These boots are made for photos(?)

Who knew taking pictures of shoes could be so interesting?

Gradually learning how to take photographs with an SLR camera.  These pictures were taken inside of my Exchange District apartment of my Kodiak boots.

Whenever I get the free time, perhaps I'll post a photographic tour of my digs in the Lindsay Building.

The honour blog roll

rev·o·lu·tion·ar·y
[rev-uh-loo-shuh-ner-ee]

adjective, noun, plural -ar·ies.

1. of, pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of a revolution, or a sudden, complete, or marked change: a revolutionary junta.
2. radically new or innovative; outside or beyond established procedure, principles, etc.: a revolutionary discovery.

The internet is a revolutionary tool - although, I’d like to use the term revolutionary loosely.  I believe that it’s one of the greatest things since sliced bread, but it’s actually ancient news compared all of the other innovations on the internet itself.

Take blogs, for example.  Whoever came up with the idea of providing a vehicle where online users can express their opinions, interests and general thoughts into a public journal is a sheer genius.

On that note, here’s an article that explains how blogs were first conceived.

Blogs provide a potpourri of different topics to read from.  Whether it’s a personal, business or special interest blog, there is absolutely something for everyone.  And if there really isn’t, start your own! 

Topics range from fashion, technology, news, crafts and LOL cats.  Just to name a few.

Here’s a list of some of my favourites to frequent:

Mashable

The great thing about Mashable is that it covers a diverse range of techy topics, including digital culture and social media.  It’s my one stop shop to catch up on technological news.

ChrisD

This is one of the best blogs to catch up on all the going-ons in the Winnipeg.  I particularly like that ChrisD.ca doesn’t only focus on current news, but also takes note of upcoming developments, events as well as store promotions.

Winnipeg Love Letters

Speaking of local blogs, check out Suzy Bodiroga’s!  This cultural connoisseur talks about how awesome our modest prairie city really is.  She also interviews successful homegrown talent to prove that we’ve got some kick-butt people kicking around town.

The Sartorialist

Amongst the countless fashion blogs, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle.  I personally find that The Sartorialist stands out against the rest, thanks to its simple design and beautiful, blown up photographs.  Less is more, after all.

1000 Awesome Things

This is the website on which The Book of Awesome is based on.  It features (literally) a thousand different things that their readers find awesome.  Whether it’s “finding money you didn’t know you lost” or “the smell of frying onions”, there’s bound to be something on here that’ll make you feel all warm and mushy inside.

FAILBlog

The web’s portal for whatever is laughable when it comes to failures.  Some are hilarious, some are tragic.  Either way, you can’t stop scrolling down to read what’s next.

The Hungry and Foolish

A young gentleman’s website that features quirky articles based on current events and strange stories.  I recently found out from his website that you CAN rent the Jersey Shore House – at a hefty price and not without changing the sheets first (the latter is not protocol, but probably a good idea).

This is only scratching the surface of bloggerdom, and I’d be interested to see which site you frequent.  Care to share?

Cemetaries and fruity drinks

Last night, I decided to venture out of the Exchange for a short trip.  My aspiration was to get some worthy Halloweenesque content for my blog, but I failed horribly.

On a brighter note, I had the opportunity to take some great photographs of the St. Boniface Cathedral and enjoy some delicious crispy waffles and bubble tea!  Needless to say, my night definitely ended on a sweeter note.

A view from outside St. Boniface Catherdral.

A view from the inside.  The roofless interior is gorgeous, especially at night.  I saw a couple of locals walking their dogs around the well-lit premises.  Although the adjacent cemetery adds an eery vibe, it's definitely a sight to see.

 If you haven't noticed, I have a fascination with taking pictures of road signs.

A shot from across the Red River, looking towards the Provencher Bridge.

Glowing lamp.

Deciding to change the pace, we end up at Tea Story on Osborne right by Confusion Corner.  They've only been open for about half a year, and I never had the chance to venture inside the new restaurant.  They serve some pretty scrumptious goodies, and I noticed that their menu and atmosphere is very similar to Kawaii Crepes.  Their savoury and sweet dishes are waffle-based, and they also have a wide assortment of cold and hot teas.



Loving the design of their business cards.  Simple and clean!



A wider view of the interior of the restaurant.

More pretty lights.

I ordered an avocado bubble tea, while my friend Wayne ordered a fused tea.  They were decent, but neither wowed me.

However, what did impress me was their savoury waffle creations!  I ordered a vegetarian dish that had cucumbers, lettuce, green peppers, hummus and tzatziki sauce.  The proportions were satisfying and the blend of the savoury fillings and sweet waffles taste was simply divine.

The adventure was still a success, although we didn't encounter any paranormal activity.  Despite that slight disappointment, the views were great and the waffles were tasty!

A morning in the Exchange

Each and every morning, I begin my day with a breathtaking walk through the Exchange District.

Originally built in 1913, here we see the remnants of the St. Charles Hotel in front of my apartment.  It has been declared a heritage site and work is being done to the building in order to gut out the ceilings and floors to reveal its foundations.  Ken Zaifman was planning earlier this year to make a six to nine storey addition to what already exists of the building.

For more information on the facelift project, check it out here.

An old factory building.

A shot looking towards Main St.

The nationally recognized Winnipeg Free Press Cafe.  Their sandwiches and brownies are scrumptious.

One of the various poster fixtures, riddled with events for local talent.

Poster for Dead Air art exhibit.

An architectural masterpiece, best known as Red River College.  The $35 million that was spent on the redevelopment of this campus helped restored some of the District's oldest properties, dating as far back as 1882.  It merged six different buildings into one eclectic piece of work.

Winter morning walks suddenly don't seem so bad.

TGIF

This Friday, I felt it was necessary to treat myself after a long week of grueling (and rewarding) work.  Therefore, the highlights of my day consisted of consuming a green tea frap (my absolute favourite), vanilla bean scones (my newfound favourite) and delicious dim sum at Noodle Express.

The Starbucks downtown had these really groovy hanging lamps that looked like they were imploding with fire.  Fierce.

Also, a friendly visual reminder that the Marker Social is happening this Friday on October 14th, 2011.   I almost forgot myself until I saw this handy dandy poster in the hallway!  Tickets are available at the Mercantile for $10.

My dear friend and colleague Josh Alao agreed to help me exercise my photography skills and acted as a model for the photo that you see above.

The roles reversed and Josh got the chance to flex his creative muscles.  Fantastic job!  Not to mention, the architecture of our campus looks absolutely stunning in the background.

We finished off our Friday one of the best ways we possibly could - with a satisfying meal of mouthwatering dim sum.  In my honest opinion, I truly believe that Noodle Express in Chinatown has some of the tastiest, freshest dim sum around.  Their sweet custard buns are to die for!

Cheers to another week of CreComm under our belts!

Ten reasons why I love the Exchange

1 The exciting summer festivities at Old Market Square.  The Fringe Festival, anyone? 
2 The delicious delicacies available during said festivals (most importantly mini donuts)!
3 Late night eats at Smoke's Poutinerie after a long night of dancing at one the neighbourhood bars.
4 The absolutely breathtaking architecture.  It's amazing to see the renovations taking place, including The Paterson Globalfoods Institute which was originally the historic Union Bank Tower.  RRC's future student residence and campus for culinary arts and hospitality is going to look phe-no-me-nal (see picture below).
5 The art stores featuring tons of wicked pieces from local artists.
6 Not to mention the even more awesome fashion boutiques with rare and unusual finds.
7 The Winnipeg Free Press Cafe.  Only the coolest place to grab a tasty cappuccino while observing journalists in their (semi)natural habitat!
8 All of the hidden gems in the upper levels of the buildings - art spaces, churches and the likes.
9 The Artspace building, housing several art galleries, office spaces for art groups and the Cinematheque theatre.  Cinmatheque plays some really great lesser-known independent films and documentaries, that would otherwise be inaccessible to Winnipegers.
10 The leaps and bounds the Exchange District has made throughout the past few decades.  I remember having a conversation with my boyfriend's uncle, who used to work at a shop in the heart of the Exchange years and years ago.  Back then, it wasn't unusual to see a prostitute waiting to get picked up at one of the street corners.  Now, the only people creeping the streets at night are the last few stragglers finding their way from the King's Head.
The area has built such a great reputation for itself, and I can't wait to see what other projects it has in store.

Toad Hall Toys equals bliss

A few photos I took during our advertising field trip at Toad Hall Toys in the Exchange District.