An artsy day

Note: I have an intense migraine right now. I'm just trying to survive this post and then go back to bed (for the third time today). It's difficult for me to concentrate.


This past Sunday, I had a great day. I did two artsy things.

1. Elegantly Corrupted at Radiant Dark
I went to the artist's talk, which was free and lovely. As I was leaving I felt like I was doing things, getting out there and determined to find more free things to attend. I don't want to go broke by living my fabulous life.
I really enjoyed a lot of the pieces, especially the petri dish rugs ($650 each), bullet vases (large: $100+ - sold, small: $80) and the huge knot of wool (>$500...I forget). The set of tumblers looked cool and I thought they would be perfect for someone more because they looked like slick camera lenses, but they cost way too much ($2250 for a set of 6). The hockey stick lamps were easy on the eye as well (I forget the price). Art is expensive.
Here's a write up by someone else.

2. Come Up To My Room 2009
This even wasn't free. It didn't take long for me to go through it, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I guess that makes it worth the money? This day made me feel like I was entering this crazy trendy scene that I'm not really a part of. A lot of installations were interactive, which was different because I'm used to the no touch policy of museums. I have a lot of favorites from this show, but I don't have the energy to go through it all. I hope the websites show pictures.
Here's a write up by someone else. Here's another write up.

It was a sunny day outside and the temperature was warm. It made me look forward to a Saturday post-March when I will walk the stretch of West Queen West and go into all of the shops and galleries and smile.

more thoughts (non-TTC related)

- Clothes/coats that have vents and stuff often are purchased with the panels sewn together. Just like some pockets are sewn shut at the store. Please snip the seams before you wear the item of clothing. People like me stare at you and think you're weird if you don't.

- There was a man on the streetcar (okay, so that's TTC related) listening to very very loud music. Strange playlist. That song from Night at the Roxbury and then Chinese songs that my parents might listen to.

- It's not like I don't know that there's crappy stuff going on around the world at all times, but when the house of someone you know burns down it's just an extra alarm bell in your head reminding you how amazing your life is.

- I think we're having a warmer winter this year. Or maybe my winter coat is warmer. Or maybe I'm more tolerant to the cold. I usually wear skating tights under my pants to keep warm in the winter, but I haven't done it yet this year. I also haven't worn any of my turtle neck sweaters.

Some TTC related thoughts

- People need to chillax on public transit during rush hour. Just stay calm, get used to being in close proximity to other people and just be polite and respectful.

- I find it weird when people don't bother joining the end of a pre-existing line. Might as well just stand randomly at the front of the platform and bud your way onto the streetcar. If you're elderly/pregnant/disabled/etc, feel free to ignore this comment.

- Sitting in the chair reserved for the elderly/disabled/pregnant is fine...until someone that's elderly/disabled/pregnant/etc gets on. Honestly.

- As much as I love the 510 Spadina streetcar line, it does have its flaws. For example, there should be more than one car going from Spadina Station to Union Station or Queen's Quay (I'm not picky, but only because I can take both) every six streetcars. If I wasn't so cheap, I would have split a cab with those three people to Harbourfront just for kicks.

Colette

I love Colette. These pictures don't even capture the best parts of the boutique. Looks like they've changed around some of the fixtures and have given more attention to the mens collection. The Goyard trunk is probably the cost of a small flat. Don't you love the Lagerfeld Steiff bear?