040; Noel Gallagher...AKA what a night!

On November 5th I had the pleasure to attend a special acoustic set at the newly named Virgin Mobile Mod Club, formerly known as the Mod Club, featuring the one and only Noel Gallagher. It was a private, pre show warm up to his performances at Massey Hall later in the week.

Mod Club

Virgin Mobile Mod Club: a mini profile

• 722 College Street, Little Italy Toronto
• Fits 600 people (floor, lounge-ish areas, balcony)
• Concert venue - one of my favourites because it's so small, sound is crisp, and there's no barricade separating you from the stage
• Night Club - Not familiar with their system but I know there are UK Underground Saturdays

So my expectations weren't extraordinarily high, although I expected something good because well it's Noel Gallagher, the better half of Oasis. The email invited me + guest to attend a 5 song acoustic set on the re-opening night. What did I get?

• A club full of middle age people - I'm 99% sure my friend and I were the youngest in the crowd
• drink ticket - thank you virgin mobile!
• An awesome view of the stage over all the tall men
• Grown men shouting "I love you Noel" between every song, to which the cool Noel replied" there's a lot of fucking love in this room."
• An 8 song set. He played:
• It's Good to be Free
• Talk Tonight - one of my favourite Oasis songs
• If I Had a Gun
• Supersonic
• Wonderwall - I was not expecting that. Thought he'd be tired of it. 
• AKA... What a Life
• Half the World Away
• Don't Look Back in Anger - soo good.
• A poster commemorating the night on my way out

I definitely got my email's worth.

039; [16/50 QTWFYM] if you're happy and you know it....

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind
16. How come things that make you happy don't make everyone happy?

Because not everyone appreciates (free) hugs the way I do. Some people don't like touching.
Because not everyone listens to the music that makes me feel happy. Some people listen to Pit Bull/Ke$ha/Jason-I-say-my-name-for-no-reason-Derulo.
Because not everyone savours the same foods I do. Some people are picky eaters not as open minded as I.
Because not everyone likes the same people I do. Some people haven't met the wonderful people I have or don't like certain types of people.

Happiness is a funny thing. I can't define it, but I know it exists. All I know is that it is different things to different people.

What makes you happy?

This song makes me very happy. 

038; [15/50 QTWFYM] escaping the mainstream, unintentionally

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
15. What's something you know you do differently than other people?

Think. I think differently than other people and other people think differently from me.
It's hard to think of something unique about myself because what I think is unique might not be unique at all.
It's much easier for me to think of something someone else does differently from other people. Instead of thinking about what I do differently from other people, I rather have something I trust point out what I do differently. Example: English teachers have pointed out I pronounce "ask", "water", and "God" differently from other Canadian-English speakers. Hmm... and I thought I spoke with a perfect Canadian-English accent.

*And now that I think about it, I have a bad habit of ending conversations with strangers/acquaintances  abruptly.

037; [14/50 QTWFYM] inCREATIVITYsanity

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 

14. Have you ever saw insanity where you later saw creativity?

I guess there's a fine line between creativity and insanity. I can't remember a time where I felt something was insane and later thought it was creative...but I can think of some examples of what others might think:
CN Tower Edge Walk - So basically, you walk around the rim of the CN Tower while attached to some strings. The fall is only 356m/1,168ft off the ground, but it's totally safe. The insane part is the cost of the ticket ($175 CDN). I was so very much excited to do this, but it was something an unemployed summer student could not afford. Maybe next year. 
Screaming vocals (i.e. screamo, post-hardcore, emo) - Would you say it's an acquired taste? Or is it something that you like or hate in the first moments of the musical encounter? Personally, a song with pure screaming is not something I would listen to (insane) but mix it with some nice singing vocals and it's something I really like (creative).  
Haunted Houses/Scream Parks - First of all, why would you want to pay someone to scare you all night long? Things follow you until you go into a wash room (don't even think about running as they run after you), you're anxiously wait for something to pop out, and there's really no place to hide... I was looking forward for my first scream park and after experiencing a proper haunted house (not a school orchestrated one), I could actually say I love getting scared+surprised. I found it all quite thrilling, exciting and really fun! 

036; back to: back concerts/school

September 8
Two Thursday nights ago I went to a STP concert and I must say Scott Weiland is incredible! After watching him perform I found a new form of respect for him. I can't help but admire him. After his battle with drugs and despite his age (okay he's only in his early 40's) his vocals whether amplified by a megaphone or straight to the mic greatly impressed me. But enough about Scott, the band's performance was pretty awesome too. They played all my old favourites including "Creep" and "Down", and new stuff like "Between the Lines".
And something interesting I noticed, I was probably the youngest and one of the few Asians (if any) in the stadium of thousands.

September 9
I was pretty excited to hear the university I attend got Montreal's Sam Roberts Band for frosh this year. Land of Talk, which is another Canadian band, opened for them with a 35 minute set. It was pretty spacious on the field during Land of Talk's performance. Everyone sat on the lawn with the sun beaming brightly on the back of their college frosh shirts. Although my attention was elsewhere, they seemed like a decent band. Before Sam Roberts came on, a heard of freshman entered the field after the parade and filled in the spots with vivacious students, spirit, and colours.  Not too long after, Sam Roberts took the stage.

They played my favourites and the set was well timed. The encore was probably my favourite part. They did a cover of Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds "If I Had A Gun." It was one the best covers I've heard live. I really hope there's a studio version soon cause I can't seem to find it anywhere. They ended their set with "Don't Walk Away Eileen" and it was then I thought, I'd really like to see them live again. And on top of all that, the sound was so clear and perfect. I don't know if it was because it was an outdoors concert, or if they had a really good sound check session, or if it was just the band. It was a fantastic show.

035; [13/50 QTWFYM] breaking the law to save....aziz ansari?

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 

13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?
Depends on who exactly I'm saving of course. I have no problem loving people but when it comes down to the wire, I'd say love for my family would outweigh most(?) consequences.
It also depends on the crime. If I were to let's say, rob a bank that's like me asking for a deathwish as I'm not particularly scary or clever. I think I would be able to buy a drink for a minor though.
And of course the consequences. Anything that will give me a criminal record virtually eliminates my chances of becoming a teacher. So it all better be worth it.

Side note: This questions reminded my of the movie 30 Minutes or Less, which was pretty funny/enjoyable. Aziz Ansari is a hell of a funny guy.

smooth

034; [12/50 QTWFYM] newborn

12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

 Dear Newborn,
 You don't have much at this stage of life so I'd advise you to open up all your senses - not just the 5 you'll learn in school but all 9 (pain, balance, proprioception, thermoception). You're born with these and even if you're not you'll really just need a handful of them to experience the world - past,present,and future - around you.

Regards,
Angel