20. On my mom:

• She’s got like three middle names, which is how I ended up with three middle names (no one knows what they are, it’s a heavily-guarded secret).
• She has super curly hair, and her hair is almost an afro in the pictures of her when she was a kid. Funny because both my brother and I have mostly-straight hair.
• She’s a civil engineer (along with my biological father, it’s how they met). This was a huge reason why I didn’t want to go into civ eng for so long: I don’t like living under anybody’s shadow, especially not my own parents, but cheesy as it is to say, I fell in love with our profession. Alas, their only daughter followed in their footsteps.
• We used to watch a lot of shows together when I was younger, like: The Nanny, Dawson’s Creek, etc. (most of our bonding is done in front of a TV).
• She knows exactly how long my steak needs to be cooked.
• She put me in a bunch of sports when I was very young - gymnastics, swimming, soccer; you name it, I’ve probably done it. I think she was trying to get me to fall in love with one of them and focus on that, but then I ended up loving all of them (I was very tomboy-ish under age 12), and so I ended up doing most of them in leagues/clubs for a loooooong time. And she, you know, as a lot of moms do, dealt with that…driving to practices and recitals and dealing with injuries and laying down the cash. I’m pretty much a money-drain.
• She actually introduced me to yoga, believe it or not. She brought me to one of her classes and I fell in love with the practice and our instructor. The instructor started her own yoga clinic and left our old place and I haven’t met a better (or even equal to, tbh) instructor since.
• My mom and I used to butt heads a lot over the most stupid things, and she’s the master of the silent treatment. We’d fight for a while then one day she’d start talking to me again and all is well.
• Last month I told her on a Wednesday night that I missed soccer (it’s been a while since I’ve played), and the next night she tells me that she bought us MLS tickets for that weekend (such good seats too, damn).
• She sends me the best texts and e-mails. Seriously. I once told her I got a 98% on a university computer programming midterm and she sent me a picture of cake in reply and said I could eat 98% of it.
• She gets us ‘The Nutcracker’ tickets yearly, along with tickets to other plays/musicals that I love seeing.
• This list is getting super long and I could say so much more so in summary: “Happy mother’s day! I obviously don’t say this very much because I’m an asshole but thank you for everything you’ve done for me; I really appreciate it. Hope you like the present. :) Love always, Joan.” (This is also what I wrote on her mother’s day card this year.)

19. On why today was a great day:

Been a while since I’ve done one of these, but today was a great day so let me tell you about the little things that made it that way.

1. I woke up in the best mood ever (you know when that happens?).
2. I stayed in a good mood, unbelievably, basically the entire day.
3. Even the subway was pretty good to me today, no delays, and while on it, I listened to the Perks soundtrack, Bahamas, and The Lumineers (been almost a year and I’m still not over them).
4. Had a very The Notebook-like embrace with Krystal when I saw her today, except, for, you know, the kissing part. Haven’t seen her in a long time, and I was too happy to today.
5. Spencer treated the bunch of us to two dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. The Oreo Cake one? To die for. His words: “Daddy’s buying.”
6. McDonald’s run with Brandon for lunch. Bet him that I could eat an entire McDonald’s paperbag full of fries in 32 minutes. He didn’t believe me. I may not weigh 300 pounds but I sure have the stomach of someone who does. Good ol’ metabolism. :)
7. Snacked on said donuts at the boys’ place. Always a nice and chill time with them. So chill that Aaron fell asleep on me.
8. Had one of the final meetings with my engineering team. Went well. Semi-productive. Our client meeting is on Tuesday and we have prototypes and recommendations ready. Excited and nervous. Mostly excited.
9. Got home in an hour (never happens!) and my mom brought me fish n’ chips from my favourite place along with a package and a hand-written letter from my grandmother back home. It made me teary. I miss her a lot sometimes and things like this help with that.
10. AND OH MY GOD: I WORE FLIP-FLOPS OUT TODAY (everyone knows how I feel about flip-flops). Beautiful weather, April, keep it coming. :)

18. On some of my thoughts when first meeting some of my friends:

• Harriet: “She’s useless.” (this is a joke, obv, I’m in love with her)
• Velanie: “Too rad.”
• Sarah: “No, I’m Baby Spice, you toolbag.” (I was a youngen so the toolbag part is probably untrue)
• Dion: “Oh shit, we’re totally gonna be best friends.” (this is true)
• Kristen: “Well, who doesn’t love being friends with a bartender?”
• Brandon: “You’re offering free booze? I’m there.”
• Krystal: “You have a stripper’s name.”
• Spencer: “Can’t wait to tell everyone that I know a guy named Spencer Reid.”
• Zoë: “Super fucking awesome and gorgeous fucking hair.”
• Sebastién: “Soccer players are my favourite.”
• Cem: “Mmm, Europeans.”
  
• Lucas: “Nice jewfro.” (he’s not a jew)
  

17. On seeing the Perks movie:

For those of you that know me, you would know how much Perks means to me. It’s actually crazy how much I love Stephen Chbosky’s words. He’s amazing, and there’s never been another book that’s been able to do what he does.

So, I saw the film adaptation of it today. I mean, I live in Toronto, right? Might as well take advantage of that fact and go see it during TIFF. So obviously, this being my favourite book and all, I tried to get tickets as soon as they were released, and I’m not even kidding, within the ten minutes of the tickets going on sale, they somehow were sold out, so I couldn’t find tickets there. Checked again this morning at 7 am like they said to, couldn’t find tickets there either. My last option was the rush line, and again, this being my favourite book and all, I did just that.

I showed up to the theatre three hours before to get in line, and I have to tell you, there were approximately forty-fifty people ahead of me in line. I didn’t really have too much hope, but I was going to stick it out anyway. Also, I showed up alone because none of my friends could make it in the beginning because of other obligations. But it was okay, I made rush line friends…to the point that when my friend finally showed up, she thought I brought other people with me because it seemed like we knew each other for longer than two hours.

While we were in line, Johnny Depp got out of the building and waved at us from his SUV. Good omen #1.

Nina Dobrev was the first actual Perks cast member to show up that we were aware of from down the street in the rush line, but I didn’t get a glimpse of her. It wasn’t until Emma Watson showed up that the fact that I was in line to see Perks hit me. God, she’s so pretty. Prettier in person, actually. Good omen #2.

They gave out free Perks movie posters while we were in line. Good omen #3.

Anyway, the rush line started moving, and I can honestly say that it was the most nerve-wracking experience I’ve ever had in my life because they can literally cut the line off at any time. There’s no guarantee on tickets. Anyway, we get to the front of the rush line, and who pulls up in a black SUV? Logan Lerman. We were literally fifteen steps away from the kid who brought Charlie to life. Jesus. Anyway, at this point, we got into the movie, and I was so happy could have cried right then and there.

I’m going to try my best to not spoil anything for those who haven’t read the book/watched the film, but something might slip out so be warned.

So here’s the part where I get into the actual movie, vaguely mentioning scenes for the sake of everyone on tumblr who doesn’t want it spoiled. Let me just say this now: as Perks’ biggest advocate and fan, my expectations of the film were reached and overcome. It was an excellent movie adaptation, as well as a stand-alone film. It made me feel the things that the book made me feel. They did such a good job. I’ll go see it again when it’s actually released.

Logan did brilliantly as Charlie. I had doubts when he first got cast but not because of anything against him, but because Charlie was so near and dear to me that I couldn’t really see how anyone could portray him on screen and pull it off. But Logan did. He was amazing. He could show vulnerability by the posture he gave when just standing there. And when he actually started talking? So good. Charlie through and through. He exuded Charlie. He didn’t just portray Charlie. He became him.

Emma did a great job, too. Her American accent was really well done as well, and that was the biggest worry for me, but she did such an excellent job that I don’t even know why I was worried in the first place. Shouldn’t have expected any less than perfect from her, really. She’s Sam. Period. There were moments in the movie (like the tunnel scene), where I literally just sighed, “Oh, Sam.”

Ezra…do I even need to go into his performance? Excellent, through and through. Not just comic relief either, even though he brought the laughs. But there were times (like the park scene) that was so beautiful and sad. He was perfect, I don’t think I can say more than that.

The main three did such a perfect job that I don’t think I’ll be able to ever reread this book again without picturing them as their characters. They became them. It was really a wonderful thing to see on screen. They all had so much chemistry, too, that the scenes with just the three of them really shone through. Or if it was just Emma and Logan as Charlie and Sam, too. They really had their book relationship down. And Emma and Ezra’s Sam and Patrick brother/sister relationship is so believable. None of it felt forced at all. And I guess this can extend to the rest of the cast as well, because they were all amazing. Mae Whitman? Perfect as Mary Elizabeth. Johnny Simmons? Yeah, him too. I’m not exaggerating when I say that they were all one solidly amazing cast.

Oh, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show scenes? Fucking amazing. Loved them all.

I was practically crying from about the halfway point and on. Teared up a little bit at certain scenes before that, too. The breakdown scene…I have no words. It was very well-executed, and my heart was pounding, and breaking, and speeding up all at the same time. I was crying so hard that you can only hear me sniffling from then on. This film was just really, really, really well done and I have no complaints about it whatsoever. Every minute will be cherished. And I wasn’t the only one who felt that way obviously because at the end of the movie, everyone gave a standing ovation.

After the film, there was a brief Q & A with Stephen Chbosky and the present cast. I have videos and pictures, and I’m probably never going to get over this. Emma came out later than most of the cast and the first thing she did was run across the stage and give Stephen Chbosky a huge hug. It was probably the most adorable thing I’ve ever witnessed. The camaraderie in this cast/crew is just so great and palpable. It’s wonderful and it shows on screen.

After we got out of the theatre and were walking towards the nearest Swiss Chalet because we were starving and duh, CHICKEN, we saw Ezra Miller and Nina Dobrev exiting the building and go into separate vehicles. It was just a very, very good day. I don’t even mind waiting in line for three hours (sometimes in the rain) because what I got in exchange was so worth it. I had the most emotional night (in only good ways), and it was all thanks to this movie and, I guess, when everything gets stripped down, Stephen Chbosky. I can never thank him enough for giving me all of this. I definitely encourage everyone to go watch this when it comes out, even if you aren’t fans of the book. It exceeded all my expectations and I promise it will exceed yours.

16. On the Coldplay concert:

• I sang, I danced, I clapped, I smiled, and I cried, but never once did I sit down.
• Firstly, and I’m not even exaggerating when I say this: it was the best night of my life. Not just the best concert, the best night.
• We had such good seats, oh man. It was lower-level, but it was right at the centre so had good view of everything. Spent the best night of my life with my best friend and the best band. Solidifies everything for me.
• We were standing the entire time. It was the best. Everyone was standing and dancing and lighting up and pulsating with Coldplay. The fans were amazing, too, can I just say that? There weren’t any non-fans or semi-fans. At all. At least not in my vicinity. We were part of the show and it was mindblowing. We were all a part of it. Something more. Something bigger.
• Okay, the energy that Coldplay had? INSANE. Especially Chris and Will, but Chris, oh man, Chris. You gave us everything. I love you, I really do. The energy was at maximum level the entire night and I couldn’t be more pleased.
• And how fucking charming was Chris with his, “Yesterday’s show was just the rehearsal”s and “That was fucking amazing, Toronto”s. Unbelievable.
• They opened with Hurts Like Heaven. I mean, this is the Mylo Xyloto tour, so there was a bunch from that album.
• OH! Oh my goodness, I forgot to say: they gave us these wristbands upon entry and God, the camaraderie and energy that was released when they first lit up! Nuts. Really nuts. This show was really amazing at that stuff. Wristbands, confetti, lights, lasers, giant balloons from the ceiling, even more GIANT blow up symbols from Mylo Xyloto. Nuts. Just nuts.
• The Scientist is when I began to cry. There’s nothing I love more than when a mass group of people come together and sing with the band. So much camaraderie and unity. It brings me to tears.
• Chris dedicated Yellow to the Aurora, Colorado shooting. It was heart-touching. The entire experience was heart-touching.
• Perfect.
• Perfect.
• Perfect.
• Perfect.
• Every song.
• Perfect.
• Every moment.
• Perfect.
• They came off the main stage, feigning that they were “finished”, said goodbye and everything. They reappeared to a spot near our section to sing their next songs.
• They started with Us Against The World.They did the whole, “come into the song one by one” thing. God, Will’s harmony to Chris kills me every time. So good.
• They did a couple more songs with us, then they went back to the main stage to do Clocks, Fix You,then ended with Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.
• Fix You destroyed my tear ducts. There’s just something about that song. There’s so much hope that shines through in it and it’s just a flawless song, really. This and Everything’s Not Lost (bummer, they didn’t do this song - but still a perfect night) are my favourite songs by Coldplay ever. This was perfect. Perfect.
• I don’t think there was a moment during this concert when my body stopped moving, whether it be through dancing, clapping or swaying. So, so, so, so good.
• I am beyond happy, and Coldplay went beyond my expectations. I can’t stop smiling and tearing up. I am really, really happy. There’s really no other way to say it.
• No words will ever amount to how I feel about Coldplay and this concert, really. I won’t ever get over this.
• Coldplay, thank you for the best night of my life. 

ps. I got band merch again - I spend all my money on band merch.

15. On shit Jenny (from the block but not really) says:
• About Engineering: That's a lot of fuckin' math. What can they even do? Build a house? (joking, of course)
• About me taking a huge leave from work: You've been gone so long, I had a baby! (with sass)
• After showing me said baby's pics: So when are you gonna start poppin' out your own? (oh dear)

14. On movies I’ve watched this summer:

Will grow as summer goes on.

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13. On Dion:

Read More

12. On My Biggest Wants At The Moment:

Nothing too substantial, just off the top of my head.

1. Two pet chickens. I want to name them Coco and Chanel. This is actually something I’ve always wanted. I mean, can you imagine calling out for them? “Coco Chanel!”I can make them a hutch and have a logo like Chanel’s but then instead of the “Chanel” underneath the two C’s, it’ll say, “Chickens”.
2. World peace. Such a Ms. Universe type of answer, but it’s true.
3. Bon Iver tickets. Please come back to Toronto. :(
4. Brave’s Score. Patrick Doyle, Mumford and Sons, and Birdy? So fucking good. (Also, this is my favourite Disney film ever.)
5. Ribs. Biggest craving. Thank God for rib fest season.
6. July 26. Cottage week. :)
7. Wednesday Afternoon. My full body massage appointment. Ah.
8. For England to massacre Italy in the Euros. My friends are not my friends until after this match.
9. To get back on a soccer field. I really miss soccer, omg.
10. More jean shorts!
11. Green Tea Frappucino.

I’m going to leave it at 11 because 11 is a good number. It is odd. It has two 1’s. It is a prime number. I like 11.

11. On Lady Godiva’s Hymn:

For those who are unfamiliar, here it is:

“We are, we are, we are, we are, we are the Engineers,
We can, we can, we can, we can demolish 40 beers.
Drink rum, drink rum, drink rum, drink rum, and come along with us,
For we don’t give a damn for any damn man who don’t give a damn for us.”

I only have this to say about it:

• It is damn catchy.
• You better be pumping your fists as you sing.
• It is 100% factual.