Low-fi Portraiture

I am still in the process of developing a couple of leftover cameras from the Disposable Project. Here are some more gems from my final undergraduate year. There are low-fi, mostly terribly taken pictures of my friends and I.

Pictured in the above are: Ellen, Adam, Jennifer, Mishi, Griffin, Sarah, Evasha and myself. 

Vacation Planning

I love travelling. I think the beauty with travelling is that it allows you to see the world with a fresh set of eyes. Everything is lit aglow with a sense of newness and freshness. Everything is beautiful and all the people are interesting, all the streets shiny even when they are covered with filth.

Nietzsche describes the child at play as the best way to live our lives. We should live as the child at play. We should embrace every moment in its presence, be astounded by what is with us instead of what is behind us or in front of us. The child at play does not think about the past or the future, but the present. Travelling gives us that sense of wonder. We see everything with a sort of brightness.

Last summer, I travelled to California with some friends. The trip was all very impromptu for me. I had the best time though. Today I was discussing possibly taking a trip with a friend, and I am reminded of my California dream.

Here are some pictures.

Pictured in the above are: Shivam, Devonte, Amanda and myself. 

Valuable Advice

Tonight, I was hanging out with my friend Stephen.

Stephen at an art exhibit, Toronto, December 2014

Stephen works as a Corporate Man, but more than that, he runs Lex Magazine and he is in the process of making a documentary on homelessness in Ottawa, Canada. He also seems to do a bunch of other things on the side. He's a busy guy. Still more than all of that, Stephen is a good friend and I can normally trust his advice. 

Stephen is older - about 10 years older to be more specific. He has a real Corporate job, a nice car and expensive hobbies that he can actually afford to finance. I met Stephen through a friend. Over the three years I've known this typically bearded man, I've gone to him for advice and harsh realities time and time again. He's that kind of guy. 

Today we walked around downtown Toronto, took some photos, sat on some fake grass. It was a relaxing evening. The weather was lovely - warm with a cool breeze. We searched for outdoor sculptures and good light. Stephen kept commenting on how everyone in Toronto was beautiful. We made some jokes, but mostly I was quiet. I had mentioned to Stephen before that I had been struggling lately. Post-university life has been confusing and I have been feeling very lost. So, it was that kind of quiet evening. It was nice though. 

Upon departing, I asked Stephen what he did between high school and higher education, and then between higher education and his career today. He reassured me that it was normal to feel a little lost, the job market was very competitive, and job searching could be hard. However, the best thing he said to me tonight was as follows (well, paraphrasing), 

You have to treat your job search like a real job. From 9 to 5, your job is to find a job. It's going to be hard, but that's what you're going to need to do. 

So there you have it, from the man himself.

On/off Tinder

I don't know if you've heard about this phone app called Tinder. If you haven't heard already, there's a lot of hype about Tinder. According to the Wikipedia article, Tinder won "Best New Startup of 2013." Tinder is described as "a location-based social discovery application that facilitates communication between mutually interested users. The app allows users to chat with their matches." It is basically a match making app, but it is largely used for hook ups.

Back in June 2014, I first downloaded Tinder. Since initial download, I have had an on-again-off-again relationship with Tinder. I've met some interesting people off Tinder, some hookups, one dating experience, some normal decent guys, and some incredibly boring. There was one coffee date where I wanted to leave after ten minutes. Tinder can get interesting with the types of people you can meet. It should be noted here that my relationship with Tinder has lasted longer than any guys I've met off the app.

Now, there's some stigma around Tinder, around online dating in general. There's this idea about the kinds of people who use online dating platforms. I want to stand up and fight for Tinder and online dating. Also, because I use Tinder and I'm not a (complete) weirdo.

1. Tinder and meeting someone at the bar aren't that different - you know next to nothing about each other, you judge each other primarily by looks, and they're probably better looking in those moments than ordinarily anyways. 
2. Tinder can be a nice way of getting in touch with the people you may miss in your day to day life. One Tinder date and I established that we live in the same neighbourhood, attend a lot of the same events, hang out at the same spots, etc. But if it had not been for Tinder, we would have never approached each other and spoken.
3. I can Tinder while laying in bed in my ratty PJ shirt from when I was 10, with my sixth hour of Netflix on, and an almost empty tin of barbecue Pringles. 

See, Tinder can be pretty great.

I'm off and on Tinder a lot - for a number of different reasons. Off: during the school year and I wanted to concentrate on my studies. Off: when I was dating someone. On: vacation. On: I'm bored at home and Tinder can be kind of fun. Like for example, my Tinder profile says - "let's be honest to each other: I'm actually 13 years old. I just have longish legs and I like to drink beer. I'm looking for a guy w air conditioning." Some guys see the humour in this, but it's especially amusing when guys ask me, quite seriously, if I am really and honestly 13 years old. They are worried about possible statutory rape. No boys, I am in fact 21 years old and you are jumping the gun. Tinder is mostly harmless fun and games.

Yeah, Tinder is OK. It's fun. Go try it. Live a little. Have some Pringles. I am however, (temporarily) off Tinder at the moment.

PS. This is not sponsored by Tinder or Pringles, although that would be pretty great because I need a new laptop. (That's another very sad story.)

May in Photographs

I haven't taken my camera out very often last month, but here are some photographs from May 2015:

Pictured in the above is: Adam.

Have you read Murakami?

Haruki Murakami is one of my favourite authors.

The last book I read from him was Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (2014). A quote I have copied into my journal: It hurt to see that she no longer had that burning something she used to have. That what had been remarkable about her had vanished. That the special something would no longer be able to move me the way it used to (p. 211).

 My first Murakami book was After Dark (2007) as per recommended by my grade 12 English teacher.

 I have read Norwegian Wood* (2000), Kafka on the Shore (2005), Sputnik Sweetheart* (2001), 1Q84 (2011), The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (1997), and South of the Border, West of the Sun* (2000).

 I had a Murakami quote cut out of old magazines and taped to my bedroom wall when I was at university. From Sputnik Sweetheart, the quote was: Was the Earth put here just to nourish human loneliness?

My next Murakami book will be A Wild Sheep Chase (1989).

 *Denotes my favourite Murakami novels.

Casa

About a month ago, I moved back in with my parents. It's more than a little strange to be living with my parents again. Like for example, last night around 8:30PM, I went on an impromptu date to get ice cream. My dad told me not to come home too late, otherwise I wouldn't be allowed out next time. I'm not sure whether or not he was joking. I hope he was joking. I had a nice date. My date drove me home around 10:30PM.

For me, moving anywhere (and I've done it quite a bit the last few years) typically means minimizing and decorating. Moving away from my usual photo wall, I opted for simpler decorations this time around.

Pictured (left to right, top to bottom):

• A print made by your's truly, entitled Between Here and There (2011)
• A photograph of my friend Sarah and I
• A postcard from the Ai Weiwei - According to What? exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario 
• A postcard from the Getty Centre in Los Angeles 
• A postcard from the Jean-Michel Basquiat - Now's the Time exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario 
• Instax Mini photos of my friends and I 
• A postcard from San Francisco