Car Modern 2011

I knew spring was here but I was not prepared for the urban jungle that had grown around the TTC bus stop at the Dundas and Yonge intersection at the Eaton Centre. There must be a little more radiation in the air lately or maybe they were magical seeds.
Someone must have thought that this was the real deal because he was walking around in shorts - he looked to pasty white to have been a zombie so I am not really sure what the heck was going on with the show off - now that's a Canadian.
Across the street in the Yonge-Dundas Square there was the finals of the Great Canadian Appathon 2011. The goal was to develop a great mobile game in a limited amount of time and the winners took home a share of $45,000 in winnings.  Here is Super Punch team holding an oversize $25,000 prize cheque.
I saw a couple of free range Red Bull vehicles in the square, they are like CityTV, they are everywhere. Red Bull, still not as good as Dr Pepper Cherry!

The world of coupons exploded with the introduction of the internet. Before we used to find the occasional coupon at the grocery store. The rest were found in massive piles of inserts found in local newspapers but no one reads newspapers anymore. You get the best coupons from the internets and email now - group deals that give discounts which are usually 50-90% off, some that kick in when a minimum amount of people want to use the coupon and some require no minimums.

I note that one of the largest users of the online group coupon sale method are spas (simulated spa action pictured above). They love these sale coupons. I think that they use a supercomputer to combine words to make up services that they will provide. How else can they come up this stuff? No longer is it good enough to offer facials, manicures and pedicures, massages, rub & tugs and body treatments. Now they go into the computer and out comes the following.

Triple layer herbal facial peel for pigmentation. Intraceutical oxygen infusing facial. Anti-aging photorejuvenation treatments. Vajacial. That last one sounds interesting but I don't even know what intraceutical means. Thank god for the web - to the google machine. Intraceutical: therapeutic oxygen under
hyperbaric pressure to infuse a special serum of modified hyaluronic acid, essential vitamins, botanicals, antioxidants and amino peptides to the skin. Okay, I still don't know what it means. But look for your online group coupon and get one, or, err, several, I think.

Sucker Punch the Warner Bros movie opens tomorrow (Friday, March 25, 2011) and it looks freaky fantastic. "Close your eyes. Open your mind. You will be unprepared." Baby Doll (Emily Browning) uses her imagination to try to escape from a mental institution and a planned lobotomy.



Sucker Punch was being promoted at both the Hobbystar AnimeCON and Toronto Comic CON and this is where I found these beautiful ladies.

I was told that Wade Morrison named the original beverage Dr Pepper after the father of a girl he liked. Now I am not sure who they named his new drink after but I do like Dr Pepper Cherry! The good people of Dr Pepper have released Dr Pepper Cherry in Canada and I was sent some samples - welcome to Canada Dr Pepper Cherry, welcome to Canada.
I also had to check out the 3D movie THOR, with Thor pictured on the bottle, which is coming to theatres in May 2011. Thor falls to earth in modern times and meets some humans. The movie includes stars Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo and Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Watching the trailer I am pretty sure that they also release a frozen Kraken.

Barbie and Ken have been back together since Valentines Day, their plastic love seems to burn bright - can a prenup be far behind? Speaking of plastic, I think Barbie is rich so Ken might be going for some of that other plastic - called American Express.
The original split and Ken's impassioned plea to get back together again broke my heart. Then joy in toysville as their lips sought each others. I also heard Barbie might be kinky - look out for the latex outfit.

Frantic Films is looking for demanding divas and dudes for a new reality show they are now casting called PRINCE$$. Host Gail Vaz-Oxlade will show some tough love - but you can't handle the love, you sniveling diva.

Don't you just love romance. Ken wants Barbie back, I guess that whole alternative lifestyle rumour was just a rumour. Should Barbie even take that Ken back? You can vote on it at Ken and Barbie's Love-O-Meter website.

Can they possibly get back together in time for Valentines Day on February 14? Get your Ken or Barbie something that represents your love or you could be fighting hard to win them back, just like poor Ken here.

Update: Ken gives Barbie some tongue action as they come together on Valentines Day 2011. See my post and pictures here.

The Red Bull wanders throughout the City, promoting Red Bull type things, and when it reaches the end of it's life it goes to the Red Bull graveyard - where it lays down and waits for the can to empty. Do not be sad for the hyper Red Bull Energy Drink, it had long and fast paced life, full of extremely late nights and too many parties. May they burp in peace.

On the side of a comic book store on Queen Street West I find the wall now covered with an advertisement for TRON Legacy 3D by Artchild from TorontoGraffiti.com.

I found a YouTube Video from the Key of Awesome guys, which was awesome.

"We can't exactly name the kid "Milkman"". I found another sign up on the streets of Toronto, similar to the Dick's Parents sign, and I finally read the small print. FabFindbaby was set up to name a baby from Facebook submissions. The winning name is Melania followed by Aria and finally in third place; Willow. Sounds like Disney  was sending in a few names.

The people behind FabFindbaby run FabFind - it some kind of deal a day thing, but on the website you have to sign up to find more information, so I bailed.
And I found a few other signs.

It's hard to live in a cave when it is a glass room full of light, there are no bears and they get food delivered by beautiful women at the Real Sports Store. Still there was a little beer fridge, a big screen television and a comfy couch so it definitely has the basics of a man cave. Watch Nick with the Cave Cam here.
The best part of the sign was "Please do not tap on the window".

Virgin Mobile brought the Big Kiss to Toronto today as couples were invited to kiss under a giant mistletoe hanging in Yonge-Dundas Square. Virgin is going to donate money for each kiss to WWF-Canada. "Join us on December 2nd at 6:00 PM by participating in a massive, simultaneous kiss under Dundas Square's new adornment. The countdown will be led by Degrassi's Charlotte Arnold (Holly) and Raymond Ablack (Sav)!

"Trick yourself into thinking it's Friday." No, it's really not working. But I felt happier when they gave me the cute little cupcakes.

A group of young dancers got together to form a flash mob just outside the Eaton Centre on November 23, 2010. They numbered around twenty and danced to celebrate the launch of a perfume from Nada. The mob quickly gathers from bystanders who are part of the existing crowd, does some type of action or dance and then moves on once the small performance is over. Mobs are done to protest, promote or just have fun.
Across the street a group of Toronto bicycle police gather in Yonge-Dundas Square. At first I thought they were the flash mob, then I thought that they were on the lookout for flashers, but nothing made sense.
I also found a Flash Mob website where you can publicize your mob event.

Big, bad Bonhomme, spokes rep for the Quebec Winter Carnival, was hanging in the heart of Toronto. He was giving hugs and chatting up Torontonians as he talked about his upcoming festival January 28 to February 13, 2011.

For a photographer, life in Toronto is full of fun and so many great photo opportunities. The people of the big smoke get behind and support so many worthwhile causes - from gay rights to charity drives. One of the biggest celebrations and show of support is for the many LGBT marches during PRIDE week. The Dyke March  is one of my favourites and I always like when they bring out the big rainbow flag. Brim Stone #21:8 is from the mighty Gore-Gore Rollergirls of the Toronto Roller Derby League.

See more pictures - including some more photos from the Ms Chin Bikini Pageant, after the jump.


The architecture in Toronto includes shiny new condos and old buildings and neighbourhoods that make the city a great place to live, work and play. While mayors come and go some of the buildings get better with age - like the iconic flatiron building in the St. Lawrence Market area.