It is a losing battle to try to compete with a mind that assumes your intentions, and refuses to give you the benefit of the doubt. You have lost before you even started.

Summerland 2015 Musical: Opening again!

Well, this is an oldie, but a goodie!

For a few years now I have been checking out the Toronto Fringe.

Pretty cool way to see all these tiny theatres around the city and support the arts and talent in the area.

Some shows are a hit and there are some that are a miss as well. From established acting groups to amateurs, musicals to comedy to drama to simply strange.

It is fun and a cheap way to get some thrills around the city haha. I do recommend!



One show in particular "Summerland" I still keep talking about. I was totally blown away by it. The grandness of the production and how it kept my interest throughout. From the instant you got onto the grounds (which was a downtown highschool) you were experiencing the play - with actors as students all over the lawn in their cliques while you lined up to get your ticket, to the students doing selfies by their lockers on your way to the auditorium.



It was pretty cool and a few weeks later I saw an Ed Mirvish play "Once" which literally put me to sleep and actually put the lady beside me to sleep, so depressing and monotonous in comparison to this Fringe for only 12$. That tells you something!



Anyhow, Fringe is over for this year in T.O and I did see an entertaining array of skits "True North Mixtape" by the same company, though it was not as grand and did not have a particular storyline. They did play a song by "Summerland" which I was trying to find - but instead found this clip.

There is also Fringe Ottawa and Hamilton... I should reco this more...

To peanut butter, or not to peanut butter?

I was talking with my gfs lately about the ever growing idea in society of "MY RIGHTS".

My human rights to do whatever I want, to say whatever I want, to believe whatever I want, to protect my own interests beyond anyone else around me, because I have a right to protect my right because I am right and you're not right but only I can be right. Right?

Let's face it. This shit has gone over board. 

This trend is basically, surely but slowly, eliminating any ounce of personal responsibility that a person may have. 

Not only for their own actions, 

but how they treat and care for others around them. 

It is basically feeding into this ME and LOOK OUT FOR ME, selfish society. 

I'm going to take this time to talk about my personal beef. I do not like to beef on this supposedly light hearted, though non-vegan,  random info blog of mine, but today I will. 

It is a fact, for some reason (possibly the growing toxins we put in and on our foods and environment - just guessing), there is an increase in children who have allergies. 

This isnt even simple ragweed-sniffles-and-rashes-kind-of-allergies. 

This is anaphylactic - your precious child can freakin DIE kinda allergies. 

So because of this, in many schools they have been informing parents to not send their children to school with any peanut snacks or peanut butter. 

Of course, because peanuts apparently are some sort of desperate necessity for some children's culinary upbringing - this has some parents screaming about their child's RIGHTS. (see, another form of the "MY RIGHTs syndrome"). 

I've read comments from supposedly, liberal, open-minded, accepting-everyones-differences, modern, "educated" parents about how their kids should not SUFFER because of some other kid's allergies. 

Yes. That is right. Their kids are SUFFERING without peanut butter at school. (has nothing to do with at home btw). They are falling over, shaking at their desks and in the playground, starving in the corners of their classrooms, unable to learn, to laugh, to play, to move, to eat, because they are SUFFERING from this lack of peanut butter. 

This anaphylactic allergy is not a preference, btw. Its not a religious choice, it is not a  decision a kid comes to realize at a certain age and a choice they happened upon. They are born with it. And cannot change it. It is a proven physical health condition. A potential medical emergency. 

These kids of course are educated about their allergy, informed and learn to take precautions at an early age. This is their parents responsibility when the kids are young and learned by the kids themselves. They are full aware of it. 

But what happens when the kids are still learning? When they are so very young? What safety precautions are there when they are away from their parents and still so tiny?

This basically means, if your kid, in kindergarden, who is too small to understand anything yet, gets peanut butter on her hands and shares cookies or touches the table of her class mate that has this allergy, and that class mate happens to put this contamination in their mouths. The child can DIE. Even if they have an epi-pen and are technically mature in dexterity to administer it themselves or have the time and non closed up vocal cords to tell their teacher who administers the epi- pen. They can still have a chance of death. 

But no, no, lets mind the RIGHTS of those kids that need peanut butter at school. They are practically dying for the taste of it at school. Right?

So the answer to my question above: NOT TO. Jerk.  

Shhh money.

If you take this $ will you just keep quiet?
Most likely no.
Because, one can continue to hold this real issue over the other for more gains in the future and so on.
-------------------------------

Growing up I had an elementary school friend. Her parents, like mine were immigrants and came to Canada to find a better life. By the looks of it, coming from a country that had an economy that was not doing as well as Canada, one would think, that would mean the more you have (materialistically) then the better off you are doing.
It is so funny (not really) how Money/monetary gains/ materialism gives us this well accepted LIE of a standard of how well we are doing in life.

Don't get me wrong, we all live in a world where we kinda need this to survive in the average daily life, we work, make money, buy food and clothes and a home/ shelter with this money. And round and round it goes. Just basic necessities really.

But the lie been told is that the more we make, the better off we are, the more we have (even beyond our means sometimes) the more better off we are, the happier we will be, the more content we will be, and that all our problems will go away, if we just buy into the idea that Money and the materials it can bring us, will make us happy.

Those of you who have lived life until now, will realize this ain't true. Happiness is not an end state that we all strive for and once there we are good. It is a process we strive for everyday, and not so tangible and that simple.

Anyhow back to my story. This friend of mine, her parents bought into this idea full heartedly. They worked their asses off. Spending all their moments (even Christmas day) working for the mighty dollar (they owned a business, they were not forced to do this). They in fact became "successful" as this lie would say and they managed to have the fancy car and the enormous house. They managed to buy their kids whatever they wanted, the Pretty Woman dress for Prom, the brand new cars (even a rare kind "only 8 of these made in the world"), clothes from Holtz and every item of clothing brand name. Of course, to be this successful, they worked hard. And were never there for their kids. Often times my old friend would joke "Oh I was a latch-key kid".

Growing up with her, I was kinda embarrassed of our old clunky Gran-Am that we all had to share and taking public transit or walking to school. (Yep did not drive any BMW to highschool - gah was I a child in need or what). One day I said to my folks when our family car almost about kicked the bucket - "can't we get a bmw too ? or a nicer car instead?" The answer I got from my parents has still stuck in my head "You think we can't afford to get one of those? That isn't our priority though, people have different priorities with their money. Some like fancy cars, but they may have a crappy house, some may have a fancy house but dress very simply. There are just other things we prioritize with our money and that fancy car is not one of them."

So as Time passed, problems happened to surface for my friend. Family issues, when it all came down to it, it seemed like a struggle to feel loved by her parents and her parents saying that they loved her by what they could buy and provide for her. Simply the monetary stuff. You have a problem with us? Why on earth would you have a problem? We give you all you wanted. AHHHH as they would say now "First world problems". It's sad really. I see it now though, and am thankful for the parents I was given.

My whole point of this long winded story is that it is soooooo easy not to think and to buy into that Lie. The money Lie. We see it everywhere if you look closely. In our communities, in decisions made by management teams, by institutions, by companies, by the private sector and public sector, by politicians, even nationally and globally.
Money does not fix a wrong, solve a problem or make anyone happier or forgive anyone or make amends for a wrong doing. It does not fix a situation in dire straights that is engrained in the psyche of those involved. It may seem like it temporarily, it may appease someones complaint or conflict at the moment. But I think we are all smart enough to see right through it these days. It doesn't address the cause of a problem, but often times it is used at the quick band aid. This isnt the Mad Men era when advertising seeped into households with this lie...
If we all put down our digital media distractions and seeked truth behind media we hear, we can see it , before it is too late.

Burnt

Cooking dinner tonight, I went in to taste my dish and forgot to blow on the forkful to cool it.
Nearly burnt my whole tongue right out of my mouth.
Its cool now.
Too bad I can't taste anything anymore.

Oh Happy Belated Canada Day!
Every Canada Day should be so grand!