Book it!

South East Asian Summer

South East Asia, so many words could describe it's wonders and adventures, the people and sights, the food and the culture.

I had the best summer of my life this year as I travelled to Bali, Thailand, and Laos with my best friend.

Our choice to travel to Bali was made two days prior to departure, as the riots and conflict in Bangkok at the time were preventing us from visiting Thailand as planned.

Bali was: Scuba diving for the first time, meeting surfers from around the world, trusting strangers and the good in people, monkeys, traditional dances, seaweed farms, peaceful beaches and hectic ones too, beautiful hindu offerings at every corner, motorbikes, tourists with motorbike injuries, local art, temples, and stunning rice fields. Of course I cannot forget the night with two mice in our hotel room.

Bali was a blissful week filled with happiness and jet-lag and

overall an unforgettable experience.

Once the conflict in Bangkok seemed to settle, we were able to travel to Thailand and ended up spending three incredible weeks there.

Thailand was: The most amazing food on Earth, the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen, snorkeling, cliff jumping, long tailed boat rides, riding elephants, petting tigers, friendly local smiles, more monkeys, fire dancers, adorable cats, lady boys, tsunami evacuation signs, tuk-tuks, sweating, intricate temple design, the overnight busses, boxing, ancient buddha ruins, absolute diversity, and the amazing island lifestyle.

Thailand inspired me to do more, to challenge myself everyday, to push my boundaries. I had so many new experiences and learned so much about myself. Thailand is the most amazing country that I have visited and I would love to go back one day.

Laos, our final stop on the five week long trip. We had one remaining week to spend there.

Laos was: The smallest and scariest plane ever, the most green and lush scenery I have ever laid eyes on, perfect waterfalls, monks, the long Mekong River, beyond hot and humid weather, caves, night markets, street food, and cheap massages.

After Laos we travelled back to Bangkok to fly home. We had a stop over in Tokyo, where we tried some sushi in the airport...we had to! It was everything I could have dreamed of and more.

I will never forget this trip for as long as I live and it has inspired me to see more of the world. Next stop, New Zealand??

Pre-Concert Ritual

Tonight I am seeing one of my favourite bands live for the first time. Phoenix has been around for years but debuted in 2000 with the album United. Three albums later and we have Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, a stellar album that I can't get sick of.

For some reason, the day of a show I like to listen to that artist/band all day long; so currently, yes, I am listening to Phoenix.

I have come across a few concert goers that disagree with my ritual. Some people believe it is less exciting to listen to the band all day because when the time of the show comes they would be sick of the songs already. I really do disagree!

Listening to the band all day gets me excited for the show even more, not to mention it gives a little refresher course on some possibly forgotten lyrics. Who doesn't love to sing along?

I can't wait to see these brown haired, skinny jean wearing, dance inducing frenchmen!!

Polka Dot Fever

Yayoi Kasuma arrived in New York from Japan in the late 1950s, and soon became the city’s avant-It Girl. Her works of art all share an obsession with repetition, pattern, and accumulation, and not to mention are completely mind-blowing. It is safe to say that this lady loves polka dots, which I defiantly don't have a problem with.
I discovered her work about a year ago when I stumbled upon a photo that was titled "Aftermath-of-Obliteration-of-Eternity." This photo made my mouth water and I just had to figure out where it came from. The "infinity room" is one of Kasuma's most popular type of installation and makes it seem like you are in a never ending garden of fireflies, stars, polka dots ect. The photos of the exhibits are breathtaking so I can only imagine how they translate in person.
Give this a gander, you will thank me.
Can she PLEASE bring her magic to Toronto?
"Aftermath-of-Obliteration-of-Eternity" in photo below!

Dots, dots....

and more dots

Twitter gave me some free PB+J

While in Social Media class on Wednesday I decided to check on my twitter. I was reading along my home page when one post popped out at me; it read "people of toronto, do u want some free tickets for tonite? they are for free. aight." -PeterBjornJohn.
For those of you who don't know, Peter Bjorn and John are an international band with the hit song Young Folks....or as some may call it "the whistle song."
This was automatically exciting because I had never witnessed an opportunity like that on twitter before, so I stayed tuned.
Their next post featured a quiz question about a photo they posted, to which I replied and guessed the correct answer! They direct messaged me back right away saying this "yes! you win! direct message us your name and we will put you + one on the list. cheers! j"
Pretty exciting stuff! So that night I was able to see Peter Bjorn and John perform at the Phoenix concert theatre for free! The show was really fun and featured an awesome opening band from Sweden.
Social media has so many benefits.

Is it worth it, lemme work it...or think about it

After buying Guitar Hero, blistering my pinky for weeks, and then never touching it again; I have some mixed feelings about buying the new DJ Hero game.

Although I can see myself rejoicing with a toy turntable in my room, I don't know if I can spend $130 on it.

The problem with all of these "Hero" games is how the novelty will always wear off. Sure they are astonishingly fun at first, but how many times can you really play "Sweet Child of Mine" on 5 coloured buttons and not get bored? And not to add insult to injury or anything, but Dj Hero only has three coloured buttons, just saying.

These are feelings that I had before watching a sample video of DJ Hero on youtube. I don't know if I've had a deep-rooted longstanding dream to become a DJ or something, but I feel an extreme compulsion to play this game. It's very possible that my attraction to this game thrives on my need to hear all these awesome mashups. Check this one out. Gorillaz and Marvin Gaye.

For most video games, renting is an option. Renting helps you come to a decision if you like the game enough to buy. Unfortunately for games such as these, you need special controllers or accessories such as a turntable or guitar remote, which are not easily available for rent.

So the question stands, is it worth $130? What if I get sick of it in a month, or from previous experience, what if they come out with a way cooler version soon and make me want to buy it?

The trials and tribulations of a video game dork...sigh.