A moment.

Suddenly, her heart exploded into powder, a dust cloud over the earth, only to be ignored by the people below, unaware of her quiet demise.


- janeovision

Education Remixed: It all comes down to this.

Hello friends,

I'm sure some of you have been wondering why I've been somewhat AWOL for the past 8 months. 

I haven't been able to grab drinks.
I haven't been able to be as spontaneous.
I haven't been writing random plays.
I haven't been at work as much.
I haven't been belting it out at karaoke or dancing my pants off at the bar with you.

Well, that's because I've been up to something.

Since September, I've been at Humber getting my post-grad for Event management. I've been creating events, learning the ins and outs of the business, and trying not to kill/be killed by my teachers or fellow classmates.

This Friday it all comes to a head.

On Friday, April 5, my fellow classmates and I will be hosting the fundraising event Education Remixed, a charity event.We are raising money for the Remix Project, which helps educate marginalized youth in creative arts and business, as well as the Humber College scholarship.

We will have Ambassadors and graduates from the Remix Project, as well as Films recognized at the Toronto International Film Festival, Art, and DJ's directly from the project.  We will also have a Silent auction, with prozes from The Toronto Raptors, The Argos, SteamWhistle, Winery Tours, Restaurants and more.  We will also be offering food in our 'Cafeteria', which will include all the snacks you loved at lunchtime when you were in school.

My group has worked incredibly hard on this. After all of the chaos, forms, cold calls, emails, conversations, fights, running around, and sleepless nights, we are excited for this event to finally to come alive.

Tickets are only $20, which gets you music, food, art, entertainment, gets you dancing, gets you to meet people within the industry and those that have succeeded from these projects, as well as VIP from certain Toronto sports teams **HINT**HINT** and, above all gets you to make a difference.  This is an amazing way to kick off your weekend, support a great cause, and see what I've been up to all year.  Even if you can't make it, you can still donate to Education Remixed, and help push a youth's education further!

Hope to see you all there, even just to pop by and wish us luck! You've all been amazing and so supportive of my absence this year (and I do mean that in the best way possible) and I would love for you to see what I've been working on all year!

Cheers!

-janeovision

Monthly Tasks: March Failure... Well, sort of.

My first month task has been somewhat of a failure. I was hoping to have had 2 play plots, written out with scenes and ideas for new writing project. Unfortunately stupid life got in the way and I only have a few scribbled notes written of a coaster in the bottom of my bag.

Even when you have the best laid plans, life loves to get in the way. Being busy with school, work, and life has limited my time to do much else. Whatever, shit happens, move on. Try again.

Right now I have to get school out of the way and move forward. I'll still keep writing. Right now I need to focus on not killing myself or others around me. Hooray for crunch time. Hooray for life. I guess.

-janeovision

VEGUARY: a reflection on a meatless month

For the entire 28 days of February, from midnight day one until the morning of march first, I did something I never thought I would do: I went vegetarian.

I've had a lot of people ask this, and no, this was not done to lose weight or try to be healthy. I already eat pretty well and like my veggies. My weight did not change or fluctuate in any drastic way one way or another. So if you are going to try this, don't expect to drop all of that winter weight in time for bikini season.

For the entire month I followed a diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, grain and oats, and meat substitutes such as tofu, tvp, and other magical meat replacements in the vegetarian and vegan world. I ate no meat, no fish, and no animal byproducts, with the exception to eggs and dairy. I missed out on wing nights, Super Bowl Chili, bacon, caesars, and snacking on cheeseburgers and other delicious late night snacks.

It certainly wasn't an easy feat at initially: My first shift at work I had to work a Hockey game with half-price wings. I wanted them so bad and I was stuck eating a salad with dressing, starved. Working at a bar was a challenge in itself. Besides veggie burgers, fries and salads, I was left wanting a lot of the time. I had to get the help (an patience!) of my kitchen staff to find ways to feed me. They were awesome, but they are already pushing this month to be "Meat March" to make up for all the veggie mods I sent their way.

This challenge gave me a rude awakening of my "H-anger". Personally, if I don't eat, I get grumpy, tired and a less than pleasant person to be around. I had to have food ready to go, dining-out options available (and researched), and mini snacks at hand too keep my nom-rage at bay. As a omnivore, I forgot the nutrients and energy that meat easily gave to me. By taking that out, I had to not only keep myself fed, but also make sure I was keeping my energy and nutrients balanced to maintain my own sanity.

Once I got into the swing of things, it was incredible the options I found to keep myself fed. There are salads, soups, and amazing meals with fake meats and substitutes for the usual meals I would eat. I had fake chicken an waffles, fake steak, fish, burgers, and so many things that I not only LOVED, but also could easily mistake for the real thing. Restaurants like Hogtown Vegan and Clintons in Toronto have AMAZING veggie an vegan options.

A few things I found in the veggie world that I liked:
Tofu - seriously, it can be done and I kind of know how to cook it now
Almond milk - I had NO idea!! It even tastes good in my tea.
TVP - looks kind of like dense, soggy sourdough, but it can sate like ANYTHING!
Mock-aroni and Cheese - HOW IS THERE NO DAIRY??!??
Mock chicken - I think I may like it better than the real thing

There were a few things I didn't like, of course. I noticed a big use of turmeric, which I'm still trying to get a taste for. For example, I like tofu scrambled, but sometimes the flavour of that spice is too much for me. Also, even though I tried it, there is absolutely no substitution for Caesars. I tried a vegan one, and it just tasted like tomato juice in sheeps clothing.

What I found, after these 28 days, was it was only semi difficult to be vegetarian. I've found that now it's more difficult to eat meat again. Since I have completed this challenge,mi have eaten little to no meat. Any time I have tried to eat meat, it either upset my stomach, tasted boring, greasy, or gross, or I'd just rather have its veggie alter-ego. I did factor in the fact that my body had changed since I started this; I have to get my body used to the different proteins, flavours, and textures again. However, even after all that, I'd rather the substitute.

Except for bacon. That shit still rules.

In the end, I feel I have found a new respect for food. I completely forgot the magic and science that goes behind making food and the different flavours that can come up if you just try. I can't say that I'm going to stick to this diet, as I do still like to eat the occasional BLT, but I have definitely changed my palate and how I will be going about my diet.

Now on to the next month: play ideas. Let's see how that one goes.

-janeovision

Best Picture nominees: I was SO CLOSE!!

Tonight's the night everyone!!

Tonight the rich and bizarrely famous will airbrush on their best on-camera smiles and walk the carpet to see if they won a statue of a naked dude! ARE YOU EXCITED????

I had tried to watch every one of the Best Picture Nominees, as I try to do every year, and I was able to make it through 7 of the 9 films. Like the rest of the world, work school, and life in general got in the way. I was hoping to have reviewed everything, but I got close (I even had Life of Pi ready to watch on my laptop!), so I guess I can give myself an A for effort.

Lucky for you, I was able to find somewhat of a substitute. Below you will find Pie charts of the two films I was unable to see, Amour and Life of Pi. (please enjoy the puns while you look at the Pi pie chart too!) Have a look, and please note that these were probably made with a bit of tongue in cheek, maybe sarcasm, and most likely bias. That's what's so great about the internet. You never know what you're going to get. (Thanks to thisisnthappiness.com, where the charts were found. All of the films for Best Picture Nominee were done, and you can see them here)

Hope you liked my reviews, hope you enjoy the Oscars tonight too. I know I'll be watching with a bottle of wine and junior mints!


-janeovision

Movie Review: Zero Dark Thirty

First off, I have to say I'm a fan of Kathryn Bigelow and her work. I'm not a fan of war movies or pro America movies for that matter. I feel that a lot of Americans have enough confidence for the world over and do not need to be sped pro-war and pro-America nonsense. When I saw Bigelow's last film, The Hurt Locker, I found it was a refreshing look at the war and the people that are in it. It didn't shove a flag down your throat, but portrayed the soldiers as humans, affected by what they saw, so much they'd rather stay and protect their fellow soldiers than be back on home soil, safe and with family. It had an honesty to it that I hadn't seen in a while and had pushed me away from movies like this.

Zero Dark Thirty was a bigger challenge than Hurt Locker. Based on actual accounts and true events, and with it hitting so close to home with recent U.S. history, it's hard not to see the flags waving in the aisles. Bigelow was still able to keep it about the issue at hand, and not get too heavy-handed on the patriotism, but as the plot continue on, it was hard to stand that ground and I felt I had a flag being shoved down my throat when I wasn't looking.

Jessica Chastain was a powerhouse, bringing her oscar-game as usual. But It's the same old Oscar worthy performance. I'd love to see her switch it up somehow and play someone weak, and maybe not a leading role. I'd love to see her push someone else and support her fellow actors, as opposed to being the one on top. Yes, I know she was also in The Help, but that role did nothing for me anyways. I will say that my favourite moment was at the very end when she is on the plane, and in those final minutes before the credits roll, she is alone and she breaks down. She doesn't cry of relief or sadness, or even really a cry of release now that she is heading home. She just cries. She finally stops and takes a moment to what has been happening over the years, what she's gone through and what she's lost, and she just cries. I found that moment the highlight of her performance.

The biggest controversy about this film is the idea that they are glorifying and hollywood-ing the torture that happens to captors. There has been talk about them showing off the terrible things they do, or even being a little to 'nice' about it, showing it much tamer than it actually is. These scenes are something that have to be taken on VERY carefully by, not only the director, but the actors as well. I feel that Bigelow did it in a way that portrayed a glimmer of the reality of war in Iraq, but still not traumatizing the audiences so much that they walk out of the theatre before the movie even begins. With a scene as delicate as torture, you will never have anyone happy with it. I certainly wasn't comfortable watching it, but it had to be shown. It's done, let's move on.

This film was what it was. Good guy catching the bad guy. Good guys win, bad guys lose. Bigelow is becoming more and more of a name in Hollywood, but if she does another movie about the war, I just might give up on her. Please don't pull a Wes Anderson and get stuck in a niche*. I have high hopes and I don't like being disappointed.


-janeovision


* I think Wes Anderson's Last Film, Moonrise Kingdom does NOT fall under his niche I mentioned, same with Fantastic Mr Fox. But, although I like his movies (enough) his bit has gotten old.

Movie Review: Beasts of the Southern Wild. I ACTUALLY LIKE A CHILD ACTOR!!

Where's the guy that makes the tiny kid-sized oscars? 'Cuz HOLY CRAP WE NEED ONE.

I usually don't like child actors. Most of the time, the kids are so annoying and over-saturating the screen with their cutsie nonsense that i want to scream or cuff them up side the head. I hate kids coasting on their cutsieness and bullshit. The Santa Clause makes me cringe. The kids from It's a Wonderful Life piss me off. And I know I'll get some flack for this, but besides that kid with the pickle, The little rascals (especially the girls) hits a nerve. Unless the kid is well spoken or clever, or just acting like a little kid and kind of goofy, I can't stand it. This is why movies such as Home Alone, Stand by me, and some of the stuff that Dakota Fanning kid is in usually falls under the exceptions list. Most of the time, if the kid becomes famous for being cute, they are doomed to a failed career. Coasting on your cuteness is not the way to survive in Hollywood. I mean, have you seen Lindsay Lohan Lately?? Even Macauley Caulkan, who is one of those exceptions (though I was not a big Uncle Buck fan) is looking a little worse for wear.

Ok. Now that I have that out of the way, let's move on to this review.

I know that Quvenzhane Wallis is not going to win the Oscar. That's not how these awards work. Her performance, however, was definitely one I am happy was acknowledged by the various academies. In this role, I felt she wasn't made cute, she wasn't portrayed as a smarter-than-the-average-kiddo, she was a child. She lived with her dad as the world around her crumbled and her imagination ran with it. She wasn't trying to charm the audience or impress them, she was being the character: a kid.

Her performance was realistic and touching, as you saw her concept of the world through her eyes. The explanation to why her mum left; the oasis of living in the 'bathtub' of the south, away from the ugly city; the heartbeats of those around her; her fears and realizations when her dad goes missing. I can understand her reasoning to why she believes everything she is told, and can easily sympathize to very action and emotion that comes out of her. Based on her upbringing, she has little to compare anything to. When your dad is your world, how can anything he say be wrong?

I'd definitely say see this movie, but don't expect the usual movie with a kid in it. It's not a feel good movie, its not a movie that will necessarily rock your world, but I feel her performance and the movie as a whole will lift you in a way I can't exactly describe. It will affect you subtly, and it may take time to grow on you. If you didn't like it the first time, see it again, You may be thinking too hard.


-janeovision