Happy New Year...
...Although I really don't get the point of this whole celebration.
For me all I've noticed with new year's is that it's a time for people to become depressed with things that have gone wrong over the past 365 days. It's also a time for people to find ways to 'make themselves a better person' with resolutions so they can feel further depression in a few months when they've realized they haven't kept them.
Really that's all there is to this celebration now. I'm not a religious person so I don't think about what a new year means for that specifically. My new year is my birthday when I actually get older and have something to celebrate (or again get depressed about depending the age I'm turning).
This year I'm making the trek out to Port Hope, a sleepy little down about an hour away from civilization. It's a nice place, I went there three years ago, coincidentally the last time I did anything for celebrating. It's actually the house of a friend and she's having a bunch of people over as she always does. I'm going because I feel like getting out of the house and drinking, not because I feel like celebrating, let's get that straight.
I won't be grumpy when the time comes. I'll celebrate with everyone else, although last time my friends and I were a little out of it come midnight, so we'll have to see.
In any case, happy new year people.
Peace.
Some of my favourites of 2006...
I've been caught up in the world of 'top whatevers of 2006' and since I now have a blog this year I figured I'd give it a go. Today I'll post my top 10 albums of the year. They're just albums I've listened to and they aren't the end-all-be-all of music so don't go complaining to me that you're favourite album didn't crack the list! Or do, it doesn't bother me...
10.
Z 103.5 Stree Mix 2k7Up until the past few months I've shunned the dance music genre. However, frequent rides in a friend's car made me unable to disregard it any longer. Since then I've gotten a few albums and am actually enjoying the music now. This album in particular is amazing. It's got great flow from one song to the next and they're all still playing on the radio today so it's not a dated 'best of 2006' compliation.
9. Raconteurs - Broken Boy SoldiersI'll admit this album was one of the least catchy ones on this list. However, for the couple weeks I listened to it in the summer it stuck with me. This is Jack White, of The White Stripes' side project and the band is quickly becoming just as popular. I debated whether or not to include it on the list but in the end it succeeded in getting there.
8. Nas - Hip Hop is Dead This album just came out a few weeks ago. After the first listen I knew it'd go on my list. The songs aren't usually what catches my ear. They're slower, quieter at times, but their vibe is undeniable. With just a few misses on the album you're going to hear a few tracks from it in the next while, I'm sure.
7. Stone Sour - Come What(ever) MayI was first introduced to Stone Sour with their first album a few years ago. I loved it. I never enjoyed Slipknot as much, they seemed a little to crazy for me, and still do for that matter. This group, if you haven't heard already is a branch off Slipknot, but they seem a little more mellow at times and their videos a little more playable on mainstream television.
6. Chappelle's Block Party OST For those who have read my blog for a while, you'll know I went to see the Chappelle movie a while back. I enjoyed it a lot. The music was not what I normally listened to at the time, but since then I think I've tried to expand my 'rap horizons' a little bit. With the exception of the incredibly annoying phone interludes on the album it was and still is quite amazing.
5. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium ArcadiumI was looking forward to this album for quite some time. It's a 2-disc output from the Chili's and the 28 songs it contains are all equally amazing. It's a perfect album to listen to while driving down the highway in the summer with the windows open.
4. Billy Talent - Billy Talent 2I was never really into Billy Talent that much. However, my nephew liked them and got me to get the album. I finally caved and gave it a listen. I was impressed. This record is filled with catchy singable songs that get stuck in your head for days.
3. Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton - Knives Don't Have Your BackIf you know me, you know I enjoy Metric, a lot. When I heard the lead singer, Emily Haines, would be coming out with a solo album I couldn't wait to snatch it. When I first started listening to it I must say I wasn't really impressed. The songs are all relatively slow with no change of pace throughout the album. However, as with ever Metric album, I started listening to it non-stop and it grew on me.
2. Lily Allen - Alright StillI started listening to Lily at the end of April, shortly after I joined Myspace. About a week or two later she started becoming immensly popular. I'd see her on all these web sites on the Internet with people talking about how Myspace made her..etc. I was happy to have found her before (albeit 2 wks) her popularity boom and it made me want to stick with her and see her rise to stardom, as it were.
1. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere This album really caught me out of nowhere. I'd heard of Cee-Lo but never really listened to his music before. I just got the album because it seemed like it was getting good reviews, and I couldn't get that song 'Crazy' out of my head. After listening to it a few times I knew I'd found something special. It's such a different type of music that I've never really heard before.
All the songs on the album are of 'single' quality and if you haven't heard it yet I'd recommend you giving it a try.
I'd have to say making this list wasn't the easiest task to do. There are some albums I really debated putting up there but chose not to. One thing I learned from my music listening this year is to not dismiss an artist because you don't seem to click with them. Also don't dismiss an album on the first listen. Sometimes it takes time to grow into an artist or album and, who knows, you may be better off for giving it a chance in the end!
Peace.
"Age is a state of mind.."
Over the past couple of years I've found myself not loving Christmas the way I used to.
I remember going to bed the night before and not being able to sleep because of the anticipation of what the next morning would bring. I would lay in bed, trying my hardest to drift off, but all I could do is stare at the clock that always seemed brighter on that night.
Where this change started to occur, I could only guess. I'd think it was the first time I was actually woken up by one of my nephews. I had slept until 9:30am. Now obviously on any other day I wouldn't dream of waking that early, but on Christmas the norm is closer to 7:00am.
I think that morning I experienced a mixed reaction. I was happy I was able to get a full night's sleep for the first Christmas ever, but it also occured to me that I couldn't go back to the way things were either.
I suppose age
is a state of mind, as Sahar so kindly mentioned to me tonight, and I
could just let myself go and experience the day as if i was a young boy again. I could do all that, but I won't. I think the experience has been more of a maturation process. Christmas isn't about the presents and suprise, it's about my family and spending time with eachother. That's what I look forward to the most now.
Merry Christmas.
What now?
Yesterday was my final day of school.
With the exception of a year off between high school and college, I've been a student since Sept. 6, 1988 (I checked my computer calender). Everything feels a little weird at the moment. It's like nothing I've ever experienced before.
I guess right now it's time for me to come out of my comfort zone as a student and become a student of life. I'm just going through these constant ups and downs right now. I already miss the day-to-day relations with other students who I've grown to know over the past two and a half years. It's funny because like I said I was in class yesterday and it's already hitting me.
I think my biggest fear right now is not keeping in touch with the handful of people I call my friends. It seems easy to say we'll talk but once our careers take hold we'll have little time to do anything with eachother. Also, will we grow apart now that we don't have the normal conversation topic of school to talk about anymore? I'm going to try my damnedest to keep in touch with them, but those thoughts scare me a little.
I'd like to give kudos to things such as facebook and myspace, which allow people to not only reconnect with one another, but stay connected as well. I've just recently joined facebook and I've found numerous people from high school I hadn't spoken to in years. I'd even found a couple friends from elementary school! I guess simply knowing someone is doing okay or the potential for contacting them is there, is also good enough for me. I don't necessarily talk with everyone on facebook but knowing they're okay makes it worthwhile.
Now to continue my hunt for a placement...
Peace.
Boffed
It's a word a friend and I made up. Disregard it. The title wasn't coming to me.
Well. My stories are all done. My magazine was printed and accept for a few problems that resulted in the spending of more money, it turned out beautiful according to my friend Dharm who's currently holding them all.
I'm extremely happy this thing turned out well because myself and my group have spent the entire semester working on creating this and it's kind of like our little baby in some respects. Now my writing wasn't up to my standards by any means, but the design of the thing is what I looked forward to the most and I believe we came out on top of the rest of the class.
Overall my stress levels have dramatically dropped. The only two things that are really bothering me at the moment are #1 my internship which I don't have and #2 the fact that I'll never see these people again; most anyway.
I've only become serious friends with about a handful and the others I can say goodbye to in time, but what I'll miss the most is the daily interaction with the group as a whole. Even those I didn't really gel with I'll miss. It's like I'm reliving high school all over again. Accept this time there's less people I'd like to be rid of.
So of late my mood's been pretty somber mixed with extreme stress. My health I think has shown it too. From infrequent weighing at my friend's place I figure I've lost a good 5 or 8 lbs. over the past month or so. For me this isn't good at all because I'm pretty much wasting away as it is.
After work tomorrow I'm heading down and picking up my share of the mags and then I'm going to spend all afternoon doing my Christmas shopping, which I haven't started yet!!
That's the update.
Peace.
