Irvine

Are you there?
Are you watching me?
As I lie here on this floor
They say you feel what I do
They say you're here every moment
Will you stay?
Stay 'till the darkness leaves
Stay here with me
I know you're busy, I know I'm just one
But you might be the only one who sees me
The only one to save me

//

Why is it so hard?
Why can't you just take me?
I don't have much to go
Before I fade completely

Summer classes

It's summer and yet school has been so busy lately with the semester coming to an end. The profs have really shown no sign of mercy these past few months, loading us up with one thing after another. Naturally, they show no sign of easing up either. I'm totally stressed so I decided to take today off as a day to relax and reload. I've been working on a new song this morning. Metric's cover of Elliott Smith's "Between the Bars" is pretty much amazing - I recommend checking it out asap. Hm, I haven't had time to just hang out recently; maybe I should go for coffee with Steph... Honestly though, I love the school year [not just cos I'm a nerd at heart]. It's fun but hectic, and that's why I really think summers should just be summers. You know, like the ones when we were kids, the summers that seemed to last forever? [Yes, I was just channeling the chorus of "Summer of 69".] I fear that I won't have a proper summer break this year with the inevitability of schoolwork bleeding into September. Otherwise things are cool. Man, I should be a drama major for more than one reason.

She works hard for the money

To say this ad is sexual is, perhaps, an understatement.

Angry F-O-B strikes back

Ch, I ain't promiscuous... but I am mischievous. I admit it, I love to punk people. With the summer heat, school stress, and a little bit of boredom, I felt the need to get my mischief on. Not anything super devious, just a little fun and games, you know? So I had this great idea! A club I used to go to last summer has a guestbook on their website. The guestbook isn't frequently read - mostly because horny weirdos post stupid shit on it - so I was sure if my plan would work. In spite, I tried and it worked. I wanted to mock the ridiculous posts of the past but also see what people have been saying about me since I moved away. So I posted about myself in brainless fashion with an alias. Without fail, the drama alert went off and, as such, my joke went through. Take a gander below while I dry the tears of laughter streaming down my face...

[My post:]

im so excited for next time!!! lookin forward to an awesome time. good indian music. but mostly the hot indian boys (esp ones like Vishal, TJ and Asad) & even the non-desis (like mark and da'an). what ever happened to da'an? a lil drunk & wild but my fav. i havent seen nav in a while either!! hopefully at next mela

[Reply:]

yeah someone needs to sober up. Who are these no name/generic people you're talking about and which one of them is yourself? Mela is about good music and good times, in a safe relaxed and comfortable environment not about people pretending to be someone else to promote themselves. Reality Check: This is NOT ratedesi.com or high school!

These are my thoughts on the matter:

• HAHAHAHHAHA...

• Who actually posts in this guestbook that regularly? The person who replied did so within a couple of hours. Sad.
  

• Why would someone ASSUME that people are posting for self-promo... unless they've done so? Uh oh! Plus, the no name/generic comment was such a stupid comment to make. Mostly because I did name all these people but also because all those people [myself included, not to be arrogant] listed aren't generic. We were basically extremely well-known at the club scene. I have this feel that Mr. F-O-B is a bit jealous because his name wasn't included. In my defense, it's not my fault! If he was noteworthy, I honestly would have included his name. Poor dude...
  

• Ew, anger much? How could someone take something like that so seriously? Hilarious. I feel like I need to wear a bulletproof vest now. Honestly, his reaction went beyond the effect I was going for. Bril!
  

• Any Suggestions for retaliation?

Coming To America

She doesn't smile.
She doesn't eat.
She is major.



Watch Victoria Beckham bitch out Perez Hilton.



"It's exhausting being fabulous."

For more information on the NBC special Victoria Beckham Comes to America:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/celebritology/2007/07/victoria_beckhams_major_debut.html

Finally, she had her cake and ate it too...

This weekend was an example of how summer should be; fun.

On Friday evening I met up with Kendra to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I was early, she was late, we were both without our mobile phones, and things worked out. When we entered, Kendra saw her high school friend Briar who works at the theater. She is very intense to say the least - thought that could have been the emo pink eyeshadow that swayed me. I sorta kinda basically wanted to back away slowly whenever she prompted me for agreement. Regardless, she invited Kendra to a kegger [and said I could come too] as well as managed to snag us two child tickets for the low price of 6 dollars each. The movie was really good! I noticed there was a lot less emphasis on a storyline and a lot more action this time around. [As a side note: I think should play Harry Potter if the whole HP mania spawns off into a musical for coloured people by coloured people.] After the movie, we had to take the bus as I cannot drive with my foot injury. When we arrived at the bus stop behind the theater, Kendra asked the bus driver if the mall near my house was on his route. It wasn't. The driver was totally oblivious of anything I was saying because he was too busy gawking at Kendra. The price of beauty, I suppose. We decided not to wait 47 minutes for the right bus to arrive but to walk to a couple blocks to a busier intersection. We got to the mall safe a sound. We made a quick pit stop at the drug store to buy a chocolate cake mix and powdered custard. I learned several things on our long travel home. 1, Kendra has a right drift while walking, which explains why I am always on her left side. 2, Kendra's Jamaican side gives her the ability to speak rasta patois and, as such, the power to ward off ganstas parked in black SUVs in the empty parking lot by the mall. 3, We look hella good on public transit. More lessons would follow when we got back to my house. 1, My dog loves me more than Kendra. 2, I can fake being a bad cook when I want a girl to cook for me. 3, I don't think Kendra liked my new song. All in all, it was a fun evening. I have to remember to take my camera with me wherever I go!

This, sadly, is not the cake we made...

Saturday seemed to float by with a sleepy disposition and an ample amount of schoolwork. I went to Saturday evening mass with my Ma. It was the youth mass so it was very untraditional seeming. The soloist had such a pretty voice. After the mass, my Ma asked me why I don't sing for church anymore. It was a good question... The day ended with ice cream and watching the re-run of the BET Awards with my parents. My ghetto fab sister went out so we were lost for the most part who was who. Apparently, my parents both disregard Diana Ross' drug and violence issues and think "she's a class act".

I woke up really early on Sunday morning and decided that I wanted to sing in with the 10 am choir again. My dad is one of the guitarist for the choir so I joined him for the early morning practice. During the summer, the usual Thursday evening practices are moved to Sunday mornings before mass. I am happy I chose to sing; I felt more connected to the mass this way. Afterward, we rushed downtown with a couple of family friends to see the musical We Will Rock You. I think I've learned my way downtown well because I was able to give directions to the others. Yay, proud! We got there early so we stopped by this Bangladesh festival happening in Dundas Square shortly to listen to a band that was playing. We only stayed for two songs then walked across to the theater. The Cannon Theater was a lot simpler than I expected - perhaps because the last theater I was at was the Garnier Opera House. I liked the music a lot but I thought the plot was slightly stupid. One of the friends brought a date, who came to talk to me during intermission when the others went to stretch their legs or use the washrooms. Thankfully, my dad saved me from the hotness of this very friendly individual by answering all the questions asked of me. Pft! On the bright side, I love my parents and they went out for drinks later that night so I got the house to myself. I decided to get wild by watching Big Brother and Brothers & Sisters while eating lamb burgers and Greek salad.

I had an appointment with a geneticist on Friday morning. A blood sample has been sent off to Ottawa to confirm whether I have HNPP. I was told I display the classic example of this genetic disorder. It's not lethal thankfully but still not the best thing to find out. Who would have thought bad news could kick off such a lovely weekend?

My First Debut

Tonight, I attended my very first debut. It was a culture burst and very entertaining. For those of you who are not familiar with this celebration, a debut is short for a debuatante ball. At this ball, a debutante, which is the French word for "female beginner", is formally presented or "comes out" to her community on her 18th birthday. It is traditionally held in the upper classes for the purposes of displaying the young woman off to eligible bachelors. Many different cultures have embraced this ball.

The debut I attended was held in honor of the daughter of my Filipino neighbors. After a blessing and dinner, a series of musical and dance performances took place, including a waltz done by the debutante, her escort, and her court (nine couples, for a total of 18 people all together, including debutante couple). A candle and rose ceremony followed, in which 18 roses were presented to the debuantante by males and 18 candles were lit by the males' partner.

I felt that remnants of the debut's traditionally purposes came through at times making the night seem like a show of sorts, where the debutante is the star of the production and the guests are the audience. With that said, it was really cool to be able to witness all of this. I learned so much about the importance and structure of this event that I would have never have known about otherwise.

Discussions on Life, Love, and Europe

Sunday was kind of a big deal in Canada, being the nation's birthday and all. On the night of July 1st, the sky has this wonderful tendency of filling up with fireworks. I don't like fireworks. I wish I did but I don't. They're just totally boring and overrated to me. Alas, I managed to not attend a fireworks show and ended my long weekend at Lyndsay's new apartment in Guelph. I had a lot of fun and, not to sound emo or anything but I needed this weekend, it convinced me not all my friends are hating on me right now. I got to see Anjali for a few hours at dinner before she started her 8-hour journey back home. I was also able to properly meet Jeff, Lyndsay's boyfriend. She began dating him when I had just moved to Paris so I haven't really had the chance to give him the third-degree...yet. By far, my favourite part of the weekend was our discussions on life, love, and Europe. It used to be a daily break for us to meet with Shilpa and Caitlyn in the café of building to have these talks and eat tons. It had been so long since we've had one of our lovely late-night talks. I love them so much because they can tie in almost every part of day-to-day dramas. Lyndsay can pose the most peculiar questions and I pride myself in responding in the most shocking way. That night, Dawson Leery and Joey Potter were channeled and nostalgia flowed like a river.

Here are a few photos:

Lyndsay likes to bake. I like her new kitchen. Banana bread anyone?

Anjali has this habit of panicking. This is her running to catch her coach.

Anjali wasn't late so we ate to celebrate.

Lyndsay misses me on a daily basis. It's quite sad...

Some things are die hard, such as our enjoyment for insanity. We call it "Hideous".

Lyndsay loves me. And I love this photo. Smile!

It's Ma'am as in Sam Not Mum as in Bum

These past few days have been rather royal. No, really. I mean royal. I finally watched The Queen starring Helen Mirren. Both my ma and I agreed the film was well done. It detailed the day-to-day happenings of the Queen just prior to and succeeding Princess Diana’s death. I, like many, dislike Queen Elizabeth II but the film made me view her from a different perspective. She holds her title as head of the sovereignty to the utmost importance along with all its duties. She is simply trying to do well in the tradition that prepared her.

Yesterday, I tuned in for parts of Concert for Diana, a musical celebration throw by Prince William and Harry in dedication to their late mother. Reporters were going completely mad for the princes, tossing compliments left, right, and center. Ugh! One man being interviewed went as far as to say the two young men are role models for all young people. Okay... Now, that is just ridiculous. I’m not quite sure if I, as a young person, would like to look to Prince Harry as a role model. I know he’s a prince but does that disregard the fact that he’s a perverted ass-grabber who wears swastika armband and was checked into rehab at age 17? I suppose so. But hell, if I'm going to have a role model like that I'd much rather look to another fire crotch - Lindsay Lohan.

Although Prince William has done nothing wrong, I don’t want him to be king. I have nothing against him but, as people have said time and time again, the monarchy must go. When it comes down to it, however, only one in five vote to boot out the royals. It seems to me that British people do not want to let go of the romance and fairytale lifestyle a monarchy brings. But think about this: who is living the fairytale lifestyle? Not the people, rather a select few who have done nothing but be born. There is a difference between a child lucking out and being part of a wealthy family. You see, somewhere down the line someone in the family had to earn that money. She/he worked hard, played smart, or stole. Speaking of stealing, the British monarch "earns" £88 million from taxpayers a year without really earning a single cent of that figure. In the modern world, the monarch hinders instead of helps society flourish. Britain must make the move towards becoming a republic for the sake of its people.

Click the URL below to view other supporting arguments of Republicanism in the United Kingdom as well as some opposing arguments: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republicanism_in_the_United_Kingdom