behind Queen Street

Two meetings and several scouting trips later, I arrived home in the late evening with piles of low-grade pics from an otherwise gloomy-weathered afternoon, still undecided on which to write about. My eyelids are now buckling under the weight of the day and I’m going to cave by posting a selection with captions instead. If only I wrote as fast as AviatorDave, but alas, I’m slower than molasses in January.

jailbirds behind Queen Street

These pictures below are of the current state of the Jamie Bell Playground in High Park, which was set on fire by an alleged arsonist on March 17 (currently, a 19-year old has been arrested and charged). I’m glad the police caught someone, because the locals are very connected to this playground and its history. I’ve shot family and engagement sessions here, and I was gutted when I saw the pictures of the main structure engulfed in flames. Since then, volunteers and companies have stepped up to fundraise and rebuild it, which goes to show how much people want to have it functioning again — they won’t wait for the City to do it.

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I watched this TED Talk by Susan Cain on Sunday from the comfort of my sick bed with much fascination. Well, as much fascination as one can muster watching a phone screen lying down, sideways.

Then I read the comments, all 314 and counting (as of Sunday). I usually avoid comments as they hardly add value to the article/video/presentation, but in this case many of them were thoughtful and articulate. Susan Cain attempts to condense into 20 minutes an explanation for what introverts offer to the world, which she argues is overlooked because they are drowned out by extroverts. A self-admitted introvert, Cain tries to dispel the myth that introverts are antisocial or misanthropic, rather, they find energy in solitude versus people and recharge in nature, not crowds.

I have no problems with crowds at all (hey, I went alone to Times Square in New York to celebrate New Year’s Eve with 600,000 people in 2002), but I always prefer small groups or ideally, one-on-one conversations. In a group, I’m usually the listener although I have no problem speaking, but won’t speak unless/until I have something to contribute. But when I am passionate about a topic, it’s hard to shut me up…

The part of Cain’s talk that completely resonated with me is that introverts greatly dislike small talk. Oh boy, do I ever! The idle chit chat at gallery openings and conferences and receptions drive me bananas. I’ve only ever attended three Couchsurfing weekly meetups since 2007 because it felt like I was repeating the same five-minute introduction and answering the same questions over and over. In fact, I took the anti-small talk attitude to the extreme a few weeks ago with someone I’d just met to watch basketball. Poor guy. (To qualify, English isn’t his first language.) While we were walking to a restaurant, he had a very random series of questions and the fact that I was starving drove me to the edge:

*silent walking*

V: “How much rent do you pay?”
I stopped dead in the street: “What kind of question is that?”
V: “I don’t know. It’s just a question.”
Me: “It’s not a meaningful question when you don’t know what part of the city I live in, how large my place is, or if I share with others.”
V: “What’s wrong with the question? It’s a starting point.”
Me: “You can do better than that! Tell me what you really want to know, I can tell you what question to ask to get the information you want and we can skip all the crap in-between.”
V: “I don’t really need to know anything. But is there any harm in asking the question?”
Me: “Yes there is! It makes me not want to answer any more questions! Conversation is an art form, not a bunch of filler questions to kill silence!”

Over the Friday night din of the beer/sausage hall at Wvurst, I apologized profusely for biting his head off (in extreme hunger, ha!) and tried to explain why I got so cranky about his innocent questions. In the end, after food was consumed and the hunger pangs subsided, everything was alright again but I could scarcely believe my own outburst. I’m not prone to outbursts. But this is how much I loathe small talk — I’ll go to practically any lengths to avoid it!

The core of Cain’s talk is that this world is designed for extroverts, but the introverts have much to say — if only the extroverts would let them say it in their own way, in their own time. One of her calls to action is to stop the group work (have I mentioned my dislike for group work?), or at least let people formulate ideas individually first, thereby avoiding groupthink.

The messages we get as children — especially Filipinos, I daresay — is that outgoing is BEST. That being introverted means there is something wrong with you, that you are not properly socialized, that you have to work harder to be more like the gregarious children to get anywhere in life. So-called bookish, quiet kids make their Filipino parents worry that they will never have grandchildren.

In the (hundreds of) comments under the video, someone mentioned that introversion is not a set of behaviours, since anyone including extroverts may exhibit these behaviours from time to time. Rather, to be introverted is an orientation.

Many creative people are introverts. Introspection and time spent reflecting and thinking is necessary to create. Someone else mentioned in the comments that plenty of actors are actually introverted people who love performing, but they prefer to spend their personal time alone or with a few close people. That same person suggested that when introverts are actively interacting with other people they feel like they’re acting/performing. I found this very interesting.

I spent a lot of time thinking about this talk (how’s that for introverted) because I felt it explained a few of my own tendencies:

• I make choices for my own life without asking anyone’s opinion of those choices, before or after;
• when someone is telling or teaching me something, I listen until he/she is finished before I ask questions;
• I only shop alone;
• I travel alone 95% of the time;
• I prefer to teach myself most things rather than take classes;
• I don’t care if I’m the only person to hold a particular idea or opinion, but I will always listen to what other people have to say.

At first I thought it was just stubbornness (that’s my mother talking), but I believe it’s much more than that. Part of knowing yourself, to be an individual, is to develop your ideas independently, without comparing yourself to other people. You have to be alone with your thoughts to absorb, process, and analyze. It takes time to think things through, and quality thinking happens without the self-consciousness that comes from having people around all the time. (The operative words being all the time.)

In spite of all the solitude, my love for the computer and the internet, I make a concerted effort not to let my online life overtake my Real Life. The last thing I want to have is an online persona, to have someone read my words then meet me and be disappointed that I’m different in person. That would be truly awful. I want the Best Me to be me at large, not behind a computer!

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Farhad, from Iran, showing Stanley a moose

Lest you think I left Flat Stanley behind on Friday, I didn’t! I brought him with me so he could celebrate what is probably his first citizenship party.

Is Stanley Lambchop Canadian? Originally, I don’t think so. The Flat Stanley Project began with a Canadian, but the author of the books was American.

Why celebrate Canadian citizenship?

Because it’s great to be Canadian! I definitely think a new citizenship is worth celebrating, as it is more meaningful when it’s something you choose for yourself. For the Canadians born in Canada, they will never experience a swearing-in ceremony, and I think that’s a shame, because it’s easy to take something as fundamental as citizenship for granted if you never take the oath.

I acquired my Canadian citizenship as a young child along with the rest of my family (except my younger brother, who was born in Canada), but due to a mishap in Banff that involved my citizenship card getting lost, I had to replace it in Calgary. To do so, I had to take the oath again as an adult, at 19:

I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.

The Citizenship Ceremony
Rights and Responsibilities of Canadian Citizenship

My friend Neesa can now add Canada to her list of places to call home. I remember her telling me the story of how her parents met, which is unusual as her father is from Nepal. She spent time in the Ukraine, where her mother is from. Neesa and her brother grew up in Moscow, then the whole family immigrated to Toronto after she finished university there. Neesa adapted to Canadian life by throwing herself into everything: cycling, dragon boat racing, couchsurfing, travelling, acrobatics, capoeira, curling, language classes, skiing, photography, vegetarian groups, the list goes on. Everyone at the citizenship party was from a different group, which made me realize just how involved she is in everything.

Neesa is a benefit to Canada, we’re glad to have her!

And Stanley, if you ever want to be Canadian, we would throw a party for you, too.

with Austin, born in Canada

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KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

This is a powerful 30 minutes. Please watch! (then read the comments below) –Gail

KONY 2012 is a film and campaign by Invisible Children that aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice.

HOW TO HELP:
Join TRI or Donate to Invisible Children: http://bit.ly/yp5Ffv
Purchase KONY 2012 products: http://invisiblechildrenstore.myshopify.com/
Sign the Pledge: http://www.causes.com/causes/227-invisible-children

FOR MEDIA INQUIRES ONLY: Monica Vigo pr@invisiblechildren.com

DIRECTOR: Jason Russell LEAD EDITOR: Kathryn Lang EDITORS: Kevin Trout, Jay Salbert, Jesse Eslinger LEAD ANIMATOR: Chad Clendinen ANIMATOR: Jesse Eslinger 3-D MODELING: Victor Soto VISUAL EFFECTS: Chris Hop WRITERS: Jason Russell, Jedidiah Jenkins, Kathryn Lang, Danica Russell, Ben Keesey, Azy Groth PRODUCERS: Kimmy Vandivort, Heather Longerbeam, Chad Clendinen, Noelle Jouglet ORIGINAL SCORES: Joel P. West SOUND MIX: Stephen Grubbs, Mark Friedgen, Smart Post Sound COLOR: Damian Pelphrey, Company 3 CINEMATOGRAPHY: Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, Laren Poole, Gavin Kelly, Chad Clendinen, Kevin Trout, Jay Salbert, Shannon Lynch PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Jaime Landsverk LEAD DESIGNER: Tyler Fordham DESIGNERS: Chadwick Gantes, Stephen Witmer

MUSIC CREDIT:

Original Instrumental Scores by Joel P. West http://www.joelpwest.com/

“02 Ghosts I” Performed by Nine Inch Nails, Written by Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor, Produced by Alan Moulder, Atticus Ross, and Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails appear courtesy of The Null Corporation

“Punching in a Dream”, Performed by The Naked and Famous, Written by Aaron Short, Alisa Xayalith, and Thom Powers, Produced by Thom Powers, The Naked and Famous appear courtesy of Somewhat Damaged and Universal Republic

“Arrival of the Birds”, Performed by The Cinematic Orchestra, Written by The Cinematic Orchestra, Produced by The Cinematic Orchestra, The Cinematic Orchestra appears courtesy of Disney Records

“Roll Away Your Stone”, Performed by Mumford and Sons, Written by Benjamin Lovett, Edward Dwane, Marcus Mumford, and Winston Marshall, Produced by Markus Dravs, Mumford and Sons appear courtesy of Glassnote Entertainment Group LLC

“On (Instrumental)”, Performed by Bloc Party
Written by Bloc Party, Produced by Jacknife Lee, Bloc Party appears courtesy of Vice Records

“A Dream within a Dream”, Performed by The Glitch Mob, The Glitch Mob appears courtesy of Glass Air

“I Can’t Stop”, Performed by Flux Pavilion, Flux Pavilion appears courtesy of Circus Records Limited

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Map: World Food Statistics

Part of the Food for 9 Billion project

This map of World Food Statistics compiled by the Center For Investigative Reporting, the U.S.’s oldest non-profit investigative news organization, is the most fascinating set of visually-presented data I’ve seen in recent memory. You can compile this information yourself as the sources are all publicly available, but this javascript map does the work for you in a simple way, allowing you to compare countries with a mouse hover rather than scrolling through tables of data. Roll over any country for a snapshot of its food situation. Compare countries by using the drop-down menu.

As you can see by the screencap of Canada’s stats, it includes other data such as water resources (ours is HUGE) and CO2 emissions. We are among the top 10 emitters of greenhouse gases per capita.

Another interesting statistic to compare is percent of income spent on food. The USA spends a relatively small percentage of income on food (6.4%, less than any other country on this map), yet three-quarters of Americans are overweight, one-third are obese, and 8% have diabetes. There is obviously something very wrong with not making food a priority, especially because it affects health directly.

I love statistics, but even if the mere idea of stats puts you to sleep, the information provided in this map may surprise you. Check it out.

via The Better U Foundation

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My website has been pretty food-centric lately, hasn’t it? It goes hand-in-hand with travel and culture, so it should come as no surprise that I’d like to plug a food and travel adventure series that just wrapped up its first season last night. It’s on Travel & Escape in Canada, and it’s in the process of being distributed to other countries, which means the shows on the web can only stream to a Canadian audience for now.

What’s it about? Three young chefs from Winnipeg make a journey through Southeast Asia and bring along a videocamera and microphone, learning how to cook regional dishes from the locals while teaching themselves the ins-and-outs of shooting and editing footage. (It’s not a reality show, it only became a show once the chefs completed their journey and pitched their ideas and edited footage to producers.) They toured from Indonesia to China, and the final show in the videoclip above wraps up their Chinese experience and thoughts about the whole trip.

This show is not for the squeamish: they’re eating everything the locals are eating, including duck necks, beating cobra hearts, and watching fish getting filleted while still alive. But it’s authentic and the guys learn to communicate in a variety of ways to get past the language barriers and cultural differences.

In the final minute of the video (9:00) when they’re interviewed at Pho Hung here in Toronto, they mentioned a couple of things I consider very important while travelling: keep an open mind and maintain the attitude that they are there to learn. Those two qualities beat any advice you’ll find in a guidebook, and I’m sure will serve them well in Season 2.

Check them out online, on Facebook, and Twitter:

http://www.withoutborderschefs.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chefs-Run-Wild/181185462032
http://twitter.com/chefsrunwild/

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as seen on a neighbourhood walk

I’m just back from my England break and going through the photos, video, and chocolate duty-free goodies for the catsitter. My excuse is that I’m fortifying myself for the transition back to reality: meetings, shoots, what-have-you, before my next trip (which is next week).

On a couple of evening walks, my friend and I passed by this seniors home and I remarked on how politically correct Britain can be… memory impaired! (I may very well end up in a neighbourhood like this.)

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Team Brides' Project at the Finish Line

We did it! And we did it through rain and wind and layers upon layers of clothing — including veils and crinolines! As always, we drew lots of curious attention with our outfits, but there were plenty of others who dressed up, too.

Front:

Team Full Support

Back:

Team Full Support

Masked Crusaders

It was great to see so many people out on a Sunday morning (after Nuit Blanche, where people were up all night long) showing their community spirit and support.

I shot some video, but it’s pretty shaky!

More pics at the album, or view as a full-screen slideshow, or watch the set scroll by below.

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Danish wedding

I shot a Danish wedding tonight — my first. How Danish was it? I won’t really know unless I shoot a wedding in Denmark (pssst! any Danish people out there who want to fly me out for a wedding?), but I would say this cake looks very Danish, by the decorative bits. I would’ve guessed Scandinavian, at least — it reminds me of things I’ve seen in Norway (and Iceland, except Iceland is not actually part of Scandinavia).

Most of the wedding guests flew in from somewhere — Australia, all over Canada, as well as Denmark — but the whole room was filled with Danish and Canadian flags to represent the couple. Part of the evening was filled with flag-waving and singing a song with Danish lyrics.

There is also a Danish wedding tradition of taking the shoes off the groom and cutting the toes off his socks or cutting a piece off his tie, but we finished shooting before any of that happened!

Denmark joins with Canada

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I had the pleasure of shooting my first lesbian wedding today, with the Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes presiding. (Canadians may find his name familiar — he officiated Jack Layton’s state funeral.)

A decade ago, on January 14, 2001, Rev. Hawkes officiated the first double wedding ceremony that led to the legalization of gay marriage in Canada, one of the first countries in the world to do so. He wore a bullet-proof vest and there was heavy security because of death threats.

Today there was no bullet-proof vest or death threats, just friends and family (including their adorable dog in a tuxedo) and lots of love.

And that’s the way it should be.

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