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"Forreal"

FAR

I know I've mentioned the album before, but OMG - Regina Spektor's newest record "Far" is absolute magic. I'm at the point in my listening where I've listened to all of the songs more than once (I've listened to "Eet" probably 30 times), so I know their general tune and can usually pop in with a few lyrics every once in a while, which is a nice stage to be at. I look forward to the end of this month where I'll likely know ALL the lyrics and will get to see Regina IN CONCERT!!! Mid-September in TO. Unreal. There's nothing quite like being in the presence of a great like Regina - the music, the brilliance, the beauty, the love, and the girl. Could Sugar&Gravy ask for anything more? Nope!

S&G is Back / U.A.E. Travels

SO... I'm home! Back to reality, back to my apartment, back to work, and back to getting excited for what looks like an INCREDIBLE 5th year at uni.

Before I get to all that (if I get to all that), here are 10 things I learned during my stint in the U.A.E. (which occurred after my two weeks in Turkey):

(1) It was such a fun experience seeing where one of my besties is from. I love you, Wally.

(2) Us Canadians/North Americans may have breakfast ALL wrong.

(3) You KNOW you are a fierce diva when you park your Hummer wherever you want - parking spots are for punks.

(4) Dubai is insane.

(5) Mitsubishi Lancers are matchboxes on wheels - don't rent them. They go from 0-60 in 1 hour.

(6) If you're of the fair-skinned persuasion, lather up with the sunscreen before going to Wild Wadi (even if it's overcast).

(7) Ride the Jumeirah Sceirah at Wild Wadi - you'll go down that slide faster than a Mitsubishi Lancer.

(8) Try a chocolate covered date. I've been thinking about the one I ate for about a week now.

(9) There is absolutely nothing wrong with staying in all day - even on vacation. Especially when it means watching "Titanic" with your sister.

(10) Home is where the heart is.

S&G Turkish Travels

I'm nearing the end of my two-week stint in Turkey.

10 things I've learned (for now):

(1) Turkish carpet salesman should teach MBA courses - they know their shit.

(2) It's ok to say no to baklava.

(3) When a shoe shiner drops his shoe brush, don't pick it up.

(4) Istanbul is insane.

(5) Ankara is kinda boring unless you have a cool cousin who lives there.

(6) Cappadocia is out of this world... literally.

(7) 15-hour days outside in Izmir are tiring, but satisfying.

(8) Eat lots of lamb.

(9) It's hard to say/remember Turkish words, except for acik cay (light tea).

(10) Home is where the heart is.

Is Tan Bowl?

Heading off to "The Big Gobble" as Papa Gravy has been calling it.

a.k.a. Turkey.

Flight from TO to Istanbul today. Insane.

I'll be in touch.

Pried

My mom's picking me up from KW in an hour to take me back to my home sweet home: Toronto, ON. I love Waterloo, and have definitely made a home for myself here. In fact, these past 2 months - working, partying, chilling - have been unreal. That being said though, T.O. is just such a sick city - I love the house that I grew up in, the neighbourhood I lived in, and my close proximity to downtown. It'll be good to rage there tonight.

It's also PRIDE Weekend, so I've gotta rep it. Let me let you in on a little secret though: I hate Pride. Perhaps hate is too strong a word, but I don't really care. I strongly dislike Pride. An introvert like me (believe it or not) has a tough time navigating Pride. So many people, so many possibilities, but worst of all - SO. MUCH. HYPE. ...and you know how I hate hype. And so many people come into the city to celebrate, which is awesome, don't get me wrong, but suddenly they all think they own the city. It's lame. Too many landespedes.

I do enjoy the celebration of being proud to be who you are though. I just celebrate my pride every day, so there being a weekend for it just seems a little redundant... but I know not everyone feels that way. I mean, it's a pretty spectacular week with a lot of cool events and all.

I'm not a pessimist either, it's just...

It's not my scene.

Jacko!

Not that I'm any famous blogger or anything, but I feel the need to blog about Michael Jackson. I refuse to reference it in my Twitter (https://twitter.com/maevaflave) or Facebook statuses because it's all been done, and plus - it's hard (for me) to say anything heartfelt in less than 140 characters.

Sidenote: I am NOT a Facebook/Twitter hater. I love new technology, and I'm completely self-obsessed, so I figure that everyone loves my statuses.

Anyway, back to Jack.

Firstly, an unreal pic is in order:


I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I love The Beatles, so seeing Sir Paul & MJ together, lookin' all stylish and musical genius-y makes me really happy.

MJ changed the face of music and its performance, let's be real. The music he made was new, fresh, and fierce. His dancing was the same, and he did it all SO. WELL.

I know he's done some crazy things, but you know what? Personal lives and professional lives are tied together far too much these days with celebrities. It used to be about the music back when MJ was doing his thang, so why can't it still be about that? I'm glad to see (so far) that people are celebrating his musical legacy, as opposed to harping on his mistakes, etc. I don't know what he did or didn't do in terms of all that, but I know that he changed our cultural world, and hope that we all focus on that.

RIP.