New York (November 17-22, 2011)

Wow. I was just sorting through my pictures and realized that I'm slacking in the blogging department.
I've been to New York a couple times now, and I think it's my equivalent to Paris or London from 5-8 years ago. It's close enough that it doesn't take too long to get there and it's the big city/shopping getaway that I crave every so often. I still have lots to explore in the city (as I always will in any city that I go to), but it's starting to feel familiar enough that
I do have a couple things that I always like do when I'm there. In Paris, I always have to visit the Tour Eiffel. I take one evening during my trip to just sit there and take a moment. In New York, I tend to do that at Times Square. You'd think that at each of these touristy and crowded areas, I wouldn't be able to take a moment to get a quiet moment for myself, but I always can.
When I lived in Europe, London was my place that I would catch a couple shows. I would line up at the tkts booth in Leicester Square for something playing in the West End. I would splurge on tickets for the Royal Opera. I never seemed to go at a time when I could get tickets to the Royal Ballet. I used to go to London twice a year and pretty much the same time of year each time. Anyway, I try to catch a couple shows in New York each time I go as well. I'm not entirely sure why I don't take advantage of more touring shows that come through Toronto (actually, I do, I have some sort of complex that they might not be as good as if I were to see them in London or New York - which I know is a ridiculous thing to think) but I really should get over myself and take advantage of some of some more of the great things that Toronto has to offer.
Anyway, this past time in New York, I went to an opera at the Met Opera. It was quite lovely. The production was great and of course the venue is spectacular. I really like theatres/concert halls/opera houses. I always try to visit them when I travel, and if there is a tour of the building, I take it. They're so lovely. Lincoln Center is no exception. I mean a place with massive Chagalls on display for people passing by to see...c'mon. Gorgeous during the day. Gorgeous at night. The steps leading up to it even light up and tell you important things.
I usually see a musical on Broadway, and this past trip, I went to see The Book of Mormon. I scored a great seat the day of (this is when there was still a lot of buzz about the show because it did so well at last year's Tony's) after waiting in the standby line for quite some time. It was a show that I laughed through, but I wondered if people would
be offended at it. I could see how it goes over the line, but in my opinion, it's clearly poking fun at things (which may be based on truth - I don't know for sure, but I don't know enough about the things discussed) so I was ready to laugh about it. Mind you, I wonder if others would have a different opinion of the show. Oh well, I enjoyed it. Even if you didn't like the content, you had to appreciate other parts of the show. I'm actually going back to New York this week and I'm still trying to decide which show(s) I want to see. I did take a look at who won what at the Tony's, so that might help me decide. We'll see what happens.
As I've said, I like to visit theatres and during this trip, I finally went to Radio City Music Hall. Wow, that place is amazing. I always like seeing things in person that I've seen on TV (there's that 'wow, it's really real!' factor) but it really is spectacular. I would like to see a Christmas Spectacular at some point. It's such a big production that I would like to see it for myself. And the Rockettes. It would be neat to see them. This week, I do have plans to see something there...I'm stoked about it.
I do have a couple other things that I want to do on this upcoming trip. The High Line is impressive each time I see it, so hopefully there will be some great weather while I'm there and I can enjoy it once again. I also want to enjoy Central Park. For someone who usually beelines for all of the tourist spots the first time I'm in a city, can you believe that I've never actually explored the park? I've zipped into one area to see the Alice in Wonderland statue, but that's it. How depressing. I really hope the weather cooperates this time. I have plans to have a nice lunch and read a book!
There's just so much to do in New York. Each time I go, there's more things that I want to do and things to discover. And there seem to be special events or seasonal
things that pop up too. I loved the ice rink that was in Bryant Park. I was desperate to go skating (I haven't skated in over a year, I think. Maybe two? It's quite upsetting.) but just standing and watching the folks on the ice, having a great time was nice. They'd set up a Christmas Market surrounding it, and I felt like I was back in Europe again. The 'log' huts that they'd put there and the kinds of trinkets they were selling. All that was missing was the stall with the candied nuts and gingerbread. And the glühwein. Oh, to smell that glühwein
Anyway, those were just some of the highlights of my trip to New York last year. I'm excited to be going back again and can't wait to discover more about the city. I was considering bringing work with me to do and I will be trying to get some work done on the way there and back, but I'm not sure if I will get anything done while I'm there.
Part of me thinks that it might be nice for me to get some work done in a different place and space, a fresh way to work on things, but another part of me says, 'take a break'. I probably need one. But who wouldn't be motivated to get some work down if you were sitting in a gorgeous library such as this one? I'm going to start with working on the way there and seeing how much I can accomplish during that amount of time. I'll see how motivated I am to continue working after that beginning on the journey over and then decide. The problem is that there's just so many things that I want to do in the city, that why would I 'waste' my time there working, when I could be enjoying everything else that the city has to offer?
What a great city.

Outdoor movie screenings

Soon, K-12 summer is going to start (you know, versus post-secondary summer and, well, I don't know what non-academic folks call summer) and that means even more events in the city than there are now!

Here's the list of outdoor film series that happen in my area:
Dancing in the Dark @ Younge-Dundas Square
Free Flicks @ Harbourfront Centre
TIFF in the Park @ David Pecaut Square

Last summer, I ended up going to a couple screenings at David Pecaut. The Muppets Movie (during which there was a massive thunderstorm - boo) and Mary Poppins (hence the picture). We'll see what I end up going to see this year!

MapAttack!

This event by Newmindspace for North by Northeast sounds like fun. Shame that I don't have an i-phone nor Android. My accessibility radar is having a field day. It's funny how it's just kind of assumed that most people will have one or the other. Way to phase out those Blackberry users and luddites.
I'm really not THAT annoyed, but it's something I think about every so often.

The Little Black Jacket

Behold, the iconic little black jacket from Chanel. When I attended the traveling 2.55 exhibition that was in the city a couple years ago, I was amazed at the details and craftmanship of the bag. I was also impressed at the care that the company took at putting together the exhibition and the representation that they sent along with it from France. I'm sure The Little Black Jacket exhibition would be just as fun. It would be great if it came to the city. I doubt it would, though. Sigh.

No no no no no!

A very well followed blogger recently did a collaboration with a company whom I've been lusting over their products for quite some time. And I think the company isn't in the mainstream yet (it might never get there because of their price point, but I would argue that Hermes, for example, is in the mainstream even though they are at a price point that isn't attainable to the mainstream market) but because I'm selfish, I want as few people to think that they're the next "it" company, or "cool" brand to own or whatever. I mean, their stuff is gorgeous and of course people will fall in love with the company, but when I eventually own something from there myself (trust me, I've tried...it's been a crazy adventure) I don't want to be "yet another girl with a ____ bag". If I stay in Canada, it'll be a little easier for me as they don't really have any retailers in the country and, well, ummm, Canadians take a lot longer to jump on bandwagons, but the point is, I don't want there to be a bandwagon. I'm a snob! I don't want to be one of the masses!
 I care way too much about these things. Essentially, I'm convinced that their stuff is gorgeous and I will own something from the fashion house in the future, and I will be intrinsically satisfied with what I own, but I believe that many people pass judgement (I'm not being hypocritical here, I know that I do the same!) based on visible things and I don't want this brand to get to the point where people can pass judgement with a different lense. Oh gosh, I really read into these things way too much.

Louis Vuitton - Larger than Life

This is a pretty cute series by the folks at Louis Vuitton.

Skewed view

The first thing I thought when I looked browsed a website that was passed along to me by a friend was, "How can I use this in my teaching?"
Earlier today, I was telling a colleague about how much I love teaching. That it's the best job. That I can't wait to teach for the rest of my life.
Sometimes I have difficulty falling asleep because my mind is racing with ideas for my teaching. Once I'm asleep, I sometimes dream about teaching. I've missed my train/subway/streetcar/bus stop a couple times due to being lost in my thoughts coming up with activities to use in classes.
When I first started writing this post, I thought that maybe it's a bad thing that I see things from this skewed point of view. Or that I can't appreciate things through any other lense. But I don't think that's true. I recently saw things through an equity point of view (something that I felt I was lacking), and well, I think it's awesome that I have found something that I'm so passionate about. If only everyone could be so lucky.

Have to start somewhere. Had to start sometime.

Today was the day. Pen to paper (well, fingers to keyboard). Game on, thesis. Game on.

Doors Open

This is the first year since I've moved back to Canada that I've been in town for Doors Open. I went to a couple different venues today, and enjoyed being a tourist in my own city. Lots of walking, lots of going here and there, picking up maps, following self-guided tours - true *L*-tourist mode. Of course, I wasn't the only one who was enjoying the event. I was so happy to see how many people were out and about. The gorgeous weather helps too! It was an awesome day and I plan to head back out again tomorrow!

Summer's here!

Or, at least, good weather is here! I have my first Greg's for the year. I actually stayed away from Greg's entirely last year. Amazing, I know. But it's as delicious as I remember. I tried a couple different flavours before settling on my choices. Trail Mix is exactly what it should taste like, just in ice cream form, and Bombay Chocolate (or something like that), which is coconut milk, curry, and chocolate, is also exactly what it should taste like. The former = tasty. The latter = unique.
Anyway, I was starting to feel bad that I kept asking for samples, but there were enough flavours that I didn't recognize that it was making my decision difficult. I need to be an informed buyer! Yet, in the end, I still took a leap of faith (because, as I said, I was getting a little embarrassed at taking so long). I got Star Anise (actually, quite tasty, so the risk paid off in the end), and of course, my Greg's go-to and must-have flavour, Roasted Marshmallow.
Now, I guess it had been so long since my last visit that I couldn't recall how I would be able to get two different flavours without getting too much ice cream. In the end, I got a scoop of each (which was too much ice cream, even for me!) and then realized that I probably got a 1/2 scoop of each previously. Now that my memory is jogged, I can move forward from here.
Also, there's a second location of Greg's for even more awesomeness. So if you're in the Distillery District, enjoy!

Hot Docs 2012

I ended up seeing 8 films during this year's edition of Hot Docs. Thanks to Scotiabank, I watched all of them for free.

Here are the films that I saw, in the order that I saw them:
1. The Imposter
2. One Fine Day
3. Bones Brigade: An Autobiography
4. Big Boys Gone Bananas!*
5. The Revisionaries
6. Legend of a Warrior
7. Brooklyn Castle
8. Radioman

I did quite well in the movies that I watched. I had planned to see a couple more on the final day of the festival, but I was exhausted. Shame, because two of the films that I was going to see turned out to be award winners: The World Before Her and The Boxing Girls of Kabul. I'm a little disappointed that my body and brain can't keep up with everything that I want to do, but I'm glad that I (for once) didn't push it. Taking the Sunday off was wonderful.
The film that I enjoyed the most out of the 8 that I saw was definitely the first. Hopefully it's not because I was just too exhausted by the end to really enjoy the films and that it was just really that good. But turns out that others in the industry also liked the film too, as it won the Filmmakers Award.
Actually, I liked all of the films that I saw. I could have gone without the second and maybe the third one, but 6 out of 8 is good. I need to get better at guessing which screenings will have Q&As. At 5 out of 8, I'm not happy with my outcome. Actually, I do think that watching the premiere of a film at the festival would give me a better shot at a Q&A, and although I do take that into consideration when creating my schedule during festivals, the jigsaw of maximizing the number of screenings that I can attend based on my schedule means that I just go to the screenings that I have time to go to.
Most likely, the next festival that I will be attending is TIFF, although I'll try to get some outdoor films in during the summer months. I haven't been to a screening of a blockbuster movie on any old average day in a long time. Actually, I can't remember the last time I went to see a movie like that. I don't even know what movies are out right now. I'm such a snob.

Radioman

Radioman (official website here) was the final film that I saw at this year's Hot Docs. By the end of the week, I was pretty tired from everything that was going on in life that I needed something light. I had actually had planned to see a couple more films the next day (Sunday), but in the end, I took the day off. I needed it.
I had never heard of Radioman before. I must have seen him in different films and/or shows but clearly I never made the connection or I didn't realize that it was more than just a character on the screen.
Radioman is man who lives in New York and is a regular on TV show and movie sets. He loves the industry and has gotten to know some of the people in it. He's gotten cameos, is allowed at Craft Service and has attended the Oscars.
Radioman is quite the individual. His story is interesting, and is personality is entertaining. I laughed out loud during the screening, and A-list celebrities have some nice things to say about him, but in the end, I did have an overwhelming sense of sadness.
Apparently, Radioman attended the first two screenings of the film, but the filmmakers who stayed for the Q&A were able to get him on the phone. His personality shone through even through that little cell phone. The filmmakers talked about how they wanted to make a positive film. To show the personality of Radioman, that they didn't want it to be depressing, but as i said before, I felt sad. I wasn't sure if Radioman is a happy person. Sure we all get sad from time to time, but overall, I think I'm doing pretty well. I wonder if he feels like he's getting let down time and time again. I wonder if he's lonely. I wonder what will happen to him after the fact? I don't judge, I just wonder.
Well, rest assured, I will start to look for Radioman as I watch TV and films in the future.
It's kind of a neat movie to see. Radioman does seem like an interested person. But it wasn't quite as happy-go-lucky of a film as I thought it would be. Not that it should be based on the subject matter, but that's just what I was expecting from the write-up.
Finally, at the screening, I realized that it would be my last time watching a movie at the Cumberland Theatres. They would be closing the theatre after Hot Docs and it would be turned into some sort of fancy retail space. Sigh, it's a great location and cute set of theatres. I wonder how it will be redone on the inside? It's amazing how architects can just gut everything and see it as a blank slate. Or build around features that are already there. Tae the best of both worlds. I wonder if they'll keep anything of the cinemas in tact?

- picture courtesy of www.hotdocs.ca

Brooklyn Castle

I always want to see more films at a festival than I have time for. My first attempt at deciding what I want to see usually results in a couple films that I definitely want to see. Brooklyn Castle (official website here) was the one film from this year's Hot Docs that was in that category. It was an obvious choice. Education, youth empowerment, underdog story...some people say that I'm a predictable person.
In a nutshell, this film is about a chess team from an inner city public school that keeps producing champions. The government keeps cutting back funds. Students are learning life lessons and understanding their identities. Some students take on leadership roles. Are the students going to win their matches at the big championships? Will they take some steps to change the rest of their lives?
The film was good, but I wanted more. Now, I'm never sure if it's because I'm more invested in this kind of topic, so I have higher expectations for the film, or that it really wasn't as good as it could have been. The suspense was awesome and the outcomes were awesome and the updates on the characters were awesome, but I still wanted more. I think I wanted more about everything. I wanted to know more about all of the stakeholders. Students, families, and educators. I wanted to know more about the school. I wanted to know more about the club. I even wanted to know more about the chess.
There wasn't a Q&A for the screening (boo), but that wasn't the worst thing because it gave me enough time to rush to the final film that I saw at the festival. Brooklyn Castle was screening at The Regent, which is in a completely different area than the rest of the festival. Nice that Hot Docs is trying to go to different parts of the city, but difficult to contend with if you're one of those people who watches multiple screenings a day.
Oh, and a large-scale standardized test in Grade 8 to determine what high school you can get into. Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Although I'm still open to the debate on streaming, and I'm usually quite wishy-washy about my opinions (not because I'm not willing to take a stand, but because I can see both sides), for this situation, I know where I stand.
Anyway, it was a good film. Take a look at the film's website if you want to learn more and even donate to the cause. This was another project partially funded through Kickstarter.

- picture courtesy of www.hotdocs.ca

Legend of a Warrior

I'm clearly way behind on my blogging. Hot Docs has come and gone and I'm still trying to advocate for films that people should have gone to see. Well, I guess people can watch them in other venues if they want. Anyway, this gives me the excuse to be brief, as if I wasn't already going down that route with my other reviews.
So, Legend of a Warrior (click on link to read Hot Doc write-up) is less about fighting and more about family. The filmmaker seeks to get to know his father better, in part because he is now a father himself. There is a cultural gap. A generational gap. Some strains in the family.
Director, Corey Lee, was in attendance and it was a family affair. His father had attended the premiere at the festival and as I had attended the final screening, his dad had come and gone from the festival (although he called in that day to find out how things were going), but Lee's in-laws were all in attendance.
The film itself is quite nice. It's powerful because of the topic and how it gets resolved. Everyone can relate to the story and has an emotional connection to anything about families. If you get a chance to watch the film, you should. I wouldn't put it in the category of 'go out of your way to watch it', but if you have the opportunity to watch it, do it.

- picture courtesy of www.hotdocs.ca

Jige bag

Qui veut une pochette Hermes? Voila!

Massimo Dutti

There will soon be a Massimo Dutti store in the city! This was my Club Monaco when I lived in Europe. I wonder what the response to the store will be in North America?
For those who don't know much about the Inditex group, it's actually similar to the Gap group. The Gap group has (among others) Banana Republic, Gap, and Old Navy in a hierarchy of sorts. Inditex has Massimo Dutti, Zara, and a couple others that I would put at the same level as Old Navy. They include Bershka, Stradivarius, and Pull and Bear.
Anyway, because I'm selfish and I sort of want to keep some European things in Europe so that I can go to my 'special' places whenever I go back, I'm not entirely sure if I'm happy that the store will be coming so close to home.
Alas. These are not the things I should be too concerned about.

Cinquecento

Did the Fiat folks finally notice the success of the Beetle and Mini and decide that they wanted to stage a comeback too? Or maybe this is just additional proof that North Americans are really slow at following the trends.
Anyway, the 500 is uber, I mean, molto cute!

The Revisionaries

The Revisionaries (official website here) is about Don McLeroy, who chaired the Texas Board of Education. He, along with some of his colleagues were working on teaching standards for the science and social sciences curriculum and actively tried to introduce anti-evolutionary thinking. Or, ummm, promote a creationist approach.
I don't want to get into a discussion about religion, and although much of the movie seemed shocking to me (and the audience) based on my (our) own ideology/ies (clearly, with the gasps and laughs), what it did make me consider was the effect that policy makes have on so many people. In this case, not just a State, but also on a nation. You see, Texas and California are so big that standards in either of these States will affect the entire country. Textbook companies would rather not make multiple versions of textbooks (for different States), thus whatever goes in Texas and/or California often goes for the rest of the country. Crazy.
I think of myself as a pretty neutral member of society. I don't follow a particular religion. I don't subscribe to a particular political party. And I'm naive about a lot of these things, so it's kind of funny for me to see how 'extreme' things can get. Of course, I realize that certain decisions have huge repercussions, but seeing this particular example on the big screen was particularly shocking. I wonder if things like this happen in Canada? I guess so, but with different specifics.
During the Q&A with Scott Thurman, we learned that Americans react the same way to the film as we Canadians do, although they take it a little bit more personally. Of course, the types of people attending film festivals are probably more on 'one-side' than the other (even he said it) and would see the film from one angle, I guess I was also reminded that everyone looks at the world through their own particular lens. This lens is based on personal experiences and beliefs and skews how we interpret everything that we see and do. Apparently Don McLeroy watched the film and loved it. Clearly he didn't see it in the way that many of the audience members do.
Anyway, lately I've been going through a little bit of a crisis (actually, not a crisis at all, as I tend to blow things out of proportion) and wonder if I should know more about different educational perspectives. There's a group in my field that looks at things through a particular lens that I don't naturally see. Once they explain it to me, I understand what they mean, but I never see it as such myself. But the thing is, I wonder if learning more would actually help me. I'm sure that I will always see the world through a particular (rose coloured) lens no matter how much I know about different lenses. Although, I wonder if I could be convinced to change my stance? I guess it would take a pretty significant event. For now, though, I like how I look at things.
This was the first film that I saw which was partially funded through Kickstarter. I thought that was pretty cool. I have seen a couple different cool projects on Kickstarter so to see a final product was pretty special.

- picture courtesy of www.hotdocs.ca

Big Boys Gone Bananas!*

Big Boys Gone Bananas!* (official website here) is a film about the aftermath of Fredrik Gertten's previous film, Bananas!. In Bananas!, Gertten investigates the lawsuit against Dole by workers in the banana fields. Dole responded in a pretty extreme fashion. This new documentary follows exactly what went down from the first instant that Gertten and team knew that something was up.
This film was another 'predictable' documentary. Chronological, following main characters, showing natural highs and lows that came up along the way and of course bashing corporate America. Or, well, corporations in America and Europe.
This was the one and only screening of the film during HotDocs, but apparently it's (along with Bananas!) coming back for a run at the (newly renovated) Bloor Cinema. The audience seemed to be very receptive to the film and actually gave Gertten a standing ovation. I never look at the world through 'big bad corporations' lens, so although I get what the film was about and I appreciate what's going on, I probably won't be changing my habits, regular practice and opinions about things. Like I said, I can appreciate it, but that's about it. Maybe I'm a disappointment, but it is what it is.
Anyway, I guess it's a good film. I may not give it a glowing review, but that's not because it wasn't good. It's just because it didn't blow me away or surprise me in any way. It was cool to learn about how certain things and big companies work, but it didn't blow my mind. It definitely has a 'we can make a difference' message, and I appreciated that.

- picture courtesy of www.hotdocs.ca

Bones Brigade: An Autobiography

I know nothing about skateboarding. I don't even know how to skateboard (although, I did try once). The only name I recognized from the synopsis is Tony Hawk. The only reason I decided to go to the screening of Bones Brigade: An Autobiography is because the final screening of the film is sold out so I figured other people (in the know?) must think it's worth watching. It also happened to fit into my schedule.
I dozed off in this movie as well. I mean, it was okay, but nothing too interesting. I'm going to hope that's because I'm not an avid follower of the skateboarding culture. Although, one elderly lady who also said she knew nothing about the subject matter praised the film when asked for feedback from director, Stacy Peralta. But maybe she just said that because she was put on the spot. Who knows?
Anyway, let's just analyze the film for what it is. It's a series of interviews with different members of the skateboarding community who were influential or invested in the sport around the 1980. Interspersed between their interviews was skateboarding footage and other footage from the 1980s. It told a story in chronological fashion and ended with little blurbettes with updates on each of the featured characters. It seemed to be a pretty traditional documentary in terms of format. In the post-screening Q&A, Peralta talked about how many of the Bones Brigade had asked him to create this documentary. That they felt that there was a story to tell. A documented story about a group of people who were so influential on skateboarding as we know it today. With that purpose in mind, I think the documentary did a great job. Was it groundbreaking and did it uncover anything shocking, controversial or anything that I'll remember many years down the line? No, but I don't think that was the point. This is a documentary that something wanting to know more about skateboarding culture can and should watch.
One of the questions from the Q&A was about whether Peralta was conducting the interviews when the interviewee talked about Peralta. He said that initial interviews were conducted by him, but after starting to piece together the film and needing to go back to do follow-up interviews, for specific topics, another member of the crew would conduct the interviews and Peralta would not be present. It was a mutual decision by Peralta and the interviewees. Every so often in these Q&As, I'm reminded that making a documentary is very similar to the process that I follow when conducting research. I'm currently involved in a study in which I am conducting interviews with my participants. Of course to a certain extent, the interviewer takes a position of authority, but in this particular case, the relationship that I have developed with these participants even before they joined my study has been one in which I am the person of authority. While I like to think that there is no power dynamic in this study and that there will be no effects on my data as a result, it's hard to know for sure. I usually watch films for enjoyment sake. I like the topics of the film, I like the storyline, I like the music, I like the art direction, I like learning, but I don't naturally analyze the film for the '-ology' behind the creation of the film. I like it when I'm reminded (often during the Q&A) that there's kind of a science or methodology behind making a film. It's another layer that I don't natural associate with the final product, but I like thinking about it and relating it to some of the issues that I deal with in my own work.

- picture courtesy of www.hotdocs.ca

I guess it's good

...that I can fall asleep under any circumstance. When you're stuck in a super-loud MRI machine for an hour, my special skill definitely comes in handy. Before I dozed off, I do remember imagining that I was listening to hard-core techno music.

One Fine Day

The second film that I watched in this year's Hot Docs was One Fine Day. It was sort of ho hum. It played out like a paid programming advertisement for some sort of organization. I don't know what the organization would be, but something like a activism, stand up for your rights kind of thing. The deep voiced narrator with a British accent didn't really help matters.
Now, the issues discussed in the documentary are really important, but it just seemed a little bit too forced. Too cliche. The stories and people that were featured were great, but it was still pretty blah. Blah enough that I think I started to fall asleep in one part. Actually, I'm pretty sure that I dozed off. I know that I'm running on fumes right now and I can pretty much fall asleep in any dark room, but still, I would have thought that if the documentary was good, it would keep me awake.
I really don't have too much to say about the film. As I said previously, it was pretty ho hum. There wasn't a Q&A or anything but I didn't feel as though I would have been enlightened by one. The one part of the film that I did enjoy was the beginning and ending. Weaving in that common theme and imagery...that was great. But yeah. That's it.
Wow, the most lackluster review ever.

- picture courtesy of www.hotdocs.ca

The Imposter

Hot Docs is underway! I'm going to milk this 'student' thing as long as I can. The Hot Docs Film Festival is once again offering free tickets to students and seniors for screenings starting before 6pm - it's fantastic! My schedule during the festival is busy enough that I only have 3 weekdays and the closing weekend free to watch films. As per usual, there are more films that I want to see than I have time for. Such is life.
The first film that I saw was The Imposter (official website here). Here is the festival's write-up:

The Imposter is probably the most unusual story in this year’s Festival. In 1994 a 13-year-old boy disappears without a trace from San Antonio, Texas. Three and a half years later he is found alive, thousands of miles away in a village in southern Spain with a story of kidnap and torture. His family is overjoyed to bring him home. But all is not quite as it seems. The boy bears many of the same distinguishing marks he always had, but why does he now have a strange accent? Why does he look so different? And why doesn’t the family seem to notice these glaring inconsistencies? It’s only when an investigator starts asking questions that this strange tale takes an even stranger turn...

How could you not be intrigued by the synopsis? The film was really slick. The opening credits were really feature film-esque. And the way that the film was put together is typical documentary with interviews with stakeholders, but with slick transitions and details to make it, well, kinda feature film-esque once again.
You know how I can never describe why I like or don't like a film? And that usually I'm left wishing the film was longer or that I want it to be more in-depth? This film gave me a new revelation. It left me wanting more, but in a way that I was willing to google the story and read up about it. I mean, it would have been great if there was another half hour to the film to talk a little bit more about the tail end of the story (the film ended with traditional captions with updates about different characters in the film), so I do feel a sense of finality, but it's still a little unfinished. I'm going to chalk that up to the fact that the story is insane!
Basically, this film was amazing. There were many moments where the audience was in total awe, shock and amazement in what was happening on the screen. Unfortunately, there was no Q&A with the film. That would have been amazing. In googling the film, it seems as though one of the main characters was played by an actor. That just made it even more intriguing and left me superly wanting to hear someone associated with the film talk about it. How they decided to create a film about the topic, how they decided who would be involved (and not), how they weaved the story together...so many questions!
In this case, it wasn't that I was really annoyed at the movie that I still have so many questions, but I thought so highly of the film as a result.
As per usual, I don't seem to be able to eloquently talk about this film, but I assure you that it's a film worth seeing. Partly, I don't want to say too much about the film because I think it's more enjoyable the less you know about it. I saw the final screening of the film at the festival, but maybe you will be able to see it somewhere in the future.
It's quite amazing.

- picture courtesy of www.hotdocs.ca

Canvasco in Canada!

I have been waiting five years, but Canvasco finally has a retailer in Toronto! While on the beloved 510 a couple weeks ago, I spotted what looked like Canvasco messengers in the window of DeSerres, just south of Richmond. It wasn't until last night that I walked by the shop to confirm that they were indeed Canvasco bags! Awesome!
A German company, Canvasco is mostly known for their accessories made out of sails from boats. They also have a line that uses fur and these look so luxurious. I think I've only spotted one or two Canvasco bags on the streets of Toronto since I've moved back from Europe and I definitely haven't seen them anywhere else in North America. I didn't get a chance to take a look at the price point here in the city, but it's not the cheapest bag in the world. I could see folks who like Frietag products maybe being interested in these bags. The material makes it is a little less 'bike messenger', but I think the fact that they have unique patterns will help. Every time I wear mine, I will get a compliment or at least someone asking about it. The mega-wide strap and intense metal buckle get a lot of attention. The designers clearly put a lot of thought into designing the bag. The pocket in the interior of the flap of the messenger is seemingly upside down, but in fact, is absolutely right side up for when you are wearing the bag and to access the pocket you have to pull the flap open so that it's...upside down. Genius.
The fact that it's being sold through an art supply shop could signal their chosen demographic. I'm interested to see if the brand will do well here in the city.
Anyway, it's quite clear that I love their products. It took me a couple years to 'find' my Canvasco. I hope Torontonians will also be able to find their own Canvasco, and although I'm so happy that they've come to the city, part of me is sad that I have to share this fabulous brand with the rest of the world.
When I bought my Canvasco in Europe, there wasn't any packaging or anything, but in the DeSerres window, they seemed to be placed in Freitag-like cardboard drawers. That was slightly disappointing to see, but I guess they're trying to take advantage of the success of their Swiss counterparts.
Anyway, Toronto is always late on the trends, but I'm still pretty stoked to see a familiar name come to town!

Caine's Arcade

I'd noticed links to this quite some time ago, but life got in the way and I never really paid attention to it. Life should never get in the way.



"...push the 'check mark' button and the big number comes out..." Brilliant.

The official site (with link to support Caine’s Scholarship Fund)

Eagle cam hilarity

My favorite thing about the eagle cam is seeing projectile poop coming out of the eaglets. It is hilarious!

More amazingness from T-Mobile

Today was a little bit of a doozy. I've been watching light-hearted videos and scarfing down sweets to make up for it.

In case you were too lazy to click on the links from this morning's post, here are the two videos:

Way to go T-Mobile

The makers of this classic flashmob do it again.
Albeit, I found it 2 years later. Seriously, why did it take so long for me to see this?

Awesome sauce

Seriously.
And I know that the Rocco is for the younger crowd, but this is beyond.

A Field Guide to the American Male Peacock

Ha ha ha ha ha. Is this an April Fool's joke?

2 out of the 3 eagles have hatched!

The Decorah Eagles are as entertaining as ever! The baby eagles are so cute and fluffy and extremely wobbly. It looks as though the third eaglet is in the process of hatching? So nice of the daddy to bring fresh food for the rest of the family. Although it doesn't look like there's much acknowledgement from the rest of the family when he arrives. At least that I can tell (from my untrained eyes).
I wish I had my own classroom right now. I have so many great ideas of how I would use this!

Macaron Day Toronto 2012

How did I miss this?
(Well, actually, I know how. It's been a particularly trying week. And I think it's going to continue to be a slog for the next month or so.)

- courtesy of www.foodpr0n.com

Things have changed

So he accessorized his Burberry trench with a McQueen skull scarf and used a PS1 as a school bag. Kiddies are really dressing differently for undergrad lectures these days.

The Sleeper Car

Genius, absolute genius.
I've had one experience in a sleeper car. It was quite the adventure. In a nutshell: Italian train system (I could stop right there), not really understanding how to get the bed to appear, snow storm, PANIC CITY!!
And then they combine it with a subway? C'mon, everyone knows I love subways.
I love improv everywhere.

Eagle cam

They're right. This can be quite addictive.
I hope I'm around this weekend to see the three little ones hatch.


Live streaming by Ustream

I can't believe I'm saying this...

Thank goodness I had my cell phone with me. Yesterday morning, the hotel I was staying at had a power outage. After my cell phone's alarm clock went off, I was pretty confused when the bedside lamp wouldn't turn on. Neither would any of the other lights in the room. It was early enough that it was still dark outside. I looked out the window and saw lights in neighbouring buildings still lit. I tried to call the front desk, but that wasn't possible. Jeez, everything relies on power! My cell phone has a light on it, so I was able to get ready in the pitch black. I wandered down the hallway and found the stairwell and found my way to the lobby of the hotel to check out.
I didn't have my cell phone, I would have most definitely slept in. But then again, before I brought my cell phone with me on trips, I would have my little travel, battery-powered alarm clock. So yeah. But I probably wouldn't have been able to get ready quite as well I did with my little cell phone light. Maybe I could have just fumbled around in the dark, but it probably wouldn't have been that effective. I'm not sure how much worse it could have been though, my hair did look pretty atrocious that morning.
Still, I will give credit where it is due. My cell phone did help me out yesterday.

Bye bye jury duty

Once the excitement of my summons wore off, I realized that there was no way that I was able to do jury duty at the assigned time they needed me. I have other commitments that I can't get out of which directly conflicted with jury duty. With a heavy heart (and slightly panicked that I wouldn't be able to get out of jury duty), I submitted a case outlining my hardships in attending jury duty and nervously waited to find out the outcome. Instead of a deferral, I was exempt from serving altogether. This means that my name goes back in the pot and I will have to hope that I'm lucky enough to be selected again in the future.
Oh well. I guess it just wasn't meant to be this time around.

Learning to love the foods I hate

Like most people, there are some foods that I don't really enjoy eating. Unlike most people, I will force myself to eat them...in hopes that I will grow to like them.
This tactic proved to be successful with mustard. My time in Europe forced me to face my anti-mustard stance. Anytime I had a sandwich, mustard was lurking. And now, I love the stuff. I especially like the straight-up-mustard-seeds type.
I desperately tried to grow to love olives as well. They were everywhere in Europe, so I had plenty of opportunity to face my foe. I am disappointed to report that I still have not won this battle. I will keep working on it.
Another food that I have come to enjoy (or at the very least, tolerate) is avocado. I don't think that I had actually been exposed to avocado until I was am adult, so I'm sure that had something to do with the fact that when I did try it for the first time, the unfamiliarity of the texture and taste proved to be a little off putting. Some recent persistence has paid off and I do eat avocados now. While it's not my favorite food, I am capable of eating an entire avocado au naturel.
I'm not ready to conquer papaya quite yet, but maybe in the future.

I keep all of my old clothes for a reason!

You know Gap's current advertising campaign for their brights? It reminds me of when they had all of those bright jeans in the late 90s and turn of the millenium.
What do they say, trends come back every, errr...12 years?
Remember those great adverts? Pastel khakis versus bright jeans? WEST SIDE STORY!!!
You'd think that I could find a good quality version of the ad series on youtube, but I can't (if anyone else wants to do a little digging around, they were on TV in 2000 if that helps). I did manage to find this video about the making of the ads.

GAP / West Side Story TV Spots / Making of from Connor T. McDonald on Vimeo.

Just keep swimming...

Two months after I thought I would be able to finish, I have finally transcribed all of the interviews from my research.
Thank goodness.
Up next, coding.

Moncler Grenoble FW2012

The more I hear/see/read about Moncler, the more I love them! I wonder if the girls got to keep any of the items that they modeled. Or at least, I hope the company gave them a decent chunk of change to appear in the show...knowing how much it costs to be an athlete these days, the support is definitely needed!

I have been summoned

...for jury duty. How exciting!
For those who aren't sure, I'm not being sarcastic here. I think it will be a neat experience to see what this is all about.

I wonder...

If kids these days have a shorter attention span because of the world they live in (youtube, Twitter, TV, SMS, etc.) should teachers be changing their teaching strategies to cater to today's student? Or maybe teachers should just be developing the skills that have become weaker? Are we changing our standards or just adjusting based on our current reality?

Needing/Getting, by OK Go

This is obviously going to go viral:


First seen: 310 views @ 7.10pm on 2012-02-05
Update: 1,810,356 views @ 11.27am on 2012-02-06
Update: 3,254,042 views @ 1.08am on 2012-02-07
Update: 5,747,054 views @ 10.14pm on 2012-02-07

London's NYE fireworks show

Wowza. As if I needed another reason to want to travel. A friend was telling me about how he liked experiencing New Year's in other locations to take in different traditions and such. I like the idea. Although, I imagine (non-Lunar) New Year's in London to be very similar to that in North America, I can say that this fireworks display is probably much more impressive than anything else that I could have witnessed on this continent.

Yogurt woes

Oh, right. Yogurt in North America tastes like water. And this is coming from a girl who drank skim milk (when I used to drink milk, that is). Oh, Swiss yogurt, you have spoiled me for life.

Numeracy and literacy...together

As I said in a previous post, I tasked my students to write a reflection on their course readings in the form of The Important Book, by Margaret Wise Brown.
The idea of this assignment came about because I regularly bring children's literature into my class. I will always have a table set up for my students to browse, with different books that implicitly (some examples here) or explicitly (some examples here) have connections to math. I will try to use some books in my lessons to that my student can see just how they can be used. And of course, I use them because I believe in them and I see that my students enjoy it when I do use them. Anyway, it had been awhile since I really used a book in my lesson, and I wasn't entirely sure if my students were taking advantage of the books I lugged to class each day for them to browse through. I knew that on this particular day, I'd only have 10 minutes to teach and in this time, I wouldn't be able to get to any mathematical content to the level that I would be satisfied with. But, I did want to remind them of the power of children's literature, the importance of bringing literacy into the math classroom (or vice versa) and I needed to find out what kind of content they had gleaned from the readings from that week.
You can tell I love to teach because I'll just come up with ideas, seemingly out of thin air. I just love teaching so much, that I will start day dreaming about different activities that I would like to try out in my classes.
Anyway, so that was the task and I just had to share a few of them...

***************

The important thing about math is supporting individual differences.
You need to recognize and know your students.
You need to provide them with tangible ways of learning abstract concepts.
Manipulatives, examples, and different learning centres are just one step.
Calculations, problem solving, or memorization can be daunting.
How will you eliminate math fears and anxiety?
It all starts with differentiated instruction and meeting all students’ needs.
You will start to build a community, and a place where everyone can learn.
You need to focus on the small ideas that build the bigger concepts.
Know your students, know their learning styles, and get creative.
No matter what you’re teaching, think of every single individual in your class.
But the important thing about math is supporting individual differences.

***************

The important thing about math anxiety is that we as teachers can diminish it
Math anxiety stems from an emphasis on black and white answers
Math anxiety stems from an emphasis on speed
Math anxiety stems from an emphasis on students' public display of ability
Math anxiety stems from a lack of confidence
Math anxiety stems from a belief: you are either born able to do math or not
Math anxiety stems from a perceived innate inability to do math
But the important thing about math anxiety is that we as teachers can diminish it

***************

The most important thing about math is that it is fun.
Most students tend to find mathematics boring.
But it can be so much more if teachers want it to be.
You can bring math into the food you eat
You can bring math into your daily exercise.
You can bring math into the music you make.
You can make math into a game to play
Math is a subject that can be used all day
And when students leave school and all is said and done
The most important thing about math is that it is fun.

***************

The most important thing about integers is that zero is not the lowest number
Integers are only introduced in intermediate years, before they slumber
Students understand integers, as they are common in our world
Like seeing a credit account, where their finances have swirled
Like playing a round of golf, where one can end above or below par
Like noticing water to be above or below sea level, they may see from their car
You see, it’s the “Zero Principle” that dictates integer rules
It’s where you can add or subtract, multiply and divided as long as you follow key tools
Any number can be added to its opposite to result in a value of zero
By following this, you’ll become a mathematics hero
Integers may be hard at first, but following one rule, you won’t cumber
But the most important thing about integers is that zero is not the lowest number


***************

The most important thing about us is
that we perceive the world in different ways.
Some see expanding brackets through a haze,
and shiver at the mention of a quiz,
while others were at birth a numbers whiz----
at least their parents don't mind all that praise.
But they forget the old familiar phrase:
how key that 99-to-1 thing is.

When you put work into a task, and feel
a sense of great accomplishment well up,
the inspiration to discover more
will grow quite naturally. No need to be
innately "gifted." Some may quibble, but
the most important thing is: your way's yours.

***************

New year, new template!

I wasn't organized enough to wear new clothes today, but I do have a new template for the blog. I might tweak it a bit, but we'll give it a go. The former template served me well. I like it. But I suppose everything needs an update every so often (ahem, bio on the sidebar...)

Like a proud parent

Remember when I started this blog and posted about the wonderful things my students did? I haven't done that in awhile, have I?
My role has shifted since that time but I still get a chance to be oh-so-impressed by what my students do.
This past week, I got them to write reflections on their readings a la The Important Book, by Margaret Wise Brown and they are pretty fantastic.
I wonder if this is the kind of feeling that parents get when their children do great things. Except that some of my "children" may be older than I am.

I mean, really.

Is it ridiculous that on a day that was stormy and cold, I saw two girls with attired such that one was wearing 5-inch pumps, bare legs, a mini skirt so short and tight that she had to keep pulling it down so that she could climb the stairs without something going terribly wrong and a Canadian Goose bomber-style parka and the other was wearing 5-inch ankle booties, bare legs and skirt/shorts/dress/anything that was so short that I don't even know what she was wearing because I couldn't see it peeking out from under her mid-thigh length wool coat? YES.

Is it truly that I'm terribly judgmental? Also, a resounding YES.

Learning about socks

I need help in the fashion department.
Socks.
Colour. Style. Pattern. Texture.
I'm clueless.
And ladies fashion magazines don't help. Realistically, I can't wear tights or boots every day, so some days I will be traipsing about in footwear where my socks will be visible. And I don't know how to 'make it work'. And of course, we're just talking the times before/after I'm able to switch into footwear that doesn't need socks at all. There are certain days wear I am not able to make the switch at all. And I do need to invest in some additional non-boot footwear where my socks won't be visible, but don't get me started about how difficult it is for me to find a pair of shoes that I am willing to purchase. Knowing me, I'm over thinking this to the max, but the bottom line is that I need to know what kind of socks to wear when I'm wearing footwear in which my socks are visible.
Gentlemen, you are my inspiration. As much as I like a flowy skirt and getting glammed up in a dress, I also subscribe to androgynous fashion. And as I said, I don't think women really know what they're doing when it comes to my dilemma so I have to turn to the boys for this one. Pitti Uomo just finished up last week and it never lets me down. The pictures that I've seen are amazing. The spotlight is now on Milan, so there's more for me to learn from there.
Honestly, I think my bigger dilemma is that the style that I would love to subscribe to doesn't work for the climate that I live in and the lifestyle that I lead. And that maybe I'm just not gutsy enough to make it happen.
But the fact still remains, I don't know what to do about socks.

Phooey

Word on the street is that prices at Hermes are going up by 9% at the end of the month.

It's just cruel

It's all about resort wear right now and I'm stuck in the land of Canada Goose coats. I'm surprised that I haven't seen any babies in the stuff yet. I'm not joking - it exists.

The Social Feed - Toronto edition

This evening, I participated in the inaugural Toronto event of The Social Feed. Originally started in Vancouver, attendees pay for a ticket to attend a dinner at a local restaurant. I think it's an interesting idea. I didn't know what kind of folks would be interested in such a thing and the fact that it was a 'family style' meal intrigued me as well. And for $28, it was worth the 'risk'.
Well, it was really fun!
I've previously attended a 'buy-a-ticket-for-an-event-with-strangers' thing before, and while it was a neat experience, I found that most of the crowd seemed like they already knew each other and was not quite as willing to branch out. I had enjoyed the premise of the event (which was different than this one), but had felt quite awkward at times. In this instance, there were a couple of us who came with another person, but everyone seemed genuinely interested in getting to know other people at the table.
We were seated at two rectangular tables placed end to end, which didn't actually work out too well for meeting everyone at the event. There wasn't an organized 'mingling' period to the night, so I think we naturally just chatted within the smaller tables. I happened to be seated along the wall in the middle of the long bench seat, so I wasn't able to conveniently move about. Others who were on the facing side of the table seated in free chairs did attempt to swap seats between courses, so my one recommendation to the organizers/hosting restaurant would be to seat the group at tables with easy access to all seats. We did discuss and organized swap of key seats at each of the tables, but it didn't end up happening very effectively. Maybe another group would have been more proactive about it. I too could have been more proactive and not worried as much about inconveniencing my bench-seat neighbours by having them slide over to let me out.
The food was fantastic as well. I had dined at Czehoski's previously, but I don't remember it being as good as our meal was tonight. Here was our menu. Another great thing about this set-up was that it's clearly a win-win for the restaurant and the attendees because larger portions are easy to cook and multiple courses and better for sampling. I would have never been able to get a 12-course tasting menu for $28. And all of the food was great. The dessert...oh, my. So. Good. And the ice cream that went with the Apple Tartin was salted caramel, not vanilla. Yuuuuuuuuum. Often at group meals, you get dud food. This was clearly a well thought out menu, with a motif throughout. It flowed well and was well paced. Passing around plates of food does lend itself well to conversations and 'grazing' also lets folks take breaks to chat and not be rude when reaching across to get that 2nd helping of whatever. The food was seriously good and it got better as the meal progressed. I'm still not a fan of risotto, but the rest of the mains were really good, and well, I've already expressed how delicious the dessert was. Pacing seemed quite good. We got enough breaks between courses to chat and (sort-of) mingle and well, allow us to be able to eat all of those courses. It was a lot of food!
It was an interesting mix of people who attended the event. I liked it. I couldn't (well, I could...but it was still curious) believe how quickly folks pulled out their Smart devices, Tweeted, Instagrammed, Facebooked, swapped contact info, etc. This is where business cards would be useful. I guess that's the point, right? Exchanging info through pieces of paper is obsolete? I refuse to believe it. I suppose that's what social media is all about. Is it contradictory that I would be interested in an event like The Social Feed, but am vaguely disgusted with social media?
Anyway, who knows if I'll actually cross paths with these folks again, but even if it does just turn out to be a discrete event in my life, I would have to say that it was a success.
The second Toronto event takes place next week and is already sold out. There are just a couple seats left for the third event.
I would definitely go to another 'Social Feed'. And you should too.

Hmmm...

Those folks who do the "don't eat after 7pm" thing(/diet). Do they just miss out on a lot of social functions? I don't really understand how it's possible. It just doesn't seem realistic.

The Joy of Books

Book...they're not just good for reading.
Woot - Type Books!


It's based off of a previous video that Sean and Lisa Ohlenkamp made. I'd seen it before and liked it, but I forget from where:

Les mains d'Hermes

Je veux le voir!!!

The Life of a Bauble

It would have been better timed if I'd posted this a couple weeks ago, but for someone who, when I was younger and still put up a tree each year, kept the tree up well into February (I remember, because it was piano competition season and I would stare at the tree to help me memorize my pieces), I guess it still fits post-holiday.

Gah

It's 4am. I'm still wide awake. I mean, I know people who are soon going to be getting up for work, for goodness sakes. I've tried going to bed, but I just can't turn my brain off. I really need to snap out of this funk.

HA HA HA HA HA!!!

I stumbled upon this today.
So, in high school, I was part of a jazz dance group. I had no jazz dance background and knew nothing about the genre, but I would just pick up whatever choreography was given to me. The Spangles Dance Company is hilarious because it's so old school jazz. And even funnier is that we did all of those moves in our routines.

The Art of Dancing

I love the way they try to interpret the genre and style of the music each day. So fantastic!

Squished bubbles

Who knew that facebook could provide some interesting links. Thanks, Newsfeed!
Behold: When Bubbles Get Comfortable

Holiday TV episodes

Since I don't have a TV, I'm a little bit behind on TV shows. I just watched the holiday episode of Community. Hilarious.

Ewwww...

Slimey water feels so gross.

Star guitar

I'd never seen this video before today. I mean, seriously:


Don't get why it's so amazing? Watch this:


I get how he planned it, but I can't figure out how he did it. Is it just a bunch of footage chopped together in the most amazing way?

Seriously

I cannot wrap my head around folks who are tethered to their Blackberry at social functions. And hiding it under the table doesn't make it better. You're like the students who think that teachers can't see you texting from your lap. Instead of looking at your face, all I see is the top of your head. Uh, hello!

Drooool

This is a beautiful video, non?

Bleh

One of the worst feelings is being woken up by your phone ringing and it's your driver, already waiting for you downstairs.

Addendum: I re-read this post and had to laugh out loud. Total First World Problem!

Wahoo!

As I'm slowly climbing up the ladder in this ivory tower and have moved into an office that has a window (seriously - there's a hierarchy directly related to window space), I can say that it's snowing outside! Wahoo!

Yum

Oh blessed tarte des Grisons. You. Are. So. Delicious.

Le Select

Le Select is so convenient to me in terms of location and it reminds me of a place that I used to love going to when I lived in Europe. I was really hoping that this restaurant could be 'my' restaurant (I'm looking for a place that can be my go-to place), but unfortunately the menu isn't all that exciting, especially at the price point and the food is just ok.

Price point: mid
Ambiance: 4.5/5
Food: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Would return again: yes

Mengrai Thai

Mengrai Thai is a restaurant. Nothing overly special, but definitely not horrible.

Price point: low-mid
Ambiance: 4/5
Food: 3.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Would return again: yes

Harlem Restaurant

I've been here a couple times. Sometimes for food, or for drinks, or for music. It can be really cramped for space if you don't get a good table.

Price point: low-mid
Ambiance: 3/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Would return again: yes

Jump

Jump is part of the Oliver & Bonacini family of restaurants. I've come to realize that this probably means that while the restaurant experience will be fairly decent, the food itself will be pretty mediocre. I should give Canoe another go at some point. I think the last time I was there was when I was a teenager. Maybe late teens or soon thereafter.

Price point: mid
Ambiance: 4/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Would return again: yes

Sushi Kaji

I'm not a fan of wasabi. I don't like the taste of it. I'll eat the stuff that's hidden in the sushi and sashimi but I won't glob on anything extra. One of the pieces of sushi came with wasabi pearls, so I brushed them off and left them on the plate as I happily ate the sushi. While everyone else got a wasabi macaron with their dessert, my plate came with a yuzu macaron. And I had never said a thing. Now that's what I call attentive service.
Also, eating at the sushi bar when there's an open kitchen, watching the chefs artfully prepare their dishes and having the chance to chat with them is quite nice too.

Price point: high
Ambiance: 4.5/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 4.5/5
Would return again: yes

Fabbrica

Mark McEwan's Fabbrica is sort of out of the way if you're a downtown dweller without a vehicle but it's not too bad of a restaurant.

Price point: mid
Ambiance: 4.5/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5 (It was pretty atrocious that night. Although the staff were very pleasant, I think we waited an hour for our main. They comp-ed us a dessert to make up for it.)
Would return again: yes

King West Kitchen

I thought that King West Kitchen would be decent because of its location. I was super disappointed.

Price point: low-mid
Ambiance: 4/5
Food: 2/5
Service: 2/5
Would return again: no

Yuzu

I hope my skimpy restaurant reviews don't overshadow the good quality places that I've dined at. I think I'll use this as a repository of my impressions of various restaurants so I know if I want to go back to them or not.

I will mention that each time I've been to Yuzu, it's been with people who are regulars. As in, they have their own personalized chopsticks that are kept at the restaurant for them. I've been on select days when the food will be really good and have never ordered a la carte. I think there's one 'starter' that's a la carte that we've always gotten, but everything else is really whatever the chef feels like making that night. It's definitely stuff that doesn't go out to other tables as well. The chefs that I've chatted with like the fact that they can experiment on us and let their creativity run wild. I haven't been disappointed with the food yet. The ambiance and service is good, but most likely because who I'm with. I'm sure it would be great otherwise, but it's nothing over-the-top special. And I can't comment on the price, because each time I've been, they just ring in random items because we never get anything that's actually billable. I'm sure we're undercharged each time. Point is, the food is amazing. And it's presented well. I would have to say that this restaurant has made me realize just how good sushi and sashimi really can be.

Price point: mid (I think? My experiences there probably aren't the norm and I'm not charged as such)
Ambiance: 4/5
Food: 5/5 (Again, I've gotten special treatment every time I'm there, so this is definitely a skewed review)
Service: 4/5
Would return again: yes

OINY

Does anyone get The Babysitters Club reference?

Anyway, only on 5th Avenue would you have Bottega Veneta and Forever 21 be neighbours.

And only in New York do you have Times Square and just one block over in Bryant Park, a skating rink and Holiday Market which makes me miss Europe oh, so terribly. I'll have to get roasted chestnuts while I'm here and I'm kinda happy that I don't have to content with the gluwein smell.

So I had thought that I might that this trip to splurge on a new winter coat and was hoping that Moncler would be the place to do it. I was surprise at how limited the collection was in the store. And of course, the one coat that I kinda liked was the one that they didn't bother putting a price tag on. It had this crazy (removable) fur collar. Wool on the outside, but parka-ish on the inside. I'm sure it's so cozy to wear.

And I think I need to give up on my hope that I will be able to own the Loewe bag that I've wanted for all of these years. My adventures in Europe this past summer turned up empty and the shop that carries the brand here in NY doesn't have it anymore. I'm actually devastated about this realization. I'm thoroughly hoping that the company will bring back the large logo format of the Amazona in the future. They've got to. Everything comes back at some point. Sigh.

Occupy _________

The Occupy *insert whatever location name here* thing that's been going on doesn't really interest me. Well, the actual issues that it stands for doesn't but witnessing the 'occupation' does. I think I'm running out of time to see people 'occupying Toronto' and I definitely won't have time to make my way out to their location until next week. Maybe I'll be able to see some Occupy Wall Street action while I'm in the city.

Random fact about me

When I get a migraine, my senses get hyper-sensitive. For example, I can't wear my gorgeous leather jackets because the smell of the leather is unbearable.

What the?!?

Apparently I used up $80 of my pay-as-you-go money last week. And those who know me knows that there's no way that I could have actually done it intentionally. I mean, I barely use my phone at all. The fact that I even have $80 on my account has got to say something about my phone usage. And I still have money left on my account! Darn cell phone doesn't stay locked in my bag.
So. Annoyed.

Random musings from high in the sky

On descent to San Fransisco, I recognize four things:
1. Alcatraz
2. Golden Gate Bridge
3. Stanford University
4. IKEA
I'm trying to read into these sightings more than I probably should.

I love flying at night and seeing cities lit up below. How it's a sheet of darkness interspersed with little clumps of lit up areas. A sign that there's life. And sometimes you can see thin lines of light connecting them. It's pretty magical.

Reno, Nevada (October 20-24, 2011)

Although I have traveled quite a fair bit, I really haven't had much of a chance to discover North America. This past weekend, I had the chance to visit Reno, Nevada. It was a long flight down. I had a stopover in San Fransico. A long one (thanks, "low hanging fog"). Anyway, I was pretty
exhausted on the flight out of Toronto and ended up sleeping most of the way. I did wake up at one point to see this lovely view out the window. I wish I knew exactly where we were. Can you see those faint lines on the ground? Are those really roads? Crazy.
The other thing that I couldn't figure out was what these round circles were. Alien landing pads, I'm sure!
I stayed in a pretty nice place while in Reno. A mini resort-type place of sorts. I haven't stayed at a place with a pool area like this in quite some
time. And of course seeing the Sierra mountain ranges in the distance was nice. But seriously, did it need to be so over-the-top in its Italian inspired decor? The stucco ceilings, gold gilded everything...it was a bit excessive. And a shocking contrast to the black walls and neon lights of the lobby interior. I guess there is no easy way to transition from Italian Renaissance to Gaudy Casino.
As I said, I haven't traveled much around North America. Especially in the States.
I didn't have too much time to do touristy things during this trip, but I'm pretty sure that there wasn't much to do. I'm really hoping that Lake Tahoe is very similar to Lake Louise because I can't see myself coming
back here anytime soon. Reno is, ummm, pretty sad.
I saw everything that there was to see in a 30 minute walkabout. Pretty depressing. Some 'highlights':
- University of Nevada and the big football stadium. The 'big-ness' of it was just so American. At least, my impression of American university life.
- Overheard while on the public transit bus: "My mom bailed on me. She took off. Last time, she took all of my stuff with her and sold it to buy dope. Hey, is that jewellery store still open? You can get $___ per 10g...if I'm going to get arrested today, it'll just happen. Oh, that sucks [pointing to a guy on the sidewalk getting arrested]. Hey, that's _____! Crap, ____'s getting arrested."
- A bride in the hotel wedding chapel wearing a bright purple poufy dress.
- I sorta get how to play craps now. And I've figured out how to play Pai Gow poker. I have no interest in playing them myself, but I like watching.
- Why had I never heard of the Cha-Cha Slide before this weekend?

I'm not entirely sure what's in the cards for me in the next couple of years, but this trip, seeing some sights and interacting with some people...it opened my eyes and gave me some new perspective on things. Everything happens for a reason, so in the meantime, I've just got wait it out and have faith.

Another thing

Pedagogy: pe-da-gah-gy or pe-da-go-gy?

Is this the to-may-to/to-mah-to of Canadian vs. American education researchers?

Tee hee

I get a little kick out of hear people say Toronto. I guess I always knew that 'we' call it Torono, but these past couple of days have really hit it home. Also, people love our city. That's no surprise though, it's amazing.

Find the baby bison

I knew that this was going to be happening awhile back but couldn't give more details at the time. This is so great on so many levels!

Bah ha ha ha ha!

I made $7.73 on the 1 cent slot machines here in Reno, so I cashed out.

A little kid at heart

Some of the movators in SFO are really bouncy. If there weren't so many people around, I totally would have hopped my way across them. Why is it a societal norm that adults need to act restrained and stuff?

What a rip off

$25 to check in a piece of luggage? Ridiculous. I'll have to rethink my strategies. My luggage is carry-on-able, but I like checking it in so that I don't have to worry about it while I'm waiting around in the airport and embarking and disembarking the plane. I know that most people like the convenience of grabbing and going, but I don't mind waiting for my luggage too much. Domestic AC flights are really slow to get the luggage out to the carousels at YYZ, but everywhere else I've been hasn't been too bad.
Anyway, $25 is super silly. I might have to downsize my ready-to-go toiletry kit. Or maybe just not take United Airlines again.

Probably not normal

Is it weird that after acquiring a package of math manipulatives I thought that it would be super cool if I put them in a nice little basket on my coffee table for guests to enjoy?
Among many other benefits, I think it would be a good conversation starter, something to keep folks busy and why not spread the mathy love?

TIFF11 roundup

So I ended up watching 10 different films this year. There was only one that I didn't really like, there were a couple that I thought were okay and the rest, I really loved.
Only one of the films that I saw won an award, in fact, most of the winners weren't ones that even made my short list.

So in order that I watched the films, here they are:
1. Girl Model
2. Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope
3. Whore's Glory
4. First Position
5. In Darkness
6. Monsieur Lazhar
7. Killer Elite
8. Undefeated
9. Trespass
10. The Oranges

I admit, I didn't put a lot of effort into my reviews this year. I didn't bother to give synopses of the films, as I figured that people could read them from the TIFF website themselves.
I was reminded that I'd have a better chance at getting a Q&A after a screening if I attended the premiere of a film during the festival.
Anyway, it was a great festival. There are always more films to see than I have time for. I'm pretty lucky that I've been able to attend so many of them and that my schedule allows for daytime screenings on weekdays and even multiple screenings in a day. Three a day is my limit and I find that to be a lot. By the end of it, I'm exhausted, but then I met some folks that do five or six in a day - crazy!
I love the buzz of the festival. I'm glad that it takes place in the city.