So apparently I have reached 40,000 tweets on Twitter. I’m surprised people aren’t like super annoyed of me.
Speaking of annoying…. I did pick one of these up.
Month: November 2015
Weird Stuff People Leave Behind
What is the weirdest thing you have ever seen someone leave behind? I think mine were these angels at a bus shelter. Maybe it was a sign?
Criticism Helps Growth
I had a discussion with some friends the other day about Canadian music journalists who fear criticizing artists too much in album reviews because it may lead to loss of connections and other things. At Ride the Tempo, I let my writers say whatever they want. I believe that honesty is how people grow whether they are making music or if you’re critiquing a colleague.
Sometimes it’s scary. You don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings or sour a connection with someone but it’s what is needed to make a person or industry strong. Now head over here to read some of our album reviews.
Surround Yourself With Positive People
If you are wondering why your life isn’t moving along the way you wish it did, that could be driven by the people you decide to surround yourself with. I love seeking positive, inspirational people to hang out with and learn from. I’m always willing to meet new people, have a coffee and discuss what makes them spark.
One of my favourite groups of people is the Toronto women in music group, where everyone has so many different backgrounds but always open to collaborating and helping each other navigate an industry that is often full of men. None of us treats each other as competition, and the environment is so loving and positive. I always walk out of a hangout super inspired.
Don’t Put Pizza in The Microwave For Too Long
Today I brought two pieces of leftover pizza to work for lunch. I reheated and stupidly pressed 2 minutes for some reason. When the microwave beeped, I came back to two pieces of charcoal. What a sad Monday. Lesson learned: don’t reheat pizza for too long. Thank god I did not set the building on fire!
Anyways to counteract my sad pizza day here is me surrounded by a lot of pizza:
That Time I Saw The Weeknd
I haven’t been in the audience of an arena show in a long time. It was quite spectacular to see The Weeknd, Banks and Travis Scott when they were in Toronto on November 5th. Being part of the crowd as a spectator (rather than a photographer) enables me to appreciate so much more of a show: the production, the music, the energy. It’s something I sometimes lose when I’m behind a lens so going to shows without thinking about producing content is something I need to do more frequently.
Prix Fixe at Barque Butcher Bar
I went to Butcher Bar (by the same people who own Barque) for a friend’s birthday. We did the family style prix fixe menu of 6 courses. While I waited for everyone to arrive I sipped on the Chupacubra: tromba blanco, 1/2 oz campari, lime and grapefruit. I could definitely feel the alcohol but it was fruity and easy to flip.
Our first course was an arugula and tomato salad with feta. The vinaigrette was nice and light but paired very well.
This was followed by some smoked chicken wings that were super delicious. There was an element to the dry rub that reminded me of chocolate but I’m not sure if that’s what it was. They also came with a ketchup and mustard based dipping sauces, but I liked my wings without it.
Other sides included green beans
and crunchy potato wedges.
More meat came in the form of a platter with ribs, brisket and fried chicken wings. It was messy, but worth getting my fingers dirty.
My second drink of the night was a Sake Sour: sake, dillon’s gin, grapefruit, egg white and nutmeg. This one was less fruity than the first and was almost like drinking a latte.
We finished the night with a lovely caramel cheese cake.
Happy birthday Jess!
Sending Love to Paris
I don’t think anything I blogged about would be really appropriate tonight so I’m sending my love to Paris. This one strangely hit me more than the usual world tragedies since part of the drama tonight happened at a concert of all places. Concerts aren’t often the place for something like that to happen. Generally I feel like a safe part of a community whenever I am at one. I don’t think any one there to see Eagles of Death Metal expected it either. This is a tragedy I am still trying to process.
Presenting Ride the Tempo’s First Show
For the first time ever I’m presenting a show as Ride the Tempo. I have always wanted to host a show but have been a bit reluctant because I was scared that it wouldn’t go perfectly, or that people wouldn’t show up.
I finally decided to take the dive when I was offered a slot at The Handlebar. A lot of work goes into organizing a show. Thinking up a theme, finding and securing artists, posters, press releases and I’ve been doing it all while holding my full-time job (which itself has some insane events during non-work hours, but that’s another story).
I’m super proud and happy to announce L CON, Parallels and NYSSA at the Handlebar on November 29th. Facebook event is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/460187380844670/.
So far, I’ve received an overwhelming response and support from the music community I’ve surrounded myself with. I’m happy to have said YES to this opportunity. We all have to jump into the unknown occasionally to grow as people.
What’s My Favourite Food?
People like to ask me what my favourite food is and weirdly I think the answer isn’t pizza or burgers… it’s RIBS. I can never resist a nice juicy rack of ribs, whether they are homemade or from a restaurant!
What’s your favourite food?
Tiana Feng 