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In early August 2009, a spontaneous and freakish thunderstorm rolled into Toronto.  It was so unexpected that afterwards, weather men and women admitted not knowing about this approaching storm.  Hard to believe, especially by those who got caught in it and drenched beyond recognition.

High winds ripped apart everything in sight and rain started to fall sideways. Thousands were caught off guard, fought the elements and ran for any type of shelter that was tied down.  When the storm started, I was already sitting on a covered patio having a few drinks with my girl.  By the time the storm started, people started rushing into the bars wanting to get dry and some of them drunk.

This amazing video doesn’t capture the rain and winds but it does capture an amazing moment in time and space that you have to see. It was taken after the rains stopped and the lightning show began. I set up my tripod and started rolling in the direction of the CN Tower, the famous free-standing structure that gets hit by lightning several times per year.

It’s holiday time and that means lists…

We all make them, perhaps yours is full of wishes for Santa or simply a ‘to do‘ list during this hectic time of year.  Even Oprah has been known to make them, her most famous being her list of favorite things.

Feeling inspired by Lady O, this year I’ve decided to make a list of my own…of my favorite structures.  If you read my blog regularly, you will know that I am a Torontonian living in Boston, so it seems fit for me to make one list for each city. So here it goes….

Top 5 favourite A&D masterpieces in Toronto:

1. SHARP CENTRE OF DESIGN ~ONTARIO COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN by Alsop Architects

2. ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM by Daniel Libeskind

3. ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO by Frank Gehry

4. ABSOLUTE CONDO by MAD Studio & Burka Architects

5. CN Tower by Canadian National Railway

Top 5 places of greatness in Boston:

1. Christian Science Center by I.M. Pei

2. Boston Public Library by McKim, Mead & White

3. Hancock Place by I.M. Pei

4. Carpenter Center by Le Corbusier

5. Stata Center by Frank Gehry

Happy Holidays!

Yesterday I ran across a graphic on the Awilum blog that juxtaposed the tower of Babel with the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest structure, to be completed next month. Perhaps it is a “guy thing,” but I can’t stop being fascinated by very tall buildings. An inveterate acrophobe, I avoided New York City until I was in my twenties and I was gritting my teeth the entire visit the first time I went to the top of the Empire State Building. Although they frighten me, I can not keep away from them. Driving through Chicago while living in the Midwest, I always kept a wary eye on the Sears Tower, lest it should fall my way. When the Society of Biblical Literature met in Toronto, I braved the CN Tower and even stood on one of the thick glass plates that give a bird’s eye view of the ground far, far below. Now there is an even taller building that fully deserves the name “sky-scraper.” At 818 meters, the Burj Dubai in the United Arab Emirates soars far beyond other efforts at the ultimate masculinity. It will be nearly twice as high as the Empire State Building when it is completed.

Gnu view from Wikipedia

Joseph Campbell, the late mythographer from Sarah Lawrence College, has had an enormous impact on the study of myth. As a specialist in Ugaritic mythology I find many points of disagreement with his assessment of mythic symbiosis, yet he once said something that has stayed with me ever since. In his Power of Myth video, he states that societies show their values by their tallest buildings. This statement is perfectly justifiable — the amount of resources required to erect enormous buildings does show a dedication to a quasi-divine purpose on the part of a society. Campbell’s example was the medieval cathedrals, and for anyone who has visited a medieval town this is easily affirmed. (St. Vitas Cathedral in Prague and St. Andrews Cathedral in Scotland confirmed this for me.)

The Hebrew Bible, however, casts another view on tall structures. Buildings such as the Tower of Babel are the ultimate in a Judaic assessment of hubris. Genesis 11 makes short work of Babel, stating that God has to stoop down to see this great effort, yet he feels threatened by it nevertheless. Our towers today demonstrate our conspicuous consumption, yet I can’t help but be impressed. Where some see only shifting sand atop endless pools of petroleum, other visionaries see the tallest structure on the planet. Just thinking about it, I find myself clenching again. I don’t plan a visit there anytime soon, but it is in the neighborhood of Babel, for those who speak the language.

Вот еще Денису попалось классное видео на YouTube : концерт U2 с CN-Tower. Вау, ребята, это улёт!!! За одно зацените нашу бешенку во всей красе:-)

И вот еще кусочек. Песенка с несложным названием “Я сойду с ума если я не сойду с ума этой ночью” Мне оочень вкатило!!!

Ну, Мотя этой ночью спел безо всяких спецэффектов и музыкального сопровождения. Нужно поработать еще над вокалом и можно устраивать тЮрнЕ.

I climbed the 1776 stairs of the CN Tower for the Enbridge CN Tower Climb for United Way. It was pretty insane and an incredible experience! I’ve been running pretty consistently and thought I’d have a decent handle on this but turns out I was not that fit to climb that many stairs and if I ever do it again (emphasis on “if”) I hope to improve my time and train before hand. My goal was to finish in under 30 mins and I did it in 26 mins and 47 secs. I would’ve liked to climb with a friend but no one else was interested and since something like that would never deter me, I did it on my own.

The organizational process was pretty decent although could’ve been better. I registered and checked my bag since it was a “hands free” climb and you couldn’t bring your ipod or cell phone with you. I went fairly later in the morning and saw a lot of people who had already finished climbing it with times ranging from 21 mins to 29 mins, although a few were longer, 34 – 36 mins. Some of these people were teens or children so to motivate myself I thought “If they can do it, I can do it! No problem!”

They time you by giving you a paper with a time stamp on it at the beginning and then they stamp it at the end. This timing apparatus is not as significant as the STWM electronic chips, but it does it job. For some reason I thought the stairs would be beside a window and you’d be able to look outside as you climb but I’d describe them as metal, back access stairs that aren’t meant for the public to see. My “plan” was to climb at a constant pace while others decided to start running up the stairs. A few flights later I passed those people as they sat on a landing resting   Did I feel a little better then because these hot shot guys thought they could run up the CN Tower stairs and ended up catching their breath on a stair landing? Yes, yes I did. At 20 flights, I was getting pretty tired, and at 40 I had to take a break for a bit. My legs dying! I don’t even know how to describe it but they hurt like nothing else. For my breaks I’d count to 45 and then start again. From then on I had to stop to rest ever 21 to 25 flights until I made it to the top.

At the top of the stairs, they time stamp your paper for when you finish, and then you have to climb about 10 more flights!!! Why they do this, I have no idea, but it’s quite the trick. You think you’re done and then BAM! 10 more flights . . . At the top you could look around at the top of the CN Tower, get a free bottle of water and then wait to go down in the elevator back to the bottom. There were so many people at the top that it was humid and sweaty. I looked around because I did not pay the minimum fundraising amount and climb all of those stairs to not look around at the top of the CN Tower. I was hoping I could take the stairs down because I already did half the job of climbing all the stairs up but they wouldn’t allow it since people were still climbing. Waiting in line for the elevator to go down probably took the same amount of time as it did to climb the stairs up so I could’ve done it too At the end everyone got a free t-shirt with their time written on the back.

I met two very nice people at this event. One was while actually climbing the stairs and it was her first time doing this too. We would pass each other while climbing and taking breaks and give each other words of encouragement. The second woman I met while waiting for the elevator to go down. I learned a lot about her – what gym she goes to, her marriage status, where her son goes to school, approximately where she lives, approximately where she works, her current exercise status, etc. We planned to maybe run together and she said she might be able to help me with a job but since I didn’t have my cell phone on me (“hands free” climb remember!) I had to memorize her e-mail. I sent her an e-mail that bounced back so turns out I did not memorize it correctly. Freaking hell!!! This pissed me off so much. I posted a message for her on her sponsor page hoping she’ll get an e-mail and contact me but that didn’t happen. I could technically stalk her at her gym, and I am tempted too since she did mention a job opportunity, but I haven’t and thus probably won’t.

I wish I had taken more picture of myself at this event but it was difficult it being hands-free and not going with anyone. This was another great experience and very different than running a 5K. Stair climbing is difficult and good exercise, it seems to be harder work than running. Maybe I should integrate stair climbing into my exercise routine somehow? Overall, I’m glad I did this at least once in my lifetime!

I still have some Spain pictures to go through but I decided to throw some up from our trip to Toronto last week. I was pretty covered up with work but we did find some time to break free near the end of the week. We headed to the top of the CN tower and took some pictures at sunset. It was a clear night with some beautiful views. The only downside was taking the photos through glass with the reflections behind. It is hard to process them with the slower shutter speed and not get ambient reflections from behind. Ah well, did the best I could. Enjoy the views!

Thierry from Canada writes:

Hello Tomas,

Tack again for the cd!
Thierry

Here’s the thing, the answer prompted by the question in the headline, no, I won’t blame Canada (for the delay in picture sending)! Just glad to get the picture at all. And more, Thierry shares first name with one of my favourite football players ever!
So, here’s Thierry’s pic!

Ahora voy en el auto camino a Montreal (de Nuevo) con mi vieja, Fernando, Eduardo (hno de Fdo) y Mariana (señora de Edo) que me vinieron a ver =)

Hace un par de dias estuvimos juntos en la Universidad, les hice un tour por el campus y la residencia… o la pieza , un tour por tooooda la gran pieza, jajaja

Pa que decir que les encanto el ambiente multicultural (y rubiocultural de las mujeres, tb, jajaja) del student centre, york lanes y schulich… voy a tener que postear acerca de eso luego

Ayer en la noche fuimos a la CN Tower, que todavia no conocia (taba esperando q vienera mami pa llevarla a comer… obvio, no?)

El asensor se demora 58-59 segundos en llegar arriba y la vista es espectacular, de noche,  despejado, se veia todo. Comimos MUY BIEN en el restaurant (55CAD por nuca mas tax y tip, 3 platos y entrada a la torre incluida – sola vale 35)

vista desde la cn tower, en el restaurant giratorio... igual que el de santiago, jajajaj

This is the view from my hotel room. Ridiculous.

Many years ago, on a particularly vile early Spring day, the sort where the calendar sings “April” but one only sees filthy piles of melting slush, I exclaimed in frustration, “Oh Toronto, you windy rathole!” I’ve always liked the sound of that phrase, and even did a mock tourism ad using it.

I was a bit apprehensive about using it for the blog title, as I thought it might set an overly-negative tone for all that is to follow. Imagine my delight to discover that humourously badmouthing Toronto has been popular since the city began.  Just have a look at what Parkdale poet and cartoonist John Wilson Bergough had to say about Toronto in 1877 (Toronto was trying to annex all of the neighbouring villages in those days)!

NIKON D300, Nikon 18-200 VR, HDR in Photomatix

Here is a nice neck bender HDR for you!  When in downtown Toronto…look up and you will see the CN Tower.  I have posted details on this tall tower…it is fun to take the elevator up to see wonderful views of Toronto.  They even have a glass floor on the viewing deck!

Here is some info of the observation area:  The main level is seven stories, some of which are open to the public. Below the public areas — at 338 metres (1,108.9 ft) — is a large white donut-shaped radome containing the structure’s microwave receivers. The glass floorand outdoor observation deck are at 342 metres (1,122.0 ft). The glass floor has an area of 24 square metres (258 sq ft) and can withstand a pressure of 4,100 kilopascals (595 psi). The floor’s thermal glass units are 64 millimetres (2.5 in) thick, consisting of a pane of 25-millimetre (1.0 in) laminated glass, 25 millimetres (1.0 in) airspace and a pane of 13-millimetre (0.5 in) laminated glass. Some people experience acrophobia when standing on the glass floor and looking down at the ground 342 metres (1,122.0 ft) below. In 2008, one elevator was upgraded to add a glass floor panel, believed to have the highest vertical rise of any elevator equipped with this feature. The Horizons Cafe and the lookout level are at 346 metres (1,135.2 ft). The 360 Restaurant, a revolving restaurant that completes a full rotation once every 72 minutes, is at 351 metres (1,151.6 ft). When the tower first opened, it also featured a disco named Sparkles, billed as the highest disco and dance floor in the world.

Hope your day is looking up!!  Enjoy!

This is me being a tourist in Toronto’s CN Tower, payting to get my picture taken on a glass floor. Even though I was wearing a Spider-Man t-shirt, my Spider-Sense was not tingling.

Sky Tower - Albanija

1. Vjerovali ili ne: ovu naslovnu fotku je snimila Nika (9)  u Albaniji u Tirani.

2. Kao usporedba CN Tower u Torontu, zvanično najviši toranj na svijetu, 535 m.

U CN Toweru

Iz Guinessa

Ulaz u CN Tower

3. Skylon na Niagari:

Skylon

Slavicin dodatak:

4. Fernsehturm je toranj u Berlinu, na Aleksander platzu, visine 356 m. Najviši toranj u Njemačkoj, drugi najviši u Europi. Platforma na koju se može ići je na 203 m. Na vrhu restoran, kao vidikovac, vrti se. Do vrha vozi lift.

PODNOŽJE TORNJA FERNSEHTURM

NAJVIŠI TORNJEVI U SVIJETU

TV toranj FERNSEHTURM

5. Bratislava – UFO toranj iznad Novog mosta. Na vrhu restoran.Visina 95 m (ovaj je ‘beba toranj’) – na prethodnoj slici tornjeva – br.2.

BRATISLAVA-UFO toranj s restoranom

6. Najviša zgrada u ovom dijelu Europe – “Avaz Twist Tower”, uvrštena je među 10 najljepših građevina u svijetu prema izboru specijalne komisije kompanije”Schuco”, najvećeg svjetskog proizvođača staklenih i aluminijskih fasada.

Sarajevo -Avaz Twist Tower

7. I nešto iz Švedske: Turning Torso iz Malmea, visok 190 m, 2. po visini stambena zgrada u Europi.

Turning Torso, Malme

Aula das nove da manhã até às quatro tarde, homework, muitos lugares novos pra conhecer, preguiça, cansaço e temperaturas entre zero e oito graus, mas sensação negativa (sim, o frio tem culpa na minha lentidão), resultaram em um blog desatualizado. Mas, antes tarde do que nunca, bem-vindos ao meu SuperCorridoOcupado dia a dia em Toronto.

Hoje, o post vai ser diferente. Deixo pra vocês apenas tópicos do que foram os meus primeiros 14 dias na maior cidade do Canadá.

1. Eu agradeço muito por não ver alimentos asiáticos no meu prato. Os MacDonald são tudo de melhor na cozinha (em se tratando de Canadá, é claro). Carne, batata, massa, sopa, tomate, pão, manteiga, queijo, iogurte, cookies, café, chá, chocolate quente, sorvete, tortas. Simplesmente, um milhão de vezes melhor do que a comida da casa dos Chow, em Vancouver.

2. A ILSC daqui é a mesma lenga lenga da de Vancouver. Tem nome, mas não é bem o que dizem. Eu, muito pentelha e crítica que sou, meto pau em quase tudo que se refere a estudo, ainda mais se for de qualidade inferior à esperada. O bom de estar aqui é que dá pra pegar muita fluência pra falar, sem precisar pensar antes de conversar com alguém, e treinar muito bem o ouvido pra diferentes sotaques, já que aqui, além de canadense (DÃ!), dá de tudo: britânico, italiano, suíço, mexicano, espanhol, português, brasileiro, francês, suíço, colombiano, venezuelano, chinês, japonês, coreano e sei lá o que mais. O pior de entender é o sotaque dos asiáticos. Eles não sabem pronunciar a letra L! Beutiful é beautifuR e Carolina é CaroRina. Que nervoso!

3. A minha aula é preparatória pra prova de FCE (First Certificate in English) da Universidade de Cambridge e, por isso, é bem mais puxada que as outras, mas ainda assim não é tudo de bom. Eu fico doida da vida quando não existe explicação pra gramática de inglês, que é mil vezes mais fácil do que a de português e, ainda assim, é difícil. Detalhe: estrangeiro costuma saber gramática melhor do que nativo. Isso porque, enquanto a gente aprende que o sujeito tem que concordar com o verbo e qual a função de cada tempo verbal, eles têm aula de literatura. Aqui, ninguém estuda língua inglesa como nós estudamos língua portuguesa.

4. Enquanto Vancouver é muito muito muito linda por conta da quantidade de natureza ao redor, o charme de Toronto se encontra na mescla constante de prédios antigos e modernos, muitos shoppings (um deles tem cinco andares – dois abaixo da terra) e muitos museus. É completamente diferente do que experimentei na Costa Oeste do Canadá, mas é tão legal quanto. Ainda é impossível definir qual das duas eu prefiro.

5. Apesar de mais antigo, o transporte público é mais eficiente do que o de Vancouver. O subway vai de norte a sul e de leste a oeste, e a maioria dos ônibus sai de dentro de cada estação do metrô. Além disso, ainda têm os famosos “street cars”, bondes elétricos que dividem o espaço com os carros nas principais avenidas. E a história de que mal dá tempo de sentir frio é verdade. Todos os meios de transporte são equipados com heater e, por isso, é um calor de matar. Assim que entro no metrô, tiro o casaco pra não correr o risco de desmaiar no meio daquele monte de gente ensardinhada.

6. Até então, Downtown é a parte que eu mais gosto de ir. Tem uma quantidade quase que sem fim de lugares pra conhecer, várias opções de comida (canadense – ou seja, ovo frito, batata frita, hambúrguer e baicon -, mexicana, asiática, grega, árabe, italiana etc), todas as lojas que tu pode pensar em precisar e, o melhor de tudo, é um espetáculo pra quem aprecia a sobreposição de arquitetua antiga com nova. Vou pra lá todos os dias, mas não me canso de erguer a cabeça pra admirar os prédios.

7. Aqui, mais do que em Vancouver, todos os meus amigos são do Brasil. Não adianta! Por mais que eu percorra o mundo e encontre gente de tudo que é lugar, ninguém é receptivo como brasileiro. Fala sério! Eu não tenho paciência pra tentar fazer amizade com gente que não dá abertura, que não se esforça pra conversar. Estou sempre disposta a puxar papo com pessoas de qualquer nacionalidade, mas, se eles não tão nem aí pros recém chegados, eu é que não vou ficar insistindo na conviência. Se catar! Tenho mais o que fazer!

8. Falando em convivência, eu não suporto (juro!) o suíço que está na mesma casa que eu. A simpatia, demonstrada logo que eu cheguei, desapareceu da noite pro dia. Gente, imaginem um cara que fala francês (sim, já é cheio por natureza), que fuma, que é feio, que se veste com roupas mais feias ainda, que passa gel no cabelo (por sinal, não sei se ele é moreno, loiro ou ruivo), que, em um mês e meio de Toronto, ainda não conhece lugar algum, porque não faz nada além de ir pra aula e frequentar pubs ou festas nas sextas e sábados à noite, e que, pra completar, não mantém um diálogo por mais de cinco segundos com qualquer membro da família da MacDonald ou comigo! No mínimo, ele é detestável!

9. Niagara Falls é a queda d`água mais entusiasmante que eu vi na vida. É inacreditável como a natureza é perfeita e como uma coisa espetacular dessas existe a apenas alguns quilômetros de distância de onde eu estou. É muito boa a sensação de passar pertinho daquele monte de água que cai sem parar! Se eu pudesse, voltaria muitas vezes. Assim como Rocky Mountains e Victoria, é uma viagem pra entrar na lista do top 10 do Canadá.

10. Na CN Tower, a uma altura de 346 metros, vi Toronto inteirinha. Linda de morrer, com prédios imensos cortando as nuvens mais baixas, e os raios de sol refletindo nas águas do Ontario Lake. Não subi até a parte mais alta de observação, cem metros a mais, porque tinha que pagar 15 dólares extra e a vista seria quase a mesma. Não me xinguem! No exterior, 15 dólares a mais faz diferença!

11. Depois de frequentar os parques perfeitos de Vancouver, acho que vai ser difícil achar algo parecido em Toronto. Até agora, só visitei o High Park, que não ofereceu nada além de muita árvore, alguns matos e laguinhos ao redor de trilhas embarradas. De qualquer forma, como foi a única coisa menos boa até agora, não tenho grandes queixas.

12. Amanhã, vou conhecer o Bruno, que é primo-irmão do meu avô e mora em Toronto há 44 anos. A última vez que os dois se encontraram, se não me engano, foi no final da década de 80. Apesar da distância, o contato permance. Até hoje, eles se falam por telefone algumas vezes no ano. Meu vozinho querido está morrendo de alegria e ansioso por mim. É muito legal saber que ele vai ficar orgulhoso quando eu contar sobre o encontro!

13. Daqui dez dias, é meu aniversário. É a primeira vez que vou comemorar longe de casa, da família e dos amigos. Vai ser estranho, mas vai ser diferente. Vamo que vamo! Estou de boa!

14. Fotos e vídeos de tudo o que eu contei estão aquiiiii.

I love Toronto. There are too many things I love about the city. The people, the environment, and just the whole city overall. Although I do hate the business of it some times, but that doesnt hold me back from anything.
Here’s a photo I took on my trip there last year. I went about 5 times, at least, this summer but I never really had the chance to roam and take pictures. But I was going through all my old pics today and came upon my Toronto pictures which held a lot of good memories!
I like this picture a lot. As Hash said, “It’s exactly how people see the tower everyday.” Which is true. But I wonder to myself how much the tower gets recognized after awhile of living there. I mean, even the last few times I visited, I didnt even really pay much attention to it anymore. I guess it wears off after a while. But we always have to learn to appreciate what’s around us. That tower IS Toronto.
Before I end this entry, that beautiful HDR shot believe it or not, is not actually an HDR. One specific photo in flickr caught my eye and really surprised me when I found out there was a secret to it. It was a faked HDR. So it got me curious as to whats the best way to make these “fake HDR” images. I found the best way but I’m going to share that in another entry. Til next time. Cheers.

Lately, we’ve been thinking about how amazing our world is…even the stuff that’s not natural…check out the Seven Man-Made Wonders of the Modern World:

The Empire State Building

The Itaipu Dam

The CN Tower

The Panama Canal

The Channel Tunnel

The Delta North Sea Protection Works

The Golden Gate Bridge

And now, check out what else man has made in the modern world:

Let’s not let this happen anymore.  Save electronics from landfills and help those in need at the same time.

You tell us who to send money to, and we will.  You send us your old cell phone or laptop, and we’ll recycle it.

We can make a difference.

Aterrissei em um mar de prédios banhado pelo Ontario Lake! Toronto é tão tão tão gigante que não se enxerga o final da cidade quando o avião está prestes a pousar.

No meio de tanto concreto, o destaque é a CN Tower, a mais alta construção das Américas, com 553. 33 metros. Apesar de imensa, ela não pode ser vista de qualquer parte de Toronto. Pra quem estiver em Downtown ou regiões próximas, entretanto, basta procurar uma agulha acima de qualquer outro edifício. Eis a monstruosa.

Tá, mas antes de continuar com as novidades daqui, deixa eu contar os momentos finais em Vancouver. Não aconteceu nada de muito diferente, mas foram dias de correria. Passei a semana toda indo em lojas com a Amanda, que precisava comprar presente pra Deus e o mundo, organizando as tralhas e me despedindo das pessoas.

Seguindo à regra da maioria das mulheres do planeta, comecei a arrumar a mala com cinco dias de antecedência. Isso porque, além de ter que pensar em uma estratégia pra fazer caber tudo, separei roupas e calçados de verão, livros, materiais da escola e até um presente pro pai e pra mãe pra mandar pra Porto Alegre através de navio. Custou caro, mas, se eu tivesse que pagar excesso de peso no aeroporto seria mais dinheiro ainda. No final, a mala grande ficou exatamente no limite permitido em vôos domésticos.

Na quinta, pra me despedir de alguns dos amigos que conheci em Vancouver, fui no Aubar, a festa mais badalada pelos estudantes estrangeiros. Definitivamente, é um lugar onde todas as nacionalidades se encontram. Além da presença do pessoal mais querido e chegado, foi justamente a mistura de gente de tudo quanto é canto do mundo que deixou a noite divertida e engraçada. O estilo de dançar de cada um fez valer cada segundo. Poucas vezes, vi tanta coreografia maluca.

Na sexta, o último dia oficial, foi muito triste dar tchau pra Amanda, a melhor e mais especial pessoa que eu encontrei no Canadá. Começamos as aulas juntas, passamos os melhores momentos juntas e fomos embora de Vancouver praticamente juntas (diferença de horário de vôo apenas). A gente nem sabe como se conheceu ou como começou o convívio diário. A única coisa que a gente lembra é que, em um belo dia, fomos almoçar pizza e nunca mais nos desgrudamos. Dividimos alegrias, risos, piadas, saudades, raivas e medos durante três meses. O tempo foi pouco, mas suficiente pra afirmar que eu vou pra Brasília o mais rápido que eu puder só pra rever essa nanica. Fora que os causos da família dela, os Alves de Sousa, rendem muitas páginas pra um livro. Dei tanta risada ao ouvir as indiadas dessa gente, que fiquei com vontade de retratar nas minhas próprias palavras.

Ainda na sexta, continuando com o clima de despedida, fui jogar boliche com os Chow. O lugar era cheio de entretenimento, com telão exibindo clips de música, TV`s passando cenas de filmes e várias máquinas de jogos como as que se encontram em fliperamas brasileiros. Tudo ambientado por luminárias coloridas, brilhantes e giratórias.

O Benjamin e o Nathaniel, porque eram pequenos, tinham o direito de usar um suporte pra deslizar a bola até os pinos. Sempre que acertavam, corriam pra comemorar comigo ou com a Pearl e com o Michael. Muito amados! Falando em Michael, o cara brinca de ser profissional. Joga tão bem que eu até estranhava quando ele não fazia strike.

Abaixo, algumas fotos dos dois pestinhas que, por mais que não me deixassem dormir aos sábados e aos domingos porque começavam a correr, a pular e a berrar às oito da manhã, admito que foram uma boa diversão dentro de casa. Como toda criança, eles davam alegria ao ambiente, se expressavam de um jeito engraçado e bolavam teorias curiosas do mundo infantil.

Ok, agora já posso voltar pra Toronto.

Tudo começou melhor do que eu esperava. Na real, quando se vai pra casa de quem não se conhece nem dá pra ter muita expectativa. Dessa vez, porém, era diferente. Eu tinha referência sobre a família e sabia que eles seriam, no mínimo, gente boa. As poucas horas de convivência, no próprio sábado, quando eu cheguei, serviram pra mostrar que eles são mais que isso. Um casal lá pelos 60, 60 e poucos anos, gordinhos, simpáticos e bem receptivos. Coisa fofa! Dá até vontade de esmagar!

Quem conversa mais, dá instruções sobre o sistema da casa (comparando com os Chow, aqui quase não tem regra), como fazer pra ir em determinados lugares etc e tal é a Maureen. No domingo à tarde, ela me levou pra um tour de referência e localização. Aqui na redondeza, passamos por toda a orla do Ontario Lake, pelas principais avenidas e por alguns parques. Antes de voltar, ela me mostrou as opções de ônibus e as estações de trem pra fazer o caminho de ida e volta do centro tanto durante o dia quanto à noite.

Sobre o George, deu pra notar que não fala tanto, mas, quando fala, tenta sempre ser divertido e largar uma piadinha. Eu recém tinha chegado e ele já veio com essa: “Brasileiro não gosta muito de festa. Nem sei por que eles passam mais tempo em pub e nightclub do que dentro de casa”. Ah, e ele é muito orgulhoso do tal de “apple souce” que ele mesmo faz. Ofereceu pra eu provar e, quando eu disse que tinha gostado, ele respondeu: “Sim, eu que fiz”. Talvez, pra quem lê, soe como um ar de superioridade, mas eu garanto que não. O tom de voz denuncia que ele quer é fazer palhaçada mesmo.

Domingo à noite, aconteceu a comemoração do feriado de Thanksgiving que, na Amércia do Norte, é uma data tão simbólica como o Natal. Tradicionalmente, as famílias se reúnem pra uma comilança sem tamanho. Só não tem troca de presente. O encontro foi na casa de um dos filhos (eles têm cinco) com a presença de todas as noras, os genros e os netos (mais cinco, sendo que um é mais lindo do que o outro). Foi bom pra conversar, ser apresentada pra toda a família de uma vez só e comer comida muito boa. Em três meses em Vancouver, eu só experimentei comida ruim. Em três dias em Toronto, eu só provei comida boa. Espero que seja o fim das gororobas sem sal, sem gosto e nojentas que eu fui obrigada a comer na homestay dos Chow.

Ah, antes que eu esqueça. Aqui na casa, tem um estudante da Suíça. Pelos primeiros dias de conviência, ele parece ser legal. Até agora, demonstrou que quer me levar em alguns lugares interessantes da cidade e me enturmar com o pessoal que ele conhece. Não sei se é porque eu recém cheguei e porque os amigos dele voltaram pros respectivos países ou se ele é bacana mesmo. O tempo vai mostrar. Não sou de criar grandes expectativas com pessoas que eu não conheço.

Eu ainda não consegui fotografar quase nada por aqui aqui, mas farei em breve. Enquanto isso, apreciem a minha nova rua, o meu novo lar e o meu novo quarto.

Well, é isso. Amanhã começo a nova maratona de aulas rumo ao FCE (First Certificate in English). Diferentemente de Vancouver, terei aula das nove da manhã até às quatro da tarde. Espero que sirva pra me ajudar na preparação, afinal, FCE fucks my life.

party in canada-land, technically

after we left chicago, we drove and drove and drove and drove. after what felt like a lifetime (there was a lot of construction in michigan), we finally made it to the canadian border- where we were detained! apparently swinging by canada in the middle of a cross-country road trip is very suspect. instead of passing go, we had to pull of to another area, answer more questions and get our passports screened. it wasn’t that bad but it sucked because we were exhausted and just wanted to get to toronto.

anyway…tom and i told them our life stories, passed inspection *phew* and were on our merry way. after a brief but necessary nap at a rest stop, we eventually made it to our hotel at 4AM. needless to say, we crashed immediately.

waking up the next morning was torture…but i was excited to see toronto! we ate breakfast at the hotel and set out to explore toronto.

first stop la tour cn!

this is the only pic i have of the outside of the tower- i didn’t take as many pics in canada- i’m blaming it on being sleep deprived!

the view:

tres belle!

you can see the shadow of the tower in this pic:

the cn tower is the world’s tallest tower- but not necessarily the tallest building or structure cus i guess there are all these things that differentiate all of them…basically, it’s just really really tall. it also has a glass floor which is pretty neat. a small section of the 113th floor has a few glass panels that you can stand on top of. they supposedly can hold the weight of 14 hippos. there were all these kids jumping up and down on the glass floor, but i thought i was going to throw up after putting one foot on it. ahh- to be young and fearless again

after checking out the cn tower, tommy and i were hungry! i wanted to explore another part of the city so we walked to kensington market in search of a lunch spot.

we passed through chinatown on the way. it was HUGE and so crowded…i was impressed. kabocha seemed to be the hot ticket item at the stands…it made me think of you guys!

kensington market was so freakin’ cool! tons of food stands, eclectic shops, vintage boutiques, trendy eateries, and crazy people. all my favorite things in one funky lil’ area! i loved it so much. the area kinda reminded me of being on melrose ave. i wished i could call up my lil’ sis to go shopping- she is my thrifting & eating partner-in-crime. must return with her someday!

sorry- wish i had more pics!

it was so hard to choose one place to eat! there were also so many restaurants and cafes that caught my eye including a pie shop, tons of vegan/vegetarian spots, crepes, and an empanada restaurant. after much debate, tom and i had lunch at nirvana which was a zen-y hipster restaurant/bar/lounge.

the menu was mostly asian fusion…but they had some “tom friendly” foods too. he got a grilled cheese and caesar salad, and i got chicken vermicelli. the bowl came with vermicelli noodles, chicken, nuoc mam (sweet and sour sauce), shredded lettuce, pickled veggies, and chopped peanuts. you pour the sauce over the noodles, mix it all up- and enjoy! while nirvana’s version was good, it didn’t come close to what you’d get in a real vietnamese restaurant.

their drinks sounded amazing though. unfortunately, i was too tired to drink. i guess a week on the road had finally caught up with me…as much as i wanted a cocktail…it would have been all: cut to me on the floor because drinking while tired just knocks me out! (btw, thanks to anyone and everyone who has ever had to carry me home.)

after lunch, we explored more of kensington market before heading back to our car which was an adventure in itself.

next stop: the home stretch!

thank you so much for following along on the road trip! it has been so much fun going thru the pics and sharing it with you guys! and just to clarify…i’m back in MA…these are just recaps…not “real-time” blogging…just thought i’d remind you guys since my friend (hi oppa!) called to ask where the hell i was right now! final recap tomorrow…stay tuned

We booked our flights, a day earlier than we had planned because they were cheap cheap – $28/pp, with taxes it came to $110 for BOTH Andrew and I to fly, can’t complain about that! So now we have to jam pack in all the remaining sights.

National Gallery of Victoria

The first action packed days starts at the National Gallery of Victoria in the Yarra river district.  This is a beautiful area of town for a stroll.  Situated beside the Yarra river there are a number of shops, markets, museums, and theatres all along a beautiful walkway.  We spend about 3 hours at the museum and this doesn’t even include the Salvatore Dali exhibit which is showing its last day here.  Tickets are already sold out, but it’s ok because we didn’t know about it anyways!

Rialto Towers

Next off for a bit of a stroll around the Yarra district as we make our way to the Rialto towers.  This is the tallest residential building in the southern hemisphere at 88 stories high.  We make our way up the speeding elevator to the top for a 360 degree view of Melbourne.  It’s a beautiful clear day and we get great views of the city.  Still not as tall as the CN Tower in Canada of course!

Next off to win (or lose) so travelling money at the Crown Casino just down the street.  Turns out it was not our lucky day, we lost $60 bucks total and decided to throw in the towel, and head home after a busy day.

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, Toronto’s all-night contemporary art thing, took place last night in the heart of downtown Toronto.  Nuit Blanche is an all-night art festival that originated in Paris in 2002, but have since been adopted by many other cities around the globe.  This is Toronto’s fourth Nuit Blanche, and my first time attending.

I got off the subway at Yonge and Dundas square, that’s usually where all the action is.  And I was right.  I don’t remember when was the last time I saw this many souls packed in one place.  Many streets were closed off for pedestrians, and you know something big’s going on when that happens in Toronto.

For the rest of the photos, I’ll be naming the artwork, the artist, and possibly my person opinion on that piece.  Enjoy!

Rabbit Ballon by Jeff Koons.

It brought out the kid in all of us.  One of my two favourite pieces.

Ice Queen: Glacial Retreat Dress Tent by Cara Spooner, Robin Lasser, and Adrienne Pao.

The “SEARS” backdrop killed this piece.

The old City Hall, just across the street from the new one.

Hey Dave! by Dave Clarke, Chris Hanney, Morgan Russell, Sandi Becker, and Jen Cameron.

Who’s Dave?  Reading the excerpt from the guide reveals that they wanted participants to “take a stand against society’s ever increasing technological addiction by ignoring their cellphones and making friends the old fashioned way.”

Not sure about you, but I still make many friends the old fashioned way.

Funky looking crew.  It was hilarious, I couldn’t stop laughing.  ^^

Beautiful Light: 4 Letter Word Machine by D. A. Therrien.

Suspended 65 meters in the air between the Toronto City Hall towers, the four 7-metre square alphanumeric quartz lamp arrays will display codes, DNA sequences and elemental words.

You had to be there to see how amazing the environment was.  And yes, this is the second of my two favourite pieces.

I had some other four letter words in my mind when I saw this. ^^;;

Not sure why Coke missed out on the chance to advertise their products here…DIET…COKE…ZERO…

The air was filled with excitement when everyone started shouting the words that appeared on the lights between the towers.  Everyone would *sigh in disappointment* when the lights went off.

Ghost Chorus – Dirge for Dead Slang by Katie Bethune-Leamen.

They were supposed to be glow-in-the-dark costumes…but they didn’t glow at all.

Fire-eating side show.  The guy on the left is an audience member.  This was not a commissioned show.

Pwn the Wall by Graffiti Research Lab.

I was wondering why this car got pulled over…then realized that they were going the wrong way on a one way street.

Monopoly with Real Money by Iain Baxter&.  Epic!!

Unlikely combinations of media personalities, financiers and developers vie for prize properties in an uncertain investment climate – all played in cold, hard cash.

Not really that great of an art piece, but the thought of playing Monopoly with real money is rather amusing.  I’m sure we’ve all thought about it some time in our lives.

FREE!!  Free rides and cotton candy!!

Wild Ride by Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan.

Located in the heart of Toronto’s financial district…

Two midway rides reflect the whirling, tilting exhilaration of the bull market and its less than thrilling collapse.  Free to the public and staffed by recently downsized businesspeople, the rides invite audience members to kinetically contemplate the ups and downs of the recent economic crisis.

Gone Indian by Rebecca Belmore.

Loads of pennies on the floor for this piece.  At least a hundred dollars worth!

Witches’ Cradles by the Center for Tactical Magic.

This lobby if Brookfield Place is absolutely stunning.  I’ve always wanted to take a picture of this place, and I finally have an excuse to take one yesterday. ^^

How would you like to sleep in one of these blindfolded?

Stepping into the cathedral-like space, visitors encounter a line of “witches’ cradles” suspended from the ceiling.  Originally used to punish those accused of witchcraft in the Middle Ages, these gently swaying pods were later reclaimed by witches and used to induce prophetic visions.

Huge line up for the portable toilets…

But it was actually an exhibition called 10 scents by Chih-Chien Wang.

He must have a great sense of humour to do something like this. ^^

Imminent Departure by Heather Nicol.

Dislocated from her home in New York after the events of September 11th, Heather Nicol’s work reflects on the vicissitudes of memory, loss and desire.

Bright Lights Big City by Ryan Stec.

The CN Tower pulses from dusk to dawn in sync with a radio broadcast.

This explains why the lights on the CN Tower was pulsing and spinning around…

I just covered a fraction of the exhibitions and art pieces in this post.  For more information on the event, you should head over to their official website.

Não dá pra ir a Toronto e não subir ao topo da CN TOWER!! É uma torre com mais de 550 metros de altura!! Ela só não é a maior torre do mundo porque em Dubai construiram uma um pouquinho maior!! Mas ainda assim, a CN Tower tem o mais alto observatório, o Sky Pod, que nos permite observar a cidade a uma altura de 447m!! Mas o mais legal é sem dúvida o Glass Floor, que é a primeira parada do elevador na torre e dá pra andar sobre vidros, ou seja, a gente anda e olha a cidade abaixo dos nossos pés!! Dá um frio na barriga inexplicável!!!!

Algumas pessoas se deitavam nesse chão de vidro pra tirar fotos…como toda turista-moleca que sou, claro que eu também deitei!! Mas isso sim dá medo!!! Não fiquei nem 5 segundos e  já levantei correndo!!!

Na parte mais alta que podemos chegar (447 m) dá uma sensação de movimento da torre, pois venta muito lá em cima!! Mas fala sério, se chegou até o Glass Floor, sobe mais um pouquinho, né??? A vista é maravilhosa!! Dá pra ver como a cidade é perfeitinha, como foram cuidadosamente construídos cada quarteirão, cada parque, cada avenida!!!

OBS: Ao clicar na foto, ela abre em tamanho maior!!

Outro lugar lindo de se conhecer é o Harbourfront! É como se fosse uma ilha, já que o único meio de se chegar lá é atravessando um dos grandes lagos de Toronto!! (Lake Ontario). É lindo, relaxante e muitas famílias fazem pic-nics lá e aproveitam a “praia”!!!

O Harbourfront é um lugar pra se passar o dia em paz com a vida! Silencioso, harmonioso e revigorante!! Tem pista pra caminhadas, pra andar de patins e bicicleta! Playground pras crianças, lagos que a gente pode alimentar patinhos, alugar caiaque, restaurantes, jardins botânicos, enfim, é como se fosse uma pequena cidade dentro do lago de Toronto!!!

E do outro lado olhando para a cidade…..olha ela lá!! A imponente CN Tower! Ela é tão alta que dá pra vê-la de qualquer parte de Toronto!!!

CN Tower: It was a good run.

TORONTO LIKES TO consider itself “world class.” As the rest of Canada keeps a careful eye trained on the nation’s largest city – seemingly always ready to attack T.O. for being arrogant and self-centered, uptight and stressed-out, cold and impersonal etc. – Toronto looks farther afield in search of validation. Indeed, it seeks affirmation that it’s counted among the world’s top cities.

So it’s no small matter that Toronto’s 34-year-old landmark, the CN Tower, recently lost its Guinness Book of World Records designation as the “tallest free-standing structure.” That distinction now belongs to the 816-metre Burj Dubai.

For the moment, Toronto’s iconic 553-metre needle still has a claim to fame: world’s tallest freestanding tower. Sadly, this won’t last long. In the next two years, two buildings – the Tokyo Sky Tree in Japan and the Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower in China – will bump the CN Tower off, leaving it with only a couple of other rather dubious claims: the highest wine cellar (the tower has a revolving restaurant in its observation deck) and the tallest free-standing concrete tower.

Ah well, things change, nothing stays the same, and three decades is a good run for the CN Tower. Anyway, I’m not sure building a bigger skyscraper means that much these days.

In Asia and the Middle East, massive towers seem to pop up every year with little fanfare. Indeed, nine of the 10 tallest skyscrapers currently under development are in that part of the world; only one, the new World Trade Center in New York, is in North America.

That’s great for them, but it just doesn’t seem to generate the same excitement as, say, the competition between the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building back in the 1930s, when New Yorkers waited with bated breath to see which would ultimately prevail as the tallest (the Empire State Building, 102 storeys).

I wonder if these places will view their new towers with pride or indifference. I’m more inclined to think big buildings have lost their cachet. After all, what’s so great about some super-tall skyscraper if it’s overtaken the next year by an even taller one?

Burj: Bigger, harder – but won't last as long.

And let’s be honest: there are serious phallic undertones in all this building-size talk. Think about it: Toronto has long boasted about our big tower. But now we’re being made to look and feel inadequate by a city that’s well-endowed with an even bigger one, the Burj Dubai – a structure made of steel, therefore harder than the CN Tower, too.

Considering the rate at which tower records crumble nowadays, though, at least we can take comfort in one thing: the Burj won’t last as long.

ryan@roadtostarrdom.com