'face and Bodies

Last weekend was a three-day weekend (our company observes President's Day) and we took advantage by checking out some of the goings-on in the tri-state area, specifically the Bodies Exhibit and Babyface's concert.

The Bodies: The Exhibit (http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com) is a travelling exhibition of preserved human bodies (and body parts). It features cadavers in various stages of dissection, each meant to showcase a certain bodily system (e.g. nervous, digestive, reproductive). Cathy and I had our misgivings about catching the exhibit (real disected human bodies??) but in the end figured we'd pick something up from the experience.

We were not disappointed. The exhibit was fascinating. The 'specimens' were not encased in glass so you could really get er, up close and personal. You could touch them if you so wanted (why anyone would want to do so -- that's another matter). I dont think anyone could walk away from the exhibit without feeling a sense of awe at just how complex creation is, and how perfect our design. True, some displays left us feeling queasy (e.g. blackened lung and cystic ovaries, anyone? Anyone?) but overall, it was a great learning experience, and it prompted me to reevaluate my sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits. (The exhibit also 'stayed' with me such that that evening, I was preparing dinner, took one look at the leftover (babyback) ribs, and put them right back.)

BTW, There is apparently some controversy surrounding the way the bodies were procured. A local magazine has noted that the bodies were 'ordered' from China at $300 each. - That would explain the cryptic comment we heard at the ticket queue where one man, trying to convince his wife to see the exhibit with him, had said 'The bodies are mostly Chinamen'. Go figure-- I take it to mean that it is less freaky to watch dissected 'Chinamen'.)

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One other highlight of the weekend was watching Babyface's concert at the Madison Theater. What can I say: I got my money's worth (at $35- it was a bargain). He sang a couple of new songs from his upcoming album, and did his old hits like Change the World, Everytime I Close My Eyes, When Can I See You Again, What If, etc. He also did medleys of songs he's written for other artists (and there were several). Way cool.

I went with Franee, Kate, and Au-- of whom only Au was really into Babyface (Fran and Kate- I had to cajole to join). In any case, I think everyone ended up enjoying the show. In any case, I know I did =) (With reference to my previous post => http://ofwjournal.blogspot.com/2008/02/out-of-tune.html)

(We ended up getting our picture on CinWeekly's (a local lifestyle journal's) website. http://www.cinweekly.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=A1&Dato=20080219&Kategori=LIFE05&Lopenr=802190801&Ref=PH -> it's #19.)

Magic/Tragic

These past days have been specially challenging- weather-wise. Temperatures are hanging around 12 degrees (that's Fahrenheit, mind you) so yes, quite a bit below freezing. I always have four layers of clothing on top (inner shirt, button-down shirt, sweater, jacket) and three below (ok, do we need to get into that?). If it gets any colder, mobility will start becoming an issue.

I take issue with the cold but not the snow. This is our third winter (not counting winters from previous business trips) but I am still caught up in the magic of watching snow fall. I have even learned to distingush the different types. There are the ones that look like minced styropore, there's the cotton ball variety, and the wet 'shaved ice' kind. (I just realized that statement is depressing: I just compared snow-- so pure and natural -- to industrial age by-products). It may be floating, blowing with the wind, or coming down in torrents: Part of me wants to stand in the middle of it, spread my arms and look skyward (cue movie shot). It is always exhilirating and I hope the novelty of it never wears off.

On the other hand, continuous snow fall leads to accumulation. Accumulation that you makes walking a delicate balancing act, that needs to be scrape off the windshield, that wheels get stuck in. And as it melts, the pure white slowly turns gray/ash before becoming an brownish muckish eyesore.

The silver lining? Snow melting signals spring. And grass, flowers, trees. And warm weather...

... and the oppressive heat of the sun beating down. Pollen and allergies. Bugs.

Eternal discontent: It's a wonderful thing.

Out of Tune

Not that I was ever in tune with my generation's musical taste but I never thought I was that out of touch.

That was my sense anyway from trying to invite friends to watch Third Eye Blind's and Babyface's shows in Cincinnati. I thought it was a rare treat to have these artists playing, within a week of each other, in a very intimate venue, and at just 25/35USD a pop. However, no one seemed to share my excitement. Each invitation was met by an inquisition on past hits, awards, and trivia. Some (the 'younger' set) have never heard of both artists, while the older group think 3EB too noisy, and Babyface, too mellow. And here I was thinking I had to fend people off to get myself tickets.

In any case, three of us went to watch 3EB last Sunday. (For those who keep tabs, I watched 3EB in the same venue last August -> http://ofwjournal.blogspot.com/2007/08/3eb.html.) Interestingly, the crowd consisted mostly of college and high school kids. From our seats in the balcony, we could see all the drinking, high-fiving, and body surfing going on. One of the kids jumped on the stage and danced around for 5 seconds before security caught him. It was all such good fun-- I felt 25 instead of 30.

And then the discomfort hit. I felt out of place in the midst of all the youthful exuberance. I suddenly became self-conscious of my leather jacket (very... OFW), my head bobbing (awkward, at best), and the fact that I knew the lyrics (who memorizes lyrics?). "Rock concert" just didn't jive with my look/age/personality.

I was starting to plan my escape route when I caught glimpse of this guy just in front of us. He looked to be past fifty- complete with bald spot and beer belly. He had his eyes closed as he head-banged, very er, Mick Jagger-esque but without the Rolling Stones cool. He drummed and banged on the table, and (horrors) swayed to the slow songs. It was all ghastly to behold but he didn't seem to mind. If it occurred to him that he was skewing the crowd's demographics, all by his lonesome, he didn't let on that it bothered him.

The old-timer helped me realize: It wasn't the music that I am not in tune with, but myself and what I gave myself license to do. I am also 30 years old and it still mattered to me what these teenagers perceived me. So what if I head-banged, drummed, and... swayed, ever so stiffly? I was too old to put other people's perception ahead of my own enjoyment.

And so I resolve: when I watch the Babyface concert this Sunday: I will clap, sing along, cheer/jeer, body surf (fat chance) and damn it, sway, if I want to. All I need to do is tune in -- to the concert and to myself-- and tune everyone else out.

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Post-script: I turn 30 October of this year. Ergo, feeling old, past/present/future, milestones, and quite possibly, arthritis-- would be recurring themes. Don't say I didn't warn you. (oh, and by the way, that sets the tone: 'cranky/belligerent').

O, Canada!

Just coming off the high of 10 days in (insert adjective: cold, diverse, fun, beautiful) Toronto. The trip was exciting/extraordinary and comfortable/relaxed, in equal measure. Don't bother deciphering the contradiction-- it is one of those things that just IS.

The main purpose of the trip was business - Cathy and I were supposed to appear before the US consulate in Toronto to get our work visas extended. Yes, you actually need to leave the US to get the US work visas reissued/extended. Go figure.

In any case, we took advantage of the situation to experience Toronto. We arrived the Friday before our Monday appointment with the consulate, and extended through the next weekend to sample what the city had to offer.

O-rdinary days

We got in late on Friday and went straight to Charles and Nina's (who graciously agreed to put us up for the weekend). Charles, who immigrated a few years back, had recently moved to the 'burbs. This weekend provided us a good vantage of day-to-day life in Toronto. Over the next two days, we went malling, food tripping, and grocery shopping. It was a good immersion in the northern part of the ever-expanding Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Apart from an appearance at the lawyer's office and the US consulate on Monday, we spent the rest of the week working from the Toronto General Offices. The GO conveniently sat on top of a subway station so we were able to make our way around our city very easily thanks to the efficient transport system. (The subways also sheltered us from the wicked weather and snow.

O, what fun!

Since Cathy and I have both travelled to Toronto before on separate trips, there was no pressure to visit all the tourist spots. We did get to visit Casa Loma, CN Tower, Chinatown, and Niagara Falls over the two weekends. Most memorable was the glass floor on the CN Tower. The tower, still one of the highest free-standing structure in the world, has an observation deck with a glass floor. It gave the illusion of a straight drop how-many-stories below. The prospect of standing on the glass terrified me. I've been on it on my last trip and, then as now, it took a lot of psyching up before I took my first shaky steps. It was exhilirating though still downright scary. Cathy and I took the requisite photos (she didnt seem to mind it as much) which captured the best specimen of my forced nervous smile to date.

Meanwhile, the trip to Chinatown was a lot more familiar. Much like San Francisco, it was the quintessential Chinatown--- Chinese herb stores, stalls of fake DVD, shops selling feng shui odds and ends, amahs hurrying past. We didnt tarry in this part of town but I marked it down for future exploration.

Speaking of Chinatown, much has been said of Toronto's diversity. I really could not but be amazed by it. As one friend described it, it's like the UN-sponsored city. It wasnt just the obvious diversity of the mix, it was the fact that no one seemed to pay it any mind. I'm sure they deal with some ethnic related issues but if so, these werent immediately obvious to me.

O, glorious food!

In any case, the ethnic mix lent itself to the highlight of our stay: food tripping! In the course of the week, we sampled Japanese, Indian, Mediterranean, Korean, and (authentic) Chinese food. And of course: Filipino food - turo-turo (cafeteria) style. Charles introduced us to Jesse Jr that first weekend and we came back to it two more times in the course of the week. We really took our Filipino food craving to heart (stomach, more like). From our hotel downtown, we needed to change subway trains three times and take the bus for ~5 minutes (total travel time: 1 hour each way) to get to the resto. Still, it was worth it. I used the travel time to rationalize my ordering enough food to feed 4 people. On our trip there the Sunday before we flew back, I ordered kare-kare, laing, pork barbeque, and palabok -- for myself.

Summing Up

Needlessly to say, we thoroughly enjoyed Toronto. The sights, the food, the people-- what a trip! We can't wait to visit again in the summer when the city has thawed out and we can see what excitement-- and what ordinary days -- summer in Toronto has to offer.

Sidenote: 'O, Canada' is the Canadian national anthem. I heard it the first time ~8 years ago while touring Disney's Epcot Center in Orlando with my family. We visited the Canada pavilion and watched the feature on Canada in a 360 degree theater where they showed images of life in Canada with 'O, Canada' as the background music. The melody stuck. What a melodic come-on =).

On Again, Off Again

... so my relationship with blogging goes. My resolution for 2008: blog more often and spend less time on each entry. (This mirrors my 'email' resolution.)

Let's see how long this resolution sticks. =)