Hey everyone,
I am currently experimenting with formats. I’ve done a travel blog, a report and this month, I'm going to use an anthology format to discuss what I did in July.
Living the Question
A few Mondays ago, I found myself at Danu Social House, participating in an event called “Living the Question”, hosted by Peter Limberg and AJ Bond. The format consisted of people choosing a question, embodying it, and having an inquiry around it. It was an event where I found myself coming away with more questions than answers such as:
What is my role to play? What are we looking for? What set of experiences brought people here? How does this collection of people differ from other ones I have encountered?
I found myself changing my question half way through the event as it was not fitting with the conversations I was having. At times I was questioning my commitment and my resolve to my question, but I also sensed that my feeling of what's alive was changing throughout the night. Because it wasn't about getting my question in, but finding what was most resonant within my group and exploring it together. In one sense, holding my question back enabled me to learn things I did not expect to learn. Or it could have been an opportunity to let go and learn to adapt, be flexible, and work on the fly. And I'm all for the liveliest conversation possible...
Oh, and I also want to point out that a few people just asked their question straight away with no build up. I see you and you know who you are! ^_^
It was also fantastic to meet up with some participants of The Stoa and other adjacent spaces, get to know them and explore what is at the edge of their thinking. And to be quite honest, I came because I was most interested in exploring the different temperaments and perspectives that were occupying the space. And while myself and a few others felt there could have been more “balance”, it makes me think that could be something worth pursuing. The juicy part is doing it in such a way that does not feel like quota filling, but to generate a beautiful mosaic that reflects the complexities of the world we live in. And so I shall continue to wander and listen.
Short thoughts on Barbenheimer
What a cultural moment! Just goes to show you the power of internet memes in influencing pop culture. I loved getting to witness the mix and match of pink and black fill up the movie theatre. As for the films themselves, the thematic contradictions and paradoxes of Barbie combined with the cerebral tone of Oppenheimer made for a deeply existentially thrilling night of movie viewing. Barbie was more existential than I expected and Oppenheimer met the high expectations for a Nolan film I had for it. That might have been the best cinematography I've seen in a Nolan film.
One of the main takes I've seen from Barbie is that its message is “incoherent”, but I found the movie to be perfectly symptomatic of our fragmented cultural media discourse. There were some glaring inconsistencies in its worldbuilding, but I was willing to overlook them in favor of its thematic tension. Also, what was with people saying Oppenheimer was “too long”? Doesn't Lawrence of Arabia ring a bell? Do people have a sense of cinematic epics anymore? Give me a break!
Trampoline
I had a conversation with a friend recently and he mentioned an event series called “Trampoline Hall” where people perform lectures on topics they are NOT an expert in. That felt very timely because over the past few years, I've gotten pretty tired of “expertise culture” and people making the same opinions on topics they are familiar with, especially on Twitter. Plus in the age of nonstop cultural and political discourse, it's nice to hear opinions on obscure topics like “suicide notes”, “the perfect baguette”, and “being an asshole”. I love the name “Trampoline Hall” as it succinctly describes the experience of “bouncing ideas” right in its name. I've also found that I've been strongly resonating with the word “bounce” recently. I've been developing relationships with people where we get to bounce ideas off one another as well as learning about how they bounce back from personal setbacks.
A trampoline also seems fitting for a scene as there are opportunities for communities and projects to be launched off the ground. While some communities and projects get off the ground, some of them will push against the ground / the surface / the foundation. In this case, the trampoline acts as an analogy for a mutually supportive network in which elevation and grounding are both present. What goes up must come down and if it does go down, it takes something up with them...And now I find myself wanting to have a trampoline at one of our parties...
Life Update: I will be heading to San Francisco / Berkeley this month from the 15th to the 21st . I look forward to visiting a bunch of spots that y'all are raving about such as Berkeley Alembic, SF Commons, The Center SF, etc, as well as get a much needed spa day. If you are in Bay Area / Oakland, don't hesitate to hit me up.
Also, my next edition of this newsletter will arrive after the Labor Day weekend because I'll be on a wilderness trip up until Sept 1st and then I will enjoy the long weekend.
Upcoming T.O events in August:
Every Tuesdays: Contact Improv @ Beach United Church (6:00 PM)
Every Thursdays: Ecstatic Dance Toronto @ Sts Cyril & Methody Church on Sackville St
Aug 3rd: Munch n' Mingle w/ Joe Brewer via The Legacy Project
Aug 4th and 5th: Retro Apocalypse: An Immersive Art Experience
Aug 8th: Getting Discomfortable With Shame w/ AJ Bond (Online, 4 weeks)
Aug 10th (and 24th) : Holy Gasp @ Cafe Pamenar (8:00 PM)
Aug 13th : Forest Bathing @ Evergreen Brickworks
Aug 15th and 16th : ETHToronto Conference
Aug 16th: Sunset Meditation @ Sheldon Lookout (7:30 PM)
Aug 25th : Radical Aliveness
Aug 26th : Connection Lab @ Annette Studios
Aug 26th and 27th: 5k Foam Fest
Aug 30th : Effective Altruism Social
Aug 31st – Sept 3rd : CEC Summer Retreat
Suggestions for events always appreciated.
Appreciating the update and enjoying your writing!