FutuRéale Magazine November-December 2011

November 2011 Vol.4 Issue 11

FUTUREALE arts . culture . living

Art For Our Sakes

Holiday Events Guide

HOWARD DELL

Inspirational Cosmetic Line

Keep Art Alive

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

FUTUREALE Arts . Culture . Living Masthead Publisher Omar Murji

Note From The Editor

Editor in Chief Shawn Shapiro Associate Editor-in-Chief Anastasia Rokina Jess Silver

FutuReale Readers, Welcome to our double edition. As per usual November and December have been carefully put together to form a supplement we can all be proud of.

Layout Artists Graeme Mollison Murat Baydere Alexa Buendia-Pereira Rav Rawat Ahmad Aissawi

We at FR are very proud of our work and want you to explore this edition and get a feel for our writers and their unique styles of writing.

This month saw the addition of many new team members and the passing of the “Proverbial” torch.

Podcast Liana Rico Amanda Cupido

So read, enjoy and peruse!

Film Adam Versanov Jamey Sininan

Associate Editors-In Chief Anastasia Rokina and Jess Silver

Co-operative Education Hartley Shapiro

Online Content Editor Shawn Shapiro Executive Director Omar Murji Contact FutuRéale at: info@futureale.com www.futureale.com ISSN 1916-3215 FUTURÉALE FutuRéale Magazine is published by The Organic Press www.organicpress.ca FutuRéale Magazine is a proud member of the ONAMAP Network www.onamap.ca © 2011 ONAMAP Enterprises

Editor in Chief Shawn Shapiro

Editorial Interns Lindsay Romeo Brian McLellan Jess Morton Olga Shugurova Ilana Perry Stephanie Young Cindy Ng Man Him Contributing Writers Devin Million-Osborne Jaya Nguyen Jess Silver Marcus Pidek Lindsay Romeo Megan Jones Sharnelle Kan Cindy Ng Man Him Katherine Miller-Rowan Jess Morton Lindsay Romeo Maryam Gordpour Craig Wilkins Anastasia Rokina

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

2

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

WHERE ARE THE YOUNG PEOPLE Devin Million-Osborne 6 10 HEALTHY & TASTY CEREALS Jaya Nguyen 8 LIFE EXPECTANCY IN CANADA Lindsay Romeo 10 KEEP ART ALIVE Maryam Gordpour 12 HOWARD DELL Jess Silver 14

contents

MIDSEASON SCORECARD Jess Morton 18 ART FOR OUR SAKES Marcus Pidek 20 COSMECTIC LINE Lindsay Romeo 24 NUIT BLANCHE Megan Jones 26 LOST INNOCENCE Cindy Ng Man Him 28 TOP MALLS IN THE GTA Sharnelle Kan 30 EXPERIENCE WITH FILM Craig Wilkins 32 DIVING ADVENTURE Anastasia Rokina 34 FlLITTERING PAGES Jess Silver 38 EIGHT HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES Megan Jones 42 A FESTIVE WALK Katherine Miller-Rowan 44 HOLIDAY EVENTS GUIDE Sharnelle Kan 46

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

3

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

TH S SSUE FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

4

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

5

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

Where Have All the Young People Gone?

Devin Million-Osborne

One of the scariest parts of nearing a graduation date For those individuals who are focused on having a career in Canada and for students is the fear of the ‘real world.’ We all hear horror hope to use overseas work for job experience here, they may not be in

stories of people graduating and not being able to find a job in their field.

Instead they are forced to work part time jobs to make ends meet until they find themselves a career. The last thing that any student wants to do after three or four years of school is work the same job they would have without a degree. It is this fear that entices so many young Canadians to work overseas.

So many people dream of traveling the world, so it’s no wonder that the idea of working overseas is so appealing, as the only thing better than seeing the world would be getting paid to do it. One of the most popular jobs that young Canadians take overseas is teaching English as a second language. So many people graduate teacher’s college every year and there aren’t enough jobs for all of them. Teaching overseas seems like the perfect solution.

Jeff Stephenson is currently in teacher’s college at York University and as he plans his future, teaching abroad is something he is seriously considering: “As a current Teacher Candidate I am constantly thinking about my future. It is no surprise to me that there are not very many jobs in Ontario, and even getting on the supply list is a challenging task. I am looking into going abroad to teach because not only are there more jobs available, but at this stage in my life I want to travel as well.”

With the recent economic crisis and lack of employment opportunities available, more Canadians are relocating to other countries in hope of finding jobs. Statistics Canada reveals that according to The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, at the beginning of the 21st century, approximately 1.1 million Canadian born citizens were living in other OECD countries. The three most popular destinations for Canadian’s are the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

After working in Toronto for the last few years Sheila Carr has made the decision to spend at least a year traveling across Australia and South East Asia and teaching in Japan. Of her decision to work overseas, Sheila says: “I’ve found, that working and living overseas satisfies and catalysts my need for discovery. There is so much more that I can learn and experience about various ways of life, languages and traditions, especially when I dedicate the time and passion to the opportunity.”

Many individuals who decide to leave Canada to work abroad usually plan to go temporarily. Statistics Canada reveals that, “89% of young Canadian migrants say that while they intend to live in Australia for at least a year, they do not plan to settle on a permanent basis.” Many of these individuals plan to get some work experience, travel and then come home and get on with their real jobs. Jeff Stephenson agrees: “I do think the experience will be valuable, but I would not want to stay for more than a year or two. Getting a full time contract in Ontario is what I want to have.”

6

luck, especially when it comes to teaching. Many school boards are very particular about the education and training that a teacher candidate has and whether or not it is directly applicable to their curriculum. A year or two of work abroad often means nothing in Ontario and this is a thought in the back of the minds of many who are considering working abroad. Jeff Stephenson notes that although he loves the idea of teaching abroad it does have its downfalls: “I do feel that going abroad is a bit risky because although the experience is beneficial, it does not crossover into a different board. Seniority is only relevant when you are teaching in the same board the whole time; after that you start at the bottom.”

For others who are not concerned with using this experience for Canadian jobs there seems to be nothing standing in their way. Sheila Carr sees her travel and work plans as more than just a good way to make money: “as much as I will gain knowledge, I will also be learning more about my own capabilities and challenging myself. I believe this to be an invaluable experience and great for the traveling souls.”

I have not met anyone who regrets their decision to work abroad but unfortunately what people forget about when they leave Canada for overseas work is the effect they are having on our economy. According to Statistics Canada, “three-quarters of Canadians migrating to the UK and Australia are young and prime working-age adults (18-49 years).”

This is what is commonly referred to as the ‘brain drain’ and it is becoming a serious issue.

The brain drain is the mass emigration of individuals who have acquired technical skills or knowledge in Canada but leave for work in another country. This is something that is of great concern to the Canadian government as educating these individuals can cost them money and they are not getting anything out of their training. It really is just a vicious cycle as the brain drain is caused by individuals leaving the country due to their fear of unemployment and recession, but it is the brain drain that is causing the recession.

There is no right or wrong answer to the question of whether or not young Canadians should work overseas as the decision depends on every individual situation. In general it is not considered the best thing for the Canadian economy but with the trend on the rise there is very little chance that it will end any time in the near future. The government is focused on the economy and young Canadians are focused on what’s in their best interest and it is because of the discrepancy in priority that our economy is in such a fragile state.

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

Howard Dell

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

7

10

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

HEALTHY & TASTY CEREALS

Java Nguyen

Cereal is an easy, quick and healthy meal for breakfast. in cereals are also something you should avoid.

Whether you’re rushing to work or school, a cold bowl of cereal can provide you with tons of vitamins and minerals to start your day. If you like to make your cereal a little more interesting, you could slice and toss in some fruits such as bananas, strawberries or blueberries—this is a great way to pack in more nutrition and keep your stomach full.

Endless boxes and brands of cereals sit on shelves in grocery stores.

Many cereals boast about being healthy or nutritious, but you should look for a few key things when choosing a healthy cereal. The first ingredient on the list should be whole grain or whole wheat. A serving of cereal should provide at least 3g of fibre. Dyes and artificial colours

Here is a list of tasty and healthy cereals. Perhaps there are cereals you haven’t tried yet, so be adventurous and try something new. The cereals are listed in no particular order; they’re all worth trying!

General Mills Cheerios Remember these little guys when you were younger? Honey Nut Cheerios were probably your favourite, but the original and plain Cheerios are the healthier choice. One cup contains two grams of fat, three grams of fibre, and one gram of sugar. You’ll also get a bundle of vitamins such as Vitamin B6, Magnesium, Phosphorous and Zinc.

Kellogg’s All-Bran Flakes

VIT AM

BH

B I F

E R

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

8

N

O R I

B6

T

THI

INS

Having a bowl of All-Bran Flakes is a great way to start your morning. There’s only 1g of fat, 5g of fibre, and 4g of sugar. All that fibre will definitely keep you full until lunch time. You’ll also be getting lots of iron, thiamine, and magnesium.

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g Kellogg’s All-Bran Buds All-Bran Buds pack in eleven grams of fibre per 1/3 cup. They are also versatile; you can add these buds to your favourite yogurt or salads. One serving provides 100% worth of Manganese.

Manganese is great for keeping your bones strong and healthy.

General Mills Fibre One Frosted Shredded Wheat Who knew something so good would be good for you too? In a bowl of Frosted Shredded Wheat, there’s a mixture of whole grain wheat and slightly sweet goodness. You’ll get 8g of fibre and 9g of protein, so you don’t need to feel guilty at all after gulping a bowl of these.

Kashi GOLEAN Crunch!

These delicious crunchy clusters are slightly sweet with a touch of cinnamon. You’ll be getting 8g of fibre, 9g of protein and a full stomach all morning.

Kashi GOLEAN Cereal

HIA

MIN

E

Kashi knows what good cereal is. Here is another satisfying and savoury cereal with oodles of crunchiness. There are seven whole grains, soy grahams and bran twigs. There’s 1g of fat, 5g of fibre and 13g of protein in one cup. You can also get a lot of folate, which supports skin cell production.

Post Great Grains Blueberry Pomegranate This cereal is fruity and hearty with loads of nutritional value.

There’s no need to add anything else to a bowl of this cereal.

A serving of Blueberry Pomegranate Ancient Grains has 2.5g of fat, 9g of fibre and doesn’t skimp out on thiamine, iron or vitamin B6.

S E I R LO

E N I C A I N

A C FAT 3 VITAMIN A G E

OM

L A N C

UM I C

R A G SU

IT’S ALL D GOOD!

Post Grape-Nuts Grape-Nuts is made with whole grain wheat with malted barley.

The malted barley adds a tinge of sweetness in this cereal. GrapeNuts are also a great, healthy addition to your yogurt. There’s 1g of fat, 5g of fibre, 6g of protein, and only 4g of sugar in half a cup of Grape-Nuts.

Weetabix Minibix Chovolate Chrisp Surprisingly, this cereal can be considered healthy. In one cup, there’s 3g of fat and 5g of fibre and tons of iron. Although this cereal is more sugary than the ones mentioned (14g per cup), it won’t hurt to indulge in this decadent cereal once in a while.

Post Original Shreddies Shreddies are another oldie but goodie. These tiny crunchy biscuits are high in iron, magnesium and thiamine. Thiamine helps our bodies convert carbohydrates into energy. A serving of Shreddies has 1g of fat, 5g of fibre, 4g of protein and 8g of sugar. Having a bowl of Shreddies will help you kick-start your morning.

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

9

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

Life expectancy in Canada Monaco is a dream:

Lindsay Romeo With the aging generation of baby boomers, many of these people begin to wonder: When is a good time to retire? The length of a person’s life has a lot to do with this decision.

The life expectancy in Canada: How long does a person live for in Canada? The average life expectancy is about 81 years now. With people living longer than ever, people in their 60s can expect to continue planning for their future. But why is the life expectancy so high now? A country’s life expectancy is determined by the overall health of that country. More specifically, people that tend to live longer. Making health conscious decisions such as controlling one’s weight and portion size, and not smoking helps one live longer.

Yes, being happy does make people live longer.

Be happy!

What country has the highest life expectancy and why? Monaco! The people of Monaco have a life expectancy of about 90 years. Monaco has a small population, only about 35 thousand permanent residents. These residents are happy because there are no income taxes, and the people of Monaco on average make a lot of money. On average the yearly income in 2010 was over $215,000 in US currency, so many of the people of Monaco have yachts. The relaxing environment of Monaco and the non-invasive government add to the happiness of the people of Monaco and therefore leading to a longer life. The diet in Monaco also contributes to their long life. Because people of Monaco are typically very wealthy, many of them have their own chef at home. The chef can prepare special foods, and the resident does not have to go through the stress of preparing exclusively healthy foods. The city of Monaco is small and beautiful. The city is very clean and well kept with gardens. The city is constantly manicured by a special staff in order to maintain the city’s beauty. Also, the neighbourhoods of Monaco are peaceful, and anyone who disrupts the peace is taken away by security. Monaco is basically a living dream, and as a result the people of Monaco get to live a long and beautiful life.

People that are happy with their lives, produce the equivalent of Vitamin C mentally in their brains. This as a result, makes the person less susceptible to the negative consequences of stress, and therefore less predisposed to illnesses. People, who are positive, also tend to take care of themselves and interact socially, which are a cause for good health that leads to a longer life. So as Bobby McFerrin would put it: “Don’t worry! Be happy!”

Eat healthy!

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

10

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

But, how can one live long without a lot of money? There are many other ways like changing our diet. The most precious food of all is water!

Drink lots of water. Our body is filled with liquids, so drinking water is vital. Eat foods with lots of calcium, because it will make your bones and teeth strong, and therefore will help lead to a longer life. But, try to eat low fat calcium foods so that you can lose weight as well, such as skim milk, low-fat yogurt, and calcium fortified juices. Eat lots of foods with antioxidants in them, because it will help reduce the chance of cellular damage. These foods include almonds, berries, carrots, spinach, tomatoes and bell peppers. Finally to help lower cholesterol, eat soy!

Foods with soy in them include tofu, soy protein bars, and the delicious Japanese green soy beans. A healthy diet equals a longer life!

Congratulations to Canada: On another positive note, Canada does have one the highest life expectancies in the world! We are ranked 7th on the list in the world!

So why is this? One of the reasons, interestingly enough, is because of our immigrants. Only people who are mentally and physically healthy are able to leave their home countries to come to Canada. These people hope to be successful in Canada, and since we have so many immigrants, this is beneficial to Canada as a whole. Another aspect that applies to our high life expectancy in Canada is our health care system. Our health care system helps to lessen the gap between the rich and the poor.

Because our health care is so accessible to almost everyone, this is a major factor that contributes to Canadians’ long life. Canada also has one of the lowest amounts of smokers in the world. Canada is one of the first countries to promote not smoking, and other countries in Europe are now beginning to follow suit.

Canada can still improve: What are some ways that Canada can make its people’s lives even longer? One way is introducing more health care facilities in Aboriginal areas. Many Aboriginals living in these remote areas tend to live 5 to 8 years shorter than other Canadians, so it is crucial to make health care facilities more accessible for the Aboriginal populations. Another issue that should be dealt with is the problem of obesity, which is a common issue among many wealthy countries, because obesity can cause diabetes and heart disease. So Canada should start crucially promoting, even more, healthy eating habits and regular exercise especially to the young population.

Overall, Canadians are doing fairly well as far as living a long life is concerned, but there is always room for improvement. Focus on what you can do as an individual, such as being happy, which is an essential key to a long life. Just remember this quote by Karen S. Magee: “The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.”

Just remember...

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

11

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

Keep Art Alive Maryam Gordpour

I

n today’s society, artistic expression is very much a part of our daily lives. The heart of Toronto has a huge

significance to how much of a history we all have, even if it’s graffiti on walls, or art that doesn’t look as polished as the ones in our AGO art gallery. Everywhere we go, there is art; because art is what you make of it, it is what you see within it, it is what makes your moods change and your heart feel. There is a lot of doubt upon the substantial phenomenon of what tattoos mean to the society as a whole. Have we challenged the reasoning of knowing that tattoos are finally just considered an aspect of art? Or do we still frown upon the fact that tattoos are still stereotypically reckless? Checking out some tattoo artists around the Toronto area has put some of the buzz to rest, yet not entirely.

Asking the infamous question of whether people get tattoos because they are influenced by the media, or a pop culture sensation has helped my opinion of tattoos as art evolve, I feel as though Torontonians do get tattoos with personal messages, and those that signify milestones more than people in other countries do. I have asked many individuals from different cultures that share one thing in common; tattoos. Most of the individuals claimed that there are stories behind their tattoos. You can Google a billion websites and they show so many individuals who have the same exact tattoo as a celebrity or some big shots face on their chest because they feel very influenced by the individuals on screen. I can’t stress enough how strongly the media influences an individual’s perception of art and the decision to get a tattoo. The thing is, as I walked to and from several tattoo shops in the GTA, I realized that media plays a huge part in our lives. We see things that our personal experiences mesh with, and even though it is a personal message by the media, it doesn’t make it non-unique, it just brings upon a different question.

What do Toronto people think about tattoos in our society? I was surprised to hear that many elderly individuals were fascinated by tattoos and thought of them as, “Old memories” I met a father of three and a grandpa to four beautiful grand kids. He shared a beautiful moment in his life with me, he had a tattoo of an arrow and his wife was explaining

the story of their love for one another. Tattoos help tell such beautiful stories of the past, present and future. Slowly I realized that people in our society are defining what their tattoos mean to them personally About five years ago tattoos seemed to have a different image, people used to believe that tattoos were for individuals who never cared about their bodies and were reckless. In our society now, the concept of art has been refreshed, to keep people on their feet, whether they are art lovers or not even close to knowing what artist they most enjoy starring at.

The idea of tattoos becoming a norm in the society is still frowned upon by certain religions and elderly individuals or even young adults who believe that tattoos make individuals insecure about themselves.

Some believe that’s why people ink their bodies to hide certain flaws about themselves or to prove to others that they are braver than one another, but its just an idea of what certain people think towards tattoos. There will always be people who believe against an idea and there will always be people who don’t enjoy expressing themselves artistically what so ever. Not everyone discusses an open statement about art, they much rather discuss statistics and science. Neither one is a wrong statement to make, some people are just born to be more comfortable expressing themselves more than others. In a sense art does come out of the ones that speak nothing of it, by being passionate about things they do is artistic too, art can’t die because no one speaks of it-it’s always there.

Tattoos are influenced by three different categories, after speaking to tattoo artists that love doing what they’re doing, the only thing I got out of them was the love they had for art when nothing possibly went right. I think the phrase, “starving artist” regarding tattoos went a very different direction for most tattoo artists. The three influenced reasons for getting tattoos from all across Canada, were either media, artistic and/or personal expression based. Some individuals enjoy the aspect of clear cut art upon their bare bodies and nothing more, just a painting that makes them happy, sad or angry. Many people described the fundamental aspect of why they put art pieces upon their bodies: some just for the purity of art, some because of the moments they experienced and having a piece of artwork always keep them grounded in life and others had reasons that they couldn’t even explain. The aftermath of it all made me realize that tattoos really change a lot of peoples voices and bring back a lot of emotions, art is something that’s not explanatory to most people and that’s fine.

I asked several tattooed individuals what their tattoos were influenced from, and I remember a young girl’s response was all three. I asked her to explain herself and she claimed that she took a common symbol that a lot of individuals see everywhere on the media, then she made it artistic by adding onto the symbol and she made it meaningful to herself. A lot of people get tattoos because they see it in a media atmosphere but that doesn’t necessary make it non-unique, its the voice behind the tattoo that makes it unique and artistic.

I noticed a lot of people said, “it’s personal” because they don’t want to be caught in the conversation of that infamous question of, “why would you get something that wasn’t personal?” Or a lot of people don’t even enjoy explaining why they get a certain tattoo because it goes too deep to share with someone you don’t even know. If you think about it, sometimes art is very similar to that concept, sometimes someone can stare at a painting for years and never understand anything that the artist was trying to make a note of. In art we have the free-

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

12

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g dom to do as we are told or not told, art can be reckless, beautiful and spontaneous all at the same time. However, even though tattoos were established even further back from the Egyptian BC generation, a part of all the individuals who partook in the surveys still made it very clear that tattoos are still not looked upon the way the word, “art” is looked upon. I believe the generalization of art was taught to us, in school, from our families and then on our own curiosity. The realization of tattoos were not made into a “generalized” notion that we were suppose to express on and I feel as if that is a huge reason why tattoos mean a whole bunch of different things to each and every one of us.

I asked one of the assistant tattoo artists in the GTA, only because he wasn’t filled with tattoos like the typical tattoo artists you would see if you ran into a tattoo shop- out of curiosity of course, I asked him what he thought of people who used their bodies as an open canvas and what he thought of it. He laughed, and responded with an unclear answer at firstabout how it depends on the tattoo, or stating that some tattoos are really interesting to look at, but some are just not something you think are as interesting and it comes down to the individual’s personality which I thought was a very interesting thing to say. It depends on your personality not only the art you have on your body and he concluded with the notion that people can tell from someone’s vibe if they did it for a purpose or just to fit a certain persona.

The fact that someone tries to fit a persona by getting permanent ink done, is a very bold statement, I asked him if he could or would date someone that frowned against the fact that he had tattoos or if the individual didn’t have tattoos. A part of me thought the answer was simple, that it was going to be a clear cut “no” because if you can’t express yourself the way you want to, why would you be with someone that didn’t want to accept what you like. All of a sudden I realized he was right when he said he would be with someone that didn’t care for his tattoos, because relationships aren’t about everything going your way. I asked someone else of the opposite sex and she stated that the mystery of a man usually goes away when you meet someone with an art canvas on their body, she claimed that its fine to be so expressive but some people don’t enjoy knowing everything about another person so quickly and I realized no one has to believe in your art, but you yourself.

The big phenomenon of tattoos is starting to turn around from generations ago because

it’s become a fashion statement. Fashion in itself is considered art, we all know that but when I proposed the idea of tattoo as a fashion trend a lot of people kind of tried to punch the concept off the table, yet behind the cracks it still shines through. Tattoos are generally known as something a “cool” person does, and fashion is all about what stylish, cool individuals can become with the piece they wear. Fashion magazines have made tattoos into trends by showing the images that seal the deal with the outfits, like an accessory piece. In a strange way, art gets abused between the lines, fashion ads sell the image of tattoos as often as they sell the expensive watch in the middle of it all. Every great thing has a bad side, people can live to believe that fashion is this expression of great fabrics and colours, yet there is a different statement if that is how you see certain things. The art of tattoos is pretty much the same deal, you take either the significance of what you think of it or you live in the stereotypical aspect of your own world.

Tattoos have come to play a larger role in people’s lives artistically today. Art comes and goes, sometimes you remember a piece from your childhood and the feelings towards the piece changes also, sometimes it never does. I believe a lot of individuals think of tattoos as art but because many people did not grow up thinking that having a tattoo defined normalcy, various stereotypes were formed concerning the subject.

None of which is right, but we have a billion different stereotypical accusations that we strongly believe in or we strongly don’t believe in. I believe that art is all around us and as much as people want to toss the facts out the window, tattoos are still a part of our generation and it will always be an expression of art, because an image can move someone emotionally, or physically, its a reminder of what a person wants to remember for the rest of their lives. Art has no age, no right or wrong, no concept of why or limitsSpecial everyone who particiit’s aboutthanks what youtothink, what you believe and pated what concept you want to use to spread the Rob Rock, notion of art, to allow your voice to be heard.

Stingers Tribe 13 Jack and his lovely wife Friends, Family and Strangers

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

13

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

Multi Talented

Howard Dell

Ventures beyond the horizon of desire and into the world of unparalleled success Jess Silver We all have wants, and when we are old enough to understand the difference between what we deeply desire and what we need, we usually try to find a balance between both if the career we launch ourselves into gives us that leeway. Most of us discover at an early age things that we excel in and we then will look to place ourselves into an environment that allows one to be the stronger in that specific avenue. The human lifeline is like the horizon, it provides us with a pseudo gage system that lets us tap into what we desire. Most people when they acclimate themselves with one field, look to expand their personal horizons within it and are weary of delineating. Humans typically fear change and thus do not venture furthest away from what they know, however multi-talented star Howard Dell plays a different game. His philosophy is driven by the hunger for change and embracing what is new and ‘scary’ to others.

It was difficult to establish one trajectory for the story as Howard proved to be unique to most other artists or professionals. He is an athlete, actor, musician and Cardiac Health specialist, and within those

specialties of his there exists numerous variables. When asked about how old he was when he first had a sense of his careers and respective passions, he very honestly responded by saying, “Forth grade.” When I was in forth grade I wanted to be a professional football player, basketball player, I wanted to go to the Olympics and I wanted to be Michael

14

Jackson. “I wanted to do it all!” He continued by saying that there is little for one to be afraid of when starting to do something new. “The worst thing is being told that you can’t do something or that you suck at doing it”, he asserted. But when I looked at him and said that he had done almost everything and was interested in how he developed a coping mechanism, he intercepted, and said, “Well I cope with failure by thinking, I may suck now but I’ll be back”. His forward-thinking, positive attitude and philosophy resonates and shines through every one of his life commitments. Since forth grade he knew what he wanted and has never stopped chasing any of his aspirations. For him, the worst possible thing is not trying his hand at anything and so when the question of conquering fears came up he remembered starting to play professional football and because he had not grown up playing it like most other guys, it was tough for him. He first said that the unfamiliarity of the rules of the game of football made him feel as though he fell off of a TURNIP truck, but then in his candid, rational way returned saying, “As long as you could bring something to the table, you’ll get a look. It’s not a matter of size rather it is a matter of being quick, fast and smart”, he said. Athletically his experience is broader than that of an athlete skilled in one sport. Himself, he has experience in Bobsledding, in Track and Field, in Basketball, Football, and Golf. Having a plethora of experience in so many different sports, Howard was able to bring knowledge to athletes on a deeper level. After leaving professional sports leagues like the NFL, CFL and Professional Basketball, he trained the pros by specializing in Sports Specific Training and Conditioning. This work that he still does, demands that a program specifically tailored to that individual be created in order for them to excel. In light of explaining his job as an athletic trainer, he could not deny that nothing beats playing the game and competing. In fact he says, “It’s a different kind of thrill than coaching, when I see an athlete excel it’s really cool and satisfying, but when it’s you and you’re kicking butt and taking names, its a totally different kind of satisfaction.”

Because his ambition runs deep and it almost seems as though he has done everything, and could do anything, I was interested in asking him if there was one sport that he’d like to play that he never has, and he felt that speed skating and rowing would be his other athletic endeavors. In his responses to things that he has not done but would like to or could envision for himself, Howard was never conceited. I never felt that he was trying to flash his high beams my way, even though his pride is well warranted. His Film and Television credentials include starring on the, Daytime Emmy Award Winner, The Young and The Restless, Full House, Once A Thief, NCIS, Making It Big, we he assumed the role of a host in 2005, LA Heat and Panic in the Sky, just to name several. He outwardly admitted, “Unless I knew I was going to be the best at something, I would never even attempt it.” This notion of being the best, as in your

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

best, is defining to Howard’s life and mantra.

Doing your best and being aware of the fact that you have put your best foot forward or that 110% into whatever you commit to, is his definition of success. It is the kind of success that encompasses career paths that are distinct and that one normally does not suspect would intercede at so many points, but Mr. Dell believes one can be successful as long as you have the will and ability to look beyond adversity and are willing to challenge yourself. For him, a new experience is a chance to learn and to shine. When the direction of the interview shifted to his acting career, he responded by saying “Acting is a performing art just as in sports you are performing”. “I am always nervous but the nerves come from worrying about doing my best. I’m never nervous in front of people, but I’m nervous about the performance because I want it to be my best, to be awesome,” he says. Over the years Mr. Dell has proved a lot of people wrong who thought that he was just a simple farm boy from Belleville, Ontario. Laughingly he said, “I’m just a farm boy from a town where the postal code is EIEIOH, when I said that I wanted to play in the NBA and NFL, and that I wanted to win an Oscar, a Grammy and go to the Olympics, everybody looked at me and just kinda went, sure, good luck with that”. Ultimately it is about going out there and beating the odds by proving all those who doubted your abilities, wrong.

Feeling exhilarated is important to solidifying personal achievements and esteem. It proved to be quite the challenge when he tried to narrow it down to one moment in his life where he felt most exhilarated and proud. Howard came up with two that he connected to two of his passions in life, athletics and travelling. “I think walking in to the Olympics in Calgary and having mom and dad there and dad turning around saying, “See that’s my boy there, right there”, was sweet. He then continued reminiscing through his rich catalogue of life experiences and said, “I love travelling, nothing beats culture and learning languages. For a Belleville boy, I had never been to Europe, I’d been to the States, but all of a sudden in 85’, so I was 23 years old, we’re on a plane and going to Russia”. That was most exhilarating, and incredible.” Discussing travelling and learning with him was an astounding experience. Howard knows seven languages, some more fluently than others. It is his musical ear and interest in phonology of language that he credits for his knowledge and thirst for different languages. Because he has been able to do so many different things and cultivate such a wide range of talents and interests, his eyes lit up when the subject of education crept into our discussion. He brought it back to the importance of parenting and specifically of good parenting necessary to establish discipline and values. This notion served as a segway into discussing the underlying importance of the ideology of athleticism to every day life. “I think athleticism or athletics and its teachings of discipline, control and desire are synonymous with things in life. Whether you are in grade school, high school, university or post grad. One needs to have a solid basis. It all comes down to good parenting. My mom and dad are rock solid, you know a black man married a white woman in 1958 that was crazy for that time in history. My

dad first told me in the forth grade, y o u need to be twice as good to be considered equal”. I find that although that is very hard for most people to grasp, it is true to almost every social facet”, he said. To suc-

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

15

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g ceed is to exceed personal limits. It is something that he has done and continues to do each day.

Howard Dell’s story is a typical to most because he has such differing talents that all converge to tell one compelling story. He believes that his stress- free approach to life is applicable to anything that he has ever committed himself to. When I asked him about acting and what his favorite project has been to date he said, “I have to say every single one of them”. It is the fact that every undertaking of his, presents a new opportunity and a chance for him to assume a different role and be his best that makes him love what he does

so much. He noted that his favorite show to work on was The Young and The Restless because he was able to play the role of a detective, which he loves to do, as it is a very important part of his nature to both ask questions, and find the answers in order to help others. This is important to his work as a Cardiac Care Specialist, and also is key to the education of others with regards to Liver Transplants. A huge part of what he lives for is education and the enhancement of the lives of others and he does so through his differing abilities and life- roles.

His idea of success is one that incorporates evaluation of the self and the embrace of one’s effort. Surprisingly, he is different from the artists and professionals that dislike reflecting on what it is they have created for others to see.

“I like it”, he says. “I am all about evaluating my performance because I always think, yeah that was good, but I could have done better”. It does not matter if he’s playing a sport, competing for gold, or acting, it is all about improving and coming back stronger and fiercer next time around. He is not shy to ask life’s tough questions either if asking will lead him to becoming a better athlete for example. “If there’s something I want to know, I’ll ask, and now with the transplant, I am so sensitive. I feel so much more deeply because I am so much more aware”, he commented.

Most people wouldn’t believe that he was given 3 months to live not too long ago, and only 18 months ago did he undergo a liver transplant. It was the most terrifying experience in his rich catalogue of moments that demanded that he be his competitive, fighting self. Even in the ultimate fight for his life, he did not dare to bow out of an opportunity to compete for a gold medal and go on to win three of them at The World Transplant Games.

On the subject of always fighting to be the best he talked about being hard on himself at the games, pulling a hamstring in the grueling process but still thinking, “I could have done better”.

It is mind-boggling to the average person to even think it is possible to be able to compete for gold in Decathlon Track and Field events after a life-threatening ordeal like a liver transplant. I was simply floored when he admitted to me that he actually went to compete in the US and Canadian World Transplant Games early. It was a challenge that the doctors would not normally approve of because they were questionable as to his strength and overall health post-transplant. Reflecting on his successful run at the games now, he is not even

sure how he did it at a time when his health was so fragile. He commented on it being the most physically intense fight, and said that the pain of training for it when everyone thought it was virtually a crazy idea was indescribable.

For him, the transplant put everything into a whole new perspective. As he said, “All the transplant did was take everything that I am and magnify it”. He recalls the fear that rushed over him when he travelled to China and had a doctor dismiss his request for treatment. That was the moment when this fearless competitor saw life rush past him and he was naturally scared. It felt like everything he is, was now gone. In talking about it now, he says that it comes down to perspective. “It all depends on what you reconcile with, I think the only stress is financial but other than that, what stress is there? Now I am just lucky to be alive, it’s a beautiful day out there, the sun’s shining, what stress is there?” If I do my best and my best isn’t good enough, well that’s unfortunate but at least I’ve done my best and I’ve reconciled with that. He transfers this attitude into virtually every one of his endeavors and believes that you can make the best of life no matter what circle of people you are intermingled with. His love for Canada is defined by the Multiculturalism and friendly aura of the nation. He feels like being Canadian gives someone more of an appreciation for cultural diversity and the intricacy of the world. Comparing it to Moldova he says that both have their eclectic feel. They possess distinct presence that is lost in large metropolitan centers like L.A. “Unless you’re in L.A to work in film and television, there’s nothing there”. To be surrounded by different people and have your stories converge is the essence of living according to Mr. Dell. Even in his work as a Cardiac Care Specialist, he feels that the exchange of different information is most crucial to the betterment of people’s health. He was not shy in telling me that he often feels it is part of his work as a researcher and administrator of a revolutionary Heart Health treatment called EECP, to re-educate physicians on new, unconventional, life-saving treatment methods. Education is the key to life enrichment no matter what scenario one finds themselves in. The moral of Howard’s uniquely inspiring story is that if you want to do something than you will find that key ingredient in you, that human fiber of flesh to get it done. “If its what you really want than no sacrifice is too great”, he said. Looking beyond the horizon of desire means discovering one’s own potential and realizing that no dream is too big. The victory is embraced once the personal sojourn is taken.

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

16

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

17

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

Jess Morton This fall, television came with many new and old shows running to grab our ratings. Before the end of October networks had cancelled How to Be a Gentleman, Charlie’s Angels, and the controversial Playboy Club. Yet several shows proved to do extremely, and some cases, surprisingly well. I’m going to update you on how shows from Fall TV Preview are doing and introduce you to a new one that has caught my eye since July.

The Walking Dead

Millions of fans were worried about The Walking Dead after executive producer Frank Darabont, who also created the show, was axed in July. Darabont’s replacement, Glen Mazzara, kept up the standard and dispelled any fears that hungry zombie fans had. The season premier in October brought in a total of 7.3 million viewers. AMC was so pleased with the results of the season two premier that the network renewed the series for a third season. The Walking Dead is deemed AMC’s most successful series thus far.

House

The eighth season of House without Dr. Cuddy is doing quite well.

As well as the absence of Cuddy, House has also lost Olivia Wilde’s character, Dr. Hadley after the third episode. Since the season premiere, the viewership has slowly fallen, but remains steady at just over six million every week. Despite all its setbacks, the show is still holding high ratings and runs no risk of being cancelled. The future of House itself is unclear as rumors are flying of a series finale, but with the support it’s got, it could easily be renewed for another season.

Fringe The writing for season four thus far has been true for all of those faithful Fringe addicts like myself. The episodes often refer back to specific moments or character histories in the previous seasons and it is clear that the writers know their stuff. As per usual the season isn’t doing particularly well with it being in the Friday night ‘TV Death Slot.’ Yet, this ploy didn’t stop Fringe from being renewed last season as the move was made last January. The show is doing well from a critic point of view, but needs a little help from the fans as its viewership is slipping and runs the risk of being axed.

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

18

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g Glee

Homeland

Two and a Half Men

New Girl

Glee this season had a shaky start. This bleak outlook started when Sam (played by Chord Overstreet) taking off, and the season premiere taking a ratings nosedive. As early as October, news of Chord coming back to the series confirmed that his break-up from Glee wasn’t serious.

If anything Chord Overstreet supposedly leaving Glee could have been a clever marketing ploy. With that aside, the series has made some good moves with bringing back Idina Menzel and dealing with controversial subjects such as teen sex. Overall the series is doing extremely well and is likely to be renewed for another season.

This show had the most speculation and the most buzz around its ninth season. With the abrupt departure of Charlie Sheen and Ashton Kutcher as his replacement Two and Half Men was predicted as the first show to be axed. The thought was the show could never be as entertaining without Mr. Sheen. The man himself went out of his way to put down the show when the season premiered. Much to Mr. Sheen’s, cynical critics, and Two and Half Men lover’s surprise the show is doing extremely well.

Currently, Two and Half Men is the number one comedy on CBS.

Homeland is the Showtime original series about CIA agent Carrie Mathison who believes that American soldier Nicholas Brody, who had been a prisoner of war for eight years, is involved in a future terrorist attack. The series is a Sunday favourite and despite airing on the same day of The Walking Dead holds high ratings. The writing addresses several different issues related to war and the war on terrorism, including the taboo subject of mental instability. The signal to Homeland’s success was when Showtime renewed the series for a second season after only four episodes aired.

New Girl is Zooey Deschanel’s first time starring in a prime-time sitcom. I was a little weary at first, as the storyline seemed to lack depth, but ratings are quickly proving me wrong. According to reviews the writers are attempting to develop the other characters and create nonZooey storylines. This gives room early on not only for more story development, but more character arcs over the series. Its too early for the network to make any decisions, but with these amazing ratings New Girl could easily be renewed.

Person Of Interest This Jonathan Nolan (aka Christopher Nolan’s brother) written series has done well for itself, yet maybe not well enough. This series isn’t a CBS-type production, as Person Of Interest is actually owned by Warner Brothers. Possibly CBS doesn’t have the right audiences to fully appreciate this series. This doesn’t mean the show will be canceled, as the ratings are pretty good, but a renewal is unlikely at this point. Maybe Warner Brothers should create their own network and Person Of Interest could draw in the viewership it needs.

Grimm & Once Upon A Time Both of these fantasy series could be in competition throughout the remainder of the season. Despite how Grimm and Once Upon A Time have completely different takes on the genre, Once Upon A Time seems to have a demographic advantage. As this series in particular stretches to accommodate an age range from adults to children it means more viewers overall. With its soar in ratings Once Upon A Time had a full season pickup from ABC – this means that the series has been extended from thirteen episodes to twenty-two. Now Grimm is looking paler in comparison, but holds a loyal and massive audience despite airing on Friday nights. No word whether it has a chance of being renewed for another season or not. Considering Grimm’s later October premiere and its time-slot the show is doing extremely well.

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

19

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

ART FOR

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

20

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

OUR SAKES

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

21

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

Taste In Wines Or Tasty Vines?

Marcus Pidek

C

ruising through the vineyards of Niagara in a little red sports car with the top down, what could be better? Drinking the wines of Niagara, that’s

what. And I did. Yummy! As the grapes grow heavy and delicious on the vine, the winemakers offer wine tastings and sometimes a tour as well of their wineries.

Make no mistake, winemaking is a true art. And one of the oldest.

Ever since people in bear skins wondered why the bears acted funny after getting into a batch of fermenting apples we’ve had a love affair with a drink that made good dinners great and carried us into endless evenings of parties and celebrations. We’ve had a long time to finesse so many different taste experiences from humble vines all over the world.

Central to many of our cultures, wine was even inducted into religions, modern and ancient pagan.

We love wine. We make it in our basements, brag about it, collect it and sometimes pay obscene amounts for one bottle of this nectar of the gods – if you believe the followers/party hounds of Dionysius. But for me, it’s only worth anything when it hits my tongue. And then, I don’t care what it costs, because, like all art, I only know what I like. What’s that? You just paid hundreds of dollars for this bottle of wine with a hint of tobacco? Cough. Thanks but I don’t smoke.

I’ll just take a couple of those Rieslings to go. There’s a huge variety of tastes and flavours to suit everyone. And that’s where the fun starts.

I visited three very different wine makers. They attracted me for the size and style of their operations and their product.

I went looking for an education. And, because it involved tasting some heavenly combinations, like blueberry and Belgian chocolate, I never had so much fun learning anything in my life.

Sunnybrook Farm Estate Winery was my first stop. There was a man behind the counter with the lady server and he was a little crusty with me. For a guy like me – no sense, no feeling – I could only forge on with my hundred watt smile, hoping he wouldn’t toss me out. I was doing research for my screenplay, as well as this article. And Gerry was well used to people trying to walk away with his secrets and techniques that came from twenty years of making his very special wines. As he very

22

quickly, and a little sternly corrected me, this isn’t a vineyard – it’s an orchard. Sunnybrook is the only winery in the region which specializes in fruit wines. They’re higher in anti oxides, less likely to give you headaches than grape wines and they’re delicious. That blueberry and Belgian chocolate wine I mentioned? It’s called Chocolate Embrace. Hhhhhmmmm. They also won an award for their hard cider – apple cider you need to be eighteen or over to buy or drink. I never had hard cider before, and man, what a fun surprise that taste was.

After Gerry understood that the background info I needed didn’t involve any family secrets he warmed up quite a bit and I had the pleasure of getting to know a man of humour, enthusiasm and great empathy.

He just turned sixty five and he lived all his life on this peaceful farm. We spent some time sharing stories from our past and he touched my heart with the story of his daughter. Rebecca (yes, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm ) passed away far too early, when she was thirty. She was smart and spirited like the horses she loved to race and studied bio technology and chemistry in University. She turned her education to winemaking and joined the family business.

Among all the fruit wines Gerry offers for sale, one bottle stands out for me, Rebecca’s Rose. It’s a true rose, blended from three locally grown grape varietals. The label carries a special note down the right side, which reads, “This wine is made in memory of our daughter, our winemaker, who passed away in 2006. A portion of each sale is donated to the Niagara Region Sexual Assault Centre. Silence is not always golden.”. Rebecca’s spirit is still very much a part of Sunnybrook. I left with a bottle of that rose and picked up another on my last ride through there. Hell yeah, I’ll help the cause. And the rose goes down pretty good, too. 905-468-1122 www.sunnybrookfarmwinery.com sunbrook@sunnybrookfarmwinery.com *********************************** I was allowed to walk through the Sunnybrook orchard and it was the perfect time. The ripe peaches were a gorgeous gold and crimson and the trees were loaded. There’s a micro climate created by the Niagara escarpment that fosters growing conditions that can only be envied

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

by most of Canada. That’s why even celebrities like Dan Ackroyd and Wayne Gretsky own vineyards, here. You can grow good grapes. But, that’s just the beginning. Now comes the real art. The art of making a wine that the whole world notices.

history of the region. Good job, Marcia, Ritha, Richard and all the other terrific people at the winery. tours@inniskillin.com 905-468-3554

Next stop, Inniskillen. The big boys. The two founders single handedly kicked off the true renaissance of the Niagara region’s winemaking industry. They received the first permit to start a winery in the region since 1929, when permits were stopped because we were bootlegging to the Americans in the prohibition. More than one fortune was made this way by crafty Canadians. Inniskillen made an ice wine which they submitted to a world competition in France. And they won – HUGE. They put Canada and the Niagara Peninsula on the map of anybody who was anybody in the www - World Wide Wine industry. And they include a sample of their ice wine in their wine tasting tour. I took the tour twice (on different days). I love that stuff! If you wondered why ice wine is more expensive, it’s because the grapes are harvested frozen in the night so the sun can’t melt them and each grape only gives up one or two drops of juice in the press.

And now, for something completely different, as the old saw goes.

Organic grape growing. I think there’s only a few farms like this in the area and I had to know what the difference is. So, my last quest of the day is Frogpond Farm. Lia, now a university student, grew up on the farm which her parents bought in 1996. “An organic farm is eco friendly.

We keep everything balanced. A happy grape vine is stronger and that prevents diseases. We don’t use fertilizers because they force the growth and push the plant too far and so it gets sick easier because it has less resistance. We don’t use herbicides under the plants. We use hoes to physically remove undergrowth. We use aged manure and kelp to fight fungus.”.

The founders were founding members of the VQA, Vintners Quality Alliance, which has strict standards and testing procedures for any wine that earns the VQA seal on their label. Without meaning to, they became the founding fathers of our local wine industry. But if you did plan it, thanks, guys. I left with a bottle of their Late Autumn Riesling and took it on a camping trip with friends to Algonquin Park. We were sorry we only had the one bottle of the Riesling. I never saw my friend’s wife drink before but she helped us out right down to the bottom. If winemaking is an art then the vintners should have signed the bottle because that white wine in the fresh air by the campfire was a golden moment.

I want to mention that the staff at Inniskillin were all friendly and went out of their way to learn the answers with me to any of my questions which they didn’t know. The ladies who took us on the tours gave all the time that we needed to understand the winemaking process and

************************************

“Moths can be a problem. We hang plastic strips loaded with sex pheromones that distract the male moths and disrupt the mating cycle.

The Japanese beetles eat the leaves but instead of using insecticides, we raise Guinea fowl. These birds eat the bugs and always roost in the same trees. We made our first wines in 2001 – a Riesling and a Cabernet Merlot. Now, we added another twenty acres to the original ten and we produce eight wines. We’re always busy in the summers. We also plant clover and alfalfa to attract natural predator insects. We do this all to maintain balance in the environment.”

Frogpond Farm provides a great pamphlet that gives you a self guided tour and when you’re finished you can enjoy samples of their organically grown and fermented wines. That bit with the moths still makes me smile. www.frogpondfarm.ca wine@frogpondfarm.ca 905468-1079 If you have any comments, please contact the writer at m1111@ rogers.com

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

23

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

Lindsay Romeo Inspire Cosmetics, is a cosmetic line that has products which ensure high quality and affordability. The products

at Inspire Cosmetics are carefully selected and easy to apply, so that the everyday woman can feel like a pro. Wendy is a motivational speaker and a Ford model, and she brings her motivation to Inspire Cosmetics by inspiring women to love their cosmetics, and to see their own beauty that each woman has. Wendy works with Tanya on the cosmetic line, and the two of them have been friends for 27 years. I had the pleasure of talking with Wendy about her inspirational line: Inspire Cosmetics. The following is the information I gathered from talking with Wendy, and I am now excited to try the line of Inspiration Cosmetics for myself.

where they tend to focus on perfecting a single product, Inspire Cosmetics makes sure every one of their products is perfect.

Inspire Cosmetics is unique: Wendy and Tanya believe that less is more. Inspire Cosmetics covers all six skin types, from the fair Irish skin tone to the African American skin tone. There are five correctors and five powders for six different skin types. The corrector blends instantly, and you apply it with your fingers, you do not have to buy sponges which may be unclean. Wendy brings personal passion, motivation, and inspiration to Inspire Cosmetics. Wendy is driven to inspire others. She wants to bridge the gap between the everyday woman and the model. Wendy wants to make the everyday woman feel professional; Wendy is an inspiration to women.

High end with a better price: Inspire Cosmetics is high end but with a better price. Many cosmetic lines will advertise that their products have a mineral base, but no product could be made purely of minerals. So, Inspire Cosmetics has infused as many natural products as possible, and the line is foundation free. Inspire Cosmetics has a Corrector Stix that is infused with Shea butter and has SPF 15, so it can correct and protect. The Shea butter in the Corrector Stix contains a lot of moisture, so the Corrector Stix also keeps your skin hydrated and freshly glowing.

Inspire Cosmetics is edgy and artistic: Another aspect to the cosmetic line is its edgy yet clean nature, as shown in the logo design of Inspire Cosmetics. This best of both worlds logo was actually designed by Wendy’s husband, so the authenticity of the logo is exceptional. The logo also represents professionalism with its brush stroke look, which is also what Inspire Cosmetics stands for: Inspiring every day women to look professional through Inspire Cosmetics.

Inspire Cosmetics wants to show the beauty that the every woman holds.

A team based on friendship: Wendy and her colleague at Inspire Cosmetics, Tanya, have been friends for 27 years. Wendy was very frustrated, because she liked specific products from a variety of different cosmetic lines; there was not a single cosmetic line that carried all perfect products. It was out her frustration and desire to find a product that worked for her that the idea for Inspiration came about with Tanya. At the spur of the moment full of inspiration, Tanya and Wendy rushed over to the manufacturer in the middle of the night, with a spread sheet of ideas and prototypes, and the end result is Inspire Cosmetics; the desire to inspire.

Inspire Cosmetics is a line full of perfect products, it is not like other lines

24

Wendy’s favourites: Wendy’s all time favourite product is the Mercy coloured lipstick.

Wendy and Tanya had to go through 350 prototypes to get the perfect pale pink colour that works for every single woman, and it can also be mixed with any lipgloss. The lipstick contains vitamin a, e and c, so if your lips are feeling chapped or dry this lipstick also acts as a lip balm, and will moisturize your lips. Wendy also likes the Corrector Stix, and the White Out Eyeliner pencil. The White Out liner is easy to blend. If you draw a line on your water line, which is right under your eye, it will brighten up any tired eye, and this look also does well with a smoky eye.

Also, if you apply the white out liner right under your eyebrow, it will act as a brow lift, because the White Out Eyeliner is a light reflector. The eyeliner pencil will not break or crumble because it is full of moistures.

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g Inspire Cosmetics will rock your world:

Inspire Cosmetics are affordable and easy to purchase:

What Wendy and Tanya achieved to do was to take everything about cosmetics that women hate and get rid of it when they produced Inspire Cosmetics, so that women are inspired by Inspire Cosmetics. Inspire Cosmetics was nominated by Chatelaine magazine for one of the top 100 beauty products. Inspire Cosmetics was also a part of the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, where Tanya and Wendy had the chance to try out Inspire Cosmetics prototypes on the film industry people and it was a success. Inspire Cosmetics is paving the way for inspiring women.

Once you try Inspire Cosmetics you will never go back to your old cosmetic line.

Inspire Cosmetics are affordable. The highest priced product is the tinted moisturizer at $45, and the lowest priced product is $15 for eyeliners. Inspire Cosmetics was tested against four other professional brands, and Inspire Cosmetics should be more expensive because the quality is professional. The Corrector Stix should be priced at over $80 because of the quality, but Inspire Cosmetics prices the Corrector Stix at only $24.50. You can look into where or how to purchase any Inspire Cosmetics products at their website: http://www.inspirecosmetics.ca/.

Inspire Cosmetics is giving out free shipping with online orders up until December 21st, so you should take advantage of this offer! Inspire Cosmetics has a location in downtown Oakville at Silkeborg, which is a classy boutique at 166 Lakeshore Rd. East. They are also in Mississauga at DZ Creative Salon at 59 Lakeshore Rd., Port Credit. Also, on the Inspire Cosmetics’ website you can see where they are making an appearance at shows under “upcoming events”. You can also look under “find inspire” in their website for more details on their locations.

Inspire Cosmetics is always in style: Inspire Cosmetics is always keeping women of all ages in style. This past summer Inspire Cosmetics has two inspirational eyeliner colours; Penny, and Peacock – which is the newest colour. Penny is a gorgeous shade of copper, and Peacock is a beautiful shade of blue. These colours are trendy, not tacky. Many women in their 40s and 50s are sometimes scared of stepping out of the box when it comes to makeup, but women will always look beautiful with Inspire Cosmetics, because the products are so well made and the shades are excellent. With Inspire Cosmetics you can use the same products and shades on both a 21 year old and a 50 year old, because Inspire Cosmetics has a timeless beauty, and are made for all women of all ages. The Inspire Cosmetics look is classy not cheap, and always timeless.

Have Inspire Cosmetics at your next celebration: Inspire Cosmetics offers a variety of different services for application of makeup, such as weddings, make up parties, proms, Halloween makeup, and the list continues. It is at an affordable price that you can check out under “service” on their website. The concept of Inspire Cosmetics is that a woman no longer has to gouge her pocket to look professional and beautiful. Inspire Cosmetics has the desire to inspire! Be a part of this inspirational cosmetic line!

Get the newest hot product: A fairly new product that Inspire Cosmetics has come up with is their tinted moisturizers. The tinted moisturizers contain SPF 15 and give your skin a touch of radiance. It gives your skin a bronzy glow, without looking orange or yellowy. Inspire Cosmetics also has inspirational ultra volume mascara. To use this mascara you only need one pump with the mascara wand for both eyes, and it is vitamin infused so your eye lashes stay soft and runway ready. A trick is to start applying the mascara by rolling it onto the tips of your lashes and then go from the bottom up.

They also have a fabulous oil free make up remover, which removes waterproof products beautifully.

Wendy and Tanya are an inspiration: We have a lot to look forward to with Inspire Cosmetics. They always have trendy new colours with lipglosses and eyeshadows. Inspire Cosmetics is going to be bringing out new products every six months. Feel free to contact Wendy or Tanya with anything from inspiration, consultation, motivation, to questions. You can find their contact information at their Inspire Cosmetics website: http://www.inspirecosmetics. ca/. And they also have a Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ pages/Inspire-Cosmetics/160119790671796?ref=ts. Or you can just search for Inspire Cosmetics in your Facebook’s search box. Inspire Cosmetics is truly an inspiration for women of all ages. Wendy and Tanya plan to go to women’s shelters and give free makeovers so that the women can see their true beauty.

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

25

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

Conversations: Opening Dialogues & Exploring Diversity at

Nuit Blanche Megan Jones

It’s 7 p.m. in Toronto, the night of the 6th annual Scotia Bank Nuit Blanche, and artist Enza Iovio commands her audience completely. The small, silent crowd gathered in

front of her in the Deaf Cultural Centre’s airy main room watches her with unwavering attention as she carefully smoothes Vaseline over a young man’s shirtless upper body.

Once his arms, chest, torso and neck are covered, Iovio gently pick up his arms, neatly arranging his fingers, bending his elbows, and finally, directing his hands so that they hover at chest level, about five inches from his body.

Iovio, who herself is hearing impaired, turns to the audience and addresses them in sign language. To her right, an interpreter relays her message verbally.

The position the young man has been placed in, Iovio explains, is the ASL sign for “what’s up?”

The room’s silence is momentarily broken by soft laughter from the crowd.

For the next half hour or so, Iovio plasters over the young man’s upper body, creating a shell of sorts. When the plaster dries a little, she carefully peels it off, and is left with a 3 dimensional figure of his upper body, which she sets off to the side to dry completely.

This figure, she says, is the first of four parts in Conversation Piece, the artwork she will be presenting throughout the evening. By the night’s end she will have 4 figures, each one an ASL sign which will make up a

26 16

conversation.

“My artwork is focusing on human expression,” Iovio says. “It’s a conversation between people using body language and expression instead of voice.”

For Iovio, this artwork is meant to act as a bridging tool. “It is a way to get people talking… to bring people together,” she says.

Iovio is not alone in her thinking. For many of the other artists involved in Nuit Blanche, this unifying philosophy was key in the conception of their works. Nuit Blanche, therefore, has come to be about more than just showcasing artwork. Through some artists’ quests to catalyst unity and understanding, Nuit Blanche has transformed into a night largely of exploring, celebrating, and bringing awareness to the rich diversity Toronto has to offer.

This diversity was echoed over and over as a theme in countless artworks across the city this year, with many artists using their exhibits as platforms to explore the issues they found meaningful.

At the Carlton Cinema for example, Vincenzo Pietropaolo’s multimedia instillation, I See What You Mean, used photography to examine visitor’s relations to people living with intellectual disabilities.

Uptown, on St. Clair West, John Shipman’s Listening to Love: Next Time Can We Choose Our Gender? used samples of sound, music and poetry in attempts to provoke in visitors “a gentle nudge towards openness and empathy for the diverse choices that we all make in our search for love and understanding.”

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

Further east on Bloor Street, Intersection, an independent youth project created by a group of students from grades 7 to 11, used video projections to explore the diversity and co-existence of the many cultural, historical and social groups that call Toronto home.

While the theme of diversity is anything but uncommon to Toronto, a city which prides itself on offering a host of cultural and inclusionary events and celebrations, Iovio feels that Nuit Blanche is unique in that it allows artists’ messages to reach large groups of people who may not usually take the time to experience art.

She may be right. Nuit Blanche’s attendance numbers have skyrocketed since the festival hit Toronto for the first time in 2006. Last year, nearly one million people took to the streets to experience the all-night madness. In this way, the festival acts as a simple way for artist to reach a large, broad audience.

“This Nuit Blanche is an amazing thing,” she says. “People are exposed to so many things, and they get educated and have the opportunity to see things in a way they normally wouldn’t see.”

Aguayo worries that art may sometimes not express a message to audiences clearly or explicitly enough.

“There are people who look at art and they get it, then there are people who look at art and say, ‘I don’t get it’,” he says. “How effective an artwork is in educating people really depends on how receptive people are.”

Still, Aguayo believes it is better for artists to try, than not to try.

“Sometimes words are not enough,” he says. “Sometimes you need that feeling from a dynamic artwork to make an impact.”

Iovio, it seems, has successfully harnessed that feeling. As her first section of Conversation Piece wraps up, two young audience members, Max Mancuso and Noah Mancuso, chat excitedly about the work they just saw.

The two boys, who came with their father, stumbled upon the exhibit by accident and are glad they did.

“The whole thing really affected me,” Noah says. “It made me really want to learn sign language.”

While few will dispute that the festival allows artists to reach great numbers of people, some people do point out that reaching an audience and impacting them are two different things.

Artist Miguel Aguayo, whose works were also on display at the Deaf Cultural Centre, says that while he believes that is it possible for art to be an effective educational tool, it is worth considering that it can sometimes be flawed.

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

27 17

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

Lost Innocence Cindy Ng Man Him In the past, music was never about making money and it meant more than just playing an instrument. Like painters expressing themselves through their paintings, composers used their music for self-expression, and played not only for self-enjoyment but also for everyone else’s. Even before the incorporation of lyrics, the emotions and feelings portrayed through the composer’s music deeply touched one’s soul. And so lyrics weren’t seen as a necessity. But when words were eventually weaved into the music, the lyrics didn’t push the listeners away from the music. If anything, the words enhanced its meaning and even brought other themes into play. After all, lyrics were nothing more but poetry. They had their own rhythm and were descriptive and powerful, especially with the use of figures of speech (e.g. metaphors, anecdotes, anaphora, etc.). The words provided a perfect harmony with the melody.

These encouraged themes that lead me to wonder about the main point of this article: how do these bad lyrics and even music videos effect the youths of today? Being kids, they don’t understand the true meaning behind these vulgar terms and images; and yet they are constantly exposed to it every day, constantly listening to the songs on the radio or watching the music videos on the television. They don’t know any better, but they grow up with these ideas, thinking that they’re okay because the provocative themes are on the television or the radio. But it’s not, especially for the case of younger children. Kids learn from watching television everyday and repeat everything they hear without even knowing it is wrong. Even adults get carried away sometimes because we, too, are exposed to it.

Over time, however, lyrics became increasingly important as literature became more accessible. They became a necessity to songs and started dominating them as listeners believed lyrics evoked more feelings and emotions than the sounds and rhythms themselves. Nevertheless, the music was still enjoyed by the composers and their listeners, and was still significant.

Regrettably, a lot of today’s music has become computerized, especially with today’s technology. Lyrics have lost their significance and songs have become useless. Take Cascada’s remake of “What Hurts The Most,” for example. It’s a great song, but “What Hurts The Most,” is about missing someone and the pain of separation. The remix version is an upbeat version, in which the lyrics fail to make their point as the tune is too joyful and computerized.

Songs might have a composer’s, a singer’s or a songwriter’s style, but they aren’t as exemplary as they were before. This isn’t necessarily directed to Cascada or other singers who have remade songs from the past, but to more recently created songs wherein many of the themes depicted in today’s music are provocative, encouraging ideas of sex, sex appeal, objectification, alcohol and many similar others.

Even music videos are no exception. Like the start of music, music videos were always about the music. But now, most of them focus on commercializing whatever they can profit from. As well, promoting provocative ideas, such as the ones previously mentioned above, to the public.

I used to love listening to the Spice Girls when I was a child –and I still do– but I never tried to understand their lyrics. Take the song “When Two Become One,” for example. This song used to be one of my favourites because I loved the slow tempo and emotions evoked by the melody; I didn’t care about the lyrics. But in my mind, if I had to think about them, I had always thought it was about a woman being together with her lover. And yet, after gaining some close reading experience from school, I learned it was about more than simply being together.

The lyrics spoke about sex, the sheer pleasure of doing it and wanting more of it. Although I admit that it isn’t as strong as some of today’s music, as it does encourage this idea of only loving your significant other, the main theme leaves much to be desired.

Another example is the song “Blame It On The Alcohol” by Jamie Foxx featuring T-Pain. The beats are catchy and great for dancing, but the themes detailed in this song are quite the opposite. This song is about getting drunk at a club, sleeping with someone and then blaming it on the alcohol. In a way, someone can see this song as a warning for

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

28

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g drinking, but it can also have a reverse effect and encourage it, even going as far as saying that you won’t be held responsible if you blame it on the alcohol.

tential meaning.

A more recent example is the song “Dedication To My Ex (Miss That)” by Lloyd featuring Andre 3000 & Lil’ Wayne. Even if it has an interesting beat, the language is inappropriate for youths as it sends them bad messages about sex. I won’t go into too much detail but let’s just say it’s the epitome of sex for pleasure and not just about finding reasons for breaking-up.

See what I mean about not realizing bad lyrics because it has a good beat or a catchy tune? Or that when you’re young, you don’t really understand the true meaning behind the words?

What people fail to notice is that despite having a good beat, the lyrics can still influence you one way or another. It’s like the internet, video games and violent shows. You might know it’s inappropriate, but does it mean you’re going to ignore it?

Fortunately, there are still some decent songs out there that make the listeners aware of important issues, such as P!nk’s “Perfect” or Demi Lovato’s “Skyscraper.”

In P!nk’s case, her song “Perfect” targets teenage depression and angst while challenging the social construction of what is considered the ‘perfect woman.’ As teenagers, we are vulnerable to people’s comments and have plenty of insecurities. We change ourselves to fit in, crack under peer-pressure and ultimately maul our pure image into something worst by doing drugs or stealing. In the end, if we aren’t accepted by our peers and are ridiculed, we fall into a state of depression, and ultimately kill ourselves because we can’t fit in.

What P!nk is trying to explain is that you have to love yourself for who you are and not let anyone tell you otherwise. It’s also about finding your inner strength and sharing it with your loved ones.

In Demi Lovato’s case, her song “Skyscraper” targets this idea of hope. She wants to tell her listeners that even if a person breaks you, you have to believe that you can pull yourself back up and rebuild what has been broken. It takes time and it might take someone else to help you, but it’s feasible. After all, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

What I’m trying to say is that music used to be something big, it used to encourage great ideas and wasn’t as demeaning. But because of today’s technology and corrupted minds, we seem to forget that.

We seem to think that just because it sounds great, the songs are great and that they shouldn’t be censored. But if they continue to remain on the market, more youths and even adults can be affected by it. And sooner or later, all music will be corrupt and lose its po-

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

29

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

Sharnelle Kan

W

hat is your shopping personality? Do you like to peruse the mall for hours or are you the shop-and-go type of person? Do you like to spend big bucks when you’re at the mall or are you more of a social shopper? Whatever your shopping style is, you need know which malls best suit your shopping needs.

THE SOCIAL SHOPPER YORKDALE MALL Yorkdale Shopping Mall opened in 1964 with 110 stores. In 2005, the mall underwent an expansion to add multi-level shops such as H&M, Old Navy, and Zara. By November 2012, Yorkdale will have undergone an amazing $220 million expansion that will have added 145,000 square feet to the already spacious mall. Among the new additions are 800 new underground parking spaces.

Stores: As part of the 2012 expansion, Yorkdale will be adding 40 flagship stores. Many are curious as to which brands will be making their debut at Yorkdale, but the mall has remained tight-lipped.

On October 5, 2011, British billionaire Sir Philip Green unveiled the first Canadian location of the Topshop and Topman at The Bay. Izzie Mendoza, a fan of the British store, said, “I’m glad they brought London’s style to Canada. I like the clothes because it’s like Forever 21 but updated, classier versions.”

Food: The current food court, above Holt Renfrew, is limited in seating and doesn’t quite offer a wide variety of choices. However, the mall does have a few great selections in restaurants such as The Pickel Barrel, Moxie’s, and Milestone’s.

Top Malls In The GTA The new food court will be on the third level of the mall will have 1100 seats, a terrace, as well as reusable plates and cutlery for customers. Jason Nazareth, Tenant & Technical Services Coordinator, said, “It really is going to be a nice destination for relaxation.”

The Crowd: Yorkdale Mall is the social shopper’s heaven! There are many restaurants within the mall, a movie theatre, and many sitting areas to relax with friends. Yorkdale is easily accessible by the TTC and has a relaxed and casual atmosphere.

THE BIG SPENDER BAYVIEW VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER Bayview Village is one of the most upscale shopping centers in the GTA. From the ritzy retailers right down to the swanky bathrooms, Bayview Village offers a luxurious shopping experience like none other.

Stores: There are currently over 130 stores and services. Recent store openings include Lolë and Bakery Garden, and stores which are set to open soon include Brooks Brothers and South St. Burger Co.

Food: The dining experience at Bayview Village is quite unique. The mall offers well over a dozen gourmet choices, including Il Fornello, Lettieri Espresso Bar, and Oliver & Bonacini Café Grill. Bayview Village does not offer many fast food chains besides Thai Express ‘Elite’, which is certainly the classiest location of the chain.

The Crowd: The mall has many high-end retailers that cater more to the older crowd, and those willing to spend more money on merchandise and food.

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

30

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g Bayview Village has a classy vibe to it, and it is without a doubt the best mall for those who have more expensive tastes.

THE NECESSITY SHOPPER FAIRVIEW MALL Fairview Mall was opened in 1972, with the Bay and Simpson’s as the mall’s department store anchors. The mall has undergone major renovations in the past two decades, with the addition of an LCBO and the Food Garden food court being prominent changes. Fairview Mall is the best mall for necessity shoppers— with an LCBO, a movie theatre, a food court, and a variety of clothing stores, where could you go wrong?

Stores: Today, the mall has over 175 retailers. Recent store openings include the first Canadian location of EXPRESS, GUESS by Marciano, and LEGO. This fall, Calvin Klein and GODIVA are set to open. Among the more popular stores at the mall are Forever 21 and H&M (the first Canadian location).

Food: Fairview Mall’s food court, the Food Garden, is fair in size compared to the size of the mall and offers the typical fast food chains. Those looking for a finer dining experience can visit St. Louis Bar & Grill, Moxie’s Classic Grill, and Spring Rolls— all located within the mall.

The Crowd: Fairview appeals to younger shoppers, and is often swarming with teens afterschool and on weekends. The mall is also popular for young families. The mall has a very relaxed atmosphere and is a great place for shoppers who simply need the basics.

THE SHOP-AND-GOERS EATON CENTER The Eaton Center, which first opened in 1990, was designed by architect Ed Zeidler and is modelled after the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan. The mall is open and airy, particularly on the upper levels, and is always bustling with activity. Canadian artist Michael Snow designed “Flight Stop”, a mobile of a flock of Canadian geese that can be seen hanging from the Galleria. The mall is undoubtedly one of Toronto’s greatest shopping destinations.

Stores: The mall boasts over 230 retailers. Most recently, Forever 21, Jack & Jones, and Scotch & Soda have opened shop in the Eaton Center.

18-year-old Christine Truong, a Ryerson student, says, “My favourite stores at the Eaton Center are Aritzia, Forever 21, Zara, and Wilfred. Aritzia, Zara, and Wilfred sell high fashion clothing that I love. They’re really trendy stores with the latest fashions at good prices, and each store has a great selection of clothes for any type of person. The Eaton Center is a good place to shop because there are hundreds of stores to suit every type of person no matter what your style is, and what you’re looking for.”

Food: On September 1, 2010, the Eaton Center installed the Urban Eatery on its Concourse level as part of a $120 million revitalization project.

The eatery offers 980 seats, and 24 restaurants and food chains to satisfy the shopper’s palate.

What’s most interesting is that the food court provides ceramic plates and real cutlery for customers, which can be returned to the numerous food-tray collection stations after use.

The Urban Eatery has become a major attraction for shoppers.

000 square feet.

Food: The mall has a decently sized food court, but the major attractions are the numerous restaurants surrounding the mall. Baton Rouge, Boston Pizza, and Milestone’s add to the assortment of food choices for the hungry shopper.

Interestingly, the Scarborough Walk of Fame runs through the upper food court. The first inductees were inducted in 2006 and included Dr. R.H. King and Jamaal Magloire, professional basketball player.

The Crowd: STC is a popular destination for families, due to the malls’ size and its variety in stores.

20-year-old Jack Lee, a frequent visitor to STC, says, “You can pretty much do all of your shopping here, in one location. It has a Wal-Mart and a movie theatre.”

The Crowd: The mall is best suited for those who don’t mind weaving through crowds of slow tourists or getting trampled over by the odd speedshopper. The mall is always busy, which may deter those who like a peaceful shopping experience from visiting the mall. If you like to shop for what you need and then go, this mall is for you.

THE MULTIPURPOSE SHOPPER SCARBOROUGH TOWN CENTER STC is a large shopping center located at Highway 401 and McCowan Road. The mall covers an impressive 65 acres, and offers over 250 shops and services.

First opened in 1973, the mall was, and still is, one of the major shopping destinations in Scarborough. When the Light Rapid Transit System was built in 1985, the mall became much more accessible to those living in Scarborough and even those living beyond the suburb’s limits.

Stores: Scarborough Town Center has a huge variety of stores. Many American brands such as Hot Topic and Zumiez have opened at the mall.

Forever 21, Artizia, and Victoria’s Secret will soon be opening up locations at STC to add to the ever-growing variety of retailers at Scarborough Town Center. The new Forever 21 will be two floors and occupy a whopping 27,

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

31

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

My Experience With Film Craig Wilkins

I’ve been writing a monthly indie movie column here at Yes, if you want to talk about a commitment to film, there’s no better FutuReale for two years now. Before that I wrote reviews online, place to start than with a good pants peeing story. We could move on first on my own website for three years, then for FutuReale’s online site for two years. I’ve always been interested in Independent films, long before there was an internet and I was just a kid working at Jumbo Video up in Timmins earning money for movies and diet coke.

to the night I nearly passed out while watching David Cronenberg’s “Crash”, or on the lighter side, the night I was groped (thank you very much mystery woman) after a sneak peak of “Bridget Jones Diary: The Edge of Reason”.

For the past twenty years I’ve averaged 300 new movies every single year. I’ve watched them, reviewed them, sold them, written them, and even helped film them from time to time. Movies have been the best part of my life ever since I can remember. Even as a little boy sitting in the gymnasium of Pleasant Corners Public School in Vankleek Hill during movie day, I can remember making a conscious decision to wet my pants rather than miss a single second of Haylay Mills in “That Darn Cat”.

Movies have been my life for the past twenty years. I don’t know if that sounds sad to you, but I’ve honestly enjoyed my immersion in the world of film. I feel like it’s given me something more than just a lot of great entertainment. So here I sit, a week after TIFF and my 29 movies in 10 days writing my next to last column for FutuReale, while admitting to myself that while movies will always be a part of my life, they no longer hold center stage.

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

32

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

Next month will be my double sized year in review article, and it will be back to talking about the indie movies we are passionate about. But this month I’d like to just sit back with a good cup of tea, and talk about why I love movies so much, and always will.

“Star Wars”. Blame George Lucas.

I was ten years old and everyone I knew had already seen “Star Wars”.

My Dad waited for a long time, and after a whole year of it being in the theatres, finally we were going to see it during the last weekend. I can’t even begin to explain what happened as that large ship slowly floated across the screen. I was transported into a world that I never really left. 33 years later, I’m still Luke Skywalker swinging across the interior of the Death Star with Princess Leia clinging to my side.

That night, after the movie, I spoke back to my father for the first time.

I’d heard there was going to be another “Star Wars” movie and I was going to see it, even if I had to walk the forty miles into town!

It wasn’t so much that I became a man, or even that I took my first steps towards manhood that evening, but I had found my passion.

Some boys found girls, others found cars, and some even found sports. Buy I had found “Star Wars”, and by extension, movies.

Fifteen years old and away from home at a hockey camp, I’ve got a picture of me holding a trophy with a couple of NHL stars standing next to me. I look dorky, big ears and had on a crazy ball cap with a fish on it, and I don’t really remember much about the hockey that week. But I do remember sneaking into “National

Lampoons Vacation” with a couple other underage kids from camp. I laughed so hard I fell out of my seat, and one of the guys punched me, “you’re gonna get us kicked out!” A year later I rented the movie from National Video, and my Dad walked in during the “whistling zip-a-dee doo-dah” scene, he shut off the TV, and banned all teen comedies from the house.

I went out and rented “Porky’s”.

I went to the University of Waterloo to become an accountant.

In my third year I took a creative writing course, and all thoughts of sitting at a desk all day long flew out the window. I didn’t know what I was going to write, just that I wasn’t interested in giving order to the world; I wanted to create worlds.

And then I took my sister to the movies. “Sex, Lies and Videotape”.

I still wrote a novella for my creative writing class, but I was going to be a screenwriter. I didn’t know what that meant, but I knew I wanted to write something just like Soderbergh’s film.

I never made it as a screenwriter.

But I had my chances and some really great moments. Most importantly I enjoyed the experience and the journey, and learned a lot; about movies, about writing, about life, and about myself.

Along the way I got to experience a few things that I won’t ever forget. Like the night in Ottawa when I was on the dance floor; just me, a dozen women who are screenwriters, directors and actresses, and an English guy who’d just filmed his first movie. You might have heard of him, Anthony

Minghella (“The English Patient”, “The Talented Mr. Ripley”).

Accidently stepping on Penelope Cruz’s foot, walking into a room to find Johnny Depp sitting at a bar with a drink in his hand, or Heaven for me, in a group gathered around Paprika Steen listening to her talk about the acting life, and how in Europe it’s still a troupe mentality like in the travelling vaudeville days, an occupation instead of some weird mix of celebrity and big business.

Mingling with actors, writers and directors was never such a big deal for me, but the movies always were. As cool as it was seeing Tilda Swinton outside the Scotiabank theatre during TIFF a few years back, seeing a star, even the Oscar winning star of so many legendary indie movies, that little spike of excitement pales in comparison to the long slow burn of wonder that was my first viewing of “Orlando”.

I can remember watching it in the Stinson 6 cinema 3 as part of the once a month Timmins movie community. It introduced me to Virginia Wolfe, Sally Potter, and Tilda Swinton. Three women I have loved ever since. But more important than that, it showed me a different world, and a different idea of what the world could be.

If the little boy in me will always be Luke Skywalker and my spiritual beliefs are largely based upon George Lukas’s “The Force”, my ideas of what a person should do with their life comes almost completely from “Orlando”.

Orlando stayed the same person, but during a life of never growing old the changing of the sexes was just a part of living several dramatically different lives all in one. As the world goes through

periods, so did he/she. And so should we all. I truly believe that it’s not enough to change your address or your job, you really need to change all of you from time to time if you want to get from life even a little of what it has to offer.

I guess most of us do that to some extent.

Perhaps I’ve had so much fun lining up for two hours with a Nina Hagen LP I’d found at some used record store in Waterloo, while saving a place for my university roommates when “T2” came out.

Trying drugs for my first and only time several years later simply because I wanted to watch “Pink Floyd’s: The Wall” while stoned. Watching “Center Stage” eight weeks in a row, and just last month being the only person in a screening of the Guillermo del Toro who written and produced “Don’t be Afraid of the Dark”. I haven’t wanted to move on to another stage of my life.

But you can only live those five years after college for so long.

Movies will always be an important part of my life. My Mother, who becomes a senior citizen in three months, went to three movies this weekend. I don’t even know if they’ll have theatres when I turn 65; maybe we’ll be watching movies on TV walls like in “Total Recall”, or perhaps it will be a little more visceral a la Cronenberg’s “eXistenZ”. All I know is that in some form or another, I will be just my dear old Mom, always excited about the new movie just out, probably Danish, perhaps starring an ageless Paprika Steen.

Wouldn’t that be the best!

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

33

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

A Diving Adventure

Floating in the middle of the Caribbean sea is 14 square km of land. This is one of the smallest islands in the West

Indies and is also known for having the shortest airport runway in the

Anastasia Rokina world. French on one side and Dutch on the other, St. Maarten’s waters are known for their warmth, clarity, but above all, incredible marine life.

Leroy. A. Pierre-Louis, an islander himself, is a dive instructor that has been diving for over 20 years. The depths of the coast have become his home.

With expertise in open water, advanced and rescue diving, as well as complete familiarity of St. Maarten’s coasts, Leroy’s qualified expertise and free spirit make are remarkable and make each dive an experience of a lifetime.

How many have pet a sting ray? What about swimming alongside a sea turtle? Dolphins anyone?

New divers interested in getting their first class license (Open Water Diver) are guaranteed groups of squid in their flashing array of colors; quite the eye show. Wait...did that rock just move? Octopi have the incredible ability to camouflage into any background. Alongside their changing colors, they change textures too! The trick isn’t to catch them while they’re in

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

34

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

their normal state. It’s to be able to spot them in their camouflage. Leroy is the go-to guy.

Why diving?

I got interested in diving because I was always intrigued by water. I grew up by the ocean, and as a kid I was always around fisherman, always swimming, snorkeling, free diving. Unfortunately the opportunity to become certified wasn’t available back home in Dominica. So when I moved to St. Martin to get more experience in the tourism field, I was introduced to scuba and fell in love with it immediately.

Diving can be a very dangerous sport, what would you say are the most important things to keep in mind when diving?

In my opinion, diving isn’t as dangerous as people make it seem. To me walking the streets is even more dangerous. The important thing with scuba diving is, when you undergo your training, you always practice what you’re taught. There are rules to follow, and when you follow them there are hardly any problems. Statistics will show that more deaths have occurred from traffic accidents than scuba diving.

What has been your most interesting ocean experience?

One of my nicest experiences was when I saw three spotted eagle rays passing directly in front of my student divers. It’s something you hardly ever get to see, it’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Your most dangerous experience?

When I was a novice diver, one lady had taken off her fins in a slight current. I had to swim over to help her get them back on and take her back to the boat. At the time it was difficult.

Do you recommend it to everybody?

Yes. Definitely.

What has been your most interesting experience with a marine animal?

Once I was on a dive, and suddenly in 40 feet of water I see a shadow next to me, and when I turned, two feet away was a huge spotted eagle ray swimming alongside me. That’s a close encounter you don’t get everyday, even cameramen can’t get that close.

What would you say is the most rewarding part of being underwater?

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

35

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g When you’re down there, you have no worries whatsoever. It’s a new world beneath the water.

You’re so taken by what you see, it makes you never want to go back up.

Teaching others?

I love challenges, and it’s rewarding to take someone who is terrified of the water, work with them, and make them become somebody who will always want to dive. My satisfaction is that I made someone a diver.

What are the most common marine animals you see when going on dive expeditions?

Besides the common tropical fish, you get to see sea turtles, stingrays, reef sharks, barracudas...

What advice do you have for anyone who is interested in becoming a dive instructor in the future?

First of all, its a very rewarding position because of the role you play in other people’s lives. However, there a few qualities that are very important if you want to become an instructor. If you don’t possess them, you better well change your career. You have to be a people person, you must have a lot of patience, leadership skills and above all, you should love what you do.

How do you think people’s expectations change after their first diving experience?

It can vary. It depends on where the person is from.

For people who grew up on the oceanfront, by the water, for them diving is trying to get deeper into interacting more with the environment. On the other hand, for some people who have never been to an ocean before, it can be a mindblowing experience, because it’s something new. I think a lot has to do with the person who is introducing you to the water. A lot has to do with the instructor.

They can make it interesting or boring and dull. In some places there might not be much marine life, but if you know what to look for, it can be amazing.

How has your perception of marine life changed after becoming a diver?

As a kid growing up on the ocean, you learn to eat everything that comes out of the water. However, since I got into scuba diving and I started seeing the beauty of some of those fish, I changed my mind about what I eat. I’m a fish lover, however I stopped eating shark, octopus, parrot fish, and especially angel fish.

I see the beauty and I get to love them so much that I become very selective of what I eat.

Are there diving opportunities for the disabled?

Yes. For people who can’t use their legs, but have full control of their upper limbs, special considerations also for people who are mentally aware of their surroundings and don’t have major medical issues. Through a special organization that

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

36

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

provides training for instructors of disabled divers, opportunities are becoming more and more available for that type of diver.

same with sea creatures. For example, great whites inhabit colder waters and not the warm tropical caribbean waters.

How do you rate St. Martin as a dive destination?

(Leroy also provides certification courses. He offers open water, advanced, EFR and rescue courses. Junior licenses are also available.)

Because St. Martin’s economy is tourism driven, diving has become a major activity on the island. Also because of its proximity to its sister island Saba, people can actually do multi-destinations. Saba is a volcanic island so the diving there is very good. That’s why it’s called the Unspoiled Queen.

What would you say to those who are afraid of marine animals but really want to dive?

There is this myth about creatures in the ocean.

People go based on what they hear and not on what they research and know. As the old saying goes, ‘bad news travels quickly’. You hear about a shark attack in South Africa, for example, which is normal, all of a sudden people don’t want to dive in the Caribbean. What they have to realize is that the same way humans are accustomed to the areas where they live, its the

Deep water dives usually range from about 60-120 feet in depth. Casual visitors include giant sting rays, spotted eagle rays, dolphins, sea turtles and yes, sharks. The sharks that are seen on these deep water expeditions are reef sharks (black tip, blue tip, white tip). In the entire history of St. Maarten deep dives (including shark feeding dives) there has never been an incident. Ever.

To put that into perspective, thats about 3 deep dives a day, every day. That adds up to an average of about 30 divers with possible and probable shark encounters per day. With the typical 6 shark appearances per shark dive, thats about 30 people and 21 sharks that come into contact every single day.

Ever thought about diving in the dark? Leroy is an experienced night diver, and night dives are

a must. The ocean without the sun’s glisten is a different world altogether. For starters, fish are blind at night, so they may occasionally bump into you; a rarity in the day. Corals open and bloom as night falls, and sting ray come out to feed. As they cannot see, divers may take wonderful close-up photos and even stroke the dangerous creatures (with the instruction and precaution of a professional dive instructor of course).

Bioluminescent organisms glow with your movement; an array of fantastical imagination.

The most interesting, perhaps, is watching fish sleep. As their bellies rest on rippled sand, their immobility at first seems a bit strange. Their colors transform from natural daylight to artificial hues of gray.

Diving is a leisure, sport and profession that is growing worldwide. The best experiences, however, have nothing to do with level of certification or diving depth. It’s about knowing what to look for. Where better to dive than with a professional local in one of the most beautiful coasts in the world?

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

37

Flittering Pages

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

To censor is to control and protect or to shun and breed ignorance?

Jess Silver There are those who believe that life is a series of arbitrary events, who live for those on-edge experiences that fit somewhere between cloud 9 and cloud 649. Ser-

endipity is their mantra as they flog to crowds of people swept up in a parade of happenstance. Others are the type that hunger for control, and follow strict protocol. This desire to maintain control in literature translates to censorship. When it was first instituted in the early 18th century by means of censorship laws, censorship was meant to regulate the written word of famed writers. Later its meaning evolved to not only caution writers against producing works that were too inflammatory and raunchy, but to protect young children from the obscenities and vulgarity of society. There seems to be no happy medium where the aims of censorship are concerned. It’s like the recipe of a beloved family cake, some stretch its ingredients too far, too generous with the butter and others miss out on the correct quantity of eggs. In this case knowing what is right comes down to allowing for individual learning experience and still be able to discipline. Censoring one’s exposure to material is not defined by banning it, rather by explaining thematic importance and the relevance of particular story to its time of publication.

The issue of censorship like everything else is complex and needs to be examined from various vantage points. There are many perspectives to consider because of the intermediary system that exists in the publishing industry. Once the book makes its long- awaited arrival on bookstore shelves, everyone seems to forget the fact that there were many people involved in the making of the wonderfully bound creation.

It is just the same as the journey of a glorious chiffon De la Renta gown before it graces the runway. The designer like the writer of a novel comes up with his idea and then lines up his associate designers, seamstresses, models, and producers to execute a grandiose show. The literary world is witness to a similar affair although the audience, better known as the readership plays a little more of complex role in ensuring that novel

passes the censorship test. Here it is not only about executing a show of beauty and glitz, but one that pleases the publishers, the writer, the parent in many cases, and the child before the critic gets his two sentence review. The laws of censorship differ across countries and cultural regions but its purpose for the most part remains constant and looks to ensure equal values. Most importantly, censorship was instituted as a type of regulatory measure to limit blasphemous speech, defamatory libel, hate propaganda and any kind of indecency towards religious or differing social group. According to an article published on Canada’s Human Rights History, the censorship that was enforced by the state came into focus in Canada by the 1960’s. In its founding stages, censorship was enforced upon literature by the War Measures Act and also by means of The Official Secrets Act in the interest of protecting and ensuring integrity. Other bodies of governance both on a municipal and provincial level had the right and power to impose restrictions on performances, demonstrations, displays of public speaking, and the publishing of text and graphics on billboards that were available to be viewed by a diverse public.

The laws of censorship still today differ across provinces and amongst those who constitute the reading public. This is because of the fact that there are many factors to take into account concerning the appropriateness of a literary work. Canada’s Human Rights History in an article on the history and definition of censorship states that, “In 1962 the Supreme Court of Canada heard an appeal of a Montreal court’s decision to ban D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover. The case challenged the federal government’s obscenity laws under the criminal code. It was a confusing decision with seven separate judgments. Nonetheless, the case resulted in a partial liberalization of the contentious obscenity laws by allowing experts to testify on the merits of impugned literature”. Lawrence was a writer known for overtly sexual and provoking material and in fact, his text was the first ever to incorporate such pornographic images into a work of literature. It is a work that poignantly comments on sexuality as crucial to understanding human motivations and through the protagonists of Clifford and Constance, illustrates how a life deprived of human contact and sexual intercourse, leads to death both of the physical body and psyche.

The reason for the text’s censorship and burning of copies in court however was because the depiction of such human-

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

38

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g ly centralized themes. D.H Lawrence represented in his novel what he thought was most organic and did not want to falsify the reality of human connection but those who looked to protect younger, more vulnerable readers thought that his representation at the onset was too obscene.

What is important to contemplate is whether or not censoring the materials read by what is known today as a contemporary public, is in fact protecting them or is it creating a foundation of ignorance? The question is difficult to answer as its answer like a work of literature, is subjective. Depending on whom you talk to the answer will change. Many say that censoring what is considered appropriate creates a public that is more consciously aware of speech patterns and social decorum. Others approach the debate with the notion of breeding ignorance as problematic because by banning certain themes from texts, and/ or omitting words such as the N word for example, or morphemes that denote physical challenges, it makes people oblivious to certain racial and social issues. Omission of realities and specific cultural idioms does not allow a literary work to transcend the essence of a particular time in history. Not to mention, it sells the author short in his intent. By filtering their words, a novel is no longer merited as a vehicle to understanding the human condition; rather it is perceived as a type of alarm bell.

Like a spinning top the debate on censorship twirls in many directions. There are those authors who believe that a child or young adult should encounter life’s serious issues slowly and not be exposed to the realties of death for example, until they are more mature. A notable example of this is Katherine Patterson’s Bridge to Terabithia published in 1977. Critics worried that the book presented children with the reality of death in a way that was too descriptive and realistic for their age. Patterson’s intension was to teach children that grief is a normal emotion to feel and through her book wanted to give them a way to cope with tragedy. In fact, her book was the first to deal with suicide in a novel for children. She, like Maurice Sendak and Louis Fitzhugh who are both famous children’s writers, believes that the child is a thinking being that is capable of understanding truth about life as long as it is presented to them in a way that they can connect with it. Another author who writes children’s fiction that is grounded in realism is Walter Dean Myers. In an article published on About. Com entitled Walter Dean Myers on Censorship he said, “I think its silly. People don’t understand

that by withholding information from people, you hurt them. You’re not protecting them.

Meyers in his novel Fallen Angels for example, “does not shy away from the horrors of war nor from the reality of what young men experience when their idealistic view of being a soldier turns into a nightmare”. He agreed when asked about the challenges of writing about a grim reality that, “Writing about war is a daunting task. There is the need to honor the brave men who have stepped up to defend our country.

There is also the grim reality of what they will face”, he said according to Scholastic. Fallen Angels has been criticized on various fronts according to American Booksellers for the Freedom of Expression. It has been the subject of censorship for, “Vulgar language, sexual explicitness and violent imagery”. The use of imagery has been the subject of scrutiny for many years since the child was recognized as an independent, thinking being with his own ability to reason by Jean Jacques Rousseau in the 18th century. What many don’t realize is that children’s literature and fairy tales in fact were a lot more vulgar and violent prior to this century. These days school boards for example are so careful to point out the sensitive subject of the N word in To Kill a Mockingbird, but what one dismisses is the fact that before children’s literature was written to scare the child in some cases. The Puritan School of Thought believed that the child, who was born in sin needed to learn by exposing to them the harsh realities so that they could then be salvaged by G-d.

One text that provides many examples of the evolution of fairytales is Folk and Fairytales edited by Martin Hallett and Barbara Karasek 4th edition. In it for example, the story of Little Red Riding Hood by the Brothers Grim is represented in numerous versions from different narrative perspectives. One version entitled The Little Red Cap, exposes to the young child reader the motives of the wolf and in it the reader encounters a hunter who skins the wolf after he has eaten both granny and little Red. Another story entitled Wolf by Francesca Lia Black presents the reader with a contemporary tale of the dangers of abduction and child predators through the alias of the character ‘wolf ’. These stories tell us that in most cases children learn by understanding what is wrongful when they experience circumstances. Censoring in many cases is stretched too far, not allowing for the wrong or reality to be demonstrated. When literary critics throw the issue of censorship into question, the concern that appears is whether or not the censoring which leads to omission of some materials, results in a disjointed final product. The liter-

ary text is disjointed because it is put through a kind of rhetoric funnel that filters the words.

The American Film based on the Beat Generation poet, Alan Ginsburg’s work Howl received this criticism. According to an article featured in The Cornell Sun, the film left viewers confused as to who the real Ginsburg was. “The film suffers from a sense of disorganization and a feeling that too many disparate strands have been forced together in order to form as comprehensive a portrait of the man and his works as possible. The end result is something that moves the viewer with its honesty, but is held back by its lack of structural coherence”.

The criticism of the film is that it treats the issues of literary merit too mildly and because it briefly captures the essence of the persona of Ginsburg, the writer, it does not transcend to the full extent his struggle with choosing the right words to dignify his social frustrations.

In fact, as the film illustrates the text Howl and Other Poems is the subject of a trial because of its obscene and unlawful language. Censorship is necessary as a kind of buoyancy lever. It keeps society afloat and conscious of the relationships that are built by the communication exchange that occurs each day. The concern is that because society has grown so fearful of what is now considered obscenity and derogatory language; one’s awareness of injustice and social discrimination as it occurred before the 21st century has vanished. Because we are in the habit of keeping guard on what children learn from a young and vulnerable age, their ability to deal with reality as it is suffers to a great extent. If a child grows up thinking that the world is a fairytale-like bubble then when they deal with a person different from them, either physically, racially or socially they lose control. An individual that has never been witness to derogatory language or the cruel treatment of someone that was socially considered inferior i.e. black slaves is brought up ignorant to history in many cases. You cannot live thinking that to avert is to revert so to speak; meaning that if we are not made aware of how things were at a specific time, we could revert to better social conditions. Unfortunately this is not how life works. It is wrong not to censor, but to over-censor and live as though our microcosm is a padded cylinder is to never fully experience the rugged road of life.

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

39

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

Merry C FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

40

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

Christmas FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

41

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

Eight Great Holiday Activities

Megan Jones

F

inding yourself unable to escape to a warmer, sunnier or more exotic locale this December? There is no need to worry.

There is still plenty of holiday fun to be had at home. Toronto has an extensive list of amazing (and cheap) things to do and discover over the holiday season. Check out Futureale’s list for just a few great ideas:

1

Campfires at Dufferin Grove Park

Some activities, because they are so awesome, should not be tied to a specific season. Sitting around a campfire with friends is one of them. Who doesn’t love the smell of burning firewood in the crisp night air?

And who in their right mind could deny the allure of the perfect smore? Luckily for us Torontonians, these things can be experienced even in the dead of winter.

Campfire pits can be rented out each night at Dufferin Grove Park and are allowed until 10 p.m. The activity is fairly cheap (there is a suggested $20 donation, and you must bring your own firewood) and it is a great way to get a group of friends out in the fresh air together. Campfire pits must be booked in advance. Email staff@dufferinpark.ca for bookings.

42

2

The Distillery District’s Lights and Street Festival

It’s the closest thing you can get to a trip to the North Pole. From December 3 to 12, the Distillery District is transformed into what can be best described as a quaint European village meets serious holiday fantasy world. There are beer gardens. There’s a reindeer zoo. There’s a Santa’s elves workshop. And a Ferris Wheel. A Ferris Wheel.

All set aglow by gorgeous Christmas lights.

Really, what more could you ask for?

3

The Santa Claus Parade

With more than a 100 years of experience in holiday festivities, the Santa Claus Parade is certainly a magical sight. It’s probably the only time of year you will ever be able to witness giant gingerbread houses on wheels. In past years the parade has been comprised of 22 bands, 22 floats and 200 clowns, drawing spectators from all over the GTA. The event has become so popular in fact, that many families line up along Toronto’s streets hours in advance to get a good spot. This year, the event will be held on Sunday, November 20. Instead of bemoaning the road closures and delays, go out an experience the wonder for yourself.

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

4

The ROM

Take advantage of the ROM’s lowered admission prices. During last week of October, the museum lowered its general admission price for adults from $24 to $15 and its price for children from $16 to $12.

Students and seniors can now expect to pay $13.50 for admission instead of the usual $21. The ROM is a staple Toronto attraction and now that entry is slightly more affordable, the idea of a visit seems way more appealing. Besides, everyone loves to do the archeologist dig in the children’s discovery section even years after they have ceased to be children.

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

5

Public Skating Rinks

Christmas Tree Ogling

Outdoor skating is a winter favourite that spans generations. If you are looking to lace up and hit the ice, all you need to do is visit http://www.toronto.ca/parks/skating/outdoor-rinks.htm to find the skating rink closest to you. The city boasts about 50 outdoor rinks, and skates can be rented out at a few of them. Some locations are more scenic than others, with High Park and Rosedale Park attracting many patrons. Others, like the rink at the Ryerson Community Park are smaller and often less crowded . Whether you are with family, with friends, or even flying solo, skating is just one of those things that makes winter more bearable. Toronto’s outdoor rinks are set to open between November 19th, and December 3rd.

7

6

Until December 11, the Gardiner Museum will host top interior designers and architects as they decorate 12 Christmas trees, and the results are sure to be dazzling.

While the exhibit only runs for a short time, it is certainly worth checking out. If you miss this exhibit, the Eaton’s Centre always has a wonderfully decorated tree that stays up throughout the holiday season.

Note: exposure to professionally decorated Christmas trees may result in some sort of holiday-decorating-inferiority-complex.

Don’t say you weren’t warned.

8

Volunteer or Donate

Tobogganing

Because nothing beats the rush of gliding down an icy hill, and because it is free.

Some of Toronto’s top tobogganing spots include Trinity Bellwoods Park, Lithuania Park and Riverdale Park. Grab a sled, a Krazy Karpet, or just steal a lunch tray from your local food court. Whichever vessel you choose, tobogganing is sure to bring back some cherished memories –and to make for some great new ones.

After all, the holidays are about giving, right? There are countless charities and organizations that depend on the public for donations and volunteers. The Yonge Street Mission and the Stop Community Food Centre are some examples of places looking for people to donate time, gifts, food or money. With an increasing number of Torontonians struggling to stay above the poverty line, a little care really does go a long way.

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

43

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

My favorite Christmas cookies: 1 cup of margarine 1 cup of brown sugar ½ cup of white sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons of vanilla 2 ¼ cup of flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 ½ cup of Smarties or M&Ms

Directions: 1. Cream together margarine and both the brown sugar and white sugar together.

2. Add the eggs and the vanilla 3. Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture 4. Add the Smarties or M&Ms 5. Drop by rounded teaspoonful on a lightly greased baking sheet 6. Bake at 350 F for 9-11 minutes until golden

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

44

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

A Festive Walk Under $20 Katherine Miller-Rowan

chose the Oven Roasted Veggies one and it was With the Holiday season just upon us what better a l s o very good. way to start the celebrations than by taking a nice long afternoon walk. I recently spent an afternoon walking around ParkIf you are still hungry for dessert, you can continue your walk to-

dale and Queen Street West and fell in love with 4 places that offer exactly what one might need to stay warm and merry during this time of the year. Three of those friendly spots have amazing menus for scrumptious treats while the other offers beautiful and affordable Christmas ornaments. Today I will guide you through a walk that brings you to those 4 places and I will leave you with a recipe for my favorite Holiday cookies.

Our walk starts at the super friendly Capital Espresso cafe located at 1349 Queen Street West. This little café shop, that just celebrated its first year anniversary, sure has what it takes to kick off your day on a happy and cheap note. Their mocha café is my favorite one off Queen Street West and their homemade muffins are super tasty while being healthy. Their menu is kid friendly, kids hot chocolate for 2.50$, which is certainly appealing during the festive season.

After having enjoyed your hot beverages, I suggest that you continue your walk towards downtown and stop at Ravi soup to enjoy a tasty warm lunch. Located at 1128 Queen Street West Ravi soup offers freshly made soups that has all the ingredients to keep you warm and happy. I had the Curried Apricot and Red Lentil soup that was topped off with coriander and lime crème fraiche. It was excellent! The perfect combination of an Indian taste mixed with the freshness of coriander.

For 10.99 $ I got a very large portion of soup and a wrap. For the wrap I

wards downtown and stop at Dlish cupcakes, located at 833 Queen Street West. Like any other bakery stores this place is really cute and as soon as you walk in you are destined to treat yourself to a fine and delightful cupcake. For 3 $ I got their famous red velvet cupcake and it was wonderful! The small dessert was the perfect combination of fresh, moist and sweet. Also, keep in mind that the good thing with cupcakes is that you can easily buy a few more and enjoy them when you get back home.

Ok so now that our stomachs are full it is time to burn off those calories and to do that there is one more place that I suggest walking to. Located at 717 Queen Street West, Châtelet is a lovely little decoration boutique that I have recently fallen in love with. This little gem sure holds many little treasures that can be purchased to garnish your Christmas tree with beautiful and original ornaments. They offer a nice variety of ornaments that sells for under 8.95$. Some of their most interesting decoration pieces are in the shape of cupcakes which is perfect as it keeps us within the food theme.

And finally after a long day of walking outside in the cold I suggest that once you get back home you start decorating your Christmas tree while making those amazing Christmas cookies that are super cheap and easy to make.

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

45

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

DECEMBER HOLIDA

Sharnelle Kan

December is a busy month. From Hannukah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa festivities to the celebration of the New Year, there is always something exciting happening in Toronto. If, by chance you find yourself looking for something to do, this Holiday Events Guide will keep you entertained over the holidays.

MOVIES If you are a movie-addict and are eager to see the newest blockbusters, there are a few films that are definitely worth seeing this month.

New Year’s Eve premieres on December 9. The film features an allstar cast which includes Robert De Niro, Katherine Heigl, and Halle Berry. New Year’s Eve is about the lives of New Yorkers and their heartwarming, intertwining interactions on the eve of the new year.

Also on December 9, Jonah Hill stars in The Sitter, a film about a lazy and unmotivated college student who is coerced to babysit the crazy kids next door. When his crush invites him to a party, he decides to take the kids along and things take a turn for the (hilariously) worst.

Robert Downey Jr. is back as the epic detective in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, on December 16.

The Hollywood adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is being released on December 21, and stars Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara.

Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol, the fourth installment of the film series on December 21.

The Darkest Hour opens in theatres December 25 and centers on a group of young adults who become stranded in Moscow in the midst of an alien attack.

Also premiering on December 25 is Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. After a father’s death in the 9/11 attacks, his 10-year-old son discovers a key he left behind. The son embarks on a journey of selfdiscovery and finds the meaning and value of love.

Steven Spielberg’s War Horse comes to theatres on December 25. The film is based on the novel series by British author Michael Morpurgo.

CONCERTS

The Tea Party (with The Reason) @ Sound Academy on December 1 Feist @ Massey Hall on December 1 Ghostface Killah @ Sound Academy on December 2 Honor Society @ Virgin Mobile Mod Club on December 3 Tyga @ Kool Haus on December 3 Bon Iver @ Massey Hall on December 6 Tokyo Police Club @ Phoenix Concert Theatre December 8-December 10 Tori Amos @ Massey Hall on December 8 K-Os and Bedouin Soundclash @ Sound Academy on December 9 Ryan Adams @ Winter Garden Theatre on December 10 Illscarlett @ Opera House on December 16 The Devil Wears Prada @ Kool Haus on December 16 Midway State @ Virgin Mobile Mod Club on December 17 Abandon All Ships @ Virgin Mobile Mod Club on December 18 The Maine @ Virgin Mobile Mod Club on December 19 Rick Ross @ Sound Academy on December 22 Trans-Siberian Orchestra @ Air Canada Centre on December 29

SPORTS Toronto Raptors vs. Miami Heat @ Air Canada Centre on December 2 Toronto Marlies vs. Houston Aeros @ Ricoh Coliseum on December 3 Toronto Marlies vs. St. John’s Icecaps @ Ricoh Coliseum on December 4 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New Jersey Devils @ Air Canada Centre on December 6 Toronto Marlies vs. Albany Devils @ Ricoh Coliseum on December 10 UFC 140 @ Air Canada Centre on December 10 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Vancouver Canucks @ Air Canada Centre on December 17 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Los Angeles Kings @ Air Canada Centre on December 19 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Buffalo Sabres @ Air Canada Centre on December 22 Toronto Marlies vs. Hamilton Bulldogs @ Air Canada Centre on December 26 Toronto Marlies vs. St. John’s Icecaps @ Ricoh Coliseum on December 31

SHOWS The Metro Convention Center in downtown Toronto will be bustling with events this December. The Toronto Motorcycle Show 2011 will be showcasing an assortment of brand new 2012 models from December 9 to December 11. The Toronto AnimeCON will take place in the North building on December 11, and the Reviving The Islamic Spirit Convention 2011 will take place over the December 23 week-

end.

The popular One of a Kind show will return to the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place from November 24-December 4. Here, artisans will showcase their work in food, fashion, accessories, and more.

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

46

a r t s . c u l t u r e. l i v i n g

DAY EVENTS GUIDE

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Memphis @ Toronto Centre for the Arts Green Day’s American Idiot @ Toronto Centre for the Arts Mary Poppins @ Princess of Wales Theatre on until January 8 Hair @ Royal Alexandra Theatre on December 13-December 31 If you and your friends are looking for a good laugh, Second City is performing an assortment of shows in December. Yuk Yuk’s is also hosting a variety of comedians during the month.

Looking for ways to spend time with your family? Grab tickets to see Disney On Ice: 100 Years of Magic, which is playing at the Rogers Centre throughout December.

FOR THE ACTIVE For the true Torontonian who would like to take advantage of the Canadian winter, Centennial Park and Earl Bales Park offer ski and snowboard facilities.

Those craving a bigger adventure may also consider taking trips to the many resorts in Ontario that offer visitors an opportunity to ski, snowboard, and go snow tubing. Blue Mountain, Deerhurst Resort, and Mount St. Louis Moonstone are popular destinations.

Also, remember to stop by Harbourfront’s Natrel ice rink. Enjoy a hot chocolate and skate against the beautiful backdrop of Toronto’s lakeshore. Saturday nights are always fun, as DJs from Toronto play music for skaters all night.

FOR THE INDOORSY-TYPE

Museums are great places to visit during the cold winter months.

Thankfully, there are many exciting exhibitions that Toronto museum’s are showcasing in December.

Royal Ontario Museum: - David Hockney’s fresh flowers: Drawings on the iPhone and iPad (until January 1) - Maya: Secrets of their Ancient World (opens November 19) Art Gallery of Ontario: - Haute Culture (until January 1) - Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde: Masterpieces from the Collection of the Centre Pompidou, Paris (until January 15) Bata Shoe Museum: - The Roaring Twenties: Heels, Hemlines and High Spirits (until June 2012) - Art in Shoes ~ Shoes in Art (until April 2012) For more learning opportunities, the Ontario Science Center and Casa Loma provide a stimulating and educational experience.

Ontario Science Center: - Leonardo da Vinci’s Workshop (until March 2012) - GPS Adventures (until January 2012) Casa Loma: Known as “Canada’s Majestic Castle”, the home once belonged to Canadian financier Sir Henry Pellat. The mansion boasts secret passages, beautiful suites, stables, and a flourishing garden (open in the Spring/ Summer).

On December 10, Casa Loma will be offering an Archery Workshop for adults. Early registration is recommended.

NEW YEARS Citytv will host the annual New Year’s Eve Bash at Nathan Phillips Square. Each year the event features the hottest Canadian artists.

The New Year’s Eve Bash is quite popular and gets crowded quickly, so get there early to ensure a spot close to the stage!

And as always, the CN Tower is a popular attraction in Toronto due to the glass floor and outdoor observation level. Need a great date idea?

Try the 360 Restaurant, a fine dining restaurant that provides a revolving view of the gorgeous Toronto skyline.

The Toronto Zoo will open its doors for the 9th Annual New Year’s Eve Family Countdown. The outdoor event begins at 4:30 PM.

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

47

E L A

E R U

T U F

L & E

R U LT

U C , S T R A

G N I IV

www.futureale.com