Are You An English Major?

If you are, I'd like to ask you a few questions:

1) Do you read the required novels on time, every time?

2) If so, do you enjoy that?

3) Are you both critical and creative in your essays?

4) Do you find symbolic meaning in every word you see?

5) Do you get 80s on most essays?

6) Do you feel like an incompetent, illiterate fool if you don't?

I am an English Major at the University of Toronto, and today I came to the realization:

I hate studying English at U of T. I hate writing essays. I am neither argumentative nor creative.

I have no passion or interest for dwelling on the meaning of certain words nor the placement of particular commas.


I cannot tell you why I Majored in English. I truly can't.

What is the "Harlem Shake"?

It's everywhere. Within milliseconds the globe has been bombarded with these damn video clips. First it was Kony then it was the escapist Ikea monkey and now it's the Harlem Shake.

According to Wikipedia, my internet friend who has never led me astray, the Harlem Shake is, in fact, a meme! Except, this internet meme comes in the form of a video. The innovators of this infectious meme were five teenagers from Queensland, Australia. On YouTube they go by the name of TheSunnyCoastSkate. On February 2nd the teens uploaded their video which was soon proceeded by YouTube vlogging sensation Filthy Frank's own version.

Here, first listen to the original track.






 Now watch the video that gave the Harlem Shake trend its kickstart:

 



Now for Filthy Frank's version:

 


 And if you haven't had enough here are some U of T produced, which I think are fucking great.



St. Michael's College REPRESENT:

 




 U of T's Faculty of Music!!

 




U of T's Con Hall!!!!





I'm sure you have heard enough Harlem Shake for the rest of your life. I will never download this song onto my iPod. Never.





I'm so sorry to do this to you, but you need to see this one. It's by far the most chaotic piece of incredibility I have seen thus far. Wilfred Laurier University's Harlem Shake. Even staff got involved. Take this in:







:)

New Age Aquarians

Yesterday night I had the privilege of attending UC Follies' production of 'HAIR' performed at HartHouse Theatre on the St. George Campus at U of T. Directed by the ever-impressive Shak Haq, and comprised of a cast reaching numbers of at least thirty, this was a production full of that 60s flare which is often forgotten about in the culture of the youth of the 00s.

Emmett O' Reilly played the rather, intense, character of Burger. Aidan Sharp played the sensitive character Claude, Bronwen Drummond was Sheila, Madeline Foley the rumbunctious Jeannie and Arianna Benincasa the heartbroken Chrissy. Each of these actors abound in talent and radiated a heat of talent which wafted around and smacked each audience member sitting there that night. O' Reilly in particular used his hands and the intonation of his voice to raise the bar in terms of character development and his consistent attention to detail of the character's nuances and quirks. Foley's slapstick humour brought the rather meek audience to chuckle with laughter, and brought me and a friend of mine to roar with it. Her solos were something fantastic as well. Benincasa's Chrissy was light and likeable and her solo embodied the definition of vocal control.

The ensemble seemed to have been experiencing the after-affects of a long day and long haul through the blizzard. Or maybe they had U of T's mountainous heap of readings on the brain. Whatever it was, the seemed to lack the extra ounce of chutzpah, however continued on with the show just the same. 

The costumes were out of this era. Colours and patterns and bell-bottoms, the movement on the stage was a spectacle in itself.

And the music...oh, the music.

Listen for yourself,

I highly recommend those of you who want to experience the trip of the 60s once again, or for the first time, to head on out to HartHouse Theatre and support the talent UC Follies has to offer.


www.uofttix.ca




Peace, Love.

Back to School Time, It Is

It is here and it came fast. For anyone attending University or College this semester, school starts in a week. One. Week.

Let's all take a minute to reflect. Inhale, exhale. Alright, now has anyone vomitted, lost consciousness or came down with a freakishly high fever? No? Great, we've survived.

And you'll survive your first weeks back, or if you're entering your first year, your very first week entering a University or College.

To all newcomers: this will be the time of your life. I say that in complete confidence. The only job you have to ensure this, is to lay back, smile, open that wonderful mouth of yours and talk. That's all there is to it. Talk to everyone, anyone. Say 'hi' to the passerby. The more you feel acquainted, the more comfortable you'll feel taking part in school events. Trust me.


To all been-there-done-thats': here we go again. Another year, another dollar. But come on, don't even try to tell me you're not jumping for joy inside (hey man, I am). Back to the daily grind. Back to routine. And I'm not being sarcastic! All summer you had the chance to choose what you'd like to do and now you HAVE things to do. Let's make some new friends this year. Let's participate in Tutorial. Let's walk to to that prof. and ask him the question that'd been bugging us all class. This is the year to make it happen.


Here's a list of ways to get involved (whether you've forgotten or aren't completely sure):

- Attend Frosh Week. Seriously. Or any orientation programs your school provides. This week is full of fun, laughter, screaming (happy screaming), and the possibility of making friend's you'll keep for a lifetime!

- Find the hang-out spots and spend time talking to people who hang out there. Don't be shy! Just get right up and sit with a group full of people with smiling faces. It may sound crazy, but trust me, get in there!

- Join a production! A musical! A dance group! Anything that will get those artistic juices flowing!

- Join a club! Join the Newspaper crew if you're an avid reader/writer. You'll meet awesome people who share your passion! How much better could it get?


Well, that's really it. Those are the bare necessities to make this year a memorable one. It starts with you. You'll get what you put into it, so really fill this year up!! Goodluck in your future endeavors!

-E