Birthday Blog

Sorry about the lack of posts in the last while (Music Mondays aside). I've been on the busy side, researching for my blog posts on the Grid, working lots, and then travelling to Vancouver and Victoria. It's been a busy couple of weeks.

Victoria has been rad, suffice to say. Brought a friend over who had never been to the Island before, so I got to play the part of tour guide for a day or two. Went to a Janelle Monae concert (again), and she was simply astounding (again)! Covered "You Only Live Twice" and "Goldfinger," among others. And then it was my birthday, so I went to see the peacocks and we chased ladies together. I'll have picture later, I promise.

Now I'm taking a quiet day off, sitting at my laptop and writing one of those aforementioned Grid blog posts. One down, one to go: due date is tomorrow! After that comes a week for reviews and edits, then it'll go live... uhm... July 11th, I believe. I'll have that link here on my personal blog, don't you worry.

So with that, I better get going! Tomorrow is Canada Day, so I already know I won't get anything done at all. Cheers!

Photo by Will Clayton

Music Monday - The Musical Stylings of Janelle Monae

I first mentioned Janelle Monae a year and a half ago, introducing her video for "Many Moons" with this phrase:

"In the meantime, please enjoy the musical stylings and rad dance moves of Janelle Monae."

For this Music Monday, I'd like to share more of these "musical stylings," though the rad dance move will be absent. Not unfortunately absent, as she replaces those slick movements with an emotional passion for her lyrics that is sure to leave you taken aback. And in a good way.

The song in question? "Cold War." It's arguably my favourite track from her most recent album, The Archandroid. At first I loved it for the song itself. The music, the vocals, the lyrics. And then I saw the music video. Immediately, I knew this was something to be shared. Odd, though, that I've waited this long to do so on my blog.

So please, take a moment to bask in the audiovisual experience that is Janelle Monae's "Cold War."It is probably the most honest portrayal of a musician I have ever seen. Enjoy.

Twenty-eleven, in Review

Another year has passed by, so it's time for another annual review! Here's a look back at what I've done over the last twelve months, or rather where I've travelled to, 'cause I've spent a lot of time up in the air since January 1st, 2011!

January was rather uneventful, but I managed to finish up my most recent tattoo. Soon after I blogged about a sort of realization I came to, about my self esteem and self perception. Not really heavy stuff, but personal stuff. Suffice to say I'm at a much better place now than I was a year or two back.

February marked the beginning of my worldly travels for the year, with a quick jaunt down to Mexico for reading week with a few friends. We may have only been down there a scant three days, but we stretched those hours to the maximum extent and had an absolute blast. Some people thought we were foolish for spending so much on so short a trip, but I can't say I have any regrets about going - even the unscheduled stay in Texas! I can still remember those buffalo hot wings. Mmmm.

A few weeks into March I participated in the Cut for the Cure, a UBCO fundraising initiative (started by some friends of mine a few years back) for the purpose of cancer research. This time around I actually shaved my head, which wasn't as terrible as I imagined it would be. In fact, I think I managed to pull off the look and since my fear of having an odd-shaped skull didn't materialize. Huzzah! I may or may not shave the ol' noggin again this year.

Nothing happened in April, apparently. No blog posts, no trips: only one exam and a few papers.

After moving back to Victoria in May, I barely had enough time to unpack before jumping a plane to Turkey. I was there for two weeks with my family, and had an absolutely amazing time. I still miss Turkish food (especially Turkish breakfast, those Mediterraneans know what's what) and long to go back one day.

June was my only full month at home for the summer, and for the most part it was fairly laid back. I met up with lots of friends for coffee, put in some time at the Gap, and celebrated a very low-key 22nd birthday.

However, I also went to Vancouver for a big concert, Janelle Monáe and Bruno Mars. Mars was good, but I was there for Janelle. Boy, did she deliver! Easily one of the highlights of my concert-going experiences.
 
July took me and two bags across the Pacific Ocean to Singapore, my new home for the next five-ish months. I had been to the city state ten years earlier, but I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Nevertheless, I fell in love with the city almost immediately, and count the journey as one of the most important parts of my university education. 

I met a tonne of rad people out in the tropics, some of whom I hope to see again soon. Despite being so far away from home, I still managed to fall in with a Vancouver crowd (figures), so I know I'll be seeing them again in the near future.

In August I did the first bit of my Southeast Asia travelling, a short ferry from Singapore to Indonesia. It's one of those trips that, while it was difficult to enjoy it at the time, will always be remembered with much laughing and inside jokes. Like, "We are just so cool."

The month also marked the beginning of my classes at NUS, my first Singaporean club experience, National Day celebrations, and a music festival. Not bad, eh?

September took me to the island of Borneo, to Sarawk province and Brunei Darussalam. Although I went alone, I joined up with some other backpackers to see the various sights in Miri, Mulu, and Bandar Seri Begawan. The jungles and mountains were a welcome change from urban Singapore (even though the meaning of "urban" in Singapore is a whole lot more green than in North America). 

When I came back from Borneo I attended the F1 Grand Prix and saw Linkin Park in concert. Another full month.

Compared to other months, October was a little more quiet. I took a relaxing vacation to the tropical island of Tioman in Malaysia, where I took full advantage of the sun to get my tan on. Long story short I fell asleep near the equator and got a sunburn. Surprise, surprise.

I also checked off one of the big Singapore Bucket List items: swimming in the Marina Bay Sands infinity pool. It was rad. Mad rad, even. 

By the time November rolled around I still wasn't tired of flying around the world, so I went to Macau and Hong Kong. Macau exceeded my expectations, Hong Kong didn't live up to them. I ate lots of food, sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes downright strange; went to a few theme parks; toured each city by foot to a point that I forgot what exhaustion was; and took far too many pictures in Disneyland.
 
Well, by December I really was tired of all the travel, but I still needed to see so much. Somehow I managed to fit a week in the Philippines, two days in Siem Reap, an afternoon in Kuala Lumpur, a day in Singapore, and countless hours in airports and airplanes into the sixteen days before I went back to Canada. It was quite the whirlwind, and I'm still not quite sure how I survived it. A fine end to a great year, I must say.


photos by: vcateyesv, me, me, kanikey, Janelle Monáe, me, me, me, me, Ed Coyle, Ezyan Y.

a Few of those Favourite Things

I've been watching my friend Annie Cristina do it for a while now, and, like a good many of the things on my blog, I decided to steal the form of the post from her. Hah! It's a reciprocal relationship, I swear. So, here we are: some of my favourite things at the moment.

Kimchi

I really don't know what to say about it. Describing it to people always makes it sound bad. Well, if you don't know, kimchi is a Korean staple, and is typically cabbage leaves (sui choy as far as I know) pickled/fermented with garlic and spices. I usually use mine to make stir fries or soup, and kimchi soup is a definite favourite thing.

The batch I made today included baby bok choy, spicy pepperoni, shitake mushrooms, onions, more garlic, and tofu. I considered adding some noodles, but there was already too much goodness to handle.

Adidas ClimaWarm Fleece Jacket

It's rare that I go a day without wearing this fleece at least once. While it may officially be spring in the Okanagan, we're still fluctuating between warm-ish 8 degree days with sun and colder -5 degree days with snow. I'm never sure what's going on outside, I just throw my hands in the air and accept it.

What I like the most about this fleece, I think, is that it's somewhat fitted, so I can wear it under a jacket without much bulk. And yes, I will layer jackets over jackets; I'm an island boy, and I still don't cope well with cold. Hence I'm moving to Singapore for a while.

Janelle Monae

Seriously, how many times has this woman appeared on my blog? Answer: not enough.

Despite having only one full length album out, Janelle never ceases to surprise me. I've been following her for a few months now, and I must say that I was thrown into a fit of hysterics when she announced a Vancouver date on her next tour. So I've got my tickets, and I'm counting the days until I get to see something like this live.

Stash Acai Herbal Tea

I always thought myself to be a hocho man, 100%. Turns out I have a bit of a soft spot for tea, as well. Last year I started into various chai blends (vanilla chai tastes like Christmas), but recently I've switched to herbals. My fave right meow? Acai.

I'm still not sure how to say it, but that doesn't stop me from drinking about a cup a day. And this is in addition to my hocho habit. And my double-double habit. And Pepsi habit. So, new favourite thing: caffeine!

Green Metropolis (by David Owen)

This semester I started my studies in urban geography and community planning in earnest, and a lot of what I'm reading and learning about absolutely fascinates me. A lot of it really rocks my boat, too, especially coming from British Columbia.

For example: Manhattan is one of the models for environmental sustainability and city growth. Huh. I'm only one chapter into the book, so I haven't gotten into his arguments quite yet, but my interest has certainly been piqued. Here's hoping it's as good as the cover makes it look!


Finally, and I know some of you have seen me spam posting this on my Facebook page, I'm participating in a head-shave on Friday (gulp!), with the pledge money I raise going toward the Canadian Cancer Society. I'm very apprehensive, as I have never shaved my head, and washed my toques in preparation to cover my near-baldness. So optimistic, eh? It would be rad if you could pledge a little toward my goal, or just write some words of encouragement. Thanks!

photos by Marc Matsumoto (c) [ No Recipes ], Adidas, Janelle Monae, Mexycan, David Owen

a Picture Challenge: 9 - they Got me Through

the preamble. I've had a less than stellar month, to be completely honest. Luckily, I have an expansive collection of music and an iPod that has a strange capacity to know exactly what I need to hear. The result? Intense music therapy. All day, every day. Here are the five musicians that have and continue to carry me through.

Sia, an eccentric singer/songwriter from Australia. She's not well known, but she's all over the place. She co-wrote three of the songs for Christina Aguilera's Bionic, and one of the songs for the film Burlesque (which was amazing, beeteedubs). Specifically, I've been all over the song I'm in Here.

My favourite band of the moment, Metric. The lead singer, Emily Haines, deserves an international award just for being Emily Haines. Seriously. I've been listening to Collect Call nightly for a while now. The song seems to take a new meaning for me every day, and I sometimes feel it was written just for me.

Janelle Monae is a rising R&B star, nominated for two Grammy awards. Gorgeous voice, jaw-dropping dance moves, and good looking to boot. She's a true artist, as shown in her video for Cold War. I have so much respect for her.

I fell in love with Jamie Cullum the moment I heard one of his songs play at the Gap, but last month I took the time to actually search out his entire discography. Completely worthwhile. On repeat for days was the 7 minute Music is Through, the live version of which I'll share.

Florence + the Machine is another up and coming musician, nominated for a single Grammy award this year. Also similar to Janelle Monae, she's got serious pipes, inspiring choreography (of the contemporary variety), and all wrapped in a face and figure you can't ignore. Her entire album is my life's soundtrack, but Dog Days are Over is what has helped me most.

photos from all over the place.

on Icky-ness

I am sick. This makes me unhappy. I have an essay due and a presentation next week, but the most productive thing I've done for the past few days was put up Christmas lights and a two foot tree. Unless eating 300% of my recommended daily vitamin C counts as productive. Meh.

So yah, that's why things have been slow on ze blog. I'm not dead or anything. Dying, maybe, but not dead.

In the meantime, please enjoy the musical stylings and rad dance moves of Janelle Monae.