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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Friends and Fun and Life and School East Asian Studies, Japanese, School's End 3:59 pm
Bruce
As my freshman year at university is quickly wrapping up I can’t help but already feel nostalgiac. The fears that permeated my mind in the year’s beginning have all but evaporated in this truly amazing environment. The friends I have made, the experiences and knowledge I’ve attained, have all culminated into a learning experience that cannot be contained within the confines of the GPA system. There is now, more than ever, a rhyme and reason to my life and education in Montreal. I feel blessed to have been able to be here and meet all the wonderful friends I know will stay in my heart forever. Gardner Hall will only be my home for 15 more days and I plan to cherish them as much as I can. It’s not often we get the chance to live in a building so densely packed with fly people. I’ll miss it for sure.
Though this chapter in my McGill life may be closing, the future is wraught with promise. First and foremost, I can hardly wait for my living arrangement next year. I will be living with my two brothers from different mothers, Dan and Yaakov, which should be a blast. The place we’ve rented in the Plateau is a beautiful 6 and a half that will no doubt provide unmatched homeliness. For all my friends abroad, I implore you to make the trip out to Montreal with the promise of either a comfy spot on the couch or a spoon with yours truly.
The next, and most drastic, big change that will be coming my way next year is a recent addition to my educational agenda. I am sticking to my guns and doing a Major in History, hopefully with Honours. However, I could not help but feel my initial Minor, English Literature, was a bit of a cop-out. I just wasn’t excited about it. Then, a few nights ago I had an epiphany that will most certainly make my next year interesting, challenging yes, but very interesting. The epiphany: East Asian Studies.
As many of you most likely know, I am an asiophile. From anime to gaming to samurai swords to the iconic Bruce Lee (pictured above), Asia is a continent that holds great wonder in my mind. For this reason I have decided to re-declare my minor to East Asian Studies, put my studies of French on hold and take First Level Japanese next year. This course will entail 50 minutes of instruction every day for both semesters. The word ‘intensive’ certainly comes to mind when I think of the task ahead of me. Yet, I can’t help but get giddy every time I think about it. Today I went and talked to an advisor in the department and got certification to take the Japanese class. So cross your fingers for me.
On a similar tangent, my roomate Yaakov and I have decided we’re going to study a martial art next year. Now, as much as I’ve enjoyed going to the gym this year, I must admit that it ain’t half as cool as learning karate or Jeet Kune Do, the Tao of the Intercepting Fist! As of now, I haven’t the foggiest notion which discipline I should try. I know Milan had a lot of fun with judo, the effects of which I could certainly see in our brotherly brawls. Hopefully next time we clash I will call upon my newly acquired techniques to vanquish him. If any of you have any insight into different styles of martial artistry that you may think I’ll enjoy please let me know.
Anyways, now classes are done and the time has come to begin studying for my exams coming up. Take care internet.
さようなら,
Sash
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
Friends and Fun and Holidays and Links and Montreal and Science Flight, Sleep, Vacation 1:50 am
Kitty catches some Z's!
Don’t you just love it when from the moment you take off to the moment you touch down in a trans-continental flight you are fast asleep? I sure do. This flight definitely contrasted my earlier experience with Air Canada a few weeks ago. In the future I may just have to always fly sleep-deprived, seems to work wonders. Sleep has always been a fascinating topic, we discussed it briefly in my Intro to Psych class(mostly the importance of dreams) I definitely have some crazy dreams. I was on Digg a few weeks ago and saw an article containing 40 facts about sleep you probably didn’t know. Here are some of my faves:
The record for the longest period without sleep is 18 days, 21 hours, 40 minutes during a rocking chair marathon. The record holder reported hallucinations, paranoia, blurred vision, slurred speech and memory and concentration lapses. We must fight to keep our kids off of rocking chair marathons. It is a chilling epidemic sweeping the Mid-West and portions of the South where handicraft-based artisan markets thrive and it is corrupting our children!
No-one knows for sure if other species dream but some do have sleep cycles similar to humans. Hmm, personally, and without any scientific grounds to base this upon, I declare that animals do dream. All who challenge my theory will face me at dawn in fisticuffs.
Elephants sleep standing up during non-REM sleep, but lie down for REM sleep. I lie down for both.
Scientists have not been able to explain a 1998 study showing a bright light shone on the backs of human knees can reset the brain’s sleep-wake cycle. The human body is crazy.
Ducks at risk of attack by predators are able to balance the need for sleep and survival, keeping one half of the brain awake while the other slips into sleep mode. Finally, an explanation for why Psyduck was such a useless Pokémon except for when he used his other, psychicly awesome yet dosey, hemisphere.
Experts say one of the most alluring sleep distractions is the 24-hour accessibility of the internet. LIES! Lies and slander I tells ya!
Anyways, in other news, it’s cool to be back in Montréal. As soon as I touched down the city retaught me the meaning of cold. In a relative sense, snowy Vancouver was like Hawaii over the break. So I hitched up my scarf and made my way back to res. When I arrived, I found a ghost town, not a soul in sight. Luckily my friend Emmet from Molson was around so he came over, we got Pitas, then played games and hung out. Hopefully more people come back to res soon so we can all hop on some rocking chairs and get the party started!
Till’ next time,
sash
Family and Friends and Holidays and Life and Montreal 11:52 am
Aeroplane
As I sit at gate C-51, prepped to take Air Canada 150 back to Montreal’s Trudeau Airport, I look back on my trip home for the holidays. Overwhelmingly, my desire is that it did not have to end so soon. It’s a cruel thing having to say good-bye to the place and the people you love twice in just a few months. I once again depart reaffirmed just how incredible Vancouver and Vancouverites are. However, life goes on and I do feel truly blessed to be able to live in Montréal and study there. So, I should really remain positive knowing that it won’t be long ’till I am once more in the company of old friends. Some highlights of the trip were:
- Laura’s birthday party at Jonah’s house
- Gaming with Kwang-Hee again. You have no idea how much I missed that guy.
- Hanging with Brenner, Peebles, D-Mac, Par, Wasy, Cole, Meri and all those great people.
- Seeing Robbie and Courtney – you guys never fail to amaze me with your love for me and eachother
- Capture the flag with Sclark, Brynn, Peebles, Brenner, Paul and all those Ians(and the Bolderdashing afterwards)
- Christmas, but that goes without saying.
- New Years for a few reasons:
1. Jorgen blessed me with his presence on this joyous day/eve
2. Seeing all the old drama folk at Ethan’s house.
3. Some much needed communication between me and a certain someone special(Thank goodness : – ])
- Sleeping until any time I damn-well pleased.
- The village in the wee morning hours reminding me of simpler days.
Those are just the ones that come to my sleep-deprived mind at the moment. It would be impossible to sum up all the great highlights of this trip. Everything from the evergreen trees of the West Coast to the unexpected snow made this a trip to remember. Overwhelmingly, this holiday confirmed two things to me. Firstly, that home is where the heart is. Secondly, no matter where I go or how I change, home pretty well stays the same. The former is a cliché that can’t properly be appreciated until you leave the nest. The latter is a new-found truth that will comfort me during the hard times that life alone presents. Thank you everyone.
sash
Art and Family and Friends and Fun and Holidays and Movies and Music 3:12 pm
Merry Christmas : ]
sash
Family and Friends and Holidays and Life and Montreal and School Saint Nicholas Day 12:55 am
The Saint himself
That’s right! Today is Saint Nicholas Day, a day of mirth and celebration. My family usually celebrates it with the old tradition of leaving out one’s shoe to be filled with candy, socks, vitamins and much more. I didn’t really know the origins of Saint Nicholas Day, so I consulted man’s greatest resource: Wikipedia. After some enlightenment I proceeded to open the package sent by my mom. It contained some swanky items indeed. Gloves, a must in the nippiness of Montreal. A cool dragon sun-catcher thang to optimize the Feng Shui of my abode. Some practical woolen socks in addition to some crazy colourful socks(I always need socks. Send more socks.) And last, but certainly not least, a brownish/gold jacket identical to my favourite jacket back in grade 9. It’s a wee bit bigger than my other one, but I am a wee bit bigger than myself in grade 9, so it’s perfect. I layered under it with just a sweater today. Pow! Pretty much dropkicked the cold square in the face. Happy Saint Nicholas Day to all! It’s sweet cause it’s like the appetizer before the main course, X-mas! And X-mas can mean only one thing: Vancouver! 14 days till I get to fly home, away from this strange and foreign land. Away from advertisements that are all in french! Away from the constant cigaretty scent of Downtown Montreal! Away from exams and school, free of syllabi for two glorious weeks! Back in the glory of the green, green West. But I mustn’t get ahead of myself – I still have 4 exams to write >.<”
In medical news, my surgery is almost completely healed over which is awesome. It was interesting seeing it progress over the last little while. Ain’t the body cool? Yes, yes it is. Four popped collars cool.
sasha.
out.
 | 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 |
