Easy A, amusing as Mean Girls

Barça break. I forgot to mention how hilarious this movie is! I loved it. Emma Stone is great, and so are her movie parents in the film, Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci. Penn Badgley is a dreamboat - here more so than in GG (Yes... I've been watching Gossip Girl again... probably because my personal life has been so low-key I've been indulging in drama from my TV screen). But really the humour compares to the classically hilarious Mean Girls, funny for all.

Part dos: I went to Barça and came back a foodie

Well, not exactly. However, I did go to Barça and eat incredibly exquisite, lush dinners, lunches and gelato! My love for food and fine dining still holds as always, but I'm not about to call myself a foodie - I'm really nowhere near pretentious enough for that self-proclaimed title and hopefully never will be. Although to befriend a foodie is never something I would deny. This is my biggest obstacle: I love food and I adore trying new cuisine, but I'm always so conflicted at the menu stage - what to order, alongside what appetizer and what drink to best compliment the main course ingredients. I love people who just know... and can take the pain out of my indecisiveness and order for me! In Spain, luckily the decisions were never too difficult. The menus were often printed with English translation or an entire English menu available for the ignorant tourists who "forgot" their English-to-Spanish pocket translation guide back at the hotel, or were just too hungry to bother - dinner was around 10 pm each night, can you really blame us!


Our first meal of the trip was a lovely lunch @ Next To rest-bar - a delicious ham and cheese baguette with juice (we found to be often more expensive than an alcoholic beverage). It wasn't always the case that wait staff was friendly but at this particular cafe, our waiter was incredibly friendly and took time to talk directions, traveling advice specific to the area and tipping tips (we always left tips, but he noted it's not expected the same way it is back home, you leave what you can or what you think the wait staff truly deserved). Really made a huge difference.

A Greek salad from a Irish-inspired pub (BCN is in no shortage of this style of pub).

Paella, the specialty of Spain. We took a short break from tanning on the beach and swimming in the ocean to enjoy a Catalonian platter, a pitcher of sangria and seafood paella at a beachside resto. Absolutely delightful.

The dinner at this restaurant *name TK, was an incredibly lucious delight, however the atmosphere was a little off, staff not too friendly.



Buffet @ Flaminco show.

My absolute favourite dinner was at a gallery-style restaurant of pure class and taste *Name TK, forgive me.

To die for.

Limoncello, so refreshing @ Happy Bar and Grill - although wouldn't recommend eating here, too over-Americanized.

We sampled a number of different tapas and fell in love @ Tapa Tapa! Great staff and delicious food. Recommend!

Delicious croquettes @ Tapa Tapa.

When it came to beer - we loved Estrella and Bitburger.

And lest we not forget (the soldiers, it is Rembrance Day afterall) but also le cheesebuger.

It's just one of those things that has to be done while traveling.

Thankfully we did our fair share of walking during the trip and despite what this post may convey, did not come back 300 lbs heavier.

Buen Apetito!

Part Uno: Soundtrack esta Barcelona

Sadly, it is not Spanish guitar I will be reporting on as the romantic soundtrack of my time spent in Barcelona. Perhaps it may have been more readily available if I was in fact looking for a romantic soundtrack, but I was visiting with one of my oldest and bestest of friends and so our Dutch MTV soundtrack suited us just fine for the time being.

I always find it interesting how predominant the role of music plays in my everyday life, relating to memories of specific days or people or really anything and everything. Even if I haven't thought of a person in years, the second a song comes on that reminds me of him/her I am taken right back to that time or place I heard it and those memories as to who, what, where, when, why and how resurface, whether it be good or bad. Point in case, anytime I hear any of the songs I am about to list, it is Spain I am brought back to for a brief moment, and that makes me happy.

Although pretty much none of these songs fall under a typical genre of music I list among my favourites, these songs were drilled into my head like you would not understand. Dutch MTV really doesn't believe in variety, at all. Although, I do believe Yolanda Be Cool's video for No Speak Americano is awesome. I love the 20s talkie influence. 





I can't even count how many times they played this song, and we dreaded it every time. It now holds a special place in my heart (haha) purely related to missing Barcelona.





Here's one that I will actually vouch for as an awesome song, and not just because I was in Spain and it was familiar. I'm actually on the new Robyn bandwagon. 



Among others that were being (over) played at the time, Bershka (one of my new favourite shops, which I will discuss later) puts together monthly playlists, and the September has it all.

Besides the horribly overplayed MTV playlist which we sang while strolling the streets of BCN, we did get to hear some Spanish guitar passing in the streets mostly surrounding tourist magnets like Park Güell:

Outside of Park Güell, by Antoni Gaudí, Barcelona.

Or more notably at our evening of Flaminco. The one downfall to my amazing Nikon D3000 is it doesn't shoot video. Even still, you really need to go see one of these shows for yourself to appreciate the art of the dance, guitar and singing. Absolutely amazing.



Our first night out dancing we went to a Brazilian club called The Roxy Blue which was amazing. There was a Brazilian band playing for the first half of the evening and then the DJ came on and played everything from Jay-Z to three Drake songs! - we were pretty excited to have some Toronto talent displayed overseas. =) Would recommend partying here if you're in the area.

We also ducked into a jazz club briefly one evening at around 1:00 am while waiting for the actual club we were going to, City Hall, to get busy. Even when we did finally go in at 2:00 am we were the first people dancing to light up the dance floor. The jazz bar was called Bel-Luna and housed more than a few MJ fanatics who all joined together to dance Thriller, as we paid our tab. Great stopover.

Also story to note: @ City Hall it was an 80s & 90s themed occassion and so it was fitting for Megan and I to request a little Semi Charmed Life and Carlos the awesome DJ played it happily and bought us a shot to boost because he was so thrilled we requested it. So much fun, these DJs were by far the best, so friendly and interesting to chat with.

Apollo was another club we checked out while in BCN. Despite the fact that we were way over dressed and were offered to bypass the huge line before even getting to the end of it, this club impressed us least of all. The crowd seemed especially young, even for Europe. They did play some sweet bands including Vampire Weekend, Rage against the Machine, Dexys Midnight Runners, Miike Snow, MJ and Artic Monkeys to name a few - definitely an interesting mix.

We couldn't help but notice and laugh at the abundance of really bad 90s soft rock playing in the cafes and our hotel throughout the day. For example, Roxette's, It must have been love and Jimmy Ray Are you Jimmy Ray? ...Just... why?

And I leave with you a song I listened to while packing for my trip by a band called I'm from Barcelona, who are actually from Jönköping, Sweden.

I ♥ BCN

My ultimate dream job has been discovered, officially. It no longer falls under the categories of rock star, Broadway performer, film script writer, set/costume designer, magazine editor or Queen of the world – although I assure you these career choices would most certainly not be passed up given the opportunity. I have decided, TRAVEL WRITER EXTRAORDINAIRE to be my true calling – or at least a job I believe to be potentially the ultimate that one can acquire. What’s not to love? The ability to travel the world, experience exotic cultures, indulge in lush foreign cuisine, meet countless interesting individuals from every nationality, all the while documenting your personal accounts of it all and maybe even discovering some meaning and life purpose along the way. One word: ideal.



My dream to travel the world is nothing new, or out of the ordinary for that matter. I find it more unusual to hear of someone who doesn’t want to do this, content to stay completely caged in their familiar surroundings. And so this past August, I finally did it. I didn’t book an all-inclusive to the blissfully divine white sands of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic like last time. That would have been heavenly, but far too easy. This time I wanted an adventure – a European adventure. Just reread that, horribly cheesy and actually somewhat misleading. It sounds like I embarked on an insanely wild adventure, traveling on trains to unknown territory while constantly being interrupted by a strange Italian man, “Mi Scusi.”  Or at the very least braving a potentially bedbug infested hostel, just to say "I did it." No, no... I took baby steps. Baby steps all the way to my four-star, luxious hotel, 987 Barcelona, in Barcelona, Spain, where I slept peacefully and fully enjoyed, for nine incredible days, all that this breathtakingly gorgeous city has to offer.

Photo I captured outside of Casa Batlló, by Antoni Gaudí, Barcelona.

Even before the spontaneous decision and following week to plan and pack, it began with a iconic film - doesn't it always. If you haven't seen Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, watch it, and prepare yourself for the sudden urge to go there, immediately. And if you can... do it. It's everything the film builds it up to be, with less gun shots and more nudist street sightings.

As any freakishly organized sometimes-blogger would do, I mapped out my travels into categories I wanted to discuss specifically in relation to my Spanish adventure, on a napkin @ lunch one day. Said categories being: Music, Cuisine, Art, Style & Shopping and a miscellaneous for all that does not fit, yet is still worth sharing. With the aid of my photography, relating video and links, and words that I can only hope will portray half the imagination and beauty of this indescribable place - you can see Spain how I saw it this summer through dreamy, star struck eyes... or a big blue telescope @ Port Vell, either way I marvel.
 

Port Vell, Barcelona, Spain.

Stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy. 

Hey look, it's us (with Peroni) on She does the City. 

"Apparently the best place to meet a good looking woman with impeccable taste this week was at the Joe Fresh show. Here are a half-dozen that had us turning our heads in Heritage Court."

LG Fashion Weak, Spring 2011

As tradition holds, my most fashionable friend and I ventured to the Heritage Centre, Exhibition Place to catch Toronto's trendiest @ LG Fashion Week, Spring 2011 Collections last night. This year's cliched theme: The Style of Power - A clever switch from last season's The Power of Style... are we already running out of creative fuel in our 12th year?

Unlike last year we arrived fashionably early and caught Rachel Mara's Spring line, "Stolen." The Winnipeg native delivered a collection of flouncy silk and stripes. Wearable and boring. However, I was kept on my toes with the tunes, impressed with the choices: Hot Topic Le Tigre, Gold Guns Girls Metric and Mass Romantic The New Pornographers.

My whole love for fashion sparked with the sheer theatricality of John Galliano and his bizarro themes oozing outlandish creativity. I adore the shock factor, the artistic boundaries forever extended beyond anything you could have ever imagined and nothing more beautiful and more impossible to perceive or deem realistic, and yet it's a real life dream come true - impossible turns itself inside out and into the form of a Christian Dior runway show. Mara's collection was lovely sure, but it's no reason to fall in love at a fashion show, not for me at least. 

The main event of the evening was Mr. Joe Fresh, however, we opted to get caricatures sketched and our makeup did at the L'Oreal hair and makeup station, instead. Oh and a photograph with Ken.

After the show we made our way over to Parts & Labour for DIScONNECT: A MEDIUM EXPERIMENT.


It went something like this:


PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT IS INVITE ONLY HOT ON THE HEELS OF CURRENT TREND, FASHION VIDEOS ARE NOW MORE FLUID THAN EVER. PHOTOGRAPHERS REALIZE THEIR ROLE AS 'DIRECTOR' BUT INSTEAD OF A SCRIPT FOR ACTORS, IT IS A WHOLISTIC SCRIPT FOR GREATER ELEMENTS TO COME TOGETHER AND INTERPRET DESIGNS AND LINES IN UNIQUE WAYS THAT MAKE YOU, THE VIEWER, WANT TO EXPERIENCE LIFE ON A HIGHER PLANE. THIS IS OUR 'DISCONNECT'--OUR INABILITY TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING OUTSIDE OF WHAT IT PRESENTED. CLOTHING, TEXTURE, DESIGN, LINES, LACK THEREOF--WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN? DOES IT MEAN ANYTHING AT ALL? FASHION, SO LONG CONSIDERED FRIVOLOUS, EXCESSIVE, MEANINGLESS...SO WE CHALLENGE OUR PHOTOGRAPHERS, THE EYES OF TORONTO FASHION, TO STEP OUTSIDE OF THEIR MEDIUM OF RECOGNITION AND INTO FILM AND CREATE MOVING IMAGES THAT CONVEY THE THEME OF 'DISCONNECT' WHILE INFUSING THE FASHION ELEMENTS THAT DRIVE THE INDUSTRY. AND WE INVITE YOU, THE VIEWER, TO STEP OUTSIDE OF THE FAMILIAR AND EXPERIENCE 5 SHORT FASHION FILMS, INTERPRETING THIS THEME BY: MIGUEL JACOBMAXIME BOCKENRENATA KAVEH MOO KING & CARLY BANGS WITH PERFORMACE BY TRUST @ PARTS & LABOUR || 1566 QUEEN STREET W || TORONTO ON || WED OCTOBER 20 2010 ||  S | TART: 10:00 PM SC | REENING: 10:30 PM TRUST | PER | FORMS: 11:00 PM EN | D: 12:00 AM  IN | FO P&L


Since I ranted on my lust for Mr. Galliano - here's a glimpse of the first runway show I fell in love with via this masterful genius.

Hallelujah Chicken Run Band

Afrofunk band from Zimbabwe that inspired the likes of my favourite band, Vampire Weekend. Worth a listen, most definitely.  




For the youtube playlist click me.

Carry a velvet warning

This is Ezra Koenig's favourite MGMT song, in case anyone cares as much as I do about EK.




I wonder what makes this one his favourite.

You need someone you can believe in

AMAZING.

You’re kissing your reflection and you can’t understand why all the other boys are going for the new, tall, elegant rich kids

Another band has been crossed off my concert bucket list: Belle & Sebastian.

(Photo by: Sarah Talunay)

The group played a beautiful show at Massey Hall Tuesday night, with local Toronto band, Zeus, as the opener.

Although I made a list of six songs I hoped they would play, sadly not even one of my favourites made the set list. I suppose that's always a risk when you see a band perform who are promoting their eighth(!) album. It was lovely to be a part of nonetheless.

They did play:

Read The Blessed Pages
Write About Love
Like Dylan In The Movies
I'm Not Living In The Real World
The Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner
I Want The World To Stop
Lord Anthony
Sukie In The Graveyard
You Really Got Me (The Kinks cover)
Piazza, New York Catcher
I Didn't See It Coming
I'm A Cuckoo
(I Believe In) Travelin' Light
Dog On Wheels
The Boy With The Arab Strap
Legal Man
Simple Things
Sleep The Clock Around
------ Encore:
This Is Just A Modern Rock Song (not played all the way through...)
Judy and the Dream of Horses
Me and the Major

(Photo by: Sarah Talunay)

Really excited to put Zeus on my iPod, they have a few upcoming shows in Ontario this month. I recommend, if you're into that sort of thing - that sort of thing being: mellow classic/indie rock.


12/02/10 – Peterborough @ Red Dog Tavern ^

12/03/10 – Toronto @ The Horseshoe Tavern *

12/04/10 – London @ Call The Office ^

12/14/10 – Hamilton @ Casbah *
12/15/10 – Waterloo @ Starlight *

12/16/10 – Guelph @ E-Bar %

12/18/10 – Ottawa @ Zaphod’s ^
^ w/ Amos The Transparent
* w/ The Skeletones Four

% w/ Metz, PS I Love You


Here's a taste - Marching Through Your Head - Zeus.


Zeus - Marching Through Your Head (Arts & Crafts) from Kieran Roy on Vimeo.

It's a waste of time if I can't smile easily

I couldn't find a decent video for this song, but I had to post. I loved it about 7(?) years ago and I love it today.

We could slip away, wouldn't that be better

Me with nothing to say, and you in your autumn sweater



5 things communicators should do this summer

5 things communicators should do this summer

Art to get wrapped up in

Loopy Scarf


by Ariane Lespire,


The designer’s architectural background influenced the design for this sculptural scarf. It is handmade of black Italian boiled wool strips that form dramatic loops. Dry-clean only. Made in Belgium. $150 


Available at the MoMA Store, NYC
 

I heard from someone you're still pretty

Love the use of harmoniously blended stop motion images, and everything else.

Toronto Beaches, May 2-4 2010

Toronto Beaches, May 2-4 2010

Emily Palonen originals, enjoy.

To offer it to you would be cruel

My two favourite songs of the day are as follows: 


#1
(Please excuse the nonofficial video, I'm assuming there isn't one made yet, as I can't find it). 





I woke up in a sombre state due to bad dreams, and this song was the solution. It's defining my summer 2010.


#2





Sounds like U2, Where the Streets Have No Name at the beginning, then picks up a beat to Arcade Fire, Rebellion, in my opinion. Both great songs, maybe that's why I like this one. The video really turns me off of this song however. I don't think this love will last as long.


On the subject of videos, sarah shared this one with me, more Vampire Weekend - but so worthy of blogging, amazing. I might even go as far as all time favourite.

I'll do graffiti if you sing to me in French

BANKSY IN TORONTO


British graffiti artist Banksy made a stop over in Toronto this week leaving behind remnants of his legacy - a wise promotional ploy, setting the city of Toronto abuzz coinciding with the release of his new film, Exit Through the Gift Shop.

Photos by Gary Smithson via. Show and Tell Gallery 




If I'm not too exhausted after the days work, it is my plan to see this film tonight.

I don't beg. I don't borrow. I steal.

I hear this song several times daily, and until recently was unaware it was ScarJo herself - as informed by my stylist coworker. I like the song, I'm just not sure I believe her as a singer. Then again I'm not sure I believe her as a great actress either. I love her movies and she's absolutely gorgeous - something just feels slightly formulated and unnatural. Am I alone in this belief?