This Chick Is Bananas

The Love Keeps Growing

2012-02-08T21:19:00.001-05:00

Time for me to share my favourite iPhone apps of the moment.

1. KingCamera – This app has some of the best filters ever. Not only can you tweak things like contrast, saturation, etc. but there's pre-set gradients and overlay layers and stuff I don’t even know how to explain, all I know is that it makes my photos look PRETTEH. ;) I've had compliments quite a few of my creations with this app and that really says it all.

2. Frametastic – This is an app that allows you to stick multiple photos within various frame setups, which is especially nice if you don't want to spam your feed with a ton of really similar photos. I've been using this app in conjunction with Instagram a lot when I'm taking photos of my nails; I take one pic with flash and one without, but instead of posting both I just combine them together in one frame, then add a filter in Instagram and voila!

3. Forestville - My current game obsession! It's basically a spin-off of Farmville; you have to discover different species of animals and build a forest town by farming and building businesses. It's strangely addictive and incredibly cute, very kid friendly. My only major complaint with the game is that it's MASSIVELY GLITCHY. I can't even remember how many times I've been in the middle of restocking my shops when the game shuts down or gets stuck in a loop. So beware!

4. EEBA - The acronym stands for the Easy Envelope Budget Aid. It's an app that lets you set up your monthly (or weekly) budget, and then tracks how much you spend and how much money is left in your allocation as time goes by. Incredibly powerful and quite nifty! I haven't quite gotten into the nitty gritty of this app simply because I have an Excel spreadsheet I use for this stuff, but I can see right away how fantastic the app would be for those in need of a good tracking system.

5. Meernotes - A very simple app, but the best things in life are simple aren't they? This is basically a diary app; you choose your font and just start typing. The app also allows you to sort what you right into different coloured tabs, and if you want you can have multiple notebooks for multiple writings. Great for jotting down thoughts that come by, I can really see myself using this if I get back into writing my novel.

Bollywood Movie Review: Agneepath (2012)

2012-02-05T12:31:00.000-05:00

I don't usually watch Bollywood movies and have a whole lot to say about them, but for some reason my brain can't stop thinking about this movie. To start off, let me say that I liked it. It wasn't particularly spectacular or mind-blowing but I did find the movie to be enjoyable. Then again, I haven't seen the original Amitabh version, so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. ;)

If you don't want to be spoiled for the rest of the movie then I would suggest not reading forward! It's pretty long review too. Apparently I had more thoughts than I originally realized.

You could tell just by watching this movie that it was a remake of a 70s Amitabh movie, simply by virtue of the story/plot as well as Hrithik's acting method... STOIC VENGEFUL YOUNG MAN. Of course, Hrithik being Hrithik he also showed emotion as only he can: with those wonderfully wounded soulful eyes of his. Ahem. But I digress. Yes, great emotionality, especially anything concerning his family. The scene where he sits outside his mother's house wolfing down her food and confesses to Kaali that he's been waiting 15 years for his mother to love him is quite the tear-jerker. Hrithik does a great job of balancing Vijay's cold-hearted killing with the love he has for those close to him.

"I may be a stoic killer, but wait till you see me dance!"
Priyanka was enjoyable in the role of Kaali. She kept the peace and cheered Vijay up, and the audience laughed their assess off when she preened like a peacock or yapped away. I think she looked fantastic and her outfits were all pretty as well. The picturization for Gun Gun Guna was one of the best parts of the movie; I definitely wouldn't mind having it on a song DVD. And to be honest, when she suddenly died I was really sad, mostly because I thought: "she died before consummating her marriage with the hotness of Vijay? THERE IS NO HUMANITY!" :P But after the movie I watched the picturization for "O Saiyan" (which was cut from our version of the movie) and realized that they had consummated the relationship, so I was satisfied, hahaha.

"Pay no attention to my extremely botoxed lips!"
But without a doubt, the movie belonged to Sanjay Dutt. He was pure nightmare fuel as Kancha, a heartless monster who used the Bhagavad Gita to explain and rationalize his lack of morals. O_o That was one of the most interesting aspects of the movie actually, just seeing how the unquestioningly evil villain could twist Krishna's words about removing desire and attachment to attain bliss and enlightenment into a rationale for unchecked profiteering, power, and cruelty. Kancha was absolutely wacked out of his gourd and I still sort of don't believe that Vijay could have killed him because DID YOU SEE THE SIZE OF THAT GUY?

"We wants more cocaine, preciousssss..."
This review wouldn't be complete without mention of the songs, specifically Katrina Kaif's item number "Chikni Chameli". In my opinion: a big fat meh. The dancing wasn't that great and I don't even really like the song all that much. I feel like the combination of Katrina dancing for a song sung by Shreya didn't give the song that low-down dirrrty factor they were going for. Katrina does great item numbers, but she has a certain amount of sexy class when she does them. And Shreya's voice was just somehow too innocent sounding for a hot item number. I find it interesting that in this movie Shreya did a typical Sunidhi song and Sunidhi did a typically Shreya song (Gun Gun Guna).

"What I am doing in this movie? Even I don't know."
While we're on the topic of the songs, I just want to say that I really liked the song "Shah Ka Rutba", it's a great qawali and quite catchy. Actually, it's interesting that there's one mega-Muslim song (Shah Ka Rutba) and one mega-Hindu song (Deva Shree Ganesha) in the movie.

Some final thoughts. It was interesting to see Rishi Kapoor in such a horrible role, he played a great villain... I still haven't recovered from how he was trafficking those poor young girls, so disgusting! The movie had some great shots that I'd love to turn into desktop wallpaper too; the one that sticks out in my mind is when Lala is in the hospital and Vijay comes back to the head-quaters to sit in Lala's seat. The background is a dark green and there's a rich maroon blanket draped over the chair and the spotlight hits Hrithik just right... *_*

Alright, enough my gushing! As far as criticisms go, the one thing that I couldn't ignore is that movie has a very dated plot, but it's a remake so you can't really help that. It's a very long movie, almost three hours, and the first half seemed to drag a bit more than the second half. It was also quite a melodramatic movie, but again I sort of knew it was coming because Karan Johar directed it. ;)

Overall, I'd give this movie an 8.0/10. Solid movie with good songs and some awesome acting, just remember that you will basically be watching an overwrought 70s remake. ;)

Ring It In

2012-01-02T11:57:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! I hope everyone celebrated in their own appropriate way, whether it was a quiet night at home, a rocking dance club, or in my case a house party that featured a room where everyone was playing Rockband and a room where everyone was watching K-Pop videos on YouTube. :D

As it were, I have once again fallen down the K-Pop rabbit hole and have a few very lovely videos to share. Two are done in a very sleek, muted style while the other two are in a bright and boppy style. Love them all!

1. Girls' Generation (SNSD) - Gee

2. Brown Eyed Girls' - Abracadabra

3. HyunA - Bubble Pop!

4. HyunA & HyunSeung - Trouble Maker

Bonus music commentary: I saw Jessie J's new video Domino and it's like... dude are you sure someone didn't switch the audio out for a Katy Perry song?! WTF LOL.

Unbalanced

2011-12-07T11:17:00.001-05:00

Am I the only one who gets frustrated that my right shoe is always a little more worn out than my left shoe because it’s my right foot that shuffles between the pedals in my car and gets all scraped up? I bought some boots a little over two weeks ago and the right boot already has a scuffed bald patch on the back! Bah, the perils of being a frequent driver. It’s the asymmetry of the shoes being different, asymmetry has always bothered me. Maybe one of these days I’ll show some pictorial evidence. It really is unacceptable!

Put Yourself In The Corner!

2011-12-06T16:53:00.000-05:00

PEOPLE, we need to SIT DOWN and TALK. Why? Because this article exists: Anti-bullying bill a front for ‘sex education’ agenda, group says.

My first response: LOL. My second response: SIGH, where to begin? The crux of this article is a bunch of religious dweebs complaining that they don’t want kids to know that bullying their gay peers is wrong because learning about gay people will OMG TEACH THEM GAY PEOPLE EXIST or something? I don’t even know. But there was one particular quote that really got my beef.
There is a time and place for everything, said Rondo Thomas, of the Evangelical Association, but there is no “time and place” in an 8-year-old’s mind to try to make them conceptualize something beyond “tying their shoes.”
I can’t understand why someone would actually admit that they think kids are DUMB USELESS BABIES who CAN’T DO SHIT. It boggles the mind, especially when in fact children have a wonderful capacity to parse the world around them, much more than adults ever give them credit for. Of course they need guidance from parents and such but do people even realize how much an 8 year old understands about the world? It’s a lot yo. They’re pre-teens, not toddlers.

Can't Get Enough Of These Things!

2011-11-20T21:33:00.000-05:00

Enough time has passed that I believe it’s time for another episode of me suggesting what free iPhone apps y’all should download. I’ve got a few lovely ones to share today. My apologies if they are not free anymore. :P

1. Asteroid Blaster - I’ve always loved that game Asteroids; this updated version of the game released by Atari is a total gem, especially since it’s free. In addition to the game we all know and love, there’s the ability to unlock power ups, new sectors, and different ships. The learning curve gets very steep (I’m kind of stuck right now) but it’s so pretty and engaging that I’m willing to plug through with it.

2. Pocket Camera - I actually deleted Camera Sharp because I loved this new app so much! It has waaaaay more options than Camera Sharp ever had, like changing the metering and the focus, all kinds of resolution options, and of course the ability select timers and focus. Unfortunately I think this app is no longer free; I can only find it as Pocket Camera Pro in the iTunes store.

3. Snapseed - Aside from Instagram, this is my go-to photo editing app because of one special capability: CROPPING. It allows me to crop the image as I see fit, or even leave it in its native landscape/portrait orientation, as opposed to the perfect squares of Instagram. And for that, I thank it. It's also great for doing just minor fixes and tweaks on photos, when you don't want to get all artistic but just want a nice clear photo.

4. How Stuff Works - This free app is surprisingly awesome because it gives you access to host of amazing podcasts. As someone who is often stuck in a long commute, sometimes I switch the radio off and turn my iPhone up and listen to something from the Stuff Your Mother Never Told You series, a series that generall warms my little feminist heart. ;) Other rocking podcasts can be found under Stuff To Blow Your Mind and Stuff From The Future, but they're all brilliant really. Highly recommended for those of us who want to learn something interesting for 20 minutes. :)

5. Craftgawker - As a crafty crocheter, sometimes it pays to get creative inspiration from areas other than just crocheting, in which case I dip into the lovely visual distraction that is this app. It's basically just a pile of photos (with link) to all kinds of crafting projects online, from making your own buttons to a how-to on turning old tires into a retro kitsch lamp. :)

Damned Lies

2011-11-08T12:07:00.001-05:00

Every day I run into so many ridiculous gender misconceptions that it’s hard to keep them all straight. But there is something I really just want to put to rest right about now. Are y’all ready for it?

Fact: if a man holds his girlfriend or wife’s purse for two seconds, his penis will not, I repeat NOT, fall off or shrivel up.

I know, it’s a revolutionary thought!

I’m talking to you, DJs on my morning radio. Saying that a man holding his girlfriend’s purse is the height of boyfriend emasculation strikes me as preposterous hyperbole. And I’m talking to you, commercial for Wiserhood whisky. Comparing a woman’s purse to dog shit, wow, how nice of you, thanks for the heads up that you hold my personal belongings in so much contempt.

Seriously though, if you think a dude’s manhood is in question if he simply holds a sack of shiny jeweled plastic, you might want to rethink your beliefs about what really makes a man a man. You know, like compassion and kindness? Think about it.

Major Lazer

2011-10-10T22:16:00.001-04:00

So this past Friday, I got laser eye surgery! I've been dreaming about getting it since I was maybe 19 years old and it's always been something I've wanted to put my savings towards. The surgery itself went by ridiculously fast, even though I was kept waiting for about 3 hours the day of the surgery. The surgery itself wasn't even painful, just uncomfortable at times due to being blinded by bright and/or flashing lights. Oh, and then there was the part where I could smell the laser burning off my corneal flesh, ew. If anything, that was the grossest part. But otherwise? Easy peasy. The staff at the office kept asking: are you nervous? Do you want some Xanax? Hee. Naw, I was cool as a cucumber.

Initially things were pretty blurry and I wanted to keep my eyes closed a lot while sitting around and wearing protective sunglasses. There was also the complex system of eye drops I was required to take post-op; eye drops are never an issue for me but the steroid eye drops (to prevent inflammation) had a nasty freaking aftertaste that would drip down the back of my throat, causing me to go "BLECHHHHH I NEED FOOD TO WIPE AWAY THE GROSSNESS." ;) By the evening my eyesight had mostly returned and I was reading shit from meters away.

I woke up the next day with really dry eyes, but thankfully my intense regiment of eye drops fixed that. At my follow-up assessment, they told me my eyes were a vision (hah!) of perfect health and that my eyesight was at 20/15. I don't think I've ever been able to see that well. Ever! I've been wearing glasses since I was 8 years old, after all. This is probably the best I've ever been able to see in my entire life.

Right now, things are looking good. I've got a bit of eye dryness at night and in the morning, plus ghosting/starbursts when I look at bright lights at night, but typically those side effects fade away around 4 weeks after the surgery. I'm just watching that I don't rub my eyes (which is something I never realized I did all that much, but now that I can't do it I notice I want to do it A LOT), and I can't wear any eye makeup until my next post-op check up in a week. But it's stunning how quickly I've become a Person Who Can See Unaided. It's weird to wake up in the morning or be in the shower while being totally able to see everything, I keep wondering why the hell I'm wearing my contacts!

I'm sure I'll get used to it soon enough. :)

Imagine Life 10 Years From Now

2011-09-28T13:00:00.000-04:00

Last night I was talking with a friend about jobs and the market and education and he brought up a point that someone had raised at one of his management meeting. The point was this: when we were in high school and university, educators were trying to train us for jobs that didn’t exist yet. So by the time we’d entered the labour force, there was a slew of jobs for things we hadn’t even envisioned. I could see exactly where he was coming from… no one told me in high school that I could have specialized in CCS and HTML and become a web/graphic designer in my late 20s because the field basically didn’t even exist at that point. High school “computer class” involved antiquated programming languages and using Lotus 1-2-3. :P

And today, another friend of mine mentioned that her university was looking for a professor of Social Media. Seriously, SOCIAL MEDIA. A PROFESSOR. What kind of wonderful world are we living in!? ;) It’s a crying shame that there are some awesome careers out there that didn’t even exist three or four years ago, so there’s no real way for people above a certain age to get into them without taking time off for re-educating themselves.

Guess I'll Go Home And Make Chicken Fingers Instead

2011-09-20T16:37:00.000-04:00

Today, I felt like doing something interesting and different after work. I thought it might be a nice idea to take some random photos of trees and flowers in nearby parks, just as the leaves are starting to fall. I even began to google potential parks that are on my route home.

But then I thought: “What if something BAD were to happen to me? I don’t want that. And people would just say well you’re a petite, well-dressed woman, out on your own at dusk... you shouldn’t have been so reckless.”

So I’m not going. And THAT, my friends, is how the patriarchy works.

Gaming Changes Everything

2011-09-15T11:58:00.000-04:00

"When I had my daughter, my perspective and my lifestyle changed, but I did NOT feel that I fulfilled my role as a woman or whatever that old crap is. For me it was like *pop-up* [Achievement unlocked: Baby!]"

I don't know why but I CANNOT STOP LAUGHING AT THIS. Amazing metaphor hahaha!

Crash And Burn

2011-09-14T03:39:00.000-04:00

In the past couple months my computer has taken a turn for the worse. It all started when I upgraded to the latest version of Firefox and promptly hated everything about it. I ended up uninstalling it and going back to version 3.6 or so, and that’s when the problems started. Every five minutes, my browser would suddenly stop responding and start thinking really, really hard for a couple minutes before returning to normal. Needless to say, this sort of stop-and-go nonsense really ruined the flow of my internet experience, but I’m fortunate enough that I have an iPhone to supplement my online needs.

Alas, things have become worse. It came to my attention that it wasn’t just Firefox that was affected, but any internet browser on my computer (e.g. even IE had the same problem, and downloading Chrome or Safari wouldn’t be of any use). And since this past weekend, the ratio of “non-responsiveness” to “functional browser” has gone from 25 : 75 to 55 : 45. D: Honestly, I think I may have to reformat it once again, because Googling for a solution has just resulted in a lot of advanced gobbledygook that suggests Javascript is to blame.

It sucks. I don’t want to lose all my 6000+ songs and countless graphics all over again!

In other news, I was thinking of switching my blog from Blogger to Wordpress. I like the convenience of having Blogger tied in with my Google account, but on the other hand it makes me uneasy at the same time because, well. *points at tag*I also like how nicely you can customize your blog here, layout and image-wise. Just look at that lovely background pattern! But Wordpress is simply a lot more dynamic, easier to navigate and with more bells and whistles and customization options when it comes to privacy, security, and content promotion. That being said, as soon as I had thought about moving, Blogger decided to release its sleek new interface. So now I’m unsure what to do. I think I need to play around a bit more with the Blogger options before coming to a final decision.

Jack Layton = #WIN

2011-08-28T14:18:00.001-04:00

Goodbye To Canada's Champion For Social Justice

2011-08-24T19:45:00.003-04:00

I’ve been meaning to write a post about Jack Layton for a few days now, but I’m finding it hard to come up with anything meaningful without revealing my political practices and affiliations for all the internet to see. Let me just say that when I came in to work Monday morning and my coworker casually mentioned that he had passed away, my first reaction was "haha very funny". Then I realized she wasn’t joking. I was shocked, in disbelief, and immediately scurried online to see if it was true. Honestly, I felt somewhat betrayed by fate, that right when the NDP was poised to make some great changes to the arena, its champion was taken away so suddenly. It wasn’t fair that Layton would never be able to take his party to the heights he had dreamed and worked so hard for. But the nation-wide outpouring of grief and condolences showed me I wasn’t alone in feeling so bad, and then when his letter was released, so full of optimism and hope, it felt good knowing that even in the end, Layton reached out to the country and encouraged everyone to make his legacy come true.

I don’t know if the NDP will falter now without it’s charismatic leader. But I’ll be going to the state funeral on Saturday with a bottle of Orange Crush. I’ll be remembering the one time I met Jack Layton, a few years ago at Earth Hour. He was just part of the crowd at Yonge-Dundas Square, enjoying the atmosphere like any other citizen, while graciously taking the time to speak with anyone who approached him. We briefly chatted about Earth Hour and how we hoped it would be a success that year, and then he was off to a couple who wanted a photo with him.

Seems like only yesterday I was ROTFLing over Layton using the words "hashtag" and "bling-bling" during the national debate. He will be sorely missed.

Liberal Thoughts

2011-08-10T10:45:00.002-04:00

When parents neglect their children, we (rightly) call it criminal. When governments neglect their people, well, we might call it criminal if that government is a dark-skinned warlord who's stealing food intended for his country's starving citizens. But when a "civilized" government neglects to provide choices, resources, options for meaningful work, opportunities for participation in conversations about national needs and identity, cultural inclusion, some basic sense of being valued, to its citizens, we call that "democracy," and call criminal any display of frustration, despondency, rage at that grotesque injustice.

Read the whole post here at Shakesville, regarding the riots in London.

I Love My New Plaything

2011-07-25T21:57:00.004-04:00

Time for another episode of Apps I'm Using On My iPhone! As always, all the apps I share are free ones, so GO BANANAS, GO GO BANANAS. :)

1. iHome+Sleep - I use this as my main alarm now, screw that old school radio-clock! Not only does it allow you to create multiple alarms that can repeat in specific intervals, you can pick your wake-up (and go-to-sleep music). Plus, the app tracks your sleeping patterns and monitors hours and gives you nifty stats as a result!

2. Tiny Tower - Such an addictive game! Basically, it's like Sim Tower. You build residential apartments to move your "bitizens" in, then build different kinds of stores and services that they can work in and earn you money, so that you can build more apartments and stores... very Tower of Babel, LOL. ;)

3. Camera Sharp - I don't use the default camera app for the iPhone, I use this wonderful thing. It gives you so many added options like the ability to select where the image focuses on, what the exposure of the image is, timed photography, anti-shake options, and more. Seriously, I swear by this app, it makes all my photos look so much better for when I use them for the next app...

4. Instagram - A fun little app that allows you to run your photos through a bunch of lovely filters, then share them on Twitter and Facebook. I pretty much swear by this app, it's a great way to share snapshots of your life and see what creative things your friends can do too! :)

5. Hi-Def Radio - I like listening to the radio in the morning but I hate how morning radio has all those annoying DJs with insipid and generally rage-inducing things to say. So I've downloaded this app and every morning it's either the dance/trance station from Germany, my anime music station from Japan, or a Bollywood station from France of all places, hahaha. Non-stop good music makes my morning. :)

Two Fresh Beats For Ya

2011-07-07T19:14:00.002-04:00

Have discovered a few fun songs since my vacation from the UK but I'm going to just share my favourite two. First off, this sexy-fun tune by Nicole Scherzinger.

Oh man, girl can dance. Can I please have her dancing skills? And her swag? And her body? Oh my god. Also, upon watching this video in fullscreen 720p I noticed that one of her background dancers is Kim from SYTYCD Canada! HI KIM! You're doing well for yourself, I see! ;D Love that it's just a bunch of girls dancing in this video, they look so joyful and happy.

Then I saw this video courtesy of Kelly Rowland.

There are so many things to like about this video: the purple lipstick, the slick choreography, Kelly dancing in black combat boots and not heels, the men who must have come straight from the Usher School Of Sculpted Dancers. PURE LOVE. Make mama proud indeed. ;)

This Friday Night... Do It All Again

2011-06-09T21:34:00.003-04:00

I have so many great songs I could share with you right now (by bands such as Two Door Cinema Club or The Roots or Starslinger or Lykke Li) but instead I'm going to share this:

Yes, I'm listening to this on repeat, despite the fact that I really love the other songs I have now. It's just... THIS SONG. OMG. I LOVE POP MUSIC. <333

Old Post Is Old

2011-06-05T18:13:00.004-04:00

From: http://www.safercampus.org/blog/2011/06/rihannas-man-down-stirs-controversy/ "...media watchdog groups such as Mothers Against Violence and the Parents Television Council are organizing to ban "Man Down" because, according to a spokesperson from the Parents Television Council, Rihanna should be "telling victims they should seek help" instead of "[releasing] a music video that gives retaliation in the form of premeditated murder.""

Listen, I don't condone violence. But can I point out that the film "Horrible Bosses", a movie about three white dudes who deal with their workplace difficulties by deciding to kill their bosses instead of complaining to human resources, is getting a wide release all over North America and no one's saying boo about it at all? Also, has anyone watched Law & Order: SVU lately?? No one's getting uppity about a whole SHOW about women being subjected to domestic violence there. (Well, except the feminists pointing out we live in a culture that celebrates that kind of thing.)

The hypocrisy, it burns us precious. Rihanna has the right to do whatever the hell she wants. Quite frankly, I find her video for "Man Down" refreshing.

Viva La Revolución!

2011-05-10T18:42:00.007-04:00

As of this month, I am now the proud owner of the iPhone 4. It's a nifty piece of technology to say the least, very dynamic and powerful. But as I troll through articles upon articles recommending the best apps to download, I'm struck by the fact that a lot of them work best if you're in the US. Aww, us Canucks, we just can't get a break. ;) So I thought I'd give a rundown of some of my current favourite apps, apps that do their thing and do their thing well even for a Canadian like me. Bounus feature: all of the following apps are FREE!

Wunderlist - Yes yes, go ahead and say it in an enthusiastic German accent. ;) One of the things I've been planning to do with my iPhone is turn it into the replacement for my pen and paper day-planner, and with this app dovetailing with the default calendar app, I'm able to list all the things I need to eventually do or look into or buy. It's a very pretty looking app too, which is a big thing for me. ;)

Miner Speed - Game app! Another free one and granted there's not much to it, but I still find it addictive. It's basically Bewjeweled with a few tweaks, swap the jewels to make them disappear, get yourself a high score. You get coins depending on how well you score and you can use these coins to buy (very expensive) power-ups. I find myself playing incessantly so that I can save up the cash to get as many power-ups as possible.

SoundHound - I actually have both this app and Shazaam, which had never let me down when I used it on another person's iPhone. But I've had a couple instances recently where Shazaam was at a loss and SoundHound pulled through, therefore it's the one getting my seal of approval. Hear a song you like and want to know about it? Turn on SoundHound and it'll identify it for you! Better yet, heard a song you liked? Just hum and SoundHound will figure that one out too!

Gas Price Canada - Fairly timely, don't you think? Want to know whether you should fill up your tank now or tomorrow? Pick your city and this app will tell you how the price of gas will change from today to tomorrow. Absolutely brilliant. I just wish I had checked this app before I left work yesterday. *facepalm*

Apps that disappointed me - Redlaser (doesn't always work and when it does, prices are only in $US), Angry Birds (okay, so I couldn't pass the second level, I might be a bit biased), Springpad (decent but not as pretty as Wunderlist).

Apps I might try - Epicurious, Weather Channel, and BlogTO.

Sharing Is Caring

2011-04-15T21:18:00.001-04:00

I feel like doing a "Thingie Of The Month" type thing right now. You know, just a random little bit of promotion for things that have caught my interest.

TV Show - Maybe you should check out The Borgias? I caught the second episode on TV last weekend and was pleasantly surprised by how interested I was in the plot, considering that the show is definitely NOT my typical cup of tea. Usually I'm watching shows about science or modern supernatural phenomenon, not Euro-centric historical drama.

Food - Y'all there are some weird potato chip flavours out there. Last time I as at Loblaws I was in the chips aisle and was bombarded by a range of tastes that I totally don't associate with chips. But I was curious and tried the chips here: Sicilian Lemon Chicken. It's a decent flavour; frankly it's too much lemon and salt for me and not enough chicken, hahaha. Next time, I'm going to buy the pizza chips. Or maybe the hot dog ones. :P

Song - I bring to you the song "Teenage Crime" by Adrian Lux. It's a club song, but it's a mellow club song, the kind of song I love cranking up as I'm driving alone in my car. Check it out!

Peaking Out

2011-03-11T19:38:00.000-05:00

"Ultimately, there really are only two options. One is to militarize the taking of oil, which means to get your population to understand that if they want to continue to drive SUVs and have the cars and consume energy in the way that they are, that they will be in war after war. The other position is to begin to prepare for what we all see coming, which is and end to the era of cheap oil, and to to invest in alternative technologies for energy that are cleaner, safer, and have less detrimental effects on the political and social make up of oil exporting countries themselves."

Watching this movie (A Crude Awakening) makes me envision a totally dystopian future where horrible ethical and moral atrocities are committed in the name of oil consumption. Kind of like when the vampires run out of a a blood supply in that movie Daybreakers. :P I'm actually feeling kind of glad to be alive at this time in human history, because it looks like the use of fossil fuels is pretty much the reason the human race has made such leaps and bounds in the past couple centuries. As Bender would say: "We're boned."

Full Of Warm Food And Happy-Making Music

2011-03-09T20:44:00.001-05:00

Say it with me, Torontonians... "Lousy Smarch weather!"

On a day like this it's no wonder my motivation to spent time out in the world was especially low. Therefore, the evening was spent making homemade tuna bisque, plus I started watching A Crude Awakening. Things I have learned tonight: butter makes everything delicious, and never underestimate the power of human rapacity.

In any case, it's time to enjoy a new song. I bring thee some Canadian content, a new Danny Fernandes song called 'Take Me Away'. LOL @ his vision of Toronto in the future.

Did I mention there is a BENNY BENASSI REMIX of this already lovely song?! Oh yes, there is. Enjoy, my pretties. :D

Don't Forget The Lyrics

2011-02-18T15:55:00.005-05:00

In the heat of love, I can feel you touch me places.
Can you warm it up? Till I'm never cold.
You're the only one that my burning heart desires.
And it's just begun; let the fire grow.

I wanna feel your moonlight turn to sun, wanna feel the morning come.
Wanna feel your fire.
I wanna feel your winter turn to spring, wanna feel that summer rain.
Wanna feel your fire.

My body’s hot, I need you to break my fever.
And don’t you stop, I’m getting close.
Take me in your arms, can you feel my heartbeat racing?
It’s a five-alarm; burn out of control.

I wanna feel your moonlight turn to sun, wanna feel the morning come.
Wanna feel your fire.
I wanna feel your winter turn to spring, wanna feel that summer rain.
Wanna feel your fire.

I’m not yours and you’re not mine,
But we can sit and pass the time
No fighting wars, no ringing chimes,
We’re just feeling fine
This is where we’re supposed to be,
Sitting by a broken tree
No tragedy, no poetry,
Just staring at the sky

I could wait a thousand hours,
Stay the same in sun and showers
Pick apart a hundred flowers
Just to be quiet
Tell me when you feel ready
I’m the one, there’s not too many
Hold my hand to keep me steady
Just to be quiet with you

I like it here beside you, dear
You’re even more than you appear
And in the clouds my head is clear
Every time you say hello
Here’s my heart and here’s my mouth
And I can’t help if things come out
Cause there are words I want to shout
But maybe I’ll stay low

I could wait a thousand hours,
Stay the same in sun and showers
Pick apart a hundred flowers
Just to be quiet
Tell me when you feel ready
I’m the one, there’s not too many
Hold my hand to keep me steady
Just to be quiet with you

Best Finished Object Yet!

2011-02-06T17:58:00.003-05:00

Wasn't feeling so well this weekend so I ended up spending lot of time in bed or on the couch. And since I didn't feel like reading, I took the opportunity to start a new crochet project. I decided on a pair of fingerless mittens in maroon and I can't believe how beautifully they turned out!

When I finished the actual mitts I realized the body looked kind of wonky at the end of the rounds, so I decided to cover it up with a flower. But the flower pattern I chose had a hole in the middle too big to be covered up with a nice little button (my original plan) so I ended up sewing in some small jewels that fell off one of my shirts, LOL.

Massive Music Post Of Massiveness!

2011-01-07T21:50:00.005-05:00

I am BRINGING THE THUNDER tonight, ladies and gents! Prepare your auditory canal for some serious funtiems. :D

1. Flo Rida ft. Akon - Who Dat Girl

SHUT YOUR FACE, this is my theme song right now. :P

2. Keshia Chante - Table Dancer

Again, shut your piehole! I actually didn't like this song when I saw the video on TV, but when you're not distracted by how sexed-up Keshia Chante has become (or KIM AND MELANIE FROM SYTYCD CANADA OMG!) the song is actually really good.

3. David Guetta ft. Rihanna - Who's That Chick

LOL, first "Who Dat Girl" and now "Who's That Chick"? Originality fail! ;) As always, David Guetta delivers!

4. Metric - Help I'm Alive (Twelves Remix)

A coworker introduced me to Twelves remixes, predicting I would dig them. She was right. I love Metric and especially this particular song, but this is really well done!

5. Crookers - We Are Prostitutes

A song I acquired from a friend; dance remix of a anti-capitalist punk song? YES PLEASE!

6. Arnej - We Need Them (Club Mix)

Best for last: a song that a friend actually sent me as a "birthday present", hahaha. This song... speaks to me. Listening to it actually makes my soul expand, like I'm connected to the rest of the universe. I must have been a raver in a past life or something. Interestingly enough, Arnej also has a song called They Need Us, which is kind of the doppelganger of this song.

Ringing In The Season

2010-12-11T16:49:00.007-05:00

This past week was the office Christmas party, which was so amazingly fun! One of the things that surprised me the most is how the CEO actually went out and bought every single employee a personalized present, so very thoughtful. :)

I got a bunch of fantastic DVDs:

Glenn Close! I love her, and I've heard good things about this documentary.

This is actually three films in one package: Manufactured Landscapes (ZOMG I've wanted to see that since forever), A Crude Awakening, and The Refugees of the Blue Planet.
All in all, so amazing, even if environmentalist documentaries isn't the first thing I would have picked for myself, hahahaha. The CEO actually apologized for not asking us beforehand like he usually does every year, which is probably why he didn't get me something more appropriate like a book on, say, string theory. ;)

The Stuff Movies Are Made Of

2010-12-05T10:28:00.007-05:00

You guys have to hear about the dream I had last night!

In this dream I was back in university, going to school at Ryerson, but one of my current coworkers was my best friend and we hung out together. We were walking around downtown and we came upon a period movie being filmed, and we spontaneously decided to sneak in by posing as craft services or something like that. We walk in carrying these big pitchers of water we snagged and then we end up sitting at a table chatting to all these high and mighty British actors when security realized we were gate crashers and grabbed us to escort us off the set. So we got thrown out and we had a laugh about it but as we were walking away down the sidewalk, I felt like someone, maybe security, was following us.

Eventually we made our way into the subway and when we got down there, we realized there was some sort of political protest going on. I believe there were people actively protesting Rob Ford's motion to destroy Transit City. :P Anyway, I got really into it and started leading the rally with all kinds of loud chants when a bunch of conservative jerks took offense and shoved me while I was on the subway platform. I stumbled and fell onto the very edge of the platform and if I had leaned back I would have fallen onto the tracks and gotten electrocuted or whatever. But just as I teetered on the edge, the guy who had been following me from the movie set appeared from out of the crowd. I told him to help me and he pulled me away from the edge.

The guy was none other than this fine gentleman:

Oh my gosh Mos Def I love you!
So after he saved my freaking life, Mos Def offered me his arm and said he'd escort me home. He told me how he'd been watching me sneak into the movie set and thought I was awesome for being so ballsy. I pretty much spent the entire walk home looking at him like this:

And then I was suddenly sitting in class with a surprise test I hadn't studied for. Eventually I just threw the test in the garbage and left the classroom, hahahaha.

Shake Your Body Down To The Ground

2010-11-24T22:58:00.001-05:00

What up y'all? Music video post time!

First off, Kylie Minogue being utter fabulous in 'Get Outta My Way'. LOVE THIS WOMAN SFM.

Next, Stromae's 'Alors On Danse'. French has never sounded so freaking awesome and the video is just so European, love it.

And finally, one the greatest videos I have ever laid eyes on: 'Lonely's Lunch' by You Say Party. India + sci-fi dystopia + interesting female lead = WIN WIN WIN!

Where's That Flying Car I Was Promised Twenty-Five Years Ago?

2010-11-08T20:08:00.005-05:00

I'm pretty sure the reason I do not post more often is because the only thing I have to say these days is stuff like: "I AM GOING TO NUKE THE DAMN 401 FROM OUTER SPACE." Seriously. I've been a Toronto driver for five and a half years and it just gets more and more frustrating with every passing year somehow.

Crooks And Liars

2010-10-26T21:32:00.001-04:00

Okay, well, needless to say I’m disappointed but unsurprised that Ford is now mayor of Toronto. Politics are so disheartening. I find that what’s happening up here is very similar to how I feel about politics in America as well. I don’t want to vote for the Conservative party, so I vote for the Liberals, but the problem is that ideologies aside, both parties are corrupt as hell and drunk on power and waste no time in screwing over the people.

I was going to say that I should run for city councilor because I know that I could do a way better job than the rest of these heartless monkeys, but then I realized that I live in a city full of greedy idiots. Clearly, I need to drive around in a van all day long, passing out feminist pamphlets in the hopes that my brothers and sisters finally WAKE UP. :P

Would You Stay Mine From Dawn Till Night

2010-10-25T20:29:00.004-04:00

I hope my neighbours aren’t sick of Alex Gaudino yet; this past weekend was only the beginning. LOL.

I also seem to be feeling a lot of Rihanna lately. I’ve discovered this new song of hers that features my man Drake, called “What’s My Name”. (Note: all the versions on YouTube are sped up or slowed down, this one is sped up.)

Finally there’s the Rihanna song that’s all over the radio right now, “Only Girl (In The World)”. I actually didn’t like the song much when I heard it on the radio, but I saw the video on the weekend and it struck me as so joyful yet frantic too, somehow sensual and innocent at the same time, like she’s created a visual interpretation of what falling in love feels like. Kudos to her, I love it.

I can’t wait to play this song on Audiosurf. Perhaps tonight. Perhaps this instant, since I have the mayoral elections results already and now know that Toronto is (as I suspected) full of GREEDY IDIOTS. *headdesk*

My Thoughts...

2010-10-23T09:56:00.002-04:00

... on the Toronto election, summarized in three words.

Yep, that about says it.

Too bad I think he's going to win. :(

Random Encounters With The Beauty-Industrial Complex

2010-09-29T10:34:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I went to the mall after work to pick up some gray tights. As I was going from store to store, searching for something that fit the bill, I ran into a man who was giving out free samples of something. I automatically associate free samples with food, so I picked up the cup only to find it was hand cream, not a snack. Still, free hand cream isn’t all that bad. But that’s when he started his pitch.

Him: “Oh, are those your natural nails?”

Me: “... Yes.”

Him: “Then I simply have to show you something! Come over to our booth and I’ll show you.”

So I walk over there, no idea what he’s going to do, when he tells me to hold out my right hand. He then busts out this buffing block and starts filing the surface of my thumbnail, going on and on about their patented smoothing system that gets rid of lines and ridges until your nails are shiny and smooth.

Him: *finishes* “Well, isn’t it shiny?”

Me: “Well, yeah, it is shiny.”

Him: “So what do you think of our product?”

At this point I was sorely tempted to reply with: “Ugh, it isn’t enough that women have to worry that our hair isn’t glossy enough, that our skin isn’t flawless enough, that our waist lines are not small enough, that our boobs are not big enough, that our eyelashes are not thick and lustrous enough, that our lips are not luscious and plump enough... we have to worry that our fricking nails are not smooth enough?! Stop enabling the patriarchy!”

But I doubt that would have gone down very well, so I told him the other truth, that I actually really don’t like the sensation of something rough or textured rubbing against the surface of my nail, it weirds me out and is vaguely uncomfortable. I walked away then, relieved that he wasn’t going to buff my nails any further.

Unfortunately, it’s the next day and now I can’t get over the fact that I have One Really Smooth & Shiny Nail. The asymmetry is driving me nuts! :P

Sitting On Top Of The World, Watching The Stars Go By

2010-09-19T23:22:00.000-04:00

Is it wrong that viewing this page made me actually salivate? Can you blame a girl? A new Benny Benassi song (itself worth drooling over) remixed by the likes of Alex Gaudino, Fedde le Grand, and EDX? Blisssssss!

The Classics Are Classic For A Reason

2010-08-11T22:26:00.001-04:00

Oh my god, why have I not posted the video for this dance song yet?! It's the very epitome of what a good dance song video should be. I present to you: 'Another Chance' by Roger Sanchez.

Moral of the story: people with big hearts suffer for it because everyone else is afraid of love.

Opa!

2010-08-08T20:38:00.003-04:00

I don't have the patience to describe my Taste of the Danforth experience, so I'll let some photos do the talking instead.

I Hope I'm Not Wrong, That'd Be Embarrassing

2010-08-08T11:11:00.005-04:00

Interesting... I went to look up the lyrics for the song 'The Five Ghosts' by Stars and lo and behold, Google could not provide. Therefore, I'm going to attempt to write up the lyrics myself, despite the fact that I am notorious bad at mishearing lyrics.

The Five Ghosts by Stars

When I was a little girl
The world was small to me
All the light in my life
Filtered softly through the trees

The shadows in the photographs
Five ghost who followed me
I was only truly frightened once
They called my name and said they wanted me

Oh, what a beautiful day to try to die
Oh, how whole for one sweet second
Without the eye, the eye, the eye, the eye
x2

When I grew in age and fame
And traveled through the world
All the rivers of the city
Like flags of blue unfurled

Me, pressed against a railing
Me, taken to a room
Me, waking in the morning
Dark with a sense of coming doom

Oh, what a beautiful day to try to die
Oh, how whole for one sweet second
Without the eye, the eye, the eye, the eye
x2

Now I have grown old
And all my grace and beauty gone
Five ghosts surround my garden
I don't tell them to move on

I walk deeper into shade now
That dappled light again
I see you standing at the gate
My one and only friend

Oh, what a beautiful day to try to die
Oh, how whole for one sweet second
Without the eye, the eye, the eye, the eye
x2

Whoa, Unexpected!

2010-08-04T22:05:00.002-04:00

Oh hey, I hear Prop 8 was overturned! Good times for my Cali peeps.

In commemoration, a happy song about love: Lollipop by Mika.

Cheers, y'all.

Dark Clouds Can't Stop Me!

2010-07-26T21:23:00.006-04:00

This past Saturday I went to Lilith Fair, thereby fulfilling one of my life goals: seeing Sarah McLachlan live in concert! Me and a friend showed up at Molson Amphitheatre at 3 PM and faced the worst kind of pouring rain ever. We had ponchos and umbrellas, but we also had lawn seats so there was nothing to really protect us from the elements. Thankfully, it wasn't cold at all and the experience was generally fun and Woodstockian (for lack of a better term). We set up camp in front of the main stage (in the lawn seats) and had a clear view of BMO field, so we pretty much watched the TFC game live. But since we were at the main stage, we didn't get to see any of the side acts.

Amazingly, just as the main stage acts started the weather let up a bit!

The performers on the main stage were Court Yard Hounds, Chantal Kreviazuk, Lights, Mary J. Blige, and Sarah McLachlan. Of course they were all awesome, but I was surprisingly most impressed by Mary J. Blige. I say surprisingly because I've already seen her in concert, so I wasn't expecting anything I hadn't already seen before. But she not only busted out her best songs, but she also did One Love and STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN by Led Zepplin ZOMG. It was unreal. She had so much emotion and love for the crowd, I loved it.

Sarah was amazing of course. The moment she got on stage, I started screaming "DO ICE CREAM!!" hahahaha. She ended up doing it for the encore, which was amazing. I think I actually strained my vocal cords while singing the harmony for all her songs, LOL.

It was nearly 11:30 PM by the time we got out of Ontario Place; felt like I'd been hit by a mack truck the next morning, hahaha. Such a fun time. :)

Get Into It!

2010-07-26T20:52:00.000-04:00

Today's musical subject is local band Elliott Brood. They apparently play "death country". Sounds more east coast than country to me, which is probably why I find it palatable. Here are three songs of theirs that I like best.

You're Waiting For A Train

2010-07-22T20:03:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, I saw Inception. And I loved it more than I have loved a movie in a very long time. One of the things I liked best about the movie was the soundtrack, which I had to have. As it were, I have Thinky Thoughts regarding it. First, a few general comments:

- Apparently, Hans Zimmer scored the movie without having seen it; he just a brief summary of the story as Nolan told him. This is mind-blowing. Zimmer is a freaking genius.

- Specific attributes I enjoyed in the soundtrack include: use of rock guitar within orchestral structure, and creating music based on a few repeated notes and motifs, as opposed to the bold, epic stuff like Zimmer did with Gladiator. Which is another soundtrack I love, but it's very different.

- Every song is subtly creepy; Nolan originally wanted movie to be a horror film and it shows.

Of course, I have Thinky Thoughts about each song on the track. Be warned, HUGE SPOILERS approacheth! I kind of just went free-form, stream-of-consciousness with how each song made me feel/remember.

Half-Remembered Dream - strains of Time at the end, only made haunting. Short track, not much to say about it, but it sets the tone.

We Built Our Own World - unforgivably tragic, it reminds me of limbo; I see Cobb and Mal making sandcastles, I see him and Ariadne walking through dead streets. It reminds me of Mal holding a knife and Cobb taking it away.

Dream Is Collapsing - FRIGGING AMAZING, guitars alongside violins making magic. Sounds like time is running out, like things are unraveling, like fighting in zero-gravity, like a cascade of kicks that must be perfectly timed, like IMPENDING DOOOOOOM. So powerful.

Radical Notion - like a mixture of Dream Is Collapsing and We Built Our Own World; tragic but tense at the same time. Sounds like carefully planning out the inception in the latter half of the song, or when they're deciding on their next move in level 1, maybe even the initial heist with Saito.

Old Souls - Dreamy and nostalgic but shaky and edgy somehow too, happier times between Mal and Dom in limbo, or "you know where to find me", the children locked up in memories. Also, Ariadne manipulating and creating for the first time. For some reason, it reminds me of music from Shenmue taken to a whole new level.

528491 - CREEPIEST SONG ON THE SOUNDTRACK. Starts off vaguely disconcerting with rushed tenseness but the end is freaking terrifying. WHEN DOES THAT PART HAPPEN IN THE MOVIE I NEED TO KNOW. When the water bursts in at the beginning? When the train rams through level 1? NO IDEA.

Mombasa - Killer track, screams precision and 'action sequence', Cobb running through crowded streets and Arthur kicking ass on the way to the elevator. Use of electric guitar = A++ awesome; possibly the most fun track on the OST.

One Simple Idea - This is all Cobb doing the Mr. Charles gambit, everyone watching and waiting and hoping Fischer's militarized mind doesn't turn on them. Not the most memorable track, IMHO.

Dream Within A Dream - initially a callback to Dream Is Collapsing, but the orchestra sounds a lot more electronic somehow. Then it turns into a creepy version of Time. Really captures the essence of all the inception scenes, from jumping off buildings to kidnappings to the van flying off the bridge.

Waiting For A Train - reminiscent of Old Souls. This track is fairly long and quiet, Cobb remembering Mal or telling Ariadne exactly what happened. The hotel room scene, Mal jumping, especially at the end when things are still dreamy, but sad and nightmarish sounding. And then, non, je ne regrette rien, back to fighting in a hallway or shooting armed men on a snowy mountain, the dream is collapsing.

Paradox - Quiet, so quiet, walking down decrepit streets while tombs tower around you, slits of sunlight peeking between each structure, happy memories and creations that have decayed with time, and somewhere inside this world she's waiting for him. I know it has nothing to do with the paradox scene with Ariadne and Arthur, but that's what the music reminds me of.

Time - Oh this track, it moves me so. It's definitely the Cobb/Mal love theme. They are the heart of this movie. This song is epic and moving and tragic and hopeful all at the same time, so much done with eight little notes. Beautiful pace, beautiful simplicity and complexity, effective use of guitar, and randomly creepy ending that gives you a jolt like the final scene of the movie.

In conclusion: GO SEE INCEPTION. ;D

Lyrically Local

2010-07-20T14:08:00.001-04:00

Okay, in the song Unthinkable by Alicia Keys featuring Drake, when Drake says "we can roll around the city while you finally decide"... I know he's talking about cruising in a car, but I cannot get the mental image of two Samus balls literally rolling through a city, hahahaha.

Speaking of Canadian musicians, a coworker linked me to the new video for the song Meet Me In The Basement by Broken Social Scene: chock full of front-line G20 action and political statements. Check it out!

And since we're on the topic, have I shared my love for Hail The Villain yet? If you're into hard rock, DO check them out.

Coming soon: insanely spoiler-filled thoughts on the Inception soundtrack. Eeeeee!

Welcome To My Hood

2010-07-09T18:48:00.002-04:00

CP24 has confirmed that an arrest has been made in a sausage tampering case, which is believed to be in connection to incidents in late May and June.

An arrest was made at a Loblaws store on Dundas and Bloor Streets. Toronto police say the arrest is believed to be in connection with food tampering cases involving Piller's Polish Sausage.

AAUUGHH I SHOP AT THAT LOBLAWS ALL THE TIME. D: But thankfully I don't eat Piller's. Or polish sausage. Yay?

Today: A Story

2010-07-05T19:26:00.002-04:00

Just as I was winding down at the office today, I decided to check the CBC website for my daily dose of Canadian news and saw that there were reports of the power going out in Toronto's downtown core. I thought: "Self, it's a good thing you don't travel down the Lakeshore to get home anymore. Cause that would suck."

Famous last words!

I get on the highway at the 404 and Sheppard to head home only to find that my exit to the 401 has come to a complete stop. Hazarding that some kind of accident has happened, I switch over to the DVP south instead. And lo, there was indeed some kind of massive accident that had caused the entire westbound 401 express to be closed off. So I missed a bullet that way, but I knew I was still in for some pain because I was heading directly through the heart of Toronto, where none of the stop lights were working. :(

Most of the intersections on the Lakeshore were being directed by police but still... INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATINGLY SLOW. But when I went to take my usual "EFF YOU LAKESHORE" detour, I suddenly found myself surrounded by really high fences, concrete barriers and a massive grandstand hahaha! I was basically racing through the Indy track all on my own and although I wasn't going very fast, it was still hilariously awesome. It was like a real life Gran Turismo, LOL.

By the time I got to my subdivision, I assumed all was well because the stop lights were working at all nearby intersections. But when I drove into the parking garage, I was treated to some extremely weaksauce emergency lighting and basically pitch black darkness, because the power was out in my complex. Turning my high beams on in the underground did NOTHING. And then when it was time to get out of the car, I couldn't see A THING! Like I said, PITCH BLACK. It was like a real life Resident Evil, as I strafed and stumbled towards the tiny, tiny sliver of light in the distance that indicated where the exit was.

Thankfully, the power came back on half an hour later, so I have air conditioning and a functional fridge. And that was my day.

OH TORONTO NO

2010-06-26T20:21:00.004-04:00

Thank god I fled the city this weekend. Good lord.

From CBC's Amber Hildebrandt, who has been in the crowds speaking to the protestors and the curious:

Beyond the masses of protesters and police and media, there is the contingent of curious onlookers, both citizens and tourists alike, who either get caught up in the madness or seek it out.

Finding it is not hard. Not only because following Twitter makes it exceedingly easy to track down the hot zones, but also because the entire downtown core has become a demonstration or standoff waiting to happen. Listen closely and you will hear the cop walkie talkies screech the latest news or you'll see a protester waving people in the "right" direction.

Among the people I have met are a 16 year old who secretly came down to the protest by the security fence and an 80 year old woman on Bay who asked the riot police to let her through to go to the pharmacy (the answer was no). She simply sat down on her walker to wait it out, unperturbed by the protesters shouting expletives at the riot police in front of her. She mumbled something about them not having money, but having too much time.

I also met a trio of tourists from Cincinnati in Toronto for three days, who had no idea the G20 was here... Until they arrived this afternoon and noticed Pearson airport was abuzz with unusual activity.

Joan Blumberg, 71, said she came down with her friend Nancy and Nancy's daughter, Martha, for a fun-filled weekend and decided to check out some of the action at Wellington Street and Simcoe, where police were evacuating folks away from the fence.

"I keep thinking about the criticism the police are gettig for not taking charge. But it doesn't look that way to me. I appreciate the restraint," said Blumberg.

Viola Baker will have a lot to tell her friends on Monday morning. The nine-year-old got to watch the action on Queen Street as riot police rushed to cordon off the streets leading north.

Standing on Beverley Street with her dad, Jeff, she said, "it's kinda scary but exciting at the same time."

Her dad, who works in film post-production, says he wanted to bring her out to show what a protest was really like. They live nearby on Grange Ave. and were just leaving a birthday party when they decided to drop by.

"(My dad) wants me to know what a real protest looks like so he's just trying to teach me," she said.

Baker, 47, said he wouldn't have brought his daughter if he felt they were in danger. "As soon as they start coming I'm outta here."

New Layout! Also, Check Out "My" Olympic Gold Medal!

2010-06-14T21:07:00.006-04:00

Not as fancy as the last one, but at least the posting section of the blog is wider than before, which was severely hampering my style. NEVER AGAIN.

To commemorate, I shall share a picture:

Me and my sister holding a couple of Vancouver gold medals! They belong to ice dancers Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir, who we saw on Saturday at their celebratory parade in Ilderton. As a matter of fact, Scott's the one taking the picture. :)

It's Such A Great Word... FISTICUFFS!

2010-06-04T19:35:00.004-04:00

I have discovered my new favourite song. You should listen to it too; the lyrics include use of the word "fisticuffs"!

And I know exactly why I like this song too; it sounds exactly like something that Metric would come up with, hahaha.

Sanity: By iPod

2010-06-01T18:48:00.003-04:00

DEAR TORONTO ROADS:

I HATE YOU. I HATE YOUR LANES AND DRIVERS AND HORRIBLE STOPLIGHTS THAT TURN RED THE MOMENT I GET APPROACH THEM. WHY ARE YOU MAKING MY COMMUTE GO FROM AN HOUR TO AN HOUR AND A HALF THIS WEEK?

LOL, yes, commuting has been weirdly BAD this week. Every time I see a license plate that isn't from Ontario, I yell "GET OUT OF MY PROVINCE!" hahaha. Today, I was stuck behind a car with Minnesota plates and yelled "GO BACK TO AMERICA!". SO glad to be working from home tomorrow. :)

Building Bonanza

2010-05-29T20:28:00.008-04:00

I can't believe it's been a year since I went last, but this weekend was Doors Open once more. And this time, I brought my camera. Wooooo! I started off a little late in the day, so I only had the chance to see 4 buildings, but I'm happy with what I saw.

1. Canada's National Ballet School

The line up for this particular building was long and slow moving; I realized once I got in line that there was very little chance that I would get to see Elgin Theatre like I had planned.

There were so many insanely adorable little ballerina's coming in and out of the school; we were told later that there were two recitals going on that day. Out of respect, we were asked not to take pictures of any dancers or occupied studios, which I understand but omg. There were dancers in full costumes looking lovely and picturesque, it's a shame we couldn't take pictures of them. In particular, I remember five young teen girls dressed in sequined cream tutus with white flowers in their hair, they were beautiful. There were some boys there too, but nowhere near the amount of girls.

I was lucky enough to be part of the first guided tour that included Bruce Kuwabara, the architect who designed the school. He was so well-spoken and knowledgeable and talented, it was most impressive. He told us about how when they were making plans for the building, the government decided not to fund the project, so Karen Kain wrote an open letter of disapproval that was printed in the newspapers... and then Sheila Copps came through and pushed for the funding hahaha.

2. Old City Hall

For some reason, they banned photography inside this building this year. I still managed to sneak one photo before a volunteer saw me and told me to put my camera away. ;)

3. City Hall Podium Green Roof + City Hall

To be honest, their green roof was not as green as I was hoping it to be. :P On the plus side, there was a fantastic view of Old City Hall from up there.

Inside actual City Hall it wasn't all that exciting. There was actually less stuff in there than last year, when they'd had this huge flower display thing. But there was still that crazy mural made of nails!

They also had a scale model of Toronto's downtown. The reddish buildings represented heritage sites. I love how the Steamwhistle beer factory is one of them, LOL.

4. Commerce Court North

This building was a sort of last minute visit and wow was I impressed. The photos don't actually do the place justice; you need to be there in person to feel just how large and cavernous the space is. And the ceiling... AMAZING!

Good times! Hopefully next year I'll finally make it to Elgin Theatre in time for a tour.

Need Kaskade's 'Don't Stop Dancing' Lyrics?

2010-05-15T12:33:00.004-04:00

Don't stop dancing, girl.
Don't stop dancing, girl.
Don't stop dancing, girl.
Don't stop dancing, girl.

The world outside you will let you in,
To share the beauty you hold within.
Just keep going, everyday,
The silver lining is on its way.

'Cuz what you long for is free,
What you stand for, is to be.
Lift your feet up off the ground...

Don't stop dancing, girl.
Don't stop dancing, girl.
Don't stop dancing, girl.
Don't stop dancing, girl.

Don't stop dancing, girl.
Don't stop dancing, girl.
Don't stop dancing, girl.
Don't stop dancing, girl.

Till you reach it, you won't know,
Just what's the distance you need to go,
But it's out there, beyond today,
The silver lining is on its way.

'Cuz what you long for is free,
What you stand for, is to be.
Lift your feet up off the ground...

Don't stop dancing, girl.
Don't stop dancing, girl.
Don't stop dancing, girl.
Don't stop dancing, girl.

Don't stop dancing, girl.
Don't stop dancing, girl.
Don't stop dancing, girl.
Don't stop dancing, girl.

Keep on dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing...
Keep on dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing...
Keep on dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing...
Keep on dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing...

Unexpected Awesomeness

2010-05-11T20:32:00.002-04:00

Oh my gosh, I'm sort of in love with this video. Done for a dance song? And it doesn't suck? BE STILL MY HEART!

The song is 'Bruised Water' by Chicane feat. Natasha Beddingfield.

Aww, it's so lovely. :)

I Heart My Canadian Olympians

2010-04-25T14:43:00.011-04:00

Yesterday I went to the Green Living Show with a friend and LET ME TELL YOU INTERNETS, good times were had. Why? OH I'LL SHOW YOU WHY. :D

The show itself was lots of fun; tons of free food to sample, free swag to score, and coupons to snag. But there were a surprising amount of events going on too.

The had a test kitchen set up out of nowhere, which was cool. And they cooked up all sorts of stuff there, mostly of the organic and vegan variety since this was the Green Living Show and all.

There was also a bit of a mayoral debate there. Bored me to tears, these uninspiring men. I have no clue who I'm going to vote for.

Anyway, the best part of the show? I got to see and meet Clara Hughes! (For you unpatriotic plebeians, she's pretty much Canada's best female athlete. She's won multiple Olympics medals in both cycling AND speed skating.)

In that last picture, she's totally holding all of her Olympic medals ever, hahaha! She gave a lovely speech about finding balance in her life and career through humanitarian efforts, it was quite nice. After the speech it was time to line up for her autograph and get a picture with her. There were a couple of families right in front of us with young and aspiring speed skater children and it was cool to see Clara praise them and give them encouragement.

Then it was our chance!

DUDE I TOTALLY HELD HER BRONZE MEDAL FROM VANCOUVER. :DDDDDDDDD

This is going right inside my MacClean's with Virtue & Moir in the cover, yes indeed. :)

It's Music Time!

2010-04-23T18:59:00.002-04:00

More new music, coming at ya!

First off is a cute little ditty I've seen on Much More Music a couple times by Canadian Carly Rae Jepsen called Tug of War. She's adorable, her video boyfriend is too, her voice is sweet, and the song is catchy.

Next up, a remix of The Temper Trap's song Sweet Disposition. I've known about the original for over a year now (acquired it as a free Starbucks download, of all things) and then I heard this version on the commute home. Fabulous!

Last but not least, another remix. This time of that song Use Somebody by Kings of Leon. The original is pretty good too but remixes are where it's at for me. :)

Say Non To Bill 94

2010-04-12T19:52:00.003-04:00

Today's headline: Niqab gets 2nd Quebec student expelled. Okay, this is getting fricking ridiculous. To paraphrase someone else, forcing a woman to reveal part of her body is no different from forcing her to be covered.

*headdesk* QUEBEC, YOU'RE ON NOTICE. >:(

Oldie But A Goodie

2010-04-10T13:10:00.000-04:00

(This is an old post I wanted to make back in mid-March that I never got around to. I was going to scrap it, but it's about music, and I love talking about new songs I discover, so away we go!)

An unfortunate fate has befallen me: my computer has died. I am in the midst of backing up all my vital files, then I'll have to... format it. :( There are no words for how disappointed I am over this development.

But before this calamity arose, I downloaded a lot of new music that I simply must share with the intertubes.

Of particular note is a band called Hail The Villian from Oshawa. How did I discover them? It's so convoluted. Because I'm interested in figure skating, I watch interviews with figure skaters on YouTube. In one such interview, ice dancer Scott Moir was asked what music was on his iPod at the moment, and he replied with the above band. Considering Durham is my hometown, my interest was piqued. They're more on the heavy rock side, think Alexisonfire or Billy Talent, which isn't my usual thing. But wow, their music really grows on your after a few listens.

Unfortunately, their first and only album hasn't been released yet. But you can listen to it on their MySpace page or buy it on iTunes. :)

I Really Need To Hit Up A Dancefloor

2010-04-05T19:52:00.003-04:00

You know that episode of Family Guy where Stewie is trying to watch Mr. Belvedere in the living room but his family keeps having conversations right there so he gets frustrated and starts screaming-singing the theme song? Sometimes I love a song so much that I feel like doing just that, without caring about the tune or how utterly insane I would look, hahaha!

Speaking of songs I love, the radio has been providing as of late. My latest find is the song 'You And I' by Medina. The song is originally in Danish, but then an English version was released, and then Deadmau5 did a remix. SOLD! :D

Oh my god, Deadmau5 can do no wrong, I swear.

But while Deadmau5 is right up my alley, the other song I'm in love with right now is patently not. Because it's country. :O Pop-country, but still. You may have heard it on the radio or on a music channel: it's 'Need You Now' by Lady Antebellum.

My love for this song pretty much revolves around how lovely it is to sing, and the way it's just infused with so much emotion. I love it. I may have to look up more Lady Antebellum if all their songs are like this.

Olympic Roundup!

2010-02-28T23:24:00.002-05:00

The Vancouver 2010 Olympics were unlike anything I've ever experienced. I was too young when the Olympics came to Calgary to appreciate it at the time, so I think having it on home soil, with my west coast friends going to events and taking pictures, with practically everyone I know excited about how dedicated our athletes were, with the Canadian team breaking curses and records left right and center, I couldn't help but fall in love with the experience. But it wasn't just the Canadian athletes that left me impressed; the world has some amazing, talented, and brilliant people in it and I'm so happy I had a chance to enjoy their awesome performances in HD quality. ;)

So here it is, a spotlight on athletes that captured my attention. This isn't a full list; naming every single awesome athlete would take forever.

Athletes That Made An Impression On Me At The Vancouver Olympics

Xue Shen & Hongbo Zhao - Figure Skating (China)

I have to be honest and admit that when I heard they were competing in the 2010 Olympics, I was annoyed. They are way older and much more experienced than the rest of the competition, so I thought they should just retire from professional figure skating with grace. But their mastery was just too much to resist; there's a reason they won gold. Their long program skate was perfect.

Joannie Rochette - Figure Skating (Canada)

I can only dream of having the kind of courage and will-power that Rochette has; watching her skate the short program and in the gala was an emotional roller coaster, knowing what she was going through. Winning bronze was more than what anyone required of her. She's a true hero.

Marianne St-Gelais - Short Track Speed Skating (Canada)

This girl is crazy! I loved the cheerful exuberance she showed when she got up on the podium for her silver medal, but it was watching her in the stands going completely bananas over her boyfriend Charles Hamelin races that made me love her the most. Her spirit is amazing!

Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir - Figure Skating (Canada)

Oh man, where to start with these two? Quite frankly, nothing in the entire Olympics gripped me as much as their quest for gold. I never used to never care about ice dancing, just men's/women's/pairs skating, but everything has changed now due to the sweet perfection and chemistry of these two... and the next two athletes I'm going to mention.

Meryl Davis & Charlie White - Figure Skating (USA)

Adorable as well; training mates and best friends with Virtue & Moir, these skaters are just as good as their Canadian counterparts, with loads of flair and artistry. And there's something very striking about Davis that I really like.

Kim Yu-Na - Figure Skating (South Korea)

Yu-Na is unlike any skater I've ever seen before. Watching her skate is like watching a poem come to life. She gets lost in the music when she's out on the ice, the picture of quiet maturity. And then when she breaks character you get a sense of just how young she still is. After she won the gold, I've started calling her Queen Yu-Na. :)

Hayley Wickenheiser - Hockey (Canada)

For me, she has become the face of women's hockey in Canada. She's such an amazing, talented, and dedicated captain. I love how she pulls her team together. I love that she carried her son on the ice soon after they won the gold medal game. You're awesome, Hayley!

Apolo Anton Ohno - Short Track Speed Skating (USA)

The guy is so tiny compared to the other skaters but man he can move! It's amazing how he pulls off some of his passes. Plus, it's fun to say his name. :)

Wang Meng - Short Track Speed Skating (China)

Every time our Canadian women competed in an event with her, I'd scream "OH NO, WANG MENG!" Because with Wang Meng around, you cannot win. She is a machine... a perpetual skating machine. Kudos to the fastest, most tireless skater in the world!

It seems to be that I have a thing for skaters, eh? Especially figure skaters! I think I may have to follow Worlds when it starts on March 22nd. :)

Bewildering!

2010-02-11T14:59:00.004-05:00

I just received a new comment on this blog; I knew it would be spam because the comment was made on a post I made a year ago, but I was not prepared for the sheer nonsensical brilliance I would find in my inbox.

The entirety of the comment is as follows:

maitri bbsrc automated wanthmph tied rewording toor aimpilatm marshall finger areshops lolikneri havaqatsu

I've decided to pretend that this is a code and Smokey wants me to help him get off the Island. It's much more fun that way.

*happily rejects comment*

It's Two Of Life's Sweetest Words

2010-02-09T15:03:00.008-05:00

Finished Object. Woohoo!

I finally finished the scarf I'd been crocheting for the past few weeks! It didn't take very long at all, I think I started around the 23rd of January and now I'm done!

I love that it matches my black and blue mittens, the ones I wear for maximum warmth. I'm already wondering what to do for my next project. But first, I need to practice how to make circles because I think there may be a toque in my future.

Rocking Out

2010-02-08T15:07:00.004-05:00

Another day on the internet, another randomly discovered song!

Sometimes when I'm looking to kill time online, I head over to Kongregate, a website with a ton of flash games you can play. I happened upon a Solitaire-type game that played good music in the background as you played. I noticed there was one band called Chiwawa that had songs I was really digging. Upon some investigation, I discovered they are an independent Canadian band that debuted in 1998 and are releasing a new album this spring. CBC Radio has a whole page on them where you can listen to their songs.

As of now I like 'Don't Wanna Talk' and 'Tell Me Lies' the best, check them out!

Killing Your Internet Once More

2010-01-18T21:12:00.001-05:00

Not gonna lie, I screamed "waaugh!" the first time I saw this.

Today's theme is: Your Day Just Got Ruined. ;)

Yes, that would be an "Obama hijaking a tank" QTE in the last one. Hahahaha!

Know What This Blog Needs More Of?

2010-01-10T23:03:00.003-05:00

Random animated gifs. Yeah, I'm going to kill your internet connection now.

The dancing theme is totally intentional, of course. ;)

Context Is For The Weak

2010-01-04T00:34:00.002-05:00

"You just drank Hitler; how do you feel?"

New Auditory Discoveries

2009-12-28T17:12:00.002-05:00

I like the fact that you can find good music in the strangest places these days, not just the radio or Much Music. It makes life interesting.

I've heard a whole bunch of nice songs thanks to hearing people play Tap Tap Revenge 3 on their iPhone. Thankfully, Tap Tap Revenge 3 tells you exactly what song your fingers are tapping along to. I've discovered awesomeness such as:

Louder Than Boom by Tiesto (trance)
Laguna by Tom Cloud (trance)
54321 by Kid Sister (pop)
Keep Up by Hyper Crush (pop)

Last.FM has done their annual round-up of the most ~~played~~ scrobbled songs of the year, which led me to discover lovely gems such as:

Happy Up Here by Röyksopp (dance)
Sleepyhead by Passion Pit (pop)
Crystalised by The xx (pop-rock)

Finally, on Boxing Day I was in Jacob with my sister and we heard an awesome song playing on the speakers. So she busted out her iPhone, queued up Shazam (that app that identifies music for you) and voila! The phone told us the song name and artist. Resulting sweetness:

Silvia by Miike Snow (synth-pop)

But even with all the different places I've discovered new music, my favourite song right now (below) is still a song I heard on the radio. Alas, some things never change. ;)

I Think It's The Slow-Mo Smoke That Won Me Over

2009-12-13T20:59:00.001-05:00

Haven't done one of these in a while: dance song video critique time! I'm not even going to bother not being biased about this one. Or even doing a real critique, for that matter. I kinda really love it. It's the song 'Move For Me' by Kaskade & Deadmau5.

Something I Came Across

2009-11-30T15:46:00.003-05:00

Not gonna lie, I'm just posting this list because #7 made me laugh so hard. ;)
Tips for a Better Life by Rory Freedman
With 2 million books sold, Rory has taught us how to eat better. We’ve asked her for tips on how to live better, based on her own life experiences. Here are Rory’s top twenty ways to make every day shine brighter...

1. Don’t say "yes" when you mean "no". It’ll make you resentful. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

2. When driving, if someone wants to get in front of you, let him in front of you. And do it with a smile. It’ll make his day better, and it’ll make you feel good. You just changed the world.

3. Try to make a gratitude list each day. Include big things and little things. Invite your friends to make their own lists; you can all email one another each day, sharing your gratitude.

4. Don’t be a problem solver when a friend just wants you to be a listener.

5. Call your parents or grandparents. Sometimes, a five-minute phone call is all they need to feel loved.

6. Be a good neighbor: Be considerate inside and outside your home/apartment so your noise doesn’t bother those around you. That includes opening and closing your front door quietly.

7. Pee in the shower. If we each did this once a day, it would save an enormous amount of water and toilet paper (trees).

8. Write a "fan letter." Tell someone you know, or someone you’ve never met, why you admire him or her. You’ll make someone’s day.

9. Curb your jealousy. Be happy for others.

10. Be willing to be wrong. If someone has a grievance with you, really try to see her point of view. If called for, apologize. It’s hard to do, but it feels really good and makes life so much easier.

11. If you are in a room with someone you don’t know, introduce yourself right away. It takes away the social discomfort immediately.

12. Pick a cause close to your heart, and get involved. You don’t have to quit your job and dive in headfirst. Just get involved on some level and do what you can when you can. Go slightly beyond your comfort zone but don’t overextend yourself.

13. Be a good friend to your friends. Tell them what’s good about them, that you appreciate them, and make the effort to spend time with them.

14. Go vegetarian. Animals raised and slaughtered for food suffer immeasurably. Visit GoVeg.com for a free vegetarian starter kit.

15. Do your best to think good thoughts. They affect your health, happiness, and the people around you.

16. Do something frivolous for someone you love. (It doesn’t have to be extravagant.) It feels so good to do nice things for other people, it’s almost selfish!

17. Practice accepting compliments. The person complimenting you is giving you a gift. Receive it graciously, even if it is difficult.

18. Be generous with your compliments. Don’t blow smoke up anyone’s ass. Just say nice things when they occur to you.

19. Forgive those who have wronged you. Holding onto anger and resentment poisons your body and your life. There are no benefits in staying mad. Let go. It’s okay.

20. Forgive yourself. It’s okay to be imperfect and to have made mistakes. Try to do better, that’s all.

Let Me Make A Recommendation

2009-11-13T19:57:00.003-05:00

Tonight is a night to share music.

YouTube - Florence + The Machine - Drumming Song

I'm reminded of Feist, whom I love, with strains of Metric and Kate Havnevik thrown in when I hear other songs by Florence + The Machine. I like it!

Sugar Kick

2009-11-10T16:53:00.002-05:00

Oh no, I seem to have run out of Starburst candies! :O

I guess this means I'll have to move on to my cherry flavoured Certs. :D

It's Like Halloween For Adults

2009-10-05T13:31:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was Nuit Blanche in Toronto and I have now sufficiently recovered (sleep-wise) from the event. Photos and videos have finally been uploaded...

I didn't go last year so it really struck me this time around that Nuit Blanche has become less about modern art and more about providing a Mardi Gras type of atmosphere for young people. Not that I'm complaining, it was still fun. But it's definitely not the same thing it started out as in 2006.

English Music Is For Chumps!

2009-09-21T21:59:00.001-04:00

After discovering the song 'Manos Al Aire' by Nelly Furtado, it's come to my attention that there's a crapload of varied (yet awesome) remixes of this song. Oooooh! *_*

Obviously, there's the original. Then there's a reggaeton styled remix featuring some dude called Franco El Gorila; very catchy, I can see myself falling in love with it. There's also a mellow and trance-like Robbie Rivera Radio mix that reminds me of 'Where The Streets Have No Name' by U2 for some reason. But the cream of the crop has to be the intense, club-tacular Tiesto remix. Do want!

It's notoriously hard to find good remixes to add to my iPod. the only thing I can do sometimes is bookmark them on YouTube for future reference.

Hooray For The Film Festival

2009-09-13T21:48:00.005-04:00

Today I went to the gala world premiere of 'Dil Bole Hadippa' at TIFF with my sister. Of highest importance besides the actual movie was the chance to see actress Rani Mukherjee. And we were successful!

We tried to get her to take a picture of herself with us, but it didn't happen. We seriously tried; she was standing an inch away from us and we were begging for her to take the picture, but she walked on by due to time restraints.

The movie itself was really enjoyable, a solid hit for sure. Great music with excellent picturizations, colourful and interesting. It wasn't too long for a Bollywood movie either; no scene seemed particularly wasteful. Shahid and Rani can not only act really well but also danced fantastically, of course. Great chemistry as well between those two, I'd love to see the pair of them again in another movie. :)

Snagged From Around The Internet

2009-09-02T18:52:00.000-04:00

Today, it is all about the links.

The Bechdel Test and Race in Popular Fiction: an examination of just how short most media falls when put against a PoC version of the Bechdel Test. (Warning: that last link goes to TVTropes.)

How to Be Seriously Frivolous (or, Feminism is For Grownups): "Part of the difficulty in battling sexism and gender assumptions is that they are sometimes subtle, sometimes difficult to tease out. What makes [the book Fascinating Womanhood] so shocking is how blatant it is."

"She’s got you wrapped around her finger": fathers, daughters, and a variation on the myth of male weakness: a new father talks about comments he gets when he's with his daughter and how they propagate misconceptions.

Freed reporters say they were dragged into NKorea: Reporters Laura Ling & Euna Lee say communist soldiers "violently dragged" them back when they returned to Chinese soil after briefly crossing into North Korea.

Today's Episode Of 'Things That Freak Me Out'

2009-09-01T16:47:00.001-04:00

*shivers and looks away*

Oh David Guetta, You Can Do Better Than This! :(

2009-08-31T18:40:00.007-04:00

Why yes, it's another episode of me cringing at how dance videos are chock full of female objectification. Le sigh.

Didn't help that I was unaware that there's a censored version...

Me: *downloads song*
Akon: ♬ "I'm tryin' to find the words to describe this girl without being disrespectfuuuul." ♬
Me: "Well, that's nice for a change."
Akon: ♬ "Damn, you's a sexy bitch... a sexy bitch." ♬
Me: D:< *facepalm*

It's Gonna Get Worse If He Waits Too Long

2009-08-20T22:14:00.005-04:00

And that is but a mere taste of the lovely vacation I just took to the sunny southern seas. Both are of the beach we visited at Tulum, my favourite of the beaches. I've never seen water that blue before. :)

Thanks to one of the retro shows we saw on the cruise, I am currently listening to the following song on repeat: Don't Lose My Number by Phil Collins.

Ah, memories of my childhood! God bless the eighties, seriously. The video for this song is nothing but LOLZ.

Posts You Ought To Read

2009-07-30T13:21:00.005-04:00

http://derekkirkkim.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-day-in-politics-same-old-racist.html - An Asian-American blogger talks about the Racefail that is the casting for the new Avatar: The Last Airbender movie. (Not to be mixed up with Avatar, that epic movie being done by James Cameron that's supposed to revolutionize how movies are being made. But I digress.) This is one of the best posts I've seen yet regarding why the casting for the movie sucks. Way to ruin the greatest cartoon ever, Hollywood. :P

http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2009/07/behold-my-love-advice.html - Sady, blogmistress of the lovely Tiger Beatdown, delivers a tongue-in-cheek analysis of women and love that she gleaned from watching Hollywood movies.

Doing The Right Thing

2009-07-24T20:08:00.004-04:00

Oh dear. So I have new neighbours, not next to me but behind me. As far as I knew, it was just a young couple of some sort.

A guy just showed up on my doorstep to politely ask if I could turn the volume/bass down because his baby's room shared a wall with me. :O Needless to say, my plan to blast the tunes at epic volume levels on a Friday night has been thwarted. Better go charge my iPod instead.

It's Song Time!

2009-06-24T20:05:00.004-04:00

Here are a few tunes I am loving right now:

YouTube - Matt Nathanson - Come On Get Higher

You Can't Hear Me, But I'm Squealing Happily

2009-06-18T22:33:00.005-04:00

Like omigawd he's like totally following me on Twitter you guyyyyyys! I like can't belieeeeve he took the time out to friend me personally!

I'm sorry, George makes me revert into a starstruck little girl. I was practically tongue-tied when I met him in person. I never get tongue-tied by famous people. He's such an awesome person too. I'd even go as far to say he's a national treasure. Respect the man, my fellow Canucks. And watch The Hour! Go to the shows if you live in Toronto! Trust me, it's so worth it.

Oh, by the way? I cracked 80,000 words today for GWYO.

81,085 / 200,000 words. 40% done!

My Eyeballs Are On Fire

2009-06-13T23:26:00.003-04:00

This is a story about my annoying neighbours.

Technically, they aren't my real neighbours. I live in a townhouse style building, so my neighbours are the family who live in the unit next to me. But my building faces an alleyway, bordered by a chain link fence. And on the other side of this chain link fence is another residential building with loft style apartments, the sort of place you find tattoo artists, mechanics, and freelance photographers living in. Cheap but functional.

In the summer, everyone from the building comes out to the alleyway, on their side of the chain link fence, to smoke and drink and talk and listen to music. Loudly. As frequently as possible. Late into the night. When the weather is warm enough, it happens every Friday and Saturday night, sometimes even on Thursdays and on Sundays if there's a long weekend involved.

When this happens, when they decide to party, I can't. sleep. at. all. Their shouts and music start at 10 PM and go well into the night, ending around 3 AM.

Last night, being a warm Friday night, was one of their louder parties. While annoying, these parties didn't bother me too much, as long as I had the ability to sleep in the next morning and make up for the fact that I wouldn't go to sleep until three in the morning. But now that I work Saturdays, it's become really fucking annoying. Like I said, last night they partied. Until 2:45 AM. And I had to wake up at 6 AM the next morning for training. Even my earplugs are not enough to block out the insane amount of noise they put out. Out here, where everything is concrete and brick and asphalt, sound just carries and echoes and amplifies to a horrible degree. It doesn't help that a couple people bring their belligerent dogs outside with them. Nothing punctures silence worse than a yappy mutt.

There is nothing, nothing, in the entire world that infuriates me more than my sleep being disturbed. It used to drive me to crazy tears when I was in undergrad, if someone else in the dorm or house was being noisy when I wanted to go to bed. Last night I was honestly considering calling the police and reporting that my lovely neighbours were disturbing the peace. Unfortunately, I'm a tragically light sleeper; I often think that what constitutes as unbearably noisy to me is a mere passing hum to most other people.

So anyway, it's Saturday night. It's warm. They're even louder than last night. I'm exhausted from only sleeping three (broken) hours last night. But there's no way in hell I could ever fall asleep with this kind of noise right outside my window. Urge to call the cops... rising.

*wearily puts in earplugs*

THIS IS NOT COOL

2009-06-08T11:14:00.004-04:00

U.S. journalists in North Korea sentenced to 12 years hard labor

North Korea's sham court convicted Laura Ling and Euna Lee, American journalists for Al Gore's Current TV, for "grave crimes" against the Hermit Kingdom.

I heard the news this morning on the radio while driving to work and my heart totally dropped into my stomach. I don't know why, but Ling and Lee being captured in N. Korea really scares and bothers me. I remember watching Laura's reports on TV and worrying not only about the profound poverty and lies the N. Korean people face, but also for Ling's safety.

Obama and the UN better step things up.

I've Held Out On This Topic For Long Enough

2009-06-07T18:47:00.004-04:00

Suspect in abortion doctor death warns of violence

The man charged with murdering a high-profile abortion doctor claimed from his jail cell Sunday that similar violence was planned around the nation for as long as the procedure remained legal, a threat that comes days after a federal investigation launched into his possible accomplices.

A Justice Department spokesman said the threat was being taken seriously and additional protection had been ordered for abortion clinics last week. But a leader of the anti-abortion movement derided the accused shooter as "a fruit and a lunatic."

Nancy Keenan president of NARAL-Pro-Choice America, said Roeder's comments "continue to escalate that kind of activity, that kind of violence. Quite honestly, I think it's imperative for anti-choice groups to tone down that rhetoric and keep the more extreme elements in their movement form copying Scott Roeder."

*eyetwitch*

I swear to god, some people will just not be satisfied until women are ball-and-chained with no personal freedom. Or basic rights, for that matter.

And yes to what was said by NARAL; anti-abortionists need to work a hell of a lot harder in making sure they're delivering their message in a way that's not inflammatory and confrontational. Granted, I think their message is full of shit. :P

(Note: there's a difference between being pro-life and anti-abortion. I find pro-life people to be much more sane about a woman's rights.)

Allow Me To Yammer On Before Bedtime

2009-06-02T23:00:00.002-04:00

Tonight I am full of orange juice and mellowness. *nods*

74,766 / 200,000 words. 37% done!

Thanks to my trip to Vegas and my new job (HELL YAH) I am now 9,000 behind in GYWO. I have no idea how people manage to write with full time jobs at the same time. It's impossible! I'm thinking I may have to give up GYWO and just write at my own pace for a while. Which sucks, because "my pace" tends to mean "not at all" most of the time. :P

Wish I Had Brought My Camera

2009-05-24T16:44:00.005-04:00

I went downtown today to get some shopping done and had conveniently forgotten that it was Doors Open this weekend in Toronto. So after I was done with my business at the mall (including scoring that free burger from Harvey's) I went to a few of the closest buildings.

First off was old City Hall, which has a really nice exterior and decent interior. Then I went to Osgoode Hall, which was quite pretty inside. The courtrooms, the great library, and convocation hall were all open inside, so I got to see those too. Then I went to City Hall, which was pretty cool. Here's a video, it's crappy quality because I had to convert it from a .3gp to an .avi file.

There were some displays/pieces done by the Toronto Garden club inside, which were really nicely done. There were so many people walking around with SLR cameras, it was hilariously awesome. And lastly, I wanted to go to Elgin Theater, but it was closed for shows by the time I got down there.

Hmm, what to make for dinner tonight...

Never Need A Reason, Never Need A Rhyme

2009-05-23T12:22:00.012-04:00

I opened up my inbox this morning was greeted by the following message:

Can't wait for the day she shows up on my doorstep and takes me to go dancing with chimney sweeps. ;)

How The Internet Works

2009-05-22T22:31:00.003-04:00

I've had an account on Last.fm for a long time and I noticed several months ago that there's now a section where the main page recommends free mp3s for me to download through the site. I'm a sucker for new music, so I always peruse that section every now and then.

A few days ago I noticed new songs and downloaded a bunch of them. Only one was good enough to be added to iTunes, a song by Imogen Heap (I love her) called 'The Song That Never Was'. Now the version of the song I had was called the TekMonki Mix and had a nice electronic beat in the background that I really enjoyed, but I still wanted to hear the original version. So I opened up Limewire and searched and searched and... you get the point. No luck. Alas.

I changed my tactic and decided to google the song, hoping to find a download link for the original version somewhere. Instead, it came to my attention that there was no original version.

From the website:

Imogen Heap wrote a track recently that was supposed to feature at the end of TV show. She wrote the song and recorded all the vocals, leaving the music for the composer who was writing the rest of the score. For one reason or another the song wasn’t used and so the track never got completed.

Now, Imogen wants you to download the parts and add your own musical interpretation.

Basically, people were allowed to download her vocal tracks and drop in their own music, and everyone's attempts were shared online. That's why there was no original, only-Imogen version. There's just people's mixes. Anyway, one of the tracks you could download for song-making purposes was something called a click track, which is sorta like a digital metronome.

After my own horrific attempts to lay Imogen's vocal tracks over some sick Tiesto beats, I wondered if there was any way to alter the click track I had been given. So I googled click tracks and somehow ended up at this blog post about click tracks, which eventually led me to another post about a BPM explorer app and from there I discovered this video on Vimeo. While the video is a pretty awesome visualization of music, I was more taken by the song itself. The creator of the video mentioned it was a song by Broken Social Scene but the title of the song was unclear.

Googling the band name and some of the lyrics ("it's a cruel world") revealed that the name of the song was '7/4 (Shoreline)', which I promptly downloaded and have been listening to ever since. No wonder; the lead vocals are done by Feist, whom I love to itty bitty pieces. :D

I just thought it was so crazy/cool how I discovered the current song I'm listening to through another random song I discovered. The internet is awesome sometimes.

Aural Therapy

2009-05-20T23:34:00.006-04:00

It came to my attention recently that Coldplay released a new live album. Sweet, right? What if I said it was free too? BOOYAH! Name of the album is Left Right Left Right and contains old favourites such as 'Clocks', 'Viva La Vida', and 'Fix You'. But there's also a song I've never heard before that I'm really digging called 'Glass of Water'. It's very upbeat and there's a time signature change in the middle... I love those. Screw the click track! ;) The other newish track is 'Death Will Never Conquer', which is the song Will Champion sang at the last concert I went to. It's not my style but Will is an absolute sweetheart and I love him. Besides, after listening to a lot of American Idol's insipidness tonight, the sweet dulcet tones of Chris Martin (and the enthusiastic crowd) is a balm upon my sore ears. ;)

ETA: Note to self... Tim Horton's is giving out free small iced caps tomorrow and it will be 30 degrees. Capitalize!

Vegas Anecdotes & Weird Metaphors

2009-05-19T22:22:00.006-04:00

When we went shopping at the outlet mall, the food court had these LCD monitors that played music videos that you could vote for by texting on your phone. The moment we all sat down for our food, I'm Gone, I'm Going by Lesley Roy started playing, an obscure song that I only know through Rock Band 2's downloadable content. Then immediately after, All Around Me by Flyleaf started playing, which is another obscure and fairly old rock song I never expected to be see.
While waiting for my flight out of Vegas, a couple sat down next to me. They looked to be in their late 30s or maybe early 40s; both looked kinda weathered but you could tell they had been very attractive when they were young. Anyway, the wife sat down a seat away from me and reached for some water and medication as the husband slowly ambled over and took the seat right next to me. Then they began to argue. He asked something like "do you have to take that stuff?" (meaning her pills, I guess) and she replied with something like "of course, what the hell are you talking about?" And then it became apparent to me that these two viciously hated each other; the wife said "I don't know what I was thinking when I married you", the husband badmouthed her parents and got all in her face, she was like "Oh I dare you, I dare you to start with me" and then she stormed off. They didn't reunite until they had to be on the plane together. It was drama-licious.
Getting into Studio 54 and Wet Republic cost me exactly $0 at both places. Hooray for being a feminine young woman.
Everyone we met on the trip was so nice, from the other Grand Canyon tourists, to people in the casinos and hotels. The only times people were not so nice were:
- the one time I was alone on the strip and a couple of drunk guys heckled me and
- when I was on the getting on the plane in Vegas and some woman smacked me in the face with her hand and kept walking.
During the day, Luxor reminded me of Lost because of the Egyptian hieroglyphs. During the night, Luxor reminded me of Stargate. The movie, I mean. It was like: "The Egyptian aliens are coming!" ;)
I really wanted to buy a CSI: Las Vegas t-shirt while I was there, but I wasn't willing to pay more than $10 for one. Needless to say, I came home empty handed.
Las Vegas surprised me in certain ways. First off, it was amazing how many elderly people were there. Wheelchairs abounded at the airport and on the local transit system. The city was far more accessible than I expected it to be. Secondly, you could find sugarfree candy and sweets at most places too. I don't know if this is in response to the American obesity epidemic, but it was still good to see that options like that were available for those who need it i.e. diabetics.
Unfortunately, after a day or two in Vegas I developed an annoying second-hand smoker's cough. I never cough, but back when smoking was still legal in clubs I used to wake up the next day hacking like crazy. The casinos stank like smoke so bad, it was disgusting. I love that you can't smoke inside up here.

Oh man, a post just went up at Pandagon that explains elitist racism using an extended Pokemon metaphor, alongside an image of a giant pokeball floating along at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. I did my best not to choke on my snack when I read the tongue-in-cheek line (I shit thee not) "I choose you, Negrochu!" Oh Pandagon... *headshake*

I Got Seriously Tanned Last Week!

2009-05-17T13:48:00.008-04:00

Back from Vegas and was it ever fun! It's so jarring to come back to rain and arctic winds when you've spent a week in a dry, sweltering desert; it was like 35 degrees there every day. Man, that place is crazy architecture-wise. In the beginning, I couldn't help but think: "This amount of excessive grandeur seems wrong somehow." Vegas is an oasis of hedonism in the middle of nowhere. It was surprising how nice people were.

Saw the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam too while I was down there, which was awesome. In Vegas itself, we visited a ton of the hotels/casinos like MGM Grand, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, Monte Carlo, New York New York, Planet Hollywood, the Bellagio, Caeser's Palace, the Mirage, Treasure Island, Circus Circus, the Venetian, and the Golden Nugget down on Freemont Street. I have to admit that it felt pretty cool to finally see for myself a lot of things I knew from CSI. Clark County! Desert Palms Hospital! Henderson! Lake Mead! ;D

Did some shopping while we were there too, mostly of the clothing and jewelery variety. I bought myself the biggest margarita ever (as seen in Flickr), which I drank far too fast in sweltering weather... not a good idea hahahaha. But I got the souvenir I wanted in the end and that's what matters. One night I went out to Studio 54, which was lots of fun, great music. Watched the fountains at the Bellagio and the volcano at the Mirage too. Didn't get to do absolutely everything I wanted to while I was there (it was only 5 days, after all) but I did have a fantastic time. :)

Totally Missed House and The Big Bang Theory Tonight

2009-05-04T22:49:00.001-04:00

Today was a busy day.

I had an interview in the morning where I felt I did a really good job of showing how skillful I am in my field. When I got back home, I checked the weather report and saw it's supposed to rain on and off until Sunday, even though today was sunny. Clearly, there's only one thing for a Torontonian with a sunny, free May afternoon to do: cherry blossom viewing at High Park! I took pictures, not just of cherry blossoms and not just in High Park, but the cherry blossoms were the main attraction.

After romping through the park with my camera, I met up with a friend for a free yoga class downtown. It was one of those basic, starter classes but it was still really good because: 1) it was only four of us and small classes are always better, 2) even though the two of us have both Moksha and Bikram yoga experience, we'd never been formally taught the basic poses from the ground up. It was good to figure out exact how to get the most of the poses and see what I consistently do wrong. Might go for another class on Saturday or Sunday.

Yoga is fun but... weird. I dunno, tons of people are into it but whenever I'm in a class I can't stop thinking things like "LOL instructor teaching me Sanskrit when I can recite sacred hymns" or "thanks to capitalism my religion is being sold to the highest bidder". :P

Anyway, after yoga me and my friend got Thai for dinner. It was so greasy it almost made me nauseous. And it was at a restaurant I usually like too. Every second that passes between the last bite of my meal and now alleviates the grossness in my stomach, so I guess I'll just have to sit this out until I feel better.

And that was my day. *falls over*

Writing And Photography

2009-04-30T23:08:00.002-04:00

Augh, this past month was agonizing for GYWO. I'm anywhere from 3000-4000 words behind, depending on whose criteria I use. :(

62,753 / 200,000 words. 31% done!

Random thought: know what drives me nuts? People who title their photos on Flickr with long, pretentious sentences. Like... "I tell myself, my heart would drown if we were apart." Gah, seriously? You get all of that from a picture of toast? Why don't you call it "Lonely Breakfast" and be on your way? :P

100th Episode Of Lost Tonight!

2009-04-29T01:17:00.005-04:00

Remember in season 1 when the Losties discovered the caves and how they found the two bodies inside? The ones they nicknamed Adam and Eve? What if they were the bodies of Rose and Bernard? They could have died whilst getting caught in the whole unstuck in time fiasco, so when Jack and Kate find them, they look like they've been on the island decomposing for 50 years. Are the black and white rocks supposed to be an unsubtle sign?

Even if it isn't Rose and Bernard, it's gotta be two people who traveled back in time. *ponders*

Collecting My Thoughts In The Heat

2009-04-27T17:03:00.004-04:00

Am outside and on my laptop at the same time. Wheeeee! It really is too hot, even just sitting here, even with the lovely breeze blowing. A little bit of cloud cover would do the trick. I bet the temperature will be just perfect around 7 PM.

A couple weeks ago I was reading an article in the local newspaper that caught my attention. It was about an author who had written a book about new sexual trends among teenage women, in particular that many young girls see no issue with dispensing oral sex. Hand-wringing aside, the thing that caught my attention was something the author said, that when interviewing these girls she heard from many of them that they engaged in oral sex because (to paraphrase) they were amazed at how they could make a boy go weak with their skills and that having that power is hard to resist.

My first thought, of course, was: "Oh god, young women have so little power in every other aspect of their life, that the only time they feel they have some leverage is when they are servicing men sexually." Talk about a disenfranchised oppressed class.

Feeling roasted. Going inside to cool down and drink some orange juice.

"Baby, It's A Violent World."

2009-04-13T16:02:00.007-04:00

Theoretical poll time. You know that movie 'Observe and Report' that just came out, with the girl who's flashed by some pervert and the mall cop who digs her? Apparently, there's a date rape scene in it where the male character has sex with the unconscious female after heavy drug and alcohol use. Now, how would you respond to the following:

What do you think about the "date rape" scene in Observe and Report?

1. Totally unacceptable. It's sick and wrong.
2. Sure, it's Rogen's movie, he can do whatever he wants, but can't we just avoid jokes about RAPE?
3. I thought it was funny (though I feel a little guilty about it).
4. It's a JOKE people. Get upset about more important things.

Which of the above does not belong here? Yeah, it's obvious.

But here's the twist; this isn't a theoretical poll. It's a poll at Huffington Post. And the last option is winning. Needless to say, I am periodically refreshing the poll and voting for the first option. WHY WORLD WHY? D:

ANYWAY.

I discovered a few days ago that Coldplay has a video out for their song Life in Technicolor II. How lovely! There's a track called Life in Technicolor on their latest album Viva La Vida but it's instrumental. Rumour has it that Life in Technicolor was originally a full song with lyrics and everything, but when producers reviewed the first cut of the album and said that Life in Technicolor was the "obvious single", Chris Martin was like bollocks to that and stripped the song down. And yet, if you see the Prospekt's March EP, Life in Technicolor II is the first track complete with lyrics and everything. Iiinteresting.

Writing Progress

2009-04-01T23:44:00.001-04:00

50,178 / 200,000 words. 25% done!

ONE QUARTER = AWESOME.

April is going to be tough for me; my buffer has been depleted, so no more blowing off three days in a row just because.

Does This Mean Jim Sinegal Is Alvar Hanso?

2009-03-28T11:56:00.012-04:00

My family does a lot (okay, most) of their shopping at Costco. Which is pretty cool; Costco has a lot of quality goods. But over the past year I've noticed something... INSIDIOUS.

*cue dramatic music*

You see, there's this brand called Kirkland Signature that I've become familiar with. My first experience with Kirkland Signature was when my parents bought a massive package of burgers in that particular brand. Now, everything from Costco comes in a massive package, so that was to be expected. The burgers were some of the best I've ever had too. So far so good. But every time we went to Costco, we looked around...

Kirkland Signature Hydrating Conditioner.

Kirkland Signature Whole Fancy Cashews.

Kirkland Signature Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Cookware.

Kirkland Signature Supreme Diapers.

Kirkland Signature Artichoke Hearts.

Kirkland Signature Men's Solid Dress Pants.

The list goes on and on; it's disconcerting, I tells ya!

The thing is, Kirkland Signature is a Costco-only brand. In-house, if you may. Essentially, most of the products in Costco are produced by Costco themselves. Which is when we realized the truth; the Kirkland Signature brand is the real life version of the Dharma Initiative brand.

Think about it. *sage nod*

Expanding My Online Reading List

2009-03-27T17:32:00.003-04:00

Two new feminist blogs I have discovered:

Screaming into the Void - She's angry and scathing, just the way I like my feminists.

Diary of a Black Male Feminist - Now there's something you don't see everyday. *thumbs up*

An excerpt from his latest post, addressing Chris Brown (for obvious reasons):

My crossroad came when a person came into my life and shook me to the core. This person started the deconstruction of my male belief system and 20 years later am I continuing that work. I was stuck in this “man prison” because my definition of masculinity was limited. Once I alleviated both perceived and real peer pressure that motivated me to engage in physical and sexual aggression to affirm my masculinity I was free.

It's a fantastic piece, I'd recommend it to anyone. But especially men.

Canadian Content

2009-03-25T00:27:00.010-04:00

Daily factoid:

The Dunning-Kruger effect is an example of cognitive bias in which people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it.

Hoo boy, I hate to paint people with the same brush but my first thought after reading this? Fox News. :P

Speaking of Fox News, not going to dwell upon the whole horrible event where the Canadian Forces were mocked on national television. The host apologized, but in a predictably smarmy way. "Misunderstood" my ass.

In other Canadian news (or should I say Torontonian news?) there's a kerfuffle going on over Karen Stintz taking public speaking lessons with the taxpayers' money.

Criticized for talking too fast and sounding "shrill" during city hall meetings, Councillor Karen Stintz decided she needed to do something about it.

So she spent $4,500 (U.S.) for public-speaking lessons last year. Then she got taxpayers to cover the costs.

The vocal opponent of Toronto Mayor David Miller used the services of Lynda Spillane, an author and vocal coach who has advised other female politicians.

Fnargh, I cannot stand the use of the adjective "shrill" when describing a woman's voice. It's a gender-coded insult; how many times are men described as shrill? Shrill is used to dismiss women, to shame them into silence. Using shrill to describe a woman's voice immediately detracts from the content of her message and focuses on its presentation. And isn't that a woman's lot in life, to have her content ignored in favour of her presentation?

And yet, women clearly recognize that to succeed in a man's world, you have to talk like one. Hence the lessons. Not saying that I approve of her using taxpayer money. There's a before and after video at the link above and frankly I think the voice lessons turned her into a lifeless automaton. When she was "shrill", she was speaking passionately and from the heart. Her voice was freaking fine the way it was and haters should have just sit down and shut up instead of criticizing a competent and successful woman's voice of all things.

(As an aside, I've been tweaking zee blog over the past few days. It's looking mighty shiny right about now. :D)

More Music Discoveries

2009-03-21T01:57:00.006-04:00

I thought I couldn't love Lily Allen more!

Shame For You

I've been thinking that you've crossed the line,
if you disappeared that would be just fine,
'cause you waste my time and waste my money
and you're not too cool and you're not so funny!
Spreading your seed all over the town
getting too greedy and messing around
Oh my gosh you must be joking me
if you think that you'll be poking me.

[Chorus]
Don't take me on no, no
Don't take me on no, no
Don't take me on
Shattered the lie but you think I don't already know,
Don't try to deny 'cause my fuse is ready to blow
It's your turn to learn I think you know where to go
It's a shame, shame, shame, shame for you

Please don't come around and knock on my door
'cause I don't want to have to pick you up of the floor,
when you ask if we can still be lovers,
I'll have to introduce my brothers,
I think that they could teach you a lesson or two,
By the time they've finished you'll be black and blue
You'll be crying like a baby,
A sea of tears they'll call the navy in.

[Chorus x 2]
LOL @ that second verse. Lily Allen's lyrics can be so spiteful, but she sings them so cheerfully. ;)

Aside from that song, there's a few others I've acquired:

Ani Difranco - Loom (reminds me of her songs Firedoor and Shameless)
Hilary Duff - Reach Out and Touch Me (I KNOW, SHUT UP. *facepalm*)
The Prodigy - Piranha (good ol' industrial electronica)
Flyleaf - All Around Me (so Rock Band, reminds me of Paramore)
Estelle ft. Sean Paul - Come Over (mellow with a smooth, reggae vibe)
Metallica - St. Anger (I mostly like this song for the beginning verses)