Halloween '09

So this Halloween was possibly the best Halloween I've ever experienced in a very long time! It started off with having Halloween at work (I work as a receptionist at this music and fine art school) and all the kids were dressed up in many different kinds of costumes! Some of my colleagues and I joined in on all the fun and we handed out some yummy treats to all kids and parents :D it was such a blast!

Then after mass, I went over to one of my best friends' place for a wicked party of food, Sleepy Hallow, giving candy out to kids, sodas and other beverages, costume contests and tons of great music! Oh yes, and me snapping a lot of photos such as this Jack O'Lantern you see up above :) neat eh? It was so hard getting the right ISO for that shot since it was pitch black downstair (my friend decided to take out all the regular lightbulbs with black lights... so from a photographer's point of view, you must understand the slight frustration haha!

Speaking of Jack O'Lanterns, do you know where the origins come from? No? Let me tell you!

Story of the Jack O'Lantern

This is actually an old Irish myth who's main character was a man named "Stingy Jack". Stingy Jack had tricked the devil countless times and the first time being this; he had invited the devil to have a drink with him at a bar, but because Jack was so cheap, he made the devil swear that he would not be able to claim his soul should he die and then turn himself into a coin. Jack then laughed as he kept the coin (which was the devil) and went about his life.

A year later, the devil reappears to Jack and Jack had again tricked the devil into becoming fruit from one of the trees. The devil became a fruit as Jack walked away laughing.

The following year, Stingy Jack passed away. But because of his "treachery", God would not allow Jack into Heaven, this leaving only Hell. Yet, because Jack made the devil swear that he could not claim his soul, the devil sent Jack out into complete darkness with only a piece of coal (shaped as a turnip) which was lit to help him find his way.

People would then refer Stingy Jack as "Jack of the Lantern" which would then become "Jack O'Lantern". In Ireland, they apparently carve out their lanterns from turnips and potatoes. But once they came over to the North American, they realized that the pumpkin was a better and larger object to carve faces or patterns out of.

And there you have it! For those who already knew about it, well, sorry you had to hear about that again haha. But for those who didn't know, well, this makes an excellent story to tell friends if ever you guys start talking about Jack O'Lanterns... or to spit out randomly!

Anyways, I've got a ton of things to do for school... as usual :P so have a great night!

Cheers,

C.

Distraction numero dos :)

So we had our official first snowfall yesterday evening in the heart of Montréal and watching the snow made me slightly depressed. This being because I was currently studying for a midterm that I did not feel at all prepared for despite the amount of studying I did the past week, and it made me realize how much I miss snowboarding.

I haven't gone boarding since February (so looooong ago) and to tell you the truth, the only reason why I'd be alright with snow 24/7 is for this exact sport and hobby of mine. I'll admit that I only started boarding a little over two years ago, but I wish I had tried it out sooner. When I'm sitting on the ski lift and getting ready to get off, I get this extreme wave of adrenaline coursing through my body like an electrical shock and it stays with me until... well, for a while haha. This next bit is going to sound off and weird, but I love the feeling of complete pain that sinks in the following day. I'm normally not masochistic... but after a good work out like that, it feels great! I mean, talking to your friends the next day after you've come home from snowboarding saying, "Man, I'm in so much pain." and when they ask, you can happily say it was because you were snowboarding (or skiing)... I don't know, it may all look like gloating and boasting and all, but, I find it leads to a more interesting conversation of, "Which slopes have you gone to?" or just introducing the sport to someone else who will hopefully fall in love with it as much as you have.

That's pretty much it, I think I'm going to start looking around for people who want to go snowboarding this winter... thinking about all this has made me even more excited for the holidays to come and to get back on the slopes! On a random note, because I've tried snowboarding and skateboarding (which didn't go as well as snowboarding), I've realized that I'd love to learn how to surf. It just looks so... exotic or something. When I see someone surfing (whether on TV, movie, vacation, etc) - I'm in so much awe due to the fact that they can keep their balance while a wave hits them. Hm, maybe I'll head South instead of going North this winter and try surfing instead. Ooh, this is exciting!

Cheers,

C.

House (the dance style of course)

I'm so excited that it's started up again! No, not the series, but the dance genre =) I cannot express how long I've been jumping around between different dance styles before I've finally settled on something I truly and really enjoyed!

A tiny history recap: when I was about 6, my mum signed me up for Jazz ballet. I stuck it out for about two years before I realized that it wasn't something I really enjoyed. At the time, I was still into just playing outside in the park with friends. So I took a break and my mum decided to sign me up for piano and swimming at the age of 8. Those were some love/hate relationship times... but I'm happy to have had the opportunity to enjoy both activities! Anyways, off topic, but when I was 13, I was walking around the mall when I saw this team of dancers performing a hip hop piece. Instantly, after their performance, I signed up for dance again deciding to give it another chance and go for Hip Hop. Did it for five years when I started realizing that something still wasn't right. I loved the style and all, despite not being just as ecstatic with the music genre, yet I wasn't fully grasping it.

That's when I thought it was perhaps the time to change genres again, try and find a new style that could recapture that enthusiasm. That style was House.

Oh my lanta. I think I've found it, I think I've finally found that missing genre! I don't care how tacky that sounds! There's something about the style that is just so... intriguing. The beat is fast, it's a lot of improv, it's fun, and it really breaks a sweat (not saying that other styles aren't intense workouts either!) when I get into that moment. It feels like cardio as well... whether or not that's a good thing is a whole other story.

I'm just extremely stoked that the classes finally started up this week! I've been dancing on my own time throughout the summer, but to finally be back in class and learning/working on a routine is just... phenomenal! I could not be any happier than at this moment! Although when I dance this style alone, sometimes I'm worried that I look like complete idiot. Take my summer class for example, it was an intro to acting course (so much fun), and at one point I was asked to dance for a certain activity. I decided to do a bit of house and realized how much of an idiot I looked. Making it seem like, "And she claims she's been dancing for 7 years? Yeah, okay."... whereas dancing with a group, it looks better? I don't know, it's 12:55AM and I don't know where that was going. Kind of lost track haha, my bad!

In the end, there's still so much to learn with this genre! In fact, there's just so much to learn with every genre! I don't think that there is actual perfection with dancing... same with music. There's always room for improvement!

For those who don't know the house genre, here's a clip from my first year trying this style... had a wonderful coach as well :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go0SsNYpHsc

and another link to the more advance house group at the studio :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeEsArjhM80

Night,

C.

Communication Studies: Sound II

Already year 2 and week 3 and school's starting to get hectic... but that's cool, it keeps me busy :) Honestly, although we have our moments of whining and complaining about our class or work lives... I'm glad that I've got tons of assignments, readings, and projects to work on. Ask me again in a few weeks and guaranteed that my answer will be completely different haha! But, I can't help but feel lucky that there's always something to do and accomplish.

Think of it this way, I could be writing up a blog about how bored I am and how I've got absolutely nothing to do. Sorry, but that's what Twitter's and Facebook's for (not that I've got anything against the sites; really, I don't! They're great time killers for when you've got huge breaks and nothing to do). Like I tell the folks when they get home and start going off how there's too much work to be done, "It's better to be busy than to not be busy at all." Which, is unfortunately true. Sure, school takes away from the social life, but if you do well with time management, then there's nothing to worry about.

So for this semester, I've been extremely fortunate to getting into the specific field I've been wanting to do since high school. This production course being Sound II :D Ever since I was 15 I knew that science and math was not my strongest point and I realized that I wanted to study in the arts and media industry. I figured that music was, and still is, one of my greatest passions and that music production was the right way to go. Okay, I lied, I wanted to go in to either TV or radio journalism first, but soon found out after that it wasn't enough.

In Sound II and all the other specific fields such as Video, Intermedia, and Film, we are working with a close group of classmates who will, hopefully, become like close family. We are already a small program with only, no more than, 120 or so students per year and are pretty close as is. It's great because we make great contacts, build new friendships, and I really appreciate how we all love, more or less, the same things. We all share a passion to creativity and to share that creativity with the rest of the world.

Right, so Sound II. For this semester we have one prof who is more into analogue recordings such as soundscapes or recording during sound walks. It's more theoretical while in our second semester, we will be visiting the more music production sides of sound. It's great because we get to learn two different styles of this field which helps us to choose and find the more direct path we're meant to take.

But as exciting as it can be, sometimes I wonder if this is the right thing. Sometimes I go off thinking if I was better off in going into Video or Intermedia. As much as I loved Film, I knew that this field wasn't meant to be because it takes a lot of time and patience, a different time and patience that I knew I didn't have for that field. We worked with 16mm film back in our first year and that was a phenomenal experience! But like photography, I'll keep that as a hobby. Then I wonder that maybe I'm just in the wrong program... yet, I don't know what else I'd study if I were to change. Obviously I'd finish this program and get my BA in Coms Studies... but there's that debate if I should get a BA in something else or just continue with getting my MA. Questions, questions, questions. Hopefully this phase of doubt will pass as fast as it came!

On a whole random note, I saw this clip off youtube about how the Coms students at UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal) did their own music video in less than 2 takes to the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling". It was broadcasted on CNN as well and if they were impressed, then it must be something else. Needless to say, I watched the clip and bravo à tous les étudiants! There were 172 participants and they are all in the communications program. So bravo! I hope Black Eyed Peas are impressed as well!

The links:

CNN's clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TNOkJC_Kyw

Enjoy the clip!

Cheers,

C.

October Shows in Our Fair City of Montréal

So the title of this blog pretty much says it all... I have this group on Facebook that’s called “Let’s Promote Our Local Bands” and basically it’s just a bunch of us promoting groups from around the world (my bad on the “local” part and making it sound like it was just open to Montréal groups) whom we think have excellent potential or that we feel that others would enjoy (from that specific genre). Lately I’ve been sending out monthly concert dates with more general groups and of local groups (who inform me, that is). It’s pretty nifty because I’d like to think that from reading the entire list of shows happening in the upcoming month, someone in that group is going, “Snap! *Insert band name here* is coming next month?! Sweet! I’m gonna tell *put someone’s name here*!! They’ll be so stoked!”... Or something of that kind :)

Therefore, that being said, here's the list of all the upcoming shows that I'm aware of (from messages that local bands have sent me) and of more popular well known artists whom we are all familiar with.

For the month of October we have:

01/10:
Kiss with special guests Buckcherry at the Bell Center - show starts at 19h30 and tickets range from 65$-125$

Joel Plaskett Emergency with Hey Ocean! at Club Soda - show starts at 20h and tickets are 18$ in advance, 20$ at the door

Fever Ray at Metropolis - show starts at 20h and tickets are 30$ in advanced, 35$ at the door

02/10:
Tiesto at the Bell Center - show starts at 21h and tickets range from 49.50$-110$

David Cook featuring Ryan Star at Metropolis - show starts at 20h and tickets are 25$ in advanced, 28$ at the door

Title Fight with Samsara and Barrier at Underworld - show starts at 20h and tickets are 8$

03/10:
Dragonette featuring Ruby Jean & the Thoughtful Bees and Diamond Rings at the Cabaret Juste Pour Rire - show starts at 20h and tickets are 15$ in advance, 17$ at the door

04/10:
Alexandre Désilets à Pop Montréal (Fédération Ukrainian) - le spéctacle commence à 20h - billets sont 25$

Beneath the Massacre with special guests at Underworld - show starts at 18h

05/10:
The Mars Volta at Metropolis - show starts at 20h and tickets are 35$

06/10:
Vampire Punk at le National - show starts at 20h and tickets are 22.50$ in advance and 25$ at the door

07/10:
Collective Soul with Crash Parallel at Club Soda - show starts at 20h and tickets are 30$ in advance, 32.50$ at the door

08/10:
Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions at le National - show starts at 20h30 and tickets are 23$ in advance, 25$ at the door

Mumiy Troll at Club Lambi - show starts at 20h30 and tickets are 15$

09/10:
Ska Fest 2009 featuring Kman & the 45s, Stop Drop, Blood & Fire and Ma at Petit Campus - show starts at 21h

L’indice avec Saint-Polaire et Vanesse Pariétaire au Il Motore - spéctacle commence à 21h et billets sont 8$

10/10:
(VERY IMPORTANT EVENT FOR A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE) Red October CD RELEASE at Underworld! I’m so excited for Ben and his gang, they’ve worked so hard on this album and are will be touring as of this month! This event starts at 19h and they will be joined by Trevor James and the Perfect Gentlemen, Everyone Everywhere (Victoria BC), The Fierce, and Str8jacket Luvaffair and tickets are 10$ - So be there!

Emilie Autumn at le studio juste pour rire - show starts at 20h30 and tickets are 15$

The Mission District with Marianas Trench at Sound Academy (TORONTO) - show starts at 7PM

Montreal Ska Festival featuring The Planet Smashers, Westbound Train, The Expos, Stepper, Danny Rebel & the KBG, and the Hangers at Club Soda - show starts at 18h and tickets are 22.50$

11/10:
Happy turkey weekend to you and all your families!

13/10:
Silversun Pickups with Cage the Elephant an Horse at Metropolis - show starts at 20h and tickets are 25$ in advanced, 27$ at the door

August Burns Red with special guests at Club Soda - show starts at 19h

14/10:
Brokencyde with the Ready Set, Kill Paradise, and Watchout There's Ghost at le studio juste pour rire - show starts at 20h and tickets are 15$

Straight Reads the Line with Sins Under City Lights, Four Feet and Fur, and a special guest at Underworld - show starts at 19h

15/10:
the Horros at Petit Campus - show starts at 21h and tickets are 17$

16/10:
Metric with the Stills at Metropolis - show starts at 20h and tickets are 27.50$ in advanced, 30$ at the door

17/10:
Metric with the Stills at Metropolis - show starts at 20h and tickets are 27.50$ in advanced, 30$ at the door

18/10:
It Dies Today with special guests at Underworld - show starts at 19h

The Airborne Toxic Event featuring the Henry Clay People - show starts at 20h30 and tickets are 17$

Flogging Molly with Inward Eye and Dean Lickyer at Metropolis - show starts at 20h and tickets are 27.50$ in advanced, 30$ at the door

19/10:
Moonspell with Divine Heresy, Books of Black Earth, Secrets of the Moon, and a special guest at Foufounes Electriques - show starts at 19h30

Dead Man's Bones at le National - show starts at 20h and tickets are 16.50$ in advanced, 18$ at the door

20/10:
The New Cities featuring Marianas Trench, Carly Rae Jepsen and the Mission District at Club Soda - show starts at 19h and tickets are 16$ in advance, 18$ at the door

In-Flight Safety/Library Voices with Julie Fader at Petit Campus - show starts at 20h and tickets are 12.50$ in advanced, 14$ at the door

21/10:
The Used with the Almost and Drive A at Metropolis - show starts at 20h and tickets are 27$ (includes digital download) in advanced, 28$ at the door

the Raveonettes with the Black Angels at Club Soda - show starts at 21h and tickets are 21$

23/10:
Beheading of a King with Today I Caught the Plague, A Dead Motion, Hunter City Madness, and Beneath All Innocence at Underworld - show starts at 19h

24/10:
Thievery Corporation with Ocote Soul Sounds at Metropolis - show starts at 20h and tickets are 45$

26/10:
Mum at le National - show starts at 21h and tickets are 23$ in advanced, 25$ at the door

28/10:
Gov't Mule at le National - show starts at 20h and tickets are 23.50$ in advanced, 27$ at the door

30/10:
Jay-Z at the Bell Center - show starts at 20h and tickets range from 39.50$-150$

31/10:
Have a great halloween everyone!

Cheers,

C.

The First of Many Distractions to Come

Well, it's currently 12:43AM and I'm blogging about something completely useless instead of working on this 800 word paper due in less than 48 hours. Definitely not a good start to the semester. I guess I'm procrastinating because no matter how many times I read the assignment details, it just doesn't make sense. It's one of those assignments where you know exactly what you're supposed to do, but the details are so poorly explained and easily contradicted that you end up staring at the page boggled while your brain feels like it's actually broken down.

For instance, this paper is supposed to analyze the surrounding advertisements in the areas you are more familiar with. You are supposed to explain how these ads affect the community surrounding them, discuss the idealized images, and give your own personal opinions about how you think the ads affect others. Simple. Yet, three lines down it says that this paper is to be written in a structured essay type style with an introduction, thesis, supporting arguments, and a conclusion. This is where the mind is going, "Sorry, I don't think I understand fully..." last I checked, you were never supposed to mention the word "I" in any sort of essay, unless it was a "reflection". If this were high school, I wouldn't bother freaking out over this assignment and I'd go about it just to have it done. But since it's university... well, let's just say the expectations are much higher.

Okay, it's been about ten minutes, I think I'm done. Let's hope this paper will make more sense in the morning!

Cheers,

C.