Vegas Memories 4: Ka

A few days after seeing Mystere, Veena and I went back to see another Cirque Du Soleil, Ka. How was this one? Different from Mystere, but also amazing. This one had more fighting, and a more emotional story. I didn’t follow the story, but it was something about two twins, they get separated, and then people fight to get them. The stage in this one was even more versatile than the one in Mystere. The stage changed from a boat, to a beach, to an ice wall, to a vertical fighting area and then to this fantastic sight:

(Yes, it is verticle, with people walking up it!).
Then, through the use of lighting and music, the set was transformed into a sea, with people sinking and swimming from the ceiling of the theatre, to below the stage. Sound unbelievable? It was. Oh, and each person’s seat had built in speakers in the headrest, giving you true surround sound.
After these two shows, I’m totally spoiled. I swear we would have seen the other 3 Cirque shows in Vegas if they hadn’t been on hiatus.

Vegas Memories 3: Mystere

The third memory is of seeing the Cirque Du Soleil show, Mystere (click to hear some of the music). It was absolutely breath taking. The opening scene with a big fat baby and an even bigger ball was hilarious. The costumes were out of this world, with creatures that stood about 5 meters high, walking across the stage. The stage would rise and fall, bringing these creatures up, or sending them below. The performances by the acrobats seemed out of this world, they climbed up bars with their legs alone, then would swing from the ceiling. The production gave me shivers, more than once. Everyone should see this show. The music was perfect too, so much so that I bought the soundtrack afterwards. Actually, the performance was so good that we went back for a second serving of Cirque a few nights later.

Vegas Memories 2: Studio 54

Going to Studio 54, period. It was the most awesome club ever, and that’s saying a lot since I don’t really like clubs that much. But, the clubs in Vegas were so great, and Studio 54 was the best one out of all the ones we went to.
There were dancers everywhere, even hanging over the dance floor. And these were real dancers, who could dance very well (and were extremely hot, yet classy at the same time). There were acrobats flipping on the walls, and the most incredible DJ’s ever.
Now, there is a back story to this one, which makes it even better. The night before, Jason and his roommates (Favian, and Luis) took Sreng and I to a bar/club called Free Zone. It was a cool little place with a wicket drag host, and alright music. I lost the other guys for a few minutes as I toured the place. While near the bar, I heard someone call out ‘hey’. At first I just kept walking, thinking that they probably were not calling me. But then I thought, “what the hell,” turned around, and sat at the booth with these two guys I didn’t know. We started talking, and I discovered that they were both really cool and smart. Scott was 22, and Eric was 25. They were best friends, and were out after a day at work. Eric invited me to studio 54, and said that he’d get me on the VIP list. Then we were interrupted when a confused looking Jason found me at this booth (okay, I had left him and our friends, and that wasn’t very nice. But, thank god I did, as I got to meet Eric, who turned out to be an amazing guy). I left with Jason and Sreng then. The next night I told Sreng we were going to 54. I called up Eric, he put us on the list, and we skipped the cover (which I believe was $40) and the line. We didn’t get to meet up with him that night, but I did bump into him again at another bar. That’s another story though.

Vegas Memories 1: Wine Night

Who wouldn't love me, eh? I had bought a bottle of wine for the three of us to enjoy. But it turned out that Sreng and Veena don’t like wine, so it was all mine. I was a little tipsy after that, and I think I made a bit of a scene on the bus that night. I was good once I got to the club though. Wait til you see the "drunk Veena" video though! More Vegas memories to come.

Arrived

Tonight became today, and later is now now. I’m back home, in sunny Brampton. Thank god the sun is out today, I think I would have started crying at the sight of cloudy weather. Okay, I’ll admit that I did tear up while on the plane though.
Our trip was fucking awesome, the best trip I have ever taken. We met so many interesting people, and did so many fantastic things. Each time I return from Vegas, I get a new perspective on my life, and what my future could hold. This trip was no different. There are so many stories to tell, but they will come in time. Right now I’m too tired to type so much. It’s sad to be home, away from all the bright lights, late nights, and exciting adventures.
Oh, and the airport lost our luggage. They said that they’ll send it over as soon as they find it.
I'll be waiting!

Leaving Today!

hello everyone! Tonight Veena and I will be leaving sunny Las Vegas. It was the best trip ever. We did so much, time flew by. Club after club, bar after bar, Pooncho food (and lots of Pooncho parties), legal and illegal drugs, love, fun, shows, hang overs, thowing up. It was great. We'll have lots of pictures and stories to share when we get back. See you all on Friday or Saturday!

HEY

Hi everyone! I'm having a great time in Sunny las vegas. It's warm and beautiful! We went out for Sushi yesterday, and then went to a small bar at night. It was a blast! My time is running out on this internet machine, see ya'll soon!

Bye!

Goodbye everyone! It's off to Vegas time, I'll see you all when I get back!

BP Christmas Party

Well, another BP Christmas party has been had. It’s my fifth, a fact that I find hard to believe. It was a lot of fun. It’s always nice to have everyone together, relaxing and eating. There was food this year, thank god, although it was all deep fried. I don’t think I’ve eaten so much fried food in years. There’s still nothing that compares to BP Christmas Party 2003 though. Rosie had me for secret Santa, and got me a gift certificate to Prince Sushi. How great is that! We should all got together sometime this month. Oh, and I won a prize this year! A $50 gift certificate to Donato's. Jackie won a huge bath product set that weighs a metric ton. Speaking of metric, we never got our requested Metric song. I don't even remember what songs were playing last night, except for Hung Up, which got everyone going. Til next year.

BP Christmas Party soon!

Wow, how quickly a week can go by. This was one of the busiest weeks ever. Most of it was spent writing up my thesis proposal intro, which I finally finished today (it took the whole day to proof read!). Now I just have an exam to write tomorrow, and then I will be off to the Christmas party. And then it will be Vegas! How great is that?
Work was a blast yesterday, even though I was so sleepy. Jackie worked, which was great, but Nancy was off again (for her Bday).
In election news, this week we saw Harper make a broad range of promises: changing the charter to not include gay marriage anymore, cutting the GST by 1%, and improving healthcare. He said “no tax is a good tax, and I don’t like any taxes.” Kinda scary when you think of all the services that ride on those ‘bad’ taxes. How the hell does he plan on improving health care? Oh, privatisation! Now it makes sense. Honestly though, he is doing well. He has taken the leadership role, and is making promises that people will care about (except the gay marriage thing). I think he might just win a minority.
New pet peeve of the day: Coughers! I know you’ve heard them. There those people who cough every few minutes, like clockwork. It’s that dry cough, with the mouth wide open. No covering of the mouth (probably because they cough so much). What’s wrong with these people? What they hell are they coughing for? It’s not like they’ve got phlegm or something. They cough more in one day then I do all year, honestly. There was once a female cougher on the bus, and I had to move because I was going to throw up all over her. She had mastered the cough, sticking her tongue out in rhythm with each open mouth cough.
Oh, and I finally listened to Madonna’s new cd. Actually, I’ve heard it playing everywhere I go: at the mall, at Ego (hair salon), at the gym, and in school. And now it plays in my home. I think the cd is great. Better than her last. Who knew she could come back so strong after American Life? She did! That’s it.

Another Vote...

Today I spent my day working on my thesis. I went to class, the gym, and ate in between. That was my day. I got lots of work done though.
So there goes the government. Everyone saw it coming, but it's still frustrating. It's only been 17 months since the last election, now the Conservatives and NDP want to waste our money on another election. What do we know now that we didn't the first time we voted? Nothing. The conservatives keep going on and on about the "sponsorship scandal," but does anyone really care? Are we supposed to believe that they would not have done the same thing? Come on! Stop wasting our time and money, and just run the fuck’n country already. Pass that damn decriminalisation of pot law, and the other 30 or so (that are now dead). Now comes the plastering of signs all over the country. Is that at all necessary? What are we supposed to use those for? "Oh look, he has the best smile, I'll vote for him!" Unfortunately, I don't doubt that this actually happens.
Oh well, like I've said before, it could be worse. Just look to the south, where Evangelical Christian fundamentalists fight aborting laws, but are almost at the 1000th person executed because of the death penalty. Or, how their main focus is pushing Creationism into the school text books, while taking a blind eye to the fact that their country is using chemical weapons on people in other countries.
Okay, that's my rant for tonight!
Oh, and one week til the BP Christmas party! Who will get the drunkest? Who will dress the sluttiest? No, the biggest question of all is: Will there be food this year?!

Bake: Chemical Weapons found in Iraq

So, there are chemical weapons in Iraq after all.
Now for the sickest part: It was the USA who brought them there and used them during their attack of Fallujah. If you haven’t heard this news yet (which means that you totally managed to avoid all news outlets for the past few days), it’s time to listen up. The USA army has now admitted to using a chemical weapon called "white phosphorous" which burns through the skin and flesh of people who encounter it.
Don't know the history of this attack? The city Fallujah was a major strong-hold of fighters, the US had little control over it. So, they evacuated all the women, elderly and children (leaving the prime men behind), and then levelled the city. During this attack, we now know that they used this chemical weapon against people that were still in the city. Italian journalist reported on these facts last week, and the army has confirmed it.
Oh, and if you remember, the first few nights of bombing on Iraq were called the "shock and awe" campaigns. Now we know that their attacks on Fallujah were called "Shake and Bake." First they would "shake" the home and building (with a bombing), then "bake" anyone in there with the white phosphorous. I'm not even kidding here.
Find this outrageous and hypocritical? What can you do? Well, many are saying that the USA should be charge, or at least investigated for this crimes.
This is where we come in. We need to make sure the UN know how we feel about this. You can write to the Canadian part of the UN here:

canada@un.int and here: prmny@international.gc.ca

Here's the most tame picture I could find of the effects:

If you want to see the real effects of the chemical, click this link. Be warned though, this is the real costs of war.

Busy week, and Election Coming!

So the school week is over. I got so much done this week, and am proud of that. I still have lots to do though. I need to get some serious homework done on Sunday, or I face another crazy week.
Madonna’s new cd came out this week, and I’ve heard two songs off it. Very good, I can’t wait to hear it all. I think I’ll wait till Vegas, it’s tradition to hear the new Madonna cds there.
Talking about the trip, I can’t believe that it’s only three weeks away now. I’m getting more and more excited as the time draws nearer. That week will also be the BP Christmas party, which is also very exciting. I can’t wait, rumours are that there will be food this year! God please, food!
But first I’ve got three more weeks of school to get through. I don’t mind though, bring on the work! I did really well with my Advertising presentation on Monday. The professor liked it so much that he asked for a copy to use in his other class! Wow, I didn’t even think it was all that great.
Tomorrow I don’t get to go see Harry Potter with Michelle as I’d never be ready in time. I haven’t seen the other three, so I guess my tradition continues. Once all eight come out, I’ll watch them back to back to back. Michelle, I’ll need your strength to survive that!
This week also confirmed that we have an election coming up. What’s the NDP thinking? I guess they see that they’re up in the polls. I hope that the Conservatives get even less seats then before. Stephen Harper vowed during the Summer that we would make turning back the laws on gay marriage part of his election promises. Guess that ain’t happening Harper! Why, during your summer visits and BBQs, did you realise that no one agreed with your opinion? Loser.
I like elections because of all the excitement and tension, but just hate having to see Harper’s face everyday. Hope he makes a fool of himself again this year.
I have also promised to educate you all before the next election, and I will hold true to that! Watch for party breakdowns, and election coverage made simple. Where? Right here on this blog of course!

Brandon and Owen

Today is Sunday, and what are my plans? To go to school of course! I’m going to get some work done, so that hopefully, next week won’t be as hectic as last.
Next week also has a very big release! No, I’m not referring to Harry Potter, I haven’t seen any of those films (although I do want to). I’m referred of course to Madonna’s new cd. Her fist single and video are super cool, and I can’t wait to hear the album.
On Friday my friends and I made four pizzas and watch the new Crash film. The pizza was good (mine was the best), and so was the movie. It seemed a bit far fetched, but I think it’s because we live in such a multicultural and tolerant area (on the surface at least). I loved Sandra Bullock’s character, that was really sad.
Work yesterday was fun, except 9 inch was sick, and didn’t come it! I also didn’t get to see you Jackie. Now for the best story of the day! Yesterday at work, I looked over to the hostess area, and saw this little boy point at me and yell “hey! Remember me!” And I did! I had served him, his littler brother and parents about year ago. I was like “oh course!” He then came over to me a grabbed my hand and said “can you be our server!?” And I said “ya, of course!”.
They two little brothers are so cute and smart. That boy, Brandon is about 8 I think, and his little brother Owen about 3 or 4. They talk so much, and Owen always copies what Brandon does and says. Here’s some of the conversation between Brandon and IB-How old are you?
S-22, how about you?
B-I’m 49
S-you are?
B-no, I mean 22 like you.
S-wow, then you must be in school like me
B-When is your birthday?
S-June 10
B-(his eyes light up) Wow! Mine in June 8th!
S-Wow!
B-Do you have a birthday party?
S-No usually, I usually have exams around that time
B-Can I come to your party?
S-I think your party would be more fun
B-Do you want to come to my party?
S-Sure!
These little guys made me feel so happy, they were so nice. Their parents are also really nice, and able to stay calm with all the talking. This was the highlight of my weekend. They also promised to come back again, soon than a year from now. I can’t wait! It was so busy while I was serving them, that I didn’t have too much time to talk to them. But, I made the time and made my other tables wait: “You fatties at table 81want a fourth refill of pop? You have to wait, because I’m talking.”
Okay, so I must go eat and get ready for school=(

Beliefs

Here are some sites on the belief system Spiritualism. I have been following it for over four years now, and many ask me what it is about. Basically it’s the belief that we should be kind to all, experience lots of good and bad, and grow as a person. Not that different from other beliefs/religions/faiths. Except, there’s no hell, no devil, and there is reincarnation (if and when you do choose to), and communication between our physical world, and the spirit world (“heaven”). Earth is where we come to learn, and experience all the bad stuff that happens here. I don't following this strictly, but believe in most of it.

http://www.leaderu.com/wri-table1/spiritualism.html
http://www.wingsfortheheart.com/spiritualism.htm
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~johnf/chspirit.htm