Icefest Festival 2011

I went to Icefest 2011 and it was good

The Warden

Check out the short film that Scott did for the VIFF (Vancouver International Film Festival)
Please pass it along to all you know!!!

The Warden

Cavalcade 2009

Finally uploaded my pictures and a little video of the fireworks.  Album on my facebook

There aren't many pictures though...

Here's the video... 

The Fall List

In light of a summer gone and too much time not doing what I should have been doing - here's a list to start the fall:

A little more of:

• Sunsets by the lake
• rollerblading
• yoga & P90X
• trying new foods
• day trip adventures
• street fests
• movies
• picture taking
• drawing
• finishing my paintings
• guitar lessons!
• golfing
• good eating habits

A LOT less of:

• facebook
• sitting around
• eating to be full
• worrying about bills!!! WOO HOO good bye car payments
• procrastinating
• injuring my back
• breaking my own promises

Last Summer Long Weekend 2009

This year, no pictures.
Things I missed out on this summer:

• Campfires
• Hiking trails
• Meteor shower
• Summerlicious kick off
• Just For Laughs
• Montreal
• Taste of the Danforth
• Rollerblading
• Golfing *sniffle*
• Hurting my back
• Watching the sun set by the lake

Things I did too much of:

• Unionville
• Cancelling plans
• Sitting around
• Shopping
• Nursing my back
• Nothing

World At Our Fingertips

Stills

Issac & the Apple

Pots of Fire

Set ablaze the fond memories of yesterday.

Set ablaze the predefined expectations.

Set ablaze the once upon a times.

Set ablaze the should haves would haves could haves.

What are these desires that won't go away?
What are these questions that circle?

Chinese Lantern Festival Day 15, Month 1

The History

There are many different beliefs about the origin of the Lantern Festival. But one thing for sure is that it had something to do with celebrating and cultivating positive relationship between people, families, nature and the higher beings they believed were responsible for bringing/returning the light each year.
One legend tells us that it was a time to worship Taiyi, the God of Heaven in ancient times. The belief was that the God of Heaven controlled the destiny of the human world. He had sixteen dragons at his beck and call and he decided when to inflict drought,storms, famine or pestilence upon human beings. Beginning with Qinshihuang, the first emperor to unite the country, all subsequent emperors ordered splendid ceremonies each year. The emperor would ask Taiyi to bring favorable weather and good health to him and his people. Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty directed special attention to this event. In 104 BC, he proclaimed it one of the most important celebrations and the ceremony would last throughout the night.
Another legend associates the Lantern Festival with Taoism. Tianguan is the Taoist god responsible for good fortune. His birthday falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. It is said that Tianguan likes all types of entertainment. So followers prepare various kinds of activities during which they pray for good fortune.
The third story about the origin of the festival goes like this. Buddhism first entered China during the reign of Emperor Mingdi of the Eastern Han Dynasty. That was in the first century. However, it did not exert any great influence among the Chinese people. One day, Emperor Mingdi had a dream about a gold man in his palace. At the very moment when he was about to ask the mysterious figure who he was, the gold man suddenly rose to the sky and disappeared in the west. The next day, Emperor Mingdi sent a scholar to India on a pilgrimage to locate Buddhist scriptures. After joumeying thousands of miles,the scholar finally returned with the scriptures. Emperor Mingdi ordered that a temple be built to house a statue of Buddha and serve as a repository for the scriptures. Followers believe that the power of Buddha can dispel darkness.
So Emperor Mingdi ordered his subjects to display lighted lanterns during what was to become the Lantern Festival.