Places : Canadian National Exhibition

RAZ decided to drop by the CNE this year and enjoy a nice summer day!  Mostly went to try the acclaimed food, it seemed like almost everything revolved around bacon!  We tried the Bacon Explosion!  Then there was the Krispy Kreme Burger and the Red Velvet Pancake Pulled Pork Sandwich.  Let's not forget the infamous Deep Fried Mars Bar.  Talk about calorie overload!  Glad we walked it off and then stuck around till the nightlife picked up.  Captured some awesome lighting shots via the Conklin rides.  Really wanted a bubble gun, but figured...we have one already! LOL!  

With the new Sky Ride, it's about a $5 ride each person if you don't have a Ride Day Pass.  We opted out as it was a bit pricey, although there was a huge lineup. Was sad to see Ontario Place wasn't open.  What are they going to build there anyway?  The sand sculptures were really unique, we took our time to admire all the details and hard work that went into each one.  Tobin says he forgot how cotton candy tastes like...but we didn't get one because there's no way we'd be able to finish it.  Will probably go again next year...maybe we'll have the courage to go on one of those crazy rollercoasters.

Words : Maggie Ng
Photos : Tobin C

Short Story : In One Moment [Page 11]

In One Moment [Page 11] by Tobin Cheung

My heart beats chaotically and the blood drains from my brain. I am overcome with a light headedness. Those hips, those jeans, those curves, I think I’ve just sold my soul.

She squeezes out another piercing cry, her veins straining down her neck and her eyes squinted tightly together, it is only the beginning, merely the first song. Already she has astonished the masses causing them to wonder what she has planned to follow. Now that the instruments are warmed, fingers are loosened and the mood set, she can take the audience anywhere.

The song climaxes and the slow return home begins by winding through to the chorus. The melody dissipates; everyone stands and the waterfront is filled with the sound of hands brought together in applause. A sweet succulent smell is in the air. I raise my nose to the wind and smell the aroma of ice cream waffles. Summer is in full swing.

The band barely pauses before the drummer kicks in with an up beat tempo. Gone is the haunting melody, replaced by a groove akin to an R&B rhythm. I can feel the baseline bounce through to my pinky toe. It’s a sea of bobbling heads. On stage, the girl has stopped playing, allowing the music to course through her. She stands motionless staring blankly across the audience. She neither notices the sound crew or the camera crew hustling about. Not even the shimmering lake illuminated by the city lights snares her attention.

I wish I were a musician so I could experience that kind of total abandonment of oneself, to be engulfed by an absolute love, a love for music. Creating music is like calling upon a spirit to communicate beyond all boundaries. Watching her, it is obvious that she has left this reality and has entered a dimension not of this earth. The band plays on powerful and strong, patiently awaiting her return. She remains still as a statue with her trumpet dangling at her side. The tattoo on her inner forearm is almost, but not quite legible. It is not a butterfly. From this angle it appears to be a segment of a composition.

She licks around her mouth with her tongue and nibbles at her bottom lip. I wonder if they become numb from all the continuous playing. I wonder if they ever get too tender to kiss. Pouting her mouth, she presses her lips against the mouth piece and I wish it was I whom those lips were kissing.

Pointing the trumpet to the floor, she joins the base player in a rhythmic pulse. The punchy pattern is occasionally interrupted with a toot. Every few beats her bobbing head lifts to reveal her face. I find myself leaning forward trying to catch a glimpse of her features before it is shrouded by hair. The prologue gives way to the guitarist, a veteran in this form of music. Like all great guitarists he is in the habit of mouthing his notes and in constant need of fidgeting with the knobs on his guitar. I follow his phrasing and soon become awed at the talent she keeps. Her band is made up of more than one notable player, heavy in the jazz scene. These guys are innovators and play as if they were talking. Just like a group of friends in a coffee house chatting with slang terminology and street vibe, they play whatever feels right for that moment.

Her band is in essence foretelling her future. Musicians are always the first to recognize another’s gift. It is not something that can be bluntly pointed out. It is in the way she blows two bars that is somehow different than the way many others blow the same two bars. And so, they surround themselves around her and wait patiently for the unveiling. Everyone has a melody that defines them, a tune that describes their very nature, but only the truly precocious musicians can weave such honesty into a string of notes audible in this reality.  

The pregnant woman next to me flips through her program. I should have picked one up. I must have passed the information desk at least a dozen times, walking back and forth looking for Liz. Who knew I would be so intrigued by a performance, shocked by a trumpet player, stunned by an incredibly talented girl. I never caught the name of the woman on stage and I needed to know. It is not a matter of infatuation. It is more to do with being obsessed or possessed. I wanted to know everything about her. What does she do after a concert? Is she electrified with excitement or is she tired? Does she go to an after hour party? Does she return to her hotel alone? Does she have a late dinner?

I try to steal a look at the program resting on the belly of the pregnant mommy. Not wanting to be rude, I try to be as inconspicuous as I can as I follow her fingers leaf through the pages.

“Calina Adderly,” the mommy says without looking up.

“I’m sorry?”

[To be continued...]

Health : Eczema

Winter is here and the older I get the harder the cold bites into my core temperature. The piercing winter air is causing havoc to my skin - sucking all the moisture from it. What makes it worse is taking a hot shower. My initial intention is always good, setting the water temperature to lukewarm and using moisturizing soap, the idea is to get clean and get out quickly. But once naked, the lukewarm water felt chilling. It didn’t take much to nudge the tap warmer and a little warmer still. Once hot and steamy, it felt good until I stepped out and aged ten folds. My skin immediately itched all over and I could feel my face tighten. My forehead became flaky with dead skin and turned red. What’s worse is that my eyelids do the same. The redness is what bothers me the most. If it were simply dry skin I could live with moisturizing several times a day. It is the inflamed red flaking skin that is most embarrassing.

Eczema on the face or anywhere for that matter; cannot simply be moisturized by standard creams you would use on normal skin. The majority of moisturizers will sting when applied to skin with eczema and will heighten the inflammation and redness. The search for the right cream is not only daunting but frustrating. Many products that claim to be for eczema do nothing for the itching, redness or dryness. Hundreds of dollars easily disappear in search of relief from trying one cream after another. There is prescription topical cream but they contain steroids that can thin the skin with prolong use. If it worked 100% then I would damn the side effects for the benefit of looking normal. Unfortunately, the results are not spectacular enough to warrant continual use.

There is no miracle cream for eczema skin. For years I have been searching without luck, but it turns out I have been looking in the wrong place. It is oils that will help soothe eczema skin. Plagued with dry, red, flaking eyelids, I used a drop of Argan Oil by Josie Maran to moisturize the skin after taking a showering. There is no sting and is not heavy like a cream. The trick is to use only a drop everyday to slowly improve your skin. Over applying does not speed up the process and may irritate it. At first there will be no change to the redness, in fact, like all creams, the oil will more than likely make the skin further red. Be patient, after two month my eyelids were transformed. They still dry out after a hot shower in the winter months but the flaky skin is 90% gone and the redness is 95% gone. Argan oil is derived from the kernals of Argan trees found in Morocco. It is rich in vitamin E and fatty acids.

Another oil to consider is Emu Oil by Kalaya. I use emu oil on my forehead because it would get a red dry patch from wearing a toque over the winter months. It got so bad that I would have a layer of dead skin and would need to alternate between the emu oil and the prescription topical cream. The steroid cream removed the dead skin and calmed down any red inflammation. I would use it once a week and the rest of the days I would apply the emu oil. The emu oil will slowly rehydrate the skin and replace the need for prescription cream. Emu oil is the fat from an Emu bird native to Australia. It has natural anti-inflammatory effects as well as being a great moisturizer.

Hope this helps those suffering from eczema or dry skin. Best of luck.

Words + Photo : Tobin C Studio

Event : Interior Design Show 2012

The 2012 IDS show had one really cool product that stood out above all, The Flux Chair. It is a modern folding chair unlike any before its time, truly innovative. The majority of foldable chairs are designed foremost for function, concentrating on the ability to be compact, stack well and ergonomically tolerable. The Flux Chair, on the other hand, looks absolutely fabulous, modern and artistic. What is even more miraculous is that it flattens to a large looking portfolio case, fantastic for functions or parties. You could probably pile a hundred on one skid, or throw one into the trunk of your car and have a designer lawn chair at the next outdoor jazz festival. Lightweight, waterproof, recyclable and gorgeous, what else could one ask for in a collapsible chair. They come in several different colors and can be accessorized with a Flux cushion. There is even a Flux chair for kids that are scaled to a smaller size. They remind me of Japanese paper origami. Flux is definitely a company to keep an eye on for pioneering new designs.

 

Every year the IDS show attracts a variety of lighting vendors, this year they seemed to have turned it up a notch with a lot more bling. One particular fixture stood out as if it were the new crystal ball. It was made from intricately laser cut stainless steel in a mirror finish that was then intertwined with dangling pieces of crystals. Definitely a sparkler.

 

The IDS show is a yearly event that is just cool to attend. This year’s show, however, would be a little disappointing for those who wanted to see a variety of modern furniture ranging from affordable EQ3, CB2 to ultra high end Avenue and Kiosk furnishings. There seemed to be a crossover of more home show vendors. Regardless, if you are a person who is meticulous about the items you buy for your home, than the IDS show is the perfect place to go snoop.

CREDITS
Words : Tobin C Studio
Photography : M Studio Life
Event : Interior Design Show

Health : Vitamin B Complex

SHORT AND SWEET

For those who don’t believe in vitamins, next time you are at a drug store pick up a bottle of B-complex. Don’t think about it, just say bah humbug and bring it to the cashier. No need to look at the price because you spend more at McDonalds. Simply pay for it, bring it to work and drop it on your desk in front of your monitor. At some point you will notice it, when you do, pop one in your mouth, swallow and forget about it. The next day will come, if you see it, say bah humbug and have one. If you don’t see it, it doesn’t matter. If you see it but don’t remember if you took one, then don’t take one or take one. It is water soluble, which means you will pee it out, it does not accumulate in your body. The key is to take it, without thinking about it. Once the bottle is finished you can then decide how much of a nuisance it is to take B-complex. If it turns out that it is a random pill you take because you left the bottle of b-complex in your car, at work or in your jacket, then it is worth trading the cost of a Big Mac combo for once every couple of months.

 If you do not use vitamins or care much about them, the point is to have you take them without you noticing that you are taking them. Otherwise there will be all these questions, what are the benefits, do I really need them, I feel normal, I don’t get sick. If you live in North America, have a mortgage, financing a car, work late, and in a relationship, then you are sick enough to take B-complex. Think of it as having a coke or a chocolate bar around 3pm in the afternoon for the sugar boost. Rather than a boost, B-complex helps reduce stress, provides mental clarity, alertness as well as healthy skin and digestion. Basically it counteracts the fast paced North American lifestyle of work hard and work even harder so now play hard.

Words + Photo : Tobin Cheung