Art and Friends and Fun and Holidays and Music and Photography Decemberists, NIN, Sasquatch 5:01 am
This past weekend I had the pleasure of going to the Sasquatch Music Festival in the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington State. I camped with a bunch of old and new friends from Handsworth and had an absolute blast. This won’t be an experience I shall soon forget.
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Art and Nature and Photography Capilano, Forest, Murdo Fraser, Nature, Photography 7:02 am
Today, I took a walk down memory lane, actually memory trail. After being so taken by the beautiful natural scenery on Vancouver Island this weekend I decided to walk the paths of my youth with my Canon A590 in hand. Namely, I trekked through Murdow Fraser Park and the Capilano Woods.
Art and Books and Family and Holidays and Life and Photography Catcher in the Rye, Island, Job Search, Nature, Resume, Yellowpoint 4:27 pm
This weekend I went on a picturesque excursion to Yellowpoint Lodge near Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Needless to say, there was more than my fair share of natural beauty to be admired and adored. It was a lovely way to get back into the West Coast groove and reinforce what makes BC so unique in Canada. I had a great time with the family and hope my mom had an amazing Mother’s Day.
Art and Holidays and Internet and Movies and School and Science Brain, Economics, French, Philosophy, Psychology, Stephen Hawking, TED Lectures, The Mind 3:53 am
Today I arrived home from my restful vacation in Chicago, Illinois. Though an unfortunate inevitability, it is simply a fact of life that all good things, including vacations, must eventually come to an end. The trip could not easily be summed up and still done justice. Many thanks to mom and dad for helping pay for it. Thankfully I have tons of photos of the city with which to remember the time-honored architecture.
In an effort to avoid studying for my imminent microeconomics midterm on Monday I have been watching various interviews with the great minds of our time. I will include two of my favourites at the end of the post. It got me thinking about what I truly want to do with my education. Now, up to this point I have been pretty solidly convinced that a history major is the right choice for me. I have always loved history and literature and was intending to major in one whilst minoring in the other. However, watching these interviews with these great(albeit scientific) minds made me wonder if studying the past is really my interest. Despite my fondness for the narrative stylings of both history and literature I wonder if something more current is not worth considering. This year I have taken courses in psychology, philosophy, chemistry, French, east Asian film studies and economics in addition to my history and literature classes. Each has been an experience unto itself.
Psychology was a breezy course last term for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, it is a very intriguing subject, the human mind and consciousness. Who isn’t interested in the inner workings of the mind? Nobody, that’s who. Also, the pseudo-science that is psychology(at least at the intro level) made for a very easy A+. However, despite the agreeableness of my prof and his entertaining lectures, psychology seems to me a science built upon soft ground. Despite PET scans, functional MRI technology and other various means used to satisfy the empirical burden of science, I feel it is far too general and inconsistent in many rights. Though, after watching the TED lecture(posted 2nd below) it seems psychology may have spiritual benefits worth exploring.
Philosophy and I did not get along nicely. Perhaps it was the 600 person class or the surprisingly closed-minded prof but it was not gellin’. I will probably take a political philosophy class some day down the road, but for now Plato can keep his forms.
French has been functional, but certainly not fun. I am undecided at this point whether or not to continue it next year. I thought I would be needing it more here, but due to the anglo bubble that is McGill it seems unnecessary. The only way I would truly improve my oral skills would be to immerse myself somewhere and 3 hours a week is simply not enough.
Chemistry and east Asian film are definitely not being considered for majors, those courses were just selected for interest’s sake (a condition they have thoroughly satisfied)
My first run in with Economics was with Milan in Canada’s Wonderland. While all the others were riding some hellish coaster he explained to me the principal of Supply and Demand using popcorn, if I recall correctly, as an example. I knew it wouldn’t be my last run in with the tricky stuff and although it is both interesting and useful, I simply do not wish to commit my neurons to a science dedicated to greed and moolah.
So really, history and literature do seem like my best options at the moment. Sometimes you gotta talk(or write) these things out to prioritize ‘em correctly. Either way, I got time, time, time.
s $$ out,
sash
Very interesting videos:
Stephen Hawking being interviewed by PBS’s Charlie Rose:
TED Talk – Jill Bolte Taylor’s powerful stroke of insight
Art and Friends and Fun and Holidays and Life 4:04 pm
Feelin' the Illinoise!
I am writing this post from the gorgeous and oh-so-gansgter Chicago, Illinois. It has long been a dream of mine to travel to this beautiful place, see the sights and bask in the glory of the Midwestern United State’s largest city. Being in America has been an interesting experience, especially after having studied US History extensively last term. The biggest difference I’ve seen between Montreal and Chicago, other than the pleasantly balmy weather we got goin’ on at the moment, is the urban-ness of this place. The houses, buildings, roads, and parks are jam packed in perfectly spaced rows. Flying in one could not help notice the grid that the city was built upon. Apparently it was rebuilt this way following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Either way, today is Dim Sum and I’s lazy day so we are sitting around Victoria’s place and chillaxing. I decided it’d be best to fill you guys in on our trip thus far. So here are the 5 best things about Chi-city so far!
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1. Victoria’s Place
Vic's Place
The way Victoria described it certainly did not do it justice. This pad is worthy of a Tsar. The walls are lined with paintings, doodads. The furniture is comfortable and classy ranging from leather couches to a pillow-laden Chinese day bed. Best of all, there is a constant supply of delicious ingredients with which to make delectable snacks at any time of day or night. Last night, in celebration of Mardi Gras, we enjoyed Gwen’s(Victoria’s mom) sultry jambalaya followed by strawberry-iced vanilla cake. Needless to say, we are getting our fill. Only downside is that in two days I know I will be returning to res and its tiny rooms, destitute kitchen and barren fridges. Ah well, ’tis the life of a student.
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2. Downtown Chicago
Woah!
Wowza!
The Bean!
After only experiencing the retro skyline of Montreal for the last while, Chicago is breathtaking. The buildings are so massive, prominent and breathtaking. We were lucky to go downtown on a breathtakingly blue-skied day which provided a stellar backdrop for the skyscrapers. They are truly a testament to America’s majesty. For those of you wondering what the Bean is, it’s an incredibly shiny aluminum bean in Millennium Park in the heart of downtown. Very strange indeed, but nevertheless an amazing sight.
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3. Deep Dish Pizza
Yum
Pizza just ain’t pizza unless it’s 3 inches thick. The sauciness, cheesiness and meatiness of that pizza will flavour my dreams for the rest of my days…
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4. The L-Train
Whoosh!
Tracks
At first, Dim Sum and I found the L-train’s roar frightening, obnoxious and far too frequent. Vic’s place is about 2 blocks from the stop at Diversey and Sheffield and so we get the pleasure of hearing it about every 2-3 minutes. However, it has definitely grown on me. After having experienced its convenience and comprehensiveness that sums up to the best public transit system I may have ever had the pleasure of riding I must say the L-Train is pretty wicked. Dim Sum and I have now grown accustomed to its groan and fall asleep each night to its iron lullaby.
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5. The Company!
Where? Oh Chicago!
Dim Sum has been an amazing companion during this trip. I am very glad he decided to come to Chi-City with the Sash-man and see the sights. Victoria has been a splendid guide and host helping us brave the ghetto, avoid the sketchy places and show us the beautiful underbelly of this otherwise concrete metropolis. They’ve made the trip as far as I am concerned.
Vic's feet
Ooh lala
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Alrighty, that’s all for now folks. Dim Sum, Vic and I are gonna go downtown and shop for some new kicks then meet her papa for steak dinner. Tah tah for now.
sash
Some more pics:
Wall of 9 Dragons
Cultural Center
Dome
Millenium Park
Diversity
Dimsum @ Clayton's
Art and Friends and Fun and Life and Music and School 1968, HAIR, Liz's Birthday, Sword 1:26 am
Whew, I saw quite an amazing show tonight. It had . . .
Vietnam, Johnson, high school, sex, coffee, books,
food, scissors, magazines, news, cigarettes,
Hollywood, Tuesday Weld,
Burton-Taylor, pop art, pop off, popcorn, popsicle,
Andy Warpop, pop paper, pop up,
Popeye, poppers,England, outer space,
astronauts, Jesus, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair!
I haven’t seen a stage performance since first term where I saw Dark Side of the Moon which was a less than spectacular McGill production. However, HAIR, The American Tribal Love Rock Musical was a true spectacle. It had great songs, great energy, a great set and most importantly a cool setting. Not that 1968 was cool, in fact it was one of the worst years in American History. RFK’s and MLK’s death, the Tet Offensive and The ‘68 Democratic National Convention. All the more reason to ditch the dockers and let the luscious locks grow. I was really blown away by the quality. Having really only been exposed David Beare epics for the last 5 years it was great to see how other people do it. This play was topical, hysterical, jovial, grooooovy and an all around wicked time. Only downside was that it made me miss my good ol’ mane. Ah well, I can still totally be a hippie at heart.
Also, tonight was my friend Liz from Chicago’s 19th Birthday so we had a pool party in the 6th floor bathroom. I got her an amazingly cool katana that I named “Ashbringer, Blessed Blade of the Windkeeper”. Needless to say, she thought it was awesome. All around a righteous day.
Peace and love,
sash
PS:
never forget
Art and Family and Friends and Fun and Holidays and Movies and Music 3:12 pm
Merry Christmas : ]
sash
Art and Holidays and Life and Montreal Montreal, Poem, Robert Frost, Snow 8:38 pm
Whose woods these are I think I know,
His house is in the village though.
He will not see me stopping here,
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer,
To stop without a farmhouse near,
Between the woods and frozen lake,
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake,
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep,
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
– Robert Frost
6 days baby. See ya soon Vancouver!
sash
: – ]
Art and Family and Fun and Life and Montreal and Photography Art, Bansky, Graffiti, Love You Forever, Robert Munsch 10:48 pm
flowerchucker
Today I received a very special trifecta of gifts in the mail. Firstly, my mom sent me a copy of Love You Forever. It was a really sweet gesture of her. Indeed, if I had to select my favourite child author it would certainly be Robert Munsch. Everything from The Paper Bag Princess to Mortimer to Thomas’ Snowsuit, it’s alllllll goood! Secondly, my mom’s students, in a characteristic act of generosity, sent me a black and red scarf in the mail. It is just beginning to get chilly in Montreal and my neck is oh so thankful. If you are reading this mom, please pass my appreciation along. Thirdly, my friend Sierra who is studying at a castle in England sent me a very very cool book of art by an artist called Banksy. He is a very talented, edgy and stylish graffiti artist who takes it to the streets of London! The picture above is just one of his many awesome works of urban art. For the benefit of anyone interested I will upload an extensive gallery of digital Bansky scans that I found on Demonoid. Enjoy!
 | oleh on Sasquatch Music Fest |
| oleh on Sasquatch Music Fest |
 | oleh on The Paths I Call Home |
 | Milan on IMG_0918 |
| oleh on The Paths I Call Home |
