and breathe out

Dance to your Heart's Content

2009-12-10T12:58:00.001-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s official: I am done class and all of my assignments. People of the world rejoice!! To everyone who’s finishing up, I salute you. To everyone who isn’t – a) Sorry for rubbing it in. b) Tuck this one away for when you ARE finishing up. Check out this video. It’s people from all over the world doing their happy dances. I

The Scandinavian Way

2009-12-10T12:31:00.004-05:00

Now that there’s some snow on the ground, people are getting pumped to hit the slopes (myself included). So, for anyone that’s planning to be near Blue Mountain for the holiday season, allow me to make a recommendation.Hit Le Scandinave.Nestled in the woods just off Blue Mountain Road, this Scandinavian bath spa is the perfect way to relax. With a mix of hot and cold pools, as well as a sauna and

NINE Out of Ten

2009-12-10T11:59:00.005-05:00

I’m a sucker for 1960s Italian film (Monica Vitti and Michelangelo Antonioni were gods), so when I saw a preview for NINE, I was ecstatic.NINE is a musical following the world famous film director Guido Contini through a devastating creative and personal crisis as he prepares for his highly anticipated ninth film, ITALIA. Not only do the musical numbers look extravagant and fabulous (it’s a Rob

This Is Why You're Fat

2009-12-02T17:13:00.003-05:00

Last night, having spent the entire day sitting like a lump in front of my computer (seriously, the farthest I walked was to the bathroom and back), I shamefully prepared myself a dinner of *gasp!* microwave popcorn doused in dill pickle seasoning.Yea I know, not exactly the dinner of champions. I’m sure the sodium alone could dry up the Nile. But what can I say? When the going gets tough, the

Spiraling Under Control

2009-12-01T21:18:00.004-05:00

So it’s about that time of year (and I’m sure you’re feeling it too) when everything just seems to be spiraling out of control. My to-do list keeps stacking up, my apartment is absolutely filthy and my hair hasn’t been anything but jammed into a ponytail or shoved under a hat for two weeks.Ahh yes, it’s a beautiful life.So when I saw this, I couldn’t help but giggle. My mom emailed me a link to

A Vanity Fair Affair

2009-11-30T20:49:00.003-05:00

As the saying goes: all is fair in love and war. Well, whether you love them or hate them, you can’t deny they make up a fair looking group.Katherine Hepburn by Cecil BeatonTo commemorate the 95th anniversary of its debut (and the 25th anniversary of its modern resumption) Vanity Fair has teamed up with the National Portrait Gallery in London, England to present a star-studded array of almost 150

Stop Whining and Start Wining

2009-11-25T17:05:00.006-05:00

Yes we know – you’re busy and you’re broke and the holidays are coming and it’s depressing. Here’s the good news: you can partake in some intoxicating holiday “festivities” for bottom dollar and still feel fancy.This year’s crop of Beaujolais Nouveau wines have hit the shelves.Now I’m sure you’re thinking that sounds like the most pretentious thing you’ve ever heard and, to be honest, it used to

Is it The End or the Beginning?

2009-11-25T00:20:00.006-05:00

(If this seems off-topic, I apologize - it's for class. But feel free to read it anyway.)Remember the Y2K paranoia? People could do nothing but stockpile canned foods, bottled water and AA batteries while they waited for the Dark Age. Emotions ran high and panic ran, well, everywhere really.Sure enough, at the stroke of midnight, everyone was fine – sheepish but fine (not to mention ridiculously

Drink Like a King

2009-11-24T16:05:00.003-05:00

Usually, when someone gives you a tut, they’re not being complimentary. But today, the disapproval dies.Today you are worshipped by the masses.Today you are showered with gifts.Today you drink like a king.From now until next April, the Art Gallery of Ontario is hosting a King Tut exhibit, “The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs.” In its honor, the Fairmont Royal York hotelhas commissioned an

Finding the Spark when you're Feeling Burnt Out: Touched by Fire

2009-11-24T10:26:00.003-05:00

You know what they say: when you play with fire you get burned. But that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing (look at Richard Simmons). Sometimes you can harness the blaze into just the spark you need.Enter Touched by Fire: art exhibition and gala.Sponsored by the Mood Disorder Association of Ontario (MDAO), Touched by Fire showcases the artistic creations of artists affected by mood

Laughter Really is the Best Medicine (Seriously)

2009-11-17T19:10:00.008-05:00

My very best friend has a laugh bordering legendary. I lovingly refer to it as her banshee cackle. Despite her extremely small stature, her laugh is strong, it’s shrill, and it carries (seriously, it’s like seeing a baby burp out a Buick).Not surprisingly, her outbursts can cause quite the scene. Sometimes people get a little embarrassed and, although they laugh too, it’s often out of nerves –

At the Heart of Hip Hop: My Top 5

2009-11-16T17:59:00.005-05:00

When you take off the bling, empty the bank account, and send home the bodyguards, there’s not much left to hip hop.Or so the story goes. But I firmly believe it can be (although not always) more than smoking mirrors. That’s why I love acoustic covers – because when you strip the songs down to their bare essentials, you’re still left with something compelling. Here are my top five: 5. I Try (

Apologies for the Technical Difficulties

2009-11-15T21:03:00.002-05:00

Hey all - I just wanted to take a brief interlude to apologize for some recent technical difficulties. For a couple of days some of the photos on the site were missing - if you tried to see them and couldn't I'm sorry. It's taken me a couple hours but the problem should be rectified.The only thing I couldn't fix was a link to the Modelinia video (which has actually been disabled), which I have

The Drive Thru Curse is Broken

2009-11-15T14:19:00.005-05:00

It’s a well-known fact that my father is cursed by all things drive-thru: anything that can go wrong will. Recently, I’ve discovered it may be genetic.It started with a series of leaking cups – you know, they dribble just enough to sear your flesh but you can’t drop them, or even jerk them quickly to the cupholder, for fear that the precariously placed lid will pop off. I know these details

Loving Book By Its Cover

2009-11-11T16:37:00.005-05:00

Usually, when we see the phrase, “book by its cover,” we have the compulsion to cap it off with the token “don’t judge.” But Julia Rothman, Brooklyn, NY illustrator and pattern designer, resists the temptation for closure. She just lets it ride.Love. Hate. Accept. Reject. Be captivated. Be repulsed. Be indifferent.It makes no difference.Just look.(From Reyna Maria Valdes' "Cuba en la Grafica")

Time for a Mental Health Day

2009-11-10T21:14:00.004-05:00

I can hear the soles of my shoes scraping the pavement. My eyelids weigh down relentlessly as I struggle to focus through the eyelash fog. My muscles ache from hunching tensely over a stack of books and I can’t remember a time my head wasn’t throbbing with a dull, empty ache. I am burnt out. I need a break. This weekend, I am taking a mental health day. I don’t care what

Tell Your Mother I'm Sorry But...

2009-11-08T16:05:00.005-05:00

I love a good debate – it’s a great way to blow off steam (which is something we can all use by the end of midterm season). So, in the spirit of the lengthy response I received from my last post, I would like to take this opportunity to provide a rebuttal.If HIMYM does prescribe to the Friends “framework” (as both my adversary and I agree it does), then its use of the formula subjects it to some

5 Reasons NOT to Watch How I Met Your Mother

2009-11-04T16:52:00.008-05:00

I know this show seems to have developed a loyal fan base but I think it’s time to pull back the curtain and expose the myth. This is not good television.1. It’s like “Friends” except no one’s hot. It’s the same thing and it’s been done (for ten seasons actually). Plus, to Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox we have... Alyson Hannigan and Cobie Smulders? To Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer we

More than Once

2009-11-04T11:59:00.004-05:00

Despite the implications of the title, Once is far from simplistic. John Carney’s Academy Award winner is a beautiful and complex dichotomy between intimacy and exposure.Once chronicles the weeklong relationship between a brokenhearted busker and a young, immigrant street vendor. As they work together to record an album, they discover they share a love not only for their music, but also for each

Gaga for Gabe

2009-11-03T10:22:00.004-05:00

We’ve all seen them before: the grainy webcam shots, the whiny nasal trill, the over-the-top and under-talented belting of the same clichéd heartache songs. It’s death by acoustic guitar.But there, sitting in the incandescent light of his San Mateo bedroom, warding off all evil (and bad pitch) is our savior: Gabe Bondoc.He doesn’t look like much. His surroundings are bleak, his hair is disheveled

Inspire Me Thursday (Or Any Day)

2009-10-27T20:39:00.007-04:00

Whether you’re experiencing a bout of writer’s block or your creative juices are running low, check out Inspire Me Thursday. The self-proclaimed place to “amuse you inner muse” is bursting with creative prompts and resources.I love perusing the site for ideas (or making it an accomplice to my procrastination…). They take inspiration from literally everywhere; this week they’ve highlighted a

Halloween Costume Doomed? Get Some Klum

2009-10-26T16:53:00.014-04:00

She is the Queen of Halloween, the Cream of Themes, and the Supreme Costume Fiend. She is the famous and fabulous Heidi Klum. In the spirit of breaking the mold (and on the good advice of my friend Soha), this woman must be paid her dues. Heidi Klum stands as an inspiration to costume creators everywhere.Klum sums up her festive fundamentals in one phrase: “really go for it!” And go for it she

Makeup your Mind: Cosmetic Alternatives for Halloween

2009-10-25T14:26:00.007-04:00

After four years in university, I can’t help but feel that Halloween costumes have become slightly stagnant. Ladies, you especially know the drill: 50 bucks at McCulloch’s so you can sport the same slutty selection 60 million other girls show up with. And let’s face it, you’re either the good cop or the bad cop - the ball-busting, smoldering temptress or the cute, coy, secretly smoldering

Mia Michaels: The Essential Top 5

2009-10-24T13:28:00.007-04:00

Mia Michaels, coveted choreographer and contemporary mastermind, has officially dropped out of So You Think You Can Dance. Michaels has quite the resume: she choreographed Cirque du Soleil’s Delirium, and Celine Dion’s Las Vegas show A New Day… (which I have seen and can honestly say was brilliant!!). She has also worked with Madonna, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estafan, and Prince. She’s even got a

Training Your Vision

2009-10-20T12:14:00.005-04:00

Ah the train. Whether a majestic machine forging its path through rugged wilderness or an old Hollywood escort of the elegant and refined, it seems to carry a certain whimsy. Or so I thought until I realized one ran right past my apartment.At eye level.Every two hours.At least.For obvious reasons, I used to HATE this. The train is loud and intrusive and far too frequent for my liking.But now that

Through with the Flu

2009-10-19T01:05:00.005-04:00

Sometimes an arresting episode isn’t something moving and artistic. Sometimes it’s not pretty. Sometimes it’s a full-on crazed catharsis. Because sometimes someone just needs to say it. Today that someone is me.photo by David Waldorf Yes, I have a cough. Yes, I realize a cough is one of the symptoms of the H1N1 flu. But let’s be honest – so long as I’m not coughing up vomit I

Where There's a Will There's a Way

2009-10-15T12:35:00.005-04:00

Having been up most of the night with my nose to the grindstone, I’m feeling a little drained this morning. The thought of how much work I’ve cranked out in the last 24 hours is overwhelming to say the least. But, like all things worth fighting for, of course, I have actually had to fight to earn my undergraduate degree (mentally, I mean.. not in an actual boxing match or some prissy catfight).So

Imagine Imogen

2009-10-14T09:14:00.003-04:00

Imogen Heap has probably become my absolute favorite artist. She’s quirky, she’s innovative and every one of her songs takes me somewhere completely different. Here is my essential top five.5. Sweet Religion: This song is haunting and a little bit menacing – very Halloween. It’s a good song to get the blood pumping but it can put you on edge. I recommend listening to it if you need to keep your

Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism

2009-10-14T00:05:00.003-04:00

(To anyone reading this, please excuse this brief and unrelated interlude. It's for my class.)When we think of David and Goliath, we tend to look upon David favorably. He is the helpless little guy conquering the monster, forcing it to bend and bow beneath his ironclad wit and will. We tend to look at David and think of him as an inspiration. But if David were to stand

Don't Mok Me

2009-10-13T17:36:00.005-04:00

As the late great Marilyn Monroe reminds us, some like it hot. And why shouldn’t they? After all, a lot of good things get your blood boiling and your temperature on the rise. Think heavy breathing… Think sweaty enduring contortions… and I’m sure you’re thinking about… HOT YOGA!!! (Get your mind out of the gutter).Hot yoga,

How Do You Like Them Apples?

2009-10-13T15:56:00.004-04:00

This afternoon, as I made my hurried hike across campus, I slipped and almost bailed in the middle of the sidewalk. When I reeled around to face the culprit, I was shocked to find it was an apple - the ground before me was littered with them! (I kid you not, this was outside the McIntosh Art Gallery – named for the man not the apple variety but still, imagine the irony.)When the shock subsided I

Stop and Smell the Roses

2009-10-07T00:33:00.006-04:00

It would seem that after our Indian summer, the doom and gloom has finally set in. With midterms approaching and H1N1 paranoia literally lurking behind every door (seriously, note the hand sanitizer dispensers), it’s hard to feel optimistic. That’s when my latest idea bloomed.Get some flowers. Real ones; the silk ones you doused in “floral notes” don’t count.According to AboutFlowers.com, flowers

Seeing the Light

2009-10-05T18:42:00.004-04:00

When I choose a book, the quirkier the better (if it’s any indication, my favorite book of all time is about an elderly Vietnamese national coroner with psychic abilities). So, not surprisingly, Chapters doesn’t always cut it.Enter City Lights Bookshop.(photo courtesy of City Lights Bookshop MySpace Page) Located at 356 Richmond Street (just south of King Street), City Lights has been around

The Virtues of Vagrancy

2009-10-02T13:43:00.011-04:00

For the days when you’ve reached your breaking point, when yoga and kumbaya just aren’t cutting it, allow me to introduce you to Vagrancy Films.Now, before you get too excited, let me tell you: this is no art house effort. You will not require an ascot and beret ensemble. You will not be expected to grip your chin and look upwards pensively while you ponder some avant-garde societal commentary.

Disconcerted No More

2009-09-30T15:25:00.006-04:00

Okay, I’m giving you fair warning: I am about to gush over classical music. I realize this makes me sound incredibly pretentious but I can’t help it.Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.5 is by far my favorite classical piece of all time. Like any orchestral piece it has a big, full sound. When you listen to it, you can feel it expanding, growing louder, more powerful and more

In Living Color

2009-09-30T10:00:00.020-04:00

People say, and I firmly believe, that color affects your mood. Since I pretty much live in black and grey – literally, it dominates both my wardrobe and my apartment – anyone who knows me might find this hard to believe. But humor me for a minute.Most people would look at my palette of choice and think dismal, dispirited and down in the dumps. Rightfully so: in our culture, black is the

The First Breath

2009-09-29T22:41:00.002-04:00

I’m a pretty intense person. When life gets busy I can get stressed out and it shows. I get snarky and impatient and I start spewing to-do lists. I march around in a half-jog and I tailgate. Before you know it, I’m so worked up that I’m overheated and I have to take off my sweater.Obviously this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. My productivity skyrockets; I end up listing,