This morning began with a Tylenol, coffee and a good cry.

I went to see an early screening of the Korean film, "Happiness" and I was rewarded with a plenitude of sentimentality and emotion. It's a love story between a bad boy from Seoul and a fresh-faced but frail girl who loves the country. They meet in rehab, and this ain't no Promises. Even if there's a certain predictability about it, the stars are great actors and so cute! I could watch that kind of cuteness all day long.

After the screening, I ventured out into the searing afternoon to set up what was essentially a hobo office. Who needs four walls and a desk? I spread out (way too much) stuff on a park bench and clicked away on my Blackberry for more than an hour. Almost every person who walked by was wearing a TIFF lanyard around their neck. The city has been taken over!

I grabbed a sandwich and ate it on Bloor St., casually staring across the street to a mob of starseekers milling around a black SUV parked in front of an entrance. It was obvious that boldface was about to emerge. From experience, I know it's never worth it to wait but I decided, uncharacteristically, to hang out (ONLY until my sandwich was done). I finished the sandwich. Nobody came out. I moved on. The crowd waited. Endlessly. Who knows, they could still be there.

I rushed into the Varsity theatre to catch an afternoon screening of Encarnacion, an Argentinian film, and who do I run into? Michael Moore! My initial reaction was to smile at his familiar face (I'm happy to report that he smiled back) but I was already several strides past him by the time I thought, "Wait! I don't personally know a famous documentary filmmaker who is kind of rotund, loves red ballcaps and is constantly being attacked by political conservatives! That's Michael Moore!" I spun around to watch him placidly descend on an escalator until out of view. See? That's how silly it is to do the en masse stalker thing by waiting out on the sidewalk for a star. TIFF is so full of interesting people that you will literally run into one.

As the sun went down, the wind whipped up and I somehow fought my way through a hairstorm (can't see anything! help!) to the Holt Renfrew party and stood out on the red carpet. Here's a secret that no one else will tell you: red carpets are terrible. They are the anti-christ. There is so much waiting around, so much frenzied jostling, and for what? Really?

However, tonight it actually became enjoyable. I happened to have a couple of friends who had staked out a spot on the carpet, too, and we giggled and cackled while we waited for celebrities to come and legitimize our very existence. My friend Manny likened us to a Yearbook committee who somehow crashed a superfancy red carpet.

I asked MisShapes (who were DJing the party) how you can instantly size up a party in order to assess whether to stay or move on (Leigh said it's all about the music - agreed!). Then Sienna Miller arrived wearing a top hat. First Mary Kate Olsen and now Sienna! I just KNEW she'd wear a hat! Top hats are a little costume-y for me, but Sienna is so cute, nothing ever really looks wrong on her.

Inside the party there were acrobats, free cocktails and friends K-Os, Jason Collett (singer songwriter extraordinaire) and Justin Peroff of Broken Social Scene, the nicest man in rock with the most glorious hair to boot.

I made a beeline for the most interestingly-dressed people in the room and struck up a conversation. They both had mops of hair under felt hats and their outfits were art-y "luxury pirate." People who have a truly interesting look are rarities and if you spot one (or two!) it is imperative that you talk to them. Parties are hopelessly dull otherwise.

Anyway, Zaldy and Miguel (even their names are adorable) were a great chat - Zaldy is a designer and the former main brain behind L.A.M.B., Gwen Stefani's clothing line (he famously parted ways with Gwen recently) and Miguel is a photographer for V magazine. He was also in a Strokes video which makes him eligible to be my friend for life. I was impressed with the Holt Renfrew party. You can chat about the snacks with a gramps, rub shoulders with Hilary Weston AND make a date for the M.I.A. after-party the next night. Not a bad cross-section!

After about an hour, we zipped out of the Holt Renfrew party to cut across town to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs show. Karen O was wearing a hat like Sienna's except that it involved long, hair-like, silver Christmas tinsel. Her outfit looked like she was a figure skating bandit who ran through a low-rent Christmas tree at high speed. I loved it. So did the crowd.

Of all the many TIFF parties going on around Toronto tonight, this was probably the only one that involved so much sweat, howling and crowdsurfing. Now it's time to burn my high heels and thank myself in advance for a little sleep-in tomorrow. Must be well-rested. The festival has just begun and it's all about stamina.