Today was a gorgeous September day in Toronto, the kind we should have enjoyed by strolling outdoors. Instead, students continued to cavalierly waste their youth, celebrating back-to-school by painting themselves purple (first-year engineering students get hazed; kindergarten finger-painters, what excuse do you have?).

Studious types out there will be glad to know that at least I was engaging the grey matter - and how! I pored over books all afternoon, hunched over the massive tome that is the TIFF festival programme plus several screening schedules. Mapping out the festival experience at TIFF requires major planning, coffee and a natural resilience to lack of sunlight for 10 days straight as I will probably spend every daylight hour in a darkened theatre. Bliss!

I am torn between trying to pace myself and trying to catch every single screening and party on my wish list. Who votes for pace myself? (Mom raises hand.) Who says I should try to hit every film and party in the downtown Toronto vicinity for the next 10 days straight? (You are cruel, but I like you).

TIFF is a great opportunity to see buzz films before they get a wide release ('Eastern Promises' by Cronenberg, 'Redacted' by Brian de Palma, 'Lust, Caution' by Ang Lee) but what I really love is the chance to see films that never make it to your local megaplex. In fact, I've already started! This morning, I took in an advance screening of the documentary 'Hollywood Chinese,' an entertaining and informative look at Asian-American imagery as told by the Chinese experience in Hollywood. See? Not exactly your latest Tom Cruise brain mush.

TIFF is also a great time to evaluate your fan quotient i.e. I am inordinately excited for Clive Owen in 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' and he is scheduled to be here at TIFF. If I see him eating a puff pastry at a party or casually being gorgeous on Bloor Street, I may have to stop, drop and roll (the thing to do when on fire).

It's also interesting that some of the most anticipated parties around TIFF have nothing to do with movies whatsoever. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are playing a show on Friday that kids will line up for all day. I'm on the guest list but what's that compared to the devotion of someone who would brave the outdoors of Queen Street East all day long? I hope I get in. MisShapes are also DJing the big party at Holt Renfrew where blue-haired ladies and fancy people will get a glimpse of the new Sienna Miller clothing line (oh yeah, her sister Savannah helped, too). Yes, Sienna is on the cover of the September Vogue (explosive celebrity quotient) but does she even have a film at TIFF? No, really - does she? I'm not sure, I didn't get through the entire festival programme. I don't think so, but at least she'll be bringing her skinny jeans and fedoras to anyone who needs a new outfit for the parties to come in the days ahead.

So there you have it. It all gets started tomorrow and I barely know where to begin. Are you ready?