- Chantal Kreviazuk
Ok, so I'm not leaving just yet. BUT! I am going to France to study in the Fall. I'm going to the Université François Rabelais in Tours. One of my teachers told me that the people in Tours think they have the purest French. "Français pur de Tours," they say. She also told me that that's the place to find all the castles. So, I'm definitely looking up castles to go see in Tours because well... who wouldn't want to see a real castle? (I mean, other than Casaloma :P)
I'm also planning a little trip up to Belgium to see some relatives. That should be nice. Also, since I'll be away from home during my birthday, I've decided I'll celebrate by doing something that I've wanted to do ever since I was little... I'm gonna go to Italy. Maybe for a weekend or something. I'm thinking Venice, Milan, Rome... Cathedrals, art, history and more. And I'm super-excited for it all. Like, just thinking about going there makes me nervous and excited and all those feelings I'm sure will reproduce the minute I get off the plane.
The hard part is being away from here. I've never been gone from home that long... and by home, I mean both Waterloo and Bowmanville. And everyone keeps telling me how much they'll miss me and like... I'll miss everyone too. So much. I wouldn't ever be able to replace the people I love with new, French ones, either. That's just a silly notion. So I'm hoping... they won't be able to replace me while I'm gone for three and half months. (I know, it's a silly notion.) And I get home sick really easily. But I know this will be a great experience for me, and I'm hoping to come back more cultured and with a better ability to communicate in French. (Not to mention I'm gonna have some awesome Christmas presents this year.)
Anyway, I'm not gone yet, so don't even think about looking for a replacement yet!
So kiss me and smile for me, tell me that you'll wait for me.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Look at the shape I'm in, talking to the walls again
- Finger Eleven
You're probably wondering why I keep changing the layout and template of my blog. Truth is, I get bored of that kind of stuff really easily. I'm also a really bad procrastinator. In fact, if my room were any bigger, I'd rearranging it instead of typing this. But for the sake of my many many millions of tonnes of faithful readers (AKA Gina), I guess I should keep writing here.
Not sure why you keep reading, I don't write much of value. Usually I write because I'm bored, not even because I have something on my mind. And the reason I don't have something on my mind right now is because there's not space at the moment for free thought. It's too cluttered with things that I have to do and things I will have to do. I illuminated the no on my vacancy sign and put Mary and Joseph in the stable long before this school year even started. And yet... here we are.
Procrastination; it's an art, somewhat like writing, dancing, singing or painting. Only it takes a lot less perseverance and a lot more practice. (It requires practice because it's easy to procrastinate on one thing by accomplishing another, which is both counter-productive and productive, depending on how you look at it.) If I ever had to write a thesis on any topic in the world, I'd probably end up writing about the various forms of procrastination and its effects on the average university student. I could just write an article for the Cord, but then I'd go to edit on Tuesday and not like any of it and end up rewriting the whole thing before the paper got published.
Now listen, I wouldn't have to procrastinate if I didn't have things to do... Wait, let's rephrase that. If there wasn't so much to do, to think about, to have figured out, to accomplish before I go to bed at 2am, there wouldn't be such a need for procrastination. And it's not just me, I know this. Today's society is just so driven toward accomplishing something, getting goals, making money, moving moving moving forward at such a high velocity that if you stand still for just a moment you're likely to get run over. If everyone just stopped for a day and went shopping then at least that'd be a way of slowing down (and getting the economy flowing.)
Hopefully not everyone will go shopping the same day. Then some people might actually get run over.
Look at the state I'm in, bent and broken is all I've been.
You're probably wondering why I keep changing the layout and template of my blog. Truth is, I get bored of that kind of stuff really easily. I'm also a really bad procrastinator. In fact, if my room were any bigger, I'd rearranging it instead of typing this. But for the sake of my many many millions of tonnes of faithful readers (AKA Gina), I guess I should keep writing here.
Not sure why you keep reading, I don't write much of value. Usually I write because I'm bored, not even because I have something on my mind. And the reason I don't have something on my mind right now is because there's not space at the moment for free thought. It's too cluttered with things that I have to do and things I will have to do. I illuminated the no on my vacancy sign and put Mary and Joseph in the stable long before this school year even started. And yet... here we are.
Procrastination; it's an art, somewhat like writing, dancing, singing or painting. Only it takes a lot less perseverance and a lot more practice. (It requires practice because it's easy to procrastinate on one thing by accomplishing another, which is both counter-productive and productive, depending on how you look at it.) If I ever had to write a thesis on any topic in the world, I'd probably end up writing about the various forms of procrastination and its effects on the average university student. I could just write an article for the Cord, but then I'd go to edit on Tuesday and not like any of it and end up rewriting the whole thing before the paper got published.
Now listen, I wouldn't have to procrastinate if I didn't have things to do... Wait, let's rephrase that. If there wasn't so much to do, to think about, to have figured out, to accomplish before I go to bed at 2am, there wouldn't be such a need for procrastination. And it's not just me, I know this. Today's society is just so driven toward accomplishing something, getting goals, making money, moving moving moving forward at such a high velocity that if you stand still for just a moment you're likely to get run over. If everyone just stopped for a day and went shopping then at least that'd be a way of slowing down (and getting the economy flowing.)
Hopefully not everyone will go shopping the same day. Then some people might actually get run over.
Look at the state I'm in, bent and broken is all I've been.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Hardcore superstar by far, you're the ultimate star
- Tegan and Sara
Among my oh-so-special talents is singing while playing guitar. I really started to learn guitar because a) it friggin rocks and b) I liked the idea of being able to be my own accompaniment. It was like the idea of having my own back-up band (who is really just me, strummin' some chords.) True, it was difficult to learn to play at first, my friends can attest to that. (Developping my singing was a lot easier, but that's a different story.) I really just wanted to be able to do it so that I wouldn't just be singing random songs, I'd be singing songs someone knew and having the right keys and beats that come with the playing of a guitar. That's all there was to it. I just didn't want to sing alone, but at the same I wanted to sing by myself.
Over the last year, I've been really trying hard to get the whole guitar thing going. It's been working well, I guess. Personally, I just like the sense of enjoyment and accomplishment I feel when I can play and sing a song well. Lately, people have been telling me how good I'm getting. Especially, of course, my wonderful friend who actually take the time to listen to me, even if I sound horrible. (And by "take the time to..." I really mean they give me requests and I do my best.) My mother is always encouraging, she always tells me how much she enjoys my singing. And it's fun, it really is.
It's weird when people get like, excited over how good they say I am. Not necessarily in a bad way, just... a new thing for me. Like when Gina says, "Tasj, when you're a multinational award-winning singer-guitarist, don't forget the little people," then I have no idea what to say to that. Truth is, Gina, I am one of the little people. I probably always will be. Not because I don't have talent. But because I lack the confidence and vision to ever see myself as a "star." I'm not even sure if I'd like it. I mean, I like when people hear me sing and they think it's nice. And I really really enjoy singing. And I'll sing till the day I die. It's just so much a part of who I am.
So what do I do? Give up a safe life for at chance at my dream? Or do I keep doing what I'm doing and save music for my own amusement. Sadly (or not so sadly, depending on how you look at it), I will choose the latter. Don't worry, you'll always hear me sing. Just maybe not on the radio.
At least not yet.
Do you wanna be a superstar? Cause that's what you are. You're gonna be a star.
Among my oh-so-special talents is singing while playing guitar. I really started to learn guitar because a) it friggin rocks and b) I liked the idea of being able to be my own accompaniment. It was like the idea of having my own back-up band (who is really just me, strummin' some chords.) True, it was difficult to learn to play at first, my friends can attest to that. (Developping my singing was a lot easier, but that's a different story.) I really just wanted to be able to do it so that I wouldn't just be singing random songs, I'd be singing songs someone knew and having the right keys and beats that come with the playing of a guitar. That's all there was to it. I just didn't want to sing alone, but at the same I wanted to sing by myself.
Over the last year, I've been really trying hard to get the whole guitar thing going. It's been working well, I guess. Personally, I just like the sense of enjoyment and accomplishment I feel when I can play and sing a song well. Lately, people have been telling me how good I'm getting. Especially, of course, my wonderful friend who actually take the time to listen to me, even if I sound horrible. (And by "take the time to..." I really mean they give me requests and I do my best.) My mother is always encouraging, she always tells me how much she enjoys my singing. And it's fun, it really is.
It's weird when people get like, excited over how good they say I am. Not necessarily in a bad way, just... a new thing for me. Like when Gina says, "Tasj, when you're a multinational award-winning singer-guitarist, don't forget the little people," then I have no idea what to say to that. Truth is, Gina, I am one of the little people. I probably always will be. Not because I don't have talent. But because I lack the confidence and vision to ever see myself as a "star." I'm not even sure if I'd like it. I mean, I like when people hear me sing and they think it's nice. And I really really enjoy singing. And I'll sing till the day I die. It's just so much a part of who I am.
So what do I do? Give up a safe life for at chance at my dream? Or do I keep doing what I'm doing and save music for my own amusement. Sadly (or not so sadly, depending on how you look at it), I will choose the latter. Don't worry, you'll always hear me sing. Just maybe not on the radio.
At least not yet.
Do you wanna be a superstar? Cause that's what you are. You're gonna be a star.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
This is my brain; its torturous, analytical thoughts make me go insane.
- Kate Nash
I really needed to rant tonight about something that really bothers me. I've been complaining about it for a couple weeks now. Those who know me know I'm a stickler for proper grammar; it's just a part of who I am.
I've always felt like anyone who speaks, writes and reads a language should know the rules of that language, and use them accordingly. Now, I understand that as we grow up, we make mistakes, we learn from them, we better ourselves. So, I'm ignoring teeny-bopper Ebonics for the sake of this one blog. (That may come later, after more research about it.) I'm also not including foreigners in this blog, because I know how difficult it is to grasp another language when one is comfortable with his own.
No, now I'd like to present to you the bane of my existence: middle-aged people with some sort of authority, (and to whom I pay money) who cannot use the English language properly, even if it is their first and only known language. More specifically, I'd like to rant about my new landlord, who can't seem to write a coherent email. Let's start with the email that has been bothering for a couple weeks now:
"Again - they may be there to the very end - since they are there now - but if they are out early - I will let you know - but don't count on it it seems"
Where to even begin? First of all, most of his emails consist of fragmented sentences, bad or non-existent punctuation, and often confusing statements. Luckily, this email I could understand. However, that does not excuse the use of hyphens to separate sentences and even clauses. This should just not happen. Ever. And it honestly bothers me that I'm going to pay this man - a man who can't be bothered to write properly - money every month. While I understand that he wasn't necessarily an English major, that does not excuse his poor grammar.
Furthermore, although I'm probably "just a student" in his eyes, that doesn't mean that I wouldn't care about how he writes his emails. Considering email is a widely acceptable form of communication in today's society, you would think that people would learn how to write properly, or at least hire someone who could.
So what do I do now? Well, to be honest, if he were my friend and not my landlord, I would correct his horrible abuse of hyphenation, and show him how to properly punctuate that last email. But I can't, obviously, because he's my landlord - not someone with whom I feel I can share my opinion. So instead, I now have to write him an email back (since he misunderstood me the first time I emailed him), make sure that my email is properly written, hope he gets the hint (which he won't), and anxiously await his reply. Which I'm sure will be riddled with under-capitalization, spelling errors, improper punctuation... and hyphens, of course. And here for your amusement, or so that you understand my position a little better, another one of his emails about free couches:
"Again - we have 2 free nice couches up for grabs - present tenants want them moved by this weekend = too nice to toss - but someone needs to claim & grab ASAP = before Sat."
Did I mention that he also really likes using "="? Particularly when they're not necessary, I've noticed. Am I the only one who cares anymore about grammar and maintaining the integrity of language? Please tell me I'm not.
And I'm singing uh-oh on a Friday night, and I hope everything's gonna be alright.
I really needed to rant tonight about something that really bothers me. I've been complaining about it for a couple weeks now. Those who know me know I'm a stickler for proper grammar; it's just a part of who I am.
I've always felt like anyone who speaks, writes and reads a language should know the rules of that language, and use them accordingly. Now, I understand that as we grow up, we make mistakes, we learn from them, we better ourselves. So, I'm ignoring teeny-bopper Ebonics for the sake of this one blog. (That may come later, after more research about it.) I'm also not including foreigners in this blog, because I know how difficult it is to grasp another language when one is comfortable with his own.
No, now I'd like to present to you the bane of my existence: middle-aged people with some sort of authority, (and to whom I pay money) who cannot use the English language properly, even if it is their first and only known language. More specifically, I'd like to rant about my new landlord, who can't seem to write a coherent email. Let's start with the email that has been bothering for a couple weeks now:
"Again - they may be there to the very end - since they are there now - but if they are out early - I will let you know - but don't count on it it seems"
Where to even begin? First of all, most of his emails consist of fragmented sentences, bad or non-existent punctuation, and often confusing statements. Luckily, this email I could understand. However, that does not excuse the use of hyphens to separate sentences and even clauses. This should just not happen. Ever. And it honestly bothers me that I'm going to pay this man - a man who can't be bothered to write properly - money every month. While I understand that he wasn't necessarily an English major, that does not excuse his poor grammar.
Furthermore, although I'm probably "just a student" in his eyes, that doesn't mean that I wouldn't care about how he writes his emails. Considering email is a widely acceptable form of communication in today's society, you would think that people would learn how to write properly, or at least hire someone who could.
So what do I do now? Well, to be honest, if he were my friend and not my landlord, I would correct his horrible abuse of hyphenation, and show him how to properly punctuate that last email. But I can't, obviously, because he's my landlord - not someone with whom I feel I can share my opinion. So instead, I now have to write him an email back (since he misunderstood me the first time I emailed him), make sure that my email is properly written, hope he gets the hint (which he won't), and anxiously await his reply. Which I'm sure will be riddled with under-capitalization, spelling errors, improper punctuation... and hyphens, of course. And here for your amusement, or so that you understand my position a little better, another one of his emails about free couches:
"Again - we have 2 free nice couches up for grabs - present tenants want them moved by this weekend = too nice to toss - but someone needs to claim & grab ASAP = before Sat."
Did I mention that he also really likes using "="? Particularly when they're not necessary, I've noticed. Am I the only one who cares anymore about grammar and maintaining the integrity of language? Please tell me I'm not.
And I'm singing uh-oh on a Friday night, and I hope everything's gonna be alright.
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Music is... a part of my very being.