jonny-nono-blog

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                           Laneway Friends Episode 1: Adam Mackay

This is Adam, he recently graduated from VFS and now works there as well. He works in film as a director, editor, and producer. When not making movies and music videos, he likes good ramen, comic books, and of course... watching movies. 

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                                 Feet on the Street: Robson Feet 2

A lot can be learned (or inferred) by looking at someone from the knees down. Observe...

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                                  Feet on the Street: Robson Feet

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Collaborations

  Vancouver based floral design team The Wild Bunch and jewellery company Balsam and Vine got together recently to take some pictures, and I was fortunate enough to tag along. Here are some of the shots we got.

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Summer Puppies:

Bailey and Attica love the meadow of love.

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Summer Loving:

The newlyweds (and puppy)

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Summer Loving:

Skirts and Legs of Colin & Michelle’s Wedding

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Mark and Yassi’s Wedding 2013:

All Night Long Edition

  Cipes brut sparkling wine, stars, dancing, mystery, photo shoots, music, wine, morning juice, questions, answers, and many untold things…

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Waking Dream: A lucid experience with blurry photography.

I dug up an old lens attachment that was given to me by a family friend in New York City. Thank you David Poratta, but to this day I cannot quite make out what the lens is intended for! I however, love the effect it has on the photos. It gives this ephemeral dreamy vibe that has the photos floating around my head all day.

There is a little caption for each pic, which I was hoping would show up on the feed, but I guess you have to click on the pics to see the caption.

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Jenny at the chef's table of Lolitas (Taken with instagram)

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Daily Observation

Seeing the value in things

     The girlfriend and I recently donated our white leather couch to the universe (a.k.a. the alley behind the next apartment down). It had a good run but was littered in cat scratches, lumpy, and and worn out where the bums go.

     On its way out I could hear change jingling inside, taunting me. I clawed into the bottom of the couch and pawed around to no avail. I gave up as it would have taken a full dissection to reveal what could have amounted to seventy-eight cents.

    Well that is exactly what someone else did, and then some...

    The next day I went to check on old cream puff, see if there were any takers. Not to my surprise it was still there, but different. What I saw belonged in a crime scene. The couch was face down in a puddle with what was left of its bottom up in the air. Someone had performed a very invasive style of surgery, and got paid for their troubles.

     Furthermore someone took a box cutter (or scalpel), to the back of the couch, removing its entire back. I stood there befuddled at such a defiling, when it dawned on me that there was untapped value in what we so easily threw to the wayside. The change may have been a bit desperate, especially given the means of retrieving it. The leather on the other hand, was pristine. What our rogue furniture surgeon saw that we didn't was roughly thirteen square feet of unmarred, premium white leathery goodness, to be applied to who knows what type of Martha style endeavours. 

     So if one of your possessions had outlived its use, or is disheveled beyond repair, take a closer look. You just never know...

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Chems vs. Stems

Zooms vs. Snoots

    This is no age old debate, in fact the these two hardly overlap on the consumptions venn diagram at all. Their only overlapping quality could be argued that they are both better (or only possible) when inebriated. 

    That however, isn't saying much. Almost all states of being, intentional or not, are made better with alcohol. That's the redeeming quality that makes liquor so darn popular. It's how the Kennedy's got rich, it's the reason fugly babies are made, it's the reason train-wreck celebs are still entertaining well past their expiry date...

Round 1 tie.

    To find answers to this battle one must delve deeper and peel back the layers, thus exposing oneself. But if we need a clear winner, I'm going to hand it to zooms this round. Why? Because although the imbiber may begin at the same spot for both (drunk and itching), what follows is like night and day. Observe the following timelines:

    Snoots: Ingestion, sense of wellbeing, superiority, need to hear own voice assert mundane opinions and stories with gleaming pride, fizzle, repeat, over, and, over, supply dries up simultaneously as sun rises up, bed, no sleep, heart pounding, dispear, fragility, awkward sleep with horrible dreams, OR, rise to repeat step on, repeat entire cycle.

    Zooms: Ingestion, nothing, anxiety, nothing, regret, nothing, something...changes, world flips, reality opens, overwhelming, confusion, laughter, confusion, fear, hysterics, worry, adventure, mission, purpose, attuning, understanding, fear, laughter, triumph, analysis, adventure, comprehension, well being, analysis, bliss, safety, denouement, smile, sleep.

    While the former is easier upfront and to begin with, it leaves you drained and desperate. The latter however, is a sometimes challenging journey at first, but like conquering mountains and marathons, it is and early struggle for maximum payoff.

    Snoots are selfish and simple, zooms are a complex and vulnerable     

    Round 2 Zooms (Winner)

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Daily Observation

Meat Heads and Green Transportation

    Why is it so bizarre to witness juice monkeys riding bicycles? Just the other day I came across a meat head (steroids, v-neck shirt, crew cut hair) and a meat head deluxe (the aforementioned plus fake tan, Affliction wear, and tribal tattoos) both riding bicycles.

    Now, your mental image at this point may not portray the reality of the situation. To be honest, they looked like two over-groomed apes balancing their hulking frames over delicate handlebars, and the whole operation could have gone south at any moment. Not unlike (sadly) enslaved bears and elephants in compromising positions at the circus, this sight was so out of place it was laughable!

    Meat head 1 seemed to be managing alright, but Deluxe himself bore the most painful grimace. He must have been thinking: Why oh why is my Hummer in the shop yet again, I was told it was a sound investment...

    Yet there they were, like a twisted carnival act, monsters acting civilized...barely. Judge me for judging them if you will, I just calls it as I sees it.

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Daily Observation

Being Jazzed on Refreshments

    "Mmmm...Delicious!" says the random dude with the whitest white man voice ever. He was drinking Yop (a liquid yogurt bevy), and just had to proclaim the world how it made his morning. I was the only pedestrian within earshot, and couldn't help but giggle at his enthusiasm. he glared at me with his yogurt lined crustashio like don't mock my jubilance, you're just jealous. Truth being I was. Not at his dairy faced existence, but that he could enjoy something mundane so unapologetically. 

    Then I realized I do indeed enjoy the mundane with the best of them, just not liquid yogurt power-ups as did this walking, talking stereotype.

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...of the Day...

Grocery Store Check-out Game of the day

    Who says the line-ups aren't fun. This little nugget is played at the grocery store check out, preferably the express line. This is because it's a game that can be taxing on the noodle when too many check out items are involved. Here's the gist.

     While in line, imagine all of the items being bought by the person in front of you will be made into one meal. Now, sometimes this will actually be the case, making the game less zany and more informative on what strangers are eating these days.

    It gets good however, when people are just buying odds and ends. Allow your brain to align the random food stuffs on the conveyer belt into a collaborative effort. Strong inner visualization will go a long way in this.

     Just this night I saw a guy buying linguini noodles, 500ml of whipping cream, a jar of kosher dills, bran flakes, and a whole roast chicken and thought "well done old man, a feast for kings..."

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Tea-how

How to Make Oolong tea, the Secret 'One Second Steep' Way

    To begin with, ask yourself, "Am I in it for the caffeine hit or the euphoric sense of well being that has kept Taiwanese peasants happy for centuries?". If you answered the former, then put some Oolong leaves in a pot, brew it, stir it, sip it. Easy. It's also kinda weaksauce. If you answered the latter, then get ready for the technique that will make you rethink the steeping of leaves forever.

Materials:

-Green Oolong nuggets, preferably from the A Li Shan Mountains of Taiwan. (Blacker Oolongs not as applicable for this technique).

                       -The widest, most open tea infuser you can find that easily drains from the bottom. I use this one, there are many like it for cheap.

                 -A large vessel to pour the infused tea into, preferably sealable. A 1L thermos will do great.

Preparation:

1. Throw some Oolong nuggets into the infuser. Pour boiling water in, not much at first. after one second of steeping, CAREFULLY drain the small amount of liquid into the thermos. It is crucial that you do not agitate the leaves, this will release the tannic acid and caffeine, thus shattering our dreams of euphoria. The first several drains will appear to be hot water, as the leaves will not have opened up yet.

2. Repeat step one, pouring boiling water over the leaves, steeping one second then draining. NOTICE the leaves opening up, unfurling themselves to reveal such lovely shapes. Add more water with each steeping to allow the leaves to bloom. Again drain ever so carefully, especially as the leaves become full. The tannins and caffeine are itching to join the party, leave them where they belong, in the leaves. The wide infuser is key here as oolong tea leaves will bloom very large, and the more space they have the lovelier the sweet fragrant tea they create.

3. Nearing the end of this process, when the thermos is near full, the steeps will appear very dark indeed. Remember this will all be balanced out by the mostly water steeps from the beginning. You should now have close to 1L of beautiful Oolong tea. If you have a lid for your thermos then give it a good shake before every pour, which should be many if you are using proper Oolong cups.

4. Enjoy! If you were careful in the draining process you will have a sweet brew that is reputed to instil harmony in the imbiber. You will know success at first if the tea is sweet and fragrant, not bitter. This means you successfully avoided releasing the tannic acid which is reputed to negate the harmonious effects. You will know success later if you feel alert, clear minded but placid, happy and in some cases euphoric. You will know failure if you have a typical light caffeine buzz accompanied by the usual side effects. 

This may seem like quite a bit of work for some tea but it actually only takes five minutes and a bit of careful attention. Questions?

-Who taught you this technique? That's a secret, but they run a tea company out of Vancouver. They wish to remain anonymous for fear of it being known they taught a white person this technique and never being able to return to the misty mountainsides of the A Li Shan plantations. 

-I like my Oolong pot, but Thermos's ruin the authentic Asian experience I am going for! What can I do? Ugh! If you really want to impress your friends with how worldly you are, then do the technique and pour the brew into your ornate Oolong pot when no one is looking.

-I want to feel euphoric and all but cannot stay awake in class. Can I get the best of both worlds?  No. But you can do a little experiment to try. Do the one second steep technique, enjoy your tea. When you feel nice and harmonious, go ahead and skull a red bull or slam some expresso. Notice the inverse relationship between the euphoria and the stimulants hitting your bloodstream. It's a body and mind in balance thing, trust me on this.

-But, with all the equipment involved, how can this be a centuries old technique?  Same technique, different vessels. Also, get a life cynic.

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Daily Observation

When Adults Run in Public...

    It makes me wonder. In fact it generally makes me uneasy. Sure if an adult is catching a bus or a renegade child, it's justified and understandable. But it is the not knowing that gets weird. I cannot help but feel a bit anxious when I see a middle aged Asian woman blasting full bore down the middle of the street, not seemingly running towards or away from anything. I can't help but wonder, as her wooden 3 inch wedges clack against pavement, what's her deal? Should I also be running?