Tea Time at the Theatre

It’s not an unfamiliar scene to the Asian child. Unlike the conventional kitchen, aside from the rice cooker the key item in the Asian pantry is the hot water boiler. On any given Sunday, as the youngest in the family I spend most of my time at dim sum inspecting the cup levels to make sure that everyone at the table has a full cup. There’s something about tea that binds the Asian family together.

Guangzhou born playwright Norman Yeung and director Keira Loughran pack a powerful punch of culturally relevant lines and emotionally-loaded monologues that will give you new insight into the Asian Canadian family. With just 3 players and in a little less than 3 hours, the story reveals a family that is caught up in generational differences and the complexities of cultural displacement.

Although some of the lines were delivered in Cantonese, Pu-Erh is a testament that words, not simply actions, can challenge, divide and unite a family. If you’ve ever wondered what it was like growing up as a bicultural Asian Canadian then this play is a  must-see.

Pu-Erh plays until May 15th at the Theatre Passe Muraille (www.artsboxoffice.ca), and May 21 & 22 at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts (www.rhcentre.ca).

Happy Asian Heritage Month!

Thanks to Sarah & Carrie at Flip Publicity!

belles of the gumball

The Gumball Rally made it’s stop in downtown Toronto this weekend and although the weather was a little less spring-like, we layered up and headed to Yorkville. The Gumball 3000 is an international road rally that takes place on public roads with a different 3000 mile route around the world. It’s not a real race per se, but rather an exciting road trip adventure. There are no winners.

This year’s rally is traveling between London and New York. Starting out on the first of May, the tour left London going thru Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Boston, Quebec City, Toronto and Niagara Falls before finishing in New York. Some celebrities include Tony Hawk, Xzibit, Eve and Idris Elba, but the real stars of course are the rides.

Ste.Ho, Derek and I went for a drink at One where we ran into the Racemode and PASmag crew. It’s nice to see we’ve all traded our vinyl-covered rides for cleaner & leaner ones, and who knows? Maybe somebody we’ll enter the Gumball Rally with rides that are meaner. I definitely think a cross-country road trip with the blinked xB would be super fun.

Photography by Ste.Ho @ Shutterlit.

ATTRACTION: Bedtime Stories my mom never told me

In my old job, I used to look forward to Monday mornings for one sole reason: to ask my co-worker how her weekend went. You see, my co-worker was heavily into the dating scene…and she also had a douchebag magnet on her. Every weekend was an adventure for her and every Monday, she had a great story to tell. I think back to the times when she would flood me with awesome stories of douchbaginess from guys and I’m grinning from ear to ear thinking: You just can’t make this stuff up.

So you can only imagine my excitement when I attended a launch party for the second installment of “Stories from Our Black Books”, a book comprised of a collection of real life dating stories from girls all over North America collected by Carissa Reiniger.

To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect from that night since this was going to be the first time I would be attending a book launch. What did I need to bring? What do I have to do? And most importantly…what do I wear?

Here, respectively are the answers to my previous questions: Myself, nothing, dress shirt and tie (my default option). As the event approached, I met up with Lisa and we entered venue only to find…

Girls.

A lot of girls. In fact, I’d say that it was a sea of girls.

As I entered the venue, I quickly turn my head to see if I could lock the door behind so that no other male can enter the venue. Unfortunately, the large man watching the door didn’t think that was a good idea. Oh well.

Now I’m really curious about this book so I grab one and start reading it – Since the book is a compilation of stories, it’s very easy to read and the stories are short – perfect for someone with ADD like me. The stories are a mix of hits and misses from girls and as I read along, the memories of my co-worker and her stories come flooding back and I find myself grinning.

Later on as I prepare to leave, I strike up a conversation with one of the event planners. I had to ask about the ungodly 80:20 ratio of women to men at the event. She informs me that the girls whose stories were in the book were here. Pretty much, the authors of one-night stands, bad dates and good romances were all in this room.

Again, you can’t make this stuff up.

It’s all about Kollaboration.

Unless you’ve been living in a bubble, if you’re Asian and lived through the Asian Avenue and Friendster phases you’ve probably heard about Kollaboration. Originally produced in Los Angeles by Paul Kim (PK) of ProKreation Productions, the show developed a mass organic following which spread to other Asian-centric cities like Toronto, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Washington, Seattle, Houston, San Fran and Tulsa. Talk about a Kollateral effect.

Although their primary mission is to promote and nurture the talent within the Korean-Canadian/American community, one might be hard pressed to say they’re exclusive with a name like Kollaboration.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Toronto production by DreamTree and the show’s theme is “RAW, UNCUT AND EXPOSED”. Exciting.

The audience will crowd into the John Basset Theatre, better known as the home stage for CTV’s Canadian Idol and be entertained by a host of singers, dancers, rappers, musicians, and other performers including:

• J Moy & Keeno
• Derrick Lee
• Esly & Stephen Chang
• Fo’Real
• JmS
• SC Swag
• Stacey Sang
• Stephan Kim

In addition to the finalists for Kollaboration, in true collaborative fashion – YouTube serenader David Choi and funny man Kevin Shea are flying down to Toronto to meet their Canadian fanbase.

Looks like an exciting show!

Tickets are still available at www.tdotkollaboration.org – but by the sounds of it, I think they’ll be going fast.

TO THE BAT CAVE!

If you grew up in Toronto then the Bat Cave at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) probably has been lodged in your memory as one of the coolest field trips ever. But as we’ve aged, so has the cave and since it’s opening in 1988, the gallery which realistically portrays the renowned St. Clair Cave in Jamaica has been remodelled to a 1,700 square-foot gallery featuring more than 20 bat specimens and over 800 models, some mechanized, to thrill visitors of all ages while teaching them about these magnificent winged creatures, their behaviour and the ecology of the cave in which they live. The new Bat Cave promises a fascinating immersive and educational adventure.

ROM Director and CEO, William Thorsell says, “This new re-imagined Bat Cave is bigger, more realistic and makes use of the latest technologies to inspire new generations of visitors with the wonders of the natural world.”

BATTY FACTS

• Most bats eat insects, fruit and a small number of bats eat meat
• Only three of more than 1,100 known species of bats actually feed on blood
• Bats navigate in the dark through a process known as echolocation where they send out high-pitched sounds and navigate around objects based on the returning echoes.
• The newly renovated Bat Cave officially re-opens to the public on February 27, 2010

Thanks to Lauren from the ROM for inviting us to check out the Bat Cave before it opens on Saturday!

Happy Sweetheart New Year!

SO YOU’VE ALREADY MANAGED TO BREAK YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS, THIS FEBRUARY 14TH YOU’RE GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE.

Westerners might know a thing or two about New Year’s traditions – the midnight kiss, the champagne toast, the big ol’ countdown in Times Square. But there really is nothing quite like the Chinese New Year and the traditions and superstitions that come with it.

1. IT’S GOING TO BE A SWEET, SWEET YEAR…

Pass through any Asian grocery store this week and you’ll notice that sweets are in abundance. Pretty packaged sweets are available to be given, received and most definitely eaten to deliver a sweeter year. Added bonus this year is that if you don’t like Asian sweets (but really who doesn’t?) then you can swing by your nearest Shopper’s Drug Mart and pick up some chocolate covered hearts.

2. MAKE SURE YOU START ON THE RIGHT FOOT…

Avoid buying shoes or getting them fixed during New Year’s festivities. You want to start your year off high stepping so keep your tried and true soles with the hope that it’ll benefit you in the New Year.

3. CLEAN UP AND THEN…

It’s important that you clean your house before the New Year. Similar to starting with a fresh slate, a clean house is a good place to start.

4. SKIP THE SWIFFER…

If you’ve successfully completed #3, then this step should be easy. During the New Year’s weekend, avoid the broom and mop and relax and enjoy the holiday. Sweeping on the New Year is symbolic for sweeping away good luck and money. So try your best to suck it up and live with a day or two of dust. This also applies to laundry too!

5. BALANCE YOUR BOOKS

If you owe somebody, pay them back before the New Year. If you plan on being financially successful, you have to make sure you aren’t starting the year in debt.

6. CRACK THE SHUTTERS AND OPEN UP

There’s a Chinese superstition that opened windows allow the good luck in and let the bad luck out. Might be a little counterproductive to open windows in the winter, but maybe adapt a little and drive with the windows ajar!

7. SEEING RED

Don as much red as possible today! Red signifies luck so it will be in your best interest to wear an abundance of red in your outfit choice today.

8. KEEP YOUR LOCKS

Avoid cutting your hair today. This is a strange superstition but I suppose it goes with the new shoes/fixed shoes principle. You want to avoid making any changes that could effect your year to come. So have a happy shaggy new year.

9. A NOODLE FOR YOUR THOUGHTS AND A DUMPLING FOR GOOD LUCK

Probably my favourite tradition, you get to EAT! Dim sum, banquet dinners and home made goodness from extended family. Noodles are for long life (don’t cut them!) and dumplings are symbolic for money & wealth – the Chinese were on to something when they decided on the shape. Indulge, enjoy and eat!

10.  GREET FOR CASH

Okay, so maybe this is another favourite custom of the New Year and probably the sole reason most of my friends wished they were Chinese. While westerners exchange kisses and toast champagne, the Chinese offer red packets filled with money for New Year’s greetings. To all of my married friends, take cover!

The Chinese New Year is a 15-day long celebration of the traditions and superstitions above and many, many more. The bottom line is this time is a time for family, friends and loved ones. Since the New Year lands on Valentine’s Day and right before Family Day, it’s definitely a great opportunity to show your love for the people around you. SO whatever you do, wherever you go, or whoever you decide to spend it with – may your New Year be bright, prosperous and filled with the grrrr that the Tiger brings with it.

Gong xi fa cai!