Ok, the site should be running almost normally now. I'm basically dividing it into two sections, business and personal. Expect the business end to be up and running by Wednesday, unless the weather suddenly gets really good and I feel compelled to go on an extended bike tour of the Ottawa area.
I just re-read all this old junk that I had typed into this page and then neglected to upload. I sound like a fanboy when talking about The Distillers. And what is that, a bit of poetic thought coming from so cold and mechanical a mind? I wrote that stuff after not sleeping for a very long time. I still think that it is actually mostly useful advice. Very zen.
In other news, the Tulip Festival is fast approaching. I'd suggest that everyone who can't climb walls like a demon spider buy a pass. Looks to be some good concerts for all to enjoy.
Later on this summer there will also be the Ottawa Jazz Festival. You should all go.
And as much as I hate sharing (yeah, right) I'll link you all to what I'd consider to be a pretty damn good indie and post punk review site. Tons of great info and reviews and links, check it out.
So you read that and I will go code the rest of this website.

Monday, May 3rd, 2004, 5:30PM

I saw the Distillers. I met the Distillers. They're awesome, and you'd never guess that Brody can scream all hardcore and stuff just by talking to her, she sounds rather quiet and soft in normal conversation. Anyway the two bands they put on before the Distillers totally sucked. I mean they were ok, but nothing near the total excellence of the Distillers. But that's ok, as the last band of the night (I've said their name way too much already) more than made up for it. So good. And mosh pits are still awesome (I nearly lost my left ear but that wasn't actually in the mosh pit, ironically enough). They played all their best stuff from Sing Sing Death House and Coral Fang, and came back for a two-song encore. All in all a good show, well worth the cash to a fan of the Distillers.

Ok, and on a much more serious note, I must say it's beautiful how you all are growing up. I am so glad that I left school when I did, it was time, and now I can sit high above the world and watch everyone else become themselves. Read around, you'll see what I mean, and see that I wasn't entirely insane in doing what I did. To me it's like watching flowers opening in the early morning, at once feeling the cold touch of the air and discovering the warmth of the rising sun.
Welcome to life. Use your time wisely as it is yours only once. Seek happiness, fulfilment and love, let nothing stand in your way. Think very carefully about every decision you make because it's always more difficult to go back than it is to go forwards. Ask yourself often: Is this who I want to be? Is this what I want to be doing? Am I happy? To these three, never let no be an acceptable answer.

Friday, April 2nd, 2004, 3:13AM (bedtime and a bit)

Sayyad Angelfish Agility 8 | Strength 9 | Stamina 8 Battle Rating 25 Origins Sayyad was purchased at a national chain Pet Super-Store Can your fishy beat Sayyad ?

This was written a few days ago.

Hey. Well that was enlightening.
My weekend: Friday, I don't remember. I have vague recollections of being at school (l'ecole, souvenez-vous?) and seeing everybody and they was all like hey sup long time no see and Maddy was all like nice haircut I mean you look good I mean hi and then I opened my locker and wasted a pile of time over by Tom's locker and watched him harass the ladies a bit and that was fun. Then I think I went to Mike's later, yeah that sounds about right. And I left early cuz I had to wake up.
Saturday: Up at like 6:30 and out the door years later, I went to Rideau and then caught a #95 bus (fastest on the planet, outruns even Wolski's volvo, probably eats Vector for breakfast) down to Algonquin College (don't laugh) and took a Flash MX course. That was easy and fun and I ate a lot of chocolate and concocted my own "mocha" out of shitty hot chocolate and toilet-water (used, judging by the taste) coffee. So then I went to the auto show at the congress center with a few not-you-guys friends (unless one of you is reading this. you know who you are) and then went home and slept.
Sunday: Woke up at 6:45 or so, probably closer to 7, and drove to school (Algonquin College again) and finished my Flash MX course. They'll send me a diploma apparently, which I'll frame or scan and put on the website. 14 hour course so two days of 7 hours. And then I went home and ate stuff and watched School Of Rock and talked on MSN. Claire is going to York University (bye bye) in Toronto next year, assuming she makes it in, which I would actually bet money on.
Which brings me to this linktastic update page (or updage, as I almost typed, in my tiredness) that you see before you. Right now. And I'm tired and sleepy so I bid you all goodnight. One last thing, I now know quite a lot of Flash MX so do me a favour and pretend to be surprised when I make this site look a hell of a lot better within the week. Maybe.

Monday, March 22nd, 2004, 1:38AM

Wow guys, fun party. I think I may have made a complete ass of myself but I really don't remember and nor should you...*forget forget forget, when I snap my fingers you'll think you're a chicken and I'm from the '50s* so that's all good, eh? Anyway today I planned to come to school and distribute cookies to the starving bored masses I like to call people. Everything went perfectly until I installed StarCraft and now I'm fucking addicted. Yay! Hokay so whattav we got then, chocolate, people, anise, vanilla, and StarCraft. No drugs, see? That's because I'm straigtedge, cuz Claire said so. Did anybody notice I don't need alcohol to be stupid? Did anybody notice that though Jesse was loaded he still understands and can talk about physics? Tell Emilia she probably hurt his feelings, but she didn't totally crush him into the ground so he'll be ok. This paragraph brought to you by a bizarre combination of cookies, salad and tea-flavored water. By the way, go visit this thingy, stolen from Emily's blog.

Tuesday, March 16, 2004, 4:09PM (time to go get dressed and stuff)

Hey guys. My last post was when, March 4th? Well I have, since then, slept through something I thought I cared about, spent a lot of time with people who actually matter to me, discovered that I really need to change my eating habits, figured out yet another direction for my life, resolved a few important issues, earned the trust of a friend in need, and discovered a really good band. Go listen to some Death From Above (they don't have a website, I think I'll make them one... I'll link it here). All in all a pretty good March break final weekend. The next big thing would be to get my car fixed up, that is if the fucking weather would lay off a bit and get consisten ten degree averages.
And guys, I think this may be it, I think I've given up on school. No more, never again. You know why? I don't go to learn. The purpose should be to learn, you should go because you want to learn what they want to teach you. That is not why I go in the least, I mean the only class I consistently show up to is gym. The only reason I even bother to get up and get to school two or three days a week is for the people. It's purely socially motivated.
Now this wouldn't be a problem at all if I cared about the whole learning thing as well as the people but it's just not that way. So every day I come to school is another day I fail a bit more. So what ends up happening is that all the teachers and staff start thinking that I don't respect them, that they don't matter to me, that they don't deserve my time. The problem is that I don't think they do; it's my time to use as I see fit, I have only so much of it and once it's gone it's gone so why would I want to use it to make one more small person with a big diploma feel that much better about themselves? I admit, it would be nice to excel at school and have people admire this. But it aint gonna happen. I managed, with a lot of prodding and help from everyone (thanks, by the way), to get out of high school. Which, job-wise, got me nowhere. This I see as a problem, don't they realize how difficult it is to try to apply yourself to apparently useless things for that length of time? It should be worth something. And apparently, CEGEP will be about the same, they'll see it as just an extension of high school.
But this isn't really why I'm calling it quits after this year, it's mostly lack of interest in all things academic. I am what I call a severely visual person, in that I learn best by taking things apart and seeing how they tick, instead of reading a dry version in a book somewhere and then trying to apply this to reality later on (if at all). So what I'll probably end up doing is spending a good part of the summer working on mechanical things like engines and brakes and bikes. I'll also be doing a lot of web site development and saving a good part of my profits for a road trip. I might even go to adult ed and take my math 536, just to keep my options open.
But right now I'm going to go take a hot bath, read a good book and figure out a plan.

Monday, March 8th, 2004, 10:07AM

I just re-read last night's update and I must have been incredibly tired... so many grammatical errors it's kinda sad. And it's no longer February, but I guess I didn't notice that yesterday. I think I'll bike to Ottawa, or find $46 and get a bus pass.

Thursday, March 4, 2004, 10:03AM

So tired. Did you know that if you sleep too much you forget stuff? I, for example, slept most of the last two days and consequently don't remember the last two days. This isn't a good thing. And nor is the fact that for the past few days my mother has decided to stay home from work. She's gone and taken on too many responsibilities I'd say, and this means that, as any time one (or both) of the parents are having a rough time, I end up having a rough time too. How about this for march break: wake up, notice that there's a parent home, and then proceed to not make any noise all day. And then you go to sleep and wake up and what the fuck she's still there typing into the computer and you repeat the previous day. Cabin fever. It's just a damn good thing I got my bike out of the shed and the weather isn't quite cold enough to freeze my face at 25km/h. If this keeps up I'll have to do my best to make the place uninhabitable to older humans, a.k.a. make a really freakin big mess out of the house. Luckily I'm quite good at this, so maybe I'll have one day this week where I can basically sit around and listen to music loudly and eat unhealthy things and watch movies all day. Gah time to sleep, 'night all.

Wednesday, February something, 11:55PM

Which OS are You?

Yay. Just got back (well, an hour ago anyway) from tonight's big show, which was supposed to be six bands for six dollars at six o'clock but which later became four bands for six dollars at seven o'clock, for some odd reason. The Sweet Janes, Robot Kill City, The Transit and Million Dollar Marxists were all there (quite literally, actually, because there was no drinking) and playing loud.
I went with Sam and Claire and Kennis showed up along with a few other non-Heritage people that I know, and it was fun.
But not enough moshing. Warped Tour is gonna fucking rule. Anyway, I'd say that the Sweet Janes tried a bit too hard to sound british (the singer was trying to be a Sex Pistols impersonator... oy...) and they vastly overused the term douche bag. They were good though the lyrics were a bit low, which could be said of all the bands except Robot Kill City, who I'd say were the best. The Transit was also quite good, but they sound better on CD because of, yet again, superior vocal sound quality. The Million Dollar Marxists somehow didn't really do it for me, I found myself checking the time and zoning out thinking of more important things. Their set, while energetic and well-performed, seemed too glossed over. They usually play in bars and they usually play while more than a bit drunk so maybe the alcohol helps them out a bit.
I got a Robot Kill City pin and a Transit pin and then went to Dunn's deli on Elgin and had a really late dinner with Sam.
And now I'm sitting here, listening to Borodin's String Quartet #2 and wondering why the fuck I just wrote a review of a punk show.

Monday, March 1st, 2004, 2:19AM (happy March everyone!)

Well that was fun. I spent all yesterday doing stuff I wanted to do. I woke up late, took a bus down to Rideau and then went computer mod shopping at PC Cyber with Ghassene (though he managed to fry a video card and an entire PC within the next 8 hours or so), sold a hard drive and got some money for that and then basically spent the rest of my day with Claire and Anna and Yvonne and Erika. This experience has taught me a few things: It is quite possible and even likely that girls like me; money must flow, there will always be more and it was made to spend so spend freely and generously; and fun is what you make it and who you are with. This summer shall be the one to remember.
And now I'm supposed to be in Ottawa for Viki's birthday-day (which was Wednesday) but I think I'll just stick around here and meet the people for bowling when they get back.
So I've added a few links of a musical nature. Check them out, have a listen, lots of good stuff. And if there's anyone I've forgotten (and I'm sure there are a few) put that grade 8 typing course to good use and email me.

Saturday, February 28th, 2004, 2:53PM

HOLYFUCKINGWIRED!!! Crap that probably means I'll crash in the middle of some class. And we all know what that means: COFFEEEE TIME!!! Grr and no matter how hard you try, someone will always get into the shower just before you do. Solution: figure out where the hot water shutoff valve is (in the basement, on the left side of the tank, behind the stack of boxes).
In other news, go visit ILL Mitch.

Thursday, February 26th, 2004, 7:MONKEY

Wheee well that was fun. Parties always sorta pull me out of myself, so to speak. HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY VIKI!!! When you get over your hangover, that is. So Saturday, yeah, funky shit, and now I must call Amy (anybody remember Amy Griffin? Anybody forget?) and notify her as to when we will be on the canal cuz she lives and goes to school right there. She actually showed up immediately after Viki left her party, and was a bit sad that Viki had left. But it's ok, cuz we'll see her on Saturday. I will finally return her sunglasses.
Funny story behind that, actually. The only time I've ever voluntarily shoplifted (involuntarily being when I was two I jacked a stuffed monkey from Sears) was just this summer, I ended up in that store on Sussex, Room 535 or whatever, the one with all the fucking expensive clothes. I was randomly with some girls I kinda knew and they were looking at the clothes and I was obviously bored so I started trying on sunglasses.
A few pairs in I found this awesomely huge pair of aviators (think '70s but bigger and darker, or maybe cop glasses) and started wearing those around the store.
After about 10 minutes of odd looks from the other customers I took the glasses off and had a closer look at them. They appeared to be used, and there was no tag. So I put them back on and strolled on out of the store.
After another few minutes of odd looks from innocent bystanders on Sussex I took the shades off and had another look. They had seemed familiar from the beginning but I couldn't quite see why. Perhaps it was because I was wearing them.
Suddenly it hit me. Amy! Of course! She had a pair exactly like these. So I started to think that perhaps these were hers, since they were used. Maybe she had left them in that store the last time she'd been there.
I saw her a while later and remembered the sunglasses, which unfortunately I didn't have on me. It turns out that she had lost hers, maybe in that same store. So since then I've been (admittedly very passively) trying to figure out when and where to give them back to her.
Saturday looks like the day. So if anybody who reads this page knows when we'll be on the canal please email me so I know what's going on.

Wednesday, February 25th, 2003, 10:00PM

Ok, fuck it all. This day (and the plan that created it) has become yet another copyrighted Sayyad brand Colossally Retarded Failure. You know I don't think I want to go to school, perhaps I hate myself, perhaps I don't want to succeed. That would assume, of course, that school is the only path to success. Maybe my subconscious or whatever part of me runs things in the background knows something I don't know, perhaps knows in some way that school is not the only path to success. I don't know.
One thing I do know is that, as I discovered today, money can indeed buy happiness. The only problem with that is that one runs out of money eventually, no matter how much one has to begin with. So I think the trick to keeping me happy is keeping me with at least $100 lying around. Just a hunch but I think that if I have enough cash I'll make the effort to succeed in the nonfinancial parts of life. Hmm. Time to test this theory.

Wednesday, February 25th, 2004, 1:55PM-6:14PM.

HOLY lack of updates. For like a week.
Well it seems that I'm getting linked by all my friends. Thanks! Don't really know why though cuz this seems to me to be the most boring spot on the 'net.
So this weekend I got a new computer (which I now have to pay for by selling a good chunk of my worldly posessions). The good news is that I have a new computer, which (to me, anyway) seems bloody fast. And if anyone I owe a CD to is reading this, remind me because I can now burn stuff at high speeds.
I woke up the first time (I always wake up like five times and I don't know why) at like 7:35 this morning, cuz Mike called cuz I usually get a ride in with him (oh shit I think my mom just woke up, it's almost 4AM) and I realized that I wasn't going to make it in to school in time for my 8:00 english class. I think I need to find myself a bottle of Nyquil or whatever and take lots of those at like 9PM so I pass out by 10 or so. Or I could just sleep like three hours tonight, wake up at like 7AM, eat a load of chocolate and then work on my speech (and that's at 11) and then go to school etc. and I'll probably crash by around 8 tonight. Haha good plan. So if anyone reads this you'll know why I'll be all groggy/hyper (sleep deprivation does that) tomorrow.

Wednesday, February 25, 2004, 3:52AM

The site is now dark. Much better. And I've just slept through three consecutive days of school. But it's not that bad, really, I only missed like 8 classes thanks to my slacktacular schedule.
The good news is that I've figured out what the problem is and has been for the whole time. It's sleep. That is all. I mean of all the stupid things that cause people to fail, it has to be this, perhaps the easiest (or so you'd think, anyway) to control. So to avoid a total repeat of last semester (what last semester? Exactly.) I must now *sigh* clamp down on all nocturnal activities. This most likely means getting to bed by like 9:30 or 10:00 every night. Assuming the standard 9 hours of sleep that I usually need to function well enough to carry on a conversation, this means I'll be able to wake up by around 6 in the morning, plenty of time to shower and eat and then catch a 7:10 bus or a ride to school. So this is effective from this Sunday morning until the end of the semester.
But the second we hit summer I'm going nocturnal again, god I love summer.

Thursday, February 18th, 2004, 4:53PM

And another 300 hits. What the hell. So Mike says it's cuz the "back" button adds another hit to the counter each time it's used. I test this out. And there goes that 300 people. Apparently it's just about 20, maybe 30 people, who just happen to click the "back" button instead of the little link things at the top of the page. Weird.
In other news, there is now a scroll bar, and another democrat who seeks to oust Bush from the White House. Those two completely unrelated facts brought to you by Starbucks, where we feel that our coffee should be your coffee.
GO HERE!!! NOW!!!

Wednesday, February 18th, 2004

Everybody seems to have blogs now. Check out the links page for most of them.

Tuesday, February 17th, 2004, 8:02PM

HOLY [expletive of your choice, yes, even "mittens"]!!! Ok so I have a look at the site, great, I've not been hacked yet and my code didn't melt or anything. And then I see the hit counter. Now you must understand, a few days ago (or less, I can't remember, but not long anyway) the counter read 21, 18 of which were me testing out the site and associated pages and one of which was my dad having a look on his PC. And then today I see 324 or something truly absurd like that. Do you understand my suprise? I didn't even get to commemorate my first hundred hits! I'll have to wait til 400 and then eat a lot of cookies and watch Ferris Bueller's day off or something.
Anyway, in other news, some friends of mine are relatively famous, basking in that glow that comes from all rock stars, actors and god-related personalities. They went to the Nickelback concert and being suck*cough* sorry, SUCH big fans they spent an entire day at the Corel Center waiting for the bands to show up. This paid off, as shown in this photo taken from The Bear's web site.

I'd recommend reading Tyler's blog for a truly overexcited account of the whole thing. She'd be a groupie if it wasn't for her age...
Yeah so it looks like most people have to scroll down to see all the content (read: junk) on this page so I think it's about time for some groovy scroll buttons. Look for that later, unless I get distracted hey look, a spot on the wall! Maybe I'm hungry, let's go to the kitchen and find out... Where was I again? OH right. Bye.

Tuesday, February 17th, 2004, 7:31PM

Ok, I have added the store to the site as well as fixed minor, nearly unnoticeable bugs. Bloody perfectionism. And the site is still incomplete, at least it feels that way to me.

Monday, February 16th, 2004, 12:45AM

And it appears that I'm already obsolete. Now I must go boldly forth and learn XHTML, cuz it's the future. Expect a rewrite of this site sometime before summer. Yes. You. My one and only reader.

Good night.

Sunday, February 15th, 2004, 4:17AM

Ok, so for those of you who haven't seen it yet, go see Ginger Snaps. You can rent it pretty much anywhere. Great movie, and it's Canadian.

Sunday, February 15th, 2004, 3:58AM

The site has just gone up (after mucho procrastinato by me, of course) and there isn't really all that much up here yet but I'm working on it. Yeah. "Working".

Friday, January 30th, 2004