Chaos

The three geniuses of Chicago.

2011-05-02T21:45:00.010-04:00

It has been more than a decade since I last visited Chicago. I was here to attend the graduation of my cousin from Northwestern. The weather was hot and humid with some rain the air. My relatives and I took in the Chicago Architecture Foundation boat tour and Navy Pier.

This visit was in that very temperamental season of Spring where four seasons can occur in a day. My girlfriend Noel and I arrived on a cold, wet and windy Friday. We had a marvelous lunch at Sunda and then walked the damp sidewalks of the Magnificent Mile. After some purchases were made at Sak's, and braved the stormy walk back to our hotel where we ate a much welcomed dinner of at The Lockwood restaurant in our hotel , The Palmer House Hilton. It was quite fortunate that we did some shopping on this day as we made the belated revelation that many shops were closed on the Sunday of the weekend due to the Easter Holiday.

Dinner consisted of Blue Hill Bay Mussels in garlic, thyme, shallots and chardonnay broth and Bertha's Brownie (a glass of chocolate milk mousse, chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce and almonds.) Legend has it that the brownie was created in the Palmer House but Bertha. Bertha was the wife of Potter Palmer, the tycoon who built the first Hotel for her as wedding gift. The first hotel burned down 13 days later in the 1871 great Chicago Fire. Thankfully, Potter Palmer had deep pockets and the second hotel was quickly built as the world's first fireproof hotel. The glided peacock gates at the main entrance and the glorious lobby ceiling are certainly a wonder of old world splendour.
The sun came out the next day just in time for our bus tour of Chicago. Nicknamed the Queen of architecture. The streets of Chicago boast nearly every architectural style of the modern era. From the ashes of the great Chicago fire of 1871, the first skyscrapers rose making the reputations of Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. Frank Lloyd Wright's Robbie house, Mies Van Der Rohe's S. R. Crown Hall which is the home of the College of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology and Rem Koolhaas's McCormick Tribune Campus Center were the three highlights of our tour. We also passed the home of a certain very famous former law professor of the University of Chicago (and waved to the Secret Service detail on the barricaded street).

After an morning of absorbing all that stunning architecture, Noel and I decided to have lunch at another Chicago institution, the Walnut Room on the seventh floor of the Marshall Field building. Opened in 1907, it was first Chicago restaurant opened as a tearoom for women to come and rest after their shopping. The idea bloomed and the restaurant become popular with many ladies social clubs.

Here we took in the the original Circassian Walnut paneling, a 17 foot marble fountain and Austrian chandeliers as enjoyed a traditional potpie made from Mrs. Hering's original recipe. Mrs. Hering was the inspiration for the Walnut room. She was a millinery store clerk at Marshall Field who shared her lunch (a chicken pot pie) with a tired customer.
Much has changed too in the Chicago landscape since my visit a decade ago. None though more dramatically than the development of Millennium Park adjacent to the Art Institute of Chicago. Sporting the sculptures of The Cloud Gate (or the Bean as the locals have dubbed it), Lurie Gardens, Crown (interactive) Fountain and Gehry's Jay Pritzker Pavilion, this was a park is a must see stop on any tour. The photographs of the Chicago skyline of the surfaces of Cloud Gate reflect the awesome architecture of this city.
Our Saturday day was completed by a tour of the Art Institute of Chicago. Home to Chagall's American Windows (a wonderful stained glass composition), Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte, Bourke-White's BW photographs of the Great Depression, the Thorne Miniature rooms and many other masterpieces. My favourite surprise were the pictures of Ivan Albright especially the picture of Dorian Gray (which was used in the 1945 movie of the same name).

Dinner was then at Sable Kitchen and Bar. This was tapas style restaurant with a very delicious menu selection matched with an equally delicious cocktail and wine menu. The real delight was that the dishes came in appetizer and full meal sizes. Thus permitting Noel and I to sample many items on the menu: Deviled eggs (topped with black trumpet mushrooms and truffle oil), crispy pork belly BLT, Tuna tartar Tostadas, Grapefruit and Avocado with Rock Shrimp topped with basil vinaigrette, Pistachios Duck Sausage with Parmesan grits and sour cherries and warm blueberry donuts. It took us even longer to read the cocktail menu but settled on the War of the Roses (Pimm's, Bombay Dry Gin, St. Germain, fresh mint and lime).

All this great dining was just a prelude the weekend's highlight and third genius of Chicago: Alinea.

Chocolatiers

2011-04-12T18:56:00.001-04:00

Chocolatiers, a set on Flickr.

During this unseasonable warm April weekend, I attended the Skills competition for Amateur Chocolatiers. My nephew had the distinct honor of representing the Red River College in the 2011 Competition. $5000 worth of Chocolate was provided by Cacao Barry for the weekend competition. There were three categories in this competition: the showpiece, 2 types of bonbons and the plated dessert. A divine soothing chocolate vapor wafted through the kitchen. I was fortunate to taste a few bonbons too. In an all to common event, a few showpieces were broken in transfer/transport. Evoking the spirit of the documentary "Kings of Pastry", the fierce competition came down to a lot of last minute hussling and plenty of drama and excitement.

Rundles 2011

2011-04-06T18:02:00.001-04:00

Rundles 2011, a set on Flickr.

Another fabulous weekend away at Rundles in Stratford. Chef Neil and Mike were in fine form and wiped us all into shape by Sunday. Gosh, I'm getting heartburn from looking at these pictures again.

A resort vacation

2011-01-02T17:50:00.003-05:00

This is my very first all inclusive pure resort vacation. Quite a change from the busier, sightseeing, shopping, relative visiting and activity-based (re:diving) holidays that have been my habit in the past. It was booked about three days before I left. The destination was the resort island of Cayo Largo.

There is no permanent population on this island. Only the tourists and the workers on these resorts who work for 20 days and then return to their homes on other islands. There are no other restaurants on the island off the resort. No choice, hence but to take the all-inclusive option which includes alcohol. The problem of such a vacation is hard it is to actually be idle. Slot is certainly a vice you have to work at. I had to work at it for three days.

This is not to say that I did not relax. There were many fun beach activities including participating in a baby sea turtle release. Cayo Largo is part of a natural reserve with a special breeding program for the green turtle. We combed the shallow sands of Cayo Largo to discover its many pleasures from leathery iguanas, sea stars of the gaudiest colours to living sand dollars. The requisite catamaran snorkeling cruise was made to view the rainbow of tropical fish on a reasonable well preserved reef.

Much lounging was done by the beach, in the room, by the pool, at the bar as Hippo and I filled up on our Vitamin D requirements. What a joy to be able to finish three books on vacation: Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point (which provided wonderful challenges to convention thinking), Ken Follett's Third Twin (popular fiction worthy of a beach vacation) and last by not least, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude which was a absolutely marvelous read. Not only is the novel worthy of the Nobel Prize for literature but definitely should be made compulsory reading for every one. Weaving his spell, Marquez created a magical world blending folklore and history, Marquez's magical realism transports the reader to his fantastical world which one wishes to visit many times over.

In the spirit of the fairy tales, Hippo and I also discovered Father Christmas and his wife, Ms. Claus were also vacationing at the Sol Cayo Largo. He came by plane with the rest of the tourists as I suspect Rudolf and his reindeer crew were also enjoying some well deserved time off after a busy Christmas season. No but seriously, there was a elderly couple who did resemble the Clauses and we discovered that they did in fact work as Santa Claus and his wife in Saskatoon during the holiday season. From November 21st, they not only worked in the malls but participate in the city`s Santa Claus parade and made visits to hospitals and nursing homes.

Just like that....my vacation time is up!

At the ACC for the first time

2010-12-23T18:35:00.003-05:00

So finally I made it to a Leaf Game at the ACC. They played the Habs and *Gasp* they won. A crew of Santa Clauses were in attendance (probably had a few elves in the audience too. The ice surface seems smaller than I expected by the game was fast paced and quite exciting. Most of the goals were scored at our end of the ice too. The entertainment at the breaks included a very very funny Tim Hortons pee wee ice hockey game (with more kids falling rather than skating on the ice) and several interviews with a few retired Maple Leafs from Wendal Clark, Johnny Bower, Tiger Williams, and Darryl sittler This I understand is a tradition at these Homecoming games. Not a bad night out!

TIFF late reviews

2010-11-28T20:18:00.004-05:00

It has been a few months since TIFF but I thought I would share my list of films seen. Naturally, a comprehensive review of each movie would be impossible at this stage. I really should have kept all those scribbles notes in one place.

The loud and rowdy movies:

1) Bunraku: A "pop up" comic book movie based on a Japanese paper art form. Basically an old fashioned tale of two strangers coming together to rid the town of its "bad" influence. However, there are no guns in this world. A gunfighter who fights without a gun and a Japanese warrior who fights without a sword. The mixed visuals of theatre staging and miniature sets combined with the choreography of the fight scenes made this a crowd pleaser at Midnight Madness premiere.

2) Super: Holy gory Batman! Rainn Wilson carried this quirky dramedy with his charismatic humour and honest portrayal of a ordinary man who decides to become a superhero (or at least where a costume and do heroic/vigilant deeds) in order to save his wife from her old habits (and her pimp). Ellen Paige is his very very juvenile sidekick and has some of the randiest scenes in the movie (and we still love her). A touching tale that charts the growth of "super"hero.

3) Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen: Chen Zhen, one of China's famous folk heroes, has been portrayed by Bruce Lee (Fists of Fury) and by Jet Li (Fist of Legend). In this movie, he gets the Donny Yen treatment. Suspend your disbelief as he climbs walls with his knives and disarms German soldiers with his bare fists...all while outracing bullets. What a entertaining spectacle. Yet I was surprised to a learn about China's role in World World one . Several thousand peasants were set as porters for ammunition and food for the front line Allied soldiers. The sheer power of "fists" are conveyed by reverberations of the screen. Less poetic than Yip Man but nevertheless, a wonderful tribute in this the 70th anniversary of the birth of the martial arts legend and actor Bruce Lee.

The Strange:

4) Cave of Forgotten Dreams: The magic and mystery of the cave paintings in Southern France are brought to full glory by Werner Herzog in this 3-D production. We witness by gentle candle light, bison, cave lions, deer, horses and other prehistoric animals dance across the walls in this "Proto-Cinema" (as Herzog laughs). The distinctive hand print signature of the artist is also known but not the reasons for the creation of this wonderful prehistoric "Sistine Chapel". Several additions of how the caves were found (professional "scent" finders), use of prehistoric tools found in the area, and the various theories of h0w such art defines humanity (then and now) make for a mesmerizing experience.

5) Uncle Boonmee who can recall his past lives: I can't even begin to describe this film. Just watch the fantasy unfold and let the images wash over you. Sometimes fascinating, sometimes boring, sometimes funny. The jury at this year's Cannes have certainly picked a challenging Palme D'or winner.

6) Black Swan: A psychological thriller from the same director as the Wrestler, Pi and Requiem for a Dream. It will send a few chills up your spine but somehow, I wasn't as surprised by or even captivated by Natalie Portman's descent into madness. You do marvel at the sadistic nature of the ballet world and incomprehensible body image disorders as well as the athleticism of the art. A fine work but not really sure it is really original.

The sad:
Actually, in every year, this seems to be the category where most of my movies fit. I'll have to make a conscience effort to find a few "lighter" films at next year's festival.

7) Never Let Me Go: Based on the novel of the same name, this is a quiet, understated, poetic and yes, tragic film about facing mortality and examining the relationships which define us. The pacing of the film will certainly challenge some viewers as will the contents of this futuristic story set in a historical setting.

8) Into the Wind: Basketball star Steve Nash and his cousin Erza Holland made is hour long documentary tribute to Canadian hero Terry Fox. His now legendary run for Cancer in 1980 is chronicled from its anonymous start on the east coast, to the hardships and close call in Quebec, to the rise of Terry's celebrity in Ontario and to its final and tragic conclusion as his osterosarcoma returns. From interviews of family and friends and from his own words (which are revealed for the first time), the all too human side of this Canadian hero is exposed as is his enduring spirit and inspiration to future generations of cancer survivors, Canadians and athletes.

9) Hereafter: Clint Eastwood's European film starts off in Thailand with the all too frightening re-creation of the Tsumani of 2004. Weaving the three stories of three charaters from America, France and Britain, we witness the effects of death and near-death experiences on their lives. The well crafted scene however, fail to generate any emotion from the viewer. As the plot lines dove-tail, the viewer is left feeling ambivalent about what the fate of these characters may be.

10) Rabbit Hole: Based on a play of the same name, this movie is a master class in acting. The movie Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart play a couple trying desperately to move on from a terrible family tragedy. They fight, they struggle, they push each other away, they attend a support group, they attempt a reconciliation, they confront the perpetrator of their tragedy, they are masterful in this very human and very honest portrayal of grieving in all its functional and dysfunctional forms. It wouldn't be surprise if both the leading actors were celebrated during the upcoming award season.

This concludes part one of the TIFF review.

The Glory that was Greece

2010-08-13T13:31:00.003-04:00

It has taken me about two weeks to finally get up the mental energy to complete my travel thoughts on Greece. There were various drafts on the glorious ruins, fabulous meals and stunning views. Our journey encompassed the breath of Greek history from the early Cycladic civilization, to the Circle graves of Mycenae, to the height of Athenian democracy, to the Roman colony days, the lost years of the Ottoman occupation and the re-birth of Greece as an independent state.

It was a pleasure to take in all this history for which stated first as bed time stories told by my parents. The tales of Aesop, the trials and tribulations of the Titans and Olympian gods, and the adventures of Thesus, Jason, Odysseus, and other Greek heroes were fully realized in this trip. The pride that the Greeks have in their culture is quite evident. There has been a return of their diaspora from the lean post-WWII years. New found wealth in tourism seemed to fuel this growth. However, it is tempered by reports that Greeks are proud tax-evaders. The "black money" that rich Greeks see as their right. Quite disturbing to Canadians who already feel greatly overtaxed. Equally unsurprising that the Greek economy is in such bad shape despite the obvious signs of wealth.

Despite such complications, I would gladly return to Greece and specifically to the islands of Crete, Kos, Corfu and perhaps those islands closer to Turkey. There after all can't be too much vacation!

Travelling through the Peloponnese

2010-07-21T14:46:00.003-04:00

The sites of Ancient Greece may be quite deteriorated but they still managed to amaze. Contemplate the design, organization and creativity of these ancient civilizations...will anything we make today last 100 years much less 1000. Well, maybe our garbage. The beehive rock tombs of Mycenae (nicknamed the Tomb of Agamemnon by the dubious H. Schliemann) were as impressive as the imposing Lion's Gate were with its gigantic lintel (weighting the equivalent of a B-52).
The strangest stone architectural element is the omphalos of Delphi. Meaning the navel in greek, the omphalos denoted Delphi as the centre of the Greek world. Mythologically, it was the "egg" that Rhea (Zeus' mother) wrapped in a cloak for Cronus to swallow. Cronus feared his children (likely his male children) would become too powerful and kill him. Cronus later regurgitated the omphalos (and the other Olympian gods) after the induction of a emetic by adult Zeus. What followed was the clash of the Olympians and the Titans.
The real discovery was that the much photographed temple at Delphi was not that of Apollo by that of Athena. The oracle of Delphi sat in a dark cavern beneath the Temple of Apollo. It was to this Temple of Apollo that pilgrims journeyed from all over Greece (and beyond) to to hear their fortunes. The temple of Athena and Tholos (that round structure to the left) are where the pilgrims first came to purify themselves before seeing the oracle.
Nevertheless the view from Delphi was spectacular. Perhaps the pilgrims came here for the view too. Another suprise as the discovery of other special games and competitions. The Pythian games, a set of competitions like the Olympic games, were held here every four years as well. The winners in this case received laurel leaf wreaths (emblematic of Apollo) where the Olympic game champions received olive leaf wreaths (symbols of Hercules). The trek up the Delphi site was steep but not overwhelming even in the heat of this Greece summer. But there will be more majestic views of Greece to come...

Athens

2010-07-19T15:58:00.004-04:00

It has been a whirlwind tour of Athens....actually a more of sunbaked tour. However, the top classical sites have not failed to disappoint. Walking in the footsteps of the ancient Greeks through the Agora and the Acropolis has been (multiple superlatives) spectacular and simply marvellous. Standing in the Theatre of Dionysius where Sophocles and Aristophanes staged their plays, walking on the Panathenic way where Plato and Socrates and standing in front of the Acropolis where Pericles viewed his finest building commission are the highlights of a lifetime.

Known as the crowning jewel of Athenian democracy, the Panthaneon on the Acropolis has endured many trangressions. Desecrated by early Christians, then converted into a church, converted into a mosque, bombed by the Venetians and finally bought over in a fire sale by Lord Elgin, the monument has certainly lost some of 5th century glory. Yet, it's a classical beauty of perfect proportions. The Greeks certainly are working hard to restore here (and other adjacent temples and sites). Certainly the New Acropolis Museum is a modern wonder to behold and also a political plea for the return of the Elgin (Parthaneon) marbles.

It's not all history, ruins and museums though. There was shopping in the Plaka for a pair of custom fit leather sandals at Stavros Melissinos, the poet sandalmaker of Athens and the best souvaki ever at Thanasis. Next stop is a trip though the Peloponnese.

The end of my stash

2010-03-21T18:34:00.002-04:00

For nearly four years now, I have been trying not to use plastic bags when shopping. Declining them at first brought strange looks from the cashiers especially at the Chinese supermarkets. I had quite a number of cloth totes (from so many conferences) to haul my groceries and other purchases.

Then, in late 2007 came the grand opening of Milton's Superstore, the first supermarket in Canada which did not sell or dispense plastic bags. Pretty soon, everyone was catching on to the trend. Every major supermarket is selling some type of branded tote.

Then the Halton region introduced the green bins for composing in 2008 (in addition to the blue bins which have been around forever). So, I started using a compo stable bag for my kitchen waste. Gradually over the years, the number of plastic bags I needed to collect the garbage throughout in the house diminished as items were diverted to recycling and composing. This is somewhat ironic as the homes I have lived in has increased in size over the years.

So that stash of plastic bags which had filled nearly two large black garbage bags has been whittled away. Today, I reach into the bottom of that last black bag and grabbed the last plastic bag. Now, what was going to do with this thing again?

Oyster Bed from The Starfish

2010-03-07T17:48:00.001-05:00

Oyster Bed
Originally uploaded by divinemissladybird

Ms. Foodie and I had a hunger for oysters. Last time, we sampled the offering from Oyster Boy. We decided to try The Starfish. What a fabulous idea. After suffering with pill-induced esophagitis for a week, I was ready to dive back into the world of enjoying my food. The one bright side of this experience is I have probably loss some weight from eating less and eating more slowly.

These oysters were so fresh and tasty. So need for any sauce or garnish. What better way to complement our oyster tasting but with some alcohol. In this case, a 2007 California Zinfadel which seems sweeter after the oysters were gone.

This was followed by a personal favourite of mine: moules and frites.
The mussels were in a creamy, white white sauce with thyme. Simply splendid. What an excellent way to catch up with an old friend. The Starfish is an Irish themed restaurant. The perfect setting to discuss our future visit to the Emerald Isle.

2010-02-28T18:38:00.002-05:00

On a wet, cold and rainy in New York City, we decided to take in the great indoors that only NYC can offer. Wandering through the galleries of the Guggenheim and taking in a late lunch at the Wright, the restaurant in the museum itself: freshly tossed greens, parsnip soup, grilled haddock, striped bass, green beans with almonds and brussel sprouts with bacon. So good and so fresh.

We then took in a broadway musical at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Angela Langsbury and Catherine Zeta Jones in Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music. We had killer seats which were four rows from centre stage. It was a fabulous performance by all.

Then, it was off for a late dinner at Perilla restaurant. Winner of Top chef's first season, Chef Harold Dieterle, prepared some excellent dishes: braised pork belly, dungeness crab salad, sumptous grilled calamari, tea steamed duck breast and fried cod. What a great meal and great way to end our trip to NYC.

Canadian Girls own (and rock) the Podium!

2010-02-25T19:26:00.007-05:00

I am so proud of our Canadian women at the Olympics in Vancouver. Yesterday was a particularly fine example: gold and silver medal won in women's 2-person Bobsled, silver in short track relay race, and a bronze in 5000m long-term speed skating. Clara Hughes's bronze in particular was impressive. She is the only athlete to have won multiple medals in both the summer (cycling) and Winter (speed skating) Olympics. Wow!

So then, why isn't she on the front page on every Newspaper in this country? Why is the result of the men's hockey game (Russia versus Canada) which was not even a semi-final or final game the headline.

The Canadian Olympic team sent more men (115) than women (91) to these games. Yet, the women have won 75% (11.5) of all medals at these Olympics which is up from the 67% of all medals at the Torino Olympics. The total medal haul for the Canadian women is set to increase again as they are likely to win gold in hockey tonight. In this hockey obsessed nation, the men's game seems to be more celebrated than the ladies. One sports commentator had uttered that if the men did not win the gold in hockey, the Olympics would be a failure for . Canada. What Poppycock and what an insult to the rest of the Canadian Olympic team!

Is this statistic of women winning more medals than the men reflective of gender equality in Canada? To be sure, Canadian girls are encouraged to take up every winter sport from figure skating to skiing to speed skating...and even hockey is socially acceptable for a girl to play in country. There was nearly equal funding for men and women on the Canadian Olympic team.

Even so, why are the Canadian women outperforming the men. Much has been made of the greater depth of field in men's sports compared to women's. In addition, the success of women in Olympic sports has not translated into commercial success. In fact, professional sports in North America is entirely dominated by men. It would seem the only place for women in sports to excel in (especially winter sports) are the Olympics. Yet on this world stage, the Canadian women do seem to shine serving as role models for women in this country and across the world.

2010-02-23T17:35:00.003-05:00

How's this for co-ordination? My nail polish matches my new Kate Spade bag! It was a quick and fabulous two days at the Woodbury Commons. All the big names were here. La Perla, Coach, Prada, MaxMara, Chanel, Jimmy Choo, Ann Taylor, etc. Great discounts to be found at a few stores for those who were prepared to search, be patient and carry the appropriate coupons.

Now, we have moved into rainy NYC to view the Guggenheim and have lunch at the Wright Room. Like the Bilbao, the building itself seemed to be as important as the collections it houses. The void (the spiral staircase centre) seems to be an attraction in itself for the crowds and performing artists. The impressionist, post-impressionist and mordern collections were carefully laid out in the galleries tucked into the corners on each level. The negative space of the void provides the negative space for the mind to reflect on the works at each level. A splendid afternoon activity!

What a week!

2010-02-19T21:02:00.004-05:00

Never again will I complain about the winter blues. First, the week started with the opening of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C. a week ago. Then, it was the start of the Chinese New Year. The year of tiger has always been treated with caution. I have an adopted aunt who was given away by her own family to my paternal grandmother to bring up because she was born in the year of the tiger. The alleged fear is that tigers bring bad luck to a family i.e. they consume i.e. kill other family members. Later, my grandmother regretted this decision as she blamed the birth of two grand-daughters in the year of the tiger (my sister and a cousin) on her own actions. The curse of superstition!

However, the year of the tiger started very well for Canada. Gold medals for both the men and women won on home soil in the Olympics which is first! Hurrah! For my mother, my friends Noel and Desi, and I, it was a very special night at the gorgeous Four Seasons Centre of the Performing Arts. The world's (and certainly mine) beloved opera, Carmen, was performanced with loving care by a gifted Antia Rachvelishvili in the lead role. Why do I love this opera? The power of the music, the boldness of the character and the brash sexuality of the production have always impressed me. The opera epitomizes all great passions of life: love, lust, passion, revenge, violence, sex, obsession and of course, great music.

Before Carmen, most operas were based on royalty, gods and respectable members of the establishment. Carmen (which is latin for song) is a rebel, a women of "loose morals", a gypsy, and a honest and unapologetic free spirit. Certainly, she is the most unlikely subject of a opera. It is hardly surprising to learn that in its first performance in front of a conservative Parisian audience in 1875 was a flop. The opera was denounced by critics. Most likely the establishment were somewhat afraid of what influence Carmen may have on their daughters and wives. Poor Bizet, the composer, is alleged to have died of a broken heart (heart attack) never to know the wild success the opera would become.

Don Jose (Bryan Hamel) and a few of the company's French needed some work but the voices of all the lead players were fantastic. Only Paul Gay's Escamillo (the toreador) did not hit meet these high standards. The orchestra was fabulous and there should be a special shout out to Rory Macdonald, the peppiest conductor that any of us had seen. In fact, the animation of this performance was somewhat of a distraction from the performance on stage. Bravo to the COC. Ole!

So, how do you top off such a great week....head off to NYC for some shopping and a night on Broadway!

The Riddle is solved

2010-01-31T17:01:00.003-05:00

Chaos down to 8.3lbs this January from 18lbs (last March 2009). We have chalked this up to rigid proportion control which was started by Mr. Hippo last spring. Now the truth is revealed. The cat has Type II Diabetes. It was quite shocking to see her weight plummeted a further pound over the Christmas holidays. Then the tell tale signs of increasing voiding and drinking emerged in early January. A quick blood test confirmed the results and now she is has started a regime of insulin injections administered by me. Her kidneys are fine but I think she has suffered a little neuropathy as her gait is visibly altered. Her energy level however has increased noticeably since the insulin was started.

Looking for a refund on my Avatar ticket.

2010-01-25T18:06:00.003-05:00

You may not be able to ignore the phenomena of "Avatar". The dedication of Cameron to this movie and the expertise of its execution are a credit to movie making. The movie generated the most amount of employment in Hollywood during a time of recession and now likely will generate the most revenue as well. These factors alone may be enough to secure a Best Picture Oscar.

I went into this movie with very low expectations. There has been so much publicity about this movie and how it may represent the future of movie making. One should always be skeptical when such hyperbole is spouted. Is Avatar the future of cinema? Certainly not the future I would have anything invested in. It is an imperfect offering of the 3D age.

The critique about a "1st draft script" was well justified. Stereotypical characters fill this movie : gun/violence loving military man, plucky army chick, greedy corporate type, noble savage. Sadly, even the gimmick of 3D adds no further dimension (no pun intended) to the members (chief, shaman wife, rival warrior) of the Na'vi tribe nor to the other members of the human cast either.

The dialogue is similarly unimaginative. The single moment of humor and wit lies in the name of the ore that is so precious: Unobtainium. Movies like Avatar are about the spectacle, that WOW factor. The thoughts, ideas and indeed the inner world of our characters should be demonstrated with actions. Instead, James Cameron reverts back to the "voice-over" from our lead man Jake. Very lazy storytelling.

The plot is equally unoriginal. A "white" messiah infiltrates the natives, thinks he can win them over, the baddies come along and our white messiah (painted bright blue now) comes to the rescue of the natives. You've seen this before in Dances with Wolves, Dune and even to some degree with District 9. That last movie at least had an interesting twist in its narrative. So Avatar is just another movie about the white man's guilt from plundering the riches of North America and destroying the native American culture. Yawn.

So, even with low expectations, I tried to enjoy the movie. This is movie that was suppose to be about the awesome experience of 3D. Like Jake being connected to his avatar via the pod, the audience should be similarly immersed into the world of Pandora. Our neuro-cortex would be bathed in the detail and colours of Pandora's fauna and landscapes, especially its extraordinary airborne mountains.

Even taken at its most superficial, the film doesn't offer is any real imaginative leap. Like most "Eden" fantasies (think Jurassic Park), we do encounter dragon-like dinosaurs, sabretooth like mammals, massive awe-inspiring trees with the weird insects. The film doesn't glow as its visionary palette is both conventional and narrow. Remember the visual effects of Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the soft hues and lighting effects that highlighted each scene. Cameron should be taking lessons from Peter Jackson here.

The 3D capture also can't seem to keep up with the action. The movements are often blurred and the motion is somewhat jarring. This unfortunately, all combines to create a nagging low level of nausea which started about 30 minutes into the film and culminated with a not unsubstantial retro-orbital headache by the end.

Perhaps the real innovation of Avatar is in the future of gaming but it certainly offers nothing to narrative cinema, creative storytelling, imaginative dialogue and thoughtful exploration of humanity.

I have no doubt that many will see Avatar more than a few times. I also have no doubt that many more such 3D spectacles are in the works. To avoid disappointment in enjoying a 3D spectacle, I would recommend you wait for a better production. Visually, the world of the Pandora is all undeniably dazzling. Ultimately though, it seems a soulless one.

A fun movie and a fun weekend.

2010-01-17T11:09:00.006-05:00

I was downtown with a colleague of mine (Red) to attend a conference on malpractice yesterday. It was well attended by nurses, doctors and lawyers. This type of conference usually leaves me feeling sick to my stomach and suffering from an paranoid that lawyers (and sometime patients) are always out to get doctors. I was most surprised to leave the conference without the need to reach for some Maalox or Ranitidine or a glass or two of wine. I am beginning to understand that providing a reasonable standard of care for patients particularly with regard to good communication and documentation go hand in hand with making a defensible case. More importantly, it seems that the MORE OB program may be part of the key to correctly systematic errors.

Dinner consequently at Nota Bene was a delightful experience as usual. Crispy chicken skin, Japaneses seabreem with shitake mushrooms, truffles and quail's egg, B.C. Black Cod with Chinese mushrooms and vegetables. My colleague shared the appetizer but had chicken breast and creme caramel.

Mr. Hippo is still recovering from his cold and is finally on antibiotics after more than two weeks of coughing and sneezing. Most surprisingly, I am still well. This weekend, we watched a really really fun movie for both the young and the old: The Fantastic Mr. Fox. I hadn't read the Roald Dahl book as a child but I suspect this delightful story had been adapted to the screen with the usual quirky Wes Anderson humour. The "dysfunctional" family theme of Wes Anderson's cinema is present once again....along with a lots and lots of hi jinx. In a world overwhelmed with CGI, this use of old school stop animation and nostalgic storybook atmosphere was a most welcomed change. The excellent voice performances of Clooney, Streep, Gambon and Schwartzman further animate the surprising adventures of Mr. Fox and his family and friends. I didn't just want to watch this movie, I wanted to climb in and play in it.

L'chai-im

2010-01-09T23:26:00.002-05:00

I hadn't seen Fiddler on the Roof on the stage. I thought I remembered all the songs. However, I was left in tears by the end of the second act. Life for the Jews of Anatevka is hard and bitter but yet they managed to find some joy and celebrate it.

I too have made my own joyful discovery in Mr. Harvey Fierstein's performance. He inhabited Teyve, the milkman so completely I forgot about Zero Mostel's voice from the soundtrack and Topol's film role. This is not to diminish the efforts of Mostel or Topol but really to demonstrate the power of Fierstein's stage presence. His swagger, his personality, and in short his joy de vive enchanted the audience at the Canon Theatre.

There were also many strong performances from the remainder of the company particularly the daughters of Teyve. Mazel Tov to all.

In a second Jewish feature this week, I saw the Coen brothers' film "A Serious Man". Now, I have only recently become a fan of the brothers. A Serious Man follows the very ordinary troubles of Larry Gopnik in 1967 Midwestern America: his wife leaves him, his son is experimenting with pot, his brother freeloads off him, he agonizes about getting tenure, etc. He struggles to find meaning in his life and consults no less than three rabbis.

There is no discernible plot but that really isn't the point. Seeking to understand why we make the choices we make, what choices do we have, why things happen to us, how should we behave, and how to cope with the absurdity of human existence....that is just a slice of this black comedy. I also suspect the film is highly autobiographical (the Coens grew up in St. Louis Park, Minnesota) and highly reflective of the Jewish life in 1960s Midwestern USA.

Winter....really in 2010

2010-01-03T15:07:00.004-05:00

Every year for the last few years, I have travelled out west to Winnipeg to see my in-laws. And every year, I seem to pick the frostiest part of the winter season to make the journey. Yesterday for instance, the temperature was -45 degrees Celsius with the wind chill. To be truthful, I don't think I could really tell the difference between -20 and -30 degrees Celsius. Cold is cold.

There was relatively no issue with checking in, my carry on baggage or security check in despite the new security relations stemming from the attempted Christmas Day bombing. However, I was taking a domestic flight. So, what's there do in Winnipeg? Relax in the great indoors, catch up with your in laws, drink, eat, drink, eat, watch a few films, catch up on my sleep....the best kind of holiday.

There is much to be said for seeing your in-laws once a year. Lots of merry making and lots of food and lots of stories. Mr. Hippo's father (Hippo Sr.) had news from his trip to Trinidad. This was his first visit back since he first left the island nation for England more than 50 years ago. He returned to bury his brother whom he hadn't really spoken too for many years too.

More surprisingly was the discovery of a nephew that Hippo Sr had never knew of. This boy was not only his brother's son but his cousin's son i.e. the nephew was also his second cousin. Many family secrets had been uncovered recently by another cousins' attempt to construct the family tree. For example, one uncle had fathered children with two sisters.

Secrets run in all families. This year, I discovered an estranged cousin of my mother's uncle who now resides in New Zealand. She has made contact with a few other family members including my sister. All this family time has peaked my interest into constructing my own family tree.

'Tis the season

2009-12-06T21:47:00.004-05:00

The holiday season is upon us and with it comes the ritual celebrations. There was a double hitter this weekend. On Friday, it started first with my office staff Christmas party at The Mint Leaf, a local Indian restaurant. This was an excellent if somewhat unconventional holiday feast of pakoras, samosas, chicken tandoori, lamb vindaloo, butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, fragrant basmati rice, palak paneer, baigan bharta, ras malai, poached pear with pistachio ice cream..all washed down with several bottles of wine, Guinness, and martinis. Many stories of yesteryear and general good cheer was shared by all.

On Saturday, Mr. Hippo and I were off to his office staff Christmas party at La Felicita, an Italian restaurant in Oakville. This was a similar good time party at a lovely bakery and cafe which served up an sumptuous meal. Such gatherings usually create a few problems for me as I rarely meet Mr. Hippo's company folks but once a year. I did have some difficulty in remembering the names of the over 40 fellow employers and their spouses but generally speaking, I think everyone was in the same boat. The new restaurant, and special loot bag gift of Italian cookies were the most obvious and welcome signs of change in social committee at Mr. Hippo's company. The long promised summer BBQ may become a reality this coming year.

What awaits this week...the nurses Christmas dinner and the the hospital physicians holiday gathering.....'tis the season.

How do you photograph a 500lb sea cow?

2009-11-04T23:12:00.007-05:00

Actually, you don't really photograph them. Over weekend, my Honey and I spent a few days of R&R on Florida's nature coast. We did some kayaking and swimming (really floating) with the manatees. Very intriguing beasts. At birth, the pups weigh 30kg and can the females (who tend to be bigger) can reach up to 1 000kg.

There was a definite kinship or perhaps curiosity felt between Mr. Hippo and these animals. He was the manatee magnet. Perhaps they are drawn to his whiskers! One of the pups even took a gentle nibble of his toes (which is very common) and he rubbed the tummy of another. Another young male nearly kissed me as seen in this video. What the manatees get out of this human socialization is a mystery but for this human, it was a very magical.

Near perfect Stratford Experience.

2009-10-17T17:29:00.002-04:00

The appetizer at Bijou
Originally uploaded by divinemissladybird

Well, practice makes perfect. After three tries, I think this was the near perfect Stratford experience. Dinner started promptly at 5:15pm at Bijou. This is an excellent restaurant with fabulous service and sumptuous meals.

We were seated in our own private dining room with some low mood lighting (but not so dark you couldn't see what you were eating). The appetizers for arctic char and country vegetable soup and main courses of crispy duck, and quail (done four ways) were devoured with gusto and complemented delightfully with California Zinfandel, Niagara Pinot noir and the Bijou champagne cocktails.

The show was A funny thing happened on the way to the forum. To be fair, I was a bit skeptical about the material having see the 1966 movie which showcased such legendary comedians as Buster Keaton, Phil Silvers and Zero Mostel. I was a bit disappointed in the product as the jokes seem silly and comedy was flat.

To my very pleasant surprise, this was not so with the stage production. Perhaps the side gags perpetrated in this muscial comedy are indeed meant only to work before a live audience. The comedic timing was flawless. The lead role of Pseudolus was led by Sean Cullen as the original lead Bruce Dow had been injured. It was indeed fortuitous that he was available. All manner to comedy from word play, to slap stick to mistaken identity and even some bawdy bits worked perfectly as Cullen and the company danced, and sang their hearts out. The energy from this performance was infectious and by the end of the evening, the audience were humming Comedy Tonight as they made their way out of the theatre. Indeed many funny things happened in this forum.

Movies at TIFF

2009-10-16T12:11:00.004-04:00

Prompted by a friend's recent email, I finally got around to a review of this year's TIFF selections. Overall, the movies were better this year but I think this has probably more to do with the fact I was able to select the movies I wished to see rather than opt for a "pass" to certain package where the films were pre-selected.

In no particular order,

1) Good Hair: loved this one and saw this with a friend of mine who happens to be Afro-Canadian. After the show, we met up with her sister and heard a few personal "hair" tales. Chris Rock's socio-political documentary on African hair was both stingily funny but thoughtful. Inspired by his daughter who shocked him with the declaration: Daddy, why don't I have good hair, Chris explores everything from the economics of hair weaves to the politics of "relaxing" one's hair was covered. He journeys from science labs to witness the effect of the chemicals in the hair products on aluminum cans, to the hair salon around the corner to the Battle Royal competition at the largest convention for black hair products in America

2) City of Life and Death: probably will be a candidate for this year's best foreign film. The movie deals with the Rape of Nanking which has been likened to the Chinese holocaust. After many years of avoiding any open discussion about the atrocities, the Chinese seem to have decided to embrace this director's vision to narrate a story of the Japanese occupation of the old proud capital. The mass executions, "comfort women", and violations of all sorts are covered in the scope of this film. Its greatest secret is the story is told from multiple view points including that of various Japanese soldiers, John Rabe (the works of this good german were largely unknown to me) and various Chinese men and women. There are many characters inspired by (and loosely based on ) Iris Chang's novel. The bold black and white cinematography confirms a gripping documentary vision to the film.

3) Baaria: From the director of the much beloved Cinema Paradiso. This movie was bloated with too many characters and was lost in a sea of meandering plot narratives which ultimately did not come to any conclusion, satisfactory or otherwise. Its style and characters were directive of Cinema Paradiso and by the film's conclusion, I was rather longing to see that film again.

4) Prince of Tears: this was the story of a family shattered by the terror of communism plots and conspiracies in Taiwan. The "White Terror" held Taiwan in the 1950s in a state of near martial law. Neighbours, friends and family members could be taken away at moment when the mere rumour of ties of association to Red China were whispered. The plot was somewhat convulated with a twist of a lesbian love affair, misunderstandings between half-siblings and a suspicious and slightly deformed uncle.

5) Anti-christ: I can't really talk about this one. Obscene, grotesque, vile, misogynist and I know why the audiences at Cannes walked out on this film. Lars Von Tier clearly was suffering from some form of mental illness. Later, I learned he wrote this film while recovering from a deep depression. I wonder if it was accompanied by any psychosis.

6) Invention of Lying: Love all things Ricky Gervais. Extras, Office UK, Ghost town, Stand up specialst. He again comes up with a film where characters say the most outrageous things. Brutally honest, cheeky, and yes, funny. Exploring a world where there are no lies (no actors, no forms of any ficition, no religion, no half truths), it does lose its narrative trail at times but nevertheless is entertaining.

7) My son, my son, what have ye done?: Another puzzler? Not sure if I was missing some gene which would give me insight into the film. The story is told in reverse order but did this cinematic technique add to the story telling. There was a dwarf and some other oddities which were reminiscent of Twin Peaks. Werner Herzog, the director, is associated with German New Cinema (and darling of the art house circuit) and a good friend of David Lynch. I wonder who influenced who on this film.

8) Partir: French film starting Yvan Attal, Kirsten Scott Thomas and Sergei Lopez. The plot is a simple: woman starts tense love affair with a construction worker (who is helping to renovate part of her home into an office). Devastating consequences ensue. Splendid acting.

9) Leaves of Grass: Ed Norton plays two roles in this film....twin brothers who have taken different paths in life. One is a cultivator of high grade marjiuana and the other is a much sought after academic of the classics. Both brillant in their own way and in their own worlds. Each has a different way of analyzing the world through their respect intellects. Touching in its portrayal of a wacky dysfunctional family, and well acted. The abrupt changes in tone once the body count starts to rise does jar the tone of the film and the lack of chemistry between Ed Norton and love interest Keri Russell is another failing.

10) Harry Brown: Michael Caine's last major/leading man role. The story runs along the same lines as Gran Torino/Death Wish and is set in Caines' native London. Vigilante justice is the central focus of this story. Formulaic in its unfolding, and stocked with sterotypical characters, it does deliver some good action and nice plot twist at the end.

11) Kamui: strange Japanese film. Ninja code prevents them from ever leaving the clan/family alive. The plight of these "runaway" ninjas is the premise of this story. The movie is obviously met to introduce us to the new adventures of Kamui (one such runaway ninja) and seems to setting us up for his future films (not sure they'll be made too soon after this one is released). The CGI was sloppy at times and the lead actor did a lot of brooding.

12) Karoke: Chris Chong's first feature film. I may be a little bias here as I know the guy. It was an abstract piece with long expansive shots which made for more thoughtful viewing than I expected. A simple story of the homecoming turns into a commentary of the modernization of Malaysia today. I took my parents to see this one and my father got more out of the film than my mother or I. I can see why the film was asked to be presented at Cannes and is winning awards at film festivals everywhere.

The Agony and The Ectasy that is TIFF

2009-09-04T20:04:00.006-04:00

Every year, it is the same old story. Running down town to pick up the Advance Sale Ticket Form to fill for TIFF, then submitting the forms and awaiting the lottery. This year, there were over 50 boxes of forms and lucky box 48 was randomly selected to be processed first. My forms were in box 44. More interestingly, I received 16 of my 20 selections (with 12 being my first choices). Not bad.

Ms. Noel tried to get onto the TIFF website unsuccessfully >5 times, tried to call the box office another >5 times and then called me at 7:40am to say, she was heading to the TIFF central box office to physically get the tickets. Luckily, she lives about 5 minutes from this location. I awoke by 8:30am (after doing a 2am C-section) and headed downtown. After a 45 minute ride into downtown, I entered Nathan Phillips square to see the General Public Ticket purchasing line wrapped around the square. I had to call Ms. Noel to locate her!

She had very cleverly called Ms. Desi who did manage to get onto the TIFF site and to complete the ticket purchasing. In a complete "celebrity" treatment, she went to the Advance pick up line (there actually is no line) and got the tickets. The rub here was, Ms. Desi had to verbally give her VISA card number and confirmation number to the TIFF volunteer over the phone in order for the tickets to printed. This was a move of no small importance as Ms. Desi was leaving for Europe and wouldn't be back before the middle of TIFF week and Ms. Noel would be unable to pick up or use the tickets Ms. Desi had purchased for her.

By comparison, my transactions were quite unremarkable but also quite fortunate. I was able to pick up my tickets and then do my exchanges and even purchasing more tickets in the Advance pick up line without ever really needing to return to the General Public Ticket Purchase line. All told I had spent under 90 minutes at the Box Office and then it was off to Dim Sum with Mom. The Agony of the purchasing is over and the Ecstasy of the films can begin.

Bhangra and West Side Story

2009-08-31T18:27:00.003-04:00

The week flew by. A friend's 40th birth day party was celebrated, a play seen at Stratford and a last minute rush to prepare for TIFF (Toronto Film Festival). The party was a blast with homemade Sushi, lots of Cabernet Savingnon, and a rocking DJ mixing bhangra with 80s classics. I have given a lesson on cultural subtleties of north and south Indian culture by a slight intoxicate friend as well. Although, the element of surprise was lost (the birthday boy inadvertently caught a glimpse of the preparations in the basement), it was great chance to unwind with friends.

The meal before Stratford was a ho-hum affair. The Church Restaurant (constructed in 1873 as a Congregational church) provides a lovely ambience but the service as slow and the food was passable. Definitely not recommended. My duck three ways was ordinary which was head and shoulders above my friends' uncooked steak and bison.

However, the musical we saw at Stratford was dazzling. The energetic and athletic cast of West Side Story delivered great solos, and amazing dance numbers which would have made the perfectionist Jerome Robbins proud. I humming America, Office Kurpke and Somewhere all the way back home to Milton.

Aftermath of a Tornadao

2009-08-21T22:21:00.004-04:00

It's official. There was an F1 Tornado which landed in Milton. It was one of five which hit southwestern ontario last night and certainly not the most devastating.

This was the damage to my dentist office on Ontario Street. They cancelled all appointments today obviously. My father was one of these calls...it was made by the secretary from her home as the staff couldn't even get into building. So lucky again, no fatalities.

If it wasn't a hurricane, it was a twister

2009-08-21T21:45:00.003-04:00

It has been a summer of extremely unstable and frankly more violent weather. Rumours of a tornado touching down in Milton and a wild near-hurricane downpour which lasted a mere two hours. The sheets of rainwater fell downward and sometimes sideways. What crazy weather...and the aftermath is something to below. Part of a roof of my local dentist office was lifted off and carried to into Ontario street and into the parking lot of the adjacent Milton mall.

Tree branches and even whole trees themselves lay over the roads, yards and driveways, onto and into the roofs, and cars and boats. Then, there was the electrical fire. The broken branches of my neighbour's willow leaned heavily onto the hydro electric wires. There was a brief power outage at and when the power came back on at 6:45pm, this fire was ignited in the tree.

4 The firemen came and realized the fire was electrical and contacted the Milton Hydro. The power to our section of the grid was cut and this extinguished the fire. Next, the chain saw came out to perform a bit of tree surgery leaving my neighbour with a new pile of smoking firewood. The charred wood was still warm.

Of course, Milton got off on the lucky side compared to the communities of Durham and Vaughn where the real damage to more than 600 houses was done. The really remarkable event was that there was only one fatality in this whole event. This was sadly, an 11- year old in Durham.

A rare double rainbow

2009-08-12T21:54:00.001-04:00

A rare double rainbow
Originally uploaded by divinemissladybird

After a sudden torrent of rain, there followed a blaze of sunshine. The result, a gorgeous burst of colour over the Milton skies.

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.

2009-07-30T21:05:00.003-04:00

Drive in Delivery
Originally uploaded by divinemissladybird

It was an incredible that that the construction of this new parking lot at Milton District hospital should occur right in front of the three labour and delivery rooms of Obstetrical unit. There are actually only three such L&D rooms. Cars pulling in would have front row view of the birthing units giving a whole new meaning to "drive in" features. In addition to the loss of privacy for expectant mothers, several moderate size fruit trees were destroyed in the construction of this parking lot (cue: Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi). There also use to be a warren of rabbits on the grounds too...likely chased away by the new housing developments.

Flickr

2009-07-30T21:05:00.001-04:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

The Big Movie Weekend

2009-07-18T22:39:00.002-04:00

It is hardly surprising to those who know me that I should post a blog about movies. These past two weekends had been quite amazing though for the depth of talent. First, there was Amal, the story of a very honest (if somewhat simple) rickshaw driver and his unlikely change in fortune. All set the bustling streets of New Delhi. Always delighted to see the very talented character actor Roshan Seth too. Then, The Hurt Locker which is about a bomb disposal squad in Iraq. No political messages here but a straight forward character study of soldiers at war. Imaginative direction from Kathryn Bigelow, excellent performances by the main cast and a number of great cameos from Ralph Fiennes and Guy Pearce. I had never been much of a fan of war films but this film has changed my mind. The Red Cliff is a John Woo production with Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro. Based on a very famous chapter in the historical novel, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, this is a 280 minute epic detailing battle of Red Cliff. There are a slew of heroes in this tale (much akin to Homer's Iliad) and to hear John Woo tell it...a more historically appropriate tale. Stunning battle scenes, and eye dropping CGI landscapes worthy of Lord of the Rings comparisons. Having known nothing of this part of ancient Chinese history, I now may intrigued to read more after watching this film.

Memories of Venice

2009-06-14T11:53:00.005-04:00

Venice was a hectic place to finish our European vacation but just about the most fun. After taking many trips, I have come to realize that the places you go are secondary to the people you travel and share the experiences with. Noel and I did many things in Venice but most importantly, we did them together. We ate, shopped, did some sightseeing and got a little tipsy.

It started with the shopping experience. She is definitely a bad influence but what a great time we had being bad. Jewelery particularly the gorgeous Murano glass necklaces tops the list. The lace purchases in Burano were complemented by the telling of the long history of the lace makers themselves, viewing several pieces of their lace artwork on display and drinking espresso at the post-shopping respite in the garden at the back of the shop.

The meals of Venice were definitely the best of the trip. Dinners at little out of the way places like Enoteca al Volto and the three hour seafood lunch on Burano at Trattoria al Gatto Nero were the stand outs. The service at the later restaurant was fabulous. Our waiter whose family has owned the restaurant since the 1940s was particularly attentive and made many useful menu suggestions. The dessert of the Burano biscuits dipped in a fruity dessert wine was a highlight. He incidentally spoke English with an accent that he latter confessed he attained while studying at the University of Edinburgh.

Of course, we did the tour of the Grand Canal by boat, had a Bellini at Harry's Bar, saw the fabulous mosaics of San Marco as well as the Doge's apartments and other things Venetian too. Although we did not have the romantic experience in Venice in an overpriced gondola ride, we did finish our European vacation with the very James Bond experience. A speedy near dawn ride in an overpriced water taxi through the many rios (water streets of Venice) and across the open waters of the Lagoon to Marco Polo Airport.

Salona

2009-06-06T11:41:00.003-04:00

Necropolis

Basilica

Amphitheatre

We departed the boat/cruise today and took a local bus to Salona which is the ancient Roman settlement. Today, the ruins are surrounded by the new city of Solin. The walk about the site took almost 3 hours and it was quite marvelous. This is a truly a hidden gem and well worth the price of admission...about $5 Canadian.

The highlights include an ancient amphitheatre which was sadly mostly dismantled by the Venetians, a theatre and adjoining Temple, necropolis, thermae (Roman baths). Salona was a Roman city reaching its height during the reign of Diocletian (and probably his birth place).

It is also the site of the first Christian colony in Dalmatian. The emperor Diocletian was famous for martyring the local Christians and the first martyr of Salona were Dominus. St. Dominus got his revenge though as the Cathedral of St. Dominus is built over Diocletian's mausoleum and his body is missing too. Hmmmmm?

The exercise work out we got from walking the grounds was quite a direct contrast to the lazying about on the boat over the past few days. Our last pilgrimage was up to the citadel overlooking Hvar town which was a somewhat steep vertical climb up many stairs and a winding incline. However, the reward was our splendid views as we surveyed the lay of the land. It reminded of the Stations of the Cross trek I made on Gozo. Our meal that evening was fish Gregada in the restaurant named Hannibal. This a soup-like dish consisting of fresh fish cooked in olive, white wine, herbs,garlic and potatoes. Just delicious!

Dubrovnik and beyond

2009-06-03T13:38:00.002-04:00

Walking the city walls of Dubrovnik

The Stradun from the city walls.

City walls from outside the city
Fountain in
Clock Tower in the old Renaissance square

The order for the good weather finally came in. We had two days of thunderstorms and heavy rains as we toured Dubrovnik. It was quite pretty despite the deluge. We walked the walls of this ancient city which is the best way to see the place. The main street known as the Stradun was a washed limestone finish from many years of pedestrian traffic.

The street was created to join the old Roman town of Ragusa with the newer settlement of the Croats...thus creating the city of Dubrovnik. Ragusa was hence originally an island with a different language and people. There is a mosque, a synagogue, and over a hundred churches and one cathedral. The old middle square has a Venetian palace called Sponza which houses the memorial to the defenders of the city during the aggression of the Bosnians and Montenegrins in 1991, In fact, several houses were destroyed by fire and the city walls were damaged too.

Our city guide was called Paulo, an Italian ex pat who was quite flamboyant and I suspect gay as well. He had dyed blond hair and orange trimmed sunglasses. He spoke animately and passionately about his adopted city with speedy and colorful descriptions and with theatrical gestures. Although he may not have always been factual, he was definitely entertaining.

We wander through the old Franciscan monastery, the orthodox church of St. Nicolas and St. Blasie church who is the patron saint of the city. At the end, we finally exited through a hole in the wall facing the sea to small bar called Burz at land's end to gaze on the towering 25m walls from outside the city. We took an extended walk of the city walls the following day. The occasional downpour did not diminish the grandeur of Dubrovnik.

Today, the sun came up and Noel and I worked on our tans. It was hot enough that I braved a swim in the cool and fresh waters of the Adriatic in Lombarda beach. We are now in Korcula, the reputed home town of Marco Polo. Boy have the locals milked their association with this traveller for all its worth. There is a hotel, restaurant, tower, local house, a bar and several souvenir shops with the Polo adage! We are taking a break from our seafood diet today to try some local beef and lamb specialities.

2009-05-31T18:29:00.003-04:00

Makarska, a local Rivieria style resort dating back to the time of the Romans.

Old Style Fiat!

Does this look like a politican rally to you?

Peristyle...Diocletian's Palace Courtyard.

Langostines for dinner! Yum!

Seaside front of Split, Croatia from our sailboat, Eos

The internet is truely a wonder of modern technology. I'm on a boat in the middle of Mljet National Park and surfacing the web on mylaptop on unsecured wireless network signal from adjacent hotel. Just crazy!

When we arrived in Split, the old city town was definitely in a party mood, there was free concert as well as free food consisting of a local beef sausage with bread (the Croatian hot dog) and free beer too. Later, we learned this event was sponsored by a local political candidate who was running for a seat in the regional government. Canadian politicians could learn a thing or two here on how to win/buy votes.

We have sailed from Split to a local resort town of Makarska and then this morning, we sailed onto the National park of Mljet which is just outside Dubrovnik. The weather has been quite varied. It was sunny in Split (and I got slightly burnt while sleeping in a deck chair). In Makarska, it was somewhat cool overnight on Saturday and this morning it was down right cold as set sail to Mljet. The weather was fine in Mljet until after dinner when we had surprised by a sudden rainstorm.

We are certainly spoiled for choice for seafood. Each night thus far,we have shared our meals: grilled calamari, octopus salad, squid ink risotto, and stewed langoustines. The local wines have been quite fruity and there is a local herb/grass flavored liquor called Travarica which tastes more like a cough syrup formulation than an alcohol. We have also tried a tripe stew and on the boat had a grilled mackerel with a local spinach-like vegetable. Both were suprisingly delicious.

In Mljet National Park, we took a small boat to an ancient Franciscan monastery which was built on local Roman ruins. The monastery is located on an island in the middle of two fresh water lakes which arethe star attraction of the national park. The waters were clear and coloured much like that of Lake Louise in Banff. Mljet is reputed to be where Odysseus was ensnared by Calypso for 7 years and also where St. Paul was shipwrecked to and bitten by a viper. If these stories sound familiar, you are right....we heard them on Malta as well. The name of the cafe at the St.Mary monastery in Mljet cafe is Melita (whichis the Latin name for Malta). Coincidence?

Split, Croatia

2009-05-29T12:01:00.003-04:00

After a long three-legged flight, we have arrived safely in Split, Croatia. There was a bit of a mix up with the bags. We thought they needed to pick them up in Zagreb before boarding our flight to Split. We assumed we would have to do this as we were all changing airlines from Air France to Croatian Air.

When all of our bags did not show up in Zagreb, we went to the lost luggage office and discovered they had been checked through to Split by Air France. Mom thought this was so in the first place but nobody else seemed sure. Score one for her but I still maintained we were misinformed by our travel agent.

I had gnocchi in a truffle, proscuitto, and brandy sauce this afternoon in Zagreb. This I have learned is a popular dish in Croatia. The heavy carbo load at lunch and poor sleep for the past 18 hours contributed to a power nap on the flight to Split. After a shower in the hotel Jadran, in Split, which is the original swimming complex where the Croatian National Team use to train, I discovered the free internet set up in the hotel lobby....happiness.

It is true what Red said, everyone speaks some English here. This is all part of a national push to put Croatia on the tourist map. It's working on me thus far. Noel and I will probably take a walk into Diocletian's Palace which is the Old City of Split before crashing tonight.

Moon Yuet

2009-05-05T19:40:00.004-04:00

Another lovely Chinese tradition was carried out last Saturday. Ms. Crowded House's baby boy had his month old party which is called Moon Yuet. The celebration is much akin to the presentation of the baby to the community particularly the elders (and other ancestors unseen).

I suspect the celebration stems back to the times when infant mortality was somewhat higher than it is today. For the superstitious Chinese, it seems more appropriate to have a post birth month dinner than and pre-birth shower.

For the majority of this 12 course meal, the baby boy was paraded around, cooed and cuddled and really pretty much getting the paparazzi treatment. Most befitting a baby, he slept through most of dinner. These hard boiled "symbolical" red eggs (more pink) were presented to the attendants. Red is the colour of good fortune and the eggs representing ?fertility.

Income Tax Return

2009-05-05T19:30:00.002-04:00

I was pleasantly suprised this year after filing my taxes at the end of April. Why? Because:

1) I received a return.
2) I received the cheque for the return amount today.
3) The amount of the return more than sufficiently pays for my upcoming European vacation.

A weekend in Toronto

2009-04-26T21:54:00.003-04:00

After several weeks of busy call and office duties, I was in Toronto for a conference being held by the Canadian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. What a delightful surprise to see a fresh set of faces. Some were mentors from MUMC. Others were former residents and even a patient's husband who had delivered about 18 months ago. It took me a while to remember who he was but after a little jogging of the old memory, it all came flooding back (much to my surprise).

Dinner at Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar on Saturday was a composition of tapas dishes: warm flat bread with three dips, braised rabbit, wild leek and mushroom ragout, steak and spinach salad, beets with spring greens and feta salad, grilled pickerel with wild rice, chorizo with buttered noodles, poutine and 4 desserts. The wine complement was excellent as was the company.

Now, it's back to the old grindstone.

Earth Hour 2009

2009-03-29T18:10:00.002-04:00

After a week spent running around doing little personal errands from car servicing, to a long overdue vet check up (the creature has lost a miraculous 1.7lbs), I spent this Saturday cooking a Earth Hour dinner for a few friends. Ms. Crowded House is just about due and in fact, this may be the last time I see her in her full maternity glory.

I have to thank my sister for providing a few meal items: the goose foie gras (which I seared) and the duck con fit (which I grilled). This combined with a veggie pot stickers, apple curry chicken breast, green beans and beets completed our candlelight dinner for Earth Hour. Everything was well received including the mulled wine and there were scarcely any leftovers either. As we consumed the special "spring awakening" dessert prepared by Noelly, we talked and talked as old friends often do after a long absence (nearly two months) into the night long after the Earth Hour was done.

Watchmen

2009-03-26T20:33:00.003-04:00

I would have to thank A. Spauling for recommending Watchmen, the graphic novel, to me. It was wonderful discovery. The artwork of D. Gibbons and the narrative of A. Moore are simply genius. The chapter titled Fearful Symmetry (a node to Blake) was quite clever in its creation: the comic panel are aligned in symmetry.

The graphic novel is deserving of its title as the greatest ever written though. Its multi-layered non-linear narratives, rich character development/history, novel comic book panel layout and themes of deconstructing superheroes, policies of power and concept of "superman" in today's world were innovative in the early 1980s. It is a definitive literary reaction to the Regans and Thatchers of the Watchmen World of 1980s.

"Who Watches the Watchmen" is another theme resonating in the novel (and a quote from the Roman satirist Juvenal: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?). Alan Moore's (who is a bit of a kook) concept of demonstrating the reality of superheroes is unique...to pro tray them warts and all. This of course is very commonplace today in our movies and TV shows particularly (e.g Dark Knight, Heroes) which diminish the power of this graphic novel in this day and age.

Moore decided to create ambiguity in his world of heroes. Except for one exception, they do not really have any superpowers and there is no super-villians either in this story. Instead, these superheroes have to face moral and social concerns. The question of whether superheroes are even necessary was introduced. It is the basis of every postmodern superhero character thereafter from The Incredibles to Hancock. Moore is quite a genius too with his cultural references in the story and which is most evident in the names of our heroes: Ms. Jupiter, Ozymandias, Dr. Manhattan, Rorschach. He cites poets from Edward Blake to P. B. Shelly.

Although the plot is slightly complex (and slight convoluted), the graphic novel of the Watchmen triumphs in the depth of its characters (motivations, shortcomings, past history) and in its vivid description of the the bleak world of the Watchmen. Nearly every panel of each of the twelve issues of the Watchmen is stuffed with these references and symbolism. Most obvious is the smiley face with the blood stain. The Armageddon theme is quite prominent too e.g. the movie poster "The day the earth stood still" appears in a number of panels. Within the graphic novel too are little "faux" newspaper articles and advertisements related to the world of the Watchmen.

It all makes for a very clever read and speaks to the devotion to detail of Dave Gibbons the artist. The references and symbolism are so dense that with each re-reading, you could pick up another nuance of the Watchmen.

After reading the Watchmen graphic novel, watching the Warner Brothers' Watchmen Motion Comic series of all 12 comics, and watching the Zack Synder's DVD of "Tales of the Black Freighter" and "Under the Hood", Mr. Hippo and I went to see Zack Synder's film adaptation of "The Watchmen" last evening. We were an audience of four in the theatre which is hardly surprising for a three hour R-rated film is in its third week of release.

The long and the short of this film review: Mr. Hippo and I thoroughly enjoyed the film. It was faithful to the film without being too loyal. I have heard the criticism and conclude that these reviews have not read the graphic novel or would not have loved the original source of this film.

Bewarned, this is a film MADE for the fanboys/fangirls of the graphic novel. The non-linear plot and the length of the film are insufficient for the any newcomer to develop any sympathy for these characters or comprehend the plot. I can therefore understand if the newbie suffers from plot confusion or succumbs of the superficiality of criticizing the violence of the movie, full frontal nudity of Dr. Manhattan or erratic pacing.

The violence of the the film matches the graphic novel. This should not be a criticism of the film as it accurately represents the sombre tone of the graphic novel and the umbrella threat of global annihilation. Ironically and with uncharacteristically restraint by the director, the apocalyptic ending in the graphic novel was much more gruesome that what was in the film in fact.

The pacing of the film is erratic. I attribute this to the director's efforts to remain true to the novel. The story line of the graphic novel does bounce through the past and present which may work better for the novel where one can flip back and forth rather than in a film. Almost 70-80% of the dialogue is lifted from the novel although some lines are delivered by another character rather than in original character of the graphic novel.

The costume and art directions are in a word splendid. Many scenes virtually lifted from the comic panel themselves. The "smiley face" motive was well preserved in many frames: on the Comedian's badge, the landscape of Mars, the Comedian's belt buckle, the doomsday clock. The slow-motion and near freeze frame scenes are a tribute to the "frozen" comic book panels of the graphic novels.

The actor of the film who deserves recognition in this film is Jackie Earle Haley who plays the role of the much beloved uncompromising right wing lunatic Watchmen. Creepiness and socially awkwardness is taken to a new height. He chimes out Rorschach lines in a fittingly monotone banter.

The music choices accurately evoke the 1980s and most inspired choice here is Bob Dylan's The times they are a changing for the opening credits. Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah for the sex scene is used more for a comic effect and the "Flight of the Valkyrie's" in Dr. Manhattan's and The Comedian's war efforts in Vietnam is a nature homage to Apocalypse Now.

The ending was been changed (warning: spoiler coming) from the graphic novel but I would argue for the better. Instead of Veidt's clone faux "alien" being with psychic powers that is transported into NYC, the origin of the Armageddon destruction is a force with the signature of power of Dr. Manhattan. The film ending saves the audience from trying to figure out what this faux "alien" being is (which fans of the graphic novel are still unclear about) and is internally consistent. We now understand why the earth does not need to see or hear from Dr. Manhattan again.

I can't think of how this graphic novel could be better served by a film except for a more extensive development of the narrative. In fact, after the three hours of the film, I couldn't help thinking that perhaps a 12 part TV series of the graphic novel with each chapter of the novel compressed in a 30 minute episode who be the next step for Mr. Synder. But then again, I think the movie has succeed in doing what I hope all films do, to capture the emotions that the reader could get from the novel and to leave you yearning for more. In fact, I think I'll just go start another re-read of the Watchmen just now.

Nasca Lines

2009-03-08T14:31:00.005-04:00

After leaving Paracas, we sent off on another short bus ride to Nazca. The town is renown internationally for the enigmatic geoglyps. Dating back to 500 BC, this collection of over 8000 linear drawings, 300 geometric figures and 70 biomorphs (plant and animal drawings) are remarkable for their size and their preservation. Concentrated in a 500 square km plain with an annual rainfall of virtually nil and scarcely any wind, these "lines" are barely identifiable from the ground. I took a six seater plane to gaze that this marvelous network of figures and channels.

The whale was the first to be discovered in 1927. Maria Reiche, a German astronomer and mathematician, devoted her life to studying the lines and concluded the collection represented a calendar. Other theories proposed include an alien landing strip, a ceremonial centre, a cult worship to water/fertility and a giant running track.

The creation of the lines was done by removing the dark sun baked rocks on either side of the lines to expose the lighter gypsum soil beneath. The Nazca Lines were declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994.

The spider is identified a symbol of fertility and rain. It is also identified with soothsayers who used the creatures to predict future.

The hummingbird is the best know geoglyp and appears on many ceramics of the Nazca culture (as well as many souvenir items today). It measures 96 x 66m. The hummingbird were thought to be messengers between the heavens and this world.

The tree and druid with extended hands are one of a few figures visible from a viewing platform (middle bottom of the picture) off the Panamerican Highway (not the truck on the road for idea of the scale of these drawings). The Nazca are believed to have made the lines in their worship of Kon, a flying god of water. This would explain why the collection of lines were designed to be seen from above.

I did not puke on the flight which was a most pleasant surprise. As our pilot banked left and right to allow passengers on both sides of the planes to view the lines, there was only one casualty at the end of the 35 minute flight. We were returned safely to the earth and left to ponder the meaning of the Nazca lines, one of the world's great archaeological mysteries.

Little Galapagos

2009-03-01T21:41:00.003-05:00

The end of our lovely day in the Paracas and Ballestas islands was capped off with lunch by the beach of fresh fried sole and chips/rice meal washed down with the beloved Peruvian fermented corn drink called chicha morada. Just delicious on a hot afternoon!

The red sand beaches of Paracas are a product of wind storms which carry iron oxide from the distance cliffs into the ocean which in turn washes the iron granules onto the seashore.

It just wouldn't be right leaving Peru without seen a maternity ward. In this case, the maternity beach of the sea lions which was both bustling with activity (several males were duking it out) and sang with the choir of mother sea lions and their cubs.

Mr. Hippo and I did not rest long in Lima after our tour of the Machu Picchu and Cuzco. We set off to see the Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Reserve which are located on the South Coast of Peru. This area has been called the Poor Man's Galapagos. It is not difficult to see why either. There are lots of birds which blanket the islands. In fact, the guano from these islands is mined every eight years and sold overseas as a farm fertilizer. Pelicans, comorants, the peruvian boobys and most surprisingly the Humbolt penguins co-exist on these tiny rock dwellings.

Machu Picchu

2009-02-25T08:49:00.006-05:00

Testing the waters of the Room of the Mortars.

View of the three temples, quarry and agricultural terraces.

The trouble with trying to travel in the rainy season in Cuzco and Machu Picchu is that sometimes the weather stymies you. However, we were lucky. Our first day in Cuzco, we walked in the main square of the city (local cathedral), toured the local ruins (Temple of the Sun, several local wari/raised ceremonial platforms) and only encountered one rainfall. It was brief but heavy. Sasaywuman was the most intriguing with its irregular symmetrical stone construction. Our guide was a local Quecha Indian who put an environment spin on his tour as do many aboriginal groups i.e. the whole return to Mother Earth what is owned to her and try not to poison the world.

Field separating the royal/sacred quarters from the common residencies.

It is recommended to spend at least one day in Cuzco to acclimatize. Mr. Hippo and I had some symptoms: decrease appetite and a mild headache. However, after a good night sleep, we felt better.The next day, we started early for Machu Picchu. In fact, we have been up almost every day around 5-6am (quite early for me) during this vacation. There is only one railway line (Orient Express) into Agus Caliente, the town from which all buses then leave for the summit. After a 3.5 hour train ride and 20 minute bus ride, we were there. Heavens, what a grand site! We were met by our guide and took a 3.5 hour tour. Paul must have snapped a picture a minute and in fact filled a 4Gig.

View of all of ruins from the guardhouse.

Only 35% of Machu Picchu has been revealed and more surprisingly, it was only recently (1911) properly re-discovered and properly excavated by a Yale scientist called Hiram Bingham. Questions about its origin and final abandonment still remain a mystery. However, the citadel was thought to be designed as a self-sufficient city. There are agricultural and resident terraces. An open field separates the common residencies from the royal and the sacred realm. A series of sixteen ceremonial baths/fountains also subdivide the agricultural from the urban sites.

Machu Picchu appears to have been abandoned before it reached its completion as its quarry appears to be still in working state. I had arranged to spend an extra night at the only hotel near the ruins: The Machu Picchu sanctuary lodge. The reason is simple: to take in the ruins without the troughs of the 2500 daily guests who flood the site. The lack of crowds adds immensely to the ambience. Our guide states that in the dry (and high season), the citadel is literally packed wall to wall with tourists. In fact, UNESCO has been lobbying to limit the number of guests as scientists and archaeologists have stated that the deterioration has accelerated particularly with climate change. One of the local trials to another terrace citadel called Waywu Picchu has already had a limit of 400 guests per day.

Our late afternoon tour was considerable more pleasurable and we scoured every nook of the residential quarters leaving the royal and sacred sites for our second day. A word about our guide, he is local archaeologist who was able to illuminate many new details about the site i.e. the room of the mortars. What looks to be the mortar portion of “mortar and pestle” has been revised to an astronomical observatory. After the discovery that this room had a thatch room, the theory was revised again. Today, what was thought to be mortars are likely to be the base of two statues (which are in fact located in Yale University). Of course, the local archaeologists, geologists and art historians are keen to have these statues as well as other artefacts of Machu Picchu returned...if nothing else to facilitate study of the site.

All our meals and drinks including alcohol were included in our stay at Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge. The building was formerly the home base for the local scientists who excavated and restored the ruins. There is a lovely letter from the grandson of Hiram Bingam in the lobby. The food at the lodge was spectacular as befitting a five star hotel. For lunch: Sea bass ceviche followed by a succulent pork tenderloin. Mr. Hippo had new potatoes (there are over 400 potato species in Peru) with baked salmon with proscuitto. We even had some lovely Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. For our evening meal, we had dined on grilled alpaca, scalloped potatoes with sea bass (with baby veggies) and smoked trout with lemon chilli pepper and olive oil. This was accompanied by a bottle of 2005 Argentinean Norton Malbec Reversa simply yummy. The end to a perfect day!

Lima

2009-02-25T08:41:00.003-05:00

Except for some turbulence on the flight from Houston to Lima, the trip to Lima was uneventful. I had come all the way to Lima and who should be seated next to me but another Canadian. A sprightly elderly lady who in her retirement has been re-born as a world traveller. Last year, she worked in a mission in Brazil and this year, it was a week in Chimbote. How adventurous and exciting!

Our arrival at the airport was greeted by the sea of Peruvian humanity. We negotiated a taxi to the Gran Hotel Bolivar at just after our arrival at the midnight hour. We passed in a cab through the very sketchy parts of Lima before arriving at our hotel in the Plaza San Martin. The Gran Bolivar is a grand old lady and the hotel has become somewhat of time capsule of the late 19th century. 12 foot ceilings and magnificent hardwood floor inlays line the rooms and the halls of the hotel. The stain glass ceiling and the antique model T-ford in the lobby are also part of its unique charm. It is faded glamour however, the rooms are sparse with antique like furniture. There is neither air-conditioning (but the rooms are cool even in the summer) nor internet access. All of this is advertised on the web so consequently of no surprise to Mr. Hippo and I. However, it is close to all the sites of Colonial Lima from the Monastery of San Francisco, Catheral of Lima, Church of La Merced and Plaza San Martin.

On our first day, it was a long day of walking to all the sites. We also encountered a labour strike which blocked some part of the downtown core, hassled only once by a beggar and got lost a couple of hundred times getting to abode pyramid called Huaca Huallanmarca (Sugar Loaf to the locals). A ceremonial centre for the Hualla people dating back to AD 200) . This well preserved mummy was the highlight.

By late afternoon, we returned to the Bolivar and had their special drink, the Pisco Sours, at the bar. This is a local sweet brandy produced in Peru and served cold with crush ice. A great drink to relax with on a hot humid afternoon. Mr. Hippo was not feeling too well and headed to bed thereafter while I had dinner at the local restaurant consisting of a seafood chowder and ever popular fried potatoes with more pisco sours of course. There are over 2000 types of potatoes in Peru! No wonder Sir Walter Raleigh had to take some back with him to England all those years ago.

The many conflicting images of winter in Ontario

2009-02-14T15:23:00.002-05:00

While January was certainly cold, the winter of February 2009 has certainly turned out to be most confusing.

A two day meltdown ensued as the temperatures climbed into the double digit centigrade. This was compounded by a solid 24hr deluge which resulted in several river and creek banks overflowing. Several fields temporarily became small swimming pools for the local fowl.

Contrast this to this picture taking just a week before when nearly 20cm of snow fell in a day. Is freak weather the future for us in Ontario?

Of course, nothing really celebrates winter more than Winterlude in Ottawa. Three February weekends packed with all things we love about the season: skating, skiing, ice sculptures, maple treats, ice slides, bed races on the canal, ice fishing. Mr. Hippo and I decided to break our cabin fever and took in this year's festivities with our friends who live there with their two children.

So when will this winter end? If the prognostications of Wiarton Willie and Punxsutawney Phil are to believed, not for another six more weeks. However, with this current pattern of wild weather, it may well be when pigs fly.

A patch of colour

2009-01-28T17:00:00.002-05:00

In the middle of another snowy winter, this gorgeous (and huge) flower arrangement was a well-appreciated gift from one of my patients. It complements my office furniture and my ever growing "office" garden. I hope I can make is last for a while. Just for perspective, that is 26in LCD screen.

Moments at the Inauguration

2009-01-20T20:49:00.002-05:00

First the gathering, then the swearing in and then the inaugural speech.

Memorable surely with many moving quotes of which my favourites were:

"Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths."

and just because it is minus 23 degrees tonight:

"In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations."

Really things that make you go...hmmmmm.

I was quite stuck by the humour of in the Benediction by the Reverend Dr Joseph E Lowery toward the end of the ceremonies:

"Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen. "

What a day!

Amazing Asian

2009-01-17T16:17:00.002-05:00

Well it was a long time goal but at last, I have taken a cooking class. Sure, it was for a style of cooking that I knew much of but I did learn a few new tricks. In this case,a recipte for shitake mushroom-nappa-onion pot-stickers (a fried dumpling actually). It was surprisingly easy and definitely delicious!

In the course of about 3.5-4 hours, Ms. Crowded House, her sister, Desi and I cooked up and ate fried dumplings, seared tuna, lobster-shrimp-veggie stir fry and mango-coconut pudding.

The teared tuna "plate dressing" consisting of fresh snow peas shoots, sesame seeds, fried lotus root chips and a sesame oil-lime vinaigrette was certainly the most visually appealing and complemented the seared tuna divinely.

After consuming two glasses of Shiraz and slaving over a hot stove on one of the coldest nights of the year, it was joy to eat the fruits of our labours. Now perhaps, I'll tackle French cuisine.

Technical update

2008-12-20T11:31:00.003-05:00

The computer in exam room and the computer my secretary uses finally ground down to a halt (both within a week). The monitor on the former simultaneously fizzled (more like sizzled at the moment of demise) while I was with a patient.

So it was a week of shopping for two new hard drive and a rapid update on the state of computer technology. Who knew there was a Core 2 Quad now? New 1Gb RAMs were installed into the remaining office computers as well. How exciting it is to be working at warp speed again.

Some good meal out and in

2008-11-02T17:41:00.006-05:00

I tend to eat most of my meals at home (lunch, dinner and breakfast, if I remember of course). One of the perks of living with your parents and about 2 minutes from work. My honey, my mother and I all love to cook. My honey hippo is the master of the BBQ. My mother cooks the best of Asian and Asian fusion stuff. I tend to do a mix of Asian and Western dishes. However, I do take in a few restaurants.

Last week, for Dad's birthday, we went to The Host, an Indian Restaurant. Between the goat curry, Tandoori chicken and prawns, aloo gobi, butter chicken, and the spiced and garlic nan, it was a feast to behold and to savour. Still salivating about the memories.

Then the second best meal was at the Owl of Minerva, a Korean restaurant which has nothing to do with the Greek goddess of wisdom. The highlight was the pork bone soup which was a warm,spicy, and hearty dish that warmed me down to my boots. Great recommendation from Ms. Crowded House and her husband!

Recently I did make two more dishes from Supper works: the tomato cream basa and coconut crusted chicken fingers. Both were delicious as well as being quick and simple to make...a testimony to the Supper works mantra. Tonight, I am trying my hand at a prime rib roast with red wine porcine mushroom sauce.

Med School Reunion

2008-10-06T21:11:00.008-04:00

It snuck up on me. This anniversary was coming around and I could feel its shadow looming. The surprise of its arrival however, is really an incredulous form of denial. 10 years had passed since I graduated from medical school. 10 years since the class of Meds 98 were swearing the Hippocratic oath together on that humid day in May.

Thankfully, my biggest worry that I would not be able to recognize someone in the class did not come to pass. There was a little more snow of the roof for some and a somewhat portly disposition for others. We all looked a reasonable semblance of our younger selves.

No difference was this experience from other reunions I have had with memories relived and stories exchanged. The re acquaintance of old friends may have been touched with some sadness of the lost years but this was matched by the delightful rediscovery of old friendships. We have matured well...look how far we've come.

TIFF: Easy Virtue

2008-09-10T17:29:00.005-04:00

This was a lovely and "easy" film to watch. The Noel Coward script had been reworked but the story held true. Colin Firth and Kirsten Scott Thomas were the anchors of the cast and it was a fine effort on the part of Jessica Biel. Catchy Cole Porter (and the like) tunes matched with gorgeous period costumes add to the fun. The director announced Mr. Firth's arrival on stage with "Ladies do you have you underpants ready....." (so British and so Cheeky).

TIFF 2008

2008-09-07T18:24:00.009-04:00

Movies seen today: Burn after Reading, Blindness, Rain, Ghost Town, Miracle of St. Anna

Movies recommend to date: all in the above list.

Movies highly recommend: Blindness. The movie was dramatically re-edited from its previous screening at Cannes (where is was poorly received). However, now that the voice over has been lifted from the movie, and other scenes more tightly woven, the movie comes together well. Strong performances from Julianna Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Gael Garcia Bernal, Danny Glover and stellar cast. The movie captures the essence of the book: the descent into hell of a nameless society loses its sight literally and metaphorically (morally). The graphic nature (murder, rape) of many scenes were portrayed with restraint. There is really too much to content to be adequately portrayed on film by Don McKellar's script does a respectable job.

More reviews to follow in the coming days.

2008-08-29T19:33:00.004-04:00

I took a look at my cousin's blog and found this very interesting meme which came from The Omnivore's Hundred (which originates at Very Good Taste).

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you've eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich (stable for breakfast still today)
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (apple, strawberry, gooseberry)
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries (strawberries literally in a field in Newfoundland)
23. Foie gras (thanks to my sister)
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi (mango not salted alas)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (Med school graduation party)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (eaten in Bangkok and paid for this later that night)
43. Phaal (also paid for this later)
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth US$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs' legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill (absolutely not....not sure if I would even if I was dying of hunger)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

I have eaten/drank 71 of the items which is not really surprising as I am food obsessed, willing to try anything once (except Roadkill), grew up on two continents and love to travel. The best thing is I have another 28 items to try!

Lucky number 8

2008-08-17T22:33:00.003-04:00

Michael Phelps has now won eight gold medals at this year's Olympic games. 8 is a lucky number in Chinese as it is a homonym for prosperity. The Beijing Olympics commenced at 8am on the 8th day of the 8th month of 2008. At Milton Hospital, there was a new record set in 2008: 8 deliveries in a 24 hours period. Not bad for a hospital who average is 3 per day and has only 11 postpartum beds. Unfortunately, unlike Phelps, there won't be a million dollar pay cheque for Milton.

The night the lights went out....

2008-08-06T17:47:00.004-04:00

Our first time at Supperworks was a lot more fun than I anticipated. Red and I were somewhat apprehensive but after "assembling" a few meals, we both relaxed and got into the swing of it. Her choice of the Kid's Mac and Cheese dish was however the most challenging to assemble as it required use of a microwave to heat the milk and cheeses followed by some serious blending!

The Pulled Chicken was the easiest to assemble by far (and I did two full meals). The best smelling pre-cooked dish was the Korean Orange Spice Flatiron steaks. As a wicked thunderstorm raged outside, we sipped on our glasses of wine and snacked on shrimp dip as we put together our meals. Then, the inevitable happened, the lights went out and did not come back on.
This led to measuring ingredients by flashlight before the staff of Supperworks lit the towers of candles which I suspect had been use primarily for decoration until this night.
Checking to see if the ground beef was properly mixed as the greatest challenge even by candlelight. Of course, the proof of the meal quality is in the eating which I'll be checking out (and reporting on) in the next few weeks.

Babu goes to the happy hunting grounds....

2008-07-28T21:42:00.005-04:00

FOUR FEET

I have done mostly what men do,
And pushed it out of my mind;
But I can't forget, if I wanted to,
Four-Feet trotting behind.

Day after day, the whole day through--
Wherever my road inclined--
Four-Feet said, 'I am coming with you!'
And trotted along behind.

Now I must go by some other round--
Which I shall never find--
Some where that does not carry the sound
Of Four-Feet trotting behind.

--- Rudyard Kipling ---

Another fallen tree story

2008-07-27T16:24:00.003-04:00

My cousin's recent post about cutting down a tree in her neighbourhood: http://www.toomanythoughts.org/blog/ gave me cause to reminisce about a dark and stormy night nearly 9 years ago when the Great Oak in front of my house apartment in Hamilton finally came to a end.

It had been raining for most of the month of April and most of us who lived in the apartments of this old 100 year old house noticed that there were a few green leaves and twigs on the Great Oak in the front yard. The rest of the neighbour trees appeared to springing to life with light green foliage or flowers. On this dark and very rainy night, I returned to my home after dinner with some friends to find that the streetlights on my street were off and the police had block off the road.

I parked on an adjacent street and as I approached my home, I saw the fallen tree which crushed one of my house neighbours. They were a couple from Argentina who were doing their PhDs at McMaster university. I learnt later that they had just returned home as well and as they entered the front door of the house, there was a loud crack. The couple turned around to witness the crush of their car by the dying oak. It was naturally quite fortunate that they were not in the car itself.
At about 11 pm, the city of Hamilton municipal crew came along and started the clean up. One crew chain-sawed the branches while another crew fed the pieces into a wood chipper. The noise was horrendous and lasted well into the early morning hours. Since we could not sleep, most of my house neighbours came out to watch the clean up with a few glasses of wine.
By morning, this was all that remained of the Great Oak and later, another truck came to take the trunk away as well.
The Argentina couple stared in disbelief at the state of their car. There was significant structural damage that the car was deemed a write-off by the insurance. In fact, they used copies of these pictures to get their full claim.

Competitveness

2008-07-23T17:47:00.002-04:00

A: Hey, I can fill that in about 10 minutes.
B: Really, well the last time I was here, the bag was done in 5.

A: Squeezing or no squeezing
B: No squeezing

A: Let's get the nurse to watch the timers today.
B: You're on.

A: Who would think blood donation could be a competitive sport?
B: You realize we're talking about how fast we could exsanguinate, eh?

A&B are both health care professionals too.

Western Skies

2008-07-12T17:30:00.002-04:00

It was a great idea having the SOGC conference in Calgary this year but I was thinking it would have even been better if it was in Banff! However, with scenery like this, everyone may be staring at the outdoors and no one would be at the lectures and workshops.
Another benefit of the conference was catching up with old friends from residency, medical school and other conferences. With the absent provincial sales tax, there was plenty of incentive for shopping (and plenty of success too). There were some splendid meals at "Catch" and the Belvedre. These oysters at "Catch" were quite yummy as was the steamed snow crab and Dungeness crab legs drenched in chilli butter which I had for the main course.
Calgary itself was also in prep mode for the upcoming stampede. Faux rodeo stalls and straw on 8th Avenue as well as the ever increasing number of men and women in cowboy garb. We got out of town just in time before the madness was to begin. A quick but relaxing trip out west.

I've got Tiger Woods' injury

2008-06-20T18:50:00.004-04:00

It had to happen of course on my vacation but thankfully on the last day of diving in the Red Sea. With my full scuba gear on, I stepped from the MY Fraser into the Zodiac. Poof! That was it, the last remaining shreds of my right ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) were gone as my right knee collapsed. A moment of brief pain followed by a few hours of numbness and swelling.

As I suspected and confirmed by my orthopedic surgeon and my MRI last Wednesday, I have completely torn my ACL ligament. There are some strain on the collateral ligaments but no fractures. After two weeks of physiotherapy, I can walk reasonably well but limp a little after long hours of ambulation especially after call.

What awaits me, possible surgery to reconstruction of the knee particularly if the mensical tears worsen (manifested by increased pain and grinding in the knee) and if the knee becomes more unstable over time. Arthritis is more likely in the right knee over time.

As I hobble about last Thursday night during a 3am delivery, the husband of one of my patients asked me what was the matter with my knee. I pondered about the extent of my answer....ACL tear, how it happened, prognosis but my immediate answer was "I've got Tiger Woods' injury." Of course, Tiger is a world class golfer and I am at best an avid diver. My injury was sustained after a relatively minor and low impact activity (walking into a Zodiac) as oppose to repetitive high velocity drives that probably left Tiger with his injury.

This husband replied "So, do you get to take the rest of the year off too?"
My retort was "No, sadly, I'd be lucky to get a month off to rest after the surgery!".

Thus perhaps illustrating the greatest difference between Tiger and myself.

Red Sea Diving...

2008-06-15T17:22:00.003-04:00

This was my second liveaboard dive trip to the Red Sea. This time I was accompanied by my Honey Hippo and we were going to the middle part of the Red Sea (as oppose to the Northern segment). The tour was called "Simply the Best" because quite simply the wildlife on these reefs is the best (for now). The sites are quite remote and accessibly only by safari boats after a 6-8 hour trip. The three most famous reefs are the Brothers, Daedalus and Elphinstoun. And they did not disappoint. Everything from the very small wonders to the biggest creatures were seen. This above picture was of an octopus who crawled as far back in to its hole as it could go. It was quite upset as it turned several vibrant purple and blue shades too.
I love the clownfish/anemonefish too. At Daedalus reef, we chanced upon a cluster of anemones at about 15-17m at one particular spot dubbed "Anemone City". Loads of the residents were about as well as few of their babies.
Daedalus reef is known for its large pelgaic creatures and at this time of the year, the hammerheads were in full swing. In fact, at Daedalus reef, we saw sharks on almost every dive and one day, on all four dives. This ranged from the oceanic white tip sharks (accompanied by their pilot fish) to Gray fin reef sharks to a rare thresher to the famous hammerheads (which are quite often seen at this reef at this time of the year). The above (and video clips on next posting) are from the first day of diving at Daedalus. This began with a 5am wake up call to our dive briefing on this day and we were in the water just after 6am which quite a feat for a non-morning person like myself. As we hovered in the ocean blue a few metres away from the sight of the reef, we saw our first hammerheads swimming ABOVE us bathed in the glow of the morning sun. Now that's a site with waking up for! This was just the start of a glorious day of diving.
The Brothers are two islands in the Red Sea which are so named for their similarity in shape. The large of the two, Big Brother has a lighthouse it. Both are renowed for their fabulous soft and hard corals, marine life (large and small) and clear waters...simply the best diving anywhere with the concentration of things to see! Big Brother also has two wrecks on it: The Aida and the Numidia.
This shot was taken at Little Brother. It is of several masked butterfly fish and as one of my friends has commented, it appears to have been taken in an aquarium. The reef that day was indeed awash in radiant beams. This is what much of the diving was like....in the fish bowl presay with the other marine life.

London Calling

2008-05-27T17:14:00.002-04:00

London welcomed us with a blustery and rainy day. After a safe arrival (with our luggage too), we slept our jet lag for a few hours in the deluge at the hotel. Then, we decided to brave the weather and explore the great indoors. This was greatly facilitated by London Tube. In this case, the great indoors was the fabulous collection of the British Museum. From the halls of Mesopotamia to Rosetta Stone, to the chessmen of Kent, to the controversial Lord Elgin Marbles (the Greeks are still sore and want them back), to the fabulous mummy room (including a few cats), to the reconstruction Temple of Nereid, and then to a fake Crystal skull (which in no way resembles the elongated one seen in Indy IV) but likely one of the sources of inspiration for Lucas' new movie.

Today, as if we weren't mummied out, it was off to a special King Tut exhibit at the new O2 venue out near Canary Wharf. Less is more is the theme here and thankfully so. Choice pieces of the boy king's tomb were on display with excellent presentation marks. Gorgeous jewellery, be welled daggers, very rare portable chests, an engraved car touche chest and so many incredible treasures made this exhibit a highlight of the trip. Strangely, the elongated skulls of Nefertiti and other members of Ahkaten's family (King Tut's alleged father), resembled the crystal skull of the new Indy IV movie.

It was off to explore the sites of Westminster city including the Abbey, Parliament buildings, Jewel tower and the views from the Embankment. The meal of the day was a traditional greasy fish and chip lunch (delicious from Fryer's Delight) To walk off this meal, we headed down from Inns and Temples of the Law courts to the South Bank. Taking the Tate Museum (newly graffiti ed by design), the Shakespeare Globe and then a few ales/Guinness at The George (an inn which was entertained Shakespeare and Darwin).

Dinner on our first night was a thali meal at a local curry house (actually a good restaurant) called Marsala Zone. The meal consisted of butter chicken, chicken Marsala, chapattis, two curried veggies, Dal and a yogurt dessert....delicious washed down with a splendid mango lassi.

Now it is off to the land of ancient Pharaohs!

Good bye Mr. Lee

2008-05-03T23:23:00.001-04:00

The Main Course
Originally uploaded by divinemissladybird

It was a fine night for our last meal at Susur. It was fine tasting menu of his favourite dishes. There was wild sable wrapped in prosciutto with uni lobster bisque, braised morel and oyster mushrooms with white asparagus and enoki in blue cheese sauce and a mordern sashmi with tender kobe beef. Others had roasted venison witih coffee foie gras sauce or peppercorn crusted bison loin with home made BBQ sauce (served with a side of eggplant and polenta tart). It started with oysters (as all good meals should) and ended with sweet dim sum (mini desserts including forms of chocolate). Everyone was satisfied if not a little surprised by the meal and the fullness of it. So until we dine on Mr. Lee's delicious creatures in the big apple, I must satisfy myself by digesting this meal for a few months.

Going back to HIGH school

2008-04-20T15:51:00.002-04:00

Well it has been along time since I walked the halls of any high school. Certain things seems familiar, girls hanging out waiting for their friends, boys with their bikes playing in the parking lot, teachers calling out instructions, the intrusive PA system announcing nonsensical information and in general, a hive of activity. More so on this day because E.C. Drury, the high school I speak of, was host of :The Strength Within Conference". Dedicated to teenage girls, the conference topics ranged from bullying, eating disorders, box-on (physical exercise), financial planning, amazing stories told by motivational speakers and of course, the usual health topics for teens. This last area was covered by me. In a mere 50 minutes, I managed to cover a range of topics from STDs, teenage pregnancy, birth control, painful and other problem periods and this year, very topically, HPV and the Gardasil vaccine.

As terrifying as these medical topics were to some of these girls (yes I did include a few "graphic" pictures), I found something more frightening posted on the walls of the Health room where my session was held: The Lock down/Lockout procedure kit which is likely a result from Columbine and other gun incidents at schools. The lock down procedure goes something like this. Instead of leaving the building(s) in an orderly and calm fashion as in a fire alarm, the students remain in their classrooms. This kit (see above) provides you with a suction cup and two happy faces. If your classroom is secure, you are instructed to hang one of the happy faces via the suction cup to the window and the second "all secure" happy face is to be slid under the door to the classroom or hung over the door of the classroom. The police are called out to the lock down school and proceed room by room, building by building until the "subject" is apprehended or the school is deemed safe. Wow, remember the good ole days when all you had to worry about was fire. Yet another development marking a generation gap.

Beer Can Chicken

2008-03-31T21:40:00.004-04:00

Well another Jane Austen movie has come and gone. We celebrated with a new recipe for Chicken that is in fact a bit of a BBQ tradition in Canada: Beer Can Chicken. Beer in the can (with various herbs, garlic, rosemary) stuffed into an chicken. It is placed upright on the BBQ and roasted. Very tasty and made an excellent addition to the lamb chops and homemade hamburger patties. A happy birthday to Ms. Crowded House and a belated birthday to her husband. And a hearty homecoming meal for the "Return of the King" after a nearly six months stay in Singapore....and so well timed as the snow is finally melting.

178 cm

2008-03-13T20:26:00.004-04:00

Where did the path to my front door go?

Can you see Mr. Hippo's hand in this photo?

About the only thing the ice is good for!

This is the cumulative snowfall for this winter season to date. To give you some perspective on this figure, it is about 29cm from breaking the all time record for a single winter season of 207cm. Incidentally, this record was set back in last great winter of 1938-39. What a difference a year makes. Last year, the total accumulation was a mere 63 cm (yes, a near all time low). In fact, I have blogged more about snow this winter than about anything else. With the official start of spring next week, many view the chance of breaking this record with mixed feelings. Perhaps it will provide this generation of Torontonians with a new badge of courage and help us to gain some credibility with being really Canadians to rest of the nation. After all, what do we have to whine about in the "tropics" of Canada. The all time greatest accumulation was set out east in St. John's, Newfoundland in the winter of 2000-1 when 634cm fell! Bring on that 29cm!

And when last did you see my backyard?

2008-03-02T18:36:00.003-05:00

Is this really what winter was like? The answer is yes. I remember (through the aid of pictures) that the snow was really that high and everyone had to wear the snow pants. However, it has now been more than 45 days since I saw the grass, the other plants and the fountain the backyard. In fact, I can't really how the lawn must have looked like six months. For now it seem I am snow blinded and snow blanketed.

It seems I will need to borrow my neighbour's snow blower again this week as another winter storm is predicted and I can't throw the snow off my driveway any higher with the shovel. How in the world did we think it was safe to play in the snow drifts? One consolation, there must more days of winter behind as by now.

Family Day Weekend

2008-02-18T22:09:00.003-05:00

After a very very busy Friday night at work, it was a good thing that there was an extra day to this weekend. However the weekend marked with delicious dinners. Firstly, my mother prepared a Canadian style Yu Sheng dish, a staple of the Singaporean reunion dinners on Saturday night. Ms. Crowded House was our only guest which was her great fortune as she enjoyed the Yu Sheng (and hence could have many portions). By the height of the ingredients tossed, it looks to be a very prosperous year.

The following night was the inaugural Jane Austen Movie club meeting. Despite delays due to injuries (see post on backaches) and technical difficulties (disc errors on DVD recordings), the first film, Mansfield Park, was viewed and appreciated. Ms. Noel, Ms. Crowded House and I revisited this classic which we had all seen before but long forgetten the details of. A splendid rediscovery. Tech Boy joined us for dinner at this local Korean restaurant where I had the hot pot dish. It is here that I came to the revelation: Yu Sheng and Hot Pot have very similar visual arrangements. Food is chopped, sliced, cooked, arranged and served as separate ingredients and then tossed together at the dining table. The joy is final moments when the meal is completed by the diner. So simple and so pleasurable are these visual as well as auditory and gustatory feasts.

Ground Hog Day

2008-02-03T12:55:00.000-05:00

The snowstorm on Friday last seems to brought in lots of ice, snow, sleet and labouring patients. After a long and labourious night at the hospital (no pun intended), my backache returned again. Shovelling the nearly 20cm that fell probably was a contributing factor too. So here I am on Sunday again, lying flat on my back. My neighbour could barely get into his driveway when he returned that evening as our little side street had yet to be plowed. Now the forecast for Monday and Tuesday this week is for spring like conditions. The temperature is to climb to 10 degrees. Wiarton Willie may be on to something.

Flat on my back

2008-01-29T17:14:00.000-05:00

Eek, can there be no worse sign of aging that the bad back. After an attempt at real bowling the past Saturday, I sent my back into terrific turmoil. I then spent the remainder of the weekend laid up on my bed trying not to move. This is naturally a lot harder than it sounds. With each leg extension, head twist, sneeze, cough or laugh, or attempts to get to the bathroom, my lower back would be sent into unceasing spasms. Expletives flowed until the pain ebbed.

Thankfully, there was Trimacet, an excellent analgesia which was coupled with warm and loving back massages from Mr. Hippo and cold compresses. Mom provided the requisite comfort food of rice porridge/congee with pork, chicken and preserved pickled vegetables.

I did get a lot of movie watching done.....Brick, Air Guitar Nation, Eastern Promises, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Assassination of Jesse James and Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street....as well as finish more than half of Bel Canto. Alas, as with all illnesses, the end comes.....at the start of Monday, the beginning of the work week.

The Hollywood writers' strike

2008-01-06T22:06:00.000-05:00

The first week of January has passed and many are feeling the effects of the on-going TV/Movie screenwriters' strike. No new episodes of Heroes, CSI, Criminal Minds, Lost and other TV series are in sight and the entire season of 24 is likely gone. Only the reality TV shows persist which shows you how much actual production goes into them. All is not lost however, as this "lost" TV season has given me the opportunity to explore my other favourite pastime: the movies.

During this past holiday season, I finally completed Deepta Mehta's trilogy. Having seen Fire on CBC a few times and renting Water last year, I have had to find Earth. But it was in Rogers' Video this week and what a movie. Unconventional and complicated in its depiction of love and betrayal amongst a group of Hindu, Sikh and Muslim friends during the last days of pre-partition Pakistan's Lahore. The only film where I dislike Aamir Khan's role but what a grand performance. Then there was Wong Kar Wai's masterpiece, In the Mood for Love. The music, camera angles, costume and dialogue were in vocative of a time and place that is lost and almost forgotten....Hong Kong in the 1950s. Maggie Cheung's hair and cheongsams were so meticulously constructed, it was not surprising to learn that her makeup, hair and costume took hours. The plot slowly evolved in quiet, pensive and simple scenes. His last film was 2046 that I found far more abstract as 2046 may have been a time or a place or both. His trilogy started with Days of Being Wild which I have yet to see.

Of course, January is the run up to the awards season. So I have been catching up on loads of great movies. The Romanian film, 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days, depicted a gritty and bleak world of terminating a pregnancy. This films seeks not to be pro-choice or pro-life but focuses on a totalitarian world run by a heartless bureaucracy where only the work of a true friendship saves the day at a huge price. Filmed with a hand held camera to convey a near documentary style, it brings home the fear and urgency of the plight of the protaganists. Not surprising that it won the Palme d'Or this year.

Against my better judgement, I did see Charlie Wilson's war. The true story of a Congressman who managed to raise the budget for the largest covert CIA operation in history. Charlie Wilson raised money to buy and train the mujahideen against the Soviets. I had mixed feelings about this storyline for as we now know, the defeat of the Soviets and the fall of the Cold War, has brought more problems out from the rise of capitalism in the former soviet republics and of course, the rise of the Taliban. Anyway, the only good reason to see the movie is the fabulous scene stealing Philip Seymour Hoffman as the CIA agent with a name that sounds like a fruit.

I'll skip over Atonement altogether save to comment on the gorgeous performance from James McAvoy. I found, however, the relationship between he and Keira Knightley's character lacking well passion. My favourite pick of movies though is No country for old men. This Coen Brothers film delivers award winning performances from both Javier Bardiem and Josh Brolin. The tense interplay between the two lead characters is the key to this film. Quirky like Fargo but accompanied by a sharper and surprisingly funny dialogue, the film's tense and suspenseful direction leads to its unexpected and unconventional end. However, all this talk of award season but be for nought. Neither the Globe Globes or the Academy Awards may occur....you see these award shows needs writers too and well, you see the screenwriters are on strike.

Strange New Year's Weather

2008-01-03T18:33:00.000-05:00

It looks like the weathermen are in for it in 2008. The weather is becoming more unpredictable. First, 10cm of snow fell on New Year's Eve. Now, the deep freeze is upon us....minus 11 degrees celsius and with the wind chill, it feels like minus 20. Next week, rain is predicted with a midweek high of 13 degrees. I won't be surprised if the rocks start showing their cracks.....

Snow Days

2007-12-16T22:54:00.000-05:00

Check out the foot high snow drift at my front door which had accumulated before noon!
Thank goodness for our helpful neighbours (and their snow blowers).
Well, it really is starting to look a lot like Christmas. The first winter snow storm makes me very nostaglic. I remember the first time I saw the white stuff (at the age of 10 years) in Vancouver on Grouse Mountain. What a joyful discovery. Today, it was like being back on that mountain. Over 20 cm has fallen since Saturday night. This makes for a lovely snowy Sunday. No where to go and nothing really to do. So Mr. Hippo and I turned on the fireplace and read the weekend paper and then watched some NFL and then a few movies. But it wasn't all play, we did venture out to clear the driveway and sidewalk twice (and throw a few snowballs too!).

Memories of Gozo

2007-12-09T16:25:00.000-05:00

It has been about month since I returned from Malta and I finally gotten around to labelling, sorting and organizing my pictures. Even in a digital format, this process is quite time consuming. But with a few days off work during the holiday season, the task is at last at an end.

So what do I recall first of Gozo which is one of the three islands which makes up the nation of Malta. First, the shocking discovery that it is home to some of the oldest Neolithic ruins in the world. The Ggantija Temple is over 5000BC (that's older than the Pyramids of Giza) and some of the coralline limestone used in its construction as large and as heavy as a pick up truck. How these ancient peoples transported and constructed these Neolithic temples is another mystery.

Then in the prisons throughout Malta and Gozo is ths strange and very unique prision graffiti. Gozo was use as a penal colony and many of the settlers were former seafarers. Hence, the unique ship graffiti seen. Each mast on the ship was said to represent a year of imprisonment.

Last but certainly no least is the food of the islands....predominately seafood which is no big surprise. Every kind of fish from lampuki (dolphin fish) to sea bass to swordfish to grouper were consumed on our trip. At Mgarr where the Gozo-Malta ferry docks, we had a splendid dinner of fresh breem grilled to perfection.
Driving in Malta is itself an adventure. Mr. Hippo hadn't driven standard on the left side of the road for nearly a decade. The traffic on Gozo as sedate but on Malta, it was often chock-a-block congestion. It was a good thing that the Fortino Spa Hotel in Sliema was opposite the ferry to Valetta which made sightseeing around Valetta and the Three cities easier.

Back from the land of the Knights

2007-12-09T13:39:00.000-05:00

After two weeks away in Malta, I have finally gotten around to getting the Christmas decorations up this weekend. To the tune of Christmas carols, we started with the tree...lights, garlands, ribbons and then the ornaments. Bad luck this year regarding the Christmas lights, three strings were out. Mr. Hippo salvaged a few bulbs but the lights were toast. This of course is just an excuse to buy the newest LED lights which do burn brighter and last longer (as witnessed by the fact that the manufacturers do no provide any spare bulbs). The tree smells great as only a real Christmas tree can. Attracted by the smell and the foliage, the cat has taken to the tree as her new haven.

Next, we proceeded with putting the new blue LED lights on the outside pine tree as well as along the fence of the backyard. A few wreaths on the front, side and backyard doors and some mistletoe over the threshold and voila, the house is dressed for Christmas. I have admit that the sight of the tree does brighten my spirits at this time of the year.

Another Christmas tradition for Mr. Hippo and I is going to hear the reading of an abbreviated version of Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol". For the second year, we drove to neighbouring Georgetown to hear an animated reading of the story. The story is told in five parts and each segment ends with the local choir singing a Christmas carol. This year's CBC personality was Julie Dempsey who read the "Ghost of Christmas Past" stave. The highlight was Ms. Vera MacDonald's reading of the "Ghost of Christmas Future". To get into character, she was dressed up as a Victorian lady.

In this coming week, another of the season's tradition, the Christmas party. For this year, I am hosting the staff office Christmas party and it is to be a catered affair. However, I am taking of the alcohol which means getting a few bottles of red wine and brewing some warm mulled wine.
I have managed to write a little about my vacation with Mr. Hippo to Malta which will appear in a few posts as there is much of tell of our travels to the land of the Knights.

Halloween Ba hum bug

2007-10-31T22:25:00.000-04:00

Okay so I have to tolerate the fake blood, grave stones, skeletons, and kitchy orange and black decorations but I draw the line at the begging for candy from perfect strangers. I guess I find no meaning in this holiday. So this year for Halloween as I do each year to avoid the hoards of ghouls and globins at my door, I head out to a fine dining establishment. This year as my father and Hippo are away, I took my mother to Lai Tah Ween at the Metropolitan Hotel. What a pleasant surprise...shark fin soup with real crabmeat (delicious!), sea cucumber clams on a bed of mushrooms, fresh bamboo shoots, carrots and sugar snaps and then shredded roast chicken seasoned with rock salt served with jellyfish.

The grimmest of this year was also marked by the sudden and tragic passing of two individuals: my dear Hippo's mother and my brother-in-law's father both in the past week and both had their funerals on the same day on difference sides of the Atlantic. Meanwhile, across the Pacific, my father celebrated his 68th birthday on the exact same day. Aware of these losses, I am sure that he views life as precious. A realization made more acute when death seems to strike so unexpectedly.

A small world without Facebook

2007-10-17T16:34:00.000-04:00

Milton may be a growing town but it never ceases to amaze me how small the world really is. I recently had a new prenatal patient who I felt an immediate connection. She too thought that I looked familiar. She had delivered a previous child in the United States so I knew it could not have been a professional association. After a few minutes, I asked if she had gone to Western which she confirmed. Then I asked if she knew Ms. Foodie which she also confirmed. At last I have figured it out (as did she as well) that she rented a room in our (Ms. Foodie and I) three bedroom flat in Ms. Foodie's and her last year of studies at UWO. She had lived for a few years in the New England region before moving back to Canada and of all places, to Milton. I can't even imagine how many more such connections I would make if I ever signed up for Facebook.

Gaudied out

2007-10-08T15:49:00.001-04:00

Gaudi's work is everywhere in Barcelona and no visit is complete without visiting at least one of these buildings. As it was Ms. Foodie's first visit, we started small and worked our way up to the enormous spectacle of the Sagrada Familia. First, the lampposts designed in the Plaza Reial, the Hans and Gretal houses and ceramic lizard at Park Guell, the whimsical roof of the Casa Mila and then the grand church itself.

We took the elevator up one of the towers, taking in spectacular sites of giant fruit topped spires before walking down these 257 steps. Both Ms. Foodie and I had to pause on occasion because of some slight vertigo and to enjoy the views from the windows in the towers.

Another memorable moment was the protest by Spaniards and Buddhist monks in Spain against the Juta regime in Burma. We did not learn that this was part of a co-ordinated world wide action organized by Amnesty International until we watched the news that evening.

The roof of the hypo style hall was studded with ceramic sculptures by Gaudi.

Gaudi's playful nature is apparent in these sentries (disguised chimney stacks) on the roof of the Casa Mila or La Pedrera (the quarry). When Gaudi first unveiled this design, some critics described the apartment as a collection of bland stones. Hence, the nickname of "the quarry" was adopted for this building.
One little know fact about Gaudi was his death. Gaudi was local celebrity in Barcelona at the time he was the architect of the Sagrada Familia. He lived and worked in the neighbour close to his beloved structure. On his way to work one day, he was struck by a tram a block away from the Sagrada Familia. He was taken to a hospital where he eventually died. His body lay unrecognized for three days!

After days of eating Spanish food, I had to make a break for an Asian meal in Barcelona. All that oil, heavy sauce, and deep fried foods can make this Asian girl hungry for a bowl of noodles. So it was off to a Japanese restaurant called Udon for a satisfying bowl of beef ramen.

It is good to be home now. Although the road home was started with a little bumpy ride. Ms. Foodie and I were supposed to take a direct train from our hotel to the airport. The train station was just in front of the Park Hotel. It was very fortunate that we decided to take the earlier train for what was suppose to a 30 minute ride took an hour and twenty minutes.

The train was suppose to proceed through 5 stops before reaching the airport, its terminus. After two stops, the train remained idle at the Barcelona Sants station for nearly 10 minutes. No announcements or train officials came by to tell the riders why. Then the lights were turned off and pretty much everyone alighted.

Through our fellow Spanish speaking riders, we learned that we were get on the next train, ride two stops and then alight at that station. Then a third train came along and took us to the airport. The final moment of frustration came when the lights and power temporarily went off on this third train at the moment of departure. Audible signs of relief were heard when the power came back on and when we finally arrived at the airport.

The gate for our plane changed and so the British Airways flight leg to Heathrow was delayed in its departure by 30 minutes. Thankfully, there was a time change and we had 2 hours layover in London. This we hoped would mean our bags stood a better chance of catching up with us. The irony was our flight from London to Toronto arrived 35 minutes early thanks to some powerful tail winds. By the time we cleared customs and picked up our bags (yes they made it on our flight), Mr. Hippo had just arrived at the terminal and we were off and away home by 6pm (the time the flight was suppose to arrive). Whew! Home safe and sound.

Barcelona and Cal Pep

2007-10-04T18:56:00.000-04:00

Ms. Foodie and I had a short hour flight from Bilbao to Barcelona. Still tired from our early more departure, we decided to rest in the afternoon and then head off for a stroll in the old Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. We found many small courtyards such as this one. There were a number of cheese, pork and other food stores too. You have to admire a country where the pig is so venerated. Although this photograph recalls a William Holding novel, the love of the pig cannot be underestimated in Spain. From roast pig to Serrano Ham to Chorizo, the pig is everywhere. Perhaps only the chinese have more pork dishes.
That evening, we had easily the best meal in Spain at Cal Pep. We arrived at 9pm (early by Spanish time) and did not get a seat the bar until 10pm. The usual one hour wait is normal at this restaurant (and we were warned about this at many reviews of the place). However, we were served several glasses of white wine and beer while waiting. It also give us an opportunity to observe the dishes being served. This turned out to be valuable as there was no menu. There is one posted outside of the restaurant but none was given when we were seated. Dishes of baby octopus stewed with chicken peas, whole prawns grilled with heads on, calamari, lightly battered and deep fried artichoke hearts, baked white fish, stewed clams, floated by. Our heavenly meal was washed down with house white wine. To complete this culinary experience, I had Calvados and Ms. Foodie has some pistachio ice cream. Drunk, full and happy, we stumbled home which was thankfully less than 300m away.

Bilbao and green space.

2007-10-03T18:10:00.001-04:00

After a 1hour flight midmorning flight we arrived in Bilbao. I still marvel that the internal flights of Spain are cheaper than the rail tickets.

Ms. Foodie was a big fan of Gehry's and so we headed off pretty sooner after our arrival to see the big giant twisted piece of metal.
Sadly, most of the museum's exhibits were under renovation at the time of visit and would open in about 2 weeks. Bad planning on our part. However, we did have fun with the existing installations.

I didn't think I would be impressed by Bilbao's Guggenheim. Very big and frankly industrial in nature, what was the fuss about? In fact, it has been 10 years since Frank Gehry's design was made real here on the banks of the Nervion. This controversial structure has been hailed as the first real wonder of the 21st century and vilified as a cheese factory or giant cauliflower.

Love it or hate it, the Guggenheim has transformed Bilbao itself. In its first year of construction, this city of 450 000 citizens was visited by over 700 000 peoples from around the world. I did think the structure ultimately was quite beautiful. It is very different from the rest of the architecture in Bilbao making it quite a spectacle. However, the industrial products involved in the contruction give a nod to Bilbao's past. As a bonus, Sir Norman Foster designed subway (the most modern in the world) has the trains gliding across rails embedded on a green lawn. Very cool!

Toledo

2007-10-03T13:18:00.000-04:00

Who knew that mazapan was so good? Rarely do I enjoy any sweet dessert but the mazapan snacks in Toledo are quite exciting...such that it has reshaped Ms. Foodie's opinion of them.
This photograph is of the remnants of muslim influence in Toledo. Part of the Mezquita de las Tornerias i.e. a modest mosque now part of a house of arts and craft display.

Toledo was once a centre of three cultures. Once because the Jews and Muslims were expelled after the events of the crusade for the latter and by a 1492 decree from Isabella and Ferdinand. However, the city still holds reminders of the influence of both groups as seen by the horseshoe archways of the Synagogue of Santa Marie La Blanca, evidence of classic Almohad architecture.

As Ms. Foodie and I wandered through the wet cobblestone paths of Toledo, we contemplated the demise of this once cosomopolitan city. From the remains of the Mosque (Mesquita) de las Tornerias to the horseshoe arches of the Synagogue de Santa Maria La Blanca, and to the tower of the Church of Santa Tombe, the moorish influence is seen everywhere.
When we returned to Madrid, Ms. Foodie suggested dinner at Casa Minga. Recommended by Frommers, Chow Hound and other foodie website sites, this restaurant had but a few things on the menus: cider, roast chicken and the grilled peppers with tuna. All were quite excellent but as Ms. Foodie rightly pointed out, the cider tasted a bit rustic (or in my words like a barnyard!).

Old Spain, Segovia

2007-10-02T17:39:00.001-04:00

It isn't hard to see how Segovia has been designated a UNESCO world heritage site. Ms. Foodie and I took a local train to this lovely little town in Castille region of Spain. We were greeted by a Roman Aqueduct which was built around the 1st century AD. Rising to about 28m, it is quite a site to behold as one enters the old city itself. The real surprise is the construction of the aqueduct was done with mortar.

Segovia is perched on a hill and the Cathedral of Nuestra Senora de la Ascuncion and of Frutos (no kidding) dominates the city's landscape. We wandered through the old Jewish quarter (which was abandoned when all the Jews were expelled from the city in 1492), Casa Del Sol (slaughter house), town square, several old family houses with their coat of arms emblazoned over the doorway, converted synagogues, medieval city walls and many gates.
Along the way, we did stop for some tasty tapas at Jose Maria bar, a favourite among the Segovians. After the pork mini-sandwiches and pickled sardines with onions (washed down with beer and red wine), it was off to the Alcazar.
The Alcazar of Segovia is believed to be one of the inspirations for Disney's castles. This is what the local tourist board would have you believe. Nevertheless the tall spires do evoke an air of fantasy. Whether Cinderella or Rapuzel inhabited these towers is subject to debate. The central crenallated tower of Juan II is definitely of Moorish influence though.
When we returned to Madrid, our long lost bags had arrived. To celebrate, Ms. Foodie and I went out for more tapas. In this case, the local house wine which was sweet accompanied with sweetbreads (or if you like pancreas fried up). Yum Yum. The Spanish do know how to live. Rising late, eating well and partying late into the night.

Bagless in Madrid

2007-10-01T18:37:00.000-04:00

The day in Madrid started with the typical Spanish breakfast. Chocolate and Churros...basically salty fried dough you dip in chocolate. It wasn't even hot chocolate but the pure melted stuff.

This was the fuel we needed for our day's walking exploration of the Spanish capital. Walking through the old city from the El Rastro (old market) where we saw may strange foods including the below photograph of bull's testicles which is considered a delicacy to the Royal Palace. There was the Plaza Mayor (grand old civic centre), multiple churches, and even came along one of the homes of Cervantes too.

After a late lunch (everything is later in Madrid) at two o'clock, Ms. Foodie and I set off to take in some culture at the Prado. Las Meninas was a highlight along side other splendid works of Velasquez. There were plenty of Goyas (hopefully all real ones) and El Greco. For me the real surprise was Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights. The Flemish master must have doing some serious drugs when he painted that work.
After a brief rest at the hotel, and learning that our luggage was at Madrid Airport, we set off for delightful supper at 10pm (everything is later in Madrid) at Restaurant Platero. The host was very gracious and his recommended dessert of vanilla ice cream crusted with a sugar top and then flambe with Grappe was simply to die for. It confirms my opinion that Spain is a truely civilized country with Grappe flambe ice cream for dessert and chocolate and churros for breakfast.

Madrid Day 1

2007-09-28T18:48:00.000-04:00

Well it had to happen sometime especially to seasoned travellers like Ms. Foodie and I. Our luggage never made it to Madrid. Actually, we're not sure where it it. After arriving, we waited awhile and when the bags stopped rolling out on the baggage claim belt, we knew we were in trouble.

After filing our lost luggage claim, we decided to embrace the lighter side of things. At least, we wouldn't have to lug the bags through the Metro to our hotel. In addition, this affords us the opportunity for getting an early start on our shopping. With a Zara at every corner and even a Camper store, Madrid should adequate cloth and shoe us.

However, this evening we have decided to obey our other hunger. So it was a late night of Sangria and Seafood Paella in Sol, the heart of Madrid. As we walked back to our hotel at midnight, we were amused by a museum of ham. Cured ham, hooves and all hanging in the windows of a tapas bar.

It will be a day of shopping, going to museums and site-seeing tomorrow as we await the arrival of our luggage.

That's President Peanuts to you

2007-09-11T20:08:00.000-04:00

Well 5 films, 4 hours of sleep, 24 hours later and I'm finally blogging about TIFF this year. What a way to start this year's festival with a mini marathon. The TIFF organizations (or lack there of) is mostly to blame. I doubt they have fully planned for the larger numbers arriving each September. Last year 50 boxes of tickets were processed in advanced sales. This year, nearly 75 boxes were done. All this even before the regular tickets come on sale.

The mini-marathon started with Wayne Wang's double bill of Thousand years of Good Prayers and the Princess of Nebraska. Famous for directing the Joy Luck Club, this director has chosen another film to illustrate the communication (or miscommunication) between the old and new generations. In this story of East meets West, Henry O is particularly well casted in his role as the elderly father coming to America to visit his estranged divorced daughter. The second film was quite forgettable.

The next film was by far the best I have seen this year at TIFF: Vexille. Anime comes to Midnight Madness. High octane chase sequences, sweeping paranoramic scenes of a post apocalyptic Tokyo, and intriguing mysteries in the plot orchestrated to a bone shaking heavy metal soundtrack. The movie audience here was very different from the usual TIFF crowd. Comic book fans and college geeks shrieked with delight at the visual fest before them and long after the closing credits were done.

Then came the most surprising event of TIFF, a conversation with Jimmy Carter and his wife. I came to Canada after his presidency had ended or he likes to say, "his forced retirement". I must confess that I did not know much about his term in office nor his policies. He is often characterized as the gentleman peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia.

However, after seeing Johnathan Demme's documentary, Man from Plains and after listening to the hour long interview at Ryerson's theatre, a new picture has emerged from of this (oldest) ex-president. He and his wife both profess to having lots of unfinished business after the end of his presidency. In the years since, he has worked for Habitat for Humanity, founded the Carter Centre (which serves to address treating neglected diseases, working for peace and building hope) and won the Nobel Prize. His passion for this activism was inspiring.

The documentary was not as thrilling as the interview. Covering the days of his book tour for the controversially named Palestine: Peace not Apartheid, it chronicles his mounting disappointment and bewilderment at being labelled a liar, bigot and an anti-semite. In an age where politicians are all about image and media spin, President Carter's strength has always been that he had no such fascade. And in this film, his decency, courage and honesty all shine through inspite of all the efforts to discredit him. The man from Plains remains one of the true and real people.

Another old school family portrait

2007-09-02T17:47:00.001-04:00

Another old school family portrait
Originally uploaded by divinemissladybird

So it has been a busy end of the summer weekend. My mother's youngest brother and his wife arrived for a few days after spending a week on a cruise in Alaska. After spending many conversations reminiscing on their family's past, I finally remembered these old family pictures taken during the time of a younger Singapore.

Heroes in Town

2007-09-02T17:15:00.000-04:00

Definitely my favourite new TV show of last year was Heroes. So when I heard that part of the crew were coming to TO to promote the launch of the Season one DVD, I thought I would head down with Ms. Darcy to check out the scene. Okay so my favourite characters Hiro, Peter and Mohinder weren't in attendance but that didn't dampen the sunny smiles of Ando, Micah, Maya and Sylar (oooo that villian you so love to hate).

Zachary Quinto, aka Sylar, is to play Mr. Spock in the new series Star Trek movie.
Ms. Darcy and I first dropped off the application forms for our TIFF tickets then check out the scene at Yonge and Dundas square before heading down to Kii to meet her husband for a lovely 2.5 hour Japanese lunch. The highlight of the meal was the maple marinade Albacore Tuna with wasabi creme fraiche followed closely by the Toro tower. Just a simply splendid way to spend an afternoon.

Time to retire

2007-08-21T22:06:00.000-04:00

It is a little know fact that physicians fail to recognize the signs that they should retire or at least get out of acute care medicine. They cling onto their jobs like leeches. Blame it on an identity crisis. Can you live without the "doctor" title? Some feel that one else can do their job (in the exact manner that they do). Regardless, it is dangerous occupation hazard. See if you can recognize the signs in this real life phone conversation:

"Hello, is this Dr. A?"
"Yes, this is Dr. A. Hello Dr. B."

"I have this patient here in the emerg who came in because she thought she was pregnant?"
"Yes, I see."

"Her last period was 4 weeks ago and she started having some bleeding today. She was worried and came into the emerg."
"What did her pregnant test show?"

"Oh, her serum bHCG (blood test for pregnancy) was negative."
"And how often does she have her periods?"

"About once a month and she has regular periods."
"I see...four weeks ago, eh?"

.....LONG PAUSE

"So Dr. A, what should I do?
"Don't you think she might be starting her period?

......MORE SILENCE

"Good night Dr. A."
"Good night Dr. B."

Don't Dream it's over

2007-08-14T19:07:00.000-04:00

When last I hear this song, it was during Crowded House's Farewell to the World Tour. It was 1996 and they were hosting their last show at Sydney Opera House. The song was a dare to the world. Was this to be the last of Crowded. As the decade passed, a reunion seemed unlikely. This was made more improbable but the suicide of Paul Hester, their first drummer in 2005.

But last night, the remaining band members reunited with the addition of a new drummer Matt Sherrod, and took to the stage at Massey Hall, that hallowed Toronto Musical Hall. This part of a new tour in support of a new album. With a combination of new songs along old standards, they weaved their unique brand of pop music. Liam Finn, one of Neil's son provided an opening act as well as backup vocals.

The audience even got to participate with a few sing-a-longs for Fall at your Feet, Don't Dream it's over and Better be Home soon. I must confess that I had only listened to their new album, Time on Earth, just twice. However, the songs themselves seem to fit right along side the classics confirming once more Neil Finn's reputation as one of pop music's best songwriters. His voice were certainly in fine form last night. I certainly hope it won't be another decade before I see them perform again.

6am Mass Ascension

2007-08-12T18:43:00.000-04:00

I rarely rise before 9am on a weekend day but for this one exception and at the great persuasion of Mr. Hippo, I managed to rise at 4am. The occasion was the Hot Air Balloon Festival at Harris Park in London. The morning air was cool and the sky clear as the dawn broke. A perfect blue canvas for the balloonists to paint upon with their astounding inflatable giants. I looked up with the wonder of a child as the mass ascension of nearly 30 hot air balloons took place over the span of an hour.

There was a concurrent Ribfest which Mr. Hippo and I enjoyed as a bonus as well as visiting a friend of mine from residency who was now doing her fellowship in London. She had just had her second child, a boy and was settling into motherhood again. An outsider to London medical society, she was still able to fill me in on the gossip of the department of which there was much (too much?). Mr. Hippo commented that the tales of the department could rival any Grey's Anatomy Plot. Now is that art imitating life or life imitating art?

These are the people who live in my neighbourhood

2007-08-12T18:33:00.000-04:00

The word about the Kingdom of Garnet seems to be spreading. Those who were at the last BBQ in July were touched to hear that the neighbourhood spirit was appreciated by a stranger in our annual summer feast. The stranger came from another part of Milton and was a little envious of the closeness of this street's community. Actually, this community spirit is quite a novelty compared to other places I have lived before.

Last Friday, the signs designating the various royalty were hoisted. There was one new addition this year...a single queen. My consort, Mr. Hippo, did not mind but dutifully participated in a installation celebration (witness the beer). Long live the Queens and Kings of Garnet.

Manitoulin

2007-07-28T12:10:00.000-04:00

A little shade in the bright (and hot) Manitoulin sun!

Ribosome doing his best impression of an outback adventurer.

Although it has been over a year since I last saw Mr. Ribosome and his current squeeze, there is something very familiar about meeting up with them. This is perhaps the best time about friendship. Each time you see each other again, it seems like the years between have never really passed. The same jokes and recollection of memories and same joy in the time spent together.

Often, I recognize that this is an illusion, your friends do change. In fact, Ribosome and his girlfriend are moving to Montreal with her daughter (who is going to start at a new school there in the fall). This is naturally a big step in their relationship as he was "taking a break" about a year ago. However, after purchasing a new house near his parents, he'll soon be looking for work in neighbouring Ontario towns. The renumberation for medical services in Quebec is significantlly lower than in Ontario.

It was alas a farewell weekend in Little Current. By the time I was done hiking all over the rocks of Lousia for nearly two hours, I felt I was done for the day. However, this was followed by a birthday party for the eight year old girl and then a wine tasting event in the heart of town. And that was just Saturday.

Thanksfully, it was a peaceful Sunday on the beach at Carter's Bay. With sand dunes, warm summer sun and cool waters, this was certainly the perfect way to laze away the day. With its fine sand beach, remote location, and scarcely another person (or development) in sight, you could almost believe you were on your own private tropical island instead of the true North of Canada.

The pleasures of sleep

2007-07-24T11:58:00.001-04:00

Wow, 11 days since I was last on call. 11 days of uninterrupted sleep. I had forgotten the feeling of wellness from such a simple pleasure.

My father the gardener

2007-07-04T16:29:00.001-04:00

Well my father has many talents but he has one true calling...a gardener. Each year he patiently manages to coax life back to the garden, to pull out the chocking weeds and to await the arrival of the new saplings. Witness the annual ritual of rose pruning, planning of new herbs (many from seed) and vegetables (also from seed) and the daily watering of green acres. Now retired, he really has come into his hobby which also affords great pleasure to both friends and family. Can't wait to taste those beets, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers and cherry tomatoes!

Summer and BBQ's

2007-06-27T21:03:00.000-04:00

Well the temperature is rising and in Canada, we wait the whole winter through for this glorious season called summer. And nothing is more Canadian than a BBQ to celebrate the start of hot season. So be it in my own backyard for the annual office staff BBQ or for Canada Day celebration or at the backyard of my friend's Mr. Urogyn in Ottawa, the pleasure of juicy beef/salmon/lamb/turkey or soy burgers, cesar/seaweed/tabule/garden/spinach salad with beer/grape sode/mineral water/wine/cooler was enjoyed by all.

Sesquicentennial Celebration

2007-06-10T17:12:00.000-04:00

What is Milton famous for? Well first and foremost, it is home to the best screw in Canada....and best screwdriver too. Peter Lymburner Robertson, inventor of the Robertson screwdriver, crafted the first of the slightly tapered, squared-shaped tip tool back in 1908. The first factory for the screws and screwdrivers went into production in Milton around this time as well. Robertson screws and screwdrivers are used primarily in Canada and to a lesser extent, in the USA.

Milton also has its very own astronaut, Colonel Chris Hadfield. He was born in Sarnia and raised in Milton where he resides today with his wife and three children. He has flown on the Shuttle Atlantis in 1995 and was the first Canadian mission specialist, the first Canadian to operate the Canadarm in orbit, and the only Canadian to ever board Mir. His second shuttle mission was on the shuttle Endeavour in 2001. During the 11-day flight, Hadfield performed two spacewalks, which made him the first Canadian to ever leave a spacecraft and float freely in space. Not bad for a Miltonian.

In the most recent Canadian census, Milton was reported to the fastest growing town in all of Canada. Faster than some towns in Alberta! Milton has grown by 70% in the last five years. The town's population ballooned from 30, 000 to nearly 55,000 in the same time frame and expected to reach 90, 000 in another five years.
And least we forget, the Steam Era. Held each year around Labour Day and drawing from tractor steam engines from across North America is this festival dedicated to both the farm machines and the folks from these rural communities. Can't wait for the threshing and tractor pull competitions.
Happy 150th birthday Milton!

Oh what a beautiful day!

2007-06-10T16:44:00.000-04:00

After last year's fiasco, where I inadvertently put myself on call on the day that I was suppose to take Mr. Hippo and my parents to Stratford, I was doubly cautious about booking this year's performance. Thankfully, the theatre folks at Stratford provided me a refund for our Twelfth Night tickets which I put toward the musical Oklahoma.

It was truly a beautiful morning and yes, a beautiful day. The gardens at Stratford were in full bloom. Although thundershowers threatened in the late afternoon, the sun prevailed. The performance was lively and energetic. Many in the audience were singing along. The voice of "Curly", the male lead was simply gorgeous. Rich, melodious and so soothing. He could probably charm snakes with it.

Mr. Hippo had not seen a musical in nearly 20 years. The last one being Jesus Christ Superstar. Although not quite his taste, he found the experience entertaining. I suspect the scenes of dancing cowboys (including a ballet performance) echoed too closely to Brokeback Mountain imagery. After the performance, it was dinner at Carter's on Downie followed by a lovely river walk back to the car before heading home.