paper anniversary

Ambition

2010-03-05T19:26:00.000-08:00

(Audio only, no real video.)

Frida Kahlo

2010-02-25T16:42:00.000-08:00

Make art, make art.

Okay, I love sports

2010-02-20T15:39:00.000-08:00

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 never 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.

2. Norwegian curling team pants 1:0 Canadian cross-country skiing team fishscale suit.

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.

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.

4. I have discovered my love of snowboarding. Shaun White isn't human, right?

5. I don't care if they're milking it, I love Alexandre Bilodeau and his gold.

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.

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".

A time of romance

2010-02-15T06:12:00.000-08:00

'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.'

-John Keats, in a letter to his brother George, mid-December 1818

(What do you call that, when we observe the wanted sentiment in every feature, bone, and limb in each other?)

Vancouver imagery

2010-01-19T18:19:00.000-08:00

View at Burnaby Mountain Park

Simon Fraser University, some climb into the Trans-Canada Trail.
My aunt teaches here but I'd never visited the campus before.

Mintage on Commercial Drive. I got my (old) new favourite shirt here.

Lunch at Belgian Fries... it was probably the best poutine I've ever had.

SO MUCH OLYMPICS STUFF. Quatchi is definitely my favourite.

Gastown, of course. Nood is so awesome!

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.

This one's from White Rock.

(Most of the pictures were taken by my sister Adelaide, who used to write a great blog (now retired), 's Stad, since my camera has a mind of its own.)

Short words

2010-01-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

O Frailty.

Nu year

2010-01-02T15:43:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010, friends! Hope your last days of 2009 was lovely, warm, full of good food and company. I went to the Tranzac 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.

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 Mount Fromme at Lynn Valley (whoo!), saw the views from Burnaby Mountain park, and I scored a Rene Magritte-inspired pipe shirt at Mintage.

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.

Sounds like a solid plan, yeah? Yep.

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.

A mountainous Christmas

2009-12-24T20:12:00.000-08:00

I 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!

I did a favourites 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.

Merry ho ho ho, and everything else too. Warmth and love to you, and everything else too.

Talk soon.

Bienvenue

2009-12-16T21:38:00.001-08:00

The first 24 seconds of this video is how I feel right now.

The other 6 minutes and 46 seconds of it is brilliant.

ps. Watch Part II for effects intended by the playwright.

De Profundis

2009-12-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

"...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."

Oscar Wilde
1897

Opening tonight

2009-12-01T06:34:00.001-08:00

If there is any excuse for my shotty posting over the past little while, here it is.

RTS presents

AS YOU LIKE IT

Written by William Shakespeare

Rehearsed with Ian Watson

Set and costume design by Esther Kim

Lighting design by Kai Masaoka

December 1 - 4 2009

Abrams Studio Theatre

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

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.

The sold-out run begins tonight!

ps. Happy December, and hope you enjoyed your snow-free November, Toronto!

I'm horrible.

2009-11-15T20:36:00.001-08:00

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.

Nonetheless, to make my second trip this year to Vancouver better than the last one (which I'm sure was an unfair, shortlived judgement of a West Coast city by a proud Torontonian) I've been reading Vancouver is Awesome. Which is awesome. Because it tells me things like this.

Here's a quote that I think will make up for my brooding and ambiguity:

...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.

Happy belated Halloween!

2009-11-01T05:53:00.000-08:00

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.

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!

And happy November! I should have perhaps shared this during the month of October:

(unfortunate) Wonders of the world

2009-10-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

So I went to see the ever-wonderful Dan Mangan last night. We packed up the place, sang along to every song, crowd-surfed a robot, 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.

Anyway, my lovely friend Sharmin brought along some friends--and among them Michelle, who pointed out that Dan looks like Seth Rogen...

I'm sorry if I ruined it for anyone.

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!

LOL WUT

2009-10-05T21:29:00.000-07:00

I hearby call on Stephen Harper to sing all his rebuttals to Michael Ignatieff.

Pros and cons

2009-10-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

Last night was Nuit Blanche 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.

And Drew Barrymore and I have the same taste in music. Ellen Page = very cute.

That digressed--anyway, then there's this: 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.

Merits

2009-09-23T19:33:00.001-07:00

Congrats to Dan the Man for taking home the Verge Award!

See you October 16th!

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, it went to Fucked Up, 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...

Now back to regular scheduled programming, ie. employment law and Shakespeare readings.

Gratefulness

2009-09-16T18:20:00.001-07:00

These guys won an Oscar last year for the best original song category for a little movie called Once. When they were in Toronto to promote the film over two years ago, I sang 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Uno due

2009-09-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

My Eurotrip in ten photos:

Trets-en-Provence, France; my home for 17 days

Nice, France

Florence, Italy

Corniglia, Italia

Manorola, Italy

Strasbourg, France

Bern, Switzerland

Antwerp, Belgium

Lille, France

Europa, I miss you so.

6 days to go

2009-08-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

I 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.

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.

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.

(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.)

Musique en plus

2009-08-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

Found this on my computer today:

And there's my talking voice.

Thank you, internet

2009-08-16T07:20:00.001-07:00

The things on the interwebz are just too good sometimes.

But I guess they get 'em from TV, sometimes.

Marseille (and Toronto)

2009-08-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

I'm reading Pictures from Italy, 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.

Here's a passage he wrote of Marseille:

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.

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.

Nom, mussels and fries.

Clearest waters, my first dip in the Mediterranean

Notre-dame de la garde, seen from the Vieux Port

...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.

But you know I feel otherwise.

Forest City Lovers and the D'Urbervilles tomorrow! SummerWorks is yet another point for the T.O.

Time time time

2009-08-06T05:53:00.000-07:00

How 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.

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 Jens Lekman is willing to play at yours if the timing is right.

Speaking of which though, a Heaven of Delight would be nice too:

The ceiling at the Royal Palace in Brussels, Belgium

Covered with 1.4 million jewel beetle shells.

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.

My next adventure

2009-07-23T08:11:00.001-07:00

Forty-five long days, one delayed flight, six delayed train rides, countless skipped meals, one ride in the back of a cop car, two CouchSurfing 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.

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?

I'm planning my next adventure already, Metro Toronto has published a timely article on the Pacific Northwest Trail, 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...

Recaps soon!

I'M ALIVE

2009-07-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hello love (yes you),

I thought I'd report and say that I'm alive and well, dirt broke and out of toothpaste in Strasbourg. I have so many things to show you and I will begin when I come home in less than ten days. Strasbourg is a dream, Bern was kind.

See you soon!

Esther

Lord of the Flies

2009-06-17T08:51:00.000-07:00

I should perhaps be writing about the adversities in North Korea that strikes too close to home for my liking (being that half my relatives live practically next door to Kim Jong Il, considering he thinks he can hit anywhere between the White House or the kangaroos in Australia with his long-range missiles), but this is distracting:

ILY Barack.

ps. I'm nursing my first sunburn ever. Thanks, Provence!

eta: If I can sit at a computer long enough, I'll soon write some actual thoughts about the North Korea thing. I used to live right south of that border, and most of my family is still back home, and it makes me home sick.

BONJOUR

2009-06-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

Hello from Provence!

I am toasting away to golden perfection in the sun here. My tan has never looked better. Currently I'm inhabiting La ferme de Noé, where it takes 50 minutes to walk to the nearest town. I look after potatoes, cucumbers, zucchinis, tomatoes, beans, and herbs among other plants, and some chickens, ducks and turkey. I know, right? And some crazy cats and dogs, too. I'm going to kidnap one of the wee little chatons and put him in a tea cup, because I can.

I want to show you my photos of the spectacular landscapes here, but computer use is limited (although Kitty is being very patient). I'm also speaking a lot more French than I would've ever thought, and I think I could survive here if I had to, despite the stifling language barrier.

So far, I've seen a day of Paris, two days of Marseille, some Aix and of course, Trets, the only town we can get to on foot before passing out in the Provence sun. Marseille, I was told, is dangerous and harsh, but my experience there was filled with kindness. Maybe it was my first view of the Mediterranean that rendered me blind, but I loved it there. Aix was also so, so amazing: Home to Cézanne's beautiful landscapes, and much of the subjects of his glowing portraiture. I wish I had more time in both cities, but it won't be my last time in Europe so there is always next time...

Among other things so far, I've sat in the back of a cop car (and spoke some fantastic franglais), and let some harmless but strange foreigners at a bar buy a round of Panaché (beer mixed with pop) for me and my colleagues at a tobacco shop (alcohol at a tabac is quite common here)... More adventures to come!

ps. Some of the best shows happen in Toronto when I'm not there: Ohbijou and Sunparlour Players at Soundscapes, Black Hat Brigade at NxNE... GET ON IT, TORONTO FOLKS.

Before I leave

2009-06-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday I went to the Grizzly Bear concert, and I know you hear this from me, but God, what an amazing show. This time I really, really mean it. I was amazed by everything, even by how big Chris Taylor's mouth could get when he sings, but especially by Ed Droste's voice, and by how the ever-lovely Leslie Feist made a guest appearance. Observe and admire:

What a grand send-off (I leave for Europe tomorrow). When I come back I'll be seeing Amy Millan of Stars and my rainbow-endorsed imaginary husband Gentleman Reg at the Harbourfront Centre on July 25th, the Rural Alberta Advantage (the newest Saddle Creek addition, if you haven't heard yet) on the 30th, and St. Vincent on August 8th. I think that just about makes up for all the great shows I'll be missing: Beirut + the Dodos, and the Toronto Fringe Festival among others. My two former roommates are performing in two shows at the Toronto Fringe, Goodbye Rounds and Tim Buck 2 (scroll down a lot to find this one). I swear I almost considered going to Europe at some other time, but I'm really damn lucky to be living in this city. Dear Lady Luck, thanks for placing me here.

In a totally different news, my sister is now inhabiting the wonderful stad of Antwerpen (pronounced Antwerpuh), read her Euroblog here and her great story of how the name of the town came to be.

Vancouver: an observation

2009-06-03T23:04:00.000-07:00

I've been in Vancouver since Saturday--actually, make that Coquitlam, a place where consumerism threw up yet somehow made a manageable place to live with green parks and bike lanes, in which my parents have decided to settle for the time being since their recent move from Ontario ("yours to discover") to British Columbia.

Today was my first day in downtown Vancouver, and probably my last, since I am leaving to go back home to Toronto early Friday morning (hooray check-in at 5 AM). And to be quite frank, I'm glad.

I'm probably being very close-minded and have seen very little of the city, especially considering my parents and I are stark opposites of human beings, and whatever they have shown me is not what's up my alley (except for the trails, the lakes and the hiking). But to be fair I did live here for a month way back when, and back a few years ago when my dad was trying to make business here I visited a few times. Unfortunately, the little that I've seen of the city makes me want to return to Toronto.

What makes me feel ill at ease is this: the streets named after shopping malls, or plainly called "Mall"; American big-power names like Starbucks dominating every corner; businesses far from local invading the "touristic" and "enjoyable" streets like Robson; the stark contrast of the rich and the poor, embodied by the men panhandling outside a Chanel boutique; and, this is just me and how I am, the lack of music stores or music in general (every store I went into today was playing house music). I think there is a point to be made when a city is built on support of the locals and the independent culture that they bring along--it's what makes me love a place. I want to love every city, and enjoy the excitement of waking up in a new place whenever I get off the plane. But I missed it with Vancouver.

Yes, Toronto is bedridden with mass production and American power names, too. And of course, all well-to-do urban cities have at least partially succumbed to that. But the cookie-mold condominiums speckled from the coasts to Coquitlam and beyond really hurt how a city is perceived. Little is left of the old, or what built the city in the first place. Everything felt stark naked and new. Vancouver is a wealthy city getting a make-over for the 2010 Olympics, but where did the charm of culture go, if it was ever here?

Of course, I may be misunderstanding everything. Maybe I just love Toronto and Soundscapes too much. But I want to see this place as it were before.

Still, I turn around and see mountains and rivers all around me, and my mind eases up a bit, and I even get a little bit jealous that Toronto is nothing but plains, plains, and the overpolluted Lake Ontario that's become more of a cliché. Also, the English Bay was beautiful, grass and sun and dogs. My favourite was still the Vermeer, Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery (am I allowed to call it Vag for short? Please?)--the Dutch genre paintings have always been a favourite of mine (along with Post-Impressionism) and I thought I knew much of it, but I left the gallery with fifty new favourite paintings. I took lots of notes, but my favourite, I think, is the one where I wrote: "I WANT TO BE FRANS HALS".

The liveliness of the eyes and the rosey cheeks are always my favourite part.

Anyway, I'm sure I can invoke a lot of rebuttal from what I've written, so I'm peacing out for now. I'm still getting ready for my European travels, and I started reading "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer. The world knows my attachment to the movie, so I'll probably become borderline obsessed after this. See you then!

Yesss

2009-05-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, 1) I leave for Vancouver in 11 hours so I should be getting ready and 2) it's seven months till Christmas but this is important:

This is going to be the first time in a few years that I'll be looking forward to Christmas. Hooray!

Itinerary

2009-05-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

Fourteen days left between me and Europe. I think it's time to reveal my itinerary and ask for pardon for the upcoming absence (although I have been very MIA this month anyway).

I'm being super ambitious, hitting at least 14 cities in a 48-day span. 17 of those days, I'll be on La ferme de Noé to the north of Marseille and Aix-de-Provence, building housing for animals and farming and harvesting and cooking and engaging in other earth-friendly shenanigans (and hopefully also those not very friendly to my liver). The not-so-secret hippie in me is basking in the glory of the thought. Marseille, Aix and Arles are all within the arm's reach of the farm.

From then on I'm heading off to Genoa, Cinque Terre, Florence and Venice in Italy. Reading cautionary tales of Venice has made me wary, but I'm open to falling in love with the sinking city. So we'll see. Bern and Lucerne, Switzerland: Lucerne is my dad's favourite place in Europe, so I know I'll be captivated by its charm. Belgium will be housing my amazing twin sister (yeah, really) for three months, so I'll be visiting there on my way back to Paris! I hope to hit Antwerp (yay for wool), Brussels and Bruges (In Bruges being one of my favourite scripts ever). Then I'll head back to Paris before hitting home base in Toronto.

I know, right?

Time to go buy a travel case for my ukulele.

ps. I may or may not have been playing Hot 'n Cold by Katy Perry on my ukulele. Whatever.
pps. I have a lot to say about the suicide of the former president of Korea, and even more to say about the exhausting trial of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Then there's the North Korean tests, the UN response. There's just so much around me and far from me, and my head is turning in every which direction. I want to gather my thoughts and understand what they want, and still not make excuses.

some absence

2009-05-18T06:11:00.000-07:00

For the past few days I was realizing that I haven't posted anything at all in May, and so here I am. Toronto, student living and music seems to be the constant muses in my life so that's the path we shall travel once more.

I have moved into my temporary residence for the month of May, a lovely old house in the Annex with a confused landlady on the first floor and two sweet roommates. After living a year in a basement--the epitome of student living: white walls, tile floors, creeper looking through my window from the backyard (yes, indeed it's true)--it's strange to wake up to sunlight in the morning. Even on the cloudiest days I'm waking up thinking it's naught but sunshine outside. I imagine getting sunburnt, and it's an exciting notion, and there's definitely a deck on the third floor to do this on. I can see the CN Tower to the south and Casa Loma to the north.

I have 21 (!!!) big days left until I leave for Europe--I will also have to write about that one, and how planning the trip is the second best part after actually being there. I have lots that I'm leaving in Toronto though: Beirut, and a sunny house (despite its lack of a living room my roommates and I do fine in our common sitting nook) least of all; but I'm holding my breath. I do wish Toronto would stop in its tracks until I come back. I want to miss nothing.

It's definitely spring.

Albums that I've been listening to: Horn of Plenty, by Grizzly Bear; Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, by Wilco; For Emma, Forever ago, courtesy of Bon Iver (sounds of Wisconsin); Boxer, The National (I will be sorry to miss them this Thursday! But Timber Timbre at Over the Top Fest is no less of a substitute); Actor, the new one by St. Vincent (even better than the last). My ukulele wants to learn a song or two.

So I'll go do that. See you soon.

Record store day.

2009-04-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

Consider this a punch in the face for the interwebz.

Tomorrow - Saturday April 18th - is Record Store Day, with vinyl-only releases from ~~my lovechildren~~ some amazing musicians such as Andrew Bird, The Gaslight Anthem, Iron and Wine, Flight of the Conchords (yes, I know), Talking Heads, GRIZZLY BEAR (note the all-caps), and even a split from Sonic Youth and Beck. Since I'm not the coolest or the hippest of all music fans, as evidenced by my lack of a record player, I won't be taking advantage of much else other than the magical 10% off pretty much everything but the tickets at Soundscapes.

If you're in Toronto, go drop by at Soundscapes, Penguin Music, Criminal Records or Sonic Boom. I heard from a little birdie that Sonic Boom is also hosting a show in honour of such a day.

And speaking of records, here's a sweet little track written by Jens Lekman...

Are you sick of me swooning over Jens yet?

ps. May go to Vancouver for the first week of June, right before Europe. May do a show in Muskoka in August. May go to Koreatown for lunch tomorrow with my awesome sister. Stay tuned!

West side story

2009-04-07T18:58:00.001-07:00

Lots have happened recently! For one, my parents sold their house in the suburban Toronto, packed up their stuff, and moved to the suburbs of Vancouver, bought a condo in Coquitlam and moved in within a three-week time span. It was extraordinary. Now I have a reason to visit Vancouver in the snowy, hailing months of Toronto (which apparently includes April), but the suddenness of it all really struck home. All of a sudden I am without a place to go for Easter.

But because Jens Lekman seems to be the theme of my life when things matter, and he wants me to "come to Vancouver" and "zig-zag the world", I guess I'll just have to go to Vancouver now.

Time to befriend a commercial pilot.

Different stories

2009-04-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

Heartbreaking:
http://www.optimum.net/News/AP/Article?articleId=545209
"As long as the husband is not traveling, he has the right to have sexual intercourse with his wife every fourth night. Unless the wife is ill or has any kind of illness that intercourse could aggravate, the wife is bound to give a positive response to the sexual desires of her husband."

Heartwarming:
http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/Local/article/206692
"The little girl asked White to sign her flag. He shook her hand, gave her a hug and wished her good luck. After the operation, she drew him a picture of her heart. White took the drawing back to Afghanistan."

I'm at a loss of words. Be back soon.

Dirt and grime

2009-03-30T11:00:00.001-07:00

Designing and dyeing for Caliban, from The Tempest by (the amazing) Shakespeare.

Deformed and grimey.

Wear & tear with scissors, stitch rippers and nail clippers

After dyeing the first layer with tea. Thank you, Lipton.

Fibre-reactive dye. Building layers.

With a lot of green... This is pretty much the stage it's at right now, but with a lot more green.

Dyeing my skin, while I'm at it. Can I be a Martian?

ps. When I first started writing here, I meant to keep track of the things I was making and creating. I couldn't stand the fact that school, which I attend to further my creative knowledge, was such a hindrance to this, so it's pretty exciting when I get to do things like dyeing.

More on food

2009-03-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

Stolen from Amy K. who stole it from someone else.

Things I taught myself to enjoy:
-beer
-soy milk
-foie gras
-mac & cheese
-dark chocolate
-pesto/basil
-olives

and have yet to enjoy:
-Swiss cheese
-wine (red, white, ice, rose, whatever)
-durian
-Häagen-Dazs
-cilantro
-oatmeal (in various forms)
-granola
-Hawaiian pizza

Canadian Music Binge

2009-03-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

I am so CMW-ed out! Ten artists in three days (sixteen including those that were not a part of Canadian Music Fest) and fifteen hours of combined sleep. It was my first festival experience (don't even ask why I've never done CMW or NXNE before) and I'm happy to have made it alive.

I took this photo before I decided to me quasi-rude and start using flash, so I apologize for the blurriness. I'd heard of the $100 fame before, but it was my first time seeing the band, and Simone Fornow's voice is seriously something else. Listening to their myspace now, I have to say it was quite different in person, but in a good way. There's something rural about this band, rolled together with hardness. And I love steel guitars. It was such a good way to start the three days.

I should mention that I'd never seen the Horseshoe Tavern like this before. It's definitely one of my favourite venues, but it was packed, I felt like I was a croissant baking into golden perfection in the oven. Women, ironically made up of five dudes, was of a genre that I haven't yet familiarized myself with, so I reserve all judgement. I have a good gut feeling about them, though.

I love Reg Vermue! I think everyone in Toronto has a secret soft spot for Gentleman Reg that gets revealed once you see him perform. The sweet banter and constant good humour, backed by the danceable indie pop lines and his endearing voice, is enough to make him one of my favourite acts to see live (my fourth time and counting). Watch my video from the night of The Boyfriend Song.

CHAD VANGAALEN!!! If you remember this post I had named his 2008 album Soft Airplane as my favourite of the year. That opinion hasn't changed much, and seeing him live only encouraged my sentiment. I have this belief that the reverb/delay pedal was pretty much invented for his voice (I'm not a master of pedals, so don't quote me on what that pedal's called). He opened with Willow Tree (click for my video. A rhetorical question to the MFers who are talking through the first twenty-five seconds of the song about being rude: Irony?). When I listen to him I feel like I'm listening to every sound on the planet. Not sure where that feeling comes from, but it sure is amazing. I just learned yesterday that I'll have missed him by 2 days when I get to France in 12 weeks (!) and had a mini-heartbreak.

If there is one band in Toronto that I feel like I'm watching grow, it's Hooded Fang. My friend Sharmin (who has been my common-law wife for the CMW period, and has very good reviews on her blog as well) and I speculate that their name probably comes from Jacob Two-Two, just as I imagine these magical boys and girls of the indie-pop band would. They are exactly what to call indie-pop, and I love it. I saw one of their very first shows, and now they are polished--nothing complex, nothing too serious, just the things that they do so well, catchy lines and fun harmonies. Watch for yourself here.

These guys from Iceland gave us some good options for leaving the venue safely and arriving sound in our homes: Learn to say their band name, or buy an EP. I learned to say their Icelandic name from Snorri Helgason, the lead singer himself, how to say their name, and safely left the place (I thank him for his humble kindness that remained even after he found out that I wasn't playing the following band). They call themselves "Icelandic indie pop for the masses", and that's pretty much bang-on. It was hard not to pick up their energy and throw it around the room myself.

As a lover of indie music, I want to have nothing bad to say about indie bands. Unfortunately, I have nothing good to say about these guys. There is a fine line between showmanship and self-indulgence, and that line was crossed every which way.

Black Hat Brigade, on the other hand, is a completely different story. Definitely one of my favourites from the festival. I have a lot to thank them for, seeing as they are the band that prompted me to go out, look for and support indie music, back sometime now. They are so solid from any angle, carry the best energy and know how to hook you. Their new EP is coming out in May, titled "Fathers", look out for it.

They've already featured this video on their myspace, but they're so damn good I'm going to embed it right in here.

I'm dedicating this to Bryan, who fills up my Facebook inbox to keep the fans up-to-date.

I actually only caught one song by Herman Dune (his myspace sounds great), but this picture pretty much sums up the crowd at any CMW Showcase. Thanks for showing up.

I'm in love with this girl. She is as adorable as one can be, but with one of the biggest voices in Canadian music today. She's got those love songs and prayer songs, ukuleles and autoharps, and with the lacquer of violas and drums it's just got a permanent place in my heart. Watch Before I Knew here.

There, I'm done. Thanks for reading!

Sea of food

2009-03-10T19:14:00.000-07:00

I started editing my Montréal photos and had to share these before anything else. First, um, the Best Brunch EVER. Capital Bs, and all-caps EVER.

Amuse-bouche sweet bread, fresh field greens salad, butter croissant with ham and chèvre cheese, salmon cake, "scrambled" egg, fruits, fresh-squeezed orange juice (included in your price!).

My sister's brunch: Sausage, ham, scrambled egg, baked beans, bacon, potatoes, French bread and fruits. And she ordered Mimosa. It was like, the best mimosa in the world. If you ever find yourself in Montréal, go down to Le Cartet at 106 Rue McGill down in Old Port Montréal on a weekend and treat yourself. I'm still dreaming about the day I'll get to go back to this brunch.

Chestnut purée crêpe with fresh whipped cream, companion to...

Buckwheat crêpe with chèvre cheese, chicken and spinach, at my favourite restaurant in the city, Juliette et Chocolat at St-Denis and Sherbrooke.

Yes, my friends, this is a menu for JUST poutines, at La Banquise at 994 Rue Rachel Est, up in the Plateau. Their "large" poutine is actually big enough to put your face in the bowl.

Some hilarious Québecois beer with a guy in distress on the label that my sister had at La Banquise. It was like, spiced with coriander, pretty weird and strangely good.

My Poutine B.O.M!!! Bacon, sautéed onions and some sausages that started with an M but I forgot what that stood for. Check out that grease.

I just got super hungry.

Music notes

2009-02-24T17:55:00.000-08:00

1. Unless there is another Esther K., I won a copy of the new album from the beautiful Jenn Grant from I (heart) Music. Hurray! I never win things. Thank you, Matt.

2. There are many mysteries in Toronto, the greatest one of them being why not everyone in this city knows about Bruce Peninsula. Their CD release was Sunday, and they were definitely worth ditching the adorable Dustin Lance Black for. I also met the lovely Casey Mecija of Ohbijou and freaked out a bit, arms flailing included, and I'm pretty sure I freaked her out too but it was good times for all. Anyway, watch two of Bruce Peninsula's power songs here and here.

3. Posters have gone up in the school calling for performers for our annual coffee house. A part of me wants to sign up, but most of me says "you will probably have a panic attack and throw up on stage and be hurled into the dungeon for being so ridiculous and you'll probably have to dig your way out of the creepy basement with a spoon".

hey hero brother

2009-02-17T18:56:00.000-08:00

Happy belated Family Day! It's a pretty hilarious provincial holiday, apparently only practiced in Alberta, Sasketchewan, and our beloved Ontario, since last year. It's reading week, so it really made no difference to me, but I did go up to my parents' house.

On that note, big brother & little sister...

Seen at Postman's Park in London

Don't divorce us.

2009-02-07T16:04:00.000-08:00

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

Watch & sign this.

Opening tonight!

2009-02-04T06:36:00.001-08:00

Ryerson Theatre School presents

Mother Courage and Her Children
by Bertolt Brecht
Directed by Richard Greenblatt
Design by Glenn Davidson and Alex Gilbert

My love child of time, paints clothes and numerous cuts of the past month or so is finally opening. Super excited. :) Wish it wasn't the same night as Bruce Peninsula live at Soundscapes though...

ANTI-THEFT LUNCH BAG

2009-02-01T14:44:00.000-08:00

My hilarious find of the day:

AMAZING.

But I must say, they run a high-risk of being thrown out.

Found at Design*Sponge Online.

I miss...

2009-01-30T20:06:00.000-08:00

...looking down.

Taken about two years ago today with my dad's film SLR, at my old apartment. I lived on the ninth floor then, and cursed having to take the elevator into the basement to do laundry. My unit was the at the end of the long hallway, and I was deathly afraid of the walk from the elevator to my door in the empty corridor, for some reason. Now I live in a basement and miss the sunlight like nothing else, but the laundry is right outside my door and I can leave it open while I load the washer, so I can still hear my music and not be scared like I used to be.

Irony?

Wooden sounds

2009-01-25T21:55:00.000-08:00

Timber Timbre live at Soundscapes...
One of the many reasons why I think I've got unfinished business with the city of Toronto. His new self-titled album is incredible.

Check out his myspace here.

edit: I (heart) Music has a feature on him this week.

les poulets couvent souvent au couvent

2009-01-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

I got an e-mail last night from CADIP confirming that my application to do volunteer work in France in June was approved. I had just transferred the right amount of money in my banking account for the application fee the night before, so phew! But I am super excited! Summer is happening for real. My roommate Kitty is joining me, and it will be her fourth (!) summer in France in a row!

We're going to a little town called Trets near Aix-en-Provence in the south...

I long for summer already.

jeux d'enfants

2009-01-11T19:51:00.003-08:00

Happiest toys in all the land.

The ukulele is a new member as of today.

I named her Jenny and I love her already.

Yesterday, I broke a 5-foot mirror in my room. The big mirror in my tiny student-living bedroom happened to shatter all over my acoustic guitar. There were shards everywhere on it and in it, cut me in a thousand places, pieces of it ended up in my bed and a long needle of the broken glass got stuck in my finger. No one gave me the seven-years-of-bad-luck crap, which I was grateful for, but I will miss examining my full outfit in the mornings. All the huge pieces of glass are still hanging out in my room, I'm overwhelmed as to what to do with it.

Can someone teach a class on how to deal with all the practical errors of life, like a huge broken mirror, gum in your hair or nail polish remover on varnished flooring (yeah, it's seriously damaging. I found that out the hard way also. I think my old landlord hates me)?

Relevance of things

2009-01-09T07:38:00.000-08:00

1. Everything really is about economics. To a point, I find it heartbreaking. More than 700 casualities in Gaza, a third of them are children, and here we are pushing for the loonie to soar.

2. Bit of humour in the morning, nonetheless: Free Whopper from Burger King if you delete 10 friends from your Facebook! I might do it.

Sincerely yours

2009-01-07T10:07:00.000-08:00

Are you there, God? It's us, the waterlogged, frostbitten, vitamin D-deprived survivors of the worst goddamn (oops, sorry), the worst year of weather since you made Noah build an ark. A foot of snow in March (out like a lamb, my arse); not one but two freaking hailstorms in June; 193 record-breaking millimeters of rain in July. Plus a summer that started in, like, mid-August and ended before we could even contemplate the humiliations of bathing suit season. When it rains, it really pours with you, doesn't it? And don't give us the old "Every cloud has a silver lining" line. What we want to know is why. Was this your idea of global warming humour? Or are we being punished for our sins (our affinity for swingers' clubs, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Rob Ford)? Whatever we did to frost your cookies so supremely, we feel we've suffered enough. Are we cool now (in the non-climactic sense)? Because we need another year like this like we need two freaking hailstorms in June.

Yours truly,
Toronto

(stolen from the Toronto Life magazine, sorely tempted by yet another snowfall/freezing rain happening outside at this very moment)

(foggy Yonge Street, taken some time in early 2008)

Happy 2009 / the Kanye blog

2009-01-02T13:38:00.000-08:00

First of all, happy new year, readers! Hope you find lots of hidden treasures and mine a fortune (metaphorically or not), and hope your hangovers weren't too bad.

I began my new year with a few friends, glass of champagne and... Moulin Rouge. I also discovered the phenomenon that is The Kanye Blog, and honestly... so cooooooool. The man is a cocky asshole but man, he finds some amazing stuff, or has people working for him to find this stuff. Imagine being a collector of this stuff... oh my.

Soft sculpture

The foldable keyboard

Surface face

Bling tank

"Where are youuuu yeezy???"

Merry ho ho!

2008-12-25T10:37:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

(ps. I love my gays.)

The favourite sixes of 2008

2008-12-18T20:13:00.001-08:00

So, everytime I've tried to make a top 5 list, I found myself always wishing I could add one more... so I composed a top 6 list. This list is music-related stuff only, and I am without a doubt fickle and may be making changes to the list... but all the albums that I've been waiting for this year have come out (the last one being A Mountain is a Mouth by Bruce Peninsula, and it did not disappoint!) and hopefully it'll stick! I'll stress that this is a favourite list, which isn't necessarily to say the best and of course, I have probably heard 1/97204865203th of music being made in the world right now, but this is where I am, and I love everything here.

Six Favourite Shows
February 21 - Bruce Peninsula and Plants & Animals - Drake Hotel
March 12 - Bell X1 with David Ford - El Mocambo
March 29 - Basia Bulat with Katie Stelmanis - Lee's Palace
August 27 - Final Fantasy with Nico Muhly, Samamidon and Doveman - Danforth Music Hall
September 20 - The Swell Season with Smog - Massey Hall
November 27 - Broken Social Scene with Land of Talk - Sound Academy

Six Favourite Canadian Albums of 2008
Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane
Katie Stelmanis - Join Us
Timber Timbre - Medicinals
Bruce Peninsula - A Mountain is a Mouth (this album is only available online until February 3 2009, I stream it on CBC R3)
The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns
Hooded Fang - Hooded Fang EP

Six Favourite Canadian Songs of 2008
(...by artists that haven't been mentioned so far)
Laura Barrett - Deception Island Optimists Club
Hawksley Workman - Piano Blink (los manlicious remix)
Feist - Brandy Alexander
Jill Barber - Oh My My
Hello, Blue Roses - Shadow Falls
Plants & Animals - À l'orée des bois

Six Favourite Non-Canadian Albums of 2008
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (Skinny Love was my ringtone for a very long time)
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (The First Aid Kit cover of Tiger Mountain Peasant Song is wicked good, thank you!)
Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us
Loch Lomond - Paper the Walls
Tapes 'n Tapes - Walk It Off
Ray LaMontagne - Gossip in the Grain

Six Pre-2008 Albums that I Still Listen to
Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala (Opposite of Hallelujah is my new, much-happier ringtone)
Basia Bulat - Oh, My Darling
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
Elliott Smith - XO
Christine Fellows - Paper Anniversary

Hope you all had a year full of fantastic music! E-mail me--adroitiste at gmail dot com--if you'd like anything mentioned up there/have stories to share, I'll do what I can.

ps. Supposedly there is a freak storm coming to Toronto, I'm slightly afraid, I won't lie.

Scenic painting class

2008-12-16T17:45:00.000-08:00

I'm winding down. This is a picture of my last assignment of the semester with our scenic painting instructor, Richard, in the front of the flats for scale. It took 8 students and a few weeks, and it's quite a difference compared to fine arts, but it was an experience.

(Two of my group members, Alisa and Nadia)

FUN TIMES.

(photo cred goes out to Kathleen Cheung!)

In Canada, it means I love you

2008-12-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

To this, the CP24 reporter said, "in Iraq, to throw shoes at someone is to show signs of contempt". I don't think I enjoyed journalism as much as I did in that precise moment ever before.

2. On that note, according to a recent poll conducted by CP24, 50% of those that answered thought that we directly elect our prime minister. Grade 10 civics, anyone?

December is lively

2008-12-09T08:03:00.001-08:00

Things that are making this winter so far:

1. Copious amounts of cooking and baking. I am now the queen of carrot cakes as acknowledged by my roommates, and last weekend I baked a delicious banana loaf that I see in my dreams. The roomies and I also made a huge pot of beef stew with some old wine we had left and it's some epic form of hearty. I almost want to go swimming in it.

2. I am usually invincible when it comes to the temptation that is Starbucks Red Cups, but their salted caramel signature hot chocolate is magic with sea salt on top.

3. The air vent right over my feet when I sleep.

4. The notion of the Liberal-NDP coalition, while it lasted (well, we'll see in January). I cannot believe how effective Harper's "this is ~*undemocratic*~" line really was. And now Parliament is somewhere else, playing for seven weeks. I could easily go into a rant here, but that is for some other day.

5. My dad is in Korea, and he bought me a glockenspiel!

6. I am officially unemployed from Drugstore Pharmacy, and the pharmacy team took me out to dinner for the last time. I baked them my (famous) carrot cake and banana bread, and they bestowed upon me heaps of gifts and the cutest card in the world that make me burst into tears... from laughing. I will miss them lots, but a girl's gotta find her way!

I've been listening to a few songs with the word "Christmas" in them for festivity. There's no Christmas tree or stockings or lights or wreaths in our basement apartment (how college of us) so music will have to do. I'll share soon!

Sketch dump part I / happy December!

2008-12-03T13:56:00.001-08:00

in the garden
nail polish art part i

shirin

nail polish art part ii

(this is a drawing of the beautiful album "Night Falls Over Kortedala" by Jens Lekman, especially the song called "Shirin"--the story of an Iranian girl living in Sweden who becomes Jens Lekman's hairdresser)

plant catalogue

inside
nail polish art part iii

Music week.

2008-11-28T21:03:00.001-08:00

I've been to three shows in the last three nights; all Canadian, all amazing musicians. My roommate (whose blog you can check out here) once said that my iPod may as well be CBC Radio 3 (which you should definitely listen in to, in case you don't already--Canadian "indie" goodness), and this is probably a valid point. Although I'm not originally from Canada, when it comes to the arts I'm aggressively Canadian (and parts Irish, but that is a conversation for another day), which does well to explain my criticism of Harper for partially obliterating the importance of arts and culture here.

Anyway, the three bands I saw are: Dan Mangan from Vancouver, BC; the infamous and incomparable Broken Social Scene (they organized a food drive with the Daily Food Bank for the homeless--the participation was a bit disheartening, but my friend Adam and I Campbelled it up) ; and Hawksley Workman. Weeks like this, I really love living in Toronto. The Acorn, Ohbijou and The Rural Alberta Advantage (one of my favourite bands from Toronto) played together at Lee's Palace the same night of Broken Social Scene, as well as Black Hat Brigade and The Schomberg Fair at the Horseshoe.

I name-drop incessantly because I just want to point out how much there is to see and hear in this city--in every city, for that matter. And they've all got things to say, outside of their music as well. All songwriters are thinkers, and they are all bound to have something to say about something you've never thought of before.

So... seek them out! I assume there will be a Best of 2008 list at the end of the year, no matter how incomplete and limited my hearing range has been this year.

ps. If you go to shows, and you just absolutely must blaze/drink from the bottle right at the venue, please don't pick fights with my friends. Or start imitating the keys guy on my sister's head. It's annoying. Just sayin'.

pps. Last day of classes woo! But the upcoming Week Fourteen of Death is... frightening. So is the Last Day of Work Pending Unemployment--coming this Sunday!

Come on, student living

2008-11-19T18:10:00.000-08:00

I really haven't been able to be as creative as I want to be, this being the second last week of classes and the schoolwork dump is inevitable. I am also two weeks away from being unemployed (my choice) and I'm excited as hell but seriously not looking forward to any further student poverty than what I already have...

So we'll continue to revisit some oldies...

My baby cousin turned one whole year old back in July. She lives in Washington, D.C. and my sister and I made this painting, bundled it up and dropped it off. I haven't seen her since, but she's learning to speak and walk and I miss her!

le chat

2008-11-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

I've been comparing my state to a cat: I just want to bask all day in the sun and play with balls of yarn. A difficult task to achieve via living in a basement in Toronto in November.

I painted Captain Pringles (I didn't intend this, but they ended up bearing a striking resemblance) for a friend's birthday in August. I'm not sure what it's supposed to mean, but a lost sea captain celebrates his birthday at sea while a whale navigates... is what I ended up implying.

Before I go, and just so I seem at least a bit more literate than a cat, I want to comment on the situation in Burma. A hundred peaceful activists are imprisoned again. The regime refuses to negotiate terms for UN's visit due in December. Half a million people are displaced in their own country. They've appealed, by democracy and by religion and by sheer humanity, but none of this seems to impress anyone of power. Something's got to give, but whowhenwherehow?

ps... A woman lives with 130 cats.

en papier, en deux

2008-11-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd mention the lovely music behind the name of this blog: Paper Anniversary by Christine Fellows (a not-very-subtle reference to her first anniversary with husband John K. Samson of the Weakerthans). She is a very Canadian artist from Winnipeg. I've been listening to this album on repeat for awhile now.

I saw her in concert last December at the Music Hall in Toronto; she had a projector full of art to share, and a flock of birds that came along. December last year was lovely.

I uploaded a song from the album: Vertebrae.

Last time I came here to visit him
I ran sunburnt through the halls
My arms full of tiger lilies
I don't remember this
But I was told to go home
And to clear the doorstep of flowers

Why, when you know you should go,
Is it so hard to leave?

Plan for Thursday: a cancelled class, and Iron & Wine in concert!

#1

2008-11-12T17:07:00.000-08:00

So... here it is.

I painted this over the summer, when I thought I might be painting murals for a summer job. It's of a carousel that my dad got me from a flea market in some smalltown, Ontario, quite a few years ago--it plays music and spins!