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Friday, October 6th, 2006
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2:53 pm - Happy Moon Festival!
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MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONCAKE!!!
current mood:  hungry
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| Thursday, October 5th, 2006
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11:50 am - These are a few of my favourite things
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Random contemporary art
Last weekend was Toronto’s first attempt at Nuit Blanche, an all night contemporary art thing (as touted on the event advertising). From 7 pm to 7 am, local and international artists took over our downtown streets, strewing sidewalks, rec centres, parks, nooks and crannies with installations or performance pieces. Thousands came out to partake of the nocturnal insanity, despite the biting wind and spitting rain. Arm in arm with Mostacho sibs ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1) caryl and _proj3ct_, we walked through a fog sculpture, searched for neon-lit Elvis song titles, watched a stellar UofT stage fight, listened to an improv jam session between a hurdy gurdy and a drum-with-miscellaneous-kitchen-implements, sweated it out during a documentary about gay penguins and a naked man singing opera in the shower, jeered the combatants of a streetside pillow fight, danced atop a lighted platform in public, and - my favourite - partied with 10-year old DJS in a rec centre littered with 2000 rubber balls. I’m definitely campaigning to have this event repeated next year…and you all must come. :)
Terry in Toronto
Terry Brooks, one of my most beloved authors of all time, decided to stop by the World’s Biggest Bookstore to promote his new work, Armageddon’s Children. Of course I had to be there, despite not knowing that he’d even released a new book in the first place. caryl and I decided to put aside past grievances (he turned our favourite character into a tree!) and squee our support. Mr. Brooks did not disappoint - he was literate, articulate, and surprisingly snarky! Will I ever write a collection of short stories, he repeats. If someone held a gun to my head, and stepped on my back…maybe. I don’t do short stories…or anything short, for that matter. LOFF HIM! He’s blessedly chatty, and really photo-friendly. He agreed to sign my agenda, and even encouraged us to submit our photos so that he can post it on his website. As a result, we now have increased online presence! (scroll down, folks.) Plus, caryl is happily flirting with his webmaster over email. Photos courtesy of the new Caryl-Is-Cool dual lens camera.
Reunions with Ria
Well, it was only one reunion…but Ria and I made the most of it by having an fantabulous time. The weather gods were smiling on us that day, driving away the fall cold with sunny skies and +20 degree weather. After a series of foiled plans to get together, we finally found each other on the southbound platform at Yonge and Bloor station, and proceeded to trek all over town…her poor cousin Dennis in tow. Walked down Queen St West, detoured to see the CN Tower and the Roger’s Centre, hurried along Chinatown and stopped to amble around Kensington Market - all the while chatting about boys, jobs, future plans and the good ol’ days. We had iced coffee and pumpkin pie on swings, then met up with timbits and caryl for some Jumbo Empanadas. Words cannot express how much I wanted her to stay. We barely scratched the surface of this fine city, my dear…so you have to come back! Thanks so much again for stopping over!! Hope you made it back to Dubai without further incident!!!
Did I mention Ria practically trekked through the entire country in just two weeks? From Calgary to Victoria to Toronto to Montreal. The girl is nuts! MISS YOU!!!
Now life seems so blissfully boring. :) I’m just going to enjoy the downtime till the long weekend. I’ve got a ginormous turkey to contend with on Saturday morn.
current mood:  calm
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| Thursday, May 18th, 2006
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9:44 pm - hits and misses
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Over the past few months, seems like every other entry on this damn thing starts with an apology. While I do regret disappearing off into the internet abyss for a prolonged period of time – yet again – let's begin with something a bit more…cheery.
Hi. :) How you doin'?
Dad's visit came and went – 10 wonderful days gone in a blink of an eye. He (and, on occasion, Sheena) bunked at my place for the entire trip, which allowed us to explore Toronto to our hearts' content. Some noteworthy places: the Distillery District (for its simple elegance, its amazing tuna sandwiches and Soulpepper's $18 rush tickets) and Kensington Market (oh the vintage apparel!). We got a chance to see some of Dad's old friends as well…and always over food. We fueled up on food at every available chance. We had keep our strength up for the walking, after all. :) Got a chance to talk about a lot of things - mostly future plans. He's making good on his goals, at least – he's now the new Director of Marketing for du, Dubai 's newest telecommunications company. A far cry for oil…but still very, very cool. YAY DADOO!
As for my plans…there are a few things in the works. I won't discuss them just yet lest I jinx myself. *gulp* More on this at a later time.
I started taiko classes on the day Dad left…and can now sing "AAAAAAAAAAAAH DON 'T WANNA WORK! I JUST WANNA BANG ON MY DRUM ALL DAY!" without feeling like a poser. Bacause I do have access to a drum now – several, in fact – and they are all huge motherf*ckers! Taiko performances were usually part of war and other ceremonial occasions, mostly played by men. My taiko group, Raging Asian Women, is Toronto's only all-female taiko ensemble…and they all rock my little cotton socks. You can catch them in action at a free show on Nathan Phillip's Square this Sunday, May 21 st, at 12pm – they're part of a rally to raise awareness about child abuse. Our beginner class is also scheduled to give a little recital at the end of our workshop so we can show off our newfound drumming skillz. Just let me know if you want in.
Going back on child abuse, my little sister has just fallen in a bit of a funk, due to her untimely breakup with jeereg, the bastard. I would not pretend to be civil towards him at this point, the asshole, particularly since I witness her struggle with the devastation every day. And the worst part is that she tries not to - she puts on a brave face for her family and friends (all of whom are frustrated and worried out of their minds) just to make things a little bit easier to deal with. She mourns, as she should, but she is also poised to overcome the whole damn trial…something she still denies she can ever do. The poor thing is shattered, so she tries to heal by reading as much feminist theory as she can get her hands on. My little boo. Funny thing is, despite the tragedy, she's never been so busy seeing friends, she's never made more sales at work, and she's never looked better! Perhaps we'll plan a date to a karaoke bar downtown so she can belt out some Gloria Gaynor. I hear it works wonders for broken hearts. I lub my seester!
And speaking of dating, I've been going out on a lot of those with caryl, tastelikeorange and timbits. Caryl pointed out that we're each other's "first date restaurant" testers – especially over Summer/Winterlicious. Former LJ user cryptobrian and I did rock out to Pearl Jam two weeks ago…but I won't call that a date bacause I might catch some of his cooties in saying so. Good times have been had by all…and there've been too many to mention in this increasingly lengthy post. So I will hint at one other "date" that I've recently gone on…only saying that it went very well indeed. Ha. :)
Oh, would you look at the time?! I must be heading off. But since I did promise a picture of ToCollege in an earlier post, here he is ( ...in all his shiny brilliance! )
current mood:  curious
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| Monday, May 15th, 2006
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9:50 pm - renewing the loff
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This is dedicated to those who grew up with The Princess Bride, enjoyed The Lord of the Rings, and loved both tales dearly...
and to the über loffly my_pet_lobster, who deserves more laughter in her life than any other I know. LUB!
SAM: What is it?
FRODO: Open it up.
SAM: A book?
FRODO: That’s right. When I was your age, adventures were called books. And this is a special book. It was the book my uncle used to write when he was adventuring and I used to write it when I was adventuring ... and today, I’m gonna give it to you.
SAM: Does it got any sports in it?
FRODO: Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles.
SAM: It doesn’t sound too bad. I’ll try and stay awake.
FRODO: Oh, well, thank you very much. That's very nice of you. Your vote of confidence is overwhelming. Oh. All right: "There and Back Again: A Hobbit’s Tale by Bilbo Baggins." ...
Click HERE for more brilliance...brought to you by the talented Øystein Bech Gadmar. :)
current mood:  nostalgic
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| Thursday, April 13th, 2006
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1:19 pm - I'm back online!
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I'm BACK!!!
My Toshiba met a rather untimely end two weeks ago...and I've been incommunicado since. BEHOLD - I am connected! And all thanks to my spankin' new laptop!!!
Pictures of its Shiny Newness shall grace my blog soon. As excited as I am to show it off...I've got an entire apartment to clean in the next few hours. Why?! Cuz my dad is arriving in under 48 hours! And we've got him for 10 whole days!!!
Must relieve some of the squee with some dusting. Adios!
p.s. babyboi_j I miss you. :-(
current mood:  excited
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| Saturday, April 1st, 2006
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12:13 pm - her mama didn't raise no fool!
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| Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006
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9:36 pm - and the vaginas just keep popping up all over the place...
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( guess who's in the March 24th issue of Weekly Scoop? )
on a completely unrelated note - babyboi_j and I had the best time at Winner's on Bloor, where we learned to differentiate BOHO (as in bohemian meaning gypsy-like) from BEHE (as in behemouth BEHEMOTH meaning something enormous in size). much fun was had over pink muscles shirts, yellow suit skirts, pig boxers, zebra blazers, furry jackets and rubber jeans. i think this requires a sequel excursion...preferably before the big Ratatouille Par-tay on April Fool's. :)
current mood:  amused
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| Thursday, March 16th, 2006
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8:47 pm - sick days
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I've been blissfully out of commission for the past few days. I was really hoping to stay on track with the frequent LJing, but something always seems to get in the way.
This time it was a strep throat, uncontrollable bronchial hacking and the fecking flu. Sheesh. I must've gone to Jay's farewell party infested. If any members of his family are suffering from the same symptoms, I fully take the blame. I'll send flowers, if need be.
For the first time in years, I was unable to stay conscious for longer than minutes at a time. Tried to tough it out in my apartment for a day or two…but I was grateful when my mom finally came to take me back to the family home. I eventually dragged my sorry self into work on Friday (after missing four whole days and countless deadlines), only to be sent home early because I looked about ready to faint at my desk.
The days that followed were pretty uneventful, given that I've yet to get back in the pink of health. Plenty of opportunities missed along the way, including a Randolph Academy performance of "The Heidi Chronicles" by Wendy Wasserstein. Plenty of In Death books were re-read. Plenty of chick flicks were watched – and multiple times to boot! Part of me is so ashamed. Saw Just Like Heaven and thought Mark Ruffalo actually makes a pretty good romcom leading man; saw Elizabethtown and reawakened the squeeing for Orlando Bloom; saw Pride & Prejudice and am now bewitched, body and soul, by Matthew MacFadyen as Mr. Darcy. I love…I love…I love him!
Everyone must see this movie at once and revel in the 18th century hotness. What is it with me and men in period pieces? Or maybe it's just men in general. *shrugs*
Oh yeah, Keira Knightley was great too. ;)
Tonight, I'm off to Mississauga to get the teeth tracks adjusted (3 months and counting!)…and then there's the big St Paddy's Day celebration at Fionn MacCool's tomorrow with most of the crüe. I finish my antibiotics at noon and am planning to get on the drinking by 6pm. I figured I better give it a few hours before I dive into the green beer. Saturday, the fam, Kay and I are off to see Our Country's Good, starring jeereg in Waterloo. Contemplating a new coiffure for Sunday too.
And since I might be computer-less for the next couple of days, I just wanted to send some birthday schnoogles to fabulous Fariah and luscious Lindsay!
Stay healthy, folks…stay on those vitamins.
current mood:  thirsty
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| Sunday, February 26th, 2006
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2:38 pm - bringin' down the house - vagina-stylez :)
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the show was VAGI-RRIFIC! beyond fabulous. beyond great. beyond what all of us expected. SQUEEEEE!
the day began at 10am...all of us struggling into the St Lawrence Centre, bleary eyed and starting to show signs of nausea. many people in the audience didn't know this - but this was the first time any of us had actually been in the venue. tech rehearsal started at 1030am, followed by a 15 minute lunch, then the 2 pm dress reheasal. a mad bustle of make up and hair at 430pm, some of us snuck a couple of bites of dinner between the hot irons and the lipstick applications...then -
SHOWTIME!!!
i rememembered all my lines. :) missed my mark on stage (was a little in shadow for the earlier part of my monologue)...but i remembered all my lines! (never expected to get such a great reaction...guess a lot of people like hearing about pubic hair ;)). the first act had everyone bent over with laughter, and the second act just brought the house down. and of course, rachel was fabulous. such an awesome person.
the night wrapped up with an after party at izakaya, a swank japanese restaurant that could use a little tweaking in terms of interior design (according to co*a). experience my first ever red carpet walk...on a swatch of crimson cloth roughly two feet long. got my picture snapped by Entertainment Tonight, but i'm guessing they just wanted to make the rest of the cast feel better about themselves before swarming the A-list celebrities. we were nudged away from our table by some rude publicists, and left shortly after in search of food that we never found. stumbled back home at around 230am with kay...and nearly fell asleep in my cereal bowl. busy day. :D
much love for all my ladies in the cast, especially claudine and jill (my fellow sex kittens!), christine, darlene, nidhi and susan. much much love for the people who organized and orchestrated such a fantastic benefit performance...and much much much love for the audience! thanks to my family and my friends who came to give their support. <3 we're all so lucky to be part of helping the women of Ernestine's Women's Shelter, and for bringing attention to the injustice suffered by comfort women across the world.
thanks again!
p.s. the italians sure know how to put on a show. :) but why, oh why the frickin' CLOWNS?!?!
current mood:  touched
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| Wednesday, February 22nd, 2006
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9:50 pm - reasons for celebrations (:-D)
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| Monday, February 20th, 2006
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8:49 pm - Soooooo Cuba - part deux!
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tastelikeorange beat me to the post! see here for her excellent summary of our trip to Varadero!
i apologize for being redundant right of the bat. some details are just worth repeating. ;)
( day one )
( day two )
( day three )
( day four )
( day five )
( day six )
( day seven )
i'll gloss over the details of the trip back home, as waits in the airport are always more aggravating at the end of one's holiday. we came home to below zero weather, and an all-day rehearsal for me, but we could still feel the sun on our faces...along with the itchy tingle of burnt flesh on our arms. good times. :).
and now...the obligatory ( picspam! )
current mood: nostalgic
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| Sunday, February 19th, 2006
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7:00 pm - we're burnt...but we're back!
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| Tuesday, January 17th, 2006
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6:02 pm - a Vagina plug
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--------
As part of a world-wide campaign to end violence against women, V-Day Toronto is proud to present on February 25th, 2006, a one night only benefit performance of Eve Ensler's award winning play The Vagina Monologues.
This year's performance includes a cast of women from the community who reflect the diversity of our city. The cast also features several celebrity performers including:
- Melissa Auf Der Maur (musician)
- Enza Supermodel (Metro Columnist)
- Vanessa Vaughan (deaf artist and actor)
- Jill Andrew (Metro Columnist)
And several other celebrities to be confirmed...
Proceeds from this year's event will be donated to Ernestine's Women's
Shelter and the annual V-Day Spotlight which in 2006 is to bring justice to Japanese comfort women from World War Two.
Tickets are available online at www.stlc.com, by calling 416-366-7723 and
1-800-708-6754 or in person at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. East, Toronto.
current mood:  optimistic
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| Monday, November 28th, 2005
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10:45 pm - wax on...wax off...
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RIP Mr. Miyagi :'(
current mood:  remembering an icon
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| Thursday, November 10th, 2005
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9:24 am - bye bye, Linds!
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Lindsay, brave penguin explorer, heads out to Montreal, Boston, New York City and Washington, DC in search of fantasies, fish, and her future.
Okay...maybe she's not looking for fish.
current mood:  listless
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| Sunday, October 10th, 2004
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10:15 pm - the only TURKEYS in Dubai are the ones in suits
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Happy Thanksgiving, my loffs!
p.s. who touched Orange Boy's bicep today? it's me! it's me!! :D
current mood:  homesick
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| Tuesday, October 5th, 2004
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11:18 pm - well...that didn't take long
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the proverbial cat is out of the proverbial bag.
much to my mortification, EVERYONE at work knows that i have a crush on Orange Boy. i mean EVERYONE...even the Big Boss Himself.
and no...this wasn't a recent revelation. seems like people have known for ages and were merely humouring me by making me think i was being discreet! fie on my colleagues! a pox on each and every one of them!!
and how did i know, you ask? seems like i've been extra giggly after
each encounter with him...or at least, giggly enough to give our
Creative Director pause. guess he saw through my overly enthusiastic
guise. i've also been accused of asking waaay too many questions
about him...questions that i thought were innocent enough. can't
they just think i'm being inquisitive?? anyway...combine those two
elements and it's enough to get the rumour mill up and running.
i am now the butt of every single goofy romantic reference. oh
jeez. and it's all for nothing. i know he's not
interested. *le sigh*
current mood: guilty
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| Wednesday, September 1st, 2004
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8:43 pm - Isabelle's first day in the corporate world!
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...welcome to the jungle, baby...
current mood:  exhausted
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| Tuesday, August 31st, 2004
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4:45 pm - All I want for Christmas...
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...is the final book in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series.
please please please please please please please
please please please please please please please
*distressed*
oh...
Word o'the Day: wonk
\wongk\
n: a nerd
current mood:  wonk-y
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| Saturday, August 28th, 2004
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3:20 pm - pic spam!
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Word o'the Day: plip
\plip\
n: the remote control for most European cars, like the Citroen
i thought the driving excursion the other day was gonna be a lot more happening...but alas, we cruised along accident-free. in fact, the driving was so good, we went past the route to my new office and ventured off into the highway for a bit. (their hwy speed limits are set at 120. i was modest and stayed at 140 for most the the trip. i'm learning!)
Jaws was well-behaved enough...although i do have to get used to his girth. damn thing is frickin' wide. feels like i'm gonna clip something which ever way i veer off. my dad has been kind enough to consider a smaller car to make life easier (MINI! MINI!)...but i would never ask him to give up his beast of a baby. ;) besides, it's terrible fun to drive. *grin* too bad it doesn't have a plip. it does have 3 different keys though. silly american cars.
so, in lieu of the driving story...i offer PICTURES! there's a few in here...so here's a preview:
and the rest are ( behind this. )
p.s. i'm so lovin' my Maroon 5 CD! *schnoogles coa and kay* my shirt has shrunk a bit...but my CD is still perfect in everyway! keeeeee!
p.p.s. is it just me...or is the resolution in my pictures getting worse? dropping my phone numerous times probably hasn't helped but...waaaah.
p.p.p.s. i love Firefly. :)
current mood:  mellow
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ditzy
enthralled
peaceful