Short And Sweet

Hey everyone!

I got this week's playlist up, sorry it was late. Also, I know there has been a Said The Whale song on there these last few weeks, but they are just so great, I have to post them up. I am also thinking about doing starting a theme to the songs.

The Students Live meeting on Monday went really well, we got a whole lot done, so you should see some of that on the website (www.studentslive.ca). We got a tour of the Main Media Centre at Canada Place, and it is looking great! The journalists and photographers are going to have an amazing experience there.

Also at that meeting, we found out what events we get to go to. I got 2 wheelchair curling events, 2 sledge hockey events, and 1 super g event. I'm really excited with what I got and can't wait for March!

Just on a side note, does anyone watch Lie To Me? It's a fictional show about Dr. Lightman, who can tell what people's emotions are by looking at their faces, hands, posture, and by listening to their words. It's a pretty awesome show, and is really interesting.

I'm going to wrap that up there, I'll write again later in the week! Peace.

The Fiddle And The Drum

Last night, January 22nd 2010, I had the privilege to go to Joni Mitchell's The Fiddle and The Drum, performed by Alberta Ballet. It was a ballet about the war between ecology and economy, about violence instead of caring for our planet. It was amazing. The strength of the dancers combined with the gracefulness of ballet, and the powerful message of the production was intriguingly beautiful. The song "The Three Great Stimulants" by Joni Mitchell featured in The Fiddle and The Drum stated, "Artifice, brutality, and innocence".

I saw the ballet with a good friend of mine, and during the intermission and afterwards we were interrupting each other constantly because we just couldn't keep our admiration for The Fiddle And The Drum to ourselves. The dancers, the music, the background, the lighting, the moves, we couldn't shut up. This brought me to purchase the DVD, which I watched this morning. It is gorgeously filmed, but does not contain all of the dances. I was happy with it anyways, of course.

This ballet was the beginning of the Cultural Olympiad for the 2010 Games, and it set some high standards.

The Fiddle And The Drum was the first ballet I had ever seen, and definitely not the last. It is inspiring and beautiful and deals with problems in today's society. The Fiddle And The Drum is terrific, and a certain must. You can expect to see some Joni Mitchell on next week's playlist!

*Also, a quick thanks for the comments and support for 'Dear Haiti'.

Works Cited

Hope, Charles. The Fiddle And The Drum. Photograph. Dance Victoria. Web. 23 Jan. 2010. .

Dear Haiti

Dear Haiti,

I would ask how you are but I already know, everyone knows. You are not well. I see pictures of your destroyed buildings and starving people everywhere. It makes me sad that you are struck with a disaster such as this. It makes others sad too. I saw a girl collecting money for you at my school, and she was devastated, as if her friend had died. You are our friend, Haiti, and when you are in trouble we need to help you. I am sorry we did not help you sooner, because you were in trouble before the earthquake. We are trying very hard to help you. Millions of dollars, prayers, and aid are being sent your way, or at least are trying to be sent your way. Is what we are giving helping? Are we doing the good we think we are doing when we drop those coins, or take those few minutes to remember you? I heard someone say that you really need is for the world to help other countries who are in the same amount of trouble that you were in. If I were you Haiti, that would be what I would want.

I cannot imagine what it must be like for you to see so many of your people die. All I see is numbers, and sometimes pictures, but you knew them, they were your people, and now they are gone. I cannot imagine what it must be like for you to see so many of your people starving, and you cannot provide for them. I cannot imagine what it must be like for you to have to rely only on other countries, unable to help yourself. I do not like feeling helpless, and right now you are so helpless, Haiti.

I have nightmares of your troubles, but I want to have dreams of you getting better. I want to see pictures and videos of help and hope being given, not of mass graves and crushed buildings. I want to be able to say that this earthquake made a difference for you, Haiti, and other countries like you. I want to say that this earthquake turned out to be the thing that saved you, and now you are stronger than ever. But you are weaker than ever, and I do not like saying that.

I do not mind if you do not read this letter, Haiti, I know you have lots to worry about. I hope others read this letter though, because you are special Haiti, and the world cannot lose you and your people. You are too important for that.

I hope you get better, Haiti. I need you to get better because I do not like the sadness of your troubles, I want there to be the happiness of your recovery.

~Lauren Byrne

Anytime, Miss Sunshine

You know those days that are just pretty normal until someone says something or you read something or see something that just makes you feel so warm and fuzzy inside? I love those days. There should be more of those days, especially when you have 3 projects and 4 quizzes in 5 days.

As you might be able to tell, I've had a busy week, but that couldn't stop me from blogging! I am really glad I joined Students Live because it got me blogging with some 2010 Games material, but nothing stopping me from blogging about other things, and I think it's something I'm going to continue for a while.

Does anyone else still have their Christmas tree up? I think it is about time I took mine down, but it's just so merry and pretty, I just can't bear to take it down.

In about two hours I'm going to my hip hop dance class, and I'm always super excited. My teacher is an amazing dancer herself, which just motivates us all that much more. We'll be going to a couple competitions in spring, so that'll be pretty awesome.

Also, I encourage you to comment. Leave your thoughts on what I'm writing about, suggestions of something to cover, or even a song request for the playlist! Thanks, I'll write more soon!

Nashville at Vancouver Period 3

Hello everyone!
I write this while watching the hockey game tonight. The second period just ended, and the score is 2-2. There may be some odd hockey interjections throughout this blog, be warned.
Over the last couple days I have mostly been doing homework, so I've been a bit out of it. Tonight though, I went to the youth group at my church and had a blast! Good friends, 5 large pizzas, some salty gingerbread, and a little bit of ''neuron'' and "wheeowheeowheeoooo-David!" and you've got yourself a good night.
I have a bunch of people that I am hoping to interview, including the "happiness embassador" of the Olympic Torch Relay. Sorry I've been so slow to get an interview done, homework, tests and projects really seem to build up over the holidays. I hope to have one up soon!
The 3rd period just started, and I'm hoping Alex Burrows is going to get his 3rd hat trick of the season, just as soon as he gets out of penalty box...
I am currently reading an amazing book called "Telling True Stories". It is a guide to narritive nonfiction, my favourite genre of book. My favourite author of narritive nonfiction is Malcolm Gladwell who has written Outliers, Blink, The Tipping Point, and a collection of his articles for the New York Times called What The Dog Saw. "Telling True Stories" contains advice and lessons from the greatest narritive nonfiction writers around, and I am so glad my mother needed that extra book for her law studies which brought her to the library, where she saw that book.
That's enough for today, I'll write more later this week. The playlist is updated, so check that out!

Quick Update

It has occured to me that often I will be blogging more than once a week. The weekly playlist is now a widget over there -->
I will still update it once a week, but not necessarily with my blog posts.

Thanks!

Vancouver Busdrivers, Making Your Day

Hello everyone! Right now I'm at a Students Live meeting in Harbour Centre. Today at 12:19pm I got onto the number sixteen bus, a direct route to the Centre. When I got on I was welcomed by an incredibly warm bus driver, something that had never happened before. She smiled excitedly, as if I had brightened her day just by getting on the bus. At the next stop a few people got off, one of whom called out a 'thank you!', which was jollily returned with an uncommon 'you're welcome!'. A few stops later, an older man got on to the bus, it was clearly one of his first times busing, as he had a bit of trouble figuring out how to put his faresaver into the machine. Unlike other bus drivers I have seen, she kindly showed him the correct way to insert the faresaver, without the obvious frustration I have heard so many times before. It appeared she enjoys driving a bus, which makes everyone enjoy riding a bus just that much more.



One thing I'm sure all of us here at Students Live are thankful for is the food we get here. Last time we got casadias, and today we got sandwiches. Along with that we got cookies, fruit, and a large variety of drinks. All the food we got was free and SO yummy! Thanks to those at BCELC for providing us with food!



I think I'm going to wrap this up here, thanks to everyone who is reading my blog!

Week 2 Playlist
1. Low Sail - Amy Millian
2. I'm Running - Misstress Barbara ft. Sam Roberts
3. Somewhere Only We Know - Keane
4. They'll Never Know - Ross Copperman
5. Belle Of The Boulevard - Dashboard Confessional

2010 Already!

5, 4, 3, 2, 1...2010!! I'm sure you all knew that yesterday was a blue moon (second new moon of the month), something that won't happen again on New Years Eve until 2028. It was also a partial lunar eclipse for Europe, Australia, Africa, and Asia, but not us :(. It's incredible to think that we are starting a new decade, sure to be full of innovations, discoveries, and greatness. It seems like only yesterday we were counting down to 2000...

The Team Canada Hockey Roster is out, and I must say it looks pretty good. I think just about all of Vancouver is buzzing with excitment about Luongo representing. In case you've been living in a hole and haven't seen the list, head over to http://www.globaltoronto.com/Canada+Olympic+hockey+roster/2392320/story.html and you'll get a quick bio of all the players too!

My blog posts from now onwards are going to feature a 5 song playlist of some really awesome tunes that I'm listening to, and are worth checking out. I'll try to encorperate as many genres as possible. See below!

Week 1 Playlist
Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
Melody - Kate Earl
Gifted - NASA
Save You - Matthew Perryman Jones
I Want You - Fefe Dobson

Happy New Year Everyone!!