Halloween

You haven't experienced Halloween unless you've experienced Halloween in North America.
Better still, Halloween at a street party in the middle Toronto's LGBT community!

I've never seen such elaborate halloween costumes... some braved the cold with nothing but some leaves covering their private bit upfront, every second person was a cross dresser, even Queen Elizabeth made an appearance.


Naughty nurses and french maids are so passé. Doctors on the other hand, are still very current. Here's a few, running after the H1N1 virus, battling it out with Death:


Whatever the costume, if you dressed up, you were a celebrity that night. Everyone, would stop you in the street for photos. Here's me, with a One NIght Stand:

Kensington Markets

It's always sad to see the last Pedestrian Sunday at Kensington Markets for the year.

It marks the end of decent weather where it is possible to stroll leisurely outdoors, goggle at the diversity in a neighborhood where anything goes, and lament on why I left it so late in the season to visit one of my favorite areas in T.O.

We enjoy the atmosphere of street performers, vintage fashions, vintage scooters, vintage anything for that matter... and the smell of mouth-watering ethnic foods. Jamaican patties, empanadas, burritos... we finally gave into a large fresh strawberry lassi and three samosas for $4 - bargain!



Collage from the last Pedestrian Sunday last year...

TIFF

We started our Toronto International Film Festival frenzy this weekend, the girls and I have tickets to see 8 films in 8 days!

For someone who watches about 3 movies a year at the cinema, I'll see enough movies this week to last me the next 3 years! The girls chose our first movie in honor of me... Bran Nue Dae an Aussie Aboriginal musical. At first glance at the title, I thought it was a Vietnamese movie, and it was my Canadian girlfriend who pointed out to me that it was actually the Aussie accent. Oh dear.

What was really cool was that I got to see famous Aussies in Toronto - I was even excited to see Ernie Dingo, that's how homesick I am!

The cast in T.O. for Q&A after the movie... Rocky McKenzie, Ernie Dingo and Geoffrey Rush... pity Missy Higgins and Jessica Mauboy (remember - runner up for Aussie Idol one year?)couldn't make it coz I like them both..


Aussie film out of the way, we watched a Irish/UK film, Perrier's Bounty and The Warrior and the Wolf. The only English I understood in Perrier's Bounty was the swear words, thank god the Mandarin flick at subtitles, but it was so artsy it totally lost me. I have no idea what the movie was about, but the actor wasn't bad looking...

Toronto Summer

It was a short lived summer. It is noticeably cooler, and the sun sets earlier.
I need to wear a scarf when ride Percy in the mornings =(

These are my fave shots of Toronto this summer. If you notice a lot of shots inside random buildings, it's because there was a weekend where historical buildings around the city was opened to the public - Doors Open Toronto.



Does this entice a visit?

"OMG Dad's on FB!"

I have not spoken to my family for a month and a half. I think about calling all the time, coz I feel I should... but I'm usually too lazy, too tired, or I don't feel like speaking Chinese. Plus, sometimes it's quite depressing when you give up on this "they should call" battle and pick up the phone, only to reach Telstra's voicemail service.

The other day, I logged into FB to kill sometime, and low and behold, the person-you-may-know suggestion happened to be dad. The dad whom I haven't spoken to for months, coz he's never home even when my call gets through. My daddy who used to sign his emails to me with 'Regards' coz he didn't know the difference between work email etiquette and personal email etiquette. Who always causes Skype calls to twice as long coz half the time I am coach him through, or patiently waiting for him to take me off hold, or mute, or whatever was confusing him at the time.

I was so annoyed I found him on FB through a suggestion, yet so proud. Daddy is going high tech now!

***

Speaking of which, I received a surprise call from a dear friend the other day from the other side of the Atlantic (finally my phone rang!)... someone was thinking of me... I felt loved!

Puppy Shower

I've been to wedding showers, and baby showers... and truth be told, I'm not a fan.
Okaes, I hate showers... but it's not about me, and I try to remember this and not be a party pooper.

So you can imagine how excited I was when the girls wanted to organize a puppy shower. Yay puppy. Yay shower. What did I do to deserve this?

Atticus, the pup is a new addition to my girlfriend's family... and spoilt silly by his two mommies, his god mother, god father and offical aunt.

Surprisingly, he was well behaved, stayed away from excited licking and crotch nuzzling (unlike other dogs I know). If any dog deserved the hundreds of dollars worth of presents that was lavished on him for the main event, it was Atticus.

And here he is with the new outfit us girls got him. Pity I don't have a pic of his little sockettes he got for downtown strolling!

Surprise guest

What would make your wedding memorable?
The priest calling you, the bride, the wrong name in church? The chi chi country club with the valet parking and attentive service? The grand ballroom with no shortage of bling? The speeches that called the Kleenex? The best wedding food ever? The drunken guests draped over the open bar?

Or that one of your guests brought this new guy she is dating, who happens to be Ving Rhames?

That's my cousin and another guest taking a fan snap of him. I was too ashamed to ask for a photo because I had no idea he was a celebrity, let alone a star of Pulp Fiction. Plus I couldn't remember his name despite everyone repeating it for me. If it counts, that's G and I in the background of the photo though!

The bride and groom had no idea that Ving was the friend's date. Nor did they have any idea that they would bump into him again at their hotel after the wedding. It happened that he was staying at the same hotel, and was so gracious as to offer the newly weds his presidential suite for the night. How is that for wedding memories???

And here is the lovely bride with all her lovely ladies: