Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada

This past weekend, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Toronto re-opened. It's been a while since MOCCA closed its door on Queen Street West back in 2015. For its opening weekend, admission was free and it was crowded. Lots of kids running around, particularly on the first floor where Andreas Angelidakis's DEMOS installation lets the audience play and move the colourful foam blocks. 

Housed in the former Tower Automotive Building, the new site is beautiful and fits so well with what MOCA has done and continues to do now. The space is a true dream with the concrete beams and unfinished, industrial vibes. 

The exhibits are not underwhelming either. From addressing highly relevant social issues, to exploring disagreement and the anxiety we feel towards disagreement, to giving a glance of the resident artists' spaces, MOCA's opening weekend was great. Here's a look at my Saturday there.

The first two photos are pulled from MOCA's website. The rest are my own. 

Who's that girl?

I recently got some film developed. When I was emailed the scans, they accidentally emailed the scans for someone else's film too. I don't know who these people are. Presumably, from Toronto, young, a lot of fun. Although this is probably some kind of violation, here are my favourites from someone else's roll of film. They look like fun people. There's a lot of pictures with this girl. It would be interesting to meet her.

A reflection

A few days ago, I share a beautiful sunset.

One of the things that has always fascinated me about life, is how quickly it can all change. We all make plans - plans for lunch tomorrow, plans to see a movie next week, whether or not to have kids or get married in the next five years. We make plans, but we don't know how quickly and easily things can change in a week. I think most of my big moments and important people have been found and discovered unexpectedly.

I think I saw it in a movie or read it in a book. The question was: have you ever met anyone and instantly thought that this person will change your life forever? I asked a couple of friends, some said they have, some said they haven't. I don't think I have met anyone and instantly thought this, but I have met people who have changed my life forever. I meet them unexpectedly.

I don't know if I have met anyone lately who will change my life indefinitely. I don't know if I ever know. Recently, I met someone who makes me happy, giddy. Four years ago, I met some girls who will come to see me grow, help me grow, inevitably be a part of the rest of my life - whether we remain part of each other's lives or not. During our time together, we laughed, we cried, we got angry and annoyed. Last summer, I met someone who helped me experience my world a little differently. We meet new people all the time. I always wonder who will change our lives a little bit, which moments will become imprinted in my heart long after the moment is gone.

Two months after I officially graduated and nearly four months after I finished my formal schooling, I am slowly finding my ground again. I feel a little less lost. I am meeting new people, finding new experiences in which I settle myself into. This summer, which comes to a close soon, has been strange and slow and I have been drifting. Yet they say that those who wander, are not all lost.

A few days ago, I share a sunset. We had not made plans before. It was just a casual mention over text messages that we were both free that evening. We are still walking when the circle sun disappears into the earth, but we sit and watch the fiery trail it leaves behind. It is not the most exciting sunset I've seen, but it is beautiful. I don't think the moments that define us always have to be loud. I think the moments that define us are often quiet, with a small wave or acknowledgement. Maybe this sunset was like this. Maybe not.

Human life is short, and it changes so quickly. Let's go watch the next sunset together.

Hanlan's Point

Pictured in the above are: Jane and myself. 

SOS

I think I am caught in last summer. SOS, send help.

Today, I am standing in a local Toronto shop called Soop Soop with a guy I just met. It is a beautiful store- bright, white, simple, minimalist, humorous almost in its decoration, light-hearted in its feel. He is a nice guy- easy and interesting to talk to. Engaging, with a pink North Korea hat. I just met him, and I listen to his conversation with the store clerk/ owner. I am flipping through a C-Heads Magazine. Issue #33, entitled Summer. Lovers and Strangers. 

The magazine is beautiful. It is dedicated to summer, to the lovers and strangers we meet during the warm, sunshine months. I realize I am not photographing, hardly documenting.

Last summer, I met a man, I was reintroduced to California, I sat in backyards and drank too much beer. I was learning what it was to live, to love, to be part of an adventure.

Photographs are a great way of remembering, linking yourself to the past but also bringing people and experiences to your future. I need to return to this form of documentation. 

Pictured in the above are: Amanda, Hilary, Aleen, Jennifer, Andrew, Phil, Shivam, Devonte, Taylor, Adam and myself. 

Study of Perspective - Distillery District

Study of Perspective - Distillery District, July 2015, Toronto. 

Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist that I deeply, deeply admire and respect. A few years ago, I saw his exhibit According to What? at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. He has a series of photographs called Study of Perspective.

This photograph was inspired by Ai Weiwei.

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.

A New Beginning

A little while ago, I posted the following onto Facebook:

I want to start a blog called My Quarter Life Crisis detailing my trials and tribulations with boys, school, job applications, grad school applications, ~the future~, boys, my friends, alcohol and the rare psychedelic experience. This blog will make me famous and I will become the next Lena Dunham. My blog will be published as a book of essays and then produced as the next big Girls-meet-Sex and the City TV show (even though my life is nothing like Sex and the City).

No, I am not drunk.

That was back in September of 2014. I think I must've been working on a paper. I can't remember, but I was definitely frustrated with something. I was beginning my last year of my undergraduate degree in ~political studies~ and ~philosophy~. I was worried. Fast forward to May of 2015, I am done all my exams and all my papers. I am a month away from getting that special little piece of paper worth four years of sweat, tears, coffee and Monster energy drinks. I have no idea what I'm doing with my life.

Right now, I'm sitting in my favourite coffee shop in Toronto with a cup of coffee, some water and half a sea salt chocolate chip cookie. I didn't apply to graduate school. I don't have a job (yet). I kind of have an idea of what I want to do, but I'm not that sure. I don't feel like I have enough experience to be really picky. I don't feel like the Canadian economy has a magnitude of jobs for me to be really picky. Ideally though, I'll like to do something creative and it would do some good for general society. Maybe the children. Always think of the children.

I've been back in Toronto for one week and two days now. In this one week, I think I got very drunk once and drank enough on a couple of other occasions to be tipsy. I 've been to the Art Gallery of Ontario and a couple of other art exhibitions. I re-downloaded Tinder on a boring Monday or Tuesday morning. I bought a new pair of shoes, a new thrifted dress and a lot of lunches and dinners. I have checked my grades multiple times, but only one has been posted. I've been sketching a lot, painting a bit. I've been wearing shorts and short cut dresses and tops at inappropriate times. My mother has asked me every day, multiple times a day when I am going to get a job. Mother, I don't know.

Life after school has been tricky to say the least, and it has only been a week. I try to remain hopeful and optimistic about the future though. Everyone else makes it, so I should assume that I will too. We will go with that for now. Until I ~make it~, this blog shall serve as my Lena-Dunham-Carrie-Bradshaw pathway to fame (or sufficient funds for survival). If all else fails, perhaps it will be a funny experiment, part of a larger anthropology of a 20-something in these trying decades.

Anyways, I should go back to applying for jobs. Before so, I will declare: this blog will be my very honest recollection of my post-student life. Maybe this will be funny. Maybe this will be pathetic and tragic. Let's see. Stay tuned.

PS. I decided to start this blog in the 10-minute span that was my walk over to the coffee shop.

PPS. Please e-mail job opportunities, money, money for art, and music recommendations to annie.chen@live.com.