so this is christmas.

watch video >

This year for Christmas, my uncle in Montreal rented out two small chalets near Tremblant for the family for 2 days and 2 nights. We had so much fun... Christmas Eve, we spent having snowball fights and building snowforts on the frozen lake. Christmas day, we went to Tremblant to ski, came home to play drinking games and Black Jack, and headed for home and then a spa on Boxing day. I can honestly say that I haven't had a Christmas like that since I was a 9 or 10 years old...

It's been three years since the last time I've gone snowboarding and I was never good at it. I haven't skiied since a child either, so I decided to try my luck with the snowblades. In the above posted video at the beginning, I apparently had gone down a black diamond thinking it was an intermediate slope... I lost control and hit the snowbank, hitting my chin and my head was a little shook up, but otherwise, no major injuries...

It was great to be out in the countryside though; to get away from the city life. Driving through the mountainous snowy areas reminded me much of the drive from New York City through Jersey. That was a crazy drive last year with a 9 hour drive non stop through fog and snowstorm in the mountains... This year was a lot safer though.

Watching UFC with the bros and cousins now...

honline goes online.

My website got some updates. DEMOREEL now available, portfolio to come later. Will talk about it later. Must head to Tremblant for Christmas now. Merry Christmas everyone!! Eat lots, sleep lots, and rest lots! Cheers.

pretty lights.

Went to hip hop class Wednesdnay night and danced to some 50 Cent. Disco Inferno was the song. I had lots of fun on that song cause the steps were relatively easier than some of the previous classes I've been taking. The only thing with that song was that you really had to be thuggy to give it that style and agression, which I really lacked...

On my way home, I noticed that the Toronto Music Garden had set up Christmas lights there. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for those lights to come on. The first time I saw them on was about a month ago, just as it was getting colder out. I had the camera with me, but I got lazy, thinking that winter's just begun.

Wrong. Each time I walked by night after night, the lights were off. It wasn't until Wednesday night that they finally turned the lights back on, and lucky for me, I also had the camera with me. I took some photos, but not too many turned out nice because of the lack of tripod.

If I have time this weekend, I might go on an expedition around Toronto and take a few photos of the Christmas lights. I had a bit of dinner in Koreatown last Saturday and noticed there was a huge tiger at Christie Station. I didn't have my camera, unfortunately. Something about night lights really amaze me though.

Eight more workdays and it's off to Tremblant for me... So excited to get on them snowhills. It's been far too long since my last snowboard experience. 3 to 4 years now I think... Hopefully I come back in one piece.

I've posted the better photos I took. Click to view larger image. Definitely worth it.


Toronto Sound Garden Christmas lights


Toronto Sound Garden Christmas lights


Toronto Sound Garden Christmas lights looking straight up


Toronto Sound Garden Christmas lights looking up


Toronto Sound Garden Christmas lights and CN Tower


Queens Quay & Spadina


Christmas lights at my condo roundabout

say again...?

h o n l i n e says: (2:28:59 PM)
i wish i had my home emoticons

migz.ca says: (2:30:04 PM)
LOL

migz.ca says: (2:30:18 PM)
i read that as " I wish i had my homo erections"

standing for change.

Ben E. King's Stand by Me is one of my favourite songs. Back in the day when I used to go karaoke every month or so, I loved singing that song. My voice can't handle those high notes, but it's such a good karaoke song. Well... Such a good song, period.

The reason I bring this song up is because over the weekend, I came across this video on YouTube of Stand by Me, but this version was simply amazing and moving. It's for a documentary to be released on DVD and music CD Spring 2009. It's called Playing for Change: Peace Through Music. The people who sing and play the instruments in the song are all street musicians from around the world. Each are recorded separately, and are then mixed together. My favourite is Grandpa Elliott. He has so much character...

It must be so exciting for the people who work for the Playing for Change Foundation; meeting the musicians, hearing their stories and recording their music and traveling all over the world... I'd like to work for them one day, but I wouldn't know what to offer, since I'm no musician...

Seeing this makes me want to travel so much more. With the routine life that I have, time seems to pass by so much quicker, and there's so much in this world for me to see, to experience, to be part of. One of these days...

I'm posting both Ben E. King's version and the Playing for Change Foundation's version of Stand by Me.


Ben E. King - Stand by Me


Playing for Change Foundation - Stand by Me

long john silver.

Long johns. I don't like them cause they're so tight and they make me sweaty and itchy when I'm indoors. But as soon as I step outside, I forget about all the cons and look up into the sky and thank God for long johns.

I remember as a kid, I hated them. But when my dad had to drive my brothers and I to school in the morning, he would pinch our thighs. If he couldn't feel a second layer of material under our pants, he'd send us back inside to get those long johns on. Oh kids...

Been spending a lot of time working on my own things lately and I've been walking out with a smile every time. I've made some sacrifices in order to get myself together, and as bad as I feel about those sacrifices, I feel great about myself. I gotta be selfish from time to time in order to get what I want, ya know? And what do I want? Peace of mind. And how else could you get peace of mind in this nasty freezing weather were it not for long johns?

Thank God for long johns.

spread the love.

I feel a little spoiled today... I had good food, listened to some good music, hung out with some great friends, had some great drinks, and overall, if you don't mind me saying, it felt fucking GREAT!

I had pho for lunch, listened to some Coldplay all day, hung out with friends who have such a great sense of humour, and hung out at a place we haven't been to in a while... Great morale booster.

One thing that really surprised me was the walk home. I was listening to Death Cab for Cutie, and thinking about the fun I had tonight; it put a smile on my face. I felt so much positive energy. All of a sudden I look up and this lady was walking by and saw me, and smiled back, but not really looking at my. She looked like she was genuinely happy.

Maybe I misread her face, but I can't help but think that I somehow exuded some positive energy and made her feel better somehow. Either that or she was laughing at me cause I was funny looking... But if it really were the former, it really amazed me how people can pick up on these vibes... It made me think about how much I don't need anything else right now. Just myself, my family, and my friends. Nize.




Death Cab for Cutie - Your New Twin Sized Bed >

make it rain.

migz.ca says: (10:19:20 AM)
i iwish i never had to pay rent, i'd be rich

h o n l i n e says: (10:19:34 AM)
i wish i was rich. i'd never have to pay rent

super nintendo sega genesis, when i was deadbroke i couldn't picture this.

I took a walk around town after work for about 1.5 hours to see Christmas lights in the heart of the city. Nice to see all the decorations up. All that's missing now is freshly laid snow. Soon enough. Soon enough...

Been playing some Xbox here and there lately. The new dashboard on the Xbox got a lot of hype, but I'm pretty disappointed with it. Not so much with the interface, cause the interface is cool. But more about the fact that Microsoft completely ripped off the Wii's Mii's. Microsoft called it Avatars, which is fine, but the sounds, the face selections and features are all so Wii-like it digusts me. It's very cutesy and cartoony but the Xbox's player demographic is hardcore gamers... I would've expected something like a Grand Theft Auto character style instead. Le sigh...

Eshwin came over last night with Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. My new roommate Jon, Eshwin and I just played two player for a while, and the graphics are cool and nice, but at the same time, it lacked fluidity. The moves felt really limited, compared to Soul Calibur 4, but once you find out how to do them, it's actually not too bad. It wasn't until we tried the Story Mode that I realized how well thought out this game was for a fighting game. We haven't beat the game yet, but so far, the plot beats the story modes of many fighting games I've played. I'm happy with it, overall. Not as good as Soul Calibur though.

My mind's been heavy with thoughts and my heart's been heavy with emotions lately. Weird that I'm not heavy in weight though... No? No? Dry. It's not that I'm lonely; I gave up something great to be alone. It's not that I'm sad or unhappy; I have fun doing what I do every day. It's not that I'm feeling empty; I have much to live for, I have goals and all. I think it's more that I can't get something out of my mind. Mayhaps I should listen to some Billy Ocean...

HEY! YOU! YES YOU! GET INTO MY CAR!
Get out of my dreams! Get into my car! Get out of my mind! And into my life!

Ah... I'll say it once more. Where would I be without the 80's...?

goodnight trouble.

Nice.

Productive at last... Not in terms of the usual day-to-day productivity where I'm just doing mindless routine work cleaning, paying bills, and facebooking. No. I turned down some beer and video games to work on my own personal work. This is the first time in a long time, and it felt good.

I forgot how much fun personal work can be... The artistic freedom with no limits. Now that's what I'm talkin 'bout. What is this I'm working on, you ask? A personal pet project for shits and giggles... I was thinking of posting a preview of what I've been working on, but I think that would ruin the fun. Soooo... I'll stop talking about it...

Hair report: Coming up on 3 months now. During these three months, I've gotten a very minor trim before Thanksgiving, and one actual haircut at Lattitudes at the Eaton Centre. Overpaid for the styling, but I needed it, and in the end it looked good. Next haircut/trim will probably be before Christmas.

I was listening to a bit of Phil Collins on the way home. Sussussudio! Sossossogood! A productive day and night, some good music and good sushi for lunch and lots of Indian food for dinner... Goodnight trouble indeed.

my thanks, for all that you do.

I did some major cleaning last night after some shopping to prep for the new roommate — who just moved in today and is soooo awesome. Good pick, Fred Hon, good pick. I packed my summer clothes into the suitcase I bought for LA, and took it into the basement storage. In there, I saw my Christmas tree that I got as a gift last year, around this time. I quickly set it up and put on a Christmas CD to get myself into the Christmas mood. Made me so excited...

After that, I went through my shoebox of cards and letters. These cards and letters I've accumulated from a very young age. I think the oldest letter I still have dates back to 1990, when we first moved out of St-Gabriel-de-Brandon to St-Hubert, just outside of Montreal. I have since started collecting all the cards and letters people have given me. I went through each last night, most of them being birthday or Christmas cards. Some Valentine's Day cards.

Reading each of those cards and letters last night made me realize so much. That even if I wasn't a big deal in your life, I was still thought of. Whether we still keep in touch or not, or whether you even liked me or not, doesn't matter. The fact remains that you affected my life somehow, directly or indirectly. And I thank you all for being in my life. I don't regret meeting anyone of you. Whether you intended to or not, you've changed me life and have helped me become who I am now.

I took the time last night to take photos of some of the cards and letters that I've received and posted them on Facebook. I know I have more. I have yet to finish sorting out my room and find more hidden treasures, so I will post them as I find them. Hope some of you still remember the childhood we shared. Once again, thanks for the memories and for being a part of me. And I'm sorry if I never returned the favour...


Here are only a few of the photos. The rest are on Facebook.

Valentine's Day cards from my classmates in Grade 5, when I first moved to Kingston.


A postcard from Brooklyn, a postcard from LA, a birthday gift wrapping, a Nissan Skyline toy from Brooklyn, and a flyer for Tides Gallery Show.


Scrabble and birthday gift wrapping, a Christmas CD, a birthday card, some post-it notes, and an envelop which held a key.


Two out of four finger puppets for my birthday, and a Valentine's Day card


A dried out red rose from wedding and mini-mousepads with the newly weds's designs on them.

this world is strange, sometimes.

It all began with a simple "Hello."
By chance, by fate, it matters not.
In an ocean of crowds
The strangers did meet.

It requires perfect timing
For the perfect chemistry.
Strangers become friends.
Friends become lovers.

Each other's secrets they did hear.
Each other's soft caresses they did feel.
Each other's sweet kisses they did taste.
Through their memories, immortal their emotions did become.

In the passage of time, old memories may fade,
along with some of the most meaningful moments.
But they will never forget their first memory of each other.
It all began with a simple "Hello."

I've been doing a bit of writing the past few days just to get things out of my chest. I think Karma's been catching up to me. It's been a bit of a roller-coaster of events that's been bringing me up and down and down and up. That aside though, it's been an okay enough day so far. Despite the cold, seeing the snow layering the ground has been fairly soothing and calming.

Walking home from Spadina and Queens Quay after hip hop class, I looked up at the sky and watched the snow come down as Sarah Slean's California came on my iPod. Oddly enough, it felt so fitting... Not so much the lyrics, but more the music itself. On the other hand, all this snow is making me think of Christmas... I'm finding myself missing L.A. and NYC more and more these days. Maybe Toronto's boring me. Who knows...

I got John Legend's album Evolver a couple of weeks ago and I've got to say that I'm really loving it. One song that I'm really into is Everybody Knows. Something about the song itself is a bit different from the usual John Legend and I think that's why I like it so much.

Even better than Evolver is Raphael Saadiq's Sometimes. It's so uplifting. I'm not a heavily religious man myself, but his whole album The Way I See It makes me look at the greater scope of life; think less about my life and more about the world. And the song makes me think of the Temptations, The Jacksons, and all the greatest soul artists.With music these days constantly following mainstream with a slight change, it's really nice to hear something totally different, totally new, in an oldies kind of way. Something about re-inventing the old (when done right) really attracts me.


watch Raphael Saadiq - Sometimes >

love is in the air...

I was honoured this past weekend to be one of the groomsmen of a most beautiful wedding. I was further honoured to do a speech for them. The groom of course made a speech too. A very emotional speech which I think touched everyone in the room.

The reception was fun and eventful, and I was so happy to see my friends get married. The joy in their eyes could not be described in words... Congratulations Richard and Jenna! Thanks so much for the great food and entertainment (and sooo much wine...)!! May your love and happiness last forever! Peace be with you both.

xoxo

Photo courtesy of Andrea Acosta-Duarte

chicken and thriller mix.

Sitting here, eating my Swiss Chalet, listening to some Michael Thriller 25, I couldn't ask for more... Good food into my stummy, good tunes into my brain, awesomeness epitomized.

It's been exactly 2 months since I last shaved my head. It's gotten quite the length! I only touched it once before Thanksgiving to try and even out the strays. The hairs touching and tickling my ears have been driving me nuts! Especially with my glasses clamping them down forcing them outwards. I've been waking up with cowlicks, which I haven't seen in a long time. At least not on my head. I'll probably have to go for a trim this week or weekend to prep it for Rich and Jenna's wedding next week.

As for the facial hair, it only lasted a week. Nobody at home could take me seriously. My mom said I looked like a hahm suhp lo (pervert in Chinese), my brother was thoroughly digusted, my cousin couldn't even finish a sentence without being interrupted by laughter... So off my face it went the next morning. El sigh.

In other news, Suzuki.ca finally launched! Another project I worked on will be launching some time this week also. Anyway. Time to relax. Beat it.


a week's worth of growth. gross.

a text down memory lane.

Spent some time typing away this weekend. I was recording all the text messages that I've kept since I got my phone in May of 2007. Lots of hours I'll never get back... I'm only through half of them so far.

Backstory: My stupid phone limits me to 250 text messages in my inbox, and won't save any outgoing texts. I've spent many hours trying to figure out how to save outgoing texts, but to no avail. Sometimes I'd get text messages from people replying to my texts, but then I'd forget what I sent them. Not fun, as I have to waste a text message asking them what it was I texted them about. This past year, I've been a major text fiend; my inbox has been exploding with messages that I've constantly had to delete in order to make room for the new. But I kept about 240 of them for the memories.

Anyway, my plan was to type out all the text messages that I've kept into a word document so that they're still accessible without taking up room in my phone. So that the memories still exist. Like I said, I've only been through half of them so far, but it's been pretty funny looking back. I have a quite a few favourites. They'll remain anonymous, but you know who you are.

"Its okay. Im okay."

"You're a dork..."

"What omg... Kinda hot i wont lie... We'll talk later."

"My stomach is fukked. Holy shit what a day."

"I dreamt we found you a crazy camera for 250.. We were both so bewildered. Then we went to the us border and started to run and jump, eventually the jumps became higher and higher and we eventually flew over the border fence.. It was wicked."

"Cannonball just came on my iPod"

"Wings are wide/ i no longer hide/ my mind is bright and i will fight for a longer sight"

"You have your health, talent labido, but most of all, good friends! Good clothes are new clothes, good friends are old friends. Peace be with you!"

"Yes! Ha ha what you want to know? :-D"

That's are what memories are made of. The best and worst of times. You won't know what's best unless you've had what's worst.

bonhomme de neige?

Apparently it started to snow in Richmond Hill area... Further North, even worse. Photos from my manager's friend in Orillia captured this year's first snowfall. Makes me think of Christmas...

daw jai pei yaht.

Happy belated Thanksgiving! Joyeux Jour de Merci-Donner! Went to Montréal pour le weekend. It was so good to see the gathering of the three generations of the family. Spending the weekend in suburbia was a nice change of pace from living in the city (even though a few hours was spent shopping downtown).

While driving up to Montréal and back, we got to see the colourful scenery of the changing leaves. It was so beautiful. Between Kingston and Belleville, there's a stretch where the trees just run alongside the highway; it resembles a wall of colourful cloud. I wish I took so photos. I've only got myself to blame though, since it was a 9 hour drive afterall. I'll be going northbound this Saturday to go shoot some photos. Hopefully, they won't be dead and brown by then...

On the way back to Toronto, I was listening to Radio-Canada (French station) to keep myself awake and my brain active by translating. And I heard a song que j'ai vraiment aimé. It was an interview about un nouveau artiste. Je pense qu'il est un Québecois. I have yet to do some research on him, but I did find that song on YouTube. J'échoue par Alexandre Désilets. C'est un pretty chill song. Enjoyez-le. Hon hon.


J'échoue par Alexandre Désilets >

who wears short shorts.

i miss wearing shorts...

take me back to the start and tell me your secrets.

Since I got back from L.A., I haven't had much time to clean around the apartment. So Sunday and Monday night after work, I had a productive two days of cleaning, and still I'm not done. I put away most of my summer clothes and went through some stuff that's been sitting on my drafting table since I moved here last November...

What did I find? Lots of memories. Photos, gifts, money ($100!! booya!), receipts from restaurants around Toronto, Richmond Hill, New York and Los Angeles, even! Also came across some limited edition postcards from muh boyz Tessar and Chad, some notes and mixed CDs, primitive hangman drawings, a furry mustache. The mustache was quite a find. Had to pack up all my art supplies that have' just been collecting dust, and put them in the basement along with shoeboxes of old memories.

It's funny how these things we attribute so much value to, really have no value at all. They're just everyday objects. Yet, we hold on to them as if our lives depended on it. As if we could change the past by holding on to them, when really we're just stopping ourselves from moving forward, everytime that box gets opened. Nothing but should've could've would've's fill our minds, and we get lost in this madness. Although, I will admit; there's a certain comfort that comes with looking into the past. But when it starts to take over our lives, we have to draw that line and get a handle on ourselves.

Gesso that painted canvas and put down that first brushstroke. Some residue will still show through, but it's what adds character and meaning to life.

On a lighter note, It's been 5 days now since I shaved my face, and 34 days since I shaved my head. I'm growing quite a peasantish teen stache... and lovin it! What the Hell. Life's short, time's limited. Time for a new beginning; I'm going back to the start.

"tell me ur secrets"
"haha, what secrets?"
"when people are drunk they tell secrets"

coldplay - the scientist >

hairy hotter.

I've decided to grow my hair. The last time I shaved my head was just before leaving for Los Angeles on September 4th. So that makes it day 26 today. Miguel, Zack and Craig all agreed today that if I lost my braces and glasses and grew my hair, they wouldn't recognize me. Well... We'll see about that.

I've never had my hair longer than a #2 on the sides and back, and a bit more than 2 inches at the top. Though, back in 1995, I was sporting the good ol' undercut, which the top was probably 4 to 5 inches long. But my sides were always cleancut, cause I couldn't stand the sideburns touching my ears... And as many of you already know, I've also always wanted facial hair. But alas, I'm Asian, so I can only grow those 3 or 4 hairs on my chin. Gross.

I'm thinking growing my hair long this time. I probably won't cut my hair until Christmas, probably longer. Maybe go for a trim here and there. To speed up the process, I've photoshopped myself with longer hair.

So... What's the verdict?


I'm kinda diggin this... Not so much the clothes though... Now if only I had that much hair.


Um... No thanks...


Jackpot!


Ice Ice, Baby.

so you can cry.

Taking a quick break from some sketching and planning a side project. Haven't really drawn in a while and it feels pretty good, actually. It's only been a week and already I feel like I need another vacation, haha. I came back to a pile of work and a couple of get togethers with friends, so I haven't had time to clean up that dump I call my room.

I got the Ne-Yo's new album Year of the Gentleman off of Migz, and I'm really digging the tracks. My faves: So You Can Cry, Fade Into The Background, Nobody, Miss Independent. And because I listen to quite a bit of George Michael, I noticed that Ne-Yo's song Nobody had this very George Michael feel to it. A while later, I realized that the background beat sounded very similar to George Michael's Cars and Trains. It bothered me for a while that I didn't know where that came from.


So You Can Cry - Ne-Yo >

Oh another discovery!! I don't have to play my music from my shitty laptop speakers anymore! I can plug in my iPod to my XBox 360 and play it off my sweetass TV! Wait til I get surround sound, baby... So much to shop for, so little money, haha. Time to start saving. El sigh...

coming home.

Home again to rain... My 9 day vacation ended with Eshwin picking me up from the airport and hanging out in Markham. Having lived in Little Tokyo for the duration of my trip, hanging out at a Starbucks in Markham and being surrounded by Asians made me feel like I was in Los Angeles still. As Esh drove me downtown, Toronto felt a little foreign to me, if only for that first few minutes. I guess it was the combination of the rain, the highways, and streets I haven't seen in a while.

I've realized that Los Angeles really doesn't have much to see and do. I kind of felt like we did it all and we really didn't need that 9 days of vacation to see L.A. We did Universal Studios, Hollywood, Santa Monica Beach, outlet mall shopping, the Grove and Culver City, and some drinking around town. In hindsight, I wish I would've driven out of the city itself to see the California redwoods and spend some time in San Francisco. A lot of time was spent stuck in traffic and getting lost because the freeways and road signs are so brutally designed.

Don't get me wrong, I still had an amazing time. Hanging out with old friends and meeting new ones was definitely worth this trip. Of all the things we did, I loved Santa Monica the best. The open space, the sand, the ocean, it was all so relaxing. Not to mention the building of Sandy Ho version 3.0. I wish I was ballerific enough to own a beach house by the ocean.

Aside from the sightseeing, I tried to be as diverse as possible with the food. I had a little bit of everything: bento box, Japanese curry, mochi and mochi ice cream, seafood enchiladas, In-'N-Out burgers, Cheesecake Factory, pasta, pho, and lots of beer... Well, not that much beer. Mainly due to the night of my arrival when the Welcoming Committee decided to haze me. It was a rough morning the next day... Oh the memories. Special thanks to Tessar, Yoskay, Scott, Yuta, Nimit, Rachel, Heren and Jason for the great hospitality and bitchin time!!


watch the L.A. experience >

Now back to the cold weather and routine life. Yes. New desk location, at least. I guess that's something to look forward to. Oh Toronto, how I've missed you...

fresh faces in los angeles.

Day 3 on my trip in L.A. and already I've climbed on top of a traffic light on Central Avenue, woke up hungover with writings on my legs, attended sick art shows, danced with a random old lady, and of course, had pho. The pho wasn't as good in L.A. as Toronto. As soon as I got here, we went out to Zencu's in Little Tokyo and had $1.75 pints and a delicious dinner. After Zencu, we went for more cheap beer. The result? An action-packed night full of craziness.

The next morning, we were all hungover as we prepped ourselves to attend the Fresh Faces art show at Project: Gallery where Nimit, Yuta, Dom, and Martha were showing. They worked hard during their two month internships here in L.A. for Fresh Faces and it really shows. Congrats, guys and girls!

Down the street were a couple of other art show openings, including Alexander Lee's and Ian Francis' shows. Truly amazing and inspiring. My traditional painting is pretty bad, so I stick to digital, but seeing Ian Francis' work makes me want to learn painting all over again... haha.

Outlet mall shopping tomorrow!! Universal Studios and Santa Monica beach are also in the itinerary.


Los Angeles from the sky


Fresh Faces Opening


Yuta Onada


Nimit Malavia


Martha Chan's work


Yuta's work


Dominique Fung's work


Nimit's work


Nimit, Martha, and Yuta


Alexander Lee's massive sculpture


Close up of Alexander Lee's sculpture


Ian Francis' work


Close up of one of Ian Francis' pieces


More Ian Francis


My favourite

hold your own, know your name.

I think 2008 is a year of personal reflection for a lot of us. It seems as though quite a few people I care for and love are going through some rougher times this year, especially nearing this summer's end. I'm glad I can be there for you as you have for me. Whatever your troubles are, you have to believe and think positively. We'll get through this together. Take care of yourselves first. You deserve it. Thanks for all your support.


Details in the Fabric - Jason Mraz

I wanted to write more. I've been really hooked on this Korean drama series called My Girl that Nataly showed me... But I'm not in as good of a mood as I was when I first started writing the above. So needless to say, I don't really feel like sharing right now.

right into the... danger zone!

Went karaoking Saturday night after a semi-awkward dinner with friends. We went to XO Karaoke at Bloor and Clinton, just east of Christie in Koreatown. I haven't k'ed in what felt to be a long while, so it was really fun. I liked some of the song selections they had there, but I didn't like their controls. We couldn't turn the singing pitch on for some reason, so it totally relied on our voices alone. I still preferred BMB over XO.

I had an awesome time singing Guns N' Roses' Sweet Child O' Mine. I think I did an alright Axl Rose... 2.25 hours later, I was the only one left singing. Nataly, uncle Siu, Rachel, and Lisa were all tired and ready to pass out... On our way home, Nataly and I found 3 pieces of chicken wings and a fry on the streetcar floor. It looked extremely appetizing...

The Canadian International Air Show was at the Ex this long weekend. All weekend I had to listen to sonic booms from jet fighters soaring through the skies by the waterfront. It was cool at first, but eventually it got loud and annoying. Then I thought to myself that it must be what the citizens of Middle Eastern countries at war hear every day and night, but without the feeling of security and safety...


The chicken wings and fry.


Rogers Centre. Walking my way home from Union Station


F-18 Hornet above the Toronto Island Airport.


Same F-18


F-18 Hornet flying right into the Danger Zone!

i turned around, the future was now.

August isn't completely over yet, but I'll be really busy for the next little while, so I figured I'd post this month's top 15 on my playlist early. Miguel for the past couple of days has been introducing me to a lot of music I don't normally listen to. I won't lie. He really opened some doors for me. One of the artists he intro'ed me is Sam Sparro. This boi is sick. I've been really feelin' his song 21st Century Life today. Not to mention the craziness of his video. I love it. I had this song on repeat all afternoon, and it upped my productivity level almost 200%!

Another few songs that I had on repeat for more than a day were Viva La Vida and the Halo 2 theme song. I really like that Coldplay song, but the music video is really retarded. It kind of ruined the song a bit for me, actually. Ne-Yo's new singles are pretty hot right now, and John Legend's too. Can't wait til the new albums come out. Anyway, if you have any suggestions on new music I should check out, feel free to do so. I'm open to anything.

Music of the month for August:

1. 21st Century Life - Sam Sparro
2. Miss Independent - Ne-Yo
3. Green Light - John Legend feat. Andre 3000
4. Viva La Vida - Coldplay
5. Closer - Ne-Yo
6. I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
7. Life is Wonderful - Jason Mraz
8. Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend
9. Black and Gold - Sam Sparro
10. Lovers in Japan - Coldplay
11. Hot Mess - Sam Sparro
12. Round Here - Counting Crows
13. 1979 - Smashing Pumpkins
14. Heart of Life - John Mayer
15. Halo 2 (Mjolnir Remix) - Martin O'Donnell

rollercoaster of love.

The last time I went to Canada's Wonderland was about 2 years ago, and it wasn't all that thrilling. I remember my high school days, we'd go once or twice every summer driving from Kingston. It was fun then, but I guess it lost its thrill as the years went on.

To be honest, I wasn't eager to go this year. But I figured, "Hey, I'll hang out with good friends and I'll have a good time". And a good time I had. Actually, no. Not a good time. A bitchin' GREAT time, son!!! All I have to say is... Buh. Hee. Muth. That is such a f-cking stupendously amazing ride that I could spend a whole day on that thing. Behemoth made it all worth it. It was almost orgasmic!! Haha, okay, maybe not that extreme..

What's even better is I recorded it all! Even that girly scream (don't know who it came from, but it could very well have been me)... I wanted to record Italian Job too, but the guy saw me pulling out my camera and told me to keep it in my pocket. So I recorded the rest and compiled it into a nice video... First with the Behemoth, then Sky Rider, then Vortex, and ending with Wild Beast (previously known as Wilderbeast). I missed the first drop on the Wild Beast cause the setting somehow got changed to picture mode. But I got some nice crotch shots of myself. Good thing I didn't wet my shorts...



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papiroflexia

Ugh. Really shouldn't've eaten that McDonald's... It felt so right at the time. Now it feels so gross. Not eating fast food for another month, at least... Pretty excited to post a couple of banner concepts I animated for this health insurance company in the States. Unfortunately, neither of the concepts were used. As soon as the current ones go live, I'll post the unused concepts.

I have nothing for you this weekend, except for this cool animation from Joaquin Baldwin's portfolio, whose animation I found through Motionographer.com. If only it were that simple to change the world...




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bowlin bowlin bowlin. keep that strike a comin.

Went out bowling Saturday night after some Kenny's Noodles for my bro's birthday. Except the birthday boy didn't come after dinner.. We were going to see Tropic Thunder, but they were pretty much sold out by the time we got there. We ended up going bowling, which I haven't gone on a regular basis since last fall. And for the first time since then, I wasn't sucking! I almost broke 100!! My first game, I got 100, and my second I got 98. True story.

I know I know. You're probably thinking "100? I can bowl that blindfolded with a broken arm and leg !" But since last summer, I've been bowling shit. It was a celebration if I got over 50... But Saturday night, I was mildly on fire!! Barely triple digits, son!! Oh, and do NOT do a full backswing with a 15 pound ball if your hands aren't big enough to get a firm grip! It can get dangerous, as everyone at the alley witnessed... Also true story.

I saw a friend from high school tonight, who I haven't seen or talked to in 8 years... We caught up on a lot and talked about life and his little ones... Man, do things ever change in 8 years. Nothing. Nothing at all ever prepares us for the new that's to come. We just kind of have to stand up and face it. But facing it is not enough. We also have to embrace it in the present, in the now. Almost true story.

Belief is a beautiful armour
but makes for the heaviest sword
Like punching underwater
you never can hit who you're trying for
Some need the exhibition
and some have to know they tried
It's the chemical weapon
for the war that's raging on inside
Oh, everyone believes
From emptiness to everything
Oh, everyone believes
And no one's going quietly

Belief - John Mayer [Continuum]

voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?

J'ai dis que je voulais pratiquer mon français dès le mois d'avril, mais je l'ai jamais fais... Alors, ce soir, je vais écrire une passage de blog en français. Corrigez-moi si je fais des erreurs, parce-que c'est la seule façon que je vais me rapppeler.

Je l'ai fais ma mission d'apprendre le langue que j'ai perdue. Avec Craig's List, j'ai rencontré une personne qui vient de Marseilles en France, et à peu près une fois par semaine, je lui rencontre pour parler en français avec lui. Il parle en anglais avec moi, et je lui répond en français, en espoire qu'on va s'améliorer notre langues secondaires. J'espère que mon accent anglais sera disparu dans quelques mois, et que je serai capable d'écrire en français sans erreurs. Mais peut-être que je suis trop ambitieux? Je ne sais pas...

fire in the sky.

As I was biking home from oyster dinner at Rodney's, there was a dark purple cloud looming overhead. A storm's a brewin'. But what really caught my eye was the fiery orange clouds glowing from the horizon. I couldn't help but bike faster to get to the Bathurst bridge (South of Front) to get some shots in. Luckily I had the camera with me and got there before the sun set completely. It felt as if the gods were angry. Yet it was so beautiful...

And with that said, that song by Ne-Yo, When You're Mad just popped into my head. I'm really excited to make my August CD. Got some pretty good ol' school songs I want to burn on it. But I just want to wait til the end of the month in case I hear something new or someone intros me to something better. But to name a few: Smashing Pumpkins' 1979 and Disarm, Counting Crows' Round Here and Mr. Jones, John Mayer's Heart of Life, Common's So Far To Go.

There's a couple of unmentioned songs that I know you'll find incriminating. And I'll admit, I'm ashamed to even have it on my considered list right now, but this is my list, not your list. And my list is full of fun and variety. I'll only mention one as a preview of how bad it gets, haha. Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It by Will Smith. That's right. I said it. The Fresh Prince himself. If you think the song is bad, you gotta check out the video. And don't be judgin' me, cause I know you've danced to this song at one point or another!!

Those oysters didn't fill me up one bit. Nor did that smoked salmon. Time to scrounge for food...


Facing West on the Bathurst Bridge North of Fort York Boulevard


Facing West on the Bathurst Bridge North of Fort York Boulevard


Facing West on the Bathurst Bridge North of Fort York Boulevard


Facing North at Queens Quay and Bathurst.


Facing North at Queens Quay and Bathurst.