Funny Picture

Zoe Doyle, Brenda Kamino, Oliver Koomsatira, Richard Lee, Jane Luk and John Ng appear in the Fu-GEN Theatre performance of Ching Chong Chinaman from March 12-30, 2013. Director Nina Lee Aquino takes the reins at the Aki Studio Theatre at Daniels Spectrum 585 Dundas Street East, Toronto.

"The ultra-assimilated Wong family is as Chinese-American as apple pie: teenager Upton dreams of World of Warcraft superstardom; his sister Desi dreams of early admission to Princeton. Unfortunately, Upton’s chores and homework get in the way of his 24/7 videogaming, and Desi’s math grades don’t fit the Asian-American stereotype. Then Upton comes up with a novel solution for both problems: he acquires a Chinese indentured servant, who harbors an American dream of his own."

Performances happen Tuesday to Saturday at 8pm and with Saturday and Sunday shows at 2pm with tickets costing $15-28 (includes HST, with a $2 ticket surcharge).

Welcome all to my new branded custom domain blog for Toronto Grand Prix Tourist: http://www.torontograndprixtourist.com . Please note that all current links for torontogp.blogspot.com still work. Thanks Google, you make it easy!

Oh, I am so excited. There is a special event that will take place in #Toronto from January 29 to 31, 2013. What can it be? I don't know because they haven't update their website and google search has tragically let me down. I do know that it involves a geodome with 'OFFICE' in large letters written on the dome.

And speaking of special events I see that on Saturday, February 2, 2013 a torontoBIEBERbuyout is scheduled for 2 pm. Meeting at Y-D Square the group will proceed to the HMV Superstore and attempt to buy all the Bieber merchandise that they can get their hands on. The CDs will then be donated to Sick Kids Hospital. This is a special celebration of the Bieb's new 'Believe Acoustic' album which drops tomorrow.

The #Toronto Maple Leafs home opener happens tonite (Monday, January 21, 2013) and as part of their ‘Passion Unites Us All’ post-lockout tour, the Leafs are paying the costs for skate rental at City Hall beginning at 10 am today. The team will also give away home opener tickets.
“The Leafs will ambush three city rinks previously refurbished by the MLSE Team Up Foundation. The ambushes will feature murals, full rink board graphics, Zamboni wraps, giveaways and appearances/autograph opportunities. The outdoor rink at Nathan Phillips Square will also receive the full Leafs treatment and in celebration of the Home Opener, the Maple Leafs will cover the costs of skate rentals on January 21.” And “January 21 - ticket giveaways, Leafs alumni and Marlies appearances and a special Leafs treatment for the rink”
As the long line circles around the square more reporters began to show. The crowd was getting restless as they had started to assemble very early in the morning. Chants of “give us free tickets” filled the air, but I think I heard people say that only 1-5 tickets would be given out.

NHL hockey teams take back the ice as the season starts after a protracted battle between the league and the players. Fans were invited to an FREE open practice at the Air Canada Centre (ACC) earlier in the week. Labour troubles were ignored as the Leafs ask you to "celebrate our team, our game and The Passion That Unites Us All." They had so much passion that they created a little ice sculpture that included their new passion phrase.
Fans have to chant: One cup to rule them all, One cup to find them, One cup to bring them all and in the darkness bind them, oh forget it, Leafs won't see another precious cup for awhile. Still, they have passion.
"An invitation to the Leafs Nation" includes the mobile Fan Zone from the 18th to the 25 and a Nathan Phillips Square event on Monday January 21, 2013. You can meet Maple Leafs Alumni, Toronto Marlies and Carlton the Bear along with giveaways and more. January 21 is also the home opener and everyone will get a commemorative scarf..

"As a thank you to their loyal fans and in celebration of the upcoming NHL season, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced a series of fan appreciation initiatives Thursday, which includes a free ticket for all Maple Leafs Season Seat Holders to Opening Night, Monday, January 21. The team will also giveaway 1,000 tickets through a variety of promotions leading up to the home opener, in addition to the more than 15,000 season seat holders receiving their tickets free of charge."

Either a Hobbit was in the #Toronto Eaton Centre or it was a bearded gnome wearing a red cone hat. Yup, it's a friendly gnome wearing shades! Travelocity have a contest at the mall with a chance to win a trip to Aruba. I believe you had to search through an enclosure filled with white packing foam and find something, maybe another gnome.

Callers entered into a 24-foot Mobilicity Snow Globe in Yonge-Dundas Square to make free long distance calls to friends and family around the world. They kept the pointy antlers of Santa's Reindeers Donner and Blitzen from the tempting plastic target. The globe will be there Saturday, December 22, 2012 from 9:30 am to 7:30 pm.
"Spreading holiday cheer around the world, one call at a time. Mobilicity is spreading holiday cheer around the world, one call at a time, a free, festive event uniting family and friends across the globe for the holidays! Come inside a giant 24-foot Snow Globe and make a FREE call anywhere in the world on state-of-the-art Samsung smartphones. Enter to win $1,000 cash, the latest Samsung mobile devices with Mobilicity's unlimited talk, text and data service! Warm-up with free hot chocolate and festive music, and have your photo taken with a real-life reindeer. Fun for the entire family!"

Someone wanted an Audi S6 for Christmas so they put it into a box, now the gift wrapping is going to cost a small Hyundai. The display outside the Gardiner Museum is really a 26 foot long, interactive snow globe. See it for yourself until December 24, 2012, then Santa has to get it onto his sleigh for the Christmas Eve delivery.The car comes equipped with the Audi four wheel drive called Quattro, that's what the ode to quattro refers to.

Posted by Joe Hamilton.

This reminds me of the Two Broke Girls episode where they dress up as cupcakes. In #Toronto you dress up as a Christmas candy cane girl. The large ornament on her head tells you that something special is up and it's a $10,000 give away by the stores of 10 Dundas East. The ballots can be popped into the large, bright red ornaments hanging on tree displays found at every level.

Bilbo Baggins begins his Unexpected Journey from his home located in the lush green hills of the Shire, unexpected because the Shire is really in #Toronto Union Station. That reminds me, I have to load my precious Presto card.
The new movie from the director of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy opens December 14, 2012.
"The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Sorcerers."

Complimentary newspapers sit waiting to be passed out to rush-hour pedestrians in #Toronto, while daily free newspapers can be picked up at street corners throughout the city and at GTA GO Transit stations. All the news that is fit to print is given away with free editions even as revenue from traditional print sales and print advertising heads south.

The @CallofDuty rang out and it was answered by the Black Ops 2 Special Forces during an event leading up to the Midnight release of the 1st person shooter game on Monday, November 12, 2012. Base camp is being setup at double time in Yonge-Dundas Square getting ready for the 7pm-12pm event.The helicopter has landed and the crew is probably loading their virtual weapons in preparation for the classified battles that will surely follow. The sequel to the Call of Duty: World at War games follows up last years Y-D launch in November of 2011 for Modern Warfare 3 (http://torontogp.blogspot.ca/2011/11/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3-toronto.html).Imaginary war is hell but much better than the real thing. Keep your finger off the trigger until midnight tonite soldier.

Secret agent James Bond was on her Majesty's service when he refused to check into a cheap dive while under cover as a schoolteacher on sabbatical  instead he went to a fancy hotel and informed the front desk that he was a teacher on sabbatical that had won a lottery. If you have won a lottery you might want to check into the Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto for an "over the top" Shaken Not Stirred: Bond on Bay package for only $17,007. (Photo at top supplied).

Live the life of James Bond, without the government sanctioned license to kill, and experience the luxury of Canada's tallest residential building at Bay and Adelaide Streets.  The ultra-reasonable package (if you are rich) is the hotel's nod to the upcoming November 8, 2012 opening of Bond's newest film Skyfall and the tiff exhibition "Designing 007: Fifty Years of Bond Style". Tiff is also running the film programme "Shaken Not Stirred: Bond on Film".

The weekend rain continued with the addition of high wind gusts as the dregs of Hurricane Sandy petered out on the run into the the interior of North America. It probably stopped for beer on the way back to the beach. The media told me to stock up on emergency supplies as most of Ontario would be swept away into the ocean. The strongest wind gusts reported at Pearson Airport was 80 km/h while the Island Airport reported gusts of 91 km/h. Georgian Bay's Western Island reported the strongest gust of 106 km/h. There were power outages and storm damage and one fatality in Toronto was caused by a damaged sign.

Environment Canada says that fall rain will continue until Friday. With the winds driving most of the leaves off the trees it will be a dull, grey week.
"For post-tropical storm Sandy. Post-tropical storm Sandy continues to weaken rapidly. Heavy rain and damaging winds associated with the storm have Diminished. Since Sandy has lost all of its tropical Characteristics, this will be the final message from the Canadian Hurricane Centre on this storm. Please consult Forecasts and special weather statements and Any remaining warnings from the storm prediction centre Responsible for your region for weather information."

I watched the interactive NFL Experience taking place in Yonge-Dundas Square over the weekend and I didn't see any bone crunching action so it looked safe for all family members. With no hockey due to labour problems the pigskin game is one of the few professional sports that can take the place of Canada's beloved hockey game.
Former Redskins Running Back Clinton Portis was the NFL player making an appearance at Toronto's event.

A bunch of Lotto Max lottery balls were bouncing around the Yonge and Dundas intersection in #Toronto. Who needs a casino when you can gamble on balls? They were very friendly and welcomed me into the group for a prize winning photo.