Feels like -21C

Toronto is officially too cold for clouds. The 3 month long cloud cover finally lifted today to let in some sunshine. The first clear skies I've seen here since October (and that other time I was flying above the cloud layer).

Bliss

Spent two blissful days in South Beach, Miami - away from the cold & gloom.

Trippy

A friend shared this website featuring some really trippy, twisted animation. Check out Salad Fingers and Burnt-Face Man.

Tragic

How low have we sunk as a civilization, when we can't even be trusted to brush properly on our own? Oral-B has a new toothbrush with built-in digital brushing instructions. Apparently a timer tells you how long to brush each side. Ugh.

The End of the Earth

There's a place you won't see much of in coffee table books. You won't hear about it on travel shows. You won't hear your friends raving about it, even if they're from there. You won't be bombarded with last minute vacation deals to go there. It's probably one of the world's best kept secrets - and the locals would like to keep it that way - with good reason.

The place is Newfoundland. It's a craggy outcrop of land nestled next to the north east corner of the North American mainland. Rugged and divinely beautiful, its remoteness is obvious in each lungful of unpolluted air. Located on the Eastern end of the island is the city of St. John's. It's the capital of the Canadian provice of Newfoundland and Labrador and the oldest English city in North America. I had the opportunity to visit last month.

Expecting a dull, barebones small town adorned with bad hair and bad flannel, I was pleasantly surprised. I found a very proper English city with well-maintained Victorian homes, modern infrastructure and a thriving art scene. The people are warm, friendly and speak in a strange dialect (officially called Newfenese). Irish culture is everywhere. So is maritime culture - the North Atlantic kind. Fishing boats everywhere, big and small. This is stuff you don't see much outside of National Geographic specials.

As the soft autum twilight gave way to night, the sky lit up with countless stars. More than I have ever seen in my life. The feeling was almost otherworldly. Words can't do justice here. This tourism video tries hard. You have to go there to believe it. I will again. Next week. And then back in Spring for an extended vacation.

Acclimated

After two not-so brutal Toronto winters, I think I've finally acclimated. The other day I stepped out of the gym around 6:30 in the evening. I had some stuff to pick up at the pharmacy. I came out and there was a snowstorm. I pulled my hood up and kept on walking - across the street, down three blocks to the nearest Shoppers. The old me would've walked the other way into the warm confines of my building.

Speaking of snow, this year we're really getting it. Lots of it. Snow, sleet, slush, freezing rain. It's only December 4th. Nasty winter ahead. Brrrr.

One Two Three Four

Leslie Feist is a Canadian singer-songwriter with an undeniably folksy musical style. Here's a video of one of her recent singles - "1234". It was popularized in an iPod commercial. I love this video for it's simple and elegant, yet vibrant choreography. I can see why Apple chose it.

Autumn

One is ablaze in all its crimson glory. Others refuse to let go. Autumn showers leave behind a gloomy haze. Deck chairs lie longingly on a rain-soaked patio. Pale white ghosts from the summer that was.

Scene from my window.

Reflections

Washington, DC was never my first choice of places to live. In fact, I don't think it's anybody's. However, its insidious southern charm creeps up on anyone who spends more than a few months there. It's a lovely city with a commendable quality of life. It has some of the most beautiful public spaces anywhere in the world. It connects you with nature like no other city can. It draws highly talented individuals from all over the world who learn to make it home in their own way. It breeds a sense of community without ever really assimilating all its inhabitants.

Over my eight years in the Washington DC area, I got to know some wonderful people and made friends for life. Yet something seemed amiss. My life had gotten off track somehow. I couldn't put my finger on it. So I decided to leave and make a fresh start somewhere else. Last week, I got to revisit my old hometown and reflect on the changes over the past two years. I'm glad to say my life is somewhat back on track. I feel more at home now and more comfortable in my own skin. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with geography, but it has a lot to do with leaving behind old baggage and starting over.

Life is about taking chances. Some work out, some don't. The lesson here is that you don't have to be stuck with the bad choices in your life. When given the opportunity to change things, do it! I took a chance 2 years ago and I'm glad to say it worked out.

New York

There's magic in the air. The city is cleaner and friendlier than I can ever remember. Or maybe I'm just getting used to urban chaos. It's nice to see my favourite city in the world bounce back from a tragedy and prosper again.

Shortbus

Art is a process. Follow this process faithfully and you get something as magical as "Shortbus" - an explosion of raw, creative talent that takes you completely by surprise. You go in expecting pornography and when you come out, the only thing moist is your eye.

Shortbus is a story about longing and belonging. It's also the name of an underground club in New York City - "a salon for the gifted", where people come to partake all manners of sensual pleasures. Mostly they come for a sense of belonging, to find what's missing in their lives. For some, it might be true sexual pleasure. Sex is an inseparable part of our lives, yet most of us keep it locked away in a closet of shame. Shortbus puts it out there, front and centre. Yet, its overall role in the movie is merely textural.

Shortbus is also a movie about New York - a city undergoing a magical transformation after the wounds of 9/11. "This is where everyone comes to be forgiven," says an aging former mayor. There's a recurring theme of transformation and redemption. Instead of the customary aerial shots of Manhattan, you see a camera naughtily panning over a clay & cardboard model of the city. Full points for originality.

This is moviemaking at its finest. Watch it - even if the orgies offend you.

Back!

I'm back. After a protracted bout of writers block and a summer spent crawling out of my skin, it's time to crawl back under a warm blanket and blog. Thoughts are racing to my fingertips like unruly kids storming out of a classroom on the last day before summer break. Playful, yet overwhelming. Hopefully I can turn these thoughts into coherent sentences and give my readers something to relish. Enjoy!

Au Revoir

This blog is on indefinite hiatus. I haven't blogged since May and most of you probably guesssed that much. There's a lot going on in my life and my creative side has taken a back-seat to everything else. I hope to be back someday soon. Meanwhile, I'll continue to read your blogs and comment occassionally, and of course, will alert you when I'm back!

Until then, to those of you the Northern Hemisphere, enjoy the summer, and to those in the South, hang in there - warmer weather's just around the corner!

Au revoir.

Jetsam

Anyone missing a 737? Try looking here.

It's scary to think this heap was actually ferrying passengers not too long ago.

Creep

First Viagara, and now this. More proof that the world is run by creepy, leery straight men.

Union

This Monday I attended my first gay marriage. It was a small, simple ceremony in an unremarkable room in the concrete tower of bureaucracy known as Toronto City Hall. A few close friends attended. A black minister in a grey academic gown presided. Vows were exchanged, rings were worn and signatures were placed on a beige piece of paper. One of those signatures happened to be mine, as a witness. V & K were united in matrimony in the eyes of the law. It took all of 15 minutes.

The fact wasn't lost on me that the piece of paper represented many years of struggle and countless hours of hard work by thousands of people across Canada and the world. It's a treasured manifestation of the equality principles enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights. Yet, it all seemed so anti-climactic. Specially after living through the endless debates on this topic in the US. It felt good to live in a jurisdiction that has turned gay marriage into a routine bureaucratic procedure.

As a side effect, the experience certainly made marriage feel a lot less intimidating. I feel encouraged to give it a try someday. Accepting applications now ;-)

The Epic That Isn't

I'm glad to say I did not pay to watch 300. It was a friend's treat, after I bought him brunch. After all the buzz and positive reviews about a movie that supposedly broke new ground, I'm not impressed. In fact, I'm mildly offended. The only thing the movie broke is my faith in Hollywood's ability to tell good stories.

300 is based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller about the ancient Battle of Thermopylae where 300 brave Spartan soldiers took a stand against a gargantuan invading Persian army. Spoiler alert - of course, in the end they all died, but their story inspired all of Greece and somehow contributed to the inabiity of the Persian empire to thrust into Europe.

The movie is visually unique - it uses overexposed, grainy imagery and a monochrome palette to give a period feel. The CG work is excellent. The men are buff and sporting massive six-packs. However, all the blood & gore distracts from the fundamental story, which is rather simplistic. There are no epic wars being fought, alliances being forged or nations being conquered. It's the story of one battle. There're little background sub-plots thrown in to break the monotony, but they have little bearing on the principal storyline.

The movie also goes out of its way to depict the enemy as barbarians and thus, by inference, the Spartan warriors righteous. It's really over the top. The media calls this "Hollywood's invasion of Persia". Perhaps a retaliation for the overt anti-Semitic tirades coming from present-day Iran?

What I found personally offensive are the racist undertones in the setup. The Persian army presumably invaded from North Africa, and was thus made up of slaves from the area. It ended up being a battle of white Europeans vs. brown/black Asians with references to Asian culture being inferior - the classic white supremacy theory. I don't know if this was intentional - probably not. While I adore and respect Spartan bravery, I'm glad I did not pay $10 to watch my heritage being maligned. There's an Indiana Jones DVD on a sale rack somewhere that will do the job just fine.

American Idol

While I'm no dedicated fan of the show, I'm certainly a fan of Ryan Seacrest. I first noticed him when he did an Oscars pre-show many many years ago - before American Idol. Of course, the usual rumours have been circulating about his sexuality. While he can be trumped by every other West Hollywood queen in the looks department, he has a certain on-screen charisma that I find very sexy.

Driven indoors by the cold Toronto winters, and wanting to make good use of my HD cable subscription, I've been watching a lot of American Idol this season. There's certainly a crescendo building up around Ryan's sexuality. Simon has been making jabs at him, and I've been carefully watching Ryan's responses. He's making measured retorts but doesn't get defensive about it. Today it reached a new peak when Simon asked Ryan to come out of the closet - in so many words. Wonder where this is going. My intuition tells me Ryan's going to make an announcement soon ;-)

Spring Is In The Air

The ice is melting, the wind is gentle and humid, the grass is peeking through and the earth smells of spring showers. Days like this remind me that I've been whining too much and Toronto has lovely outdoor weather for half a year. Weather that invites you to step out and walk. A lot.

Thursday, the mercury dips below freezing. I'm not whining anymore.

Escape

I need a vacation. A real vacation. Somewhere far from the bustle and close to nature. Someplace warm where I won't need five layers of clothes just to step out of home.

This winter is turning out to be one long endurance test. I am truly ready for Spring - which won't really be here till May. Sigh.