Spotted

The 2010 Toronto Board Meeting, rolling by. I had to ask what was happening, and giggled happily when it was explained to me. There were some smartly dressed longboarders out there! What a fun idea.

Inside America

Inside America (official website here) was the first screening that I attended at the Toronto International Film Festival 2010. In my haste to select films, perhaps, I misread or misinterpreted the synopsis. I had thought that this film would be more of a documentary, rather than a feature film. I love a good documentary, and of course the subject of youth finding their way through tenuous times is an easy fit for my taste. By the time we got to the Q&A, I realized that I had not really misread the synopsis, as the lines between feature film and documentary were blurred in film.
This film is about youth in Brownville, Texas, mainly those who grew up in the rough part of town. There are a couple main characters, and we live through their lives and relatively stereotypical problems that one can draw from their surroundings.
Although, now that I've had some time to reflect about the film and had the benefit of the Q&A, I will not rave about this film, most likely due to my personal experience watching it. Unfortunately, I had selected a seat in the theatre, which was ultimately too close to the screen. I spent a lot of the film, watching the bottom right corner of the screen to put a damper on the splitting headache that I was getting from the massive, jarring picture that was overwhelming me. I wasn't feeling 100% that day, and the flashing pictures and way that the film was shot made me feel nauseated. A steadycam, might have made it better for me. Staring at that little corner of the screen still allowed me to see the entire picture, so I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. I was getting a similar feeling as how I get when a migraine is looming and I feel dizzy and the room feel like it's growing and things get echoey and overpowering. Not helping the situation was the fact that seated beside me, was a gentleman who must have had a couple alcoholic beverages at dinner. I felt dizzy and ill. There were a couple points during the film that I way hoping that the end was near, because I was so uncomfortable. I know the film was decent, but I wasn't able to enjoy it to the extent that I would have if the circumstances were different.
Some of the content of the film was downright shocking. A lot of it is stuff that for some reason, I associate with "only in America". The amount of security in the school, the infatuation with guns, so I guess it wasn't just the setting that was uncomfortable for me, but some of he content as well. I do not hear a lot of swearing on a regular basis, and I'm in a field where I've trained myself to use more child friendly words and need to reprimand children for saying them. The amount of swearing in this film also made me uncomfortable.
I really benefited from the Q&A with Barbara Eder. She was able to solve my dilemma of how truthful the stories were, and sadly, although she did write a framework for the film, the themes that were used were based off of experiences that she'd heard about or saw first hand when she was there. It was neat to hear about the production and how the team used entirely amateur actors who were pretty much acting out their real lives. I had to marvel at their use of gang members.
During the Q&A, Barbara stated that she didn't really have a "message" behind this film. She wanted to share a couple stories and let them speak for themself. I can see that she was successful in her mission, however, as an audience member, I would have liked a little bit of resolution to her storylines as well as more depth for each of the stories. Looking at all of the angles and really examining the issues. I felt like in some ways, although I appreciate the different and strong topics of stories that she chose, they were dealt with in a little bit of an obvious an surface manner.
I'm a little bit unsure of how much I liked this film. Right after it finished, I wasn't completely happy, but as Barbara spoke, I appreciated it more and more. As I said, I was affected by my surroundings during the screening, but all in all, it wasn't a horrible film.

- picture courtesy of www.insideamerica-themovie.com

Hermes hottie

Me-ow.
If only I were rich. And some sort of preferred customer. I'll take a Birkin, please!

Here we go!

Summer's over. Things are starting up again and I'm not really ready for it. I could have used another week. Or at least a week where I didn't feel the pressure of preparing for the next thing. Or another week of blistering hot weather. Is it time to put away my tank tops?
I'm not sure if I should be proud, or disappointed in myself. I didn't have any ice cream from Greg's. I had a little sample while at the shop buying gift certificates, but never got a scoop for myself. I had told myself that I would treat myself to a scoop on my birthday, but I never got around to it. There was too much else going on that day.
Maybe I'll make my way over there next week. Maybe I'll have an afternoon snack there on the 14th. The 14th will be a very momentous day.
Anyway, here's wishing all of my compatriots in education a great year!
Allez!

Goyard, Le livre

This is pretty crazy. I mean, I'm sure it's amazing to flip through, and it's a limited numbered edition (with its own numbered trunk), but it's still pretty crazy. Or maybe that's what makes it crazy. A heaping price tag to match, naturellement .
One day, I will have a Goyard bag. One day.

Best! Balcony! Ever!

I've got a great view. Superb, I'd say.
I love everything that I see from it. The traffic, the water, the buildings, the far away towns, even the States.
I love that I can (and did!) watch G20 motorcades.
I love that I can (and did!) watch the Festival of Fire.
I love that I can (and am!) watch the Canadian International Air Show RIGHT NOW. It's so lovely and loud. I'm watching a beast of a plane wander around the harbour. It's crazy! prior to this plane, there was a plane with smoke coming out of its bum doing corkscrews and loops. This is so cool! I wonder where all of the planes take off and land?
If I had a good camera with some zoom-in powers, I'd be taking pictures like mad. But I don't, so I'll link to some other people who do have those capabilities.

Update (1.15pm): Some of the planes take off from the Toronto Island Airport. I just saw a wee red one take off and then join in on the fun. I would love to be in the cockpit of one of those planes doing barrel rolls and other funky stuff.

Update (1.27pm): Three wee yellow planes are sitting side by side on the runway. I sense a pas de trois as the next act! But first, business as usual for Porter. A couple planes taking off and landing.

Update (1.28pm): I was wrong, three wee planes still sitting on runway, and a solo plane does it's jaunt in the harbour.

Update (1.39pm): Three yellow planes in the air! Watching them take off was cool.

Update (1.56pm): Three wee yellow planes deserve best in show! Super fun and brownie points for drawing a heart in the sky. Canadian Harvard Aerobatic Team FTW!

Update (2.11pm): Another heart in the sky. Better shaped than the one made by the three wee yellow planes. This guy is a pro. I wonder if there's a reason for the smoke out of the bum (other than to make patterns in the sky). It must be so fun hanging out in the sky. He currently looks like a dead bird, just shot out of the sky. Serious stalling at the top, and just drifting down. So cool.

Update (2.29pm): Another yellow plane in the air. Actually two, but one's pulling the other along. Apparently, it's the "Bellanca Scout Tow Plane and the Schweizer 2-33 Glider". Right-o. Was that just a drive-by, errr, fly-by? My point of view isn't complete unobstructed. But all I saw was a fly-by and they've already landed at the airport.

Update (2.40pm): The show is great fun, but I'm getting plane fatigue. Four hours is a long time to keep anyone's interest. The waiting between acts is making me a little bored, so I'm glad to be watching the show from the comfort of my place. There's another duo of planes flying around right now, but I can't figure out which of the advertised planes they were. It was definitely a fly-by, so I'm guessing it was something related to the Canadian Air Force. Binoculars would have been fun for this event.

Update (3.09pm): Encore performances? There's a wee red plane in the air again doing crazy tricks.

Update (4.00pm): Final act for the show in the sky?

Final update (4.32pm): Show's done, and I've changed my mind. Nine planes at a time makes for the best act of the show. And I guess, making hearts in the sky isn't an original idea afterall. That was a cool display. Once, seven of them swooped so close to my building, it was an
awesome moment. As in, I literally had some awe. Well, more than some, but you know what I mean. Of course I didn't have my camera ready at that moment. I was too busy staring. I know that it must take a lot of practice and attention to get these performances together, but
it just looks like they're playing up there in the sky. I imagine the pilots whooping and hollering at each other through their mics. Having a grand 'ole time. I wonder if birds see the show and want to join in on the fun. I suppose the noise would throw them off.

Anyway, it was fun to watch. I'll have to put it on my calendar for next year.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

I went to watch Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. I was looking forward to seeing a film shot and set in Toronto (I love Toronto!!!) and to see the adaptation of a graphic novel that I know a lot of people love.
Well, I didn't really like the movie. I mean, I can't really say that I disliked it, per se. I can appreciate it for what it is, but I suppose the genre isn't for me. I felt like I didn't understand the jokes enough to really enjoy the film. Lots of people in the theatre were laughing and at times, I really couldn't understand what was so funny. It wasn't one of those 'I get that it's stupid humour, and I just don't like it' moments, I genuinely, didn't get it. I'm wondering if it's due to the fact that I don't know much about gaming culture. There were a couple moments that I could understand the humour, but I felt like it was geared towards a younger audience. In that regard, I was intrigued to read the graphic novels and get a better sense of why younger folks are drawn to the medium. I know that graphic novels are a great way to get school-aged youth reading more, so I really want to understand it better.
I thought that they cast the characters nicely, or at least they seemed to play their parts well (I mean, I don't know if it was accurate to the graphic novel). The storyline seemed cute. As I suspected, I did enjoy seeing Toronto in the film and glimpses of Canadiana, although, I would have liked to see more of the city (again, this could have just been because the graphic novel is set entirely in one area of the city).
I really hate to be negative, and I really don't think I am. This movie just wasn't for me. At least I didn't find the movie to be boring.

- picture courtesy of www.scottpilgrimthemovie.com

Dang!

I just found out that one of the films that I'm watching for TIFF10 is getting wide release just a couple weeks after the festival. If I had known, I probably wouldn't have picked it. I mean, I did go see The Wrestler, but for that one, not only did I want to see it because it sounded good, but it had gotten an award at the Venice Film Festival. And, I guess I was really hoping for a Q&A. It's no secret that the Q&As are my favorite part of the festival.
So, I'm a little peeved that I picked a "Hollywood" movie, but hopefully the film will be amazing and there will be a killer Q&A afterwards.

Keep on truckin'

It's been a pretty quiet summer in blog-land. Life has been hectic, but lovely.
I've done some work with a couple wonderful organizations. If you have a chance, support any/all of them:
- Fort York Food Bank
- Good Shepherd Ministries
- The Good Neighbours Club
- Yonge Street Mission
- Youthlink
The summer is almost over and my year is about to begin (I still think in academic years). There's lots to prepare for, including another stepping stone to some future goals, so I'm a wee bit anxious. I'm hoping that once I get my first week or so under my belt, I'll be fine.
This summer has had some great weather. I didn't spend as much time sitting on my balcony as I probably would have liked, but I just didn't have the time to do so. It was go, go, go, but I did schedule in a couple trips to the pool, so I did not loose out on any vitamin D. Last week was a wee bit chillier than the rest of summer, and I ended up with a cold. I'm going through all of the stages this time around, and I'm hoping that it will be gone by the end of week. I'm sleeping lots, eating well, and loading up on herbal teas and other remedies. We'll see what happens.
I did manage to go to an outdoor movie at Yonge-Dundas Square. I did have plans to go to a couple other screenings, but life got in the way. I also attended this year's play in High Park, Romeo and Juliet. It was swell.
I managed to take a trip that required a plane ride, and look forward to another one in a couple weeks. I don't see myself going anywhere out of the country anytime soon, but that doesn't mean that I don't yearn. Oh, how I yearn.
The Toronto Film Festival is coming up and just today, I got confirmation that my first choice selections went through. Unless something messes things up, I will be attending at least eight different screenings. I'm looking forward to seeing the new Bell Lightbox open up.
Another event that I was thinking about making my debut appearance at was TEDxToronto. I thought about applying last year, but for some reason, I never ended up doing so. This year, I got my butt in gear and submitted an application. Unfortunately, I did not make the cut. I'm a little bummed about it, but I guess the fact that I already have another commitment that day confirms that everything happens for a reason. Still, it would have been something pretty inspirational, I'm sure.

SYTYCD Canada Season 3

Apparently season 3 of So You Think You Can Dance Canada has started, although I really didn't know about it. I only thought to look into it because a friend had extra tickets to tonight's taping of the Top 22 Results Show.
So yeah, one of the things that I wanted to do in my lifetime is attend a taping of a TV show. I was a little skeptical of what a taping of this show would be like, but I was willing to go with it. I love dance, so it could be okay. The only problem is that I don't love the Canadian version of the show as much as the American one, and the host and a couple of the judges too. Blech. I also don't like feeling like I'm an old lady in a group of young-ins. Screaming girls do not sit well with me.
So we showed up at the allotted time to the studio, got in without a problem and were told to go to studio 7K. Turns out this studio is just a big holding room for all of us waiting for the show. There were some chairs set up in a front of a screen showing the Top 22 Performance Show, an area for the dancing interludes sponsored by some company (in this case, some 3D dance movie, I believe) and a coat/bag check. We had left all of our stuff in the car for safe-keeping and to reduce the hassle, and I'm sure glad we did.
I was also shocked at the demographic of tonight's audience. I had thought that the average age of the audience would be in the late teens or early 20s with a pretty small range between the max and min, but I was wrong. I saw those who could have been grandparents, and tykes around the age of 10. It was a mixed bag. There were less itty-bitty dresses than I thought (thank goodness) and FYI we were supposed to dress "jeans-chic" (whatever that means).
Anyway, we were told that posters were not allowed in tonight's taping, but we could create posters to go on the poster wall in the holding area (why?!?). We were then told that everyone with a ticket for a seat (in the bleachers) should gather in one area and then the rest would be standing in the mosh pit. We were not really into standing for the duration of the taping (we had no idea how long that would be), so we went back out to the entrance and asked if there were any seats left over. I knew of some girls who had been to a taping of a previous season and were very happy to be in the mosh pit. They were pleased to have been 'selected' to stand in front of the judges stand and were captured on TV during many shots. I guess if your goal in attending the taping is to get on TV, standing in the mosh pit is where you need to be. This, however, was not out goal, so seats were our preference. I just wanted to see the process and watch some good dancing. So most of the folks attending were very happy to be in the mosh pit. As we were waiting to find out whether or not there were extra seats available, e realized that the seats were pretty much reserved for wee tykes and chaperones (read: old people). In this case, I was happy to lumped into that category. I wanted to be comfortable for the duration of the show. Screw getting on camera. We lucked out and got comfy chairs for what ended up being a very speedy taping.
It was supposed to be a live taping, and maybe it was, but it just seemed so speedy. I guess when you're planted in front of the TV, time moves at a different pace, or so it seems. Everyone was talking at a normal paces during the taping, but the speed of the events that took place seemed speedy for some reason. I liked learning about when we were supposed to applaud and cheer, and watch the gentleman warming-up the crowd. I thought he did a pretty good job. I liked watching the different cameras do their thing and all of the people with their fancy headsets running around doing what they were supposed to do. I liked the hair and make-up people running around fixing up their charges. I liked seeing all of the isms that I detest about the host.
The dancing was quite nice, although there wasn't much of it. They look much better in person than I'm sure they come across on TV.
I suppose it was a fun experience. Not as exciting as I hoped it would be, but also not as annoying. I'd recommend it, but unless you're young and all you care about is getting on TV, I would recommend trying to get a seat for the big show.
It's always fun to see things live in person that you usually only see through your TV screen. The set was exactly what I imagined. The studio itself was a lot smaller than I thought it would be and the audience is also a lot smaller than it looks on TV. It's a strange, strange thing, this TV-land.

Poor lad

There is a boy at camp who has a horrible case of eczema. He is also anaphylactic, although I'm not sure if it's related. I wouldn't be surprised if it was somehow.
Anyway, the poor chap gets so itchy, that a staff member spent almost 2 hours putting ointment all over him. ALL OVER. And then ice packs were applied to numb the nerves. He was so itchy and in so much pain that he was almost in tears. He wanted to scratch so badly, but wasn't allowed to do so. He was practically fighting to keep the staff member's hands away from him.
It was painful to watch and especially painful, because it brought back itchy memories. I never had it quite as badly as this boy did (at least in terms of surface area), but I remember feeling like my hands had a mind of their own and could not be restrained from scratching. That I was absolutely desperate to scratch and even as I watched myself scratch so hard that I would start bleeding, I couldn't stop. I remember putting ice cubes on my itchy patches and taking ice cold baths. I remember my parents ordering me to stop scratching. I'm getting itchy just thinking about it.
It was horrible, and I'm so glad that I grew out of the worst of it.
Most recently, I had a horrible patch of eczema on my left ankle. I still have a scar from it. I think the craziness lasted for three years. No matter what I did, it wouldn't go away. It would die down for a little bit, but then for no reason flare up with a vengeance. It was horrible. And then, all of a sudden, it was gone. I hope it doesn't come back. In university, I had a similar patch on my left hand, at the base of my thumb on the back of my hands. It was in such an unfortunate location and looked hideous. It felt like I had it for such a long time and once again, just like that, the itchy urges disappeared.
Anyway, I felt for the little guy. I've been watching him for the past couple of days, get taken care of, but seemingly to no satisfaction. It's a horrible feeling and just something that unfortunately you need to let ride its course.

tsoundcheck

I'm thinking of getting a 3-pack. I know that it's a good deal, but I can't help but be thrown off by the fact that I will not be able to pick exactly which seat I will have in the Roy Thomson Hall. As with most things, I am particular about where I prefer to sit for musical concerts. As most of the concerts that I'm interested in are piano performances, I would rather sit so that I can see the performer's hands. If it was just an orchestral performance, I wouldn't be as picky.
I haven't been to a tsoundcheck performance since I was a teen, which means that it's been a long time. It's a wonderful deal. Cheap tickets for a wonderful performance. You often can get great seats, but as I said before, you can't really pick which ones you get.
The other problem with getting a subscription is that I would have to pick the concerts that I want to attend now. There are concerts in June that sound lovely, but I have no idea if those dates will be free. I could book the tickets and then keep those days free, but with all the things on my plate, I'm never sure if something more pressing will come up at the last moment, and I would be devastated if I would have to sacrifice my tickets. As a subcriber to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, I would be able to exchange tickets for other concerts (at least that's my understanding), but that seems a little bit of a gamble to me. And shall I remind you about the "not being able to select my seat" situation? I'm too much of a picky, control freak for that.
Dilemma.

Tee hee

Spotted on the blackboard of a bistro at Spadina and Richmond:
"Ceci n'est pas un Macdo"

Pooped

Abso-friggin-pooped.
It was a great weekend and I've got a break from it for a month, but I'm totally wiped. I don't know how people do it. 14 hours in a bubble - Mind you, they re-did the ceilings in the building and it was quite balmy...I wore a spring coat all weekend, but did bring out a great pashmina - and then hours of socializing. I think I got 3.5 hours of sleep last night.
At least the beds and duvets at the hotel were quite comfy. I zonked out as soon as my head hit the pillow, and I'll probably zonk out soon tonight too.
Too bad that I have to get up relatively early tomorrow as well as it's back to the grind for two weeks.

Thakoon and Giuseppe Zanotti collaboration

Part of me is dying right now. I want, I want, I want.
Alas, George C only has them in a blueish-grey colour and I need to focus on filling my black shoe void. But they're so lovely. And they're surprisingly comfortable. And they're a fraction of the original, exorbitant price. Still a little bit more than I wanted to spend (and I'm not going to anyway, because they're lovely, but not black), but an extremely reasonable price for what it is.
I'm dying. Totally dying.

Models and French

After feeling a little deflated about my French abilities, watching this video made me feel better. I guess that Quebecois accent does change things around a lot. I did learn a new verb this weekend. Demeurer.
The video also made me want to go shopping. But first I need to win the lottery.

Packing woes

I love packing. I love it because it usually means that I'm going somewhere. I love traveling. I love planes. I love trains. I love hotels. I love gathering all of things that I need to make the trip as amazing as I imagine it's going to be. I've packed enough times that I've got a routine. It's very methodical. Very.
I even love packing for a big move. It can be a little stressful, but I still enjoy going through all of my things. Reminiscing and then thinking ahead to how great the move will be. Except when something gets misplaced along the way. I'm usually really good at remembering where I put everything. And I mean everything. I can tell you exactly which pile or junk, or in which obscure drawer I have carefully filed something in. This time I'm totally confused. I've already gone through a couple frenzies to no avail. I can't find my passport circa my European bonanza. I'm devastated. I also can't find a black hoodie from Bershka (purchased in Athens - see, very detailed memory of bizarre things), but that definitely wasn't lost in the most recent move. I lost it somewhere between Fall 2008-Spring 2009. I remember the last place that I wore it, but I can't figure out what happened to it since then.
Anyway, even with my love-fest I sometimes have difficulties. It's very difficult to pack a weekend's worth of winter clothing when it's bloody hot outside. Last time I packed my not-so-winter coat which was the wrong move. This time, I'm taking no chances. I dug my coat out of the dry cleaning bag it's been in since last season ended and tossed in my Burberry scarf for good measure. The new season has started and I'm ready to go!

Phew!

Holy tough month, batman!
I'm almost there. I'm taking a break before finishing up the final task for tomorrow, but one big hurdle is over with.
In addition to working full time this month (yeah yeah yeah, I'm spoiled with my regular: sleep-in, putz around until noon, eat a nice meal and then go in to work...although sometimes I still manage to get a full 8 hours in before calling it quits), I've been taking an online course.
It's been a whirlwind of a course. Readings, readings, readings. Late nights (I don't do mornings) and extra hours on the weekends. I learned a bunch, but at the same time, probably could have learned more. Tedious at times, but rewarding when it's all said and done. And it is. Done. I'm so happy. I hope I passed.
One more day to add to my nice paycheck and then I get a two week break. I will definitely be sleeping in when I can. Although maybe I should keep up my current routine to ensure that it won't be as difficult when I got back again at the end of August. The job's been great. Really really great. But, I'm looking forward to a break. After this crazy month, I need it.
Alas, I sense a couple hundred-page pages looming. And lots and lots of other things that I've been putting off for a month. The list is long.
I'm exhausted. And relieved.
So now, a well deserved break to get some nourishment and soothe my soul and then it's the final odds and ends.
I'm rambling. And getting incoherent.
Tired. Oh so tired.

Red Canoe

Why did it take some silly blog for me to learn about this store?
I can't wait to get out there and see it for myself.

Flashback to 2003?

Halfway home, I noticed that traffic was weird. I was sitting on a streetcar, and cars just weren't moving at the same pace that they usually did. I noticed that a couple traffic lights seemed to be out, and then noticed pedestrians taking pictures at an intersection. As the streetcar finally moved forward, I noticed that the "spectacle" was a good samaritan directing traffic. Whoa, flashback to 2003? The next intersection had a similar scene. What was going on? I got into my condo and saw the long line standing in front of dark, out of service elevators. Power outage. I took the stairs and got a nice little workout. It was the first time that I had a power outage at my place, and I was surprised at how many habits I'd built that dealt with electricity. I can't recall how many times I tried to turn the light switch on. I had no idea how much of the city was effected (apparently very little) and how long it would last. It's been awhile since I was in a power outage. Today of all days wasn't a good day to have no power, but luckily, it came back on at the right time to continue on with the rest of the night. I did miss dance class because of it (wasn't sure if the studio would be open), but I guess the consolation was a little quad workout climbing those stairs.