A simple title, one that basically says what I'm going to talk about (for once). With my cousins and siblings, people who I love very very much, I got to see a fair amount of movies this winter break during my time off. It was pretty fun, I must say...and, before you judge me and tell me I'm a horrible person for letting my 13-year old brother see some of these movies, he only came to see two of them with us. ANYWAY, here we go!
The movies I saw this break were:
New Year's Eve
The Muppets
A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas in 3D
The Adventures of Tintin
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol
Yup, a fair amount. I will now proceed to rank them from the worst to the best (as if you reeeeally care. But still, let's do it up!):
6) A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas in 3D
Honestly, the only reason this movie is in the last place spot over the #5 spot is definitely the 3D. I have said many times before, but my god, 3D sucks. Even in this movie, the ONLY thing they used it for was blowing weed smoke in the audience's face when Harold and Kumar get super high. I mean, alright, like most guys, I enjoyed the gratuitous nudity (by only women, I might add), but....eh. It was just boring, although the crazy stuff Harold and Kumar get into are occasionally entertaining.
Final rating: 4/10
5) New Year's Eve
That shit does not happen in real life. I'm sorry, but, as someone who is perhaps jaded by the fact that I haven't met someone in FAR too long, meeting someone as magically as EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER did in that movie simply does not happen. It was a fun time at the theatre because I went with two of my favourite people, but still, the movie itself was awful.
Final rating: 4.5/10 (I can't bring myself to give this a 50% or more, I just can't, but at least it didn't have 3D)
4) Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol
Well, now that we have the CRAP movies out of the way, I really enjoyed all four of the remaining movies. Putting one over the other was actually somewhat hard, because they were THAT entertaining. MI4 was actually awesome, and perhaps the best in the entire series (yes, even over the first one). Some awesome shots, AND I got to see it in IMAX. They really had a good plot (even though the villain was a little dumb), and the action sequences were brilliant. Even the gadgets were sweet. It was directed by the dude who directed 'The Incredibles', and honestly, it showed. Things happened like they would in animated movies; there was a sweet chase through a sandstorm that Cruise partook in, and it was awesome. Honestly, a fantastic action movie, and they even set it up just in case Cruise doesn't want to return to the franchise in the future!
Final rating: 7/10
3) The Muppets
SO GOOD. I loved this movie, especially 'Life's a Happy Song'. I honestly am not one to enjoy such silly movies, but perhaps the nostalgia factor of the Muppets was too much for me to handle. Chris Cooper as the villain with his 'maniacal laugh', that was too awesome. Heck, all the guest stars in their cameo roles were awesome too; Jim Parsons was particularly well used, I think. It was a fun, light movie, and even the jokes that broke the 4th wall were great. Jack Black, who I'm not the BIGGEST fan of, even HE was awesome. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys silly things like that, and of course, it has some good music along the way too (also, Amy Adams is super hot).
Final rating: 8/10
2) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Man, I really love Robert Downey Jr., and this movie made me love him even more. Jude Law was great as Watson again, and it was an amazing performance by Jared Harris. He really stole the scenes he was in, IMO. Anyway, I also found it hilarious that there was no real female character in this movie, as Irene Adler (played by the crazy attractive Rachel McAdams) was in the previous installment; it was literally a bro-fest between Holmes and Watson the whole time. I'm down with this, really, and apart from that, the movie was more super sleuthing/detecting from the first one. Stephen Fry also made a great turn as Holmes's older and smarter (but infinitely lazier) bro, Mycroft. Another good action movie, and a little sillier...but still entertaining.
Final rating: 8.5/10
1) The Adventures of Tintin
Yes, this is the best movie I saw over the break. Yes, this movie IS that good. The 3D (yes, it WAS in 3D, and yes, I DID go see it in 3D) was absolutely fantastic; it was animated, so it was a little less jarring, but the only movie I've ever seen with better 3D was Avatar. Everything was super cool, the voice acting was great, and the action sequences were absolutely ridiculous. There's one action sequence involving a motorcycle and a chase through a Middle Eastern-themed city, and it was probably one of the best action sequences I've ever seen. Granted, it was largely made possible by the fact that it was not real, because some unreal stuff happens during it, but...well, yeah, it was awesome. Go see it. Captain Haddock, one of the main characters, is played and motion captured by Andy Serkis, he of Gollum/Smeagol and Caesar (from 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes') fame, and again, he does not disappoint, in his body language and in his voice. Quite frankly, this is one of the best animated movies I've seen, ever (even when compared to some Pixar movies...SOME, though, not ALL), and definitely the best one I saw over the break.
Final rating: 9/10
Well, those are the movies I've seen this break. I didn't get to see 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo', or 'The Darkest Hour', but I will see them eventually. I hope they're good!
P.S. I saw the trailer for 'Prometheus', the prequel to 'Alien'. Um...what? This movie looks AWESOME. I can't wait...2012 promises to be a good year for movies, outside of the anticipated comic book ones. woo!
Friday, January 13, 2012
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
relationships
wooooo, blogging again! I've written three posts (counting this one right here) in the past few days...it's nice to write something like this that has NOTHING to do with school. I haven't done that in a really long time, and it's awesome. Of course, what better way than to delve back into things than with a heavy topic like relationships? I briefly touched upon it in a tumblr post, but like I have said previously...tumblr sucks for blogging. It excels at letting the user write mysterious little snippets of things that are intentionally ambiguous...but what the hell is the goddamned point of that?! There is none. ANYWAY, back to topics like this, which are CLEARLY better. /sarcasm
But seriously, relationships. Around this time of year, where everyone is cuddling all the time, holding hands, cooing at each other, using pet names, and all that other ridiculous crap that comes with relationships, it's almost unbearable. It's even MORE unbearable when all of your best friends are in on it too. As it stands, I think I am one of three people out of a group of seven or eight who does not have a significant other. It's...depressing, to say the least.
I feel as if I bring this issue up with my friends a lot, and they kind of just politely nod and me and shake their heads and make sympathetic noises in order to appease me, and then the moment I leave, they all shake their heads and go 'oh, Shoaib, he's so crazy. He'll get over it soon!'.
Honestly, I would never want my friends to break up with whomever it is they're seeing, because that's mean-spirited. It really is, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. It's maddening, though, because there are so many annoying things that come with seeing your friends begin relationships or continue existing ones. For one thing, they're always on their phones. ALL the time. I, too, am guilty of this...but, for them, they're texting/BBM-ing their significant others. I look down at my own phone, because they're all busy talking in the virtual world, and what do *I* see? The score of the most recent New England Patriots game. That's not a bad thing, unless they lose (which happened twice in a row this year, ugh, the worst), but when all I have are scores which are ultimately meaningless (don't get me wrong, I love the Pats, but I have no bearing whatsoever on the outcomes of those games, obvs), and everyone else is having some sort of meaningful connection with their significant others...it's the worst. Ultimately, I just feel like I'm getting more and more isolated.
Hell, everyone is still continually saying how busy they are. Everyone's so ultra busy, too busy to make time to even give me the time of day, and yet they can make time to go to the movies with this 'other'. I mean, for heavens' sake, everyone is already making plans to hang out with their boyfriend/girlfriend/I-don't-know-what-this-relationship-is-yet-friend over the break...what am *I* doing over the break? Probably just playing Skyrim by myself some more, in all likelihood, because god knows everyone will be too busy to do anything, probably all hanging out with each other doing couple things, w/o inviting me >_>
Honestly, I'm excited for the break, because it means I will for SURE see all my non-university friends once again. I have my best friends who live in Montreal, and even my friends in Scarborough I see maybe once or twice a month, PROBABLY even less, thanks to living downtown. Anyway...it's 4:15am, so I should probably sleep. Full day of class ahead, not to mention a pretty big game for Vic's Co-ed Flag Football team. Laugh all you want, it's a fun time with some pretty fun people...Victoria College going up against the Faculty of Physical Education and Health. Here's to Vic!
But seriously, relationships. Around this time of year, where everyone is cuddling all the time, holding hands, cooing at each other, using pet names, and all that other ridiculous crap that comes with relationships, it's almost unbearable. It's even MORE unbearable when all of your best friends are in on it too. As it stands, I think I am one of three people out of a group of seven or eight who does not have a significant other. It's...depressing, to say the least.
I feel as if I bring this issue up with my friends a lot, and they kind of just politely nod and me and shake their heads and make sympathetic noises in order to appease me, and then the moment I leave, they all shake their heads and go 'oh, Shoaib, he's so crazy. He'll get over it soon!'.
Honestly, I would never want my friends to break up with whomever it is they're seeing, because that's mean-spirited. It really is, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. It's maddening, though, because there are so many annoying things that come with seeing your friends begin relationships or continue existing ones. For one thing, they're always on their phones. ALL the time. I, too, am guilty of this...but, for them, they're texting/BBM-ing their significant others. I look down at my own phone, because they're all busy talking in the virtual world, and what do *I* see? The score of the most recent New England Patriots game. That's not a bad thing, unless they lose (which happened twice in a row this year, ugh, the worst), but when all I have are scores which are ultimately meaningless (don't get me wrong, I love the Pats, but I have no bearing whatsoever on the outcomes of those games, obvs), and everyone else is having some sort of meaningful connection with their significant others...it's the worst. Ultimately, I just feel like I'm getting more and more isolated.
Hell, everyone is still continually saying how busy they are. Everyone's so ultra busy, too busy to make time to even give me the time of day, and yet they can make time to go to the movies with this 'other'. I mean, for heavens' sake, everyone is already making plans to hang out with their boyfriend/girlfriend/I-don't-know-what-this-relationship-is-yet-friend over the break...what am *I* doing over the break? Probably just playing Skyrim by myself some more, in all likelihood, because god knows everyone will be too busy to do anything, probably all hanging out with each other doing couple things, w/o inviting me >_>
Honestly, I'm excited for the break, because it means I will for SURE see all my non-university friends once again. I have my best friends who live in Montreal, and even my friends in Scarborough I see maybe once or twice a month, PROBABLY even less, thanks to living downtown. Anyway...it's 4:15am, so I should probably sleep. Full day of class ahead, not to mention a pretty big game for Vic's Co-ed Flag Football team. Laugh all you want, it's a fun time with some pretty fun people...Victoria College going up against the Faculty of Physical Education and Health. Here's to Vic!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
looking back at O-Week 2011
I never really made a post (or any sort of comments, really) about Orientation Week 2011: To Victoria and Beyond, now that it's over and done with. In a few weeks, the new Orientation Co-Chairs will be picked, and that will be that; the 2011 Exec will officially be retired. I mean, we're basically done NOW, but technically the Exec aren't done as a team until the NEW team is in place, which starts with the new co-chair.
I guess a slight trip down a relatively fresh nostalgia lane is in order. As I just mentioned, O-Week starts and ends with the Co-Chair, in my opinion. I mean, yes, it's about the first years and always will be, but in terms of the planning, the Co-Chair is the person who starts the ball rolling. Evan, then, was the Co-Chair this year, and he was...well, great! Rachel, the Co-Chair before him in 2010 was also amazing, but Evan was awesome in a different way, I think, in the type of energy he brought to the table. Regardless, it was really great what he did for everyone. I do not agree with EVERYthing he did, of course, but I do think that he tried his best, and his best is pretty damn good, in my opinion.
I suppose that same kind of qualification can be extended towards the rest of the Exec team. I think they were all great, in their own ways, and everyone tried their best. I do not, of course, agree with everything that everyone did, as mistakes were made, as is want to happen in an operation as large as Orientation Week. Tempers sometimes flared, micromanaging occurred, and so did a host of other things. This did not make the week a bad one, not by any means. In any large group of opinionated individuals (myself being a part of this group), these things are bound to happen, and they did. What makes a group great is being able to deal with these changes on the fly, and being able to continue functioning happily and as a unit...and that's what everyone did. I truly believe that everyone tried as hard as they could, and that's what matters in the end. Of course, I have hindsight on my side, and I'm sure that less-than-charitable things were probably said about me (though, as the only person who had done Orientation Week as an Exec member before, other than Evan himself, I tried to be as helpful as possible) too, but the week was fun as an Exec.
The leaders were absolutely fantastic, and I've met people I will probably not soon forget, if ever. The week really does hinge on the enthusiasm and participation of the leaders, and they rose to that challenge beautifully. They were everything you could possibly ask for, and then they continued to excel as well, at literally anything you might have asked them to do. I honestly have nothing bad to say here, not even a little bit.
I'm not really looking for faults in this past Orientation experience, or at least, I'm not TRYING to. It's just that O-Week this past year was so awesome, I find it difficult to not just talk forever about all the awesome things that happened.
Now that I've done Exec twice, I suppose the only place to go from here is up - up to Co-Chair. I've wanted to do it for a while now, and within a few days, I'm hoping the applications for the upcoming year will be out. They've changed it, so that now there will be two student Co-Chairs, instead of just one. I've asked one of my best friends in the entire world to be my partner in this endeavour (really, there is only one other person I would ever ask to do this with me, who lives in North House [though...I guess she would rather move back home now, after we spoke a few days ago]. She wants to apply to be a residence don next year, and though she would be fantastic, I'm not sure if she's going to do that any more, haha), and I fully expect that we'll get it. I mean, not to sound arrogant, but I have two full years of Orientation Exec experience, almost three full years of VUSAC experience, not to mention the various clubs, associations and intramurals teams I've been a part of. My friend ALSO has Exec and VUSAC experience, has been a leader (a super leader, at that), and works for the Dean's Office. I don't REALLY think there's another pair that can beat us, but I suppose we'll see.
It's funny, I said back when I ran for VPE that I would not really care about anything else, if I won this position. It's true, I'm quite happy with my current position as VPE of VUSAC, it's pretty awesome. I still want this Orientation job, though...Evan said that I should only come back if I think I can change something or make something better than it was the previous year. I DO think there are minor things that can be changed in how the week functions, to make the experience more enjoyable for the leaders and for the first years, and that's why I want to do it. Oh, and it's a LOT of fun. w00t.
I guess a slight trip down a relatively fresh nostalgia lane is in order. As I just mentioned, O-Week starts and ends with the Co-Chair, in my opinion. I mean, yes, it's about the first years and always will be, but in terms of the planning, the Co-Chair is the person who starts the ball rolling. Evan, then, was the Co-Chair this year, and he was...well, great! Rachel, the Co-Chair before him in 2010 was also amazing, but Evan was awesome in a different way, I think, in the type of energy he brought to the table. Regardless, it was really great what he did for everyone. I do not agree with EVERYthing he did, of course, but I do think that he tried his best, and his best is pretty damn good, in my opinion.
I suppose that same kind of qualification can be extended towards the rest of the Exec team. I think they were all great, in their own ways, and everyone tried their best. I do not, of course, agree with everything that everyone did, as mistakes were made, as is want to happen in an operation as large as Orientation Week. Tempers sometimes flared, micromanaging occurred, and so did a host of other things. This did not make the week a bad one, not by any means. In any large group of opinionated individuals (myself being a part of this group), these things are bound to happen, and they did. What makes a group great is being able to deal with these changes on the fly, and being able to continue functioning happily and as a unit...and that's what everyone did. I truly believe that everyone tried as hard as they could, and that's what matters in the end. Of course, I have hindsight on my side, and I'm sure that less-than-charitable things were probably said about me (though, as the only person who had done Orientation Week as an Exec member before, other than Evan himself, I tried to be as helpful as possible) too, but the week was fun as an Exec.
The leaders were absolutely fantastic, and I've met people I will probably not soon forget, if ever. The week really does hinge on the enthusiasm and participation of the leaders, and they rose to that challenge beautifully. They were everything you could possibly ask for, and then they continued to excel as well, at literally anything you might have asked them to do. I honestly have nothing bad to say here, not even a little bit.
I'm not really looking for faults in this past Orientation experience, or at least, I'm not TRYING to. It's just that O-Week this past year was so awesome, I find it difficult to not just talk forever about all the awesome things that happened.
Now that I've done Exec twice, I suppose the only place to go from here is up - up to Co-Chair. I've wanted to do it for a while now, and within a few days, I'm hoping the applications for the upcoming year will be out. They've changed it, so that now there will be two student Co-Chairs, instead of just one. I've asked one of my best friends in the entire world to be my partner in this endeavour (really, there is only one other person I would ever ask to do this with me, who lives in North House [though...I guess she would rather move back home now, after we spoke a few days ago]. She wants to apply to be a residence don next year, and though she would be fantastic, I'm not sure if she's going to do that any more, haha), and I fully expect that we'll get it. I mean, not to sound arrogant, but I have two full years of Orientation Exec experience, almost three full years of VUSAC experience, not to mention the various clubs, associations and intramurals teams I've been a part of. My friend ALSO has Exec and VUSAC experience, has been a leader (a super leader, at that), and works for the Dean's Office. I don't REALLY think there's another pair that can beat us, but I suppose we'll see.
It's funny, I said back when I ran for VPE that I would not really care about anything else, if I won this position. It's true, I'm quite happy with my current position as VPE of VUSAC, it's pretty awesome. I still want this Orientation job, though...Evan said that I should only come back if I think I can change something or make something better than it was the previous year. I DO think there are minor things that can be changed in how the week functions, to make the experience more enjoyable for the leaders and for the first years, and that's why I want to do it. Oh, and it's a LOT of fun. w00t.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
tumblr?!
I was somewhat convinced to use Tumblr, and, as far as posting videos and funny pictures goes, I feel as if it's a better medium than blogspot is. As far as posting actual blog posts goes, however, I think blogspot is a far better tool. I was told that blog posts on Tumblr are better because then you somehow don't feel obligated to post long things. I never have really felt obligated to post something long, it just kind of turns out that I ramble, so...I suppose a better medium for me WOULD be blogspot. Anyway, Tumblr is just another little fun tool to share songs and what not, so...w00t. My Tumblr is timeforthesho.tumblr.com, by the way, if you are interested.
It's been a while since my last blog post; initially it was because we had no internet at our new place, so I couldn't update as regularly as I would have liked, but afterwards it became simply because I was insanely busy. I'm pretty sure I've been to more hours of meetings and extracurricular things this semester, than I have for anything else, class included. That's kind of terrible, hehe. Ah well, though. It's also weird, the last time I posted, my summer had just ended. Now, the first semester is almost done! I think I'm going to try and post a little bit more often (though not perhaps as often as I once did, especially during the summer), so I guess we'll see how that goes.
Not much going on here. 2:15am, I just got finished watching The Breakfast Club. All in all, I did not enjoy it as much as I expected to, considering its talked about so much. It just oozed teen angst, and perhaps that was the point, I grant, but it just did not make me care, really. Okay, yeah, I get it, teenagers face problems, and boohoo for them. I was a teenager once too, and I went through those same problems, and yet I just don't care about that movie. I don't know what else to say, really...it was just boring. It's funny, my roommate/best friend tried to get me to watch the TV show 'Treme', a show made by the makers of 'The Wire', which is about the survivors of Hurricane Katrina in the city of New Orleans. Treme is the name of the neighbourhood that all the characters are in, and its about their lives as they come back into the city or try and rebuild what they had. Granted, I only watched about 3/4 of the first episode, and yet I was just as bored as I was watching 'The Breakfast Club'. Honestly, in both cases...it was because the show/movie was about the characters. I don't watch things like that to absorb a character study, or a commentary on real life. I watch these things to be entertained. If it's not entertaining, why am I watching it? In the cases of that TV show, as well as this movie, they just weren't entertaining. It was just simply boring.
I came home (I live downtown now, woooo) tonight; one of my other roommates was having a party at our place, and so I just decided to go home, rather than take part in a party in which I know only one person. My other roommate/best friend decided to go spend the night at our other best friend's place...I wasn't invited to join them, haha, so I just decided to make the trek back to Scarborough (which, to be fair, was made far easier by the generosity of my other friend who was still downtown). I have to say, it's one goddamned long trek back so late at night, I had almost forgotten. Had those two invited me, I probably would have stayed downtown with them, which would have been nice, as now Friday night seemed to have ended in a titanically boring way, haha. Although, I CAN now go play video games, such as Madden 12 or Skyrim. I'm afraid of doing it, and then losing track of time, and playing for hours. Maybe tomorrow morning, instead! As for now, probably best to sleep. woo!
It's been a while since my last blog post; initially it was because we had no internet at our new place, so I couldn't update as regularly as I would have liked, but afterwards it became simply because I was insanely busy. I'm pretty sure I've been to more hours of meetings and extracurricular things this semester, than I have for anything else, class included. That's kind of terrible, hehe. Ah well, though. It's also weird, the last time I posted, my summer had just ended. Now, the first semester is almost done! I think I'm going to try and post a little bit more often (though not perhaps as often as I once did, especially during the summer), so I guess we'll see how that goes.
Not much going on here. 2:15am, I just got finished watching The Breakfast Club. All in all, I did not enjoy it as much as I expected to, considering its talked about so much. It just oozed teen angst, and perhaps that was the point, I grant, but it just did not make me care, really. Okay, yeah, I get it, teenagers face problems, and boohoo for them. I was a teenager once too, and I went through those same problems, and yet I just don't care about that movie. I don't know what else to say, really...it was just boring. It's funny, my roommate/best friend tried to get me to watch the TV show 'Treme', a show made by the makers of 'The Wire', which is about the survivors of Hurricane Katrina in the city of New Orleans. Treme is the name of the neighbourhood that all the characters are in, and its about their lives as they come back into the city or try and rebuild what they had. Granted, I only watched about 3/4 of the first episode, and yet I was just as bored as I was watching 'The Breakfast Club'. Honestly, in both cases...it was because the show/movie was about the characters. I don't watch things like that to absorb a character study, or a commentary on real life. I watch these things to be entertained. If it's not entertaining, why am I watching it? In the cases of that TV show, as well as this movie, they just weren't entertaining. It was just simply boring.
I came home (I live downtown now, woooo) tonight; one of my other roommates was having a party at our place, and so I just decided to go home, rather than take part in a party in which I know only one person. My other roommate/best friend decided to go spend the night at our other best friend's place...I wasn't invited to join them, haha, so I just decided to make the trek back to Scarborough (which, to be fair, was made far easier by the generosity of my other friend who was still downtown). I have to say, it's one goddamned long trek back so late at night, I had almost forgotten. Had those two invited me, I probably would have stayed downtown with them, which would have been nice, as now Friday night seemed to have ended in a titanically boring way, haha. Although, I CAN now go play video games, such as Madden 12 or Skyrim. I'm afraid of doing it, and then losing track of time, and playing for hours. Maybe tomorrow morning, instead! As for now, probably best to sleep. woo!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Summer 2011 Report Card
Alright, so, it’s August 18th, and I’m sitting at my desk at work. I had some work from 8:30 to about 10:30…and then nothing. That’s pretty much par for the course, but I guess it’s better than doing nothing for the WHOLE day, yeah? Anyway, I recently saw this post by my good friend Matteo, and I figured I would take him up on his invitation, and write my own grade for the summer. Tomorrow is Friday, but there is still a week left after that before my summer is essentially over. All my friends are working, however, or are otherwise busy with other commitments, so yeah, summer is done. Going places to do things is not fun when you go by yourself, obviously. But, regardless, let’s grade the summer…why not?
Social = 7/10
Socializing is…well, pretty self-explanatory. It’s just the time you spend hanging out with people, doing nothing else BUT hanging out. I am not including all the time spent doing stuff for exec with other people, because that’s work, not hanging out. Still, however, I did do a lot of social things with my friends, both in Scarborough and with my friends downtown. I formed stronger friendships with old friends, forged new ones with new people, it’s a lot of fun. I got to see every movie I wanted to see this summer, all in theatres, and most of them at midnight (Captain America, Harry Potter, Thor), so, yeah, the social aspect was pretty fun. I also started using Twitter, which has also grown on me. 7/10 strikes me as a good score, especially considering during the last few weeks, the social aspect of my summer took a nose dive into a pool full of rusty nails.
Productivity = 9/10
This aspect, for me, is basically just…what did you do this summer that actually made a difference in your personal life? As in, how will what you did this summer better your position in whatever it is that you’re doing later on in the year/in life? Well, after getting a job that was paying less than half of minimum wage, I got a far better paying job at a bank…but, the reason I’m not putting a perfect 10 would be because I literally do nothing at this job. I started in June, and since perhaps the second week of July, I have done nothing nor have I learned anything. I made a lot of money, for me, which will help me when I’m living downtown next year, so in that regard, productivity was high. I still have a few more paychecks coming my way, which is nice, but still, no learning/no actual doing stuff on the job = less productivity.
Events = 6.5/10
Let’s see. I went to four Jays games (all of which the Jays won, against the White Sox, Mariners, Orioles and Rangers, in that order…the last game of which I saw Roberto Alomar’s jersey get retired at the stadium, with him there), one Argos game (in which the starting QB got knocked out of the game in the first quarter in a loss to the Blue Bombers), trolled the crap out of my friends while watching the VanLoser CanSucks get slapped up in Game 7 by the Boston Bruins…though, that’s it. I went to a party earlier in the summer, which was fun, and then nothing happened for the rest of the summer, outside of those sporting events. I’m not saying they weren’t fun, because each event in-and-of itself was super fun, and I would do them over again in an instant. It was just that…well, nothing really happened outside of that. I didn’t go anywhere, I didn’t leave the city, I rarely ventured outside of Scarborough and the downtown core (although, going to see Rebecca’s game in Etobz was super fun). Indeed, this week even brought DOWN the score, with my pet rabbit passing away followed a family member passing away, followed by a few other intensely stressful and upsetting things. The score I gave it seems reasonable given how I felt things panned out, so, yeah. Woo!
Rest and Relaxation = 2/10
Easily the least restful and relaxing summer ever. A job, funerals, VUSAC meetings, judiciary meetings, Orientation Exec meetings (which last past 12am most nights), and Ramadan, which (when fasting) saps me of all energy (thanks to not eating or drinking all day). Follow up that with Mature and Transfer Students Orientation and Commuter Orientation which, while fun, definitely were exhausting and required a ridiculous amount of preparation for, especially the specific grunt work duties that I had myself. I don’t regret doing any of those things (well, except for the funeral), but not regretting it doesn’t equate to having a restful and relaxed summer. Perhaps the most restful thing I did was play through Borderlands, but that really just ended up being 2-3 hrs a week; every other day, the routine was wake up early, go to work, finish at 5pm, go back to Vic, have a ton of meetings, do some work, get home at 10-11pm, go straight to sleep, and then rinse and repeat until Friday. Even some weekends I had to get up early, for whatever reason….bleh. At the end of the day, it was not restful or relaxing in the slightest. With O-Week itself coming up, which I LOVE but is also a lot of work, the rest/relaxation will only get less and less, and then the school year starts. Huzzah!
Overall Total: 7 + 9 + 6.5 + 2 = 24.5/40 = 61.25% (C-)
You know, that’s actually incredibly accurate to my overall feeling of how the summer went. If I was a little more generous and made the 7 an 8, the 9 a 10 and the 6.5 a 7, at max the summer would be 27/40, or 67.5%...a C/C+. Even that is fairly accurate, though I feel the 24.5 is more accurate, really. I made money which will help me out in the longer run of the next year, I hung out with my best friends, I went to some really fun sporting events…but, the negative, I worked a LOT both at my job and with extracurriculars, (the latter of which I still love) learned little to nothing while doing the former, and some pretty annoying and ridiculous things happened towards the end of the summer.
I’m hoping next summer will be better. I’m applying for Co-Chair of Orientation Week, possibly with Carrie if she is down, and that’s something I LOVE doing (I love doing Orientation Week/Co-Chair, not Carrie...get your minds out of the gutter), PLUS you get paid for it. Yes, please. I also am going to go to the Star Wars convention next year as well…that’s going to be awesome, and so I’m excited for it. Woo! Still, that’s a year away…but, who knows, maybe the year will be fun. All I know is that in the first few weeks of September, I’m moving into a new house (after the crazy-but-fun Orientation Week) with my friends (including one of my BEST friends), throwing a party, and then going to see the Patriots play in person. It’ll definitely atone for the subpar summer…at least, I hope it will =P
Social = 7/10
Socializing is…well, pretty self-explanatory. It’s just the time you spend hanging out with people, doing nothing else BUT hanging out. I am not including all the time spent doing stuff for exec with other people, because that’s work, not hanging out. Still, however, I did do a lot of social things with my friends, both in Scarborough and with my friends downtown. I formed stronger friendships with old friends, forged new ones with new people, it’s a lot of fun. I got to see every movie I wanted to see this summer, all in theatres, and most of them at midnight (Captain America, Harry Potter, Thor), so, yeah, the social aspect was pretty fun. I also started using Twitter, which has also grown on me. 7/10 strikes me as a good score, especially considering during the last few weeks, the social aspect of my summer took a nose dive into a pool full of rusty nails.
Productivity = 9/10
This aspect, for me, is basically just…what did you do this summer that actually made a difference in your personal life? As in, how will what you did this summer better your position in whatever it is that you’re doing later on in the year/in life? Well, after getting a job that was paying less than half of minimum wage, I got a far better paying job at a bank…but, the reason I’m not putting a perfect 10 would be because I literally do nothing at this job. I started in June, and since perhaps the second week of July, I have done nothing nor have I learned anything. I made a lot of money, for me, which will help me when I’m living downtown next year, so in that regard, productivity was high. I still have a few more paychecks coming my way, which is nice, but still, no learning/no actual doing stuff on the job = less productivity.
Events = 6.5/10
Let’s see. I went to four Jays games (all of which the Jays won, against the White Sox, Mariners, Orioles and Rangers, in that order…the last game of which I saw Roberto Alomar’s jersey get retired at the stadium, with him there), one Argos game (in which the starting QB got knocked out of the game in the first quarter in a loss to the Blue Bombers), trolled the crap out of my friends while watching the VanLoser CanSucks get slapped up in Game 7 by the Boston Bruins…though, that’s it. I went to a party earlier in the summer, which was fun, and then nothing happened for the rest of the summer, outside of those sporting events. I’m not saying they weren’t fun, because each event in-and-of itself was super fun, and I would do them over again in an instant. It was just that…well, nothing really happened outside of that. I didn’t go anywhere, I didn’t leave the city, I rarely ventured outside of Scarborough and the downtown core (although, going to see Rebecca’s game in Etobz was super fun). Indeed, this week even brought DOWN the score, with my pet rabbit passing away followed a family member passing away, followed by a few other intensely stressful and upsetting things. The score I gave it seems reasonable given how I felt things panned out, so, yeah. Woo!
Rest and Relaxation = 2/10
Easily the least restful and relaxing summer ever. A job, funerals, VUSAC meetings, judiciary meetings, Orientation Exec meetings (which last past 12am most nights), and Ramadan, which (when fasting) saps me of all energy (thanks to not eating or drinking all day). Follow up that with Mature and Transfer Students Orientation and Commuter Orientation which, while fun, definitely were exhausting and required a ridiculous amount of preparation for, especially the specific grunt work duties that I had myself. I don’t regret doing any of those things (well, except for the funeral), but not regretting it doesn’t equate to having a restful and relaxed summer. Perhaps the most restful thing I did was play through Borderlands, but that really just ended up being 2-3 hrs a week; every other day, the routine was wake up early, go to work, finish at 5pm, go back to Vic, have a ton of meetings, do some work, get home at 10-11pm, go straight to sleep, and then rinse and repeat until Friday. Even some weekends I had to get up early, for whatever reason….bleh. At the end of the day, it was not restful or relaxing in the slightest. With O-Week itself coming up, which I LOVE but is also a lot of work, the rest/relaxation will only get less and less, and then the school year starts. Huzzah!
Overall Total: 7 + 9 + 6.5 + 2 = 24.5/40 = 61.25% (C-)
You know, that’s actually incredibly accurate to my overall feeling of how the summer went. If I was a little more generous and made the 7 an 8, the 9 a 10 and the 6.5 a 7, at max the summer would be 27/40, or 67.5%...a C/C+. Even that is fairly accurate, though I feel the 24.5 is more accurate, really. I made money which will help me out in the longer run of the next year, I hung out with my best friends, I went to some really fun sporting events…but, the negative, I worked a LOT both at my job and with extracurriculars, (the latter of which I still love) learned little to nothing while doing the former, and some pretty annoying and ridiculous things happened towards the end of the summer.
I’m hoping next summer will be better. I’m applying for Co-Chair of Orientation Week, possibly with Carrie if she is down, and that’s something I LOVE doing (I love doing Orientation Week/Co-Chair, not Carrie...get your minds out of the gutter), PLUS you get paid for it. Yes, please. I also am going to go to the Star Wars convention next year as well…that’s going to be awesome, and so I’m excited for it. Woo! Still, that’s a year away…but, who knows, maybe the year will be fun. All I know is that in the first few weeks of September, I’m moving into a new house (after the crazy-but-fun Orientation Week) with my friends (including one of my BEST friends), throwing a party, and then going to see the Patriots play in person. It’ll definitely atone for the subpar summer…at least, I hope it will =P
Saturday, August 13, 2011
big bad voodoo daddy
You know, I tend to stay away from posts concerning music, if only because I deride other posts that concern music so much. I do it a lot, really, and so I just figure 'why bother doing it myself?' I mean, I HAVE made posts concerning music in the past, but it's only been once or twice. Recently, though, I was just trawling through a bunch of other music stuff, and I found a band that I have absolutely fallen in love with. They've easily jumped straight to near the top of bands that I enjoy listening to: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. For a little background, though, I heard about them in a weird way; Commuter Orientation for Victoria College was this past weekend, and one of the people who set up tech had played a certain song on his computer speakers: 'Hey Pachuco' from The Mask soundtrack (played by the Royal Crown Revue). You know, that wacky Jim Carrey movie from the 90s. It's one of my childhood movies, and it's silly, but I love this song.
There it is, in all it's glory. Anyway, that is an example of swing music. I've long been a fan of instrumental music, but man, swing is really fun. I would love to learn how to dance to this kind of music; it just looks like everyone, including the musicians, are having a blast. In the comments section, I was directed to 'King of Swing' by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. I checked them out, and I honestly was taken completely from the first moment I listened. I can't really explain why I enjoy this so much, as there is minimal lyrics, and a LOT of instrumental music. It's mostly piano, trumpet, percussion, saxophones (alto, tenor, baritone), guitar and a singer. I think this specific band has about 6-7 members, and they all sound amazing.
That's the King of Swing, probably my favourite one of the ones I've listened to. They have a bunch of other ones as well:
Mr. Pinstripe Suit, another super good one. Mambo music is another genre I'm a fan of, not a HUGE fan, but still, it's fun to listen to. BBVD did a sort of mix of swing and mambo...called, creatively, 'Mambo Swing' =P
I forget if I've ever mentioned this, but, Disney music is one of my favourite things ever. Just, in general. It's amazing, the musicians who write it are really talented and creative, probably more so than any modern artist, and more often than not, the music for any Disney movie can make or break it. I mean, everyone knows the songs from Aladdin, or from Beauty and the Beast, or The Lion King, or any of a dozen others. 'Be Our Guest' even won an Oscar, THAT's how much people liked/appreciated it. The reason I bring this up is because BBVD did a cover of a Disney song: 'I Wanna Be Like You'...it is fantastic.
What I find really awesome is that all of these arrangements can actually be found online, if you're so inclined. If there was anything that made me want to get back into playing my instrument a little more, it was definitely this. Their website can be found here: http://www.bbvd.com and I definitely encourage people to just look at it and listen to a few of their songs. I am often accused of not liking any modern artists, and it's true, I enjoy the older bands more than the newer ones, but man, these guys are amazing. They're playing in Toronto, on April 18th 2012, in Markham. Honestly, come what may, I am going to that show no matter what. Perhaps by that faraway date, some of you will be convinced to go with me =P
There it is, in all it's glory. Anyway, that is an example of swing music. I've long been a fan of instrumental music, but man, swing is really fun. I would love to learn how to dance to this kind of music; it just looks like everyone, including the musicians, are having a blast. In the comments section, I was directed to 'King of Swing' by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. I checked them out, and I honestly was taken completely from the first moment I listened. I can't really explain why I enjoy this so much, as there is minimal lyrics, and a LOT of instrumental music. It's mostly piano, trumpet, percussion, saxophones (alto, tenor, baritone), guitar and a singer. I think this specific band has about 6-7 members, and they all sound amazing.
That's the King of Swing, probably my favourite one of the ones I've listened to. They have a bunch of other ones as well:
Mr. Pinstripe Suit, another super good one. Mambo music is another genre I'm a fan of, not a HUGE fan, but still, it's fun to listen to. BBVD did a sort of mix of swing and mambo...called, creatively, 'Mambo Swing' =P
I forget if I've ever mentioned this, but, Disney music is one of my favourite things ever. Just, in general. It's amazing, the musicians who write it are really talented and creative, probably more so than any modern artist, and more often than not, the music for any Disney movie can make or break it. I mean, everyone knows the songs from Aladdin, or from Beauty and the Beast, or The Lion King, or any of a dozen others. 'Be Our Guest' even won an Oscar, THAT's how much people liked/appreciated it. The reason I bring this up is because BBVD did a cover of a Disney song: 'I Wanna Be Like You'...it is fantastic.
What I find really awesome is that all of these arrangements can actually be found online, if you're so inclined. If there was anything that made me want to get back into playing my instrument a little more, it was definitely this. Their website can be found here: http://www.bbvd.com and I definitely encourage people to just look at it and listen to a few of their songs. I am often accused of not liking any modern artists, and it's true, I enjoy the older bands more than the newer ones, but man, these guys are amazing. They're playing in Toronto, on April 18th 2012, in Markham. Honestly, come what may, I am going to that show no matter what. Perhaps by that faraway date, some of you will be convinced to go with me =P
Thursday, August 11, 2011
hogwarts
Haven't we all, at one point or another in our lives, wanted to go to Hogwarts? I think that, beyond most other things, is why Harry Potter is as popular with people (mostly kids) as it is. Of course, when I say 'we all', I mean my age group, as the Harry Potter series was created in the mid 90s, for exactly my age group. Indeed, people who are now between 20-22 are the people who were Harry's age when the book came out, and so therein lies another reason why it was so popular: people could empathize with him. They felt like they could relate. I mean, okay, not EVERYone has their parents killed by a magically-armed psychopath, but sure, I guess the whole '11 year old boy with a true heart of gold who is routinely picked on by bullies is suddenly chosen for something much larger and grander' aspect of the story is what really appeals to everyone.
To go back to Hogwarts, though, I truly believe that while Harry/Ron/Hermione as characters are the ones that HOOK the reader (because, indeed, you [as the reader] meet them before Hogwarts even comes around the next bend of the train tracks), the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the real part that intrigues everyone. I mean, it’s like any other super popular and enduring franchise, you know? Yes, the characters are what draws you in, but it’s the WORLD that keeps you there. Star Wars: Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Darth Vader. They’re all awesome, and no one would ever deny that, but it’s the universe and everything that goes on that makes you so interested. It’s the reason Boba Fett is such an enduring character despite the fact that he has all of 15 seconds of dialogue; it’s the reason that even the smallest planet or species has a backstory. Star Trek is the same way, and so is Lord of the Rings. But, I’m getting off track again. Hogwarts.
To me, one of the reasons it was so popular was because it was solely based in the United Kingdom. Until the 4th book came out, everyone read the books and perhaps vaguely wondered to themselves if there were these magical schools in other parts of the world as well. I mean, the UK couldn’t be the ONLY place in the world where there were witches and wizards, yeah? Then, as I mentioned, the 4th book was released…and we were introduced to Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, the French and Russian schools, respectively. We didn’t learn much about those places, other than that they were different from Hogwarts. That seemed to suggest that there WERE other places, and of course, to my friends and I, the biggest question was “what about North America?” I STILL wonder about that. I mean, where would it be? Is there one for ALL of North America? Is there one in Canada and then one in the States? Or one on the Atlantic coast and then one over by the Pacific? Who knows?
Yes, the books for Harry Potter were definitely enthralling to a lot of people, myself included. They’re not superbly written, but the plot is definitely interesting, and the overarching series of events was enough to keep me interested, no matter how many pages J.K. Rowling hurled at me. Then…they made the movies. Honestly, the movies just aren’t good. I just don’t think they’re very good at all. The acting by the main three actors is terribly wooden, and when that is the performance of your main three people, then there’s a problem. I will admit, the movies (over the course of the years) have featured a who’s who of British actors (I regret that Liam Neeson couldn’t have found his way in there somewhere, but then again, he’s Irish), and they have largely been fantastic…but, still, the three main ones were godawful. You could have honestly replaced them with cardboard cutouts in ANY of the movies, including the last one (more on that in a bit), and there would have been literally no difference in their performances.
The last movie, which is not my favourite, got a ton of hype…because it was the last movie. It was, at best, an average movie. The special effects were pretty cool, and the actors (supporting cast) were great. Ralph Fiennes kind of hammed it up a bit, but, oh well. Still, though, it’s ridiculous just how much hype – and subsequently, money – this last movie made. Right now, on the all-time list, HP7.2 sits at #3 in terms of money grossed. It’s not as impressive when you take into account for inflation, in which case Gone With The Wind obliterates every other movie ever made, with Star Wars right behind it, but still. I think, however, the MOST annoying thing about HP7.2 was when everyone was lamenting that their childhood was over. I honestly just wanted to punch those morons in the face. I don’t know if they realize this, but, Harry Potter was over when the last BOOK came out, several years ago. Not just this past summer. Despite my dislike for the movies, the books are far superior, and therefore, the more important part. I will never understand the people were CRYING for god’s sake during the last movie; keep your eye-water inside, I don’t need people ruining a movie that I paid in excess of 15$ to go see (thanks, 3D, for making the movie unnecessarily more expensive).
My one consolation is that, despite my enjoyment of Harry Potter, it’ll never even touch Star Wars, in terms of being a lasting phenomenon in pop culture. I mean, it doesn’t matter to me personally, as in, I don’t profit or anything like that off of one or the other doing better, but it’s just nice to see something like Star Wars (which is just so much BETTER than HP) still be so far ahead. Sure, HP fanboys, bring on the ‘lol HP is the highest grossing franchise ever’ argument….despite the fact that it needed eight movies over ten years to do. Even if I removed the prequel trilogy from Star Wars, attendance for the SW series absolutely demolished HP, and this was without the terribad 3D crap. Yes, I admit, the PT tarnished the legacy of SW, but even with that small blight on record, all six films still kicked the crap out of HP. Actually, no, nothing could redeem ‘Attack of the Clones’ from being one of the worst movies I’ve seen in recent memory, not even the greatness of the rest of the movies. All of this last paragraph (and indeed, most of my blog posts) is subjective, but, whatever, I don’t give a ****. Harry Potter, as a universe, is great…but it ranks below Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings and a number of others. Hell, had Firefly not gotten the axe by the idiots over at Fox (which also aired the episodes in the wrong order, and even left out three episodes completely), I guarantee more of the world would know about it, and it would be even MORE wildly popular than it is now. Perhaps not as popular as HP (because, let’s be real here, HP is more relatable than cowboys in space), but, still, pretty darn popular.
All I’m grateful for now, is that all the Facebook statuses about how HP is over have all died down. Sure, there’s the occasional person who posts about Pottermore (dumb), or about how HP7.2 is a masterpiece (have you SEEN any other movie in your life? Probably not, if you’re saying something as stupid as that), but for the most part it’s nice. Here’s hoping it doesn’t spring up again!
To go back to Hogwarts, though, I truly believe that while Harry/Ron/Hermione as characters are the ones that HOOK the reader (because, indeed, you [as the reader] meet them before Hogwarts even comes around the next bend of the train tracks), the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the real part that intrigues everyone. I mean, it’s like any other super popular and enduring franchise, you know? Yes, the characters are what draws you in, but it’s the WORLD that keeps you there. Star Wars: Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Darth Vader. They’re all awesome, and no one would ever deny that, but it’s the universe and everything that goes on that makes you so interested. It’s the reason Boba Fett is such an enduring character despite the fact that he has all of 15 seconds of dialogue; it’s the reason that even the smallest planet or species has a backstory. Star Trek is the same way, and so is Lord of the Rings. But, I’m getting off track again. Hogwarts.
To me, one of the reasons it was so popular was because it was solely based in the United Kingdom. Until the 4th book came out, everyone read the books and perhaps vaguely wondered to themselves if there were these magical schools in other parts of the world as well. I mean, the UK couldn’t be the ONLY place in the world where there were witches and wizards, yeah? Then, as I mentioned, the 4th book was released…and we were introduced to Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, the French and Russian schools, respectively. We didn’t learn much about those places, other than that they were different from Hogwarts. That seemed to suggest that there WERE other places, and of course, to my friends and I, the biggest question was “what about North America?” I STILL wonder about that. I mean, where would it be? Is there one for ALL of North America? Is there one in Canada and then one in the States? Or one on the Atlantic coast and then one over by the Pacific? Who knows?
Yes, the books for Harry Potter were definitely enthralling to a lot of people, myself included. They’re not superbly written, but the plot is definitely interesting, and the overarching series of events was enough to keep me interested, no matter how many pages J.K. Rowling hurled at me. Then…they made the movies. Honestly, the movies just aren’t good. I just don’t think they’re very good at all. The acting by the main three actors is terribly wooden, and when that is the performance of your main three people, then there’s a problem. I will admit, the movies (over the course of the years) have featured a who’s who of British actors (I regret that Liam Neeson couldn’t have found his way in there somewhere, but then again, he’s Irish), and they have largely been fantastic…but, still, the three main ones were godawful. You could have honestly replaced them with cardboard cutouts in ANY of the movies, including the last one (more on that in a bit), and there would have been literally no difference in their performances.
The last movie, which is not my favourite, got a ton of hype…because it was the last movie. It was, at best, an average movie. The special effects were pretty cool, and the actors (supporting cast) were great. Ralph Fiennes kind of hammed it up a bit, but, oh well. Still, though, it’s ridiculous just how much hype – and subsequently, money – this last movie made. Right now, on the all-time list, HP7.2 sits at #3 in terms of money grossed. It’s not as impressive when you take into account for inflation, in which case Gone With The Wind obliterates every other movie ever made, with Star Wars right behind it, but still. I think, however, the MOST annoying thing about HP7.2 was when everyone was lamenting that their childhood was over. I honestly just wanted to punch those morons in the face. I don’t know if they realize this, but, Harry Potter was over when the last BOOK came out, several years ago. Not just this past summer. Despite my dislike for the movies, the books are far superior, and therefore, the more important part. I will never understand the people were CRYING for god’s sake during the last movie; keep your eye-water inside, I don’t need people ruining a movie that I paid in excess of 15$ to go see (thanks, 3D, for making the movie unnecessarily more expensive).
My one consolation is that, despite my enjoyment of Harry Potter, it’ll never even touch Star Wars, in terms of being a lasting phenomenon in pop culture. I mean, it doesn’t matter to me personally, as in, I don’t profit or anything like that off of one or the other doing better, but it’s just nice to see something like Star Wars (which is just so much BETTER than HP) still be so far ahead. Sure, HP fanboys, bring on the ‘lol HP is the highest grossing franchise ever’ argument….despite the fact that it needed eight movies over ten years to do. Even if I removed the prequel trilogy from Star Wars, attendance for the SW series absolutely demolished HP, and this was without the terribad 3D crap. Yes, I admit, the PT tarnished the legacy of SW, but even with that small blight on record, all six films still kicked the crap out of HP. Actually, no, nothing could redeem ‘Attack of the Clones’ from being one of the worst movies I’ve seen in recent memory, not even the greatness of the rest of the movies. All of this last paragraph (and indeed, most of my blog posts) is subjective, but, whatever, I don’t give a ****. Harry Potter, as a universe, is great…but it ranks below Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings and a number of others. Hell, had Firefly not gotten the axe by the idiots over at Fox (which also aired the episodes in the wrong order, and even left out three episodes completely), I guarantee more of the world would know about it, and it would be even MORE wildly popular than it is now. Perhaps not as popular as HP (because, let’s be real here, HP is more relatable than cowboys in space), but, still, pretty darn popular.
All I’m grateful for now, is that all the Facebook statuses about how HP is over have all died down. Sure, there’s the occasional person who posts about Pottermore (dumb), or about how HP7.2 is a masterpiece (have you SEEN any other movie in your life? Probably not, if you’re saying something as stupid as that), but for the most part it’s nice. Here’s hoping it doesn’t spring up again!
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