More about Twilight

Remember I said that I hear about Twilight four times a week?
Well, it's still going on.
Anyway, I can participate a bit because I've watched the movie and all.
So I found out that when they made the movie, the books hadn't gone big yet, so it was a crazy low budget movie hiring unknown actors (except for the guy from Harry Potter).
So this fact has sorta redeemed the movie in my mind.
The movie was still ridiculous, but I guess I understand why.
The story line was fine. If you think Harry Potter is fine, then Twilight will be fine too.
I would assume that the next movie installment will be much better, now that they've got a bazillion dollars to spend on it. Maybe the actors in the movie have been taking some lessons in the past little while. Come to think of it, a lot of the kids in the Harry Potter movies had no experience before the first movie. After watching the first Harry Potter movie, I was as revolted as I was for Twilight, but maybe the cool effects covered up their bad acting. And of course a lot of the adult characters were well known. And maybe the young actors and actresses in Harry Potter still suck, but the effects and support characters hold them up - I don't really know. But maybe Twilight just didn't have the effects and other characters to help hold the movie together.
I wonder why I'm trying to give this movie the benefit of the doubt?

Not as great as I hoped

I'm not completely writing off the system that was unveiled today at Spadina station, but why it seems a little odd that they only put "Spadina S" as the destination. Duh. They all go "Spadina S", unless there's a detour or something. It would be more beneficial if they put "King St.", "Spadina & Queens Quay" or "Union Station". I appreciate knowing how long I have to wait for the next streetcar to arrive, but what go is it if I have no idea if I'll be able to get on it until it arrives?

Twilight

I gave in to curiousity. I watched Twilight.
All I knew about this movie was that were going to be vampires. Something about some human girl falling in love with a vampire boy. They're in high school and ridiculousness ensues. The Harry Potter for vampires. But they're a little bit older or something? I'm not sure why I'd enjoy wizards and witches, but not vampires, but honestly, I had no interest in this movie.
So it's a huge thing, all that I hear about four times a week. People around me reading the books, talking about how they've seen the movie multiple times, it's ridiculous.
But, you know, I thought, I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon, but I might as well watch the movie just to see what the fuss is about.
FYI, I still haven't jumped on the bandwagon.
I was that girl in the movie theatre who kept making sarcastic comments and laughed at almost every scene. Luckily I wasn't the only one who had that reaction, but still, it's not very polite of me to do it.
The acting was over the top, the storyline moved too quickly (but not in a, "I don't get it" kind of way), it was ridiculous.
Apparently the movie is quite similar to the book, so it doesn't really make me want to read the series, but I just don't understand what the big deal is. Scratch that - I can see the appeal, I'm just confused why I was ready to embrace a similar thing with Harry Potter, but this one just strikes me as being so ridiculous.
I'm pretty sure that I went into the movie with an open mind. Everyone said it would be good, so I was interested in seeing just how great it was. The ridiculousness was just too much for me to bear. TOO MUCH.
I think it was the choice of how scenes were shot and the acting which really ruined it for me. The plotline was fine. It really was Harry Potter with vampires. I understood the story and I could see where it is going to go with the next movie/book in the series, but the movie itself was ridiculous.
Did I say that it was ridiculous?
I guess that's all I have to say.
And I'm sorry to everyone who was in the movie theatre and annoyed at me and the rest of the posse who weren't being discreet about it.

- picture courtesy of www.twilightthemovie.com/

This is great

I'm excited for this. 510 foreva bay-bee.
Wow - I can't believe I just wrote that. I'm hanging out with youngins way too much.
Anyway, I think all subway stations should have the same sorta thing that Dundas has too.
I'm impatient. I need to know everything. Especially when I'm running late.

Scotland (July 2nd - 6th, 2007)

If I can catch up on all of my travels from Europe in the next little while it will be amazing.
Here's a post about my trip to Scotland.



Edinburgh
I thought Edinburgh was quite a beautiful city. I was starting to get the feeling that many of the places that I visited in the UK were similar, and obviously there wouldn't be anything completely out of the ordinary that would shock me.
Unfortunately the weather while I was there wasn't the best, lots of grey skies and wet days, but I still enjoyed myself.


One of the first things that I saw when I arrived to the city was this man here dressed up in full garb. I don't know if it's accurate or not, but the effect is nice and I had to smile (and take a picture - obviously I wasn't the only one). He was the doorman to this fancy schmancy hotel.



This is Greyfriars Bobby. A dog who's claim to fame was guarding his owner's grave until his own death many many years later. Somehow it's a big deal.

There were a couple highlights of the trip. I thought that Mary Kings Close was one of the best museums that I'd visited. It was a very interactive visit where you're in the bowel of the close imagining and feeling what it would have been like to be there. They set up the visit like it's a tour of the area hosted by a former resident. I would highly recommend this as a place to visit if you're there.
The Palace of Holyroodhouse is the Scottish residence for the Queen. She happened to be there while I was visiting and hosted a big tea party. It was fun to see how dressed up everyone was, wearing their fancy hats that you stereotypically think of British people wearing for events. Not surprisingly, some men were wearing kilts and stuff. What a neat experience that would be. The security was obviously really tight for the event, with some fancy cars pulling up to the palace.
The city was nice to walk around, it have a great atmosphere to it, with architecture that makes me think of the UK (I miss watching all of those BBC shows that I started getting used to).
The obvious tourist stop in town is Edinburgh Castle which was nice to walk around. The castle itself didn't blow me away (compared to other castles that I've visited) but I was impressed with the calibre of the tour guides.



This was a cute little area where they had a cemetary for the dogs of soldiers.




This guy was hired to follow a newlywed couple taking their wedding pictures at the castle. I would assume that he played at the service as well, but it was kind of funny watching him pose in the background with the happy couple. Standing on the opposite side of the Bentley, etc etc. His get up reminded me of my year's at Queen's.

I also enjoyed visiting the Royal Yacht Britannia. It was beautiful and I could just imagine spending time on there touring around the world and spending time with family and friends on there. The bedrooms were cozy, but the dining and entertaining rooms were huge! They were setting up the dining room for a special function that night (reading the placecards, it was some kind of corporate event), which I guess would be cool, but it would be cooler if the boat was moving. This was also a tourist stop that I would highly recommend. It seemed a little weird to me that it was attached to a shopping mall though.























The two things from the National Museums Scotland that stick out in my mind are Dolly and the chess pieces that were the inspiration for the pieces in the first (?!?) Harry Potter movie. Most of the pieces are at the British Museum in London, so I made a mental note to find them there as well.


I had to refrain from laughing when some visitors beside me made comments about thinking that she was still alive and stuff. People are funny.



I can't believe I have to wait until next year to see the next Harry Potter movie. I'll have forgotten what the plotline is by then.













It was fun to go into the tartan shops. I liked the kilt that I wore when I went to private school. I wonder if that was a made up tartan or not. I guess I didn't see it in the shop, or else I would have remembered it. It was nice to learn a little bit more about the types of tartans and how one clan can have different versions of their tartan depending on the occasion.



This was the Scottish Parliament building. It was obviously a new design and I probably enjoyed seeing the different gifts presented to the Parliament from other countries. Lots of beautiful stuff on display.



Oh yeah, so they have these baked potatoes there with crazy toppings. Huge potatoes and goooooood stuff to put on top. I refuse to eat mashed potatoes, but baked potatoes are still in my good book and it was a quick and simple meal. Anyway, I thought that I would go all authentic and stuff and try one with haggis. That stuff is gross.

One of the best parts about Edinburgh is all of the green space. I like walking, and there was this big hill that you could walk around/up. It gave me a perfect view of the city below and if I wasn't so self conscious, I probably would have just sat on the side of the path watching the world go by. It's pretty relaxing watching bird fly, for some reason.


Here's the view from the top, looking down at Holyroodhouse.









Here's looking another direction at the Parliament.




****************************************
Glasgow
A nice little train ride took me to Glasgow for a short stay.
The first thing I did when I got there was figure out how to leave. My pre-trip research led me to believe that I would be able to get all of the touristy things in the city accomplished quite quickly, and so I thought I might take the opportunity to take a bus tour out of the city, so I ended up going to Loch Ness and the Highlands.
It was a fun day, driving through the Highlands and realizing that there's so much more of the country to see. Although I only had a chance to stay in each city for a couple days, I didn't feel like I missed out on too much. Obviously, I didn't get a chance to really venture out and see much outside of the city, but I that's to be saved for a another visit. The majority of my travels in the three years I spent in Europe were to major cities in Europe that were close to airports. Hopefully in the future, I'll have more time in each location to take the bus/train further out and even rent a car or something to really venture into some of the more interesting areas of the country.
It's such a beautiful area, and I would like to go on a hiking trip through there. Still, you do what you can, and I'm glad that I at least got to see more of the area from inside of a bus than nothing at all.
Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle were very touristy, but that's part of the fun. I like running around ruins and it's very picturesque beside the lake. We took a boat across the lake, and no one spotted Nessie. And I filled my belly with fish and chips. Yum.




Do you see her? Yeah, apparently it's a her.





Back in Glasgow, there were a couple things on my list. My favorite stop was The Lighthouse. This gallery focused on Design and Architecture which I've come to realize that I really appreciate. You could also climb to the top of the building and get a great panoramic view of the city below. Something about that view reminded me of Mary Poppins. That gallery was interactive as well, as one installation was a chance for you to make a piece of art using plasticine. You could
either leave your creation to be part of the exhibit or take it home with you as a souvenir. They even supplied a box for safe transport. As I was continuing my travels to London, I figured leaving my creation in the gallery would probably be more practical, although I would have liked to take it home with me. It really would have been a great souvenir of my travels. I took these two pictures before I put my
piece with the rest of them. Mine was good though. Really good.
I like these kinds of museums because you get ideas. I wonder how hard it would be to create a piece like the one on the wall. I have so many grand plans of what I want to do with my place, but I never seem to get around to it. I have this amazing idea for a photo wall, but I'm having problems narrowing down the photos that I want to display. Too many goodies to choose from.




I went into one of the Willow Tea Rooms, only because it was free (I didn't know if the museums with his stuff would cost money) and I thought it would be kinda neat to see some
Charles Rennie Mackintosh designs. I didn't end up dining there, but this reminds me that I want to go for high tea sometime.














The transport museum was really neat as well. I liked seeing the old trolley cars.

My favorite installation in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum was the floating heads. The expressions on the faces makes it a perfect background picture on my laptop. Two years later, I still use it as my background picture, so that's gotta say something.












This was the first time that I've ever seen art being restored. I think it's nice when they let the public see things like this. Reading about the process is one thing, but seeing it happen right in front of your eyes makes the connections so much clearer.
Glasgow also had a Primark. And that was lovely.

OMG

I'm free!

A fourth thing

4. French accents may be the best accents.

Three things

1. Went dress browsing in Holt's. Two stood out. One by Zac Posen and the other by Oscar de la Renta. I want an event to get dressed up for.
2. I still have a problem with bags.
3. Rode the elevator with a delivery man from Chippy's. Smelled so good. I'm so hungry.

The light at the end of the tunnel

If I can just get through the next two weeks...
Boy oh boy...it will be amazing.
I have to stay focused, keep my spirits up and just remember that everything happens for a reason.
I can't wait to have a little freedom. It'll probably involve shopping for gifts that I have no clue if people really will want 'em, but at least I'll be able to go during the day when the crowds are supposed to be at school or work.
I'm hoping to finally make my place look like home and organize things that I've been meaning to organize. Hopefully by the end of it, some charitable group will gain some good stuff.
I wonder how my landlord would feel about me stenciling words on the wall? If I get my act together my walls will be covered with memories and good thoughts. I still have no coffee table but if there's a wall of stuff to stare at, maybe I'll use my couch more often. And by the way, I still don't want a TV.
Two weeks.

Still missing things

A challenge in Season 1 of The Mole UK made me reminisce and miss something from my time in Europe. I didn't follow it religiously, but I would often watch a reality show called SAS: Are You Tough Enough.
I miss the strangest things at the strangest times.

You do what you've gotta do

I want to bundle up and sit outside on a park bench and watch the snow fall. Maybe even don some moon boots. Instead, I'm putting on my sneakers and running nowhere for too long. I hope the TV's on.

New in my bookmarks

All thanks to googling someone and then clicking various links, I bring you: The Selby.

A dialogue

Last night I met someone to be interviewed as part of their MA work. I participated because I know what it's like to find participants and the topic seemed of interest to me.
I spent about an hour discussing my ideas on identity and ethnicity within the Canadian context. There were a lot of off-shoot ideas that came out of it as well, but I'm intrigued to see what the researcher will be drawing out from my transcripts.
I don't think I've had any official outlets to share my ideas about these topics, nor is this post going to start that discussion, but I really enjoyed it. It was nice. Sure, there have been conversations with many people over the years that dealt with a lot of these topics, but nothing as focused as this was. Seeing as how I'm analytic by nature and enjoy reflection, like I said, it was nice.
I'm really good at keeping to myself, but when you're forced to talk out loud, new ideas always come to pass.
I think there's more to come.

More random stream

Chow chows are cute. There are two that live in my building which I admire on a regular basis.
When you need something in the background and you're up-to-date on your favorite TV shows and am tired of watching The Devil Wears Prada (my go-to movie, for the time being, at least) you'll resort to almost anything. Including Degrassi - The Next Generation. Thanks ctv.ca. I don't pay attention enough to know what's happening though, sorry.

Egads

Now that's a good word.
It's been over a month since I last posted. I guess nothing's happening in the past month dramatic enough to post. That, and I've been sorta busy.
I'm thinking of starting a list of things to do. I'm very list oriented. I think I will have to wait until after May 2009 to do most of them, but maybe I'll start a list anyway.
My travel list has hit a plateau, but I do get to travel a bit this year. This weekend, I'm going to Kalamazoo. And I just thought it was a funny word.
I need to start my Christmas shopping.
I haven't eaten cheesecake in awhile.
Boy, what a string of random thoughts.

It was a good run

I got a nosebleed this morning. I don't think I've gotten a nosebleed since I was in the early part of high school or something. I used to get a lot of them and even got some acupuncture to treat them. I thought I was cured. Until today. Boo.

A discovery

Used bookstores are fun. I was looking specifically for two books in hardcover form. I was ready to buy them at whatever price from Indigo, but since they didn't have it, the sales person there recommended me to go to used bookstores instead. I don't really by a bunch of books so I didn't find the price she quoted for me to be overpriced, but she seemed to give off the vibe that I would be crazy to buy it at regular price.
Anyway, I went to a couple places to find the books and the prices are much cheaper for copies of books which are basically in mint condition.
I found one of the books that I wanted, but I'm still looking for the other one. I'm sure I'll find it at some point.
I also made an impulse buy and bought a book for $2.99. I know, I'm wild.
I'm hoping that maybe I can find a specific edition of a children's book that I love. Fingers crossed.
I feel like I'm now privy to a whole new world.
Sorry Chapters and Indigo. I think you've lost a customer.

Nuit Blanche

I had a great time at Nuit Blanche last night. Sure, I feel exhausted right now, but it was definitely worth it.
It made me very happy to see so many people out and about in the city. There was lots to see and do, but you never really know how the city's going to respond to stuff like this. I thought the weather was perfect as well. A little chilly, but once you started walking, it was okay. I could have used some mittens though.

Anyway, I can't really think straight right now, but some of the highlights of the night (in no particular order) include:

1. Stereoscope, 2008. The web write-up says that it was interactive, but I didn't know about that at the time. It was cool to see classic games like Pong, Snake and Tetris played out on the windows of City Hall. I usually like stuff with lights, so I'm not surprised that I liked this one. Also, it reminded me of when we projected our games of Tetris on the wall of our high school Yearbook office. That was fun.

2. Conversation #2, 2008. This was also cool. It looked like part of the
installation had fallen down, but since it's art - well,
you can't be completely sure. I liked the usage of different colour - there were a lot of Hardy Boys books in the blue section.



3. Waterfall, 2008. From far away, it really looked like a waterfall. Again, I like things that use pretty lighting, so I liked this one too.




4. House of Leaves, 2008. It looked cool from far away. The line was too long, so we looked from afar and then went on our merry way.


5. Stock Extravaganza, 2008. It's a garbage can. With music coming from it. With lights and a smoke machine inside. It's cool.

6. Cinematheque Ontario (Toronto International Film Festival Group) - The Art of Silent Comedy. I'd never seen a silent movie before. Well - clips here and there, but not a complete storyline. They are quite sweet. I liked the fact that there was a live pianist accompanying the piece. I wonder if he has seen the movie before. If I was playing, I would have interpreted some of the scenes differently, but I still enjoyed it. I really admire people who can play without a score. I would love to be an accompanist at a dance studio - that's a talent for sure.

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

Some blah moments (also in no particular order):

1. Into the Blue, 2008. I would assume that during the event it was more interesting as the lights would have been positioned properly, but when I walked by the installation during the day, it was just a blue plastic thing hanging in the air.

2. Fifteen Seconds, 2002. This installation was in Dundas Square and probably would have been more impressive if they turned out all of the lights there. Alas, the billboards and stuff made the area so bright that the spotlight didn't really have as great of an effect as it could have had.

3. Zombies in Condoland, 2008. The fact that a whole bunch of people were standing around not knowing if anything would actually happen was a little annoying. Finally, we figured out what was happening and it was kind of blah. I was expecting a lot more zombies, but maybe they only let a couple participate at a time because there was a long line up of people waiting to be zombie-fied. There were a couple participants who played their part extremely well. One was moonwalking for a bit, which was slightly entertaining.

I ended up going to bed at 5.30am and had to wake up again at 9.30am and be quite alert for the rest of the day. Now that I'm back home again I think my brain is giving up. I couldn't keep my eyes open on the streetcar ride on the way home. At least this time I didn't miss my stop (hey, I've only done it one before).
So yeah, a good night out. Can't wait for next year!

- picture courtesy of www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca

What's metro?

Since when did Dominion stores in the city become Metro? And why?
Seems like Metro is from Quebec. Interesting.

Liberty Village

I'm still discovering different parts of the city and I've come to one conclusion. I don't like Liberty Village.
The first time I went, although the streetcar ride made me think that it was a neat little area, I got disoriented when walking to my destination. I like to think that I don't get disoriented very easily. The brunch redeemed the experience though.
This time, I went to seek out an installation for Nuit Blanche that I knew had been set up a little earlier (I didn't think that I would have a chance to get out there during the actual event). Again, I got lost. Well - I don't think I got lost, I just couldn't find the thing. I walked the whole length of the street and all over the general vicinity and couldn't find anything that was similar. It's too bad because I was sort of excited to see it. I'm hoping that maybe they just didn't turn the waterfall on at that specific time that I was there, but I'm not so sure.
The area has so much potential to be cool. It's a little bit outside of the core, but seems to have a community feel - but something about it. I just don't like it.
So Liberty Village is at two strikes. I wonder if I should let the brunch cancel one of them out. Whatever. Two strikes.