Discoveries, IV

The Yuppie is back with her fourth (roman IV) installment of my latest discoveries from the world wide web and beyond. Read them, appreciate them and spread them.

Fashion World:
Tick tock, fashion weeks are approaching, some like Copenhagen Fashion Week have already passed, which means only two things: 1) revive your champagne and kit kat diets and 2) show packages have been released. These cards let agencies get creative, some splurging huge amounts on their cards. Check out the show packages here.

Major Management

Scoop Copenhagen
Illustration:

How tacky that I was in a rental this weekend. Hehehehe, enjoy these illustrations from Molly Schiot, whose more than just an illustrator, but you'll know that when you visit her website.
Via Shiny Squirrel
Craigslist:
Toronto has a lot of talent, but it also has a lot of bad art and pseudo everythings. Vaneska finds an interesting Craigslist job posting claiming to the same old hipster/yuppie bullshit. Laugh it up here.
Advertising:
The Middle-East may have its restrictions and popular culture you may or may not understand, but their recent Ramadan ads have been nothing short of fantastic. Subscribe to AdBlog Arabia and MediaMe to view more campaigns from all over the Middle-East.

Via AdBlog Arabia
We're all faced with ignorance, sometimes from people we wouldn't except. If you're tired of the old "you're not even allowed to have water?" question from someone who doesn't understand Ramadan, just point them to this campaign.

Via MediaMe
Architecture:
Now if this villa was in Southern Spain I would do everything in my power (fundraising, angel investors, begging all family members, illegal things (maybe)) to purchase it. And although it's tempting, I'm looking at a big expense so might as well have it in the ideal location. For now, I'll admire from afar.



Via Contemporist
Music+Branding
Amazing video by Nike paying tribute to old 90's hip-hop. The beat is catchy and the video is fun. Spot any "familiar" faces in this one?

Via AdFreak

The old man with the cane

Everyday, an old Greek man with curly short white hair, a cane and pouty lips walks into the same convenience store. He walks slowly, incredibly slowly, it's what happens with old age. He wears a beige jacket everyday, no matter how hot it is outside. With all his effort, he opens the door to the store, almost out of desperation. He walks to the Lotto station, grabs a paper and begins his short but slow walk to the counter. The store owner looks at him with the same pity and sadness as I do. Today, I notice the colour of the old man's eyes, a sky blue beaming next to me. The store owner looks at the old man, almost expecting the next few words out of his mouth, "I don't have money today, can you let me go this time?" The store owner looks at him and says, "Buddy, I'm sorry, I can't. They are picking it up tomorrow, you know normally I do, but I can't." "Tomorrow?" the old man asks desperately. "Tomorrow morning, you can come by in the evening. I don't mean to do this to you, I hate doing it to you..." "No no, I understand," he says in a low voice. He looks around the store, the store owner looks over to me. I think to myself, this man is around my grandfather's age, but they are both so different. My grandfather, at 75 years of age wakes up early every morning and puts on his best clothes, he fixes his hair neatly, he gets into his car and drives to get groceries, and although his hearing is not so good, he's in good health (thankfully) and looks much younger than 75. The old man puts his hands in the pockets of his khakis, he takes out four quarters and throws each one individually on the counter. Clink, clink, clink, clink. "Let me play a Quick Pic, $1." The store owner taps it into the system and hands him a ticket. The man digs into his pockets deeper and finds more change which he throws on the counter. Clink, clink, clink, clink, clink, clink. The change doesn't add up to a dollar, but the store owner will give him what he wants regardless while shaking his head in disappointment. "You want me to fill out the numbers for you?" asks the store owner. "Yes". He states the numbers as the store owner marks them, then he takes the lotto sheet, which many ride their entire paycheque on, and slides it through the blue machine. Beep. The old man grabs his items and his cane and begins his short but slow walk back to the door and as we both look back through the glass, he disappears into the hordes of people rushing through the crowds awaiting to get home.

Birds of a Fether

Main link
Erin Fetherston premiered her third short film on August 17th titled “Birds of a Fether” on Style.com.

The film, directed by Marisa Crawford, attempts to reinterpret The Pied Piper into a fashion tale. The short is quite adorable, but not as adorable as the one with Zooey Deschanels because Zooey Deschanels was in it. This film features Erin’s Autumn/Winter 2009 collection and cameos from some of Erin’s favorite models and muses including Reni Lane, Kelsey Barrett, actress Paz De La Huerta, model/actress Ingrid Schram, as well as models Daria Strokous, Kelsey Close, Rudi Ovchinnikova, Sacha Blue and Karina G.

My latest boycott

To the dear Log Cabin Restaurant, Greyhound partner and only stop from Toronto to Ottawa and Ottawa to Toronto via Voyageur, consider yourself boycotted, not as if I have ever considered purchasing anything more than a small coffee out of a desperation from your location. Thank the Asian man, who I assume is the owner for this boycott. You can do without my $1.25 every few months or so. To the Asian man: do not grab a newspaper I was actually considering purchasing from my hands as I was deeply immersed in the main article of this right wing newspaper and yell at me for not buying it in front of many customers who are actually purchasing your shitty products because they don't know any better. Lucky for you, my head was elsewhere and I wasn't paying full attention to your disrespectful behaviour, but next time, if this happens again, I will threaten to "burn this mother down" just as I threatened to do at the University of Ottawa computer labs back in 2007 after the 3-day revolution that took place at the SPSS labs, but that was only a threat, this time, it might mean I'll act on it.

Love love,

The [very] angry Yuppie

Conversations with hair dressers

Legend:

HD=Hair dresser

Me: Guys don't really care about their haircuts, they'll go anywhere, like First Choice for example. You ever been to First Choice?

HD: No. Definitely not.

Me: Do you think a reputable hairdresser works at First Choice?

HD: No. Definitely not.

Me: Do you know anyone who has worked there and ended up in a reputable salon like this one?

HD: Nope.

HD laughs

Me: But c'mon there has to be someone, like a hidden talent working at First Choice somewhere in the world, looking for her big break.

HD: I really doubt that.

Me: But what if it's the only job she could get because it's the only place to work at in her village and she's got real talent? Like people would tell others and she'd be the talk of the town, all for under $20, and then she'd open up her own salon and it would be turned into some inspirational crummy Hollywood movie that should've went straight to video!

HD laughs

Me: Are you mocking me?

HD: You're funny. Stop playing with your hair, I'm trying to cut!

Science fiction, fashion, stereotypes and occupation

I can't say like most people around here that I'm excited for "Where the Wild Things Are" since I grew up francophone and did not read the book everyone was talking about and so when I found it at Urban Outfitters a few months ago, I set aside 20 minutes and read it on the couch. The effect isn't the same, it would be if it was Le Petit Prince, anyway, I am excited for these movies below.

"Gentleman Broncos" is the latest from "Napoleon Dynamite" director Jared Hess. Napoleon Dynamite, when I saw it back in 2004, made me die laughing and high five my fellow movie watcher at the theatre, this one will probably do that as well.

Via Kitsuné Noir

"Amreeka", playing opening night at TPFF and a special preview in September at BPFF is filled with Fobby Arab stereotypes. Of course I want to see it!

Elia Suleiman's latest "The Time That Remains" will premiere at TIFF this year. Let's hope this one is better than his last attempt, and the trailer is pointing to yes.

"The September Issue" opens August 28th, 2009. Will it be better than that reality show about Vogue from last year? My hopes aren't high, I'm just intrigued by this movie.

The Difference Between

Residential neighbourhood in Jordan.

The best part about malls in Jordan is that there's a security guard at the door and you have to pass by a metal detector. Every single time, I've beeped but was let through without questioning. Also, you can enter through the door on the left which has no metal detector, but will be asked by mall security, who would be too lazy to chase you down anyway, to pass by the detector. Listen Jordan, you have a peace treaty with your only threat, stop inventing ways to get some action, okay?

Sidewalks seem to have been built in the times when humans were much larger.

Aside from having the best fast food store name ever "Lebnani Snack" this caption is not about Lebnani snack, it's about how the cup holders in Jordan for take-away make more sense then the ones we have in North America.

This cost me $0.40. I'm sure you've noticed that chip bags are much smaller and so are cans. Don't be fooled though, Jordan's junk food may be cheap, but the rest of the country sure isn't.

Middle-Eastern baggage claim. Dissaray. My bags, coming from Paris, ended up on the Cairo luggage belt, the opposite of Paris. How? Look at this madness, for one.

Surréel

Last night while going through my documents, I found a piece of writing that I am sure was not written by me but I cannot seem to figure out who wrote it and how I came across it, but I know it's written by a male.

This piece reminds me of a photo I found on my recent trip, one of a relative of mine riding a horse at les Jardins des Tuileries in Paris. This photo dates back to the late 1970s I think.

Some of you may know, without knowing, this young girl in the photo because she was, for a brief second, subject of a certain historical event.

The piece does not remind me of her, but it rather reminds me of the photo, and a million other things in between because it's hauntingly familiar.

En regardant nos photos ce soir, une vague m’a soudainement envahie. L’odeur de ta peau m’est revenue, comme cela, sans que je le demande. Si tu savais comment poser mes lèvres sur ton cou me plaisait, m’enivrait le corps et me transportait dans un second niveau. Ton odeur charnelle me rendait fou, d’où ce désir qui me faisait te désirer à chaque seconde et qui entretenait la passion qui nous habitait l’un l’autre. Aurais-je un jour l’occasion de m’enivré de cette odeur qui m’a rendu si amoureux?

Put your dreams away

When I was 16 years old, all I wanted to be was a photo journalist and a documentary filmmaker, instead, I take photos when I see something I like and write this blog, but I think I'm ready to start dreaming about it again.

Bethlehem, 2002*

Seville, 2002*

Grenada, 2002*

Tanger, 2002*

Tanger, 2002*

Jerusalem, 2002*

Hebron, 2002*

Hebron, 2002*

Jerusalem, 2002*

Gaza, 2002*

Gaza, 2002*

Jerusalem, 2002*

Cavendish, 2004

St. John's, 2008

Toronto, 2009

Amman, 2009

*Taken with film, otherwise, digital

Journey

12:00am - arrival to Amman airport. I had just come back from a huge BBQ at my uncle's house where my cousins threw me in the air three times to say goodbye. This airport is madness, and one of the only places on earth where your luggage, both carry on and check in, gets checked over three times.

1:50am - flight to Charles de Gaulle. I am seated beside two teenage boys. I attempt to sleep because I am so exhausted but cannot. I spark a conversation with the guy beside me. He's traveling with his brother, mother and sister, and they are heading back to Vancouver. He's in grade 10, and told me he was in Jordan for a month, and he also went to Beirut.

5:45am - arrival at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport. Flight to Toronto says 12:00pm for some reason, it's supposed to depart at 10:50am. I'm not in the mood for delays. Long line up for security. The man behind me steps on my luggage so often I let him pass. He ends up being in the wrong terminal. The airport is flooded with people, I buy some duty free items...Paris you're not cheap. Flight is delayed, use the slow internet.

12:30pm - boarding finally begins. Madness.

1:30pm - depart to Toronto. Long flight. Old plane, no personal TV, nothing. Sitting beside three others. Can't sleep. I actually watched the Miley Cyrus movie out of boredom. Finally, me and the two ladies beside me begin conversing. Talking to strangers is so comforting. The little girl seated in front of me is so cute, and I talk to her and play hide and seek. She's three, and has big eyes like my little sister.

3:00pm (Toronto Time) - Arrive.

4:00pm - Still waiting for my luggage.

4:15pm - Getting searched by customs and my seeds, which supposedly can be planted, are taken away. Thanks grandma, for not cutting them into smaller pieces for the actual purpose...cooking.

4:40pm - Exit. Look at all the eager faces waiting for their friends and family to arrive, walk to the exit and take the airport express.

6:00pm - Home. Shower. Sleep.

It's now 4am, the jet lag has finally kicked in. I can't sleep, I've technically been up since 1am. I stare out my window and look at my phone profusely, nothing. People like to use facebook. When I arrived, I was starving, now I'm fine although my stomach and my fridge are both empty. "A Waltz for a Night" is trapped in my head. I unpack slightly, then stop and realize that my writing, for the first time, is practically a stream of consciousness and I am completely confused about the rest of my life and how not one soul would really understand this.

Dead Sea

The Dead Sea reminds everyone of the city that was turned upside down, and how you don't actually need to know how to swim to enjoy it.

Ears pop.

The other side is another country that shares the Dead Sea with the country I'm taking this picture from, the country on the other side is where I'm from.

A sunset for a night

Avoid the Movenpick hotel.

Quintessential Middle-Eastern behaviour.

After over a week of sleeping on beds that give concrete a run for their money, this was bliss.

A night is not complete without belly dancing

I attempted to get the camel that was waiting by the side of the road but we were driving too quick.

Nostalgia

Marsupilami