030; [9/50 QTWFYM] what did you eat for breakfast?

So I stumbled upon a website with a whole bunch of questions, 50 to be exact, that one can ask them self. I love talking about life and self, although it can be depressing sometimes Anyway, I scanned through the questions and I thought it would be kind of fun to answer them in this blog. So hope you enjoy my answers, and please feel free to leave YOUR answer in the comments. 

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind 

To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?

As a rough estimate, I'd say I've controlled about 90% of my life:

I chose what I ate for breakfast, I chose if I wanted to eat breakfast.

I chose which high school I wanted to go to, I choose what university I wanted to go to.

I chose what social networking sites I used, I chose who I wanted to tell about my profile. 

I didn't have to listen to my parents when they said I should be home by 12.

I didn't have to tell someone I disliked their guts. 

I didn't have to read the stupid text book.

As much as I was against things that made me unhappy, I chose to act the way I did for a reason. 

You control more of your life than you realize. There's always an opportunity to do something different, but we're oblivious to these opportunities or just too scared to take the leap. I've done some things that I don't agree with now, but in the end that's okay. It's okay because I have wonderful people in my life who say it's okay (not necessarily literally saying it's okay, but supporting me/continuously caring for me/ not hating me/forgiving me for the things I've done wrong).
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." 

- Dr. Suess

029; the black keys, you're my everlasting light

Last week I went to the sold out Cage The Elephant and The Black Keys concert at the Molson Amphitheatre. I'd just like to say that it's one of the best shows I've been to.

• Despite arriving later than usual, I had one of the best seats in the crowd - second-front row and centre on the floor. 
• Two ah-mazing bands for the price/place of one. 
• I finally got my "The Black Keys are my Brothers" shirt - and it looks better in person.
• I didn't have to pay crazy money for a bottle of plain water - I was allowed to take my own water in.
• My personal space was not violated/people around me weren't pushy - for most of the show anyways
• The set list was more than satisfying - I even scored the set list. 

Encore: Sinister Kid, Your Touch

Matt Shultz

Brad Shultz

standing in the crowd

Dan Auerbach

The Black Keys

7 days later, I'm still in awe.

I'm curious to see what they are up to next. If the new album doesn't like Brothers, does that mean they're reverting back or moving forward? Can December come a little faster?

028; If I join the dark side, do I get a welcome hug from Voldemort?

I had the pleasure of going to Toronto's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Premiere and it was fantastic.

The Invite

It all started with an unexpected phone call Monday morning. The lady on the other end said that my Harry Potter tickets were ready to be picked up. I didn't know what to think at first, so I asked her if I won a contest. And surely (and obviously) I did. That was the end of that.

The Movie

The movie was fucking fantastic. We got Harry Potter shaped 3-D glasses too! David Yates did another extraordinary job in directing. I loved how Neville got more screen time, I always adored him in his chubby clumsy child days. Voldemort showed his affectionate side. The unravelling of all the interconnected stories were executed wonderfully. The death of my favourite professor was so intense. That scene was replaying in my mind after the movie. This is by far the movie of my year.

The Experience

Watching it with other Harry Potter fans made the movie seem so much more wholesome. Not even 20 minutes into the movie, someone behind me was sobbing. Note that nothing sad happened. When something sad did happen, you could hear the theatre sniffling and sobbing. I am guilty of that too. It was a movie with so much emotion. Laughing and crying, cheering and secretly despising, awwing and more crying. I don't think this movie was made to be a tearjerker but over the past 10 years, I cannot help but feel attached to these characters. I was looking forward to this and now that it had ended, I feel empty-ish.  It's terribly depressing to see them off.

And my friend and I tried to crash  get in the after party, but there was no success. I just took pictures of the outside instead.

027; MMVA madness (the first and the final)

I attended the Much Music Video Awards this year. I've wanted to go since high school, but because it's always near exam time I always skipped out. Next year I won't be in the country and the year after that I'll feel too old. So this year felt like it was the perfect timing.. plus The Black Keys and Lady GaGa!

MMVA (a mini profile):

• Location: Toronto
• outdoors award show
• held annually on Father's Day (3rd week of June)
• free
• all ages* *For wristbands (you're closer to the stage) you need to be 14+ or accompanied by an adult. If you're watching on the streets you could be a 2 week old baby being exposed to fan girls at their best or a 98 year old lady reliving her teenage dream. 
• show appreciation to Canadian artists (and International artists too) 

I attended the red carpet in hopes to meet my brothers (The Black Keys) and "mother" (Lady GaGa). I didn't get to meet them, let alone they weren't even at the red carpet. That didn't dampen my spirits however.

To my surprise, I met half of Billy Talent. I didn't even know they were coming. My encounter with Ben Kowalewicz was one of the highlights of my night. He was such a friendly guy. For BT fans, when I asked when the new album was coming out he responded with a smile and said "soon." Yay for new material!!

While most of the members of Simple Plan were strutting their stuff, Chuck was "greeting" the fan girls who screamed at the site of anybody who appeared to be famous. I put greeting in quotations because all he was doing was signing anything that came his way, much like a robot who didn't care. I knew Simple Plan was going to be at MMVA so I packed their old cd with me. I held out the booklet for him to sign and he looked up and said "thanks for coming out."  Although I stopped listening to them years ago, I liked the fact he acknowledged me. Small things like that make me happy.

I had the opportunity to meet some people who don't interest me. Some pictures of a few of them:

Shawn Desman

These Kids Wear Crowns

Karl Wolf (?)

Fefe Dobson

Nikki Reed

Abandon All Ships

David Guetta

Down With Websters' lead singer

Selena Gomez

MTV Live hosts
 (I would have liked to meet Daryn Jones actually...)

Here are some red carpet walkers that I would have liked to meet, but didn't have the chance to:

Marianas Trench
(as you can see, they were busy racing in their bubbles)

Bruno Mars

Colin Farrell
(Is he looking at my camera/me? I'm gonna pretend he is anyways..)

Johnny Galecki

The actual award show on the other hand... too many tall people so I didn't see much. I did however see Lady Gaga's dress rehearsal performance earlier in the day. that was another highlight of my day actually.

All in all, it was a fantastic experience. :)

026; [8/50 QTWFYM] learning to walk again

So I stumbled upon a website with a whole bunch of questions, 50 to be exact, that one can ask them self. I love talking about life and self, although it can be depressing sometimes Anyway, I scanned through the questions and I thought it would be kind of fun to answer them in this blog. So hope you enjoy my answers, and please feel free to leave YOUR answer in the comments. 

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind 

8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

(That would mean I've reached my halfway point!)
Honestly I don't think much would change. Ultimately, I'd like to travel more but that costs money. A lot of money. I'd need a stable, decent paying job which means I'd need an education. If the education system changed (as in cutting the crap and sticking to learning life's bare essential) than there would be more time to do enjoyable things. However, if you're like me and you like learning about stuff then more than half your life shall be spent at school. Here are some things that came to the top of my head:

• Harry Potter's beginning to ending will take up half my life. And I'm okay with that. 
• get a tattoo earlier (in the process of creating one right now!)
• get piercings earlier
• attend concerts earlier
• not worry about trivial things
• don't worry about other people's opinions.

025; [7/50 QTWFYM] shitty job + Justin Timberlake = a job worthwhile?

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind 
7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?
     Within the context of careers.... I can honestly say that I am doing what I believe in. Since I could remember, I've wanted to become a teacher and so I couldn't be happier with my program and overall decision. If it was not teaching I would not know what else I would want to be doing. Okay, maybe interior decorating or event planning...     
      Just throwing this in there... I slightly dislike people who turn to teaching as a back up profession. Without saying "you guys suck", I  personally think they make up a huge portion of the bland/boring/burnt out/reason-i-skipped-class teacher.       
      BUUUT, I have to say these types of teachers make interesting characters in movies like Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher. There was no real moral in the movie and the good guys don't win, but I couldn't help but like her even if she was a little burnt out.

I don't think I could settle for a shitty job even if I had a chance to date Timberlake

A shitty job, a charming Justin Timberlake and  funny man Jason Segel however.... I'd have to think about that.

024; [6/50 QTWFYM] hugs

So I stumbled upon a website with a whole bunch of questions, 50 to be exact, that one can ask them self. I love talking about life and self, although it can be depressing sometimes. Anyway, I scanned through the questions and I thought it would be kind of fun to answer them in this blog. So hope you enjoy my answers, and please feel free to leave YOUR answer in the comments. 

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind 

6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
(that's a cute question)
My answer is simple....

FREE HUGS

My first free hugs experience was at a convention. My friends are I were walking down the hotel lobby where a young gentleman was sitting against the window and his lady friend was saying "free hugs" (although she wasn't giving them out). It was the first time I encountered such thing, but without much thought I went up to the stranger and asked him for a hug. Since then, I loved the idea of free hugs.
Also, on my bucket list there is a goal to hug 200 strangers. I'd say I have at least 1/8 completed.

I love hugs.