I’ve gone from doing what feels like nothing in this city to doing as much as I possibly can. I got word that I’ve passed my last NCARB ARE exam so I now have some time to document all the things I’ve been up to.

1. Three Days Grace Concert, March 20th, 2011.

So AMAZING! I’ve loved them for such a long time, and their music has such a profound impact on people that I was so excited to see them. The venue is awesome, I absolutely love the Commodore Ballroom as a concert hall. (It would also hold some pretty swank weddings there too.) The opening band wasn’t bad: Loved their cover of Duran Duran’s Come Undone. It was interesting to watch them take shots on the stage as they played, while Three Days Grace drank water and offered it to the rest of the audience. I imagine that its difficult for a recovering addict to play in venues where people are getting drunk and high on pot. Despite that, they played amazingly, and I got so emotional in “Never too Late” that I started to cry. No mascara messes though. Definitely a band I plan on seeing again.

2. Royal Winnipeg Ballet Presents Wonderland, March 27, 2011.

My visiting friend absolutely loves Alice and Wonderland and needs to see its various enactments so I decided we should see the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s presentation of Wonderland, a multimedia presentation. While some of it was a bit strange and over the top, like the Queen of Hearts, some of the ballets were incredibly done. The caterpillar was so creative, and the Gryphon and the Tortoise very moving. I wished they had done a bit more with the set though. The first shot of Alice in the forest takes your breath away, but they don’t achieve that feeling throughout the rest of the ballet. I wish more had been done with the Madd Hatter, March Hare and the Cheshire Cat, however, I loved Alice and the White Rabbit. Over all, I think they did a good job with the performance, and I’m impressed by the artists from Winnipeg (dancers, symphony, tech.). You deserve a pat on the back for attempting the scope of this project, it was a whole lot of fun.

3. Guess Dermitogolica FITE Fundraiser, April 6, 2011

The Guess store on Robson partnered with Dermalogica to support FITE (Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship) a micro-loan company which supports third world businesses as a way of getting out of poverty. Your Everyday Stylist posted the event on her facebook page, and I decided since I needed a new pair of jeans that I could also help raise money for FITE. It was a super fun shopping experience with fabulous appetizers, drinks, photographers, and very helpful staff who got me into just the right pair of jeans. The only down side to the evening was that my friend Jen (of Your Everyday Stylist) were oh so fabulously dressed and the photo setup with the Guess back drop never did email us our picture together. Too bad! I did get some fun swag though.

4. Vancouver Canucks Home Game, April 7, 2011

My cousin scored some tickets to Thursday’s last home game and invited me to go out with him and his sister. We had all been working super hard the last few weeks so it was good to get out and yell at some hockey players for a change. To top it off, Thursday was also the presentation of the President’s Trophy to the team (League first place!) along with a few others. It was a fairly laid back game against the Wild, they won 5-0, and I was proud of the Vancouver Boys because they didn’t get into any stupid fights that could injure them or pull them out of the playoffs. Good luck boys! Don’t ever give up in the playoffs!

5. The George Stroumboulopoulos Show Taping, April 10, 2011

I tried for tickets to the George Stroumboulopolous tapings for the April 11 & 12 shows here in Vancouver, but alas, I didn’t get any. However, I was put on the list for people to see the concert taping part of the shows on April 10th. We got to see K-os and Hannah Georgas perform. I love K-Os, who performed his it Sunday Morning and a new song; he definitely didn’t let us down as a perfromer. He seems incredibly humble. I hadn’t heard Hannah Georgas, only some of the buzz around her as she was nominated for a Juno award. She has quite the amazing voice, whether she’s singing or not, and I am definitely debating buying her album now. George was his usual talkative self, engaging the crowd before the show while we waited in line, and between takes, answering questions and suggesting how to clap. My friend and I narrowly avoided the boom swing radius, so we didn’t feel the need to duck like the rows in front of us. If you are in the Toronto area, I highly recommend taking in a taping, its amazing what goes on back stage. Tune into the show, and then onto George’s website to hear the performances.

So you can see I’ve definitely been living more socially since my exams have stopped taking over my life. I’m looking forward to more fun in this city, especially once the weather improves.