tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80643996441330138552024-03-13T06:33:55.275-07:00paper anniversaryestherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-37956447677729527082010-03-05T19:26:00.000-08:002010-10-11T05:42:04.270-07:00Ambition<div style="text-align: center;"><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bfqEisOIMJc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bfqEisOIMJc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">(Audio only, no real video.)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-3873864611116472522010-02-25T16:42:00.000-08:002010-02-25T16:48:54.616-08:00Frida Kahlo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S4cZltI1x-I/AAAAAAAAAmg/A_LwQlG1kjU/s1600-h/friday+shades.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 366px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S4cZltI1x-I/AAAAAAAAAmg/A_LwQlG1kjU/s400/friday+shades.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442346810263062498" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S4cZQaLuCrI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/7XA9xr0sZVY/s1600-h/frida+pleats.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 274px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S4cZQaLuCrI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/7XA9xr0sZVY/s400/frida+pleats.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442346444397611698" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S4cZPdeWNQI/AAAAAAAAAl4/J7Rl6vmXYcw/s1600-h/frida.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 271px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S4cZPdeWNQI/AAAAAAAAAl4/J7Rl6vmXYcw/s400/frida.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442346428101178626" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S4cZQBbTHoI/AAAAAAAAAmI/daor4aQxZfg/s1600-h/frida+scarf.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 295px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S4cZQBbTHoI/AAAAAAAAAmI/daor4aQxZfg/s400/frida+scarf.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442346437752069762" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S4cZPgthMsI/AAAAAAAAAmA/YCdZC0O4TO4/s1600-h/frida+dogs.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 282px; height: 355px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S4cZPgthMsI/AAAAAAAAAmA/YCdZC0O4TO4/s400/frida+dogs.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442346428970119874" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S4cZQuMtIgI/AAAAAAAAAmY/9xIsJFNxWWQ/s1600-h/frida+smoke.jpg"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 278px; " src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S4cZQuMtIgI/AAAAAAAAAmY/9xIsJFNxWWQ/s400/frida+smoke.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442346449770455554" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S4caYtxjZmI/AAAAAAAAAmw/XtvEBP3shao/s1600-h/frida+sizes.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 365px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S4caYtxjZmI/AAAAAAAAAmw/XtvEBP3shao/s400/frida+sizes.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442347686607152738" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S4caYRPI-iI/AAAAAAAAAmo/5uKOmPfhchI/s1600-h/frida+light.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S4caYRPI-iI/AAAAAAAAAmo/5uKOmPfhchI/s400/frida+light.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442347678946621986" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Make art, make art.</div>estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-23740363547414062512010-02-20T15:39:00.000-08:002010-02-20T16:59:36.230-08:00Okay, I love sports<div align="left">1. So, my mom bought a bike. She says she was inspired by the Olympic athletes. She's 48 going on 49, and she has <em>never</em> ridden a bike. With my dad overseas for business, she's got no one to teach her in Vancouver, so she's trying to teach herself how to ride a bike, with rear-coaster brakes nonetheless (which I never mastered). Her goal is to surprise my dad when he comes back to Canada. She is, by far, the cutest.<br /><br />2. Norwegian curling team pants <strong>1:0</strong> Canadian cross-country skiing team fishscale suit.<br /></div><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 347px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.chroniclejournal.com/includes/CP_stories/243/243893.jpg" border="0" /><br />On that note, the day I understood the point of curling (read: yesterday) is like the day I was granted my Canadian citizenship. I'm so proud.</p><p>3. Okay, somebody explain ice dancing to me. What the heck is it? But long live the quadruple toe in men's figure skating--to quote Elvis Stojko, "In what sport do you have to hold back in order to win?" ISU judging system is still a work in progress--it's not perfect, nor was the 6.0 judging system. I hope this doesn't get abandoned in the works. These athletes need to be encouraged to progress, not regress. Nonetheless, Evan Lysacek did skate beautifully, and I do commend the artistry of (my future husband #348204) Stephane Lambiel.<br /><br />4. I have discovered my love of snowboarding. Shaun White isn't human, right? </p><p align="center"><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Oh13u1-Jcbw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Oh13u1-Jcbw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></p><p align="left">5. I don't care if they're milking it, I love Alexandre Bilodeau and his gold.</p><p align="left">6. I also don't care if any national media, Great Britain to say the least, is ripping apart VANOC for its various flaws; safety at these games, however, is something else. Petra Majdic's fall, the flips at the bobsleigh competitions, unprecedented number of DNFs at alpine skiing events and the tragedy of Nodar Kumaritashvili--it's terrifying, actually. I do not understand the logics behind the architecture of these athletic structures, of course, but it's disconcerting.</p><p align="left">6. Tonight I'm going to see Shutter Island, but in turn I'm missing short-track skating. This is what they meant when they invented the phrase "win-lose situation".</p>estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-33656975749430588842010-02-15T06:12:00.000-08:002010-02-20T13:40:35.645-08:00A time of romance<p><a name="Quote"></a>'Shall I give you Miss Brawne? She is about my height with a fine style of countenance of the lengthened sort - she wants sentiment in every feature - she manages to make her hair look well - her nostrils are fine though a little painful - her mouth is bad and good - her profile is better than her full-face which indeed is not full but pale and thin without showing any bone - her shape is very graceful and so are her movements - Her arms are good her hands badish - her feet tolerable.... She is not seventeen - but she is ignorant - monstrous in her behavior flying out in all directions, calling people such names that I was forced lately to make use of the term Minx - this I think not from any innate vice but from a penchant she has for acting stylishly. I am however tired of such style and shall decline any more of it.' </p><p>-John Keats, in a letter to his brother George, mid-December 1818</p><p></p>(What do you call that, when we observe the wanted sentiment in every feature, bone, and limb in each other?)estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-3190063255513126192010-01-19T18:19:00.000-08:002010-01-19T18:36:19.024-08:00Vancouver imagery<div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S1Zpsbr3soI/AAAAAAAAAlw/EdjSqkKelHQ/s1600-h/Van1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428642612908634754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S1Zpsbr3soI/AAAAAAAAAlw/EdjSqkKelHQ/s400/Van1.jpg" border="0" /></a> View at Burnaby Mountain Park</div><div align="center"><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S1Zpr2V9j5I/AAAAAAAAAlo/NIr-lSXUzKU/s1600-h/Van2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428642602884632466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S1Zpr2V9j5I/AAAAAAAAAlo/NIr-lSXUzKU/s400/Van2.jpg" border="0" /></a>Simon Fraser University, some climb into the Trans-Canada Trail.<br />My aunt teaches here but I'd never visited the campus before.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://mintagevintage.com/"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428642599246785986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S1ZproyobcI/AAAAAAAAAlg/k6ZbHbaXrVc/s400/Van4.jpg" border="0" />Mintage</a> on Commercial Drive. I got my (old) new favourite shirt here.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S1Zprh4g9AI/AAAAAAAAAlY/Q927GJkevPA/s1600-h/Van6.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428642597392413698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S1Zprh4g9AI/AAAAAAAAAlY/Q927GJkevPA/s400/Van6.jpg" border="0" /></a> Lunch at Belgian Fries... it was probably the best poutine I've ever had.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S1ZprUjSepI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/jXs9mFWKLEY/s1600-h/Van9.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428642593813723794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S1ZprUjSepI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/jXs9mFWKLEY/s400/Van9.jpg" border="0" /></a> SO MUCH OLYMPICS STUFF. Quatchi is definitely my favourite.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S1ZpSSImJhI/AAAAAAAAAlI/mUskMg3JrFM/s1600-h/Van10.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428642163668166162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S1ZpSSImJhI/AAAAAAAAAlI/mUskMg3JrFM/s400/Van10.jpg" border="0" /></a>Gastown, of course. <a href="http://www.nooddesign.ca/">Nood</a> is so awesome!<br /><div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S1ZpR_et70I/AAAAAAAAAk4/IfBgm58jaVg/s1600-h/Van12.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428642158660677442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S1ZpR_et70I/AAAAAAAAAk4/IfBgm58jaVg/s400/Van12.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S1ZpRahvD2I/AAAAAAAAAkw/_hCK5bOiCgk/s1600-h/Van13.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428642148741222242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S1ZpRahvD2I/AAAAAAAAAkw/_hCK5bOiCgk/s400/Van13.jpg" border="0" /></a>An uncle brought us a whole tuna, so we had to drop it off at a sushi restaurant to have it sashimi-fied for us. Soooooo good.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S1ZpRQNGH8I/AAAAAAAAAko/CEkE5Hc2NLE/s1600-h/Van15.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428642145970298818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/S1ZpRQNGH8I/AAAAAAAAAko/CEkE5Hc2NLE/s400/Van15.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div>This one's from White Rock.<br /></div><div><br /><div>(Most of the pictures were taken by my sister Adelaide, who used to write a great blog (now retired), <a href="http://handsthrow.blogspot.com/">'s Stad</a>, since my camera has a mind of its own.)</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div>estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-3906873436901324602010-01-08T19:53:00.000-08:002010-01-08T19:54:11.745-08:00Short words<div align="center">O Frailty.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zl-Zrb-TE2g&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zl-Zrb-TE2g&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div>estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-92020724024457392692010-01-02T15:43:00.000-08:002010-01-08T19:54:47.306-08:00Nu yearHappy 2010, friends! Hope your last days of 2009 was lovely, warm, full of good food and company. I went to the <a href="http://www.tranzac.org/">Tranzac</a> for a phenomenal showcase of Canadian music, with Gentleman Reg, Laura Barrett, The Magic, all that for NYE--until the last minute I was set to watch the fireworks from my patio over a reflectory glass of wine, but it was a good choice to go out.<br /><br />Well, it was -15 degress in Toronto, and 9 degrees in the coastal town that I've left behind. Vancouver was much kinder this time around--I did a 7-hour climb up the snowy <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Fromme">Mount Fromme</a> at Lynn Valley (whoo!), saw the views from Burnaby Mountain park, and I scored a Rene Magritte-inspired pipe shirt at <a href="http://www.mintagevintage.com/home.html">Mintage</a>.<br /><br />Also, I read a story of a man, who had acquired a branch of orchids, and the love he put into this plant. He watered it according to schedule, moved its place daily to where the half-shade was the most ideal for his flowers, gently tied up its stem as it grew taller. And when he went on lengthy vacation some time later, meaning to find rest and purpose, he put his close friend to care for this plant. He called the friend weekly to make sure the plant was thriving, and thought about these orchid flowers whenever he saw beautiful flora in the wilderness. He found that he was obsessing over this plant, and when he came home, he promptly passed it on to someone that he knew shared more love with silent things than with people. Then he set on to part with one thing a day, to not let his rest and work be overshadowed by possession. So I've made that my new year's resolution--going on Day 3 of the year it's been pretty easy, but I'll see that as I go on in the year I'll know what I really need and what's weighing me down.<br /><br />Sounds like a solid plan, yeah? Yep.<br /><br />Pictures of the trip coming soon! It only rained 3 out of the 12 days I was in Vancouver, and it was warm warm warm.estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-68513811019549755832009-12-24T20:12:00.000-08:002009-12-24T20:22:54.494-08:00A mountainous ChristmasI am on the West Coast! Spirits are as high as the mountains here, and I think I will forever be jealous of the waters and the hills here, no matter how much I love Toronto. Tonight I'm watching In Bruges, my favourite Christmas movie (though it barely qualifies... tee hee), and tomorrow I'm going up to the Burnaby Mountain Park, on a suggestion from a friend. I also booked a NYE trip to Montreal, leaving on the very day that I arrive in Toronto. EXCITING!<br /><br />I did a <a href="http://paperanniversary.blogspot.com/2008/12/favourite-sixes-of-2008.html">favourites</a> list last year, and I do miss the time I spent with the music, but I think I'll just share some Christmas music this year.<br /><br />Merry ho ho ho, and everything else too. Warmth and love to you, and everything else too.<br /><br /><br /><center><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/D4LlS1inTWw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/D4LlS1inTWw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lUJB-yyfZas&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lUJB-yyfZas&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6BZNit9Zn3A&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6BZNit9Zn3A&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /></center><center></center><br /><br />Talk soon.estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-60018238009503291412009-12-16T21:38:00.001-08:002009-12-16T21:43:18.638-08:00Bienvenue<div align="center">The first 24 seconds of this video is how I feel right now.<br /><br />The other 6 minutes and 46 seconds of it is brilliant.<br /><br /><br /></div><p align="center"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NdTjRumkT9k&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NdTjRumkT9k&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p><p align="center"></p><p align="center">ps. Watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EkI1KS3uRA">Part II</a> for effects intended by the playwright.</p>estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-83541136431836103662009-12-08T19:36:00.000-08:002009-12-24T20:25:10.603-08:00De Profundis"...but Nature, whose sweet rains fall on unjust and just alike, will have clefts in the rocks where I may hide, and secret valleys in whose silences I may weep undisturbed. She will hang the night with stars so that I may walk abroad in the darkness without stumbling, and send the wind over my footprints so that none will track me to my hurt; she will cleanse me in great waters, and with bitter herbs make me whole."<br /><br />Oscar Wilde<br />1897estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-41795927114661902462009-12-01T06:34:00.001-08:002009-12-05T21:46:53.803-08:00Opening tonight<a href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs071.snc3/13868_666424444631_172005947_39881212_6435970_n.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 450px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 600px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs071.snc3/13868_666424444631_172005947_39881212_6435970_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs051.snc3/13868_666424529461_172005947_39881228_4564743_n.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 450px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 600px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs051.snc3/13868_666424529461_172005947_39881228_4564743_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs051.snc3/13868_666424499521_172005947_39881223_2960914_n.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 450px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 600px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs051.snc3/13868_666424499521_172005947_39881223_2960914_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs071.snc3/13868_666424544431_172005947_39881230_3467790_n.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 450px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 600px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs071.snc3/13868_666424544431_172005947_39881230_3467790_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs051.snc3/13868_666424384751_172005947_39881203_2558492_n.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 600px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 450px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs051.snc3/13868_666424384751_172005947_39881203_2558492_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center">If there is any excuse for my shotty posting over the past little while, here it is.</div><p><div align="center"></div><div align="center">RTS presents</div><div align="center"><strong>AS YOU LIKE IT</strong></div><div align="center">Written by William Shakespeare</div><p><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Rehearsed with Ian Watson</div><div align="center">Set and costume design by Esther Kim</div><div align="center">Lighting design by Kai Masaoka</div><p><div align="center"><div align="center"></div><div align="center">December 1 - 4 2009</div><div align="center">Abrams Studio Theatre</div><p><div align="center"></div></div><div align="center">Featuring Eva Barrie, Ayinde Blake, Laurie Campbell, Sean Casey, Cassandra Dang, Patrick Godin, Kira Guloien, Kate Handford, Kirsten Harvey, Madeleine Jullian, Andrew Lawrie, Anthony Rella, Ellis Rockburn, Katie Ryerson, Harveen Sandhu, Karen Slater, Noah Spitzer, Thomas Swayne, Philippe Van de Maele and Anna Wheeler</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><p><div align="left">It's my design debut! It was a strange time in my life, but I am so excited for the show to open tonight, it's been a long time since I was really proud of my work of any sort being featured in a theatre, no matter how small. After a couple 90-hour weeks, I am ready to do this all over again (and I thank everyone involved for teaching me everything I know) and keep at it for once. But before I do anything again, there's the opening night party to attend to.</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">The sold-out run begins tonight! </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">ps. Happy December, and hope you enjoyed your snow-free November, Toronto!</div></div></div></div></div>estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-41454521734815132162009-11-15T20:36:00.001-08:002010-10-11T06:09:28.889-07:00I'm horrible.<span style="font-family:times new roman;">Speaking of places, I'm heading back to Vancouver in a little over a month, and I miss the mountains and the ocean and the extremely slow public transit, but it's kind of hard to be excited about it. Along with Christmas, along with family, comes someone and events that passed between us that I haven't been able to forgive. My mother would tell me I'm petty, but my pettiness says I decide when I want to be the bigger person, and it's not time yet.</span><br /><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Nonetheless, to make my second trip this year to Vancouver better than <a href="http://paperanniversary.blogspot.com/2009/06/vancouver-observation.html">the last one</a> (which I'm sure was an unfair, shortlived judgement of a West Coast city by a proud Torontonian) I've been reading <a href="http://vancouverisawesome.com/">Vancouver is Awesome</a>. Which is awesome. Because it tells me things like this.</span></p><br /><center><img src="http://vancouverisawesome.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/martincreed.jpg" /></center><p></p><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Here's a quote that I think will make up for my brooding and ambiguity:</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><em><span style="font-family:times new roman;">...promise to yourself that you will not wait. No more waiting, you're saying to yourself while adjusting the cord, tonight will be the night. You run your fingers through your hair, button up your shirt. One last look in the mirror. On your way across the street you step on a tulip, it occurs to you that it's the freshest sound you've ever heard.</span></em>estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-11258298999738301292009-11-01T05:53:00.000-08:002009-11-01T06:01:50.048-08:00Happy belated Halloween!I have no costume, since I have been too busy (and also, loaded with lame excuses). Truth be told, I think I'm too old for Halloween (at prime 21), and I'm not sure if I was ever hugely into it ever since I stopped going out to collect candy. I will admit to wanting to drown in a bag of Tootsie Rolls nonetheless. Did you see the Google banners? They were sooooo cute.<br /><br />Anyway, happy Halloween to those who enjoyed the occasion--I may have no costumes for myself but I'm in the process of costuming 20 others, for the upcoming production of As You Like It by William Shakespeare, at the Ryerson Theatre. Stay tuned!<br /><br />And happy November! I should have perhaps shared this during the month of October:<br /><br /><center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SVKTbn71fsM&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SVKTbn71fsM&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center>estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-30829452199613464452009-10-17T13:09:00.000-07:002009-10-17T13:33:21.801-07:00(unfortunate) Wonders of the worldSo I went to see the ever-wonderful Dan Mangan last night. We packed up the place, sang along to every song, crowd-surfed a <a href="http://twitpic.com/l4r8x">robot</a>, and I got to play some rhythm instruments for the last song (jealous?). Dan is, perhaps, gaining momentum as fast as any that I know about, and he deserves it. When I saw him just six months ago, he was amazed that people were throwing out song requests, and that people of Toronto were listening to him at all. But that tune is changed, and his songs are aging better and better.<br /><br /><br />Anyway, my lovely friend Sharmin brought along some friends--and among them Michelle, who pointed out that Dan looks like Seth Rogen...<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 263px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393666028341617586" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/StomrQhk47I/AAAAAAAAAR8/FYTYgIsQdeM/s400/lol.bmp" /></div><div align="center"><br />I'm sorry if I ruined it for anyone.</div><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="left">Also, I've been absent lately--things are exciting over on this end, I am doing more art than I have in a very long time, and I would love to show you what I'm working on very, very soon. Hope everyone's building nice igloos for the winter!</div>estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-88898759726598061972009-10-05T21:29:00.000-07:002009-10-05T21:31:57.793-07:00LOL WUT<p align="center"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JOt2Qp0H9G8&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JOt2Qp0H9G8&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p><p align="center">I hearby call on Stephen Harper to sing all his rebuttals to Michael Ignatieff.</p>estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-49064087579875898942009-10-04T10:38:00.000-07:002009-10-04T11:11:21.546-07:00Pros and consLast night was <a href="http://www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca/home.shtml">Nuit Blanche</a> in Toronto, our fourth annual, and possibly the one where out-of-towners and keen lovers of cool, contemporary-sounding art finally realized that maybe it's not worth staying up all night, waiting for insufficient transit for pretentious artist statements that make things sound a lot more cool than it actually is. I'm guilty as charged for making this judgement after having attended only one year of the nonetheless admirable efforts by Torontonian artists... and this year I went to see Whip It instead.<br /><br /><br /><center><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RQGPdXnb2Gg&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RQGPdXnb2Gg&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />And Drew Barrymore and I have the same taste in music. Ellen Page = very cute.</center><center></center><br><div align="left">That digressed--anyway, then there's <a href="http://torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com/make_some_noise/upcoming-events.html">this</a>: Timber Timbre and Bruce Peninsula, in one night, at a library. I'm very excited, even if Taylor Kirk asked me to remove my YouTube video of his performance at Soundscapes. Well, thank you for making your home here, mes artistes. </div>estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-1450032855424668142009-09-23T19:33:00.001-07:002009-09-23T19:41:36.567-07:00Merits<a href="http://media.citytv.topscms.com/images/81/3c/a6353073420f94300d69026ce27e.jpeg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 600px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 395px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://media.citytv.topscms.com/images/81/3c/a6353073420f94300d69026ce27e.jpeg" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/entertainment/music/article/58837--dan-mangan-alexisonfire-victorious-at-xm-verge-music-awards">Congrats to Dan the Man for taking home the Verge Award</a>!</div><br /><div align="center"><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/J5RIHff3oas&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/J5RIHff3oas&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></div><div align="center">See you October 16th!</div><br /><div align="center"></div><div align="left">What a line-up for the award show, I wish I could've went--but my dear momma has dropped in from Vancouver for a surprise visit and we spent a nice night in, catching mice and whatnot (sad). Also, despite the general speculation among friends for Chad VanGaalen to win the Polaris Music Award, <a href="http://www.polarismusicprize.ca/">it went to Fucked Up</a>, and I'm by no means disappointed. I hear the gala was a hoot. MuchMusic is televising it on Saturday (lol wut?) so I guess I'm staying in on Saturday night too...</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Now back to regular scheduled programming, ie. employment law and Shakespeare readings.</div>estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-44309299953920547482009-09-16T18:20:00.001-07:002009-09-17T00:09:54.021-07:00Gratefulness<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SrGO81aZD_I/AAAAAAAAAKg/0mm1LRjlya8/s1600-h/GetAttachment.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382240205465522162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 330px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SrGO81aZD_I/AAAAAAAAAKg/0mm1LRjlya8/s400/GetAttachment.jpg" border="0" /></a>These guys <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx8yLvb0gZM">won an Oscar</a> last year for the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoSL_qayMCc">best original song</a> category for a little movie called <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6xIF92OUos&feature=related">Once</a>. When they were in Toronto to promote the film over two years ago, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2pI0ZK77qQ">I sang</a> with Glen Hansard. Two weeks before that, their all-amazing tour manager, Howard, pulled a serious ninja move to let the then-underage yours truly into the vicious Phoenix concert theatre to see the band in concert.<br /><br />Tonight they played a 9-song acoustic set in front of a handful of people, and I was lucky enough to witness it. I'm still not quite sure what I did to be have the privilege to be there, other than sending a desperate plea at age 18 to be let into a gig.<br /><br />Over a year ago my sister and I gave them a set of paintings (the bottom half is by me), wrapped in newspaper tied with a piece of yarn from a scarf I was knitting at the time.<br /><br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 379px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v173/119/80/172005947/n172005947_34388705_7987.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><p>When I saw Glen tonight, he showed me that same piece of string, tied around his wrist, been there since the night I gave it to him on November 23rd of 2007. As I am after every night I see them, I'm full of good music and lack words of thanks. The honky-tonk piano, so out of tune, did just fine for the evening.</p><p><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SrGYiEqvSzI/AAAAAAAAAKw/lWJCyxacLwY/s1600-h/DSC06755.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382250740820429618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SrGYiEqvSzI/AAAAAAAAAKw/lWJCyxacLwY/s400/DSC06755.jpg" border="0" /></a> </p><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SrGYh5YdguI/AAAAAAAAAKo/NFxZFQCj6MM/s1600-h/DSC06747.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382250737790976738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SrGYh5YdguI/AAAAAAAAAKo/NFxZFQCj6MM/s400/DSC06747.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Next up: Chad VanGaalen! I'm really, really banking on him to win the Polaris Prize. And then Bruce Peninsula, and then the Gaslight Anthem, and then Dan Mangan, then the Swell Season (again), then the Rural Alberta Advantage, take me into winter. I'm in love.estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-28661016097598636812009-09-12T13:50:00.000-07:002009-10-06T06:30:46.746-07:00Uno due<div align="center">My Eurotrip in ten photos:</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLoOw1UzI/AAAAAAAAAKY/S9epS_82tFY/s1600-h/Trets.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380688440586490674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLoOw1UzI/AAAAAAAAAKY/S9epS_82tFY/s400/Trets.jpg" border="0" /></a> Trets-en-Provence, France; my home for 17 days</div><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLn9XbaeI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/WNHeY56TRNY/s1600-h/Nice.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380688435916532194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLn9XbaeI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/WNHeY56TRNY/s400/Nice.jpg" border="0" /></a>Nice, France<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLnvbNnpI/AAAAAAAAAKI/EvAts66LcUY/s1600-h/Florence.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380688432174309010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLnvbNnpI/AAAAAAAAAKI/EvAts66LcUY/s400/Florence.jpg" border="0" /></a>Florence, Italy<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLnWtcCvI/AAAAAAAAAKA/V_iHlxXEGX0/s1600-h/Corniglia.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380688425539865330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLnWtcCvI/AAAAAAAAAKA/V_iHlxXEGX0/s400/Corniglia.jpg" border="0" /></a>Corniglia, Italia<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLmwIiJ6I/AAAAAAAAAJ4/SHNSnCpo7_s/s1600-h/Manorola.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380688415184529314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLmwIiJ6I/AAAAAAAAAJ4/SHNSnCpo7_s/s400/Manorola.jpg" border="0" /></a> Manorola, Italy<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLRDinfFI/AAAAAAAAAJw/Nu5j4ZEj2Xg/s1600-h/Strasbourg.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380688042437082194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 225px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLRDinfFI/AAAAAAAAAJw/Nu5j4ZEj2Xg/s400/Strasbourg.jpg" border="0" /></a>Strasbourg, France<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLQwDPc-I/AAAAAAAAAJo/Fg0eqvb-8ts/s1600-h/Bern.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380688037205210082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 225px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLQwDPc-I/AAAAAAAAAJo/Fg0eqvb-8ts/s400/Bern.jpg" border="0" /></a>Bern, Switzerland<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLQZ7Lo6I/AAAAAAAAAJg/9I1H7PudGA8/s1600-h/Antwerp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380688031265825698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLQZ7Lo6I/AAAAAAAAAJg/9I1H7PudGA8/s400/Antwerp.jpg" border="0" /></a>Antwerp, Belgium<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLQPMEmAI/AAAAAAAAAJY/NK2l-s4gNS8/s1600-h/Lille.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380688028383877122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 225px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k9RXPzDXg0E/SqwLQPMEmAI/AAAAAAAAAJY/NK2l-s4gNS8/s400/Lille.jpg" border="0" /></a> Lille, France</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Europa, I miss you so.</div></div></div></div></div><br /></div>estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-27650271589952376832009-08-25T21:05:00.000-07:002009-08-25T21:19:16.947-07:006 days to goI saw my 33rd apartment today. Between July 23rd and August 25th, I saw 33 apartments and called over 50 places. I still don't have a place for September. FAIL.<br /><br />Not all of them are horrible dumps where the landlord is looking to bully yet another student tenant, but fuck, it makes me feel like an octopus on a rock that must choose between staying ashore or going into the water. I want to do neither. Life of an octopus is rather a hard one, it seems. Oh, and dear landlords of Toronto, please stop rejecting me because I'm a student. If I was black or disabled or purple or had an extra finger, would you reject me for that? If you answered yes, plz throw yourselves into a pit of fire.<br /><br />Where are my parents when I need them? I'd move back into my old room in a second. Oh right, they moved to Vancouver. I guess I'll be seeing you, West Coast.<br /><br />(ETA: after all this effort, the slightest bit of hope remains that I will, indeed, find a place that I love before the time comes for me to pitch a tent in a bush.)estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-10377629698043363002009-08-18T19:57:00.000-07:002009-09-16T19:13:11.738-07:00Musique en plus<div align="center">Found this on my computer today:</div><p align="center"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxhF8ID2k2jqdwzTdv373W5Wur7YFBEB10PtAQ5Xbw2xrLS7DLmrujeuB5ieMcD05ZLhoq4Dvxnp-e4SehZwA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p align="center">And there's my talking voice.</p>estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-6227299559437475872009-08-16T07:20:00.001-07:002009-09-16T19:10:06.124-07:00Thank you, internetThe things on the interwebz are just too good sometimes.<br /><br /><p align="center"><object height="265" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5-q4kZDIfk0&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5-q4kZDIfk0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object></p><p align="left">But I guess they get 'em from TV, sometimes.</p>estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-91549802253492482802009-08-12T19:44:00.000-07:002009-08-18T15:58:34.279-07:00Marseille (and Toronto)I'm reading <em>Pictures from Italy</em>, written by Charles Dickens. I was going through my 1600+ photos from Europe and thought it would be a nuch more solid-headed recap; Dickens wrote it during his travels through Italy (via France) starting in 1844, and amazingly, he is tracing my steps backwards through France--Avignon, Aix and Marseille. He talks of the gypsies, the beggars in the streets, crowds gathering at popular tourist sites (the same as today), and so much of it is the same, yet so different too, with Dickens and his family taking three full days to travel from Paris to Marseille whereas it took me all of the hour and fifteen minutes to travel overhead.<br /><br />Here's a passage he wrote of Marseille: <blockquote><i>I was there, twice or thrice afterwards, in fair weather and foul; and I am afraid there is no doubt that it is a dirty and disagreeable place... a compound of vile smells perpetually arising from a great harbour full of stagnant water... which, in hot weather, is dreadful in the last degree.</i></blockquote>And that seems to be an opinion of Marseille held by quite a few travellers I met on the road. Those who love Marseille, however, are more than infatuated with it. What I have of it are kind strangers eager to point me in the right direction, lasting patience with my less-than-perfect French, good advices and good seafood.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs126.snc1/5409_646960196141_172005947_38836398_1696888_n.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 375px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 500px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs126.snc1/5409_646960196141_172005947_38836398_1696888_n.jpg" border="0" /></a>Nom, mussels and fries.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs146.snc1/5409_646960111311_172005947_38836381_3912952_n.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 375px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 500px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs146.snc1/5409_646960111311_172005947_38836381_3912952_n.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs126.snc1/5409_646960141251_172005947_38836387_5121234_n.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 375px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs126.snc1/5409_646960141251_172005947_38836387_5121234_n.jpg" border="0" /></a> Clearest waters, my first dip in the Mediterranean</div><div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs126.snc1/5409_646960126281_172005947_38836384_1782880_n.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 281px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs126.snc1/5409_646960126281_172005947_38836384_1782880_n.jpg" border="0" /></a> Notre-dame de la garde, seen from the Vieux Port</div></div></div></center><br />...but I guess divided opinions are true of every city. The same goes for Toronto, it seems--I jumped onto my flight home and was uneasy with impatience my entire flight home, dying to see my garbage strike-ridden city and reunite with my hometown that I love so much. A friend of mine was disappointed that I still held such enthusiasm for Toronto. When I asked him why, he answered that he wanted to hear from another person, and be assured that Toronto is not a place to stay.<br /><br />But you know I feel otherwise.<br /><br />Forest City Lovers and the D'Urbervilles tomorrow! <a href="http://summerworks.ca/">SummerWorks</a> is yet another point for the T.O.estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-61741939543052086412009-08-06T05:53:00.000-07:002009-08-06T06:11:24.752-07:00Time time timeHow is it August 6th already? Things shouldn't go so fast. Anyway, after two weeks of being back home I am no longer thrown off by people speaking English around me.<br /><br />I have a new hobby now: Apartment hunting, the favourite pasttime of anyone living their student life. If anyone would be so gracious as to throw down a 3-bedroom apartment on the second floor of a house with a sun deck, a gas stove, ensuite laundry and a small yard within a 5-minute walking distance of a subway station in Downtown Toronto for under $1500 a month utilities included, I might allow myself to be mailed to you within this week to be your bride. We can talk about it. This is a good time for weddings I think, since <a href="http://www.jenslekman.com/records/smalltalk.htm">Jens Lekman is willing to play at yours if the timing is right</a>.<br /><br />Speaking of which though, a Heaven of Delight would be nice too:<br /><br /><div align="center"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 445px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Salon_des_Glaces-_Jan_Fabre.JPG" border="0" />The ceiling at the Royal Palace in Brussels, Belgium</div><div align="center">Covered with 1.4 million jewel beetle shells.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="left"><br />I'm supposed to be recapping my Eurotrip, but trying to make up for all the overbudget dollars makes me a straight hustla and makes blogging seem like a 4 A.M. event, which is a time unknown to me.</div>estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8064399644133013855.post-8520735585044453912009-07-23T08:11:00.001-07:002009-07-23T08:50:35.770-07:00My next adventureForty-five long days, one delayed flight, six delayed train rides, countless skipped meals, one ride in the back of a cop car, two <a href="http://couchsurfing.org/">CouchSurfing</a> nights, too many dollars overbudget and seventeen (!) cities later, I am home in Toronto. In the 22 hours since my arrival at the YYZ Pearson Airport, I've charged the doors on the TTC, had Tim Hortoms, Bagel Stop and Korean food (yum), went to Dollarama and got rained on. Everything feels surreal, I keep saying Euros instead of dollars and turn around to see the tourist when I hear English being spoken only to realize they are locals. Gosh, I love Toronto.<br /><br />I'm not sure how to get by for the next couple weeks, being super broke and all, but that is what student living is all about... is that a good thing?<br /><br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 275px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://scoutmaster.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/11/26/waidmtb_2.jpg" border="0" /><br />I'm planning my next adventure already, Metro Toronto has published a timely article on the <a href="http://pnt.org/">Pacific Northwest Trail</a>, a 1 200-mile trail stretching from Washington State to Montana, over the Rocky Mountains and the Pasayton Wilderness. I would really like to walk it someday. Anyone in? Grizzly bears and all...<br /><br />Recaps soon!estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02120376201429574083noreply@blogger.com0