A Pilgrimage to Toronto

Soooooo, Edward and I finally made it "out" to Toronto! K, I now get why Edward was so mesmerized with its energy! It's a beautiful city; there's so much to see and do, with so many pockets of multi-culturalism to explore, not to mention the shopping adventures and the exciting buzz in the air! However, I also get why Edward got lost in Toronto's potentially negative spaces as well.

There were many firsts on this trip but most importantly the Top Three included the following:

1. This was the first time Ed had been back to Toronto healthy, in recovery for almost one year (yeah!!!);
2. This was our first trip together, brother and sister team extraordinaire (yeah!!!); and
3. This was my first visit to Toronto (yeah!!!)!

Although primarily this trip was planned as a business trip for the film, it proved to be so much more than that. Our visit was very meaningful, yet surreal, for us both, enhancing ourselves philosophically and spirtually. Edward was able to reconcile with his past, which was very emotional for both him and I, and it enabled him to prove to himself that he was OK. We met some of Edward's comrades from his past, and it was obvious to us, and to them, that Edward had broken free of the addiction that had previously chained him there.

We packed so much into four days, making a pretty great team. Some of the highlights included the following:

- met with our contacts at the AIDS Committee of Toronto (one of our film's cross-promotional partners), to finally put some faces to the names;

- visited Ed's medical clinic where Ed thanked his caregivers for all of their help while he had been living in Toronto;

- visited with Edward's friends Hili and Kyle (fellow alumni of United World College) and Hili's husband Yuval (we need pix of you guys : )), who are all simply wonderful, helping us to brainstorm production ideas for the film, given their background in producing 3D-animation;

- visited with Ed's friend Eduardo, beautiful person inside and out! (see pic below);

- visited with Edward's friend Nathon, who is also one of the film's Advisors, given his background with the industry via his creations as seen on http://www.bitcasters.net/;

- I finally got to meet one of our film's DJs, DJ TK (see pic below)!! It was so nice to finally meet her and it was really good for Edward to see her again too. Thank you so much for your support TK!;

- Edward showed me the alley where he had done some of his graffiti (see pix below), which was very cool and very symbolic;

- attended ACT's Fashion Cares event;

- visited Ed's famous stomping grounds, the nightclub "Fly" - although I was hesitant about going with him, we went and it was really good for Ed to go back, seeing it through different eyes this time;

- shopping, shopping, shopping!!;

- went out for some really nice dinners and some awesome lunch spots;

- one of the BEST highlights of our trip was meeting up with Joanne and Trish (and their friends and dogs), couple extraorinaire - we fell in love with them instantly, as they are wonderful souls and reallllyyyyy amazing chefs / hostesses (see pix below)!; great conversation and wonderful support from these amazing women!;

- got some film distribution contacts and media contacts to follow-up on, brainstormed fundraising ideas...

So, Edward and I will be back to Toronto for sure! This trip strengthened our friendship bond, it revitalized our faith, gratitude, and perseverance for this film project even though it comes with a rollercoaster attached to it AND it helped Edward to forgive himself, to move on with his life, healthy and happy : ) Yeah!!!

Pls check out the pix below and, as usual, I will try my best to keep you posted on our progress with the film. In the meantime, we always love hearing from you ; )


Ed lookin' stylin' in beautiful T.O.

Ed and his friend Eduardo (BIG HUG!)

Looking down [very symbolically] at the alley where Ed left some of his trademark grafitti.

Ed's grafitti dude, encapsulated on a door to his success!

Ed, DJ TK, and me (Nicole).

Ed, looking oh-so-debonair at the entrance to ACT's Fashion Cares!

Me (Nicole) - gosh, I LOVED my outfit that night and I even LOVED my hair - it was so much FUN! : )

Ed and I (Nicole) inside the Fashion Care's tent, waiting for the BIG night to begin.

Some pre-Fashion Cares sightings...

Toronto's beautiful beach...

Trish and Joanne ROCK!

Joanne, Ed, Trish, and Bella (Happy Birthday!).

Joanne, Me (Nicole), Trish, and Bella.

Ed, Donna, Lynn, and Me (Nicole). Awesome to meet you Donna and Lynn!

I finally got to see Toronto's City Hall in real life, part of the film's opening sequence!

And, of course, a pic of the famous CN Tower, also seen in the film's cityscape!

Finding My Self

Keeping with my goal to be a more persistent blogger, here's a photo of my friend Egbert atop a mountain in South-Western Burma, taken during his 6-month travel adventure. He informed me that the place seen in the photo is called Kyaitiko, but it is more commonly known as Golden Rock, the site where one hair of Buddha is believed to reside. And, for this reason, most Burmese make a pilgrimage here at least once in their lifetime.

I thought this shot was simply amazing and particularly suitable, since Egbert is wearing one of the film's infamous My Self t-shirts (re: you can order one in The X-Shop, via our website)! In the film, My Self unknowingly embarks on a journey of self-discovery, trying to find his way in his "crazy" world. Egbert is perfectly posed infront of the balancing Golden Rock, which is also very cool, as My Self's mantra is "balance," seen on the t-shirt. Thanks so much for thinking to take this photo Egbert - YOU ROCK!!! BIG HUG!!!

I believe we're all on a journey of self-discovery, whether we're aware of it or not, and as much as I think I'm learning about my place in this world, I always still have so far to go. The best part really is being able to learn and share with friends along the way. Thank you to all of those who have supported me through this interesting little journey. May your journeys be full of abundance, bringing each of you inner peace and happiness : )

PS We'd LOVE to post more pix of you showcasing something from The X-Shop! So, send us your best : )

CONNECTING

So, to help account for our loooooonnnnnngggg absence, here are some pix and a highlighted update....

Edward has moved back to Calgary (from Greater Vancouver) and is doing extremely well - YEAH Eddie!!!! I'm so proud of you!!! I treasure our connection : )

Miriam and I have ended our relationship; she has moved back to Vancouver and I have recently moved to rural Alberta, to further my engineering career. However, as the show must go on, Miriam and I still share the same goal of completing the film, to spread the message!

As for the film updates, although there has been a BIG blogging void, we have still been diligently working on it, slowly but steadily, behind the scenes. We're still in search of the investment and / or partnership required to complete the film (before the next millenium) but in the meantime, Digital Alchemy Entertainment continues to add their magic touch to My City, as seen in the bling-bling below. The cityhall (re: Toronto-inspired) surrounds My Landing, where My Self makes his emergency landing and unknowingly begins his weird and wonderful adventure to ultimately find himself.

And, there's also some pix of me at NYE 2007 in a dress and high heels! I just had to memorialize this moment, as it's a rare one! I've been very fortunate to have connected with some pretty amazing people and am having lots of fun, re-connecting with myself too!

Finally, the last pic is one of Ed and I cutting a rug to Annie Lennox' "Why(?)," at my going away get-together before I moved to small-town-Alberta (~ one-year stint). It's been really wonderful having Edward back in Calgary again, and it was pretty special to finally be able to dance with one another again : )

K, so my New Year's resolution is to be much more conscientious with the blog updates, as life has settled down a bit.

I hope all is well with our faithful blog readers, and I look forward to connecting again!

June Wine and Other Developments

So, as I was diligently working on a one-page marketing promo about the film (in hopes of partnering with an organization to help spread the message), I did one of the things feared most in Computer Land: I spilled merlot all over my laptop's computer keyboard, causing it to short-circuit and shut-off immediately!

It's amazing how a small volume of liquid can cover such a large surface area...I spent the evening wallowing in my despair, wishing I hadn't been so careless! First, my computer crashed, almost losing all of our files, and now this; my computer must hate me! I quickly whipped off my t-shirt and tipped my laptop upside down, riding it of this unwanted red intruder! Then, I tried to blowdry it back to health and prayed that it would turn on in the morning! And, so it did; it had forgiven me!!! Except, although it would now turn on, the keyboard was not working. Alas, I had to buy a new keyboard to plug-in to my beloved laptop.

So, here I am now typing to you on my new $19.99 keyboard, with the latest development: our friend, Everett Hauck, from Multi Market Media, in West Hollywood, added his magic editing touch to some of our latest film footage, bringing to life a mini promo reel of what is to come! Given limited time and resources, he was able to create this little piece of expository genius. Thx again Everett!

And, one of the film's Star DJs, from Toronto, DJ TK, created a unique sound design to make the reel complete! This version is high-energy, while she is also creating a darker version, which we'll post upon its completion. In this track, she was able to effortlessly capture the weird-and-wonderful essence of the film. Thx again TK!



PS For those new to the blog, the studio that has transformed Edward's 2D-artwork into its 3D-form is none other than Digital Alchemy Entertainment. Thx again guys!

We're Back!

Well, it's been a long time since I've had a chance to write in our beloved blog; a few things have happened since bringing in the New Year. So, here are the highlighted updates:

- Miriam and I have moved to Calgary (yes that's Cowtown, Alberta), having accepted a position as a Chemical Engineer, which helps to pay the bills in the meantime while we work on our passion project ;) We miss Vancouver horribly, as it's just a completely different vibe here...but we're trying to make the best of the move and Calgary might just start to grow on us.

- Miriam broke her ankle (playing hockey) and had to have surgery to put a metal plate and seven screws in, to put it back together again!

- our computer crashed, losing a lot of our files (which helped to contribute to the delayed blog response), making us appreciate the valuable lesson of regularly maintaining back-ups!

- Edward is recently back in recovery again, having relapsed after nine months of clean time, but he's back on the road again nonetheless. He has been speaking to various groups about his experience with schizophrenia (via the BC Schizophrenia Society) and the feedback has been amazing. Hang in there Ed!

- and a bunch of other miscellaneous life stuff

As for the film, we've been busy conjuring up creative ways of finding more funding to complete the film; in the meantime, we've been working on some shots and also a mini promo reel. I promise to keep you posted as things progress, slowly but surely. Here is a shot of My Self's spaceship, flying into a metropolis maze, where he's about to meet some very weird and wonderful characters.



I hope all is well with you guys. Remember to drop us a line, if ever you feel so inclined :)

On A Mission

Here it is; in the photos below you'll see the unveiling of Freddie's (one of My City's resident Homeless X-Bots) electro-hover-cart, custom-made to store and protect all of the top secret messages that he finds in My City. The cart's console area helps Freddie to locate these messages, which may be seen inside dumpsters (My City's other residents, the X-Bots, readily throw these messages away), resting on the side of the road or floating throughout My City.

The Homeless X-Bots are on a mission to collect messages; and, if you look carefully in the photo below, on the left-hand-side you'll see a Homeless X-Bot picking up a message and on the right-hand-side you'll see another Homeless X-Bot peering into a dumpster, in hopes of finding a top secret message. Some of the Homeless X-Bots work together, while others prefer to work alone, but one thing is for certain that they are always on the lookout for the next BIG message!

Let's Get Technical

So, where does the time go...? Before January passes us by, I wanted to give you another quick update: we've been busy working in the "lab," fine-tuning My City's buildings and props, including the Homeless X-Bots' electro-hover-carts, packed full of messages, which should be ready to show off shortly; in the meantime, here are some photos which highlight the Tectronics shop, warehousing the finest in high-end electronics. More updates to soon follow...