Euro2008

The last time I was in Zurich when I lived in Europe I snapped this photo. People were starting to talk about how Euro2008 was coming and even in the three years I was in Neuch a huge football stadium appeared out of nowhere. I never imagined that I would be in the country when the tournament was on. Never. One year seemed too soon to be back to Europe. Luckily for me, everything works out for a reason and I happened to be back in Switzerland from the quarterfinals onwards.
I'm so lucky.
The country was alive and soaking in the vibe of Euro.
Where the countdown sign was in the Zurich HB was this:
Yup. Wicked. Totally wicked. Amazing wicked.





Zurich even dolled up the Grossmunster:












Euro2008 was definitely here.
Neuch hosted the Portuguese team. They stayed at the Hotel Beau Rivage and the area was sectioned off. Police roamed around. They set up fences around the place and put up barbed wire too. The underground parking by the hotel had serious security.
This was serious stuff. They practiced at the new stadium in town and requested that real grass be brought in to practice on as opposed to astroturf. So the stadium charged 25CHF for spectators during practices to compensate. Nice.





Bern hosted a couple of the earlier games in their new stadium. The Dutch took over the city and when they lost the city mourned. So many cities in the country (and I'm sure in Austria
too) fully embraced the tournament. People lined up to get into the FanZones hours before matches and security was serious stuff.




I watched the Turkey/Germany semi-final game from the Zurich FanZone. The vibe was AMAZING.
They closed off most of the major streets. Stopped the tram routes (but had shuttle buses instead). Set up food/bar/club/pub/drink/souvenir stalls throughout the streets. It was a little Fete des Vendanges-esque.

Objects of my affection

I didn't splurge during my trip to Europe. I went with complete intentions of getting something in Paris that I didn't have the guts to buy last time, but it didn't happen because of a haircut. I kid you not.
Anyway, I'm not completely devastated that I didn't get anything, because I've made myself feel better setting up a dream/reward system. I am one of those people who is able to justify (ridiculous) purchases in their head. I'm not at the completely bonkers end of the spectrum, but ask me about any "extravagant" purchases that I've made and I can give you the back story. There's always a back story.

Anyway, my list includes:
- Loewe Amazona bag in black nappa leather. No weirdly coloured trim. Just the classic black model. Although for FW08-09 there's a beautiful eggplant (I'm sooooooo looking forward to all of the purple hues this fall/winter) patent version (swoon) and a limited edition charcoal blowfish leather one (SWOON). I guess I wouldn't mind the black croc version either.
- The new Goyard clutch in black. At first I thought that Goyard was absolutely tacky because I'd only really seen the totes that people seem to love for some reason, but this clutch is stunning. The trunks are nice as well (especially once they've been worn in), but let's be honest, I'm not going to get much use out of them. The fact that they're made out of canvas still irks me (especially for the price point). On the clutch, the hand-painted detailing just stands out even more...something about the size highlights the intricacy of it and the writing, but lends itself to being tasteful instead of tacky from afar.
- I ventured into the Sonia Rykiel boutique in the 6th by accident. Up until this point I had no interest whatsoever in this designers, but minds can always be changed. The boutique was stunning and so were many of the pieces from the FW08-09 collection. If my dream ever comes true, the coat that I love will be long gone, but I still love this coat and hope that there will be an equally beautiful one awaiting me in the future.
- Hmmm...I just realized that I have two rewards aligned with one dream. I didn't think I'd done that. I'll have to re-organize in my head somehow. Anyway, it's another clutch but this time by Smythson. I don't like the croc print though. I'm not a fan of embossing. I like the real deal.

That's my superficial dreamy dreams post of the day.

Water at Lake Side

The restaurant at the Hotel Beaulac in Neuch recently underwent a reno and the result was the Lake Side restaurant.
It's beautifully situated with the terrasse overlooking the lake and interestingly enough boasts a sushi menu. This is interesting. Sushi seems to be the new "hot thing" in Neuch. It's so much the trend that there's a sushi restaurant in the gare. This is weird.
Anyway, for some reason, I didn't get the sushi (I think because it was so overpriced, and I figured that I could get better stuff in Toronto and also the regular menu sounded very pretentious so I needed to test it out). This turned out to be a mistake because the sushi looked really good and my entree was lackluster. VERY lackluster.
Amour de « short-ribs » de bœuf braisés aux épices, achards de mangue en écumes, mousseline de céleri rave sounds good, doesn't it? Nevermind.
Anyway, the point of the post isn't to knock the food, but to gush about the water menu. I have a weird thing with water. I've got a bunch of beautiful bottles of water from various locations around the world (mainly European continent). The water menu reminded me of the time I was at Epic way back when and started my foray into fine water. We'd ordered a sparkling Voss and a still Gleneagles at the time.
Anyway, I didn't sample anything, but I enjoyed looking through the menu and seeing the descriptions of each of the waters. Nice touch to split them up by continent.

From Europe:



























Here's one from Africa.









There were three from the Americas.






One water from Asia and the other a
fruit juice that made the cut.









And finally, three waters from the Australia-region.

New York (March 11th - 16th, 2008)

New York was a wonderful trip. I can't believe that it took this long for me to get to visit the Big Apple and it was everything and more than I expected.
I did all the touristy things that I wanted to do (well, there are still a couple things that didn't get a chance to cross off my list, but it was a list that was growing longer every day) and went to see a Broadway show pretty much almost every night. I've already posted about the shows (here, here and here).
Here's just a couple snapshots from the trip...my goal is to get up-to-date on this blog, so I'm just posting basics and maybe details will come!
Anyway, it was a fantastic trip.




Trump Tower, of course. It was pretty bling-ing. I went into the lobby, but for some reason, didn't get the courage to go much further than that.





Times Square. For some reason, I was expecting a square. Like an area that was pretty much enclosed by buildings. I guess it sorta was, but not as square-esque as I thought it would be. why I would make such an assumption? Well, because I'm ignorant of many many things. Flashback to not knowing geographically where the heck Belgium was circa 2004. Wonderful memories.


I didn't get to tour Radio City, but hopefully I will next trip. I will also need to consider how much I want to see the Rockettes.








I have no idea why I didn't get on the ice at Rockefeller Plaza. I will. One day. It would have been perfect...I don't know what was stopping me.

The piano in FAO Schwartz is for sale. Feel free to buy it for me. I wasn't bold enough to play by myself, but luckily my travelling companion would play with me. It was so much fun and we re-enacted the scene from Big. Although, I have to admit we forgot about the Chopsticks part at the end. Oh, and I needed help from the attendant about the accompanying part of the piece. Tricksters - no triads when playing with two feet.






The Flatiron building.









Empire State Building. I must have gone at the perfect time - no line up. The view was amazing. I can't believe the skyline of the city. It's like looking down at legoland.





Looking south towards the bottom tip of Manhattan. I little smoggy, but what can you do?






I thought it was kind of funny how along the way to the elevator (quite the trek) to get to the top of the building, there we so many attempts on the part of the staff to get you to blow your hard earned tourist cash. Tours, photos, audioguides, souvenirs, simulators. It was pretty ridiculous. Lots of wasted paper on flyers. I suppose it might have been a little bit more successful if there was a long line and I wanted a little bit of reading to pass the time.

Oh, the shopping. Surprisingly, I didn't go nuts on this trip. Actually, I only bought one thing and it wasn't a splurge. I surprised myself! I have to say that I didn't see anything which really blew me away. It was all stuff I'd seen before, or stuff that I wasn't ready to spend the money on anyway. I did like going into different stores and areas to get the vibe and appreciate the displays. Quick synopsis. Bloomingdales was generic and I wanted a paper brown bag as a souvenir, but of course I didn't buy anything, so that didn't happen. Barneys was impressive. Very impressive. The stark white walls and minimal displays was incredibly well done. This was the most impressed I've been with visual display (and then I went back to Paris and saw Colette again). Soho seemed nice but filled with tourists and people who were trying too hard to be stylish, although I would have liked more time to wander around the many interesting shops they had there. The Meatpacking District was my favorite and I could have spent a lot of time there. It just had this really cool vibe and of course amazing boutiques. The Yohji Yamamoto boutique had the best location ever. I saw some pretty cool stuff at Y3 after learning about what the heck it was. The Christian Laboutin store made me drool. The collection at Theory seemed like it was made just for me. Stella McCartney was disappointing. I really wish Earnest Sewn jeans fit me, because I would love a customized pair, but I forgive them because they supply Repettos. I just loved the Meatpacking District. Loved it. Madison Avenue was as expected. A pretty sterile feel. I went into Tom Ford and still love men in suits. Bonus points if you have effortless style. Went into Prada and got up close and personal with a Fairy bag. Frig, if you can't carry it in the rain, why bother getting it? The waiting list was too long anyway. They were shooting the Shopaholic movie while I was on Madison. Tiffany - sigh. I mean, it was a beautiful store and I enjoyed looking at the items, but I wasn't blown away when I first went in. I mean, I thought it would be bigger...and then was advised to take the elevator to the different floors. Ooops...ignorance once again. Tee hee - the busiest floor is the cheapest floor. I guess people want to say they bought something there, but can't always afford their favorite item. I left empty-handed so I can't even be snobby about it. One of the floors is dedicated to engagement/wedding rings. Marc Jacobs was nice. I saw some of the crazy accessories that I loved from the SS08 RTW collection and was surprised at how I'm starting to love the Stam bag. They were having a crazy sale at the Grenwich Village shop, but again, I couldn't bring myself to buy anything. It was really weird. The stuff was dirt cheap, but because I didn't really need it, I didn't get anything. How sensible of me. I don't know if I got depressed on this trip because I saw such wonderful stuff but didn't indulge. I hope it's not superficial of me to feel that way - I like to think that I just appreciate design. No, not really depressed. That's not the right word, but I don't know what is. I think I'm done my bit about shopping.




Grand Central Station. I wish I was there for an Improv sketch. Any of them for that matter.






Museum of Natural History.









The dinos were nice, everything else was kind of lackluster.






Zabars. Food = yum. Fun experience. Was too embarrased to take pictures inside the store.




Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. That was nice. Real nice. I think I would have liked to sit there for awhile and watch the world go by. If I could bring a nice soft blanket with me, that would be even better.


There's the lady. Ellis Island was neat as well. I thought the museum was very well done.








More Times Square. I like big buildings. I like bright lights. I like lots of people. New York is perfect for me.



Oh yes, can't forget that I love subways. The NY subway system is fun. Lots of fun.







I like modern art, so I like the MOMA.







This makes me think of Grade 6 and art camp. Well, it doesn't really. It makes me think about how much I like pop art.





I considering using this as my desktop.








Just a couple pictures from The Metropolitan Museum of Art












It's simple and I like it. There was a special exhibit on colour. I wonder how much this piece would fetch at an auction.







Hard day at work it seems.





So pretty much, it was a good trip.

Back in Toronto

I'm back in Toronto after being in Europe for two weeks. It happened too quickly. The past year happened too quickly.
I didn't end up making another investment purchase as I had planned - in large part due to a haircut which went overtime. Doesn't mean it won't happen in the future. I've added a couple more items to the wishlist, but have set up a "reward" system to placate my conscience. Whatever works, right?
More post to follow once I get back into TO mode.

This is nice

There have been lots of broken promises regarding intended post on this blog, but I hope that I can get my act in gear and go back and post some pictures from trips from way back and definitely write about what's been going on this past little while.
I'm back to where this all started. My second home - Neuch. I haven't jumped ship, just in the area for (yet) another wedding.
The internet is slow, so I while I have so much to say, this is not the right time.
I will say that I am happy. Life is wonderful.

Three years in Europe is good, but this is better

Somewhere in a not-so-distant location, a fine, young gentleman is going about his last day as a free-agent. This weekend will be epic.
I'm glad to be in Canada.

The mole

YESSSSSSS!!!
It's back. Thanks to youtube I can keep up to date with the best reality show ever...The Mole!
I was so sad when they stopped making this show. Also, the celebrity version of it was sub-par...I never thought them make it again but they did!

(I am also back up-to-date with Grey's Anatomy. Sweet.)

Luminato

So I ended up seeing it. Well, not as much as I would have liked, but I got a glimpse of Luminato.
I portioned off a section of my day for this festival an found out that there aren't a lot of free events to participate it. That's unfortunate.
I did make my way to Dundas Square, which I think has a fancier name now. I guess this is Toronto's version of Times Square. Anyway, there was lots going on there...lots of people milling about too. The "white orbs" that I'd read about weren't as exciting as I had hoped, but I'm sure they would be more impressive later at night when it's darker.

Oh, completely unrelated - I finally went to the Dairy Queen across the street from where I live. Got a Blizzard. Crap. Now that I've started, I probably won't be able to stop.

Oh well

Unless I become incredibly efficient (track record says, "no"), I will be missing out on Luminato. This is a shame because I know that it is/will be wicked.
I just have too much stuff to do in the next little while to be able to go out and enjoy the festivities.
If you have a chance, please go out and partake in the event on my behalf.
Sigh.
At least I know that there's always next year. I hope I don't say the same thing in 2009.

...

This makes me smile. I do miss it. I miss being free.

Sex and the City

Last night, I went to see the Sex and the City movie.
It was exactly what I expected. Nothing more, nothing less.
The fashion of course was wonderful. There was more high-end designer label name dropping than in TV show episodes...I could have done without that. It didn't seem natural. I don't know if it was "product placement" or an intentional decision the part of the movie directors/producers. Eitherway, I didn't like that part of it. I think part of the beauty of the show is Patricia Field's ability to make the characters in the show look effortlessly put together. Most of the time wearing those high-end labels, but without necessarily flaunting it (shoes are an exception).
Speaking of shoes, I was surprised at the number of shoes that were re-worn in different shots of the film. I would have thought that costuming would have kept the girls wearing different pieces all of the time. Same thing for the belts. There was some variety in the bag department - I'm a little miffed at the idea that Carrie has an Hermes. I wouldn't think that's as much her style - I suppose she has matured a bit.
A lot of the characters looked quite a lot older. I suppose being in the limelight for a certain period of your life and people watching DVDs of the series freezes them at a moment in their life. Carrie and Smith Jared in particular looked much older in the movie. The rest of the girls looked fabulous as did Chris Noth.
There were quite a few effective one-liners in the movie. The plotline was predictable (definitely had my own sarcastic one-liner moment towards the end of the film), bu again, what else would you expect?
I thought the film was effective in taking a TV show to the big screen. Having a complete "episode" play out. You would enjoy the movie even if you had never watched the series although there was a really great recap at the beginning done in a very witty manner.
Thumbs up for this movie. A fun night out. The cinema was packed and one of the earlier shows that we'd planned on seeing was sold out. I would have thought the die hards had already seen the movie by now and it wouldn't be as packed. Some intense fans - getting dressed up to the nines. A whole lot of estrogen in one room.
Again, it's exactly what you'd expect out of Sex and the City, so if that's what you like - go watch the movie. If you like fashion...watch the movie. Picking out items and labels is fun. So it picking out NYC locations. What a city.

-picture courtesy of www.sexandthecitymovie.com

I think it's a compliment

Someone that I'm starting to get to know said to me that I'm very politically correct and that I'm diplomatic.
I remember a very dear family friend stressing the importance of being diplomatic. I have no idea if it's because of him that I've developed this trait, nor am I really sure that I am.
I know when to turn it on when it's definitely needed, but I never thought of myself as being careful in my speech in general.
I wonder if it's my experiences and/or my future goals, but I can see how diplomacy has trickled into my existence.
I'm not really sure why I found this important enough to write a post about it - but I just did.

You don't realize

This morning, when I woke up, something felt different. I can't really explain it, but something was up.
It was only until I walked out onto the balcony that I realized that there was a calm flow across the Gardiner. Yep, the bikers were out in bull force and it created such a nice atmosphere and reduced the noise pollution by a lot!

Planet B-Boy

I watched Planet B-Boy.
It was on my list of movies to see during Hot Docs, but the timing didn't work out right. It ended up getting 2nd place in the Audience Choice Award, so it must have been good.
I found out that it was playing in the city, so I immediate made plans to see it. I didn't want to miss it the second time around.
The trailer looked awesome.
I have to say, while the movie was good, it wasn't compelling.
I could follow that the director wanted to create a little bit of a storyline on top of the fact that there were crews gunning to be the best in the world, but it was very minimally flushed out. For full props, I would have wanted not only crazy-cool breaking (OMG - I was flipping out...these people were sick!) but also that extra oomph. The background of the genre was sufficient, but more about the journey and impetus for each of the crews and their members would make it worthy of the hype.
Still a nice way to see some high-calibre breaking. I forgot how much I love watching this art-form.

-picture courtesy of www.planetbboy.com

It's a beautiful day

Having a day off is great.
Having errands to do is better, because it forces me to leave my place. A "day off" means I'm not scheduled to work somewhere else but that doesn't mean that I don't have work that I could (should?) be doing at home.
Anyway, after a little sleep in which my body has been desperately begging for (I think my body is past the fitness testing pain, but now it's in the we-had-circuit-training-at-the-gym-yesterday-pain phase) I got my stuff together and ventured out into the sunlight.
It was wonderful.
I walked. I people watched. I window shopped.
I walked through Nathan Phillips Square (the sound of the water fountain was calming) and noticed a photo exhibition. I thought it was related to the current CONTACT exhibition that's going on in the city, but it was a separate exhibition about those touched by cancer. I thought it was quite well done, each photo accompanied by a blurb linking the photograph to cancer in some way. I think it was the first time that I can remember that I stared at a woman who'd had a mastectomy for a long time. I appreciate the chance to see things up close and personal that many people fear or don't like to talk about.
I walked west on Queen Street West and ventured into the CONTACT exhibition at Red Bull 381 Projects. I suppose I understand the appeal of the 1st Place Winner of the HP Jury Prize, but I personally liked the 2nd and 3rd Place Winners better. There are some other nice photos on display as well. At this venue, HP is also providing a free print of one of your digital photos (bring on CD or USB). Tomorrow is the last day...hours are 11.00-16.00. Hopefully I will be able to narrow down my huge pile of favs to get my own print!

Fitness testing

Tonight I did my first full scale fitness test. I have subsequently developed a low self-esteem.
I should remind myself that some of the other people who I am being ranked against have been doing this for 6-15 years whereas I have been gymless for over a quarter of a century. Regardless, I'm sure glad that I invested in Lavender L'Occitane bath products to relax me into a state of apathy.
After getting the basics (height and weight - the depression commences) the calipers come out and my fat is pulled from 4 or 5 different areas. Great.
Now the true fun begins. The bane of my existence. Push ups. We have a minute to complete as many push-ups as possible and no resting is allowed. Only "proper" push-ups are counted. Proper = full out (not on the knees) push-ups low enough that your chest hits a target. So shorties and big boobied girls have an advantage. I fall under neither of those categories. I suck.
Old-school sit ups are next and I match my push-up count. I used to be proud of my abs, so the depression sinks in further.
Vertical jump tests. I need to hit up the gym some more. I do learn something of interest - a figure skater's landing leg is typically stronger than their take-off leg. I am no exception.
It is finally here. The VO2 max test. The moment that I have been dreading for a whole year. I have a mental block against running. Being strapped in wearing a headpiece, nose plug, and a mouthpiece which was uncomfortable and forced me to not be able to swallow my own saliva doesn't make the experience any more pleasant. Being asked every two minutes to tap a board which shows a scale from extremely easy to extremely hard while they keep speeding up the treadmill pisses me off. Of course this is extremely hard you fools. I want to die. After an eternity (which was depressingly nowhere near close to that) I was onto my next challenge.
Various flexibility tests follow and luckily, I have one strength. Thanks to a little obsession as a 12 year old, my spine continues to bend in mysterious ways.
And just when I was starting to think that there was hope for me, I get bashed back down to reality and complete the last portion of the test. Wingate. I remind my tester that yelling at me during my 45 seconds of pain doesn't inspire me in any way. Rather, it makes me want to climb off the bike and slap the man. I was happy to find out that slapping was not on the agenda for today. It was a lot harder that I remembered it to be (I had the pleasure of doing the wingate once before and felt decent afterwards) and the downward spiral continued.
I was exhausted, in pain, but done. The VO2 max test was just as scary as I had built up in my head. I get my results as some point and have the pleasure of finding out just how crappy I am compared to others. Yeah, so much for working to your own capacity and concentrating on improving your own results. We are obviously in direct competition.
And after sitting through a nutrition talk last week, I won't even feel good drowning my sorrows in a big bowl of ice cream. The motto of "if it tastes good, it's probably bad for you" has ruined my life. Thank goodness I'm so cynical that I will soon block this talk out of my memory and be back to eating everything that life has to offer.
Guess what. I get to do the darn test again at the end of the summer. Kill me now.

Only because I spend a lot of time with teenagers

I can't believe it. I'm fallen off the deep end. I've joined facebook.
It seems complicated so far. There's so many things that can be done, yet I have no desire to do them.
Trust me when I say that the only reason I've joined is because I realize it's importance to this little thing that I've become a part of.
Anyway, please don't consider me a sellout. This is the worst.

Ri-di-cu-lous, non?

Don't take it as me being obsessed with Project Runway, but in Season 3, Episode 10 where the contestants are in Paris (I'm getting so excited for the end of June, by the way) there was music that was completely ripped off. It's Yann Tiersen all the way. Inversions and variations don't trick me. I suppose mimicry is the highest form of flattery.

Brice de Nice

Two days ago, I heard a song that reminded me of Brice de Nice which made me very nostalgic. So, in an attempt to explain the significance of the song, I tried to explain the premise of the movie. It can't be done. Well, it can, but not to an extent where it makes any sense. The best correlation I could make was to Mr. Bean, but it's not the best link.
This is the original sketch...this an educational bit...and this is your musical fix for the day. If you aren't laughing (potentially out of bewilderment), well, I'm sorry.

- picture courtesy of www.bricedenice.com

WHAT?!?

After the judging...I started rooting for Daniel. Based on what I've learned about fashion, I understand why Chloe would win. It would have been nice to see them nurture the young talent which could propel him to greatness, but Chloe's work was fantastic and she had the right tools to succeed. I have no idea if she's hoping to go somewhere with it or not, but regardless, I'm sure that each of the finalists (and others who participated in the show) have their pick of job opportunities. If they don't end up starting their own lines, it would be great to see them designing at a major fashion house.

Okay - back to work.

Who who who?!?

OMG - I'm dying! The final runway shows were amazing! It's like a whole other level those shows. I guess when you've got more than two days to complete an outfit, you really can show what you're capable of. I don't know who's going to win! I've put my marking on hold because I want to pay attention to the final moments of the show. I think it'll be one of the boys that wins. This is ridiculous - I can't believe how many talented designers are out there. It's a shame that they can't all have enough funding to merchandise their own lines. Just 15 more minutes of this and then it's back to work for me. The first couple of episode are just background noise - gotta be productive!

This is the problem with reality TV

OMG - I'm watching the final episode of Season 2 of Project Runway. I have no idea who's going to win. I'm hooked. I'm addicted. And there's two more seasons that I can watch after this. OMG. It's nice to have in the background as I do my marking, so it's not completely taking over my life. I miss having TV on the the background. This is great.
Oh, and I freaked out when they cut Nick Verreos. What a shame. I haven't googled him yet because I don't want any spoilers, but I hope he goes far. I like his sense of style too.

Being productive

So what does two days off give you a chance to do?
Watch Season 1 of Project Runway. A lot of the outfits didn't blow me away, but there sure was an interesting cast of characters. And then all of a sudden the final three come out with amazing collections. The soundtrack for the shows were great as well.
Season 2 is coming up.
The internet is a wonderful thing.

(don't worry - I did other things too)

Ballers in da house

Seems there are some footballers staying in my building. Toronto FC...go go go!