The Resolution Fulfilled

By the end of 2009 I would have:

Met and been a videographer for more than five celebrities
Gotten VIP access and treatment at a Toronto nightclub
Secured a management position at work
Been on set during a commercial shoot
Been on set during a music video shoot
Been to New York City
Been to Sri Lanka
Been to Wonderland at least ten times
Been skiing AND snowboarding
Been on a boat cruise
Been to a raptors game
Received compliments on my photography and been offered a job
Learned two more piano pieces
Filmed four stop motion shorts
Learned the value of self-dependency
Produced a resume that could stand even without my previous work experience
Picked up one of the most beautiful girls on the planet
Seen Russell Peters live
Sat in the 2010 Shelby Mustang (autoshow :P)
Crushed the list of to-do's from 2008 and challenged the prospect list for 2010
Fail to have another birthday party for myself
Gotten drunk at 1pm
Been to a hotel party

The one problem with this list is that it trumps all my expectations for this year and I won't know how to top it for 2010. I have some things in mind but I mean I live with the intention of bettering it next year, but how!?

"Who is that guy?"

So as some of you may know, I was granted VIP reservations at Six Degrees nightclub by the artist performing there right now. The loyal readers may remember him from one of my recent blogs, Barry Szeto, the up-and-coming R and B artist who asked me for my name and got me privileged booths and bottle service (and lowered entry fee) at the club. Performance was off the hook. The club itself was live. Pradip and Abdi and I went around taking pictures of everyone there. We approached the first group of women and asked for a picture. They looked at my SLR camera and presumed it was for the Unity Group site (a media group that showcases Toronto's nightlife) so they agreed and said yes. Then they asked me for my card. Shit, I don't have a card, I thought. I patted my pockets and told them I was all out but that they could add me on facebook and grab the pics off there. Abdi and I approached another group of six and asked them for a group photo. They asked whether it was for the club promotion, at which point Abdi and I looked at each other smoothly before answering, "Uhh...yeah." All in all it was fun masking our amateur talents and posing as pros. I realized nightclub photography is a vibrant side-job and I could make some good money off of it. I have the appropriate photography tools so why not?
What's more is after the club I received over twenty photo requests over a span of two days from people at the club. This included the other photographers and various hot girls I took pics of. I'm glad facebook exists, it allows for easy exposure. I was honoured to see that the founder of Unity Group added me and tagged my photos. He also asked for my email, apparently he likes me pictures, which actually were basic and just-for-fun. But hey, if they think this is good, imagine how thrilled they'll be when I actually try and when I get my flash diffuser off ebay.
The pictures are on facebook for those who want to see, check out the VIP at Six Degrees album on my profile.
Yeah that's an expensive-ass authentic Cuban in my hand I got as a gift.

The next morning I woke up and I thought back to the night before and I thought about much power I had. I was surprised at the number of people I impressed that night, and the people that made an impression on me. When I think back to it, I was a pretty important figure, and hell yeah I'm proud of that. A year ago I'd have never thought I'd be where I am now, it's a bloody good feeling. Believe me I have my share of problems. If you think you have problems, you don't know half the shit I have to deal with. And unless you've been hit by a train, I can promise you your problems are incomparable. I just hide it well :P.
I was talking to my baby cousin Shivani last night and we were talking about her new friends at Kindergarten and the new playhouse her parents bought her. Then when we were saying goodbye I told her I was going to buy her a big car when she grows up. She didn't fully comprehend what I meant but she answered, "Okay...I love you."

MTA and memories

So my vacation to NYC is coming up soon, and I started doing some homework last night in preparation of the great getaway. Since I won't be driving, four of us will have to commute across the Big Apple. I went to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority(MTA) to familiarize myself with the subway/bus routes. I saw the subway map for the first time and this is the abysmal complication of blueprint I gazed upon:



Look at that. What the hell is that!? It makes the TTC map look infinitesimal. The map is not complete but I superimpose a rough L-shape image over it, with little flowers sprouting from the top left corner of the city (where the Bronx is). We'll be staying in a hostel in Brooklyn which is south-central, and we'll be travelling probably every line on that map as much as humanly possible within four days.

My self-written itinerary boasts vists to the Empire State Building (observatory deck also), the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island fairy, Brooklyn Bridge, Madison Square Garden, Times Square, Chrysler Building, Ground Zero, Central Park, and maybe some projects in a couple of the boroughs. My plan with that was for all of us to take a cab and make him drive through the gangster-ridden locales while I quickly snap pictures with my SLR and document the true gangsters in their natural habitat, robbing people, bumming weed, and staring down my cab with icy eyes. LOL. These visits on the itinerary aren't suggestions, they're mandatory tourist points that I HAVE to see, or else I stay there forever.
I will be updating my blog daily while I'm in New York. The hostel claims they have free Wi-Fi access points, and free breakfast and linen too ^_^.

Alright time to jump into Hyperspace.
Last weekend seven of my friends and I saw the film UP in 3-d. Terrific film, it was my second time seeing it. It was funny that for a moment in the film (during its sad turning point near the beginning of the film) there was pin-drop silence in the theatre because the audience could not believe the likes of such a tragedy (comparable to Mufasa's death in The Lion King fifteen years ago). I found that I never knew my friends were capable of such compassion for a character. Like no talked, NO ONE. We all stared in silence at what was happening on the screen. Of course I had already seen it, so I knew it was on its way, but my reaction to their reactions was that I found it stunning. They were all looking at the character and feeling sympathy. It was so silent in the theatre a mouse could fart and wreck the moment. I knew they all felt sorry about what had happened in the movie. The movie was enjoyed by all regardless and afterwards we talked about it. They all agreed it was well worth the 13.50 for the 3D picture, and for the movie itself.
On a similar note, I remember at one point in my life when my friends and I (the same ones that are alongside me today) would talk about video games and TV and all the leisurely things in life without a worry but to get home on time to watch Digimon. Now our conversations are rich with credit card concerns, driving tickets, getting more hours at work, and relationships. What happened to the simple talk? Not that I mind these new subjects that have predominated our discourse over the last five to six years, but I just miss what we USED to talk about, ya know? It's funny when I visualize these things in retrospect I see all that has come and gone and I miss it a lot. I do a lot of reminiscing, especially while listening to my iPod. I remember the sweltering summer days spent in the pool or running around the block playing cops-and-robbers or manhunt and taking the TTC (ten of us at a time) to watch the new wave of Marvel movies like Spiderman, Hulk, X-men, etc. Those days are long gone now but I still remember these memories like they took place last night. I read somewhere recently that one sense brings back memories moreso than any other, and that is the sense of smell. When you smell something you haven't in years, a feeling of nostalgia overwhlems you and you start travelling back in time while standing in the same spot, also while other people are standing around you and wondering what the hell you're doing. Believe me, it's happened to me before. Smell triggers visuals immediately for me.
Anyways, I must get back to completing my itinerary, I will blog back shortly with updates.

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RIP Geetesh Singh

There was a tragic crash on the DVP last week which claimed the lives of two youth, one particularly important. Geetesh Singh, who was a friend of my friends, was pronounced dead at the scene, his body had been ejected from the vehicle through the windshield. His friend, Adam, who was the driver, was also instantly killed. A third passenger is in critical condition. The relationship I had with Geetesh was a customer-representative one. Abdi, who was very close to him, showed me his reggae and soca music videos on youtube and I personally thought it was an honour meeting him. His videos were uniquely hilarious and it created a lasting impression on me. I couldn't find it after his passing, maybe it was kindly taken down, but the videos were of Geetesh recording himself in his room, singing and waving a trinidadian flag to his favourite soca/reggae/hip hop beats. I can't remember why I had gone to futureshop that day, but I remember Geetesh. I knew him through his videos but he didn't know me. So the whole time he was helping me as a representative find some electronic I was looking for, I was laughing in my head at the comic videos his presence was generating. I didn't know much about him but from the only time I met him he seemed like a great guy. I noticed he smiled a lot and he didn't seem like the type of person to get easily angry. He had a calm demeanour which I doubt was a false facade he put on as a requirement of his position at futureshop, but rather a reflection of his own attributes. Abdi knew him because he was his coworker, Nazeem knew him because they were classmates at Ryerson. A lot of people on facebook are mourning the loss of him and I can only show my support.

Rest In Peace, Brother.


Abdi went to the viewing on Friday and came to my place afterwards. He and his family were Hindu's so the body was to be cremated. I asked Abdi why he didn't stay for the whole service and told me, "I don't want to see my boy's body get burned yo, how can his family sit through that?" Geetesh's passing has got me thinking how valued life should be to everyone. Geetesh was apparently a very intelligent guy, and you know the saying, humour reflects intelligence. Geetesh was definitely a prime example of this. He was also a university student and a student of karate. He once coined a philosophy saying, "If all else fails in life, open a roti stand." It's a shame that such a precious life was taken and it makes me question God with the word Why.

Meeting Billy Talent/La Movida

This past week went better than planned I can say. First on the menu was my formal interview with Billy Talent for Sharlotte's magazine. Greg, Sharlotte, and I arrived at a hotel downtown (name undisclosed because of legal issues) and proceeded to their suite. We spent about twenty minutes setting up the three cameras and planning shots while the guys were on their way. While we waited for them to show, we talked with another interviewer who was strangely scheduled in the same time slot we were...foolish publicists! So this guy, from Spinner magazine, conversed with us for a short while and it seemed we were all defending our employers and arguing about who the better magazine was. Clearly Spinner topped Vervegirl (which I don't even read, I just enjoy interviewing celebs and editing their videos) even though Vervegirl has been around 1986. Why the hell would I read a magazine for teenage girls anyway. So Ian and John from Billy Talent finally arrive and Greg and I just freeze in our spot feeling awkward. If we could talk to each other telepathically we'd be like, Dude we're in the same room as two guys from Billy Talent...I know man that's insane what do we say!? We introduced ourselves to them and told them to have a seat...in their own hotel suite lol. The loser from Spinner magazine left and we spent about five minutes prepping the cameras and audio testing while Sharlotte sat next to them practicising her questions. It was super-awkward because Ian and John were staring at us hard because we were carrying amateur equipment and I felt as if though they thought this interview was a joke for some high school newsletter. The interview went off very professionally though. Audio was great, they answered the questions in-depth, got three amazing camera angles and it was satisfactorily lengthy. The five of us got to know each other well after the interview, turns out they'd been to a lot of places we'd been to in Scarborough and Mississauga, they even show their Nothing to Lose video at Central Tech, where Greg went to High School. These guys were terrific guys.

The best part was leaving the suite of these guys. We said our farewells and headed out the door and into a crowd of photographers/videographers/other miscellaneous magazine/radio crews all staring at the three of us like Who are these kids walking out of Billy Talents hotel suite with amateur equipment, and how did they get the primary time slot! Hahahaha, suckers.

Friday was the annual La Movida Dance Cruise hosted by UofT's dance club. Of course my acquintance Denny is the President of the dance club at UofT and teaches hip hop classes in between the pursuit of a psychology degree. I used to run around with that b-boy before we could afford dollar-priced snowcones from ice-cream trucks, now we're balling! I also collaborated with him on dance videos. You dance, I'll record. Like Sharlotte, I worked with Denny behind the camera. Fucker broke the tripod I lent him though, you still owe me a tripod Denny, I hope you're reading this!
There's the culprit in the black on the left.


The cruise went well. I spent a ton of time on the upper deck taking photos of the beautiful scenery. The velocity of the boat hosted chilled blankets of water-based updrafts, which felt nice but then forced everyone into the lower decks, inside the boat. People met people and the whole time I held onto my camera tight. I'm never losing you, I told it. A couple of my boys managed to find some women...that's all I'll say haha.

If you haven't been on a boat cruise, try it sometime. It's fantastic, this one was particularly eventful. Dance shows, free dance lessons, great Canadian landmark scenery, planes flying right overhead the boat, cool breezes. Make sure you go with friends, or a lover. Otherwise you'll be bored to death. Unfortunately I couldn't bring mine, and I know she's reading this right now feeling just as unfortunate:P



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Operation Firestorm

I'll begin with the frantically eventful weekend I survived and promised to scribe down on Monday. Sorry I'm late, but I finally have some free time on my hands. The weekend went great, I showed up on set early on Saturday but late on Sunday. Apparently either no one cared I was late, or no one noticed. Saturday was just all new, said what up to all the regulars (the people I'd met once before on set back in December) and they asked me to explain my six-month absence from the set. I told them I had school and other priorities, but now I'm in the middle of a seven-month break away from school before finishing my degree. So the day starts and all of a sudden the director Marc and the producer Allan decide I should be in charge of the slate. Now to those who aren't familiar with designations on a shooting set, a production assistant (which is what I am) should be nowhere near the slate at any time. The PA is the director/producer's bitch, basically. We do what we're told. I arrive on set for an eight hour day on Saturday and an hour in I'm suddenly promoted into the camera department and dogpiled with a list of new responsibilities. Problem was, I didn't know what I was doing!

The second assistant camera should be the one handling the slate and clapping it at the start of a new scene. I was excited to be holding that thing during shooting but I was scared that at some point I'd miss something or write down the wrong scene and take on the slate before the shot started. Believe me, I screwed up a lot.


I was yelled at by the Director of Photography, Rion Gonzales(at the right in the pic above), but the first AC was very forgiving with me, because it was a SHE. Michele(on my left) calmly corrected me after Rion would blame me for having the wrong take number, scene, and roll number on the slate. Of course this was all a learning experience for me and it was done the hard way, but it stuck in the end. I remember in one scene while I held the slate in front of the camera and Marc was yelling at me to call the scene out loud and Rion was yelling at me to position it properly in front of the camera, the model I was holding the slate in front of poked me and said, "I think you're doing a great job." Even though I couldn't move because it would affect the slates position on the camera, I smiled and said thanks to her.

Of course after the shoot we all became friends and Rion apologized for being so hard on me to which I replied "You were doing your job, it's all good." Later we got to know each other. The shoot on Sunday was seventeen hours long, but very laid back, and I was more comfortable with the slate that time around. Over the two days we shot five commercials, two interviews and one model shoot for Establishedmen.com. Great experience. When the producer Allan drove me home on Sunday at one in the morning he mentioned the first time I came on set six months ago, which he and a lot of other people found knee-slappingly comical. He started the conversation imitating me:

Allan: Arvind can you get us some breakfast?
Arvind: *laughs
Allan:...so can you grab me a bagel and a triple triple?
Arvind: Are you joking, or...?
Allan: No I'm not joking, there's a catering truck outside.
Arvind: Are you serious?
Allan: Yes I'm serious
Arvind: Really?
Allan: Yes!

Allan brought that memory up because he'll always remember me for it, my first official day as a production assistant, and my refusal to understand/believe my real responsibilities. He was telling me that Diedre, the Art Director, mentioned about me, "He was so cute and so innocent, but he didn't believe you were treating him like a bitch." LOL.
Any real shooting set will provide you with unlimited amounts of food, did you know that! That's right, free food for everyone on set.

On Monday I was with Sharlotte interviewing an up-and-coming Toronto-bred Indie artists named Barry Szeto. His R and B is phenomenal, I know personally because he sang into my camera. Great guy, personality-wise he was very respectful and cheery, surprisingly after twelve hours shooting his music video at a restaurant in Richmond Hill, Toronto. I personally think he deserves the fame he's after because he's bearing the right attitude, which may be unaffected by time and pressure, but I pray he doesn't crack. He called me by my first name, offered me to the catering on set (which I technically wasn't entitled too), and he was very thankful to our crew for the opportunity to be interviewed and give shout outs.




The weekend so far was great, very sudden and unexpected. Like a movie done right it had its twists and turns. When Sharlotte was dropping me off Monday night we talked about our collaboration and she gave me permission to advertise Southpaw in the video interviews she puts up on her page at vervegirl.com. I was pleased with this opportunity for maximized media exposure, excited too! That night I thought about what Southpaw would be. I made the name up more than three years ago and at the time it really meant nothing more than a dream. But today I realize that that dream is coming to fruition and I've been diving faster and harder into my goals than ever before. I've decided to label the next seventh-months of my life Operation Firestorm, which will be strictly dedicated to continuing to do what I'm doing and strive for a proper definition and purpose for Southpaw Productions, a name that has had no purpose until now except to look cool on paper.

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