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© Copyright
2000 - 2008
Flashlight
All rights reserved.
Impressum
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07/31/2008, Thursday, 23:31, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Metallike smile...
We found this smiling hydrant in a street nearby.
P.S.: And I like the expression ‘metallike’ - kind of readable ambiguity...
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07/24/2008, Thursday, 15:51, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Highlights of “my last days”
Have been ill for several days now, so my highlights are somewhat minimalist.
I was roared by a racoon when I was brushing my teeth at night! At least I hope it was a racoon - it sounded like a grizzly! I’m not used to be roared at while brushing anything - and we are still downtown, so this was a very new and unexpected experience...
I can easily drink 5 litres per day, and cold Camomile tea with the taste of Champion soup tastes better than it sounds.
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07/15/2008, Tuesday, 07:19, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Another speedy speed visit at the museum
When we visited the China exhibition some weeks ago we had some live music there (Dirty Dancing...! What else...?) in the ROM, the Royal Ontario Museum. So we were curious what to expect next. This time we saw some more cultures (unfortunately without any music at all), and more dishes than I ever expected to see...
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07/09/2008, Tuesday, 13:11, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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 Language resources
I polished up our language resources section a bit.
 These are the languages we have so far and you can help by adding the translation of another language: Click here!
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07/05/2008, Saturday, 20:36, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Another continent...
And some new cultures again... After a week with a lot (!) of work we decided to take a few hours off and spent some time on the “Toronto’s Afrofest 2008” today. Lots of music, art, food, happy people...
And on our way home I found even more Africa on two sidewalk flagstones...
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07/01/2008, Tuesday, 22:40, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Happy Birthday, Canada!
Today is Canada Day!
On July 1st 1867 the British colonies joined Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada into a federation.
So it is Canada’s 141st birthday, yay!
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06/27/2008, Friday, 15:29, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Some of the highlights of this week:
And we found this inhabited sparrow nest.
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06/24/2008, Tuesday, 22:07, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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New neighbours...
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06/22/2008, Sunday, 20:39, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Miigwech (again)
for offering me the possibility to attend the Toronto Pow Wow!
I was looking forward to this weekend for many, many weeks...:
Yesterday - on National Aboriginal Day - we had the honour to take part in the Toronto’s largest Outdoor Pow Wow!
What an experience! Very, very impressing in many ways! Lots of dancing, singing and drumming, lots of nice people on all kinds of shades, celebrating together and just enjoyed themselves.
I have to admit that I pointed on something (even twice) and fortunately remembered before I did it the third time that it might considered rude - and nodded appropriate in the direction I wanted to show from then on. ...I promise to learn more! At least I didn’t make any pictures during Flag, Prayer or Honour songs.
So imagine a park filled with more than thousand people, lots of them children, after 6 hours of dancing, singing and drumming. And now imagine someone announcing that the tons of gifts on blankets are free gifts for everybody to take along. What pictures come up to your mind?
Alan Manitowabi, Arena Director
Ok, the picture which came up to my mind was exchanged by a looong line (later even three lines because there were so many people) of polite and patiently waiting people who took a present each and thanked the event’s volunteers afterwards.
Free Giveaway
And even if you didn’t stay in line for a present (we didn’t because we didn’t bring any presents by ourselves, but I think now, we were not even supposed to bring some...) people came around and gave you one. So we ended up with a honey-soap for Andreas and a rose body lotion for me - what was perfect because we couldn’t transport a huge stiffed animal, picture frame, or some of the other presents anyway. So someone really knew what he did...
Anyway I spent some of the very best hours here in Toronto on Na-Me-Res’ Pow Wow.
Miigwech and Giga-waabamin miinawaa!
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06/19/2008, Thursday, 21:31, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Art of the
Perfect universal companionship
Ok, I almost had no time (or did I finally become modest) to tell you about our first bigger art exhibitions in favour of the World’s Greatest Smile.
Rezzable Productions and the Not Possible In Real Life group (NPIRL) have joined forces to hold a large-scale two month extravaganza loosely themed around “The Garden of NPIRL Delights” in the 3D virtual world “Second Life”.
My (Second Life name: Yeti Bing) exhibition is called “Perfect universal companionship”.
It describes how different creatures (aliens, robots, a dragon, a dwarf and many more...) work peacefully together to run the solar system and the earth within it. Is shows how different beings can cooperate with each other and create a system that works in a perfect way for a comparatively long time. It means that the variety of inner and outer appearance can even enhance the cooperation and teamwork and brings the overall result to perfect.
And you can be part of the team – wear your free avatar! (You can get it in the “Perfect universal companionship” - exhibition.) Have fun!
“Perfect universal companionship”
Venus
Jupiter
Mars
Mercury
Earth
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06/18/2008, Wednesday, 20:53, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Where is Korea...?!
After our shoes dried now (mine took three days for that) we decided to take our cold out to a more water proved place and had a short excursion to the ROM, the Royal Ontario Museum, again today.
This time we visited the exhibition about Native Americans (which was astonishing small!).
Then went to “China”...
The Imperial Palace Hall - full-scale reconstruction represents the corner of a large palace hall in the imperial style of the Qing dynasty (1644 - 1912). All parts were made in China and shipped to Toronto.
After we couldn’t find “Korea” somehow...
... we ended in “Japan”.
And because our time was limited the only thing we saw from Greek and Cyprus was a video in Sign Language.
Next time more...
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06/16/2008, Monday, 17:19, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Thunderstorm the first, second, third, fourth, fifth...
After we recovered a bit from our cold we planed to spend the afternoon at the Luminato, Toronto Festival of Art & Creativity 2008 yesterday. At noon we had a thunderstorm so we decided to wait a bit... and even waited till the second thunderstorm was over as well. Then we hurried to the harbour to find out that if we want to find something artful or creative there, we have to do it by ourselves because everybody went home - what was probably a bright decision because we stood in the middle of thunderstorm number three.
This is supposed to be daylight...
We searched shelter in the PATH, Toronto’s underground walkway.
When we found out again we found ourselves right in the Filipino Singing Idol contest. Did you ever wanted to hear a great Filipino singer perform Italian love songs? If you didn’t, you should - this was really great!
Filipino Singing Idol contest - my best 20 minutes in Toronto so far!
When everybody started to stare at the sky instead of the stage we discovered that it is time to run again, because thunderstorm number four prepared to flood the city.
Thunderstorm number four: Now it is proven - you can’t get wetter than wet.
When we arriver at home we were soaked, dirty and cold. The sun was shining almost sarcastically - dry humour.
That gave us the chance to hop under the shower just before thunderstorm number five started it’s show...!
P.S.: I read that Vancouver has six thunderstorms per year. Hm... Vancouver?!
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06/12/2008, Thursday, 20:38, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Historic apology and another Open Letter
Yesterday was an historic day in the history of our new home country Canada and maybe even in the history world wide.
At a ceremony in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper finally apologized for more than a century of abuse and cultural loss involving Indian residential schools.
This was a big step in the right direction! We hope much more steps will follow on a journey to peace! And we hope that more and more politicians (and others) will follow this path.
So it is time again for an Open Letter I wrote last night:
Dear Mr. Stephen Harper,
Dear Mr. Phil Fontaine,
We were deeply moved about your meeting yesterday and both of your future oriented speeches.
Thank you, Mr. Stephen Harper, for your exemplary apology!
Miigwech, Mr. Phil Fontaine, for your exemplary acceptance of the apology!
We are looking forward to your upcoming work together on ending this racial nightmare. And we are very confident of your future partnership! You could cause a change in the lives of so many people in Canada and even more in many other countries. Please take your chance and continue be a role model in this case for politicians around the world!
Sincerely yours,
Meike Duch
Mr. Stephen Harper, an apology, well done!
“We now recognize that it was wrong to separate children from rich and vibrant cultures and traditions, that it created a void in many lives and communities, and we apologize for having done this.
We now recognize that, in separating children from their families, we undermined the ability of many to adequately parent their own children and sowed the seeds for generations to follow and we apologize for having done this.
We now recognize that, far too often, these institutions gave rise to abuse or neglect and were inadequately controlled, and we apologize for failing to protect you.
Not only did you suffer these abuses as children, but as you became parents, you were powerless to protect your own children from suffering the same experience, and for this we are sorry.
... The Government of Canada sincerely apologizes and asks the forgiveness of the aboriginal peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly. We are sorry.
In moving towards healing, reconciliation and resolution of the sad legacy of Indian residential schools, implementation of the Indian residential schools settlement agreement began on September 19, 2007.
Years of work by survivors, communities, and aboriginal organizations culminated in an agreement that gives us a new beginning and an opportunity to move forward together in partnership.”
Text of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's apology to Canada's natives
Mr. Phil Fontaine, an acceptance of an apology, well done, as well!
“The memories of residential schools sometimes cuts like merciless knives at our souls.
... This day will help us to put that pain behind us.
... The attempt to erase our identity hurt us deeply, but it also hurt all Canadians and impoverished the character of this nation. We must not falter in our duty now. Emboldened by the this spectacle of history it is possible to end our racial nightmare together.''
Phil Fontaine, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada
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06/11/2008, Wednesday, 19:12, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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New experiment on ourselves
Yes, the Torontonian cold viruses work, too. So now we successfully proved that we can have a cold at around -20°C in Halifax and at +33° in Toronto.
I feel that we should stop these experiments some day... Just a thought.
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06/07/2008, Sunday, 16:55, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Street life
There was a “rolling street festivity” today on Bloor Street. It has been in Korea Town earlier and when it arrived in our area we went there and had some fun.
If you were very sweet they let you drown the lifesaver even if you didn’t hit the red aim with the ball. Probably he has one of the best jobs today, swimming in a bathtub at over 30°C.
Lots of booths selling all kind of cuddly toys, jewellery, hats, books and much more...
You could even get a massage.
And we have seen one of the most amazing street performances we have seen since years!
No glue, just balance...!
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06/04/2008, Thursday, 12:14, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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All roads lead to ROM
Even if I have been to Toronto before, my stays were always too short to visit the ROM, the Royal Ontario Museum. The ROM is the largest museum in Canada and the fifth largest museum in North America. It is containing more than six million items and over 40 galleries.
Yesterday we took the time and went there. Because it is just a couple of minutes from our new home and there is much too much to see for one visit we decided to concentrate on the dinosaurs this time and come back frequently. So far we can say: Amazing building, amazing exhibitions! We are looking forward to our next visit.
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06/03/2008, Tuesday, 14:18, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Toronto, finally
After we found out that our first accommodation in Toronto was just too far outside (and as a small comfort we found out that we rented some very expensive dirt, too) we spent some time to find a new home. And now we are very happy in a very, very cute street right downtown and just a few meters from the famous Royal Ontario Museum!
The structure of Toronto is fascinating! Huge but interesting designed buildings and gorgeous little streets with beautiful little houses and lots of green right side by side.
Our street...!
Did you expect a street like this downtown? Oh, and yes, the building on the right is a Tibetan Temple.
Lake Ontario before our first bigger thunder storm in Toronto.
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05/29/2008, Thursday, 11:47, Meike, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Hello Toronto!
Yes, we did it and arrived in Toronto yesterday!
Did I ever mention our weather when travelling...?!
Lots of moose warnings on the way, great, isn’t it?!
friendly bus driver greeting all other drivers of bigger vehicles
(like all bus drivers did)
me in Montreal
huge Squirrel in Montreal
first view on Lake Ontario
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World’s Greatest Smile
