i love all these star wars parodies, but did you guys ever try this? it's the best: the sith sense
darth vader can read your mind in 20 questions. sometimes it took more than 20 questions, but he read my mind every time! i even thought of a turnip and he read my mind.
busy week! last night was m.i.a.'s concert (astro is right, very exotic music but i found many of her songs sounded the same) and tomorrow night is metric. coincidentally both concerts were/are at the phoenix concert hall. so along with obligatory dinners and parties this upcoming weekend, my explorations into hermit-hood have to be put on hold for this week ...
which is a little bittersweet because i want to populate my new online store with more items! my paypal verification went through and now i can start promoting the happy d five-and-dime. what do you think?
the mystery seed that 'a' planted at the you grow girl book launch party was a sunflower. which is a funny coincidence b/c along w/ my cosmos seeds, i sowed sunflowers too. three out of the four are developing heads, so hopefully i will have 3 more nice sunflowers blossoming on my balcony.
although, i'm probably jinxing my sunflowers by assuming that they'll bloom. earlier in the summer i thought i would have a bountiful harvest of tomatoes, but instead i only have 2-3 tomatoes on each of the plants. booo
lessons learned from my first year of balcony gardening is that plants need bigger planters!
tonight i made a pretty successful attempt at hiyashi chuka (japanese style, cold chinese noodles). i think i did ok, but next time i'll have to add a bit more vinegar to the sauce (kakejiru). a friend brought sake and another couple brought daifuku for dessert. a very japanese evening indeed!
some cool canadian chicks:
my balcony plants are thriving in this heat! it looks like i'll be able to harvest a lot of tomatoes, despite having a north facing balcony that gets direct sunlight only at the end of the day.
unfortunately the heat that is so good for my plants is sending ontario's electricity suppliers into overdrive. on a daily basis we hear news about exceeding our electricity kilowatt usage and the threat of a blackout. i have to admit i was wishfully hoping out loud that toronto would have another major blackout. sadly my neighbour told me that during the previous blackout many people who were trying to live independent lives, but were dependent on life support systems, died! i am now in search for an alternate validated reason to be sent home from work.
illo friday time again! this week's topic: metropolitan.
this week's idea was inspired by a new yoga studio i went to several weeks ago in the middle of downtown toronto. the studio is lit by natural light via huge windows, however, the windows face an old brick building - so very urban, yet very relaxing.
illo friday: hero
click image for a bigger version
i'm not sure if people outside of canada know who david suzuki is, but to me he is a hero.
a celebrated scientist, he used his charisma to bring science into the homes of canadians via TV (his 'nature of things' is the longest running TV show in north america!).
these days he is actively speaking and writing on environmental issues that urge canadians to try to reflect on the damage that consumer-heavy lifestyles are having on our environment. his optimism level must be so high; to continue to speak, write and research on environmental issues and solutions despite the apathy around him.
to read more on dr. suzuki visit:
www.davidsuzuki.org and take the nature challenge!
the grand finale for pride week in toronto was the pride parade this past sunday. 1 million people came out to cheer and support and despite the huge turnout there were no violent incidences. take that mr. harper.
oh ya, the rolled up culottes are not a fashion statement. it was 33 deg! oh! and neil i still have your batch of polaroid film...4 sets ... which i still haven't sent to you. sorry. tohoho
i've been drawing a lot of personified animals lately. my transport turtles are an extension of my spectacled turtle character that i drew when i first got a computer back in '96 - back when i thought ms paint was really cool.
i'll post my aquasize loving platypus soon.
illo-friday topic: black and white
i think that mortification alters your perception of reality - at least temporarily. i went blading by the lakeshore, after not blading for over 1 year, on new inline skates. i only had one minor spill to my name after blading around richmond and vancouver for years. today, however, i took the worst tumble of my life.
when i was recounting my fall to a friend over the phone i told her that i took a bad fall infront a big group of people, to which my friend who i was blading with corrected by saying, 'one person'. one person!? i was certain that there was a big group of people walking along the trail in the opposite direction. i also thought that they all gasped loudly as i yelped before hitting the concrete.
oh well minor details; i'm just lucky that it was my knee pad and wrist pads that were totally gashed and not my knees and palms. i survived this scrape with one cut on the inside of my index knuckle and some bruises (don't you just love puns?). no big patches of peeled skin or bits of gravel lodged into flesh - phewf.
it's amazing how much illustration friday has grown! when i first participated in illustration friday, despite submitting my link really late i was still just #43. now, however, i am submission #284! pretty crazy, but i think the number of submissions is a testament to the success of this project!
click on the image for a bigger view!
mad hot ballroom is one of the best documentaries i've ever watched. the film follows several fifth grade kids in the new york public school system who must take part in a 10 week ballroom dancing class. unwillingness and reluctance (i don't wanna look into a girl's eyes!) turns to determination and enthusiasm as the promising dancers in each of the classes get picked to represent the schools in a dance competition. so many of these kids went from awkward and clumsy to smooth, sharp (and i must dare say) sexy.
the kids are mature enough to discuss serious topics but haven't inherited the self-consciousness that high-school and puberty bring. their conversations are candid and very funny. i laughed, cried and cheered - such an endearing movie!
illo friday topic: digital
glorious, hot summer thank you for finally coming to toronto. i've missed you and it's been quite a while since you were here.
it's so nice that i can sit on the patio or balcony outside well after the sun has gone down and not have to wear a cardigan. it's so nice that all my cold drinks get covered in condensation making it look like something out of a pop drink ad.
it's just so damn nice! i think i really do well in 27-32 degree celsius temperatures.
niagara-on-the-lake is a tourist site as well but not commercialized with american companies the way niagara falls is. (doesn't the name itself sound so nice?) the heritage district is lined with touristy craft stores, bakeries, flower shops and cafes all housed in heritage buildings. luckily during our lunch the skies cleared and we were able to walk around the district in wonderful, warm sun. the highlight, for me, was the greaves jam store. there i purchased some really yummy sounding jams: pure rhubarb and strawberry jam, pure crab apple jelly, blackcurrent jam and plum jelly.
i was also able to score blueberry and apricot/peach mlesna tea at the jam store. i've been searching for this tea for ages since my friend gave me some samples. unlike tisane fruity teas that are tart and tangy, the mlesna fruit teas are black ceylon teas infused with fruit aroma. mmmm so yummy.
we then went on to visit 3 out of the numerous wineries that are located in niagara-on-the-lake. each winery made quite an effort to distinguish itself with architecture and interior design. the jackson-triggs estate went for an industrial, concrete and exposed beams modern look whereas peller estates went for a warm, tuscany look lending itself to the image of warmer climates. i am no expert of wine and i really wish i had a better appreciation for it, but trying all the ice wines was a definite treat. i really have to go back, if not only for the sipping of the ice wines with prices in the $90 range.
illustration friday: aquatic
lalala~ tomorrow is friday and i now get summer hours at work! if you opt for summer hours, you work at extra 30 minutes everyday and not take lunch on friday but get to leave at 1pm on friday! lalala~
my shuffle uffle arrived yesterday (from the 'bring me a dim bra' promotion, which i mentioned earlier was a little dumb) but nonetheless got me a new shuffle. i've made an initial fill up with songs that i have on this computer but i still have a little more than 300mb free. i don't know how people fill up 40gb worth of stuff.
i do have some issues with this product (i can't adjust the eq, no display, etc.) but hey! it was free, so i can't really complain about it.
good bye trusty old md. perhaps you knew you had fulfilled your purpose in my life, since you were starting to get sketchy when playing music. you were a good friend, though, and accompanied me on many trips abroad and helped me drown out annoying conversations that people have on public transit.
ugh. you know when you have something in mind and you can't execute it exactly the way you want it to? ya. this one is it. (please click on the image for a bigger view)
self crit: wrong brushes for the outline, colour scheme isn't the greatest. i really like my concept though.
... at least i'm keeping up with my year of 27s. i haven't missed a day of sketching/drawing yet!
o.m.g. it's 3am and i gotta go to work tomorrow. i really need to purchase some heavy duty eye cream; the bags under my eyes need a magic cure.
it was a great evening, discussing our book, gossiping, bitching, eating and drinking. wine, food and great convos, i feel like such an adult! and i'm proud to say that all the prepping last night paid off and my choice of serving veggie lasagna worked too. i could spend time w/ my book club members while the dish baked in the oven - along with some garlic bread (i'll share my recipe, like b did today, when i'm a bit more sober).
so how am i going to end this relaxing evening? with some left over white wine, listening to feist and smoke and miho and colouring my illo friday. i'm all smiles.
although my 1 year anniversary for my life in toronto was on january 9th, it wasn't until at the bell walk for kids help phone yesterday, walking the same 10km route that i walked last year, that it dawned on me - i'm starting my 2nd annual cycle of events in toronto.i realized that annual events like the contact photography festival, taste of the danforth, the outdoor art exhibition, the beaches jazz festival and celebrate toronto will all feel a lot more familiar and a lot less new and fresh. making me feel more like a citizen of this city and less like a tourist. and just like the way the symphony of fire or the powell street festival in vancouver brings back specific and happy memories, hopefully soon these toronto festivals will trigger similar nostalgia.
ps - thank you to everybody to pledged me (again) this year! we were able to beat our national goal of $2 million by $100,000. thank you so much for your support.
the documentary was very educational for me, a westerner living a life of ignorant, luxurious, arrogant bliss. and despite the moving documentary, what really got me was when both the producer of the film and a representative of salvaide thanked the audience for coming out to watch the documentary, despite our very busy schedules.
busy schedules? busy with what? busy with all the tv shows like the apprentice and amazing race that we just can't miss (ok for me it would be making sure i don't miss certain blog entries in certain sites, since i've never watched either of the aformentioned shows)? busy with our jobs that we work at just so we can get a raise so we can buy nicer material goods?
no. we should have been thanking them. thanking them for taking us out of our pseudo-busy schedules to make us aware of things outside our world. thanking them for spending their time and money to share stories of atrocities, triumph, sadness and tenacity. thank you so much.
i finally picked up my 2nd roll of fed5b shots - a bit better this time. i experimented with night shots, which the above was one of. shooting at night with the fed5b is a little challenging with the view/rangefinder being shaded dark (my excuse for the subject being out of focus).
i recently finished reading 'brave new world'. what a depressing story! excellent but sad. the whole, humankind-trying-to-reach-utopia-but-instead-creates-an-empty-scary-distopia is a theme that many writers have explored. unlike everybody's favourite movie gattaca 'where there is no gene for the human spirit', aldous huxley's utopia/distopia definitely defeats the human spirit. it was also interesting to read the science of huxley's times reflected in the story.
so, now i'm wondering, is the soma cafe on main st. in vancouver named after the san fran district "south of market st." or is it named after the prozac like pills in 'brave new world'?
the user01 (aka neil) bestowed upon me a flickr pro account! 2gb of image uploads a month. i don't think i have that many photos to begin with! perhaps i'll start uploading my old stuff from 2004. i think i need a dSLR.
he grew up in toronto and apparently he's a dog.
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just to recap, my little 27 days of posting until my 27th birthday project didn't quite work out. i missed 2 days out of the 27. close though! maybe i'll make this my year of 27 - what should my next project be? drawing everyday for the next 27 days? taking a photo everyday for the next 27 days? hmmmm ...
why do people let jealousy get the better of them? jealousy over relationship issues is harder to control, but a lot of people get jealous over material possessions. it's such an awful feeling and always ends up being counter-productive. nothing ever good comes from feeling jealous so, why let it happen?
it's usually the same people that get jealous over petty material things that seem to be the 'oh, woe is me. i have so much drama in my life, which i've inevitably created for myself just so that i can have drama in my life,' people. please. get over yourself.
which means i have to get over myself ... b/c i'm jealous of the people that live in 'habitat 67'. i want to live there, man!
photo taken last year, during my bday trip to montréal.
spring is finally here! 'a' and i went for a long bike ride (on my new bike from 'a'! thank you!) west from where we live and then back to our home biking along the lakeshore. warm weather and sun bring everybody back outside. it's been a long time coming!
we also stopped by the post office to pick up some goodies from back home. thank you for my bday presents :)
although i like a lot of the programming on kcrw, my most favourite show is 'morning becomes eclectic. aside from the news breaks, it's 3 hours of politics free music that ranges from indie rock to jazz to house to hiphop.
on tuesday i was lucky enough to catch jorge drexler perform live in the kcrw studio. so lucky! the interview touched on drexler's biographical background, his music and also his snub at the oscar's. his speaking voice is just as soft, warm and lyrical as his singing voice - i was shocked when he said that he is 40, he sounds so young!
if you have itunes, kcrw can be accessed under 'public' and click on the simulcast version. morning becomes eclectic is on from 9-12pm PST.
now our friend will head back to cali to tape another episode and hopefully be able to eventually compete against ken jennings.
yesterday i stood in line in the flurries (ya, it was snowing again in toronto. so what else it new?) for almost 2 hours, just so that i could sign up to get a free shuffle - just the 512Mb one, but still it's free!
dim (a lingerie company) was doing a promotion in conjunction with the bay. they were only going to be giving away 120 shuffles at each location across canada, so i went early to try to camp out at the spot that the 'street spotters' would be. according to some of the people in the lineup ahead of me, the 4 guys at the very front of the lineup came at 6am with bras in hand, to ensure they would receive their shuffles. i definitely would not spend 8 hours of my life for a free $120 cdn product... would you? i think i would just purchase it.
so my 512Mb shuffle should be in my hands in 6-8 weeks. yippy!
i was a little intimidated by the small cluttered space and his gruff demeanor. he filled out a work order as i explained what my problem with the fed5b was. then as i took a peek at the various medium format non-toy cameras, mr. hell's angels said that the shutter speed dial wasn't broken!
i think my excitement transferred over to him as he showed me how the dial really needs to be pulled up hard in order to set it. his gruffness somehow disappeared and he started to impart stories of how all the lens manufacturers and technicians of russia were relocated to a suburb of moscow after WWII, or how i shouldn't spend any money on the fed5b b/c it wouldn't be worth it or how 'that woman' (aka terry shiavo) died suffering for 13 days.
relieved, i was half skipping with happiness out of kominek, when santa shouted, 'come back with some photos. i'm sick of cameras.'
i finally picked up my test roll from my now defunct fed 5b - wow! the photos came out quite sharp (click on the collage above to see bigger versions of the photos). i think i will be dropping off my camera at kominek, for repairs, after all!
after more research i learned that the models previous and after the fed5b had built-in light meters - which means the fed 5b was, sadly, ripped off. perhaps after the camera is repaired i will see if i can afford to trade or exchange my fed 5b with a fed 5c ...
things to remember for the next test roll:
at the you grow girl book launch party, 'a' picked up a pot with mystery seeds planted in them! there was a table set up with DIY scoops, pots, soil and mystery seeds. there were also pre-made pots with seeds planted in them. the pots were decorated with 'YGG' stickers. it was really cute and such a nice, thoughtful touch.
as per instructions i've been watering the pot from the bottom but nothing is happening yet. i've been looking into the pot everyday anxiously waiting. so much so that i'm starting to feel like a gardening-hypochondriac: hey, is that some fungus growing? is that the remains of a snail? oh no, what if that snail ate the mystery seeds?
in related news, over the weekend the neo-con, er national post did a book review and interview on 'you grow girl' and gayla. 'a' said that the article predicts that 'you grow girl' is poised to be a best seller, catering to a younger, gardening audience who is more socially and environmentally conscious.
 wops 38 minutes too late for a march 27th entry ...sunday nights are always a slightly sad time for me because it is the end of the weekend and once i go to sleep it means that i have to go to work when i wake up. i always end up staying up way past my bedtime in an attempt to extend my weekend as much as possible. |
talking to 'j' today, she said that she was having a tough time at the show b/c she didn't hire any extra help and was trying to solicit some impromptu help from people checking out her booth. so i offered my help and will be manning her booth and help increase her sales tomorrow. my part-time 'sales associate' skills that i acquired from my retail clothing store days will come in handy!
i'm posting this entry directly from flickr (even this short writeup)! how cool is that? kinda late, but illo friday changed up the due dates so that the new weekly topic can be worked on over the weekend and submissions have to be in before friday morning.
don't laugh at my bicycle ... man they are hard to draw!
tonight was gayla trail's book launch for her new book and as you can see i got my copy signed by her!
i was all jittery with the excitement of meeting someone who's work i really, really admire. (let's just say i was star struck when i met the fluffco duo.) 'a' braved the snowy flurries (yes it's snowing here again) with me and walked over to the gladstone for the book launch party.
after a quick drink i purchased 'you grow girl' and lined up to get my book signed. i took peeks of the book at chapters over the weekend, but i didn't realize how nice and packed with information, projects, cool illustrations and lush photos this book was until i had my very own copy in my hands.
one project that 'a' and i want to tackle is composting for apartment dwellers. i also want to try to grow some geraniums (b/c they always smell so nice), but my dreams of growing tomatoes on the deck are dashed. sadly gayla states that you need 8 hours of bright light a day ... my deck is north facing so most of the time it won't get direct sunlight.
i've also come up with some ideas for this week's illustration friday. i hope i have time to complete 2 ideas!
good night.
the number of subway suicides and attempted suicides are alarming: read more. imagine how much bigger the numbers would be in a city with a bigger population.
i'm such an awesome shopper. i did $220 worth of shopping for only $67 at my most favouritest store. they make the bestest stuff.
two liquid accomplishments:
woot! woot!
toronto - across the 'pond' the patriate aozora girl went to the theatre tonight as well! her friend discovered that the limited run musical 'wicked', despite being sold out for it's 7 week run, saves 20 seats a night to sell to people who get their name drawn if they enter the 'wicked' lottery. tonight there were at least 80 people lined up to enter up to two names. chances for tickets went down from 1 in 4 to 1 in 8. patriate aozora girl attempted not to get her hopes up and started to think about activities she could do when she got home after her name and her friend's name were not drawn. she didn't have to think very long - patriate aozora girl's name was the fourth name drawn! the seats were box seats, quite close to the stage.
"the musical was witty and extremely well written, carefully integrating details from the 'wizard of oz' into 'the story line," patriate aozora girl told reporters.
"i always love stories about strong-willed, non-conformist, underdogs."
"the set and costume designs were gorgeous," added patriate aozora girl's friend.
unfortunately neither of the friends would disclose any detail about the story. they were worried that their comments would spoil the show for others.
it is exactly 27 days until my 27th birthday, so to commemorate this day (aside from throwing myself a party, which will hopefully annoy our anal neighbour) i am going to endeavour to post something everyday for the next 27 days.
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so i guess i wasn't treading carefully enough. i broke my fed5b! the damn camera didn't come w/ an english manual, only a russian one. when i looked online for instructions, people wrote 'cock the shutter before adjusting the shutter speed'. i assumed that cocking the shutter meant pushing down on the shutter halfway. so i loaded up some film for some testing and for a while the shutter speed dial was moving around (somewhat). but now the shutter speed dial doesn't budge, although it still rotates as the film advances ... because as i found out last night, while desperately trying to find any information on the stubborn shutter speed dial,'cock the shutter before adjusting the shutter speed' means advancing the film. ... okay
i feel like a photography retard but i want to give this russian camera another chance (and also improve my manual photography skills) so i'll take it into a camera specialty store tomorrow and see if they can fix my newly immigrated camera - which was sadly abused by an ignorant native, north american.
i think i have to tread very carefully for the next while. a whole bunch of nice things have happened to me these past few days.
i need to purchase a light meter though, there isn't one built-in in the fed 5b. unless anyone has some tips about shooting w/o one? follow the sunny f16 rule? psycho, does your D70 come w/ a built-in light meter?
today i went to see a movie all by myself! as silly as it sounds i couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious reading my book while waiting for the curtain to rise. i watched la mala educacion. b is right, gael garcia bernal must eat acting for breakfast! although i don't agree with the people that say that bernal makes a beautiful woman, his 'zahara' was ooozing with sexiness. as bernal said in a now magazine interview, "it was about finding that inner transvestite that we all have."
i wish i could speak spanish, though. it's hard to take in a movie with rich colours and visuals like 'bad education' when you are busy reading the subtitles.
's' and i went to the esthero concert tonight and despite the unusually high number of short people (there were so many guys and gals who were shorter than me! i could see the tops of their heads, they weren't midgets but 4'10"-ish people. nouveau-punkies but mini!) i somehow frequently got stuck behind tall men.
all that doesn't really matter though! i finally got to see esthero in concert - live after all these years! she told us that tonight's concert was the first in five years.
she came out wearing a deep purple, poofy petticoat with striped stockings, faux pearls and a black t-shirt w/ a pirate skull on it. she is really hung up on this pirate theme. after introducing us to her 8 piece band and two backup singers, she said, 'and i am esthero lily (something, something) of the (something, something .. sorry i've forgotten!) pirate ship'
man! this girl can sing! she can go soft and girly to loud and diva-y all in one song. she danced and pranced around singing new songs and performed upbeat, latino variations on her old songs.
she ended her 2nd encore with her newest track: we R in need of a musical ReVoLuTion
another very cool canadian chick.
after the event my co-workers and i went up to marnie mcbean to meet her. when i thanked her for coming out and speaking at our event she told us that she used to be heavily involved with kids help phone and missed doing things for us!
i didn't realize that i was staring intently at the medals until marnie said, "you can always tell when someone wants to hold the medals." she quickly imitated me shifting my weight back and forth slightly tip-toed, trying to get a better look at the medals before handing them to me.
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illustration friday topic: sorrow
please click on the thumbnails for a bigger view.
drown your sorrows
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my mac-ey mac is at the apple computer hospital. it had been overheating and the fan would constantly run even when doing simple tasks like 'net browsing. so i took it in and they are going to replace the logic board. i'm so lucky it's still under warranty.
which got me thinking that i probably should invest in the extended applecare protection. a friend's friend bought the applecare and right before the 3 year warranty wore off his g3 ibook fizzled and apple gave him a brand-spanking new g4 ibook! what a deal.
