Twinkle twinkle piano

Hello.


Meet        AGNES OBEL

Né Agnes Caroline Thaarup Obel in Gentofte, Denmark on October 28th, 1980, this gem of a composer is destined for greatness (I call it!) Raised in a musical family, Obel began performing at a young age, joining her first band by the time she was seven years old. She attended an alternative education school that gave her room to develop her craft, after which she formed the band Sohio. She turned solo and released the album Philharmonics in 2010, in which she wrote, played and recorded all of the twelve tracks. Currently living in Berlin, Germany, Obel is working on her second album, which she has hinted will be more instrumental-based than her debut. Citing figures such as Claude Debussy and Alfred Hitchcock as her influences, Obel's music is best described as simple. That's not to say that her music is uncomplicated or shallow, it is anything but. I mean to say that her songs come off as pure and effortless. Her music focuses first and foremost on sounds and moods. It doesn't insist upon itself, unlike a lot of popular music right now. It is poetic, like the lightness of a musical box melody. It is comparable to touching the surface of still water, and hearing it move beneath your hands.

In other words, I love her to pieces and though she is still fairly new to the music scene, I think she creates some of the most beautiful music in the world. Agnes Obel is a composer at heart, and a magical one at that.

 

Visit her at http://www.agnesobel.com/

My life. My players.

GAME DAY. 5:30 pm vs Dallas Stars.


Here is a photo to get you through this game, no matter how badly the Canucks play:

If you don't know about these lovely men, then you are either a) A Canucks hater who thinks that Milan Lucic is the shit, b) A Maple Leafs fan in self-denial or c) Both. Which is totally fine, I do not judge. But I will say that maybe it's time for you to start noticing these dudes. And not just because they are very very very very photogenic.


These three guys run one of the most epic lines of the Canucks team roster. They're tight, their plays come together well and their speed and aggression make even the best players shake a little in their ice boots.


The American Express line consists of Ryan Kesler (Livonia, MI), Chris Higgins (Smithtown, NY) and David Booth (Detroit, MI). Watch for them the next time you watch a Canucks game (which may be never, I don't know. But just in case you do, you know who to look out for).


Vancouver loves these guys to death.


Until they play for the Americans in the Olympics.


THEN THEY'RE GOING DOWN.


On a side note, while we're on this subject, here is my absolute favourite American Express ad, done by none other than my favourite filmmaker (who also shares my name!), Wes Anderson.

Introducing....Twitter Funnies

Good Lord, Schmidt.

She does this waaaay too often.

Sometimes, I worry for this girl. Really, I do.

The world is still good

So, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators played a game a couple days ago at Scotiabank Place, on March 17th. The Leafs won 3-1. 

The highlight of the game though (which I did not watch. To be honest, unless they are in the Stanley Cup finals, I couldn't give a single fuck), was definitely this:

This was my face when I read the words on the jumbotron:

This was my face when I saw the Kessel jersey on the one girl:

This was my face when the other girl approached her while wearing a Senators shirt:

This was my face when she proposed:

This was my face when Spartacat flipped over the "She said yes" sign:

This was my face when the video ended:

Normally I hate the idea of public proposals, but every time I see one, I can't help but squeal a little bit and cry a little bit. Especially when the couple consists of a Toronto Maple Leafs fan and an Ottawa Senators fan. You see something like that and you just know it's true love.

Canadians can be so cute sometimes. Watching hockey and getting married, it doesn't get much better than that.

This is me now, a little overwhelmed by the fact that I may want a hockey wedding someday.

The day after St. Patrick

Happy Post St. Patrick's Day Weekend! I hope your Irish weekend was full of Irish beer, Irish gingers and terrible impressions of Irish accents. I hope you are not too hungover today. Although if you are, I'm gonna slap you a high five right now.


I spent my St. Patrick's working, then going for a belated birthday dinner with my cousin and his girlfriend. We ended up visiting Romer's Burger Bar on Kerr Street in Vancouver. It's a beautiful restaurant in the River District, right by the water. So if you're a burger lover and you particularly enjoy looking out at the North Arm of the Fraser River (who doesn't??!), then you'll probably like Romer's. Our meal consisted of a turkey, beef and veggie burger each, as well as truffle oil fries, chili fries, donuts and green beer.


It was basically the best meal ever eaten ever.


Also, there was a hockey game as well. And the Canucks actually won the game.


So everyone breathed a sigh of relief and drank more green beer. It was awesome. 

Anyhow, today's post is dedicated to the fact that I just discovered my new favourite blog,  

http://butchesandbabies.com/

Whoever invented this knows the meaning of life, I swear. This blog makes my anti-baby ovaries reconsider, that's how good this shit is.

I mean, just look at it.

OMG THE CUTENESS I CAN'T STAND IT WHEN BABIES WEAR LITTLE ANIMAL ONE PIECES OMMMMMGGGG. 

AND THE MITTENS. THOSE TINY PINK MITTENS THAT ARE BIGGER THAN THE BABY'S FACE. OMG THEY ARE SO PRESH I COULD JUST DIIIIEEEE.

Ok, I think I'm done.

Not your typical ABBA

It's been a tough day, let's listen to The Sweet Serenades

Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden, The Sweet Serenades consist of Martin Nordvall and Mathias Näslund, childhood friends who formed the band in 2002. Interestingly enough, The Sweet Serenades began their career performing original music in Swedish prisons to entertain the inmates. It was through these gigs that they molded their sound - poppy and dreamy yet upbeat tunes that hook you at first listen. I've always been a fan of Swedish music. It's the one country that consistently produces amazing art and literature, in my opinion. The Sweet Serenades released their album, "Balcony Cigarettes," in 2009. Their second album, entitled "Help Me" is slated for release in 2012.


Here is a video of their single, "Die Young," featuring Karina Komstedt of Club 8 (for another post!)

Visit them at http://thesweetserenades.com/

Whale Education

Good God.

As a future teacher, I completely, 100%, whole-heartedly agree. This is the reason our education is going to shit. This is the reason teachers are going on strike. Our government does not give a fuck about whale education and whale culture. They are increasing class size, cutting down on funding for resources and special education, and they are filling our curriculums with way too much useless garbage when we could be teaching them something valuable that's gonna get them into university. Like whales.


And for all those intellectually deprived children who do not know what orcas are, HERE'S A FUCKING ORCA. YOU'RE WELCOME.

Midnight symphony

RON RON happy hour.


This time, I'm presenting              HER NAME IS CALLA

Her Name Is Calla was formed in Leicester, Leeds and York. They released their first album, The Heritage, in 2008. Their latest album from 2010, The Quiet Lamb, has been met with critical acclaim. Though they have seen multiple lineup changes over the years, they are currently made up of Sophie Green on violin and vocals, Tom Morris on vocals, piano, banjo, guitar, Adam Weikert on drums, organ, banjo, mandolin, piano, double bass, John Helps on bass and Nicole Robson on cello and vocals. Judging by the instruments alone, you an definitely count on complex and interwoven sounds that will cause ear drum orgasms. They are what I like to call an atmospheric band. Their music is like air personified, old storybooks brought to life in sound, the soundtrack of dark and moody oil paintings. Their music is rain in an old, haunted city at night.


I can't describe it. They just need to be listened:

Visit them at hernameiscalla.com

Daylight savings time...

.......making people grumpy since 1916.

Seriously though. I could barely get out of bed today, I fell down concrete stairs on my way to the skytrain platform, and I actually think that I may like One Direction.

For those who do not know what One Direction is, they're a 5-piece boy band from the UK who sing really shitty pop songs while looking like Cabbage Patch Kids dolls:

Fuck the catchiness and selling value of boy bands. I hate how annoying they are and how I have to listen to their music in secret.

Yeah, daylight savings time was the worst idea to ever be put out by mankind. Right next to scientology, Twilight and the Kardashians.

You know what else is a really, really bad idea and should never, ever be done?

Going after straight girls.

Unfortunately I've been doing it since I was about six years old.

It didn't work then, it still isn't working now. Actually, it normally ends with me sitting at a table playing stupid card games with people I don't want to be with and drinking excessively from a glass bottle of questionable content.

It's like the ultimate ten commandments in terms of unwritten rules for queer people, which is to never develop feelings for the heteros because it will end with crying and a lot of alcohol.

Need to learn how to start following this rule and to not get carried away.

Daylight savings time creates hope. Is it false? Most likely.

French bandit

Let's talk about good music.


Let's talk about good music no one's heard of.


Let's talk about good music that doesn't need to wear a meat dress to be meaningful.


Radio of Organized Noise (or RON for short) is where I will be introducing new music that isn't well known but has the potential to be. In a world where Chris Brown is selling albums and winning awards, I can imagine a lot of us want to expose ourselves to other, perhaps richer forms of art. What I find so reassuring is the fact that some of the best music in the world is music that doesn't win the awards, that doesn't sell the albums. The best music in the world is hidden, waiting to be found instead of blowing up in your face and insisting to be liked and worshipped.


Good music waits in the wings to be discovered by people who listen.

The first artist I'm going to feature is a French musician by the name of       PAMELA HUTE 

Pamela Hute was born in Paris, France on April 17th, 1982. She got her first guitar at the age of 12 and later formed her first band called Les Mashed Potatoes when she was 15. Today she performs her music with fellow bandmates Ernest Lo on drums and Igor Bolender on synths. She released her first EP in 2006 and a second one in 2008 before recording a full-length in 2009 titled Turtle Tales From Overseas, which she produced herself. Her new EP, titled Bandit, will be released in the spring of 2012. She plays a unique brand of rock mixed with pop, an aggressive sound that is as strong as it is melodic and attitude-driven. There is still a softness to her music though, with instrumental sections that are reminiscent of film scores.


Check her out in an acoustic session here:

Visit her at www.pamelahute.com

How to deal with forearm obsession

Today was east v.s. west sports day!!! The Vancouver Whitecaps played the Montréal Impact in Major League Soccer, and the Vancouver Canucks played the Montréal Canadiens in the National Hockey League. Both my cities got their wins too, with the Whitecaps defeating the Impact 2-nil and the Canadiens kicking Canuck ass 4-1. I feel like I should be drinking more to celebrate. Today was like walking into a sushi bar and getting a two for one deal plus a free miso soup or something. 


Yes, I am one of those perverted hockey fans who loves to see her favourite team get the shit kicked out of them by her other favourite team. It's like Inception. It doesn't make any sense but it's entertaining all the same.


You know what else is entertaining? This:

I've watched this clip about a billion times and I still don't understand how Sophie Schmidt just falls flat on her face like that. I mean, use those arms, girl, you've got really great arms.


I'm a huge fan of forearms on women. I'm a huge fan of other things too, but for the sake of staying on topic, forearms are where it's at. I think I first discovered my thing for forearms when I was at a concert at the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver. I was standing at the back of the crowd, and this girl I had never met pushed me to the front so that I ended up smack in front of the musician JD Samson. I don't remember much of the rest of the night, but I do remember spending most of it staring at JD Samson's forearms. That was when I realized that I may have a problem.


Schmidt's forearms are right up there with JD Samson's. She's the kind of person you dream of one day hugging because you just know that her limbs would make the experience really enjoyable.

I have this Dutch friend who hugs like a total pro. She did one yesterday where she came up behind me and wrapped her arms around my neck and just stood there, completely motionless. It was such a long hug that I basically took a nap on her forearms. It felt really fucking nice. 


I don't remember the point of this post now at all. I swear there was a moral to all of this. Hmm, I guess all I really want to say is that having a forearm fetish isn't something to be ashamed of. Just don't tell people you have one, or else they will think you to be extremely odd. And don't blog about it either, because shit on the Internet spreads like wildfire and pretty soon people will feel bad for you and give you sympathy hugs even though they suck at it. 


You don't want to set yourself up for uncomfortable situations that can easily be avoided by simply not admitting to forearm envy.


And until you meet Sophie Schmidt in person, hug as many people as you can. You never know, it could change someone's life for the better.

ever wonder?

The Canucks for Kids Fund Telethon happened yesterday during the game versus the Jets. Some of the stories told were incredibly sad yet inspirational and amazing. You think about all these kids and their parents who are going through so much and yet are able to find a great amount of strength. They still have this lust for life that is uplifting and very encouraging. Sometimes I hear the stories of these people and I truly believe that they encompass the meaning of life and its simplicity. It's not some great philosophical question that needs to be answered. The meaning of life is to stop searching for the meaning of life and to just be.

One of the things that came up during the telethon was the promotion of mindcheck.ca, a website created by various mental health services and organizations in BC including BC Children's Hospital to bring awareness to mental illness and depression. Many people often dismiss depression as an illusion, a non-existent "sickness" that does not require medication or attention. It's a silent disease that often carries no visible symptoms, but leads to fatal consequences.


Today, I went to a funeral for a friend who suffered from this. No one knew what he was going through - he had masked it so well, yet it ultimately took his life in the end. He was 25, he would have been 26 this April. He died nearly two weeks ago, and I still can't stop thinking about him. He was a beautiful boy who loved life and people. He had a passion for the environment and for animals. He had travelled the world, and oftentimes his conversations would always lead to talk of his future aspirations of working in foreign countries and helping those who live there. When I first met him, it was his level of experience and selflessness that struck me, as well as his intellect and sense of humour. I keep thinking about his last moments, how he must have felt the day he did it, and I'm at a loss. A couple days ago, my friends and I passed by the place he died. It happened by accident. We were coming home from the mountain - my friend missed a turn and we ended up exactly where I didn't want to be. There was silence from all of us. We didn't acknowledge it, but we knew that we were all thinking the same thing. We didn't want to be here. We should have paid more attention to the roads before. I wanted to close my eyes. I couldn't. The place was so beautiful and as I looked at it, I wished that I had been there with him -  wishing somehow that one of us, that anyone, could have stopped him from doing what he did.


mindcheck.ca was inspired by Rick Rypien, an NHL hockey player for the Vancouver Canucks who had suffered from depression for over a decade, something that eventually lead to his suicide at the age of 27. We all miss him dearly. His career was fulfilling, one of a very talented athlete with a passion for the game and an enduring love for his teammates. His life has now inspired greater awareness of mental health in the Lower Mainland, and he remains an encouraging symbol for the city and its sport. 


Every mind and body is precious to this world. Check yourself and the people you love. 

www.mindcheck.ca

The Vancouver ceiling is grey and lonely

Went snow-shoeing on Grouse Mountain today. The views from there are so spectacular. There's something really unique and wonderful about being so far away from the ground. Being up on a mountain is like being in your own personal snow globe. You're real, you're here - everything on the other side of the glass is just life. And it's been put on hold for you until you're ready to go back to it.

Hey now, girl on the curb

I told myself I would wait a little longer before writing another pinoesexual-related post, but you can only take so much of the American Republican presidential candidates before you start eating excess junk food you don't even like, weeping into your sofa cushions, and kicking all of your neighbour's garden gnomes, even the cute ones. 


For someone who doesn't even live in the States, I sure spend a lot of time worrying about the stupidity of their politicians.


On the other hand, it has been a good week for pinoesexuals everywhere because MARYLAND GOT MARRIAGE EQUALITY. You know what this means: Pinoesexuals can now look forward to one day legally marrying Megan Rapinoe in Maryland! *


*Please note: The legalization of same-sex marriage in Maryland does not guarantee a marriage to Megan Rapinoe. Unless your name is Sarah Walsh. Sorry for any disappointment the above statement may have caused.*


Anyway, congratulations, Maryland, you are becoming more like Canada. And that is something to be mighty proud of!!

However, the law doesn't go into effect until January 13th, giving opponents (mostly consisting of Maryland churches) a hell of a lot of time to organize a referendum to overturn this come November.


So Maryland, don't fail us. I know that a lot of religious groups will have the age-old excuse of their right to "RELIGIOUS FREEDOM" as a reason for why same-sex marriage shouldn't be legalized. Michele Bachmann likes to use this line in every interview and speech she gives, as if LOGICALLY, this issue is going to threaten anyone who identifies as Christian. Religious freedom has nothing to do with people wanting to get married though. Religious freedom is the liberty to go to church whenever you want, pray whenever you want, and practice your religion however way YOU WANT, something that many people in many countries still cannot do without being arrested or sentenced to death. I don't understand how somebody else's marriage is going to affect the way you go to church. 


But that's just me. I like girls and I like God. Why I can't have both is completely preposterous to me.


Kirk Cameron went on live television this week to call it unnatural, detrimental and destructive to civilization. Because yes, gay people will one day kill all the straight people with their unnaturalness. The straight person's religion is being threatened, and this is the reason we shouldn't have it. It will destroy the foundations that God has set down for us, foundations based on faith, love and respect. Foundations for us to be good and self-sacrificing individuals. Marriage equality will turn the church on its head and we will have spat on everything God meant for us to be. Religious freedom is at stake, people, we must exercise God's will by ostracizing others who just want to be loved and respected.


Irony never smelled so good.


But take heart, American pinoesexuals, one day your country will get equality across all 50 states and you will no longer have to come up to Canada to get married. Although, we would totally welcome and embrace you with beer and bits of Tim.

One day, all of us will realize that God loves everyone the same, and that it is actually what we're doing to his people that is unnatural, detrimental and ultimately destructive to them. 


In the meantime, best of luck, Maryland. Let's pray for freedom for everyone.


And for you pinoesexuals, here's a video of Megan Rapinoe playing guitar on a curb to inspire you and keep you optimistic.