Azn Persuazn Tuesday, Apr 14 2009

 

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

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Oh the wondrous mind Saturday, Feb 28 2009

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

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HAIR: The Musical Sunday, Feb 8 2009

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

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Happy Saint Nicholas Day! Sunday, Dec 7 2008

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.

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Diggidy diggidy DONE! Sunday, Nov 30 2008

My weekend in a nutshell:
Wilsonianism: Ideals and Impossibility

It wasn’t an easy topic I chose… I don’t really know why I chose it, but it was kind of fun proving that:

Woodrow Wilson

Satan

——————————————————————————————

Unfortunately, I learned in my last conference from my TA that my prof’s favourite President is Woodrow Wilson. Ah well, it’s out of my hands now. Time to enjoy what’s left of dimanche. Oh and………

XXI DAYS UNTIL I AM HOME!
sash

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peace… and WAR! Monday, Oct 20 2008

flowa powa

It’s decided, I am gonna be John Lennon for halloween. I was toying with some ideas, but I think this will be the most fun to do. I’ve got lots to do in preparation for this joyous event:

1. Acquire John Lennon glasses.(I got a really nice looking set for cheap on ebay lined up.)
2. Acquire Liverpool accent.
3. Acquire subsequent John Lennon-esque clothing
3.1 Decide upon which era of Lennon
4. Diligent John Lennon research, must learn:
4.1 Interests
4.2 Mannerisms
4.3 Outlook on the Universe
… and if I have time, I’ll learn some Lennon songs on piano.

Another chap on my floor is gonna be Bob Dylan, so we’ll play off that f’sho. If you’ve noticed the vivid awesomeness that is my post pic, you will be looking at the bead curtain I bought on ebay. I am gonna hang it outside my little corner block that I share with Hannah, my neighbour. I originally had my eye on a dragon one, but I liked the colour in this one.

Speaking of my corner block, this week Victoria continued the cycle of torment that I began one fateful night weeks ago. Back and forth Victoria and I have been pranking eachother, with increasing ferocity. It first started one time when I was walking past Tori’s room only to see her absorbed utterly in her studies. I crept with the sleuthiness of a true rogue and poised behind her, unnoticed, taking my time. After waiting what felt like an eternity I yelped and grabbed her. Needless to say, she flipped. And thus it began. Anyways, her latest prank was to create a minefield of styrofoam cups outside my door on the wee hours of Saturday morning. I awoke to find this:

MINES!

Such a minor inconvenience has ne’er existed! Anyways, I gotta get her back in some new and devilish manner. If you got any suggestions for solid pranks, hit me up. I assure you, I’m willing to let this go on as long as it has to… and then some.

ios-aday,
sash

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catch up time! Tuesday, Oct 14 2008

grrrr

Hellllo interwubs! It’s been a hectic week, hectic and awesome. The Monday-Friday grind represented a trifecta of midterms(US History, Philosophy and German Lit). For US History I had a take home midterm. I was like, “Pfft, this gonna be so easy. Ain’t no thang!”. In actuality, it was quite a cognitive marathon. One thing that never ceases to irk me about the study of liberal arts is the emphasis put upon ideas. These pesky things are harder to grab a hold of than lubed up marmots. They never come in a moment of enlightenment nor a glorious paradigm shift, no. They are tirelessly extracted from the mind, not unlike the contortionist act performed when one reaches the end of a toothpaste tube. But back to my week. Despite some stress, I produced some work I was proud of. I was feeling mighty patriotic when I wrote my US History paper and as a result it drips with American idealism I vicariously acquired. That’s an interesting aspect I’ve found with being amongst so many Americans: patriotism spreads. Not to mention, Gil Troy, my US History professor, is a really solid lecturer and you can’t help but root for America in this guys presence. Philosophy presented a whole different set of challenges this week. The focus of my essay was Descartes proof of the existence of God. To be honest, I was pretty uninterested in Descartes Meditations, resulting in a technical paper sans heart. And last but not least, German Literature! I actually was pretty happy with my performance on this midterm. Unfortunately, I know I got 12.5% of it wrong off the bat by some quote misattribution(damn you Hagen of Troneck!). All in all, the week was essentially a countdown to Friday because on Friday my older brother Milan visited from Ottawa. Having not seen him a fair bit of time I was glad to be able to spend time with him. I’d say the highlight of his stay was either going to La Ronde, this awesome amusement park in Montroyal or Thanksgiving Dinner at Will, Tim and Dan’s. The former was quite a crazy experience. Having only ever been on “The Coaster” a magnificently tame roller coaster in Vancouver, I was not prepared for the intensity that lay ahead. First off, we went on Le Monstre, a wooden roller coaster that rocked my world to the core. I was under the impression this could simply not be topped, when loe and behold, there she was: The Goliath. This thing was insane…. INSANE!!!!! RAWR OMGAWDDDD! Basically, scariest thing I may have ever done. Whewf!

The second greatest part of this weekend was Thanksgiving at Will, Tim and Dan’s. What a feast! It seems obvious to me that those guys were master chefs or turkey basters or something cooking related in their previous lives because man that was delectable! It’s awesomeness took root in its unconventional nature. Instead of a turkey, two roast chickens wrapped in bacon! Mmmmmm, triple bypass! Instead of cranberry juice, robust red wine! Instead of reflection and thankfulness(t3h 7o7al |\|()()|3 em0tionzors), mirth and gaiety were all around! Quite a great night. Anyways, I gotta go to bed now cause I have french in ze matin!

Namaste,
sash

Here are some piktchures:

grrrr

|3 [] |\| E |2

cityscape

cityscaper

rawk

bubble!

striationz^6

under pressure!

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the beginning of the end Wednesday, Oct 1 2008

relief? 'tis but a pipe dream

Oy, is there no end to the academic tyranny?! Tomorrow, I have my first midterm in Psychology. I’ve been studying up a storm, and as a result am becoming increasingly stressed about my German Literature and American History papers due on Friday. Wish me luck! I am gonna keep this short and sweet for there is much reading to be done.

Some salvation rests in the knowledge that while others study well into October, my midterms are all done and dusted by the 10th. Also, if I get a free moment some time soon I have been looking to increase my collection of Wii games by a staggering 50%! I will go from a respectable two games to a mind-imploding three! That’s right, MegaMan 9 has caught mine eye. Interestingly enough, it has the highest number of sold copies of any Wii game in its first week in North America, besting even Super Smash Bros Brawl and Twilight Princess, much to my surprise. When I finally have time to play games, a privilege I have been itching for, this looks like it will be the one. Sometimes I can’t help but feel like the most deprived lad in all the world… aw well! On the bright side, I got confirmation that my older brother and benevolent overlord Milan will be visiting me next weekend from the 10th to the 13th. This is undeniably exciting and I must now think up interesting ways to entertain him. It’s times like this I wish I didn’t have so much studying and actually knew a little bit more about Montreal than the three blocks between the library and my dorm. Maybe I’ll muster the courage to venture out this weekend. We shall see!

Do widzenia,

sash

PS: No pics for today cause I spent every waking moment I could cramming for Psych. I plan to go on a snapshot fest this weekend if my schedule permits it!

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a rebirth of spontaneity? Tuesday, Sep 30 2008

more house

Last Saturday I attended a McGill improv workshop at the SSMU building. I went with few expectations, thinking that there was no way it could top Handsworth Improv, either under Führer Beare or Brett “Namaste” Jamieson. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the workshop. It was really basic and relaxed, which are two words I almost forgot could be associated with improv. I went with Victoria, a friend of mine from Gardner, who had been urging me for a few weeks. There are some really funny guys there, and the instructor, Jeremy, is an Australian so no matter what he says it’s a riot. I met a guy called Ben who thinks we have “rockin’ chemistry” in the improv department and talk of a tiny little troupe is circulating. I must say that I am as the francophones would say: “tres excité” by the propisition. I won’t lie, improv can make one a bit of a laughter addict. There are few sensations on par with the feeling following the delivery of a hilarious quip in front of a crowd of people. In fact, it should be easier now considering we’ll be playing in bars and everybody’ll nice and sauced up! I can hardly wait till next Saturday! Who knows, maybe we’ll be seeing this scene in 5…4…3…2…1…(weeks or so).

さようなら,

sash

Some pics:

bloo sky

the falcon

helllllllo?

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not enough hours in the day Monday, Sep 29 2008

the eraser

As much as I’d like to write an extensive post detailing my day, I simply don’t have the time. I didn’t expect university French to pose such a challenge, but it takes 3 times longer than my old French did. In addition to my upcoming psych midterm and essay due on The Nibelungenleid the work just continues to pile up. The leaves are starting to change colour these days and you can feel the autumn creeping into your bones. My soul could use a sunny day big time. The reason my blog is sporting the cover of “The Eraser”, Thom Yorke’s solo album, is because in a rare case of musical deprivation it was the only album I was able to listen to today because of the business of my schedule. As a result I have the songs in my head.

In gaming news, which seems to be the only gaming related activity that I have time for these days, I read an interesting article today concerning the issue of DRM and online games. I, of course, am talking about amazon.com’s controversial decision to delete negative reviews of EA’s Spore that criticized the limited activation system of the new PC release which gives three lifetime activations of the game before you have to call EA and request a new key. 1000’s of one star reviews were removed by the online distributor, who attributed the deletions to “a glitch”. The reviews have since been restored on the site. On a side note, Penny Arcade has released a recent set of cartoons detailing The Origins of the CD-Keys.

Many people believe that “DRM only punishes legitimate consumers who want to pay for the software they own”. I feel the need to disagree, being guilty of torrenting a few games in my day. I feel it is the only way to protect software developers and ensure they maintain the capital to continue producing games. Indeed by around 10PM on the day of Spore’s release I was already running a fully torrented version of the game. I think the reality is that DRM improvements are an inevitability as long as mass downloading is allowed to run rampant like it does. However, I have no sympathy for game developers that go under due to software piracy, simply for the fact that any game worth playing in the 21st century should have some form of online play or social networking that would necessitate a CD key. One game developer that presents this aspect time and time again is Blizzard Entertainment. I can hardly recall the countless hours I have poured into every Blizzard title from Diablo I to Starcraft to Warcraft III. With the much anticipated release of Starcraft II and Diablo III later down the road I can safely say that they will still have a valued customer for years to come(if I ever get my god-forsaken homework done).

Au Revoir,

sash

garrrrgoyles

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