gotta love stroumbo!

So yesterday, a bunch of my friends and I ditched our last class and went downtown to a pre-taping of the Hour w/George Stroumboulopoulos.

My friends actually had good reason to go, they were trying to score him for a seminar they are organizing as part of our program. So they had ordered tickets in advance and called in to get a bunch more for those of us who wanted to tag along. There was 8 of us in all and we were pretty stoked about seeing Stroumbo, b/c he's dreamy like that.

We all took the subway down to the CBC building on John St. and got there pretty early. So we did some wondering and hung out in the caf, p.s. they have delicious sandwiches there, by the time we got back to the hour studio, there was a HUGE line-up.

Thanks to some shmoozing with the crew, we made some new friends and ended up getting seated first! George was unbelievably down-to-earth...he made us totally feel apart of the show, which was pretty cool. His first guest was Howie Mandel, who we later learned was his favourite person to interview. He talked about suffering from being OCD, his heart problems and told some funny stories, I really enjoyed listening to him speak so candidly, it was refreshing.

The second guest was Ed Broadbent, the ex NDP leader from the 80s, often-dubbed the Prime Minister that never was. He was absolutely adorable, like most old people are, he spoke about the coalition and even went as far to say that the "Liberals are in a coalition with the Conservatives." He had a real interesting spin on contemporary politics and I learned a great deal about our history through a few of his stories.

The third guest was Lily Allen, but George had already pre-recorded her, so we just watched that interview on the tv's in the studio...to be honest, I wasn't too impressed. She lacked the kind of substance that I expect from artists like her, even if they are young. She giggled and had zero opinions about the questions Stroumbo posed to her and then told some ridiculous story about being on the toilet during a concert and hearing the fans chant her name, blah!

My favourite part of this whol experience was the Q & A with Stroumbo and the audience after we taped the show. He answered all the questions that were fired his way and made every attempt to answer them fully and honestly. He also discussed the challenges of making it in the industry in Canada (as did Howie Mandel during his interview). Someone in the audience actually asked him why it was so hard and he said that it was because Canadians watch American shows, period.

He said he only expected the show to last 30 days, and now its been 5 years, so clearly there is a demand. I hope we don't lose Canada's only late night show because I think Stroumbo is well-informed, real and easy to relate to. I would totally recommend this experience to anyone who is interested in the show, you can order tickets online at:



Alright, I gotta get back to writing this news release for Mr. Impossible, check ya later.

My problems are so trivial...

I just learned that my friend Suba Baskaran, a Welcome Week Rep for the residence I lived in as a don at McMaster two years ago, passed away yesterday. The facebook group in her memory says she'd been battling cancer for the past year, which makes me so sad because I didn't get the opportunity to encourage her through her battle or even say goodbye.

All day I've been complaining about the York strike making my life such a struggle and now I feel like such an idiot. Here I am, living this privileged life, healthy, happy and in general good spirits, but this poor girl's life had barely begun and now she's gone.

My thoughts and prayers go out to her family, what a tragedy it must be to have to say goodbye to a young woman with the hopes of a bright future. R.I.P. Scooby, I will always remember you with a smile, just like you always greeted everyone you crossed paths with. Much love.

On visiting mac...

Getting off the GO today and looking around campus, I really felt the panic of my age set in...I turned 23 a few days ago, and yet it didn't hit me (until I got to mac) seeing as how I'm surrounded by the vastness that is York.

Being back to my old home, boy do I miss Mac, and seeing all these 17 yr olds. run around doing exciting things (much like I did) made me incredibly envious. Mostly because I loved the adrenaline rush of a completely new environment, the expectation that the best is yet to come and the sheer joy of being around people my age all the damn time.

I hung out with my sis, which was nothing short of trippy. You see, my sister is 5 yrs. my junior so when I see her doin grown up things I get flash back of walking her to JK and it psychs me right the f%*@ out. In those few hours though, sharing that time with her, I was so proud of her and so excited for her. When I think that she is following in my footsteps it gives me strength and hope for the rest of my family that have yet to discover the wonders of higher education. That's the problem with family money and businesses folks, ya get too damn comfortable cuz you know you'll always be 'taken care of' so to speak...

So here's to education, one of the greatest privileges and blessings in my life.

How to say goodbye...

They say bad things happen in 3's, but up until recently I never gave it much thought. In less than 3 months, my family has had 3 deaths in the family, one of which was my beloved grandmother (Bibi Ji), who passed away just shy of 2 weeks before my cousin Daisy got married. On Thanksgiving Day we lost 2 family members in one day...around 9:30 am we lost my Thakur uncle Ji (my dad's sister's husband) and then around 6:30 pm, we heard news that my grandmother's sister's husband passed away as well.

Traveling from Brampton Civic to Trillium to pay last respects, it literally felt like I was having a real bad dream the whole day, so I just kept hoping I'd wake up from it.

Up until my Bibi Ji passed away, I'd never even attended a funeral, so needless to say I was pretty sheltered when it came to the whole grieving process. Contrary to popular opinion, I am very much of the feint of heart. I do not consider myself to be very strong, especially when it comes to seeing the people I love most in this world in pain.

What makes these last two deaths especially difficult for my immediate family is that the service was held in the same locations as my Bibi Ji's funeral. So it was like re-living the memories of our painful goodbyes with her. My 6 yr. old nephew said to me, "massi I'm gonna say a poem at papa's funeral, just like you did for Bibi." Its times like these that make you want to just curl up into a corner and cry because the incredible influx of sorrow is way too much to handle.

Losing someone you love is a painful thing, especially when you've lived with them your whole life, because imagining a world without them just plain and simple don't make sense. My Bibi was more of a mother to me than anything else, because my parents were always working late at the restaurant, she single-handedly raised myself, my 2 siblings and all her other 15 grandchildren-an astonishing feat. She taught me the meaning of humility, love and grace because she embodied it, she was a role-model, a caregiver, but more than anything she was my shakti (strength). When I'd spend nights with her in the hospital and think of losing her, I'd get panic attacks, but I made it through her funeral and sometimes I wonder how the heck I did it. Well, the answer that gives me the most comfort is knowing that she is still with me, her strength, her love, her beauty will always be apart of who I am because who am I kidding, she has shaped every fibre of my being.

May God bring shanti (peace) to those who have left us. We'll miss you and love you everyday, forever.

My Fellow Canadians, don't fail us...VOTE on October 14th!

Okay so here's my pitch to all of you on why I think its PIVOTAL to vote on October 14th.

Politics can be shitty sometimes; it can be petty and pushy and seem downright disgusting to those of us who do not care for the bicker and banter of character assassinations between politicians, the broken promises, the jargon, you name it, I've heard it. But, you can't really separate yourself from politics because "the everyday is political" and the "personal is political." That is, you are affected by political outcomes one way or another, so why not exercise your right to sway politicians to have things to your advantage? Or at least more to your advantage than just being apathetic. The way I look at it, if politicians got the memo that more and more 18-24 year olds gave a damn about politics-and the only way to show that is by hitting the polls-well then issues that matter to us (like the rising cost of tuition, more internships for new grads, more spaces in law/med and other post-grad schools) are more likely to be on their radar/platforms.

There is no excuse good enough for not voting (you don't have time-make time!; you don't know where to vote-ask your student union!; you don't like any political party-abstain or vote independent!; you don't understand politics-do the research, there's so many great blogs on the net), and YES your 'one vote' does matter. No matter how troubling the game of politics can seem, there's a very good side, err a great side, if you take the time to do the research and make decisions based on what priorities you think matter most to Canadians.

I'm not ignorant. I know the way we do politics is not anywhere near where it should be, but if we want to do ourselves justice in the future, then we need to seriously consider what's at stake if we don't give a damn? I'm all for enjoying the university experience, partying on the regular is wicked stress-relief...but our political process needs some tweakin and it aint a solo mission, students need an organized process for action.

What do we want?
How can we achieve it?
How many of us vote?
How can we get more students to care about politics?
Real questions.
Real consequences.
It's about time we give a damn folks.

*Note: Notice how I didnt pitch my party. I obviously have a bias, but that is not my message...democracy (like education) is a privilege, not a right.

Think about it.

My shameless plug for Equal Voice

So i've been a member of Equal Voice, which is a "multi-partisan, non-profit organization devoted to the still-bold idea that more women must be elected to every level of government in Canada," for many years as a student. I think that changing the face of politics in Canada requires the election of more women not least of which because we live in a world made by men, for men. The way we 'do' politics is not working, we hate the players (men and women) but perhaps it is the game that needs to be re-evaluated to ensure that it matches the culture, values and demographics of our nation. This is, in part, why I am so fascinated with the political process and the people who are-genuinely-dedicated to making it better for future generations. To say that we have a long way to go would be an understatement, but alas this is a starting point.

Note: While I like the feminist approach to this organization- For this campaign in particular, "Take our girls to vote," I would open up to all children because I am firm believer in youth empowerment.

The take our Girls to Vote campaign launched by Equal Voice calls out to any voter/politician to make a pledge to take a girl (I'd say child) to the polls with you on election day to kick-start their interest in the political process, as well as to combat voter apathy!

http://www.equalvoice.ca/pledge.cfm

the woah factor

its always eerie when you hear of friends, ex-lovers or people you know in general who are around your age and getting engaged, or left that, getting married!

its a common occurrence these days, i guess its expected since i turn 23 way too soon for life... but i'm kind of lucky in that i'm the baby of the crew... so its natural that my place shall come near the end (thankfully). I guess when i think about it, that chapter of my life seems far, far away-probably b/c there's no one i could remotely picture spending the rest of my life with-yet.

its a reality check in many ways, because i imagine many of us will hit that stage of our lives and its kind of all-consuming. a friend of mine just emailed me and told me he was engaged, which prompted this post, and i thought-woah. He's many years older than me, so it shouldn't be a surprise, but it very much is...so here's to the couple, i wish you the very best in life, love and happiness, be good to her A.

thats all i got for now...

DL

"Its a paradox we call reality, so keepin it real will make you a casualty of abnormal normality." Talib Kweli.