Luminato 2009: Cirque du Soleil (Day 2)

The world-renowned Cirque du Soleil troupe gave free performances today at Toronto's waterfront.

Luminato 2009: Cirque du Soleil (Day 2)

Luminato 2009: RedBall Project (Day 5)

Once again, I took photos of a giant red ball in downtown Toronto. This instance proved to be a bit more interesting than the first one.

Luminato 2009: RedBall Project (Day 5)

Luminato 2009: Light On Your Feet (Big Band/Swing Night)

Once again...have camera, will shoot.

Luminato 2009: Light On Your Feet (Big Band/Swing Night)

Luminato 2009: RedBall Project (Day 3)

This was a rare weekday photo shoot.

Luminato 2009: RedBall Project (Day 3)

Luminato 2009: Light On Your Feet (Salsa Night)

I didn't expect to take 100-something photos at yesterday's Luminato event, but I did.

Luminato 2009: Light On Your Feet (Salsa Night)

Expect a few more Luminato photo albums, including another Light On Your Feet event showcasing big band and swing music. I've emailed a few photos from this album to Luminato for possible inclusion on their website.

One Flu Over The Cuckoo's Nest

I've been cooped up at home for six days, but it wasn't by choice.

I felt great last Monday (May 25); I took my normal boxing class and had a few nice chats at the gym and on my way home. I was already looking forward to seeing the new Pixar movie, Up, in 3D. I was also looking forward to bowling on Friday night with young adults from my church.

On Tuesday morning, however, everything changed. At first, I just started coughing; no big deal, right? On that same day, however, the aches, headaches, chills and fever followed. This was definitely not a cold.

Since I determined that evening that this was the flu at work, I decided to stay home and recuperate, even if it meant that my plans for the week (including the weekend) would have to be put aside. As a result, I've pretty much been resting in bed for entire days, only taking breaks to do necessary things like eat - and that was when I had a full appetite. I recall one time when I mixed my nightly protein shake and took a very small sip, but at that point, I felt like I was ready to vomit! I quickly washed my shaker and briskly walked straight to bed, only getting up again when I felt okay.

It's almost Tuesday morning as I write this post; I'm feeling much better, thank God. Note to self: get a flu shot this year!

Doors Open 2009

I took 259 photos yesterday at Doors Open 2009; here they are.

Doors Open 2009

Of all the years I've been attending Doors Open, this one was definitely the best. This was the most fun I've had taking photographs in a while.

Victoria Day Fireworks 2009

These are photos I took at the 2009 edition of Toronto's Ashbridges Bay fireworks show.

Victoria Day Fireworks 2009

Fact: I walked down Coxwell Ave. and up Woodbine Ave. to/from the show. I don't feel exhausted at all, but I'm thankful that the washroom at Bloor station was still open on my way back home!

ETX = A-OK

I previously said that I was planning to see Star Trek in ETX at AMC's Yonge-Dundas location. I did that this morning and, for what it's worth, ETX gets more than a passing grade. I'm not saying that it gives IMAX a run for it's money, but I was suitably impressed.

Star Trek's visuals were already amazing in the regular version, so I don't think there was any significant improvement in the ETX version. On this subject, though, I must say that I felt ripped off a bit. ETX boasts a "20% larger floor-to-ceiling screen," but the movie didn't even use all of it. This may have been due to the movie's dimensions, but if IMAX-formatted movies can make the necessary adaptations, surely they can be done for ETX.

One area where ETX proved itself very capable was the sound. We're dealing with "11-channel surround sound with 57,000 watts of power" (direct quote), and the wattage really made itself evident whenever the bass frequencies were involved. When it comes to sound (or music), I particularly pay attention to the lower frequencies; boy, did they get a workout here.

If my suspicions prove correct and Transformers 2 ends up screening at AMC in ETX, I may very well pony up the additional two dollars and check it out.

We Just Sat There...

This afternoon, I was took the subway to pick up a rice cooker at my former place of employment. While riding, a fellow passenger accidentally spilled a few items from her bag. She started picking them up while we sat there for about five seconds.

Yes, I said we sat there for about five seconds.

In my case, I hesitated with the decision to help her, thinking that someone else sitting closer to this passenger would be more willing to help. Unfortunately, that did not happen; only after I volunteered to help did someone help pick up the spilled goods. While I expressed disgust that these other passengers looked the other way (metaphorically speaking) while another passenger obviously needed help, I might as well have said "Hello, pot. My name's kettle."

The next time this happens, my prayer is that I'd lead by example.

I've Found The (Mani)cure!

For the longest time, I've been promising myself that I'd return to The Ten Spot and get a manicure. Understand that it's been more than one year since the last time I did that...actually, my last manicure was on March 22nd of last year! Talk about anticipation...

Yesterday evening, after returning home from church, I finally booked my comeback appointment using their new online booking system. I missed having the opportunity to seduce the receptionist, but this new system not only allows you to pick a service and the date thereof, but also the person who will be doing the procedure. In light of that, congratulations *** - I just made your day.

Besides, I can always seduce the receptionist on the day of my appointment. Two for the price of one! ;-)

Special Delivery

This morning was pretty mundane; I spent time with God and took my shower as I usually do. However, as I stepped out of the shower, someone knocked on my door. It turned out to be a mailman with a package for my mom, and he couldn't wait for me to moisturize and put on my undies. I told him I'd be right over...

There was no way I was going to answer the door in my birthday suit, so I wrapped a towel around myself and proceeded to the door. Upon opening it, I said, "You'd better hope this doesn't fall off."

That mailman probably didn't want to risk seeing what he shouldn't have seen, even though I was covered. He ended up dropping the mail on my floor before leaving.

Your tax dollars at work...

Regretting My Low Social Capital (Part 3)

This is the final post in this series. I promise.

Up to now, I've been lamenting my low social capital. The solution here should be really easy: get out more, deliberately meet more people and stop living like a hermit. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

As a matter of fact, I've come to the point where I'm so used to the disease that I'm afraid the cure will kill me.

For example, this weekend, a "surprise" birthday party is being held in honour of one of my church's pastors. I put "surprise" in quotes because he probably knows about it already, but he'll need to act surprised at the event. Anyway, being an active member of my church, you'd think that I'd sign up right away - but I didn't. Actually, I didn't sign up at all.

It's not that I have anything against the pastor himself. Au contraire, I very much respect him, especially for sometimes injecting secular songs into his sermons and not giving a crap what people think about it. It's just that I don't want to find myself in a socially embarrassing situation, where I end up sitting with people I don't know and become the odd one out while they talk amongst themselves. Worse, I could end up being forced into conversation when all I want to do is sit, eat and take in my surroundings. Given the fact that I'm on stage every week (I sing on backup and in the adult choir), this is a very real possibility. I've been through these situations enough times to know better than to risk repeated public awkwardness.

There are only two types of people who willingly jump into the same fire twice: firefighters and idiots. At least firefighters get paid for it.

So I'm going to let that "celebration" pass and do what I think is best: go to Indigo and read a few magazines...by myself, thank you very much.

Regretting My Low Social Capital (Part 2)

I had a lot more to say in part one, but it would have been too much for one post. Picking up from where I left off...

I'm at the point in my life where I'd love to share it with a special woman, but due to my low friend count, I sometimes think that I'm getting ahead of myself - as if I'm putting the cart before the horse. A good number of dating articles say that being a loner can be a red flag when looking for a mate, although some say that this can work for good, too. Having said that, in my experience, my lack of friends always proves to be a stumbling block.

A few years ago, there was one pretty (or so I thought) young lady who recently started going to my church. Honestly, it was a crush from first sight; it took me quite a bit of time to chalk up the nerve to ask for her number. When I did, I didn't exactly play it smooth, but I ended up coming off very nervously. Perhaps she sensed this and already wrote me off before I dialed her digits and made my pitch.

That first call was very awkward, to say the least. Among the questions asked: when did I last have a girlfriend (junior high school), what was my testimony - or did I not have one (I found that last part very rude), and who did I hang out with from church? The lady was already unimpressed, but when I answered that last question, I might as well have given up then and there. Ironically, she told me that I need to "go out and meet people" - which, strangely enough, is exactly what I was trying to do here. After putting up with being told that my life is "so boring" for two calls in a row, I ripped up her number and put it where it belonged. I'd much rather be lonely and single than go through that crap.

She isn't the only person I've encountered who thought it odd that I don't hang out with friends on a regular basis. A few weeks ago, I was talking with a fellow churchgoer about a movie I recently saw; it was probably State Of Play. He asked if I "called my boys" and watched the movie, to which I replied, "What boys?" His reaction wasn't nearly as rude as that of my former crush, but I could tell he was surprised to hear that my social "circle" is really a dot.

There are other reasons that I can't even think about dating right now, like being unemployed. I think the then-prospect of it hurt my chances with a recent lady I went on one date with, although the fact that I "speak in parables" (her words) probably didn't help. Regardless, people always tell me that love strikes when you least expect it, so perhaps I should set aside one month's salary in anticipation.

Actually, I would...if I was still earning a long-term salary in the first place. ;-)

Regretting My Low Social Capital

I spend most of my time alone (or by myself among strangers). I like to think that this is by choice and that I enjoy it, but the truth may be different.

I'm not anti-social and I don't have a social phobia, but somehow, I've become very comfortable with solitude. I'm not entirely uncomfortable with being around people, but my reaction depends on the situation. In any event, I don't have to worry as much about seeming awkward or unintentionally inciting disapproval when I am alone.

I can think of one incident a few years ago at a Lush party among strangers. I made an attempt to chat up a female journalist, which ended up being massively unsuccessful. To make things worse, she tried to chat me up a few minutes later; once again, I came off like an inept fool. Events like this are typical of my predicament; it's not that I don't want to talk to people, but since this makes me risk embarrassment, I often don't bother.

I can also think of the many times I pushed people away when I was in high school, particularly grades nine to twelve. It's not that I was a total jerk; au contraire, I treated people with respect most of the time. However, when I lost my temper, I really lost it. I did this often enough to make fellow students approach me with caution.

One particularly crushing event happened while my class was in Washington, D.C. with students from another high school. We went into a restaurant to eat dinner; I remember running up the stairs and picking a booth, thinking that at least a few people were longing to have the pleasure of sitting with me. I'd soon find out otherwise; I ended up sitting with two classmates, but only after being passed up by student after student after student. After confiding in a fellow classmate about this, I found out that I unintentionally made myself a pariah thanks to my outbursts.

Fast forward to the present. I'm almost thirty years old and my friend count is practically zero. I don't have a social network I can call on, and it really would have helped me deal with my job loss. Mind you, my workouts serve as my stress release. However, picking up the phone and calling someone to talk or do something with them is not an option right now.

That could make for a very lonely thirtieth birthday. If it's going to be anything like my twenty-seventh, I'm not looking forward to it at all.

Might As Well Not Jump

I read an article in Metro a few weeks ago saying that Virgin Radio pulled a few advertisements due to their references to subway suicide.

They missed at least one. Here's proof.



This is the bus stop at Trethewey Dr. and Todd Baylis Blvd. I noticed the ad while being driven home from choir practice last night.

I'll be emailing Metro and Virgin Radio shortly after posting this entry.

The Clothing Show - Spring 2009

Photos from the spring 2009 edition of The Clothing Show.

The Clothing Show - Spring 2009

I should mention that since Picasa Web Albums have a limited amount of space for photos, I'll delete old albums and their corresponding posts as necessary.

Plans For The Weekend #2

I was planning to see the new X-Men Origins movie tomorrow morning for $6.00, but seeing the middling reviews that it's getting, I might scrap that plan. By contrast, Star Trek comes out next week, but it's already earning positive reviews. Mind you, future reviews could lower the average critical ratings, but if enough of them say that you don't have to be a Trekkie to enjoy the movie, then I'll probably check it out (in IMAX, if possible).

In any event, I definitely plan to attend The Clothing Show on Saturday evening. I attended the last edition in the fall of 2008 and I was pretty impressed with one of the runway shows. Many designers are featured, although they tend to cater mostly to women. Not that I'm complaining... ;-)

A few years ago at the very first Clothing Show I attended, I scored a vintage Mr. Yuk shirt. I still wear it every summer; it's one of my favourites because I'm not likely to see anyone else wearing it.

Oh yes - can't forget to play lots and lots of N! I'm currently trying to get past episode nine.

Enthralled by "Earth"

I watched Earth this morning, just as I planned to do - and I was very impressed. These days, studios rely on gimmicks like 3D and IMAX in order to attract moviegoers, so it's refreshing to see a nature-based documentary where the "characters" do the talking (along with the narrator, James Earl Jones). Not that I have anything against these gimmicks when done right, like in Coraline and Monsters vs. Aliens.

There were scenes of humour, heartbreak, terror and beauty throughout. As a matter of fact, I almost cried at two points, but I won't reveal them in order to avoid spoiling the movie. All I'll say is that you'll be amazed and awestruck by the wonder that is our planet and its inhabitants. You'll also wonder how the heck the production team "did that" and you'll do it often; watch for one scene where the camera goes over a waterfall and then turns around to face it. Wow...

This is one movie I hope to see again. It makes me look forward to Disneynature's next film, Oceans, which arrives on Earth Day in 2010.

Money Honey

The already-crowded field of savings accounts just became more crowded. Canadian Tire is now offering savings accounts with an introductory interest rate of 3.50%, but this only applies for ninety days from the date of registration. After that, according to the fine print, your money earns interest at a "regular variable rate" of 2.50%.

For as long as I can remember, I've stashed my savings with ING Direct. Their interest rate of 1.5% is really low at the moment, but I've had no problems with them so far. I won't be cancelling my accounts there anytime soon.

On the other hand, I may have some extra Canadian Tire money in my apartment somewhere... :-)