Canada Day Post (re-cap)

This post comes late but I didn't have much to post about until today...

+ADW is in Calgary for Canada Day so I made my way out to the stable to for the Georgetown Canada Day Parade. Like the Christmas parade, this was good fun where I got to hang out with people I seem to naturally have an easy time meshing with (did I ever mention I'm usually socially averse?).

A few photos...

Molson rump

Waldo is the resident mini

I get the impression he likes this more than he should...?

I'm working hard at... something.

Lex with Frank pulled by Amadeus. We all know who's calling the shots

Our fearless leader for the day!

Molson and Artisaurus (Art)

It was a perfect day. No rain (despite the forecasts) and the horses were great considering the number of flapping flags, screaming children on bikes and scooters and the sounds (someone set off a firework or something at some point and nobody freaked out). Big success and amazing performance by everyone!!

Moments Frozen

One of the most unique museum/gallery to visit in Paris is the Musee Rodin because it is not like others you'll visit... but it's probably most appealing during the spring and summer months because a large component is out in the garden. We got there in the dead of winter and it was most certainly not one of the most appealing experiences though very fruitful. We originally started with the intent to visit Musee D'Orsay but the line (at 4pm, which is 1 hour left!) was probably well over an hour wait.

It's rainy but we head into the garden

Le Penseur. The original is only about 2 feet tall

Auguste Rodin is a French sculptor who is considered the progenitor of modern sculpture. Although he was traditionally trained, his works deviate from the traditional "decorative, formulaic or highly thematic". As you've seen in this series so far, the French admire the Roman and Greek works very much but Rodin's sculptures depart from the traditional favourites of the French. Instead, he modelled the human body with realism. "Rodin was a naturalist, less concerned with monumental expression than with character and emotion. Departing with centuries of tradition, he turned away from the idealism of the Greeks, and the decorative beauty of the Baroque and neo-Baroque movements. His scultures emphasized the individual and the concreteness of flesh, and suggested motion through detailsed, textured surfaces, and the interplay of light and shadow." (Wikipedia). When you see his works, it feels like he's taken the model and frozen them in that moment of movement and emotion. That said, his pieces were nudes in varying postures and of both genders. His most notable works are The Thinker, The Gates of Hell, The Kiss and The Age of Bronze.

The Gates of Hell were meant to be the portal to a museum never built

The museum is the original Hotel Biron, an 18th-century townhouse and Rondin worked on the main floor during his later years. This move happened sometime following the 1900 World's Fair in Paris where he gained exposure from a pavilion of his artwork. As well, his income for his work increased at this point where many of his commissions were coming from private clients. Rodin himself has an interesting past and personal life but most certainly, he is best known for the work that comes from him skills as an artist.

The Thinker in the garden and the dome of Les Invalides in the background

The cost of checking out this museum and garden is quite modest too. In the summers, you could go for a very modest 2euros and stay in the gardens and stroll around.

“It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.” --Oscar Wilde

Our world is filled with all sorts of diverse subjects, themes and stories; there are so many that I want to immerse myself and just take it all in; I thirst for knowledge and new experiences. I'm sure you can tell through my blog posts, that I have a wide range of interests with a few key focuses that I could easily devote my entire life, if I was allowed to. The main one is certainly my equestrian activities but reading helps me get into the heads of other people to know what their lives are/were like.

My mom always said that the best thing to do for yourself is to read. When you read, you're taken on an adventure that is far away; be it a fictional or non-fictional read. I am inspired by Amb to read more and to allow others to have an idea of where I've gone, with my reading. In an effort to accomplish this, I am going to undertake a new project called the "Book Club 2013" and I'll be posting a list of books I will be reading and subsequently reviewing.

A new page has been created to keep track of this new project and I hope that you will join me in suggesting good books to read! :)

Convergence

On Saturday, ADW and I had plans to bring our parents together to meet. *deep breath* and you know what? It didn’t explode in my face like I was anticipating it might have. Instead, I was surprised in a whole other way… I’ve never been to the Double Tree Chinese Dynasty restaurant near the Airport. The reason for this get together can be found here.

I thought that this might be a nice quiet brunch/lunch that would be pretty uneventful and very normal. Well, it was far from it! we arrived and were surrounded by hoards of costume donning teenagers?? We accidently picked the weekend (and location) for the annual Anime North Convention. This event brings thousands of young people together to share and enjoy something that they have in common: Japanese Anime. I’m not a big fan, myself but I do understand the appeal of a fantasy world and the chance to meet strangers who have similar perspectives and likes as you do. The wonderful thing about these types of events is that it brings together people who are otherwise marginalized by the general population because this world appeals to certain groups of people and not the masses.

These types of events have become more popular in the recent years and the FanExpo of Toronto which started over a decade ago, continues to draw huge crowds of people together to share a common interest. It’s even grown to satellite out in Vancouver! I think it’s amazing that an idea or story can bring so many people together to share and enjoy the I felt it was very fitting that in the background of our own coming together of sorts was another type of coming together of people. I think that we get too wrapped up in the whole business of our own lives that we forget to recognize the importance of families, community and great ideas!

Cheers to the good, courage and amazing, in people!

From Reykjavik, With Love

Saturday is the last chance to squeeze in a "regular" day for us seeing as people seemed to start taking their Easter vacations on Thursday. In the Frommer's guidebook for Iceland, there is a section for "Suggested Itineraries" where various stays are outlined for travelers. Having seen a very fulfilling  1-day schedule which takes one to some of the "must-see" spots in Reykjavik, I decided that today was the day to execute it. Though we started the day later than we should have, we managed to head into town and check out this cozy little book-lined bohemian cafe across from the Culture House/Museum.

Grái Kötturinn

The menu is simple and satisfying: I order pancake with ham, cheese and cream-cheese and ADW has a more traditional eggs and bacon type of breakfast. The coffee here is some of the best I've had in the city and we even tried a carbonated fizzy malt drink.

We head out to the Culture House/Museum next. This museum/house is built in 1909 (I think?) and features transcribed and bound books of the 14th and 15th centuries; stored under low light  and behind glass. The exhibit even goes into the process of the vellum book binding of the Icelandic medieval times.

As ADW probably has worms with a penchant for processed fatty meats, we head to the best known hot-dog stand in the country: Baejarinns Bestu Pylsur to grab a snack. I don't think he's ever going to get sick of hot-dogs...

We browse some of the main tourist streets to pick up some more souvenirs for friends and family and make the effort to drop by the Hand-Knitting Association of Iceland where tourists visit to purchase hand-made traditional Icelandic sweaters and other woolen goods made from Icelandic sheep wool. If you're going to get yourself traditional Icelandic woolen gear, this is the place to go because their products are genuinely hand-knitted in Iceland and use authentic Icelandic wool--which is special in its own right.

The main Christian denomination of the Icelanders is the Lutheran sect and the most prominent church in Reykjavik is the Hallgrímskirkja. This towering architectural monument is one of the most visible and impressive sights in the city. While you either hate or love the architectural aesthetics, their elevator takes you to an unbeatable view of the entire city and surrounding area. The fee to go up is really reasonable and it seems that you can go whenever the church is open--even when the church store/ticket office, is not. I'll be stitching together a panoramic view sometime when I return.

Tomorrow we round up our trip by saying good-bye to the city of Reykjavik to head to our final tourist destination of Iceland: the Blue Lagoon. This geothermal spa is one of the top visited attractions in Iceland and boasts incredible therapeutic spa treatments for those with psoriasis or other skin conditions. Two of the Ottawa girls we met said that they came out and their entire bodies felt soft like baby bum. I feel that this is a necessary event as Icelanders are known for their outdoor geothermal pools, and are known to frequent these types of establishments even when it's raining or snowing out!

(**NOTE: I know, I promised lots of photos but the wi-fi is a bit spotty tonight. So, I'll definitely be getting something together once I return home :) )

Hot Water, Cold Water and Laws

We take a change of pace today and embark on a bus tour for a shortened version of the popular Golden Circle Tour. Instead of taking the full tour which would take much longer, we visited 3 sites today: Geysir, Gullfoss and Þingvellir.

The first stop is the area where we find Geysir and Strokkur. Geysir is the original fountain geyser which all geysers have been named for. It's no longer as active as it used to be so we do not expect to see any eruptions from it. However, we do have the opportunity to witness one of Iceland's most famous geysers, Strokkur. Strokkur impressively erupts for us every 4-8 minutes around 20 m high. Both Strokkur and Geysir are fountain geysers found in a part of the Haukadalur geothermal area where you would find other geothermal features such as mud pools, fumaroles, algal deposits and other geysers around it. The most notable feature is the steam rising out from the ground.

Strokkur erupting

After I return home, I'll be editing a video clip of an erupting Strokkur. It's impressive to watch because a large bubble forms over the centre and seconds later, the hot water of the geyser goes shooting through the air. It's truly an impressive occurance of nature to witness in person.

Our next stop is the "Golden Waterfalls" called Gullfoss. This natural waterfalls is another stunning display of water interacting with the earth. In some ways, similar in appearance to Niagara Falls (the Canadian portion because let's face it, it's the better side) but in its own ways even more majestic and amazing. The waters are not clear because of the sediment that is carved up from the glaciers making it murky brown--though today it looked pretty clear to me. This waterfall has an interesting history of a young woman named Sigríður Tómasdóttir who fought to keep the falls natural.

ADW at Gullfoss

Gullfoss down stream

Our final site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site called Þingvellir. The site is of a historical, cultural and geological significance for Iceland. First, this area is near one of the more active volcanic areas of Iceland, Hengill which is part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge--the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet along this long mountain range. It is here where we realize that Iceland is actually widening (or perhaps splitting down the middle) because these two plates are actually moving away from one another. Historically and culturally, this is the site of the first parliament structure of the Icelandic people who had been meeting here regularly, to sort out laws, disputes and other matters.

Iceland is widening due to the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates

We weren't given a lot of time to look around and really discover the area but it's another UNESCO Heritage World Site. Perhaps later in the week when we have the opportunity to rent a car and drive the Golden Circle ourselves.

Kapilow!

No, I'm not trying to wish you successful endeavours in the Klingon language.

Last Thursday, I attended the TSO with Amber and AW for the "What Makes it Great" series. The piece in question? Mozart's symphony Jupiter. Our conductor and host for the evening was Rob Kapilow. I love this series he does because he breaks down the entire piece into very easy to understand patterns. Though he indicates throughout the evening that Mozart's piece is all about random patterns that continually surprise the listener, he's able to highlight patterns of randomness!

The last evening this series was in town, Kapilow focused on Vivaldi's spring time. Rob Kapilow is able to take a piece that most people enjoy passively and break it down in such a manner that depiste your musical background, you're able to hear and thus see what makes each of these pieces so appealing to listeners. His style is informal and inviting as the audience is able to take part actively rather than just passively listening to the sounds coming from the orchestra.

The best part of the evening for me? After a crazy day at work, it's nice to watch a single person create something wonderful with a group of +30 people with each individual doing what is expected of them so that the end product is perfect.

Be Like Jiro

Who?

Jiro Ono.

He is the owner and head sushi chef of Sukiyabashi Jiro--a Michelin Guide 3-star restaurant in Ginza, Chuo-ko, Tokyo, Japan. He is considered the greatest sushi chef in the world. I went to watch the documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" at the TIFF Lightbox and let me tell you: WOW.

If you ever thought about sushi as just being some raw fish slapped ontop of rice and that it's something any schmuck can do, you are dead wrong. It's an art.

The documentary explores Jiro's life and his one true love: making perfect (even he says it's not but really, it's got to be) sushi. He's devoted his entire life to making sushi. On the surface, the movie seems a mere documentary about Jiro's life and his love. But when you really look at it, you see that this one man has committed to something whole-heartedly and for his entire life. He's found something that speaks to him and it has become his soul. He is what they coin a shokunin: The Japanese word shokunin is defined by both Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries as ‘craftsman’ or ‘artisan,’ but such a literal description does not fully express the deeper meaning.  The Japanese apprentice is taught that shokunin means not only having technical skills, but also implies an attitude and social consciousness. … The shokunin has a social obligation to work his/her best for the general welfare of the people.  This obligation is both spiritual and material, in that no matter what it is, the shokunin’s responsibility is to fulfill the requirement.” – Tasio Odate

In this day and age, everything is quick quick quick. We're always jumping from one thing to the next without ever thinking about sticking around or in further depth. If this docu-movie doesn't ruin your for mainstream sushi, it will at the very least, make you rethink your life as you know it.

Cinefranco 2012

I'm taking French language courses this year. We live in Canada and it's become more obvious to me when I'm at work (and half of our stuff comes in French) and I understand little of it. Let alone be able to communicate with our Quebecois clients.

I'm taking the lessons at Alliance Francaise which is recommended as one of the best schools, for teaching the French language. I've picked up the French language much faster than I have, at any other point in my life. But, I'm far from being right up to par with native french speakers. So, I want  to check out some French language movies at the Cinefranco movie festival.

It's being held at the TIFF Lightbox where for about a week, there will be French language films from all over the world. I unfortunately missed "Free Men" this evening but intend to find it and watch it because it sounds just so good (I'm referring to the plot). The second is My Little Princess. It's got a dark gothic feel to it and I just love gothic themed movies, books etc.

In Paris during WWII, an Algerian immigrant is inspired to join the resistance by his unexpected friendship with a Jewish man (IMDB). This is a still from Free Men:

My Little Princess is a 2010 French-Romanian drama film directed by Eva Ionesco and inspired by her relationship with her mother, the well-known artistic photographer Irina Ionesco whose pictures of her young daughter aroused discussions when they were published back in the 1970s. The movie illustrates a situation which at first glance seems to be a paradox: Whilst revealing more and more of her daughter to the public the mother seems to get increasingly estranged from her and vice versa. (Wikipedia)

The other film I'm debating to go and see is called "De Bon Matin" and it's about a bank employee who goes to work, brings out his gun, shoots two managers and waits patiently for the police to come take him away. At first, it felt a little too close for comfort but I thought about the psychological aspect of it and I think it could potentially make for an interesting evening.

Can't wait!! Let's get cultured. Whoever said Toronto lacks culture is an idiot.

Music Soothes the Savage Beast (within)

I've been meaning to blog about this subject for the past week or two. Music. And yes, all sorts of music but particularly, classical and contemporary orchestral music (and maybe a little Christmas music tossed in there).

Two weeks ago, I went to the first TSO 3-pack concert: What Makes it Great: Vivaldi's Four Seasons by Rob Kapilow who was both host and conductor. It was a fabulous event that brought the music to the audience by breaking it down into pieces that literally anyone could understand and appreciate. It was an intricate look at the intricacies of Vivaldi's music both the actual composition and the history of it.

Then, this past Tuesday, I added in an impromptu session of a Century of Broadway music with the TSO. The hosts, Doug LaBrecque and Christiane Noll were absolutely magnificent and I enjoyed the journey they brought the audience through; starting in the early 1900s and moving through the decades and ending with possibly the most famous musical of all time: Andrew Lloyd Weber's the Phantom of the Opera.

Truly magnificent. I haven't had the chance to have so much music injected into my life. And not this mish-mash of music that we hear on the airwaves these days but real music that soothes the soul and calms the raging monologues that have a tendency to bubble to the surface when stress pushes it up.