TOP SHOP LAUNCHES IN TORONTO!

Today I was invited to the TopShop Yorkdale media opening on behalf of She Does the City before the grand store opening, which is tomorrow (October 5, 2011). After meeting Kate Phelan, creative director of TopShop and ex-fashion director of British Vogue, I was privileged to shop the collection and really get a feel for the place.

See the full story here.






It turns out TopShop Canada is equally as rad as it is elsewhere in the world. Here is a glimpse of what is going on at TopShop in Toronto. Canadians, be very, very stoked. Prices will be 10% cheaper than in the States, and students receive 10% with valid I.D. We will not be passed by when it comes to excellent designer collabs and higher end collections like Unique and Boutique.




Kate Phelan and I. She is wondering what I bought (and so are you)
Kate Phelan was a very inspirational and supportive woman to speak to. She wants to encourage people to follow their path, so when we spoke I really felt a personal connection to her. Being a creative director is a dream for me, and even just to sit down and speak with her for 15 minutes was great.










Kate's favourite piece, #1


Kate's favourite piece, #2




TopMan




Straight from the runway, very exciting


I picked up this sweater which reminds me of Scotland meets Rag&Bone, along with a classic black pleated dress

REVIEW: FILMS AT TIFF 2011, PART 2 OF 2

PINK RIBBONS, INC.
Ever wonder what happens to the millions of dollars we donate to “breast cancer research”? PINK RIBBONS, INC. reveals the downside of pink-washing and how it is harming instead of helping the cause, reducing breast cancer into some sort of outsider/terrorist that we can beat. Women diagnosed with breast cancer from all stages tell distressing, heart-breaking stories about their diagnoses going unnoticed until the fourth, final and deadliest stage of the disease. We see clips of breast cancer rallies, parties, pink-lit buildings and huge fundraisers that shut down cities contrasted with very realistic, intelligent and critical reviews of such girly celebrations. And for what cure? Researchers do not even know what the cause is of breast cancer (it is different for each woman). Therefore, finding a cure is impossible.

The most hilarious breast cancer research endorsement came from Kentucky Fried Chicken. I was shocked to see Avon as a major US sponsor, too, considering that many of their products contain ingredients likely to cause cancer. It is shocking to see how many millions of dollars people raise and how many products are emblazoned with pink ribbons, yet such a small percentage goes to researching cancer prevention and environmental factors. Don’t you just love to point out when corporations contradict themselves? This film wins points for being one of the most relevant documentaries of the year.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS
I have never read Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights” but I have seen Andrea Arnold’s films (Fish Tank, Red Road) and I was super excited about her latest movie, WUTHERING HEIGHTS. Set in the nineteenth century moors of Yorkshire, a biracial boy named Heathcliff is curiously embraced by Catherine, a young girl who intimately tries to adopt him as a friend. Set within the dark English countryside, the film has some clumsy and comedic break-thoughs, though I didn't twitch once during the screening.


Years later, a teenage Catherine (played by Kaya Scodelario from Skins!) marries her neighbour Edgar with hesitation. Did I mention that she's stunning? The film goes from ratty to elegant to straight up EMO here. Themes of youth, nature and female desire are courageously used, almost uncomfortably, to create a picture of perpetual longing between Heathcliff and Catherine, who loved each other all along. Peace out, Edgar. My only beef with WUTHERING HEIGHTS was that it felt pretentious, and that I was disturbed by the number of dead animal close-ups in the film. The cinematic experience was breathtaking, the texture and sound was rich, and the quality was gripping.

A FUNNY MAN


I started at this festival with a Swedish film and ended with a Danish one. How typical. My final film of TIFF was seen at 9:30am at the Isabel Bader theatre in Yorkville. Nearby parking costs and arm and a leg, but it was worth every penny to see A FUNNY MAN, which follows the life of Danish comedian Dirch Passer and all of the doubts he carried throughout his career in the 1950s. After his stage partner, Kjeld, becomes jealous of his rising career, Dirch’s life begins to plummet. He tries to branch out into other forms of comedy, overworking himself into failure. In typical Danish fashion, we are exposed to dysfunctional families, alcoholism, death and renewal all in two hours injected with black humour. You don’t need to know who Dirch Passer is to care about this movie. Simply recognize its greatness and move on. The acting is beyond excellent and the film is produced exceedingly well. What a great, rewarding way to end off the festival.

P.S. I loved those Cadillac commercials; “from zero to drama in 0.39 seconds”. The typefaces were impeccable.

Thanks for a great year, TIFF! See part one of my TIFF reviews.

REVIEW: FILMS AT TIFF 2011, PART 1 OF 2

PLAY
My first film of the festival was PLAY. It was for 2pm on a Friday and there was no rush line. I felt silly, like, was this film going to be worth it? Well, it totally was and the theatre was packed. PLAY is a Swedish film directed by Ruben Östlund. It feels like the entire film takes place in long-shot. Sitting in third row, I was engrossed by the pace, poeticism and beauty of the film. I appreciated every detail, perhaps because I am constantly feeling nostalgic about Sweden and Denmark.

The film was very typical in Scandinavian style with loads of dark humour, almost reminding me of Songs from the Second Floor but more jubilant and youthful. The film undoubtedly questions race relations in Sweden, centering on a group of black kids living in Goteborg who terrorize three neighbourhood boys ages 10-14. Steve Gravestock, Associate Director of Canadian (and Scandinavian) Programming at TIFF, said it was one of the most disturbing films he has seen in years, especially the ending, which was so subjective I wasn’t sure what to think. This film creates a poignant picture of race and immigration in Europe.

GIRL MODEL
The second film I saw that day was called GIRL MODEL, a film about young amateur Russian models that are sent to Japan to obtain “work” with modeling agencies. The film shows a seedy, unregulated side to the modeling business, an industry where hundreds of 13-14 year old girls believe they will make enough money to support their families back home in remote parts of Eastern Europe such as Siberia.


The documentary follows model scout Ashley and her quest to find the "perfect" girl for the Japanese market. The perfect girl cannot be too tall and must be almost childlike with wide eyes and high cheekbones. We find out that Ashley herself was once an international model and she "hated" it. In fact, she hates scouting, despite being able to travel around the world in search of Japan's next top underage model. We end up learning more about Ashley's problems than expected. At the premiere Q&A, one audience member asked, "Is Ashley really that crazy in person?" Dra-ma! GIRL MODEL is a must-watch for anyone interested in the fashion industry.

SURVIVING PROGRESS

Produced by Mark Achbar (The Corporation) with Martin Scorcese as an executive producer (!), this film is based on the book "A Short History of Progress" by Ronald Wright. The book is life-changing, indeed, and the movie lives up to the same expectation. David Suzuki, Stephen Hawking, Jane Goodall and Margaret Atwood deliver outstanding interviews in the film with insight that will haunt audiences everywhere. Over-consumption comes with a consequence, innovation comes at a cost, and our civilization – bound by progress traps – is destined to fail much like the Romans, Incas and Mayas once did. This film is engrossing; it is a must watch for every person living on planet earth. I would have cut out a couple of scenes, making it shorter and tighter, but fuck it, at the end of the day, you need to see this film. Even if you are apathetic, at least acknowledge what is happening around the world right now by watching SURVIVING PROGRESS. It will make its way into your workplace, your classroom, your Netflix account, your theatre, and your university, just like The Corporation did.

File under: The Corporation, Manufactured Landscapes, An Inconvenient Truth, Inside Job.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA
I seemed to have been aiming to view artsy, slow, pretentious films this year. After much hype from Cannes, I finally got around to seeing Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s latest Turkish flick, ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA. I expected it to be something along the lines of Fatih Akin’s films (In July, The Edge of Heaven, Head-On) but it was closer to No Country for Old Men, clocking in at just under three hours. The first 90 minutes of the film were ridiculous. Literally, nothing happens; a bunch of dudes and cops look for a body in the countryside during night time, bantering back and forth. I became impatient as the person fell asleep next to me, nodding his bobblehead from left to right.


Finally, the plot changes. Guy’s head is still sleepily bobbling, distracting and slightly offending me. Finally, it becomes daylight in the film and new characters are introduced. FINALLY, we start to discover why these men were looking for a body in the first place. The film unravels like a chess game; quietly suspenseful, packed with ulterior motives. I cannot reveal the plot; it has plenty of twists and turns to surprisingly keep you awake. Is it worth the three hours? If you’re a cinephile/film snob, then yes. Sleeper hit of 2011!

See part two of my reviews from TIFF 2011.

SUMMER CONTINUES & TIFF WISHLIST

Here is a list of films I would like to see at TIFF. Films marked with an asterisk are those I'm most excited about seeing. Come hang out at the festival avec moi.

A Funny Man
A Letter to Momo
Albert Nobbs
The Artist*
Avalon
Brooklyn Brothers
Chicken with Plums
Damsels in Distress
Flying Machine
Future Lasts Forever
Girl Model*
The Hunter
House of Tolerance
I am a good person / I am a bad person*
I’m yours
The Invader
Kotoko
Le Havre
Machine Gun Preacher
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Melancholia*
Michael
Play*
Pink Ribbons, Inc.
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia*
Sons of Norway
Superclasico
Surviving Progress
The Skin I Live in
Sleeping Beauty*
Take Shelter
Take this Waltz
Urbanized*
Violet and Daisy*
Volcano
Where do we go now?
Wuthering Heights*

There are a couple more but I'll wait for their wide releases. If you dig Scandinavian film, be sure to check out Steve Gravestock's programming.

WHEN ERIN MET TOMMY AND ANNA

This article was originally written on April 23, 2011, when Anna Dello Russo and Tommy Ton visited Toronto for Ton's photography exhibition as part of Contact at The Bay's The Room.

Anna Dello Russo defies the rules of fashion. Not only does she archive her most vivacious Givenchy dresses in a separate apartment, she'll wear them with oversized fruit hats, feathered blazers, and sparkly 6 inch shoes. She is 43 years old, gutsy, and above all, genuinely crazed about fashion.

When I found out I was interviewing Editor-at-Large of Japan Vogue Anna Dello Russo and fashion photographer Tommy Ton at The Bay, I couldn't believe that I would meet such influential figures in fashion. The context: ten fashion bloggers would arrive at The Room @ The Bay for an intimate Q&A with the artist and muse.



Upon further research, I started to think: what have I gotten myself into? Anna Dello Russo and I basically have nothing in common. She collects fashion. She dresses up in eccentric clothing at 10am in the morning, mixing Pucci, McQueen and Balmain with lux boas and golden accessories.

I remembered seeing her photoshoot in the November 2010 issue of W Magazine. You know, the one with Kim Kardashian nude on the cover. I thought it was vile, but isn't everything shot by Juergen Teller? Longtime fan Faye Alipour has been obsessed with her, admiring her attitude above all.



"I love that she's fun," Faye says. "Fashion tends to be inaccessible when you take into consideration the hard industry faces and celebrities typically in front row." Despite her Vogue lineage, "[Anna] actually has a palpable passion for the art of fashion".

When I finally got to The Bay and sat in on a private interview of Tommy and Anna, I realized this was going to be easy. As long as I made it back to work on time.

Anna was late, pushing me back by 25 minutes. She changed outfits and tweeted between interviews. Her most eccentric outfit, she says, is the masquerade ball mask photographed by Tommy Ton. She never shops online (Tommy does). Despite her thousands of pieces of clothing and jewelry and shoes, she still feels that there is something missing from her collection: everything from next season.



I met the other fashion bloggers for an intimate Q&A session with barely any time left on my lunch. I asked for a quick autograph of my October 2009 Vogue Nippon magazine, marking the only time I have been in a Japanese airport. "Ah, this is old!" she said when I passed it to her. She was very chatty, reminiscing about the dress and the cover photoshoot. She signed, "I will put again this dress. Love, Anna". When I arrived home at the end of the day, the signature had faded in my backpack.

Basically, I had one question to ask in my limited amount of time. Where would Tommy take Anna out in Toronto? Anna responded, "We have only been to The Bay!". Tommy replied tactfully, "[We'd go] to the specialty novelty toy store at Church and Queen".

When I asked her if she was going to buy anything from The Room, the designer-heavy third floor of The Bay, she stared at me wide-eyed, dumbfounded, and adorable.

"Buy?" she asked, confused about the meaning of the word.

"Will you purchase anything at The Bay?", I rephrased.

"Ah! No shopping!", she declared.

Anna and I had a few good laughs. I fell in love with her approachable personality more than anticipated. It turns out we did have some sort of chemistry; she lights up the room with her style, smile and thick Italian accent. Anna Dello Russo is always learning, curious, but knows what she wants.

"Sometimes I look like a Christmas tree...that is okay".

RESURRECT DEAD: THE MYSTERY OF MY BLOG

I had been absent from the internet since scoring a contract box office position with Hot Docs International Documentary Festival in Toronto. From April 28 to May 8, I busted out as much customer service as possible working 11-hour days with lovely co-workers and docu-fying myself with 48 documentaries viewings in total. I repeated myself too often, answering the same questions multiple times a day. But I dealt with it, because the stipend and the unlimited documentaries and the unlimited access to all sorts of great people made everything kinda worth it.

I tweeted less, I communicated more. Handsome dogs visited the box office in Yorkville on a weekly basis. William Shatner's publicist called us, and we loved it so much we decided to make t-shirts. We ate too much vegan food from Fresh during the festival. On our last day, we celebrated with a stomach-destroying "McDonalds Party" consisting of large bowls filled with nuggets and fries. We said our hellos to POM Cocktails and our goodbyes to each other. We met this guy who appreciates grandmas so much. We almost published a list of "people you will find at Hot Docs", some of which include intellects, Russians, hoards of seniors, confused students, sub-types of industry, and then some.

With all that said and done, the films at this year's festival keep my passion going. Here is a list of my top six films at Hot Docs this year. They are the ones to watch for cinematic wide releases.

Position Among the Stars

Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles

If a Tree Falls: The Story of Earth Liberation Front

Family Portrait in Black and White

Project Nim

The Interrupters

WHY I AM TAKING THE INTERNET SERIOUSLY

“If it wasn’t for the internet, where would our minds get blown every day?” - George Stroumboulopoulos, Canadian television and radio personality



Right now, the biggest online action in Canadian history is taking place.

Recently, the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) made a decision that would affect the way that Canadians use the internet, allowing big telecom companies such as Bell, Shaw and Rogers to impose “usage-based billing” on independent internet service providers. These telecom companies decided to introduce a cap on internet use: 25gb/month, charging $2 per gig after that. Originally, the cap is 200gb/month, while independent companies like TekSavvy sell unlimited bandwidth to their customers.

So basically, with a ridiculously low internet cap of 25gb, your internet usage would consist of watching 3 youtube videos per month, running skype for 48 hours straight, checking your email a couple of times, and then paying $2 per gig after that. Forget about torrenting anything, or transferring files online. In short, your internet bill which once cost $50 would cost probably $200, if not more.

Blogger and social media enthusiast Zach Bussey noted how easily 25gb could be gobbled up in one month:

If you use Facebook for an hour a day tending to your Farmville crops, you could use up to 7GB a month.
If you watch a 2 hour HD movie through Netflix, you use roughly 4GB.
If you run Tweetdeck for 8 hours a day, you could use up to 10GB a month.
If you run Skype in the background for 8 hours a day (meaning idly), you use up to 1GB a month.

The metered internet would also mean that entrepreneurs that rely on the internet to build their brand would be screwed. Say goodbye to flashy websites and any hint of creativity. Peace out, Canadian content, networking, and research. Google ads would eat up our bandwidth. Technological innovation online would fail; business and the economy would suffer worse than it already is, and ISPs would not be able to compete with one another. Canada would turn into China, and even Kyrgyzstan would have better access to the internet. We would actually start giving a shit about what useless youtube video we were watching, or what stupid song we were listening to. Unemployed people would have nothing to do all day. We would pay much more for the same service – worse service, in fact – and all the money would be pocketed by lovely large telecoms.

Fuck no.

When I first heard about this violation of communications rights and media democracy, I was so frustrated I could barely type anything rational. Instead, I angrily updated my Facebook status, urging friends to sign the petition, now almost 300,000 signatures strong: the largest online action taken by Canadians in history. The next day, I completed most of this To Do list, contacted the prime minister, filed complaints with the CRTC and Bell, emailed various MPs and newspapers, broadcasting my disgust over Twitter with hashtags including #CRTC and #StopTheMeter. Because that’s how revolutions take shape these days.



It turns out I was not the only one ashamed of my country and its helpless communications system, and I was not the only one typing away in angst to Very Important Decision Makers. Two major political parties took a stance against usage-based billing due to public outcry, and current Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he would “review” it. When old, out of touch bureaucrats are in charge of making decisions without consulting citizens, this is what happens. Time is wasted, and a shitload of people are pissed. As for Bell, they felt threatened by new companies coming to Canada such as Netflix that were “eating up” bandwidth. Guess what, Bell? More and more Canadians are replacing their cable TV with the internet. Skype is replacing landline phones. I have one word for you: ADAPT.

For more relevant, educational and useful links, see the following:

TekSavvy’s response to the CRTC’s decision
CTV:Internet usage caps draw ire of business
Globe and Mail: A metered internet is a regulatory failure
Sign the petition! Sign the petition! Sign the petition! Canadian or not!




To everybody who has done their part in this campaign, keep pushing. It is not over. Rally, write, write, write, sign the petition and send it to everyone you know, update your social media networks as much as you can. Canadians will not be left in the dark, paying outrageous fees for an internet that does not serve our needs. We will not be limited in an age of growth, where online presence is now more important than ever.

Here is an inspirational quote from Hugh Thompson of Digital Home:

‎"Recently, the CRTC asked the Canadian Broadcasting Standards Council to create a national panel and review the use of the word ‘faggot’ after it received a mere 250 complaints. If the [now 285,000] plus online petition signers sent emails and complained to the CRTC instead then you can pretty much can guarantee the federal government will reconsider."

And hey, as much as the internet wastes my time, ain’t nobody is gonna tell me how to use it. No out of touch regulatory body or disillusioned company has the right.

Sign the petition below now

WHY I CAN’T TAKE THE INTERNET SERIOUSLY

A brief history of my relationship with the internet, circa 1997-present



Angelfire. Tripod. Geocities. Livejournal. Deadjournal. AOL Instant Messenger. Making fun of MakeOutClub and never becoming a member. These are all reasons why I can’t take the internet seriously.

This is a fact of my life: I grew up on the internet. When I was an adolescent, I didn’t have a lot of friends, so I spent my time learning HTML, making “humour” websites about Current Issues in Pop Culture i.e. why I love/hate Aaron Carter, Britney Spears, and Hanson. I was writing on message boards, confusing people with my real age: 12. When my age was discovered, which I never concealed, fellow board members told me to go play with Barbie. What 12 year old plays with Barbie? I thought this is was the AGE OF THE INTERNET. I was Tavi before that motherfucker was born.

In grade 6, I was introduced to ICQ, but grades 7 and 8 were prime times to be on the internet where I could construct some form of “identity” at 2am on weekends and buy things from Laundromatic.net. I started blogging before the term “blog” existed, using websites like Livejournal and Deadjournal to complain about being a teenager while noting what type of music I was listening to (Slipknot, then Modest Mouse). I made friends with strangers I (usually) never met, and added a couple of real-life friends to Livejournal along the way. There were some other online diary websites, too; I had accounts on all of them. Remember .nu websites? By ages 14-15, I had an online identity that was real, without trying to be anything else. This dissipated as I grew older; I had some real-ass friends and hobbies, I boycotted Myspace until I was 20 and needed it for research, and I went to university. Then Facebook came along, and well, that’s a whole other chapter.

It’s kind of fucked up that the internet constitutes a large part of my adolescence and teen years. I am normal, though. I go outside frequently, I have friends IRL, and I sometimes get sad and bored when I’m alone. I’m not obese and I have non-computerized hobbies. I download a lot of stuff, though – Napster would have been proud of my torrent skills. The days of AIM are over; once eclipsed by MSN and now overtaken by my bare Skype account.

As a result of this digitized tomfoolery, I can’t take the internet very seriously and I am certain it’s due to my past. Several articles and photos are published on the internet in large doses nowadays. People become “internet famous”. Once, we had physical, tangible “libraries” and “photo albums”. Those were the days when your Youtube video wasn’t featured as a newsworthy item. There is so much to read and see on the internet, such as this paragraph, and it’s an overwhelming amount of knowledge and information to handle. People find jobs, MA programs, long lost family members, and homes on the internet now. In short, a lot of serious things are happening on the internet.

The internet has always been a leisure activity for me. It was never supposed to be something serious, was it? Ignore early military-based developments and Al Gore’s “information highway” theory. Was it supposed to take over how I searched for jobs, shoes, apartments, dentists, and love (see: My Brief Experience with Friendster as a 16-Year-Old Virgin)? I never saw the internet as a tool for career-building; it was something you “surfed” in your spare time. Now, every office relies on it to build productive employees. The internet has wasted a lot of time, though, and it’s not always a beneficial tool.


Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen: victims of the internet

For instance, I don’t know how I made it through university without relying on ADHD medication. The research for my fabulous A-papers was basically conducted online alongside a world of distractions. I never had the concentration to read through a full PDF; I was too busy googling random stuff or checking my email/Facebook after finishing the paragraph on why the CRTC is undermining media democracy. I never, ever had the concentration to write and read online without interrupting myself. I even checked my email a few times when writing this. I’m sure you did, too (if you got this far).

I think because I cannot take the internet super-seriously, I am possibly failing in life. The internet is not a glorified tool for action, democracy, activism, motivation, or success. It’s not even real: it’s “cyberspace”. There is too much freedom on the internet – how can you be motivated when there is so much choice? If we all had the choice in the world, we would be prancing around, opting for the “NO WORK” button. In my experience, that is precisely what the internet is: one big giant playground. I am not taking advantage of the internet’s aforementioned wonderful “qualities” because I never knew how to. The only time I adapt to the Wonders of the Internet is during times of employment, interning or volunteering, where I am required to abuse it less.

People are not any more interconnected on the internet; instead, people have become lonelier. People have constructed false identities. People have exaggerated real identities. People are still unsuccessful, unemployed, passive-aggressive, confused, and having affairs/life crises every few months. Survival skills have been overtaken by how to conduct a proper google search. The internet is not a cure-all; it’s a complicate-all. And that’s why I can’t take it seriously. That’s why I can’t be productive online in my spare time. It’s a boredom-eliminating machine, and also a boredom-inducing machine. Everyone is on the interwebz.

“Back in my day, we didn’t have the internet,” your elders mumble. “This generation is so lucky. They have everything they want at their fingertips”.

Yeah, well, maybe that’s the problem.

You grow up on a playground. All your life, you’re playing in sand, swinging, sliding, and frolicking aimlessly. Then all of a sudden, out of the playground emerges an office building. Now you are expected to get a job at this office building and be a serious adult. How do you work there, knowing that the sandbox is on the same turf?

HEY! MY PHOTO WAS PUBLISHED IN TORONTO STAR'S TRAVEL SECTION

---



Yay!

1. Start a Twitter account in hopes that someone you’re following will “tweet” a job posting at you.

2. Use Skype often to chat with European friends. Feel tempted to move to Europe because of said friends. Dream of finding a job with a residence permit in such a shitty economy.



3. Read copious amounts of The Atlantic, NPR, New York Times, Thought Catalog, Newsweek, and Gawker.

4. Think about teaching English in foreign countries because you actually don’t know what to do with your life.

5. Make collages and doodle in your daily Moleskine agenda, covering a vast amount of pages you will never use.

6. Window shop for clothing online, preferably from the USA where you can't even bother to pay duties & customs.

7. Send expensive packages to friends in Europe.

8. Go to free screenings. Feel "cultured" after watching said screenings, which are usually experimental, avant garde and in other languages.

9. Make plans with friends to see movies and shows with cover, only to cancel on them later because you can’t afford to do either.

10. Pretend to look for jobs but instead watch episodes of Breaking Bad and Skins.



11. Tell yourself you’re going to learn InDesign, and don’t learn it.

12. Play Scrabble on Facebook.

13. Try not to resort to unpaid internships that will further confuse and complicate your career goals.

14. Think about going back to school for something practical and, like, totally relevant to your life, only to end up resorting to an unpaid internship.

15. Scratch your plans for school because you can "teach yourself" whatever you want to learn. Feel bad because you actually can't teach yourself due to your lack of motivation.

16. Mope over the vast amount of entry-level jobs that don’t exist; dream about taking a contract job that will leave you unemployed again in a couple of months.

17. Look at flights online when they are on sale. Especially from Iceland Air. Remind yourself that it's probably not a good idea to spend all of your savings on airfare. Ignore the $199 flight from Halifax to Iceland. Pretend you never saw it.



18. Feel like you have been unemployed for half a year, even though it has only been one month.

19. Make sure your friends know you're out of work so they can pay for your drinks and appetizers kindly. Really, you don't have to do that.

20. Understand that you have all the time in the world to start up projects, but due to the lack of routine and scheduling in your life, don't do anything because it's too hard and complicated.

21. Remain sedentary until required to go to the gym for ABSession or yoga. Try not to eat a lot of chocolate (oh, but all that serotonin!).

22. Comment on every single Facebook status update ever.

23. Sleep in every day, because you don't have anything else to do.

24. Watch movies and then don't write reviews about them, even if they are extremely compelling or controversial. Even if you want to write reviews about them. Examples: Enter the Void, Fish Tank and The Social Network. Instead, in 140 characters or less, mention them to your friends on Facebook and Twitter.



25. Feel depressed after writing a cover letter and resume you know no one will read.

26. Clean out your entire room and make an huge Box of Things to Sell on Ebay. Make a price list. Be serious about photographing all of those clothes you don't want anymore. Realize that no one will buy your shit, even if it's from Rodarte's Target collection, because you have zero feedback. Feel disgruntled by shipping packages out of your home as a way to make a living.

27. Remember that job searching is a soul-sucking, self-esteem-robbing process that everyone goes through. And you are not alone. And you can't get a job even though you have had three *paid* internships in your field(s). What's wrong with you?!

28. Consider illegal activities like dealing drugs and prostitution to make money until you find a real, socially acceptable job.

29. Go to the library during the day to hang out with seniors and students. This is where unemployed people spend most of their time.

30. Try not to email ex-colleagues, begging them for a job. Blame the economy for your desperation.

31. Consider moving back to Asia which seems to be the only place where anyone makes money these days. Or is it?



32. Stare at your book collection often. Especially that seemingly unedited James Franco book, "Palo Alto". It has a nice spine.

33. Feel unaccomplished, even though you truly aren't.

34. Try not to cry every day out of boredom.

35. Remember that you at least have your BA in Something Totally Useless, and that is at least something to feel good about. It's another accomplishment out of the way. Another stepping stone. Wait, I'm starting to sound too positive...

BURNER MAGAZINE

Breaking down the concept of "smart girl, stupid interests"

“Burner Magazine gives you the power to make decisions,” says editor Sarah Miniaci


Photographer: Alexander Browne

Sarah Miniaci doesn’t believe in connections. She is the only person to ever tell me this when I asked how she landed an interview with the Dandy Warhols in Burner Magazine. Burner Magazine, an online publication powered by Issuu, is run by both Miniaci and editor-in-crime Leah Stephenson. On a chilly Tuesday night on December 8th, the girls held their second issue launch at the bohemian Loft 404 on Adelaide Street West.

So far, the magazine has featured the musically-inclined Warhols, Governor-General award-winning multimedia artist Istvan Kantor, internationally renowned artist Sonja Ahlers, and Canada’s only literary erotica magazine founder Jeremy Hanson-Finger. It has also received contributions from former Rolling Stones writer Rob Spiegel. How did such a small, self-funded magazine become so successful in just two issues?

Miniaci called up the Warhols’ public relations company to request an interview with persistence. “Sometimes you get turned down, sometimes you don’t,” she says. Next thing you know, she’s interviewing Yoko Ono of the same PR Company for Burner Mag’s third issue. The magazine itself received over 2,000 submissions internationally through word of mouth and online calls for submissions.

Aside from the well-known names, Burner Mag has a unique mandate. “There weren’t [any publications] I wanted to submit my work to, so I started my own,” Miniaci says. She describes her readers and contributors as “anybody of a certain level intellectually who doesn’t feel the need to be trapped by it”. The Burner Babe reads Cosmo and Kierkegaard; she listens to Lil Wayne and Drake but watches Jean-Luc Godard films; she loves Tyra Banks and Charles Bukowski equally. For this, Burner Mag is a shameless and confident publication full of individuals keeping it real, not trying to be anything else but themselves.

The magazine will continue to grow. Expect to see beautiful full-page ads in future publications, and in print format. If the magazine is not beautiful, including the advertisements, “you end up hating it,” Miniaci declares. The aesthetics are inspired by DIY, zine culture, and Dazed and Confused Magazine; Miniaci wants the magazine to feel like a personal artefact.

“[Burner Mag] has a private and sentimental vision that is not always visible in magazines publicly anymore,” she says. “Magazine layouts have become boring. Burner Mag is art that’s not boring.” After being showered in cupcakes, wine, and an attractive, well-dressed guest list, I headed out of the loft with a sense of self-assurance. The down-to-earth crowd had warmed my soul, and the chat had given me some sort of power to make decisions and to take control of my passions, just as Miniaci hopes her readers will do.

“If you’re passionate about something, if you love something, you will do whatever it takes”.

visit burnermag.com.

CORKIN GALLERY: FLIRTING WITH BLING

Image "curated" via Ron Wan's interactive website linked below, featuring my Jeffrey Campbell's

Corkin Gallery is a Toronto-based gallery situated in the Distillery District. Last week was the opening of "Flirting with Bling" partially curated by Jyoti Minhas. It included the following artists:

Marepe, Ramón Serrano, Sharon Switzer, Frank Mädler, Lori Newdick, Grit Schwerdtfeger, Natalie Munk, Roxanne Lowit, Barbara Astman, Ian Baxter, Sarah Moon, Françoise Sullivan, Erwin Blumenfeld, George Platt Lynes, Edmund Kesting, and Irving Penn.

I know owner Jane Corkin hates when people comment on the space (it's supposed to be about "the art"), but what Corkin has done with the beautiful and historic building is nothing short of spectacular. The rustic undertones are balanced by a new, modern and clean touch in the gallery, making art-viewing a comfortable and spacious experience.



An impressive opening, good wine, great artists - particularly Melvin Sokolski's Twiggy works. For awesome coverage, check out Ron Wan's blog here. Actually, you will be impressed by this.

LAST NAME EVA, FIRST NAME GREATEST: DRAKE AUGUST 1, 2010

Drake loves his hometown Toronto. He loves it so much that he played last Sunday at the Molson Ampitheatre at his self-created OVO Fest (October's Very Own) in army pants. He brought some friends along, too. Maybe you know them? Their names are Jay-Z and Eminem. Nevermind Rick Ross, Fabulos, and Kardinal Offishall. Jay and Eminem were the stars of the show, even moreso than baby Drake himself.

Drake hasn't entertained Toronto since last August when he was on tour with his "big brother" Lil Wayne. Since then, Drake's ego has grown and he has released a full-length album entitled "Thank me Later" which has collaborations with Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj and so many more. It was a sold out show and the assholes at security was in full force. After countless moments of flirting with security guards trying to get to the front row, we settled for the 300 section from our fleshless 400 level seats.

The beginning of the show was boring as hell, even Young Jeezy's meagre 5-song set put us to sleep. Then Drake comes onto the stage and all the girls lost their panties/minds. No bras were thrown, in fact, I couldn't even spot Drake's famous "bra rack" on stage, a collection of bras thrown at him from previous shows.


Jay lookin' a little like Drake?

We had heard rumours all day about Eminem and Jay-Z making a special guest appearance, so we were kept on our toes the entire show. They only made their appearance at the end with songs like "Forever" and "Run this Town" (featuring Kanye West and Rihanna in the recording, yet no ladies were on stage representing). Drake's set mostly consisted of slow songs until he hit us all with "Over" and "Best I Ever Had", in which he mentioned he loves Toronto so much that he could only marry a girl from here. "It would just feel right," he said. He kept talking about Toronto's women as the hottest in the world, and if he "were the type to spend money on women", his number one city would be this one.


Eminem

Speaking of girls, he loooves to pick women from the crowd and bring them onto stage. He warned the girl he picked out that she would get kissed, sucked and licked, but this girl just stood there like a piece of wood. If I was on that stage, I would have worked it and taken full advantage of Drake's sweet Teddy Pendergrass moves. Ultimate performance fail on the girl's behalf, who was just 21 and was equipped with really unflattering booty shorts.

Drake showed a lot of love for his live band which was a huge highlight of the show with their sweet bass lines and under-appreciated guitar solos. He gave shout outs to Lil Wayne often and told the NYPD to fuck off and Free Weezy.

I believe that Drake's fame has gotten to his head. If he still stayed on Degrassi and didn't have his own Virgin Airlines plane with his face plastered on it, I wonder where he'd be now. His flow was weak at times and he missed a few words on stage. His voice wasn't as low and sensual as it is on the recordings. Yet he delivered a memorable show that kept me satisfied for days. I'm excited to see how he evolves as a performer. He is after all only 2 years old in this rap scene. I'd see him live again, maybe in his "second home" Houston.




All photographs taken by Erin Pea.

WAYNE MARTIN BELGER: IN DEATH I BLOOM (LAST CHANCE IN TORONTO!)

Folks. Everyone. Listen. ¡Oye! This is the LAST WEEK of California artist Wayne Martin Belger’s “In Death I Bloom: Photographic Journeys from Creation to Destruction” exhibit at the Meta Gallery in Toronto (124 Ossington Avenue, at Queen West). If you want to see some of the most impressive work at Contact Festival 2010, you do not want to miss this. And while you’re in the neighbourhood, check out Pizzeria Libretto, Toronto’s best slice of pizza. Sorry, I just had to add that in there.

I have never seen art more authentic, real and raw than Belger’s. His project is true “art”, and in addition to that, it is science. It is design. It is conceptualization at its best. It is amazingly mind-blowing. Belger creates every one of his pinhole cameras and takes a picture with that camera relevant to the design of the camera. He uses materials such as aluminum, titanium, bronze, brass, HIV-positive blood, copper, steel, insects, animal and human parts (deceased) and pages of ancient scriptures (the Koran, the Bible, the Torah), only to name a few, to construct beautiful, thought-provoking cameras.

An example: Belger made a camera with two valves of HIV-Positive blood. His subjects in the photos captured with this specific camera were all HIV-Positive.


The photo...


And the camera.

(Question: Where does one find HIV-Positive blood?!)

“There is no barrier between [the pinhole and the photo emulsion on the film],” he states. His pictures taken with these special cameras are authentic in that there is no light manipulation, a true representation of “light and time”.


I believe this is a photo from Belger's "Heart Camera"...


This is the camera. It is made with a fetus heart; the fetus was his twin brother who had died, while the camera captures images of a pregnant woman.


Belger’s cameras are beyond anything I’ve ever seen, but the photographs taken are equally as stunning and ripe with meaning. The camera and the photograph work within a symbiotic relationship. But his photographs wouldn’t mean much if the cameras were not there on display with them. In this, Belger’s work is the richest. You’re really not looking at a photograph with his work, but something much more deeper and meaningful. Something I have not witnessed in a gallery before.


A camera made of scraps from the world trade centre on 9/11 and religious scriptures, for added controversy.


Unsure if this is from the same set, a photo concerning religion. Belger has included many photos including Tibet and even made a camera out of a 150-year old skull from Tibet.

The Meta Gallery is open Wednesday - Saturday 12 - 6 pm and Sunday 12 - 5 pm. Address: 124 Ossington Avenue, Toronto, ON. Join their facebook group for more updates.