Summer Playlist

It's the last day of June today, and it feels like March. Seriously, what is up with this weather? I know that Vancouver is known to be rainy, but this is ridiculous. At this rate, I will make no money this summer (ah, the troubles of working a job where your hours are semi-dependent on the weather), stay pasty, and not get to wear my new bathing suits at all. Also, this weather is bumming me out in a more general, free floating kind of way. I suspect SAD.

Anyways, other than being bothered by the weather, I've been really busy organizing basically my whole life next year; getting a house, organizing my schedule, and researching the co-op program at UVic. Between that and work, June kind of snuck by and I realized that TOMORROW IS JULY 1ST. Whaaat? July is almost on us, which (hopefully) means that summer will finally make an appearance. In the mean time, I have carefully constructed a 10-song summer playlist (I stole the idea from Starbucks, shhh) for your enjoyment. Cheers!

1. Camilo- Said The Whale
2. Cudderisback (Ottoman remix) ft. Vampire Weekend- Kid Cudi
3. Rose Garden- Shad
4. Fuck You (ft. 50 Cent)- Cee-Lo Green
5. The Lazy Song- Bruno Mars
6. Sunshine- Atmosphere
7. I'm Yours- Jason Mraz
8. The Edge of Glory- Lady Gaga (although this is a better video)
9. Sleepyhead (The Knocks remix)- Passion Pit
10. Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)- Katy Perry

Okay, so it isn't the best playlist I've ever made. I may have stretched a truth a little when I said "carefully constructed." But guaranteed, these are good ones to have on your driving playlist for summer 2011. Enjoy!

Alex Reads Twilight

Hahahahahahha. If you haven't seen this yet, spare a few minutes and watch at least the first video. If you like it (and you will), and have a while more to spare (after all, there are 24 chapters), watch them all! I actually laughed out loud at least once in every single video.

The premise of these videos are simple: our vlogger, a 20 year old Brit named Alex,  over the span of just over a year, reads Stephanie Meyer's Twilight, and supplies an abridged version, with hilarious commentary, to the viewers. I realize this is the second Twilight-related video I've posted recently, but I couldn't help myself. It's just too funny not to share.

Alex Reads Twilight
Chapter 1 
Chapter 2
Chapter 3 & 4
Chapter 5 & 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8 & 9
Chapter 10 & 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16 (with a guest reader!)
Chapter 17 & 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20-22
Chapter 23 & 24

The end! He has some really brilliant facial expressions/comments.

I love weddings.

This post is long over-due, but better late than never, right?

So last weekend, my family went up the Sunshine Coast for a very close family friend's wedding (we're talking cousinly-love-family-friend-close). The wedding was at the Westcoast Wilderness Lodge in Egmont. My sister was especially excited for this, because that was where her grade 7 class went for their year-end trip. She had good reasoning behind her excitement though.... because what an amazing location, seriously. The wedding itself was, of course, great. Everything was beautiful, from the scenery to the food to the bride.

The couple who got married, Morgan and Mike, are about the cutest couple ever. Not only are they both very well-rounded (you know, graduated from MIT, gorgeous, athletic, Canucks fans -despite moving to Boston-, friendly, and ridiculously nice) but they are totally story-book in love. Okay, that sounds cheesy, but I've never seen a couple that seemed so perfect for each other, or so relaxed together. And the groom proposed in Paris. PARIS. A few hours before the wedding, we were driving along, frantically trying to find somewhere to eat before the ceremony, and we see the bride... just casually going for a run with one of the bridesmaids, looking calm as can be. Seriously, the wedding speeches sounded like something from a movie (in a good way, I promise).

This is only the second wedding I've been to that I can remember/really know the people getting married, the first one being my cousin Ariel's wedding last summer. Having noted my limited experiences, can I just say that I love weddings? Seriously. All I want is all the mid-to-late twenty and thirty-somethings in my life to hurry up and get married already, so I can attend the festivities.

I'm quite lazy when it comes to actually writing things (a good quality to have in a blogger, I'm sure), but fortunately I brought my camera, and took a lot of pictures (like... more than 500). So check them out after the jump. And congratulations Morgan and Mike!

Live at YVR

Around YVR in 80 days. Huh?

This is a contest/promotion/can't-even-really-explain-this-that-well thing that YVR is running. Basically, they're looking for someone to stay in YVR/the islandish area around it  for 80 days, starting August 17th, and blog/vlog/tweet/tell the stories about it. We're talking full-on, cannot leave for any reason less than you are moments from death, living there.

Is it weird that I find this to be kind of awesome? If it weren't for the fact that I need to go to school in the fall and can hardly operate video/editing equipment, I would be so down. I love airports, especially YVR, more than almost any other places ever. I'm not sure what it is, but something about them is just very appealing to me.

Anyways, if you know anyone who would be interested in this, or if you want to go live in an airport with me for a shorter amount of time, share!

Riot couple

Okay... I love this photo. If you don't know about it already (I hear Antarctica is nice this time of year), here's the story.

Even Wikipedia mentions it! (June 23rd, 10:45 PM)

So, among all the destruction that occurred during the riots, this photo stands out as a tiny bit of good that came out of it (okay, so the circumstances weren't so good at the time; but it's all good now, and these two are getting crazy publicity). While the whole throwing-these-two-into-an-international spotlight is kind of ridiculous, it's better than this photo being looked over all together. Anyways, this photo just really stands out to me as an amazing composition. It seems like it's on track to become an iconic photo, to be remembered for a long long time. And hey... why not?

Mini Warbler: Part Two

HE'S BACK. And so, so cute. This kid needs to be on Ellen with Darren Criss, or have a cameo in the next season of Glee, for real.

The Mini Warbler is back, with a great rendition of "Raise Your Glass." Unfortunately, I can't embed the video right now, so just click the link, and enjoy the cuteness.

Captain Jack Sparrow

So this week, I saw two particularly "WTF"-type music videos. Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)" takes place in some kind of weird, twisted dimension where Katy Perry is stuck in an awkward 13-year-old, nerd-supreme alter ego's body, and Rebecca Black (yes, that Rebecca Black) throws wild parties that are attended by the Hanson brothers, half the cast of Glee, and Kenny G. Also, Corey Feldman is "Kathy Beth Perry"'s day. Needless to say, when you get past the weird alternate-dimension, why-are-glee-and-friday-always-getting-mashed-together aspect of it, it is a hilarious video. Check it out:

And despite what Katy Perry says, if they are passed out, there is a strict "NO TOUCHING" rule.

The second video is Lonely Island's "Jack Sparrow," featuring Michael Bolton. Yes, Michael Bolton. This video shares the same "wait... what?" factor in the cameos as Katy Perry's video. This song is funny enough on it's own, but if you watch the actual video it gets about 10 times funnier. And the chorus (sung by Mr. Bolton) is mad catchy. And hilarious. Did I mention that? Check it out:


I dare you not to be yelling "THIS IS THE TALE, OF CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW," at random people within the next hour.

Riots in Vancouver

This is the city I love:

And this is what people did to it after losing Game 7:

SERIOUSLY. WHAT THE FUCK.

I can't even begin to describe the absolutely heart-wrenching, ashamed feeling I have about this right now. But I'll write more about it later, when I've digested it and have more information. For now, I''ll just be trying to keep updated. But seriously. I cannot even believe this happened. I am not looking forward to the clearly-heart-broken Canucks' response to this tomorrow.

 UPDATE (June 20th): So I'll keep this brief, because everything that can be said has been, multiple times. But the whole Nathan Kotylak drama has been getting a lot of focus lately and, to be honest, what people are doing to the individuals that have evidence of being involved is getting to be almost, if not equally, as bad as the damage done by the riot itself. Seriously, there is a seriously blood-lust going on for people who rioted violently. People who have been identified are having their facebook profiles, e-mails, twitters, home addresses, phone numbers, and even the schedule of the gyms they work out at posted all over the internet. The level of racism and threat of violence that is being shoved down the throats of people involved is awful. Sure, what people did was awful. But, believe it or not, there are actual authorities dedicated to dealing with these people in an appropriate manner. This vigilante, everyday-people-take-revenge is getting almost as disgusting as the car-burning, looting, and violence that took place after game 7. Seriously, threatening to hurt a 17 year old who defaced your city is not only overkill, it's straight up bullshit. I'm all for punishing the people involved, but I say that people should leave it to the police. In the end, it'll be make our city look better.

This is what the VPD have to say:

CITIZEN PHOTOS/TIPS

The response from the public wanting to help the police identify the individuals involved in last night’s criminal activity has been overwhelming. We are grateful for everyone’s help and have included instructions below for anyone wanting to anonymously share videos with our investigators. We appreciate your assistance in getting this information out to the public.

For photos, please send them to robbery@vpd.ca

To anonymously upload videos to the VPD, please upload them to youtube as private videos and share them with robbery@vpd.ca

Here are the instructions on how to do this:

1.       Sign in to your YouTube account and upload the video.

2.       Once the video has finished uploading, click the Account link located (at the top-right of any page ).

3.       Next, click the Uploaded Videos link. Click and choose the video you want to send to us. Then, click the Edit button.

4.       Under the Broadcasting and Sharing Options section (on the left-hand side of the page towards the bottom) you'll see Privacy options. Click the little black arrow / triangle to expand and see all your privacy options (if it’s not already open and you cannot see your privacy options).

5.       If the video is set to Private, you'll see a section to enter an email. Enter robbery@vpd.ca in this section.

6.       Click on Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

For more information visit:

http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?answer=157177

Constable 1920 Lindsey Houghton
Media Relations Officer

Anyways, that's my opinion of the vigilante justice attempts that have been going on. Opinions? Comment below.

Canucks Game 6

 So, I went downtown for a Canucks game. Again. And they lost terribly. Again.

At first, I thought maybe it was bad luck, and I should avoid going down again for the all-or-nothing game 7. But then I remembered that they also failed hard game 4, and have yet to lose at home. So I'm stoked to be downtown for game 7 and, hopefully, to watch the Canucks win it at home, as it should be.

 

It was weird though, watching this game downtown. Even though they lost pretty bad, the crowd was surprisingly cheery, and the after-game crowd was pretty upbeat, and cheering for the Canucks all the same. I guess it's because there was really only a 4-5 minute period at the very beginning of the game where the Canucks really slipped up. Yes, it was bad, but the rest of the game was much better, and pretty fun to watch. And also, this means the Canucks can win it at home. And that's always better, right?

 Even better, we'll take it all while scoring about a third of the goals as Boston. That's impressive... right?

Real life Twilight

The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer is probably the most loved and the most hated series out there at the moment,  most of this love/hate is aimed towards either Edward or Bella. While I haven't read the books (sadly, I've seen the movies...), I've heard enough about them that I think I have a fairly decent grasp on the situation. Bella is a fragile, helpless girl who is "unconditionally and irrevocably in love" (and apparently, arbitrarily) with Edward, the sparkly (an overused, but surprisingly accurate, description), superman-y, totally unrealistic, vampire. There are about a hundred things wrong with the relationship portrayed in the book/movies, ranging from the stalkerish possessiveness Edward has over Bella to the unrealistic expectations it sets for obsessive readers. This video shows how this little pairing would go down in REAL life. You know, if Bella was anywhere near mentally stable and/or aware of the concept of stalking, and the illegal/serial killer-ish connotations that go along with it. Needless to say, it's a great video.

Cat on a Turtle

For my 150th post, this is one of the best things I've ever seen. Ever.

A song!

This right here is my favorite view of Vancouver. Looking across the water from Lonsdale Quay onto downtown has never failed to impress me. In fact, I've taken pictures of it before (albeit from my phone in very poor lighting):

This view, combined with the mad Canucks-pride that's happening right now, reminds me why I love Vancouver so much.

In other news, I've been slacking on the music front (as per usual), so here's a few songs I've been listening to lately:
Adele vs. Jay-Z vs. Biggie - Rolling In the Deep (VOODOO FARM Remix)
The Dudes- Dropkick Queen of the Weekend
Kyprios - How the West Was One (the Canucks are back home tonight- did you really think I wouldn't slip one in?)

Canucks Game 3

Before I start this post, CAN I JUST BRING THIS UP:
Finger-taunting has got so serious in this series that the NHL has made it a penalty-worthy offence. HAHA.

Anyways, back to my original point- that is, watching Game 3 of the finals in downtown Vancouver. Despite the brutal game, it was a good time. I headed downtown with a few friends around 3:30, and got to the library, where two screen were set up (on the two streets cornering the library) just before puck drop. It was pretty crowed, but not nearly as packed as I expected. We sat down on the street (which was still warm from the sun; very nice) and had an awesome view of the screen. Probably 90% of the people there had Canucks gear/colors on, and most of those were jerseys. I was very impressed. It wasn't a pretty game, especially on the Canucks end, so the crowd atmosphere was surprisingly subdued. We sat through the 50 minutes of the game, but once Boston scored their 5th (very sloppy) goal, we couldn't take it anymore and headed home. In the time it took us to skytrain/walk back to the seabus (all of about 10 minutes, maybe), the score was 8-1 Boston.

So yeah, it was a disappointing game. The seabus/bus ride home was strangely quiet. Almost everyone was wearing Canucks gear, yet hardly anyone was talking, and most people kept their heads down. I was expecting, if anything, angry crowds, but it was anything but. Everyone was shocked and disappointed, and couldn't even bother to make a fuss about it.

Despite the disappointing game, I had a good time. It's awesome that seemingly all of Vancouver is supporting the Canucks, and the downtown outdoor venue is a great way to watch the games. If you have the chance, I highly suggest it. Check out some photos after the jump:

Mini Warbler

Before I tell exactly how I experienced the atrocity that was the Canucks 8-1 loss to Boston, I thought you could use some cute videos. You know, to help you forget the embarrassment of last night. So here they are; the cutest video I have ever seem, and then the most random editing job as well.



SO CUTE. CANNOT EVEN HANDLE IT. And then there's this...


I don't even know what to say? I like it?

Party Rock Anthem

This is LMFAO's new song. It's called Party Rock Anthem. I am embarrassingly in love with this song. It gets me pumped out without fail every time I hear it. Also, there's been a weird phenomenon lately where it's always playing whenever I walk into a room with a lot of people/loud music. It's great. And the video is sweet too. Check it out:




It's just a really great summer dance song.

Speaking of great LMFAO videos, there are now TWO videos for the song Yes. Watch them here (new one) and here (old one).

YouTube's lovin' the Canucks

Right now, there are so many videos on YouTube in support of the Vancouver Canucks. There are song parodies, sketches, montages, and thousands of game clips. I'm loving it. Here are a few of my favorite (for some reason, LMFAO and the Canucks make an oddly popular combination):

Lapierre taunts Bergeron re: the infamous "Burrows bite"


Kevin Bieka: Shots shots shots


Party Rock Anthem: Canucks version (not the best of parodies, but I really really like this original song)



I'm watching game 3 downtown tomorrow, and I am super stoked. Hopefully, I'll bring my camera and get a few good photos. Like I've said before, I'm loving how supportive Vancouver (and BC) is of our boys right now.

Wizard Smoke

My sister's friend's brother directed this. It is awesome in so many ways.



Awesome.

Rain

It is raining so hard outside. I will almost definitely drown if I step outside. Just thought I'd share.

Like that, but all over.

Also: It just thundered so hard the ground literally shook a little. Clearly, nature just wants to let Boston know that they're not welcome here.

BC's got our back.

This is Predator Ridge golf course during Round 2 of the playoffs, Canucks vs Nashville:

This is the Shark Club, Round 3 versus San Jose:

 

And this is Boston Pizza today, before the Canucks-Bruins final has even started:

I am stupidly excited to watch this series to unfold. Right now, Vancouver is nearing 2010 Olympic-level unitedness and excitement. IT'S A BIG DEAL. Go Canucks go!

Literal Trailer

Anyone excited to see the new Pirates movie?



What about now?

This guy actually does a bunch of these "literal trailers," including a whole bunch for video games. They are hilarious. I suggest checking out the ones for My Soul To Take, Twilight Eclipse, and World of Warcraft.

Anyways, that's all for now. Enjoy!