The Unbearable Lightness of Being

I don't know how others cope with heavy workloads and heartbreaking realizations, but I like to lounge around the house in my grungy attire and read favourite passages from my favourite books. I do this while drinking a lot of scotch, by the way.

I could go on all day and night about books. I wish I had someone to gush about literary obsessions with. Sadly, I am a lonesome bookworm. A one woman book club.

So, I have a hard time picking favourites, but Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being sticks out because it has truly shaped the person I am today. I've never identified with so many fictional characters in one book before. It just spoke volumes to me as I read it for the first time on a lonely train ride in Prague. I've read it three times now and whenever I need a hit, I flip through my favourite pages (Sometimes I bend the page's corner or I underline words with a pen). I guess in a way, Kundera is my cocaine.

"When we want to give expression to a dramatic situation in our lives, we tend to use metaphors of heaviness. We say that something has become a great burden to us. We either bear the burden or fail and go down with it, we struggle with it, win or lose. And Sabina, what had come over her? Nothing. She had left a man because she felt like leaving him. Had he persecuted her? Had he tried to take revenge on her? No. Her drama was a drama not of heaviness but of lightness. What fell to her lot was not the burden but the unbearable lightness of being."



Does anyone else feel so passionate about a single book or am I just crazy?

National Photographic: Pete Nema Interview

I always felt Pete Nema would make an awesome superhero. By day, the friendly 42 year old is a software development manager and by night he is a concert photographer. Pete Nema is in fact an alias [real name is Doug Doe] so that further adds to the superhero affect. I heard about him through his photos and reviews on the internet and saw him at a few recent shows.

Not that hard to miss, he usually looks like this:


(watch out, his camera lens stares right into your soul!)

Pete displays an intense devotion to the local music scene. I assume his regular visits to The Horseshoe Tavern gets him a lot of free, locally brewed beer from the bar– he looks like a Creemore Springs drinker to me! Pete Nema does what he does not for the money but for the chance to surround himself with good tunes and good talent, and he is very generous about sharing what he sees and hears with others on the web.

I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to meet up with this charming fellow to get to know him a little better. I met up with his last Thursday near King & Sherburne over lunch. We sat at a lovely park on the most gorgeous day of the season and chatted away like long time friends.

You have a computer engineering degree from Waterloo. What was your main inspiration for attending that program?

When I was growing up and in my teens I was always interested in computers. I even managed to get a job when I was 15 working for a software development firm. I always loved computers.

What made you get into photography, then?

That’s something I’ve been interested in longer than computers. If I really think back, I remember dismantling my father’s cameras. My dad has older cameras and I remember taking them apart...I was lucky enough when I was 12 to get some courses through the board of education. I was set up with a darkroom when I was 14 and started developing my own photos. It’s a passion I’ve been doing my whole life but it’s just been rusty metal and scenery and travel.

Did you always live in Toronto?

I’ve lived in Switzerland for a year when I was 18. I moved down to Australia in my mid twenties for a couple years. But I was born here in Toronto.

You’ve been attending shows here in Toronto for years, how did you begin to put your name out there?

I think it was at the Broken Social Scene concert where I decided I would start reviewing live concerts. Bands started sending me CDs. Bands found I was just talking about music and they would get my address and send them.
I’ve been doing photography my whole life and then it just clicked: maybe I should start taking pictures of these bands. I never put it together before; my love for music and my love for photography.
I bought a DSLR and started going out to free Tuesdays at the Horseshoe or wherever I could.

What’s your favourite venue to shoot at?

The answer is easy: The Horseshoe. There's something about that place that just brings out the best performances from the bands. The reason I like it has nothing to do with the nasty lighting, the awkward layout, or the dirty stage. It has everything to do with the vibe and the sound. I've seen more incredible performances there than anywhere else in the city.

How often do you attend a show? Because I read your Facebook statuses and it seems you’re busy every day of the week.

Yeah, I’m busy...

They’re going to invent an eighth day just for you and they will call it Nemaday.

That would be awesome. If we could just change the timing of the day so instead of just 24 hours we would have 26.

I could get a lot done in two hours and I’m sure you could too.

I did redesign time once but it’s hard to implement. I find it difficult to go to more than 2 shows a week. I have a full time job, I have my wife and I have a photography art I’ve been working on as well.

How do you balance everything, especially when you’re a husband and a father with priorities?

Two shows a week is about all I can handle. Sometimes I’ll do 3 if it’s special. On top of actually going out and shooting, I also have to process the photos which is something I enjoy. I also have to write up words which is something I don’t enjoy as much.

Your most recent event that you went to was the Junos in B.C., right?

I didn’t actually go to the Junos.

But you went to the after parties.

Yeah. What I did I think was better than the Junos. I watched the Junos on t.v.

The Junos aren’t good! I mean, Nickelback wins for Fan Choice. It actually makes me ashamed to be Canadian.

I actually napped a bit during the Junos and I remember waking up and Nickelback won something again and I said “all right I can go back to sleep!”

How did you get that opportunity?

The way that came about was in 2006 I photographed illScarlett almost as an afterthought to photographing Hostage Life. A month later I got a call from their manager who was really interested in the photos and wanted to work with me more.
So the guy who manages them, he also has a company called Know Affiliation. He runs these things called the Artist Sanctuary. So in Vancouver for example, they took the top two floors of a boutique hotel and invited stars to come through, they get some free stuff...they agree to get photos taken of them with products, and against the media wall. He likes to have me there. So he told me to come out, got me a plane ticket, a really nice room, and so I was out there for a weekend having a great time.


(illScarlett during CMW 2009 at Sound Academy)

Who was your favourite encounter at the Juno after parties?

It’s an easy answer but maybe not what people would expect. I’m looking at this guy and I recognize him but I’m thinking through all the bands I’ve photographed – I photographed over 190 bands just last year – so I’ll recognize people but I can’t remember all the names. Then finally I hear someone say “Battlestar Galactica!” So, I met Aaron Douglas and Kandyse McClure.


(Aaron Douglas and Kanyse McClure)

I got a long with Aaron. He has a good sense of humor, and he’s interested in music and photography. We met up and went to see that bands that night including The Arkells – one of my favourites.

Yes, mine too. I saw them for the first time when they opened for Matt Mays last November. We were both there, but we didn’t cross paths exactly.


(Arkells, november 6, 2008 at The Phoenix)

Do you plan on going to the NXNE festival and photographing the bands there? What other stuff do you have lined up?

I might be photographing Kings of Leon at the ACC which is pretty exciting because I’ve photographed them the last two times they’ve been in Toronto at the Kool Haus so now they’re moving to a bigger venue which is so well deserved.

I remember back in the day when Kings of Leon were these dirty looking, long haired hippies with bellbottoms. Now all of a sudden, a few haircuts and a few H&M trips later, damn, they’re looking sharp.

Looking slick! I also enjoy my nights out with independent bands...Of course NXNE which is my favourite festival in Toronto. I love the vibe of it.

What I like about you is that you focus on local bands. How important is it for you or anyone to support their local music scene?

Well, without the support of a local music scene you don’t have a local music scene. I think one of the good things about Toronto is that I’m one of many. There’s tons of bloggers and they’re out at shows and they’re trying to generate interest in local bands they love. Bands are trying to generate interest in their friend’s bands. Quite frequently I'll run into members of bands in the audience. I ran into members of Constantines out at Ladyhawk, and members of Pilot Speed out at Matt Mays.


(Matt Mays, November 6, 2008 at The Phoenix)

By Ladyhawk you mean the indie rock band from B.C. or the female pop singer?

The B.C. band, without the e [at the end].

There’s so many bands with identical names. What’s the point in that?

It’s real hard to come up with a unique name these days.

If you had a band what would your band name be?

I’m not sure. I think over the years you have friends who say a short phrase to you and you think “oh, that would make for a good band name”.

I think “what’s what she said” would make for an awesome band name.

You gotta make sure your name is google-able.

You have petenema.com, you’ve also got a Facebook fan page, twitter, God knows what else. Let’s say we just gave up on the internet and we didn’t have it anymore. How would you still put your work out there?

I wouldn’t even know. I think the reason this even came about is because of the way the internet grew. I probably would still take photos of bands but just keep them to myself.

You would probably post them up on your wall like in One Hour Photo and be all creepy. Speaking of the internet, what are some of your favourite blogs to read?

There’s this comic called Wondermark, which is hilarious.
Related to music, Chromewaves is a really good resource. I like the way Frank Yang writes.
Also, the independent blog It’s Not The Band I Hate It’s Their Fans.

Ahh yes! From Sloan’s Coax Me. I love that line. It’s so true though. There are certain bands out there that have a lot of cred and talent but they have the most annoying fans ever.

Yeah, some dude at the Ladyhawk show was pouring beer over my head when I was trying to take photos.

How many years has it been since you’ve been photographing shows?

I started June 2006. My very first show was Bend Sinister.

What are three albums that are in high rotation right now?

Amos the Transparent gave me their EP and I really like it. Obviously, the Arkells’ Jackson Square. It’s probably last year’s most played.... Metric’s “Fantasies”. If you look at the genre they’ve created for that album, it’s a lot more dancey than what I’d normally listen to but it’s really good. There’s something very attractive about the way Emily Haines sings.

What was the first camera you started photographing with?

I don’t remember the first, but I do remember my first good camera I still own. It’s a Minolta X700, fully manual. I got that in 1984. I climbed an active volcano with that camera in my hand. I’m quite attached to it.
What have you learned throughout the years about photography?

Experimentation is the best way to learn your own style. As long as you understand all the mechanics, then you can those mechanics and twist them to create an image you’re happy with.

Are you trying any new things?

Outside of concert photography, I’ve been working on this project called Fifty-Two TO. I’m working with Nica Mintz on portraits of Toronto and portraits of people in Toronto that represent the demographic...It’s a huge challenge for me because we have to agree on a location and interview the people. So the plan is to photograph 52 people. We’re probably at 15 right now.

Lastly, why the name change?

It ties back to what I was saying about the internet. It grew out of a joke. This guy at work quit to work for a start-up in California. It seems like an odd move because at that time (2000) software companies were going bankrupt and stocks were crashing. I told him “I hope it’s not for pet-enema.com because I hear they have a suspicious business model”. I went home that night and realized that domain wasn’t registered. When I began blogging I wanted something google-able. I realized pet enema could be Pete Nema and no one in the world had that name.

That’s a good strategy because if you’re Bob McDonald, there are a lot of guys with that name out there.

I’m fortunate to have picked a name that people can remember.

Your photography is memorable as well, not just the name behind it.

Thanks!

It's Pandamonium, Baby!

It's no secret that I am deeply in love with pandas. I've seen The Amazing Panda Adventure about two hundred times. I've dressed up as a panda last Halloween. I am even wearing a panda pin on my shirt as I'm writing this. It's a rather lovely pin I recieved from an ex-boyfriend. Toss the guy, keep the panda. That's my motto in life, erm, or something like that. I find it quite hilarious that every guy I've ever built a strong relationship with has bought me a stuffed panda. They're all just chilling in my closet (the pandas, not the ex-boyfriends).

Pandas live a pretty sweet life. A life of solitude, which I am all about. Panda's are the lonely hunters of bamboo. According to this online article Pandas are encouraged to mate by watching panda porn, no joke! (do you think they mind bootleg DVDs?) I must have been a panda in my former life. We love to be alone, we mildly enjoy porn, we like to sleep a lot and just act cute.

I figure if I were this beautiful creature for a 24 hour period, this is what my day would be like:

I`d wake up early even though I`d rather continue sleeping.



I realize I ran out of ground coffee.



I do not want to go to school or work, but I suppose I have to in order to put food on my table and expensive shoes on my feet.



Alas, I am home. I kick my feet back, open a tallboy and wait for someone to make me dinner.



WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE TO MAKE DINNER MYSELF? AND DO THE DISHES, TOO?! BITCH, PLEASE.



Then a man friend comes over and we watch a movie, talk about life and...



Followed by a few minutes of...



Then I light up.



And off to bed I go!



Sweet life, right?

If You're Going to Eastern Europe, Be Sure to Wear a Flower in Your Hair

Summer’s almost here and everyone’s making plans. Some may be thinking of travelling.

I had the pleasure of backpacking through Europe two summers ago all by my lonesome self. It was literally the best experience of my life and it couldn’t have happened at a better time. Through relaxing train rides and entertaining tour guides, I learned a lot about myself and what I truly want out of life. I want to share some tips for those of you who are contemplating getting away from it all, spending a few weeks or months to explore new scenery.

I will start by suggesting buying the cheapest plane ticket to any European city. I personally bought a ticket to Bucharest, Romania (with a transfer in Amsterdam via KLM Airlines) which came out to be $900.00 but hopefully there are cheaper tickets than that if you look really hard.

After spending some time with family in the beautiful Brasov, Romania, I met with a travel agent who hooked me up with a Eurail Global Pass. I spent around $500 (euros) to be able to take trains all over Europe for a whole month. I did pay extra to reserve a seat on every train, which in retrospect was a bad idea because there were plenty of empty seats everywhere, so I should have saved my money!

I have to mention that the trains in Germany, Deutsche Bahn, were the most enjoyable.


The trains were very clean and spacious with extremely comfortable seats. (Note to Romania: you could learn a thing or two from these guys! Please take care of your trains, they can be a pain to ride!) Not only was the staff extremely friendly, the riders were also very helpful. I met this one old man who lend me his phone to make a local call to a friend of mine in Stuttgart. On another train ride from Berlin, the group of people I shared a cabin with invited me to the train's restaurant and bought me a delicious dinner. Danke schön!

Most people assume from all those horror movies that backpacking alone and staying in hostels is going to be this scary, unpleasant experience and that all the people you will meet are out to get you. That is not the case at all. Come to think of it, I never really had any disturbing encounters with anyone. Well, except for this sketchy, old, Italian man I shared a room with in Berlin who kept asking me where the brothels were. What about me exactly screams brothel goer?!

By far, the best hostel I visted was the Wombat in Vienna.


You may not notice it, but the Wombat is the blue and yellow sign on the left.

Ever since I fell in love with the film Before Sunrise, I’ve always wanted to visit Vienna. It has a stunning, clean interior with a lounge area, computers with free internet, pool tables and a bar in the basement. When you check in, the receptionist hands you a voucher for the bar. It’s location is perfect; just around the corner from the city’s main train station. The rooms are kept tidy, each with several bunk beds, lockers and spacious bathroom. I went there unannounced and there were a ton of beds available, so no reservation needed. At the time, breakfast was free but according to their website it now charges you $3.50 but you get a lot of variety to pick and choose from.


There I am, biking in Vienna, one of the only cities I visited that had bike lanes on the road! I am a major advocate of that. You are able to rent bikes from a few locations around the city. I paid $12 (euros) to bike for a whole day.

Another city I highly recommend visiting, not just because the hostels are cheap and clean is Prague. I stayed at the U Melounu. It was a long cab ride from the train station but definitely worth going the distance because it was a gorgeous area with a spacious courtyard to eat, play cards, suntan, what have you.


The breakfast was free but plain: toast, coffee, cereal. The front desk has plenty of cigarettes, beverages and snacks for sale all day and all night. The rooms were much bigger at this hostel than the previous ones I stayed in. There were bunk beds as well as single queen size beds with ridiculously comfortable blankets and pillows. I love my pillows real fluffy!

I desperately want to go back to Prague and potentially live there for eternity because there’s never a dull moment in that city. Although the language is hard as hell to learn, the people are kind and just want to have a good time. There is so much to explore. I ate at a lot of affordable cafes. I drank in the most interesting bars – a lot of them are underground, because they used to be bomb shelters in the Second World War. The overall aesthetic and atmosphere was amazing, unlike any bar I’ve been to in Ontario.


That was one of the restaurants in Old Town Square I ate at with other nomads. Unfortunately, the quality of the photo is terrible and the fact that I forgot the name of the place is even worse.

There was a ton of museums and exhibits to check out while in Prague, like the Kafka museum which I think attracted the most tourists, the Mucha museum for those art lovers and various other galleries that showcase up and coming artists of the Czech Republic. All are found near the infamous landmark Charles Bridge.


Charles Bridge: where everything wonderful is on the other side

One of my favourite things I stumbled upon while in Prague was this bottomless well of books at the Prague Library. Called "Idiom" by Matej Kren, it has two mirrors on the bottom and top of the piled books, therefore when you look down it gives you the illusion of a never ending well. If you’re a literary nerd like I am, you will find this fairly fascinating, especially when you can spot some of your favourite novels in the structure.

There was a ton of clubs to hit if you’re waiting to bust out your robot moves. I recommend stopping by the Karlovy Lazne Dance Club. It’s got five floors, each blasting a different genre of music, so you can never get bored.



I could sit here and write a novel about all the fabulous European cities to visit but perhaps I will save that for a rainy day. I have to keep reminding myself I am a journalist, not a travel agent. Although I’m sure the combination of the two will make for one stellar career.

I just hope everyone realizes there is so much life beyond our backyards!
Happy traveling!

Enjoy It & Destroy It

Enjoy It:

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “It’s Blitz!” (below is actual album cover...gnarly!)


Through ample amounts of synthesizers, they showcased all the sweat and tears – but mostly sweat – it took to create an album close to perfection. Every album the band puts out seems to be just as good as the last, if not better. I guess there’s no such thing as a downgrade for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Their willingness to explore new musical directions is something to be appreciated. Us fans don’t want another Fever To Tell. We want something refreshing and energizing, and that’s what we got, thankfully.

With Dragon Queen, Karen O sounds like a fourth Bee Gees , but in a good way! This happens to be my personal favourite off the album. Another fave, Heads Will Roll, is a sweet homage to 70’s disco with all the synth. Ah, you'll feel so alive, so thirsty for the dance floor (or in my case, a darkened street).

The album has a beautiful fusion of unconventional, manic anthems and slower, guitar driven alt. love songs. If you enjoyed Maps back in 2004, you’ll dig Hysteric. The way Karen O chants the title make me swoon. She arguably has the most divine stage presence of any band right now. Her smile along with her glossy voice can make any ice queen melt. I look forward to upcoming tour dates in Canada. So far only European dates have been listed.

Birthday Celebrations

This is the first time in over a year, I believe, that I’ve gone out with girl friends. For those that don’t know me, I’m pretty much a dude with tits. I’m “one of the boys”. Your bro. I’m the Cheech to your Chong. It’s pretty much a sausagefest 24/7 365. Hanging out with the guys, drinking beer and playing poker is my favourite thing to do on a rainy afternoon. I guess I’ve always found it easier to get along with and understand the opposite sex than my own.

I decided to get out of my comfort zone and boogie on down with some beauties. The overall experience was excellent. I will admit, I am more nervous to hang out with my girl friends than to go on a romantic first date. This may be because I just don’t interact with enough females, bu that will change. I realize I need a girl friend real bad. I miss bonding with someone and sharing clothes and exchanging useful advice. if only they had something like e-harmony.com but for best friends.

5-7-5, 365

Short. Sweet. Straight to the point. Haikus are my kind of style. It's poetry for those with A.D.D. Not too long ago, my lovely friend Anton Lozowsky created Haiku Wednesdays. On this day we communicate with each other only in haiku. It’s brilliant, not to mention fun. I have this idea that on my 21st birthday, May 7, (I accept early presents!) I will start to submit one haiku a day for a whole year, kind of like how a lot of my friends showcase one photograph a day for 365 days. I plan on jazzing it up to the Nth degree, somehow. I find typing a haiku on Microsoft Word isn’t as stimulating. Perhaps graffiti or permanent marker on someone’s body will do the trick. So, thanks Anton for the idea!


Destroy It:

Passengers Lacking Bus Etiquette

Please note, this blogger is almost 21 years old, lacking the ability to drive a vehicle and also lacking the drive (pun totally intended) to go out there and take the actual test. I’m going to be riding the bus for a long time so I have to make it clear that there are certain rules for the transit we must all abide by.

1. When all the seats are taken, please stand at the back of the bus. That way, when twenty school kids are getting on the bus they don’t have to lollygag at the front with very little room to move.

2. It is also a good idea to sit or stand at the back when an individual with a baby carriage gets on the bus. The seats at the front fold to leave room for the carriage as well as other passengers walking by to sit at the back. So please get up off your lazy ass and show common courtesy.

3. Please don’t put your backpack or any other type of accessory down on the seat beside you. An old man could be sitting there if it weren’t for your dumb things taking up a whole seat. Why can't you just lay it on your lap? Again, it’s all about common courtesy.

4. When someone sitting in the window seat wants to get off, please get up from your seat as well to make sure the person has room to get away. I hate it when I need to get off and the person next to me just pulls their legs closer to them, assuming I can squeeze through 5 inches of room. You obviously don’t know about my eating habits...I can’t squeeze through anything!

4. It’s not really appropriate to yell at the bus driver about the increase in bus fare (It’s $3 a ride in Brampton, by the way). It’s not up to them. They just get paid to take you from Point A to Point B. So, to put it nicely: shut the fuck up.

Skin Tight, Hot Date Outta Sight


I don't hate the actual show. I just hate the fact that I do not have a proper date for this event. Now, I’m all for independence. I love doing things and going places alone. But there are times when I wish there was someone around to share certain experiences with, like when a pair of tits are swaying in my face.

How Do You Say "Free the Bloggers" in Italian?

There’s a shitstorm in Italy regarding blogging. To make a long story short, the Italian Parliament wants to black out blogs and social media websites like YouTube and Facebook and to also restrict people from leaving anonymous comments. That has to be the silliest thing I’ve ever heard. I can’t imagine life without blogs. I’ve been blogging online since I was 13! I was always so excited about my blogs because I had 100+ friends on livejournal, but then I felt sad because I have -100 friends in real life... Sure enough a lot of people are protesting this idea by submitting their name, blog address and photo holding a “free blogger” sign. Clever.
For more info, check out the source.

Post Script: Thanks you to those who continue to read and comment. I apologize for the lack of submissions. The combination of schoolwork, health issues, mental issues, a cute boy and trying to follow the complex storyline of LOST makes it hard to focus on leisurely writing. But I did manage to make this one post incredibly long, so that is how I shall make amends. Keep on keepin' on!