today was a fairytale.

With 2010 closing in a few hours I thought now would be a good time to post my 10 favourite songs of the past year.

10. Justin Bieber - Baby (feat. Ludacris)
I wrote my last ever academic paper on this song. I love the Biebs - even got to see him in concert.

9. Dev - Bass Down Low (feat. The Cataracs)
I like my beats fast and my BASS DOWN LOW. Just when I thought I could finally hang up the last of my hipster lifestyle with Ed Banger Records last dying breath, Dev & the Cataracs show up and restore my faith in indie electronic rap styling.

8. Kids of 88 - San Fran
A friend sent me this song. I really like it. Plus, a part of me has always wanted to go to San Fran.

7. Rihanna - Rude Boy
I dig it.

6. Taylor Swift - Today Was a Fairytale
Eff I love Taylor Swift.

5. Matt & Kim - AM/FM Sound
The new Matt & Kim is so friggin awesome. AM/FM Sound is my favourite off the new album.

4. Mission District - Just Don't Feel the Same
Yeah. Canadian indie bands strike again!

3. Tokyo Police Club - Boots of Danger (Wait Up)
So, I've loved TPC for years now, and they've played countless shows in Calgary since I moved here 3 years ago. But, I've never had the chance to see them play. Until this past September. Their show was the single best show I've been to in years. Since THT played at the Den in my 2nd year, or since I went to see Smothered in Hugs right before leaving P.E.I.

2. Cut Copy - Take Me Over
I have so much love for this song. I'm so stoked for Zonoscope to come out in February.

1. Vampire Weekend - Giving Up the Gun
This song served as a quasi-backdrop for my visit back to P.E.I. this summer and it helped provide a lot of closure for that part of my life.

young blood.

So, looking back at my Christmas wishlist this year I'm pretty happy with it overall.

iPad? Check.
Wallet? Check.
iTunes gift card? Check.
French Press? Check.
Chinook gift card? Check.
Big Bang Theory? Check.
PostSecret book? Check.

Not to mention all the extras which I am forever grateful for : )

Now on to boxing day sales.... I need a silver tie (preferably skinny and / or slim), and a vest for NYE.

booty bounce.

Happy birthday, Jesus.

Sorry your party's so lame.

Merry Christmas everyone :)

fireball.

I'm getting sick.

:(

bass down low.

I like my beats fast and my BASS DOWN LOW

what's my name?

When I was a kid and people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would always say an astronaut. Space has always fascinated me. I used to be convinced I was going to be an astronaut. In grade 8 I even researched universities in Canada that granted Space / Astronomy degrees in physics. It wasn't until the 9th grade or so that my dream started to fizzle. Growing up, space was always my primary passion. Now, that's not to say I'm not happy with who I turned out to be. I love my degree in English and the versatility it has provided me, and I love working in restaurants. A lot. If space was my obvious primary passion, then I guess you could say food (and eating in general) where my secondary passion, albeit if it wasn't obvious to me at the time. Hell, for over a year or so I've even been tossing around the idea of opening up my own restaurant later on in life.

However, announcements like the one from today not only make me giddy, but make me wonder if I should have kept my childhood dream alive.

joy to the world.

It's officially 1 month until Christmas. Wooo!!! So, in order to allow everyone the time to get their lives together, I present my 2010 Christmas wishlist:

1.  TV $119
 TV will go hand-in-hand with #2


2. Netflix Subscription $7.99/month
Using my TV and my Netflix subscription I can stream movies. Booyeah!


3. 32GB iPad $649.
iPad is delicious.


4. 15" Core i5 MacBook Pro $1849
I need a new computer.


5. Wii $209
There's this cool Mario Red edition that I like. I basically just want a Wii to play Mario Kart.


6. Wallet $50
I need a new wallet. Ideally black or brown, with no "change purse" compartment, clear ID holder, or flip-out parts. I think something simple, yet sophisticated would be best.


7. Phil & Sebastian coffee beans $???
I don't know how much their beans go for - but I've seen them at their store in Marda Loop and in Chinook. If you've never had P&S, you're missing out on life.


8. Starbucks gift cards $???
I know. I know. I go on about P&S above, but sometimes all I want is a speciality, seasonal latté. Shoot me.


9. iTunes gift cards $???
I &hearts music.


10. Chapters gift cards $???
I &hearts reading.


11. French Press coffee maker $19.95
I kind of broke my coffee maker a month or so ago, but I've realized that I actually enjoy French press coffee more than regular drip-brew systems. There's this 8 cup French Press maker at Starbucks for $20 that's made from post-consumer recycled material. Win-win.


12. Rayban: Wayfarer $144.95.
I'd really like a pair of black ones.


13. Burberry London $72
Mmmmm. Still my favourite cologne.


14. Armani Black Code $85
Mmmm. Still my 2nd favourite cologne.


15. Leather Bomber Jacket $???
So I really want a leather bomber jacket - like the one in the picture below. But, since jackets are one of those "iffy" things I kind of want to be there when it gets bought. Perhaps a gift card for a store that sells them might work better? I really like this one by G-Star, but it costs £350. I'm not sure what that is in CAD. Hmmm.


16. CK Underwear $20
Yep. Still my favourite underwear. Nothing beats it.


17. Medium Hanes Tagless V-Neck shirts $15
I love Hanes V-Neck shirts. At one point I owned like 10 of them. However, I'm down to only 4 because I had to start throwing them out. Yellowing, holes and shrinking seemed to be the culprit. So I guess that means I need more.


18. Chinook gift card $???
The new expansion at Chinook is amazing. The sheer amount of high-end and "name" stores that reside in that place is astounding and a sign of just how "big city" Calgary has become. My favourite new stores are A&F, Urban Outfitters, Bench, Burberry, CK and Guess.


19. Rugby polo's $???
I need some polos. I realized that the other day. All I own are button up shirts and t-shirts. And I guess sweaters. I need some polos in my wardrobe.


20. Pillow $???
I really need a new pillow. The 2 I use are super deflated, and I fear they're probably contributing to the back pain I feel every morning when I wake up.


21. Wizards of Waverly Place DVD $20
Yep. I don't deny it. I freaking love Wizards of Waverly Place.


22. Big Bang Theory DVDs $35
Bazinga.


23. Toy Story DVDs $75
You can buy all 3 on Blu-ray for only 75 bones at Future Shop.


24. PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death and God $20
The last PostSecret book is the only one I don't have.


25. Whiter Shades of Pale $15
Yeaaah. New "Stuff White People Like" book!


26. Snuggie $15
I want a Snuggie. I love the Snuggie. I think it's genius.


27. My World fragrance. $???
The last thing on my wishlist this year. I haven't smelt it yet, I don't know what it looks like, and I don't know how much he's charging, but the Biebs is putting out a fragrance. It launches this Friday, and the cool thing is that it's not a normal spray fragrance. It's a bracelet that gives off the smell the more you move around. How freaking cool is that?!

take me over.

I cannot even begin to describe how much love I have for this song.

Cut Copy - "Take Me Over" (Radio Edit) Premiere by modularpeople

your love.

My Mac has crashed twice in 2 days. It's getting stupidly old.

WTF??!

I have this persistent nagging feeling that I should crack into my savings account. I had 10 G's in there and I took out 2 of them last month for my winter tires (I got conned into buying $1500 winter tires that included tires, a steel wheel base and nitrogen instead of oxygen. For what it's worth, they're really good). Now, I owe $1700 on my Visa, and the cost of a new 15" core i5 MacBook Pro is $1836.45. If I were to snaggle out enough money to pay for both, I'd still have money left over.

I can't decide if I should though. I have savers remorse. Every time I think about touching my savings I get panicked. It's supposed to be for when I retire!! Ahhh!!!!

Suggestions?

babelonia.

I've been working on my Christmas wishlist: 2010 for a little bit now. I'm all excited.

remembrance day.

Freedom isn't free - 73,000 dead, 206,000 wounded Canadian soldiers from Boer War to Afghanistan.

Lest we forget.

san fran.

Waking up and driving to work is usually mundane. But when you get to see the Bow River cut through a city that on one side is illuminated with towering skyscrapers and on the other has the Rocky Mountains reflect the bitter morning sunlight; that's when the mundane becomes something more.

It's been 3 years and a bit and I'm still in awe of the beauty.

the time (dirty bit).

I find the new Black Eyed Peas song to be both incredibly generic, and annoying. But for some reason, I can't get it out of my hand. Curse you, will.i.am.

like it's her birthday.

Rick Astley would never...

A. Give you up.
B. Let you down.
C. Run around and desert you.

Cast your votes now!!

winter wonderland.

Too soon to break out the Christmas tunes?

wanna be startin' somethin'

Boo.

Happy Halloween everyone. I dressed up as Darth Vader tonight. Ironically, of course, since I've never seen a single Star Wars movie.

Here's a picture.

lasso.

Today is a big day for me.

I'm taking the case off my iPhone. It's going naked. Uh oh.

metal girls.

"I'm not a PC and I'm not a Mac. I'm an actual human being. Please, leave a message after the tone!"

I feel like changing my voicemail to that. I can't help but find it clever.

save me.

I've always had a thing for Superman. Even the origin of his name, with its Nietzsche roots. Something about a hero who can save us all has always appealed to me. It might be my Christian upbringing that has subconsciously played a part in this, mind you. Superman has always appeared like a Christ figure. Or, it may be that at heart, I'm still a little kid who needs to be rescued - or at least feels like it. At the very least, it'd be cool to know him (assuming he were to actually exist). I can't imagine the lonely road that he would have to walk down. In essence, he's the best representation of the Byronic hero we have. He never asked to be Earth's savour.

Over the past 10 years that Smallville has been on the air I've been an avid fan. I think a part of me prefers the "Clark Kent" story over Superman. To me, Clark Kent represents the Superman we can all be. The upstanding citizen that just wants to do good. Watching Smallville over the years I get stoked whenever they make Superman references, or bring in characters from his mythology. With the 10th and final season upon us, the Superman representations are their highest. Every time something happens and we get a glimmer of what's to come I swell with hope on the inside.

I think there's a little bit of Superman inside all of us. We all have darkness inside us that we must overcome if we are to realize our true destiny and purpose. We can all be a symbol of hope for someone. We don't need to wear a cape and tights in order to save the day.

dancing on my own.

So, it's officially my birthday. Oh God. I'm old. My life is over.

Or maybe it's not.

For whatever masochistic and / or sadistic reason, I decided to start reading some of my old blog entries this evening. The icing on the cake are my old LiveJournal entries from high school. Now, avoiding that awful time in all of our lives, my main focus is on the blog entries I did up back in 2006. It's been 4 years since then and I find myself in quite the predicament. Reading about my life back then feels odd. I was in a very different place from where I am now. I was flat ass broke. I think I had $0.13 in the bank. I was doing piss poor in school and thought I was on the verge of either dropping out, or getting kicked out. I was partying 3+ times a week. I was never alone -- always out, always with people. I was stuck on an Island with only my daydreams to serve as a plane ticket out of there.

And now? Well. I graduated from school and have my degree. I enjoyed every last minute of my academic career - even if I didn't think I did at the time. I have a job that I love and that I'm good at. I got lots of money in the bank - enough to buy myself a new 2010 car, and to pay my $30+ thousand dollar student loans within 4 years. I've gotten to go from the top of the Rocky Mountains to the Island of Manhattan. I hardly go out. I never party anymore.

So, I guess you could say in those 4 years I've done a lot of growing up. I've become... "responsible." I've traded one lifestyle for another. Maybe I am getting old. But, I don't think my life is over. I never would have thought I would end up where I am 4 years ago. I wasn't satisfied 4 years ago, but for some reason, I'm still not satisfied. I wish I could take the best elements from each of these snapshots and combine the two. Who knows. In another 4 years maybe I'll finally get to that point.

set free.

Birthdays are merely symbolic of how another year has gone by and how little we've grown. No matter how desperate we are that someday a better self will emerge, with each flicker of the candles on the cake, we know it's not to be; that for the rest of our sad, wretched pathetic lives, this is who we are to the bitter end. Inevitably, irrevocably; happy birthday? No such thing.

second go.

"You can't feel worthless if you think you're worth it"

I'm not one to like stupid ass inspirational quotes like the one above. I tend to enjoy the whittier quotes by people like Oscar Wilde. I find inspirational quotes to be somewhat uninspired and clichéd. But the one above, I like.

I guess to even things out I'll throw out this quote by the Biebs:

"I also try to read all of my fan mail. A lot of them send me candy, which I'm not allowed to eat 'cause my mom says it might be poisonous."

check it out.

I won't deny that, culturally, I'm white.

It presents a problem because ethnically, I'm not. I'm hispanic. My family moved to Canada when I was 2, barely 3 years old. We moved to the most WASP-ish province in the country - Prince Edward Island. For the longest time I think we were the "multicultural" group on the Island, haha. I laugh because it's more than likely true. Being hispanic, and visually different from the collective masses on P.E.I. I knew that I didn't "belong." Now, that's not to say I didn't feel like I belonged. I did. I did a bang up job of integrating myself. But, there's this saying on P.E.I. that dictates that only people born on the Island are "true" Islanders. Now, for someone whose first memories are of the rolling red hills, Anne of Green Gables and Cavendish beaches, it meant that, for all my trying, I was not a real Islander. I didn't belong. At this point in my life I've managed to say "fuck that" and when people ask me where I'm from, I say P.E.I. If growing up there, if having my first memories, and some of my best memories there, means I'm not a "true" Islander, then fuck that. I claim it and those who feel otherwise need to remove their minds from their cages. But I digress.

I grew up in a place that knew I was "different;" however, if I were to ever return to El Salvador I know the people there would tell me I'm not really one of them. I may, ethnically, be one of them, but I'm not a "true" Salvadorian. Aha! If I'm not a true Salvadorian, and I'm not a true Islander then what am I? Where do I belong?

Well. I don't have an answer for that. But I do know that culturally I'm as white as can be. Which is why today I indulged in my white-ness by drinking my favourite Starbucks beverage (Pumpkin Spice Lattés - another reason I love autumn), while browsing the books at Chapters. I found the newest one by David Sedaris and I just had to buy it. I couldn't say no. My whiteness was urging me. So I did. And it's great.

brighter at night.

Man, the iTunes free singles of the week have been knockouts for the past few weeks.

i'm a slave 4 u.

Just watched my first episode of Glee.

I don't understand the appeal of the show. It sucks.

Britney might be the only person who could ever get me to watch it, but she can't make me like it.

Since I watched Glee today, and I saw the Biebs last week I've lost a lot of musical cred. Tokyo Police Club and the Arkells are playing Wednesday; Hot Hot Heat and Hey! Rosetta are playing Thursday; Caribou is playing Friday; Broken Social Scene are playing the Friday after; the THT boys and Stars are playing the week after that; and 2 weeks after that Wintersleep and Ra Ra Riot are here. Guess I need to get busy rebuilding my indie-guru status.

somebody to love.

The screams of 15,000 thirteen year old girls has left me deaf. Otherwise, J-Biebs puts on a great show.

cameras.

I'm kind of just waiting for Matt & Kim to be used in an Apple commercial.

It's inevitable.

someday.

To iPad, or not to iPad -- that is the question.

My original Rev A white MacBook has served me well since 2006. It actually still works great. Using it, I can't really tell it's age. Now, that might be because I'm no longer in school and so what I use my computer for has greatly shifted. Whereas before I was staying up all night writing, stitching together presentations, and doing research; I find my current days of computer use to be mainly social networking, music, and general web surfing. I've never been one for pictures so that's a bit of a moot point.

However, needing something and wanting are 2 completely different things. Whereas I don't need a new computer, I really want one. A 15" Core i5 MacBook Pro to be exact. I really, friggin want a new computer. The pros to this are that I get a new computer. The cons are that I spend a lot of money on something I don't truly need. Plus, the free iPod touch program is over so I'd get nothing extra for it. Except those awesome Apple stickers. I love those stickers. Another pro; however, would be that I would wipe everything on my current Mac (that still works perfectly well), and ship it off to my cousin in El Salvador since they pretty much have nothing. On the flip side, a parcel like this would need to be hand delivered as you should not trust the mail service there. People will steal packages that do not belong to them, and a once $1,800 computer is no different. So, I guess that's also a con, cause I'd have to hand deliver it and I don't know if I'd ever go down there.

Now; with all this talk of needing versus wanting, money versus money, I've also thought of a second solution: Keep the machine I have, use it as a central media hub for my life, and then buy an iPad. iPad is delicious. With iPad I can surf, email and tweet all from the comfort of my couch / bed / wherever, without ever needing to lug around my computer. I like this solution. I wouldn't transfer my music to my iPad simply because I have an iPhone with iPod touch capabilities. That means a 32GB model would be perfect for my life. Maybe I've become so cushioned in my soft, jelly life, but the idea of disconnecting my 13" laptop, taking it downstairs, and sitting on the couch with it annoys me. It's portable but that portable. (For the record, I am aware that I sound completely ridiculous. My Mac is infinitely portable, but I'm just super lazy). The only downside to buying an iPad is that it's selfish of me because then my cousin doesn't get my perfectly capable computer. But in order for them to get what I have now, I'd have to resort to option a) buying a new computer. See the above paragraph for the issues with that.

So.... to iPad or not to iPad. That is the question with an infinite number of solutions.

find your love.

So I guess once school ended I kind of stopped blogging.

I have an eerie sensation that I'll be taking it up again really soon. Just not tonight.

In preparation, I updated my layout slightly.

alejandro.

An open letter to Lady Gaga,

What happened to you?? Clearly you're no longer the girl who drinks too much wine and just wants to dance. That's cool. For a while I thought you represented the second coming of aestheticism, and I couldn't have been more thrilled. Your music was fresh and inspired, your outfits completely useless (and therein, beautiful), and your personality had a cloud of mystery over it. Your art spoke for itself and you made it simply for the sake of creating your art. The fact that you stated your music was inspired by fashion was an honest statement and more reason to think that you created beautiful art for the sake of it being useless and beautiful. It had no strings attached and showcased fashion, art and the avant garde. However, in recent months you have taken it to the extreme and have successfully moved from aestheticism to that of decadence - represented by decay and over indulgence. Your art is no longer beautiful for it has become too dark. Too over the top. Too contrived. Not everything you do has to "top" the last thing you did - there is something to be said about frivolity and sugar coated sweet candy. You hit your stride somewhere between Paparazzi and Bad Romance. But, it was all downhill after that. Move past the shadow of over indulgent self decay and step back in to the light of art. Please.

As for Alejandro?? You're not Madonna. Stop trying.

airplanes.

I don't blog all that much anymore...

born free.

First, a warning that the following video contains scenes of graphic violence which may not be suitable for all viewers. And now, my opinion...

M.I.A. is awesome. So many people are apparently up in arms about her new music video Born Free because military police officers wearing American flag badges on their shoulders raid an unidentified city (skyline makes it look like L.A.) and round up roughly a dozen red-headed young men, delivering a severe beating to anyone that stands in their way, then the officers turn their weapons on the boys.

You never see the violence, and the 2 blood scenes are more special effects/movie magic than actual gore, but it perfectly demonstrates what happens when militant groups raid cities / homes / families. But that only ever happens in developing, disease ridden nations, right? No one should care about it, right? That is, until it happens to white Americans.

Sorry, everybody. Sure, you may be offended because it's "graphic" but you're more upset because it puts a white American face on it, rather than a third world nobody. It changes the setting from "far away" to home.

So to Maya -- I thank you. It's like you're the only one with the balls to put out there what actually happens during wars. What actually happens during raids and invasions. And what is actually happening out there, right now.

M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.

fixed.

Good grief, academia. Can we just end it now already?!!?

Our relationship has lasted for 5 years, and sure, we've had some rough times and some amazing times, but I think we've both gotten everything we can out of each other... Perhaps it's time we went our separate ways and met new people?

it ends tonight.

It's been countless months yet my memory still drifts to those 10 days in July.

I can't wait to see it again.

feeling the night.

I have no desire to finish any of my academic papers.

Screw this degree. I want to sleep.

shutterbug.

9 days left until I finish classes.

The only things separating me from finishing my degree are 9 days, 2 papers, 1 project, 1 presentation and 2 exams.

When you say it like that it still sounds like a lot...

wavin' flag.

So. Bloody. Tired.

I need a vacation.

breakneck speed.

Pretty sure I just wrote the last midterm of my undergrad.

Woooo!!!!

basketball.

Eff you, technology.

one time.

Since I know no one reads this I can say the following without fear.

I am a Justin Bieber fan.

There. I said it. I admit it.

always where i need to be.

Guess it's time to spring ahead.....

who let you go?

And with that the Calgary Downtown chapter closes. 3 years is a long time. I run the potential of missing that place...

alice.

You lie your head on your desk, your arms wrapped around to conceal your face, which is pressing against the surface that you realize 12 years later was probably sneezed on several times by one of your classmates only minutes earlier. And your thumb is up, high and proud. You begin to sweat and the air you breathe gets heavier and heavier.

All of a sudden, you get a tap on your thumb. It shoots down. Instead of waiting for the round to end, you sneak a peak at the perpetrators shoes or maybe even the bottom of their shirt. A red, striped shirt and white keds.

When the round ends, and it is time for you to pick from a row of suspects, you know exactly who to choose.

Ha! You knew it...good old Jenny Smith, that bitch. You hesitate for a few seconds and scan the other suspects to make it seem like you really didn't know all along. Then you point.

Now you are a champion in your own right. And you did it by cheating...at Heads Up Seven Up.

i believe.

I have never been more proud to be a Canadian.


GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLD!!!!

heartless.

With the exception of Kelly Clarkson I don't really listen to any of the Idol contestants or winners. Kris Allen, however, is growing on me. Is this the end of the world?

diplomat's son.

Now we're talking!!

Spent the evening at Westhills.

I was going to transfer there as recently as 2 weeks ago. Last week, however, our acting bar manager quit and so I was no longer able to. However, they have decided to send one of the managers from Westhills to CDT as their new bar manager. In exchange?? I now get to go. Woooo!!!!

rude boy.

Wow. Talk about being influenced by M.I.A.

mystery zone.

Have you ever gone without checking your email or your phone for an extended period of time; then when you finally go to check it you get a little worried just before you open up your inbox or flip your phone open - what if someone was trying to get a hold of me and it was urgent?? - only to find that there's nothing there? No one tried to get a hold of you. Nothing. Nada. Zip.

Yeah....

goodbye before hello.

There's there been a fog in Calgary since last week.

It's unnatural. We're not near water.

I feel like I'm in a horror movie.

hey soul sister.

This whole thing is stupid.

I hate sitting around at home doing nothing. And I sure ain't getting caught up on school work....

like it or not.

This has been an emotionally exhausting day.

It's like when you're a kid and your friend moves to another part of the city and has to transfer schools. Now what are you gonna do?

i think ur a contra.

My initial reaction was that Vampire Weekend was better than Contra.

However, after realizing that Diplomat's Son samples Hussel by M.I.A., I automatically love the new album.

cape cod kwassa kwassa.

Last term seems like it's going to be a good'er.

All classes seem really interesting.

Moxie's, however, wants to kill me.

feel it in my bones.

Central Park is like this weird urban paradox.

You're in a park, surrounded by trees and green grass. It feels like you're in the heart of nature. But as soon as you look up, you're reminded you're in the heart of a city and the trees are eclipsed by the concrete skyscrapers that loom larger than nature.

heartbreak warfare.

I feel like complaining to the department head that the professor for my year long 16th century literature class assigned us a paper over the holiday.

That shouldn't be allowed. In fact, I'm not even sure it is...

TiK ToK.

Finally saw Avatar. Really great movie. Kind of makes me want to be a better person.

did it again.

I'm somewhat over the Prius. The 3rd generation 2010 model is incredibly sexy (especially in Blizzard Pearl) and it's great for the planet, but after test-driving one a while back I can't help but think that it's still a bit too "Star Trek" for me. I don't know, maybe I'm just used to old fashioned cars but I felt somewhat uncomfortable - like I was driving a space ship.

I think that if I could have any car I wanted I would pick the 2010 Volvo S40 2.4i Premium.

If I could afford the car I wanted, I'd probably pick the 5-door 2010 Golf Mk6 highline.

I have a feeling that I'll probably wind up with a 2010 Kia Forte SX.

our song.

You know I remember ringing in the last decade.

Does that make me old?

Happy New Year.