About 2 years ago, I saw a fantastic film at TIFF called Starbuck. Of course, I included it in one of my TIFF recap blogs. It was from Quebec, it was hilarious, and it hit a soft spot too.
About a year ago, I heard that they were going to do a Hollywood remake the film. I was appalled.
About a month ago, I saw the trailer for Delivery Man and recognized it IMMEDIATELY. It was almost word for word exactly the same as Starbuck. I was kind of crushed. But then I found out that it was co-written and directed by the same man who co-wrote and directed Starbuck. So this wasn't the work of evil Hollywood, it was a guy who remade his own work. Naturally, he had to make some changes to accommodate the North American market (Soccer? Who plays soccer?). But from the reviews I've read, it's identical to the original. I admit, I'm not the biggest Vince Vaughn fan, but if you can't see Starbuck, I guess you should go see Delivery Man. It appears that my wish of a wide release 2 years ago came true, sort of.
Should you remake yourself? And I'm not just talking about films, I mean in a broader sense. Taking some part of yourself and changing it. As with everything, I suppose the answer all depends on the circumstances. I mean, if the change is for the better, then that would be ideal. But who's to say what's better? And how would you know that it's better?
Uh oh...getting too philosophical again.
During this whole Delivery Man/Starbuck incident, I was watching The Women on TV. Not the 2008 Meg Ryan remake, but the original 1939 black and white (with some random colour) version with Norma Shearer and Joan Crawford. Having seen both, it's hard to tell if the original or the remake was the better version. The social norms were so very different, and I have to say that the feminine ideals and attitudes of the 30s were really aggravating at times. But the film, in terms of how it was shot, made sense in the 30s. You could believe that having absolutely no men in any of the scenes was entirely plausible. The 2008 version was hard to swallow because it felt odd that you couldn't see a single man in all of New York City. But then, right after the film ended, they showed The Opposite Sex, which was yet another remake of the same film from 1956, except that not only were there men in the film, but they had turned it into a musical.
I believe the saying is, leave well enough alone.
"Well you only need the light when it's burning low, only miss the sun when it starts to snow"
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Wednesday, October 09, 2013
Breaking Point
An interesting thing happened at work today. I was pushed to the point where I almost totally lost it. Someone said something that triggered me and I nearly burst into tears in front of my boss and my boss's new boss. I pulled it together as quickly as I could and left the room. I went to a secluded coffee station and calmed myself before getting back to work.
I don't think I've ever cried at work because of work before. The only time I really remember crying at work was that awful day years ago when I learned that my former supervisor had died. But then everyone was crying, so I don't think that counts.
I want to make it clear that it wasn't my boss who made me cry. He is constantly watching my back and supports me in my work. It was a combination of things that are happening at the same time. Calling this a frustrating time would be a gross understatement. I don't want to go into it too much, but let's just say that the stress level is reaching an all-time high.
In other disappointing news, Tropical Storm Karen once again fizzled out before making any serious impact. I'm not sure why I'm morbidly fascinated by a deadly natural disaster with my name on it, but I am. Guess we'll have to wait another six years to try again.
"So wake me up when it's all over, when I'm wiser and I'm older, all this time I was finding myself and I didn't know I was lost"
I don't think I've ever cried at work because of work before. The only time I really remember crying at work was that awful day years ago when I learned that my former supervisor had died. But then everyone was crying, so I don't think that counts.
I want to make it clear that it wasn't my boss who made me cry. He is constantly watching my back and supports me in my work. It was a combination of things that are happening at the same time. Calling this a frustrating time would be a gross understatement. I don't want to go into it too much, but let's just say that the stress level is reaching an all-time high.
In other disappointing news, Tropical Storm Karen once again fizzled out before making any serious impact. I'm not sure why I'm morbidly fascinated by a deadly natural disaster with my name on it, but I am. Guess we'll have to wait another six years to try again.
"So wake me up when it's all over, when I'm wiser and I'm older, all this time I was finding myself and I didn't know I was lost"
Saturday, September 21, 2013
I'm Getting Better At This
After 6 festivals, you'd think I'd at least start to get the hang of doing this. Juggling working with volunteering with seeing films. And yeah, I think I actually am getting better at this. But when I realized that I had scheduled something downtown for 11 days straight, I started to doubt it.
Not being able to even begin writing about the experience until a full week after the fact is a pretty good indication that I needed some serious recovery time.
I Know How To Pick 'Em
I went through the usual motions to pick the films I wanted to see, but I chose not to focus as much on the buzz before I picked them, and then looked around to see if there was any buzz about them after I had settled on my picks. And, surprisingly, I picked some pretty good ones based only on either the synopsis or nothing at all. Here's a brief run-down:
The Past: A real look at messed up relationships. I hadn't seen A Separation but this is dubbed as the unofficial sequel. A guy returns to Paris from Tehran to finalize his divorce. In the process he gets sucked into the issues of her life, including meeting the guy she's going to marry (who's still married to a comatose woman), and dealing with her teenage daughter from a previous relationship.
Empire of Dirt: When the Toronto Star does an entire behind-the-scenes piece on a film, there must be something interesting going on. Three generations of First Nations women dealing with their past and trying to break the cycle. A woman, who was a teen mom and a drug addict, travels with her daughter from Toronto to Northern Ontario to see her mother, who was also a teen mom and a compulsive gambler.
The Last of Robin Hood: I knew nothing about Errol Flynn going into this. But he led an interesting life. The film focuses on the last two years when he had an intimate relationship with an underaged girl, which was encouraged by the girl's mother living vicariously through her daughter's career. Even though I went to the morning screening the day after the premiere, the stars and directors were there. Susan Sarandon made a point that the studios used to own the actors, and they would do anything and everything to protect them. All of the scandals - sex, drugs, even murder - were all covered up.
Philomena: Lots of good buzz for this one (it was first runner up for the People's Choice Award). I didn't even know it was based on a true story. A teenage girl in Ireland becomes pregnant out of wedlock in the 1950s. Her family disowns her and dumps her in a convent where unwed girls give birth. The girls can only leave if they pay the nuns £100 or work for 3 years. In the meantime, the nuns can freely adopt the children away with no say from the mothers. 50 years later, the woman decides to look for her son with the help of a reporter. The film is both heart-wrenching and hilarious at the same time.
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby-Him & Her: So excited for this one, and the most inventive film I've seen in a while. The story of a relationship is told twice - from his and her perspectives - in two full-length films played back to back. They can also be played in either order. The most intriguing thing is that although there are similar scenes in both versions, there are actual differences (they say different things, he's wearing a different shirt, the furniture is in different places) showing how each person can remember the same event or conversation differently based on their point of view. An experimental, work-in-progress film that will hopefully be shown in theatres.
Blind Detective: My Chinese film for this year. Andy Lau plays a detective who went blind but is still solving cold cases. He recruits a young female cop who helps him by reenacting the crime scenes with him so he can envision the crime in his mind. Some typical Chinese slapstick mixed in with some serious scenes and a mystery.
Beyond the Edge: This was a fantastic documentary that used 3D effectively. It recreated Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's historic climb of Mount Everest. Old footage and audio interviews were mixed in with reenactments by actors. The impressive part was that some of the film crew actually climbed to the summit of Everest to get the footage. This was the second runner up for the People's Choice Documentary.
Role Reversal
This happened 3 days into the festival, which will now be my story of TIFF 2013. I was working a volunteer shift at Ryerson. A group of us were waiting to be the "link-up", which is the human chain that holds the people back while the actors go from the back door to the waiting cars. The film was still playing and they hadn't started the Q&A yet. A guy comes out and asks where the bathroom is, so we point down the hall. A little while later, everyone becomes really quiet. I look over and standing next to us in the hall was Kate Winslet, who was fiddling with her cell phone with her assistant. We all do the "stare-but-don't-stare" routine, and the next thing we know, Kate steps back and says "Ready?" Then takes a photo of us with her phone. Then she pads off to the bathroom, literally barefoot and pregnant (I don't know how she was able to wear those 4-inch stilettos in the first place). The girl next to me, who's a newbie, was so excited, saying "I used the same bathroom as Kate Winslet!!" That will be her story for the rest of her life. As for me, I spent the weekend looking around the internet to see if she had an Instagram account.
A little while later, we did the link-up. Kate came out first and blew past us, which was fine. Josh Brolin came out and signed a couple of autographs. Then James Van Der Beek came out, looking exactly the same as he did however many years ago when he was Dawson. That was creepy. Caucasian guys aren't supposed to do that, it's an Asian thing.
Non-Stop
My mind and body gave up on day 11. I was going to try and see a couple more films but just couldn't do it. There were a few other times during the festival that I had to go to Plan B, and I missed some films like Only Lovers Left Alive, The Lunchbox and The F Word. I'll have to catch them later, I guess.
Then, my life kept right on going. I did a fly-in-fly-out to Montreal, which was a new and strange experience. I'd never just gotten on a plane with my purse before. It was like taking the bus, only with more security. Tomorrow I'm flying to Las Vegas for a packaging equipment expo. I know, it's going to be so hard. I'll have to try my best to have some fun.
"Old, but I'm not so old, young, but I'm not so bold"
Not being able to even begin writing about the experience until a full week after the fact is a pretty good indication that I needed some serious recovery time.
I Know How To Pick 'Em
I went through the usual motions to pick the films I wanted to see, but I chose not to focus as much on the buzz before I picked them, and then looked around to see if there was any buzz about them after I had settled on my picks. And, surprisingly, I picked some pretty good ones based only on either the synopsis or nothing at all. Here's a brief run-down:
The Past: A real look at messed up relationships. I hadn't seen A Separation but this is dubbed as the unofficial sequel. A guy returns to Paris from Tehran to finalize his divorce. In the process he gets sucked into the issues of her life, including meeting the guy she's going to marry (who's still married to a comatose woman), and dealing with her teenage daughter from a previous relationship.
Empire of Dirt: When the Toronto Star does an entire behind-the-scenes piece on a film, there must be something interesting going on. Three generations of First Nations women dealing with their past and trying to break the cycle. A woman, who was a teen mom and a drug addict, travels with her daughter from Toronto to Northern Ontario to see her mother, who was also a teen mom and a compulsive gambler.
The Last of Robin Hood: I knew nothing about Errol Flynn going into this. But he led an interesting life. The film focuses on the last two years when he had an intimate relationship with an underaged girl, which was encouraged by the girl's mother living vicariously through her daughter's career. Even though I went to the morning screening the day after the premiere, the stars and directors were there. Susan Sarandon made a point that the studios used to own the actors, and they would do anything and everything to protect them. All of the scandals - sex, drugs, even murder - were all covered up.
Philomena: Lots of good buzz for this one (it was first runner up for the People's Choice Award). I didn't even know it was based on a true story. A teenage girl in Ireland becomes pregnant out of wedlock in the 1950s. Her family disowns her and dumps her in a convent where unwed girls give birth. The girls can only leave if they pay the nuns £100 or work for 3 years. In the meantime, the nuns can freely adopt the children away with no say from the mothers. 50 years later, the woman decides to look for her son with the help of a reporter. The film is both heart-wrenching and hilarious at the same time.
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby-Him & Her: So excited for this one, and the most inventive film I've seen in a while. The story of a relationship is told twice - from his and her perspectives - in two full-length films played back to back. They can also be played in either order. The most intriguing thing is that although there are similar scenes in both versions, there are actual differences (they say different things, he's wearing a different shirt, the furniture is in different places) showing how each person can remember the same event or conversation differently based on their point of view. An experimental, work-in-progress film that will hopefully be shown in theatres.
Blind Detective: My Chinese film for this year. Andy Lau plays a detective who went blind but is still solving cold cases. He recruits a young female cop who helps him by reenacting the crime scenes with him so he can envision the crime in his mind. Some typical Chinese slapstick mixed in with some serious scenes and a mystery.
Beyond the Edge: This was a fantastic documentary that used 3D effectively. It recreated Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's historic climb of Mount Everest. Old footage and audio interviews were mixed in with reenactments by actors. The impressive part was that some of the film crew actually climbed to the summit of Everest to get the footage. This was the second runner up for the People's Choice Documentary.
Role Reversal
This happened 3 days into the festival, which will now be my story of TIFF 2013. I was working a volunteer shift at Ryerson. A group of us were waiting to be the "link-up", which is the human chain that holds the people back while the actors go from the back door to the waiting cars. The film was still playing and they hadn't started the Q&A yet. A guy comes out and asks where the bathroom is, so we point down the hall. A little while later, everyone becomes really quiet. I look over and standing next to us in the hall was Kate Winslet, who was fiddling with her cell phone with her assistant. We all do the "stare-but-don't-stare" routine, and the next thing we know, Kate steps back and says "Ready?" Then takes a photo of us with her phone. Then she pads off to the bathroom, literally barefoot and pregnant (I don't know how she was able to wear those 4-inch stilettos in the first place). The girl next to me, who's a newbie, was so excited, saying "I used the same bathroom as Kate Winslet!!" That will be her story for the rest of her life. As for me, I spent the weekend looking around the internet to see if she had an Instagram account.
A little while later, we did the link-up. Kate came out first and blew past us, which was fine. Josh Brolin came out and signed a couple of autographs. Then James Van Der Beek came out, looking exactly the same as he did however many years ago when he was Dawson. That was creepy. Caucasian guys aren't supposed to do that, it's an Asian thing.
Non-Stop
My mind and body gave up on day 11. I was going to try and see a couple more films but just couldn't do it. There were a few other times during the festival that I had to go to Plan B, and I missed some films like Only Lovers Left Alive, The Lunchbox and The F Word. I'll have to catch them later, I guess.
Then, my life kept right on going. I did a fly-in-fly-out to Montreal, which was a new and strange experience. I'd never just gotten on a plane with my purse before. It was like taking the bus, only with more security. Tomorrow I'm flying to Las Vegas for a packaging equipment expo. I know, it's going to be so hard. I'll have to try my best to have some fun.
"Old, but I'm not so old, young, but I'm not so bold"
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Escape From New York
Where is Snake Plissken when you need him?
This year's annual NYC trip started off well enough, with an uneventful plane ride, a really good dinner at The Capital Grille, and an amazing show (everyone HAS to see Once). The shopping trip to Woodbury Common was fairly successful, and I had a good time in the city with my friends and their kids, despite the oppressive heat and humidity.
As I was on my way to Laguardia on the bus, for a split second the radio caught my attention. I was just barely able to hear the DJ say that Laguardia was closed.
Say what??
I pulled out my iPad and used the on board WiFi to do a quick search. Sure enough, just minutes earlier, a Southwest Airlines plane was landing at the airport when its front landing gear collapsed and it slid nose-first across the runway. Buried deep in a paragraph, it said that the airport was closed. I looked around at my other fellow passengers and asked if anyone else had heard that the airport was closed. Most of them just looked at me, but one of them said that the planes were just delayed. I checked the departure schedule and although most of the flights to Toronto were cancelled, my particular flight was still listed as "Scheduled".
I got to the airport and went to the kiosk. It allowed me to print my boarding pass, so I figured everything was okay. There were, however, an unusually large number of people lined up at every airline desk. I tried to get to the gate but it was completely blocked by security. They told me to talk to my airline. I went back to the desks, and this time when I checked the schedule, it showed that all flights that evening were cancelled.
Sigh.
I got in the line and waited. I eventually got to the desk and they put me on the first flight out the next morning at 6:25 am. Now I had to figure out what to do until the morning. My friends were still in town for one more night, so I tried calling one of my friends. She didn't answer. I tried another friend. He didn't answer (that's weird). I tried a third friend. No answer (hmm...). I tried my fourth friend. She didn't answer either. I thought, maybe my phone is messed up. So I tried all of them again. None of them answered. At this point, I was getting a little sad and thinking that they didn't want to talk to me. I sent a blanket text to them, then went to look for an outlet since my phone was on the verge of dying.
There was no way that there would be availability in any of the hotels nearby, nor did I have the time to figure out which ones didn't have bed bugs, so I tried calling the hotel I had been staying at to see if they could help me out. They would be able to give me the "discounted" rate, but I really didn't want to spend an extra $300 for a few hours. As I sat dejected at the window of the arrivals area with my phone plugged in, watching film crews capture images of the people getting off the planes that had been circling the airport for the past couple of hours, my phone rang. My friend apologized profusely, but she had left her phone in the hotel room when they went for dinner, my other friend had forgotten his phone, the third didn't recognize my number and therefore didn't pick up, and the fourth didn't want to be rude at dinner and ignored the call.
Now for the next dilemma: I was running out of cash. In an effort to be frugal, I decided to take the bus back into the city. An hour and a half later, I made it to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. And it was raining. I walked back to the hotel, texting my friends to say that I didn't think it was a good idea for me to just waltz in by myself (they were already trying to keep a low profile since they had 6 people (four adults and two kids) in the room when it was only supposed to be two adults and one kid, so maybe it would be better if one or two of them came outside and we all walked in together as a group. My friend met me outside and asked if I wanted to eat something (it was around 10:30 pm at that point). It was probably a good idea since I hadn't eaten anything since lunch, but it was probably a better idea if I went to bed since I had to wake up at 4:00 to go to the airport. He took my luggage up to the room while I weighed my options. He came back out with an ice cream bar (they had gone to the store after dinner). I ate my ice cream dinner while we walked around Times Square and I told my sob story. We went back up to the room and my friends had set up a window bench with one of their duvets and a couple of pillows. They had also reserved a towel for me, which was nice. I was able to wash New York off of me before spending the next 4 or so hours not really sleeping. This occurred for 3 reasons: 1) one of my friends has apnea, so his "sleeping sounds" were not only loud, but sporadic; 2) they were tearing up the road directly in front of the hotel all night; and 3) the window bench was about a foot and a half wide and too short, so I spent most of the night just trying not to fall off. I know it may have made more sense to sleep on the floor, but there was limited space and I didn't want anyone tripping over me if they needed to rush to the washroom in the middle of the night.
When my alarm went off at 4:00, I was ready to go home. I snuck around as quietly as I could, then left the hotel as nonchalantly as possible (the guys at the front desk just bid me farewell and didn't ask me any questions, thankfully). Since the street was closed, I walked in the rain to Times Square to try and find a cab. It was pretty deserted, even for Times Square, and I was getting a little worried. Eventually a cab driver saw me and I ran over. I got to the airport to find that they had cancelled my flight. I was rebooked on the 10:30 flight, with standby for the 8:45 flight. I got a little bit of sleep at the deserted airport (who knew?) but at 7:00 or so I checked the board and surprise, the 8:45 flight was cancelled.
Sigh.
They upgraded the 10:30 plane to a 767 so they could fit more people on it, and when we took off from the runway there was a little cheer in the cabin.
I had my "lunch" of apple juice and a bag of pretzels. About 15 minutes from home, the flight attendant asked on the PA if there was a doctor or nurse on board, because there was a medical emergency.
Sigh.
When we landed, they asked everyone to remain seated to allow the paramedics on board. To my pleasant surprise, everyone stayed in their seats. An older gentleman at the very back of the plane (of course) appeared to be having a heart attack or something similar. The paramedics had to wheel a special chair device through the aisle, strap the man to it, and then back out to get off the plane. We were allowed to get up after they had passed through. The sad part in my opinion was that they had to stabilize him on the gurney right outside the gate, so as we exited we all trouped past him, lying with the oxygen mask on and leads attached to his chest, his family looking distraught. Was there no way of moving him slightly away from the gate? I don't know.
Since the flight was packed, they had gate-checked my carry-on, which was going to arrive at the baggage carousel. I went through customs with no problems, but as I was heading to the escalator, an older woman who was immediately in front of me tripped over a bag and fell on her shoulder.
Sigh.
It was one of those slow-motion moments, and she looked like she was in agony. I hoped the sound I had heard was from the suitcase and not from her. Everyone swarmed around her, including a couple of customs officers. I stood helplessly for a minute, then decided I didn't need to be there and slowly walked around her and went down the escalator. I picked up my bag and headed for the exit. As I showed my card to the customs officer, he said, "Could you please take your bag and go to the next room?"
Sigh.
I have NEVER been asked to go through secondary before. Ever. Luckily it wasn't busy so I went to the first available officer. He snapped on the gloves and went through the entire contents of my bag, checking the liner and everything. He asked me if the amount I declared was my best guess. I said yes, because I didn't know what the current exchange rate was. He said that by his calculation, the amount on the card and the value on my purchases didn't match. I froze for a second and said, "This is my first time here. Do I declare the value of the goods or the amount that I paid? Because I have all the receipts." I then whipped out a handful of receipts that I had at the ready. "Oh, okay," he said, and proceeded to go through all the receipts with me and matched it with my purchases. I even pulled out a shirt that he had missed in his sorting process. In the end, he found that my best guess was pretty close, he thanked me for being honest, and he was impressed that I had saved over $300. I would have been within the allowable limit either way, but the last thing I want is for customs to think that I was a liar. I do NOT want to be blacklisted and pulled over every time I crossed the border.
I made it home and was able to take a 2-hour power nap. Then I got dressed and drove to Stratford. I had tickets to Waiting for Godot that evening. It turned out to be a good thing, because I had really wanted to see this play for some time, and with everything that's happened in the past 24 hours, I needed some existential perspective.
"Nobody ringing my telephone now, oh how I miss such a beautiful sound"
This year's annual NYC trip started off well enough, with an uneventful plane ride, a really good dinner at The Capital Grille, and an amazing show (everyone HAS to see Once). The shopping trip to Woodbury Common was fairly successful, and I had a good time in the city with my friends and their kids, despite the oppressive heat and humidity.
As I was on my way to Laguardia on the bus, for a split second the radio caught my attention. I was just barely able to hear the DJ say that Laguardia was closed.
Say what??
I pulled out my iPad and used the on board WiFi to do a quick search. Sure enough, just minutes earlier, a Southwest Airlines plane was landing at the airport when its front landing gear collapsed and it slid nose-first across the runway. Buried deep in a paragraph, it said that the airport was closed. I looked around at my other fellow passengers and asked if anyone else had heard that the airport was closed. Most of them just looked at me, but one of them said that the planes were just delayed. I checked the departure schedule and although most of the flights to Toronto were cancelled, my particular flight was still listed as "Scheduled".
I got to the airport and went to the kiosk. It allowed me to print my boarding pass, so I figured everything was okay. There were, however, an unusually large number of people lined up at every airline desk. I tried to get to the gate but it was completely blocked by security. They told me to talk to my airline. I went back to the desks, and this time when I checked the schedule, it showed that all flights that evening were cancelled.
Sigh.
I got in the line and waited. I eventually got to the desk and they put me on the first flight out the next morning at 6:25 am. Now I had to figure out what to do until the morning. My friends were still in town for one more night, so I tried calling one of my friends. She didn't answer. I tried another friend. He didn't answer (that's weird). I tried a third friend. No answer (hmm...). I tried my fourth friend. She didn't answer either. I thought, maybe my phone is messed up. So I tried all of them again. None of them answered. At this point, I was getting a little sad and thinking that they didn't want to talk to me. I sent a blanket text to them, then went to look for an outlet since my phone was on the verge of dying.
There was no way that there would be availability in any of the hotels nearby, nor did I have the time to figure out which ones didn't have bed bugs, so I tried calling the hotel I had been staying at to see if they could help me out. They would be able to give me the "discounted" rate, but I really didn't want to spend an extra $300 for a few hours. As I sat dejected at the window of the arrivals area with my phone plugged in, watching film crews capture images of the people getting off the planes that had been circling the airport for the past couple of hours, my phone rang. My friend apologized profusely, but she had left her phone in the hotel room when they went for dinner, my other friend had forgotten his phone, the third didn't recognize my number and therefore didn't pick up, and the fourth didn't want to be rude at dinner and ignored the call.
Now for the next dilemma: I was running out of cash. In an effort to be frugal, I decided to take the bus back into the city. An hour and a half later, I made it to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. And it was raining. I walked back to the hotel, texting my friends to say that I didn't think it was a good idea for me to just waltz in by myself (they were already trying to keep a low profile since they had 6 people (four adults and two kids) in the room when it was only supposed to be two adults and one kid, so maybe it would be better if one or two of them came outside and we all walked in together as a group. My friend met me outside and asked if I wanted to eat something (it was around 10:30 pm at that point). It was probably a good idea since I hadn't eaten anything since lunch, but it was probably a better idea if I went to bed since I had to wake up at 4:00 to go to the airport. He took my luggage up to the room while I weighed my options. He came back out with an ice cream bar (they had gone to the store after dinner). I ate my ice cream dinner while we walked around Times Square and I told my sob story. We went back up to the room and my friends had set up a window bench with one of their duvets and a couple of pillows. They had also reserved a towel for me, which was nice. I was able to wash New York off of me before spending the next 4 or so hours not really sleeping. This occurred for 3 reasons: 1) one of my friends has apnea, so his "sleeping sounds" were not only loud, but sporadic; 2) they were tearing up the road directly in front of the hotel all night; and 3) the window bench was about a foot and a half wide and too short, so I spent most of the night just trying not to fall off. I know it may have made more sense to sleep on the floor, but there was limited space and I didn't want anyone tripping over me if they needed to rush to the washroom in the middle of the night.
When my alarm went off at 4:00, I was ready to go home. I snuck around as quietly as I could, then left the hotel as nonchalantly as possible (the guys at the front desk just bid me farewell and didn't ask me any questions, thankfully). Since the street was closed, I walked in the rain to Times Square to try and find a cab. It was pretty deserted, even for Times Square, and I was getting a little worried. Eventually a cab driver saw me and I ran over. I got to the airport to find that they had cancelled my flight. I was rebooked on the 10:30 flight, with standby for the 8:45 flight. I got a little bit of sleep at the deserted airport (who knew?) but at 7:00 or so I checked the board and surprise, the 8:45 flight was cancelled.
Sigh.
They upgraded the 10:30 plane to a 767 so they could fit more people on it, and when we took off from the runway there was a little cheer in the cabin.
I had my "lunch" of apple juice and a bag of pretzels. About 15 minutes from home, the flight attendant asked on the PA if there was a doctor or nurse on board, because there was a medical emergency.
Sigh.
When we landed, they asked everyone to remain seated to allow the paramedics on board. To my pleasant surprise, everyone stayed in their seats. An older gentleman at the very back of the plane (of course) appeared to be having a heart attack or something similar. The paramedics had to wheel a special chair device through the aisle, strap the man to it, and then back out to get off the plane. We were allowed to get up after they had passed through. The sad part in my opinion was that they had to stabilize him on the gurney right outside the gate, so as we exited we all trouped past him, lying with the oxygen mask on and leads attached to his chest, his family looking distraught. Was there no way of moving him slightly away from the gate? I don't know.
Since the flight was packed, they had gate-checked my carry-on, which was going to arrive at the baggage carousel. I went through customs with no problems, but as I was heading to the escalator, an older woman who was immediately in front of me tripped over a bag and fell on her shoulder.
Sigh.
It was one of those slow-motion moments, and she looked like she was in agony. I hoped the sound I had heard was from the suitcase and not from her. Everyone swarmed around her, including a couple of customs officers. I stood helplessly for a minute, then decided I didn't need to be there and slowly walked around her and went down the escalator. I picked up my bag and headed for the exit. As I showed my card to the customs officer, he said, "Could you please take your bag and go to the next room?"
Sigh.
I have NEVER been asked to go through secondary before. Ever. Luckily it wasn't busy so I went to the first available officer. He snapped on the gloves and went through the entire contents of my bag, checking the liner and everything. He asked me if the amount I declared was my best guess. I said yes, because I didn't know what the current exchange rate was. He said that by his calculation, the amount on the card and the value on my purchases didn't match. I froze for a second and said, "This is my first time here. Do I declare the value of the goods or the amount that I paid? Because I have all the receipts." I then whipped out a handful of receipts that I had at the ready. "Oh, okay," he said, and proceeded to go through all the receipts with me and matched it with my purchases. I even pulled out a shirt that he had missed in his sorting process. In the end, he found that my best guess was pretty close, he thanked me for being honest, and he was impressed that I had saved over $300. I would have been within the allowable limit either way, but the last thing I want is for customs to think that I was a liar. I do NOT want to be blacklisted and pulled over every time I crossed the border.
I made it home and was able to take a 2-hour power nap. Then I got dressed and drove to Stratford. I had tickets to Waiting for Godot that evening. It turned out to be a good thing, because I had really wanted to see this play for some time, and with everything that's happened in the past 24 hours, I needed some existential perspective.
"Nobody ringing my telephone now, oh how I miss such a beautiful sound"
Monday, July 08, 2013
Back On The Grid
Four and a half hours after everything shut down, the lights came back. The mobile news feeds had indicated that 80% of Mississauga were without power. The news channel is saying it's about 100,000 homes. Comparatively, about 300,000 people in Toronto are powerless, including my parents. It looks like part of the city aren't going to get power back until tomorrow morning.
It was fascinating watching the power come back one grid at a time. The buildings just to the south got their juice back first. It was a little sad to see the lights on just two blocks down the street from me, but I knew that it wouldn't be a long dark night.
The average rainfall for the month of July fell in one hour. There's flooding everywhere. I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow.
"If the rain comes they run and hide their heads"
It was fascinating watching the power come back one grid at a time. The buildings just to the south got their juice back first. It was a little sad to see the lights on just two blocks down the street from me, but I knew that it wouldn't be a long dark night.
The average rainfall for the month of July fell in one hour. There's flooding everywhere. I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow.
"If the rain comes they run and hide their heads"
It's All About Timing
Right now, I'm sitting comfortably on my sofa, drinking my lemon-flavoured sparkling water, listening to the cars honking outside my window. If I had been ten minutes later getting home, I could have been one of the honking cars.
The clouds were pitch black when I came out of the home improvement store. I thought to myself, forget about going to the supermarket to buy milk, I better get the heck out of here. Halfway home, I looked in my rear view mirror and blinked as I saw a curtain of rain behind me. Then it reached my car. It was the kind of rain where having an umbrella was a complete waste of time; you were going to get soaked from the water spraying upwards from the ground and sideways from the wind. I haven't been in the middle of a deluge like that for quite some time. It reminded me of the black rain warning I experienced just over a month ago in Hong Kong. I carefully dodged the spontaneous lakes on the street that would likely swallow my poor little car and eventually made it home safely.
I got off the elevator and opened my door. The first thing I did was turn on the news. I did a quick double take when I saw the reporter standing in a sunny intersection but soon realized that she was reporting from the tragic train derailment site in Quebec. Then the power went off.
I went out on my balcony and saw that my building was not the only one with no lights. In fact, I couldn't see any building with power in any direction. Traffic was already slow from the rain and was now a chaotic mess as aggravated drivers decided to forgo the four-way stop rule at the blacked out intersections. I grabbed a drink quickly from my fridge and sat down. I called my parents to check on them and learned that they also had no power. Today is their wedding anniversary, but a known scheduling conflict had forced us several weeks ago to plan their dinner for tomorrow.
Trying my best not to feel smug right now.
"Want you to see everything, want you to see all of the lights"
The clouds were pitch black when I came out of the home improvement store. I thought to myself, forget about going to the supermarket to buy milk, I better get the heck out of here. Halfway home, I looked in my rear view mirror and blinked as I saw a curtain of rain behind me. Then it reached my car. It was the kind of rain where having an umbrella was a complete waste of time; you were going to get soaked from the water spraying upwards from the ground and sideways from the wind. I haven't been in the middle of a deluge like that for quite some time. It reminded me of the black rain warning I experienced just over a month ago in Hong Kong. I carefully dodged the spontaneous lakes on the street that would likely swallow my poor little car and eventually made it home safely.
I got off the elevator and opened my door. The first thing I did was turn on the news. I did a quick double take when I saw the reporter standing in a sunny intersection but soon realized that she was reporting from the tragic train derailment site in Quebec. Then the power went off.
I went out on my balcony and saw that my building was not the only one with no lights. In fact, I couldn't see any building with power in any direction. Traffic was already slow from the rain and was now a chaotic mess as aggravated drivers decided to forgo the four-way stop rule at the blacked out intersections. I grabbed a drink quickly from my fridge and sat down. I called my parents to check on them and learned that they also had no power. Today is their wedding anniversary, but a known scheduling conflict had forced us several weeks ago to plan their dinner for tomorrow.
Trying my best not to feel smug right now.
"Want you to see everything, want you to see all of the lights"
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
From the Motherland
As I prepare to leave, I've found that I've learned quite a bit from this journey back to the motherland.
"Out of place all the time, in a world that wasn't mine to take"
- I can see why Chinese people drive the way they do. But HK is apparently pretty civilized compared to Beijing.
- I will never again complain about the cold. My love of cold has become completely irrevocable through this experience.
- I don't know how people in both HK and KL can wear skinny jeans and sweaters in 40 degree humidity. It utterly baffled me. And made me feel even MORE hot.
- I'm starting to develop a certain opinion about Mainlanders (not a really good thing).
- There's people. Lots of people. Everywhere. All the time.
- Despite the number of people, my brother told me that in the year that he's been living there, he has not yet seen my doppelgänger. This news actually makes me feel great. It's another indication that I am unique.
- They are seriously paranoid about germs in Asia. Which I guess has something to do with the number of people you could come into contact with at any given moment.
- I have a better understanding of why my mother feels the need to carry toothpicks with her everywhere.
"Out of place all the time, in a world that wasn't mine to take"
Friday, May 24, 2013
The Land of Durian
I have never had durian before. I've heard the stories about the stink, but I've never had the opportunity to try it. Until I got to Hong Kong, and it turns out that it's one of my great aunt's favourites. So, out of respect and politeness, I agreed to try it. The general rule is that if you can handle the smell, you should be able to eat it. It isn't the most pleasant smell in the world, but I'm sure there are other things that smell a whole lot worse. So I was fine with it. But I wasn't keen on eating more than a couple of pieces.
Now I find myself in the land of durian. So much so that there is actually a sign in our hotel that bans durian from being brought into the rooms. Malaysia has so far met my expectations for the heat level. For some reason, it feels exponentially hotter here than in HK. However, the customs of the land suggest a more modest waredrobe for women (refrain from shorts and tank tops). Much to my chagrin and embarrassment, I forgot about that. So yes, I did feel conspicuous at the airport. To a lesser degree at the central train station where I saw other female tourists baring their legs.
But I'm definitely going to have to go to the market in the morning. (Ed. note: I wrote this last night but lost Wifi connection before I could publish. After walking around today and seeing people wear less clothing than me, I think I'll be okay after all)
The one thing I'm glad I remembered: my umbrella. I've now experienced a black rain warning. They also have red rain and amber rain. But no purple rain.
The one thing I wish I remembered: the bug spray.
"If you know what I'm singin' about up here, come on raise your hand"
Now I find myself in the land of durian. So much so that there is actually a sign in our hotel that bans durian from being brought into the rooms. Malaysia has so far met my expectations for the heat level. For some reason, it feels exponentially hotter here than in HK. However, the customs of the land suggest a more modest waredrobe for women (refrain from shorts and tank tops). Much to my chagrin and embarrassment, I forgot about that. So yes, I did feel conspicuous at the airport. To a lesser degree at the central train station where I saw other female tourists baring their legs.
But I'm definitely going to have to go to the market in the morning. (Ed. note: I wrote this last night but lost Wifi connection before I could publish. After walking around today and seeing people wear less clothing than me, I think I'll be okay after all)
The one thing I'm glad I remembered: my umbrella. I've now experienced a black rain warning. They also have red rain and amber rain. But no purple rain.
The one thing I wish I remembered: the bug spray.
"If you know what I'm singin' about up here, come on raise your hand"
Monday, May 20, 2013
Greetings From The Future
So this is what the future is like.
Oh my goodness. It's so hot. But it's not as bad as I thought it would be, when you consider that there's air conditioning pretty much everywhere you go. And, despite my best efforts, I am kind of sick. I have the feeling that everyone is secretly giving me the stink-eye for not wearing a bird flu mask.
Some general observations:
"There's a wonderful place called tomorrowland, and it's only a dream away"
Oh my goodness. It's so hot. But it's not as bad as I thought it would be, when you consider that there's air conditioning pretty much everywhere you go. And, despite my best efforts, I am kind of sick. I have the feeling that everyone is secretly giving me the stink-eye for not wearing a bird flu mask.
Some general observations:
- There are 7-Eleven convenience stores EVERYWHERE. Making them remarkably convenient.
- May is the start of the rainy season. Oops.
- My brother's room at our great-aunt's apartment looked bigger when we were talking on Skype.
- The whole place just gives me the impression of it being one big Chinatown. For obvious reasons, but especially the architecture, the signage, the people, and, of course, the smells.
"There's a wonderful place called tomorrowland, and it's only a dream away"
Saturday, May 18, 2013
As Eaten On TV
It was a short visit to San Francisco, but a successful one in terms of eating. I found one of the diners in Berkeley, Bette's Oceanview Diner, that had an amazing soufflé pancake and this meat-like product called scrapple that's really tasty. I also found some food trucks. I had a falafel sandwich from La Falafel, steamed buns from The Chairman (formerly called Chairman Bao), and blackberry lemonade from the Taco Guys.
I'm signing off from the past now. Next time you hear from me, I'll be in the future.
"If I said let's run away, won't you leave with me tonight?"
I'm signing off from the past now. Next time you hear from me, I'll be in the future.
"If I said let's run away, won't you leave with me tonight?"
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
My Adventure Started Without Me
The adventure got off to an early start. So early, in fact, that it left without me.
For the first time in my whole life, I missed a flight that wasn't cancelled.
I got to the airport with 2.5 hours to spare. Or so I thought. I had to get into the lineup because I couldn't check in online. I thought it was because I was on an Air Canada code share (I bought the flights through United). The line was short but still took half an hour because most of the agents were taking their breaks at the same time. I finally got to a desk...and the woman informed me that my flight closed 20 minutes ago. What?? I thought I had gone crazy but I insisted that my flight was at 8:15 pm. No, she said, my flight was at 6:55 pm. They had changed my flight time and didn't tell me. I could still get on but I couldn't check my bag. Well, that wasn't going to work either.
Okay, deep breath. What are my options? There were no other flights that night going to San Francisco (or any other western US city). The direct flight in the morning was full up. The best she could do was send me to Vancouver at 10:55 pm tonight, arrive at 1:00 am, and then fly down to SF at 8:10 am, arriving at 10:30 am. This, I was assured, was the best option.
After getting it sorted out, and receiving $20 in food vouchers, I called my dad and my cousin to tell them the turn of events. My dad insisted that I go to the United desk and raise hell. Fine, I had nothing else to do. It was a ghost town at United. There was nobody there except for two women chatting on the side, and one of them looked like an employee. I waited until she noticed me, took a breath, then told my story. She was pretty appalled at the solution I was given, especially the fact that I wasn't offered a hotel voucher. There are laws, apparently. She got on her computer and tried to find me something better. Oh, but it wasn't United's fault that I wasn't contacted about the time change, contrary to what I was told at AC. And she couldn't give me a hotel voucher either. Another employee showed up and together they looked for flights. The best option was to stay put for the night and fly to Chicago at 6:30 am and connect there. They had flights going to SF almost every half hour, so if anything happened I wouldn't be stuck for very long. The way the AC agent set up my tickets meant that we had to go to the AC desks again, have them cancel the crazy flights they put me on, and then she could book me onto the United flights.
After we made the cancellation, we went back to the United desk. There was a black purse on the ledge and nobody around. I took a half step backwards because my night could actually take a bigger turn for the worse. The lady just opened it, looked inside (nothing unusual), then called security to pick it up (the owner showed up before security did). She booked my flights, giving me premium economy seats at no charge, and told me what to do when I came back in the morning at 4:00 (!). She also gave me instructions on how to get to Air Canada's customer service website to tell my story and see what they'll do for me. If they don't do anything, then I should contact Transport Canada and escalate it.
I called my dad and he picked me up. I was going to spend the night in Edmond's room because my old room was going to be used by my aunt from Winnipeg, who was arriving the same night for a mini high school reunion with other high school friends who were also arriving around the same time and were also being picked up by my parents. Living five minutes away from the airport has its pros and cons. Mostly pros for me, especially on this occasion.
Steve was pretty surprised to see me. He made a funny point. I had thanked the United lady, Anne Marie, profusely because she stayed overtime to help me out. She said she did it because I was nice about it and wasn't yelling and screaming. If I had started out that way, she would have said that it was her quitting time and would have left me to find someone else. I said to Steve, "See, you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar." To which he replied, "Yeah, but you can probably catch even more flies with a big pile of poop."
"It's silent in the early morning, the only sound is my breathing, as I lay awake not knowing where it will be I'm going"
Monday, May 13, 2013
The Boys Always Break My Heart
Sigh.
As I left work today, I told my boss (a diehard Habs fan) that I was pretty sure the Leafs were going to break my heart tonight. He was actually convinced that the Leafs would break his heart. I hate to be so pessimistic, but historical evidence is hard to ignore. And I've found that if I keep my expectations low, it makes exceeding them that much easier and satisfying.
I flipped to the game when they were winning 4-1 in the 3rd period. For a second, I got excited. But I had a terrible feeling that it wasn't going to last. It didn't. A spectacular choke. I couldn't even bring myself to watch the overtime. Instead, I watched Chris Hadfield land in the middle of Kazakhstan. Much more successful.
"Planet Earth is blue, and there's nothing I can do"
As I left work today, I told my boss (a diehard Habs fan) that I was pretty sure the Leafs were going to break my heart tonight. He was actually convinced that the Leafs would break his heart. I hate to be so pessimistic, but historical evidence is hard to ignore. And I've found that if I keep my expectations low, it makes exceeding them that much easier and satisfying.
I flipped to the game when they were winning 4-1 in the 3rd period. For a second, I got excited. But I had a terrible feeling that it wasn't going to last. It didn't. A spectacular choke. I couldn't even bring myself to watch the overtime. Instead, I watched Chris Hadfield land in the middle of Kazakhstan. Much more successful.
"Planet Earth is blue, and there's nothing I can do"
Thursday, May 09, 2013
Downbursts Are Baby Tornadoes, Right?
"...severe thunderstorms...could cause large hail and downburst winds..."
Okay, so it turns out that downbursts aren't baby tornadoes. But this was the gist of what I read on the National Weather Service website before I got on a plane to Dallas yesterday.
Last Thursday, I was eating lunch at my desk when my boss called me into his office. When I went in, he was staring at the vacation calendar that's posted on his wall. My heart nearly stopped. "Err...is everything okay with my vacation?" I asked nervously. "Oh yeah, we're good," he replied. "Can you go to Dallas next week?"
We are apparently looking into getting some new equipment. The sales guy for one of the vendors had arranged a demo at a cosmetics company in the States. This project actually belonged to my coworker, but his visa paperwork didn't come through in time. My boss was going to go, but there was a customer visit at our site on the same day that was pretty important. The sales guy had already rescheduled the demo once and couldn't change it again. So I became the pinch hitter.
When you think about it, I'm probably the more ideal candidate to go to a cosmetics company. On the other hand, it's Texas. All I can do is hope that they don't shoot the girl first.
I had dinner with the sales guy at a really good steakhouse, Del Frisco's. It's a small chain that originated from Texas but has locations all over the US. I would say it's a small step above Ruth's Chris. They had valet parking and everything. The meal was great, but it was a little too much food a little too late in the night. I was exhausted and stuffed. But I guess it helped me out because I slept like a log the whole night, which is unusual (I usually toss and turn the first night in a hotel from the unfamiliar environment and the different noises).
We went to the facility, which was a strange experience. It had a security fence all around it. We had to get buzzed in through the gate before we could even get to the front door. They had a uniformed security officer at the reception desk. It's a cosmetics company. I wasn't aware that they had to protect themselves that much. And yet, they let me take as many photos and videos of their equipment as I wanted. So weirdly contradictory.
The equipment was pretty impressive. The engineering technician who took us around the plant had nothing but good things to say. The last 4 new pieces that they bought were from this vendor, so that's a telltale sign. We got a good look around, and then we left, just as the rain started.
No hail. No downbursts. Less than 24 hours and I was out of there.
"The sun will shine from time to time, oh when you dream of me yeah"
Okay, so it turns out that downbursts aren't baby tornadoes. But this was the gist of what I read on the National Weather Service website before I got on a plane to Dallas yesterday.
Last Thursday, I was eating lunch at my desk when my boss called me into his office. When I went in, he was staring at the vacation calendar that's posted on his wall. My heart nearly stopped. "Err...is everything okay with my vacation?" I asked nervously. "Oh yeah, we're good," he replied. "Can you go to Dallas next week?"
We are apparently looking into getting some new equipment. The sales guy for one of the vendors had arranged a demo at a cosmetics company in the States. This project actually belonged to my coworker, but his visa paperwork didn't come through in time. My boss was going to go, but there was a customer visit at our site on the same day that was pretty important. The sales guy had already rescheduled the demo once and couldn't change it again. So I became the pinch hitter.
When you think about it, I'm probably the more ideal candidate to go to a cosmetics company. On the other hand, it's Texas. All I can do is hope that they don't shoot the girl first.
I had dinner with the sales guy at a really good steakhouse, Del Frisco's. It's a small chain that originated from Texas but has locations all over the US. I would say it's a small step above Ruth's Chris. They had valet parking and everything. The meal was great, but it was a little too much food a little too late in the night. I was exhausted and stuffed. But I guess it helped me out because I slept like a log the whole night, which is unusual (I usually toss and turn the first night in a hotel from the unfamiliar environment and the different noises).
We went to the facility, which was a strange experience. It had a security fence all around it. We had to get buzzed in through the gate before we could even get to the front door. They had a uniformed security officer at the reception desk. It's a cosmetics company. I wasn't aware that they had to protect themselves that much. And yet, they let me take as many photos and videos of their equipment as I wanted. So weirdly contradictory.
The equipment was pretty impressive. The engineering technician who took us around the plant had nothing but good things to say. The last 4 new pieces that they bought were from this vendor, so that's a telltale sign. We got a good look around, and then we left, just as the rain started.
No hail. No downbursts. Less than 24 hours and I was out of there.
"The sun will shine from time to time, oh when you dream of me yeah"
Friday, May 03, 2013
When Front Row Becomes Back Row
It's a sad day when you realize that you've lost your concert legs. Oh man. I used to be able to stand for hours and hours to watch and listen to singers and bands perform. It's also sad when you can't really remember the last time you went to a concert. Well, at least I've been able to remedy that one.
I was fortunate enough to see the Lumineers yesterday. My friend and I arrived a little late, or so I thought, and I figured we had missed the opening act. But we didn't. They were a band called You Won't, who unfortunately didn't endear themselves early on when they introduced themselves as a band from Boston, Massachusetts. After the smattering of boos, he asked "What, is it a hockey thing?" The band was made up of two guys. The lead singer played the guitar mostly. The other member played pretty much everything else, and simultaneously. He played the drums and the harmonica at the same time, or the synthesizer and the drums and the tambourine. And he sang back up. I'd never heard of them before, so I listened to the first 20 seconds of some of their songs before I went downtown. I thought they sounded okay. In the live situation, it was a little different. There wasn't much interest from the audience (the girl in front of me started checking the hockey scores on her phone). The low point came when the lead singer started playing on wind chimes. But they played their best song (in my opinion) last, so it ended okay for me.
A forest of tall people sprouted up in front of me between the opening act and the headliners. We were in the general admission pit so the sight lines from further back weren't the best to start with. There was one tall guy who spent the majority of the night making out with his girl. Not exactly what I came here to see. But the good thing was that his girl was short, so he had to bend down, which meant that I could see better. Always an up side.
The Lumineers are such a sing-along band, which of course makes them great to see live. And they really do want everyone to enjoy the songs. As they were about to get to the chorus of "Ho Hey", they all stopped together and the lead singer asked everyone to put away their cell phones and recording devices and just enjoy the song. Awesome. Most people complied, but there were still some who ignored the request. They played some songs from their album, along with ones I didn't recognize and a new song here and there. Neyla got a fantastic response when she sang solo on part of a new song.
At the end of the set, I wasn't sure if they were going to do an encore. But sure enough they came out to play again. After the first encore song, I was abruptly shoved by the girl next to me. But that was only because she had been abruptly shoved as the gates around the soundboard burst open and an army of security guys surged out, flashlights in their mouths, holding various wooden boxes, microphones, and a drum. They made their way out to the middle of the crowd and set up a makeshift stage. Suddenly we weren't so far away from the band anymore. Someone behind me laughed and said all those people at the front row must be pissed because they're now suddenly the back row. The band wanted to play the first song completely unplugged (no mics either). It took forever for the room to quiet down, but it was worth it. So cool. They played another song with the mics before they went back to the stage and finished off the encore.
And then it was over. We waded through a sea of empty (and not so empty) beer cans and out into the night. As we drove out, we passed by, of all things, a music video shoot. It was clearly a rap video. The guy (whom I didn't recognize) was sitting on top of a bus shelter, surrounded by bottles of champagne, while a chick was standing on the sidewalk with an umbrella. Now I'll be watching for that video all the time...
"So keep your head up, keep your love"
I was fortunate enough to see the Lumineers yesterday. My friend and I arrived a little late, or so I thought, and I figured we had missed the opening act. But we didn't. They were a band called You Won't, who unfortunately didn't endear themselves early on when they introduced themselves as a band from Boston, Massachusetts. After the smattering of boos, he asked "What, is it a hockey thing?" The band was made up of two guys. The lead singer played the guitar mostly. The other member played pretty much everything else, and simultaneously. He played the drums and the harmonica at the same time, or the synthesizer and the drums and the tambourine. And he sang back up. I'd never heard of them before, so I listened to the first 20 seconds of some of their songs before I went downtown. I thought they sounded okay. In the live situation, it was a little different. There wasn't much interest from the audience (the girl in front of me started checking the hockey scores on her phone). The low point came when the lead singer started playing on wind chimes. But they played their best song (in my opinion) last, so it ended okay for me.
A forest of tall people sprouted up in front of me between the opening act and the headliners. We were in the general admission pit so the sight lines from further back weren't the best to start with. There was one tall guy who spent the majority of the night making out with his girl. Not exactly what I came here to see. But the good thing was that his girl was short, so he had to bend down, which meant that I could see better. Always an up side.
The Lumineers are such a sing-along band, which of course makes them great to see live. And they really do want everyone to enjoy the songs. As they were about to get to the chorus of "Ho Hey", they all stopped together and the lead singer asked everyone to put away their cell phones and recording devices and just enjoy the song. Awesome. Most people complied, but there were still some who ignored the request. They played some songs from their album, along with ones I didn't recognize and a new song here and there. Neyla got a fantastic response when she sang solo on part of a new song.
At the end of the set, I wasn't sure if they were going to do an encore. But sure enough they came out to play again. After the first encore song, I was abruptly shoved by the girl next to me. But that was only because she had been abruptly shoved as the gates around the soundboard burst open and an army of security guys surged out, flashlights in their mouths, holding various wooden boxes, microphones, and a drum. They made their way out to the middle of the crowd and set up a makeshift stage. Suddenly we weren't so far away from the band anymore. Someone behind me laughed and said all those people at the front row must be pissed because they're now suddenly the back row. The band wanted to play the first song completely unplugged (no mics either). It took forever for the room to quiet down, but it was worth it. So cool. They played another song with the mics before they went back to the stage and finished off the encore.
And then it was over. We waded through a sea of empty (and not so empty) beer cans and out into the night. As we drove out, we passed by, of all things, a music video shoot. It was clearly a rap video. The guy (whom I didn't recognize) was sitting on top of a bus shelter, surrounded by bottles of champagne, while a chick was standing on the sidewalk with an umbrella. Now I'll be watching for that video all the time...
"So keep your head up, keep your love"
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Three, Four, Shut the (Front) Door
It's probably been more than ten years since there's been even a hint of winter weather on my birthday. And we were really close this time. But, once again, much ado about nothing.
Oh yeah...yay...birthday...
34 years of life. I've never been ashamed or hesitant to say what my age is. Because frankly, nobody's been able to guess it correctly. Well, one guy did, but he had an actual frame of reference, so he doesn't count.
I am, however, looking back a lot more these days. I suppose that's evident in my recent blog topics. And I shouldn't be doing that so much. Reflection is good to a point, but I've only gone through just over a third of my life (assuming I've been endowed with the appropriate genes). I still have a long way to go.
Alas, I continue to regress. After all, the thing I'm looking forward to the most in the next couple of weeks is volunteering at the TIFF Kids International Film Festival. Why? There's going to be a meet-and-greet with Elmo and the Cookie Monster. Seriously. So excited.
"You said that irony was the shackles of youth, you wore a shirt of violent green, uh-huh"
Oh yeah...yay...birthday...
34 years of life. I've never been ashamed or hesitant to say what my age is. Because frankly, nobody's been able to guess it correctly. Well, one guy did, but he had an actual frame of reference, so he doesn't count.
I am, however, looking back a lot more these days. I suppose that's evident in my recent blog topics. And I shouldn't be doing that so much. Reflection is good to a point, but I've only gone through just over a third of my life (assuming I've been endowed with the appropriate genes). I still have a long way to go.
Alas, I continue to regress. After all, the thing I'm looking forward to the most in the next couple of weeks is volunteering at the TIFF Kids International Film Festival. Why? There's going to be a meet-and-greet with Elmo and the Cookie Monster. Seriously. So excited.
"You said that irony was the shackles of youth, you wore a shirt of violent green, uh-huh"
Monday, March 25, 2013
Always A Little Different
When I was little, I might have thought about what my wedding would be like. When I was a teen, I started to think about what marriage meant to me. These days, when I watch "Say Yes to the Dress" (and I watch that show a lot), I take note of how amazing some of those dresses are, but I never think about being in the same position as those girls.
I'm pretty sure I've covered this ground before, but I feel the need to say it again. I have nothing against marriage for other people. I will drop everything and be there to help my friends with any and all aspects of their weddings (dress shopping is still dress shopping, and I'm not bad at it). I'm genuinely happy for them and wish them all the best. I know a lot of couples who have been successfully married for years.
For the past few weeks, I've been watching a coworker friend's marriage suddenly and quite rapidly disintegrate in front of his eyes. Seemingly out of nowhere, his wife announced that she was unhappy with the marriage and wanted to move out. Now, I absolutely do NOT have the full picture or story, and I am obviously biased because I'm hearing my coworker friend, who I've known for the past 7 years, talk about his wife, who I met once during that entire time. He's one of the nicest people I know, and I can't even imagine what the problem could be. Of course, the dynamics of a relationship aren't always seen by the general public. There was a moment when it seemed like a reconciliation was possible, but then things took a turn for the worse and he admitted today that it's pretty much over. And now the messy paperwork part begins. They also have a young son, who's already starting to become affected by this.
My coworker has the dubious distinction of being my first friend to experience the process of divorce. Over the years I've seen my parents' friends and older relatives divorce, but it was different to me. It was like being a step removed. At the same time, not a single one of my friends comes from a broken home. I've had friends who endured big breakups, but that's not quite the same either. Shoot, I've endured breakups. But that's not what turned me off of marriage.
My biggest beef about marriage is the legal bit. Obtaining "permission", essentially. And paying for a license. I understand the necessity of having a license to drive or otherwise operate large machinery. You need to prove that you know what you're doing. I understand having a license for a dog or cat. But the marriage license thing bothers me. I get that religion plays a really big part in it too. So are you getting married because you want to, or because you're being told it's socially acceptable to? Or is it something that we're taught that you're supposed to do when you grow up?
Don't even get me started on equal rights.
I spent part of the afternoon googling "Are humans meant to be monogamous?" There are a lot of scientific opinions about it, and of course no consensus. Comparisons between humans and other animals were made. Evolution also has a huge part in it. There are statistical differences between how men and women view monogamy, both socially and biologically. I think the gist of it is that most animals are polygamous because it's a way of ensuring the propagation of the species. Humans are only different from most primates because of our capacity to associate love with another person. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating promiscuity. If I've learned one thing about myself, it's that I can't be like that. I think I'm just always going to be a little different than most people.
My coworker friend was really down today. I told him that I know two things to be true: things happen for a reason, and it always works out in the end. I don't know how, but it always does.
"Upon the hill across the blue lake, that's where I had my first heartbreak"
I'm pretty sure I've covered this ground before, but I feel the need to say it again. I have nothing against marriage for other people. I will drop everything and be there to help my friends with any and all aspects of their weddings (dress shopping is still dress shopping, and I'm not bad at it). I'm genuinely happy for them and wish them all the best. I know a lot of couples who have been successfully married for years.
For the past few weeks, I've been watching a coworker friend's marriage suddenly and quite rapidly disintegrate in front of his eyes. Seemingly out of nowhere, his wife announced that she was unhappy with the marriage and wanted to move out. Now, I absolutely do NOT have the full picture or story, and I am obviously biased because I'm hearing my coworker friend, who I've known for the past 7 years, talk about his wife, who I met once during that entire time. He's one of the nicest people I know, and I can't even imagine what the problem could be. Of course, the dynamics of a relationship aren't always seen by the general public. There was a moment when it seemed like a reconciliation was possible, but then things took a turn for the worse and he admitted today that it's pretty much over. And now the messy paperwork part begins. They also have a young son, who's already starting to become affected by this.
My coworker has the dubious distinction of being my first friend to experience the process of divorce. Over the years I've seen my parents' friends and older relatives divorce, but it was different to me. It was like being a step removed. At the same time, not a single one of my friends comes from a broken home. I've had friends who endured big breakups, but that's not quite the same either. Shoot, I've endured breakups. But that's not what turned me off of marriage.
My biggest beef about marriage is the legal bit. Obtaining "permission", essentially. And paying for a license. I understand the necessity of having a license to drive or otherwise operate large machinery. You need to prove that you know what you're doing. I understand having a license for a dog or cat. But the marriage license thing bothers me. I get that religion plays a really big part in it too. So are you getting married because you want to, or because you're being told it's socially acceptable to? Or is it something that we're taught that you're supposed to do when you grow up?
Don't even get me started on equal rights.
I spent part of the afternoon googling "Are humans meant to be monogamous?" There are a lot of scientific opinions about it, and of course no consensus. Comparisons between humans and other animals were made. Evolution also has a huge part in it. There are statistical differences between how men and women view monogamy, both socially and biologically. I think the gist of it is that most animals are polygamous because it's a way of ensuring the propagation of the species. Humans are only different from most primates because of our capacity to associate love with another person. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating promiscuity. If I've learned one thing about myself, it's that I can't be like that. I think I'm just always going to be a little different than most people.
My coworker friend was really down today. I told him that I know two things to be true: things happen for a reason, and it always works out in the end. I don't know how, but it always does.
"Upon the hill across the blue lake, that's where I had my first heartbreak"
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Ten
*Blink*
It boggles the mind sometimes. Ten years ago today, I started writing. I've had some interesting thoughts. I've had some interesting things happen to me and around me. 332 times.
I thought I could retrospectively look at my writings and actually see the change in myself. Like a time capsule. Or a montage. As I read them over again, a couple of things struck me. First of all, other than a few really vague references and dead links, I was able to relive all of the events that I wrote about. How it felt as I finished my last exam, or got my first job, or made fun of myself (and others), or lost money (that seemed to happen a lot). The second thing, and I mentioned this a couple of posts ago, is that through all the years of writing, I could still hear me speaking. I mean, I felt like I was the same the whole time. The more things change, the more they stay the same, as they say.
Am I disappointed that I haven't changed? Even after all the experiences I've had, all the lessons I've learned, and all the mistakes I've made? I guess it depends on the nature of the change. I've found that it's really hard to determine if you should be true to yourself and stay as you are, or if you should change to become a better person. But what is "better"? And better for who?
Maybe I HAVE changed, and it's just hard for me to see it because I've become whatever I've changed into. Maybe this is it, and I'm never going to be anything different. Maybe I still really don't know who I am, or what I want to be, and I need another ten years to figure it out.
The one thing I do know...is that over the years, I've definitely heard some really great music.
"Once said, words make a world of their own"
It boggles the mind sometimes. Ten years ago today, I started writing. I've had some interesting thoughts. I've had some interesting things happen to me and around me. 332 times.
I thought I could retrospectively look at my writings and actually see the change in myself. Like a time capsule. Or a montage. As I read them over again, a couple of things struck me. First of all, other than a few really vague references and dead links, I was able to relive all of the events that I wrote about. How it felt as I finished my last exam, or got my first job, or made fun of myself (and others), or lost money (that seemed to happen a lot). The second thing, and I mentioned this a couple of posts ago, is that through all the years of writing, I could still hear me speaking. I mean, I felt like I was the same the whole time. The more things change, the more they stay the same, as they say.
Am I disappointed that I haven't changed? Even after all the experiences I've had, all the lessons I've learned, and all the mistakes I've made? I guess it depends on the nature of the change. I've found that it's really hard to determine if you should be true to yourself and stay as you are, or if you should change to become a better person. But what is "better"? And better for who?
Maybe I HAVE changed, and it's just hard for me to see it because I've become whatever I've changed into. Maybe this is it, and I'm never going to be anything different. Maybe I still really don't know who I am, or what I want to be, and I need another ten years to figure it out.
The one thing I do know...is that over the years, I've definitely heard some really great music.
"Once said, words make a world of their own"
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
The Downside of Caring
It's been a frustrating day. The worst part of it is that I know how it could all have been avoided.
If only I could care less.
That was the underlying theme of the day. All of the aggravation and emotion would have been non-existent and I could have gone about my day happy as a clam (assuming that clams are happy) if I didn't care.
But I do care. I care that if someone came to me with a problem, even if I had absolutely no power to do anything about it, I would try to help anyway. I care that if I see something wrong, I would try to fix it. I care that even if someone else made the mistake, I would correct it.
I can't help it. It's in my nature. I catch myself doing it all the time. Sometimes it's crazy how quickly I will drop whatever I'm doing in order to assist someone else.
I guess my parents gave me the right name after all.
"Heaven holds a sense of wonder, and I wanted to believe that I'd get caught up when the rage in me subsides"
If only I could care less.
That was the underlying theme of the day. All of the aggravation and emotion would have been non-existent and I could have gone about my day happy as a clam (assuming that clams are happy) if I didn't care.
But I do care. I care that if someone came to me with a problem, even if I had absolutely no power to do anything about it, I would try to help anyway. I care that if I see something wrong, I would try to fix it. I care that even if someone else made the mistake, I would correct it.
I can't help it. It's in my nature. I catch myself doing it all the time. Sometimes it's crazy how quickly I will drop whatever I'm doing in order to assist someone else.
I guess my parents gave me the right name after all.
"Heaven holds a sense of wonder, and I wanted to believe that I'd get caught up when the rage in me subsides"
Monday, March 04, 2013
Back In The Saddle
Life's full of setbacks. Everyone knows this. Me especially. The important thing is what you can take away from it. This time around, by some miracle, I feel like I've actually learned something about me.
I can't believe it's taken this long for my instincts to kick in. For once, I actually saw something coming. I'm going to take this as a really good sign for the future, that I'm going to be okay.
I was also right about something that I had long suspected about myself. I just can't be random. I can't do it. I need to build a base, do research, overanalyze. It makes things more difficult, but what else can I do? At least during this process, I've figured out some things that I should and shouldn't do. For next time.
This past weekend, my coworker watched as her 11-year-old daughter was thrown head first from a horse that was taking a jump a little too aggressively. This was her daughter's first show where she was competing in jumping. Luckily, her daughter was fine. The more important thing was that she hasn't been turned off of riding. My coworker told her daughter, "Everyone experiences one big fall. This was yours." So true.
"May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground, carry on"
I can't believe it's taken this long for my instincts to kick in. For once, I actually saw something coming. I'm going to take this as a really good sign for the future, that I'm going to be okay.
I was also right about something that I had long suspected about myself. I just can't be random. I can't do it. I need to build a base, do research, overanalyze. It makes things more difficult, but what else can I do? At least during this process, I've figured out some things that I should and shouldn't do. For next time.
This past weekend, my coworker watched as her 11-year-old daughter was thrown head first from a horse that was taking a jump a little too aggressively. This was her daughter's first show where she was competing in jumping. Luckily, her daughter was fine. The more important thing was that she hasn't been turned off of riding. My coworker told her daughter, "Everyone experiences one big fall. This was yours." So true.
"May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground, carry on"
Friday, February 15, 2013
Old Fears Revisited
In anticipation of a new reader, I started re-reading my old posts from the beginning, as a reminder of the girl I once was. I guess I haven't changed that much over the years. I'm still a little sarcastic, a little self-deprecating, a lot introspective. I found a post that reminded me that it might be easier for me to express myself through the written word rather than a verbal conversation. So here we go:
I've been told recently that it's not easy to get to know me. That would normally surprise me, but not in this case. I have a feeling that past experiences are holding me back. This is a disappointing revelation, since I thought that I had made some really good progress over the past few years. I might have also been deluding myself all this time, thinking that I was perfectly okay with being on my own. Maybe I'm not. But, as it turns out, the fears are still there. The fear of allowing someone in and then watching them crush me. The fear of seeing more than there actually is. The fear of being blind to the obvious.
So what do I do?
Let's try something new. I want to be as brave as possible. I want to leave the past behind and look forward. I want to be okay with things, whether they work in my favour or not.
New Friend, this is me, with as much truth as I can muster. I know there's a lot to go through, so no rush. I hope you'll know me better in the end. And I hope you're okay with me mentioning you here.
"Just because it burns doesn't mean you're gonna die, you gotta get up and try and try and try"
I've been told recently that it's not easy to get to know me. That would normally surprise me, but not in this case. I have a feeling that past experiences are holding me back. This is a disappointing revelation, since I thought that I had made some really good progress over the past few years. I might have also been deluding myself all this time, thinking that I was perfectly okay with being on my own. Maybe I'm not. But, as it turns out, the fears are still there. The fear of allowing someone in and then watching them crush me. The fear of seeing more than there actually is. The fear of being blind to the obvious.
So what do I do?
Let's try something new. I want to be as brave as possible. I want to leave the past behind and look forward. I want to be okay with things, whether they work in my favour or not.
New Friend, this is me, with as much truth as I can muster. I know there's a lot to go through, so no rush. I hope you'll know me better in the end. And I hope you're okay with me mentioning you here.
"Just because it burns doesn't mean you're gonna die, you gotta get up and try and try and try"
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
He's A Debt-Free Hobo
Doesn't that sound like a ridiculous country song? The thing about country music (of which, admittedly, I'm not a fan) is that it's supposed to be based on something real. In my case, it's pretty accurate.
Suddenly and out of nowhere, I've become acquainted with a hobo. Well, he's actually a really good friend of mine who, through a series of unfortunate events, has no fixed address and carries all of his belongings in two bags. At the same time, through the same series of events, he came into a sum of money that essentially makes him debt-free. So what does he do? He elevates himself from a local hobo to a full-fledged transient. As of today, he'll be riding the rails from one end of the country to the other for the next two months, with periodic stops across the border.
I'm still trying to process the situation. I've known him to be a nomad for some time now. Going to school in Montreal, randomly moving to Vancouver, periodically traipsing around the globe. He had settled fairly well back in town for a long time. But things happen, as they tend to do.
The reassuring thought is that he actually has a plan in the works that will hopefully kick in after the two months are up. He's planning on going back to school. Again. The choices are in New England or England. A good choice, either way. I thought he was going to be a serial entrepreneur. I guess he's going to be a professional student instead.
"I've been walkin' these streets so long, singin' the same old song"
Suddenly and out of nowhere, I've become acquainted with a hobo. Well, he's actually a really good friend of mine who, through a series of unfortunate events, has no fixed address and carries all of his belongings in two bags. At the same time, through the same series of events, he came into a sum of money that essentially makes him debt-free. So what does he do? He elevates himself from a local hobo to a full-fledged transient. As of today, he'll be riding the rails from one end of the country to the other for the next two months, with periodic stops across the border.
I'm still trying to process the situation. I've known him to be a nomad for some time now. Going to school in Montreal, randomly moving to Vancouver, periodically traipsing around the globe. He had settled fairly well back in town for a long time. But things happen, as they tend to do.
The reassuring thought is that he actually has a plan in the works that will hopefully kick in after the two months are up. He's planning on going back to school. Again. The choices are in New England or England. A good choice, either way. I thought he was going to be a serial entrepreneur. I guess he's going to be a professional student instead.
"I've been walkin' these streets so long, singin' the same old song"
Saturday, February 09, 2013
I Think He's Trying To Tell Me Something
Snow. Glorious snow. We haven't had this much snow in the city in years. Amazing to see, terrible to drive through. Of course, I was a lazy git and didn't get the snow tires. But no matter, after years of driving Bullitt with all-season radials I've mastered the art of sliding sideways. Of course, Bullitt was a bit bigger than Rudy...
I guided Rudy out onto the main road and into the chaos. You would think that they would plow a major artery by 8:00 am, but alas, not the case. It wasn't as bad as a couple of weeks ago, when the road was sheer ice and I nearly slid into the middle of an intersection. But it was still slippery. To the point where I had everything pointed forwards but still managed some lateral movement. It was in those moments that I noticed a yellow flashing light on my dash. My little car comes equipped with electronic stability control, which I guess is a good thing. But each time I started to slide, this is what would flash rapidly in front of me:
ESC
For a second, it really looked like my car was telling me to "ESCAPE!" And I kind of had this instinctual urge to tuck and roll. But I stuck it out and we made it to work eventually.
My office closed early in the afternoon to allow everyone the chance to get home in one piece. I decided to try and make it to my parents' house. The experience included rolling past jackknifed tractor trailers and creating my own lane on the highway, but all of that was compounded by the unavoidable ice build-up on my wiper blades, making the windshield a smeared mess. I had to keep peering between lines of water and ice. I was really worried at one point because I had some serious visibility issues, but I was almost at my exit. I was going to pull over onto a side street and chip it off. But wouldn't you know it, the moment I got off the highway, the ice fell off the wipers all at once, and I could see again. If only that had happened fifteen minutes sooner.
"Slow down, nothing's gonna disappear, if you give yourself some room to move to the music you hear"
I guided Rudy out onto the main road and into the chaos. You would think that they would plow a major artery by 8:00 am, but alas, not the case. It wasn't as bad as a couple of weeks ago, when the road was sheer ice and I nearly slid into the middle of an intersection. But it was still slippery. To the point where I had everything pointed forwards but still managed some lateral movement. It was in those moments that I noticed a yellow flashing light on my dash. My little car comes equipped with electronic stability control, which I guess is a good thing. But each time I started to slide, this is what would flash rapidly in front of me:
ESC
For a second, it really looked like my car was telling me to "ESCAPE!" And I kind of had this instinctual urge to tuck and roll. But I stuck it out and we made it to work eventually.
My office closed early in the afternoon to allow everyone the chance to get home in one piece. I decided to try and make it to my parents' house. The experience included rolling past jackknifed tractor trailers and creating my own lane on the highway, but all of that was compounded by the unavoidable ice build-up on my wiper blades, making the windshield a smeared mess. I had to keep peering between lines of water and ice. I was really worried at one point because I had some serious visibility issues, but I was almost at my exit. I was going to pull over onto a side street and chip it off. But wouldn't you know it, the moment I got off the highway, the ice fell off the wipers all at once, and I could see again. If only that had happened fifteen minutes sooner.
"Slow down, nothing's gonna disappear, if you give yourself some room to move to the music you hear"
Thursday, February 07, 2013
Abandon Ship
My parents have been going on cruises a lot in their golden years. They have never once planned to go themselves, they just continue to be invited by different groups of friends and relatives. At this point, they've probably circled the globe by boat. They've even been to Antarctica.
2011 was a busy year, cruise-wise. Two weeks after my parents came back from a European cruise, they left for a China cruise. My brothers were left to watch the house and fend for themselves. A few days later, my brother called me and said there was a message from the daughter of our next-door neighbour. She was calling to tell us that her mother had died. I've known her parents my entire life. She died the day after my parents left.
One of my brothers and I went to the visitation to represent our family. A lot of our other neighbours were there. I'm sorry to say that over the years, I didn't really talk to them very much. But it was nice to see them, and that they had noticed my car on occasion. We stayed for a while, talked to the son and daughter (both of whom had moved out of the neighbourhood long before I was born), conveyed our condolences to her husband (who looked really thin and frail, nothing like the round jolly man I had known all my life), and then quietly left.
This past weekend, my parents left for an Australian cruise (stopping in Hong Kong on the way there and back to check on my youngest brother). My middle brother e-mailed me today to tell me that he got a message from the same daughter, saying that our neighbour had passed away, two days after my parents left. When he saw the name on the call display, he literally said to himself, "Not again..."
After his wife died, it wasn't possible for him to live on his own so his family moved him to a nursing home, and the house was (presumably) rented to other people. The obituary said that he passed away peacefully in his sleep. He was 89. His wife was 85 when she died. A long life for both of them. Sadly, she died just before she was about to be a great-grandmother. At least he was able to see his great-grandson.
It's an eerie coincidence, and it brings the idea of mortality back to the forefront of my mind. Maybe my parents shouldn't go on cruises anymore. We're running out of neighbours.
"Oh save me, save me from tomorrow, I don't want to sail on this ship of fools"
2011 was a busy year, cruise-wise. Two weeks after my parents came back from a European cruise, they left for a China cruise. My brothers were left to watch the house and fend for themselves. A few days later, my brother called me and said there was a message from the daughter of our next-door neighbour. She was calling to tell us that her mother had died. I've known her parents my entire life. She died the day after my parents left.
One of my brothers and I went to the visitation to represent our family. A lot of our other neighbours were there. I'm sorry to say that over the years, I didn't really talk to them very much. But it was nice to see them, and that they had noticed my car on occasion. We stayed for a while, talked to the son and daughter (both of whom had moved out of the neighbourhood long before I was born), conveyed our condolences to her husband (who looked really thin and frail, nothing like the round jolly man I had known all my life), and then quietly left.
This past weekend, my parents left for an Australian cruise (stopping in Hong Kong on the way there and back to check on my youngest brother). My middle brother e-mailed me today to tell me that he got a message from the same daughter, saying that our neighbour had passed away, two days after my parents left. When he saw the name on the call display, he literally said to himself, "Not again..."
After his wife died, it wasn't possible for him to live on his own so his family moved him to a nursing home, and the house was (presumably) rented to other people. The obituary said that he passed away peacefully in his sleep. He was 89. His wife was 85 when she died. A long life for both of them. Sadly, she died just before she was about to be a great-grandmother. At least he was able to see his great-grandson.
It's an eerie coincidence, and it brings the idea of mortality back to the forefront of my mind. Maybe my parents shouldn't go on cruises anymore. We're running out of neighbours.
"Oh save me, save me from tomorrow, I don't want to sail on this ship of fools"
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
Not New
There's been a lot of sad news lately. The Newtown school massacre, the New Delhi gang-rape-murder, the man pushed in front of the subway in New York. The irony of having "new" in the name of each city is that they're actually not very new stories at all.
In a story much closer to home, there was a highway hit-and-run on New Year's Day that resulted in the death of a 7-year-old boy. A minivan was rear-ended by a Hummer, which then drove off to the exit ramp. The driver then ditched the car and ran off. In the report that I read, it appeared that the Hummer almost drove right over the van. The little boy sitting in the rear seat didn't stand a chance. The back corner of the van had crumpled like an accordion.
I actually drove past the scene of that accident twice yesterday. The first time was on my way to my uncle's house for dinner. It was in the opposite lanes so I couldn't really see what was going on. It amazed me that the highway was still shut down hours later when I was on my way home. There were no vehicles, but you could still see the debris strewn across the road.
It's a sad reality to face. This is us. Human beings. It's not just a matter of a few bad eggs. I believe it shows that every single one of us has the potential to do unspeakably terrible things to other people. Yes, I agree that occasionally there are mental issues involved. The woman accused of pushing the man in front of the subway in NYC said that she hated Muslims and Hindus ever since 9-11 and she had been beating them up whenever she saw them. (Hindus?) She thought pushing the guy in front of the subway would be "cool". Okay, obviously not a rational person. But I can't believe that the half-dozen men who gang-raped that girl in India and then inserted an iron rod into her body all had mental problems. This was something else. This was something that told them it was perfectly okay to abuse the girl and beat up her boyfriend, then throw them naked off the bus and try to run over her.
Why do people do these things? I don't know, other than the fact that it's probably somewhere in our nature. It makes me seriously doubt the future of humanity in general. I am more convinced than ever that we will eventually wipe ourselves out. Especially when, for some, the solution to controlling crazy people with guns is to arm everyone else with guns too.
Despite all of this, I still have a tiny sliver of optimism. I sincerely hope that, in this new year, we can take the first steps that we need to create a real solution. To any of humanity's problems. Take your pick.
"'Cause though the truth may vary, this ship will carry our bodies safe to shore"
In a story much closer to home, there was a highway hit-and-run on New Year's Day that resulted in the death of a 7-year-old boy. A minivan was rear-ended by a Hummer, which then drove off to the exit ramp. The driver then ditched the car and ran off. In the report that I read, it appeared that the Hummer almost drove right over the van. The little boy sitting in the rear seat didn't stand a chance. The back corner of the van had crumpled like an accordion.
I actually drove past the scene of that accident twice yesterday. The first time was on my way to my uncle's house for dinner. It was in the opposite lanes so I couldn't really see what was going on. It amazed me that the highway was still shut down hours later when I was on my way home. There were no vehicles, but you could still see the debris strewn across the road.
It's a sad reality to face. This is us. Human beings. It's not just a matter of a few bad eggs. I believe it shows that every single one of us has the potential to do unspeakably terrible things to other people. Yes, I agree that occasionally there are mental issues involved. The woman accused of pushing the man in front of the subway in NYC said that she hated Muslims and Hindus ever since 9-11 and she had been beating them up whenever she saw them. (Hindus?) She thought pushing the guy in front of the subway would be "cool". Okay, obviously not a rational person. But I can't believe that the half-dozen men who gang-raped that girl in India and then inserted an iron rod into her body all had mental problems. This was something else. This was something that told them it was perfectly okay to abuse the girl and beat up her boyfriend, then throw them naked off the bus and try to run over her.
Why do people do these things? I don't know, other than the fact that it's probably somewhere in our nature. It makes me seriously doubt the future of humanity in general. I am more convinced than ever that we will eventually wipe ourselves out. Especially when, for some, the solution to controlling crazy people with guns is to arm everyone else with guns too.
Despite all of this, I still have a tiny sliver of optimism. I sincerely hope that, in this new year, we can take the first steps that we need to create a real solution. To any of humanity's problems. Take your pick.
"'Cause though the truth may vary, this ship will carry our bodies safe to shore"