Like father? or like mother?

Like father? or like mother?, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

So, what do you think? This was an earlier picture. He has definitely grown since that time. Right now, he has put on so much weight that I get a persistent backache and near carpal tunnel syndrome holding him up and using my hands to hold him close to my body - especially after a meal, he likes to be held upright and close to me, and the pressure helps him burp.

Today, he will be 8 weeks old. I suppose the more appropriate picture will be the one I'll post next...

ReNe: garbage strike, week 2...

The City of Toronto workers have been on strike for the past week. What that means is that among the various services that are disrupted (which include city childcare centers), garbage collection is one of them.

Luckily, because we're staying in an apartment building, our trash collection is not affected. However, garbage bins around the city are starting to overflow. Some parks are designated as temporary dumping sites and locals living near those parks are complaining. It is a valid concern as those sites are certain to attract pests and runoff from the trash could affect the groundwater below. Some place with a hard surface, like a carpark lot, would be a better choice I think.

So everyone's complaining, mostly about either the politicians or the unions. Given how environmentally conscious Canadians are, I wonder why the newspapers are not taking the opportunity to step up to the soapbox about reducing garbage...

Falling asleep

Falling asleep, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

As I write this, Ryan's lying on my lap, dozing off and slipping slowly into la-la land. A little while ago, he was on our bed, asleep fairly soundly after falling asleep on Serene's shoulder about 30 minutes ago. He fussed, and immediately calmed down when carried in my arms.

I dunno. We do read about it, and at least one well-meaning colleague has said something to the effect that we should stop the 'habit' of allowing him to seek comfort on our arms/shoulders/laps/whatever. The idea here is that the baby 'manipulates' the parent into getting what it wants, crying to get its demands met. The advice given by some include ignoring the kid's cries, letting the kid 'cry it out', and 'hardening one's heart' to the cries.

On our part, we think otherwise, and lean more towards the camp that think that, at least for the first six months or so, the kid has little manipulativeness, and cannot be 'spoilt' by more hugs and affection. So, the idea is that, when babies cry, they are stressed and get stressed due to their demands not being met. This raises cortisol levels in the brain, which, among other things, tend to influence the personality of the kid, making it more withdrawn and a good candidate for depression.

And we do notice a bit of that happening - just this past week, we were a little frustrated with his cries, and decided to leave him alone for a bit. The rest of the day, he was more disturbed than usual; he took longer to calm down, and he slept more lightly, waking up and fussing more easily.

Myself, I think a supportive environment initially would be better - the kid learns that there are rules which govern the working of the world, and that it has some role in this order. Of course, this is not to say that he becomes our little emperor - there will be time for independence training yet, just not now, I don't think.

ReNe: system initialization

We find it very amusing to watch Ryan sleep. He first goes into what we term, very loosely, REM sleep (we're not sure if he's actually dreaming...), where he twitches a lot. His facial expression especially, runs the gamut of grimaces, smiles, eyebrow raises; each often lasting no more than a couple of seconds. It's almost like a system initialization ("all systems check..."). He'd grunt, squeak, even yell.

Then he settles into a deeper sleep where he hardly moves, though he does startle occasionally. I've seen him bop himself in the eye when he jerks and his hand's too close to his face...

And when he moves back into that REM sleep, we know he's getting ready to wake up. Arms will flail, legs will curl and kick, shoulders will shrug; and the difference between this segment of sleep-to-awake and the awake-to-sleep REM sleep is that he'd stretch a lot as he moves to full wakefulness (and if we pick him up while he's stretching, he's not too happy.) It's terribly cute.

ReNe: funniest expression

After my shower yesterday, I came out to see Ryan strapped to Mike -- Ryan was being fussy and constantly wanted to be carried, and Mike had chores to do. Ryan's expression was so funny I immediately burst out laughing and reached for the camera....

He looks disgruntled and confused, as if while he's technically being carried, it's not quite what he imagined...

MiKE: Juggling work and family

Juggling work and family, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

Right now, Ryan has just passed the 1 month mark. This figure is somehow special; in Chinese culture, which I cannot claim to be an expert in, a celebration is held during the end of the first month of the child's life. Some other cultures will only give a name to the child at the end of the first month. I suppose, this has traditionally been due to the high infant mortality rate within the first month.

Ryan has definitely grown. Obvious signs include the fact that his arms now fit in his shirtsleeves properly; he is learning to kick quite strongly, and his head is less deformed. We think we settle into some routine, and manage to have a little more time for ourselves, then he will throw a spanner in the works. This last week, for example, he has been starting to need less sleep in the afternoons, and be fussy in the evenings. We'd try all sorts of things to distract and entertain him, but he is often not amused, and ends up crying. I suppose, to a large extent, things will get better, and I can't wait for that to happen.

Back to the picture - Serene was frustrated having to walk out of the room to get him and console him, that eventually, she decided to leave him on the change mat, right beside her as she worked. Somehow, this worked; seemed like all he wanted was to be close to his parents.

I came back from the office to find them together, and knew I just had to take this picture...

ReNe: ready to share

As Mike said, one reason for our lack of activity on this blog has been, and still is, Ryan. He turned three weeks yesterday and it's surprising how such a tiny newborn can run two adults utterly ragged. Two adults who currently have no other responsibilities other than to take care of him, no less -- I'm on maternity leave and Mike's taking a short break from his studies for a couple of weeks.

I said, one reason. When I was expecting, for various reasons I didn't feel like shouting out to the world that I was pregnant. Partly it was paranoia -- what if something went wrong? Partly it was because it was our delicious little secret, at least for a while. And, some things we just prefer to keep private; our thoughts and feelings. I had a lot of my mind when I was pregnant -- in addition to the planning and worrying about the future, there were also a lot of reminiscing about the past (to our childhoods) -- and these thoughts weren't something I was prepared to share with all and sundry.

Of course there are many other aspects I'd love to share, especially since Ryan's absolutely adorable. I guess I'll be posting more in the future!

MiKE: Yaaaaawwwwnnnnn

Yaaaaawwwwnnnnn, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

Introducing.... Ryan!

Our new addition has us in the state as in the photo for quite some time now, which would explain the lack of updates these last few days, weeks.

As of today, he is one week old. Cute baby, happy most times, until he starts fussing. Fortunately, the latter times do not exceed the former, and his cute mannerisms and facial expressions make all those times when we labour to satisfy his needs all worth it.

the view down Yonge street

the view down Yonge street, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

Yonge street, one of the busiest streets in downtown Toronto, and the main street that divides Toronto streets into their eastern and western halves (Yonge runs north-south).

Vieux-Montréal

Vieux-Montréal, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

long time no update. Here's a picture from a recent (last week) trip to Montréal.

She...

, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

She
May be the face I can't forget
The trace of pleasure or regret
May be my treasure or the price I have to pay
She
May be the song that summer sings
May be the chill that autumn brings
May be a hundred different things
Within the measure of a day

She
May be the beauty or the beast
May be the famine or the feast
May turn each day into a heaven or a hell
She may be the mirror of my dreams
The smile reflected in a stream
She may not be what she may seem
Inside her shell

She
Who always seems so happy in a crowd
Whose eyes can be so private and so proud
No one's allowed to see them when they cry
She
May be the love that cannot hope to last
May come to me from shadows of the past
That I'll remember till the day I die

She
May be the reason I survive
The why and wherefore I'm alive
The one I'll care for through the rough in ready years
Me
I'll take her laughter and her tears
And make them all my souvenirs
For where she goes I've got to be
The meaning of my life is

She
She, oh she

ReNe: blackout

We had a minor blackout two nights ago, which lasted approximately three hours.

On one hand, it was a little shocking because this is the first blackout we've ever experienced. Even in Singapore, where blackouts, though rare, do occur, we had never actually experienced a blackout. What usually happened was that the power in our flat tripped and it was a simple matter of resetting the breaker. Blackouts do occur occasionally in Toronto, usually during the hottest and coldest times of the year. The last blackout that was reported in the newspaper occurred sometime in January, when the temperature fell below -20C that night.

On the other hand, it was very fortunate that this was a pretty minor blackout (hardly worth a mention in the newspaper), though it was inconvenient. Looking out, we realized that it was just a block-wide blackout; the buildings on the south side of our street still had power. The temperature that night was quite mild, around zero, so we weren't danger of freezing yet. We were going to bathe (now that would have been a disaster; no hot water while bathing in winter?!), but as usual we were procrastinating. Also luckily, there was half an hour till the Athletic Centre (less than five minutes from our apartment) closed so we hurried down for a quick shower. Later back at home, with the power still out, we had nothing to do but go to sleep early for a change.

Thinking back, we realized that we didn't even know where to go if there really was a serious blackout and the temperature outside was more extreme. That is rather pathetic.

... sat on the wall

... sat on the wall, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

Long time no blog.

Been busy. Moving, paper deadlines, comprehensive exams.

Stressful. But a good kind of stress, if that is possible.

Anyway, have to take some time to take pictures.

Hope you like this one. :)

MiKE: Don't be yourself / Let them eat cake

Don't be yourself / Let them eat cake, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

Found at one of residences at the UofT.

MiKE: Why winter sucks

Why winter sucks, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

this is not to say that winter sucks, with no possibility of redemption. It is definitely a season that makes one appreciate the heat and humidity of summer, and having seasons makes one more aware of the passing of time.

But winter also brings along with it snow, and when snow melts and the temperature drops, and the water re-freezes, there will be ice. Ice that crunches underfoot is quite fun to step on, much akin to popping those foam packing bubbles. But when it is semi-frozen, and slushy, it can be a very slippery coating over the pavements that we walk on. Worst of all is the ice that is so dirty and so packed in that it looks like part of the pavement, but most definitely does not feel like it. I've slipped on the ice three times in the last week, twice yesterday alone. Which sucks.

So, here's a picture of why winter sucks, or rather, why winter can suck.

ReNe: south-east asia nostalgia

We were watching an episode of Top Gear, where the three hosts were sent to Vietnam, bought a motorbike (each) and rode from the south (Ho Chin Minh City) to the north (Ha Long Bay).

I was struck by a feeling of nostalgia. Typically, the challenges on Top Gear features a car race in a European county -- something rather foreign to me, as I can't drive and I haven't much familiarity with Europe. However, this show was shot in a Southeast Asian country, during the monsoon season, on motorbikes.

I miss it. As they complain about the heat and humidity, I can almost feel it. Though Singapore does not have highlands, the scenes of the misty mountains in the dusk remind me of many places in Southeast Asia -- evenings are my favorite time in Southeast Asia, cool and alive. (In contrast, evenings in Canada are mostly *cold*.) I even miss the heavy rains. I also wish I had a motorbike again.

I guess this is a particularly bad time to be watching such a show, as it's flurrying heavily outside in -10C temperatures.

MiKE: Toronto Islands in Winter

We went to the Toronto Islands last Saturday with the local photography group. Somehow, we actually missed the ferry that brought the group over, but fortunately met up with one other person who was as late as us. The Toronto Islands is like Singapore's Sentosa island, except this place is not as built up, and the place almost literally shuts down in winter. We walked around the few houses where some of the locals stayed at, and generally took pictures as we got progressively colder and tired. Nothing much more to say about it though. Just a pretty place for pictures where they don't clear the snow that much and there is less human traffic, so the snow is somewhat more pristine. Here are some pictures:

Berries! Still not frozen or shrivelled up even in that temperature

The CN Tower framed by trees around sunset. I like this picture; we were walking along to the ferry terminal on our way off the island, and I just happened to look to my left and saw this. It was easy to miss, since we were a little tired, and it was easier to have a tunnel vision like forward gaze.

And the best picture, in my opinion at least. The lake was pretty icy, with chips and blocks floating in the water. It was interesting to hear the ferry make its way through the water, kind of like how you would expect it to sound if you stir an icy drink with a straw, only MUCH louder.

Oh, the full set is available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike-tan/sets/72157612135953066/show/

MiKE: Playing

Playing, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

f/1.4 and slightly cheesy, overused PS technique. Background is distracting, I know.

MiKE: Static Face, selective colour

Static Face, selective colour, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

Same picture as the previous day, except with some image manipulation.

MiKE: Static Face

Static Face, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

Boxing Day was crazy. Crowds everywhere, even on icy sidewalks with snow banks that reduced the amount of walkable space by up to half in some places.

In shopping malls, people were thronging the aisles, looking for good bargains; and to be honest, there were really good bargains to be had. Not 30% markup pre-season before 25% boxing day sale kind of trick. Or at least I think so. I don't really know because I don't keep track.

Anyway, at Eaton Centre, a major mall downtown, the escalators were full of people on their way to support the economy. Interestingly enough, this one face appeared to be still.

MiKE: Couple shot!

handheld self portrait, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

We like to take photos of ourselves like this once in a while, and found that 35mm film equivalent focal length of 28mm really enables us to take a good picture of ourselves, and include enough of the background to give some context. It would be nice to be able to have a camera like the Ricoh GR-1V again, actually. Except for that fact that it shoots film, which, though makes for beautiful colour rendition, grain and dynamic range, is a pain to process, and would take up too much physical space during a vacation for the number of pictures taken.And I know Ricoh has a digital version of the GR-1; don't get me started on how pointless small sensor P&S cameras can be. But I digress...

This picture was taken with a 50mm equivalent, at handheld distance, which makes for very little background. I cropped it slightly to balance the picture. I like the result. Better focus on the subject foreground, and no distractions. What do you think?

MiKE: I get it, I think.

So, I don't know if anyone has noticed, but I have been very distracted from work. I am supposed to be completing my comprehensive examinations any time now, the exams which confirm my candidature for the PhD. I have two paper proposals which have been accepted for conferences in April next year (which means submission deadlines sometime in March), and three professors want to write papers with me, or want me to submit a single authored paper. I've not finished the comprehensives, and needless to say, I've not started on any of those papers yet.

And all I've been doing is obsessing over photography. Of course, you'd noticed that the recent posts about my fascination with large aperture lenses, but I bet you probably don't know I've taken over 6100 photographs since I got my camera in September. Sure, the vast majority of the shots have been the "just in case" kind of duplicates, adjusting the aperture/focal length, and general messing around. Also, the dSLR makes taking pictures really easy - with such rapid responses rates, it is not hard at all to fire off 3-4 shots in about 2 seconds. But still, there's something not really right here. And I think I know what's wrong.

Part of what drives me, what makes me want to be an academic and write and be a scholar and all that, deep down inside, is a desire to want to change the world, because of injustice, unfairness, stupidity, political machination and other such ethical moral and social injustice that I experience personally, or through close friends and family. I believe education can be one very powerful way out of situations of oppression and unfreedom, seeing my own personal example as a very strong example. If I had not gone to school and did well, if my parents had not forbidden my association with the neighbourhood kids and strongly encouraged (to put it mildly) me to study, I probably would not have been where I am now, in relative luxury to contemplate these matters in such a theoretical way.

And now, since I've been in Toronto, I've been in this neither-here-nor-there situation. I've stopped reading the singaporean blogs, because I've stopped caring. It seems to be some place far away, like reading about the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Yes, I know the town council funds have been mis-invested and all that, but, really, do I care? Does it concern me, here, now? Besides, I am so far away, and have no sense of being able to do anything about it.

On the other hand, I've not been integrated into this local community yet. There is a strong activist culture here, to be sure, much stronger civil society presence, and a somewhat more democratic government, but, once again, things here are happening to others, not people I know, not to me (well, ok, some of it is), and as a 'guest', I feel as if there is little I am qualified to do. To top it off, I know little of the political histories and struggles of this place, and how the battle lines are drawn, so to speak, so I am wary of suggesting anything.

And all these is affecting me. As I live in this place as a guest, and isolated from the stupidity and outrage at both places, I am feeling as if what I am doing is highly synthetic, and at points ethically wrong, or at least, hypocritical. And that is giving me pause.

I want to get angry. I want to get connected. Outraged, worked up, and activist. I need to know what I am doing is actually connected to some real action in the world. I want to know that I am changing the world, not just for my selfish ends, but also for others.

Do I sound like over-idelistic and naïve yet?

MiKE: Queen's Park shadow

Queen's Park shadow, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

It snowed last night, about 9 cm downtown in Toronto. More storms are expected on Friday and Sunday, with temperatures not exceeding -6. So, I guess this probably means we'll be having a white Christmas?

MiKE: You know it's winter in Toronto when...

You know it's winter in Toronto when..., originally uploaded by mike.tan.

Frozen food that's normally stored in the fridges are sold out in the open like this. The light red and grey packages at the front centre are frozen shrimps(!)

MiKE: Happy Birthday

happy birthday, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

Knowing her, this would probably not be enough... Maybe if I just said I suck at photoshop so badly this took me the better part of about 40 minutes, she'd think better of my effort? Anybody got a good book/site to recommend?

MiKE: 30mm f/1.4

Testing out f/1.4, B&W, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

For those that claim that cameras are irrelevant to picture making... Here is a picture taken at an aperture of f/1.4 with a borrowed lens.

True, you probably could accomplish something similar with image manipulation software techniques, but then, it would not be as good, nor would it be as quick.

MiKE: At Niagara Falls.

Serene before Horseshoe Falls, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

We went to Niagara Falls yesterday. Yes, in winter. At night. We went with the International Students Centre (ISC). Overall, I'd say that the trip was not only inexpensive, it was also somewhat cheap. Anyway, the full set of pictures can be seen here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike-tan/sets/72157611194638335/show/

ReNe: art gallery ontario

When the Art Gallery Ontario (AGO) opened a month back (14th Nov), admission was free for that weekend. We wanted to go but the queues were too long. Turned out we need not have worried; Wednesday evenings are also free admission and last Wednesday, we finally went down to take a look.

The building where I work is about 5 mins from AGO so I was always very curious to see what's inside, now that the construction's done and cleaned up. The architecture is beautiful, so even though we're not really art aficionados, we enjoyed walking around the gallery. Somehow, the place reminds us of Center Pompidou in Paris (a little), which we also didn't really 'get'. Behind, attached to the gallery, was the restored Grange House. The short tour around the Grange House, which mostly talked about the mystery of the wax (art?) pieces left behind by the third maid of the house, was pretty interesting too.

It's great though that these museums have free nights. (AGO's not the only one; the Royal Ontario Museum and Bata Shoe Museum also have free evenings), for it encourages people who might normally not be interested in such places to have a look, especially the local residents. Certainly I would go again. I might not fully appreciate the art collections, but it's a nice way to spend an evening after dinner at Chinatown. Unfortunately for AGO, cameras are not allowed inside (though we have seen people sneak in cameras, and not small point-and-shoot types!), so no pictures (yet?) to put up.

MiKE: New! II

New! II , originally uploaded by mike.tan.

testing out manual exposure.

MiKE: want. last. bit. of. ketchup.

want. last. bit. of. ketchup. , originally uploaded by mike.tan.

at Ikea restaurant. blogged about this last year. Ikea is pretty much the same here as in Singapore, and I assume, all over the world.

MiKE: Sunset on the Market

Sunset on the Market, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

We walked down to King Street to get her a cap. I walked from home, to meet her near her workplace, and went through Kensington Market looking for photo opportunities. Saw this, and had to wait out in the cold (about -4ºC or so) till the light faded enough to get a good photo. By that time, my fingers were so cold they started to hurt.

MiKE: Toronto Skyline II

Toronto Skyline II, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

As seen from the tallest point at Casa Loma

At the Casa Loma

IMG_4490, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

The Casa Loma was built as the private residence of a very rich man, Sir Henry Pellatt. Ever famously derided as a 'five legged elephant', deserving to be 'stuffed and mounted' to remind people of its monstrosity, and considered a blight to the local landscape for its romantic notions of castle-hood, with its crenellated walls, high spires, and commanding location on a hill, it is now owned by the city of Toronto, and run by the Kiwanis club. As you can see, the grounds that are open the public are impossibly large to maintain; this photo was taken inside one of the spires, where the raw brickwork was probably deemed by the vandals as more spots to leave their mark.

Well, whatever. A pretty picture of Serene. And I'm quite glad how this picture turned out, because it would have been close to impossible to make with lesser gear. Just in case you were wondering: there was no window to her right, and the ambient light is actually as dark as the background behind her. Flash was bounced off the wall on her right, made of brick, so the reflected light had a reddish cast, warming the tones in the picture.

MiKE: Santa Claus Parade

Yesterday was the Santa Claus Parade. Started in 1905 as a means for a retailer to drum up business for Christmas season, it consisted of only one horse float carrying Santa Claus from downtown Union Station (the rail hub) to the Eaton Centre. Now, over a hundred years later, the kid-oriented parade has grown to 25 floats, 24 bands, over 1700 participants, and hundreds of thousands of spectators, including the live telecast. We decided to take a walk, do the touristy thing, and see what the fuss was about. The parade was supposed to start at about 12:30, and take about 2-3 hours for all the floats and contingents to wind its way through almost six kilometres through downtown Toronto. We started out at about noon, and since the parade passed by very close to where we stay, we did not have far to walk to get to see what people were doing as they waited for the parade to start.

Apparently, to get the good views of the parade, many families had arrived early, and set up comfortable places; many of them brought warm blankets, some had foam pads to keep the bums insulated from the cold pavements, and many of them had brought some ladder or constructed an elaborate scaffold set up so that the kids could view from a high enough vantage point. At some places, this was necessary because even though it was supposed to be a kid's parade, the streets were lined with adults, and older kids. Some of the solutions we saw:





The problem with coming early was that the kids had to wait out in the cold for quite a long time. The temperature went as low as about 3-4ºC, and it even snowed at one point. One way to spend the time was to get the kids to paint a poster:


Although I personally have my reservations about this. One day, the kid is going to learn the truth; about how this is a festival celebrating the winter equinox co-opted by a religion to commemorate the apparently miraculous birth of their leader who would be murdered before middle age.

After a long enough wait where we walked along the parade route, the parade started and caught up with us. There were the usual floats, some marching bands, and even cheerleaders. This is the part I don't get--the sexism; ah well, insert the standard feminist critique here:


A few words about this photo: This is actually a frame out of a series of eight shot in continuous mode. All of them turned out good. I am impressed with my camera!

As we walked along the route, we came across the junction of Dundas and University, which is really close to the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). AGO's opening was last Friday, and they were having free admission over the weekend, and extra late hours, till midnighton Friday and Saturday. Interestingly, at the junction, it seemed like there was an exodus of people who were moving toward the AGO:



We went to take a look, and the queue was very long, almost 500m in length, and, according to some, was at least an hour in the cold before admission. Not wanting to wait in line, we moved on, to see a guy in a Santa outfit, skating away from the parade route:



And one last photo; this one of a clown, who, in this photo, looks like he's about to slap the kid. On the face:

MiKE: Lest we forget

Lest we forget, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

Last Tuesday was Remembrance day. This year was supposed to be especially significant as it marks some anniversary of the beginning or end of some war some time ago.

Yes, I am being somewhat contrarian and disrespectful, if only because I am somewhat of a pacifist myself. I understand that the wars, and wars in general, are highly unfortunate things, representing a massive breakdown in our ability to communicate. Many unfortunate people die. It is sad, especially for the families of those who died.

But why hold elaborate memorials for the dead? And why only the dead on 'our side'? Are the enemy combatants less human? What about all the other victims of all the other wars that have been fought? Are we possibly glamourising something that is, in essence, no different from murder, vandalism, and property destruction, except in scale?

...

So, at the UofT, there is a tall clock tower, the Soldiers' Tower, which commemorates the war dead of the UofT. Annually, a ceremony will be held there. At the foot of the tower, there are a few walls, upon which the names of the fallen UofT students and alumni have been inscribed. I saw this woman look wistfully at the names on the wall, almost as if she recognised a name or two. I sincerely hope that it was my imagination. It would have been quite sorrowful for a mother to have to bury her children.

MiKE: Rainy Day

Rainy Day, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) official opening was yesterday, with free entry till tomorrow. Christmas (already!?) festivities beginning today at Yonge-Dundas Square. Santa Claus Parade tomorrow. And it's raining, and expected to snow tomorrow. ...come again another day?

I actually don't mind the snow, the rain is irritating because it is wet.

MiKE: Stuck in a rut

Anybody feel like this sometime? Comic stolen from www.whattheduck.net

MiKE: Halloween at Church Street

So, every year, in downtown Toronto, along Church Street from Wellesley to Alexander streets, there is a grand Halloween party, where people come together, put on costumes, hang out with friends and strangers, to be gawked at, photographed, and generally have fun, soaking in the atmosphere together with thousands of others. Of course, it needs to be mentioned that Church and Wellesley is the epicenter of the gay quarter of downtown Toronto; not that that necessarily means anything though. On the other hand, it was quite obvious that there were many queer people out that night, with some of the costumes reminiscient of those worn during the pride parade this year, and some outright re-cycles.

I went shooting (photographs) with the local Toronto Photography Meetup Group (which I guess could do with a classier renaming), which reminded me very much of the Aprilia Riders Club back in Singapore - boys (and one or two girls) with gadget lust who wanted to socialise with other like minded people and avoid the sad loner otaku stereotype; arranging meetings over the forums to meet at public places, holding up human (or otherwise) traffic, and the inevitable penis length contests as the quintessential getting-to-know-you banter. I guess some things are just trans-cultural.

So, anyway, we arranged to meet at 7:30, waiting till about 7:45 for latecomers before proceeding to the party, more like a street festival where people turned up in costume. As expected, the party only really got going later, at around 11pm. Till then, we walked around, photographing anything and everything that moved, or didn't (hooray for digital photography!). Soon enough, because it was a free-floating group, of which many of us were first timers who barely got to know each other, we were broken up into many groups; and the crushing crowds did not help.

It was interesting to see the kinds of costumes people had on. There was the usual gore and horror genres, the superheroes, political figures (I saw at least 3 different Sarah Palins, including the party host), angels, ethnic costumes, and the odd S&M couple here and there (I saw one bound submissive led by a chain around the neck). Interestingly enough, it seemed that there was an implicit understanding here that it was like a photographic festival - anyone could go up to anyone else in costume, and ask to have their picture taken with them; photographers could ask those in costume to pose, and they would willingly oblige, often hamming it up especially for those carrying big cameras and lenses. Often, we would not even need to ask, all we needed was to point a lens in their direction, and they would put up their act. This actually made it difficult to capture candid moments though, which I think would have made a better picture - like the one where this guy in some werewolf mask had to have his companion light his cigarette as he could not see where his mouth and cigarette were.

Anyway, enough talk, here are some pictures:

Sarah Palin as the party's host; apparently she's some radio personality from across the lake in Chicago. Notice the price tag on her sleeve:

I liked my flickr title and note for this picture; I wrote: "Don't mess with her... She has a pair of handcuffs and may have a gun hidden in there somewhere":

One of the ethnic costumes that looked like it came straight out of the Pride parade Thai float. Pictures like this highlight what I mentioned above about how it was a photographers' festival - people, even those not in costume posing with the costumed, generally didn't mind if their picture was taken by others besides their designated photographer (companion, etc):

One of those whom I had difficulty identifying the costume. Strangely enough, this picture has garnered a huge view count in a very short time on flickr. Any ideas why, and who the one on the left is supposed to be? Leave comments please.

The obligatory horror and gore costume. The obviously plastic nail through the head is just so fake. Even so, he was an enthusiastic performer, 'conducting' the photographers, telling us to "get your cameras ready now, blood coming out in 3, 2, 1..." after putting some of that fake blood in his mouth:

The Canadian swim team gals! It was not cold that night; in the crowd it was comfortable, but then, what would have been their costume if the temperature had been like a couple of nights ago, floating around 0-5ºC?

The pilot and attendants from "Trans-continental airlines", who won the best team costume prize. They were going around, asking people "Do you want some of our nuts"?

Palin again. This one is interesting, they were walking in opposite directions along Church street, met, and had to have their photo taken:

Ernest and Bertram got married. The anti-ending to this tragic tale:

One of the ethnic costumes, a pair of geishas:

And the winner of the best individual costume:

Vincent Van Gogh, which, if you look carefully, has his eyelids closed and painted, so that they look more like a painting. That was also a good idea, as he would have been exposed to thousands of flashbulbs all night. In his picture frame, he also had a few white LED lamps directed at his head. All in all, deserving of the award.

So, my thoughts? I'm mildly amazed and dismayed at the profligacy of the entire event, but then that is probably close to an extreme stoic position; cultures around the world have their ways of wasting resources for no better reason than to have a good time; for this I am thinking of Spanish (Italian?) tomato festivals, Chinese New Year decorations, Christmas, Japanese matsuris, among others. It was great fun for all, I only wished that less resources could have been wasted.

And the burning question on everybody's mind should be: so what did I dress up as? Why, a papparazzo, of course. What could scarier?