Roger Waters The Wall

So I went to Roger Waters at BC Place in Vancouver, my first rock concert of an internationally acclaimed artist that I truly like.

Needless to say, the overall experience was amazing, awesome, astonishing (and any other synonyms of the sort that start with A) but a few things detracted from the overall epicness of the concert (which I will get into later)

First, I'm going to bore you with details of my day before the concert,
Woke up at the crack of dawn to take the 7AM ferry, got to Vancouver and ended up at UBC.
I wanted to go back to UBC, after I received a giant flood of advice about which university to go, I wanted to see if I still felt the connection, the vibe that I felt when I first visited.
Well I still haven't figured out if I felt anything...
Then we went to Granville Island and walked around. It's a really colourful place, nice place to visit if it weren't covered in traffic all day long. Had lunch and met this nice senior who is the picture perfect representation of what I want to be when I retire, out and about, healthy, relaxed, enjoying life without any worries and stress (but I'll probably go on about being old in another blog post WAAAAY later in life).

Alright enough of that garbage, let's skip to the concert.
I decided that I wanted a t-shirt so I stood in a giant line up for like 40 minutes waiting to get a shirt and then they ran out of my size so I had to start a riot and flip the table...I mean settle for another shirt.
So my dad got nice floor seats so I had a great view of the stage and everything.
Let's talk about the stage, it was set up so that a giant wall cut off half the stadium and the stage was in the center of the wall. Each brick is like a projector screen so during the entire show, images and movies were shot onto the bricks.

Like that

And at the start of the show, a plane smashed into the side of the wall and took a bunch of bricks with it, followed by a giant pyrotechnic display that was eyewatering and awesome.



Throughout the first act, the "wall" was being built by "stagecraft" until the wall was completely finished and you couldn't see Roger or any of the other musicians.
Roger Waters sounded just like he does in all his studio-recorded songs.
If you notice when you go to see your favourite musicians live and they sound different or they sound terrible, you can tell how much their voices needed to be manipulated and altered but there was no such thing with Roger Waters, no siree, he sounded exactly like his records.

The 2nd half was soured when everyone around us started to light up and smoke pot. I guess you can inhale it and second hand smoke the stuff, so does that mean I got second hand high...? I did get really hungry after the show. I also got a killer headache from all the degenerates smoking pot.
To be honest, I can't really remember too much of the 2nd half, other than a really fucked up cartoon (which probably looked awesome for everyone who was high), a giant flying pig and getting really pissed off at all the people around me lighting up and wondering where the hell security was.
We left before the encores because my brother and mom were about to throw up on the smokers.

The negative things that brought down what could have been an even more awesome show were:
-the pot smokers
-these 2 russians sitting behind us. One was a banshee who was high. She had iron lungs or something because she just kept screaming the entire time, I'm pretty sure the reason why I was half deaf is because of her. The other one was a large russian fellow who would probably be really good at hailing taxis in New York because his whistle is ear-shattering. And to top it all off, they were smoking pot too, go figure.
-the fact that all I really wanted to do in the middle of the 2nd half was start a giant brawl with the 2 teenage kids who were probably younger than I was who were lighting up. I mean I felt homicidal.

But overall, it was a POSITIVE experience for the most part, I did have fun, I had an amazing experience and this is probably the last time he's coming to Vancouver.
But next time I go to a concert, I'm bringing ear plugs and a gas mask

University Problems

One BIG question has been cycling through my mind for the past 2 weeks:

UVIC or UBC

UVIC is local, it's most certainly more affordable to go to, I'll have people I know there, it's not a bad university to go to, I can get advice on which professors to sign up for, the campus isn't too big so I won't get lost (well theoretically anyhow), they started Co-ops which is what I want to get into in 3rd year and they have an all round better astronomy department complete with 2 observatories. They also offered me a fair-sized entrance scholarship.
This is the school that I should logically go to and that's what the part of my brain who aces tests says I should go.
It makes logical sense to go to UVIC

UBC is "foreign" in that its a new environment in a new city (not because its practically Asia over there) that I've had little contact with. It will be an adventure, something new and exciting that suits the new and exciting chapter that will open in my life. I will be 'alone' for the first time (no family, not a whole lot of familiar faces). It is a very good university, one of the best in Canada with a decent astronomy department. Their campus is very advanced and modern. But they didn't offer me any scholarships so I'd be entirely dependent on loans, bursaries and whatever I've made so far.
Something at the university connected with me when I went there that I didn't feel when I went to UVIC. It's something I can't really describe, it'd be like describing colour to a person who has been blind all their life. But I definitely feel strong about UBC.
It is highly likely that I will go into a large student debt.
This is the school that I want to go in my...heart I guess, I don't say that alot
It feels right to go to UBC (of course not saying that it's a good or bad feeling)

I can't decide which university to go to and the opinions and choices I've been suggested aren't helping me either.
All my friends and younger people in general are suggesting that I follow my feeling/heart/dream and go to UBC
My parents and most adults I talk to are in favour for UVIC since it makes more sense to go.

This decision is tearing me apart because I'm afraid of making the wrong choice. Where I go shapes what I do for the rest of my life and if I pick the wrong one, how will that affect my life?
The logical side of my brain is battling the touchy-feely part of my brain and its a stalemate because every point for a university I come up with, I shoot it down with a counter point.

Being wrong is one of the few things that really ticks me off. But getting small stuff wrong like questions on a midterm or test, those things are small fry, they don't matter in the big picture. Screwing up a really BIG decision of my life, that would REALLY tick me off.

I just want to get it right but
I am still lost as to where to go and the deadline is running up fast

Sharply Dressed

First, play this song before reading

Second, start reading really fast so you finish by the time this song is over

So today I picked up the last part of my grad suit for umm...grad
That's right I said suit because I don't like tuxs even though I've never worn one before.
I dunno, something about the pleated shirt with frills repels me away.

I was trying on dress shirts and I always thought I was a monochromed kind of guy, white or black and that's it.
But I was convinced to try on what my mom calls "Playboy Purple" (well okay I coined the term but she said I looked like a playboy in purple) and I looked pretty friggin awesome.
And then my mom was afraid I'd come off as a womanizer or something (she doesn't see me at school ever so she doesn't know how far I am from that) so I stuck to a nice pewter silver grey colour thing.

When I wear formal attire, I feel old (and when I say old I mean not a teenager) and empowered, I suppose.
Like it really hit me that I was graduating when I went to winter grad and everyone was dressed up.

Anyhow, I was kinda antsy about graduating and all the traditions and stuff but with my new suit, I feel that at least I look the part

Guitars and stuff

You all might've noticed that I like to play guitar or talk about it and guitar paraphernalia.

Funny thing is I don't actually know too much about guitars but I just find the guitar fascinating and talking about it with people who know guitars is my way of adding to my knowledge.

And I'm not that great at playing the guitar either, I mean I'm not down right terrible...okay maybe I am
When I play my guitar, it buzzes alot (I think it's the strings that vibrate against the fretboard) but when my friends play, it sounds amazing and beautiful and stuff like that.
Which is why whenever I walk around with a guitar, I'm more than happy to let other people play it.
Kind of like getting my guitar blessed by someone of higher skill.
I'm sure my guitar doesn't mind getting played by someone who knows what they're doing too.

Another reason why I practically hand my guitar out is because I get inspired by people who play my guitar. It's one thing to listen to famous bands and their awesome guitarists but there's a certain kind of distance...I kind of feel like I'll never play like them because they're so awesome and I don't know them personally, I don't know who they are which creates the distance.
Whereas when my friends play my guitar, I know them personally, I know that they put in a ton of practice and work (those famous guitarists could've been born holding a guitar and rocking out for all I know but that's not to say guitarists like John Frusciante doesn't practice) and I can ask them questions, it's more of a personal level.

Whenever I hear my friends play or small local bands, I get inspired, I get pumped up to go and play my guitar and be as awesome as they sound (of course, the moment I pick up my guitar, it doesn't sound awesome at all)

I have a list of guitarists that inspire me,
they include but are not limited to:
John Frusciante, Nick Valensi, Oliver Brooks, Jonny Buckland, Mark Foster, Jon Foreman, Graeme Clarke, Tom Hogg, Trevor Schultz and Felicity Baker

If you've never heard of some of those names, they're my friends and they inspire me to be a better guitarist everytime they pick up their guitar

Partying Hard

If you were under the delusion that I am a cool guy, it's time for me to bring you to reality.

First off, I'm a lightweight amongst lightweights.
Of course that might be because I don't even weigh enough to donate blood and my first encounter with alcohol was with an empty stomach.

At the after party for the Wizard of Oz cast party,
as any good party should have (or so I'm told, because I've only ever been to 2), it had alcohol.

So with the philosophy of YOLO in mind, I decided that I should have at least 1 drink before I graduate (which is looming fast).
To start the night off, I had a "Ms. Braun", a Sunny D and gin mixed drink.
Of course being the big wimp that I am, I had a full cup of Sunny D and maybe 3 teaspoons of gin.
That being said, I was basically drinking Sunny D so I was perfectly fine.
Then, one member of the orchestra asked if I'd have a shot, so the thought process in my mind went a little something like:
"Well Michael, that Sunny D and gin thing wasn't too bad, what's the worse that could possibly happen"
(the tiny voice of reason) "Michael don't be retarded, you hardly had any alcohol, hell you barely had enough to poison a dead daisy"
Of course the voice of reason was drowned out.
So I had a straight shot of gin put in front of me and a can of red bull next to it.
I took one sip and that was when the tiny voice of reason grew some balls...I mean courage/nerves and said "This stuff tastes like really really REALLY strong cough medicine or in other words, it tastes like SHT". I managed to finish 1/2 a shot glass before I came to my senses and thought "well that was terrible" and in the spirit of peer pressure, I tried to drink the other 1/2, which ended up spat across the table because my throat was burning like someone sandpapered it.
That ended really well didn't it Michael said the voice of reason in my head.

And thus ended my first and only encounter with alcohol.
20 minutes after that, I felt my sense of balance shift slightly but I didn't sway or wobble and I could still do calculus so I attribute that somewhere between sober and tipsy.
Then I decided that I wanted to shift back to optimum brain power so I drank twice my weight in water.

Now I've reverted to my original company policy of no alcohol.
And now YOLO only means the song by the Strokes.

I'm a real hit at parties, eh? Just a regular party animal

I could've said "To hell with it, I'll go drink something that tastes better" and gotten really drunk and totally lost it but I saw how some of my friends acted when they were completely drunk and I think to myself  "what a wonderful wor...I mean do I really want to be like that"

I guess the reason why I don't want to get drunk and lose myself is because my mind is all I really have in life.
I'm not buff or atheltic, I'm not particularly good-looking (I wouldn't say I got hit by the ugly train, maybe fender bendered by it), all I really have going for me is my brain, my mind and I'm not particularly high up on the food chain of brainpower in the first place. I'm probably above-average at most but my mind, my intelligence is the one thing I can take pride in and I guess I wouldn't be able to stand it if I lost control of it because then I'd have nothing.

I feel like an outsider at parties, like I'm there just to watch, not take part if I'm not drinking and boozing heavily.
Of course my general attitude when surrounded by all this is said best by the best video game character ever, Legion from Mass Effect 2.
"We do not understand the organic fascination with self-poisoning, auditory damage and sexually transmitted diseases"

All of that being said, I did enjoy the party and I did have a good time...or as much fun as one can have while being mostly sober (hell why beat around the bush, I was sober, there's no denying it).

On a funny side note, some people I talked to thought I was drunk because I said I had something to drink and my voice was cracking like crazy (because I was Glinda in the spoof before the after party and I had to switch between my falsetto and my heavy metal voice and I had to shout at the top of my lungs because I wasn't miked). In my mind, I sounded like Howard Wolowitz's mom for the first half of the night and then I sounded like the teenaged kid from the Simpsons for the rest of the nut.

Wizard of Oz

So a memorable 2 weeks have ended for me.

While I'm not going to burst into tears [because this unit is devoid of emotions as it was installed without the aforementioned emotions] because it's over, I will miss sitting in a concrete hole for 2 hours, it grows on you.

I have been apart of something that bonds all the participants together. I felt like the production of the Wizard of Oz made 1 big happy family or community. Of course, I feel like the cast were a more tight-knit group while the crew and orcehstra skirted around them.
Kinda like awkward cousin Stanley at family reunions who everyone is nice to because he's family but you don't really talk to him and you change your topics of conversation to something entirely different when he comes within earshot.
At least, that's the feeling I got
But I'm sure it was unintentional or I'm just completely paranoid because the cast are all great, kind, compassionate people.

Closing night was especially memorable.
That was without a doubt, the best show put on out of all the nights.
I thought that was my best show too,  I was in tune the entire time (that kinda makes me sound like I was out of tune all the other shows but I just wasn't as in tune as I was on closing night), I hit every note, I nailed the timing.
All in all, the closing night was a major success.

The cast party after was fun as well.
It was a shame that the script for the spoof didn't work out, it had a ton of potential in it but that's life I suppose.
I'd just like to say that Glinda's hat is really uncomfortable.
...and then the after party for the cast party...well let's just say that it gets its own entry post thing,

On a completely unrelated topic,
The orchestra meant to tackle Graeme and Alexa during circle time when they went and did their high fives but since we ran out of time, it was decided that breaking their legs then wouldn't have been a good idea.

Needless to say, I'll be making Wizard of Oz references for what little remains of my high school life.

Opening Night

So about 3-4 weeks ago, I got gangpressed into the pit orchestra for my school's musical theater production, the Wizard of Oz.
At first, I thought it would be the most painful weeks of my life, having to stay at school for inhumane hours, playing music that I've only just seen while everyone around me has a 3 month lead on me.
I was also concerned with how it would affect my mark because throughout my high school years, I've watched musical theater kids walk into their classes like zombies and I am Asian after all so marks are a pretty big deal.

It turns out that it grows on you, you develop comraderie with your fellow orchestra members, the music starts to flow, you realize how well you integrate into the overall group.
As I learned where all the music fitted into the actual play, I started to feel a connection with everyone in the production (although it's probably not reciprocated)


I just finished my first and last opening night. It was a blast, sure I missed a bunch of bars because I'm rhythmically retarded and I can't count to say my life but it was an overall awesome experience.
It makes me wonder why I haven't signed up for this in my earlier years of high school.

This makes me realize how much I've missed in my high school life.
Sure I miss all the parties (because no-one bothers to tell me...or maybe I'm just anitsocial) but that's out of my control.
But joining extracurricular activities, clubs and events are, and I've missed 2 years of it. I only started joining everything in grade 11 because I listened to my homeroom teacher say how much we miss in high school if we don't sign up for anything.
After signing up for a few things, I was amazed at how much I missed out because I chose not to do it because I thought it might've been lame or I was too chicken to join it.

I guess the moral of the story is your high school life is shaped by decisions you make
Yeah lame moral...decisions shape everything