Spoiled Rotten - Why do kids rule the roost?

This article was mentioned in class last week. It raises a lot of issues to ponder and reflect upon our experiences and practices based on our society, culture, and generation.
One idea that I enjoy is that we should set high expectations for our students (I know the article is about children and focusing on parenting behaviours, but actually, you can apply it to almost any context you want). I haven't, however, read anything about when it gets taken too far and too much pressure is put on the student to achieve at a level that may not be realistic. Now, is that because I have an (incorrect) impression that individuals have a pre-determined potential? Or at what point can the teacher say, "Don't worry, you tried your best", without turning into a "spoiling" behaviour?
That's what I love about teaching (and parenting and coaching and mentoring and managing and..). It's so complex.

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity

I watch this video a couple times each year and every time I watch it, I feel like I get something that I didn't previously get. It's an awesome talk on so many levels.

Celebrating an anniversary with a flashmob

"On the 130th anniversary of the founding of Banco Sabadell we wanted to pay homage to our city by means of the campaign 'Som Sabadell' (We are Sabadell). This is the flashmob that we arranged as a final culmination with the participation of 100 people from the Vallès Symphony Orchestra, the Lieder, Amics de l'Òpera and Coral Belles Arts choirs."

I love me a flashmob. And Beethoven's 9th, well, you can't go wrong with that. It wouldn't encourage me to open an account at their bank, but it's a nice way to celebrate an occassion...and bring a smile to many people's faces.

Art of Packing

I've been seeing this everywhere on the internet in the last little while. Some interesting little tips and tricks, even if you don't own any LV.

Hmm...

"Many men admire strong women, but they do not love them..."
- Elsa Schiaparelli

Livingstones

I've been eying these for a couple years now. Gimme gimme gimme. I wonder if it's even possible to get them in the city?

These streets will make you feel brand new...Big lights will inspire you

Day one in New York and it's nice to be in a different city for a little while.
Just two things before I get ready to head out into the city once again:
1. ABT FTW! $25 front orchestra level seating for students. I was prepared to pay top dollar for a ticket to tonight's performance, but pleasantly surprised once I arrived to the box office.
2. Lemon slices in the water for doggies that the shops have by their front door for their four legged friends.
It's hot hot hot, here in the city. I feel bad for all of the lads in their long sleeved shirts and jackets. I will save Central Park for another day.

"Researching"

Can you tell I'm preparing for a trip? My list is coming along nicely.

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