Prelude in E-minor, Op.28, No.4 by Chopin

oxygen eludes me in this Suffocation of circumstances....

a tremendous ocean encasing and weighing down my existence.... once fluid, it has now congealed into a semi-solid that makes swimming to the surface progressively more difficult.... I claw against the density and fight the inertia of my self.... the glimmering under-surface appears so close that I can almost feel the deoxygenated breath within me bursting out in the hopes of a reflex inhalation of fresh, sustaining air from the other side.... I try to muster all my desire and strength, but it is never enough.... breaching that surface remains an unobtainable goal.... I'm running out of air.... amidst this struggle, I encounter air-breathing-water-dwellers.... they ease me in my struggling, and generously commiserate with me....
they share their breath with me.... and I share mine with them.... this is what will sustain me until I reach the surface.... this gelatinous milieu will soon liquefy, I'm certain of it!....

at least that's what I'll continue to tell myself.... thank you fellow creatures of the depths, my eternal gratitude....

TECHNORATI TAGS: american museum of natural history hall of ocean life, new york city

Two and a Half Hours at the AGO

A couple of weeks ago, I was in downtown Toronto for an interview, so I figured since I was already there, I'd take a break from my studying and check out the new and improved Art Gallery of Ontario....

I had been waiting for the new Frank Gehry addition to the AGO since 2006 when they started construction.... it is his first major work here in his own hometown.... I liked it better than I had expected... I thought it looked kinda boring from the scale models and renderings.... I thought it could have been more funky, it is Frank Gehry after all... but I guess the finished product is funky enough, but boring enough to fit right in here in Toronto.... the glass facade took on an almost metallic quality in the sunshine.... quadruple click the center of the picture to see how it looked back in June 2006....

Very cool and purdy.....

From Grange Park, you can see the back of the new and improved AGO.... quadruple click The Grange to see it back in 2006.... I'd bet that building would disappear if the sky was just the right colour....

Twisty stairs....Twisty stairs echoed by the trees....

Twisty stairs continued inside....
Climbing those stairs got me dizzy.... literally....

I met up with my friend Chuck at 6pm, admission is free on Wednesdays from 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm.... I figured I might as well appreciate some of the art inside, and not just the architecture..... fortunately, she is an art appreciator.... unfortunately the AGO doesn't allow you to take pictures of the art.... but don't underestimate the power of the Force....

We didn't get to see all the art because we joined a tour of The Grange.... it turned out to be more interesting for me than the art.... The Grange is the oldest brick house in Toronto, and is part of the Art Gallery of Ontario.... it was built in 1817, and donated to the art gallery in 1911... during the time of the renovations, the gallery received letters written by the original butler of the house, and it told of a young maid named Mary O'Shea, who the butler often caught keeping candle wax leavings and then burying them all over the house.... he would follow her secretly taking note of where she would bury the pieces of wax.... included in his letters was a map of where she had hidden her treasures.... so during the renovations, they decided to excavate.... they found the little treasures and so much more.... the first piece of wax they found was rolled up into a ball and contained within it was DROPS OF BLOOD..... dooo do do do doooo.... I won't tell you the rest of the story coz you should check it out for yourself.... but let me just say it gets weirder and weirder....

Anyways, here's what the glass facade looks like from the inside....

I'm gonna have to go back to see the rest of the art.... I also intend to do some more clandestine photography.... I don't get why we can't take pics, most of the other museums I've visited allow photography.... oh well, I love a challenge.... stay tuned..... here's a last shot, you can see the CN Tower's reflection....

TECHNORATI TAGS: art gallery of ontario, ago
WHERE IS THIS?: check the map

Six and a Half Hours at the ROM

I know that I haven't been regularly updating this blog for some time now.... the truth is that lately, nothing much inspires me to do so.... plus, I've been in the zone for so long (the USMLE zone that is), that any prolonged diversion from the zone inevitably ends in stress and anxiety... we all know what happens once in the blogosphere right?.... it's hard to get out.... I have become classically conditioned to associate blog with said anxiety that even when I do have free time, I usually don't spend it in the blog world anymore....

Luckily, for this much neglected blog, the drought seems to be over.... at least for a while anyways.... This is thanks to blogging friends Gina and Leah, who are now officially real world friends as they became the first bloggers I have ever met in person.... Leah and Gina were kind enough to invite me to join them and their families for an adventure at the Royal Ontario Museum aka the ROM.... I have been eagerly awaiting the return of the dinosaurs since they closed the dinosaur exhibit a few years ago to prepare them for the big move to their new home in the Crystal.... they've been settling into their new home since December now, but like I said I've been in the zone....

I immediately recognized Gina and Tony as they walked towards the ticket line where I was standing.... with a warm greeting hello, I was happy to finally put a voice to the blog.... soon after, Leah, Andrew, and Samantha made their way towards us.... it felt like I knew them all already even though we'd never met in person... with the formalities out of the way, we made our way to find us some lunch... food before dinosaurs, I always say.... we ended up at a sushi place in Yorkville.... Gina even took a picture of my chirashi lunch.... mmmm chirashi.... thanks for the pics Gina!
With full bellies, we headed for the ROM to work it off....Hmmm is this really a museum caliber artifact? I've got a few of those in my closet....
I love salakot....reminds me of a wall in my bedroom....Say cheese...The ROM's old facade peeking through the new Crystal walls....Tibetan scriptures... FREE TIBET! This is the mummy of Antjau circa 715-525 BC....
He was the son of Ankhhor, and the husband of Tjesnitperet..... He was not given any titles, but may have been a wealthy landowner or trader....He was a descendant of Libyan mercenaries on his mother's side....
Gina poses by an Egyptian tomb.....
Turn around Gina and Tony....Say cheese....Contemplating Anciet Egypt.....Discussing Ancient Egypt.....
Tony, Leah and I contemplating Ancient Egypt.... (pic pilfered from Gina, thanks Gina!)Little boy contemplates Ancient Egypt....
slow down lady, take the time to contemplate the wonders of the ancient world.....Don't rest on your laurels, no matter how golden they may be.... from the Ancient Rome and Greece collection ....
Hark! Are the Dinos back?.....
Yes they are! Tyrannosaurus rex.....
Say cheese.... yikes, never mind!
Big ass Barosaurus lentus.... His name is Gordo...



















Gordo was "discovered" in the ROM vaults in 2007.... he had been in the ROM since 1962, but had been stored away as separate collections of bones..... when it was realized that he was actually one big skeleton, he was mounted to make the largest dinosaur skeleton on display in Canada.... he is 27 m (90 feet) long....
And to think, Gordo was a vegetarian.... How you get so big eating food of this kind?
Say cheese Gordo.....
A baby Gordo.....
Stegosaurus sp. ....
Horned dinosaur, Chasmosaurus belli....
Allosaurus fragilis.....
Giant Sea Turtle Archelon ischyodus....
Giant Fish Xiphactinus audax.... Mushu's distant cousin?
Albertosaurus libratus beside a smaller "Toronto" Raptor (Deinonychus antirrhopus Torontonius)....
Sorry, can you tell I like dinosaurs? Last one I promise.... This is Q, he's a Pterosaur or Pterydactyl Quetzalcoatlus northropi.... one of the largest known flying creatures of all time.... Q has a wingspan of 12 m or 39 feet....
I lied, a couple more... Pteranodon sternbergi....
Say cheese...
okay bye dinos....hello bats....
Are you looking at me?....
Galapagos Giant Tortoise.... these guys were alive and kickin' it pretty good in front of everybody to see.... Leah told Samantha that the boy tortoise was just itchy.... ba-dump-bump....
Say cheese....
Despite all the well deserved hype about the architectural wonder of the new ROM Crystal, my favourite architectural wonder of the ROM is still the rotunda.... the old main entrance....
That All Men May Know His Work.....
Wow that was a lot of pictures eh? Well, it was a 6 hour day afterall. A great day, I even got a present at the end from Leah, and Gina and Tony drove me home.... What a great bunch of peeps eh?Thanks again guys, hope you had a great long weekend.... until the next adventure I'll see you in the blogosphere. Cheers!

Say cheese....
TECHNORATI TAGS: ROM, Royal Ontario Museum