little a

Goodbye Babe

2011-10-13T14:36:00.006-04:00

*Brace yourself because once you read this you are going to be very sad.

I lost a great friend yesterday.

This time last year my dad brought this little guy into our family.

Mr. Quincy was a very energetic miniature long haired dachshund (wiener dog). I had the opportunity shortly after his arrival to take care of him while my dad went to Mexico. I loved that little man. Every time I'd come home I'd yell "Hiiii BABE" and he'd get so excited, wag his little furry tail and jump all over me. I shortly after moved out of my dad's house and only saw the little guy for short visits on weekends but I always came in and said "Hiii BABE."

Yesterday I received some upsetting early morning news that Quincy had escaped the backyard the night before and had not been seen since. Growing up I had a little westy named Rascal and she used to get out of the backyard all the time but we always found her. Because of this I wasn't very alarmed, I figured we'd find him.

But by 4pm I had received the news that broke my heart. My dad found my little babe's lifeless body in the ravine behind the house, laying on his back just like he wanted his belly rubbed. Dad scooped up his little body and brought him to the vet to see what happened and the vet said the little guy was covered in bite marks. He must have been attacked by a raccoon or another animal living nearby.

I feel like this little guy needs to be remembered, he was such a treasure even though his time on this planet was brief. My eyes are tearing even as I write this because I feel like its unfair for someone so innocent to be taken so fast and so cruelly. It makes me feel helpless too, maybe I could have helped or prevented this.

If you are in tears with me, I'm so sorry. I warned you that you would be sad. But please just take a moment to remember this happy guy. He would've gotten excited to meet you :)

Happy Helping

2011-08-24T16:13:00.008-04:00

It seems, my friends, that I've entered that time in my life where important steps are being taken by those all around me. Everyday a new friend is getting married, or getting pregnant. Now I have to say its not my time in the spotlight yet, but I love being a part of my friends special days in any way I can.

I've started helping a few friends make things for their events and I've really enjoyed the process and the outcome. Here are a few of the designs I have done.

This is a ticket for my friend Joanne's Jack and Jill. I love making Jack and Jill tickets. They always have such fun themes and are a great way to connect in a less formal setting with friends before the wedding. This ticket had a perforated raffle ticket on the bottom too for a door prize.

This is a mommy-to-be advice card that I made for my friend Ashley's baby shower. She doesn't know if she's having a boy or a girl so I didn't make the colours and imagery gender specific. I thought the birds were sweet.

Neglectful

2011-08-24T12:57:00.003-04:00

I have been a bad blogger and have fallen victim to the evil procrastination disease. There are so many posts past due now. So many updates in my lifethat are so far behind me they aren't worth mentioning. I'm going to take a cue I recently got from Hemingway and that is just to write one true thing. This I hope will help me get back on my blogging feet. So today I found this print. And it truly inspired me. I think I might have to buy it.

Its by Nazario Graziano. You can check out more of his stuff at the link. I love the colours and the simplicity. I've been trying to paint some art to hang in my condo. I could never create anything like this but so far I'm working on painting out some of the lyrics to my favourite songs. I'll post them when I'm done.

Nikolski

2010-07-22T22:54:00.004-04:00

Last year a read a book called Fruit. It was a very unique story about a 13 year old boy from Sarnia who is gay, obsessed with Brooke Sheilds, and his nipples talk to him. I know this sounds really strange but it was a fantastic book. It kept you on your toes, you really felt for this poor boy and how hard it was for him to not be like everyone else.

Anyways, asside from the interesting title, I purchased this book because it was the 2009 CBC Canada Reads Selection. So when the 2010 CBC choice came out, Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner, I was constantly passing it on the shelves, wondering if I should give it a chance as I did Fruit.

Now I did purchase this book, read it cover to cover and I have to say I didn't like it at all. Basically its a long winded story about three people who's lives are connected through family and/or circumstances but don't necessarily meet. The story seemed to not have a point, and if it did then I missed it completely. I'm not the best reader of material that has symbolic meanings but most of the time I can at least catch a glimpse. I was very confused so I googled some reviews. Here is what I found:

(chapters.ca) Bahram Olfati:

"Nikolski, reminds me of those storys. Thestory covers ten years in the lives of three young characters. Over the course of the novel, which takes us across Canada, the three characters converge on Montreal, where their paths will cross again and again without ever allowing them to guess what really unites them. The novel also asks the reader questions on the importance of family identity, heritage, fish migration, and the nature of destiny and ambition. All these elements come together and their meaning is revealed gradually as the story unfolds. The novel will make you smile, and will remain with you for some time after you’ve finished the story."

(ummm what? The meaning of fish migration?)

(Chapters.ca) Ariel:

"Nikolski" is full of magical symbols: a Nikolski compass forever pointing somewhere away from the true north, an old three-headed book that passed through many hands and mishaps eternally remaining as one unicum (a word I actually learned from reading "Nikolski": a book that is only a single known copy in the whole world), and garbage, as rejects that had come to carry their own weight in the world. Among all these symbols, we followed the life of two characters who live their days in parallel to each other without once realizing their own hidden connections. I was thrown by the trick that the author did to introduce a mysterious first person narrator in the first chapter and then hide him until a long while through the book. I was confused for the first three chapters in my feeble attempt to work out the convoluted (more or less because a lot of them were unrelated and unimportant to the story line later on) list of characters. Surprise. Nevertheless, "Nikolski" is an interesting read.

(okay, I see a little bit of relevance to some of the symbolism but only because of this teacher-like description. Sorry Nikolski I didn't want to dissect you that hard)

And with that I toss Nikolski two fish bones out of 5. And that is only because I like the cover design.

Summer at Tiffany: a Memoir by Marjorie Hart

2010-07-22T21:29:00.003-04:00

Iowa University students, Marjorie Hart and her best friend Marty decide in the summer of 1945 to set out to New York City and get summer jobs. With no luck finding any openings at any of their favourite department stores, the girls (on a whim) apply at Tiffany & Co. and end up getting positions as the first female pages. Fancy jobs like these don’t come without a price though, it only paid $20.00 a week. But these two girls had the summer of a lifetime. And memories are priceless.

This book was like a time machine. Marjorie’s description of her summer is captivating. It amazes me what she experienced during her summer – Eisenhower’s Parade, Truman’s announcement the Japanese have surrendered, a plane crashing into the Empire State Building and a close encounter with Judy Garland!

In the book are copies of Marjorie’s personal pictures and keepsakes from her summer in NY, there is even a photo of her paycheck from Tiffany. It’s so great to read a story and see photos from the exact situation that’s being described. Especially the photo of her and her date Jim. Her description did not do him justice. He was definitely a cutie.

Prepare yourself to fall in love with this book. Its like closing your eyes, snuggling up beside your grandmother as she tells you a story that takes you back in her shoes to a world you can only dream of. And if you’re like me, and can listen to music while you read, listen to Miss Ella Fitzgerald’s S’Wonderful and let the beauty of her voice take you farther away.

I give Summer at Tiffany 4 blue boxes out of 5. My jealousy keeps me from the 5th. :)

Kind Canadians

2010-07-05T22:01:00.006-04:00

So today downtown Toronto was hit with a blackout. Apparently a transformer station blew up around Kipling. And as usual, with part of the westbound subway not running and street lights being out all over the place, the city was in utter chaos. For those of you able to work late or avoid the problem entirely, my jealously literally radiated out of my body with the heat I experienced this afternoon.

So my journey home consisted of a 4o min subway ride in a moving sauna (SERIOUSLY TTC!! Fares up to 3 dollars a way and still subways with no AC?) which only got me to Dundas West, and then a 45 minute cab ride in a slowing rolling, smelly, hot box of hell.

Now aside from the travelling torture there is a bright side to my commuting tales. When I hit Jane Station, a few people flagged my cab down and I was more than happy to share it with fellow westbound travellers. They were so friendly. The woman actually insisted on paying my share of the fare. I mean, really, Canadians are so sweet. Its acts of kindness like this that just warms my heart. I wish I got her name to send some thanks to her but I didn't. Its amazing how sweet us Canadians can be some times. I just felt I had to share that with the world. Especially since the fare wasn't cheap, our jerk cab driver decided at the end of our journey to demand $10 a head, with the meter saying $26!

That aside, heres to being Canadian *Cheers

Oh, Yes I did!

2010-06-24T17:21:00.005-04:00

So on another one of my journeys through the world wide web I stumbled across this magnificent find. A Spock Barbie Doll!!! Now, for those of you who have known me for a while, you'll remember my obsession (deep obsession) with Barbies and now having that mixed with my main man *faints. Oh I'm definitely prospering today my friends, this bad boy was on SALE! $15!

LL&P

The Green Hornet - Trailer

2010-06-22T10:10:00.004-04:00

The trailer for the new Green Hornet movie debuted last night (see below). I'm not really sure how to feel about it. I can't figure out WHY Cameron Diaz has to be in everything! She isn't hot anymore and is truly ruining a lot of new movies for me. Also, I adore Seth Rogen but I think he's a little soft and squishy for a super hero. As a whole, I think this movie lacks the testicles that Iron Man possesses and will probably be a renter for me.

Jew and Improved

2010-06-15T22:05:00.000-04:00

For as long as I can remember I have had a fascination with Judaism. I am just in love with the spirituality, community, humour, attractiveness and basically everything that is involved with being jewish.

I ran into this book on one of my frequent trips to chapters and it seemed right up my alley. Its Benjamin Errett's story of when he converted to judaism for his wife. Not only did this book teach me a lot about the jewish faith but it was pretty darn funny too.

Errett's wife is an illustrator and designed the cover and also illustrated the chapters. I have to say this book's title and cover design made it quite the head turner on the subway.

Now to be honest this story is not the most riveting thing I have ever read. But I learned from it what I hoped and that was to get a better glimpse at what converting to Judaism is all about. Now if I could only find my jew in shining yamaka, then maybe I can get the ball rolling.

For an example of Errett's humour see his Bubby Blurb below:

Bubby Blurbs #1 from jew & improved on Vimeo.

Bang ON!!!

2010-05-25T20:16:00.006-04:00

Just wondering if any of you think its a coincidence Sheldon Cooper's new potential love interest goes by the name of Amy...

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm ......

Much Better :)

Worthy Note: Arkells

2010-05-25T18:52:00.008-04:00

(Arkells / Them Crooked Vultures Show @ACC)

My new favourite band is the Arkells. I have to say that my love for them has grown and they are now situated in my top ten list of besties. My friend Rajiv game me their CD about 2 years ago and I'll admit it wasn't love at first listen. It wasn't until I gave their album Jackson Square a solid thorough listen, that songs like "Oh, the Boss is coming!" appealed to my head and heart. They are witty, smart and have thought provoking and relatable lyrics.

I saw them live at Edgefest last summer but considering my friends and I were very preoccupied with the rain, mud and beer I didn't get the full effect. Later that year on my birthday I saw them again at Lee's Palace. And my heart stopped beating. They put on a great show and are extremely talented guys. Maybe it was the beer talking but I was convinced the lead singer was giving me loving looks. ha ha. Maybe he just has that kind of face.

(Max's "Love Eyes")

Recently they opened for Them Crooked Vultures at the ACC, which I attended. I was much more excited and involved in their performance than I was TCV. TCV got a little boring after a while, I'll admit it. But it was a great show. Here is some footage!

The Forgotten Garden

2010-05-07T15:14:00.012-04:00

I few weeks ago a friend of mine caught me off guard by asking me what my favourite book was. My first reaction was that this would be an easy answer considering the amount of books I read. But to be honest I had no response. I mentally went through my library and had nothing that stood out the same way my favourite shirt does. Then, I was roaming around Chapters and the book The Forgotten Garden caught my eye. After reading the gist of it, I was sold. I was looking for a lighter read after the darker books I had been reading and The Forgotten Garden was exactly what I was looking for on both agendas, it has taken top spot and lit my heart.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton is an amazing story of a four year old girl found alone on a wharf in Australia in 1913. She doesn't know who she is or where she came from, all she has as a reminder of her past is a book of fairytales. She is found by a man who adopts her into his family and names her Nell. On her 21st birthday her father reveals to her how he found her and that he is unsure of her past. Her whole life is changed but Nell doesn't begin her search of who she really is until 1975. Shortly after, her granddaughter Cassandra comes to live with her and she gives up her investigation to take care of her. In 2005, when Nell passes away, Cassandra learns her grandmother's secret and starts out to finish what Nell started.

After reading this book I am convinced that Kate Morton is one of the best writers I have read to date. Her book bounces between different times as she tells the stories of Nell's family in the early 1900s, Nell's discoveries in 1975 and then the present investigating of Cassandra in 2005. She writes it so well that I never felt confused or overwhelmed. She even wrote out some of the fairytales in Nell's books and they are very well written.

Please see the video below of Kate herself discussing the book and what inspired her to write it. And for anyone struggling with what to read next pick this up because you won't be disappointed. I'm going to give it 5 fairy tales out of 5.

South Park Prediction

2010-05-05T09:36:00.009-04:00

Although the show may be a little too rough around the edges for some people, South Park is one of the smartest animated shows on T.V today. Not only was the recent episode poking fun at the Tiger Woods fiasco eye-opening and gut busting, they followed up with a brilliantly funny look at how we have evolved due to social media sites like Facebook in their episode "You have 0 friends."

Today, I was floored when I stumbled upon Miley Cyrus's newly released music video for her song Can't be Tamed. In March 2008, around the time Britney Spears had her famous shaved head meltdown, South Park created an episode called "Britney's New Look." In this episode, the boys witness Britney's biggest meltdown when she shoots herself in the head. She survives but her head is reduced to only a jaw. We then find out that it is a country-wide conspiracy to get Britney to kill herself as a ritualistic sacrifice to improve the corn harvest and they were using the media to do it. It is a very sad interpretation of the media's impact on celebrities today. At the end of the episode their next sacrifice is revealed and it is none other than young Miley Cyrus.

It amazes me that this South Park view seems to now be coming true. Miley seems to be the successor to the Spears throne and she has taken her first very obvious step in that direction. Miley's new music video seems to share Spears' sound, sexiness and even dance moves. Also, her statements on the video seem to emulate Britney's when she took that "sexy leap."

"It is a sexy video, you can't take that away from it but it's not the premise … The video is not about being sexy or about who can wear less clothes. That's what every other video about. It's about explaining the song and living the lyrics... It's the first step to growing up but I think it's done the right way. I'm really proud of it."

This just proves, to me, the true brilliance of the show and if I was Miley I would take very good care of my hair.

Erostos Domenos Pretos! Hobibos Hoyivey doyemos!

To watch the South Park episode click here

BAZINGA!

2010-05-04T15:03:00.002-04:00

Big Bang Theory is probably my favourite show and this is my favourite scene to date. Oh the things I would do to Dr. Sheldon Cooper (insert girly sigh here).

Click Here to watch... stupid youtube disabled embedding.

Many Hands Make Light Work

2010-05-03T21:18:00.003-04:00

So I can finally check one thing off my bucket list. On April 28th, the advertising agency I work for, McDonnell Haynes, participated in a Habitat for Humanity Toronto build. I was a little nervous because I've never been a part of building a house before and wasn't really sure what to expect. What I found out was that they assign you to a task quickly, teach you and then instantly put you to work for the rest of the day. And it was HARD WORK.

My task was putting up drywall. I had no idea that installing drywall was such hard work. Maybe because I am used to cutting up foam core at work for mounting projects that I underestimated the weight of sheets of drywall. They are pretty damn heavy. My muscles the next day were furious with me. I know I sound like I'm complaining, its only natural for me considering I have never built anything bigger than a paper doll! But I had a great time, it was fun to wear plaid, a tool-belt and wield a drill like Mike Holmes. Plus, I learned a lot about building and it was for an amazing cause. I would do it again in a heart beat.

For more information on how to get involved with Habitat for Humanity Toronto please click here.

Here are a few pictures from the build too! Taken by Vanessa Galle

2010 Young Lions Winners

2010-04-29T10:21:00.013-04:00

So as you can probably tell, I didn't win or place in the Young Lions Competition this year. I'm not completely heart broken because I am really proud of the creative I produced. From the beginning of the whole process I said I didn't care if I lost as long as I respected the ones that did and unfortunately I don't think the winners are all that they are cracked up to be.

Now I don't want to sit here and sound like another negative ad criticizer, there are enough of those online (see adsoftheworld.com), and congrats to those that did win. Regardless of anyone's opinion your ads were recognized as the best of the bunch.

Here is my feedback on the winners. First of all I'm so confused by their gold choice. It seems to be more of an ad for dyslexia then parkinson's disease. The second place winner made me laugh a little because two years ago when I entered this contest the winner was a fake perfume ad and I think the third placed ad is the best of the three!

I had a great time competing in this contest. Whether it was the brainstorming process, the execution or the waiting for the results it was an exciting ride and I love what I produced. Luckily I'm only 25 so I can compete for three more years. BRING IT ON 2011!

Feel free to leave your thoughts.

Here is a little info about what was expected from the creative:

The Challenge

The market is saturated with charitable messaging. Currently, the marketplace recognizes the name but has extremely low awareness of what Parkinson’s is. Parkinson’s is a complex andmisunderstood disease with much of the public believing it is a disease that mainly afflicts the elderly.A secondary challenge for Parkinson Society Canada is that the Michael J. Fox Foundation is now raising funds in Canada. There is confusion in the marketplace and a misperception that the two organizations are working together. Funds raised here by the Michael J. Fox Foundation do not stay in Canada.

The Objective

Increase awareness of Parkinson’s disease by making it known to empathetic Canadians. This will be accomplished by creating an understanding of the disease and exposing Parkinson’s as a disease with greater impact than people think.

Gold Winner:

Silver Winner

Bronze Winner

My Ad

Stay Gold Vulcanboy

2010-04-22T13:50:00.004-04:00

Heart-Breaking news, Mr. Nimoy has decided to call it quits in the acting biz.

"Countless times, I thought it was done. I've been doing this professionally for 60 years. I love the idea of going out on a positive note. I've had a great, great time. I want to get off the stage. Also, I don't think it would be fair to Zachary Quinto. He's a terrific actor, he looks the part, and it's time to give him some space."

Now lets all pay our respects with a short moment of silence...

LLP

We all Shine on....

2010-04-20T09:36:00.006-04:00

So I recently learned that if you tell a Stephen King fan that you liked one of his books they will undoubtedly thrust more upon you. Not that that is a bad thing, he is an incredible writer but reading two King novels practically back to back is a little wearing on one's soul.

A friend of mine from work lent me The Shining and I have to say I was a little apprehensive at first because I love the movie and I figured this would be a boring read since I knew what was going to happen. This was definitely not the case. The Shining the book is really nothing like Kubrick's The Shining; It's better. Not only does it have more background on the characters, more terrifying parts and a completely different angle on Jack's madness, it has a different ending! Plus just to push the differences further: Jack's trademark line "HERE'S JOHNNY" was an improvisation of Jack Nicholson and is not even in the book.

I've always been a little pigheaded when it comes to reading horror novels. I mean, its my mind and I can picture it as scary as I want it to be. This book shut me up. I had nightmares from this book and my eyes were always wide with terror when reading it on the subway.

After reading it I did a little research on how King came up with the concept and its a really interesting story. Apparently he had set his previous two novels in his hometown of Maine so he wanted a change of scenery. King flipped through an atlas and his finger landed on Boulder Colorado so he moved his entire family there. While he was there, him and his wife decided they needed to get away so they went to the Stanley Hotel (This is the hotel that King later filmed his T.V. adaptation of the Shining). When they got there, they were the only two guests due to the fact the hotel was prepping for its off-season. They stayed in room 217 and while King's wife slept he explored the hotel and had a drink at the bar with the bartender, Grady. He stayed up and finished the bones of the book that night. Seriously, it practically wrote itself.

Anyways I recommend this book to anyone who wants to send a shiver down their spine. It can get a little over-descriptive at times but King will take you for quite a ride. My suggestion though, if you haven't watched the movie watch it first and then read the book. I give it 4 Tony fingers up out of 5!

Beautiful Kayden

2010-04-20T00:52:00.006-04:00

So its almost 1 am and I just finished my birthday present to my friend's son Kayden. I haven't drawn anything in probably about 2 years so I was a little nervous. I think it turned out a lot better than I thought it would. I hope they like it.

Here's the Original

My Drawing

Glamour Shots by Deb 75% off

2010-04-15T10:27:00.010-04:00

So a frequent duty of mine at work is to search through stock photography for that oh-so-perfect image. Today I was roaming through gettyimages.com for photos of normal looking teens and I came across this:

No I didn't search Jon Heder or Napoleon Dynamite. These shots come up from a search of 16-17 teen, male. Also, these shots are ROYALTY FREE! (for those of you not in the know... that means they are cheap cheap and can be used with less restrictions). Poor guy should keep track of where his face is going or he will be the next spokesman for impotency!

For anyone interested... here are the getty numbers 200309028-001, 200309030-001, 200309029-001

*********************

Update... I found more, haha look at those skills

TROLLTASTIC

2010-04-11T22:38:00.005-04:00

I love anything that reminds me of my childhood. And due to those huge satellite dish's of the early 90's I have a lot of great memories of bad movies. One of them being Troll 2. Troll 2 is a movie about an average family who take a trip to a small town named Nilbog. The young son's dead grandfather visits him at night to tell him stories of goblins and warn him of their existence. Goblin's apparently get you to eat food tainted with their green magic concoctions which will eventually turn your body into a half plant half human goo, a goblin's favourite snack. This is by far the worst movie of all time. Apparently this feeling is unanimous because there is a new documentary out about this terrible flick.

After watching the trailer, this seems to be right up my alley. I love the awfulness of this movie and although I never stopped to think of where the actors (if you can call them that) are now, how the director felt about his piece of work or the other adoring fans out there, knowing that the information exists packaged in a nice documentary, makes me really curious.

If you haven't seen this movie, WATCH IT. Its hilarious. First of all the movie is about Goblins not trolls, the goblin costumes are so horrible only one has a moving mouth and the script is ridiculous! Some of my favourite lines:

(joshua's dead grandfather reminds him who he's talking to)

Seth: These evil creatures can transform themselves into fleas-and-blood people whenever and however they want.
Joshua: You're making a mistake Grandpa. Who said they can? You should of said they could or what kind of fairy tale is it?
Seth: They can! They CAN! Goblins still exist! Your Grandpa Seth is telling you!

(joshua alone, discovers trolls eating his mom and says the obvious)

Joshua: They're eating my mom!
Troll: Do you want some, Joshua?

Thats really not the worst of it, here is a clip to seal the deal.

I'm thrilled to find out that others share my joy in the comedic awfulness of this movie. I can't wait to see this documentary. Here is the trailer!

Enjoy :)

Knocker Knock-Down

2010-04-11T18:53:00.006-04:00

Men of the world, imagine with me here for a second. Picture it, you've met the woman of your dreams and finally after your appropriate time of courting you've wound up in a bedroom and begin to undress yourselves. Off goes her shirt, and what is underneath?

THIS MONSTROSITY !!!

This is the newest bra "body form" technology by Ahh Bra. Claiming to do away with bra lines and bulges. But it seems to be doing away with sexiness in the process. I mean, where is the lifting? separating? and CLEAVAGE?

In my opinion it feels about as fashionable as a straight jacket, and it shows just as much skin too.

April Fools!

2010-04-01T16:14:00.005-04:00

Hopefully no one was injured too badly (emotionally or physically) due to any pranks...

Gawd this guy cracks me up!

This Shirt Goes to 11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-03-30T10:32:00.003-04:00

So I think I may have just purchased the most amazing t-shirt of all time. It has a guitar on it and using some sort of magic (magnetic pic and recorded guitar noises) you can actually play the guitar on the shirt. Also, it comes with a small amp (that goes to 11). Incredible! I hope it lives up to the expectations I have of it. And there is still the small mystery of how to wash it. Ha ha

To purchase an interactive tee for yourself, please click here

Hiroshima

2010-03-29T10:18:00.003-04:00

"At, exactly fifteen minutes past eight in the morning on August 6, 1945, Japanese time, at the moment when the atomic bomb flashed above Hiroshima, Miss Toshiko Sasaki, a clerk in the personnel department of the East Asia Tin Works, had just sat down at her place in the plant office and was turning her head to speak to the girl at the next desk."

—Opening sentence, Hiroshima, John Hersey, 1946

I’m not really sure how to review a book like this. I’m certain that no matter what I say, it won’t do it justice. It’s a true story of 6 people who survived the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. Originally, this was an article for the The New Yorker that was printed one year after the U.S. bombed Hiroshima. It has also been called the finest piece of journalism of the 20th century.

My friend Dan Robson recommended this book to me. I can’t thank him enough for his suggestion, this book will make your jaw drop. Having just finished a Stephen King book before jumping into this one I kept having to shake my head and think “this is a TRUE story, this nightmare I’m reading about actually happened” – that thought is a lot to take in.

I give this book 5 astonished faces out of 5 and highly recommended it to anyone who can read.

Young Lions 2010

2010-03-28T23:05:00.007-04:00

So this weekend I participated in the Young Lions competition. Basically its a competition of young people in the advertising industry who are under 28. Here is the gist of the contest, you are emailed a brief at 9am and have 24 hours to complete an ad. I joined the print category but there is also a web, media and film as well.

This year the ad was for the Parkinson Society of Canada. The ad was supposed to increase awareness of Parkinson's Disease and to give the viewer a better understanding of it. I did some research on Parkinson's while brainstorming creative ideas and I had no idea its symptoms were so complex. The most common symptoms are tremors, slowness, stiffness, impaired balance and rigidity of the muscles. Presently most people associate Parkinson's with Michael J. Fox and from seeing him in the media, think that its a disease that makes a person shake or have "tremors". That is not the only symptom of Parkinson's usually thats just a side effect of the medication. I can't even imagine having to spend every day fighting your own body, or being on edge about when a sudden symptom may occur.

I'm very proud of the creative that I produced. I won't post it up here until the judge is over in mid-April but I feel like its about the best ad I've made to date. I strongly recommend any young creative person in advertising to sign up for this contest, its very exciting and fun to be a part of.

The winners of the Young Lions win a trip to Cannes, France and the opportunity to represent Canada in the official Cannes Young Lions competition.

Wish me luck :)

Dragons Den Here I Come

2010-03-23T14:34:00.005-04:00

So now that the weather is abnormally warm and our office air-conditioner won't be on until May, I've been hitting my 2pm wall like a fly on a windshield. Luckily I had this idea to freeze an energy drink into a wonderfully cool and refreshing mid-day treat. I have dubbed these treats "The Cold Force." Today I did a trial run using a green Monster drink and the results were quite tasty. It doesn't make you feel all jittery too because its only 1/8th of the can. Here is my recipe:

1 can of monster
popsicle containers or ice-cube tray
time

(me enjoying some cold force)

Enjoy!

Dazzling Dalser

2010-03-19T14:51:00.001-04:00

It’s no secret that I have a love for movies, and really enjoy being on top of the trailers when they come out. I stumbled across this trailer recently. This isn’t ground breaking news, this film was in the Toronto film festival in September but it passed by my radar. Its called Vincere and it’s a gripping story about Mussolini’s first wife, Ida Dalser. Once Mussolini was in power their relationship was hidden from all records and kept a secret eventually resulting in Ida being forced into a psychiatric hospital. Poor woman was then shipped off to an island in Venice, where she died in 1937. Mussolini was such an asshole.

Anyways… I did a bit of research on Ida Dalser and am really excited to get my eyes on this movie. Take a look at the trailer and see for yourself. Happy Viewing.

Big Tease

2010-03-18T21:10:00.000-04:00

So I am one of the millions of GTA dwellers that takes the TTC everyday. And what a glorious system that is. Am I right? The passengers are so generous, if they are not sharing whatever virus has plagued them that day then they are graciously taking up as many seats and poles as possible with their bags and bodies so that you can get some exercise surfing the subway. How sweet. And the Toronto Transit Commission has made the fare $3 so that you don't waste any of your extra hard earned money on something you may regret later. Anyways, complaining aside...

Sometimes, if I'm lucky, while riding the rocket I'll see an ad of some merit and interest. Its hard not to appreciate a great ad on the subway, its the only thing to look at other than all the other people excited about their morning commute. A coworker of mine told me to look out for these "Unlimited ads" and we couldn't figure out what they were for. Teaser ads, as annoying as they can be, are really fun to investigate and definitely start conversations. This one bothered me because I couldn't figure out what it was for. The photography is great and the simple layout and concept is so attractive. I googled them and found out they are for a new cell phone provider called Public Mobile who offers talk and text plans for $40 a month. The catch is they don't have the greatest coverage. Its only located in the GTA and Quebec. But for a newcomer I think they are at least exposing themselves well. They got my attention. Glad I could put my mind to rest on the subject.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

2010-03-17T16:36:00.000-04:00

If a man who cannot count finds a four-leaf clover, is he lucky?

- Stanislaw J. Lec

Top of the mornin' to ya. Hope this beautiful 17˚ day has given everyone their appropriate vitamin D so that they can piss it all away later in a green-beer induced stupor. Just that time of year :)

(love this: chickens, hulk, St. Pats)

Couldn't Put the Dome Down

2010-03-17T12:20:00.000-04:00

Last night, I lost a friend. For the last month I’ve gotten to know about 40 people from a small town called Chester’s Mill and last night although all feelings were appropriately resolved, they left me forever. Stephen King’s new book Under the Dome is fantastic. From the beginning you are drawn into the lives of these seemingly simple little townspeople and then the energy, horror and humour of King’s writing keeps your attention at its peak for all 1074 pages.

Under the Dome is about an invisible Dome appearing over a small town in Maine separating it from the outside world. No one, either inside or outside the dome knows what it is made of, how it got there or how to get rid of it. The dome seems indestructible and the townspeople take the reader through their grief, panic, anger and fear. It’s very interesting to see a person’s view of how people would behave if they were cut off from society.

There is a strong morality in this book. It discusses a lot about the human capacity for good and evil. Especially how we as humans need to think about the affects of our own actions and how they may leave an impression on others. I definitely will never look at anthills the same way again. There are also political and ecological themes within the book. King was strongly opposed to the war in Iraq and he used the Bush-Cheney dynamic for the leaders of Chester’s Mill. Also, King is very serious about our ecological problems. He said, “From the very beginning, I saw it as a chance to write about the serious ecological problems that we face in the world today. The fact is we all live under the dome.”

Anyways, without giving any important plot points or hints on the ending I strongly recommend this book. I began this book without knowing very much about it and loved the journey it took me on. I give it 4 mutant monster thumbs up.

If you do read it, say hi to my friends for me.