For a take on Beethoven unlike ANY other you’ve ever heard or seen, feast your eyes and ears (and translation at the bottom) on this.  It’s definitively… unique!  (And perhaps induced…)

But, that’s not really the egg I’m really writing about.  Tradition has struck again, with a December romp up to SF to catch the newest and latest Cirque du Soleil touring show:  Ovo.

Note, spoilers… if you plan on seeing it and want to be surprised by the acts, read no further until you’ve seen it!

Just as Pixar can seem to do no wrong, Cirque du Soleil falls squarely in the same category.  Da-mn.  Ovo was fantastic.  Very high energy, very artistic, super colourful and with an amazing IAPH score (Impossible Acts Per Hour).  Sweet sweet sweetness for its full running time.

The story is light fare and not very defined this time ‘round (vis-à-vis say Quidam) and that’s not a problem at all.  It’s about bugs and everything is nicely themed and costumed, right down to the weights for the cables that descend from the top of the tent (decorated as pupae).  And the costumes were very good – bugs really don’t do anything for me and yet many of the costumes were very sweet and fetching (and even seductive).  Vibrant and bright, and evocative of the imagery of bugs too.

Right from the first act this was an innovative show.  It started with a posing strongman act, balancing on one hand and bending his body in all manner of shapes.  Yet the pedestal upon which he perched was a steel spiral, which allowed for some very acrobatic moves not only to move around it but also slide down it in various poses and manners, keeping it going with flowing movements (and looking like a lot of fun).

From there we were treated to some crazy foot juggling that included juggling each other as well as the objects they were batting about with their feet (shaped as pieces of kiwi, corn and cucumbers, very nifty).  And speaking of juggling there is juggling and then there is the Chinese yoyo/Diablo (of the gyroscopic kind, not the paper extend cone things) – and never the twain shall meet right?  Oh, so wrong!  Indeed there is the lone Diablo-er going crazy with two, then three of the hourglass shaped disks going back and forth on the cord, up in the air, around his back, and all manner of ways that, really, just should not be possible.

Quite frankly, the number of times my mind throughout the show yelled “Physics doesn’t work that way!” is just an indication of the amazingness of the acts.  Also my jaw may be sore from the number of times it hit the floor.

The first act ended with some impressive aerial trapeze work, another combination act of sorts with trapeze and a central platform to catch those flying through the air much as in a banquine act.  And oh, did they fly!  Come second act, a set of spiders showed they had no bones in their body, followed by fleas (not real fleas!) contorting, supporting themselves, and twisting their bodies to and fro.  If anything, this might have been the only weakness in the show, that of the number of balance/support/contort acts, four of which could be described that way.  The slackwire tightrope walker, though, certainly deserved his balancing/support applause.  One hand, on a slack wire, being raised up, with no steadiness?  Ca-razy.  And, in true Cirque fashion, he didn’t stop there, ratcheting it up with both a stationary object balancing bit and topping it off with a unicycle, riding with his hands, upside down, while the wire swung back and forth.  Holy.  The.  Cow.

The last act, however, was the true piece de resistance.  I am going to be very direct in my impression of it:  it was batshit crazy amazing.  First off, it used a climbing wall.  And that would’ve been amazing enough what they were doing on it.  But then add in five trampolines and people doing vertical ballet up and down the wall, with poses and movements and interacting with those on the wall, and oh my.  And, no that’s not it, for they also had a trampoline track with flips and acrobatics galore, both alone and involving the trampolines by the wall, people flying over each other, up the wall, down the track, and just some insane choreography to go along with the insane stunts.  Awe.  Total awe.

The clowns were fun this show, and well integrated into the flow and story.  Overall there was a lot of dance too, and pageantry, and great set design, and some amazing flowers that unfurled from the ceiling just beautifully.  And the ending storm of leaves was delightful.  The music was catchy too, different from most of their other productions (a trend perhaps started by Kooza to be more “real world” inspired).

In summary, another knockout hit.  Definitively go see it; I was amazed the whole way through.  And best of all, like all Cirque shows, no animals were used.  Woo!

Now, to wait until next December… oh yes, a new show is already in the works!

Water is of the most fundamental items in the functioning of the entire biosphere.

Integrity and respect for the law is of the most fundamental level of the functioning of a government.

Time to set them both right.

QotD:

“All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers.”   – François Fénelon

While on the train I was introduced to a new brand/variety of tea that rocks on several levels.  They are Northern Delight Teas, fine Inuit herbal teas.  This rocks a) as they are great tasty teas, b) as they are herbal teas for when you want an herbal tea, c) as they are Inuit artisanal teas, d) it is supporting the Nunavik region and e) the website can be seen in Inuktitut.  I found a package in a store in Quebec City and grabbed myself a smattering of their varieties.  Goooood stuff.   Now to drink the mug of it I have in front of me…

“I can see that it’s much easier to say ‘porn did this to me, or that’ but at the end of the day, we are all responsible for the choices we make. I chose to be a porn star. Now I’m choosing not to be. It’s the beautifully terrible thing about free will: we can do whatever we like but we must be held accountable for whatever we do. Just because I don’t want to be a porn star today doesn’t mean that I should feel ashamed to have been one seven months ago. It’s something I did and I’m not afraid to say I did it, loved doing it, and just don’t feel like it’s what I need to do anymore. Shame and guilt are useless emotions. The only way I would feel ashamed is if I’d decided being a porn star isn’t what’s best for me and then continued doing it anyway.”  — Jennie Ketcham

The light, glinting off the corrugated stainless steel exterior of the cars, signal lights streaking through the night sky, the ever present never coming closer circle of light from the distant locomotive, illuminating the trees as we pass them by, the light spilling from the cars, gently lighting the ground, the terrain so lit looking all the world as an ever present cloud of steam emanating from the train, the Fraser river to our left, gleaming from cloud glow above, emptying into the water left behind us, the gentle rolling to and fro, the curving one way and the other, like a giant metallic snake, letting me see the whole of the train peeling away only to catch back up to it, the low constant rumble, the train, moving onward, onward, onward.

Shining gaily in the dawn the river sits to the left, smells of breakfast filling the car along with the sounds of conversation and new friendships, vegetation streaking by the window again, again, again, the train car dancing with the cliff faces along the right, edging by, engaging in a game of closeness, high spirits for all, underpinned with a steady beat of rails, thadump, thadump, thadump.

People speaking in hushed tones, the valley through which we pass is our cathedral, muted tones of fading red and yellow dot the evergreen hillsides, rail sounds continuing to dominate, swaying back and forth, eyes transfixed on the landscape unfolding, the river Thompson glistening as it flows back the way we came, we weave gently between peaks, a summit suddenly beckoning all capped in white, shining tall amongst the other peaks, mottled colours climbing its distant face with the tree line sharp nearing its white crown, soon joined by companions, ringing the train, all around, from water to sky, nothing lies that does not please the eye, rolling on, one beautiful tableau after another.

Crisp air nips the face, delightful, the lowering sun revealing new colours on the hills, new shadows highlighting ancient topography, a pale half moon hanging silently over the lake, sharp reflection, the sky opening up, uninhibited, cold stars gleaming down, scents hanging in the air:  pine, birch and the moist earth and leaves upon which we travel, mountains tantalizing, wildlife strutting their stuff, living their lives, we as intruders, they as nature powerful, wild, alive.

Fading back into the ground the hills recede, fading, the evening light matching the hills, fading, rail cars shining with reflected twilight, prairies beckoning, awaking, the horizon as flat a line as can be, the land stretches, stretches, stretches, dull gold the colour all around, clusters of trees breaking the endless plain, all has been cut, the fields low, the season ended, the winter coming, clouds grey, a plane matching the one below, freight rumbles past, colour of colour of cars, all different purposes, all rumbling on, as we do, forward.

Snow is here, streaking by the window, grain elevators standing watch, watching the rolling trains going by, splashes of red, green, white, alighting from hoppers, support piping, towers of holding, sleepy is the world, harvest past, fields dormant, few moving in the world outside the windows of the train, only the towers bearing witness, glassy still ponds reflecting all in perfect artistic beauty, the air hushed, flakes, flakes, flakes.

A new day equals a new postcard, strong conifers lining the path, conically pointing towards the sky, birches standing interspersed, white trunks assertive, subdued fall colours not yet fully receded still shining through, lakes, lakes, lakes glide past, mottled dark and blue the sky blares overhead, matched with rocks of deep grey, red, orange, holding the ground heavy, ancient, thick, wilderness untouched, standing ever present,  trees, lakes,  bare lakes, most fowl now flown south for the oncoming winter, patches of white giving evidence of the advancing season, the air is still, the train noise continues, continues, continues, snow growing, ground adorned with white, more, more, more, marshes, rivers, ponds, lying all still, dark hued, ice clinging, gripping, to the shore.

Bursting through, the colours of fall strut their style, past their prime yet still proud, the warmer clime keeping their fall attire longer, vibrancy, vibrancy, exploding in our vision, ponds, clearings, landscape giving way suddenly to  urbanscape, roads, houses, bridges, parks, uptowns, downtowns, approaching the city, urbanity, graffiti, industrial, residential, big station looming, inside.

Into infinity, water hems the train on one side, yet not the ocean, traveling onward into the most populous region, through city, town, villages, lake calm, reflecting the sky, zooming by at high speeds, rocking steadily, fields,  trees, clearings, crossings, all becoming vibrant streaks of colour, the distinct ring of the horn blares, blares, blares, level crossings coming, coming, coming fast and furiously, fields standing ready, ready for the spring, for planting, and old city looms, envelops, Paris in North America, thick walls of mortar and history, colourful shops, people bustling, longstanding vitality, thriving, thriving, thriving.

More east than east, further than the continent has gone before, a jutt of land across the bay, birch and poplars standing guard over flamboyant red groundcover, bursting from a clearing, undulating land rolling towards the horizon, rivers, rivers, rivers, churches sitting nestled in the landscape, white amongst the colourful backdrop, two provinces blending into one, horses, farms, the water coming, we move, east, east, est.

Red soil lies beneath, turned up here and there, potatoes gone but the fields remaining, unusual to our eyes, unique and vivid, clouds lazily overhead, farms, fields, fields, fields, houses dotting, rural, laid back, surrounded by ocean, water, coast, coast, travel, coast, windmills turning overhead.

Nine of Ten, Ocean to Ocean though not to Ocean, lands into lands into lands, landscapes into landscapes into landscapes, socials into socials into socials, the days and nights of exploring, adventure, of witness, now done, the journey ended, the memories never done.

(the title for this post came from a book I loved to get from the library)

The great Canadian rail adventure post-trip wrap-up post!

I have long held a fascination with trains, and for probably 20 years I had wanted to take the train across the fast and beautiful expanse of Canada.  Two years ago I spoke this before my friend Dave who wasn’t going to let me get away with a “someday, maybe, but not now”-type longing.  And so it was that he and Kat joined me for the long and fantastical journey.  I was positively giddy.

Every day we awoke was like awaking in a new postcard.  It was just something else.  I’d curl up into bed, rocked to sleep by the train, and upon awaking I’d throw open the shade and see a whole new landscape as we traversed the many elements of the Canadian landscape.  Mountains led to Prairies led to infinite Lakes led to the big lake and urbanness led to the rustic led to the Maritimes.  Colours, topography, the chill, the state of the leaves, and the animals we passed along the way, all varying, all while we simply relaxed, ate, read, worked and watched the world go by from the fabulous park car at the end of the train and its iconic dome.  As a means of seeing and seeing and where the journey is the beauty, I highly recommend the train.

We spent a few nights off the train during our journey, first in Jasper (in the Jasper National Park) staying at the Jasper Park Lodge for some mountain goodness, then in Quebec City staying at none other than the Chateau Frontenac (where, interestingly, I had stayed some 20 years earlier on a school trip) for some old-world and Paris-like charm and fun.  At the end of the train travels we hopped a bus to spend a couple of nights on the amazing red soil of Prince Edward Island (and wow, it is RED, I mean, I knew it was red but had no idea it was RED).

6600 km of rail travel, and nine provinces we set foot on.  Bears, beavers, caribou, deer, elk, ducks, squirrels, bighorn sheep, and more.  Colourful trees, mountains, lakes, fleuves, soils, cliffs.  Ocean to Ocean.  Sweet.

I then returned back to New Brunswick to visit a fellow disciple (and thus kung fu brother) Rino Cote.  It was really great to see his school, to do a bit of training there and to meet some of his students.  And then I taught the two seminars.  It was so much damn fun.  I could get addicted to that very easily!  To be in a group of people just there as excited as I in learning and sharing was quite heady.  I taught Shaolin Nine Province Eyebrow Height Staff and Shaolin #8 The Shuffling Step, each in one day over about 6 hours of teaching and training.  It was my first time teaching to a large group and it went very well, albeit my excitement and enthusiasm almost got the better of me at times and I had to rein myself in to keep it more serious and focused on the training.  Lots of great questions, and I learned as much as the students no doubt.  It was very satisfying to see the family spirit Sifu Wing Lam created at his school also permeate Sifu Rino’s affiliate school.

A fabulous trip overall.  I met many nifty people on the trip too, right from the second flight up to Vancouver (and we’ve been trading emails back and forth since then) and many people on the train.  Turns out I wasn’t the only one fulfilling a 20-year-old dream – at least two couples on the train said they’d wanted to take the trip for a long time as well.  Hooray for the end of procrastination!  And to that end thank you Dave, for not letting me get away with it for another 20 years.

After a flight home, back to work and dove right back in, back to managing the large job I’m working on, getting right back into the architecting stride, creating spaces for people.

Checked in for the night before an early morning departure.  I have a good sore muscle burn going on right now, it was a great couple of days of seminars, got through the two sets, Rino’s school is full of great and fun people, we all had a blast.  And you know it’s been a good workout when you arrive at the hotel and realize that due to the time zone change you have now one extra hour for sleep.   Shaolin dreams…

Gone through Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, back to NB…

getting ready for the kung fu seminar I’ll be teaching this weekend.  It’s fun to be hanging out with a KF brother, went to a couple of his classses last night, we’ll be training a bunch tonight and it’s onto teaching 9 Province staff on saturday.  I’m as giddy as I was before getting on the train.

I’ll have to post a trip recap when I return — I’ve gotten less time and less net access along the way than I thought.

Train hard!  (ooo, a pun…)

Ahhhh, Quebec City, perhaps the closest one can get to Paris in North America.  At least le vieux Quebec.  Been a great two days here, much fine food, great atmosphere, lots of history, and, of course, staying at the Chateau Frontnac.

Had been some 20 odd years since my last visit here.  And now the last leg of the rail journey, on the way to Halifax.  Another excellent sleeper car night.  And sure to be another different landscape when we awake… happy halloween!

About to literally pass through my hometown of Bowmanville, riding the rails with the grand fun bonus of wifi.  Hehee… trip onward from Winnipeg was great, very fun to eat on the dining car, the landscape continues to change (warmer down south here, still lots of colour on the trees!).  Next stop… Montreal for a quick quick pause before boarding the train to Quebec City.