Friday, December 3, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
20 Reasons why Delhi Weddings are Cool
So after all the tall tales of how Delhi weddings wag tails, I finally got to experience one. Alas it was not some distant relative (i.e. my uncle's great uncle's daughter, or my grandfather's second cousin's grandson...invitation for such events are always more than likely)...it happened to be my grandfather's brother's grandson...that's not too distant right? Anyways, a marvelous excuse to go to the capital of India if you ask me, and land right in the smack of extravagance. The city was exploding with weddings, they usually happen in heaps, early spring and around the first-second full moon in November. Awesome that the lunar calendar still bares a mark on modern civilizations. So around this time of year, many strange and extraordinary events can be witnessed around India (mind you this is shortly after Diwali, so it more or less seems like the fun just never dies).
Drawing from the experience within the wedding of my lovely dermatologist cousin and his fantastic dentist wife, and from the streets of Delhi itself, I have compiled a list of "20 Reasons why Delhi Weddings are Cool":
1. There are gallant white horses running the same red lights as you
2. The fireworks just never stop, the acoustic alarm clocks are ever present
3. Mehndi (Henna) tattoos are noticeable on 5 of every 8 women
4. The men seem to be wearing deodorant
5. Brass bands fill the street, costumed. At the end of the night, 15 men with brass instruments usually pack into a 3-wheeled autorickshaw built for 5 people
6. Hello random elephant
7. You can either be wearing a tuxedo or pajamas (aka kurthas = oversized shirts and somewhat tight fitting cloth pants -- with an oversized waist ... I think the original Indian men must have looked something like a tall Homer Simpson)...oh, did I mention curly toed slippers?
8. Women get to wear their most colourful and closeted saris
9. If an aunty who you haven't seen in 20 years appears and recognizes you, you get your cheeks pinched
10.Uncles insist on doing alcoholic shots with their kids and their grown up friends
11.Everything is significant and symbolic during the ceremony: from throwing sandalwood and herbs into the fire, to putting a veil of pearls around the groom's eyes (whoopsy baby: you can't see me!!)
12.When you ask a man (who you will usually call uncle, whether you don't know their name or have forgotten it) "how are you doing?", you sometimes get responses like "A-1, First-Class, 150%"
13.There is usually secret matchmaking going on behind your back if your cousins or aunts find out you are a bachelor
14.It's the one time of the year that servants and drivers get to party with everyone
15.Every secret Indian recipe comes out of the closet and get thrown into the buffet, and for good measure Italian salads, Chinese noodles and American ketchup can usually be found nearby
16.If you are meeting someone for the first time, it's fun to put your stopwatch on and time it till when they ask you "So ______ (<- your name here), what do you do?" ...then give a prize, like a dessert from the buffet, at the end of the night to the person who discovered where you work the fastest
17.People aren't afraid to dance
18.There are usually recognizable dance styles on the dance floors, themes/influences if you will: Indian Classical (Kathak, Bharatanatyam), Bollywood, Drunk fusions, and line dancing generally
19.The brides have about 50 pounds of jewelery on, it's a "clink" "clink" fest wherever they go
20.You feel more Indian after you left the wedding than before you walked in...like an A-1, First Class, 150% Indian.
Drawing from the experience within the wedding of my lovely dermatologist cousin and his fantastic dentist wife, and from the streets of Delhi itself, I have compiled a list of "20 Reasons why Delhi Weddings are Cool":
1. There are gallant white horses running the same red lights as you
2. The fireworks just never stop, the acoustic alarm clocks are ever present
3. Mehndi (Henna) tattoos are noticeable on 5 of every 8 women
4. The men seem to be wearing deodorant
5. Brass bands fill the street, costumed. At the end of the night, 15 men with brass instruments usually pack into a 3-wheeled autorickshaw built for 5 people
6. Hello random elephant
7. You can either be wearing a tuxedo or pajamas (aka kurthas = oversized shirts and somewhat tight fitting cloth pants -- with an oversized waist ... I think the original Indian men must have looked something like a tall Homer Simpson)...oh, did I mention curly toed slippers?
8. Women get to wear their most colourful and closeted saris
9. If an aunty who you haven't seen in 20 years appears and recognizes you, you get your cheeks pinched
10.Uncles insist on doing alcoholic shots with their kids and their grown up friends
11.Everything is significant and symbolic during the ceremony: from throwing sandalwood and herbs into the fire, to putting a veil of pearls around the groom's eyes (whoopsy baby: you can't see me!!)
12.When you ask a man (who you will usually call uncle, whether you don't know their name or have forgotten it) "how are you doing?", you sometimes get responses like "A-1, First-Class, 150%"
13.There is usually secret matchmaking going on behind your back if your cousins or aunts find out you are a bachelor
14.It's the one time of the year that servants and drivers get to party with everyone
15.Every secret Indian recipe comes out of the closet and get thrown into the buffet, and for good measure Italian salads, Chinese noodles and American ketchup can usually be found nearby
16.If you are meeting someone for the first time, it's fun to put your stopwatch on and time it till when they ask you "So ______ (<- your name here), what do you do?" ...then give a prize, like a dessert from the buffet, at the end of the night to the person who discovered where you work the fastest
17.People aren't afraid to dance
18.There are usually recognizable dance styles on the dance floors, themes/influences if you will: Indian Classical (Kathak, Bharatanatyam), Bollywood, Drunk fusions, and line dancing generally
19.The brides have about 50 pounds of jewelery on, it's a "clink" "clink" fest wherever they go
20.You feel more Indian after you left the wedding than before you walked in...like an A-1, First Class, 150% Indian.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Diwali in Bombay
Diwali, also known as the celebration of lights (Sanskrit: दीपावली Dīpāval), is a wondrous 5-day celebration important for the Sikhs, Hindus and Jains of India, and abroad. It's an official holiday in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore, and Fiji (thanks Wikipedia!). To many, it is the mark of a new year (always starting on a new moon mid-October/November), an occasion to welcome wealth into the home, sweets into the mouth and goodness to the heart. The latter explains why oil lamps and candles are placed at the doors of houses, a welcoming of goodness into the home. What Christmas/New Years is to the West, Diwali is to the East. Among many deities, the Goddess Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) is worshiped on this day.
If you are an Indian growing up in the West, not observing any other holiday, you probably still celebrate Diwali. However to get a taste of Diwali in India is a different story.
The days leading up to this Diwali, have been packed with non-stop clamor in the streets of Bombay. Stores and street-side dealers have been opened extra late. Colourful powders of vibrant indigo, yellow, greens, orange are sold to garnish the front entrances of homes. Sari shops and fabric stores are busy and booming with women. Whole families can be seen on the street making orange and green flower garlands to adorn temples and cars. New clothes are a must, so every retailer seems stocked to the brim with new knickers. Not to mention incense sticks, cap guns and fireworks, toys and every other imaginable good thing in the commercial world lies somewhere on the street waiting to be bought and brought to a loving home.
Garland Making
Street Fireworks
I had the privilege of spending my Diwali doing a Puja (prayer ceremony) with a couple of Bollywood's most beloved sisters: Kojal and Tanisha. My father had acted with the sister's mother Tanuja in his first movie, and since then have been the longest of friends. Thus my mother and I were invited to a small gathering at Thauja/Tanisha's apartment where the ceremony was held. Tanuja is one of my favorite aunty's in the world: bright, vibrant and full of sass...yet tremendously down to earth. This was a thread that rang through her daughters too. Very happy to give a hug and share their warmth. Kajol's husband Ajay Devgan (also one of the top actors from the current scene in Bollywood) was also present along with her two daughters. Sweet couple they make.
Tanisha
Tanuja
President Obama made his way to this city today to join in on the celebrations. The past few days amidst all the pre-Diwali preparations, one could see the additional effort expended in his honor. The street curbs were repainted black and yellow, the roads had been re-tarred, blockades that read "Mumbai Police" lined certain street corners, and extra security was everywhere in the downtown core. This packed the streets with traffic, twice-so because of the Diwali is already the busiest time of the year. Road closure are everywhere this weekend. Ghandi's old residency was being retouched and rewired to accommodate the President's honorary walk through.
Ghandi's Residency
Walking through a night market is the quite the sight and sound, its bright like daytime! The locals seem all too exuberant. Men walk in big groups. Women laughing in small circles. Kids playing with fireworks causing sonic eruptions practically everywhere. Everyone was anxious to have me take their photos, thinking I was from the press. Even the cows looked like they were smiling. A light of cheerfulness illuminated every nook of this city it appeared...
Monday, November 1, 2010
Celebrating the Flavour
In the time of Halloween, most people choose to celebrate the idea of feeling different, being a person from a new culture, existence, background. That's pretty much the feeling I experienced coming from Canada and placing my bare feet on the grounds of this city. Halloween or not, when your whole life is spent hearing stories about your culture, meeting people who speak the language, and trying to assimilate with ideals that you know are real for the natives of this land -- undoubtedly you feel like you've just put on a costume and are standing out. Despite this, I chose to go out for halloween garmented. It's funny because only 1 out of 100 people seemingly get dressed up here, and the others choose to stare awkwardly into your taxi, some, baffled when they beg for change.
I partied with people I could only describe as the cool kids of Bandra, a sprawling suburb on the south side of town. It's expensive to party here -- 500 rupees to get into the club, and another 500 for every additional drink. That's about 20 bucks just to get your night started, which in Indian standards, is a full day's wage for a common man. Nevertheless, I didn't take to drinking in more than just the oddity that I was in a club in India on Halloween! Bumble bees, police guards, the Joker, butterflys were some common costumes, still again half the people were happy just dressing their day to day.
The night floated by with remixes of common North American pop and rock songs (not to mention Queen and Blur) and I eventually went to an afterparty at a common friend of Charlie's flat. Everyone has a clique here, and there is a clear sense of brotherhood and sisterhood that unites people, whether it be from youth, school, family ties, or common interest. I was just happy to know anyone at all, knowing that most of this trip I will be lone drifter. A couple of drinks and some spiced chips and my night was spent, only to end up at a friends tiny apartment in a condemned and cobwebbed building.
I partied with people I could only describe as the cool kids of Bandra, a sprawling suburb on the south side of town. It's expensive to party here -- 500 rupees to get into the club, and another 500 for every additional drink. That's about 20 bucks just to get your night started, which in Indian standards, is a full day's wage for a common man. Nevertheless, I didn't take to drinking in more than just the oddity that I was in a club in India on Halloween! Bumble bees, police guards, the Joker, butterflys were some common costumes, still again half the people were happy just dressing their day to day.
The night floated by with remixes of common North American pop and rock songs (not to mention Queen and Blur) and I eventually went to an afterparty at a common friend of Charlie's flat. Everyone has a clique here, and there is a clear sense of brotherhood and sisterhood that unites people, whether it be from youth, school, family ties, or common interest. I was just happy to know anyone at all, knowing that most of this trip I will be lone drifter. A couple of drinks and some spiced chips and my night was spent, only to end up at a friends tiny apartment in a condemned and cobwebbed building.
Friday, October 29, 2010
The beginnings....Bombay!
"The first thing I noticed about Bombay, on that first day, was the smell of the different air." - Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram
The air upon exiting the airport, was thick and musty, palm trees lined the terminal and sweaty men lined every corner, seemingly from every part of the country...people from Rajasthan, Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Cochin, Goa, Calcutta. It smelled of dark humidity, humanity and heavy-set hopes and half-asleep dreams. Jovial were half the people, slothish were the other at this 5am moment. My mother and I met my uncle amidst the clamour of sign-wearing porters, drivers and servants and made our way to his home. It was an old Parsee apartment, surprisingly large and beautiful. He had a full time servant named Jessica, and two male part time servants who lived for free, worked full time jobs and helped out during their off hours. We handed them gifts: chocolates, cheese and liquor are apparently standards to appease any Indians families. I then got my first taste of scooter life here in Bumbaby. I hopped on the back of my uncle Ronny's scooter and literally was closing my eyes for half the trip, wondering how I would survive the chaotic streets w/o a helmet. Passing cows, red lights (they more or less act as amber warnings sign here I conclude), and throngs of pedestrians we made our way around the night market, and the downtown core. The honking was incessant and I could only equate to when Spain won the World Cup this year -- but here honking seems to mean two things: I Exist! and Move Out of the Bloody Way! Eventually I landed in my bed unscathed.
Traffic and 50's style cabby's
Scooter Life
Waking up is easy here, just wait for the crescendo of honks, kids firing caps guns, and vegetable selling men call out to reach its climax and you know it is around 10am. Today I got to have a view of some of the vegetable markets and toy stores...I was searching desperately for a clown nose to complete my costume for a Halloween party tomorrow in Bandra. Without luck, I settled on fake mustaches (only to later discover the red globes at another toy shop down the way). Stores here are seemingly overemployed, with about twice the employees you would expect for something their size. Half the people scratching their ass (we are the itchiest people on planet I think!), and the other half being very serious about simple tasks. I witnessed my first set of brown Barbie dolls wrapped in saris. Anyone collect Barbies out there? I got to meet my good friend Charlie from toronto, who runs Charlie's Gallery and we plotted our plans for Halloweening, a relatively new phenomena here in India and just another excuse to party, really. Also I got to see the infamous Taj Hotel, which was the stage of the terrorist attacks earlier this decade. Crazy enough, President Obama is coming during Diwali and the whole hotel will be devoted to him and his prez-posse.
Brown Barbie
The Taj Hotel
Night Market
The air upon exiting the airport, was thick and musty, palm trees lined the terminal and sweaty men lined every corner, seemingly from every part of the country...people from Rajasthan, Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Cochin, Goa, Calcutta. It smelled of dark humidity, humanity and heavy-set hopes and half-asleep dreams. Jovial were half the people, slothish were the other at this 5am moment. My mother and I met my uncle amidst the clamour of sign-wearing porters, drivers and servants and made our way to his home. It was an old Parsee apartment, surprisingly large and beautiful. He had a full time servant named Jessica, and two male part time servants who lived for free, worked full time jobs and helped out during their off hours. We handed them gifts: chocolates, cheese and liquor are apparently standards to appease any Indians families. I then got my first taste of scooter life here in Bumbaby. I hopped on the back of my uncle Ronny's scooter and literally was closing my eyes for half the trip, wondering how I would survive the chaotic streets w/o a helmet. Passing cows, red lights (they more or less act as amber warnings sign here I conclude), and throngs of pedestrians we made our way around the night market, and the downtown core. The honking was incessant and I could only equate to when Spain won the World Cup this year -- but here honking seems to mean two things: I Exist! and Move Out of the Bloody Way! Eventually I landed in my bed unscathed.
Traffic and 50's style cabby's
Scooter Life
Waking up is easy here, just wait for the crescendo of honks, kids firing caps guns, and vegetable selling men call out to reach its climax and you know it is around 10am. Today I got to have a view of some of the vegetable markets and toy stores...I was searching desperately for a clown nose to complete my costume for a Halloween party tomorrow in Bandra. Without luck, I settled on fake mustaches (only to later discover the red globes at another toy shop down the way). Stores here are seemingly overemployed, with about twice the employees you would expect for something their size. Half the people scratching their ass (we are the itchiest people on planet I think!), and the other half being very serious about simple tasks. I witnessed my first set of brown Barbie dolls wrapped in saris. Anyone collect Barbies out there? I got to meet my good friend Charlie from toronto, who runs Charlie's Gallery and we plotted our plans for Halloweening, a relatively new phenomena here in India and just another excuse to party, really. Also I got to see the infamous Taj Hotel, which was the stage of the terrorist attacks earlier this decade. Crazy enough, President Obama is coming during Diwali and the whole hotel will be devoted to him and his prez-posse.
Brown Barbie
The Taj Hotel
Night Market
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Leaving for India in 2 days!
Wowzers. I've waited 25 years to say this...but I'm finally going to India. Music, art, family, food, camels. Everything. I can't wait. I am hosting a fundraiser for Pakistan and going-away-party tonight at The Bean Coffee House in Toronto, and really excited to perform this tabla/flute duet with my once roomate. So. Flippin. Excited.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
My new SoundCloud Page!
Uploaded 1 of my tracks from EP "Olympus" to Soundcloud!
"CROSSINGS" (2010)- Doumbek/Hang Drum (Zamir Dhanji) Flute/Beatbox/Vocals (Rahul B) by Cardamonics
"CROSSINGS" (2010)- Doumbek/Hang Drum (Zamir Dhanji) Flute/Beatbox/Vocals (Rahul B) by Cardamonics
Monday, October 11, 2010
Thanksgiving: Watching Bollywood flics from 70s
Spent the Thanksgiving evening at home and found some clips of my pops from back in the day...
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
It's my Birthday, and i booked a ticket to India!
Facts about my birthday:
-It makes me a libra
-Alexander Keith shared my birthday
-Statistically the most popular day to be born in North America
Also booked my ticket to India...whoop!
In case you missed it, here is a section of the Opening Ceremonies for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi
-It makes me a libra
-Alexander Keith shared my birthday
-Statistically the most popular day to be born in North America
Also booked my ticket to India...whoop!
In case you missed it, here is a section of the Opening Ceremonies for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi
Friday, October 1, 2010
Anticipation
The anticipation of the moment
Awaits my arrival
When the glow of fortune
Mixes with mere survival
It awakens your senses
Tingles your fears
Negates all the negative
And makes for the most joyful tears
Life is on a timer
Counting down to the last seconds’ end
When a wish is fulfilled
A desire quenched
And a gift rendered
But the fruits of the gift
Was where the happiness drew a close
And the real gratification came
When there was the tingling in your toes
The hours you spent
Waiting for that something to arrive
Was where the contentment took place
And your heart was alive
RB
The anticipation of the moment
Awaits my arrival
When the glow of fortune
Mixes with mere survival
It awakens your senses
Tingles your fears
Negates all the negative
And makes for the most joyful tears
Life is on a timer
Counting down to the last seconds’ end
When a wish is fulfilled
A desire quenched
And a gift rendered
But the fruits of the gift
Was where the happiness drew a close
And the real gratification came
When there was the tingling in your toes
The hours you spent
Waiting for that something to arrive
Was where the contentment took place
And your heart was alive
RB
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Hmm... a f**kin UNICORN sighting in Toronto
While this seems video pretty legitimate, I warn you that the Ontario Science Centre was "coincidentally" hosting a Mythical Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns and Mermaids exhibit at the same time. Good PR. Convincing footage. And I like the formal warning and emergency hotline thingy. That's cool.
http://smr.newswire.ca/en/ontario-science-centre/rumoured-unicorn-sighting-reported-in-don-valley
http://smr.newswire.ca/en/ontario-science-centre/rumoured-unicorn-sighting-reported-in-don-valley
Random and funny...
Ridiculously funny ass stuff! It's getting to be winter here in Canada, this is important.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Dub Monkey EP Release: The Sitar Experience
Played a historic venue in Toronto today -- the Elmo Cambo! Located at College and Spadina, this venue once hosted the Rolling Stones before Mick Jagger even had a single wrikle! Shared the stage with a sitar, drums, bass, trombone, saxophone,Nord keyboard, trumpet, MC...it was a circus.
http://www.dubmonkey.ca/dub_monkey/EPK.html
Check out track 4 of the EP, I am featured playing flute on "Flutey Loops".
Thursday, September 23, 2010
A Poem..
They Told Me…
Journey, they told me, to the far off land
Abide by their rules, learn by the hand
Stand up for what is right, approach the friendly
Keep a safe distance away, love your enemy
Pace yourself, don’t rush, rush, rush
Keep your emotions in control, pee BEFORE you flush
Be honest and true, gold you will receive
Rewards are encouragement, they’d have you believe
Patience is a virtue, a virtual run-on sentence
Fallacy leads to failure, followed by repentence
If Peace is a state of mind…
Then why doesn’t it stay in this state of mine
The mind is a minefield
We are the explosions we make…
RB
Journey, they told me, to the far off land
Abide by their rules, learn by the hand
Stand up for what is right, approach the friendly
Keep a safe distance away, love your enemy
Pace yourself, don’t rush, rush, rush
Keep your emotions in control, pee BEFORE you flush
Be honest and true, gold you will receive
Rewards are encouragement, they’d have you believe
Patience is a virtue, a virtual run-on sentence
Fallacy leads to failure, followed by repentence
If Peace is a state of mind…
Then why doesn’t it stay in this state of mine
The mind is a minefield
We are the explosions we make…
RB
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Pen and Ink Sketches
My favourite things to draw are usually nature, imagined characters and musicians...enjoy these recently completed sketches...
Trombone Player
Urban Angel
Tabla Student
Ex Libris design assignment for George Brown College illustration course...notes on why cardamom pods are seductive in text
Trombone Player
Urban Angel
Tabla Student
Ex Libris design assignment for George Brown College illustration course...notes on why cardamom pods are seductive in text
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Beatbox Reflection...
Here's a clip from 2005 of me beatboxing for some of my favorite folks artists in the world! Joanna Chapman Smith (www.joannacs.com) and Melissa Bandura (www.myspace.com/mbandura)
Saturday, September 11, 2010
I'm a vegetarian by choice. There I said it. I don't usually enforce my opinion on the industry and shove it down people's throats. Most people with a brain can get the facts, and make an informed choice on their eating habits by themselves. But there are certain aspects of animal cruelty that are absolutely intolerable. One of them for me is aerial killings...shooting an animal from the sky and leaving it for the dead. The age of game hunting is over. I'd like to see one of those men with guns attack a bear with something that didn't fire bullets. I would really like to see that.
On that note, enjoy this song "Nature Creatures." It's a song written by my brother Ro Honey and a film by Jesi The Elder. It illustrates the above subject quite well.
On that note, enjoy this song "Nature Creatures." It's a song written by my brother Ro Honey and a film by Jesi The Elder. It illustrates the above subject quite well.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Ryerson Toronto set new World Record for Most People Beatboxing at One Time!!
"Hundreds of students beatboxed their way to a potential world record. Ryerson University says they smashed the previous record of 327 people beatboxing at the same time, with an unofficial count of 961" -Globe and Mail....yep, we did it. Thanks to MJ of course for such a catchy beat.
http://t.co/cutIxRb
http://t.co/cutIxRb
Monday, August 30, 2010
A Poem
Human Discourse
Of course human discourse
Is a force of much importance
Verbal back and forths
How we all hold a view and core stance
Representing values and systems
Oral or written
They reside in our core
In the depths of our soul folklore
We all have tales
Telling when our values were tested
Rested on assumptions
We were then forced to question
Each lesson, an instant message
Whose message has left us
In the quest of more questions
So we prevail on this trail
Unwanting to grow stale
Walking over bouldered roads
Bumpy like brail
Paper, white paper
Crumpled to a ball
Planet Earth condensing matter
Into a mind so small
But does the mind matter?
Matter of fact it does.
If you make not the mind matter
It floats onwards like fuzz...
But the question remains...
How much buzz need there be?
Are you settled on one flower?
Or busy like a bee?
The water or the lotus?
The wind or the tree?
Forces of the mind
Beckon us into motion
As streams move to rivers
And rivers move to oceans
While sense makes to thoughts
And thoughts make to sentences
To emotions and understanding
Towards eventual transcendence.
Of course human discourse
Is a force of much importance
Verbal back and forths
How we all hold a view and core stance
Representing values and systems
Oral or written
They reside in our core
In the depths of our soul folklore
We all have tales
Telling when our values were tested
Rested on assumptions
We were then forced to question
Each lesson, an instant message
Whose message has left us
In the quest of more questions
So we prevail on this trail
Unwanting to grow stale
Walking over bouldered roads
Bumpy like brail
Paper, white paper
Crumpled to a ball
Planet Earth condensing matter
Into a mind so small
But does the mind matter?
Matter of fact it does.
If you make not the mind matter
It floats onwards like fuzz...
But the question remains...
How much buzz need there be?
Are you settled on one flower?
Or busy like a bee?
The water or the lotus?
The wind or the tree?
Forces of the mind
Beckon us into motion
As streams move to rivers
And rivers move to oceans
While sense makes to thoughts
And thoughts make to sentences
To emotions and understanding
Towards eventual transcendence.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Water Colour Paintings...
Here are some recently complete watercolours I did. I like using pencil watercolour for these purposes.
Mouse.
Rabbit.
Honey Bee
Pig.
Mouse.
Rabbit.
Honey Bee
Pig.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
30 GOOD PUNS
1. A bicycle can't stand alone because it is two-tired.
2. What's the definition of a will? (It's a dead giveaway).
3. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
4. A backward poet writes inverse.
5. In democracy it's your vote that counts; In feudalism, it's your count that votes.
6. Cantelope are one fruit that never seem to get married
7. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
8. If you don't pay your exorcist you get repossessed.
9. With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.
10. Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft and I'll show you A-flat minor.
11. When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
12. The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.
13. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
14. You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
15. Local Area Network in Australia: the LAN down under.
16. He often broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
17. Every calendar's days are numbered.
18. A lot of money is tainted. 'Taint yours and 'taint mine.
19. A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.
20. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
21. A plateau is a high form of flattery.
22. The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
23. Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.
24. When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.
25. Those who jump off a Paris bridge are in Seine.
26. When an actress saw her first strands of gray hair she thought she'd dye.
27. Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.
28. Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
29. Acupuncture is a jab well done.
30. Marathon runners with bad footwear suffer the agony of defeat.
1. A bicycle can't stand alone because it is two-tired.
2. What's the definition of a will? (It's a dead giveaway).
3. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
4. A backward poet writes inverse.
5. In democracy it's your vote that counts; In feudalism, it's your count that votes.
6. Cantelope are one fruit that never seem to get married
7. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
8. If you don't pay your exorcist you get repossessed.
9. With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.
10. Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft and I'll show you A-flat minor.
11. When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
12. The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.
13. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
14. You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
15. Local Area Network in Australia: the LAN down under.
16. He often broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
17. Every calendar's days are numbered.
18. A lot of money is tainted. 'Taint yours and 'taint mine.
19. A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.
20. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
21. A plateau is a high form of flattery.
22. The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
23. Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.
24. When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.
25. Those who jump off a Paris bridge are in Seine.
26. When an actress saw her first strands of gray hair she thought she'd dye.
27. Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.
28. Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
29. Acupuncture is a jab well done.
30. Marathon runners with bad footwear suffer the agony of defeat.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Canada Day!
I realized that it was 5 years ago today that I was busy studying Traditional Drumming and Dance in Ghana, West Africa. I thought it would be appropriate therefore to include it in today's post. What I did 5 years ago at the Canadian Embassy in Ghana (check out weird dancer boy in pic)...and what I did this year, which was engage in a Crystal Bowl Sound Healing session with my buddy Darren Austin Hall!
Teaching Kids Neuroscience!
I had the privilege of teaching kids in Toronto the science behind how we think...and why things like helmets are good. Gosh I should be a little bit more diligent wearing mine. Believe it or not, this lecture actually involved words and phrases like "sensory cortex" "occipital lobe" "temporal cortex" ...big words for little brains. Oh and PS, that's a brain made out of gelatin. Pink gelatin. It wobbled.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
A poem...
In this 10 000 bar’ song of life
Your heart pounded my way like the thumping of a bass drum
Boop Booped its way over to mine, til we sounded complete
Synchrony synchronous with the pulse of the universe
And when you won my heart
You started to tap on my head like a hi hat
A keeper of time
In this 10 000 bar’ song of life
In this 10 000 bar’ song of life
The hollow drum of existence started to seem full once more
Again as the stare from your eyes
Hit me like a snare drum comprised
Of a syncopated rhythm
Between you and I
Still pondering who was the conductor
In this speechless symphony
And how experience and life tightened
The loose ends of our drumheads
Such that it sounded like we belonged together,
Despite the weathering
In this 10 000 bar’ song of life
In this 10 000 bar’ song of life
We each lent one another a hand
To grasp each others habits
Like a drum stick – slippery at times
Slippery like rhymes and tongue twisters
As the edge of our lips blista’
Because the drum roll before I kissed ya
Is still waiting for its crash symbol
To symbolize a beginning of our favorite tune
That will take a finite eternity to finish
In this 10 000 bar’ song of life
In this 10 000 bar’ song of life
Your heart pounded my way like the thumping of a bass drum
Boop Booped its way over to mine, til we sounded complete
Synchrony synchronous with the pulse of the universe
And when you won my heart
You started to tap on my head like a hi hat
A keeper of time
In this 10 000 bar’ song of life
In this 10 000 bar’ song of life
The hollow drum of existence started to seem full once more
Again as the stare from your eyes
Hit me like a snare drum comprised
Of a syncopated rhythm
Between you and I
Still pondering who was the conductor
In this speechless symphony
And how experience and life tightened
The loose ends of our drumheads
Such that it sounded like we belonged together,
Despite the weathering
In this 10 000 bar’ song of life
In this 10 000 bar’ song of life
We each lent one another a hand
To grasp each others habits
Like a drum stick – slippery at times
Slippery like rhymes and tongue twisters
As the edge of our lips blista’
Because the drum roll before I kissed ya
Is still waiting for its crash symbol
To symbolize a beginning of our favorite tune
That will take a finite eternity to finish
In this 10 000 bar’ song of life
In this 10 000 bar’ song of life
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Discovery
I discovered you like I discovered the Discovery Channel
Flipping through the channels of life I paused on you
Because you were the only insight in a world of entertainment
But unlike the tube you remained forever on…
Closed captions couldn’t yield a greater understanding of your divine words
And like a documentary on blind birds
All I could do was watch and wonder
When you took flight in my thoughts
I chased you to the yonder
And so now I ponder your flight plan
Taking clues from the winds
Use the stars as my compass
Because I’m sure, even if I was the right man
I could never encompass
The fertile lands that would keep you near
For as the sun set out south
So too will your wings steer
RB
Saturday, June 26, 2010
The G20 in Toronto
Spending a weekend with the G20 in Toronto was like spending a weekend with a military state. It was oppressive, demeaning, anger-filled and unjust. Rights were taken away from Canadian citizens for the purposes of meeting the needs of a few upper ranking government officials.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was amended to meet the needs of the weekend, and hundreds suffered unjust arrest for peacefully protesting and demonstrating their basic right to free speech. I was of the viewpoint that we had spent over a billion dollars on two days of security (versus the approximate 900 million spent on the WHOLE 2 WEEKS of the Olympics), and that it was simply a blatant waste of taxpayer money. A lot of people were simply of this opinion and wanted to voice it. Why hold such a volatile event in Canada's largest city? Why not Nunavut or St. John's...sure the scenery is much nicer there?
I set to the streets on my bike, witnessing people getting pulled over (sometimes I feel, simply for wearing black!), riot cops and plain clothes officers on every corner, and an air of fear and courage (on the part of the citizens). I was perhaps one of thousands simply curious what this meant for our city, and to see how much fairness could be employed in times of pressure. I fortunately wasn't harassed or searched unnecessarily. But felt a tension in my blood when I saw stores with wooden planks protecting them, gas masks on peoples faces, fences everywhere, and signs quoting Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. This tension was of course momentarily diffused by seeing the occasional clown nose, citizens holding hands, people traveling in large groups cycling whilst ringing their bells, and the occasional laughing baby. Innocence vs. Oppression.
In the end for a few trouble makers that roused the attention of the world by lighting cop cars on fire, there was an incredible uproar and over-reaction on the part of the cops -- strong enough to ignite a series of unjust arrests that upset a relatively peaceful/human view I generally hold for Canada. The Olympic protests were met with much more respect I felt, and handled far more justly.
"It may be long before the law of love will be recognized in international affairs. The machineries of government stand between and hide the hearts of one people from those of another." ~Gandhi
Oh
Thursday, June 10, 2010
A Poem...
Time Efficiency
Traffic congestion and runny noses
Two symptoms of urban dwellings
Finding comfort in grey walls and halls
And teletubes that act as pacifiers
Eathing away every passing hour
Through the vortex medium of media
Mediating everyday experiences
Lights, action and what you don’t see
Is the camera
Acting as eyes that don’t blink
“We’re watching you” they say
In a world we taught to think
“Watch your back!”
But what if I can’t keep track
When you’re adding 10 pounds to my 6-pack
I got 4 eyes to see through the lies
They tell on TV
And one on my forehead to have visions
That move me and cease me
Like a movie of the mind
Impregnate my mind with dreams
It seems of helping the wanty and needy.
Homeless shelters could use your homely hand
For a homecooked meal
Could you steal a moment
Of your precious life for such a cause?
Stop. Pause.
Think and question your mind’s natural laws.
I see a few flaws in my understanding
Could I have a “stop/pause” button on this life
So I can digest what you are demanding?
Would it be unreasonable to ask you
To be patient with me
In a world that values time efficiency?
Should I speed up my step
Or speed up my speech.
So I won’t be labeled a time leech?
How about I reach into my pocket
And give you a quarter for your time?
A piece of my mind for a piece of your time,
Would that be fine?
Traffic congestion and runny noses
Two symptoms of urban dwellings
Finding comfort in grey walls and halls
And teletubes that act as pacifiers
Eathing away every passing hour
Through the vortex medium of media
Mediating everyday experiences
Lights, action and what you don’t see
Is the camera
Acting as eyes that don’t blink
“We’re watching you” they say
In a world we taught to think
“Watch your back!”
But what if I can’t keep track
When you’re adding 10 pounds to my 6-pack
I got 4 eyes to see through the lies
They tell on TV
And one on my forehead to have visions
That move me and cease me
Like a movie of the mind
Impregnate my mind with dreams
It seems of helping the wanty and needy.
Homeless shelters could use your homely hand
For a homecooked meal
Could you steal a moment
Of your precious life for such a cause?
Stop. Pause.
Think and question your mind’s natural laws.
I see a few flaws in my understanding
Could I have a “stop/pause” button on this life
So I can digest what you are demanding?
Would it be unreasonable to ask you
To be patient with me
In a world that values time efficiency?
Should I speed up my step
Or speed up my speech.
So I won’t be labeled a time leech?
How about I reach into my pocket
And give you a quarter for your time?
A piece of my mind for a piece of your time,
Would that be fine?
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
What an incredible weekend! Spent this time:
-Seeing my first ballet! West Side Story at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts'
-The Muhtadi Drum Festival: Celebrating Women in Rhythm (even made it into NOW magazine for dancing beside someone with obviously more energy than the entire crowd)
-Practicing Karate Katas in the Park with Black Belt friend Lana (ten years of karate and a brown belt and yet you can never get sick of the movement)
-Watching the Lunacy Cabaret
-African Dancing to the sounds of Muthadi's Drum Ensemble!
Really one of the most amazing things was eating Plantains and Banku, two fried objects I really can never get sick of...at least at first bite! The sun blazed like fire on a stove, the wind blew soft spurts of oxygen rich coolness, that made me temporarily forget that I was in the middle of downtown Toronto.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Ink Sketches of Local Music Cats
My favourite people to draw are musicians. They stay put for extended periods of time, and you can usually capture them in actions. As with pictures, sometimes the best images are ones where the people don't feel a need to pose.
The Djembe player was one I captured at the Muhtadi Drumming Festival in Queen's Park, Toronto
The tabla player is a friend who goes by the name of Gurpreet Chana aka "The Tabla Guy"
The Djembe player was one I captured at the Muhtadi Drumming Festival in Queen's Park, Toronto
The tabla player is a friend who goes by the name of Gurpreet Chana aka "The Tabla Guy"
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Is Tap Dance Manly?
I love tap dancing. I'll admit it. I'm not the strongest tapper in the world. I mainly joined because I wanted to pick up a style of dance that would compliment being a drummer. So I figured...hey, I beatbox with mouth, I drum with my hands, what's next in this rhythmic progression? So I settled on tapping. I found the best damn teacher in the city too!
Here are some clips of guys who put tapping to good use:
Hiphop Tappers:
The Nicholas Brothers performing what Fred Astaire called "The Best Dance Number Ever Filmed"
Vaudeville Style Tappers, notice the almost native chant they use to keep time
Finally, my teacher Shawn Byfield tapping on a dock in the Carribean
Here are some clips of guys who put tapping to good use:
Hiphop Tappers:
The Nicholas Brothers performing what Fred Astaire called "The Best Dance Number Ever Filmed"
Vaudeville Style Tappers, notice the almost native chant they use to keep time
Finally, my teacher Shawn Byfield tapping on a dock in the Carribean
Thursday, May 20, 2010
3 of My Favourite YOUTUBE music vids
Heart-warming song played by 14-year old boy of National Cello Institute
Harp+Hang played by two ladies while travelling Ireland
Harp and Violin is soo damn beautiful together.
Harp+Hang played by two ladies while travelling Ireland
Harp and Violin is soo damn beautiful together.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Sometimes Having a Handicap doesn't mean you are any Less of a Musician
Here are some rhythmic examples of some of my favourite musicians, who happen to be blind and deaf respectively, exhibiting unbelievable listening ability.
'DAME' Evelyn Glennie; World Famous Deaf Percussionist; listen to this Marimba solo. Please do...
Stevie Wonder; led to the drum set, tactically plays the most unspeakably profound drum solo...
'DAME' Evelyn Glennie; World Famous Deaf Percussionist; listen to this Marimba solo. Please do...
Stevie Wonder; led to the drum set, tactically plays the most unspeakably profound drum solo...
Monday, April 26, 2010
10 of the Coolest Inventions to Help Save the Planet
1. Making water from thin air (http://www.air2water.net/products.html)
2. Cleaning Ocean Water with Desalinization, ie removing salt content (http://www.gewater.com/what_we_do/water_scarcity/desalination.jsp)
3. Bamboo Bikes...nuff said (http://www.bamboobike.org/)
4. Water Bottle that filters water that exits...great for natural disaster where water is filled with bacteria and viruses (http://www.lifesaversystems.com/aboutus.html)
5. Compressed Air Cars...just air baby, just air. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed_air_car
6. Miniature Wind Turbines, cuz you know wind is everywhere, and like nothing sits on top of my roof: https://www.eolien.qc.ca/?id=36&titre=Small_wind_turbines&em=6387
7. Flexible Solar Panels, batteries sorry to say, but your gonna die soon: http://www.flexsolarcells.com/
8. Mud Houses...the ancients knew what was up...http://auroville.org/thecity/architecture/arch_regina_mudhousei.htm
9. Capturing energy from ocean waves: http://ocsenergy.anl.gov/guide/wave/index.cfm
10. Farming atop of High-Rises: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/vertical-garden.php
2. Cleaning Ocean Water with Desalinization, ie removing salt content (http://www.gewater.com/what_we_do/water_scarcity/desalination.jsp)
3. Bamboo Bikes...nuff said (http://www.bamboobike.org/)
4. Water Bottle that filters water that exits...great for natural disaster where water is filled with bacteria and viruses (http://www.lifesaversystems.com/aboutus.html)
5. Compressed Air Cars...just air baby, just air. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed_air_car
6. Miniature Wind Turbines, cuz you know wind is everywhere, and like nothing sits on top of my roof: https://www.eolien.qc.ca/?id=36&titre=Small_wind_turbines&em=6387
7. Flexible Solar Panels, batteries sorry to say, but your gonna die soon: http://www.flexsolarcells.com/
8. Mud Houses...the ancients knew what was up...http://auroville.org/thecity/architecture/arch_regina_mudhousei.htm
9. Capturing energy from ocean waves: http://ocsenergy.anl.gov/guide/wave/index.cfm
10. Farming atop of High-Rises: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/vertical-garden.php
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
10 Ways to Stay Mindful
A list a friend of mine sent me from BC, she's a psychic/healer and here is her 10 tips on being mindful...I concur:
1. Imagine music as earfood to nourish your soul. Listen deeply.
2. Don't eat, text, drink, and talk at once. Do one thing well.
3. When you kiss, don't think about anything (or anyone) else.
3. Take the fast out of breakfast.
4. Read poetry.
5. Wash dishes as if this was your last day on earth.
6. Speak words like you were handing out medicine.
7. Be present while pissing and really enjoy the sensation.
8. Commit to daily goofiness as a sacred path.
9. Mix silence into your morning, not just when showering.
10. Practice gratitude as an antidote to insanity.
2. Don't eat, text, drink, and talk at once. Do one thing well.
3. When you kiss, don't think about anything (or anyone) else.
3. Take the fast out of breakfast.
4. Read poetry.
5. Wash dishes as if this was your last day on earth.
6. Speak words like you were handing out medicine.
7. Be present while pissing and really enjoy the sensation.
8. Commit to daily goofiness as a sacred path.
9. Mix silence into your morning, not just when showering.
10. Practice gratitude as an antidote to insanity.
Thanks Joyanna!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Dub Monkey Gig
I decided to join a yoga class recently, and it has seriously returned my body back to a place of anatomical solitude and analogous soul-itude. Having trained yoga on and off for the past 15 years, I think returning to a steady practice is like coming home again.
Also today was my first official gig with Dub Monkey....Sitar, Digeredoo, Flute, Drums, Bass, Accordian, Keys, Trumpet and Clarinet is the orchestration... a dream sonic texture if you ask me. Soundcheck went great except for the fact that it conflicted with Earth Hour. This is supposed to be the time when people shut off lights and try to go powerless for 1hr, a feat considering the electrical ho hum that makes this world go round. Haha, sorry Mama Nature, if only there were such things as solar powered amps and innovative sustainable projects like this one (http://www.nicernews.com/2010/02/olympics-attraction-sustainable-dance-floor-at-club-energy/) we'd be set!
We worked the crowd, dancing filled the room. Lots of compliments ensued after the gig..."You guys should play Burning Man, and have a moving installation with the CN tower as the center piece of the stage" was one of my favourites. During the gig, I got to drop some effects on my sample machine as well as do a little flute beatbox. I will post some of this stuff as soon as I can.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Beatboxing for "Mr. Don't Worry be Happy" Bobby McFerrin!
Wow! What a day. My new Toronto roomate Aarty has officially accepted me as a member of his band Dubmonkey. Nothing beats strong jams, smoothe as peanut butter, eminating from my living room. Sitar, drums, accordian, keys, flute, bass were felt through the floor boards.
To top off the glory of today, I took a spontaneous trip to Massey Hall to catch one of my childhood idols, Mr. Don't Worry be Happy, Bobby McFerrin. With only a microphone, two 500ml water bottles, and a red t-shirt he took to the stage. His whole being radiated his musical gifts. He improvised, called people to dance on stage and interpretted their musical bodies, sang unplanned duets with audience members and sent chills down the canals of 2000 ears and 1000 spines. To top it off he patiently sat and signed CDs for a 200 plus line up.. I picked up his new CD "VOCAbularies" and stood in line. I met a fellow beatboxing tabla-studying guy from Quebec whilst in the cue, and we opted that we would serenade the man when it was our turn. Bobby like a wandering minstrel sang and signed, sang and signed...and when it was finally our turn, we kicked a beat for him with our lips...and had the legend diddling along with us. What a treat!
Here's a clip of Bobby McFerrin demonstrating the power of the pentatonic scale and its relation to expectation...seeing him do this live was out of this world...to get a whole crowd to sing was pretty awesome on its own, but to have it be cued by a bouncing man was even better!
And of course...
Monday, March 1, 2010
New Roomate = Tabla Player = Awesome
Back in Toronto now. The Olympics are over, the breath can be attuned to a seemingly slower pace. Toronto in comparison actually for once doesn't feel like a super frenetic and crazily busy epicenter. Vancouver did. Tdot don't. Funny tis.
I like certain things more than others. Certain sounds (people, animals, places) sit closer to my heart than others. Certain instruments do as well. Tabla is one of them that sits pretty much where my aortas begins pumping life blood. So what are the odds that I'd find a roommate into Indian culture, playing tablas and loves my favourite comedians.
Meet Arty.
I like certain things more than others. Certain sounds (people, animals, places) sit closer to my heart than others. Certain instruments do as well. Tabla is one of them that sits pretty much where my aortas begins pumping life blood. So what are the odds that I'd find a roommate into Indian culture, playing tablas and loves my favourite comedians.
Meet Arty.
A poem..
Boundlessness
All passions were lost when I found you
You were like a plastic rose
Given to a child in search of colour
A dream impregnating thoughts of the eternal
Unable to be destroyed by time
Or mistreatment
Beauty that ignited playful charm
Yet one that could never by toyed with
But one day you turned into glass
With your tears glistening reflections
That made the world shiver
Cold and brittle, yet I still tried to hold you
And when I grasped too hard
You shattered…
That is when I realized your flesh was mere spirit
Capable of subsuming forms that remained in transit
Like wind on its endless migration in search of fire
The only element that could transform and contain
Your boundlessness
All passions were lost when I found you
You were like a plastic rose
Given to a child in search of colour
A dream impregnating thoughts of the eternal
Unable to be destroyed by time
Or mistreatment
Beauty that ignited playful charm
Yet one that could never by toyed with
But one day you turned into glass
With your tears glistening reflections
That made the world shiver
Cold and brittle, yet I still tried to hold you
And when I grasped too hard
You shattered…
That is when I realized your flesh was mere spirit
Capable of subsuming forms that remained in transit
Like wind on its endless migration in search of fire
The only element that could transform and contain
Your boundlessness
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Top 10 Behind the Scenes storylines/points of interest at the Olympics
What is not being seen on TV coverage of the Olympics is also worth appreciating. The side stories that are making up this adventure are a worth a some retelling. To name my top 10:
1. Protests and silent protests-Lots of Vancouverites who refuse to watch the games due to its impacts on the homefront
2. General cacophony - the overall acoustic outcome of having over 200, 000 visitors come from all over the world into tiny Vancouver. The linguistic outcome of this, mixed with patriotic upheaval in those their native language can be a sonic journey.
3. Coffee culture - people grounding themselves in a cup of joe is worldwide phenomenon. When people are away from home on an adventure like this, what is that feeling they get when they sip a good Vancouver coffee? You know, that feeling of the first sip of the perfect coffee in a far away land? It's incredible, even if you are homesick, coffee relinquishes a sense of homefulness instaneously, if only momentarily.
4. High Fives - The high five hardly remains a gesture limited to the sport stadium. It is a gesture we use to communicate a collapse of the ego for one split second in time. The "clap" sends equal shivers and shockwaves of enthusiasm down the bodies of the people involved, a bridge if you will, between souls. Now imagine this happening by the thousands, every hour and minute here in Vancouver....between strangers! Imagine you had a giant ear that could hear all of them once?
5. Red - I would generally regard red as a fairly intense colour. Deep red is even more intense. Now consider that most of the merchandise available is that deep patriotic red copious like blood in the body and that every fourth person I come across here is draped in redness., However there does seem to be a scarcity of these collector gloves http://blushstopshere.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/2010-red-mittens-flying-off-the-shelves/).
6. Tent City - A makeshift city of tents was devised near the downtown core to to show the solidarity of the homeless in Vancouver. The hundreds who stayed there were all housed in small tents and given access to clean water, food and sanitizing stations.
7. Helicopters - lots of them over Vancouver. Doing what helicopters do:being noisy, invasive and sometimes good in times of emergency (case in point, did you know that Leonardo Da Vinci is credited with the first helicopter blueprints http://www.livescience.com/history/davinci_bestideas_top10-1.html)
8. National Anthem spontaneous outburts - about 12 Canadian national anthems heard a day on the streets can be a little much considering the alcohol usually associated, and the fact that no one seems to sing the Quebecois version
9. Amateur Photographers: everywhere! With the advent of affordable digital SLRs comes the inevitable tabloid effect. Everything is being photographed here.
10. Dancing in the Street: Spontaneous outbursts of kinesthetic enthusiasm and flash mobs that involve dance are a good thing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzVuLTPYtk4)
1. Protests and silent protests-Lots of Vancouverites who refuse to watch the games due to its impacts on the homefront
2. General cacophony - the overall acoustic outcome of having over 200, 000 visitors come from all over the world into tiny Vancouver. The linguistic outcome of this, mixed with patriotic upheaval in those their native language can be a sonic journey.
3. Coffee culture - people grounding themselves in a cup of joe is worldwide phenomenon. When people are away from home on an adventure like this, what is that feeling they get when they sip a good Vancouver coffee? You know, that feeling of the first sip of the perfect coffee in a far away land? It's incredible, even if you are homesick, coffee relinquishes a sense of homefulness instaneously, if only momentarily.
4. High Fives - The high five hardly remains a gesture limited to the sport stadium. It is a gesture we use to communicate a collapse of the ego for one split second in time. The "clap" sends equal shivers and shockwaves of enthusiasm down the bodies of the people involved, a bridge if you will, between souls. Now imagine this happening by the thousands, every hour and minute here in Vancouver....between strangers! Imagine you had a giant ear that could hear all of them once?
5. Red - I would generally regard red as a fairly intense colour. Deep red is even more intense. Now consider that most of the merchandise available is that deep patriotic red copious like blood in the body and that every fourth person I come across here is draped in redness., However there does seem to be a scarcity of these collector gloves http://blushstopshere.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/2010-red-mittens-flying-off-the-shelves/).
6. Tent City - A makeshift city of tents was devised near the downtown core to to show the solidarity of the homeless in Vancouver. The hundreds who stayed there were all housed in small tents and given access to clean water, food and sanitizing stations.
7. Helicopters - lots of them over Vancouver. Doing what helicopters do:being noisy, invasive and sometimes good in times of emergency (case in point, did you know that Leonardo Da Vinci is credited with the first helicopter blueprints http://www.livescience.com/history/davinci_bestideas_top10-1.html)
8. National Anthem spontaneous outburts - about 12 Canadian national anthems heard a day on the streets can be a little much considering the alcohol usually associated, and the fact that no one seems to sing the Quebecois version
9. Amateur Photographers: everywhere! With the advent of affordable digital SLRs comes the inevitable tabloid effect. Everything is being photographed here.
10. Dancing in the Street: Spontaneous outbursts of kinesthetic enthusiasm and flash mobs that involve dance are a good thing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzVuLTPYtk4)
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
5 Cool Inventions Promoted via the Olympics:
1. Brainwaves in Vancouver controlling CN Tower lights in Eastern Canada (http://watchermeetup.50.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3222&start=0)
2. Peak to Peak technology chairlifts
(http://www.examiner.com/sitemaps/x-36901-Vancouver-Infrastructure-Examiner~y2010m2d1-2010-Olympic-Peak-to-Peak-Gondola)
3. The Canada Line, a revolution in passenger transportation, at least for BC
(http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2010wintergames/TransLink+carried+million+passengers+during+Games/2715010/story.html)
4. Inner City Cable flying spider man antics
(http://olympics.thestar.com/2010/article/764372--dimanno-flying-on-a-string-and-a-prayer)
5. Sustainable Dance Floor Technology
(http://www.nicernews.com/2010/02/olympics-attraction-sustainable-dance-floor-at-club-energy/)
1. Brainwaves in Vancouver controlling CN Tower lights in Eastern Canada (http://watchermeetup.50.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3222&start=0)
2. Peak to Peak technology chairlifts
(http://www.examiner.com/sitemaps/x-36901-Vancouver-Infrastructure-Examiner~y2010m2d1-2010-Olympic-Peak-to-Peak-Gondola)
3. The Canada Line, a revolution in passenger transportation, at least for BC
(http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2010wintergames/TransLink+carried+million+passengers+during+Games/2715010/story.html)
4. Inner City Cable flying spider man antics
(http://olympics.thestar.com/2010/article/764372--dimanno-flying-on-a-string-and-a-prayer)
5. Sustainable Dance Floor Technology
(http://www.nicernews.com/2010/02/olympics-attraction-sustainable-dance-floor-at-club-energy/)
Saturday, February 20, 2010
It's 2am and the night is still alive. Vancouver has digested an extra dose of caffeine (which could be justified by the extra care this city's baristas put into their coffee) and it doesn't seem to sleep. The late night fireworks in the streets, parties everywhere in the downtown core, and all the hubs hosting afterhour everythings! A mangle and mingle of many languages rolled into a single auditory stroll down the street, can leave your linguistic centres in a knot. Yet the collective slogans of the games seem to be "Wooooo" and "Go Canada Wooo", which I reckon are agreeable statements and messages which should resonate in the consciousness of many. Yep patriotism runs strong, if the red clothing and face paint didn't prove it, how about all the collective gatherings around projection screens in Yaletown? Of course the spontaneous outbursts of Oh Canada on Granville street are a force to be reckoned with, especially with pizza slices in hand and mouth!
I am having an afterhour jam at the moment, with friends who have deep interests in the musical magic mayhems of the shakers. This is just the wind down from two amazing days performing. The first was spent in front of the Vancouver Public Library with Zamir's brother Shak on the beatbox, playing some sweet beatbox panpipes. We were at Stanely Park today and played beautiful music at Prospect Point to a wide range of locals and visitors. The air was fresh, the sun was high, the sky was blue, and the ocean too. Nothing beats playing music in natural settings, parks and forrests are truely musical homes for the hang and flute. It helps having a battery powered amps to boost and cut through the blowing wind and into the inner ears of listeners. We seemed to move many into dancing, sitting and taking photos! It's fun to play music in places I used to walk on as a child. I totally loved hearing the eagles call after we played.
I am having an afterhour jam at the moment, with friends who have deep interests in the musical magic mayhems of the shakers. This is just the wind down from two amazing days performing. The first was spent in front of the Vancouver Public Library with Zamir's brother Shak on the beatbox, playing some sweet beatbox panpipes. We were at Stanely Park today and played beautiful music at Prospect Point to a wide range of locals and visitors. The air was fresh, the sun was high, the sky was blue, and the ocean too. Nothing beats playing music in natural settings, parks and forrests are truely musical homes for the hang and flute. It helps having a battery powered amps to boost and cut through the blowing wind and into the inner ears of listeners. We seemed to move many into dancing, sitting and taking photos! It's fun to play music in places I used to walk on as a child. I totally loved hearing the eagles call after we played.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Playing music for adoring crowds in Yaletown, Vancouver
On the mean, drunken streets of Granville, a belly dancer and some rhythm to accompany the late night parties. Dangerous combination.
Woke with friends Zamir and Mariko, we all went for a beautiful run through the forest to start our days energized. The sun is beaming like it was spring, tricking all the flowers and cherry blossoms into their seasonal bloom. Our first official day street performing was yesterday...what an experience. People from all walks of life...Chinese, Indian, Dutch, Italian, English (it's the Olympics so I would hesitate to list all the worlds cultures here) roaming the streets searching for a connection. We chose to experiment performing with two mindstates: first where we were the flowing rivers, and if the fish were thirsty they would find us and rejuvenate. Secondly, when night struck, we were in search of the fish. Our search yielded juiced up and rowdy crowds, willing to watch and share in the excitement, but less willing to donate! We are trying to pay for our album here! That's ok, we had an adventure...performing for the world.
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