And Hope For All The Best!

I would like to wish you a happy first day of winter. Today, we have gotten the chance to witness our first bit of snow. It stayed only for a short time, but it reminded us that we are about to enter a few months of seeing it frequently.

Santa Claus Parade in Toronto

These photos are from the previous weekend. The truth is, this weekend was devoted to getting ready for a group exhibition, which is opening next week. Since it was rainy, and it was already dark at 4 o`clock, I wasn`t too upset. Especially since last week I had managed to capture an event that is anticipated not only by the children but also by the adults of Toronto.

Five Simple Rules For Living With Cats

If you have a cat, then you may know that the first rule of living harmoniously with him is to understand that he has a tail. If you forget about the tail even for a moment, it will definitely turn up under your feet. The cat will run off with a scream, and you will spend the rest of the day (if your cat has been with you for a while) or even week (if you have acquired the cat recently) feeling like a heartless criminal, unworthy of taking care of such a noble creature.

Recently

The calendar is stubbornly indicating that it is November.

Blue - Canadian Edition

The colour blue makes a delicate, cool, and long-lasting sound. It`s always the colour of the sky, the sea, and blueberries. Not a single shade of blue can irritate me or put me ill at ease. Blue and I are friends, despite the fact that, in my paintings, I still haven`t found my perfect blue.

Books (and more) about Japan

Noriko

Japan has come into my life when I was a teenager. One of my good friends, whom I describe in this post, helped me discover it. It felt like I was a sea explorer, standing on the deck of a ship which has just floated out of a thick fog, only to be faced with a sight so extraordinarily beautiful – a land of poems, prints, classical theatre, the culture of admiring sakura blossoms, netzke, origami, architecture, kimono, unique literature, history, and mythology. Ever since that time, Japan has never left my heart. Whenever it felt like I know something about Japan, a multitude of new information would bring me out of that certainty. Although I often wished that I could say – many years later, having read so many books – that I know something about Japan.

I have been very lucky to meet Noriko in Toronto. I found that she is able to express many aspects of Japanese culture that are impossible to put in words. Noriko is the kind of person you’d always want to be around – and watch her performances. As a former ballerina and current instructor, she doesn’t just create choreography, she comes up with elaborate pantomime.

Golden November

This weekend had given us the remaining gifts of a golden autumn.

Marc Chagall: Joy in the Middle of Chaos

Yesterday, I have gotten the chance to see one of the paintings by Marc Chagall, which had captured my imagination a long time ago.

The Latest from High Park

The weather was changeable today. Since sunshine appeared now and then - and we're about to have a period of rain, according to the forecast - it was impossible not to get out for a half an hour to enjoy nature in High Park.