Coco Avant Chanel

Yesterday I cast in stone a decision to really do things my way and not to settle for pebbles. You see, tiny doubts and bad idea bears have crept around my cozy crypt (for alliteration’s sake), but not anymore. Do you even know how difficult it is to remain oneself in the world that is constantly harassing you to be a caricature of yourself? Dear Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

Gabrielle Chanel did exactly that.

The first thing I did after watching Coco Avant Chanel is go to The Auteurs and add the film to my profile. There I saw 2-3 reviews by self-proclaimed cinephiles, saying they were disappointed about the lack of flair, flashy fashion and epicocity that the Paris fashion was then. What? Did you even read the title of the film!? The execution was subtle, and increasingly Chanelesque in composition and tone. Look what some idiot wrote: “Was expecting much more nuance and flair in the filmmaking, but all it contained were overdetermined references to Chanelesque style points: black & white, pearls, lace, and whatnot. Riveting?”  Gosh.

I viewed the whole story as a non-stop series of transformations; about the men and women, her surroundings and other elements that influenced her. Subtle, a little slow, but always emotionally vibrant. It’s also about true love, inspiration, determination and support. It’s not about how cool it must’ve been to be mademoiselle Chanel. It’s about being a strong woman going against the current. At least in my opinion.

In fact, what people labeled “plainliness”, I called elegance. Where some were looking for color and fluff, I was sensing the weight and texture, to somewhat speak in fashion terms. I loved Audrey Tautou; in my world she is on par with Anouk Aimee and Anna Karina. I think we all fell for Alessandro Nivola’s  (Yale grad btw) character a little too. But my favorite part is that it was not a rags to riches via marriage (thus complete denial of Gabrielle’s self) story, but a rags to riches via unrestrained imagination, hard work and daring to be different.

Filed under: film , beauty, development, fashion, film, movie, self, work

Quadruple Myself

I am a sucker for photo apps. If you didn’t know, back in the day I used to be heavy into photography, including spending my high school lunch hours in the darkroom, looking at photo books, magazines, walking around the city experimenting with shots, learning Photoshop a year prior taking photography class so that I’d be prepared to edit the negatives… Anyway, I love photos, taking photos and playing with photo toys.

I bought a QuadCamera iPhone app for $1.99 and, when it doesn’t freeze my screen, it is a fun little application. I think it requires way too much iPhone thinking power to work smoothly; sad story. Last night Josue took some fun shots of me and Lisa, and I thought I’d share them. Apparently there are not enough photos of self on this personal blog, har har.

The cool thing is, this app will give you both lomo-style four shots AND a gif file! You can select the desired filter and really experiment. Below are some shots of me horsing around According to Josue, “i’m really good at this”.

And nowwwww, the gifs!

Having a seizure yet?

Filed under: Great Products , fun, iphone, photography, photos, self, technology, toronto

Book/Film Re-Runs

Catholic guilt is the term used to identify the supposed excess guilt felt by Catholics and lapsed Catholics. The term catholic guilt is controversial as it is not clearly differentiated from the guilt felt by members of other religions or moral codes. Says Wikipedia. This term is too strong for this post, but I use it when describing my feelings towards other things. Moreover, I’m not even Catholic.

I have a problem with watching the same film, or, worse, reading the same book, over and over and over because I’m acutely aware of the lack of time in a life (add to that the daily-changing probabilities of a sudden, tragic or freak death, accident or a negative surprise; life gets even shorter), and I feel that spending time re-reading the best book in the world will handicap me in my quest for self-development, entertainment and the general betterment.

If I get my mittens on a much beloved DVD, I don’t watch it right away (unless I’m trying to educate fellow bright minds during their visits to my pixie palace). I set it aside and feel torn between it (the personally approved) and the unseen latest and greatest (at least critically acclaimed or much-recommended, or “really important as per some weirdos” works). It’s not so difficult with films. I end up plowing through the cinematic world with no problem, catching both old and new, but rarely on repeat.

I have never re-read a book. I have absolute favorites, with highlighted passages, scribbles, smiley faces and comments in the margins, but I never read them again. I covet them, place them on display, and recommend left-right-center, but that’s it. Time is too precious. On top of that, I do remember the story line and have selected quotes written in my secret book.

I also rarely read contemporary fiction, because there is a higher probability that I won’t like it. Would I rather spend time on something that’s received a Nobel prize in Literature (check out the list, if you’ve got no author to read), something that inspires a dozen+ of other cultural pieces, or something that’s recently become a NY Times bestseller (which, by the looks of it, is every fiction book at Chapters). I pick 100 Years of Solitude over Life of Pi; I will sweat and labor over William Faulkner than surrender to Dan Brown. Does this make me some kind of a psychotic nut? Hey… I can just wait and give all this contemporary stuff 50 years and see where it gets them

In the dark ages of the past, I have been guilty of watching Titanic (I said it! I was twelve!), The Fifth Element, La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2, Hercules (Go Disney!), Coraline, The Hole very frequently. These movies are only 5% reflective of my favorites. My favorite movie of all times – Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, – was probably watched thrice in my lifetime. That’s it. What is the correlation between favorite films/books and those that I actually watched many, many times? Probably has to do with young age and having a lot more time dedicated to havoc and idleness (although I read!) vs now.

PS. Last contemporary book I’ve read was Pride & Prejudice & Zombies (hey, it was featured in episode 1 of Heroes, Season4). And it was awesome. Can we please have more remixing of old and new? I do like some light beach reading (poetry, Lewis Carroll), don’t get me wrong.

Filed under: film, literature , film, literature, memories, movies, obsessions, self

Following Tetro

To add to my previous post, the review of Tetro – I was the youngest person in the audience, it seems. Why is it that I was the youngest person in the whole theatre? Do young people do not watch Francis Ford Coppola? Do young people have no interest in cinema? Do young people even care about themes expressed in the movie?

The whole time I was watching it, I was thinking about following my dreams, about not going with the flow, and about not settling for the average. I’ve been told by my parents and by good friends and all sorts of people that it’s all right to lower my expectations and just take whatever “best” is available at my disposal. But my disposal restrains me to one city, to downtown, to be precise. And “my disposal” is actually not a limited radius, but an ever changing circle of desires, goals and aspirations.

And not even that. I was thinking about how with time I’ve had reoccurring thoughts of “Perhaps, I should go with this, perhaps, this is all right”. On some days I’m almost ready to shut down my wanderlust and the desire to leap into the unknown. I never, never feel that this is it. Everywhere I’ve been and lived, I knew that it was all just a transitory period. No location is ever permanent, no set-up is ever to continue and to be made into a routine.

Only someone on the same path knows. The great earth is so vast, it makes people so utterly sad.
— Engo, in case 23 of the Hekigan-roku

Filed under: imaginings , development, memories, sad, self, sometimes

Marshall McLuhan is immortal… or something

“The past went that-away. When faced with a totally new situation, we tend to always attach ourselves to the objects, to the flavor of the most recent past. We look at the present through a rear-view mirror. We march backwards into the future. Suburbia lives imaginatively in Bonanza-land.”

…from The Medium is the Massage (1967). And it had to do with his communication theory. But that work touched upon so many other aspects.

Indeed, don’t we spend too much time going back, comparing, and repeating scenes from the past? Mostly, we humans tend to stick to the past as we tippy-toe into tomorrow. Constant analysis, checks, and verifications.

I got better at jumping forward without thinking much about the past. On one hand, that’s great as I jump into experiences with an open mind; on the other, that may suggest that I don’t take into account lessons from the past and run forward anyway.

In either case, without a proper cost-benefit analysis and a necessary dip into the past, one simply would not be able to make proper decisions. Past is past, you can’t completely give it up; you just can’t always check back with it, and compare memories (there are a lot of issues with this, but we’ll save that for another post) with the present and future possibilities.

I find it’s simply a constant struggle to embrace, welcome and cultivate self-taught acceptance and even love of change. Like swimming up the river, salmon-stylez.

Filed under: Quotable, memories , literature, media, memories, Quotable, quote, self

My Mom Asked Me to Pick Only One Word

from this list:

Positive Energy;
creativity;
healing;
wealth;
protection;
love;
intelligence;
strength;
health;
serenity;
growth;
motivation;
harmony;
knowledge;
courage

And this is what I said:

I think growth.

I mean I would pick several ones, but growth is not possible without motivation, strength, intelligence, courage. Knowledge can be equated to growth, so can wealth (like Growing your bank account); creativity is a form of growth, and so is love. I am already full of positive energy, and seek harmony in my relationships; that comes naturally and I don’t see it as something that’s a pinnacle of my essence.

So GROWTH. I’m all about it.

Filed under: random facts , changes, choices, improvements, self

What I Was Made For

My dreams do not end at the white picket fence, a Golden retriever, a BBQ, a 2-hour commute and a pack of kids. No offense to people who aim for that, I have respect for that kind of life and clearly see the benefits. This is not an attack, but stage-setting.

I was made in a different part of the human factory. I got adventure, thirst, and restless, unbreakae spirit hardwired into me. I was meant to push the limits and go places others only vaguely heard of. I could not – at least not in the foreseeable future, – settle down and succumb to the droning repetitive Monday-Fridays, chore Saturdays and BBQ Sundays. Again, not a sin in my books, but not my priority.

I know there is so much more to learn, to try, to see, to know and feel. Especially in our day and age of digital communications. How can I feel content within my 5-block radius, knowing that I could be dancing in Rio and watching the fireworks in Shanghai, helping the kids of Tibet or learning how to manage a herd of caribous? We are all living in the same village now; I can’t pretend that I would be entirely content in the quiet, pastel, mall-like part of it.

McLuhan writes something that strongly resonates with me and compels me to move, act, interact, question and learn:

“the shock of recognition! In an electric information environment [...]Too many people know too much about each other. Our new environment compels commitment and participation. We have become irrevocably involved with, and responsible for, each other.”

I can’t sit around or simply operate in my micro-household galaxy.  That is why I plunge into the unknown; I will continue to do so for as long as I can. I want to die a life worth re-telling, a life worth of millions of gigabytes of memories, smiles, people and passions.

“I love the world; I want more than the world.” The Dying Man by Theodore Roethke. In Memoriam W.B. Yates.

Filed under: moving up , poetry, poem, self, fun, literature, future

Gimme 15, Gimme 20, Gimme 30

I’ve been saying this for two years now: “When I graduate and have a decent job, I will get a personal trainer to get in stellar shape.” This phrase became especially important when last semester I fell into Pizza Pizza’s trap and final examinations’ pit. Then I spent three weeks aboard a couch in my home base in Vancouver, and you can figure that my lady self-consciousness and body image concerns shot up (LOL).

So in April, my month of taking control and shooting forward through the highways of life, I went and got a membership at Extreme Fitness gym. Reserve your criticisms of this gym, please, I’ve done my research. Roger complained about Extreme, because there are a lot gym rats and avid bodybuilders that it’s not always pleasant to pump iron around them. On the contrary, this ardent drive sparks my own motivations to work out and PUSHHH TEH LIMITSSS. I just love this whole, YEAH! GO! attitude that’s at Extreme Fitness, because it sets my blood on fire.

I got a personal trainer and now love working out. He’s awesome, but many muscles keep hurting for days (although stopped this week). I am in the conditioning stage for another 8-9 weeks, after which I step into the muscle building stage and meet with a nutritionist to develop a proper meal program. On top of training 3x a week, I burn 1000 or more calories a week by running, however, I’ve yet to make hot yoga a definite staple of my workout week. Besides having to adjust a couple of elements of my current diet and burning even more calories, I’m on the right path and feel energized, happy and in control of my own self. *Runs off to the gym*

Filed under: moving up , beauty, development, exercise, fitness, health, improvements, plans, self

Bragging About Education Is Totally Acceptable

“Winning is not everything, but wanting to win is.” Vince Lombardi

I’ve been transcribing last term’s successes as well as its struggles on Twitter for the past four months now, but I’m done now, and would like to dedicate this post to my Bachelor of Commerce degree. I graduate with a 3.62 GPA, which likely puts me in a good position to apply to grad schools. I have not picked any specific programs yet, but they’ll most likely revolve around an MFA or a mix of MFA + MBA. Something new, something useful in tackling the future where I’ll be spending a lot of time.

It’s been a crazy ride, featuring Sauder School of Business (at UBC) and the Ted Rogers School of Management (Ryerson). Transferring credits set my graduation back one year, but no matter. Below I list some of the most valuable courses of my undergrad years for the skills they taught me and for personal and professional roads they opened:

1. Strategic Management – an amazing course taught by Steve Gedeon at Ryerson. The professor drilled into our heads the real value behind essentialization, or selecting and communicating most valuable information for decision-making purposes.  Answering the “So what” question is the second element that helped me to write stellar business plans and get my point across.
2. Modern and Postmodern Art - this course dipped me into the pool of beautiful as deeply as possible. I love them because not only did I learn about the key players of last century’s art scene, but I also discovered an infinite web of connections between pop culture, film, business and politics. And I try to keep tabs on my knowledge of art history.
3. Marketing Communications – mostly due to our dynamic professor Marla Spergel, I really enjoyed this course and got a taste of the advertising world. And also made a final and total decision to become part of it (the new advertising, v. 2.0 if you will).
4. Philosophy of Love and Sex – thank gods we got to pick electives; this course made me feel like I went through really amazing therapy sessions. Learned about multi-dimensional relationship dynamics, digged into the depths of “what is love and to love” questions and had the pleasure of working with one of the best and most entertaining professors I ever encountered – James Cunningham.
5. Industry Analysis – a.k.a. the economics of strategy. One of the hardest courses I’ve taken, full of readings and theory, it helped me grasp a better sense of strategy and market dynamics, made me want to read books on war, find joy in writing industry reports and standing my ground. The final A+ industry report I wrote is going into my portfolio of accomplishments.
6. Introduction to Quantitative Decision Making and Application of Statistics in Business – I combine these two classes into one, because they go back to back and are heavily related. Although I struggled through its first part, I cannot ignore its value because almost every finance-laden project and marketing plan needs it. I can also optimize with this baby and fight uncertainty. What a warrior. Stats will haunt us all forever.
7. Ethics in Finance – it sparked my interest in the markets that spreads beyond course content. It also set my ethical beliefs in a more responsible direction. Learned the root of the recent economic crisis and sincerely began to care for sustainable business practices, all thanks to the awesome Dr. Allen Goss.
8. Academic Writing - goes in hand with #1 because you need to be damn able to write coherently if you tamper with complex topics. Especially when your page limit is 10 and you have to communicate the essence of at least 40.

PS. 100th blog post

Filed under: memories, moving up , development, education, ideas, memories, ryerson, self

Because You Asked About Makeup

It’s time to talk about girly things because I never really do, and I am not a gang of girlfriends type o’lady. So I will tell this to the Internets and even show a photo of my collection. These are the most valuable and most important players in my makeup collection. Mind you, not all of them are used all at once, because I don’t have an hour to spend in front of a mirror to go get pho.

1. Urban Decay liquid eye liner in – and this is one of the reasons I got it, laughing maniacally – “Perversion”, which is another word for… black?
2. Korres Ginger and Vitamins natural water-based foundation in LF1. Vitamins C, E and ginger moisturize and SPF 10 adds extra protection. I’ve been using it for 3 months now and can definitely say that the effects are amazing. I wrote about it here as well.
3. Cargo Texas Lash mascara. Cargo is known for producing a fabulous line of High Definition makeup, which is what apparently is used on movie stars. Now that the masses have access to this miracle, I thought I’d test it out. I was expecting bull, but was pleasantly surprised when this super soft and easy to remove (but long-lasting at the same time) mascara increased the length and volume of my lashes in an instant. Perfect for smokey eyes, and for those that don’t have too much time to twist and curl their lashes. Respect.
4. Lorac brow pencil in Auburn. What a shock it was to see its dramatic effect. Soft pencil that lasts long and doesn’t smudge easily. Perfect shade for my red hair.
5. Korres 98.8% natural primer. Again, a miracle. Smooth baby face guaranteed.
6. Korres concealer in WC3 – this thing actually conceals and is a perfect tone for my skin – tad bit lighter than my own. Really covers and really stays.
7. Sephora blush me! in No 12 adds a soft touch to my cheekbones.
8. Hally Hansen Insta-Dri nail polish in Wined Up really does dry fast and utilizes a non-traditional wide brush for more effective application. I’m impressed. (Not shown are my shades of red and black, both by Revlon actually)
9. Korres lip and cheek butter in Wild Rose is another miracle from this Greek brand. I was shocked as to how smooth, pleasantly aromatic (how many wild rose lip glosses/butters have you encountered in your life?) and incredibly moisturizing it is. Love the tint of color it leaves as well. Definitely the purchase of the season!!
10. Christian Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect 757 is what I use when I feel like taking it up a notch. It really does wonders with its maximum shine feature and fantastically 3D color. A must for every sexy lady.

Questions? Write a comment. I’d be more than happy to discuss. I’m also open to challenges if you provide me with a contending product. (I just calculated how much all this costs, and we’re talking $250 value. No wonder I purchase all these things over time )

Filed under: Great Products , beauty, korres, makeup, obsessions, product, self

We Got 5 Years

5 years ago, when I was 17 and about to finish high school – first let me tell you, it was an exciting time because I was a genius in History 12, secured two hot career preparation program placements, got into the university of my choice, had a rockstar boyfriend, grand plans, read the some of the most influential books and was just so happy to reach the peak of my teenage days, – I wrote a collection of prose poetry a la Dreamtigers (you can read parts right here!).

Called From A Dreamtiger, with its mantelpiece is My Baby Krishna (the pictured object on the left), the collection centers on my perceptions of colors, relationships between numbers, memories of friends of the past, and travels. I was really proud of it because it was my first non-childish collection of pieces that really channeled . My writing instructors liked them, as well as MFA writing candidates that I used to talk to a lot. Back then I used to say that every five years I feel like writing about things from the past, and I will probably write about 2004 five years down the road.

In the past month I started to recall more and more little and big things from roughly 5 years ago – events, details, light, people, words exchanged. I remember the walks to the theatre in the falling snow, picnics in the forest, writing papers on the horrors of The Satyricon, frantically trying to comprehend the stock market in a race to win, Spanish visitors, multiple bars in Vancouver with equally multiple sins and vices, music and music and music, the film and modeling, bright future, eternal union, new member of the family, utter confusion borne out of fear of loss and changes, and more and more, expressed in frail and sensitive terms.

I feel the coming of the second chapter of my recollections, which I will add to the first and start looking for publishing opportunities.

Filed under: memories , beauty, changes, creative, development, memories, self, vancouver, writing, youth

On Nicknames and Alter Egos

Today at the office my nearest and dearest proclaimed that there are two of me – there’s the Karin, the focused busy bee, the hard worker who stubbornly focuses on work and shushes (is that even a word?) any distractions or jokes. Then apparently there is Karina who laughs maniacally, talks to herself out loud, answers all kinds of trivia questions such as, “Who wrote Death in Venice” and “What is the (pocket) watch chain called” and all that. Karina is also a bit ADD, because she’ll be telling you about 2009 style trends and at the same time forward interesting articles from the Harvard Business, and confessing her love for Helvetica and informing everyone about the Helvetica the film and the limited edition Helvetica Moleskines (I ordered the red one). The happy, larger than life Karina is what I am on any given happy day, it’s just that deadlines come between me and the rest of the world, and I must switch gears.

Speaking of nicknames. Eric asked about what Hemingway’s nickname was. I’ll tell you all: Hemingway had many nicknames throughout his lifetime. To his sister Sunny, he was “Oinbones.” While in high school, he gave himself the nickname of “Hemingstein.” Because of his love of boxing and the great outdoors, he became known as “Champ.” His first wife Hadley and son John (by Hadley) affectionately referred to him as either “Ernestoic,” “Tatie,” “Tiny,” or “Wax Puppy.” Even the child shared in the fun, acquiring his own nickname of “Bumby.” Hemingway was also known in some circles as “Wemedge.” More obvious nicknames included “Ernie,” “Hem,” and “Hemmy.” But the most enduring and most recognized nickname for Hemingway would be “Papa”. Source.

Filed under: imaginings , hemingway, joy, personalities, self

You Like Girls? You Have to Know About Fashion Too

“…And that’s the way it is. That’s what I wanted to say.” 1 2 3 4 by Miss Kittin & The Hacker (download the MP3). I’ve grown increasingly annoyed with my wardrobe, as I still possessed 4-5 year old items that I would never wear again, despite my stubborn belief that I might use them. Last month I donated 2 garbage bags full of clothes, and I’m not done yet. My current wardrobe seemed disappointing too, as it represented a cool, eccentric university student look too much; the jackets, winter boots and sweaters were becoming a too old or too cute for my liking. So I decided to buy new pieces in line with the hip, sophisticated young woman image.

On a mission to sync my wardrobe with my new attitude and lifestyle, I randomly stumbled on a Henrik Vibskov unisex black crinkle trenchcoat at Delphic (they’ve got amazing stuff). Luckily it was on sale. I love its lightweight and interesting paper-like texture, metallic tone, and waterproof and windproof features. My interpretation is on the right (the belt makes all the difference), pardon the poor photo quality.

I also found a perfect elongated cardigan online, since the stores had either incredibly expensive goods (Henrik Vibskov yet again), or plain cardigans in boring colors. I found a Grey Ant knit cardigan ($352) at 75% off. More Henrik Vibskov – black stretch twill pant, originally priced at $236, and reduced to $59. If that isn’t great value for wardrobe defying pieces, then I don’t know what is. Can’t wait for them to arrive. Can’t wait for Jeffrey Campbell biz bootie – a perfect flat bootie with buckle detail, – to show up in the inventory, too.

Filed under: moving up , self, music, mp3, photos, changes, improvements, development, fashion, city life

Monopolist Half The Time

We return to you once again. In the past week our orders skyrocketed and we couldn’t manufacture enough to meet the demand. Process innovation, in which we engaged,now allows us to produce more, faster and at a lower cost.

Speaking of which, I’m enjoying my Industry Analysis class. My professor, a former art director, is an eccentric, socialist wine connoisseur Dr Richard Michon, well-versed in creative positioning. I’m loving the class, despite originally wincing at the Economics of Strategy text. You see, I didn’t really like to listen during econ lectures back in the day, but it came back to me.

Strategic thinking and seeing the big picture are my strengths. I kinda drool over the military terms that we deal with, and I learn useful things on positioning and sustainable competitive advantage. I’m eager to do the best job I can on the class project which involves a novel-long analysis of a particular industry and maybe more.

One line I’m going to remember for a while and possibly invite into my fleet of mottos, came from a discussion of early mover advantage. Some firms may not want to move in first only to share space with other, possibly improved products of competitors. But! “It’s better to be a monopolist half the time than oligopolist all the time.” I’m running for the market! Bye for now!

Filed under: moving up , changes, learning, plans, ryerson, self, strategy

Top 10 Parties Of All Time

at Space, 2008

I present to you my favorite parties of the past 5 years (since that’s when I started dipping into the scene). The type of an event you talk about for weeks after, revel in the photos/videos and wish you could do it over & over again.

1. Carl Cox at Space, Ibiza, Spain, August 2008. Function 1 sound system, tons of happy people everywhere, amazing beats, all in the legendary Ibiza! I don’t need to describe too much.

2. Egyptrixx, Alias et al. at the Palms Out Sounds CMJ showcase, New York, 2008. Not only the quest of getting there with friends was a blast, but the non-stop heavy beat danceathon till 4am was a pleasant way to kill the October night. Oh yes, it ended with a breakfast at 5am.

3. Housemeister & Modeselektor at Igloofest, Montreal, January 2009. It was an amazing outdoor experience in January at -15C, complete with running into Vancouver acquiantances and dancing with a giant pink rabbit, as well as videotaping the fun, falling in love with techno for the n-th time and bartending comrades.

1. 

   Watergate, Berlin. 5am

4. Tresor and Watergate, Berlin, August 2008. Both of these parties are at par and happened few days apart. Tresor “never sleeps”, and is a scary former power plant – I clearly remember walking in the basement towards utter darkness, but towards the heavy sounds of techno, knowing I was certainly walking to a right place. Watergate was a blast with Krystel & Gerald with sunrise on the canal, and random guys from Chicago gifting us roses.

5. Richie Hawtin aka Plastikman, Vancouver, October 2005. I went by myself and met a million people, got a pass to get on stage and had Richie’s aunt (!) videotape me dancing. I also drank her champagne and ended up at the afterparty where Richie spun. Pretty random and advanced for Vancouver town.

6. My 20th birthday party, Vancouver, July 2006. It started with the longest Japanese Izakaya dinner with friends – first came the squares, then mid-funsters, then rockstars. We ended up at Shine night club and I told Paul Devro that it was my birthday and that I bought the dress I was wearing earlier that day at Dadabase, so he gave me a bunch of drink tickets. 6am bed times after whole lotta fun with close friends.

7. Ellen Allien, Mod Club, Toronto, September 2006. “Last night a DJ saved my life” is exactly how I felt about that night. I’ve been in love with Ellen for few years then, and seeing her few feet apart was unbelievable. Plus, I met an amazing dance team and made new friends in a city I just moved to!

8. Black Ghosts, Wrongbar, Toronto, July 2008. I was extremely tired that evening, but Egyptrixx and Alias dragged me out to an amazing show. I was impressed with live singing and mixing, old beats and crazy rave tunes. Even though I never been to a rave, I felt like I did that time. Great workout, too.

9.Bodyheat party, San Francisco, June 2007. My friend Logan threw a lot of Bodyheat parties back in 2007. We drove from Los Angeles that night. Arriving at 3am, we hopped in just in time for super drunk people to depart and diehards to kick it.

10. Running amok with Michael Leyton, San Francisco, December 2005. The first time we met, we went to a BYOB Mangosteen place, then went to Japantown and stole an American flag after some drinks, explored SF in a car, then I persuaded my way into some cheesy club (being underage), where we danced hardcore to 80’s rock music, screaming “We want techno!” It ended with Michael crashing his car.

Filed under: memories , 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, Berlin, dancing, Europe, fun time, ibiza, memories, self, Spain, travels, vancouver