Alcohol of the Day: Magners (it's become my new favourite)
There's something about the events I chose to see. There's been controversy everywhere. If we had gotten the tickets in time to see the Glasgow football match, we would have seen the North Korean protest about the wrong flag.
Tonight we saw fencing, specifically the women's individual epee. And in the second semifinal match, there was more controversy, this time involving the South Koreans. It was between the South Korean girl and the German girl. It was a really close match, and in the end after an extra minute to settle the tied score, there was a technical issue with the clock. It was stuck at 1 second left, which allowed the German more time to score the winning point against the South Korean. We were all wondering how they could have drawn three times in that 1 second, and the South Korean girl was gesturing something to the referee. When the German scored, the South Korean girl took off her mask and started to cry. Her coach was irate. It took a while for the officials to decide what to do, and then they decided to award the win to the German. That's when the South Korean decided to hold the equivalent of a filibuster.
By refusing to leave the piste, she was officially indicating that she didn't agree with the decision. This is totally within the rules of fencing, apparently. Meanwhile, her coach and other South Korean athletic officials launched a protest. The thing was, it had to be in writing. So we all waited while she sat there on the piste and cried some more. The camera guy was trained on her the entire time. Some might think that she was being a sore loser. That would be true if she had actually lost fair and square. But when you lose due to some kind of technical malfunction, then that's not cool.
The announcer kept us informed, including the fact that some kind of payment had to accompany the official letter of protest, and so they were in the process of scraping together some cash, or something. The whole thing delayed the medal rounds by about an hour and a half, and at the end they had to escort her off the piste, which was pretty harsh. And THEN she had a few minutes to get it together and face the Chinese girl in the bronze medal round. By then, everyone (well, except maybe the Chinese) were supporting her, cheering loudly every time the piste lit up green, which signals that she scored a point. But in the end, she lost to the Chinese girl 15-11. So, instead of winning a gold or silver, she got nothing.
I felt so badly for her, and then I felt badly for the referees, who were booed when they were being introduced at the start of the match. It really had nothing to do with them, and booing is just poor form. Still, I felt a little better when the Ukrainian girl beat the German girl and won the gold.
"Light up, light up, as if you have a choice"
Monday, July 30, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
If Soccer And Basketball Had A Baby...
Alcohol of the Day: Peroni
...that's what handball is. Actually, it kind of includes ice hockey too. They pass the ball to each other either by throwing or bouncing. They can only travel for a few steps or three seconds. They can dribble the ball but if they stop, they have 3 seconds to pass or shoot. There are penalty shots, yellow cards, and suspensions (usually for two minutes). They have an unlimited number of fouls, so full body contact is encouraged. And it's an incredibly fast game. Observe:
Oh yeah, somehow we got seats directly behind the goal. I flinched once when the ball flew over the goal and into the protective netting.
By the way, Olympic Park is as nice as it appears on TV. And they have the largest McDonald's I've ever seen.
"I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're never gonna keep me down"
...that's what handball is. Actually, it kind of includes ice hockey too. They pass the ball to each other either by throwing or bouncing. They can only travel for a few steps or three seconds. They can dribble the ball but if they stop, they have 3 seconds to pass or shoot. There are penalty shots, yellow cards, and suspensions (usually for two minutes). They have an unlimited number of fouls, so full body contact is encouraged. And it's an incredibly fast game. Observe:
Oh yeah, somehow we got seats directly behind the goal. I flinched once when the ball flew over the goal and into the protective netting.
By the way, Olympic Park is as nice as it appears on TV. And they have the largest McDonald's I've ever seen.
"I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're never gonna keep me down"
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Some Close Calls
Alcohol of the Day: Pimm's
It was a little dicey today for travelling. Breakfast took longer than we expected, and there were no taxis available, so we had to sprint to the station to catch our train to London. I had two minutes to pick up our tickets and jump onto the train. Luckily, we made it and now we're here!
Then, once we had found my brother's friend's flat, I took off to the ticket agent will call office to sort out this craziness with my tickets. I still hadn't heard a word from them so my worst fear was that they had mailed the tickets to Glasgow after all.
Once I got there, I queued up for a little while, then when I got to the desk I told my sad story. They took me to "the theatre", which was a waiting area for people who were having issues. I saw maybe 10 or so people sitting around while agents were running in and out of a door. A woman came and wrote down my issues and went through the door. I was sitting in front of a guy wearing a Blue Jays cap, so I knew immediately that he's from Toronto. I asked him how long he'd been waiting, and he told me that this was his fifth time in the waiting room in the last six days. It would appear that the entire thing is an organizational nightmare, and they had messed up his order and so far were just unable to get it fixed. Today, he had come to the office early. They sent him off saying that they would call him when they found his tickets. He hung around the area for a little while before heading back to his house (he lives in London). Then he found a message from them saying that they had his tickets, so he went all the way back. He got his tickets just before I got there at around 1:00, but there was one set of tickets for mens' swimming that had already happened this morning. So now he was waiting to find out what they could do for him.
The scary thing was that while he's been waiting for the past six days, he'd been hearing a lot of stories that were even worse than his. There was a guy from New York who'd found out the other day that his tickets had been mailed to New York the day before. He had to call someone quickly to go and pick up the package and send it back immediately. A family of four from Sydney had arrived and their tickets weren't here and the mother became so frustrated that she burst into tears. For the Toronto Guy, he found out earlier that the tickets he had requested to be mailed to his house were mailed to another person with the same name as him in the US. So now I was getting really nervous. There was a reason why nobody was answering my calls and e-mails.
Finally, after a little more waiting, and after the Toronto Guy had resolved his swimming tickets issue, they came out with my tickets. Everything was there, which was a relief, and the only problem I had was that they had given me two badminton tickets that were not together. They tried to find seats that were next to each other, but they didn't have any left. I figured it was okay, since we were only separated by four seats and will probably be able to work out a switch at the venue. It could have been worse. Toronto Guy had two tickets that were separated by four sections.
"I told ya I was trouble, you know that I'm no good"
It was a little dicey today for travelling. Breakfast took longer than we expected, and there were no taxis available, so we had to sprint to the station to catch our train to London. I had two minutes to pick up our tickets and jump onto the train. Luckily, we made it and now we're here!
Then, once we had found my brother's friend's flat, I took off to the ticket agent will call office to sort out this craziness with my tickets. I still hadn't heard a word from them so my worst fear was that they had mailed the tickets to Glasgow after all.
Once I got there, I queued up for a little while, then when I got to the desk I told my sad story. They took me to "the theatre", which was a waiting area for people who were having issues. I saw maybe 10 or so people sitting around while agents were running in and out of a door. A woman came and wrote down my issues and went through the door. I was sitting in front of a guy wearing a Blue Jays cap, so I knew immediately that he's from Toronto. I asked him how long he'd been waiting, and he told me that this was his fifth time in the waiting room in the last six days. It would appear that the entire thing is an organizational nightmare, and they had messed up his order and so far were just unable to get it fixed. Today, he had come to the office early. They sent him off saying that they would call him when they found his tickets. He hung around the area for a little while before heading back to his house (he lives in London). Then he found a message from them saying that they had his tickets, so he went all the way back. He got his tickets just before I got there at around 1:00, but there was one set of tickets for mens' swimming that had already happened this morning. So now he was waiting to find out what they could do for him.
The scary thing was that while he's been waiting for the past six days, he'd been hearing a lot of stories that were even worse than his. There was a guy from New York who'd found out the other day that his tickets had been mailed to New York the day before. He had to call someone quickly to go and pick up the package and send it back immediately. A family of four from Sydney had arrived and their tickets weren't here and the mother became so frustrated that she burst into tears. For the Toronto Guy, he found out earlier that the tickets he had requested to be mailed to his house were mailed to another person with the same name as him in the US. So now I was getting really nervous. There was a reason why nobody was answering my calls and e-mails.
Finally, after a little more waiting, and after the Toronto Guy had resolved his swimming tickets issue, they came out with my tickets. Everything was there, which was a relief, and the only problem I had was that they had given me two badminton tickets that were not together. They tried to find seats that were next to each other, but they didn't have any left. I figured it was okay, since we were only separated by four seats and will probably be able to work out a switch at the venue. It could have been worse. Toronto Guy had two tickets that were separated by four sections.
"I told ya I was trouble, you know that I'm no good"
Friday, July 27, 2012
If Only I Had A Hat
Alcohol of the Day: John Smith's Extra Smooth
It's finally here. They didn't have a public screen set up in York to watch the opening ceremony, so our choices were to find an available pub with TV screens, or watch it in our room. But wait...
We found out that not only was there going to be horseracing here in York this weekend, but that there were going to be races tonight, and they were going to show the ceremony on big screens for everyone to see. At first, I was hesitant to go because I had absolutely nothing appropriate to wear for an evening at the races. If only I had a hat! But as it turned out, you only needed to dress up in the grandstand. In the infield, or the course enclosure as they call it, you can wear whatever you like. You can even bring a picnic. So we hopped on a shuttle bus and made our way to the York Racecourse.
The English take their horse races seriously. There were people in the enclosure who were dressed up. Men in suits, women with fascinators and high heels (even on the turf). Of course, we couldn't just sit there and watch the races. My brother made some cautious bets, and of the five of six races that he bet on, he won three times. It was funny because of the horses he chose to place, two of them actually won. So in the end, he only lost a couple of pounds, which isn't too bad.
After the races, they had an 80's music showcase. But as 9:00pm approached, it didn't seem like they were going to show the ceremony yet because the concert was still going on. Also, the sun was setting and the wind had picked up, so it was getting really chilly. After a few minutes, we decided to just head back to the hotel. We missed the first half hour but it sounds like there were some good moments in the beginning. I guess I'll have to YouTube it later, if it doesn't repeat ad nauseum on TV.
But now it's time for sleep. Tomorrow, we're London bound.
"There's no point in asking, you'll get no reply"
It's finally here. They didn't have a public screen set up in York to watch the opening ceremony, so our choices were to find an available pub with TV screens, or watch it in our room. But wait...
We found out that not only was there going to be horseracing here in York this weekend, but that there were going to be races tonight, and they were going to show the ceremony on big screens for everyone to see. At first, I was hesitant to go because I had absolutely nothing appropriate to wear for an evening at the races. If only I had a hat! But as it turned out, you only needed to dress up in the grandstand. In the infield, or the course enclosure as they call it, you can wear whatever you like. You can even bring a picnic. So we hopped on a shuttle bus and made our way to the York Racecourse.
The English take their horse races seriously. There were people in the enclosure who were dressed up. Men in suits, women with fascinators and high heels (even on the turf). Of course, we couldn't just sit there and watch the races. My brother made some cautious bets, and of the five of six races that he bet on, he won three times. It was funny because of the horses he chose to place, two of them actually won. So in the end, he only lost a couple of pounds, which isn't too bad.
After the races, they had an 80's music showcase. But as 9:00pm approached, it didn't seem like they were going to show the ceremony yet because the concert was still going on. Also, the sun was setting and the wind had picked up, so it was getting really chilly. After a few minutes, we decided to just head back to the hotel. We missed the first half hour but it sounds like there were some good moments in the beginning. I guess I'll have to YouTube it later, if it doesn't repeat ad nauseum on TV.
But now it's time for sleep. Tomorrow, we're London bound.
"There's no point in asking, you'll get no reply"
Thursday, July 26, 2012
A River Runs Through All Of Them
Alcohol of the Day: Strongbow
York - our last stop before London. It occurred to me that this leg of the trip has turned into the William Wallace tour of the UK. I've been to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, and now York. Well, okay maybe the York thing wasn't historically accurate, but it was a memorable part of the movie.
As we walked around York this afternoon, I realized that there was a river running through all of the cities we've been to: the Liffey in Dublin, the Lagen in Belfast, the Clyde in Glasgow, and now the Ouse in York. And, of course, the Thames later on. They all have a really brown tinge to them, but we did see a seal pop its head out of the water in Belfast, so they're not totally devoid of life. And strangely there weren't a lot of boats in the water, other than the Clyde and the Ouse.
Anyway, you be the judge:
"But if you're too big to follow rivers, how you ever gonna find the seas"
York - our last stop before London. It occurred to me that this leg of the trip has turned into the William Wallace tour of the UK. I've been to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, and now York. Well, okay maybe the York thing wasn't historically accurate, but it was a memorable part of the movie.
As we walked around York this afternoon, I realized that there was a river running through all of the cities we've been to: the Liffey in Dublin, the Lagen in Belfast, the Clyde in Glasgow, and now the Ouse in York. And, of course, the Thames later on. They all have a really brown tinge to them, but we did see a seal pop its head out of the water in Belfast, so they're not totally devoid of life. And strangely there weren't a lot of boats in the water, other than the Clyde and the Ouse.
Anyway, you be the judge:
Liffey
Lagen
Clyde
Ouse
"But if you're too big to follow rivers, how you ever gonna find the seas"
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Making Sense
Alcohol of the Day: Samuel Smith's Organic Wheat Beer
It was the nicest day ever so far. It was even...dare I say it...hot. I wore my Coldplay t-shirt as a symbol of me missing the concert back home. I was so sad when I found out that they would be in town when I wasn't. It would be the first one I've missed in the past five years or so (I've been to the last 3 concerts). But, as my coworker said to me, "I don't feel sorry for you."
So, I've stayed optimistic up to the very last moment, but unfortunately I've had to miss the first Olympics event. I bought tickets to the women's football match for today in Glasgow (US vs. France and North Korea vs. Colombia). Because of a SNAFU, the North American ticket agent that I bought the tickets from weren't able to mail the tickets to me. I have to pick them up from the Will Call office in London. The problem is that the office wasn't open when I was in London. And even then, I was in London for about 2 hours between flights, so there wouldn't have been a chance to get them anyway. I've been trying to get them to send the tickets to my hotel in Glasgow, but there was just no response. Oh well. I'll have to deal with them once I get there. It turns out that we didn't miss too much anyway, other than the hour-long delay at the beginning the North Korea-Colombia game when the North Korean players refused to start the match because they had displayed the South Korean flag next to their names. I can appreciate why they'd be upset. A bunch of people have asked me if I'm American.
While wandering around the Kelvingrove Gallery and Museum, we tried to make sense of the layout. It was kind of confusing, transitioning from art to displays about nature to archeology to technology and then back to art. It was a nice building, but we just didn't get what they were doing.
Why does everything close at 6:00 pm in Glasgow?? The cultural things close around 5:00, which is pretty typical. But then you only have an hour or so to check out the shops and then it's done for the day. I guess the only thing left to do is eat and/or drink, but you can only do either for so long.
"Took a car downtown and took what they offered me"
It was the nicest day ever so far. It was even...dare I say it...hot. I wore my Coldplay t-shirt as a symbol of me missing the concert back home. I was so sad when I found out that they would be in town when I wasn't. It would be the first one I've missed in the past five years or so (I've been to the last 3 concerts). But, as my coworker said to me, "I don't feel sorry for you."
So, I've stayed optimistic up to the very last moment, but unfortunately I've had to miss the first Olympics event. I bought tickets to the women's football match for today in Glasgow (US vs. France and North Korea vs. Colombia). Because of a SNAFU, the North American ticket agent that I bought the tickets from weren't able to mail the tickets to me. I have to pick them up from the Will Call office in London. The problem is that the office wasn't open when I was in London. And even then, I was in London for about 2 hours between flights, so there wouldn't have been a chance to get them anyway. I've been trying to get them to send the tickets to my hotel in Glasgow, but there was just no response. Oh well. I'll have to deal with them once I get there. It turns out that we didn't miss too much anyway, other than the hour-long delay at the beginning the North Korea-Colombia game when the North Korean players refused to start the match because they had displayed the South Korean flag next to their names. I can appreciate why they'd be upset. A bunch of people have asked me if I'm American.
While wandering around the Kelvingrove Gallery and Museum, we tried to make sense of the layout. It was kind of confusing, transitioning from art to displays about nature to archeology to technology and then back to art. It was a nice building, but we just didn't get what they were doing.
Why does everything close at 6:00 pm in Glasgow?? The cultural things close around 5:00, which is pretty typical. But then you only have an hour or so to check out the shops and then it's done for the day. I guess the only thing left to do is eat and/or drink, but you can only do either for so long.
"Took a car downtown and took what they offered me"
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
The Castle of Aaauuuggghhh
Alcohol of the Day: Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
We took a tour up to the Highlands. We started out with six people, but three of them switched buses at Stirling Castle because they were going on a two-day tour. So basically it was the two of us and an Australian girl named Amy for the whole tour, with our tour guide Jaime.
Stirling Castle was pretty cool but we dawdled a bit at the beginning so we didn't really have a chance to see everything. The view was spectacular, which included a clear sight of the Wallace Monument. After Stirling, we made an unscheduled stop at Doune Castle, where scenes from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" were filmed. Actually, due to budget constraints, they used the castle to represent four different castles in the movie. They just shot it from different angles. It's not just the coconuts.
We drove through the Trossachs and stopped at Aberfoyle for lunch before heading to Loch Lomond. I've had the song in my head for weeks and weeks in anticipation of seeing it. While it wasn't something wholly spectacular, it is the largest lake (in surface area) in Scotland, so it was something. And the history of the song turned out to be kind of sad.
Our last stop was to take a tour at the Glengoyne Distillery. We sampled 10- and 17-year-old scotch. I'm not usually a scotch drinker, but I have to say that it was really smooth. I could get used to this.
"You take the high road and I'll take the low road"
We took a tour up to the Highlands. We started out with six people, but three of them switched buses at Stirling Castle because they were going on a two-day tour. So basically it was the two of us and an Australian girl named Amy for the whole tour, with our tour guide Jaime.
Stirling Castle was pretty cool but we dawdled a bit at the beginning so we didn't really have a chance to see everything. The view was spectacular, which included a clear sight of the Wallace Monument. After Stirling, we made an unscheduled stop at Doune Castle, where scenes from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" were filmed. Actually, due to budget constraints, they used the castle to represent four different castles in the movie. They just shot it from different angles. It's not just the coconuts.
We drove through the Trossachs and stopped at Aberfoyle for lunch before heading to Loch Lomond. I've had the song in my head for weeks and weeks in anticipation of seeing it. While it wasn't something wholly spectacular, it is the largest lake (in surface area) in Scotland, so it was something. And the history of the song turned out to be kind of sad.
Our last stop was to take a tour at the Glengoyne Distillery. We sampled 10- and 17-year-old scotch. I'm not usually a scotch drinker, but I have to say that it was really smooth. I could get used to this.
"You take the high road and I'll take the low road"
Monday, July 23, 2012
Scottish Mist
Alcohol of the Day: Weston's Organic Cider
It doesn't really fall on you, it just floats around in the air. And it's constant. Then someone turns on the tap and it just pours down.
We were in Edinburgh today for a day trip. If the weather were a bit better, we probably could have seen more. But we had to settle for Edinburgh Castle, which was pretty impressive, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse to call on the Queen but she wasn't home.
We walked around Old Town and New Town as much as possible but it was hard to take any decent photos. Plus we were on the verge of saturation.
While we were waiting for the train to come back to Glasgow, we met an elderly lady who needed a little help because her eyesight wasn't that great. There had been some kind of mix-up and she had taken the wrong train, so now she wanted to make sure she was transferring to the right train this time. She was really nice, and she said her name was McTavish, which apparently is an uncommon name but also one that they commonly use at the start of jokes. We chatted for a while because the train was late. It turns out that she was the first female to umpire at centre court at Wimbledon. I looked it up when we got back to the room and there was her name, Catherine McTavish. And, kind of ironically, it was in 1979. Why does this keep happening to me? I keep accidentally encountering famous women at the Olympics...
Tomorrow, we hit the Highlands.
"We skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels 'cross the floor"
It doesn't really fall on you, it just floats around in the air. And it's constant. Then someone turns on the tap and it just pours down.
We were in Edinburgh today for a day trip. If the weather were a bit better, we probably could have seen more. But we had to settle for Edinburgh Castle, which was pretty impressive, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse to call on the Queen but she wasn't home.
We walked around Old Town and New Town as much as possible but it was hard to take any decent photos. Plus we were on the verge of saturation.
While we were waiting for the train to come back to Glasgow, we met an elderly lady who needed a little help because her eyesight wasn't that great. There had been some kind of mix-up and she had taken the wrong train, so now she wanted to make sure she was transferring to the right train this time. She was really nice, and she said her name was McTavish, which apparently is an uncommon name but also one that they commonly use at the start of jokes. We chatted for a while because the train was late. It turns out that she was the first female to umpire at centre court at Wimbledon. I looked it up when we got back to the room and there was her name, Catherine McTavish. And, kind of ironically, it was in 1979. Why does this keep happening to me? I keep accidentally encountering famous women at the Olympics...
Tomorrow, we hit the Highlands.
"We skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels 'cross the floor"
Sunday, July 22, 2012
More Calamity Involving My Feet
Alcohol of the Day: Kingfisher (I'll explain...)
Okay, so I was one of those people who saw "Titanic" not once, not twice, but four times at the theatre. And once on a six-storey tall IMAX screen. Looking back, I can't really explain why. Now, I think it was because it was just so ironically sad. Not the fictional love story, but just the whole situation. We all knew how it was going to end. It's like "Apollo 13". The climax wasn't really climactic.
We went to the new Titanic Belfast museum in the Titanic Quarter. They built it right on the slipway where the ship was launched. It looks small from the outside, and from above it looks like a white star. But inside, they packed a lot of stuff in, and the majority of the exhibit has nothing to do with the sinking. So many touchscreens, so state-of-the-art...including a 6-minute cable-car ride. By the end of it, the geek in me was even more sad. The engineering of the thing was really impressive. If only...
Oh yeah, and it reminded me that my parents had just landed in London a couple of days ago and got on their cruise boat in Southampton. More irony.
That was pretty much it for Belfast. Yeah, we didn't fit in too many things, but we walked a lot. There's two reasons for this: 1) it's a pretty walkable city, and 2) I had no idea how to navigate the bus system. But walking was fine, until it started to hurt today. I pressed on, thinking that it was just because my feet had swelled and my shoes were a little tight. And yes, my feet had swelled, but it caused toes to rub together the wrong way during the walking and I found out later that I was bleeding. Those who saw me a few weeks ago know that I had issues with my right foot stemming from infected bug bites and swelling (again). This time it was my left, so at least it's balanced.
After the quickest flight ever (we started landing after 10 minutes in the air), we're now in soggy Glasgow. Upon the recommendation of the cabbie and my guide book, we had dinner down the street from our hotel at Mother India (hence the Kingfisher). Who would have thought I'd be eating Indian in Glasgow?
"But I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more"
Okay, so I was one of those people who saw "Titanic" not once, not twice, but four times at the theatre. And once on a six-storey tall IMAX screen. Looking back, I can't really explain why. Now, I think it was because it was just so ironically sad. Not the fictional love story, but just the whole situation. We all knew how it was going to end. It's like "Apollo 13". The climax wasn't really climactic.
We went to the new Titanic Belfast museum in the Titanic Quarter. They built it right on the slipway where the ship was launched. It looks small from the outside, and from above it looks like a white star. But inside, they packed a lot of stuff in, and the majority of the exhibit has nothing to do with the sinking. So many touchscreens, so state-of-the-art...including a 6-minute cable-car ride. By the end of it, the geek in me was even more sad. The engineering of the thing was really impressive. If only...
Oh yeah, and it reminded me that my parents had just landed in London a couple of days ago and got on their cruise boat in Southampton. More irony.
That was pretty much it for Belfast. Yeah, we didn't fit in too many things, but we walked a lot. There's two reasons for this: 1) it's a pretty walkable city, and 2) I had no idea how to navigate the bus system. But walking was fine, until it started to hurt today. I pressed on, thinking that it was just because my feet had swelled and my shoes were a little tight. And yes, my feet had swelled, but it caused toes to rub together the wrong way during the walking and I found out later that I was bleeding. Those who saw me a few weeks ago know that I had issues with my right foot stemming from infected bug bites and swelling (again). This time it was my left, so at least it's balanced.
After the quickest flight ever (we started landing after 10 minutes in the air), we're now in soggy Glasgow. Upon the recommendation of the cabbie and my guide book, we had dinner down the street from our hotel at Mother India (hence the Kingfisher). Who would have thought I'd be eating Indian in Glasgow?
"But I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more"
Saturday, July 21, 2012
In the Land of Giants
Alcohol of the Day: Magners Irish Cider
Today's travels took us to the Giant's Causeway, a 90 minute bus ride outside of Belfast, but the way the bus driver was going it took us less than that. The legend is that the giant Finn MacCool built the causeway from Ireland to Scotland to fight another giant. But anyway, the geological formations were pretty awesome and, more importantly, easy to climb onto despite repeated warnings of risk.
The interesting thing is that similar formations can be found in Scotland. I would never have checked this out had it not been for my Irish coworker. Thanks for the tip Seamus!
Tomorrow, my heart will go on...
"Ordinary people like you and me, we're the builders of their destiny"
Today's travels took us to the Giant's Causeway, a 90 minute bus ride outside of Belfast, but the way the bus driver was going it took us less than that. The legend is that the giant Finn MacCool built the causeway from Ireland to Scotland to fight another giant. But anyway, the geological formations were pretty awesome and, more importantly, easy to climb onto despite repeated warnings of risk.
The interesting thing is that similar formations can be found in Scotland. I would never have checked this out had it not been for my Irish coworker. Thanks for the tip Seamus!
Tomorrow, my heart will go on...
"Ordinary people like you and me, we're the builders of their destiny"
Friday, July 20, 2012
Encounters With Young People
Alcohol of the Day: None (at least not for me)
Our B&B in Dublin is situated steps from the Aviva Stadium, home of the Irish rugby union team and the national football team. So, naturally, we thought it would be interesting to take a tour. We walked around half of the perimeter and couldn't find an open entrance. We went back to our B&B to see if they knew how to get in. They called the stadium to see if it was too late to take the tour and found out that, since they're setting up for the Madonna concert that was taking place in a few days, they're not doing any tours right now. Well boo. But it was likely for the best, because they had the Bruce Springsteen concert there the day we arrived, so it was probable that there wouldn't be much to see in terms of a pitch anyway. Just a bare floor and sound and lighting equipment everywhere.
Our consolation prize was to try and get to Croke Park Stadium north of the city centre in time for their first tour. We made it again with less than a minute to spare. The tour group was fairly large, half of which appeared to be a group of special needs kids and their chaperones. They added some colour to this experience (random statements, some frantic gestures, a lot of enthusiam, etc.). This tour was pretty impressive. They showed a behind-the-scenes video of the facility during championship matches. This stadium hosts the amateur gaelic football and hurling teams. Yeah, I have no idea either. Both games appear to be strange combinations of other sports (gaelic football is like football, rugby, and North American football, while hurling is like field hockey, football, and polo without the horses). But the stadium holds 82,500 spectators, which for amateur sport is fairly amazing. We got to walk through the tunnels, see the dressing rooms, walk out beside the pitch, sit in the announcers' booths, and check out a VIP box. They kept throwing names out that I had never heard of before, but it was kind of cool that the Australian tourist's cousin played on the same team as the tour guide's father.
Later in the day, we took the train from Dublin to Belfast. Our car was packed with college kids who were apparently on an ultimate frisbee team and were going to Belfast for a tournament. They were also incredibly well stocked. I don't know if I've ever seen this much alcohol outside of a liquor store. Well, okay maybe, but the speed and quantity that was consumed on a two-hour train ride was staggering. They were nice and all, but it made for a loud journey.
"The silicon chip inside her head gets switched to overload"
Our B&B in Dublin is situated steps from the Aviva Stadium, home of the Irish rugby union team and the national football team. So, naturally, we thought it would be interesting to take a tour. We walked around half of the perimeter and couldn't find an open entrance. We went back to our B&B to see if they knew how to get in. They called the stadium to see if it was too late to take the tour and found out that, since they're setting up for the Madonna concert that was taking place in a few days, they're not doing any tours right now. Well boo. But it was likely for the best, because they had the Bruce Springsteen concert there the day we arrived, so it was probable that there wouldn't be much to see in terms of a pitch anyway. Just a bare floor and sound and lighting equipment everywhere.
Our consolation prize was to try and get to Croke Park Stadium north of the city centre in time for their first tour. We made it again with less than a minute to spare. The tour group was fairly large, half of which appeared to be a group of special needs kids and their chaperones. They added some colour to this experience (random statements, some frantic gestures, a lot of enthusiam, etc.). This tour was pretty impressive. They showed a behind-the-scenes video of the facility during championship matches. This stadium hosts the amateur gaelic football and hurling teams. Yeah, I have no idea either. Both games appear to be strange combinations of other sports (gaelic football is like football, rugby, and North American football, while hurling is like field hockey, football, and polo without the horses). But the stadium holds 82,500 spectators, which for amateur sport is fairly amazing. We got to walk through the tunnels, see the dressing rooms, walk out beside the pitch, sit in the announcers' booths, and check out a VIP box. They kept throwing names out that I had never heard of before, but it was kind of cool that the Australian tourist's cousin played on the same team as the tour guide's father.
Later in the day, we took the train from Dublin to Belfast. Our car was packed with college kids who were apparently on an ultimate frisbee team and were going to Belfast for a tournament. They were also incredibly well stocked. I don't know if I've ever seen this much alcohol outside of a liquor store. Well, okay maybe, but the speed and quantity that was consumed on a two-hour train ride was staggering. They were nice and all, but it made for a loud journey.
"The silicon chip inside her head gets switched to overload"
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Things I've Noticed About Dublin
Alcohol of the Day: Jameson Whiskey
First things first - to continue from yesterday, here are a few images:
And here are a few from today:
As we walked all over Dublin city centre today, I realized that I was hearing a lot of different languages being spoken. Particularly French and Spanish. Not a lot of English, not even with the Irish accent.
We were on two different tours today, one at Dublin Castle and one at Old Jameson Distillery, and both of those tours were led by girls with names that I've never heard of before, that were somewhat easy to pronounce but I'm sure I have no idea how to spell. Actually, I can't really remember them right now.
When parallel parking on the road, you can park in any direction you like. Even if it means facing into traffic. I haven't seen this parking technique executed yet, and it baffles me. It also confuses me further when it comes to the direction of traffic in general.
My brother still can't used to the fact that there's daylight past 9:00pm.
It appears that I'm not the only one who's not very impressed with the Dublin bus system. We'll find out what the DART train is like tomorrow. Yeah, two different transit systems...
Last day in Dublin tomorrow. Onward to Belfast.
"And when tomorrow comes, we can do it all again"
First things first - to continue from yesterday, here are a few images:
And here are a few from today:
As we walked all over Dublin city centre today, I realized that I was hearing a lot of different languages being spoken. Particularly French and Spanish. Not a lot of English, not even with the Irish accent.
We were on two different tours today, one at Dublin Castle and one at Old Jameson Distillery, and both of those tours were led by girls with names that I've never heard of before, that were somewhat easy to pronounce but I'm sure I have no idea how to spell. Actually, I can't really remember them right now.
When parallel parking on the road, you can park in any direction you like. Even if it means facing into traffic. I haven't seen this parking technique executed yet, and it baffles me. It also confuses me further when it comes to the direction of traffic in general.
My brother still can't used to the fact that there's daylight past 9:00pm.
It appears that I'm not the only one who's not very impressed with the Dublin bus system. We'll find out what the DART train is like tomorrow. Yeah, two different transit systems...
Last day in Dublin tomorrow. Onward to Belfast.
"And when tomorrow comes, we can do it all again"
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Glorious Relief
Alcohol of the Day: Guinness (what else?!)
Welcome new readers! And so begins the tour.
Be forewarned: I've been mostly awake for the past 36 hours, so if it starts to go downhill, that would be why.
Getting to Dublin was relatively uneventful. What was great for both me and my brother was stepping outside and feeling glorious relief. For me, I was coming from a place where the humidity made it feel like 43 degrees Celsius. For him, he was coming from a place where the overnight low was 30 degrees Celsius. It was as though we could breathe again.
Not only that, but it rained. A number of times, actually. It felt SO good...
So despite the fact that we were both rather jetlagged, we just plowed forward after dropping our bags off in our room and made our way directly to the Guinness Storehouse. Well, not directly per se. We have yet to get the hang of the Dublin Bus system. We made it minutes before 7:00pm, which was the last admission time. We went through the history of Guinness pretty quickly, then headed up to the Gravity Bar for our free pint before last call. Very refreshing, but given that I hadn't eaten a proper meal in about 12 hours, it didn't sit quite right.
We headed to Temple Bar to have a late dinner, and for some reason I decided to order a Beamish (I couldn't finish it). And then had a Bailey's coffee afterwards (it was free). So yeah, not tipsy but not feeling that great.
I have photos but I really can't do much more posting right now. I'll catch up tomorrow.
"I know I've felt like this before, but now I'm feeling it even more"
Welcome new readers! And so begins the tour.
Be forewarned: I've been mostly awake for the past 36 hours, so if it starts to go downhill, that would be why.
Getting to Dublin was relatively uneventful. What was great for both me and my brother was stepping outside and feeling glorious relief. For me, I was coming from a place where the humidity made it feel like 43 degrees Celsius. For him, he was coming from a place where the overnight low was 30 degrees Celsius. It was as though we could breathe again.
Not only that, but it rained. A number of times, actually. It felt SO good...
So despite the fact that we were both rather jetlagged, we just plowed forward after dropping our bags off in our room and made our way directly to the Guinness Storehouse. Well, not directly per se. We have yet to get the hang of the Dublin Bus system. We made it minutes before 7:00pm, which was the last admission time. We went through the history of Guinness pretty quickly, then headed up to the Gravity Bar for our free pint before last call. Very refreshing, but given that I hadn't eaten a proper meal in about 12 hours, it didn't sit quite right.
We headed to Temple Bar to have a late dinner, and for some reason I decided to order a Beamish (I couldn't finish it). And then had a Bailey's coffee afterwards (it was free). So yeah, not tipsy but not feeling that great.
I have photos but I really can't do much more posting right now. I'll catch up tomorrow.
"I know I've felt like this before, but now I'm feeling it even more"
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Drinking Tour 2012
(Oh yeah, and the Olympics...)
I think I might be one of the very few people in the world who could look forward to going from a place that's hot and sunny to a place that's cold and rainy. But I am. SUPER excited. I'm a week away from Drinking Tour 2012 (with a side trip to the London Olympics). My little brother and I are going to start in Dublin and work our way around to London (hitting Belfast, Glasgow/Edinburgh, and York along the way). As per Vancouver, I'll do my best to blog consistently about my travels. Hopefully I'll be able to type straight...
Any suggestions for must-see places are welcome, but I've already been accused of "over-planning". I can't help it. It's what I do. Ever since Paris 2002, where I experienced the consequences of poor planning, I've made it a habit to efficiently pack as much into a trip as I possibly can without overdoing it to the point of pure exhaustion. I guess my cohorts from the Puerto Rico 2006 trip found that out firsthand. And contrary to popular opinion, I am capable of spontaneity. I just happen to think about it in advance.
Nevertheless, Guinness and Jameson were the very first on the list. I've been told to go to the Giant's Causeway, which I've discovered is incredibly cool and will actually fit into the plan. Of course, I HAVE to see the new Titanic museum. I'm having issues trying to decide which way to go through the Scottish Highlands (can I make it all the way to Loch Ness?) whilst still being able to sample the whisky. I know York sounds like a weird choice, but if you consider that I'm from a place formerly called York, and if you look at a map of Yorkshire, you can't help but notice a lot of familiar names surrounding York (Scarborough, Pickering, Whitby, etc.). So it's kind of appropriate, in a bizarre way. Like going back to the source. And my only goal in London is to buy a proper hat. We'll see what we can fit in between.
"So if by the time the bar closes, and you feel like falling down, I'll carry you home tonight"
I think I might be one of the very few people in the world who could look forward to going from a place that's hot and sunny to a place that's cold and rainy. But I am. SUPER excited. I'm a week away from Drinking Tour 2012 (with a side trip to the London Olympics). My little brother and I are going to start in Dublin and work our way around to London (hitting Belfast, Glasgow/Edinburgh, and York along the way). As per Vancouver, I'll do my best to blog consistently about my travels. Hopefully I'll be able to type straight...
Any suggestions for must-see places are welcome, but I've already been accused of "over-planning". I can't help it. It's what I do. Ever since Paris 2002, where I experienced the consequences of poor planning, I've made it a habit to efficiently pack as much into a trip as I possibly can without overdoing it to the point of pure exhaustion. I guess my cohorts from the Puerto Rico 2006 trip found that out firsthand. And contrary to popular opinion, I am capable of spontaneity. I just happen to think about it in advance.
Nevertheless, Guinness and Jameson were the very first on the list. I've been told to go to the Giant's Causeway, which I've discovered is incredibly cool and will actually fit into the plan. Of course, I HAVE to see the new Titanic museum. I'm having issues trying to decide which way to go through the Scottish Highlands (can I make it all the way to Loch Ness?) whilst still being able to sample the whisky. I know York sounds like a weird choice, but if you consider that I'm from a place formerly called York, and if you look at a map of Yorkshire, you can't help but notice a lot of familiar names surrounding York (Scarborough, Pickering, Whitby, etc.). So it's kind of appropriate, in a bizarre way. Like going back to the source. And my only goal in London is to buy a proper hat. We'll see what we can fit in between.
"So if by the time the bar closes, and you feel like falling down, I'll carry you home tonight"
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Natural Disasters
I was turning on to my street today after work when I saw a flashing fire engine driving through the gatehouse to my development. Great, I thought, I really hope it's not another false alarm in my building. Or, worse yet, an actual alarm. I turned to enter the gatehouse and saw that the fire engine had stopped in front of one of the newer buildings, where construction was in its final stages. There, right in front of the building, was a dumpster with flames shooting out of the top. Wow, I thought, it's a REAL fire. Of course, this meant that everyone was slowing to gawk at it, blocking all incoming and outgoing traffic. I made sure the car in front of me was really going to stop and watch, then cut around him, drove through the roundabout the wrong way (the fire truck prevented me from going around correctly), steered around the pedestrian onlookers, and went to my garage. After picking up my mail from the lobby, I became curious and went outside to look. The firefighters had promptly extinguished the fire, but it was still smoking, and there was a distinct smell in the air, so I went back into my building and up to my unit.
I took a quick look from my balcony a little while later. It was a little hard to see everything from my altitude, but I could see that there firefighters inside the dumpster, shovelling through the charred debris, probably looking for the cause of the fire. They had cordoned off half of the roundabout with caution tape. I guess I came home just in time to see the exciting part and avoid the inconvenient part.
A week ago, a story in the news caught my eye. An earthquake had hit northern Italy. Upon closer inspection, I found out that the epicenter was just 40 km north of Bologna. It was a magnitude 6.0 quake, strong enough to be felt as far away as Venice and Milan. My first thought was of the people I had met when I was there a year and a half ago. The photos of the collapsed buildings were in smaller towns to the north, so I figured that the ones in Bologna were probably okay. It was still sad to see centuries-old building reduced to rubble so quickly. The one of the clock tower with only half a clock still standing affected me the most.
I woke this morning to hear on the radio that another earthquake of similar strength had hit the same area again yesterday. This time, more buildings collapsed, likely because the first one weakened their structures, and more people died, sadly because they had chosen that exact moment to enter damaged buildings to retrieve belongings or to assess the damage. When I saw that schools in Bologna had to be evacuated for safety, I decided I had to check and see if the people from our equipment vendor were okay. After all, their facility is up in the hills. I sent an e-mail to a couple of them to ask how they were doing. I received a reply pretty quickly from one of them, saying that they were all pretty scared but everyone was okay. That was reassuring to hear. They're the nicest people, and I came to feel at home in Bologna when I was there. I'm hoping that none of the amazing architecture was affected by the quakes. But something tells me this isn't the end of it.
The part that hurts the most...the earthquakes have affected the parmigiano reggiano industry. Time to stock up.
"This fire is out of control, I'm going to burn this city"
I took a quick look from my balcony a little while later. It was a little hard to see everything from my altitude, but I could see that there firefighters inside the dumpster, shovelling through the charred debris, probably looking for the cause of the fire. They had cordoned off half of the roundabout with caution tape. I guess I came home just in time to see the exciting part and avoid the inconvenient part.
A week ago, a story in the news caught my eye. An earthquake had hit northern Italy. Upon closer inspection, I found out that the epicenter was just 40 km north of Bologna. It was a magnitude 6.0 quake, strong enough to be felt as far away as Venice and Milan. My first thought was of the people I had met when I was there a year and a half ago. The photos of the collapsed buildings were in smaller towns to the north, so I figured that the ones in Bologna were probably okay. It was still sad to see centuries-old building reduced to rubble so quickly. The one of the clock tower with only half a clock still standing affected me the most.
I woke this morning to hear on the radio that another earthquake of similar strength had hit the same area again yesterday. This time, more buildings collapsed, likely because the first one weakened their structures, and more people died, sadly because they had chosen that exact moment to enter damaged buildings to retrieve belongings or to assess the damage. When I saw that schools in Bologna had to be evacuated for safety, I decided I had to check and see if the people from our equipment vendor were okay. After all, their facility is up in the hills. I sent an e-mail to a couple of them to ask how they were doing. I received a reply pretty quickly from one of them, saying that they were all pretty scared but everyone was okay. That was reassuring to hear. They're the nicest people, and I came to feel at home in Bologna when I was there. I'm hoping that none of the amazing architecture was affected by the quakes. But something tells me this isn't the end of it.
The part that hurts the most...the earthquakes have affected the parmigiano reggiano industry. Time to stock up.
"This fire is out of control, I'm going to burn this city"
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Small Thrills
As my regular blog readers will know, I've had my fair share of celebrity encounters during the film festival in the fall. My brushes with fame have been told and retold a number of times. At the children and youth film festival that occurs in the spring, there are considerably fewer opportunities for thrilling encounters. Except this year. Well, let's call them small thrills.
There was a very specific demographic of the volunteers who even knew who the Polkaroo was. Most of the older folks had no idea, other than the fact that he was on a TVO program. But even I was kind of surprised how many times I had to explain who he was. I thought for sure their children or grandchildren watched "Polka Dot Door". I was even more surprised of how I felt when I saw him. I was a kid again. It was nice that the children were excited to see him too.
The new youth film festival that was spun off from the children's festival started this year and, in my opinion, was not quite as popular. To say that the audience traffic was slow is somewhat of an overstatement. It was almost non-existent. Unfortunately, that makes the hours seem a lot longer. But on the other hand, that may have been the reason why I noticed Matthew Lillard when he entered the building. He was with another guy and the two of them took a look around and went into the gift shop and browsed for a bit. He was wearing a baseball hat and glasses and looked very much like any other person. He had directed "Fat Kid Rules the World", which was the closing night film for the festival, and which had won the audience award at SXSW this year. My guess was that he was scoping out the place and killing time before the screening later in the evening, where he was scheduled to do the Q&A. My other guess was that the guy he was with was probably the star of the film, not because of his size (okay...maybe because of his size) but also because I knew the star was supposed to be at the screening as well. He walked right past me on his way out but didn't look at me. I have to say, he looks a lot thinner than he did in "The Descendants".
"All the, small things, true care, truth brings"
There was a very specific demographic of the volunteers who even knew who the Polkaroo was. Most of the older folks had no idea, other than the fact that he was on a TVO program. But even I was kind of surprised how many times I had to explain who he was. I thought for sure their children or grandchildren watched "Polka Dot Door". I was even more surprised of how I felt when I saw him. I was a kid again. It was nice that the children were excited to see him too.
The new youth film festival that was spun off from the children's festival started this year and, in my opinion, was not quite as popular. To say that the audience traffic was slow is somewhat of an overstatement. It was almost non-existent. Unfortunately, that makes the hours seem a lot longer. But on the other hand, that may have been the reason why I noticed Matthew Lillard when he entered the building. He was with another guy and the two of them took a look around and went into the gift shop and browsed for a bit. He was wearing a baseball hat and glasses and looked very much like any other person. He had directed "Fat Kid Rules the World", which was the closing night film for the festival, and which had won the audience award at SXSW this year. My guess was that he was scoping out the place and killing time before the screening later in the evening, where he was scheduled to do the Q&A. My other guess was that the guy he was with was probably the star of the film, not because of his size (okay...maybe because of his size) but also because I knew the star was supposed to be at the screening as well. He walked right past me on his way out but didn't look at me. I have to say, he looks a lot thinner than he did in "The Descendants".
"All the, small things, true care, truth brings"
Monday, May 07, 2012
'Cause You Can't, You Won't, And You Don't Stop
I'm really not sure why I'm having such a reaction to the death of Adam Yauch. I don't think it's related to the recent experiences I've had. And I'm fairly sure that I'm not the biggest Beastie Boys fan in the world. But something about this tragedy has really struck me.
My first and most vivid memory of being influenced by the Beastie Boys happened in Grade 6. Of course, by this time they were well known and well established. "Licensed to Ill" had been released for four years already. We were sitting in the classroom, working away (thankfully not in silence), when suddenly and out of nowhere, I started singing the chorus to "Fight For Your Right (To Party)". I honestly to this day have no idea where this came from. The classmate sitting in front of me turned around slowly and gave me the strangest look. At that point I had realized what I was doing, apologized, and went back to work. It wasn't until she looked at me that I even knew that I had done it.
I guess that was when I figured out that music was influencing me without me even being aware of it. From that moment on, I started having a more expanded taste in music. I, of all people, became a grunge girl, wearing flannel and listening to Nirvana and Soundgarden. But that didn't stop me from occasionally singing along to the Backstreet Boys or the Spice Girls either. Sarah McLachlan became one of my musical icons, along with other future Lilith Fair acts, like Tori Amos and Jewel. I still had classical roots from my piano upbringing, and I was at least aware of the east coast-west coast hip-hop rivalry.
So, maybe it was the Beasties that started me on my musical journey. Because it's hard to remember what I was listening to before that day in the classroom.
RIP MCA.
"I can't stand it, I know you planned it"
My first and most vivid memory of being influenced by the Beastie Boys happened in Grade 6. Of course, by this time they were well known and well established. "Licensed to Ill" had been released for four years already. We were sitting in the classroom, working away (thankfully not in silence), when suddenly and out of nowhere, I started singing the chorus to "Fight For Your Right (To Party)". I honestly to this day have no idea where this came from. The classmate sitting in front of me turned around slowly and gave me the strangest look. At that point I had realized what I was doing, apologized, and went back to work. It wasn't until she looked at me that I even knew that I had done it.
I guess that was when I figured out that music was influencing me without me even being aware of it. From that moment on, I started having a more expanded taste in music. I, of all people, became a grunge girl, wearing flannel and listening to Nirvana and Soundgarden. But that didn't stop me from occasionally singing along to the Backstreet Boys or the Spice Girls either. Sarah McLachlan became one of my musical icons, along with other future Lilith Fair acts, like Tori Amos and Jewel. I still had classical roots from my piano upbringing, and I was at least aware of the east coast-west coast hip-hop rivalry.
So, maybe it was the Beasties that started me on my musical journey. Because it's hard to remember what I was listening to before that day in the classroom.
RIP MCA.
"I can't stand it, I know you planned it"
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Emotional Teeter-Totter
Most people describe a particularly difficult period in their lives as an emotional roller coaster. I can understand that, given that roller coasters take you in different directions, usually rather quickly, and can be pretty terrifying for some. But if you think about it, you're also very well strapped in to a roller coaster. I've recently experienced something more like an emotional teeter-totter: there were two directions (up and down), and I could have potentially fallen off at any moment.
Last Friday, after another gruelling week at work, there was an issue with one of my many projects. As usual, it happened at about 4:30 in the afternoon. I ended up staying late to see if there was a way to rectify the situation. Thankfully, the mechanic pulled it off and we were able to continue packaging the product. Just as I was about to leave the production floor, the shift lead came up and told me about a different issue with a different product. My high from solving the first problem was short lived. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about the second issue because nobody was around to sign off on the paperwork. So we left that one for the following week, and I went to pack up my desk to go home.
I was in the process of shutting off my computer when I received an e-mail from my dad. He was writing to inform me, my brothers and cousins, and a number of family friends that one of the aunties had passed away on Wednesday. She was someone I had known my whole life, and who was one of my mother's regular mah jong partners. My sudden outpouring of tears surprised me, and I was glad that nobody was in the office to see me lose it. I knew that she had suffered a stroke earlier in the week because she and her husband were supposed to go to a show with my parents on the weekend. I had no idea the stroke had been so bad. But I also knew that she had a pre-existing heart condition and that she had a pacemaker.
I took a deep breath and left the office. Once I got home, I called my parents' house and my dad answered. He told me that the best guess they had was a blood clot must have formed somewhere and travelled up to her brain. Since she was already on blood thinners, there was nothing more they could do. She was the nicest person, and one of my mom's best friends. I asked how my mom was and, after a pause, my dad said that she was working through it. The visitation would be on the following Friday evening, and the funeral would be on Saturday morning. I said I would be there for sure. My dad said I didn't have to go, but this was an auntie that I had seen more often through the years than some of my actual blood relatives.
I made it through this week without thinking about it too much. When the usual question of "what are you doing this weekend?" came around, I would tell a little bit of the story. I left work yesterday and went straight to my parents' house. We, along with one of my dad's high school friends, drove to the cemetery where the visitation was being held. My mother looked tired, and she said she hadn't slept well for the past week. Once we got to the room, we went up to the casket to pay our respects. That's when my mom burst uncontrollably into tears. I've learned that if there's one thing I can't stand, it's to see my mother cry. I started to lose it as well, so I just guided her over to a chair and sat her down. We spent the visitation chatting with people, most of whom were my dad's high school friends (my dad and the auntie's older sister were in the same class) or my mom's mah jong friends. When it was time to go, my family and a few others decided to go to a nearby popular chinese restaurant for a snack.
They were surprised to see the restaurant so crowded at that hour. I had to remind them that it was a Friday night. We waited for a couple of minutes before we were seated. As we were lead to the table, I glanced around quickly and almost immediately saw my ex-boyfriend. And of course, as my luck would have it, we were being seated at the table right next to his. I've got to tell you, I was just about to fall off the teeter-totter right there. I really didn't have the strength to deal with this kind of thing at that moment. But I just plowed forward with my head down, and it seemed like he hadn't noticed me. He was sitting with a large group of people, and from what I could tell they were celebrating something so I hoped he was sufficiently distracted. I sat through the meal without eating much and without looking up unless I had to. Nobody questioned my somewhat depressed mood, assuming I was affected by the current situation. I'm glad the universe decided to cut me some slack. In the end, I made it out of the restaurant without anyone noticing anybody.
I'll bet you just read that last paragraph and asked yourself, "What??" Those who know will know, but for those who don't, it will be a story for another time.
This morning, we went back to the cemetery and attended the funeral service. Watching my uncle and his daughter and the rest of their family, I couldn't help but become as emotional as everyone around me. But by the time I was watching my auntie being lowered into the ground, there was a calm peace in me. I've watched many a person being buried, like my grandparents, and this seems to happen each time.
At the customary lunch that followed, my mother became even more upset near the end, but mostly because the atmosphere had become far most festive than she would have liked. People were laughing loudly, especially at the younger table. She said that it sounded more like a wedding dinner than a reception after a funeral. I know that she lost someone important to her, and I assured her that everyone there felt it too. But I asked her, would you rather have everyone sit around the tables and cry, or would you rather we all chat and comfort each other with a laugh or two?
But after a while, I started to think that they did get a little too loud.
"This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me"
Last Friday, after another gruelling week at work, there was an issue with one of my many projects. As usual, it happened at about 4:30 in the afternoon. I ended up staying late to see if there was a way to rectify the situation. Thankfully, the mechanic pulled it off and we were able to continue packaging the product. Just as I was about to leave the production floor, the shift lead came up and told me about a different issue with a different product. My high from solving the first problem was short lived. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about the second issue because nobody was around to sign off on the paperwork. So we left that one for the following week, and I went to pack up my desk to go home.
I was in the process of shutting off my computer when I received an e-mail from my dad. He was writing to inform me, my brothers and cousins, and a number of family friends that one of the aunties had passed away on Wednesday. She was someone I had known my whole life, and who was one of my mother's regular mah jong partners. My sudden outpouring of tears surprised me, and I was glad that nobody was in the office to see me lose it. I knew that she had suffered a stroke earlier in the week because she and her husband were supposed to go to a show with my parents on the weekend. I had no idea the stroke had been so bad. But I also knew that she had a pre-existing heart condition and that she had a pacemaker.
I took a deep breath and left the office. Once I got home, I called my parents' house and my dad answered. He told me that the best guess they had was a blood clot must have formed somewhere and travelled up to her brain. Since she was already on blood thinners, there was nothing more they could do. She was the nicest person, and one of my mom's best friends. I asked how my mom was and, after a pause, my dad said that she was working through it. The visitation would be on the following Friday evening, and the funeral would be on Saturday morning. I said I would be there for sure. My dad said I didn't have to go, but this was an auntie that I had seen more often through the years than some of my actual blood relatives.
I made it through this week without thinking about it too much. When the usual question of "what are you doing this weekend?" came around, I would tell a little bit of the story. I left work yesterday and went straight to my parents' house. We, along with one of my dad's high school friends, drove to the cemetery where the visitation was being held. My mother looked tired, and she said she hadn't slept well for the past week. Once we got to the room, we went up to the casket to pay our respects. That's when my mom burst uncontrollably into tears. I've learned that if there's one thing I can't stand, it's to see my mother cry. I started to lose it as well, so I just guided her over to a chair and sat her down. We spent the visitation chatting with people, most of whom were my dad's high school friends (my dad and the auntie's older sister were in the same class) or my mom's mah jong friends. When it was time to go, my family and a few others decided to go to a nearby popular chinese restaurant for a snack.
They were surprised to see the restaurant so crowded at that hour. I had to remind them that it was a Friday night. We waited for a couple of minutes before we were seated. As we were lead to the table, I glanced around quickly and almost immediately saw my ex-boyfriend. And of course, as my luck would have it, we were being seated at the table right next to his. I've got to tell you, I was just about to fall off the teeter-totter right there. I really didn't have the strength to deal with this kind of thing at that moment. But I just plowed forward with my head down, and it seemed like he hadn't noticed me. He was sitting with a large group of people, and from what I could tell they were celebrating something so I hoped he was sufficiently distracted. I sat through the meal without eating much and without looking up unless I had to. Nobody questioned my somewhat depressed mood, assuming I was affected by the current situation. I'm glad the universe decided to cut me some slack. In the end, I made it out of the restaurant without anyone noticing anybody.
I'll bet you just read that last paragraph and asked yourself, "What??" Those who know will know, but for those who don't, it will be a story for another time.
This morning, we went back to the cemetery and attended the funeral service. Watching my uncle and his daughter and the rest of their family, I couldn't help but become as emotional as everyone around me. But by the time I was watching my auntie being lowered into the ground, there was a calm peace in me. I've watched many a person being buried, like my grandparents, and this seems to happen each time.
At the customary lunch that followed, my mother became even more upset near the end, but mostly because the atmosphere had become far most festive than she would have liked. People were laughing loudly, especially at the younger table. She said that it sounded more like a wedding dinner than a reception after a funeral. I know that she lost someone important to her, and I assured her that everyone there felt it too. But I asked her, would you rather have everyone sit around the tables and cry, or would you rather we all chat and comfort each other with a laugh or two?
But after a while, I started to think that they did get a little too loud.
"This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me"
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Moving On
As I write this, my baby brother is winging his way to the other side of the world.
After a rather fruitless search for a job here, he decided he would pick up and move to Hong Kong and try his luck there. He doesn't have anything lined up. He doesn't really have a plan. He's just going.
Needless to say, my mother didn't really take it well. Actually, the story is that when this idea was floated to my father several months ago, in a hypothetical way, my dad made the mistake of mentioning it to my mother. She started to cry. That was the end of that.
When my brother decided to go forward with the idea, it was agreed that my mother would not be informed. At least, not until the day before he was going to leave. Funnily enough, we were all okay with this plan. I know most of the people who have already heard this story were kind of appalled at this. However, my mother solved the problem by backing herself into a corner. About a month ago, she mentioned to my dad that my brother seemed to be having a really difficult time finding a job, and maybe it would be a good idea to look in other places. My dad took the cue and told her not to worry, he'd already done that and was going to Hong Kong. I wasn't there, but I heard it wasn't pretty. However, there was nothing she could say, after all it was her own idea.
As today drew closer, I think she got herself into an acceptance/denial mode. She figured out that she couldn't do anything about him leaving. But somehow she got it into her head that he wouldn't be able to find anything there either and would be home within 3 months or so. Whatever helps.
So now he's on his way to his new adventure. But of course there has to be some irony in here somewhere. In this case, my brother told me yesterday that one of the local prospects that he had given up on a while ago called him up earlier this week and asked if he'd be interested in having an interview. All he could say was, were they willing to do it by phone?
Don't tell my mother.
"Homes, places we've grown, all of us are done for, but we live in a beautiful world"
After a rather fruitless search for a job here, he decided he would pick up and move to Hong Kong and try his luck there. He doesn't have anything lined up. He doesn't really have a plan. He's just going.
Needless to say, my mother didn't really take it well. Actually, the story is that when this idea was floated to my father several months ago, in a hypothetical way, my dad made the mistake of mentioning it to my mother. She started to cry. That was the end of that.
When my brother decided to go forward with the idea, it was agreed that my mother would not be informed. At least, not until the day before he was going to leave. Funnily enough, we were all okay with this plan. I know most of the people who have already heard this story were kind of appalled at this. However, my mother solved the problem by backing herself into a corner. About a month ago, she mentioned to my dad that my brother seemed to be having a really difficult time finding a job, and maybe it would be a good idea to look in other places. My dad took the cue and told her not to worry, he'd already done that and was going to Hong Kong. I wasn't there, but I heard it wasn't pretty. However, there was nothing she could say, after all it was her own idea.
As today drew closer, I think she got herself into an acceptance/denial mode. She figured out that she couldn't do anything about him leaving. But somehow she got it into her head that he wouldn't be able to find anything there either and would be home within 3 months or so. Whatever helps.
So now he's on his way to his new adventure. But of course there has to be some irony in here somewhere. In this case, my brother told me yesterday that one of the local prospects that he had given up on a while ago called him up earlier this week and asked if he'd be interested in having an interview. All he could say was, were they willing to do it by phone?
Don't tell my mother.
"Homes, places we've grown, all of us are done for, but we live in a beautiful world"
Monday, March 19, 2012
Call Me the Fact Checker
Or a stickler for accuracy. Yeah, that's probably it.
Today's birthday quiz on Entertainment Tonight asked "Which Canadian actress had a role on 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?' Was it Elisha Cuthbert, Neve Campbell, or Rachel Blanchard?" (or words to that effect)
First of all, I can't think of that show without giggling. A guy from my high school starred in it for a while, and it was kind of hilarious. Anyway, I said Elisha Cuthbert, but the answer was Rachel Blanchard (she's 36! Holy crap!).
But something didn't sit right with me...
For the record, it was a trick question. ALL of them had a role on "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" Yay Can Con!
"In the day, in the night, say it right, say it all"
Today's birthday quiz on Entertainment Tonight asked "Which Canadian actress had a role on 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?' Was it Elisha Cuthbert, Neve Campbell, or Rachel Blanchard?" (or words to that effect)
First of all, I can't think of that show without giggling. A guy from my high school starred in it for a while, and it was kind of hilarious. Anyway, I said Elisha Cuthbert, but the answer was Rachel Blanchard (she's 36! Holy crap!).
But something didn't sit right with me...
For the record, it was a trick question. ALL of them had a role on "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" Yay Can Con!
"In the day, in the night, say it right, say it all"
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Cloud City
One of the more interesting worlds in the original Star Wars trilogy for me was Cloud City. Pretty cool, living in the sky.
On Saturday morning, I woke up and looked out of my window. I didn't see anything. Not one thing except for the white cloud that I was suddenly living in. Okay, I could kind of make out the adjacent buildings, but the fog had never been this thick in the past. Nor had it ever lasted as long as it did. At one point in the day, the skies did clear and everything was normal. But then the fog rolled in again and again I was living in Cloud City. I stepped out on my balcony and I couldn't see anything below me. It was so eerie, hearing the traffic and other sounds around me but not seeing it.
Once darkness fell, it was even more creepy. The spotlights from my neighbouring condo lit the fog in a deep shade of grey. It was like looking out into a void. But I wasn't worried. My little box in the sky is sturdy. But the weather right now is ridiculous. (Where were you winter?? I miss you...)
"I don't wanna come back down from this cloud, it's taken me all this, all this time"
On Saturday morning, I woke up and looked out of my window. I didn't see anything. Not one thing except for the white cloud that I was suddenly living in. Okay, I could kind of make out the adjacent buildings, but the fog had never been this thick in the past. Nor had it ever lasted as long as it did. At one point in the day, the skies did clear and everything was normal. But then the fog rolled in again and again I was living in Cloud City. I stepped out on my balcony and I couldn't see anything below me. It was so eerie, hearing the traffic and other sounds around me but not seeing it.
Once darkness fell, it was even more creepy. The spotlights from my neighbouring condo lit the fog in a deep shade of grey. It was like looking out into a void. But I wasn't worried. My little box in the sky is sturdy. But the weather right now is ridiculous. (Where were you winter?? I miss you...)
"I don't wanna come back down from this cloud, it's taken me all this, all this time"
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Shopping Victory
I've had some personal shopping victories in the past. I've found a nice blouse for $10 or something, which is a great deal to be sure. But it seems like my best luck is with my friends' wedding dresses.
I've been helping a really good friend of mine to shop for her wedding dress. Her budget is a bit smaller than most, which is challenging. If she couldn't find her price, her alternative was to rent it, but we were going to try our best. She had a one-hour appointment at a boutique downtown on Friday, which allowed her to try on some different styles and we were able to really narrow down her likes and dislikes. But this was just the warm-up for Saturday, where she had an appointment at a sample sale.
Have you ever seen that episode of Friends when Monica brought the other girls to the wedding dress sample sale, and they all had whistles to draw the others if they found the one? Then Rachel ended up using it because she was being attacked by crazy brides? Yeah, I was all ready for that. Luckily, this was nothing like it, mostly because they controlled the number of women in the room, and there weren't as many dresses to choose from, and the place was a tiny Victorian house. Plus I guess it's because we're all Canadian, we kept excusing ourselves and apologizing as we squeezed around each other.
Our first strategy was to look for the style that she liked. We pulled some out and she got to trying them on. Meanwhile, I kept looking around. There was one that was really nice and she liked it, but it was pretty far outside of her price point. That's when I changed tack and realized I should look for her price point and see what was available. We found a few that were close but still not quite what she was looking for. Then I saw the Carolina Herrera dress that had almost everything she was looking for. And I saw the price. And I told her to try it on. And she really liked it. Then she saw the price and was incredulous. And that was it. Even the girl who was cashing her out couldn't believe it.
She paid roughly 9% of the original price of the dress, which was initially several thousands of dollars. The last time I helped a friend with a wedding dress, she also paid less than 10% of the original price. I may not have the haggling gene, but my deal finding skills are in top form. My mother would be so proud.
"Oh, this is how it starts, lightning strikes the heart, it goes off like a gun, brighter than the sun"
I've been helping a really good friend of mine to shop for her wedding dress. Her budget is a bit smaller than most, which is challenging. If she couldn't find her price, her alternative was to rent it, but we were going to try our best. She had a one-hour appointment at a boutique downtown on Friday, which allowed her to try on some different styles and we were able to really narrow down her likes and dislikes. But this was just the warm-up for Saturday, where she had an appointment at a sample sale.
Have you ever seen that episode of Friends when Monica brought the other girls to the wedding dress sample sale, and they all had whistles to draw the others if they found the one? Then Rachel ended up using it because she was being attacked by crazy brides? Yeah, I was all ready for that. Luckily, this was nothing like it, mostly because they controlled the number of women in the room, and there weren't as many dresses to choose from, and the place was a tiny Victorian house. Plus I guess it's because we're all Canadian, we kept excusing ourselves and apologizing as we squeezed around each other.
Our first strategy was to look for the style that she liked. We pulled some out and she got to trying them on. Meanwhile, I kept looking around. There was one that was really nice and she liked it, but it was pretty far outside of her price point. That's when I changed tack and realized I should look for her price point and see what was available. We found a few that were close but still not quite what she was looking for. Then I saw the Carolina Herrera dress that had almost everything she was looking for. And I saw the price. And I told her to try it on. And she really liked it. Then she saw the price and was incredulous. And that was it. Even the girl who was cashing her out couldn't believe it.
She paid roughly 9% of the original price of the dress, which was initially several thousands of dollars. The last time I helped a friend with a wedding dress, she also paid less than 10% of the original price. I may not have the haggling gene, but my deal finding skills are in top form. My mother would be so proud.
"Oh, this is how it starts, lightning strikes the heart, it goes off like a gun, brighter than the sun"
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
My Kind of Town
Chicago is.
It's been a few years since I was there for work, and several more since I was there on vacation with my family. This time it was a road trip destination with my brother after our Black Friday odyssey in Grove City, PA. The drive between Grove City and Chicago is around 7 hours, but it wasn't as bad as it sounds. Have you ever been to North East? We passed it on our way through Pennsylvania. What was confusing was that we were heading west at the time. You know how there are occasionally interesting signs dotting the countryside? Our favourite was the one that advertised "FIREWORKS, KARATE SUPPLIES, PEPPER SPRAY AND STUN GUNS!" Yes, that is definitely one-stop shopping. And what are karate supplies? Nunchukus? Throwing stars? Oh wait, that's ninja supplies...
I have many good things to say about Chicago. First up, their transit system. So easy to use, so inexpensive, so interesting to be travelling high above the street, passing within a couple of feet of other people's windows.
Next, the architecture. So fantastic, even I can appreciate it with little to no formal knowledge about it.
It was chilly and wet for most of the weekend, but we were able to fit in a lot of sights. Our first night in town, we experienced deep dish pizza and then went up to the top of the John Hancock Center. We also hit the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Observation Deck of the Willis Tower. Essentially, we took the Ferris Bueller tour. My biggest "there it is!" moment was when we came out of the subway at Milwaukee and Grand and found ourselves in front of Emmits Pub (Ocean's Eleven!).
The trip was not uneventful. On our way back to the hotel, we were going down the escalator from the subway platform when we heard a SLAM! Then we saw a man rolling down the up escalator. He was out cold but continued travelling past us, carried by the escalator. The attendant in the booth took a look then went back to call for help. In the time it took for us to call the hotel shuttle to pick us up, firefighters were already heading up to the platform to check him out, and then the cops and paramedics showed up within minutes afterwards. Good response time.
While I was taking photos at "The Bean", a woman offered me $20 for my umbrella. I turned it down, and then she offered me $40. My brother wanted to give it to her, but I still said no for two reasons: 1) it wasn't my umbrella, and 2) the moment I gave it to her, I was sure it was going to start pouring, and then I'd be the idiot stuck looking for an umbrella. My brother said we could buy a pretty nice umbrella for $40, and I said if there was an umbrella to be sold anywhere near us, the woman wouldn't be in this predicament. This is the price you pay for poor planning.
We didn't get to see everything, like Navy Pier or Wrigley Field, but as always I save a little something for next time.
"And each time I leave, Chicago is tugging my sleeve"
It's been a few years since I was there for work, and several more since I was there on vacation with my family. This time it was a road trip destination with my brother after our Black Friday odyssey in Grove City, PA. The drive between Grove City and Chicago is around 7 hours, but it wasn't as bad as it sounds. Have you ever been to North East? We passed it on our way through Pennsylvania. What was confusing was that we were heading west at the time. You know how there are occasionally interesting signs dotting the countryside? Our favourite was the one that advertised "FIREWORKS, KARATE SUPPLIES, PEPPER SPRAY AND STUN GUNS!" Yes, that is definitely one-stop shopping. And what are karate supplies? Nunchukus? Throwing stars? Oh wait, that's ninja supplies...
I have many good things to say about Chicago. First up, their transit system. So easy to use, so inexpensive, so interesting to be travelling high above the street, passing within a couple of feet of other people's windows.
Next, the architecture. So fantastic, even I can appreciate it with little to no formal knowledge about it.
It was chilly and wet for most of the weekend, but we were able to fit in a lot of sights. Our first night in town, we experienced deep dish pizza and then went up to the top of the John Hancock Center. We also hit the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Observation Deck of the Willis Tower. Essentially, we took the Ferris Bueller tour. My biggest "there it is!" moment was when we came out of the subway at Milwaukee and Grand and found ourselves in front of Emmits Pub (Ocean's Eleven!).
The trip was not uneventful. On our way back to the hotel, we were going down the escalator from the subway platform when we heard a SLAM! Then we saw a man rolling down the up escalator. He was out cold but continued travelling past us, carried by the escalator. The attendant in the booth took a look then went back to call for help. In the time it took for us to call the hotel shuttle to pick us up, firefighters were already heading up to the platform to check him out, and then the cops and paramedics showed up within minutes afterwards. Good response time.
While I was taking photos at "The Bean", a woman offered me $20 for my umbrella. I turned it down, and then she offered me $40. My brother wanted to give it to her, but I still said no for two reasons: 1) it wasn't my umbrella, and 2) the moment I gave it to her, I was sure it was going to start pouring, and then I'd be the idiot stuck looking for an umbrella. My brother said we could buy a pretty nice umbrella for $40, and I said if there was an umbrella to be sold anywhere near us, the woman wouldn't be in this predicament. This is the price you pay for poor planning.
We didn't get to see everything, like Navy Pier or Wrigley Field, but as always I save a little something for next time.
"And each time I leave, Chicago is tugging my sleeve"
Friday, November 11, 2011
My Number
Today is November 11, 2011. Essentially, 11-11-11. It's not quite 11:00 yet, but I think there's no need for that.
I've always considered 11 to be my number. I was born on the 11th, I lived at number 11, etc. But I don't know if I could call it my lucky number. I remember being kind of miserable when I was 11 years old. Things didn't really turn around for me until I passed my 11th year. I changed schools, I found my life-long friends, and I started to search for my happiness. It hasn't been all smiles and sunshine since then, but I've tried to make the best of what I was given.
I guess luck is just another way of defining fate. Not that it's predetermined, but that it's based on every decision made by you and every other person on Earth. And it depends on how you interpret it.
Let's face it, when your number is up, will you be able to look back and consider yourself lucky?
"If I sorted it out, if I knew all about this one thing, wouldn't that be something?"
"If I sorted it out, if I knew all about this one thing, wouldn't that be something?"
Sunday, November 06, 2011
Pockets of Life
My condo development consists of five towers, two of which are within view of my windows. This of course leads to a tendency for me to look out and see what my neighbours are up to. It becomes more prevalent at night, when the lights are on. One night, I looked across to one of the towers and saw that three families were at home, going about their business at the same time. These three units were stacked one above the other, which was interesting because although the floor plan was exactly the same, they were very different in terms of what colours they chose for their floors, what style of couch they decided to purchase, and where they decided to put their lamps and tables. They were like little bubbles or pockets of life, happening simultaneously, each the same but different. It made me think of what other pockets of life were happening now, above me or below me, or all around the world.
The past couple of weeks have made me think about life a lot. I guess that always happens when a life ends. My very good friend lost her father to a long struggle against cancer. After an attempt at treatment, it was determined that there was nothing that could be done. We waited for the news, and though I had a miniscule amount of hope after weeks and months had passed with no further deterioration, we all knew it was inevitable. She's the first of my close friends to lose a parent. Another reminder that time marches on.
This week, I received the news that my family's neighbour passed away. She and her husband had been our next-door neighbour for my entire life. A nice elderly couple who invited us over to use their pool on hot summer days, and to pick raspberries when they had an abundant crop. I had seen them less often after I moved out on my own, but the couple of times I saw them in their front yard, I noticed how much older they looked. She had been handing out candy with her daughter on Halloween. She went to bed that night with her husband. Early in the morning, she went to the washroom, came back to the bed, and fell over. She was almost 87 years old, and on the verge of becoming a great-grandmother. With my parents and youngest brother on the other side of the world, my other brother and I went to the visitation to represent our family. She had lived a long and interesting life, another unique pocket in the world.
Wherever you are, I hope you're doing well in your pocket of life.
"And death is at your doorstep, and it will steal your innocence, but it will not steal your substance"
The past couple of weeks have made me think about life a lot. I guess that always happens when a life ends. My very good friend lost her father to a long struggle against cancer. After an attempt at treatment, it was determined that there was nothing that could be done. We waited for the news, and though I had a miniscule amount of hope after weeks and months had passed with no further deterioration, we all knew it was inevitable. She's the first of my close friends to lose a parent. Another reminder that time marches on.
This week, I received the news that my family's neighbour passed away. She and her husband had been our next-door neighbour for my entire life. A nice elderly couple who invited us over to use their pool on hot summer days, and to pick raspberries when they had an abundant crop. I had seen them less often after I moved out on my own, but the couple of times I saw them in their front yard, I noticed how much older they looked. She had been handing out candy with her daughter on Halloween. She went to bed that night with her husband. Early in the morning, she went to the washroom, came back to the bed, and fell over. She was almost 87 years old, and on the verge of becoming a great-grandmother. With my parents and youngest brother on the other side of the world, my other brother and I went to the visitation to represent our family. She had lived a long and interesting life, another unique pocket in the world.
Wherever you are, I hope you're doing well in your pocket of life.
"And death is at your doorstep, and it will steal your innocence, but it will not steal your substance"
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
TIFF Diaries: Post-fest
Another film fest over. Since I was doing a day-by-day recap, I realized that I had some leftover tidbits to share.
I found out on the last day that the People's Choice winner was "Where Do We Go Now?", a surprise to say the least. There was a significant lack of buzz this year about People's Choice, which led me to believe that either there were no good films (not possible) or there were too many good films to narrow it down. It's going to be Lebanon's Foreign Language film entry for the Oscars this year, so it probably has a good shot. It wasn't enough to interest me in seeing it at the free screening though. I was glad to hear that "Starbuck" was a runner up. This was the film that the volunteers got to see prior to the festival. A French-Canadian film about a slacker who finds out that, through his donations to a sperm bank years ago, he is the father of 533 children. It's a really good film, surprisingly touching at some points. I hope it's released outside of Quebec.
I had taken as many photos as I could when I wasn't volunteering. Here's a sampling:
So, just when I thought I was done for the year...one of my TIFF friends is the volunteer coordinator for the Reel Asian film festival and has corralled me into helping out. Here we go again.
"Every day I'm shuffling"
I found out on the last day that the People's Choice winner was "Where Do We Go Now?", a surprise to say the least. There was a significant lack of buzz this year about People's Choice, which led me to believe that either there were no good films (not possible) or there were too many good films to narrow it down. It's going to be Lebanon's Foreign Language film entry for the Oscars this year, so it probably has a good shot. It wasn't enough to interest me in seeing it at the free screening though. I was glad to hear that "Starbuck" was a runner up. This was the film that the volunteers got to see prior to the festival. A French-Canadian film about a slacker who finds out that, through his donations to a sperm bank years ago, he is the father of 533 children. It's a really good film, surprisingly touching at some points. I hope it's released outside of Quebec.
I had taken as many photos as I could when I wasn't volunteering. Here's a sampling:
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| The Edge and Bono spoke a little during the intro for "From the Sky Down". |
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| Alexander Payne, George Clooney, and the cast of "The Descendants". |
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| Freshly made Lindor chocolates in the Visa Lounge at the Elgin. Yum. |
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| The director and cast of "Anonymous" during the Q&A. |
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| My vantage point of the directors of "Jeff, Who Lives at Home". |
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| The director of "Violet & Daisy" during Q&A. Dang it, give me a clue! |
"Every day I'm shuffling"
Sunday, September 18, 2011
TIFF Diaries: Day 11
Last early morning of the festival. Had to get downtown in time to meet up with Olivia and her mom to see "A Simple Life" at the Scotiabank. Unfortunately, Olivia had a last minute work committment, and couldn't join us. By some miracle, there was a rush line for the film, and I was able to trade the ticket for a voucher from another volunteer. With that out of the way, we walked up the bazillion steps (cruelly, both esclators were out of order) and went into the theatre. Once again, I ran into my film fest friend. There were quite a number of Cantonese-speaking people in the theatre, which wasn't surprising.
I usually try to see one Chinese film at the festival, to maintain some kind of cultural balance. That isn't to say that the films aren't good. Last year, "Aftershock" was one of my favourites. A majority of the time, the films are in Mandarin, so I can't understand any of it and need to rely on the subtitles. This year, I was able to find a Cantonese film, not to mention a really good one. I don't follow Chinese films often, but I do know who Andy Lau is. And going in to the film, I knew that Deanie Ip had won the best actress award at the Venice Film Festival a couple of weeks ago, so I was prepared for a good film and to bawl my eyes out, as most Andy Lau films are typically tear-jerkers.
"A Simple Life" is about a traditional family dynamic in Hong Kong and China, where a nanny or "amah" takes care of the children. In this case, Tao Jie has served the same family for four generations. Now, after having a stroke, she feels that she is a burden and retires, opting to live at a retirement home. Roger, having been cared for by this woman his whole life, decides that it's his turn to take care of her. Extremely touching, really funny at some parts, but not overly dramatic and sentimental, and I was able to hold it together for the most part. I can see now why she won the award, and after seeing photos of her at Venice, I am totally blown away by the make-up department for this film. It won't be released until 2012, but it's another highly recommended one from me.
The rest of the day was spent having lunch with Olivia and her mom, walking around downtown, and generally killing time until the Staff & Volunteer party , which I wasn't entirely keen on attending, but this year having met a lot of volunteers, I thought I would just go to say hi and catch up on the week. Sure enough, the party was the usual, and I left around 10:00 with the hopes of being able to get to bed at a decent hour (no such luck).
And with that...it was over.
"Cheers to the freakin' weekend, I drink to that, yeah yeah"
I usually try to see one Chinese film at the festival, to maintain some kind of cultural balance. That isn't to say that the films aren't good. Last year, "Aftershock" was one of my favourites. A majority of the time, the films are in Mandarin, so I can't understand any of it and need to rely on the subtitles. This year, I was able to find a Cantonese film, not to mention a really good one. I don't follow Chinese films often, but I do know who Andy Lau is. And going in to the film, I knew that Deanie Ip had won the best actress award at the Venice Film Festival a couple of weeks ago, so I was prepared for a good film and to bawl my eyes out, as most Andy Lau films are typically tear-jerkers.
"A Simple Life" is about a traditional family dynamic in Hong Kong and China, where a nanny or "amah" takes care of the children. In this case, Tao Jie has served the same family for four generations. Now, after having a stroke, she feels that she is a burden and retires, opting to live at a retirement home. Roger, having been cared for by this woman his whole life, decides that it's his turn to take care of her. Extremely touching, really funny at some parts, but not overly dramatic and sentimental, and I was able to hold it together for the most part. I can see now why she won the award, and after seeing photos of her at Venice, I am totally blown away by the make-up department for this film. It won't be released until 2012, but it's another highly recommended one from me.
The rest of the day was spent having lunch with Olivia and her mom, walking around downtown, and generally killing time until the Staff & Volunteer party , which I wasn't entirely keen on attending, but this year having met a lot of volunteers, I thought I would just go to say hi and catch up on the week. Sure enough, the party was the usual, and I left around 10:00 with the hopes of being able to get to bed at a decent hour (no such luck).
And with that...it was over.
"Cheers to the freakin' weekend, I drink to that, yeah yeah"
Saturday, September 17, 2011
TIFF Diaries: Day 10
Just when I thought I could sleep in, I checked online in the morning to see if "Albert Nobbs" had gone back on sale, and it had. CRAP! So I called the box office to see how many tickets were actually available, to gauge my chances if I went downtown now. Alas, the automated voice lied to me (My wait time is four minutes? Yeah right!), so I hung up, got myself together and rushed downtown. There was no line-up at the box office, and I held my breath as the ticket agent looked it up. Finally he said there was a ticket available! I handed over my voucher and he told me that he tries to remain emotionless until he's sure that it's good news. A good practice, I think.
So now I had a ton of time to kill before my first screening of the day. I went back to my standard Starbucks breakfast and surfed the internet until the parking meter ran out. Then I moved my car to a more central location (for the theatres I was going to today) and wandered around a quiet Eaton Centre. I ended up at Indigo, surfing again (more specifically, trying to get caught up on my blogs). Finally, I got in the ticket holders line, somewhat early but still not the first one there.
"Moneyball" was a surprise for me, in that I didn't think I would be able to get a ticket. But the Elgin is a large theatre, and it was the last Saturday of the festival, which is typically when things start winding down. I knew given that it was a Brad Pitt film to keep my expectations slightly lowered, but the premise of the film was kind of interesting by itself (Math and baseball? What??). It was a really great film! Both Brad and Jonah Hill were at times hilarious and serious, and the girl who plays Brad's daughter is a cutie, and a good musician. The really great thing was that the most climactic part of the movie ACTUALLY happened in real life (I looked it up later). It all takes place in 2002, which is fairly recent memory. It started to come back to me as I kept watching. Definitely see this film, even if you don't like baseball. Or math. Or Brad Pitt for that matter.
After the film, I wandered around while I waited for my friends to arrive. We had to correct a minor parking issue, but we got it sorted out, then went to Salad King for dinner. Back at the Ryerson for "Albert Nobbs", a film that had a really interesting plot (a woman in the 1800s has disguised herself as a man for over 20 years to be employed as a butler at a fancy hotel in Dublin), but it didn't really execute it as well as I had hoped. Glenn Close was fabulous, as usual, and at times I really forgot that she was a woman. Everything else that happened was...muddled, I think is the best word. We were all left a little confused in the end.
I'm starting to forget what sleep feels like...
"I'm just a little bit caught in the middle, life is a maze and love is a riddle"
So now I had a ton of time to kill before my first screening of the day. I went back to my standard Starbucks breakfast and surfed the internet until the parking meter ran out. Then I moved my car to a more central location (for the theatres I was going to today) and wandered around a quiet Eaton Centre. I ended up at Indigo, surfing again (more specifically, trying to get caught up on my blogs). Finally, I got in the ticket holders line, somewhat early but still not the first one there.
"Moneyball" was a surprise for me, in that I didn't think I would be able to get a ticket. But the Elgin is a large theatre, and it was the last Saturday of the festival, which is typically when things start winding down. I knew given that it was a Brad Pitt film to keep my expectations slightly lowered, but the premise of the film was kind of interesting by itself (Math and baseball? What??). It was a really great film! Both Brad and Jonah Hill were at times hilarious and serious, and the girl who plays Brad's daughter is a cutie, and a good musician. The really great thing was that the most climactic part of the movie ACTUALLY happened in real life (I looked it up later). It all takes place in 2002, which is fairly recent memory. It started to come back to me as I kept watching. Definitely see this film, even if you don't like baseball. Or math. Or Brad Pitt for that matter.
After the film, I wandered around while I waited for my friends to arrive. We had to correct a minor parking issue, but we got it sorted out, then went to Salad King for dinner. Back at the Ryerson for "Albert Nobbs", a film that had a really interesting plot (a woman in the 1800s has disguised herself as a man for over 20 years to be employed as a butler at a fancy hotel in Dublin), but it didn't really execute it as well as I had hoped. Glenn Close was fabulous, as usual, and at times I really forgot that she was a woman. Everything else that happened was...muddled, I think is the best word. We were all left a little confused in the end.
I'm starting to forget what sleep feels like...
"I'm just a little bit caught in the middle, life is a maze and love is a riddle"
Friday, September 16, 2011
TIFF Diaries: Day 9
Day 8 was my ONE day off, and I actually considered signing up for another shift, but then came to my senses. But what did I do at home? I sat on my couch and watched a movie. I must be crazy.
Today after work I waited for my friends to stop by and pick up a pair of tickets for "Sleepless Night", which is a French crime thriller, I think. An interesting choice, but would make sense for them, being a French teacher and a police officer. I have yet to hear the reviews from them, but I had heard from others that it was a good film.
I made my way downtown and had dinner before getting in line at the Ryerson for "Violet & Daisy". I ran into a volunteer friend and ended up standing in line with him. Once we were inside, sitting in the first row of the balcony, I glanced down and thought I saw my film fest friend. I texted her and sure enough, she was in the 6th row, next to the woman who was throwing t-shirts into the crowd. Watching people react to free stuff is funny. But I have to admit, I'm guilty of it too. I can't stand diet soft drinks but when presented with a free one I still took it. It was so gross but I couldn't bring myself to let it go to waste. Damn my upbringing!
The film had gotten reviews both ways (some really loved it and some really hated it), so I tried to keep an open mind. It is definitely different, but I really liked it. The film is about two teenage assassins (Alexis Bledel as Violet and Saorise Ronan as Daisy), who are assigned a hit that doesn't go quite the way they planned. James Gandolfini is so great in this! There's a lot of unexplained imagery too, which the director wouldn't get into during the Q&A, leaving it open to your own interpretation. But, he said, everything you need to explain it is in the film. So crap, I have to watch this again! I especially loved the use of music, which included an obscure Sarah McLachlan track that I absolutely love and can actually play on the piano.
"And fate has led you through it, you do what you have to do"
Today after work I waited for my friends to stop by and pick up a pair of tickets for "Sleepless Night", which is a French crime thriller, I think. An interesting choice, but would make sense for them, being a French teacher and a police officer. I have yet to hear the reviews from them, but I had heard from others that it was a good film.
I made my way downtown and had dinner before getting in line at the Ryerson for "Violet & Daisy". I ran into a volunteer friend and ended up standing in line with him. Once we were inside, sitting in the first row of the balcony, I glanced down and thought I saw my film fest friend. I texted her and sure enough, she was in the 6th row, next to the woman who was throwing t-shirts into the crowd. Watching people react to free stuff is funny. But I have to admit, I'm guilty of it too. I can't stand diet soft drinks but when presented with a free one I still took it. It was so gross but I couldn't bring myself to let it go to waste. Damn my upbringing!
The film had gotten reviews both ways (some really loved it and some really hated it), so I tried to keep an open mind. It is definitely different, but I really liked it. The film is about two teenage assassins (Alexis Bledel as Violet and Saorise Ronan as Daisy), who are assigned a hit that doesn't go quite the way they planned. James Gandolfini is so great in this! There's a lot of unexplained imagery too, which the director wouldn't get into during the Q&A, leaving it open to your own interpretation. But, he said, everything you need to explain it is in the film. So crap, I have to watch this again! I especially loved the use of music, which included an obscure Sarah McLachlan track that I absolutely love and can actually play on the piano.
"And fate has led you through it, you do what you have to do"
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
TIFF Diaries: Day 7
Back to the real world, and a day of work while trying to stay awake.
Today's rush was "Jeff, Who Lives at Home". For the first time, possibly ever, I was caught in the rain in a rush line. I knew this would happen, since I had left my umbrella in the car in my hurry to grab dinner at the Eaton Centre and run over to the line. I was surrounded by fellow volunteers, some from Ryerson, some I had never met before, which made for interesting conversation. Luckily, my friend Olivia was able to join me for the film, umbrella in hand. We were relatively dry by the time we got into the theatre.
It was too bad that none of the stars (Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Judy Greer, Susan Sarandon) were on hand, but the two directors were there. The film is about a 30-something slacker named Jeff who interprets random occurrences as signs from the universe, telling him to do something. In other words, a perfect film for me. Along the way, he encounters his brother who suspects that his wife is cheating on him. And in a seemingly separate story, his mother is trying to solve a mystery at her workplace. Incredibly funny, but then strangely serious at the end. Final verdict was that I really liked the film.
The directors gave a really great Q&A at the end. You can see where some of the humour comes from. But another late night for me. We're in the home stretch now.
"I've had my run, baby I'm done, I gotta go home"
Today's rush was "Jeff, Who Lives at Home". For the first time, possibly ever, I was caught in the rain in a rush line. I knew this would happen, since I had left my umbrella in the car in my hurry to grab dinner at the Eaton Centre and run over to the line. I was surrounded by fellow volunteers, some from Ryerson, some I had never met before, which made for interesting conversation. Luckily, my friend Olivia was able to join me for the film, umbrella in hand. We were relatively dry by the time we got into the theatre.
It was too bad that none of the stars (Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Judy Greer, Susan Sarandon) were on hand, but the two directors were there. The film is about a 30-something slacker named Jeff who interprets random occurrences as signs from the universe, telling him to do something. In other words, a perfect film for me. Along the way, he encounters his brother who suspects that his wife is cheating on him. And in a seemingly separate story, his mother is trying to solve a mystery at her workplace. Incredibly funny, but then strangely serious at the end. Final verdict was that I really liked the film.
The directors gave a really great Q&A at the end. You can see where some of the humour comes from. But another late night for me. We're in the home stretch now.
"I've had my run, baby I'm done, I gotta go home"
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
TIFF Diaries: Day 6
MAJOR success! Made it down to the festival box office and scored the 2nd last ticket to "50/50"! No rushing for this girl today! Next thing I knew I was sitting in a Starbucks, enjoying caffeine and free wi-fi, looking up and seeing Richard Crouse enjoying a cuppa whilst possibly working on a review. Lots of time to kill before the first film of the day. I totally felt like I belonged there. I was an honourary Downtowner.
This was my big festival day: three films. The first was "The Lady", a film based on the life of Aung Sang Suu Kyi, the activist from Burma who was the democratically elected leader of the country but had been under house arrest by the military dictatorship for the better part of two decades. It mentioned the political struggle for democracy but also focused on her relationship with her husband, which totally ripped my heart out. Michelle Yeoh was so good in it. I had to pull myself together and run out of the theatre, skipping the Q&A, in order to get to my next film.
I knew "50/50" would be funny yet sad, and it was. An interesting view of the cancer experience, not just by the person who has it but also the people around him/her. Good job by the cast, and great job by the filmmaker on the soundtrack. Radiohead, Pearl Jam...awesome!
The exhaustion was setting in, so I stayed in the food court at 10 Dundas. I had begun to perfect the art of sleeping while sitting or standing upright. Given that I was tired since 9 in the morning, I was really astounded that I was only tired in between films, but not during. I had been really worried that since I was alone, if I started snoring in the theatre, there wouldn't be anyone around to prod me awake. But I didn't miss a thing, which was excellent.
The last film of the day, "Sisters & Brothers" was a choice I made on a whim, not really knowing much except that Cory Monteith was in it. It was a wholly Canadian film, and the third of a trilogy (after "Mothers & Daughters" and "Fathers& Sons"). And, as I found out during Q&A, completely improvised without a script. Really entertaining, it was a collage of four unrelated stories about five sets of siblings, interspersed with interview segments. Since it was improv, the director had to shoot each story from beginning to end, and then edit them together with transitions. A nice light way to end the long day.
"And I know it aches, and your heart it breaks, you can only take so much"
This was my big festival day: three films. The first was "The Lady", a film based on the life of Aung Sang Suu Kyi, the activist from Burma who was the democratically elected leader of the country but had been under house arrest by the military dictatorship for the better part of two decades. It mentioned the political struggle for democracy but also focused on her relationship with her husband, which totally ripped my heart out. Michelle Yeoh was so good in it. I had to pull myself together and run out of the theatre, skipping the Q&A, in order to get to my next film.
I knew "50/50" would be funny yet sad, and it was. An interesting view of the cancer experience, not just by the person who has it but also the people around him/her. Good job by the cast, and great job by the filmmaker on the soundtrack. Radiohead, Pearl Jam...awesome!
The exhaustion was setting in, so I stayed in the food court at 10 Dundas. I had begun to perfect the art of sleeping while sitting or standing upright. Given that I was tired since 9 in the morning, I was really astounded that I was only tired in between films, but not during. I had been really worried that since I was alone, if I started snoring in the theatre, there wouldn't be anyone around to prod me awake. But I didn't miss a thing, which was excellent.
The last film of the day, "Sisters & Brothers" was a choice I made on a whim, not really knowing much except that Cory Monteith was in it. It was a wholly Canadian film, and the third of a trilogy (after "Mothers & Daughters" and "Fathers& Sons"). And, as I found out during Q&A, completely improvised without a script. Really entertaining, it was a collage of four unrelated stories about five sets of siblings, interspersed with interview segments. Since it was improv, the director had to shoot each story from beginning to end, and then edit them together with transitions. A nice light way to end the long day.
"And I know it aches, and your heart it breaks, you can only take so much"
TIFF Diaries: Day 5
After a day at work, it was a bit rough to start my final shift in the evening. However, it had to be the most entertaining one of all. First off, I was a little bummed that I would miss the premiere of "50/50" due to my volunteering commitments, but it was okay since I was going to try and see it the next day. I would have liked to have seen Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen though. When the movie was letting out, I ran into a snowboarding friend as well as my box office saviour, who loved the film and was going to go see JGL at the "hitrecord" event. I knew how much aggravation she had to endure to get those tickets, so I hoped it would turn out to be really good.
The next film, "Ten Year", was having a red carpet, with all the girlies screaming for Channing Tatum and Justin Long, but strangely the film hadn't gone rush. We had some issues with fans bursting through the line to try and get a better shot of the stars arriving on the carpet, so the line supervisor had to herd them out while I tried to usher legitimate patrons in. Once we had reestablished order, I figured enough was enough and put my foot down, sending industry members to the ticket holders line regardless of whether they had been let through in the past or not. Then a couple of guys showed up, wanting to join the red carpet party. The shorter guy kept saying that they were "Ben and Scott". The supervisor replied "Scott who?" The taller guy laughed, and when we both looked up, we realized it was Scott Speedman, who wasn't in the film but had a ticket to the screening. The ticket holders' line was just starting to go in, so I suggested they go towards the head of the carpet and see if anyone could help them out. The supervisor offered to let him wait by the barricade but he was cool about it and said it wasn't a big deal. They walked away, but a few minutes later I saw them next to the red carpet anyway. I continued to laugh all night about the fact that I had shut down Scott Speedman.
Once the film had gone in, Justin Long came back out to the carpet and spent an hour with the hangers-on, taking photos, signing autographs, talking on someone's cell phone, and giving out random hugs. The social networks must have been buzzing because a scattering of people kept showing up throughout the hour, including a couple of girls in their PJs who most likely lived in the building across the street.
The final film of the night, "The Incident", was thankfully incident-free. In fact, we let everyone in, including the few who were rushing with passes and vouchers, in record time. Tear-down of the carpet was equally quick. Once we were signed out, I made my way to my friend's condo, where she had kindly let me crash for a few hours before I would start my most serious day of festing.
"I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night"
The next film, "Ten Year", was having a red carpet, with all the girlies screaming for Channing Tatum and Justin Long, but strangely the film hadn't gone rush. We had some issues with fans bursting through the line to try and get a better shot of the stars arriving on the carpet, so the line supervisor had to herd them out while I tried to usher legitimate patrons in. Once we had reestablished order, I figured enough was enough and put my foot down, sending industry members to the ticket holders line regardless of whether they had been let through in the past or not. Then a couple of guys showed up, wanting to join the red carpet party. The shorter guy kept saying that they were "Ben and Scott". The supervisor replied "Scott who?" The taller guy laughed, and when we both looked up, we realized it was Scott Speedman, who wasn't in the film but had a ticket to the screening. The ticket holders' line was just starting to go in, so I suggested they go towards the head of the carpet and see if anyone could help them out. The supervisor offered to let him wait by the barricade but he was cool about it and said it wasn't a big deal. They walked away, but a few minutes later I saw them next to the red carpet anyway. I continued to laugh all night about the fact that I had shut down Scott Speedman.
Once the film had gone in, Justin Long came back out to the carpet and spent an hour with the hangers-on, taking photos, signing autographs, talking on someone's cell phone, and giving out random hugs. The social networks must have been buzzing because a scattering of people kept showing up throughout the hour, including a couple of girls in their PJs who most likely lived in the building across the street.
The final film of the night, "The Incident", was thankfully incident-free. In fact, we let everyone in, including the few who were rushing with passes and vouchers, in record time. Tear-down of the carpet was equally quick. Once we were signed out, I made my way to my friend's condo, where she had kindly let me crash for a few hours before I would start my most serious day of festing.
"I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night"
Sunday, September 11, 2011
TIFF Diaries: Day 4
A moment for 9/11...
The action packed weekend continued, starting with another shift at the Ryerson. I was on time for my shift but there was already a significant rush line in front of the theatre. They were waiting for "Take This Waltz", about which I had heard some positive buzz but didn't realize it would be this popular on a Sunday morning. While the ticketholders crowd went in, I ran into my friend who had stood in the box office line up for me, and I saw a couple of familiar volunteer faces here and there.
The action packed weekend continued, starting with another shift at the Ryerson. I was on time for my shift but there was already a significant rush line in front of the theatre. They were waiting for "Take This Waltz", about which I had heard some positive buzz but didn't realize it would be this popular on a Sunday morning. While the ticketholders crowd went in, I ran into my friend who had stood in the box office line up for me, and I saw a couple of familiar volunteer faces here and there.
Second film of the day was a bit torturous, since I had to repeat
"Martha Marcy May Marlene" umpteen times, but at least I eventually
got it rolling off the tongue. It
impressed a number of people, actually.
There was a red carpet, featuring the Olsen twins' little sister
Elizabeth, who eerily is just a taller version of them. Sarah Paulson was there too, who was great in
"Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" which I watched every week until they
lost out to the popularity of "30 Rock". I heard Hugh Dancy was also there but I
missed his entrance. Juliette Lewis was considerably late, given that most of the fans had already left the carpet by the time she got there.
At one point, there was a couple standing in front of me, who I will name "Guy with Hat and Blonde Girl". A couple of girls in the rush line came up to them and excitedly asked the Guy with Hat if they could take a photo with him. I tried my very best sly look, but I had absolutely no idea who he was. Best guess: soap actor? The other volunteer and I were so tempted to ask the two girls, but we missed our chance and they disappeared into the theatre.
After my shift, I had some time to grab a snack and shop at the mall before getting in the rush line for "Anonymous". Fortunately, someone came around giving away tickets to the film. I was able to get one and head over to the ticket holders line. Then I realized that Ihad my gold Visa card with me, so I stepped into the priority line. I was let into the lounge downstairs to wait for a while and have first dibs on a seat. There was a station set up in the lounge where they were making FRESH Lindor chocolates. The round shells were set up, and the girl in the chef's outfit was piping milk chocolate into the centres. Another chef girl had a tray and offered me a chocolate. It was so melty... They also had all the other flavours set up in martini glasses, and you just helped yourself. So, this is how the other half lives.
An announcer came on the PA and told us that the previous film was running late by about half an hour, so we'd be delayed getting into the theatre. That was fine with me, I was inside and sitting down. As the time drew closer, lines were forming by the staircases. The moment the PA lady started talking, there was the most ridiculous mad dash to the theatre that I had ever seen. For goodness sake people, there's no need to kill yourself to get to your seat! I ended up in the front row of the balcony whilst avoiding loss of life or limb.
The director of the film, Roland Emmerich, is more famous for films like "Independence Day", "Godzilla", and "The Day After Tomorrow", so for him to do a British period piece about Shakespeare was kind of strange. Essentially, it could go either way - really well or gigantic train wreak. I think it went well. He even had an opportunity to blow something up. I stuck around for the Q&A, even though it was fairly late. Someone asked Joely Richardson what it was like to act in a film with her mom, Vanessa Redgrave. She was gracious in her answer, gently pointing out that they didn't actually get to act together, since they were playing the same person at different ages (Queen Elizabeth I), but they did get to hang out in each other's trailer, go to costume fittings together, and compare wigs, so it was fun. Perhaps not the most thought-out question ever.
"I'm not the kinda girl to get messed up with you, hello"
At one point, there was a couple standing in front of me, who I will name "Guy with Hat and Blonde Girl". A couple of girls in the rush line came up to them and excitedly asked the Guy with Hat if they could take a photo with him. I tried my very best sly look, but I had absolutely no idea who he was. Best guess: soap actor? The other volunteer and I were so tempted to ask the two girls, but we missed our chance and they disappeared into the theatre.
After my shift, I had some time to grab a snack and shop at the mall before getting in the rush line for "Anonymous". Fortunately, someone came around giving away tickets to the film. I was able to get one and head over to the ticket holders line. Then I realized that Ihad my gold Visa card with me, so I stepped into the priority line. I was let into the lounge downstairs to wait for a while and have first dibs on a seat. There was a station set up in the lounge where they were making FRESH Lindor chocolates. The round shells were set up, and the girl in the chef's outfit was piping milk chocolate into the centres. Another chef girl had a tray and offered me a chocolate. It was so melty... They also had all the other flavours set up in martini glasses, and you just helped yourself. So, this is how the other half lives.
An announcer came on the PA and told us that the previous film was running late by about half an hour, so we'd be delayed getting into the theatre. That was fine with me, I was inside and sitting down. As the time drew closer, lines were forming by the staircases. The moment the PA lady started talking, there was the most ridiculous mad dash to the theatre that I had ever seen. For goodness sake people, there's no need to kill yourself to get to your seat! I ended up in the front row of the balcony whilst avoiding loss of life or limb.
The director of the film, Roland Emmerich, is more famous for films like "Independence Day", "Godzilla", and "The Day After Tomorrow", so for him to do a British period piece about Shakespeare was kind of strange. Essentially, it could go either way - really well or gigantic train wreak. I think it went well. He even had an opportunity to blow something up. I stuck around for the Q&A, even though it was fairly late. Someone asked Joely Richardson what it was like to act in a film with her mom, Vanessa Redgrave. She was gracious in her answer, gently pointing out that they didn't actually get to act together, since they were playing the same person at different ages (Queen Elizabeth I), but they did get to hang out in each other's trailer, go to costume fittings together, and compare wigs, so it was fun. Perhaps not the most thought-out question ever.
"I'm not the kinda girl to get messed up with you, hello"
Saturday, September 10, 2011
TIFF Diaries: Day 3
First shift of the day meant setting up the red carpet. It's a bit of a beast this year, being one continuous strip. I was pretty impressed with the engineering of the photo backdrop stand though. It opened and closed like an accordian.
"Trishna" was the first film. An easy film to let in, since there wasn't a red carpet. Still, two ladies showed up over an hour after the film started and tried to get in. We usually allow people who are late to go in, but after a while the theatre is closed so that the people inside watching the film aren't disturbed by people walking back and forth (other than the ones who need to use the restroom or something). They were giving me some attitude, so I promptly passed them off to a supervisor. They continued to argue for another twenty or thirty minutes. Apparently they had come a long way to be at the festival and they had friends inside or they "knew someone" or something. They were still hanging around outside the theatre when I went on my break.
The next film was "Goon", a hockey film. I knew it was going to be crazy when a bunch of guys on rollerblades, wearing hockey jerseys and covered in fake blood came around the red carpet. It got worse when the zamboni pulled up. Yes, we had to rip up part of the red carpet in order for the zamboni to drive up and park next to it. The first film let out around the time that the red carpet started, so of course it was madness trying to get people to keep moving in the right direction and quit looking at Seann William Scott. Amid the throng, a lady came up to me and told me that she was Alison Pill's mom and she was looking for Jay Baruchel's mom, who had her tickets. I thought that was super cute. I let her in to see if she could find her. A little while later, a man approached me, also looking for Jay Baruchel's parents. I made a stab and asked if he was Alison's dad, and he was. Extra cute. I found out later that Allison and Jay were engaged. Cutest thing in the whole world.
We got out of our shift a little early, which worked for me since I had to run down to the Elgin to try and rush "The Descendants". Yonge Street was blocked off, as expected, but they were erecting a stage in front of the theatre, which I thought was odd. I found the rush line and stood behind a girl who was waiting for "The Oranges", which started two hours after my film. She REALLY loved Hugh Laurie, and as it turns out she was a real doctor too. Luckily, someone came up to the line soon after we had gotten there and was selling tickets to the screening, so she was able to get out of the line and go relax somewhere for a few hours.
After an eternity on my feet, I got into the theatre, and got a decent seat in the balcony. A very enjoyable film, and a slightly different role for George. Slightly predictable but it has some twists in it, and some really funny parts. The Hawaiian scenery was amazing. And dear lord, Matthew Lillard has aged! At the end, the director and cast came out for a Q&A. I finally figured out where I had seen the girl who played the older daughter, she's the lead character in "The Secret Life of the American Teenager". Both she and the younger girl were really good in the film and during the question period. George was as charming as ever.
I found out while watching the late night news that the stage was for the following film, "Breakaway", a singing, dancing, Bollywood style film about hockey. One of the actors is also a singer, and he came up to the stage on a white horse and started singing while a hundred bhangra dancers and drummers paraded down the street, followed by an elephant. It was apparently a recreation of a scene from the movie. Russell Peters and Rob Lowe were also there, both of whom were pretty blown away by the extravaganza. Just when you thought you'd seen it all...
"Hit me with your best shot, fire away"
"Trishna" was the first film. An easy film to let in, since there wasn't a red carpet. Still, two ladies showed up over an hour after the film started and tried to get in. We usually allow people who are late to go in, but after a while the theatre is closed so that the people inside watching the film aren't disturbed by people walking back and forth (other than the ones who need to use the restroom or something). They were giving me some attitude, so I promptly passed them off to a supervisor. They continued to argue for another twenty or thirty minutes. Apparently they had come a long way to be at the festival and they had friends inside or they "knew someone" or something. They were still hanging around outside the theatre when I went on my break.
The next film was "Goon", a hockey film. I knew it was going to be crazy when a bunch of guys on rollerblades, wearing hockey jerseys and covered in fake blood came around the red carpet. It got worse when the zamboni pulled up. Yes, we had to rip up part of the red carpet in order for the zamboni to drive up and park next to it. The first film let out around the time that the red carpet started, so of course it was madness trying to get people to keep moving in the right direction and quit looking at Seann William Scott. Amid the throng, a lady came up to me and told me that she was Alison Pill's mom and she was looking for Jay Baruchel's mom, who had her tickets. I thought that was super cute. I let her in to see if she could find her. A little while later, a man approached me, also looking for Jay Baruchel's parents. I made a stab and asked if he was Alison's dad, and he was. Extra cute. I found out later that Allison and Jay were engaged. Cutest thing in the whole world.
We got out of our shift a little early, which worked for me since I had to run down to the Elgin to try and rush "The Descendants". Yonge Street was blocked off, as expected, but they were erecting a stage in front of the theatre, which I thought was odd. I found the rush line and stood behind a girl who was waiting for "The Oranges", which started two hours after my film. She REALLY loved Hugh Laurie, and as it turns out she was a real doctor too. Luckily, someone came up to the line soon after we had gotten there and was selling tickets to the screening, so she was able to get out of the line and go relax somewhere for a few hours.
After an eternity on my feet, I got into the theatre, and got a decent seat in the balcony. A very enjoyable film, and a slightly different role for George. Slightly predictable but it has some twists in it, and some really funny parts. The Hawaiian scenery was amazing. And dear lord, Matthew Lillard has aged! At the end, the director and cast came out for a Q&A. I finally figured out where I had seen the girl who played the older daughter, she's the lead character in "The Secret Life of the American Teenager". Both she and the younger girl were really good in the film and during the question period. George was as charming as ever.
I found out while watching the late night news that the stage was for the following film, "Breakaway", a singing, dancing, Bollywood style film about hockey. One of the actors is also a singer, and he came up to the stage on a white horse and started singing while a hundred bhangra dancers and drummers paraded down the street, followed by an elephant. It was apparently a recreation of a scene from the movie. Russell Peters and Rob Lowe were also there, both of whom were pretty blown away by the extravaganza. Just when you thought you'd seen it all...
"Hit me with your best shot, fire away"
TIFF Diaries: Day 2
First shift at the Ryerson, my favourite festival theatre. I was fortunate enough to have missed the red carpet madness of Megan Fox and the rest of the cast of "Friends with Kids". Most of the crazies were probably camped out at Roy Thomson Hall for the double whammy of "Moneyball" (Brad) and "The Ides of March" (George AND Ryan, this year's prom king of the festival).
The red carpet for "The Hunter" was sort of hilarious. Sam Neill and Willem Dafoe showed up, and they must have the quietest fans in the world. Sure, there was some bunching on the sidewalk as Sam Neill got out of the car, and I even saw some mild elbowing and jostling, but there wasn't a single sound. No hysterical screaming, no shouts of "SAM!" or "WILLEM!" Just people thrusting papers and pens at them and a few flashbulbs here and there. It was almost like watching a silent film. Hooray for civility!
There wasn't much of a red carpet for the Midnight Madness film, "God Bless America". I had heard that Bobcat Goldthwait might be there, but I didn't see him. Wow, talk about "Whatever Happened to...?"
"One love, one heart, let's get together and feel all right"
The red carpet for "The Hunter" was sort of hilarious. Sam Neill and Willem Dafoe showed up, and they must have the quietest fans in the world. Sure, there was some bunching on the sidewalk as Sam Neill got out of the car, and I even saw some mild elbowing and jostling, but there wasn't a single sound. No hysterical screaming, no shouts of "SAM!" or "WILLEM!" Just people thrusting papers and pens at them and a few flashbulbs here and there. It was almost like watching a silent film. Hooray for civility!
There wasn't much of a red carpet for the Midnight Madness film, "God Bless America". I had heard that Bobcat Goldthwait might be there, but I didn't see him. Wow, talk about "Whatever Happened to...?"
"One love, one heart, let's get together and feel all right"
Thursday, September 08, 2011
TIFF Diaries: Day 1
It was a harrowing moment at work, when I thought that I wouldn't be able to leave in time to get downtown and rush the opening night U2 documentary "From the Sky Down". At the last moment, everything came together, and I tore out of there.
My voucher wasn't eligible for the actual Gala screening at Roy Thomson Hall, but I was more than happy to stand in the rush line at the Elgin. It was a relatively short line, and I was able to get in and go upstairs to the balcony. It was surprisingly empty! I was able to get a seat in the front row. As the intros started, I very slowly started to pull my camera out of my bag. The second the director said "Mr. The Edge and Mr. Bono", I started snapping away while everyone around me went bananas.
The woman sitting next to me was a bit put out, saying that the volunteers outside had lied and said that nobody from the film was coming to the screening. I had to explain that it's the policy not to make any promises or declarations, because you never know if they're going to change their mind and go to a party instead. Besides, it's more of a pleasant surprise, a bonus on top of getting into the film in the first place.
The film was pretty good. They overdid the "band on the verge of breaking up" bit, but watching the process of writing Achtung Baby was amazing. Not to mention seeing archival footage of the band in their crazy hair days.
"Is it getting better, or do you feel the same?"
My voucher wasn't eligible for the actual Gala screening at Roy Thomson Hall, but I was more than happy to stand in the rush line at the Elgin. It was a relatively short line, and I was able to get in and go upstairs to the balcony. It was surprisingly empty! I was able to get a seat in the front row. As the intros started, I very slowly started to pull my camera out of my bag. The second the director said "Mr. The Edge and Mr. Bono", I started snapping away while everyone around me went bananas.
The woman sitting next to me was a bit put out, saying that the volunteers outside had lied and said that nobody from the film was coming to the screening. I had to explain that it's the policy not to make any promises or declarations, because you never know if they're going to change their mind and go to a party instead. Besides, it's more of a pleasant surprise, a bonus on top of getting into the film in the first place.
The film was pretty good. They overdid the "band on the verge of breaking up" bit, but watching the process of writing Achtung Baby was amazing. Not to mention seeing archival footage of the band in their crazy hair days.
"Is it getting better, or do you feel the same?"
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
TIFF Diaries: Pre-fest
It's the day before the film fest, but I've been a busy bee for the past week and a half. My stint at the box office went something like this:
Boring day
Quiet day
Missed the busy period day
Utter insanity day
Quiet day
I hadn't gone to the first day of single ticket sales in a really long time, so why I thought I could get through the line within the 3.5 hours that I had before my shift began, I will never know. Of course, having the entire system crash for an hour didn't help me. Thank goodness a friend was available to stand in the line and put in my order for me while I went to work. 4 hours later, she passed my ticket order to me before going off in search of food. I so owe her a meal...
Actually, I've already had a chance to see a film! The volunteers were treated to a sneak peek screening of a Gala film. It was a French Canadian film, which I knew almost nothing about but it was extremely entertaining and actually quite touching. More about it at a later date.
So, my box office days are done, and I'll be spending 4 straight days at Ryerson, my fave theatre. Lots to see and do in the next eleven days. I'll try my best to keep the diary going.
"I'm on the edge of glory, and I'm hanging on a moment of truth"
Boring day
Quiet day
Missed the busy period day
Utter insanity day
Quiet day
I hadn't gone to the first day of single ticket sales in a really long time, so why I thought I could get through the line within the 3.5 hours that I had before my shift began, I will never know. Of course, having the entire system crash for an hour didn't help me. Thank goodness a friend was available to stand in the line and put in my order for me while I went to work. 4 hours later, she passed my ticket order to me before going off in search of food. I so owe her a meal...
Actually, I've already had a chance to see a film! The volunteers were treated to a sneak peek screening of a Gala film. It was a French Canadian film, which I knew almost nothing about but it was extremely entertaining and actually quite touching. More about it at a later date.
So, my box office days are done, and I'll be spending 4 straight days at Ryerson, my fave theatre. Lots to see and do in the next eleven days. I'll try my best to keep the diary going.
"I'm on the edge of glory, and I'm hanging on a moment of truth"
Monday, August 22, 2011
Breaking Glass
They say that if you break a glass, it takes the place of something bad happening to you.
This past weekend, I was invited to a cottage that my friends had rented for the week. It was a tiny place, two bedrooms, a "compost toilet", and a separate little house for the shower. We had wanted to go to the beach but the weather didn't really cooperate with us. In any case, we made the best of the weekend and had a good time, eating s'mores and watching movies.
My friend's husband broke two drinking glasses in one day. It was a little odd but we laughed it off, saying that at least this means we had averted a potentially bad situation or two.
We left Goderich around 11 in the morning on Sunday. At around 4 in the afternoon, a tornado tore through the town. I learned about the devastation from my friend when I returned home. The photos and videos that have been shown on the news is unbelievable. We had gone into town on Saturday and I recognized a lot of the buildings that were now ripped apart. There was a nice gazebo in the square next to the courthouse. I don't see it anymore in the photos. All of the lovely old trees were uprooted and thrown about on the streets. There was a photo of the building that housed the christian bookstore, and I had stood across the street from that store just 24 hours prior.
So...my thoughts go out to the people of Goderich. And in other news, rest in peace Jack Layton. It's been sad day.
"Give me everything tonight, for all we know, we might not get tomorrow"