End of summer wrap-up

Just checking in to let y'all know that I survived the OAT because I friggin' killed it! Well, not really, but I got a preeeeeeeeeetty decent score, if I do say so myself. I mean, it's higher than the average scores of students accepted to the American optometry schools last year. I haven't looked up Waterloo's stats but I think the stats from the American schools were enough to tell me that I did decently.

This summer went by slowly. Not too slowly, but not fast at all. Maybe it's because I'm not going back to school this year, so there isn't the dreadful thought of having to return to a structured schedule of lectures and labs making me wish I had done more or cherished the days more. But I still do have a few things I want to knock off my summer to-do list before September starts. For example, I didn't have a Wonderland season's pass this year, so I have missed the Leviathan dearly and I would really, really, really like to go before the season ends (alternatively, I've been wanting to go to the Ex, but with how my family's weekend is planned out currently, that is probably not going to happen).

Still, if anyone asked me what I did this summer, I wouldn't be able to tell them much.

1. I studied.
2. And volunteered.
3. Oh, I also went to a wedding.
4. And a concert.
5. And I watched How To Train Your Dragon 2. Twice.
6. I painted my room!
7. I went to Dave and Buster's once.
8. I got into reading again... (young adult fiction novels, is this weird)
9. AND I FOUND THE LEAFS WINTER CLASSIC TOQUE AND BOUGHT ONE.
10. Oh and I bought the best pair of jeans I've ever bought yesterday.

Yup, those are sadly the highlights of my summer.

Anyhow, this has been a random and pointless blog post. I remember starting this blog wanting it to have some sort of consistent theme, other than my rambling... so much for that. I don't really have any idea what theme or topic to stick to because I am kinda interested in way too many things.

AAAAAHHHHHH

Today was my official "no-studying" day, but I have not been studying much since Sunday evening...

To really keep me from studying, I spent the afternoon filming this. It's obviously not perfect, but eh; there comes a point with everything I do when I think "that's the best it'll ever be." Maybe that's a shitty thing to think, but I honestly feel like in everything I do, there's a plateau point where it can't get any better, even if it's still pretty bad. And when I push myself to keep going, I usually end up deteriorating... For example, there was a time in grade 8 when my goalie skills in soccer were stupidly on point; and then when I joined the team, I just lost it all. But I guess some of that has to do with my confidence shriveling up when these kids in my grade put me in net during recess and some third grade kid scored on me.

Anyhow, I need to sleep. Or try to. I'm trying not to feel butterflies, but I can kinda feel 'em coming on already. Please wish me luck because I will need it very much.

Music Monday ft. FIVE SAUCE

Before I get into this post, I just wanted to note that at the time you read this this gets published, it is 10 days before I write my OAT. And as I am writing this (on Thursday August 14, at 12:10 a.m.), I am nervous as hell, I still have a ton of orgo to learn, bio and chem to review, and a few more chapters of physics to study, and I am really dreading test day. Anyhow, life shall go on. Hope you enjoy this post... or not.

[[[In five months, I'm probably going to look at this post and facepalm myself so hard.]]]

"Five sauce" is officially my secret code for discretely referring to 5SOS, which you may or may not know stands for 5 Seconds of Summer.

I've said this before, and I'll say it again - where were all the cool teen boy bands back when I was a teen?! No, the Jonas Brothers weren't that cool.

Birthday wrap-up.

Yes, it is only 8 p.m. and for regular people, 8 p.m. would be just the beginning of their birthday, or no where close to the end. However, I hadn't planned any other birthday festivities for today, so it's over now.

Scratch that, I have plans later on in the week to celebrate with a friend, so it ain't really over yet!

But, uh, yes, here is how I spent my birthday weekend.

Yesterday, two close friends and I went out to Dave and Buster's, which is close to being one of my favourite places on earth. We had initially planned to go today - we'd be there right now, if we stuck to the plan - however, one of us couldn't make it so we changed the date. Luckily, it wasn't too busy when we got there - I was a bit worried that there'd be a lot of people there, since it was a Friday night, however, it was pretty empty, until later on (which is when, I guess, regular people come out to play).

I had a grilled salmon with buttered spinach and citrus rice, which I picked in place of their "spicy" rice. It was all really good and filling. I couldn't even finish my dessert, which was a slice of plain cheesecake (why it came with two forks, I will never know).

Then we went to the midway, which is always the best part of going to Dave and Buster's. I mean, it's the reason you would decide to go to Dave and Buster's, right?

Highlights: FRUIT NINJA! which was really fun, but hurt my fingers (darn you, friction!); some clown game where you had to throw balls and knock them over (we hogged that game for a few minutes); Pac-man, which I was surprisingly good at; and air hockey, which I was surprisingly bad at (I was down 5-0 early in the game, managed to score 4, lost 7-4).

Today - or more specifically, as the clock struck 12 a.m., I was in bed... scrolling through a certain someone's Instagram feed, liking all of his pictures... I need to grow up.

In the morning, I awoke to find that I had been challenged in a Pokemon scavenger hunt.



My sister says she was awake at 3 a.m. drawing all 23 Pokemon and then posting them all over the house. I managed to find them all in about 20 minutes.



Then I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon studying a tiny bit, and working on a medical school application, which has come to make me feel so sick to my stomach, as I've started realizing how weak my application will be once it's completed.

Then I went out with my siblings to the mall. My little brother had said our mom gave him $20 to buy me a gift, so we headed to HMV, where I was hoping to find the 5 Seconds of Summer deluxe CD... which they did have; however, it wasn't the version I was hoping for. And after coming home and researching it for a bit, I learned that the version I wanted was only available in the UK and Australia. And the song that I really wanted from the deluxe version that's only available in the UK/Australia isn't even available for download on iTunes!

It's been a few hours and I am still utterly devastated and disappointed. But life shall go on.

We're currently waiting for one of my sisters to return home before heading out for some impromptu birthday dinner. We're thinking Korean BBQ, but I have no idea what will happen.

Anyhow, that was my birthday. Nothing exciting. I mean, I wish I could tell you all about how I went clubbing, or to an awesome concert (1D does not count!), or to a super swanky restaurant with my handsome date by my side.

But that is not how I do... for now.

THEY CAME FROM YOUUUUUUUUUUUU! Down With Webster - Friday, February 7th @ The Sound Academy

HA! I told you I'd post it. Actually, I've had most of this written up for a while now. Anyhow, here it is - my little review of DWW's concert.

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Sometime during the last week of January, I was at our university's community center doing some reading between classes when I received a phone call. The caller ID was UNKNOWN, so I debated not picking up; but like many times before when I got a random phone call, I gave the caller the benefit of the doubt and answered it. And wow, if I didn't answer it, I wouldn't have gotten to see Down With Webster. Funny how things work...

So yeah! I won two tickets in a contest held by Toronto Star (it was one of those easy ones where you just send them your name and contact info to enter). I wasn't too excited because it wasn't a contest I really wanted to win (they also had contests to win tickets to all Leafs home games for each month - those were the contests I was really hoping to win!), and I wasn't a "true" fan of DWW; but I accepted the tickets wholeheartedly because, hey, it's not everyday you win free stuff.

[[CRAZINESS BEHIND THE JUMP CUT!]]

OH EM GEE BOY BANDZZZZZ!!!~~!~ One Direction ft. 5 Seconds of Summer - Friday, August 1st @ The Rogers Center

Dear reader, please forgive me, for I attended a One Direction concert and thoroughly enjoyed it.

That’s right. Out of all the things going on this weekend – out of all the music events that were going on this weekend (VELD, Osheaga, Lollapalooza, just to name a few), I was at a One Direction concert.

I'm not too ashamed though.

Donned the Luongo shirsey, cuz they asked for the crowd to wear red & white. And you can't get more red & white than going with a team Canada shirt, can ya?

To those of you who don’t know, two things:
1. My taste in music is very, very broad. I can deal with nearly any kind of music, so don’t be surprised that I enjoy myself some teen boy band music.
2. I am a sponge. When there is a lot of energy and fun being had, I take it all in and in turn have fun myself. Hence, despite being introverted, I enjoy myself a good dance party once in a while.

A family friend had bought tickets way back near the beginning of the year and had generously given my youngest sister two of them for free, knowing that she was a huuuuuuuuuuge One Direction fan. And since she didn’t have anyone else to go with (read: she didn’t have any friends who were enthusiastic enough about 1D as she is), her default invitee was me. And I couldn’t really say no – first of all, free tix to what I thought would have been an okay show, but also because I dragged her out to a Down With Webster concert back in December when I couldn’t think of anyone to bring with me (a concert for which I have still not blogged about. I’ll do it soon!!!).

We headed downtown at around 3:30, and arrived sometime before 5, but even though the concert wasn’t starting for another two hours or so, there were already hoards of people/girls outside the Rogers Center. We grabbed some street dogs, and headed into the stadium at around 6.

My view. 

Our seats were pretty far away... but, eh, you couldn’t really expect anything more for $50 tickets to a concert like this. However, I was upset that they had set up a light stand which obstructed my view of the stage (and hence all the performers) all night long.

5SOS!

Source: Google.

I learned right before we left that 5 Seconds of Summer was opening the show, and this made me more excited than I was before because it meant I was going to hear one of my current favourite songs LIVE! And Australian boys. Mmm. Okay no, I’m kidding. I mean, yes, Australian boys, but these ones might be a little too uh, young. (Okay I did my research and the oldest of them is the drummer who is three years younger than me. That’s acceptable, right?)

(No but WHERE WERE ALL THE COOL BOY BANDS MY AGE WHEN I WAS A TEEN!?!?!?)

tHAT DAMNED LIGHT POST

Anyhow, they were charming and energetic, and I had to wait ‘til the end of their set to hear She Looks So Perfect, but that was expected and it was worth it. Their voices were just a bit below annoying (except for one of them, I can’t remember who... I think it was Michael? His voice was lovely), but I’d give them a leg up over 1D because INSTRUMENTS!

1D

Source: Google.

Ah, but they’re One Direction; a group of five young lads, who literally started from the bottom and now they here. The screams were deafening for 5SOS, but even more so when they showed up. And I don’t even mean on stage – during a video of an advertisement for their next movie; during a little animation, which did not even show their faces, but had them explain safety instructions and rules; and when their SUVs pulled into the stadium behind the stage.

Luckily, I’ve had no hearing loss, but I probably won’t be able to hear the high frequencies I can hear now at the age of 30.

I don’t remember what song they opened up with, but, let’s be real; I didn't know a lot of the songs off their new album. I thought I would have, seeing as my sister plays it every single time she’s in the shower. A lot of them were familiar, at least.

I think it was Midnight Memories.

LIGHTS!

However, they did perform a lot of their old songs, too, including some of my favourite ones – One Thing, C'mon, C'mon, and ohmigosh MOMENTS. I almost cried, especially when Louis sang.


Yes, Louis is my favourite.


His voice is so. Effin'. Precious. Ughhhhasdl;kfjadslkj I got to hear Louis’ voice live I can die happily now.

THE LIGHTS OMG

The laser show that was happening simultaneously was also very, very impressive (or, it’s just me. I’m very easily amused).

Overall, it was a great concert and a great experience. I danced all night to the best songs ever~~~ (see what I did there?). But seriously, I need to get out to more concerts because the atmosphere is so exhilarating (even if this concert was full of teens and pre-teens and reluctant parents).

Lastly, I’ll leave you with my song recommendations.

5 SECONDS OF SUMMER

3. Amnesia

2. English Love Affair

1. SHE LOOKS SO PERFECT

UP ALL NIGHT

1. One Thing

TAKE ME HOME

3. C'mon, C'mon

2. Kiss You

1. Moments

MIDNIGHT MEMORIES

3. Right Now

2. You & I (even though it's grammatically incorrect, haha! Then again, there are so many songs that just don't give a shit about grammar...)

1. Little Black Dress

Please don't judge me. Stay rad.