Alrighty, quick post. I try to play WEWY whenever I have a few spare minutes (transit mostly), so that I can have decent items for PAX. I finished a film for TUFF and submitted it. If it doesn't get into the competition, I'll post it online; otherwise expect a link to it on the TUFF site sometime next month.


Boom Crackle Crackle Crackle from Arlin 'FeXd' Schaffel on Vimeo.
I finished a Canada Day video (above), and am working on my $4 Haircut response video. It's very close to completion, I swear!




Also in the works at the moment, is another Internship Film Competition video and the New York trip video. And then... we rest! Oh wait, I still have to edit the Race Track footage. Damn!

And time continues to fly! I have found that I am producing far too much digital content for myself to keep up with. But don't worry, that's not about to stop me from posting. I'm just a bit disgruntled that I still have things like the New York trip video on the go, a month and a bit since I got back. Ho hum.




Previous weeks have been spent:

• Hangin' with my peeps
• North by North East (NXNE)
• Worldwide Short Film Festival
• Luminato
• Beach Volleyball
• Softball (Go Nosebleeds Go!)
• Trip to Saskatoon
• Cousin's Graduation

I am really going to miss all my Toronto friends when I move back home. But I also realized this weekend just how much I miss my friends back in Saskatoon. Can't we just all go to the same place? How about Montreal? Ok let's go.

NXNE and WWSFF were both quite good. The highlight of the events was the "Scene Not Herd: Music Videos" screening. Every single music video shown was amazing. You can find most of them on Youtube and Vimeo, so if you have time, check out the page and search for them. It is worth it!




It was really nice to surprise the family with my Saskatoon trip. Not many people knew I was coming up, including my Aunt, Uncles, and Cousins. The grad ceremony brought back some fond memories of High School. I think my 10 year anniversary is coming up soon. Hopefully someone plans it.

I got to visit the race track on Saturday, and it was a blast. This was the first event I wasn't working at that I could remember. I hung out with Blair most of the day, taking video up close and personal. I got some great footage, but haven't had a chance to edit it yet.

Videos I need to finish:

• New York trip
• Internship Competition
• Toronto Urban Film Festival
• Drag Racing
• $4 Haircut Response
• Softball Vignette

As for the title of this post... I am currently reading Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. It is great. I am currently playing The World Ends with You. It is spectacular. And lastly, it is quarter end. So if I am being unresponsive over the next week or so, or am really crabby, you now know why.

My recent trip to New York City was nothing short of spectacular. Why did I go? Why the hell not, really. While in Toronto, I've been trying to take advantage of cheaper flights, and try to see a bit more of North America. Upcoming trips include Las Vegas (July) and Seattle (August). More on those later.




Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge was possibly the best highlight of the trip. We were troubled with rain on and off for our entire stay, but managed to walk across during some great weather. The walkway across the bridge is over-top of the traffic, directly in the middle. It was busy, but that was something quickly learned in New York. It will always be busy.




What's almost more important than what you see on a tip? What you EAT! We had some amazing food in New York thanks to Jey's superb planning skills. Soul Food in Spanish Harlem at Amy Ruth's was like nothing I've had before. Can you say chicken and waffles? Come with an empty stomach. Kenka Izakaya may not have been comfortable, but was another highlight of the trip. Where else can you make your own cotton candy at the end of a meal!? Cafe Habana served us the best corn on the cob ever created. You have to go there. Have to. Panna II is also a must visit location. A small Indian restaurant (very small) that is in a complex with two other Indian restaurants. Each place attempts to out-do the other, resulting in nothing short of an epic lighting display within each eatery. Words can not describe the experience. Check back in a few weeks for a video.




Our original list of museums was huge. Due to time constraints, we were only able to hit up the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). It was a good choice. I could have stayed in there for a few more hours, definitely.




Walking around SOHO, random turning led us to some great graffiti. I was ecstatic to run across not one, but two pieces by Shepard Fairy.




Even at night, New York is bustling. I didn't get half as many night shots as I would have liked, but I'm happy with the ones that I did shoot. We raced to the top of the Empire State Building minutes before it closed. They wouldn't allow me to bring up my large tripod (wtf?), but luckily I had my pocket tripod with me.




Out hotel was literally one block off of Times Square. It was overwhelming, but not as overwhelming as I had imagined. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, but it felt a lot more "carnivally" than I had thought. But where else can you get 20 post cards for $2.00? Haha.




All good things must come to an end. I haven't nearly covered all of the great things I saw in New York. Hopefully, the video I'm working on can fill in extra details. But I will definitely be going back. I don't know when, but hopefully sooner than later. And next time, I'll go a bit easier on the photos. 1600 photos / video clips is just silly. Oh the humanity! Lastly, I just want to thank Jey and Jason for taking me along on the trip and guiding me around a place they had both been to many times. You guys are amazing.