Yesterday, I went skating for the first time in over six months. I've been keeping active since I took a break from the rink, yet, I felt so wobbly out there. And I won't even tell you about how out of breath I got just warming up.
My left leg has gotten so much weaker and I was struggling to do a series of turns and pulls on that foot. It was dreadful and demoralizing. I felt like I was just learning how to skate again. Strangely enough, however, I managed to haul my now, much larger bum into the air and land 2S and 2T. And they felt good. I'm so glad that I'm still able to freeskate with dance blades on my boots.
I was a little worried about how I feel going back on the ice, but luckily, it was okay. I only got depressed about my decline in skating ability, but not necessarily the circumstances that I was skating last year. I'll have to find some sort of venue which matched my skating goals. I think next summer, I might be able to take a step forward, we'll see how it goes. Hopefully, I'll be able to go back on the ice again soon so that I won't be so rusty...ever, again.
And I got a blister. Some things never change.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Robert Munsch
I don't know for sure if I loved to read Robert Munsch's books when I was a kid. I did love listening to them being read. Especially by him. I have no idea where my parents got these recordings, but even to this day, when I read his stories that I have the recordings of, I can still hear his voice.
Last night, I re-read some of his stories, and wondered how I could preserve those memories. Today, as I went to his website to do some research, I found out that you can download him telling his stories.
I'm listening to Mud Puddle as I type this. It's very similar, but not the same recording that I listened to as a child. Speaking of Mud Puddle, I'm still hoping to find a specific version of the story. When I think of the story and hear Robert's voice telling the story, I see pictures from the story. All of the books in the stores have a newer illustrator's version of the story and I really want a visual image to remind me of all of those great memories that I had as a child. Hopefully I'll find it in my lifetime. I'm sure it can't be too hard, if I actually made an effort.
I was also just thinking about how incredible he would be to have speak to teachers or soon-to-be-teachers about passion and engaging an audience.
Ha ha ha...now I'm listening to Mortimer.
Last night, I re-read some of his stories, and wondered how I could preserve those memories. Today, as I went to his website to do some research, I found out that you can download him telling his stories.
I'm listening to Mud Puddle as I type this. It's very similar, but not the same recording that I listened to as a child. Speaking of Mud Puddle, I'm still hoping to find a specific version of the story. When I think of the story and hear Robert's voice telling the story, I see pictures from the story. All of the books in the stores have a newer illustrator's version of the story and I really want a visual image to remind me of all of those great memories that I had as a child. Hopefully I'll find it in my lifetime. I'm sure it can't be too hard, if I actually made an effort.
I was also just thinking about how incredible he would be to have speak to teachers or soon-to-be-teachers about passion and engaging an audience.
Ha ha ha...now I'm listening to Mortimer.
Olympic tickets
Figure skating tickets to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics are finally available again!!!
Don't get too excited, you need to be a millionaire to buy them. Tickets are going for 10 times the original price. It's absolutely ridiculous. At least it's so ridiculous that I'm not even tempted to buy the tickets anymore. Sure, I'd love to go, but these prices are so crazy. I can't afford to go to the Olympics this time around, but even if I could, I'd be tempted to use that money to buy bags. Many, many, bags! Ha ha.
I just can't figure out how people knew that these Olympics would sell out so quickly. Why didn't people go crazy like this over tickets for Torino? It's not like I bought tickets to make some extra cash, but when I found out that I couldn't attend a couple of the events, I was just happy to get some money back. Most of the events weren't sold out.
I guess as Canadians, we love our winter sports and Olympic events.
It'll be amusing to see how expensive these tickets get.
Don't get too excited, you need to be a millionaire to buy them. Tickets are going for 10 times the original price. It's absolutely ridiculous. At least it's so ridiculous that I'm not even tempted to buy the tickets anymore. Sure, I'd love to go, but these prices are so crazy. I can't afford to go to the Olympics this time around, but even if I could, I'd be tempted to use that money to buy bags. Many, many, bags! Ha ha.
I just can't figure out how people knew that these Olympics would sell out so quickly. Why didn't people go crazy like this over tickets for Torino? It's not like I bought tickets to make some extra cash, but when I found out that I couldn't attend a couple of the events, I was just happy to get some money back. Most of the events weren't sold out.
I guess as Canadians, we love our winter sports and Olympic events.
It'll be amusing to see how expensive these tickets get.
Friday, December 18, 2009
My Olympic moment. Sigh.
I'm impressed with myself. I've already been awake for an hour, and it's early (by my standards).
Yesterday, I was truly convinced that I would miss out on all of the Olympic fun. I didn't think that it was in the cards this time around. I should have known that I wouldn't be able to give up that easily.
Last night, I took another look at the Torch Relay Map and noticed that, this morning, the torch would be down the street from me, literally. I figured, a couple hours less sleep for one morning wouldn't be too big of a deal, so I set my alarm clock and hoped for the best.
Just over an hour ago, I bundled up and headed out to the cold outdoors. I had to do a little jogging to catch up (and pass - for photo ops) with the torch, but it was worth it. I'm such a suck. A nice, brisk, early morning run. I was due for one anyway. Even the CN tower was lit up to mark the occasion.
I marveled at the motorcade with coppers, Olympic people and the minibus for those finished their leg of the relay and needed a ride. I admired the sleek outfits and the torch. I was amazed at how short of a distance each carrier had. I could have jogged it no problem.
I did apply to be a torch bearer. I've come to realize that I didn't take the best route. Essentially, the way I applied was in a draw, but I probably would have had a better chance if I had applied in writing. On the way home from my outing this morning, I thought about all of the great things that I could have written. It would have been good. Then, I realized that, although it would have been cool to have been chosen
and to have that life experience, I'm okay with the fact that it didn't happen. I really don't need to be a torch bearer. I was happy to watch it go by. Also, it would have fed into my pack rat habits and I would have had an outfit that I would never wear again and a big torch that would clutter up my home. I swear, I'm not making up excuses to make myself feel better for not being in the relay. I was actually thinking that I would have tried to give away the items to some sort of charity or something. I even restrained myself from taking freebie giveaways from the relay. Like I said, I'm a terrible pack rat.
Anyway, I had my Olympic moment. I'm glad that I made the effort to see the flame go by. I might have regretted it otherwise.
I actually followed to torch further than I thought I would, and I wasn't the only one. And then there were the people who just happened to be in the area at the right time. Silly dog walkers, joggers and people who have to go to work way too early.
Now I'm trying to decide if I should go back to bed.
Yesterday, I was truly convinced that I would miss out on all of the Olympic fun. I didn't think that it was in the cards this time around. I should have known that I wouldn't be able to give up that easily.
Last night, I took another look at the Torch Relay Map and noticed that, this morning, the torch would be down the street from me, literally. I figured, a couple hours less sleep for one morning wouldn't be too big of a deal, so I set my alarm clock and hoped for the best.
Just over an hour ago, I bundled up and headed out to the cold outdoors. I had to do a little jogging to catch up (and pass - for photo ops) with the torch, but it was worth it. I'm such a suck. A nice, brisk, early morning run. I was due for one anyway. Even the CN tower was lit up to mark the occasion. I marveled at the motorcade with coppers, Olympic people and the minibus for those finished their leg of the relay and needed a ride. I admired the sleek outfits and the torch. I was amazed at how short of a distance each carrier had. I could have jogged it no problem.
I did apply to be a torch bearer. I've come to realize that I didn't take the best route. Essentially, the way I applied was in a draw, but I probably would have had a better chance if I had applied in writing. On the way home from my outing this morning, I thought about all of the great things that I could have written. It would have been good. Then, I realized that, although it would have been cool to have been chosen
and to have that life experience, I'm okay with the fact that it didn't happen. I really don't need to be a torch bearer. I was happy to watch it go by. Also, it would have fed into my pack rat habits and I would have had an outfit that I would never wear again and a big torch that would clutter up my home. I swear, I'm not making up excuses to make myself feel better for not being in the relay. I was actually thinking that I would have tried to give away the items to some sort of charity or something. I even restrained myself from taking freebie giveaways from the relay. Like I said, I'm a terrible pack rat.Anyway, I had my Olympic moment. I'm glad that I made the effort to see the flame go by. I might have regretted it otherwise.
I actually followed to torch further than I thought I would, and I wasn't the only one. And then there were the people who just happened to be in the area at the right time. Silly dog walkers, joggers and people who have to go to work way too early.
Now I'm trying to decide if I should go back to bed.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
The Olympics are coming.
It's here. The flame is going through the city today. I'm probably not going to see it and I've decided to attend other commitments instead. I'll be missing out on all of the festivities. Oh well.
I'm sure I could have made an effort, but I'll just keep my fingers crossed that the Olympics will return to Canada again in my lifetime. I won't be going out west to watch the Olympics even though logistically, it would have been a lot easier than the last time. I still can't believe that all of the figure skating events are sold out. They did just release some relatively inexpensive practice session tickets. Those would be great as well - you see some crazy stuff on practice sessions.
As much as I would have loved to go to the Olympics again, I have my priorities and for the next little while, they don't involve spending copious amounts of money on tickets to sporting events. Hopefully I'll be able to watch the events on a big screen TV and enjoy the Olympics, just in a different way from the last time.
I'm sure I could have made an effort, but I'll just keep my fingers crossed that the Olympics will return to Canada again in my lifetime. I won't be going out west to watch the Olympics even though logistically, it would have been a lot easier than the last time. I still can't believe that all of the figure skating events are sold out. They did just release some relatively inexpensive practice session tickets. Those would be great as well - you see some crazy stuff on practice sessions.
As much as I would have loved to go to the Olympics again, I have my priorities and for the next little while, they don't involve spending copious amounts of money on tickets to sporting events. Hopefully I'll be able to watch the events on a big screen TV and enjoy the Olympics, just in a different way from the last time.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Cupcake tour of Manhattan
I went to New York at the beginning of September and still haven't written about it. I'm planning on doing so in the next little while.
As part of the trip, we decided to do a little tour of some of the cupcake vendors in the city.
1. Baked by Melissa
We had the best cupcakes first. These bite-sized cupcakes (which I forgot to take a picture of - I was too excited to eat them) were
delish. They were one-bite shots of flavour. My favorite was the peanut butter and jelly. I would have liked to try the mint chocolate chip and cinnamon flavours had they had them. The cupcakes were not too sweet and exactly what the write-ups described. Just like min-cookies, I could eat a ton of these things. I'm glad that we only bought a small box to split. Oh man, they were good.
2. Magnolia Bakery
I didn't take a picture of the cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery, but if you really want to see what they look like, you can see a previous post from my first trip to New York. I would say that although there are many many people (tourists and New Yorkers, alike) that flock to the bakery, they were probably my least favorite cupcake of the bunch. The one thing I do like about it is that it's across the street from the crazy Marc Jacobs stores with the ridiculous sales.
3. Crumbs Bake Shop
I really liked these cupcakes as well. They were massive (more like, big muffins) and came in some interesting flavours. It was hard to decide on just one. I think that's the great thing about mini-cupcakes. You can sample more. This cupcake was creamsicle flavoured and was quite good. My only complaint about their cupcakes was that the icing was too sweet. Other than that - yum.
4. Cupcake Cafe
Nothing too special about these cupcakes, but for aesthetic appeal, these ones are the definite winners (although, the mini-cupcakes were quite well done as well). They looked like oil paintings. I wonder how they got the petals to have different shades on them. They were, what I would call average cupcake size. They were tasty, but nothing super special.
5. Buttercup Bake Shop
These cupcakes were battling for last with those from Magnolia Bakery. In my mind, they were your average, run of the mill cupcake. They looked generic, and they tasted generic too. They were a smidge better than the Magnolia Bakery ones, but I think that's because they weren't as dry.
6. Kyotofu
The final stop on our cupcake tour. Their award winning Chocolate Souffle Cupcake was...ummm, okay. I don't think my opinion
about the cupcake was hampered by cupcake-fatigue, but I didn't find the cupcakes to be too spectacular. They were unique, so I'll give them points for that, but they weren't anything exciting. I'm not a big fan of Asian flavoured pastries, so that probably didn't help matters. I guess I'll say that there are more than enough cupcake shops in the city that I'd rather go somewhere else.
So - lots of sugar in a short amount of time. A cupcake for breakfast isn't a bad thing, is it? The clear winner in this tour was the mini-cupcakes, with the giganto-cupcakes coming in a relatively close second.
As part of the trip, we decided to do a little tour of some of the cupcake vendors in the city.
1. Baked by Melissa
We had the best cupcakes first. These bite-sized cupcakes (which I forgot to take a picture of - I was too excited to eat them) were
delish. They were one-bite shots of flavour. My favorite was the peanut butter and jelly. I would have liked to try the mint chocolate chip and cinnamon flavours had they had them. The cupcakes were not too sweet and exactly what the write-ups described. Just like min-cookies, I could eat a ton of these things. I'm glad that we only bought a small box to split. Oh man, they were good.2. Magnolia Bakery
I didn't take a picture of the cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery, but if you really want to see what they look like, you can see a previous post from my first trip to New York. I would say that although there are many many people (tourists and New Yorkers, alike) that flock to the bakery, they were probably my least favorite cupcake of the bunch. The one thing I do like about it is that it's across the street from the crazy Marc Jacobs stores with the ridiculous sales.
3. Crumbs Bake ShopI really liked these cupcakes as well. They were massive (more like, big muffins) and came in some interesting flavours. It was hard to decide on just one. I think that's the great thing about mini-cupcakes. You can sample more. This cupcake was creamsicle flavoured and was quite good. My only complaint about their cupcakes was that the icing was too sweet. Other than that - yum.
4. Cupcake CafeNothing too special about these cupcakes, but for aesthetic appeal, these ones are the definite winners (although, the mini-cupcakes were quite well done as well). They looked like oil paintings. I wonder how they got the petals to have different shades on them. They were, what I would call average cupcake size. They were tasty, but nothing super special.
5. Buttercup Bake Shop
These cupcakes were battling for last with those from Magnolia Bakery. In my mind, they were your average, run of the mill cupcake. They looked generic, and they tasted generic too. They were a smidge better than the Magnolia Bakery ones, but I think that's because they weren't as dry.6. Kyotofu
The final stop on our cupcake tour. Their award winning Chocolate Souffle Cupcake was...ummm, okay. I don't think my opinion
about the cupcake was hampered by cupcake-fatigue, but I didn't find the cupcakes to be too spectacular. They were unique, so I'll give them points for that, but they weren't anything exciting. I'm not a big fan of Asian flavoured pastries, so that probably didn't help matters. I guess I'll say that there are more than enough cupcake shops in the city that I'd rather go somewhere else.So - lots of sugar in a short amount of time. A cupcake for breakfast isn't a bad thing, is it? The clear winner in this tour was the mini-cupcakes, with the giganto-cupcakes coming in a relatively close second.
One day
Okay, okay. Next time, I should just get over myself and go for it. I'm such a scaredy cat. This looked like it would have been fun. Maybe I shouldn't have bailed on the opportunity that I had available to me. Oh well.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Hello kitty!
I'm cat sitting for a week. It's been awhile since I've had a cat. I don't plan on owning any cats in the near future. I don't plan on owning any kind of pet in the near future, for that matter. But it'll be nice to have a cat for a week. He seem pretty personable (wait, should that be felinable?) so far. It will be a dandy time, I'm sure.
Friday, December 11, 2009
ADHD docs
In my search for online TV streaming, I came across a couple documentaries about ADHD on the TVO website.
I've only had an experience with one student who undoubtedly had ADHD. It was a fascinating learning experience. It made me feel inadequate as an educator. I know that there's only so much that can be done, with all of the other variables at play, challenges and pressures of the job, but that didn't stop me from wishing that I could do more. I know for a fact that I did more than some other teachers would have done, but I still felt like I should have been able to do more. That I could be better, somehow.
The documentaries didn't blow me over, and I didn't learn a lot from them, but it did give me more insight. I believe the more contexts that I can get, the more that I am informed, even if it's not a new infobit.
Educators have a tough job. There's a lot to know, and I don't think our education prepares us for our job adequately. I also don't think that this will change any time soon. This isn't a post to blame anyone by any means. It's not a pity party either. I love what I do. It's a wonderful profession and I think that there are great things about the system, but there are also areas in which it can be improved.
Teaching is complex. Students are complex.
I'm proud of some of the things that are happening in schools and our educational system. I'm also terribly embarrassed about others.
I feel like there's no much that I need to know. So much more that I need to know. Although it's sometimes demoralizing, I hope I continue to have these feelings and continue to learn.
Also, being a parent is hard. I guess being a kid is hard too.
Okay, I have no idea where this post is going. I do know that I'm happy that I found these videos.
I've only had an experience with one student who undoubtedly had ADHD. It was a fascinating learning experience. It made me feel inadequate as an educator. I know that there's only so much that can be done, with all of the other variables at play, challenges and pressures of the job, but that didn't stop me from wishing that I could do more. I know for a fact that I did more than some other teachers would have done, but I still felt like I should have been able to do more. That I could be better, somehow.
The documentaries didn't blow me over, and I didn't learn a lot from them, but it did give me more insight. I believe the more contexts that I can get, the more that I am informed, even if it's not a new infobit.
Educators have a tough job. There's a lot to know, and I don't think our education prepares us for our job adequately. I also don't think that this will change any time soon. This isn't a post to blame anyone by any means. It's not a pity party either. I love what I do. It's a wonderful profession and I think that there are great things about the system, but there are also areas in which it can be improved.
Teaching is complex. Students are complex.
I'm proud of some of the things that are happening in schools and our educational system. I'm also terribly embarrassed about others.
I feel like there's no much that I need to know. So much more that I need to know. Although it's sometimes demoralizing, I hope I continue to have these feelings and continue to learn.
Also, being a parent is hard. I guess being a kid is hard too.
Okay, I have no idea where this post is going. I do know that I'm happy that I found these videos.
Shopping
I haven't actually gone shopping in awhile, so today was nice. Really nice.
I got great use out of my Metropass and went all over.
My stint in Yorkville was the most entertaining of the day.
I finally ventured into the new Burberry boutique. I had made a conscious effort to stay away all this time, but you can only stay away for so long. I'm quite happy with the store. I made nice with a salesperson who kindly gave me a tour of the store, and pointing out key items from the different labels under the brand. To say I found a couple items that I wanted was an understatement. It was tough.
Hermes was kind enough to create a gift list (with pricing) for shoppers. They also had H shaped butter cookies with orange sprinkles on top. Yum. If you want to stock up on stationary, they have post-it notes for $50. I'm just saying. They also have a purple crocodile Lindy for $38,000 in stock. It's exquisite.
The new Teatro Verde on Yorkville is quite grand. It fits right into the neighbourhood.
On the same streets, I bypassed the shiny new Diesel on the way to Anthropologie. The fancy condo above looks great on the outside. I wonder what the units look like. Anyway, Anthropologie is also a perfect fit into the neighbourhood and I was surprised to find some things that I liked. They do stock some different stuff from the New York location, however, as I saw some cardigans from Preloved in the shop.
I also set foot into the flagship Harry Rosen on Bloor Street. Men must have a field day in there. The Armani section was the most enticing. The greys and purples were fantastic. I found lots of great stuff, but who do I have to buy for in that shop? Sorry friends, I'll have to win the lottery first. They also have felted rocks by Ronel Jordaan as part of their decor. I wonder if she came up with the idea before Stephanie Marin?
Of course I did go to a lot of other places to shop but I can't talk too much about those spots. Don't want to ruin any gift surprises. I didn't actually get any gifts, but the ideas are slowly developing. It was only the first day of shopping, afterall. In chatting with salespeople (some of them were so great!), I learned a lot about products, made some lists, did some price comparisons and will make my purchases in the weeks to come.
It was a nice day.
I got great use out of my Metropass and went all over.
My stint in Yorkville was the most entertaining of the day.
I finally ventured into the new Burberry boutique. I had made a conscious effort to stay away all this time, but you can only stay away for so long. I'm quite happy with the store. I made nice with a salesperson who kindly gave me a tour of the store, and pointing out key items from the different labels under the brand. To say I found a couple items that I wanted was an understatement. It was tough.
Hermes was kind enough to create a gift list (with pricing) for shoppers. They also had H shaped butter cookies with orange sprinkles on top. Yum. If you want to stock up on stationary, they have post-it notes for $50. I'm just saying. They also have a purple crocodile Lindy for $38,000 in stock. It's exquisite.
The new Teatro Verde on Yorkville is quite grand. It fits right into the neighbourhood.
On the same streets, I bypassed the shiny new Diesel on the way to Anthropologie. The fancy condo above looks great on the outside. I wonder what the units look like. Anyway, Anthropologie is also a perfect fit into the neighbourhood and I was surprised to find some things that I liked. They do stock some different stuff from the New York location, however, as I saw some cardigans from Preloved in the shop.
I also set foot into the flagship Harry Rosen on Bloor Street. Men must have a field day in there. The Armani section was the most enticing. The greys and purples were fantastic. I found lots of great stuff, but who do I have to buy for in that shop? Sorry friends, I'll have to win the lottery first. They also have felted rocks by Ronel Jordaan as part of their decor. I wonder if she came up with the idea before Stephanie Marin?
Of course I did go to a lot of other places to shop but I can't talk too much about those spots. Don't want to ruin any gift surprises. I didn't actually get any gifts, but the ideas are slowly developing. It was only the first day of shopping, afterall. In chatting with salespeople (some of them were so great!), I learned a lot about products, made some lists, did some price comparisons and will make my purchases in the weeks to come.
It was a nice day.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
I'm free!
I'm going to go rancho relaxo for a little while until things get going again.
I've still got a big list of things that I can work on before the end of the holidays, but at least I'll have my nights back. Yet, I'm sure I'll still continue to sleep in somehow. This next little while will show how much of a self-starter I can be. A good test for my future, I suppose.
I'm also going to brave the shops tomorrow. It's time.
Also, completely unrelated, but I'm watching episodes of The Facts of Life. I've never seen it before. Now that I've got some time on my hands, I'm sure I'll be watching tons of mind numbing shows, especially since a bunch of season finales on my regular shows just happened.
I've still got a big list of things that I can work on before the end of the holidays, but at least I'll have my nights back. Yet, I'm sure I'll still continue to sleep in somehow. This next little while will show how much of a self-starter I can be. A good test for my future, I suppose.
I'm also going to brave the shops tomorrow. It's time.
Also, completely unrelated, but I'm watching episodes of The Facts of Life. I've never seen it before. Now that I've got some time on my hands, I'm sure I'll be watching tons of mind numbing shows, especially since a bunch of season finales on my regular shows just happened.
Monday, December 07, 2009
Snow!
It snowed today! The first of the season! It was the lightest of flurries, but it was there.
Wheeeeeee!
I wonder when I'm going to succumb to switching to my winter coat?
Wheeeeeee!
I wonder when I'm going to succumb to switching to my winter coat?
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Taken aback
Lunch today consisted of various salads, pot pie (chicken or vegetable) and rice. A colleague who was serving herself at the same time as I was, made a comment (as I opened the lid of one of the containers) that surprised me. She said something along the lines of, "Oh, it's rice! I bet you'll want to take some of that, being Oriental and all."
Variations on a theme
This past weekend, I realized that Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World uses the same melody found in many songs including Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, the Alphabet Song, and Baa Baa Black Sheep.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
The Blanket Statement by the Hudson's Bay Company
I have a lot of blankets. They're so cushy, and I've been given quite a few for various commitments. I also seem to buy a bunch, myself. I really don't need any more blankets, but one that I wouldn't mind adding to my collection is the iconic Hbc Point Blanket. I've admired it for a long time.
I've been reading about the event for The Blanket Statement hosted by the Bay on Queen St. West in many, many, many, places.
I can't stop drooling over Smythe's reincarnation of the blanket.
I've been reading about the event for The Blanket Statement hosted by the Bay on Queen St. West in many, many, many, places.
I can't stop drooling over Smythe's reincarnation of the blanket.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Learned something new today
I had no idea that this existed. How many people actually use these things?
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Another life experience (update)
As promised, the afternoon of my post, I went to an American Apparel shop to try on some heavy duty leggings. I finally figured out what size I am in their store, and was ready to take the plunge and buy some discounted items on their online shop.
Only, the discount didn't work.
I think the company figured out that their discount had mistakenly overflowed into their regular priced merchandise and pulled the plug.
And I didn't act fast enough.
I was actually looking forward to to owning hipster clothing.
It must be a sign. I can't find another explanation for it.
I'm not meant to own clothing from this company.
Only, the discount didn't work.
I think the company figured out that their discount had mistakenly overflowed into their regular priced merchandise and pulled the plug.
And I didn't act fast enough.
I was actually looking forward to to owning hipster clothing.
It must be a sign. I can't find another explanation for it.
I'm not meant to own clothing from this company.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Another life experience
American Apparel had a crazy "Rummage Sale" this past weekend, here in the city.
I saw an ad for the sale somewhere on the internet, and then a couple days later, saw it on multiple other sites and then found out that there was a facebook page set up for the sale. This should have been my first clue that things would not end well.
I've never bought anything at American Apparel before. When it first came out in the city, the prices were higher than they are now, and the overstuffed racks of gold shiny leggings and neon fake-dancewear made me cringe. At the time, the word "hipster" was not on my radar. I was confused and aghast at what they were selling. Sadly, my sentiments have not changed since then.
The thing is, I have been looking for a good pair of leggings for quite some time now. I am very particular about the leggings that I'm looking for and so far, American Apparel is the only non-luxe boutique that offers the product I want. Yeah, you'd think that buying a pair of leggings would be easy, but trust me, it's not.
So, I figure that this sale, is the perfect chance to snap up some leggings and maybe some tights at a good price. I should have known that it wouldn't be so simple.
My strategy is to go on the first day of the sale, in the morning while people are at work or school. I showed up and am vaguely surprised to see a looooong line snaking around the corner of the nearest intersection. Turns out, tween and teens will skip school for these kinds of sales. Darn it. I join the end of the line and go through my plans for the day. No problem - I can just delay everything I had planned by an hour. An hour in, I've moved about 10 meters forward and thanks to the girls behind me, am reminded that teenagers have a skewed sense of personal space. This, however, may be a smart strategy to battle the cold weather. None of them seem to be wearing late-fall/winter coats and their leggings would not meet my criteria for purchase. I marvel at the kids strutting down the street without coats on and the girls wearing their hiked up kilts and ankle socks. I'm too lazy to bring out my reading, but I probably wouldn't have been able to concentrate on my articles with the stories of so-and-so cheating on her best friend's boyfriend and so-and-so thinks she's so cool, being screamed in my ear. Oh my.
Every so often, I see someone walk by with a large shopper bag filled with purchases from the sale. I guess there's good stuff to be bought. A flyer is passed out with the pricelist of items for sale. It's very enticing.
Starbucks, McDonalds and other local vendors must be so happy this sale is happening in their neighbourhood. Hipsters will spend lots of money on lattes and food.
At one and a half hours into my slow death, I've only moved half a block, but the girls behind me have started listening to their i-pods and I get a much needed break from their rambling and ranting. The sun comes out and warms my body (thank goodness I wear so much black), although by this point my feet have gone numb and the short stint of sun isn't long enough to bring them back to life.
I make a couple calls for moral support, and just as I think it's not worth my time nor energy (realistically, I'm only looking to buy 2 or 3 items) to stand in this line, we move forward. 2 meters.
I overhear a shopper tell a fellow line-waiter that it's not worth it. Items are not being replenished as advertised (it's just stuff that people don't want after throwing them on the floor or in the incorrect bin that's getting put back on the racks) and everything has rips and tears in it. Okay, I ready to bail, until I look down and see the massive shopper of clothes that she's just purchased. Huh?
I'm starting to feel a little bit hysterical from the cold and waiting and realize that I really have to leave. The line is not moving fast enough and I do have things that need to get done that day. After two hours of waiting in line, I've moved about one block (half a block to go) and am actually disappointed with myself that after all of that time, I have nothing to show for it. I feel like a quitter. I had gone so far, just to bail.
As I walk away from the line (I'm sure to the cheers of the girlies behind me), I can't feel my feet and am astounded that I can walk on stumps. I'm shaking from the cold and happy to sit down in the warmth of the streetcar. My muscles feel sore from tensing in the cold for two hours and I start uncontrollably twitching as my body returns to a normal temperature.
By the next morning, I've convinced myself that it wasn't meant to be and that I'm probably better off not getting into the sale. And then I get an e-mail from someone who's waiting in line. I waver (as always) and soon find myself in line beside her. I don't stay for very long, as I have plans that I do not want to tamper with (and the line is not moving any faster than it did the day prior), but a new development is that the organizers are now giving timed entry tickets so that potential shoppers do not have to wait around and can go and come back at a later appointed time. Just before leaving at 10.30am, I hear that they are giving tickets for a 4pm entry. I'm happy to leave, but wish my compatriot luck.
Yet again, I thought I was done with the whole gong-show, until later that day, I get an e-mail saying that there is a 6pm ticket with my name on it, if I want it. Like a sucker, I bite. I show up that evening, join a shorter line, and wait about 20 minutes to get in.
Once inside, we begrudgingly join yet another line (mandatory coat/bag check) and wait another half an hour, at least, this time in the warmth. In the distance, I see chaos.
It brings me back to my Club Monaco warehouse sales of my childhood where people are going crazy. Clothes are everywhere, and there's not much that is worth buying. I figure I'll be out of the there pretty quickly. I scan the racks quickly (definitely not a rummager - hmmm, why did I think I would enjoy this sale, again?) and end up with a couple items, mostly picked up off the floor and hidden underneath the overflowing racks. Strange, everything seems to have a rip in it, except for items sizes XL and above. So we're buying defective merchandise. Oh, great. I am actually tempted to get two different dresses. One would need altering and would only be worn to the beach, and the other has at least 2 rips that would need to be stitched up and I don't really know how well it fits.
I leave with nothing.
The kicker, I have developed a cold from Friday's antics. I hate being sick.
Now that the sale's over, for some reason they've decided to have a crazy sale on their online store. Clearly they have extra stock left from the sale. Apparently the webcode promo works on their regular stocked merchandise too. It's only for a couple days, so I'm actually going into the store today to try out sizes and see if I actually want to take the plunge. I'm wondering if the past couple days were supposed to be a sign that I should never engage in anything American Apparel.
I saw an ad for the sale somewhere on the internet, and then a couple days later, saw it on multiple other sites and then found out that there was a facebook page set up for the sale. This should have been my first clue that things would not end well.
I've never bought anything at American Apparel before. When it first came out in the city, the prices were higher than they are now, and the overstuffed racks of gold shiny leggings and neon fake-dancewear made me cringe. At the time, the word "hipster" was not on my radar. I was confused and aghast at what they were selling. Sadly, my sentiments have not changed since then.
The thing is, I have been looking for a good pair of leggings for quite some time now. I am very particular about the leggings that I'm looking for and so far, American Apparel is the only non-luxe boutique that offers the product I want. Yeah, you'd think that buying a pair of leggings would be easy, but trust me, it's not.
So, I figure that this sale, is the perfect chance to snap up some leggings and maybe some tights at a good price. I should have known that it wouldn't be so simple.
My strategy is to go on the first day of the sale, in the morning while people are at work or school. I showed up and am vaguely surprised to see a looooong line snaking around the corner of the nearest intersection. Turns out, tween and teens will skip school for these kinds of sales. Darn it. I join the end of the line and go through my plans for the day. No problem - I can just delay everything I had planned by an hour. An hour in, I've moved about 10 meters forward and thanks to the girls behind me, am reminded that teenagers have a skewed sense of personal space. This, however, may be a smart strategy to battle the cold weather. None of them seem to be wearing late-fall/winter coats and their leggings would not meet my criteria for purchase. I marvel at the kids strutting down the street without coats on and the girls wearing their hiked up kilts and ankle socks. I'm too lazy to bring out my reading, but I probably wouldn't have been able to concentrate on my articles with the stories of so-and-so cheating on her best friend's boyfriend and so-and-so thinks she's so cool, being screamed in my ear. Oh my.
Every so often, I see someone walk by with a large shopper bag filled with purchases from the sale. I guess there's good stuff to be bought. A flyer is passed out with the pricelist of items for sale. It's very enticing.
Starbucks, McDonalds and other local vendors must be so happy this sale is happening in their neighbourhood. Hipsters will spend lots of money on lattes and food.
At one and a half hours into my slow death, I've only moved half a block, but the girls behind me have started listening to their i-pods and I get a much needed break from their rambling and ranting. The sun comes out and warms my body (thank goodness I wear so much black), although by this point my feet have gone numb and the short stint of sun isn't long enough to bring them back to life.
I make a couple calls for moral support, and just as I think it's not worth my time nor energy (realistically, I'm only looking to buy 2 or 3 items) to stand in this line, we move forward. 2 meters.
I overhear a shopper tell a fellow line-waiter that it's not worth it. Items are not being replenished as advertised (it's just stuff that people don't want after throwing them on the floor or in the incorrect bin that's getting put back on the racks) and everything has rips and tears in it. Okay, I ready to bail, until I look down and see the massive shopper of clothes that she's just purchased. Huh?
I'm starting to feel a little bit hysterical from the cold and waiting and realize that I really have to leave. The line is not moving fast enough and I do have things that need to get done that day. After two hours of waiting in line, I've moved about one block (half a block to go) and am actually disappointed with myself that after all of that time, I have nothing to show for it. I feel like a quitter. I had gone so far, just to bail.
As I walk away from the line (I'm sure to the cheers of the girlies behind me), I can't feel my feet and am astounded that I can walk on stumps. I'm shaking from the cold and happy to sit down in the warmth of the streetcar. My muscles feel sore from tensing in the cold for two hours and I start uncontrollably twitching as my body returns to a normal temperature.
By the next morning, I've convinced myself that it wasn't meant to be and that I'm probably better off not getting into the sale. And then I get an e-mail from someone who's waiting in line. I waver (as always) and soon find myself in line beside her. I don't stay for very long, as I have plans that I do not want to tamper with (and the line is not moving any faster than it did the day prior), but a new development is that the organizers are now giving timed entry tickets so that potential shoppers do not have to wait around and can go and come back at a later appointed time. Just before leaving at 10.30am, I hear that they are giving tickets for a 4pm entry. I'm happy to leave, but wish my compatriot luck.
Yet again, I thought I was done with the whole gong-show, until later that day, I get an e-mail saying that there is a 6pm ticket with my name on it, if I want it. Like a sucker, I bite. I show up that evening, join a shorter line, and wait about 20 minutes to get in.
Once inside, we begrudgingly join yet another line (mandatory coat/bag check) and wait another half an hour, at least, this time in the warmth. In the distance, I see chaos.
It brings me back to my Club Monaco warehouse sales of my childhood where people are going crazy. Clothes are everywhere, and there's not much that is worth buying. I figure I'll be out of the there pretty quickly. I scan the racks quickly (definitely not a rummager - hmmm, why did I think I would enjoy this sale, again?) and end up with a couple items, mostly picked up off the floor and hidden underneath the overflowing racks. Strange, everything seems to have a rip in it, except for items sizes XL and above. So we're buying defective merchandise. Oh, great. I am actually tempted to get two different dresses. One would need altering and would only be worn to the beach, and the other has at least 2 rips that would need to be stitched up and I don't really know how well it fits.
I leave with nothing.
The kicker, I have developed a cold from Friday's antics. I hate being sick.
Now that the sale's over, for some reason they've decided to have a crazy sale on their online store. Clearly they have extra stock left from the sale. Apparently the webcode promo works on their regular stocked merchandise too. It's only for a couple days, so I'm actually going into the store today to try out sizes and see if I actually want to take the plunge. I'm wondering if the past couple days were supposed to be a sign that I should never engage in anything American Apparel.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
One of a Kind Show
The One of a Kind Show, Christmas edition is in town and I decided to take a break from my writing (not of this, silly - it's end of term) and head over thanks to a little free re-admission scamming.
I haven't been to the show since I was in university, and in those years, it's become massive. I was a little overwhelmed with the space upon entry, but once I started snaking up and down the aisles, it was pretty manageable.
I didn't see anything too inspirational, but that's not to say that I didn't see things that I liked. There were many variations on the same theme, but that's not atypical of a craft/art show.
The only thing that I saw that I would be tempted to buy for myself was a dessert stand, but it was way out of my price range. It was beautiful.
The show is strategically split up so that, for the most part, similar artisans are stationed in the same area. One thing that I found a little odd was that one end of the hall had a higher percentage of vendors from Quebec. I wonder if that was on purpose. I admit that I lingered in that area to try to re-train myself to understand French.
Oh, do people in the city put sheepskin lining in their baby strollers? Also, (again, in the strollers) do they put their babies in little sleeping bags to keep them warm instead of just covering them with a blanket. I'll have to keep my eye out for that.
There was stuff that I would probably be interested in buying a couple years down the line, but for the moment, I was pretty satisfied to leave the show empty-handed.
The food section was a tasty break with their free samples.
It was quite busy today, and lots of purchases being made. The holiday shopping frenzy is definitely underway!
I haven't been to the show since I was in university, and in those years, it's become massive. I was a little overwhelmed with the space upon entry, but once I started snaking up and down the aisles, it was pretty manageable.
I didn't see anything too inspirational, but that's not to say that I didn't see things that I liked. There were many variations on the same theme, but that's not atypical of a craft/art show.
The only thing that I saw that I would be tempted to buy for myself was a dessert stand, but it was way out of my price range. It was beautiful.
The show is strategically split up so that, for the most part, similar artisans are stationed in the same area. One thing that I found a little odd was that one end of the hall had a higher percentage of vendors from Quebec. I wonder if that was on purpose. I admit that I lingered in that area to try to re-train myself to understand French.
Oh, do people in the city put sheepskin lining in their baby strollers? Also, (again, in the strollers) do they put their babies in little sleeping bags to keep them warm instead of just covering them with a blanket. I'll have to keep my eye out for that.
There was stuff that I would probably be interested in buying a couple years down the line, but for the moment, I was pretty satisfied to leave the show empty-handed.
The food section was a tasty break with their free samples.
It was quite busy today, and lots of purchases being made. The holiday shopping frenzy is definitely underway!
Cosmic bowling
The last time I went bowling was in high school. It was a long time ago.
Last night, we went cosmic bowling!!!
It was so much fun. I got caught up on some of today's music videos (along with classics too - Bob Seger, Brooks And Dunn). Remembered how heavy bowling balls are got a couple strikes!
My mostly black outfit meant that I didn't have to stand out in the crowd, although I got the most colourful shoes of the night. With the blacklights on, my shoes were fluorescent orange, yellow and green. It was wonderful.
I wish I took pictures, but every since I lost my camera case, I haven't had my camera in my bag and so I don't carry it around with me at all times. Next time, I'll remember.
My best game was 165 and hopefully we can go bowling again soon!
Last night, we went cosmic bowling!!!
It was so much fun. I got caught up on some of today's music videos (along with classics too - Bob Seger, Brooks And Dunn). Remembered how heavy bowling balls are got a couple strikes!
My mostly black outfit meant that I didn't have to stand out in the crowd, although I got the most colourful shoes of the night. With the blacklights on, my shoes were fluorescent orange, yellow and green. It was wonderful.
I wish I took pictures, but every since I lost my camera case, I haven't had my camera in my bag and so I don't carry it around with me at all times. Next time, I'll remember.
My best game was 165 and hopefully we can go bowling again soon!
Pop-up shops
I've never experienced the phenomenon of the pop-up shop, but there's a couple popping up strategically in time for holiday shopping. Unfortunately for me, it's bad timing as this week it going to be a little hectic and I'm not going to be in town for most of it.
For everyone else who's in town, here are a couple that showed up on my radar:
Holt Renfrew
560 King Street West.
Wednesday, December 2 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 3 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Friday, December 4 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 5 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 6 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Housed in Toronto condominium development Fashion House, the pop-up will feature a curated assortment of Holt Renfrew’ brands merchandised as a shared shopping experience that has a decidedly unisex outlook.
Burroughes Building
639 Queen Street West.
Thursday, December 3, 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Friday, December 4, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 5, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 6, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The Burroughes Designer Department Store Holiday Pop-Up Shop, a four day showcase of great Toronto labels selling quality fashion, design, home and beauty buys including Philip Sparks, Carrie Hayes, Dalish Cosmetics, Petals, Soos Jewelry and Susana Erazo.
The Loft
52 St. Lawrence Street, Unit #324.
Saturday, December 5 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 6, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Gather your girls for the ultimate holiday treat. Sip, shop and share! Sip on some bubbly
Shop four Canadian designer lines: Psalms 91:1 Accessories, Brazen Hussy dresses, 442 McAdam handbags, and Aime by Monica Mei womenswear. 10% proceeds will go towards Dr. Roz Healing Place: a centre for empowerment and healing. PLUS, spoil yourself with cupcakes by prettysweet and mini-makeovers by Mary Kay Cosmetics!
For everyone else who's in town, here are a couple that showed up on my radar:
Holt Renfrew
560 King Street West.
Wednesday, December 2 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 3 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Friday, December 4 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 5 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 6 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Housed in Toronto condominium development Fashion House, the pop-up will feature a curated assortment of Holt Renfrew’ brands merchandised as a shared shopping experience that has a decidedly unisex outlook.
Burroughes Building
639 Queen Street West.
Thursday, December 3, 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Friday, December 4, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 5, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 6, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The Burroughes Designer Department Store Holiday Pop-Up Shop, a four day showcase of great Toronto labels selling quality fashion, design, home and beauty buys including Philip Sparks, Carrie Hayes, Dalish Cosmetics, Petals, Soos Jewelry and Susana Erazo.
The Loft
52 St. Lawrence Street, Unit #324.
Saturday, December 5 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 6, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Gather your girls for the ultimate holiday treat. Sip, shop and share! Sip on some bubbly
Shop four Canadian designer lines: Psalms 91:1 Accessories, Brazen Hussy dresses, 442 McAdam handbags, and Aime by Monica Mei womenswear. 10% proceeds will go towards Dr. Roz Healing Place: a centre for empowerment and healing. PLUS, spoil yourself with cupcakes by prettysweet and mini-makeovers by Mary Kay Cosmetics!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Copy cats!
Every time I see them in the store, I make a mental note to ranting about them, but with my lackluster memory, it's taken awhile to actually follow through.
Skechers has totally copied MBT Shoes. The Shape-ups idea, is definitely not original. The give away? The ugliness of the shoe. I blatantly love to promote all things Swiss, but I draw the line here. I didn't see many people wearing MBTs, but the few times I did and when I saw them in stores I cringed. They're horrifically unflattering and I don't really know how much they work. Of the two people I personally know that wore them, one, ummm, could have used the toning but none of us really saw any results. It could be that this person didn't really do a lot of walking, so I'm not sure how they expected to see the apparently benefits of the shoe. The other, I have no idea if it made a difference. She's so fit, that it probably wouldn't make too much of a difference.
Anyway, my point is - Sketchers or MBT, they're both ugly.
Skechers has totally copied MBT Shoes. The Shape-ups idea, is definitely not original. The give away? The ugliness of the shoe. I blatantly love to promote all things Swiss, but I draw the line here. I didn't see many people wearing MBTs, but the few times I did and when I saw them in stores I cringed. They're horrifically unflattering and I don't really know how much they work. Of the two people I personally know that wore them, one, ummm, could have used the toning but none of us really saw any results. It could be that this person didn't really do a lot of walking, so I'm not sure how they expected to see the apparently benefits of the shoe. The other, I have no idea if it made a difference. She's so fit, that it probably wouldn't make too much of a difference.
Anyway, my point is - Sketchers or MBT, they're both ugly.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Cheerios - Send a Cheer
I'm so tempted to go out an buy a box of Cheerios. It's not my breakfast of choice (I don't eat breakfast in general - yes, I know it's not healthy), but the Send a Cheer campaign makes it really tempting to change my eating habits. Although, I have to say, I've got a fresh box of Raisin Brand waiting to be opened. I think it's a couple months old. Ooops.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Survivor #1-billion (or something like that)
I can't believe how many seasons of Survivor there have been already. Currently, the show is airing season 19 which was shot in Samoa.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm watching this season. It's actually really good. There's one guy who is a serious-*ss player. I hated him at the beginning, but now I'm in awe. I think that's how they set him up, and it's working like a charm.
Impressive.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm watching this season. It's actually really good. There's one guy who is a serious-*ss player. I hated him at the beginning, but now I'm in awe. I think that's how they set him up, and it's working like a charm.
Impressive.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Keeping it together
Someone spilled/broke a bottle of red wine on the platform of the Spadina subway station. It took all of the energy I had left from a long day to keep from keeling over.
Monday, November 16, 2009
La Suisse me manque
Last night, I said tschüss as I left a friend's place. It just came out. It kind of surprised me after I heard myself say it. All of sudden I was happy and sad at the same time.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The Room at The Bay
I was tipped off about the revamped version of the St. Regis Room at The Bay, Queen Street West location opening up as The Room. Today, I finally made my way over to see the place.
Incredible.
They did a fantastic job with the renovations, making the space roomy, sparse and bright. Fantastic merchandising and visuals. They instantly won me over by carrying labels such as Repetto, Sonia Rykiel, and Balmain, among others and many, many Proenza Schouler PS1's. Their selection included, a drool-worthy purple suede version and a stunning blue clutch. Man alive. Beautiful.
I also saw lots of pretty frocks, that I would currently get no use out of, but would love to own. Moschino, Elie Tahari and Erin Fetherston (whom I'd never heard of before).
They edited the space and products so well. Tons of beautiful pieces by tons of beautiful designers.
Well done.
I'll be going back for more browsing in the near future, I'm sure.
Incredible.
They did a fantastic job with the renovations, making the space roomy, sparse and bright. Fantastic merchandising and visuals. They instantly won me over by carrying labels such as Repetto, Sonia Rykiel, and Balmain, among others and many, many Proenza Schouler PS1's. Their selection included, a drool-worthy purple suede version and a stunning blue clutch. Man alive. Beautiful.
I also saw lots of pretty frocks, that I would currently get no use out of, but would love to own. Moschino, Elie Tahari and Erin Fetherston (whom I'd never heard of before).
They edited the space and products so well. Tons of beautiful pieces by tons of beautiful designers.
Well done.
I'll be going back for more browsing in the near future, I'm sure.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Luella
Apparently, Luella is going through some financial issues. Basically, they have no backing. A couple other fashion houses have been going through similar struggles this past little while, but have managed to pull through. Hopefully, Luella will as well.
One of my first bag-crushes was a Luella bag. The classic Gisele. I never bought it, because at the time, I couldn't even imagine spending that much on a bag. Oh, how things change.
So it's bad news for Luella, but good news for shoppers. Everything's on sale!
One of my first bag-crushes was a Luella bag. The classic Gisele. I never bought it, because at the time, I couldn't even imagine spending that much on a bag. Oh, how things change.
So it's bad news for Luella, but good news for shoppers. Everything's on sale!
Friday, November 13, 2009
The Sleeping Beauty
Tonight, I attended the opening performance of The Sleeping Beauty of The National Ballet of Canada. I selected this specific performance to attend as it worked into my schedule and it had many dancers that I wanted to see.
I have a horrible headache, so I'm going to bed, but here's a couple highlights from the night:
- Penelope Reed Doob gave an extremely uninspiring Ballet Talk. It was the first time, I wished that I wasn't sitting there. It was absolutely dreadful.
- Spotted: former Princess Aurora's, Vanessa Harwood and Karen Kain
- Rotten luck sitting beside an audience member who shouts brava or bravo after after every single variation. Of course many of the dancers deserve such praise, but I don't think it was necessary during this performance. I mean, c'mon - the corps?
- Sitting in the third row is fabulous. You can see everything. I found myself staring at the dancers' faces more than their dancing. I'm so blind, that it's just such a treat to be able to see the costumes and faces up close.
- Bridgett Zehr is a little bit too skinny.
- The Ballet Boutique is copying Freitag by making their own messenger bags and totes out of ballet posters, seatbelts and other recycled materials.
- Standing ovations and prolonged curtain calls seem to be the norm these days. I often believe that the audience has no clue what's going on, but they think that they're supposed to behave that way.
I have a horrible headache, so I'm going to bed, but here's a couple highlights from the night:
- Penelope Reed Doob gave an extremely uninspiring Ballet Talk. It was the first time, I wished that I wasn't sitting there. It was absolutely dreadful.
- Spotted: former Princess Aurora's, Vanessa Harwood and Karen Kain
- Rotten luck sitting beside an audience member who shouts brava or bravo after after every single variation. Of course many of the dancers deserve such praise, but I don't think it was necessary during this performance. I mean, c'mon - the corps?
- Sitting in the third row is fabulous. You can see everything. I found myself staring at the dancers' faces more than their dancing. I'm so blind, that it's just such a treat to be able to see the costumes and faces up close.
- Bridgett Zehr is a little bit too skinny.
- The Ballet Boutique is copying Freitag by making their own messenger bags and totes out of ballet posters, seatbelts and other recycled materials.
- Standing ovations and prolonged curtain calls seem to be the norm these days. I often believe that the audience has no clue what's going on, but they think that they're supposed to behave that way.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Thoughts from yesterday
- My body has decided to crash and I'm sleeping in on a regular basis. Condo hunting has quietly taken its toll.
- Paul Popowich now has the educational standard required to teach high school but for some reason didn't graduate with his peers in the spring. Failed practicum, perhaps? Practicum deferral due to filming obligations?
- Convocation Hall is smaller than people make it sound. I think I was expecting something of Roy Thomson Hall-esque proportions.
- Nota Bene has tasty food. Yucatan Hot and Sour Soup reminds me of a Grade 8 field trip.
- Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon are easy on the eyes. This actually surprises me.
- My condo smells like mold. Last year it smelled like sewage. Unless something goes terrible wrong, I won't be around next year to find out what the next smell will be.
- Paul Popowich now has the educational standard required to teach high school but for some reason didn't graduate with his peers in the spring. Failed practicum, perhaps? Practicum deferral due to filming obligations?
- Convocation Hall is smaller than people make it sound. I think I was expecting something of Roy Thomson Hall-esque proportions.
- Nota Bene has tasty food. Yucatan Hot and Sour Soup reminds me of a Grade 8 field trip.
- Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon are easy on the eyes. This actually surprises me.
- My condo smells like mold. Last year it smelled like sewage. Unless something goes terrible wrong, I won't be around next year to find out what the next smell will be.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
More shows to numb my brain
I've added two shows to the background noise-list...and both happen to be linked to education.
1. Community. This show takes place at a community college and focuses on the interactions between a group of diverse classmates who's connection is Spanish class. The characters are hilarious.
2. Glee. This show takes place at a high school and focuses on a group of students who belong to the glee club and various teachers at the school. There is singing and dancing and some stars who I noticed way back when there hadn't hit it bit yet. Two of the characters were in the original production of Spring Awakening and Lea Michele, who played Wendla stood out in my mind as being such a strong presence. There's an episode of Glee where Kristin Chenoweth guest stars. I've been a big fan of hers ever since she appeared (as an unknown) on the Rosie O'Donnell show as Sally with the cast of the revival of You're a Good Man Charlie Brown for which she later went on to win a Tony. Of course, she is now fabulously successful (I would have loved to see her in Wicked, well any show, I guess would suffice). so anyway, seeing the two of them on the show was cool. The show doesn't have much substance to it and I imagine that it's catering to a small demographic. Every so often they'll be a nugget of insight to the life of being a teacher, but other than that - it's very much a in-the-background kind of show.
1. Community. This show takes place at a community college and focuses on the interactions between a group of diverse classmates who's connection is Spanish class. The characters are hilarious.
2. Glee. This show takes place at a high school and focuses on a group of students who belong to the glee club and various teachers at the school. There is singing and dancing and some stars who I noticed way back when there hadn't hit it bit yet. Two of the characters were in the original production of Spring Awakening and Lea Michele, who played Wendla stood out in my mind as being such a strong presence. There's an episode of Glee where Kristin Chenoweth guest stars. I've been a big fan of hers ever since she appeared (as an unknown) on the Rosie O'Donnell show as Sally with the cast of the revival of You're a Good Man Charlie Brown for which she later went on to win a Tony. Of course, she is now fabulously successful (I would have loved to see her in Wicked, well any show, I guess would suffice). so anyway, seeing the two of them on the show was cool. The show doesn't have much substance to it and I imagine that it's catering to a small demographic. Every so often they'll be a nugget of insight to the life of being a teacher, but other than that - it's very much a in-the-background kind of show.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
My heart still belongs to Improv Everywhere
When I first found the site, Improv Everywhere, I was quick to bookmark it. I have not read a post that did not make me smile. Most, if not all make me laugh out loud. I somehow clicked to a worldwide network of spawns of the original, and was interested to see what the Toronto version had to offer. After visiting the Improv in Toronto site and taking a look at the different missions that they had done, I was very hesitant to bookmark the site. Knowing however, that I probably would not have the chance to participate in the New York based, Improv Everywhere missions, I thought, what the heck, I'll give my hometown friends a chance to prove themselves worthy of my affection.
Sadly, I am still disappointed.
This past Friday night, a couple of friends and I took the plunge and decided to participate on their Stop dancing where no one is watching... mission. This mission would be perfect for me. I guess my expectations were too high and I'm too much of a dancing snob and perfectionist to give it enough of a chance. I did have fun learning the routine, and was pleasantly surprised at how fast non-dancers could pick up choreography, but my problem stemmed more in the fact that the people running the show grated on my nerves. It was before the mission even began that I was doubtful of my participation of the actual event. The speech and arrogance that our leader portrayed (and this was not the leader of the Improv group) made me sick.
Although we did not follow through and participate in the final event, it was kind of fun to be a part of the preparation. Going to an off-site location, learning about the mission, learning the dance (I still have the music and choreography in my head) and meeting a couple new people. The age demographic for the Toronto branch is much younger than the original counterpart, which did throw me off a bit. There was quite the mixture of individuals who answered the call for agents.
Once at the mission site, we waited around for the mission to start and it was quite clear that there wouldn't be as large of an audience (and media presence) as the organizers had expected. I wouldn't call it a flash-mob, per se. I'm pretty sure a 75% of the people in a area wearing flickering lights/glowstick necklaces means that something is up. It looked like everyone participating had a wonderful time and I don't necessarily regret not completing the mission. It's hard to say.
Another mission is coming up pretty soon - I'm undecided as to whether or not I will participate. There could be a small amount of agent interaction on this one, so it might be a bit better. I still dream of the day that I can be an agent with Improv Everywhere, or would be happy to participate in other dancing missions in the city. Just tell me about your demographic of agents beforehand.
Also, Improv in Toronto was setting themself up for failure. Did they seriously think that they could compete against this (wheeee for 3:35!) or this (like, hello)?!?
Sadly, I am still disappointed.
This past Friday night, a couple of friends and I took the plunge and decided to participate on their Stop dancing where no one is watching... mission. This mission would be perfect for me. I guess my expectations were too high and I'm too much of a dancing snob and perfectionist to give it enough of a chance. I did have fun learning the routine, and was pleasantly surprised at how fast non-dancers could pick up choreography, but my problem stemmed more in the fact that the people running the show grated on my nerves. It was before the mission even began that I was doubtful of my participation of the actual event. The speech and arrogance that our leader portrayed (and this was not the leader of the Improv group) made me sick.
Although we did not follow through and participate in the final event, it was kind of fun to be a part of the preparation. Going to an off-site location, learning about the mission, learning the dance (I still have the music and choreography in my head) and meeting a couple new people. The age demographic for the Toronto branch is much younger than the original counterpart, which did throw me off a bit. There was quite the mixture of individuals who answered the call for agents.
Once at the mission site, we waited around for the mission to start and it was quite clear that there wouldn't be as large of an audience (and media presence) as the organizers had expected. I wouldn't call it a flash-mob, per se. I'm pretty sure a 75% of the people in a area wearing flickering lights/glowstick necklaces means that something is up. It looked like everyone participating had a wonderful time and I don't necessarily regret not completing the mission. It's hard to say.
Another mission is coming up pretty soon - I'm undecided as to whether or not I will participate. There could be a small amount of agent interaction on this one, so it might be a bit better. I still dream of the day that I can be an agent with Improv Everywhere, or would be happy to participate in other dancing missions in the city. Just tell me about your demographic of agents beforehand.
Also, Improv in Toronto was setting themself up for failure. Did they seriously think that they could compete against this (wheeee for 3:35!) or this (like, hello)?!?
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Panic!!!
I was going to read up on some local news (I have some time to kill) so I turned to the Toronto Star website. Perhaps it was my timing, but splayed across the top of the screen in red was BREAKING NEWS. H1N1 outbreak at Mount Sinai Hospital. Way to get people to freak out.
Sure this stuff is important to know, but all of a sudden I feel like I could be in the movie, Outbreak. Since I have feelings of invisibility, I'm not too thrown off.
I'm just a little amused to see it there. Now, if we all have to be quaranteened, I'll eat my words, but for now, I'll just read up about some other news fluff. Hmmm...I haven't visited People Magazine's website recently. Ha.
Edit: So I just read the article about the outbreak and it goes into very little detail about, well, anything. Statistics are pretty flimsy and there isn't much heft to make us think more deeply about the situation.
Sure this stuff is important to know, but all of a sudden I feel like I could be in the movie, Outbreak. Since I have feelings of invisibility, I'm not too thrown off.
I'm just a little amused to see it there. Now, if we all have to be quaranteened, I'll eat my words, but for now, I'll just read up about some other news fluff. Hmmm...I haven't visited People Magazine's website recently. Ha.
Edit: So I just read the article about the outbreak and it goes into very little detail about, well, anything. Statistics are pretty flimsy and there isn't much heft to make us think more deeply about the situation.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Yowza!
Season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance Canada just finished. I'm happy with the winner, although I didn't get as emotionally invested with this season as I did with the first or with other seasons of the American version. I wasn't as impressed with the top 20 performers as a whole, but continued to watch the show really only because I was interested to see how far Austin (whom I've danced in the same studio with, so know what he's capable of) and Emanuel (whom I've followed as a figure skater since he was a pre-teen). Once the talent got whittled down to the top four or so, the dancing was fantastic, but for the first little while it was often a snooze fest. I appreciate how Canadians are super nice and stuff, but often the judges were too nice on the competitors that it got very frustrating.
Anyway, Season 6 of the American version just started. It's actually been going on for awhile but my original youtube source for the show disappeared and all of the replacements that I've found don't show the whole episode in a convenient way or haven't been showing the auditions. I know that they are now at the top 20 contestants part of the show and the clips that I just finished watching I think are from that episode. Holy expletive!!! From what I could tell (there's a possibility I didn't get the entire episode) they did a group number (splendid) and then did smaller group numbers based on their discipline of strength. The hip hop group, the tap group, the jazz group, two contemporary groups and a ballroom group. I can't even pick a favorite one because they were all equally impressive. My mouth was hanging open. They already seem so much more talented than the Canadian folks or even dancers from previous season. Sure, I understand that they were performing to their strengths, but still - the power that was there. Yowza! I wish I could have seen the Las Vegas finals show just to see more of their talents and who got cut.
I think I'm going to watch the clips again. I can't even express how good they were. So well choreographed to show off everyone's talents and strengths - but very cohesive at the same time. Amazing. Truly, amazing.
Edit: This was actually a teaser show to the first top-20 competition show. My source has now added the top-20 show on their site, and I'm so tempted to watch it, but I won't tonight. I'm going to bed instead. Albeit, an hour and a half later than I had planned because I watched other clips and shows, but still an hour and a half earlier than my regular bedtime. I need to get back to a decent sleep schedule.
Anyway, Season 6 of the American version just started. It's actually been going on for awhile but my original youtube source for the show disappeared and all of the replacements that I've found don't show the whole episode in a convenient way or haven't been showing the auditions. I know that they are now at the top 20 contestants part of the show and the clips that I just finished watching I think are from that episode. Holy expletive!!! From what I could tell (there's a possibility I didn't get the entire episode) they did a group number (splendid) and then did smaller group numbers based on their discipline of strength. The hip hop group, the tap group, the jazz group, two contemporary groups and a ballroom group. I can't even pick a favorite one because they were all equally impressive. My mouth was hanging open. They already seem so much more talented than the Canadian folks or even dancers from previous season. Sure, I understand that they were performing to their strengths, but still - the power that was there. Yowza! I wish I could have seen the Las Vegas finals show just to see more of their talents and who got cut.
I think I'm going to watch the clips again. I can't even express how good they were. So well choreographed to show off everyone's talents and strengths - but very cohesive at the same time. Amazing. Truly, amazing.
Edit: This was actually a teaser show to the first top-20 competition show. My source has now added the top-20 show on their site, and I'm so tempted to watch it, but I won't tonight. I'm going to bed instead. Albeit, an hour and a half later than I had planned because I watched other clips and shows, but still an hour and a half earlier than my regular bedtime. I need to get back to a decent sleep schedule.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Seriously
There's a guy in one of my classes that looks exactly like Sam the Eagle from The Muppets. Seriously.
Okay, he doesn't have blue feathers and he's not a bird, but the facial features are spot on. It's the brow line and mouth that give them an uncanny resemblance. That downturned grimace...even the shape of his head. The gentleman in my class is also bald which helps the cause. Seriously.
Okay, he doesn't have blue feathers and he's not a bird, but the facial features are spot on. It's the brow line and mouth that give them an uncanny resemblance. That downturned grimace...even the shape of his head. The gentleman in my class is also bald which helps the cause. Seriously.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Colour trends
I take a look at a couple colour trends of the season, just to give me an idea what the people in power decide to promote for the season. First of all, I imagine this weirdo meeting amongst a secret fashion mafia who decide what's in for the season. It's too much of a coincidence that many design houses decide to show something so horrible as oversized shoulders, for example. I imagine these people sitting around a big table in a dark room plotting. Plotting weird things. This is better than my original idea that some minimum wage textile makers or fabric dyers just arbitrarily decide what kind of products they want to produce for the season and designers have to use what's made.
The September Issue had a scene where some powerful people sat around the table discussion trends and what they wanted to push for the upcoming season. With my gazillion Indigo gift certificates lying around, I think I'm going to treat myself to the September issue of Vogue in the future. I mean, what else would I buy? Books?!? Ha!
Anyway, a long time ago I had seen the FW'09 colour trends. I haven't been paying attention to whether or not Purple Heart (Pantone 18-3520) has hit it big or not. I'm not sure I really care. I recently noticed trends for FW'10 show up and was immediately intrigued. The palettes are quite nice, and it doesn't hurt that they both have black (no colour code needed!) included. Nice.
The September Issue had a scene where some powerful people sat around the table discussion trends and what they wanted to push for the upcoming season. With my gazillion Indigo gift certificates lying around, I think I'm going to treat myself to the September issue of Vogue in the future. I mean, what else would I buy? Books?!? Ha!
Anyway, a long time ago I had seen the FW'09 colour trends. I haven't been paying attention to whether or not Purple Heart (Pantone 18-3520) has hit it big or not. I'm not sure I really care. I recently noticed trends for FW'10 show up and was immediately intrigued. The palettes are quite nice, and it doesn't hurt that they both have black (no colour code needed!) included. Nice.
Alexander Calder at the AGO
I went to the AGO today, mainly to see the Edward Steichen photography exhibition (I really liked the Vanity Fair exhibition at the ROM and thought this would be a good match), but turns out I enjoyed the Alexander Calder one better.
I should have known better. If I had thought about it a little longer, I probably would have realized that the Edward Steichen stuff isn't really up my alley. I appreciated it for what it was, but I preferred the stuff at the ROM much more. The fashion in the 20s and 30s isn't too interesting for me, and I didn't find the portraiture anything exciting. No matter.
The Alexander Calder stuff was really cool. With a mechanical engineering degree under his belt, he built some really cool contraptions which formed a miniature circus. The circus was complete with trapeze artists, lions, elephants, parades, and the list continues. There were pulley, rope and hinge mechanisms to make everything move and function like they were the real thing. It was pretty cool. Before realizing that I was in the Calder exhibition, I thought I was looking at Miro, and actually a little bit impressed with myself that I could make reference to one of Calder's influences. It was all Calder, and he built interesting sculptures including ones that were made from wire. It was kind of like a three dimensional line drawing. I thought the curators did a wonderful job of shining a light on them so that the sculpture's shadow would be cast on the white wall and turning the 3-D piece into a 2-D piece of art.
The AGO is a great space and I'm glad that I have admission privileges to it - teachers can get in for free with governing body ID. It makes the experience a whole lot nicer knowing that you can come back whenever you want and not feel pressure to take in as much as possible in the day that you visit.
I should have known better. If I had thought about it a little longer, I probably would have realized that the Edward Steichen stuff isn't really up my alley. I appreciated it for what it was, but I preferred the stuff at the ROM much more. The fashion in the 20s and 30s isn't too interesting for me, and I didn't find the portraiture anything exciting. No matter.
The Alexander Calder stuff was really cool. With a mechanical engineering degree under his belt, he built some really cool contraptions which formed a miniature circus. The circus was complete with trapeze artists, lions, elephants, parades, and the list continues. There were pulley, rope and hinge mechanisms to make everything move and function like they were the real thing. It was pretty cool. Before realizing that I was in the Calder exhibition, I thought I was looking at Miro, and actually a little bit impressed with myself that I could make reference to one of Calder's influences. It was all Calder, and he built interesting sculptures including ones that were made from wire. It was kind of like a three dimensional line drawing. I thought the curators did a wonderful job of shining a light on them so that the sculpture's shadow would be cast on the white wall and turning the 3-D piece into a 2-D piece of art.
The AGO is a great space and I'm glad that I have admission privileges to it - teachers can get in for free with governing body ID. It makes the experience a whole lot nicer knowing that you can come back whenever you want and not feel pressure to take in as much as possible in the day that you visit.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The September Issue
I just got home from a screening of The September Issue, the documentary about American Vogue's preparation for publication of their 2007 September issue. The documentary follows editor-in-chief and business woman, Anna Wintour as well as creative director and fashion visionary, Grace Coddington.
As documentaries generally tell the true tale of the subject, if The September Issue is an exemplary documentary, The Devil Wears Prada is as excellent feature film and very close to the truth. I don't know what kind of research Meryl Streep did in her role based on Anna Wintour, but she was spot on. Harsh, but with an edge of humanity.
The film also features the then almost unknown designer Thakoon Panichgul and the obvious influence that Ms. Wintour and Vogue has on a career. Thakoon definitely has talent and hopefully would have been worn by Michelle Obama without the backing of Vogue, but the support of the magazine probably helped his label come along. Editor-at-large, Andre Leon Talley also makes a couple appearances in the film. What a character.
The documentary is getting wide release in the city this coming weekend. If you enjoy documentaries, character studies and/or fashion I'd recommend this film. I really enjoyed the film. Getting a glimpse into the world of Vogue and what it takes to produce an issue. I was totally gaga over the fashion in the film. I desperately wish that I could live in that world (but not need to fight through it). I don't even get invited to Toronto Fashion Week (coincidence that it's happening now? Well timed, friends)...how could I possible dream to get invited to the couture shows in Paris.
I also have to say that I enjoy DocSoup and their free tickets for students!
As documentaries generally tell the true tale of the subject, if The September Issue is an exemplary documentary, The Devil Wears Prada is as excellent feature film and very close to the truth. I don't know what kind of research Meryl Streep did in her role based on Anna Wintour, but she was spot on. Harsh, but with an edge of humanity.
The film also features the then almost unknown designer Thakoon Panichgul and the obvious influence that Ms. Wintour and Vogue has on a career. Thakoon definitely has talent and hopefully would have been worn by Michelle Obama without the backing of Vogue, but the support of the magazine probably helped his label come along. Editor-at-large, Andre Leon Talley also makes a couple appearances in the film. What a character.
The documentary is getting wide release in the city this coming weekend. If you enjoy documentaries, character studies and/or fashion I'd recommend this film. I really enjoyed the film. Getting a glimpse into the world of Vogue and what it takes to produce an issue. I was totally gaga over the fashion in the film. I desperately wish that I could live in that world (but not need to fight through it). I don't even get invited to Toronto Fashion Week (coincidence that it's happening now? Well timed, friends)...how could I possible dream to get invited to the couture shows in Paris.
I also have to say that I enjoy DocSoup and their free tickets for students!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A Blooming Business
The Planet in Focus International Environmental Film & Video Festival is not a film festival that I know much about. I only read about it from another blog that talked about the film, A Blooming Business (official site), which caught my eye. I enjoy flowers. I'm not a fan of gardening, myself, but I really appreciate other people's gardens. I also like fresh-cut flowers. A lot. If I'm invited to someone's place and there is a lady of the house, I will usually bring her some flowers. I want to spread the flower love.
Anyway, I'm tempted to see the film, but also worried that it will ruin flowers for me. I mean, that may not be a bad thing if the places I buy my flowers from gets them from horrible places...it's similar to movies which turn you off of fast food, animal products, meat, clothing brands, etc. Yes, it's important to be educated about these kinds of things, but sometimes the people behind things like this become preachy and very biased and I'm not into that. It raises awareness, and being more educated is always a good thing. Whether or not I do anything about it, well, we'll see.
I remember doing a project about apples in elementary school and after reading about the pesticides that were used I stopped eating apples for awhile. I like to think I've grown a little since then.
I'm sure sure if I'll get a chance to see the film, but maybe this is a festival that I should keep on my radar.
Anyway, I'm tempted to see the film, but also worried that it will ruin flowers for me. I mean, that may not be a bad thing if the places I buy my flowers from gets them from horrible places...it's similar to movies which turn you off of fast food, animal products, meat, clothing brands, etc. Yes, it's important to be educated about these kinds of things, but sometimes the people behind things like this become preachy and very biased and I'm not into that. It raises awareness, and being more educated is always a good thing. Whether or not I do anything about it, well, we'll see.
I remember doing a project about apples in elementary school and after reading about the pesticides that were used I stopped eating apples for awhile. I like to think I've grown a little since then.
I'm sure sure if I'll get a chance to see the film, but maybe this is a festival that I should keep on my radar.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Vanity Fair Portraits at the ROM
The Vanity Fair Portraits exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum is wonderful. Not that I'm saying that the more highly advertised Dead Sea Scrolls (Ten Commandments - ONLY 80 HOURS!!!) aren't impressive, but the exhibition has its flaws (crowds, timed entry, dim lights, too much text, echoing, cavernous rooms).
I really enjoyed seeing the photographs. I like portraits. The exhibition is solid. Well done. I'd recommend the complimenting Canadian Content exhibition as well. The only drag is that it's on a different floor in the hallway (ahem, I mean, gallery space) that I will always think of as the typewriter room.
I'll be going to the Art Gallery of Ontario to check out their Edward Steichen exhibition in the near future I'm sure. Well coordinated my museum friends, well done.
Speaking of great museum things, there's a lot of great exhibitions coming to the city. King Tut is going to be at the AGO and Body Worlds has returned to the Ontario Science Centre.
Insider scoop: The ROM is definitely going to get a bunch of Terracotta Warriors (and some horses too!) and will be getting the Water exhibition that just finished up at the Field Museum in Chicago (although some of us are bummed that we didn't get the pirates exhibit instead...aargh).
I really enjoyed seeing the photographs. I like portraits. The exhibition is solid. Well done. I'd recommend the complimenting Canadian Content exhibition as well. The only drag is that it's on a different floor in the hallway (ahem, I mean, gallery space) that I will always think of as the typewriter room.
I'll be going to the Art Gallery of Ontario to check out their Edward Steichen exhibition in the near future I'm sure. Well coordinated my museum friends, well done.
Speaking of great museum things, there's a lot of great exhibitions coming to the city. King Tut is going to be at the AGO and Body Worlds has returned to the Ontario Science Centre.
Insider scoop: The ROM is definitely going to get a bunch of Terracotta Warriors (and some horses too!) and will be getting the Water exhibition that just finished up at the Field Museum in Chicago (although some of us are bummed that we didn't get the pirates exhibit instead...aargh).
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Caught my attention
Ram posted this link on his website. Click on napstered to see the full article written by the mother of one of the teenaged shooters from the Columbine Massacre.
As soon as I started to read the article, everything else that I was doing (multi-tasking) started to get blurry. I'm not a big reader, but this read was absolutely compelling.
Oh boy, the issues that this raises. I mean, the actual massacre (and the information that was uncovered soon after) raised them all, but for me, they've faded from my radar over time.
I don't want to point fingers in this case, because I don't think I know enough about the situation and I don't think pointing fingers will do anything anyway. But boy, my mind is racing.
Not being a metafilter regular, I don't know if this is normal, but stopped reading the comments pretty early on. Forgive me for being judgmental, but some of those comments are pretty useless. For such a thought provoking article, I was highly disappointed with the quality of some of the comments. I shouldn't be too surprised, I don't bother reading comments on a lot of other information portals anymore for the same reason. Shame on me, I should be more welcoming to all viewpoints, especially given what I do.
As soon as I started to read the article, everything else that I was doing (multi-tasking) started to get blurry. I'm not a big reader, but this read was absolutely compelling.
Oh boy, the issues that this raises. I mean, the actual massacre (and the information that was uncovered soon after) raised them all, but for me, they've faded from my radar over time.
I don't want to point fingers in this case, because I don't think I know enough about the situation and I don't think pointing fingers will do anything anyway. But boy, my mind is racing.
Not being a metafilter regular, I don't know if this is normal, but stopped reading the comments pretty early on. Forgive me for being judgmental, but some of those comments are pretty useless. For such a thought provoking article, I was highly disappointed with the quality of some of the comments. I shouldn't be too surprised, I don't bother reading comments on a lot of other information portals anymore for the same reason. Shame on me, I should be more welcoming to all viewpoints, especially given what I do.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The Amazing Race
Yeah, that's right, I watch The Amazing Race. One of my favorite teams (maybe my favorite, but I don't pay enough attention to the show to know for sure...you know me and TV as background noise) got eliminated in the most recent episode. Stupid rules. I mean, playing the game is enough stress - why can't the show just keep track of their travel documents for them?
Boo-urns.
Boo-urns.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Battle of the Blades
I haven't been following this show (I know, surprise), but I did manage to watch tonight's results episode.
For those who don't know, Battle of the Blades is a Canadian TV show that pairs a figure skater and hockey player together (think The Cutting Edge) in a Skating with Celebrities show format. Tickets for tapings cost money (as opposed to a lot of TV show tapings), but it seems like everything about this program is for charity - so it's all good.
As it was a results show, I only got to see two of the couples skate, and I have to admit I was kinda surprised at how good they were. Skating with Celebrities flopped (although it is quite popular in its other incarnations around the world) partly because celebrities don't necessarily know how to skate. Having pro hockey skaters on the show makes it an easier transition, although after watching the two couple skate, it's clear that there is still a deficit. What can I say, figure skating is hard. I applaud the figure skaters for trusting their men to put them up into lifts, death spirals and even head bangers. From what I gather, it's a cute show and I hope that it raises lots of money for charity as well as raise popularity for the sport.
The real reason I wanted to write about the show, is because tonight, I saw Kurt Browning skate an exhibition in hockey skates. The man did a friggin double salchow...in hockey skates. He did intricate footwork...in hockey skates. Did you hear me? HOCKEY SKATES!!! That man is something else.
For those who don't know, Battle of the Blades is a Canadian TV show that pairs a figure skater and hockey player together (think The Cutting Edge) in a Skating with Celebrities show format. Tickets for tapings cost money (as opposed to a lot of TV show tapings), but it seems like everything about this program is for charity - so it's all good.
As it was a results show, I only got to see two of the couples skate, and I have to admit I was kinda surprised at how good they were. Skating with Celebrities flopped (although it is quite popular in its other incarnations around the world) partly because celebrities don't necessarily know how to skate. Having pro hockey skaters on the show makes it an easier transition, although after watching the two couple skate, it's clear that there is still a deficit. What can I say, figure skating is hard. I applaud the figure skaters for trusting their men to put them up into lifts, death spirals and even head bangers. From what I gather, it's a cute show and I hope that it raises lots of money for charity as well as raise popularity for the sport.
The real reason I wanted to write about the show, is because tonight, I saw Kurt Browning skate an exhibition in hockey skates. The man did a friggin double salchow...in hockey skates. He did intricate footwork...in hockey skates. Did you hear me? HOCKEY SKATES!!! That man is something else.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Poetic Social Mission
Has anyone else watched this? I wasn't able to watch it live (by the time I logged on, the credits were rolling), but it was sorta on my radar leading up to the event. I didn't do a lot of digging to find out exactly what the deal was but nonetheless, I'm watching it right now.
Oh dear
I think someone is stuck in the elevator in my building. The concierge knows, but says that there's nothing he can do. And he's saying it with a voice of disdain. I don't think concierges are supposed to be speaking that way. I hope he's already called a technician and that the person/people in the elevator knows that someone knows that they're in there.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Walking home from dance class this morning, I saw an inordinate number of cars lining up to get on the Gardiner. Now, normally the onramp from Spadina Ave to the Gardiner west is ridiculous. People have to cut in at the last moment, and it's just a crazy scene, but today was worse than usual.
After walking closer to the scene, turns out that the Gardiner is actually closed. So cars are waiting at this closed gate. A lot of cars. And it's bumper to bumper, so cars can't even try and bail if they wanted to. And I wasn't really sure why cars would be waiting anyway.
After a little bit of search, the Garner was closed until Noon, but obviously they're at least an hour in re-opening.
I wonder how the people in the cars are feeling right now.
I was surprised that no one flagged me down to ask what was going on. I would think after being in the back of this crazy long line for an onramp that, albeit usually has a long line, people would be wondering why it's not moving. Of course, there's the chance that everyone in the line knows exactly what's going on and is just waiting for the gates to bet opened. Call me cynical, but I don't think that Toronto drivers are just that good. It's this bizarro gridlock that really put a smile on my face because it seemed so weird. Although, I guess people (myself included) stand in long lines to enter museums, buy tickets to a show, etc. So what's wrong with cars lining up to get on the highway?
After walking closer to the scene, turns out that the Gardiner is actually closed. So cars are waiting at this closed gate. A lot of cars. And it's bumper to bumper, so cars can't even try and bail if they wanted to. And I wasn't really sure why cars would be waiting anyway.
After a little bit of search, the Garner was closed until Noon, but obviously they're at least an hour in re-opening.
I wonder how the people in the cars are feeling right now.
I was surprised that no one flagged me down to ask what was going on. I would think after being in the back of this crazy long line for an onramp that, albeit usually has a long line, people would be wondering why it's not moving. Of course, there's the chance that everyone in the line knows exactly what's going on and is just waiting for the gates to bet opened. Call me cynical, but I don't think that Toronto drivers are just that good. It's this bizarro gridlock that really put a smile on my face because it seemed so weird. Although, I guess people (myself included) stand in long lines to enter museums, buy tickets to a show, etc. So what's wrong with cars lining up to get on the highway?
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Nuit Blanche 2009
Nuit Blanche was a dreadful disappointment, but probably in large part due to the fact that I was exhausted and didn't get a chance to really make the rounds and give the event a chance. We decided to go out to Queen Street West in Zone C, to try to avoid the crowds. Fail. I think I've come to the conclusion, that now in its fourth year, Nuit Blanche is big enough that there will be crowds everywhere. In our walk from the Drake Hotel to Spadina Avenue, there were only a couple installations of note:
1) Nite Lite, a big Lite Brite made out of water bottles. It was fun to play with, but with so many people playing at the same time, it doesn't really give you much creative license. It turns into something that you do just to say you've done it.
2) City Sonic: The Cameron House in Motion, giant white ants getting installed on the wall of the building with some random music being played and other images and text being projected as well. The best part, seeing the guy using ropes and pulleys to haul himself and the giant ant, up the side of the building. I suppose it would be cooler to see the installation after its completion.
3) The Sight of Sound, had three of Steve Mann's Hydraulophone. I gave it a go, and quite enjoyed the experience. I would have liked to find out exactly what tones would be played with the device. Apparently, the Hydraulophone was part of the first edition of Nuit Blanche (which I wasn't around for) and a big, big hit. I was surprised as how much pressure you needed to put on each "key" to get a tone. Experimentation led water being squirted all over, including in my eye. Nice that they used warm water.
Queen Street West has many art galleries, so a lot of them were open, but I wasn't really interested in that stuff. Coupe Bizarre had a nude model which you could sketch, and I don't know if they were plants or just naturally talented people, but I was thoroughly impressed. The formal, non-art gallery-esque installations were spread out along Queen St. West, making for a night with a lot of walking, but not much viewing.
Oh well. I was so tired, that I didn't mind much.
Based on pictures that I've seen, next year, I want to stick to the core with all of the major buildings because that's where a lot of the major installations are. I presume that will mean fighting crowds, but I don't mind. The problem is, the Nuit Blanche website is dreadful, though it may not be avoidable. It's just getting too big, and there's no way that I want to go through the whole website to see what all of the different exhibitions are.
Fingers crossed that I'll be more well rested and can see more stuff at next year's event.
1) Nite Lite, a big Lite Brite made out of water bottles. It was fun to play with, but with so many people playing at the same time, it doesn't really give you much creative license. It turns into something that you do just to say you've done it.
2) City Sonic: The Cameron House in Motion, giant white ants getting installed on the wall of the building with some random music being played and other images and text being projected as well. The best part, seeing the guy using ropes and pulleys to haul himself and the giant ant, up the side of the building. I suppose it would be cooler to see the installation after its completion.
3) The Sight of Sound, had three of Steve Mann's Hydraulophone. I gave it a go, and quite enjoyed the experience. I would have liked to find out exactly what tones would be played with the device. Apparently, the Hydraulophone was part of the first edition of Nuit Blanche (which I wasn't around for) and a big, big hit. I was surprised as how much pressure you needed to put on each "key" to get a tone. Experimentation led water being squirted all over, including in my eye. Nice that they used warm water.
Queen Street West has many art galleries, so a lot of them were open, but I wasn't really interested in that stuff. Coupe Bizarre had a nude model which you could sketch, and I don't know if they were plants or just naturally talented people, but I was thoroughly impressed. The formal, non-art gallery-esque installations were spread out along Queen St. West, making for a night with a lot of walking, but not much viewing.
Oh well. I was so tired, that I didn't mind much.
Based on pictures that I've seen, next year, I want to stick to the core with all of the major buildings because that's where a lot of the major installations are. I presume that will mean fighting crowds, but I don't mind. The problem is, the Nuit Blanche website is dreadful, though it may not be avoidable. It's just getting too big, and there's no way that I want to go through the whole website to see what all of the different exhibitions are.
Fingers crossed that I'll be more well rested and can see more stuff at next year's event.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Getting in the grovve
Now that the year's started again (academic, of course), I'm trying to sort through my schedule and get into a groove. I've already figured out my food groove.
St. Lawrence market for veggies and fun stuff.
Chinatown for fruit and bargains.
Loblaws for mundo meats and basics.
Sunday is my day to cook, cook, cook.
I think I'm fully stocked for a couple weeks to come.
St. Lawrence market for veggies and fun stuff.
Chinatown for fruit and bargains.
Loblaws for mundo meats and basics.
Sunday is my day to cook, cook, cook.
I think I'm fully stocked for a couple weeks to come.
TIFF09 roundup
So, the festival is over. I mean, there could be an after-party or two still going on as I type this, but the main events are all over.
I ended up seeing ten films in total. In the order that I watched them:
1. Cracks
2. City of Life and Death
3. Frederick Wiseman Presents La Danse – Le Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris La Danse – The Paris Opera Ballet
4. Accident
5. Same Same but Different
6. Vengeance
7. Castaway on the Moon
8. Micmacs à tire-larigot
9. A Brand New Life
10. Melody for a Street Organ
I've spotted the least amount of stars this year. Other than the ones attending the screenings that I attended, I've only seen one: Colin Firth, and I wouldn't have realized it, unless someone hadn't pointed him out to me. He did look pretty ho-hum, although before knowing who he was, I did appreciate his jacket. It was structured and well-fitting. Good classic style, but trendy at the same time. I approve. Anyway, I digress. I didn't see any stars, but I don't think that I went out of my way to look for them. I'm definitely past that part of the festival. I didn't even go out of my way to join crowds in front of hotels or other events. I guess I'm over it.
I had a very mixed bag of movies this year. Sadly, none of my picks won at of the festival's awards. I'm bummed that Micmacs only got second runner-up for People's Choice. I can't complain much - I didn't vote.
I had a great time at this festival. Although I didn't have any marathon days with four screenings like last year (I learned my lesson), by the end of the week, my eyes were exhausted and before the intros began, I would try to catch a couple zzzzs in my seat. I spaced out my movies pretty well, but my schedule was a lot fuller this year with non-TIFF commitments.
Just like every other year, I've been impressed at how the festival is run, everyone's enthusiasm and how the city opens its arms to the world for ten days.
I'm looking forward to seeing some of the movies that I didn't get a chance to see at the festival in wide-release or special screenings and will be ready to purchase my TIFF10 ticket package upon their release!
I ended up seeing ten films in total. In the order that I watched them:
1. Cracks
2. City of Life and Death
3. Frederick Wiseman Presents La Danse – Le Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris La Danse – The Paris Opera Ballet
4. Accident
5. Same Same but Different
6. Vengeance
7. Castaway on the Moon
8. Micmacs à tire-larigot
9. A Brand New Life
10. Melody for a Street Organ
I've spotted the least amount of stars this year. Other than the ones attending the screenings that I attended, I've only seen one: Colin Firth, and I wouldn't have realized it, unless someone hadn't pointed him out to me. He did look pretty ho-hum, although before knowing who he was, I did appreciate his jacket. It was structured and well-fitting. Good classic style, but trendy at the same time. I approve. Anyway, I digress. I didn't see any stars, but I don't think that I went out of my way to look for them. I'm definitely past that part of the festival. I didn't even go out of my way to join crowds in front of hotels or other events. I guess I'm over it.
I had a very mixed bag of movies this year. Sadly, none of my picks won at of the festival's awards. I'm bummed that Micmacs only got second runner-up for People's Choice. I can't complain much - I didn't vote.
I had a great time at this festival. Although I didn't have any marathon days with four screenings like last year (I learned my lesson), by the end of the week, my eyes were exhausted and before the intros began, I would try to catch a couple zzzzs in my seat. I spaced out my movies pretty well, but my schedule was a lot fuller this year with non-TIFF commitments.
Just like every other year, I've been impressed at how the festival is run, everyone's enthusiasm and how the city opens its arms to the world for ten days.
I'm looking forward to seeing some of the movies that I didn't get a chance to see at the festival in wide-release or special screenings and will be ready to purchase my TIFF10 ticket package upon their release!
Melody for a Street Organ
After a little bit of whiff-waffling, I ended up buying a ticket to the final film that I would see in this year's TIFF, Melody for a Street Organ.The write-up did sound pretty good, and I'd originally wanted to select this movie as part of my ticket package, but the screenings conflicted with other commitments do I'd penciled it into my book just in case. This morning, although exhausted and needing more sleep, I hauled myself out of bed, bailed on my other commitment and went to the screening.
I guess I'm happy I did?
It was a weird movie. A very long one, and a little bit odd. I'm pretty sure that something was lost in translation as there were others who were laughing hysterically in parts that I really couldn't comprehend why they would be so funny. There is also a strong possibility that it just went over my head, as I often think that's the case when I don't "get" a film.
From the write-up, I knew that there wouldn't be a happy ending, it just kind of sucked to see the vignettes weave together in a way where there were so many opportunities for happy endings, just to be pulled away and crappy stuff happening to characters instead. I don't know if it was a piece to say, "yeah, sometimes life just sucks", or if it's supposed to be some kind of twisted humour. I don't know. There wasn't a Q&A or anything (mental note - for future festivals, pick all the ones that I really want to have Q&As for at the beginning of the festival, because most screening towards the end get the shaft).
Now, I don't know if this movie is typical of Russian movies, as I've never seen a Russian film before, but like I said, it was weird. There were many moments, where I understood how they fit into the storyline, but I just didn't understand why it was happening. Why was it important to tell those particular vignettes?
I was also surprised at the number of people who left in the middle of the screening. I don't think I've ever attended another film with this many people bailing part of the way through. Hmm, that can't be good.
Would I recommend this movie, sure. Not with the highest praise, but it was kinda interesting to watch.
- picture courtesy of www.tiff09.ca
Friday, September 18, 2009
A Brand New Life
Sadly, competing for the worst movie that I've seen this festival, I had high hopes for A Brand New Life. The write-up looked great, but the film didn't live up to it and the teaser clip. I mean, it's a really great premise, but the problem was that after a great start, the movie kind of plodded along, skimmed over some very important themes that could have and should have been further explored and ended before any good bits took place. This film could have brought so much more to the table, but didn't. As you've probably realized, I'm usually pretty enthusiastic about films. Even if I don't love them, I try to find something positive, or at least don't focus on the negative. This one had some great young actresses and as I said before, had the makings of a great film, but didn't follow through. At part of the film, where I felt like great insight, or deeper emotions would be looked at, the moment passed and sigh, a disappointment.
This screening was the North American premiere (it has screened at Cannes) and although it was a small theatre, the show was sold out and they admitted as many rushers as they could (the line was obviously long), so I guess there was good interest in the film. I wonder what everyone else thought of the film. Director, Ounie Lecomte was on hand to introduce the film and perhaps due to a language barrier, her intro eluded to her wanting to chat with us after the fact to further discuss her film. That she wanted the film to speak for itself first before she did. The movie ended, many people still stayed in their seat (so I think I wasn't the only one who'd gotten that vibe), and no one appeared. I know I left the theatre disappointed. I don't think I've ever had such an instant indifference to a movie before. It really makes me wonder if I missed something.
- picture courtesy of www.tiff09.ca
Micmacs à tire-larigot
Hands down my favorite film of the festival, I can't believe that Micmacs almost didn't make my list. I don't know what I was thinking.This movie had two screenings, one at Roy Thomson Hall and the other, which I attended, at Ryerson. I should have known that it's a big-billed film and why the heck wouldn't I want to see it?
Oh my gosh, this movie was amazing.
I find it hard to pick a favorite anything in life. Colour, artist, singer, actor, piece of music, type of food, etc. Out of all of the films that I've ever seen, I can confidently say that Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain is my favorite. That's how stand-out good it was. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet made both.
I love his whimsical style, his jokes, his attention to detail, his choice of music...everything. I love the actors and actresses that he reuses in his films (duh!, Dominique Pinon - among others), I love it all!
The film stars Dany Boon as Bazil (although, I would have loved to see the originally cast, Jamel Debbouze in the role, but M. Boon was truly excellent) whose father is killed by a landmine and he, himself gets shot by a stray bullet from a local arms manufacturer. Flashfoward to the present where he finds a new family in a form of a very motley crew, each with their own story and talents. Throw in a little Mission Impossible (M. Jeunet said so!) to Bazil's plan at revenge and voila, a hit movie.
At one point in the film, I actually thought that this was a film with a serious political message and although M. Jeunet (on-hand for a Q&A - wahoo!) admitted, that obviously, one could see a grand message, it's a ridiculous message to harp as it's clearly common sense, this film is a comedy. M. Jeunet made it sound like he'd whipped this film together in a short amount of time and had just pieced it together from notes of things that he wanted to put in movies and things that he enjoyed, and I suppose I can kind of see that as this movie just seems so much like, well, exactly what he likes to do in his movies. M. Jeunet told us that he had been creating a movie adaptation of Yann Martel's award winning book, Life of Pi, but his ideas required a ridiculous budget and so he turned his attention away from that proposed film and seemingly threw this film together.
This is the first screening that I've attended that gave a standing ovation to the director and of course it was well-deserved.
So, it's clear that I loved the movie. I really need to watch Delicatessen. Obviously, I would highly recommend this film and I hope it wins some kind of recognition. If not, I hope that at least one gazillion people watch it. And if they don't laugh out loud, there's something wrong with them. Bonus part for me, I got to practice my French comprehension again. See, there's nothing bad about this film!
- picture courtesy of www.tiff09.ca
Castaway on the Moon
One of my favorite films of the festival that I've seen, Castaway on the Moon is a Korean film that it quite well-written up here.The film was reminiscent of Cast Away even down to a Wilson moment. The story on the island was heart-warming, funny and examined some very insightful themes.
The difference from Cast Away and this film was the element of the girl on the mainland. It was not one of those feature film love stories by any means, but a chance to watch the personal journey of two tortured individuals.
I'm not entirely happy with the ending of the movie, but I don't know how it could have been improved. I think I would have liked there to be another 15 minutes to see what happens next. I'm not the type who likes to guess the futures of fictional characters. Filmmakers, you've taken me this far - why leave me dangling? Everything was spot on, but it stopped too early. That's what I've decided.
Sadly, there was no one on hand to represent the film and so there was no further insight into the film.
Can you tell it's near the end of the festival? My reviews are getting shorter and shorter. It's been a wonderful experience, but the combination of watching all of these films and living my life - I'm exhausted.
I would highly recommend this film. It was grrrrrrreat!
- picture courtesy of www.tiff09.ca
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Vengeance
Vengeance is a Hong Kong action flick with Triad members chasing each other and crazy shooting scenes. The movie stars Johnny Hallyday, who is perfect for the role. That steely glare and hardened face made him so believable as a father seeking vengeance for his daughter whose family was brutally attacked by the Triad. Hallyday's character journeys from Paris (I enjoyed having the chance to keep my French skills sharp) out to HK where he is surrounded by a foreign world. Seeking out the help of a group of Triad members, we watch the story of Vengeance unfold. You should probably read TIFF's write-up here.
I've never seen any movies by director, Johnnie To, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I really liked this movie. Some of the fighting scenes were overly graphic, but I thought it really worked with the movie. And the fight scenes weren't just about guns and guts, they were quite artistic and like a well choreographed dance.
Not only Hallyday was cast well. The group of Triad members that he hired were great. I've seen a couple HK movies back in the day, and they always included a funny, fat guy. This movie was no exception.
The Q&A with To was great, and not just because To had great answers. Moderator, Colin Geddes did an outstanding job at adding in great anecdotes about the HK film industry, To and his crew and getting everyone in the theatre in the spirit of the movie. I'm told that he's the guru of Midnight Madness movies, which I've never attended (because I'd probably fall asleep during one), but I'm re-thinking it, because I've never been so pumped to see a movie from the intro. Also, every time I've seen a movie at the Ryerson theatre, I always get a good vibe. This is probably because they tend to screen movies with buzz here.
Anyway, I liked this movie a lot. Two thumbs up!
- picture courtesy of www.tiff09.ca
Same Same but Different
Same Same but Different was one of the movies that I knew for sure that I wanted to watch. I thought the storyline was sweet and I enjoyed David Kross' performance in The Reader. The movie is based on a true story. Here's the short of it: German boy goes to Cambodia for a party trip and falls in love with a local girl. He returns back to Germany, but stays loyal to his love, sending money and keeping in touch via phone calls and webcams. Lo and behold, the pair find out that the girl is HIV positive and the story of their relationship continues.The movie didn't disappoint. It was very heartwarming. I thought Kross and lead actress Apinya Sakuljaroensuk were great in their roles. They seemed to fit their characters perfectly. In the Q&A, it was clear how challenging the movie must have been for Sakuljaroensuk as a non-English speaker and starring in the movie with three languages. The director, Detlev Buck, was particularly spunky and the audience was really excited to see the two lead actors.
I wanted this movie to be this year's Slumdog Millionaire, and although I really did enjoy the movie, I'm not sure that it's capable of being the next supernova hit. I feel like it had all the right ingredients, great location, great actors, cute love story, not overtly Hollywood, but something about it didn't leave me as gaga as Slumdog did. I can't quite put my finger on it. When I walked out of the theatre, I think I knew what it was, but let's just say that it's been a whirlwind of a week and as I'm reaching the end of the festival, and trying to reminisce about the movie...well, crap, I don't remember what that thing was. That, and I have a bad memory.
I would highly recommend this movie. I know I'm not really selling it, but I swear, it's a great movie. Boy, I'm exhausted.
- picture courtesy of www.tiff09.ca
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Accident
Accident is a movie where a crew of hitmen create their hits to look like accidents. One of their hits goes wrong and throws the boss of the group into a mental tizzy.The main reason I liked the movie was because I got to see the hits take place and I thought it was cool to see what kind of accidents they created and the little considerations that they made to make sure that they wouldn't be found out. I enjoyed the whole film and the themes and arc of the movie, although I can't say that it was original or anything really mindblowingly amazing. It was a good movie, but not the best movie I've ever seen.
On hand for the Q&A (through an interpreter) was director Soi Cheang, who did a sufficient job of answering questions posed by the audience. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...I really like the Q&As, because as a pretty literal audience member, I like to hear the rationale behind different elements to the film and get a better understanding of the film. I'm pretty sure a lot of things that the directors intend in their films go over my head, so it's nice to have a chance to get a eureka moment (albeit, after the fact).
Sure, I'll recommend this film. Nothing crazy original, but a good, clean, HK flick.
- picture courtesy of www.tiff09.ca
Frederick Wiseman Presents La Danse – Le Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris La Danse – The Paris Opera Ballet
The first Rush for me of the festival, I waited in line to snag a ticket to the only showing of La Danse – Le Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris. I'm not sure why there was only one showing of this film - I mean, if it's some special film and had a gala screening of it somewhere, fine, but this was just a plain, old documentary.This documentary was part of the Maverick's series, as the filmmaker, Frederick Wiseman is apparently famous in his circles. Sorry for not being educated about such things.
It was a long documentary. I felt like I was going to nod off for a little bit in the middle, but I survived. My problem with the film is that while it let me watch some great dancing and be a fly in the wall of the company during rehearsals and admin meetings, I didn't get any over-aching message from the film. I'm getting the feeling that Mr. Wiseman's films are kind of like that, but for my personal taste, I would like there to be a little bit continuity behind the different scenes.
The Q&A was an extended section where there was a small interview portion with Mr. Wiseman before the floor was given to different audience members. No revelations here. Someone asked about the clips of the city of Paris which were used to connect the sections about the company, and I understand how it's a nice way to situate yourself in the city where the company lives and give a literal journey between different locations where the company performs, but I don't necessarily think that it was very effective, nor elicited any deeper, thought provoking moments.
Would I highly recommend this documentary? Probably not, unless you love dance and just want to see the goings on in a famous ballet company.
- picture courtesy of www.tiff09.ca
Sunday, September 13, 2009
More TED-talks
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Gross
At this very moment, my building is overflowing with trashy, young, drunken fools. Ugh. Maybe I would have a higher tolerance if I didn't have to police it for three years.
City of Life and Death
City of Life and Death is a feature film about the Rape of Nanking. You can read more about the film here.I'm not able to express how I feel about the film, although I can say that I'm glad that I watched it. It was obviously a very heavy movie, and in simple terms, I suppose it would be similar to a Jewish person watching the Oscar winning film, Schindler's List, however you want to take that statement.
The film seemed to continue and continue, but I think that it was just that one story would be complete, you felt like you had a sufficient picture of the events and then Lu Chuan would begin another story shedding light on another angle to the events of the massacre. This is not to say that he looks at all angles and all with the same amount of depth, but those stories that he decided to tell were carefully selected and other parts which, to me are inherently understood and potentially unbearable to watch more of were treated with care. It was obvious, and as discussed in the film's subsequent Q&A with Lu Chuan that there was a full comprehension to the events that took place. I don't think that there was an attempt to deny certain aspects of the massacre and even decisions such as choosing to film in black and white were made to convey emotions and truths the the events that took place.
The film did extremely well in wide-release in China, although understandably so, with a level of controversy. I was most impressed with Lu Chuan's Q&A and his ability to speak about his film, his intents, meanings and aspirations. He managed to turn some absolutely useless comments/questions into moments of insight and expressed his wishes to further explore humanity. Congratulations.
I would highly recommend this film, although pleading with some to keep an open mind and cautioning others that the subject matter may be too difficult to handle.
*postscript - funkaoshi is more eloquent than I am*
- picture courtesy of www.tiff09.ca
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)