the reena/princess diaries

Wordpressing it up

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 04:31:00 +0000

The reena/princess diaries has officially changed location to: Wordpress! Why? Well, I feel bad listing all the reasons why on a blogger blog (for fear of revenge, obviously), so check it out yourself to see why. Hopefully you will like it better as well! Click here to get to the *new page* :)

Las Meninas

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:48:00 +0000

VELAZQUEZ, Diego
Las Meninas
1656
Oil on canvas
10'5" x 9'1"
Museo del Prado, Madrid

Last summer, I had the opportunity to travel around Spain with my aunt. It was absolutely amazing to go for so many reasons: 1) I hadn't gone to Europe in a really long time, since I was probably too young to enjoy it, 2) It was Spain! I could practice Spanish, 3) Culture, culture, culture. I could go on and on, but I am going to hold myself back for the sake of a short-ish blog entry :)

One of the many famous paintings that we saw was "Las Meninas" by Velazquez, while visiting El Prado in Madrid. I can't say that I had heard of it before going to Spain, but once stepping into the museum its reputation precedes it...and it's popularity was evident in the crowds of people standing before it. I managed to get this picture - for some reason in El Prado they let you take pictures of the paintings, as long as there was no flash (Most of the other museums we went to completely banned it. I wasn't going to complain though).

First thing to notice: The painting is HUGE (!!), I couldn't get it into one picture. So as a disclaimer, I'm not going to pretend to know anything about art history for the sake of describing this painting accurately, because really...I know nothing about this stuff. For a very art-history-oriented description, check out this review or this one, with more of a focus on Velazquez. From the audioguide, this is what I remember: This painting describes a scene that actually took place - a painting being painted. Velazquez is seen on the left hand side, paintbrush in hand. The focus of the painting is the infanta Margerita, who has come into the room while her parents (the King and Queen) are being painted by Velazquez (you can see their reflection in the mirror hanging on the back wall). She is surrounded by two of her 'Meninas', which basically means handmaid or lady-in-waiting. On the lower right-hand side are two entertainers of the court: the dwarfs.

Insert here: moment of dramatic silence.

I always thought that the dwarfs were randomly chosen to entertain the Spanish aristocrats, and disturbing as that is, just left it at that. According to Dr. Taylor (one of my favourite professors in the Faculty of Medicine and U of T!), the King selectively mated the dwarfs to propagate a population of dwarfs for the sake of their entertainment. Just a little disturbing, no? Maribarbola, the female dwarf standing closest to la infanta Margerita, had achondroplasia, a type of dwarfism where they have a normal size trunk with short limbs. Apparently this is the most common type. The other dwarf (introduced as the court jester in the audioguide), Nicolasito, had a growth hormone deficiency as his limbs and features are in proportion with the rest of his body. Just another example of how science can define itself in so many different disciplines, and also how Velazquez lives up to his reputation of the ultimate realistic painter :) I love it.

Must...blog...more...

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 03:48:00 +0000

Ah, sweet procrastination
The temptation of knowing that I shouldn't be blogging makes it extremely irresistable...I feel like such an addict. To satisfy this blog-craving I am resorting to posting small mini-entries. Today I'm positing about a recent entry written on the blog of a friend aka my european informant. He recently posted a video of a musical duo Rodrigo y Gabriela performing one of their songs...and I'm completely in love. First of all, I'm a total musical instrument junkie. I go to those campus performances of students who play piano or trumpet to raise money for some charitable organization...and yes, I get goosebumps while listening. I went to band camp. I have an acoustic guitar sitting around my condo (currently collecting dust, but soon enough I shall become like Gabriela...ah, I can't lie! She rocks). Anyways, basically I'm stealing his blog entry because I've become obsessed with it, so here you go. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do! I've got to give the guy credit, it was a good post.

Memories...memories...
Secondly, I'm going through a nostalgic phase (I always seem to have excess time to reflect on the past and debate the true meaning of my existence...etc...when I have work to do) so here's a classic video, which first made it's debut here.

Watch the video
Maybe I should put it into context, so we don't look like complete fools. (1) We were on a road-trip in NYC, therefore had a whole weekend of being insane and crazy while running around the city. (2) Our room was really ghetto...see the wall. It was a jail cell in disguise. (3) No, we hadn't been drinking. We're just naturally hilarious. (4) We're singing about doilies, because Court bought a shirt that looked like a doily. Obviously.

Wow, this blog entry is so stolen :) On another note, I have internet at home FINALLY! Thanks to my roomie and her excellent router-configuring skills. Soon to come: an original blog entry. Soon.

Benefits of working in a lab

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 13:47:00 +0000

The Buff Scientist
You know you need to go to the gym more often when: your only source of that post-workout lactic-acid muscle burn is a long day of pipetting in the lab.

Yes, it sounds super geeky, but I'm attempting to gloss over that fact with my heading...yup, I'm buff now after working in a lab. At least my right arm is.

The quick fix for neuroglycopenia*: alcohol

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 19:32:00 +0000

Ah, life after undergrad. I've only been offically registered as a M.Sc. student for a couple weeks now, but I sense a pattern. Work hard, play hard. I like it (for obvious reasons). I can come in at 8pm or all day on a Saturday and people will be in lab (= work hard). Okay, so it seems a lot like undergrad in that sense, working insane hours towards a goal (edumacation or some letters after your name = goal). However FINALLY in grad school there is a payoff. To ease the pain of this excessive brain usage, every other day there is an event luring us with 'subsidized wine' or 'cheap beer'...and I'm not complaining. I have a total weak spot for red wine. It's really a great atmosphere - I think everyone is affected by the lack of social contact (no more hours in the library surrounded by everyone stressing out = social contact in undergrad) and so we've been on this mad hunt for the parties. For example, today there is a wine & cheese on campus. Tomorrow there is a cheap beer/wine networking party in one of the hospitals (yes, in a hospital, it's where we hang out). As the new official Social Coordinator (yay! capitalized on purpose...denotes importance) of GASP (Graduate Association of Students in Phyiology) of course it is my responsibility to be informed of such events, and as well to organize and attend such events...you know, I'm just fulfilling my responsibility. Well, at the very least there is the promise of making a few more friends and having some fun :) Not a bad deal at all.

*Neuroglycopenia: Your brain and you have been working overtime, depleting your glucose (aka energy) stores and therefore you need to either (1) eat, or (2) drink something. Alcohol does have a lot of sugar in it. I had to put this in the title because it was one of our favourite words to use during the summer when we could use a Tim Horton's break - "I'm feeling a little neuroglycopenic" (followed by all of us cracking up).

Big cities can be dangerous

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 23:01:00 +0000

To illustrate my last post about the Creepy people (those ones that make unnecessary extraneous contact), here's a video about Juan Mann, a guy that walked around with a big sign "FREE HUGS"...offering up the obvious. It's cute, I have to admit, but inspirational? Still thinking about that one.

Notice how at the beginning everyone thinks he's kinda weird and avoids the man who attempts to make PHYSICAL contact, nevermind just attempting to talk to them. First he can only get the trusting old ladies to hug him. Eventually it moves on to a few touching group hugs (I'm a big fan of the group hug), and even some hugs-with-stunts (see the skateborder).

This is an excerpt which was posted with the clip:
As this symbol of human hope spread accross the city, police and officials ordered the Free Hugs campaign BANNED.

Banned?! For HUGGING? Yup, them group hugs are pretty dangerous to society (I've had experience)

The Creep vs. The Friendly Guy

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 16:15:00 +0000

There are those people that are definitely creepy. Those strange smelling ones with greasy hair that hang around excessively staring at you (= creep). But there sometimes can be a very fine line between those people that are creepy and those that are just trying to be plain friendly, and often I find myself choosing the more cynical path. I think it's a big-city phenomenon - people just do not interact with each other (See"The monkeys are scared of each other"). I know I posted a while back about how nice it was to meet someone friendly in the elevator - this really only applies in a safe environment, like the workplace. If the same encounter occured in some random building it would be totally different and I would be counting the seconds until I escape from this person would be possible.

Last night I took the subway home to avoid the weirdos on Yonge St., but apparently it was inescapable. After exiting the subway, this random guy smiled at me and said hi - feeling sorta mean if I didn't reply, I said hello back. BAD IDEA. I won't go into details, but I think it could be classified as C-R-E-E-P-Y. Actually, now that I think about it, this random guy on Yonge St started talking to me the other day as well, and turned out to be a little creep-o as well. Hmmm....I think this deserves a list.

Reena's Guide to Social Interactions

1. Always listen to your mother: Don't talk to strangers.
2. Appearances can be decieving (Yonge St man looked pretty clean cut).
3. Appearances can be indicative of character (Subway guy looked weird).
4. Cynicism should be the default outlook on life.
5. Eye contact should be avoided at all cost. Wasn't there some monkey-movie about this? If you look them in the eyes they will kill you? Something like that.
6. No smiling either.
7. Okay, okay. Some people are nice. But they should have to pass a test for insanity (or sanity?) before getting this designation.

Is it just me, or do other people find this as well?! Does anyone else actually look these guys in the eye, and therefore incite the weirdo interaction? Feel free to post any additional advice you might have, I could definitely use it.

These wonderful, educational experiences remind me of the good ol' Sex and the City episode, The Freak Show, where Carrie wonders: "Are all men freaks?" I couldn't find a clip of it anywhere online, but here's the official episode guide.

Serving Size: 4 extremely yummy pieces

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 23:07:00 +0000

I'm in lab on a Sunday evening (again), attempting to get some good reading in while things are quiet (and to get away from my comfy bed and tv!). It's always a little freaky being here alone...especially when it's dark outside. St. Michael's hospital has certain hallways that remind me of the movie 'The Shining' - it looks like it was built in the 70's and it is generally deserted with low ceilings, long hallways, doors on either side, weird noises...etc, etc. I haven't encountered any men with axes or freakish twin ghosts (yet), but I think it is a comparable environment.

During my readings, I have gone on a little tangent analyzing the messages that can be found within food packaging. Don't you find that the nutritional information on the side of food packages is often misleading? I.e.) The serving size might be 10g, whereas the actual granola bar is 50g???? I've been sitting here munching away at these scandalously yummy Mauna Loa chocolates that a co-worker brought in for her last day. I think it is all part of an evil plot to fatten us up in her absence (a la Hansel & Gretel*). But regardless, these Mauna Loa guys are more realistic then most...serving size = 4 pieces. Yup, a whole 230 Calories (it even says "Fat Calories 140"...just in case you were thinking positive and hoping it was something else). So of course, I had to listen to the writing on the box (they know best)....yum, yum.

*On a completely different note, I'm slightly disturbed by the morbidity of the Grimm children's stories - all this people eating and blood. My european informant recently told me how in the Grimm Brother's version of Cinderella, the step-sisters were told by their mother to cut off their toes, so they could fit into the glass slipper...sure enough, he doesn't lie. Check out the story here.

Recovering from trauma

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 00:34:00 +0000

Trauma #1
No internet at home. Yes, I'm making excuses for my lack of recent posting, but I really should get brownie points for effort. I have attempted to access the internet from many, many locations in our 700 or so square feet - including but not limited to the bathroom, the kitchen and the empty corner of the living room. I have now resorted to staying until late hours at lab to work online (As I am now. Risking my life for this blog by having to walk up Yonge St after dark...that's dedication)

Trauma #2
Spending an evening with 5 European male doctors. They decided that I needed to learn the "Top ten things to know about the european male". Number one: Never say "What would you like me to show you?" (I was talking about work! Oi). Number two: Never give them coke cans and water bottles (Case in point: this led to the construction of a large tower on our supervisor's kitchen table, which resulted in everything falling and spilling a large bowl of potato chips onto his floor. A LARGE bowl). I don't remember all the rest, but one thing I definitely learnt was not to bring up anything about the Italian soccer club which would result in singing, dancing and other strange, soccer-related noises. Boys are weird :)

Lesson of the day: don't take loose-leaf tea to rock concert

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 23:45:00 +0000

This weekend I went to the Veggie Food Fair and the Virgin Festival on the toronto islands. YAY! It was tons of fun. More weekends should be spent this way. The Veggie Food Fair was basically a bunch of booths with food. Some had clothes (the shirt on
the right says: "vegans get plenty: protein, calcium, iron, sweet loving". Check out the others at Vegan Porn. And of course there was free food (woo hoo!), a definite cause for excitement - until we got too full.

Another cause for excitement were the multiple booths that were selling LOOSE-LEAF TEA. I am an avid tea-drinker. This enjoyment of mine began not so long ago by the purchase of some innocent-looking teas at the One of A Kind show in Toronto last year, and is now beginning to border on obsession. Seriously. To the point where I'm tempted to spend my hard-earned scholarship funding on loose-leaf tea....but of course will resist. The fear of not being able to pay rent or tuition is a good way of controlling the spending. Ah, fear is so controlling. Anyways, back to the subject at hand. All the teas were in little bowls for us to see/touch/smell, and it was like heaven*. I've found it really difficult to buy loose-leaf tea in Toronto, and when you go to a store and stare at a wall with a million little jars of tea lined up side by side it can be overwhelming (and expensive). So we hooked it up, big time, with both Eugenie and I getting some "Moonlight Lavender"(from Tea2gather) and "Spirit" (from Orbit). Yay! After making these purchases, we headed over to take the ferry to the Virgin festival. As with any concert, the security guards at the entrance asked to check our bags, and were just slightly freaked out when they saw two 50g bags of this inside:

So apparently "Moonlight Lavender" tea looks like pot....but it's TEA! TEA! I swear! The guy was pretty nice, so he let us go without much questioning (after freaking him out), but really we could've totally been taking drugs with us....which I think is hilarious.

The concert absolutely rocked. I love Muse even more than before. They were so amazing live, and Matthew Bellamy (the lead singer/guitarist) was super cool in a red jumpsuit :) I attempted to make a video of my favourite song (Starlight), but it sounds really crappy because of the base. They ROCKED. Gnarls Barkley was also there, but I can't say I was too impressed with his 'image'. His singing was amazing and the band itself was really funky, but he was too stereotypical: He had HUGE three-million karat diamond earrings on each ear, and this watch that was so diamond studded you couldn't look directly at it without being blinded. Every other word he said was more than a little obscene, and I was completely traumatized when he asked for girls to flash him, and this slightly larger person next to me decided to fulfill this request....ahhhhhh!!!!!! But thinking positive, we were just happy she didn't fall on us half-naked. That would be scary.

Lastly, we finished off the night with a girly sleep-over where we made pizza, warm chai (it was freezing outside!) and watched tv in my super comfy new bed...it felt soooo good to fall asleep after the tiring day of doing fun stuff :)

*Consequently, I've decided to modify my life-dream of opening a bookstore to include a little nook where we can serve (and sell) tea to our customers...you know, after doing this M.Sc. business.

my new love: canadian tire

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 13:29:00 +0000

I love Canadian Tire. Not to the point where I feel the need to post it on Love Revealed (mostly because I would feel really geeky!), but still, it's love. I went yesterday to the new Canadian Tire that just opened a couple blocks away from the condo - seriously, the most beautiful place. It was all shiny and new. Every sales person was happy and asked you if you need help (which got a little excessive eventually...), AND (the best part) they had these nifty escalators for your shopping carts. You just push them through this little gate which says "No Children" (haha), and then it gets pulled downstairs/upstairs and you can take the normal escalator. It was strangely amusing.

Another reason to love it? I got a blender, dvd player, mop, light bulbs, garbage bags and hand mixer for $90. Not bad at all :)

vegetarian bliss

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 03:17:00 +0000

Yes, there is such a thing, despite what you meat-lovin' folk might think :)

This weekend I will be attending the annual Vegetarian Food Fair at Toronto harbourfront!!!! And I'm very excited. I've never been before, but according to the website it promises to have cooking demonstrations, workshops and a hugemongeous vegetarian food-tent...yum, yum. As a veggie, I get the question: "So, what DO you eat?!?" from the majority of the carniverous people I meet. This questions always kind of stumps me, since I've grown up in a basically vegetarian family (and extended family), and if you don't rely on meat as a part of your diet then you obviously don't miss it. For this reason, the veggie food fair looks like it may provide a wide variety of vegetarian dishes that I could offer up as answers to this question, or that a meat-eater may be able to appreciate....and if not, it should be pretty yummy regardless :)

If anyone in Toronto feels like trying it out, one of my favourite vegetarian restaurants is The Vegetarian Haven, on Baldwin St. It's actually a vegan restaurant, and the locale of choice when going out for a meal with my cousins in Toronto. They have a super long menu, so you'll definitely find something you like. I go for the fruit rolls and the hawaiian tofu, but they also have all that fak-o meat stuff for those of you that miss it (it looks so real that it freaks us out when we go...in terms of taste, I can't tell you much about how real it is).

So, to finish off this vegetarian themed post, here's a totally random video about some normal carniverous guys turned cannibal that attempt to eat their vegetarian friend (thoughts are coming back of all those conversations I've had with friends about how I would "taste better" since I'm fed on organic greens...not freaked out at all). I love the amateur-ness and the ketchup:

Return of the reena blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 13:49:00 +0000

Hello, hello. It's officially September, I'm officially moved back into my place downtown (yay!), and my little brother has officially moved out to go to university. The only "big change" that has yet to occur is the official starting of classes for grad school, next week. I'm a little more than apprehensive about this, mostly because for each class a student has to lead the lecture for one hour...and you have to participate in discussion. Discussion was the bane of my existence in high school, so university was a welcome change...I like the independent studying approach. Argh.
Anyways, so what's kept me occupied this week, too busy to write in the blog? A lot of very very cool, blog-worthy topics...

Solferino's
Recommended by a co-worker, I have been on the hunt for this little gelato place for THE LONGEST TIME. Coming from NYC (and therefore unfamiliar with the city), my co-worker told me it was "off of Front, on a little side street. Near Jarvis."* Consequently, everytime I was in the area, I looked for it...to no avail. However, on Monday we took off from work a little early to try this gelato...finally. It's on Wellington, just west of Church. Although a little pricey (it was $5 for two scoops, no cone), I must say that it was an excellent recommendation. They have about twenty different flavours, mostly fruit based BUT they definitely had their unhealthy options as well - I tried Belgian Chocolate Orange and Papaya. According to this review, the "gelato maker" (I can't think of a better term) has a MSc in Food Science...therefore, the ultimate expert (don't doubt a person with an MSc) :)

Lord of the Rings
Despite the fact that we went to see this show after hearing many, many negative reviews - I LOVED it! I was totally not "bored of the rings". If you're looking for a handy nickname, Lord of the Bling would work pretty well. There were insane special effects. And yes, although the Hobbits were annoyingly happy at the beginning, the happiness tapered down to a more normal level...you know, after Gandalf dies and all that.

Goodbye Courkie
Courtney Chan (aka Courkie, Cha-Cha, Court, etc.) has moved to Windsor for 8 months, attending teacher's college. For those of you that read her blog, you will have gotten the update already. Apparently Windsor isn't the greatest city in the world, I think she referred to it as the "armpit" of Ontario...sounds like fun. We took Court out for dinner at our favourite Indian restaurant, where the brown man complimented her on her jewelry (as expected, she's a brown man magnet), and then wandered about the city randomly. It was a fun, typical night of just hanging out with friends, which will definitely be missed!!!

Moving in
Although I didn't move in until this weekend**, I spent the whole week priming, painting and putting varnish on the new, beautiful kitchen table. Yay! I love it. I think I might've scared my roomie by asking her not to put anything sharp, hot, or heavy on it...yet. Yes, I'm overprotective, but it's my baby!!! And so pretty. Here are some pics of the work in progress. If/when I make a blog-video of the condo, you'll see the table in action (sitting in the living room), but until then:

Minus the Brother
My little brother has gone to university. Yes I know I've mentioned this before, but it's so...weird. I can't believe he's old enough. Makes me feel really really old. Although yesterday when we moved him into residence, there were a fair number of people that thought I was the university newbie - it would be ultimately worse if people thought I was his mother or something. I also applied to UWO, his school, but turned down their scholarship to attend U of T, and until now have been confident in this decision. But after visiting Western yesterday, I was REALLY impressed with their campus, their student involvement, their residence, the food....everything. Mostly their food. While U of T overcharges you, they get special "residence" prices, which are ridiculously cheap. These kids are being so spoilt, we had it tough in the inner-city campus at U of T.

Cleaning like a maniac
Okay, this topic isn't so blog-worthy, but I'm writing about it anyways in hopes of a little sympathy. I'll be spending the day cleaning like a maniac, while waiting for my QUEEN SIZE matress to arrive. It's hugemongeous. The bed frame takes up all of Court's old room. So far today I've planted some flowers (which are currently germinating in the laundry room - they need warmth!) and written this blog entry. Very, very productive :)

*Side note: This co-worker seems to always know all the really yummy places to go in Toronto, and all the things going on in the city (Busker-fest, V-fest, Beer-fest, etc), and she's only lived here a couple months - seriously putting us Torontonians to shame. She's inspiring me - this weekend we're going to the Vegetarian food fair at the Harbourfront, and then to the V-fest concert at Toronto islands (with Muse). And then to the film fest. I'm motivated.
**Although I know that James is anti-blog (Yes, we actually have friends like this. Who would've known), I have to give him credit here. He basically moved me in by himself over two days...working long hours into the night to put together the freaking Ikea furniture. Thank uuuu!!!!!

Change is good...I think

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 03:26:00 +0000

It's that time of year again when everyone goes back to school, or in the case of my brother, heads off to university for the first time (which is totally freaking me out, by the way). Either way, whether changes in accomodation, educational path, careers, goals...life in general...it all seems to be happening now for some reason. I guess we're around that age, early twenties, when people are graduating and figuring out where they want life to go for them. I can't believe that we're old enough to get married. Or that I still am not sure what I would like to do when I "grow up". There are a ton of unbelievable changes that seem to be taking place in such a short period of time...it's would have potential to be really scary, but it seems to be happening sooo fast that there's no time to react. Which might be for the best, just to live it one day at a time. Anyways, I seem to be going off on a completely random rant, which was not the purpose of this blog entry at all.

What I meant to talk about...
First, I won't be posting much this week, because as my mother reminded me: I only have one week left in the comfort of my parent's home, before I'm back out on my own in the real world (and consequently will have an excess of free time to post as often as I like).

Secondly, a while back I posted a song by Muse that I was obsessively listening to. Well, here's my favourite Muse song for the week (click here to listen) - it's the title track off their new album, and it's simply the best song to sing along to (as I've been doing constantly while driving around town this weekend). You definitely should trust my opinion on this one, I've become an expert car-singer while living in suburbia. Also, for anyone interested, Muse is coming to Toronto in a couple weeks along with about a million other bands. It sounds pretty amazing.

China cracks down on funeral strippers

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 01:11:00 +0000

With so many troubles plaguing the world today, how can one person truly educate themselves about the situation at hand? Just to help out, I thought I would share the dire funeral-stripping situation currently affecting rural China. Funeral stripping is not about people stealing caskets or flowers from funerals, as you may have thought, and yes, all you people with your minds in the gutter...are right!

Basically, the greater the number of people that attend a funeral, the more honour that is brought to the deceased. So, in an apparently common attempt to help boost their post-mortem ratings and bring forth the crowds, they hire strippers. Not really your typical sad, morose atmosphere. Read the full article here. Inspired anyone? :) Let's just say this is one of those times where I'm glad I will be cremated.

Young at heart?

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 00:26:00 +0000

I swear, I'm getting younger day by day. I blame the summer students in our lab, they're bad influences (I am normally extremely mature, obviously). For example, today Eugenie* told us a story about some girl in her kindergarten class who drank milk mixed with coke...and traumatized her for life. Another co-worker was laughing hysterically over her computer, and got us all watching this Muppets video, which has been stuck in my head since. Bring back any memories? I like the two guys at the end. Who am I kidding...I like them all. It's SO CUTE.

Manah-Manah

If you have the time, check out the site on Wikipedia - not only used on the Muppets, this song has been used in a million different contexts, including a very scandalous Swedish one! Oi.

*Eugenie also told me I had to write about her in my blog...or else. She's scary sometimes, so for my own safety, I had to comply.

The sauce packets are speaking to me

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 17:03:00 +0000

And no, I'm not going crazy. Yesterday my brother and I visited our favourite fine dining establishment, Taco Bell. There must be someone really bored in the Taco Bell design department, or maybe someone with the same cheesy sense of humour as myself - either way, it made us smile! These are a few of my favourite examples of fast-food ingenuity:

Oh, but it doesn't stop there. Other sayings included:

So many Tacos, so little time.
Live life one sauce packet at a time.
Save a bun. Eat a Taco.
Live life...take two.
I'm in good hands now.
Pick me. Pick me.

At least you know that the next time you're feeling down and out, all you have to do is visit your local Taco Bell joint to know that someone loves you :) Awww.

Speaking of unrequited love...

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 18:15:00 +0000

Today tickets went on sale for the So You Think You Can Dance LIVE SHOW in Toronto - and it's all sold out!!!! 'Tis my own fault for forgetting to check at 10am (when they first went on sale), but it's only been four hours. Oi! So basically, I thought I would enter my desperate plea online:

Does anyone, anywhere have tickets?!?!

I will buy two of them from you! PLEASE! Dmitri is calling to me. Ha ha, okay maybe not, but I will be very VERY happy!!!! C'mon, help a couple of groupie-esque, obsessed girls out.

A bollywood classic

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 02:21:00 +0000

Showtime
Today my family and I went to see the new show in town, Bombay Dreams. When we first heard about a Broadway-style show with a Bollywood theme, we were excited at the idea of this little piece of Indian culture making it mainstream and, of course, had to buy tickets. It was fun and entertaining, although I have to say I was disappointed by a couple things. First, it did not compare to the sophistication of Broadway show classics like 'The Lion King' or 'The Phantom', period. Secondly, to me, the dancing was really simplistic and not even really coordinated at times - although when we spoke with other people afterwards, the one comment I heard was "the dancers were so coordinated!" - so I think they definitely will please the average theatre-goer. Lastly, it is problematic in that it is supposed to be like a Bollywood film, therefore it doesn't portray Indian people and culture in the most favourable way (with corruption, scandal, caste issues, etc. Typical Bollywood). So, what did I like? The classic Indian outfits were gorgeous, and the male lead was hilarious and perfect for the role.

Bollywood!
For those readers that may be unfamiliar with Bollywood films, here are a few characteristic features:

ROMANCE: Romeo-and-Juliet-esque lovers, destined for each other, yet separated by their families
Issues of caste/class: Think a good and kind prostitute / the evil oil magnate
Corruption: usually embodied in the local police, or mafia ring-leaders
Coincidences! Or should I say serendipity? A lot of what goes on in Bollywood films is seemingly random, coming from nowhere, yet somehow will always end up in the reunion of the seperated lovers.
Requited love - the ultimate Bollywood theme. Add a little bit of family honour and respect for your parents, and there you have it.

All of this is going on amidst a lot of singing and dancing - a film is not Bollywood without this. Often when a movie comes out it might not be that great, but the music will build up it's popularity - destined to be played at weddings for years to come. As you may know from my obsession with "So you think you can dance", I'm a sucker for a good dance routine. So my preference in Bollywood films are the old-school ones: where classical dancing (often performed by the warm-hearted prostitute) was the definitive factor that brought an actress to fame. I love Indian classical dance, maybe because I was never trained classically (I learnt folk dance growing up) and I admire all the effort that someone has to dedicate to perform it well.

Devdas - Maar Dala
Here's a clip from one of my favourite Hindi films. I wouldn't consider it "Bollywood" in the typical sense, as it lacks the prevalent cheesiness-factor. A re-make of a classic story, Devdas was another one of those exciting cross-over moments, premiering at the Cannes film festival.
In this scene, the woman/prostitute (played by Madhuri Dixit) told the creepy guy (the one with the mustache) that she would wait for the other guy (the one she loves, but can't be with because he's in love with someone else) to come before she started dancing. Creepy guy mocks her, and says lover-boy won't come, so she burns a candle and tells creep-o that she will dance for him when the candle burns out. Anyone confused yet? :) So to make a long story short, her love arrives (depressed, because he can't have HIS love) and watches her dance. At the end he goes crazy with sadness and turns scandalously to alcohol, as he watches the wedding procession of his love go by outside. See what I mean about love and prostitutes and honour? Ah, I love it. The clip is pretty fuzzy, but it's the best I could find. Click here for the translation.

blog-worthy entertainment

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 03:46:00 +0000

Step Up
Ah, romance and dancing. Must I really say how much I liked this movie? Despite the unlikely characterization (think bad boy janitor becomes amazing, dancing boyfriend) and the occasional lack of acting ability (Can we honestly demand it all: good-looks, dancing ability AND acting? Really.) it was AWESOME. Okay so it didn't exactly boast originality, following along the same lines as Save the Last Dance. But I definitely like this one as much, or even better, for two reasons: First, the lead actor, Channing Tatum. He's gorgeous, buff and can dance. Some people like guys who have a sense of humour, others like guys who blog. Me? I like guys who can dance. It's not a requirement by any means, but it is a definite asset. And really, who cannot love this guy. Anyways, I should move on before this entry becomes "I love Channing!" oriented. The second reason I loved this movie was because of the dancing, obviously. Like the visit to the art gallery prompted the start of a new painting, watching this movie brings up feelings of nostalgia for my dancing days of way back when. Or my clubbing days. Either way, it's a lot of fun and something I will be watching again!!
Muse
My second obsession of the day, potentially of the week (yep I'm going for long term commitment). I know there are other bands out there that have the same idea - classical instruments supporting rock-ish music - but thanks to my little brother introducing me to Muse, and my limited exposure to other music, I like this one. I recently went to a concert featuring Collective Soul and Jacksoul (and others) supported by the TSO that was absolutely amazing. Muse takes the same idea, and adds Radiohead-esque vocals...basically, the ultimate combination. Listen for yourself here, and turn up the volume :)

babies, babies, babies

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 03:13:00 +0000

The family stuff
Today was a particularly important day for my aunt, who is expecting a baby (!!! yay!). According to Hindu tradition, during the 7th month of pregnancy you hold this ceremony, which we had today - I really can't tell you the exact purpose, but I believe it is to prepare the parents for their new baby...or something. There were coconuts involved, which means something to do with fertility (obviously - she's pregnant). There's also this part where some little kid has to come and "slap" the pregnant woman with red dye on his hands. Nice, eh? I asked my mom what the significance of this abusive tradition was, and she replied with "To punish her for having sex" (followed by multiple rounds of laughter with my aunt). So now I'm not only traumatized, but also scandalized by my mother.

The science stuff
Here's my little factoid for the day - for those of you that haven't heard this before. To begin, I'm a big embryology buff. You may call me obsessed, but it's really an amazing process, I don't understand how anyone cannot be fascinated by embryology. Anyways, so this guy called Da Vinci did a series of anatomical studies - although famous generally for his paintings, he was interested in examining anatomy and the proportionality of the human body. One of his most famous anatomical drawings was actually the source of confusion when used as a medical reference (which can be found in some textbooks!), as it was incorrect. Can anyone guess from looking at the picture??? (Does anyone think I'm crazy and ranting about embryological facts that are insignificant? TSK, TSK. You people should google embryology. Or click on this link on the left. Or wait excitingly for my embryology-entry.) :)

Okay well, here's the deal: Da Vinci used animal models (cow, in this case) for his sketches. He drew the human embryo sitting within a cotyledonary placenta*, while really humans have a discoid placenta**. Ooooh, Da Vinci made a mistake, Da Vinci made a mistake. There is reassurence in the fact that even brilliant geniuses aren't always right.

*Cotyledonary: Multiple, discrete areas of attachment called cotyledons are formed by interaction of patches of allantochorion with endometrium. The fetal portions of this type of placenta are called cotyledons, the maternal contact sites (caruncles), and the cotyledon-caruncle complex a placentome. This type of placentation is observed in ruminents (ie, cow).

**Discoid: A single placenta is formed and is discoid in shape. Single area of attachment, which contains cotyledons. Side note: Cotyledon is the strangest word - I cannot for the life of me figure out how to properly pronounce it, or where this word comes from. Anyone take classics and know if there is a rationale behind this weirdness?

Nothing wrong with a little happiness

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 02:31:00 +0000

In recent days, I've found myself consciously aware of the outlook of people surrounding me - whether they are people I interact with for only a few short moments, maybe on the subway, or people I see on a daily basis; it is obvious when a person's perspective is positive or negative.

When you think about it, it's suprising how seriously people take some things and how upset they can get. Today I met a very friendly woman while waiting for the elevator, and after chatting for a few moments about how ridiculously slow the hospital elevators are, we shared a moment of excitement when it finally arrived. When she left, she very sincerely wished me a "very, very good day". It's strange how something so small can have such a large impact. Simply bypassing the usual "no-talking" rule that seems to prevail in elevators had me arriving at work feeling extra upbeat and cheery. Things like this always help to remind me that, really, life isn't going to always be perfect, but it's all about how you handle what comes your way. Some people get upset and angry. Others joke about it, and continue on their way. Myself? I think I lean towards the positive end, so as a warning, this blog entry is going to be about some happy mushy stuff.

Have you ever read the book "Don't sweat the small stuff"? I read it many years ago, but the basic principle is that people can spend so much energy getting worked up over the "small stuff" in life that they fail to truly experience how beautiful it can be. To me, this doesn't mean that you shouldn't stop yourself from being upset, but just to be more aware of what you can change, and what is worth spending the time worrying about. The irony of it all is that you really cannot tell someone this - it's a mindset that one has to understand and take on themselves. I definitely have my dad to thank for brainwashing me with positive thinking - during our childhood (AND STILL), he employed the following sentences in excess:

"Don't worry, be happy"
"I am number one!"
"Always remember your dreams"
Dad: "How are you?" Us: "FANTASTIC!" (the only accepted response)

I think this is one of the reasons I love the movie Moulin Rouge so much. It's filled with 'bohemian' expressions of optimism and happiness (for example: "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be love in return"). Alright, well I think I could rant about this forever.

Basically, what I meant to start writing about, was this other blog I came across: Love Revealed. People send in a picture of something that makes them happy, something they love, and write a one sentence (anonymous) explanation why. To quote the author: There's so much negativity and hatred in the world, a slice of heartfelt love can't go astray. I'm all about this rationale. Check it out, send in a picture, or just browse through what other people have sent in. Enjoy!

I sent in this picture (haha YES!) as a reminder of awesome times with good friends on a recent trip to NYC. There are too many things I could send in, but this was the first thing that happened to come to mind today.

Dried fish - yum, yum

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 23:46:00 +0000

The other day my co-worker and I were strolling down the street chatting about our pets. She has an affection-hungry cat, I have a food-hungry fishie. When I told her my fish (blueberry*) was a Betta, she told me this:

Co-worker: I used to have a fighting fish, too.
Me: No way! I have one and I love it and it's so cute.
Co-worker: Yeah...it lived for about six months.
Me: Really?! I used to have one a couple years ago**, and it almost lived to over a year and a half. That's so weird.
Co-worker: Well, I took care of it for the six months, then one day just forgot about it.
Me: Forgot???
Co-worker: Yeah, well it was sorta hidden behind a couch. The water all evaporated and the fish dried out.

Sort of disturbing, isn't it? Especially knowing that this co-worker is a doctor (ha ha ha) and is a really nice person. The title of this entry refers to my vegetarian opinion that people eat random stuff, like dried seaweed and frozen jellyfish, so I wouldn't put dried out Betta-fish past you meat-eating folk. :)

*I recently got my fish from my friend Zainab's wedding, where it was the centerpiece. I chose it because it was a really cool shade of blue/purple, however after feeding it this expensive japanese colour-enhancing food, it's turned red. I refuse to change the name to raspberry (too girly).

**RIP jay-z. I also got this fish from Zainab (and my other friend Jaffer), hence the name "J" and "Z". It sadly died last summer when I was away on a trip to Spain.

clips of chicago

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 02:53:00 +0000

So the continuation of the Chicago-blog-entry has been delayed due to a large paper cut on the tip of my finger - not exactly the most conducive location for typing, unfortunately! Why, why, why do paper cuts hurt so much. Anyways, so here's my lazy attempt at a blog entry while temporarily unable to type...enjoy!

View of Chicago skyline: We went to the tourist hot-spot, Chicago's Navy Pier. The Chicago waterfront area is absolutely beautiful, and this seemed like the place where families/friends go to enjoy the city. I took this video on a ferris wheel ride, overlooking the Chicago skyline - thought it looked kind of nice

Click to Play

Trolley ride: Very San Francisco-esque, Chicago has these free trolleys that take you to various locations in the downtown core. We were riding on the "shopping tour" (hence the commentary by the driver), because it took us to the John Hancock building.

Click to Play

On the street: Post-John Hancock, the kiddies were sleeping in strollers so we couldn't take the trolley back. Instead, we hiked our way miles through the city, on our way to Navy Pier. This was at one random location where we were surrounded by some awesome architecture - the building that I pause on (the one across the street) is the Wrigley building.

Click to Play

The Windy City

noreply@blogger.com (Reena) — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 03:18:00 +0000

This weekend, my family and I embarked upon a last minute trip to Chicago, also known as the "windy city". So, you may ask, what does a tourist do in Chicago on this beautiful summer weekend?

See the Tall Ships
The festival of the Tall Ships is meant to recognize the role these vessels played in the city's development - a step back into the 1800s. A lot of tourists flock to the city for this, and people seemed to be talking about it alot. Also, it was our "reason for visiting the city" at customs. But obviously, I really suck at describing it because we didn't see it at all. Okay I lie, we saw one ship...but really, we had no idea what was going on.

Visit Lollapalooza
The self-proclaimed "musical experience like no other", Lollapalooza was a huge attraction with over 130 bands performing outdoors in Chicago's waterfront park. Of course, with something that has such potential to be exciting, we didn't manage to go. Although we occasionally heard bands performing from the street while visiting other attractions, if that counts...hm.

So here's my excuse for skipping out on these Chicago-events: we were really only in core Chicago for a couple days, so we had to ration our time available to do tourist-y things (WE DID!). Also, we were in the company of two very time consuming kiddies aka #1 and #2...

Sure, they look all cute and innocent enough, but wait until they are tired or #2 wants "jus!" (juice) or "ba-ba" (camera) or "mum mum mum mum" (food)....you get the idea :) Although I must say they were tons of fun during their cute and innocent moments.

So you're probably wondering what the heck we actually did on this trip...well, I'm sorta tired now (it's really late!) so I will continue this entry tomorrow. After work, of course.
;)