How to Have a Festive Yet Anti-Consumerist & Non-Religious Christmas

December 31, 2012

I love Christmas! To me it’s turning another calendar month into fun! I love the colours! Red, white and green. I love the bright lights. I love how creative people can be with decorating their trees and their home. The gingerbread cookies, the clothes, and the music. Christmas is art for life.

It really makes me cringe to hear people call these beautiful holidays as just marketing ploys. Businesses use holidays to their advantage, but we can choose to buy into them.

I don’t like how people blow off all the festivities of Christmas as religious and prefer living blandly. Religion creates holidays for their advantage, but we can choose to believe in them, we can make our own interpretation as to what to believe in.

So first on the marketing argument:

Buying gifts for people in this day and age is ridiculous. Buying cards is a waste of money. And don’t even make me get into gift cards, and even gift registries! Everyone has what they want, and if they didn’t they would have bought it already. There is a good chance that the item you got for someone is something they don’t want. There is a bigger chance that the item you got for someone is something they don’t need. And for some reason we have to be polite and grateful. This is the attitude that marketing guys are content with. So here is my anti-consumerist alternative option in the same spirit of gift giving. Instead of buying gifts for people, why don’t you provide a service?

Provide a 30 minute service to each person on your gift giving list. 30 minutes is how long it probably takes on average to buy a gift. It’s probably more when taking into consideration the transportation time, the line ups and even the time it takes to put on your boots to get out of your house. But I’m sure your friend would be more thrilled with a 30 minute of your service coupon that can be redeemed any time of the year.

I could use a 30 minute service too. So, friend, please don’t add another candle to my house. Please use the time you used to get me the candle and the hours it took to earn the money for the candle into some help. What I could really use is some help with carrying new furniture into my home, or someone to edit my grant forms, or help with my housework or help with gardening. Maybe you could argue that we should always be available to help our friends, but in our world of ‘every man for himself’ people aren’t as eager to help just as much as they aren’t eager to ask for help.

And now to solve the problem with money on decorations:

Artists are some of the poorest people I know, yet have the nicest homes, and coolest clothes. Creativity is not relative to finances! Once you buy your Christmas decorations, why do you need to buy them again the next year? Why do you need to buy a real Christmas tree that will die in a few weeks? Get a fake tree and use the same Christmas decorations as last year! Use your inner artist to arrange them differently to look different and keep it fresh.

As for religion:

So you are an atheist. Does that mean in atheist world we can’t ever follow tradition? We can’t have fun? We can’t have a certain theme for certain days of the year to mark the passage of time? Is it impossible to decorate your house and eat gingerbread cookies without celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ?

And also: yes, I will still call it CHRISTmas, because I like the sound of that word and I grew up celebrating CHRISTmas. And I think Santa Clause is a perfect mascot for this time, just because it was thought of by marketing Coca Cola guys, doesn’t mean we have to write it off immediately as evil. I think the idea of an old man who lives in the north pole and keeps warm with a red robe and travels with reindeers is a very funny idea, so I will keep it.

So knock Christmas if you want, but I won’t! I am entitled to a festive yet anti-consumerist & non-religious Christmas.

A Thought in the Music Creating Process – 2012

December 12, 2012

Only recently, I have been really empowered in the world of music. I am a million miles closer to bringing the melodies in my head to the world. Wow. Now I am closer to writing out the album of my dreams.

2012 has been about learning.

Jan – June

I improved my ability to “play by ear”. I learned 100 traditional tunes from just listening. I used a software to slow down recorded songs, and that made a world of difference! The great thing about traditional Celtic songs is that they are all in the same key, so that also helped.

July – Dec

I learned how to write scores on a software. Paper was tedious, especially for me, since my handwriting is like intricate scribbling. And sometimes I wanted to change the arrangement, and it took a long time to re-write some parts. So I got this transcribing software, Sibelius, that radically really changed my life. Actually, I would say that learning Sibelius is probably one of the most significant events in my life. With just a few clicks I can arrange songs in different time signatures, in different keys and different harmony parts. In fact they have a plugin that will write the harmonies for you in anyway you want. There are many crazy out of this world plugins. I experimented with so many music ideas. I can export them all as midi or pdf. It’s crazy man.

I learned new music production software. Reason. Logic Pro. Native Instruments. And some Ableton. I used Reason before, but I think Logic Pro will be the one I’ll stick with. ProTools can’t do nearly all the cool things Logic Pro can. I wish I knew about Logic Pro earlier!

I also did the weekly private lessons, workshops, video tutorials, books, concerts, & of course listening to endless amounts of CD’s.

Thanks to the musicians who give their knowledge freely on the internet. Thanks to years of studying theory. Thanks to this software called Sibelius. Thanks to this Mac book pro. Thanks to my bf who convinced me to buy the Mac book pro. The possibilities are infinite.

I recorded a few songs this year, but in 2013, I will focus more on creating audio with what I learned. I already transcribed 10 new original songs for my debut album. Watch out 2013.

How to Make A House Warmer During Winter

December 1, 2012

Do you live in a centralized heated apartment? Is your landlord so cheap that he hasn’t upgraded insulation since the 1920’s? And the apartment is just warm enough to prevent pipes from freezing?

Well here are some tips, starting from the obvious, I am currently using to make my house warmer!

Dress warmly.
Buy a heater.
Cook more often.
After using the oven, leave it open so that the warmth can spread around the house!
Have soup.
Drink tea.
Light up your candles.
Light up your incense candles.
Exercise.
Turn on all your electronics. (eco guys won’t like this, but this is something you do when you are so freezing that you think you will die from hypothermia)
Make sure the curtains fully cover the windows.
Invite people over.
Take a hot shower while leaving the door open.
Drink alcohol.
Add house plants. Create a greenhouse effect!
Start vermicomposting. Living things moving will make your house a touch warmer!
Get a dog/cat and force her/him to sit on your lap.

Life Updates Nov 2012

November 9, 2012

Gee, the older I get, the less I update this. The more apprehensive I get about sharing my life. Everyone share’s the highlight reels, but I will try my best to give a balanced and appropriate view of what’s going on. Without sounding like nagging. Or exposing people’s personal identity. Without …. Oh its so hard though! I will share anyway because we can learn from other people’s experiences!

Music

I’ve got my hands on a lot of music software, and watched a few tutorials, but I don’t want to get caught up with only the technical aspect of it and forget about the creative side of things. You can easily lose yourself in the world of filters, plug-ins, settings, & hot key commands! Now I can say I got a strong grasp of Sibelius, ProTools, & Reason. I’ve dabbled in Ableton and Native Instruments.

I am wrapped up in the world of midi and making dark pop electro songs! I even got a midi sequencer app on my phone! But I gotta put that temptation on hold, and see the other project through. I got a very heart warming message about the Persian project music just a few days before recording, so I am more motivated to continue!

Finished recording a few more songs for the Persian project. Working on arranging the next one. Stay tuned for that one!

I’ve had my wrists and fingers really worn out for this project. I changed the mandolin strings and I am planning on incorporating the violin for the next few recordings. Watch out!

Personal life

I had another falling out again. It’s no fun to go through. After these experiences, I always think I know what to do next time and that from now on I can keep future relationships civil. But I guess I am always learning. I’ll spare you the details, but share the lesson. Men and women can never be friends. Ever. No exception. It’s even scientifically proven.

In band situations, its even more difficult. Just keep it professional. Even go as far as paying your band mates as session players so they don’t get any ideas. The money is worth preventing the drama.

I’ve got more female vibes in my life right now, my music teachers are women (and extremely intelligent), the co workers I talk to the most are women, and I’m jamming out with a fantastic bluegrass diva!

I must balance now that I am always with my significant other! We bickered the other day though. He was nit picking about the expired items in my fridge. I freaked out on him for trying to control my life! How does he expect me to manage a household up to Mary Poppin’s standards if he always has me come over to his house? We laughed that one off. I could easily get over that after thinking about how considerate he has been, he gave me all the digital tools I need in music! Not to mention the emotional support!

Oh and also- I am still digesting this- I am an aunt. My younger brother has a daughter. People in the first world don’t have kids, so this little newborn has been overwhelmed with attention! She always has her eyes closed in pictures, she must be so exhausted! I would like to push through the crowd of fathers, grandfathers, mothers, grandmothers, other aunts, extended family, and friends to see her but its hard because I am in another city! Too many factors, like I cannot stand another dreadful commute to Toronto! Also considering there are no long weekends, and I have no more day’s off left from my day time slave gig. I’ll get around to it eventually.

Measily Detail

I bought organic milk in a glass bottle. I was so excited to try it. I took my first sip and noticed it had … chunks. And it tasted like… a cow. Is this what real milk is supposed to taste like? It’s awful! It makes me wonder what exactly was the ‘milk’ I was drinking all along? I guess I’ll have to stick with soy milk. But I don’t want to because avoiding milk makes my bones have a disconcerting popping sound. Maybe I’ll try organic goat milk in a glass bottle?

I also got photos done because I was getting tired of seeing the same old pictures. Check out the photo section.

The State of the Police in Montreal – Le Matricule 728

October 12, 2012

Read the recent story about this incident of police brutality for context.

The police is supposed to be the ones we rely on in an event of an emergency, the heroes, the last ones we turn to when faced with danger. The public pays a good portion of their salaries for this assurance. It is a very noble and honourable position. It angers me to see so many police officers who attack people for no reason, degrade people, then laugh about it. They enjoy abusing because they were probably abused themselves. They apply opinions they read in trash simpleton tabloid magazines to decide whose the bad guy. Many police officers have no sense of empathy or a mind of their own.

I myself have recently been confronted in a dangerous situation where I was actually scared to call the police because I thought they would end up attacking me! I had an intruder who came onto my balcony, when he left I was rattled. I wanted to report it to the police, but chose not to because I knew they wouldn’t care, especially since I had the “estie carré rouge” (damn red square as the police officer I’m referring to said) on my balcony. And I was right to be scared, I could have dealt with Stephanie Trudeau, since my apartment was in the zone where she works. Isn’t it pathetic in a ‘democratic’ country, that citizens are actually scared to ask for police assistance?! Isn’t it sad that citizens are afraid to seek police assistance because they fit a certain profile, because they express a certain opinion?

It sounds to me that we need to have a new criteria for hiring OUR police officers, one that evaluates their education level, and emotional intelligence levels. They also need to be tightly monitored and punished for any wrongdoing. We also need moral and logical based laws that they can enforce, no more loop hole nonsense. This police officer got away with a lot, and she gets a mere slap on the wrist for almost killing people. It’s time to take these “officers” out of their uniforms immediately, and send them directly to a mental rehabilitation clinic.

Read the story:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2012/10/11/montreal-police-officer-728-suspended.html