Turtle-or-Treat

October 27, 2007

Ahhhh Halloween... brings back such fond memories of one's childhood doesn't it? The afternoon dress-up parties at school complete with those Safeway cookies shaped like bats with lots of orange sprinkles; having to create not one, but two costumes for the spooktacular day - one to model during the day in class, another that would allow for a snowsuit to fit under at night; making the very first stop of a really long night of trick-or-treating at the 'cool house'... that being the one that gave out REAL chocolate bars - the full size ones; and alas remembering Halloween as the day that I first snuck into a bar underage... ahem... no secret here... I recall my mom drove me, even waiting in the car on Whyte Ave to make sure I got in ok, and my sister high-fiving me in front of the bouncer upon my sneaky entrance.

Well Halloween came a little early for me this year... having celebrated it today at Turtle Bay with our annual Haunted Open House. The ghoulish fun-for-all-ages event was free and open to the public, with a large portion of our turnout being the Schools' students and local families from in and around the community. From pumpkin decorating, face painting and meet-the-instrument trick-or-treating, we had an overwhelming turn-out that made the event a huge success. Wrapping up the afternoon was an interactive concert featuring a dual piano performance of Camille Saint-Saëns' The Carnival of the Animals. After fourteen musical movements and hundreds of kiddies bouncing off the walls on a sugar-high, a whole new meaning to the title of that piece was evident in our concert hall.

What a relief that Halloween is, for the most part, done for another year... which in my books really only means one thing... time to start pulling out the Christmas decorations! Well, in my case, my whole one decoration which I already have out, a Seussical style Whoville tree. Hey, it's never too early for a little holiday cheer.

Little Bo Peep and some Turtles as her Sheep

Horti-what?

October 21, 2007

Having been couped up in the dark indoors for the past three days, thanks to my having to nurse a stomach flu, an unbelievably long lasting migraine and to wrap it up, another sinus cold, I was exceedingly restless to just get out of the apartment, get a real breath of fresh air, take in some conspicuous scenery and enjoy the continued trend of 'summer' weather here on the east coast.

Not wanting to stay in the city on such a glorious day, I ventured out to The Bronx. No, I was not headed to Yankee Stadium... due to an unfortunate lack of post-season action there wasn't much reason to, and no, I was not about to embark on a round of search efforts for Jenny from the Block. Instead, I went to one place that anyone who knows me, would be rather surprised to learn of my visit. Yes, you guessed it... The New York Botanical Garden. To be completely honest, I know absolutely nothing when it comes to horticulture, floriculture, arboriculture or any other '...culture' for that matter. That probably explains why I do such a poor job of keeping any purchased flower alive for more than two days... let alone plants! Oopps, you mean I'm also supposed to water them Mom? Not just rotate them in the sun?

So if I was going to learn anything about horticulture ever, I made the opportune decision to visit the garden on one of the best possible weekends... opening weekend of Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Chrysanthemum. Expert horticulturists spend years perfecting the rigorous, meticulous, time-consuming and demanding skills necessary for cultivating and exhibiting kiku. And I just happened to stumble upon one the most extensive displays of chrysanthemums grown in the Imperial style ever presented outside of Japan.

Ozukuri ("thousand bloom"): a single plant is trained to produce up to 300 or more flowers
Ogiku: a single large blossom balanced atop a tall stem

Kengai: a cascade of small-flowered chrysanthemums grown on and supported by a bamboo and wire-framework that can stretch the branches six-and-a-half feet away from the plant's roots

Bonsai ("plants growing in a tray"): the ancient Japanese art of growing mature but miniature trees and shrubs in containers

So with a market on practically every street corner selling beautiful flowers, I had no excuse to not put myself up to the challenge of seeing if I can keep a bundle of flowers alive until the next time I get sick (which could be a lot sooner than I think). Don't ask me what kind I purchased though... remember, I am oblivious to knowing the names of any. I just picked out the prettiest ones.

Bamboo Installation

I love lilypads!

An eye-catching arrangement in the water

A Pretty in Pink Plant

Colors of Fall

Rockefeller Rose Garden

Inside the Haupt Conservatory The Bronx River

What's that Screeching Noise?

October 15, 2007

Every year I like to try and learn something new. Last year I attempted snowboarding and what an experience that was. Having only ever skied twice in my life beforehand, I was banking on my rather reliable degree of balance to carry me through. But after taking two and a half hours to complete a five-mile trail, and experiencing far too many wipeouts than I'd care to relive, perhaps the transferability of balance learned in ballet class didn't completely cut it in my gracefully carving, goofy foot forward, down the powdered mountain. Or maybe I was just distracted by the instructor of my snowboarding lesson earlier in the day... a hottie New Zealander who certainly had an accent to chin-dive for... perhaps even powder burn for!

Being anything but close to mountains these days, I figured now would be as good a time as ever to learn the violin. Having put on hold my desire to play this instrument for quite some time, working at a respected music school with an amazingly talented faculty definitely puts me in the best possible position to alas try my 'something new' for this year. I spent a good chunk of my weekend admiring my new instrument, very anxious to meet the bow to the strings to see what kind of delightful sounds I could produce. Well, I found out today in my very first lesson that the sounds were far from delightful. My 'music' aired moreso on the side of fingernails screeching down a chalkboard. By the likely disgusted look on my face, my instructor ensured me it was supposed to sound that way. A special timbre she called it, the result of playing a note without the damping action of a finger on the string. Pfewpf! She must know what she's talking about afterall, having been a principal violist with the Juilliard Symphony.

Time will tell if the violin and I are a good match. If it doesn't work out I may have to re-think my 'try' ambitions for the upcoming year and stick with what I'm accustomed to. Give me til Christmas time... if I go beyond mastering my initial goal of memorizing the notes of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to be able to also play Jingle Bells, then I think this could quite possibly be a match made in violin heaven!

Maybe one day I'll play at a level that will afford me one of these! What a sweet Christmas present that would be!

Boost Without the Bull...

October 9, 2007

er... Red Bull that is.

I've said it once and I'll say it again. New York is the true definition of exhaustion. And after only 6 weeks of living the unbelievably fast Manhattan pace of life, I have to admit that some days I've struggled to catch my breath. Even on days that I do feel like I've completely caught up to myself, my mind begins racing so quickly, absorbing every ounce of my concentrated surroundings, that not even lunch-hour yoga classes can fully clear my head or attempt to maintain my sane and focused mentality!

The Thanksgiving/Columbus Day long weekend could not have come at a better time. Though it was a tempting opportunity for me to catch up on some much-needed sleep, I instead made a quick trip up to Toronto to spend some quality time with my family. Having not seen my sister or parents for a couple of months, I felt like I was coming home from college for the first time, desperately anxious for a re-charger hug from a loved one, as a means of re-energizing myself to deal with and survive the at-times suffocating vibe of The Big Apple.

Rest and relaxation will just have to wait until Christmas... so can the turkey. Our weekend was jam-packed checking out all the touristy sights that the great city of Toronto has to offer. As our personal tourguide, Jess with itinerary in hand (I taught her well!), took us galavanting through her new home city. We visited the historic Distillery District, window shopped on Queen Street, strolled through Cabbagetown, and lingered along the harbourfront. It was a rather busy weekend exploring what can be called Canada's version of New York and it couldn't have been with better company. We were all smiles, thankful for having the opportunity to be together on a special holiday... I hope. Or else we were all just really happy to still be wearing our summer clothes! Something completely unheard of back in Alberta for this time of year!

I'm back in New York now, feeling renewed and refreshed to get through the next couple of months before I return home for the holidays... wherever home is these days. No surprise here though that a few ounces of the ever-present sensation of sluggishness still exists. Good thing I picked up a Red Bull on my way home from the airport... it can be a real life-saver sometimes.

Beautiful lush greenery with a distant view of downtown and the CN tower

How sweet would it be to live in one of those condos!

The Royal Ontario Museum Striking flowers in St. James Park The shops and galleries of The Distillery Historic District

Woodbine Beach
The perfect fall day in Toronto
Making leaf angels!
A sailboat breezes by the Fire Rescue boat Sister's reunite!

Rockstar Turtles

October 5, 2007

An album release party. Check. One more cool event to add to my list of New York City firsts!

Last night was an exciting night for two members of our tiny 'turtle' family. To celebrate the hard work and amazing talent of my fellow co-workers, I ventured down to the Lower East Side to show my support for starnes&shah, a trio in fact, based out of Astoria, Queens, whom yesterday released their debut album Summer in the Woodshed.

In an area that breathes a strong ethnic flavor of diversity and a unique bohemian-esque spirit, the Lower East Side features narrow lively streets lined with some of the city's best small music venues. One being 'The Living Room', the aptly appropriate host venue for this special performance event featuring a diverse band of fine musicians with a unique mellow sound. This band is definitely on their way up, and to think I have my very own (signed) copy of their limited-edition album! I'm so lucky.

What a great night of some beautifully captivating music. Starnes&shah really know how to rock it out, in a very folk-rock way that only rising star turtles can. They sure made us little turtles proud.

Check 'em out at starnesandshah.com or myspace.com/starnesandshah

Dania Abu-Shaheen - Singer, Songwriter, GuitaristVocalist Zilpha Starnes on the keyboard

Initiation Ceremony Not Necessary

September 29, 2007

At this point in time, it may be safe to say that I've survived what New Yorkers like to call one's "Initiation to The City." I've endured the pain of toonie-sized blisters on each of my heels (that have only just recently started to heal); I've fought off a terrible sinus cold thanks to nasty public transportation germs; and I've accepted the fact that no matter how much sleep you get, you're sure to wake up feeling like you've been hit by a train (no, not because you're hungover, but because this city is that exhausting). Unseasonal 30+ degree temperatures heading into October with humidity that you can shovel definitely doesn't help with the exhaustion factor either!

After this past week, I can go one step beyond the typical initiation to say that I've survived my first (exhausting) week of working on-site and hands-on in the NYC Public School system; a system that has ironically been struggling for years to provide arts education to deserving young kids in a city that rests on a vast wealth of cultural resources. Turtle Bay's major community outreach efforts got underway this past Monday and having been assisting largely in the coordination of the after-school music program of violin and cello instruction in a number of schools throughout the city, I had no choice but to jump in head first and cross my fingers I wouldn't drown.

Aside from all visitors having to sign-in with a security guard at the main entrance to the school; students having only a gated concrete courtyard to release their playful energy; gazing out of steel-barred windows passes the time when the teacher's lesson may not be all that intriguing; and a handful of different languages can be overheard within one single hallway when parents arrive to pick up their kids at the end of the school day, the list can go on and on when it comes to comparing school environments of those I've been accustomed to growing up and what I've recently experienced. One thing that may be constant no matter the school system however, is the enjoyment and excitement you can see and feel when a young child has been given the opportunity to take hold of an instrument and release all the creative energy in the world to play to their heart's content. That alone makes up for the exhausting week it's been for me in dealing with kids who are beyond a handful... I really don't know how teachers do it!

The week didn't end there however. Today, on yet another beautiful fall day, Turtle Bay was involved in an Midtown East community fair whereby vendors and businesses in the area gathered for an outdoor event showcasing their offerings. Part of our organization's promotion included violin and harmonica demonstrations, a faculty-member performance featuring the jazz guitar and saxophone, and even sing-a-long songs for the kids which was a prime opportunity for me to showcase my exceptional lip-synching skills. Trust me, I've got terrible pitch.

Dania, Zilpha and Julie (a.k.a. Turtles) leading the children's sing-a-long

"The Wheels on the Bus" was by far the audience favorite!

Monday Night Opera

September 24, 2007

One thing that is so great about this city is that no matter the month, day of the week or time of day, you can be certain that an event will be going on that is sure to please your interests and tastes, whatever they are. And as I've quickly come to learn, they rarely cost a thing! Except maybe your precious time in a city that doesn't skip a beat.

Monday nights are usually my nights to treat myself to a dance class on my way home from work, then crash in front of the TV for my weekly guilty pleasure of MTV's The Hills (It's okay, you can admit you like that mindless show too... I won't tell). Today however, I just didn't have the energy to commit to what I'm sure would have been another awesome hip hop class (like they've all been), so I decided to swing by Times Square instead.

Coming up from the subway I was surprised to find a true citywide celebration, complete with red carpet and all. At first I thought there was some famous celebrity signing autographs at the Virgin Megastore but I was wrong... Queen Latifah won't be there until Wednesday at noon. It was in fact the Metropolitan Opera literally stopping traffic in the center of New York, to broadcast on three Jumbotrons, the opening night performance of their 2007/08 season. Mary Zimmerman's new production Lucia di Lammermoor was beaming live to Times Square and Lincoln Center Plaza opera fans alike.

Broadway, normally a bustling sea of yellow taxi cabs, looked more like a theatre, with 1,500 seats set up for an audience who chose to forgo the purchase of a pricey $275 theatre ticket for a much more comfortable and exciting atmosphere. Playbill in hand, I took a seat, yes a free one, and enjoyed a little opera. Not bad for a little entertainment on a Monday night. Sure I may have missed out on my weekly dose of reality TV but I'll just check out the episode online tomorrow... er... maybe not... forgot I'm attending a (free) concert of international flavor in Central Park featuring three Grammy-nominated female artists! Man I love this city.

Live from the stage of The Met Opera couldn't be more accessible than this!Audience enjoying the Lincoln Center Plazacast