Merry-go-round horses are one of the few items from childhood that don’t loose their magic when exposed to an adult eye.  Often the things I loved as a child, the things I thought were beautiful and interesting and qualified for the phrase “the ultimate” were really disappointing when I re-encountered them. (Plot lines for many favourite cartoons ring a bell for anyone?) The magic dust faded over the years, and now all that’s left are the cardboard cutouts for a poorly funded play.

So this piece, inspired by Randy Wick’s beautiful photo of a carousel horse is my hommage to a season filled with childhood nostalgia, and dreams worth cherishing a little longer.

A rainy December evening at Westlake Mall

Giant tree at Westlake Mall and Macy's Star

Holiday carousel at Westlake Mall

Artificial snow falling inside Pacific Place shopping center

Chasing snowflakes at Pacific Place

“I sometimes think we expect too much of Christmas Day.  We try to crowd into it the long arrears of kindliness and humanity of the whole year.  As for me, I like to take my Christmas a little at a time, all through the year.  And thus I drift along into the holidays – let them overtake me unexpectedly – waking up some fine morning and suddenly saying to myself:  “Why, this is Christmas Day!”
     — David Grayson

My husband and I had a date downtown this week for dinner and a movie.  Downtown Seattle is a magical place at night, full of holiday shoppers, families in their dressiest clothes lined up for photos with Santa, and plenty of sparkling lights.  I enjoyed our evening out during this especially festive time of year.

…when you thought the lights were amazing

I do, it was yesterday

Wooden carousel at the medieval market of Zaragoza (Spain)

Canon EOS 450D + 18-55 IS

Flickr | Panoramio | Photoblogs | Cool Photoblogs

I’m joining in the Christmas Card Carousel here.   We sent our Christmas Cards out just yesterday, but I really wanted to participate in this so I’m ruining the surprise.   I wish I could have sent a Christmas Card to everyone I know, but I didn’t order quite enough for that.   Here are our Christmas Cards from our family to yours!  We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

In Bolton town centre

Pressing Strings is a band from Annapolis, but Josh Kachura and Jordan Sokel originally met in Ocean City Maryland last summer. The two of them immediately clicked personally and musically.  They make music inspired by the beach with a Jack Johnson- John Mayor feel to it. They did an acoustic for us on the couch, and Brian and I enjoyed listening to them so much we had them play two more songs. Half the reason why I do this show is so I can be serenaded to each weekend. Here is a video of Carousel.

Exhibit Entrance

True to form, the entrance to the Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA)  Tim Burton exhibition is formed from the gaping maw of a malformed clown.

As you pass through the jaws, thickly banded black-and-white stripes covering the walls of the tunnel ahead lure patrons deeper in. Six short animated episodes of a series entitled “The World of Stainboy” played on screens recessed into the walls. These short animations created with Macromedia Flash, are slightly uncharacteristic of Burton’s artistic style as far as tone and appearance and lack any real coherent plot. Stainboy appears as if it were an experiment in Flash that should have remained strictly on Burton’s desktop.

Jack Skellington

But as you reach the end of the tunnel, Burton does not disappoint. An eerie room filled with peculiarities greets viewers accompanied by the musical stylings of Danny Elfman. The room is dark, utilizing black lights to illuminate all the artwork reminiscent of “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” A figurine of Oogie Boogie made up of foam latex, aluminum and steel stands behind a glass case. Lining the walls are acrylic paintings on black velvet with highlighted fluorescent paint by the black light.

"Carousel"

“Carousel,” made up of epoxy, polyester resin, a plasma ball, muslin, fiberglass, foam and fluorescent paint in a large 3-D piece with varied Burtonesque elements, is the focal point of the first chamber. The multi-tiered carousel located on the bottom half incorporates the use of bizarre, unrealistic and nightmarish creatures, that spun slowly around, showcasing their strangeness to the occupants of the room.

The last room ticket holders enter is a spacious, well lit room where Burton’s work is displayed by time period, from the 70s to the present. Viewers can see the progression of his thought process as notes and initial etchings of his ideas evolve into detailed drawings and paintings.

One of his works, “The Giant Zlig,” was an early attempt at a children’s book whose pages were showcased beside each other in sequence. Burton sent this, along with a handwritten letter in cursive, to Disney in 1976 and got a rejection letter from the editor at the time, the late T. Jeanette Steiner. “Zlig” shows the transformation that Burton’s work has gone through from his first attempt as an artist to the present.

One part of the exhibit featured “Vincent,” a poem written by Burton transformed into a short black and white claymation film. “Vincent” is about a seven-year-old boy named Vincent Malloy who wants to be just like Vincent Price; it shares elements similar to that of Poe’s “The Raven.” Surrounding the video installation is a sequence of sketches and inked drawings, handwritten notes to more detailed and completed inkings relating to “Vincent.”

The “Edward Scissorhands” display was one of the most well-done areas of the room. Not only did it feature Burton’s illustrations of Edward’s complex hands and his transformations throughout the film, but the actual evolution of Edward’s appearance from his initial sketches. There was also a yellow steno book with Burton’s signature cursive which reads into the beginnings of the movie where Kim, played by Winona Ryder, begins to explain the origin of snow to her granddaughter.

Burton’s work also includes his more recent works such as “Corpse Bride,“ “Sweeney Todd” and “Alice in Wonderland.” The actual razors and case used in “Sweeney Todd” rested behind a glass case.

Burton’s art exceeds your wildest imaginations as each section details his ideas from conception to completion, visually. Burton uses color to turn what should be the everyday norm, into something strange and occasionally unsettling. He combines this with distorted perspectives, vivid patterns and crooked, uncomfortable lines to create his trademark work. This exhibit allows fans of Burton’s work to gain a rare glimpse into the mind of the artist.

The Tim Burton exhibition runs from Nov. 22-April 26, and gallery occupancy is limited. In order to avoid overcrowding, the MoMA suggests purchasing timed-entry tickets before visiting.

Visit the Burton exhibit at the MoMA!

The Carousel

So, the season of cheer is approaching, which generally means alcohol consumption – up, calory consumption – up, size of girth – up and an overdose of stress related hormones due to the purchase of presents in unendurable conditions. Well, as Santa says, hey ho!

But, of course it also means the rounds of Christmas parties, and visiting friends, which is always fun, and is also the reason I was digging holes in the ground this week. My good friend Clemens, who hosts a Christmas party of gigantic proportions (for our tastes, anyway) every year, has decided to do it the Maori way this year. This means digging a massive pit, lighting a fire at its base until it’s down to the glowing embers, and then placing the meat over the embers, and burying the whole lot, leaving it to bake for five or six hours. Since I had time on my hands, I was the lucky one who got to dig the pit. Oh, my poor, aching back. The dinner’s tonight, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how it all works out.

We went to see another friend on the weekend, and over a fine dinner he told us he was going to take his little daughter to the fair this week. I, unfortunately, am always very nervous of such undertakings, always imagining the worse, such as the nightmare of a child getting lost at the fairground. I was so taken up by the idea (sick fucker that I am) I put pen to paper. You can read it here.

I was going to rant and rave about the climate summit in Copenhagen, maliciously comparing the piddling amounts of investment governments are prepared to make to save the world to the massive amounts of cash they have thrown away to save the banks. But I’m not going to give them the satisfaction. So there!

I will update this post again with pictures once i’ve uploaded them from baby’s camera. So today was lunch with baby at Carousel, my treat! I felt like tourist having some high class lunch. Super delicious I tell u! So many food to choose from and the wonderful desserts and salads.. Yummy!! then baby had to go off to book in and I met my family and we went to East Coast. Dinner at kebab station.. Can’t wait to upload the pics.. Love u so much sweet heart.. *kisses

Hellooo everyone!

Hope all of you guys are doing really great in this holiday season! For me, it has been really busy for me since the

school holidays!

Well, first of all, there is the Magic Festival at Singapore Flyer, and I am also doing close up magic at Royal Plaza’s restaurant Carousel! Its really great with loads of magic for lunch and dinner, from 12.30pm – 1.30pm and 7.30pm -

8.30pm! There is a fantastic juggler there too!

I was really fortunate to be a guest on one of the nights, and I really enjoyed the food there! The service is fantastic as

well. =)

Here are some pictures. Check them out.

A full and contented Alexander

Nice deco outside the restaurant

Juggler

If you are coming down, do say hi! Or you could ask the managers to call me over (usually the place is packed, and I might miss you).

I’ll see you all!

This weekend was full-full on account my parent in-laws were visiting from Osoyoos.

Friday afternoon found us shopping downtown and visiting the Christmas Trees at the Empress.  They were beautiful, as usual, though it was strange wandering through the hotel in the daylight.  (Usually, we stroll the halls at night with a hot bevi in hand.)

I was one proud, almost misty-eyed Mama as the pianist, playing during afternoon tea, hypnotized Miss Q, as she peaked through the railing at him, and his baby grand.  At one point she mimicked his motions, eyes closed.  “One day I’m going to play, Mama.”  Though her papa protests, I’m sure she will; he’ll learn to love it.

Plush diseases hung on my favourite tree.  I have no-idea where you can pick up a ‘MRSA’ or ‘chicken pox’ stuffy, but I’ll be keeping my eyes open, for sure!

We piled into the minivan and went to A Taste of Saltspring at Panorama on Saturday.  It was a craft fair: more commercial-crafty than crafty-crafty.  There was beautiful jewelry and one odd booth– Costco membership anyone?

To make a very long story short, we celebrated my dad’s ½ birthday on Saturday night.  After the craft fair everyone met for dinner and an impromptu viewing of the Lighted Truck Parade.

We froze at the Truck Parade; however, it was awesome to see the lights on the work trucks.  The amount of lights strung on the trucks is amazing.  I still can’t figure out how they get the ones on the wheels to work without becoming a tangled mess.

Sunday was taken at a slower pace: a little shopping, that Miss S and I bowed out of, on account we tend to hold up the charge these days; and Butchart Gardens to see the Twelve Days of Christmas.

The night was quite festive: crisp and clear.  Apparently Miss Q gasped when she saw the Sunken Garden for the first time.  (Insert pout for me missing that moment here.)

Yes, you can’t be everywhere, but Miss Q and I have been linked for over three years – if you count the 40 weeks I carried her in my belly – I want to be there for all her experiences.  Unrealistic?  Maybe.  But I’m going to try.

All was un-pouted at the new Children’s Pavilion where Miss Q rode the carousel.  Her first ride ever – on a cat with a fish in its mouth.

We loved the carousel.  Miss Q could have spent the entire night with the animals.  In the end, she only rode twice: once on a cat and once on a reindeer.  Her Grandma, Granny and Gramps joined her on a horse, frog and cat respectively; while her daddy and I made sure she didn’t fall off.

Carolers, and peppermint hot chocolate, in the coffee shop, capped our weekend.  Though there were a lot of bathroom breaks, nursing breaks, unhappy baby in the carseat moments, and one ‘couldn’t hold it an longer’ moment, it was a perfect weekend.

Apparently it’s the biggest market of its kind in Europe. They lay on special trains to Lincoln; coach-trips come from all four corners of the country (… has the UK actually got any corners?). Anyway, in spite (or possibly because) of the fact we’re only down the road, we’d never been. So we thought we’d better take a look. Here’s our report….

It really was busy. I mean, busier than busy. Try negotiating that lot with a pushchair. And I wonder what all the continental visitors thought of the very British ‘one way’ system? For pedestrians.

The market covers an area from the west front of the magnificent Cathedral, through the castle grounds and along a road north of the castle walls. Which is where we found this…

Unfortunately, there were places Charlie and I just couldn’t go… like most of the stalls at The Lawn’s Centre. Thankfully, there was this steam organ to keep us entertained.

Ah, they don’t make ‘em like that anymore.

Which is probably just as well.

Bah, humbug!

So I finally have finished the first colour on Wild Camp View for my friends.

Its taken a while what with working a couple of weekends but it’s getting there. As usual this is just a phone shot. I am looking forward to getting started on the greens next!

I had another mind expanding weekend assisting on Metapod Fastforward. I think I have made some exciting progress (only in my head as yet!). It is always good to challenge the tapes we play in our head about ourselves. I realised that I have put my own limitations on what I think I am capable of. It is time to challenge those. I do like hotels though. I dont usually spend time in that business type hotel and I managed as usual to turn it in my mind into something more exciting than it was. It became a bit of a movie in my head. Complete with girls in christmas dresses looking like quality street chocolates.

Earlier in the week I attended some training at the RNIB in Birmingham. It was about Audio Describing artwork for blind or partially sighted visitors to galleries. It was really fascinating and gave me a brief insight into a world that I know nothing about. I am excited to be in discussion with them about placing my large tactile gloss piece in their HQ. It would be great to see how it works as a purely tactile piece and see if there is any mileage in developing more work for that purpose.

Afterwards I hung around in town at the Frankfurt Market and watched the carousel. It is so beautiful and slightly sinister.

Well thats it for now I think I well take a bit more time to process my thoughts on metapod and post separately later in the week. But I would like to say thank you to all the participants who were encouraging and supportive. special mention to my party crashing partner. you know who  you are!

I’m sitting in the living room of a house [my parent's house] with my mother and Gerry.  Someone’s in the kitchen…doing dishes, I think.  My mother is sitting in a blue chair sipping tea.  [I have two of these chairs in my home]

[the dream jumps]

The house is packed up and empty.  Some furniture, including the blue chair are in what used to be Mom’s room, which is next to the living room. Gerry and I are about to move.  I realize that we’ll need to pull out some furniture for her to have, including the blue chair.  Gerry and I have yet to determine where we’re going to go.

I tell Gerry that I know what we can do…we can pull out maps from all over the place and energy test where it would be best for us to to.  While gathering the maps, I realize where we can go…Durango, Colorado.

[the dream jumps]

We are driving through the countryside on our way to visit Durango.  I’m doing my best to see this area as it really is rather than through rose-colored glasses which is what I usually do when I’m excited about a new idea/location.  I see that the landscape is okay (reality)…I had imagined it would be spectacular (rose-colored reality).

[the dream jumps]

We are walking up into Durango.  It’s a beautiful, sunny day.  People are milling about as if waiting for a parade to happen.  A young woman dressed in cowgirl attire (from hat to boots) is playing guitar and singing a country-western song.  To my dismay I realize that this is a country-western town, and most likely a ‘red’ city.

[the dream jumps]

We walk into this old movie house which is being renovated.  The theater area and the screen are small with about 25 seats.  People are in here watching a silent movie.  It could be a movie with the sound off, because I hear nothing and see subtitles on the screen.  A small group of women are talking amongst themselves.

We sit behind a man who turns to us and tells us how they show movies but SOME people tend to talk through the whole thing…glancing over at the talking women.

We watch the movie for a bit and then it ends.  A woman comes through the screen…a large slit that disappears after you go through it.  This woman was in the movie.  She’s the executive director of the theater.  She’s wearing a large, flamboyant-styled hat and flamboyant clothes.  She proceeds to give us a tour.  I ask about the renovation to which she replies that it’s getting a new coat of paint.  Looking around, it looks like more than a paint job.  However they are at the stage where everything has been sanded and primed, ready for paint.  As we follow her, she slips and falls flat on her face.  She gets up as if nothing happened and continues to talk and lead us downstairs.   At the end the steps become stacked wobbly tables with cushions on them.  It’s very dangerous…someone could easily misstep and fall.  We help each other down these last few steps.

[the dream jumps]

We are walking down the main street of Durango and come up to movie theater up on our right.  It has floor-to-ceiling glass windows.  Brown paper is taped up behind the glass to prevent anyone from seeing what’s behind the glass.  In front of the glass, in the corners of each pane are ornate wrought-iron pieces attached to the glass.  They have a very Victorian look to them. As we approach we see in the entry way wall of ornate glass on the right has window openings where we can buy tickets.  While the place looks like its closed, some people are on line to buy tickets and it appears that two or three windows are open for business.  I fail to recognize any of the movies listed.  Gerry asks if there are any movies starting just before 5:30 pm.  Without asking, he purchases tickets.  A young man, who looks a lot like Jude Law, dressed as a usher is hold a long narrow box (something like what you would use to deliver a dozen roses in).  In the box are blank papers the size/shape of the box.  Without say a word and with a big smile on his face, he offer up the box as if to encourage us to take a piece of paper.  He holds the box as if he’s holding a bouquet of roses.  I’m somewhat disappointed about going to a movie…I was hope to explore the town some more.

[the dream jumps]

We are in a car.  I think Gerry is driving.  We’re stuck on an on-ramp.  We’re waiting to merge into the traffic on the right.  A line of about 4 or 5 cars ahead of us are doing the same thing.  The cars on the highway that we’re waiting to get on are driving quite fast.  I’m frustrated with how long this is going to take.  Slowly, 1 by 1, we inch forward as each car ahead of us merges into the highway.  It bothers me that Durango has a traffic problem.  1 for the minus column.

[the dream jumps]

We are riding in a small power boat…again I think Gerry is driving.  We’re going so fast over the water that I’m slipping off the back of the boat.  I manage to secure myself.  We slow down a bit and start to look around.  This area is beautiful.  I didn’t realize that there was a lake in Durango.  The water is crystal clear blue and the architecture all around the shore and in the water is beautiful.  Gerry calls it Byzantine.  We see an old wooden carousel that looks like it’s from the 20’s or 30’s and then another one made of stone that’s even older.

Throughout this entire dream I have had this feeling that someone else is hanging out with us, an older woman.  She feels like my Aunt Eileen.  I’m clueless as to why she’s with us.  For now it seems as if she’s tagging along for the ride.  At this point in the dream, while on this boat, it’s more obvious to me that she’s with us.

We continue to ride along the water.  The water is so clear we can see architectural structures and objects under the water.  It’s all beautiful.  Through some trees I see another waterway, a river.  While the water we’re in seems more man-made, the river is natural, nature-made.

[the dream jumps]

We’re in a restaurant with views of the water we were just in.  I seems to be buffet style.  We (Gerry, Aunt Eileen, and I) are in line gathering our plates and utensils when I ask Gerry “so when do we go back?” (ie…when do we leave Durango).  He replies “I wondered when you were going to ask me that.”  I know we are here for a visit, to check out it out.  Gerry booked the trip, he made all the arrangements.  Apparently I also am just along for the ride without realizing how long we plan to be here…a couple of days, a week, more?

I’m thinking or I say out loud that if Durango doesn’t appeal to us we can always to visit my good friend Vivian in Colorado Springs, which is about 3 hours away.

In Conclusion

Let me start out by stating that this is the second time I have had a dream about moving to Durango.  It escapes me as to when I had the first dream.  It’s about a year ago…maybe longer.  I remember back then doing a bunch a research on Durango thinking that a move there might be doable; then I forgot all about it.  I guess the timing was off.   What’s the significance of dreaming about it again?

I visited Durango about 25 years ago when I was in a top-40 band that traveled the hotel circuit.  My soon-to-be ex-husband was the leader of the band.  We were separated at the time.  For me this tour was about one last chance to do something like this.  The trip ended up confirming to me that my decision to divorce him was correct!

Anyway, we had a day off from playing in Farmington New Mexico and took a day trip up to Durango.   It was summertime I think; I remember it being warm.  I remember seeing an old steam locomotive/train and then going up a sky lift to ride down on a large slide. I think they  use it for luge practice.  We had a blast.  I had forgotten about that trip up until I had the first Durango dream.

Okay so back to this dream.  Wow…a lot is happening here and I think it’s going to take me awhile to interpret it.  Several references to ‘waiting’ around.  The movie theaters are interesting…they usually represent illusions.   My mom sitting on one of my blue chairs is curious.  As I stated earlier we have two blue chairs.  One of the chairs is designated as my chair.  If Gerry is sitting in it because I’ve been out of the room or the house, I make him move when I come into the room, which sounds kind of mean now that I’m writing this down.

When I woke from this dream and “Durango” was swimming in my head, I kept feeling like “Durango” was an anagram.  When I re-arranged the letters, the word “aground” appeared.  I looked the word up at www.thefreedictionary.com/aground .  What immediate jumped out at me was the thesaurus adj definition:

“stuck in a place where a ship can no longer float; “a ship aground offshore”; “a boat aground on the beach waiting for the tide to lift it”

Very Interesting!  Is this what Durango means for me?  a place where I’m left waiting for the tide to lift it?  It’s interesting that the dream had several “waiting” references and then to read the “waiting” in the definition.  This is fascinating.  I want to explore this some more.

ASTROLOGY ALERT:  If you are a disbeliever of astrology you may want to skip this next part.

Just for the heck of it I looked up when Durango was incorporated.  I found the date listed with the state of Colorado:  4/27/1881.

I put this info into my astrology program.  Without a time provided, I used noon as the ‘time of birth.’  Very interesting chart!  Six planets are in Taurus (Sun, Pluto, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Venus) with the Moon and Mercury in Aries next door.  Putting this chart up next to mine, all the Taurus planets (except Pluto) and the Moon are in my 8th house opposing all my planets in the 2nd house (Sun, Saturn and Neptune).  Yikes!

According to Donna Cunningham’s blog on houses in her Saturn-Pluto Kit, the 8th house is about “sexuality, money you don’t earn (inheritances, grants, etc), taxes, partner’s resources, birth, death, transformation, healing” while the 2nd house is about “money and ways of earning it, money management and attitudes toward finance, things valued more than money.”

My initial feeling is that a move to Durango would either be a financial disaster or a financial breakthrough.

I’ll have to investigate this further…since that’s what Scorpios do best

We have a beautiful, fully-restored Dentzel Carousel here in town.  Yesterday it was open for free children’s rides, a free cookie for each child and a visit with Santa.  My children and I had a lovely time….

Here is one of the horses that I drew up this morning with ArtRage 2.5 and the Gimp….

I have no excuse not to blog about this, it’s a long time coming. Can’t even remember when was the last time I blog about something worth reading. (oh wait I should just look up the archives)

So it all started with me being the ‘itchy backside’ wanting to organize a reunion. I wanted just a small gathering between us old schoolmates because to even think of organizing a big one is a nightmare I know with all the place, time, sponsors and whatnot.

 Thanks to FB, I manage to find some long lost schoolmates, so it all begin with just a small hello to all the girls I was once close with suggesting a reunion. Honestly, I really thought that it won’t happen understanding then that we are all pretty occupied with families and other prior engagements but surprisingly I received overwhelming responses.  Immediately we started to work on looking for venues and the time that we all can agree on. Apparently Carousel, the ever popular halal-certified buffet spread @ Park Royal seem to be the hot favourite , but of course! and 5th of December 2009 is the right time for all of us, it being the school holiday month perfect timing for teachers eh *wink* (proud to announce we got 2 dedicated teachers among our friends) and of course wonderfull SAHMs, WMs too!

So after all these years being apart (feeling old now), the day finally came for us to reminisce those innocent yet feeling abit juvenile-ish days.

It is so great to catch up with the girls and discovered how we’ve grown so much all these years, NOT! lol…nothing changed it seem or at least on character-wise (body proportion not included) although some maintained

What is a reunion without photo-taking sessions you say? Well enjoy these  and please no puking allowed!

Whois : Armuli, Nooryati, Yuhana, Rozita, Azizah, Kassimah, Me (Yati) & Suriana

I think the front desk lady regretted taking 8 snaps of the same pose! LOL

There’s so much fun and laughter last night. Gerls, we should do this again and this time hope to reunite with more old friends!

Thank you for the memories!

“Blind man with permanent seeing eye dogs”

… no matter how wacky, dysfunctional, unconventional a family may be, there are treasures to be found. Some buried deeper than others, but they’re there. Objects, perhaps. Moments of unforgettable pee-in-your-pants laughter. Tough times that made you stronger. The simplicity of a familiar sound or smell.

I am thankful to have many treasures, some that transport me to the past, some that smack me in the face reminding me to be in the present and those that make me strive for a greater future.

One of my most valuable family treasures is Auntie & Uncle Steve. Auntie (Angelica Lorraine), my Mama’s only sibling, and her husband Uncle Steve have been married for 59 years. She is 82 and he is 92. They built a house together, literally, with their own hands from the bottom up. They volunteer together. They share a lovely faith in God together. They still hold hands. She’s nervous and hot-tempered. He’s calm and mild-mannered. She yells and he can’t hear very well. They live, they love, they laugh. Together, they are one of those rare treasures that encompasses the beauty of the past, present and future. They remind you of where you’ve come from, to be thankful for where you are and to strive for a better tomorrow.

One of the most beautiful bonds they share is the gift of song. Their voices are those of angels on earth. They’ve sung in choral groups together and religiously sing in the church choir every Sunday. They sang at my brother’s wedding, they sing at family gatherings, and no matter the occasion they always sing the same song  just before they leave. It’s a tradition that is part of us because of them. The song is a version of “This Was A Real Nice Clambake” from the musical “Carousel”, only they sing “This Was A Real Nice Party”. But you can hear it for yourself! I had to share one of my most valuable family treasures, because it’s just too selfish not to share the wealth.

I know that everyone on Earth has watched this before but it’s really good so watch it again:

Watch is on the Philips site for MORE.

Here’s the info you can’t be bothered to find for yourself:

Created entirely by Stink Digital, this new interactive campaign promotes Philips latest entrant into the television market, the CINEMA 21:9. Since the televisions 21:9 frame lends itself so readily to film, our friends at Tribal DDB, Amsterdam commissioned us to create a piece of filmed content that could hold its own with Hollywoods best. Director Adam Berg responded with an idea for an epic frozen moment cops and robbers shootout sequence that included clowns, explosions, a decimated hospital, and plenty of broken glass and bullet casings.

This epic film is the centrepiece of the project. On its own, it clocks in at a (totally coincidental) two minutes and 19 seconds, but Berg conceived it to work as an endless loop. Visitors to the microsite therefore have the option to spin through the films single take shot repeatedly, to stop on a specific frame, or to watch it at the preordained speed. The film also contains embedded hotspots, which, when triggered, transport the viewer seamlessly from the heavily posted film to a behind-the-scenes version of the same shot. This constant moving between two layers of reality proved one of the projects biggest and most ambitious production challenges. Other details of the online execution play off the cinematic theme; the microsites loader doubles as a credit sequence, while rich media takeover banners drive traffic to the site by teasing viewers with an original Carousel trailer. All aspects of the production, from the film shoot to web design and development, were conducted by Stink Digital.

… Ca nous fait donc trois bêtes à quatre pattes, soit douze pattes en tout qui tournent en rond autour du carousel.

Si l’on considère que le poney trotte, que le cheval, âgé de 8 ans, galope et que le chevreau a une enjambée de 72 cm du diagonal gauche, quand se rejoindront-ils?  

Alors???
Vite, ils s’en vont…

Cheval blonde, mon petit poney, chevreau de Noël
Créa : Marion - crédit photo : Miliana Bidault

brighton.
the san francisco and santa monica of the UK.
city of the pebbled beach.
monstrous seagulls and beach crows.

the gang:
beth, lee, mike, katie, and i

things learned:
cowboy boots and sea water work well for the first five minutes.
ocean wind is perfect for new hairstyles.

who says there has to be a beach to wear a bathing suit?
well i would lie on pebbles lavishly but london’s pebbles are dirt.

The Dickens Carousel

Visited the square today after spending the morning cheering on runners in the Believe 2009 10k/5k,  which, by the way, was a tremendous success.  I heard that they had 1,600 runners compared to approximately 900 last year.   Mitchell Park (what I thought was previously called Gateway Park, the one with the big fountain) was absolutely packed with people at 8:00 in the morning. 

I got a chance to come back down around 10:00 to peruse the shops and take in some of the entertainment.  The carousel, new for 2009, was beautiful and a perfect addition to Dickens.  I hope this will become a permanent fixture at future Dickens celebrations. 

All of  the vendors looked great in their Victorian garb.  Special kudos to the lady at the Cynthia Elliott Boutique who had a beautiful dress and did a fantastic job of making a period hat (good enough to sell and I did suggest it).  Santa was in the Magic Shop and the petting zoo was a hit.   All in all, they did a wonderful job this year. Everyone was full of cheer.

Youth Singers at Dickens

It was virtually standing room only in Plum Creek Primitives, almost too many people to be able to shop. All of the shops were busy but, other than Plum Creek, it wasn’t too many to have fun and have a leisurely look around. Landon Winery was having a wine tasting, six tickets for $10.  The premium wines were two tickets a taste but two of the three tables only required one ticket a taste. The Yellow Rose (a white wine) and a raspberry wine were favorites for our party.  One of a Kind was full of folks taking advantage of the 20% store closing sale.  The big gargoyle I had mentioned on Yelp.com had already found a home.  Reigning Cats and Dogs also seemed to have significantly more stock than the last time I was in although they are supposed to be clearing out.  They have really good sales and the North Texas Cat Rescue has got some kittens inside for adoption. 

Leaving downtown, we ran into a man removing the Goodhues logo from the defunct restaurant and martini lounge.  He said that  The Filmore Pub in Plano will be opening a new location where Goodhues used to be and he was converting the martini bar into 1,000 square feet of retail space. Woohoo!

The Dickens Carousel

Visited the square today after spending the morning cheering on runners in the Believe 2009 10k/5k,  which, by the way, was a tremendous success.  I heard that they had 1,600 runners compared to approximately 900 last year.   Mitchell Park (what I thought was previously called Gateway Park, the one with the big fountain) was absolutely packed with people at 8:00 in the morning. 

I got a chance to come back down around 10:00 to peruse the shops and take in some of the entertainment.  The carousel, new for 2009, was beautiful and a perfect addition to Dickens.  I hope this will become a permanent fixture at future Dickens celebrations. 

All of  the vendors looked great in their Victorian garb.  Special kudos to the lady at the Cynthia Elliott Boutique who had a beautiful dress and did a fantastic job of making a period hat (good enough to sell and I did suggest it).  Santa was in the Magic Shop and the petting zoo was a hit.   All in all, they did a wonderful job this year. Everyone was full of cheer.

Youth Singers at Dickens

It was virtually standing room only in Plum Creek Primitives, almost too many people to be able to shop. All of the shops were busy but, other than Plum Creek, it wasn’t too many to have fun and have a leisurely look around. Landon Winery was having a wine tasting, six tickets for $10.  The premium wines were two tickets a taste but two of the three tables only required one ticket a taste. The Yellow Rose (a white wine) and a raspberry wine were favorites for our party.  One of a Kind was full of folks taking advantage of the 20% store closing sale.  The big gargoyle I had mentioned on Yelp.com had already found a home.  Reigning Cats and Dogs also seemed to have significantly more stock than the last time I was in although they are supposed to be clearing out.  They have really good sales and the North Texas Cat Rescue has got some kittens inside for adoption. 

Leaving downtown, we ran into a man removing the Goodhues logo from the defunct restaurant and martini lounge.  He said that  The Filmore Pub in Plano will be opening a new location where Goodhues used to be and he was converting the martini bar into 1,000 square feet of retail space. Woohoo!