Saturday, July 9, 2005

HAPPY GIRAFFE DAY!!!!!!!!
OH to the EM-GEE, I had the best outing ever!!! Well, it was quite eventful and fun.

And none of you should envy the fact that I have such eventful days. They happen that way because I motivate myself to make them happen. Sometimes it's not so spectacular and sometimes it's awesome to the max. Either way, my days are never wasted and yours shouldn't be either. As one of the wisest men once said:

"GET UP AND LIVE!!!" - Andrew W.K.

Gotta love it..

Anyway, here's how my day went:

I woke up around 10am by accident. I wanted to sleep in until 2am because the night before was tiring and I really needed sleep. However, it was good that I woke up early because I had found out that I didn't have cash on me. My parents took the car so I had to walk to the bank to get some cash. I finally got back home around 2:30. I took a shower, did a bit of laundry and ironing. The time seemed to fly by quickly while ironing to the radio. Too quickly actually. I was to meet my friend at the downtown mall, in front of the jean store at 4:00pm. Now I panicked because I hate being late for her (although SHE is the one who is late more often). Luckily for me, my mom came home that minute and said he needed to go downtown anyway. So I hitched a ride from her. And scored an extra $40 for spending money!

So I arrived at the Eaton Center, a popular attraction from shop hungry tourist and a nice place for locals to buy stuff and hang out. It was a beautiful day. And I'm not talking about just the weather. It was a nice, warm, summer Friday and everyone in the mall was lookin' gooooooooooood. Girls and boys just happened to be incredibly stylin' that day. I thought "Hey. I might as well join them." *laughs*

I walked through the mall towards the meet point while picking store I want to visit on the way. We were to meet in front of Bluenotes, a jean store. I sat on a bench nearby at 4:00 hoping with my terrible eyesight, I might recognize her shape. I'm a bit nearsighted if you didn't already know. By 4:30, no-show. I had a feeling she got lost. She's not a very good navigator so I decide to take a stroll around the mall for a bit. By coincidence, I met a friend who was on her way to work. I walked around with her for a bit and helped her pick out a card for a friend of hers who's getting 'fired'. While walking around with her, I met ANOTHER friend who was on HIS way to work. My other friend was in a rush so she left. I chatted with my dude-friend for a bit until he had to leave for work. I planned on visiting him and the other girl but I didn't really remember where. Oops.. Heh.

I went back to Bluenotes and waited on the bench again. At 5:17 I saw a girl with an ashamed pouty face that looked just adorable. Twas my friend of course. She apologized for a good half hour for being so late.

And then the shopping begun.

We had general ideas of what we wanted to find. Her specifics were a skirt, a gift for her friend and a new swimsuit. I on the other hand just wanted new good lookin' clothes. As we walked through the mall, she constantly stepped on the back of my shoe and so I constantly heard "Sorry... Sorry... Sorry..." She's a bit clumsy but it's cute though. She's quite a passive person too. I had to trick her into getting her into stores she wanted to go to. I could tell if she wanted to because she'd adjust her glasses and look at the windows displays for awhile.

"Do you wanna check that store out?"
"Umm. Only if you want to."
"It's a bikini shop. I don't wear bikinis."
"Umm..."
"Oh look. They sell sunglasses too. Let's go."
"Okay!"

And then she'd look at the merchandise for 20 minutes. Heh. She's funny.

We did major amounts of browsing until we made our first purchase. We both admitted to feeling bad after leaving a store without buying anything. Especially if the employees there are so friendly and helpful. And as you walk out of a store, they'd say "See you again!" in a cheery voice. You smile back and say yeah but you know you probably won't. It sucks.

We spent a lot of our time feeling the textures and materials of different items of clothing while discussing how comfortable they would be and how it would be so nice to hug someone (or be hugged) hearing it.

We had a bit of trouble walking in and out of stores with security alarms because they would go off every time my friend would enter/exit. We later searched her bag for whatever it was that was causing the unnecessary attention. It was a security sticker thing still stuck to my copy of "A Knight's Tale", the DVD she was to return to me. Heh. All that commotion over a stupid sticker.

I needed to find a new pair of swimming trunks for my trip up north to the family cottage. For the strangest of reasons, I felt really picky about what I’d be wearing while in the water. I found a really neat blue pair for $65. It was a bit much for though. I'm not going to be swimming that often. But It looked really nice. Even my friend admitted that she could picture me looking really good in it. I didn't buy it but I do remember exactly where it is, just in case I rummage up $65 in the near future. However, I pretty much gave up searching for trunks after that.

We soon walked into ROOTS, Canada's most popular supplier of sportswear. I went upstairs and a nice pairs of olive green pants caught my eye the minute I reached the floor. I ran to it and discovered it has been marked down from $59.99 to $19.99. Unbelievable. It's a straight leg, plain, flat-front, olive-coloured pair of cotton casual dress pants and it just felt so smooth and soft. I tried it on with the help of Serena, an employee who told me her name 5 times. They fit like a dream. So I bought it. First purchase of the day! What I love about it the most is that it matches my messenger bag. I thought that was kinda neat. It's gonna be nice and easy making outfits for that pair. Score!

We then walked into The Body Shop and got high off smelling candles, soaps, body butters and other various fruity stuffs.

I then brought my friend to a music store so that we could buy gift. My friend bought a CD for her friend who's having a birthday soon (She originally wanted to get her earrings but an eighties compilation CD was much more thoughtful since her friend isso into it) and I, for my sister (for buying me Love Hina Christmas Special for no reason). Well, to be honest, I sorta bought the CD's for myself too because we share an almost identical taste in music AND I take her CD's every once in awhile anyway. I bought Weezer's Pinkerton, Feist's Let It Die and Bright Eyes' I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning. All of which, I've been wanting to listen to for a looong time.

We passed a hat store and I was instantly reminded of my lost cowboy hat. I tried on a hat or two but they weren't the same.

[Edit: My dad said he'd drive me all the way back to Niagara-On-The-Lake just for the hat. Well, he's going to take my uncle too for a day out and we'll have a fancy dinner but my hat is the main goal. KICK ASS!! THAT COWBOY HAT IS MINE!!]

We decided to cut our shopping then because A) We were starved and B) The stores were closing.

At around 9:00, we ate dinner in the food court just as it closed. I had beef teriyaki and she had a vegetarian taco because, derrrr, she's a vegetarian. While we ate dinner, I vented a bit about my band and how f---ed up it is. I talked mostly about Bassist and all the shit he's done. My friend had no idea that he was that bad. She said, "And to think. He actually liked me. I'm so glad I'm not close with him." I'm pretty glad too.

I surprised her with a bag of pizza-flavoured Combos. She had never heard of the pizza-flavoured kinda so it came as a super surprise. The food court emptied so we walked outta there as soon as we finished.

The minute we exited the mall, we saw crowds of people flocking towards what seemed to be bright red lights and smoke. Upon closer inspection we saw stuff flying in the air. We decided to follow the crowds to see what was goin' on. On the way, we saw a man in red fixing up some big metal floating contraption. This HAD to be good.

We got close enough to the spectacle to realize there were about nine giant, red giraffes manned by eighteen master stilt-walkers who blindly maneuvered their majestic animals through the city streets. Their flexible necks bent down and almost touched the awe-struck crowds below. A spotlight then appeared and shined upon a lady, high atop a wheeled stand held and pushed around by more people in red. She began singing opera to what appeared to be her mate, an operatic clown with a bass drum.

Now my friend and I looked at each other and asked if we were making this stuff up. So we pinched each other. After screaming "Ow" in unison, we agreed it was real. Or surreal I should say. I discovered that amoungst the madness of curious red giraffes and an operatic couple a story was laid before us. Although not quite clear, we watched as these characters sang their way through dramatic trappings of love, jealousy, fury and cruelty.

The giraffes squeezed fire extinguisher toots through their backside upon unsuspecting spectators. Another clown then came around to each giraffe and gave them water. The fake red heads soaked up liters and splashed it upon the crowds in delight. Many extra clown-men and clown-women in red ran around the crowds as well either spreading cheer and interacting with people or jumping around with bright red flares, creating unreal glows beneath the tall creatures. Then all of a sudden..

*BOOM*

An explosion of fire blew up in the middle of the chaos. Then another and another. to those close enough, a rather big scare but to those at the right distance, a thrilling surprise of sound and lights.

Another explosion went off and bursts of red circular confetti filled the air as the cowds followed the parade of madness. I'm looking at my souvenir piece of confetti as I type this.

My friend, coincidentally quite a big fan of giraffes, laughed in delight as we watched the show snuggly fit in a crowded street of fellow Torontonians. A passing female clown in red stood behind her and mocked her laugh. I almost fell to the floor in laughter. The clown then asked my friend if she could give her container of leftover taco to her giraffe. She was kidding of course. I found her mockery of my friend cute little chuckle just hilarious. I feel the need to tease her about it when I see her next.

We followed the excitement to the square where the clown and his vibrantly dressed mate sang their final operatic piece. The music was incredible. At times, chilling and almost psychotic and at other times, upbeat and cheery.

It was when the giraffe show was over we realized what we had stumbled upon. The opening night to Toronto's Annual Street Festival.

[Edit: I had just discovered that the show I had just seen is called Les Girafes: Urban Operetta. It was their first performance in Toronto and is a part of the French Ministry of Arts and Entertainment. Bravo you crazy Frenchies!]

The spectactle finished with a final boom of confetti into the air. Though the show was over but the crowds stuck around this stage set up in the middle of the square. We were about to leave when we heard the orgasmic sound of an opening drum line. This night couldn't get any better. A free concert! But who was it? BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE! Toronto native indie rockers just emerging into the mainstream music scene with their psychedelic melodies and fusions of toe-tapping atmospheric rock with symphonic orchestrations of drums, guitars, basses, electric piano, brass instruments and mixes of loud soothing vocals.

I had never really heard their stuff until that day but the minute I did, I wanted more. Their set was f--kin' incredible. The hundreds of people standing before the stage, including my friend and I, nodded their heads in sync with enjoyment to the various tunes blasting in the summer night.

The concert finished at around 11:15. By that time we were fully tired and more than ready to take the transit home. On the subway, we agreed to another outing in the near future to the harbourfront, with hopes of stumbling upon another random festival. We then boarded a bus and rode along our shared route. On the way home, we met three friends that we haven't seen for awhile. They left just before my stop. I offered to follow my friend home and ensure that she arrive safely. She declined because her father was waiting for her at the bus stop.

And so I walked my smiling self home all by my onesies.

I realize that was a crateful to read but I cannot stress enough how much fun I had. I know for a fact that I'll never do anything exactly like that again. But I sure hope something just as fun comes my way soon. *sigh* What a sweet day.

Now today (Saturday), I don't know what I'll be doing but I'll be sure to let you know in the next post. And I'll visit your sites as soon as I'm fully rested. I promise...

Happy Giraffe Day!

Cheers.

- enin -
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