Sell the Vatican

Hmmm... there is some small itsy weeny tiny truth to this...if we sold a portion of it instead of worshiping in it we could start a movement.

Thanks JB for the cross post

Once

Amazing movie. Sooooo much passion in this song.
Could this be the new RENT for me?
She brings a hoover on the first date - now that is super cute.

Say it to me now - Once from Peter Szij on Vimeo.

Summer Stories - Crossposted from LTK :: Thanks!

I was going to write a bit about the summer in Toronto but stealing LTK's post because it kinda sums a couple days of weddings, cupcakes, shennigans and friends...plus she is one of the best bloggers out there...

Toronto Stories

Here’ s last week in a nutshell.

WEDNESDAY

I flew to Chicago. My dad grilled really huge burgers and my mom and I continued what is now a tradition, going to the gym together (she still kicks my ass).

FRIDAY

I flew to Toronto. Nervous about seeing the whole gang again after 2 years of absence, I decided to start with beer with Jam and Chuck, who have been living in Cambodia and Sudan, respectively (I know, right?). We talked about going away and coming back; about trying to find yourself and finding that you are a short-tempered egotistical racist (Chuck’s words). The Red Room hasn’t changed one bit and that made me happy.

I stayed with my friend Rachel B, who is now Rachel C and lives in a house on the Danforth with some British dude.

SATURDAY

We got all dressed up and celebrated the marriage of my friends Kate and Tim. The ceremony was beautiful and Kate was gorgeous. Leah and Pants belted out songs of praise and the whole thing felt holy and good. Also, special thanks to the girl at MAC at the Bay on Queen Street, who made me look good (and for free) while my make up lay in a gym bag in the trunk of a car in Chicago.

Really gigantic break between the ceremony and reception, turned into a weird beer-fueled meander around the city with Jam, Blake, and Adrienne (all dressed up) all afternoon.

On the subway some weird french guys literally pointed and snickered at us (I’m guessing it was because Adrienne was too hot for the train), to which Blake responded by picking up one of the streamers from the wedding and dancing around the car singing Lady GaGa. They looked away uncomfortably. I almost died laughing. Adrienne wore the best bright yellow dress in the whole wide world.

We also ate cupcakes.

The wedding reception was at the Captol Event theater in Toronto, and was pretty much the most glam event I’ve ever attended. I saw a million people who I haven’t seen in 2 years (all dressed up) and all the formerly-single people now with spouses, and all the married people now with kids.

(Image shamelessly borrowed from Blake).

Here’s the after-the-party shot.

SUNDAY

Indian food with Chester and David. Ches is Dr. Esther now, in her first year of residency already, while Dave proves Geometry theorems all day long. They are a super-team.

In the evening: Church, which no longer meets at big bad St. Andrews but rather small, cozy St. Stephen-in-the-Fields. Our music people rocked the house and for the first time in a long time, I was able to belt out worship songs at top volume. More people with new babies. Our old pastor Todd preached and just like the old days, I scowled while he shouted —and then the day after thought of some things he said and though, “yeah, right on.”

Went to the Other Lisa’s house for a party for Jam. Talking so much my throat hurt. Afterwards a bunch of us walked to the Rhino for a last round of drinks and on the way there, saw a 4-person band playing an impromptu acoustic concert in an alleyway.
MONDAY

Romni Wools + yarn on sale. I touched everything and got some treasures.

I helped an old lady in a flaming red dress (with matching lipstick) cross the street and found out that she moved here from Amsterdam a long time ago. She gave me her address and I promised to send her a postcard.

I did with great relish a bunch of banal things that I used to do when I was still a student at the Dark Tower – buy bananas in Chinatown, get a spinagel in Kensington, ride the Bathurst streetcar. I basked in the knowledge that I am no longer at student at the Dark Tower.

I had coffee at the MoonBean and enjoyed having time for once. Found myself wishing I lived here again. Ran into Trent sporting my old pink bike helmet. Saw the new Star Trek with Nadine and Claire. It turns out new Spock is kind of a hottie.

TUESDAY

More wandering. Got lost among the suits in the financial district and failed to find S for lunch. Ended up running into Rachel and having cheap sushi — ah, Toronto! Dinner at the McGhee’s with the Dining Room. Met Tirza and Robbie, aka “The Germans”, new members of the Dining Room who are actually from Berlin and who I plan to court as my friends in the fall.

On the last subway ride back to Rachel’s house I tried to summarize my week in Tronno and Joanna gave me a great word — closure. I finally, finally, figured out why I missed that city so bad when I first moved to Utrecht, even though the ‘trecht is clean and pretty and Toronto is dirty and kind of ugly. I love Toronto, garbage strike and all.

The Lucky Jam : A Cambodian folklore

My boss pulled me aside in the library last week to read me this book.

It's written by one of my friend's Grade 4 students and umm.... well it's interesting.
I like Jam's hat.

The End.

Scarred summer of 05'

I ask you right here please to agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what the scar maker wants you to think. But you and I, we must make an agreement to defy them. We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, ''I survived."

The other hand, Chris Cleave

I realized that in the past couple of months I've changed. I woke up this morning looked at myself in the mirror and didn't recognize who/what I've become.

I use to be a person with alot of compassion and heart and I would easily give the clothes on my back to help others. Lately I feel bitter, grudgey and just plain hurtful in my attitude. Changing worlds, starting and ending seasons constantly, being scarred from life experiences and a serious lack of gummi bears have made me feel jaded.

When I look at homeless person on the street right now I think about stats, pimps and how "bad the system" is in Cambodia.

When did I lose this? I need to get a little bit of the summer of 2005 back in me.

WEdnesday, may 18, 2005

I really don't know what to say....it's horrid

I am going to be honest and say that I NEVER ever share really personally stories or events. Most of you that know me know why, but today I am going to share something really really personally. India this year is really stretching me, more than last year and I feel an obligation to express this.

Yesterday at Kalighat they brought a man in on a tarp and while my friend Ryan and I were doing dishes he looked at me and said "That doesn't look good" I carried on doing dishes, it's one of my favourite past times. After dishes I went to wash my hands and head upstairs for chai and to call it a day. On my way to the roof a long term volunteer yelled out for me to help him pick up this old man. I came over to pick him up and well he really started to smell. I looked at him and realized that he just had a shower, so where is this rotting smell coming from?

I noticed he had a bandage on his hand but it looked like a normal kalighat wound. We eventually found him a bed and a nurse came to undress the bandage. What I saw can't really be described, but I will try... The skin off his hand was gone, you can put your fingers through his bones, tons of maggots, rotting black skin and the strong smell of dead flesh. I was shocked, even the nurse was shocked by the extent and she has been working there for over 10 years... I called Ryan over quickly and told him to comfort this man. I then held his hand and watched in horror as they gave him some meds and then tried to save his fingers...

...after pulling out all the maggots, they realized that they couldn't save his fingers... they were dead and too badly infected so they just started cutting them off one by one until there was nothing left. They bandaged up his hand and all that was left was a stump. I prayed that he would make it through the nite. I saw him today and he looked better but I really wouldn't be able to tell the long term effect for a while.

What really affected me out of all of this happened today. On my back from kalighat I saw an old man walking slowly with a stump in his arm. On his arm I saw a plastic bag around he definitely was homeless. I wanted to bend down and touch his feet and bless him, my heart went out to him...but instead I gave him my water bottle made the sign of peace and walked on. I feel horrid, I feel like the worst man in the world, I felt like I really didn't learn anything from Kalighat yesteday...who am I? what am I?

I hope that understanding and patience will make me grow into a more caring individual. I hope.

------

Where did this Jam go? Where can I meet him?

In fact the whole month of May challenged and scarred me, but I survived and it made me become the person I wanted to look at in the mirror everyday.

I need to find something that would challenge me again probably teaching will do it this year.

CamboJam this Sunday.

It's the hello/goodbye party!

If you are in the hood come check it out!

Would love to see everyone before I head out for the big move to Cambodia.

Give me a holla anyhoo - 416.856.7362

National Post Podcast + Trini + Tobago

It's me this week:

http://www.nationalpost.com/podcasts/traveller/index.html

Right now I am in Trinidad attending this massive 600 people wedding - it's 3 days and it's huge. Two massive bands last nite and much cases of Johnny Walker Black - too bad I am on those crazy antiboitics and couldn't drink.

In a couple days I head to the cuz reunion in Tobago - it's all the cousins from my mother's side and we rents this huge villa with a salt water swimming pool, hot tub and crazy soundsystem. I am just looking forward to hanging out with my cousins away from home.

After I will be grabbing a bike and just running going up and down the crazy coast of Tobago. I use to spend a week a month just exploring this island and I know the West coast in detail camping out on beachs and surfing, but I haven't biked the whole thing so I am going to give it a try.
I was held up by gun point a couple years ago at my fave beach so I hope things don't get worse.

The only equipment that I am carrying is a tarp, string, knife, basic food, bathing suit and my PEPY biking shirt.

Wish me luck yo!!