Combine all your life's little slices of perfect moments and you may have a personal on-screen classic

We all want a perfect life. We often compare our lives to what we see in the movies or on the TV screen. Wouldn't it be nice to be that TV family that all get along with their lives filled with family vacations, valuable life lessons and constant love and humour. Not to mention their perfect home. Or the perfect romantic dinner in the movie set in New York or the stroll through the city streets of Paris. What about the exotic sail or the the calm swim in the crystal clear Caribbean Sea. 

Unfortunately no one's life is really like that all the time. But some of us have been lucky to experience some of those moments in our lives. Some of us enjoy the love of family moments and laughter with friends quite often. Our days may not be full of these moments and we may often feel our lives are quite boring. But if you were able to assemble all those perfect moments into a film of your life, it would be pretty awesome. 

And of course, don't forget your soundtrack (as Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat currently sing "lucky I'm love with my best friend" in the background !)  I, for one, fill my life with music and take tracks I hear from TV and movies all the time. I can't say a have a definitive playlist down to a 2 hour movie soundtrack, but it wouldn't be too challenging - actually a lot of fun.

We can all assemble a life movie in our heads, but is there a more creative project opportunity here ? I have photographs of many, many parts of my great life and some video. Actually, I created a short movie for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. Maybe I should do the same for me (coincidently as I'm in my 50th year of being). Do you need narration or do the photos and videos tell enough of the story ?

And the film themed life doesn't have to stop at the romantic comedy.  Of course, we want to avoid drama if we can, except for perhaps the sports drama.  I remember that rainy Saturday in Calgary playing ultimate trying to get into the top ten bracket...

So we have moments of our lives that can be fair substitutes for scenes from When Harry Met Sally, Modern Family and perhaps even Chariots of Fire.  But I hope you don't have horror or war stories that you want to bring back to memory.  Which leaves a whole pile of movie genres for which we have no parallel in our own lives and that's what makes sci-fi, historical fiction, some of the AMC series and spy action movies worth the price of admission.

So work with me here, picture the opening scene from your personal film - do we start chronologically at your birth with your youthful parents or do you start with a image of your face today in the mirror and tell the story of how you got here or maybe go Tarantino and start in the the middle with a scene from a hospital bed and a story that will be your classic.

Lots of coincidences

Flying home from my business trip to California yesterday and I noted 3 coincidences, incl. Santa Monica Blvd, neighbourhood limo riders and girls on motorcycles.  See my Only Coincidence ? blog for the details from the books, movies and life in the city.

A few life lessons inspired by Nina and a dog

Just got back from walking Kooper and while in the rhythm of the walk and enjoying the smooth remixed sounds of Nina Simone I had an opportunity to reflect on my day and compile a modest list of some life lessons for the day:

• Dogs are good.  They give you an excuse to get out of the house on a regular basis and they listen to anything you have to say.  And for men, yes, a dog is a perfect wing-dog to attract attractive ladies (proven tonight outside the event theatre on the corner).
• If you have a evening of adult beverage indulgence in mind, a quick paced dog walk is a perfect way to freshen up and move from dinner wine to the next stage of the evening.
• If you happen to have sustained a broken ankle at some point in the past and the hardware gets a little sore, then flat shoes are perhaps a better choice than supportive athletic shoes (this one may not apply to everyone).
• Music can always create and change a mood.  Think of music as fashion for the soul.
• If you've lost something and you really miss it, now and again, look for it again.  It's such a good feeling when you find something you've lost for a while (I found my iPod tonight).
• In a pinch, a Blackberry is a decent stand-in for music if you've lost your iPod.  Actually the search feature is better and on my Blackberry (v5 OS), I can create new playlists that I can't do on my iPod Nano (2nd gen).
• Whenever you get the chance, get out and enjoy your city - it will surprise you and show you sides of the city you may not know existed (I visited quite a few buildings today as part of Toronto's Doors Open event).
  
  

My day in court, well a few minutes anyway

I had a date in court today to fight a parking ticket.  Over a year ago, I had an appointment at Toronto East General Hospital.  As you can imagine the parking options are always bad around the hospital, but as I circled a second time I saw someone pulling out of a spot pretty close to the hospital on Coxwell Ave.  I couldn't believe my luck.  I pulled in and hopped out and headed over to the ticketing machine.  Before I got my ticket, and still quite close to my car I notice a ticketing officer and make a gesture of "hey, don't ticket me, I just pulled in and I'm going to pay for my ticket, right now, like, ok!".  Of course, when I came out, I found out that I'd actually parked in a drop off area for another medical building.  I felt that this just wasn't right, the officer must have seen me pull in, allowed me to pay for my ticket and not say I'd parked illegally.  Therefore I went down to the parking office and told then I was going to fight the ticket.  (Funny how ticket means two opposite things in the world of parking!).  

So my court date was today.  This is the second parking ticket I've fought against and they have both been in the court offices on Markham Road in Scarborough (quite the drive).  My first ticket a few years ago was dismissed because the officer didn't show up.  Today, after I checked in, I learnt that the officer was in attendance.  I noticed that many people checking in to the court clerk were pleading guilty, I however wanted to argue my case.  Just after I indicated I was pleading not guilty, the clerk stood up and made a clarification for everyone (and perhaps especially me), that if you plead guilty, it's very likely your fine will be reduced.  However, if you plead not guilty, you could face a larger fine.  Furthermore, she said some legalize about the black and white of a parking offense, you're guilty if you parked illegally.  Maybe I should have just taken the easier path and not worry about taking my chances explaining my case ?  I had parked illegally, but I wanted a chance to explain my story and bring to light what I think was unfair, unethical and perhaps even be as bold as to say it was entrapment !  I wanted my day in court (I honestly would have been ok paying more jsut to make my point!).

So they began calling up the cases, and many people simply confirmed that they were pleading guilty and the judge lowered the fine (quite considerably in many cases, e.g $20 down to $5).  There were a few cases that were dismissed since the officer had no evidence to prove his case.

So my time came and I was called to the front.  I provided my name and the clerk said the officer had no evidence to present so my case was dismissed.  How anti-climatic !  I felt a little cheated.  What evidence did he need ?  Sure, I was happy to leave the court and get on with my day, but I wish I'd had a chance to tell my story - thanks ma'am, but can I tell you what happened, see that officer over there, well he's the one who should be in trouble...

Bodyworlds

My wife and I went to see the Bodyworlds exhibit at the Ontario Science Centre today.  I had missed a previous exhibit, so I made sure I didn't miss this second chance.  The exhibit was much more comprehensive than I thought it would be.  This specific exhibit focused on the heart, but (I imagine) like the other exhibits it presents all parts of the human body in real life graphic detail.  I found that I had many, many questions about the human body, medicine, disease and the process of plastination.  I kept asking my wife (BSci in micro-biology), but the macro questions were perhaps rather newbie or out of scope for her.  Unfortunately photography was not allowed, but it was actually nice to just take our time (2 hours) and enjoy the exhibit rather than be distracted by trying to photograph it.   The written descriptions were quite technical, but really weren't enough to explain what exactly I was looking at and left me with more questions.  There were audio guides but we didn't purchase them.  After the exhibit we bought the book and the DVD, so I'm hoping those will fill in many of the details and they include lots of beautiful and very educational pictures.


The exhibit gives you a very special opportunity to view the internals of real human bodies and body parts up close.  Based on the quiet reading and intensive viewing of other viewers, I wasn't alone in being awestruck by the exhibit.  I don't think I've ever been to an exhibit where almost everyone was reading almost every description and viewing every piece.  It was marvelous, but rather overwhelming.  It was good to hear many comments from people educated in human anatomy and physiology, but once again, I wanted to stop and ask them lots of questions.  I also wondered how many people were taking notes on what their bodies could look like as smokers, drinkers or fatties.  Along with technical descriptions they were some wonderful quotes from deep thinkers and artists about the human heart and the one that got my attention was about optimism or pessimism.  It went something like pessimism is a bigger cause of death than age or heart disease.  Having trouble finding the exact quote or fact.


The human body is just a massively complex, but perfect machine.  I don't think we do a good job taking care of it in our lives, but amazingly it's pretty resilient.  However, in the end, we just wear it out.  Be good to your body, give it some lovin', be proud of it and respect it.  Santé.

Imperfect passions

For a while now, I've been hearing talk about the importance of following your passions in life.  Or for those still a little lost or in a mid-life crisis, maybe truly discovering what your passion is.  We all know life is short and if you can spend a good chunk of time focused on what you love the most, then you're going to be happy puppy.  Furthermore, if you manage to devote your working life to your passion, then you're most likely to be better at your job and enjoy your working life much more than the average Johnny.


But what is a passion ?  Formally, in the context I'm referring to, it is: a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything: a passion for music; or the object of such a fondness or desire: Music became a passion with him.  Over some deep conversation over lunch at the pub with my wife today. I suggested that one way to think about what you are passionate about is if you have an afternoon off work and nothing else you have to do, what would you do ?  I would assume that a person with a passion would have no trouble saying they'd paint, or another person would say they'd play golf.  


But what if someone has many things they're enthusiastic about or have lots of activities they love doing ?  Is it fair to say they have many passions in life.  Are people who have more than one or many passions less passionate about any one of those passions.  I'm one of these people.


I love finding and listening to new music.  I'm enthusiastic about photography.  I really enjoy watching football and playing ultimate.  Skiing and golf are great days out and of course, I always want to travel more.


So I said to my wife, if I had an afternoon free, I'd probably do something I miss doing.  That could be one of my passions I've perhaps been neglecting or maybe just something a love to do that falls short of being a true passion.  Today, if I had the afternoon free, I'd go and see a movie.  Of course, some things require the right timing and preparation, but putting that aside to try and make a point, I'd choose a movie over listening to music or doing a photo project.  How can I then say I'm really passionate about photography or music if I'd consciously decide to do something else ?  So this worries be a little and chips away at those grandiose theorems about what makes us happy.  Would following my "passion" and becoming a professional photographer really make me happy.  What if I could listen to music all day, find new bands, promote concerts and festivals and  be able to see the best bands in the world on a regular basis.  Sounds perfect for me right ?  Maybe not.  Am I spreading myself too thin, not focused enough to really appreciate the things I love ?  Am I destined to flirt with a pocket full of passions.  Well, put that way, it sounds kind of nice.

Why start yet another new blog ?

I have a few blogs already, but I'm learning that people like blogs with a focus.  Therefore for those that like to look at a photo a day and decipher a message or just appreciate pictures ofurban life, my life and occasionally something more unusual, then I hope you like this blog.

A few days ago I started a new personal photo project (posted on Flickr) with the same theme and title of this blog.  I'm attempting to post a photo a day, but the rule is that I don't edit the images once they are on my computer and of course, I'm striving for good photography.  "Good" meaning technically, the photo is well composed, well exposed, well lit etc and also says something to the viewer.  Of course this is all highly subjective, and I'd welcome your thoughts and comments and all the photos.  The secondary point of this blog is to not procrastinate sharing with goals of perfection via photoshop edits, but simply share a photo on a daily basis and learn how to take a good photograph "in camera".

Time for comments on time

I'm up quite early on this Sunday morning, but know that the opportunity to write a few words will quickly escape.  It's not that I have such a busy work life or have children with demanding social and sports schedules or that I'm a conscientious home owner constantly maintaining my old home.  Ok, it's partly because I have a puppy at home (6 months today).  It's really because I choose to spend my free time on other things at the moment.  Last night I did have some time, but I was rather tired from quite a busy day and didn't really have the concentration required to contribute anything meaningful to this blog.  I was going to watch a movie, but couldn't find something that would potentially hold my attention for a couple of hours.  I ended up watching a 30 min travel show on HDNet and then going to bed early to start reading The Last Lecture (written by Randy Pausch, out from the library and quickly read by my wife and a book I've heard lots of good things about).

Interruption - Kooper steals coffee traveler lid - I need to take him for a walk...

Most of my free time these days is spent on photography.  I've always been a keen photographer, but with the latest digital photography advancements, I'm finding that I take a lot of photos, spending a lot of time fine tuning the images and sharing them online.  I'm very pleased with the results I'm getting and feel it's my true artistic calling.  I actually described myself as a semi-pro this week.  Well, I did this as I was asking for a photo pass for Friday night's concert.  Well, semi-pro isn't too far of a stretch when I do hope to make a little money with my photography some day and I'm getting quite a few photos published on various sites these days.  BlogTO have now used 5 of my photos and a few shots from this week have been posted to Skyscrapercity's forum.  I've even had one photo picked up by a cricket site.  Like all photographers, I'm constantly learning as a take 100's of photos a week and really appreciate all the comments I get on Flickr - I'm actually closing in on 10,000 photo views !  Just updated my favourites.

To maximize my time, I do try to do two (or more) things at once.  For instance, I've been writing this while "watching" the Liverpool ManU game - however, with with the sound off (Suz has music on) I'm actually missing what appears to be a gripping game (Liverpool just scored, gotta watch now). Actually there are of course a few no-brainer things you can do simultaneously like doing the dishes or flossing while watching TV or doing almost anything while listening to music.  But some things are almost impossible, like trying to take photographs while walking your dog or doing anything when your wife is trying to have a conversation.

On a related subject, wondering...do people wait for stuff any more ? It seems we don't have a lot of waiting time these days and consequently less golden opportunities to make the most of this forced down time and catch up on something.  The only concrete example I can think of when almost everyone still waits for something is at the airport.  Now there's a good time to catch up on your reading, photo editing, blogging or calling an old friend.

From another angle, if you're neglecting your relationships or find yourself talking to yourself more and more, there's nothing better than doing stuff with someone else.  Perfect examples for me are concerts (with my wife and friends), playing video games (with my son), doing some photography (with my daughter), going on a walk (with my mom) or playing golf (with my Dad, my son and my friends). For us blokes, these shared activities address most of people needs.  We're pretty happy fellas if we've got a bud to hang with.  However, the gentler sex  appear to require more dedicated talk time.  Unfortunately with the personal choices we all have these days, there seem to be fewer activities truly shared by friends, spouses or family and more "alone quality time".  But as we've recently added the dog to the family, I now have the proverbial man's best friend, a loyal, eager, non discriminating companion.  If only he understood the genius of Quentin Tarantino.

The cottage dream

I drove up to Muskoka this past weekend to pick up my son from camp. Whenever I'm driving back from this beautiful part of Ontario, or just passing through, or even after short visits, I have a very strong feeling that I want a cottage for me and the family. But it's not just a cottage that fills my dreamy head, it's the water, the dock, the boat, the whole shabang. There is just something relaxing about being close to water, maybe it's the sounds, or even the smell, but it's definitely how clean lake water feels on your feet, or as it cools you down with a summer swim. I love how tired you get when you're at the cottage, it's all that fresh air in your lungs, the sun still warm on your skin, your face weathered from the boat ride.

I truly think that Muskoka is one the Ontario's best assets, the water is clean and deep, the shorelines are rocky and dramatic and mostly free of weeds. There are many lakes or varying sizes (but none too big) and every one of their bays is unique. If you can afford a a property, they are spread out, strategically situated for lake and sun angles. The cottages are large with separate guest and boat houses. A Muskoka chair adorns almost every deck. Muskoka is a true outdoors escape just a few hours drive from Canada's largest metropolis. If a vistor to Ontario was to ask what the most beautiful and truly Canadian thing to see was - I'd say Muskoka.

But this is where the dream luckily ends. I've been able to create a nice little argument against the idea of a cottage. First, the traffic. A normal drive from Toronto to Barrie (half way to Muskoka) is about an hour; on Saturday morning (of the long weekend), it took me two and a half hours to get to Barrie. It was bumper to bumper for almost 100kms with only an occasional (and very dangerous) speed up break. People often say the Friday traffic is terrible and I've been caught in Sunday drive home traffic too. Net, the traffic to and from Muskoka around and on the weekends is very bad. Second, money. Ok, obvious I know, but lets peel back a few layers. A cottage is a second home and it would require just as much maintenance and maybe more over the years. It takes a lot of my energy to destroy my city home, do I have the time (no) or money to pay someone to do all the work on a cottage. Plus, contractors and trades are known to be more expensive in prime cottage country. Then there's the furnishing costs, I'd surely want most of the comforts of home in my new cottage, incl. an adequate entertainment system and a decent kitchen. Toys - well that can get expensive, from additional bikes to the highly desirable ski boat. And last of course, is the cottage itself, better-than-the-city size and parking (guests welcome), waterfront with dock and a deck with a view. I hate to be a snob, but what good would a small shack in a field within "walking" distance to the lake be ? If I'm going to have a cottage, it has to fit the dream. But I'm afraid, that picture is just too costly for this dude.

I'm suspicious about coincidence

My Facebook profile says that my religious view is "I'm suspicious about coincidence".

Coincidence continues to be something I notice a lot, maybe more than most people. The way I've said this is deliberate - I believe coincidences are happening all the time and the personal connection is simply a matter of noticing them. Coincidences may not really happen to people, they happen and people observe them.

I'm not a religious person (well not in the traditional, organized religion, sense), but in this week's episode of House, I heard a great requote of Einstein - "Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous". There seems to be a lot of links on this quote.

Don't laugh, but I'm actually trying to develop a more complete theory about coincidence. One element of the theory needs to consider the time element. How far apart in time do two events have to occur for them to be considered coincidental ?

I hope to write more on the subject in the future, but if you find some other interesting views on the topic or have your own comments I'd love to hear them.

Latest coincidence that sparked this entry: listening to a Beth Orton track that a friend reblipped and I in turn reblipped with the comment "The mood of this just kinda sums up this gray wet day". I then notice that the original Blip DJ provided "rainy day ohio" and "here's my perfect rainy day band" as comments to earlier tunes today. Weather may not be the largest of coincidences, but it's a nice feeling when a little coincidence make us feel connected to other people. Are we really strangers ?

The game of Life

When I was doing some early Christmas shopping I came across an updated version of the board game The Game of Life. This version is called Twists and Turns, and along with some high tech additions, the object of the game has changed - "the winner is not the person with the most money, but the one who earns the most 'life points' — a mix of wealth and life experiences".

I chose not to buy the game as I had a preference for something requiring a little more strategy. After reading quite a few game sites and reviews, I chose Ticket to Ride. As the family will agree, a big success at our Christmas gathering and I'm sure it will be a family favourite for a long time. Great game, a little luck and many different strategy angles, good for 2 (pretty good)-5 (better) players (but no more). Beautiful game pieces and city based game makes it appealing. I've got ideas to purchase newer editions and other creative and strategic games for the family for the future. Since playing the game a few times, we bumped into old friends over the holidays and sure enough, their family are huge fans of the game too !

The kids did get the original (or slightly updated) version of Life from friends for Christmas and it is quite a lot of fun, but it's still mostly luck rather than strategy. However it does bring up some interesting topics of conversation with the kiddies, like taking the family route rather than taking a riskier route to advance your career. Losing your job in the game doesn't quite capture the impact of the same in real life however.

It is true that luck does play a major part in how our lives unfold, and some people are always saying he's so lucky etc. I have the opinion that we make our own luck. I'm not necessarily talking about lottery type of luck, but we can try and put ourselves in a position to be lucky. Be aware of what's going on around you in life and business and don't be afraid of taking a calculated chance.

Back to the board game topic...what if we take that updated board game to an even greater sense of reality. But what would be the point ? We're not going to torture ourselves by playing a game that reminds us of all the terrible things that can happen in our lives, are we ? But perhaps we could learn, like kids learning from these more innocent versions, what is most important in Life and how to win !

This is how you win.

• Your get yourself a good, well rounded education.
• You...
• Save some money for the proverbial rainy day...
• Live a life of adventure,
• Take trips
• While paying close attention to your career path,
• And finding a soul mate,
• Then raising children so they know the rules of Life and how to win,
• You score points by accumulating friends; stories and experiences; inner peace; and making sure your children have the opportunity to succeed and build a legacy.

Or scratching that idea and perhaps coming to the sober and simpler conclusion that Life is best enjoyed when you don't consider every move, or the end result as a must win situation. Just have some fun playing along and enjoy the ride. That's worth teaching to your kids (unless they're hoping to play professional sports).

Does mess equal stress ?

After writing Messy is cool last night, I kept thinking about it as I was heading to bed. Although I said that chaos appears natural and may be a thing of art in my life, there can be too much of a good thing ! Too much or constant chaos in my life definitely brings on stress and shows me glimpses of a life of dysfunction and waste.

So, I was thinking that perhaps the easiest and maybe the only way to really reduce the amount of chaos in my life is to limit or reduce the things that could fall victim to this natural energy. For instance, in business, maybe reducing the amount of products I try and learn and sell would help; at home, perhaps the dream of adding a bedroom or family room extension would only create two more junk rooms. Of course, having one email address, one credit card and one car would make my life so much easier. Then you start thinking about other categories, food, clothes, um - maybe. Then there are some things in my life that I definitely want lots of choice in, lots of variety, and they tend to be entertainment pleasures, more music, movies and books !

Sure, I'll relax and accept the natural chaos in my life, I may even try and enjoy it. But why not try a few things to simplify my life.

The picture is a plot of the Lorenz attractor for values r = 28, σ = 10, b = 8/3, whatever that means.

Messy is cool

I saw this American Express print ad this weekend and thought what a great photo ! For some reason this shot appealed to me as a photographer, a techie, and someone struggling with organization. And also because of Tina Fey, it somehow says Hey, it's cool to be messy, what's the big huff ? And I like that.

What I'm trying to tackle these days is organizing my life, the things in it, how much time I spend with its things, and perhaps indirectly hoping to see the forest. But images like this and realities in my life suggest that the natural state of affairs naturally returns to a state of chaos. The tidy and paperless office; the empty inbox; fully indexed and categorized music, movies and photos; a budget; and knowing what things you have to do this week, are all either mirages of an organized life or examples of unstable equilibriums. And there is art and beauty in chaos, you just have to look a little harder and change your point of view.

If you're not familiar with Tina Fey, she came from Saturday Night Live and produces, writes and stars in 30 Rock.

The pic came from geeksugar.

Yeah, I just came up with that #3

You know when you have a brilliant, spontaneous and deep comment about life and your spouse says "did you just come up with that ?", and you say "yeah", well I had one a few nights ago.

We're watching Grey's Anatomy (well, Suzanne is watching, I'm searching for any signs of humour, good acting or an actress I can fantasize about). At the end, there is of course, the obligatory sad scene, either: family member dies; ex-lover doesn't return sentiment; best friends realize they're special, etc. So I observe and comment - "why do you think women enjoy being sad ? Is it similar to the reason that men like being scared watching a horror movie ?" Yes, I know I'm being stereotypical and I'm big enough a man to say I enjoy a good cry now and again and I know a few great ladies who'll watch a horror movie with the lads (thanks Caro). I believe adrenalin is released in times of fright and that gives you a good high. Is there similar chemicals for tears of sadness. Is the attraction more in line with thinking that you life is just so beautiful (with your great bloke), but you have to be reminded now and again what hardship other women have to go through.

Now, the kicker and a big difference between these emotions we artificially subject 0urselves to is...wait for it...we have a better chance of getting lucky when we go up to bed after a good cry. Forget that after being scared out of our pants - it's dark and a little chilly in the bedroom when you go up, a hand reaches over a softly touches your leg - "argh, get away from me, you scared the bejesus out of me !".

No, you didn't miss #1 and #2, I just forget to the write them down. Don't worry I'll have more, I'm sure.

Re: adrenalin, (from Wikipedia), epinephrine (adrenalin) is used as a drug to treat cardiac arrest. This is kind of funny, since we usually feel like we're having a heart attack when we watch a good horror flick. It's saving your life !

Thoughts from Michelangelo

Life is like sculpture: a matter of seeing what others can't, then chiseling away the rest.

This is not an exact quote but a paraphrase of what I just read in The Rule of Four this morning. I thought it is a great analogy, one that perhaps I'm aspiring to.

Re: the book, from the reviews in metacritic I hope there are a few more gems to reference. (And yes, the pace of the book is far from The Da Vinci Code - this is the 3rd time I've started the book.)

Blood Diamond

Great story telling. Full of emotion. Leo - a completely believable performance.

Some of the quotes that really stood out to me...

On good versus bad...
"Would you say that people are mostly good ?"
"No, I'd say they're just people"
"exactly, it is what they do that makes them good or bad"

On the value of life...
"People here kill each other as a way of life, it's always been like that"

On humanity...
"How can my own people do this to each another"

T.I.A.

8.5/10

Links: Blood Diamond. Sierra Leone - Conflicts in Africa.

According to UNICEF: Recent developments in warfare have significantly heightened the dangers for children. During the last decade, it is estimated (and these figures, while specific, are necessarily orders of magnitude) that child victims have included:

• 2 million killed;
• 4-5 million disabled;
• 12 million left homeless;
• more than 1 million orphaned or separated from their parents;
• some 10 million psychologically traumatized.
• There are an estimated 120,000 child soldiers in Africa.

It's really a shame that movie makers feel they need to splatter in scenes of brutal violence (although the occurrences here were minimal) to make a point. I think, the film can be just as effective using elements of cinematic tension. I wonder how many people (beyond SRS) miss these feelings because the subject matter is too disturbing (or worse too Hollywood). I feel it's important to feel this and for me, it's a way to feel connected to the world. Although, taking action on what I see, feel or read still seems difficult ?

More on Keith: The Sun Tan Guy

I saw Keith (previously referenced in Is it just me) this morning. I had to stop and say hello and comment on what Suzanne and I had witnessed in the neighbourhood recently.

Suzanne saw Keith picking up garbage out of one of the large concrete tree planters up near If you know Keith or heard talk about him before, you'll know he's this guy that's always chatting with people in the neighbourhood and when he's not chatting, he's looking for the best sun tan spot on the street. He has a real job and all, but manages to have lots of time for his extracurricular activities. Sporting Life the other day. Then I see Keith sweeping the sidewalk outside Pizza Pizza a couple of days ago. So I ask Keith this morning - what's up ? He says he's been doing it all over the neightbourhood recently - working up and down Yonge street as well as over on Mt Pleasant, picking up garbage etc. He says you've got to do it yourself it if no one else is going to do it.

I said thanks and bye. Nice guy. Nice story for the day.

In a related story...in doing my part to clean up the street, this morning - I wheeled an incredibly noisy Future Shop metal shopping cart from just outside my house (left there by fun-loving teens I imagine) about 3 blocks to it's parking lot origin. My ears are still ringing and my hands are still vibrating !

Stranger than Fiction

[Monday] Wonderful movie, loved every minute.

Will Ferrell - amazing how funny he can be while playing a serious role and only smiling a few times in the whole movie.

Maggie Gylllenhall - perfect casting and match for Ferrell; beautiful, sexy and smart.

Hoffman - hilarious dialogue and perspective, brilliant.

Thompson - apart from appearing highly disheveled throughout the movie, still a very appealing character. Her character's blend of twisted perversion, clever story telling and vision seems to sum up the key messages of the movie.

The movie delivered some very valuable life lessons, but did it while disguised as a nice light hearted story.

Hoffman's simplified explanations of literature are fantastic sound bites that I'm hoping I can use at some point to explain or understand my life or those of people around me. Does literature or screenwriting do enough to shed light on our lives, or are there too many elements that fall between the gaps and cannot be so easily explained ?

I'm going to save this as a draft and watch the movie again before giving final reviews and scores.

[Thursday] Lots of great quotes in the movie, including Eiffel's closing voiceover...and we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives.

I guess this revisits the old notion that it's all the small little things in life that matter most and make it all worth while. [cross-reference here to the joys of routine - Very Zen; Routine versus Progress). What are the little things that can make your day and just feel happy to be alive: food; your morning coffee, the feel of the street when you walk to work; watching your children; an embrace with your wife; a shared memory with a friend; writing.

One thread I also really liked was about comedies versus tragedies; and the relative endings (love versus death). What more reason is there to smile, have a laugh and try and approach life's biggest challenges with a sense of humour and a smile. Actually when you think of modern entertainment today, there are rarely just romances these days, they are either romantic comedies (say, portrayed my weird combinations of beautiful women and odd blokes) or tragic lost loves sung by acoustic guitar softies. Perhaps we should try and search out the good stuff in between as they may better relate to the lives of normal folk, like you and me, like this new hit single from Johnny Faith:

We got up in the morning, one grumpy, one a little horney.
Kids were playing difficult again, man, forgot that meeting at 10.
Life flashed by, trains, cars, planes in the clear blue sky.
Little things embraced, personal touches and a long-lasting taste.

What life are you living out ? I hope a comedy !

The movie: definitely a keeper. 9/10. My life: a comedy; appreciated more and more: 9/10.

Routine versus Progress

In a series of deep thoughts this week...

I've been thinking about the old notion that routine is a good thing. We hear about physical routine and exercise, keeping regular waking and sleeping hours, reducing extremes etc - building to the summation that the human mind and body is best suited for regular routine.

Ok, but.

If we can control of desires for constant change or new things, limit new ideas and ways of doing things, not be obsessed with the next big thing, then how does one create progress in one's life ? Don't we need to take new directions often; and venture in many different directions, and constantly experience new things in life to feel we have gotten the most out of our time here ?

Routine can so easily lead to boredom and wasted time.

Sometimes I do like the predictability of certain events and activities in my day and life, and I strive hard to create some pattern of positive ritual (and of course try and eliminate the bad repeated elements - habits per se). But this aspect and focus of our lives must balance with embracing times of change, enlightenment and adventure.

Idea: create a healthy, rich routine in your life and sprinkle in generous time for reflection, realignment; exploration and unpredictability.

Handling life's disappointments

Big or small, the disappointments that hit us on a regular basis can disrupt an otherwise perfect day or put you in the dumps for a few days. Whether it's a stray tee shot, your soccer team's dismal performance, losing the deal, or scheduling and priority changes that steal away your precious little personal plans - all disappointments have a way of lingering too long and distracting us from positive things that are happening around us all the time.

Wise advice is often "don't worry about it, it's not that important". But if it wasn't important, then we wouldn't be so disappointed would we ? Are they saying we shouldn't get excited about the prospects of good things happening, overcoming challenges or maximizing what life has to offer, just in case they don't turn out ?

Maybe for some of us, our expectations are too high ? Of we fill our lives with too many dreams and plans, rather than appreciating what we already have ?

I think this is just another aspect of balance in one's life. The balance between: moving forward, enriching your life, or the life of others around you; versus enjoying the journey and getting the most of what you have now; and avoiding living too much in the past and reminiscing of great times past.

Time to check the life scale again. After all, I am a Libra.