Management was away today. Quiet. Serene. Peaceful. Is it me or is everyone more productive when their every move isn't being scrutinized and criticized? If walls have ears and eyes, why are they missing a nose? Wouldn't it be politically correct, if walls could have all aspects of a face, at least in speaking.
I had a burning desire to accomplish today. Nothing could reign me in. I plunged through so completely with such vigor that I forgot all about my supper. Until of course, my stomach protested and I had to relent. One must! You see... stomach rules mind. If ones stomach is satiated, one's mind can pursue things of greater importance.
Also, I discovered the many inadequacies of carrying large cumbersome objects while attempting to glide in high heels. Quite difficult. Poise cannot be maintained. Must keep in mind for future reference. Such I end my discourse on what I learnt today. More soon. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Orient Express
An adventure in the orient. That's what I call driving in Markham. Its not for the faint of heart. Your car and your person will never feel more precious. My personal favourite for a wonderful morning scare is the delightfully overcrowded intersection of Hwy 7 and Kennedy Road. Cars will come at you in all directions whether you choose to go straight, turn right or left. Its like being in Hong Kong without the sky scrapers. Another personal favourite is Pacific Mall parking lot on Saturday afternoon. Finding parking there is an art. If you can find a spot in 2o min, you are King of the world.
I love shopping for pirated DVDs in Pacific Mall. Phenomenal efficiency. 10 DVDs for $20 and as you hand her the ones you want... she quickly flips one after the other saying... DVD quality, DVD quality, only 80%, DVD quality, DVD quality, 85%, in theatre, DVD quality, 80%, 95%. She expectantly hands them over to you ... decision needs to be made on the spot. You look a bit stunned, but not to be outdone... you separate the inferior losers saying... I DON'T WANT... Enunciating every word as if she could not possibly comprehend you until and unless you say each word clearly with significant pauses. Then of course, you look embarrassed ... either you're just being cheap for not forking over the $20 or you're insulting her by assuming that her grasp of the English language is almost as bad as your grasp of Cantonese. Either way, you walk away congratulating yourself on a job well done. 10 DVDs for $20... where in the world would that be possible except Pacific Mall.
Markham also boasts a wide selection of every oriental cuisine known to man. From Thai and Vietnamese to Japanese and Korean, you name it, Markham has it. And what surprises me most is how they can perpetually remain so skinny. To be honest, it irritates more than surprises but there you have it. Markham... the haven for all things Oriental!
I love shopping for pirated DVDs in Pacific Mall. Phenomenal efficiency. 10 DVDs for $20 and as you hand her the ones you want... she quickly flips one after the other saying... DVD quality, DVD quality, only 80%, DVD quality, DVD quality, 85%, in theatre, DVD quality, 80%, 95%. She expectantly hands them over to you ... decision needs to be made on the spot. You look a bit stunned, but not to be outdone... you separate the inferior losers saying... I DON'T WANT... Enunciating every word as if she could not possibly comprehend you until and unless you say each word clearly with significant pauses. Then of course, you look embarrassed ... either you're just being cheap for not forking over the $20 or you're insulting her by assuming that her grasp of the English language is almost as bad as your grasp of Cantonese. Either way, you walk away congratulating yourself on a job well done. 10 DVDs for $20... where in the world would that be possible except Pacific Mall.
Markham also boasts a wide selection of every oriental cuisine known to man. From Thai and Vietnamese to Japanese and Korean, you name it, Markham has it. And what surprises me most is how they can perpetually remain so skinny. To be honest, it irritates more than surprises but there you have it. Markham... the haven for all things Oriental!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Tiff '08
So, I was determined to attend TIFF this year. In an effort to make good on the promise to myself, I bought a 10-pk ticket set from the TIFF website in August. Tickets had to be picked up from the Festival Box Office, Downtown.
Unfortunately, in true form, I completely forgot about it after that and continued in happy ignorance that I'd have plenty of time to figure out which films to watch sometime in September. And thus I would have continued in this way, had a colleague of mine not decided to resign. You are probably at a complete loss... what would my colleague resigning have anything to do with TIFF '08. No, I don't work in films, either.
I'm blessed with the happy coincidence of having her farewell at the new Milestones in the Toronto Life Building. Luckily the AMC was next door to Milestones and the python-like line up quickly dispensed with my temporary amnesia. I rushed home to recover the e-mail which gave me details about where to pick up my tickets and how to register for the movies I wanted to see.
Not realizing how many people take the TIFFs seriously, I was caught off guard at the counter at the Box Office when I went to collect my tickets. Most of the movies I had wanted to see were sold out. I finally managed tickets for Il Resto Della Notte (The Rest of the Night), Parc, Mothers and Daughters and At the edge of the World.
Il Resto Della Notte - Italian/Romanian
This was a gripping experience. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more had I been able to understand Italian but the subtitles did it justice. It was bold yet sophisticated. It addressed many issues such as the condition of immigrants in European countries, drug trafficking, marital problems and the difference in classes. It begins with an Armenian maid working in an upper class Italian home in the suburbs. Due to a case of missing jewellery, she is relieved from her position and is forced to return to the slums in the city. And the story dramatically shifts its focus from there on, gliding between three central groups of characters (the upper class Italian family; the Armenian ex-maid and her burglarizing boyfriend & his adolescent brother; and the drug addict/Italian convict fighting a custody battle for his son), weaving a tight web of deceit, insecurity and a hope for the way things cannot be. The film was well made and well directed and the performances were simply superb.
Parc - French/English
I have to say that I was completely lost through most of this film. The director had warned us prior to the movie commencing that this film was a bit of an enigma and it definitely proved to be so. It begins with a boy walking briskly through a park with a golf club. He continues walking for sometime and seems depressed. This continues for at least 5 minutes. He stops at the door of his house and the news blaring on television seems to be about vandalism in various parts of France. The story continues in this fashion for awhile. The french upper class family is trying to cope with the son's depression (he wants to be a vagrant, he is dissatisfied with the world and he was cut from his soccer team at school). In the meantime, there is an introduction of a middle-aged, married man named Paul, who suffers from extreme self-loathing and is in a dysfunctional relationship with his wife whose purpose in life seems to be - to remain in a perpetual state of unhappiness. Between depression and attempted Crucifixion in a gated community, the movie seems unbelievably long and ill-contrived.
Mothers and Daughters - English
Originally, I expected this movie to explore the warm yet turbulent relationship between mothers and daughters. The movie was quite different. It was like a documentary exploring the the internal relationship between 3 pairs of people who are eventually all connected to each other in some way. The 1st pair - an established, whimsical writer and her unemployed, poetic daughter who have a violent parasitic relationship that they just cannot seem to grow out of. The 2nd pair - a quiet, nervous, conservative housewife and her independent, focused daughter who is a psychiatrist. The 50-something father leaves the mother to start a new family, leaving the mother at a complete loss as to how to go on living. The daughter who was close to her father feels betrayed, and is now burdened with the sense of responsibility towards her mum who she now has to help take the next step in life. The 3rd pair - a independent native woman with a painting business who lost her daughter to drugs and is looking for her grandchild, lends assistance and support to her client, a young single professional who finds herself pregnant but cannot relate to motherhood as her birth mother had given her up for adoption. All three pairs are connected to each other in this documentary-like movie about the dysfunctional relationships between mothers and daughters. I found myself to be a bit dissatisfied as the movie only concentrated on maternal relationships that had gone wrong. It would have been nice to see a good relationship represented as well.
At the Edge of the World - English
This was a brilliant documentary about the Sea Shepherd's quest to save Whales in the Ross Sea. The crew represent a group of people who are against illegal whaling in various parts of the world. With their limited resources, they make an effort to prevent poaching in whale sanctuaries. The purpose of the initial documentary was not for televising during the Toronto International Film Festival but to show the world how the Japanese are violating International treaties in the Ross Sea by whale hunting under the pretext of research. The cinematography was stunning, the adventure was captivating and the premise was unconventional. Unfortunately, though they did everything from ramming into the Japanese vessels to stink bombing them, the Japanese were not deterred. They held the Japanese shipmates under citizen's arrest for violating international treaties but Japan was not reprimanded for their illegal whale hunting as they are a G8 country and a worthy adversary. Currently, the Japanese "research" ships are still sailing the ROSS sea, hunting whales, and are accompanied by the Japanese military to prevent any interference from organizations like the Sea Shepherd. Whales are now an endangered species and hunting them is illegal everywhere. Much like seal hunting in Canada which is inhumane but Canada has yet to make it illegal. For more information about the Sea Sheppard, please refer to http://www.seashepherd.org/
All in all, the TIFF 08 was an eye opener and I am waiting with bated breath for TIFF 09. Will be better prepared this time around to attack the box office :)
We do it all for the love of film!
Unfortunately, in true form, I completely forgot about it after that and continued in happy ignorance that I'd have plenty of time to figure out which films to watch sometime in September. And thus I would have continued in this way, had a colleague of mine not decided to resign. You are probably at a complete loss... what would my colleague resigning have anything to do with TIFF '08. No, I don't work in films, either.
I'm blessed with the happy coincidence of having her farewell at the new Milestones in the Toronto Life Building. Luckily the AMC was next door to Milestones and the python-like line up quickly dispensed with my temporary amnesia. I rushed home to recover the e-mail which gave me details about where to pick up my tickets and how to register for the movies I wanted to see.
Not realizing how many people take the TIFFs seriously, I was caught off guard at the counter at the Box Office when I went to collect my tickets. Most of the movies I had wanted to see were sold out. I finally managed tickets for Il Resto Della Notte (The Rest of the Night), Parc, Mothers and Daughters and At the edge of the World.
Il Resto Della Notte - Italian/Romanian
This was a gripping experience. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more had I been able to understand Italian but the subtitles did it justice. It was bold yet sophisticated. It addressed many issues such as the condition of immigrants in European countries, drug trafficking, marital problems and the difference in classes. It begins with an Armenian maid working in an upper class Italian home in the suburbs. Due to a case of missing jewellery, she is relieved from her position and is forced to return to the slums in the city. And the story dramatically shifts its focus from there on, gliding between three central groups of characters (the upper class Italian family; the Armenian ex-maid and her burglarizing boyfriend & his adolescent brother; and the drug addict/Italian convict fighting a custody battle for his son), weaving a tight web of deceit, insecurity and a hope for the way things cannot be. The film was well made and well directed and the performances were simply superb.
Parc - French/English
I have to say that I was completely lost through most of this film. The director had warned us prior to the movie commencing that this film was a bit of an enigma and it definitely proved to be so. It begins with a boy walking briskly through a park with a golf club. He continues walking for sometime and seems depressed. This continues for at least 5 minutes. He stops at the door of his house and the news blaring on television seems to be about vandalism in various parts of France. The story continues in this fashion for awhile. The french upper class family is trying to cope with the son's depression (he wants to be a vagrant, he is dissatisfied with the world and he was cut from his soccer team at school). In the meantime, there is an introduction of a middle-aged, married man named Paul, who suffers from extreme self-loathing and is in a dysfunctional relationship with his wife whose purpose in life seems to be - to remain in a perpetual state of unhappiness. Between depression and attempted Crucifixion in a gated community, the movie seems unbelievably long and ill-contrived.
Mothers and Daughters - English
Originally, I expected this movie to explore the warm yet turbulent relationship between mothers and daughters. The movie was quite different. It was like a documentary exploring the the internal relationship between 3 pairs of people who are eventually all connected to each other in some way. The 1st pair - an established, whimsical writer and her unemployed, poetic daughter who have a violent parasitic relationship that they just cannot seem to grow out of. The 2nd pair - a quiet, nervous, conservative housewife and her independent, focused daughter who is a psychiatrist. The 50-something father leaves the mother to start a new family, leaving the mother at a complete loss as to how to go on living. The daughter who was close to her father feels betrayed, and is now burdened with the sense of responsibility towards her mum who she now has to help take the next step in life. The 3rd pair - a independent native woman with a painting business who lost her daughter to drugs and is looking for her grandchild, lends assistance and support to her client, a young single professional who finds herself pregnant but cannot relate to motherhood as her birth mother had given her up for adoption. All three pairs are connected to each other in this documentary-like movie about the dysfunctional relationships between mothers and daughters. I found myself to be a bit dissatisfied as the movie only concentrated on maternal relationships that had gone wrong. It would have been nice to see a good relationship represented as well.
At the Edge of the World - English
This was a brilliant documentary about the Sea Shepherd's quest to save Whales in the Ross Sea. The crew represent a group of people who are against illegal whaling in various parts of the world. With their limited resources, they make an effort to prevent poaching in whale sanctuaries. The purpose of the initial documentary was not for televising during the Toronto International Film Festival but to show the world how the Japanese are violating International treaties in the Ross Sea by whale hunting under the pretext of research. The cinematography was stunning, the adventure was captivating and the premise was unconventional. Unfortunately, though they did everything from ramming into the Japanese vessels to stink bombing them, the Japanese were not deterred. They held the Japanese shipmates under citizen's arrest for violating international treaties but Japan was not reprimanded for their illegal whale hunting as they are a G8 country and a worthy adversary. Currently, the Japanese "research" ships are still sailing the ROSS sea, hunting whales, and are accompanied by the Japanese military to prevent any interference from organizations like the Sea Shepherd. Whales are now an endangered species and hunting them is illegal everywhere. Much like seal hunting in Canada which is inhumane but Canada has yet to make it illegal. For more information about the Sea Sheppard, please refer to http://www.seashepherd.org/
All in all, the TIFF 08 was an eye opener and I am waiting with bated breath for TIFF 09. Will be better prepared this time around to attack the box office :)
We do it all for the love of film!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
To sleep or not to sleep, that is the question!
So I awoke to a sense of vagrant disinterest this morning. I did not want to climb out of bed. Furthermore, I did not want to inch myself to the beckoning water closet. And least of all, did not want to primp and preen myself in order to get to work. Work... hm... are you sure it is absolutely necessary to go to work every morning?
I think not. The occasional faux sick day should be completely acceptable. Especially when the lazy warmth of the rising sun is embracing the comfortable cushiony nook of nightly repose. I slip my hand out from under the covers and reach into the warm rays breaking through the dark reaches of my room. I pull at nothing in particular and sink back into the billowing goose down comforter. I close my eyes and hope that night will return so I can enjoy a few more moments of dreamy respite. But the light has now shifted to my face and I cannot pretend...
I drag my feet to one side and wait. Perhaps I shall be lucky and there might be a few more minutes to spare in idle splendour but one glance at the despicable alarm clock is enough to ensure that night's sweet spell must wane at once and be followed swiftly by a flurry of instant activity. But my lethargic body has other ideas in mind. My weight shifts to allow my body to slowly inch itself to the cold, sharp edges of the bed. I shiver as the comforter shifts and more uncovered flesh is exposed to the crisp air blowing from the tornado-like motions of a portable fan. I sigh and lower my lashes, to protect my reluctant eyes from engaging the world that seems to be unravelling around me.
And then comes a sharp female shriek that could put a wild west damsel to shame and I bolt upright in bed. I am now awake.
I think not. The occasional faux sick day should be completely acceptable. Especially when the lazy warmth of the rising sun is embracing the comfortable cushiony nook of nightly repose. I slip my hand out from under the covers and reach into the warm rays breaking through the dark reaches of my room. I pull at nothing in particular and sink back into the billowing goose down comforter. I close my eyes and hope that night will return so I can enjoy a few more moments of dreamy respite. But the light has now shifted to my face and I cannot pretend...
I drag my feet to one side and wait. Perhaps I shall be lucky and there might be a few more minutes to spare in idle splendour but one glance at the despicable alarm clock is enough to ensure that night's sweet spell must wane at once and be followed swiftly by a flurry of instant activity. But my lethargic body has other ideas in mind. My weight shifts to allow my body to slowly inch itself to the cold, sharp edges of the bed. I shiver as the comforter shifts and more uncovered flesh is exposed to the crisp air blowing from the tornado-like motions of a portable fan. I sigh and lower my lashes, to protect my reluctant eyes from engaging the world that seems to be unravelling around me.
And then comes a sharp female shriek that could put a wild west damsel to shame and I bolt upright in bed. I am now awake.
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