USA / Australia – Talia Friedman

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Talia Friedman has moved around a lot her whole life and doesn’t really feel like she has a home country. She’s also travelled extensively; she’s up to 65 countries and counting.

I was born in….Johannesburg, South Africa. My parents moved us to Canada when I was 9. I lived in four different cities in Canada, put in a stint as a New Yorker, and am now living the beach life in Bondi, Australia. I’d say I live in Bondi most, New York second, and Toronto third.

My favourite local films (films from my country) are…. From South Africa: District 9. It’s fun as an action film, but has a much deeper meaning as a parable. It is partly based on events in District 6, Cape Town during Apartheid and also on real interviews conducted by Neill Blomkamp during which he asked South Africans their opinions on refugees from Zimbabwe. Excerpts of these interviews were used to make his 2006 short film Alive in Joburg. From Canada, David Cronenberg’s films are seriously creepy. From Australia I love director Baz Luhrmann’s surreal films, particularly his modernised Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, which is my all time favourite interpretation of this classic.

My favourite novel/book from my country is...I wish Game of Thrones had ties to any of my countries, but since it doesn’t… Guy Gavriel Kay is a great Canadian fantasy writer. The Fionavar Tapestry is his best work. J.R.R. Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings, was born in South Africa. Some say Mordor is based on his childhood memories of the Free State Province. Everyone should read The Power of One, a beautiful, inspiring story (not fantasy!) set in South Africa and written by Australian Bryce Courtenay.

When I need a reminder of home, I listen to… Having moved around so much and having no home, I don’t get homesick, but from South Africa I enjoy semi-joke band Die Antwoord and folksy Johnny Clegg, and from Canada, Arcade Fire.

My favourite time of the year is….Summer. I’ve always loved hot weather. I’ve often moved between my “homes” to stay in summer.

My all time local hero is….. I’m not one for heroes.

My favourite local phrase is… I love how everyone in Cape Town, South Africa uses hectic. If someone describes their night as “hectic” it could mean anything from getting mugged to meeting the love of their life. I also think its funny that the quintessential Canadian clothing brand is called Roots (they always outfit the Olympic team for example), which translates to ‘sex’ in Aussie slang.

My favourite words of wisdom/words to live by are….They aren’t words of wisdom, but there was this old movie I saw as a kid with Billy Crystal/Meryl Streep called Defending Your Life. It wasn’t a particularly good movie, but the theme of the whole point of this life being to overcome fear really stuck with me.

What I love most about my home in Bondi is.….the beach. I don’t think I can ever live away from the ocean again. I love it in all weather, obviously when the sun is shining, but its also so beautiful and awe inspiring in a storm. I love to surf, to dive, to swim.

Burger Week Toronto: Have a cow, man!

A relatively new festival popped up in Toronto a couple of years ago, adding to an already jam packed spring/summer festival season. This one is nestled nicely between Hot Docs and the festival orgy that is June (Luminato, TD Toronto…

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Hot Docs Festival – Oh Myyy!

The benefits of living in a city with a vibrant culture and thriving art scene are too many to list.  But near the top of mine is Toronto being home to around 70 festivals throughout the year, including Nuit Blanche,…

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Sonic Boom – Scott Pilgrim shopped for music here!

Disclaimer: I’m from the Compact Disc (CD) generation and I’m not very tech savvy. What the hell is a hash tag?  I may be alone on this one, but I feel the CD is a more practical medium for collecting…

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DJ Skate Night – It’s a dance party on ice!

Given my warm-weather Filipino DNA, I tend to shy away from winter outdoor activities in Toronto. This year my partner Jeff finally convinced me, after a few years of pleading, to try ice skating. For those unfamiliar with this cold…

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Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada: Where are all the bearded fish?

For a few years, we have been having an inner conflict regarding animals in captivity in places such as zoos and aquariums. On the one hand, we will be the first to admit the fun times to be had at…

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Mr Mel’s scrambled eggs

I was always a smartass kid when I was young. I was a handful for any teacher. I was a bright kid with a lot of wit and maybe too comfortable exercising it with authority figures. I was never a…

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The Donkey Sanctuary – a place to call their own

Ever wonder where donkeys who have been abused, neglected or can no longer be cared for by their aging owners find refuge?  If you’re like me, the thought has probably never crossed your mind, for fairly obvious reasons.  Talk of…

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Spruce Grove

I will revisit Gunn and the County of Lac Ste. Anne (refer to my previous post) later. Firstly, I feel I must follow my geographic life in chronological order, and introduce you to Spruce Grove. As I grew up, it soon became…

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All aboard the Rob Ford Reality Tour

Our wonderful city of Toronto has been somewhat of a laughing-stock lately on account of our jolly, plus-sized mayor finally admitting, after months of rumours, to smoking crack…although he can’t be sure because he was in a “drunken stupor”. Yes,…

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The magical Gunn General Store

My name is Greg Polak and I was born in the city of…wait, the town of…nope, that’s not right…the summer village? Nope. The Hamlet, that’s it. I was born in the Hamlet of Gunn, Alberta, located on Lac Ste Anne…

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Canada – Greg Polak

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I was born in…..Gunn, Alberta, Canada, I have spent most of my life living in…..Northern Alberta and now I live in…..Banff, Alberta (The Canadian Rockies). My favourite local films are…..Hard Core Logo, Hard Core Logo and Fubar. When I need a reminder of home, I listen to…..a lake. My favourite time of the year is…..fall. My all time local hero is…..P.D., Party Dog, Rest In Peace. My favourite local phrase is…..“should I do laundry or purchase fireworks?” My favourite words of wisdom/words to live by are…….“sink or swim”. What I love most about my home (country) is…..the range of geographic shapes.

Image. Photo by Meghan Krauss.