Photographs from Vancouver, Victoria and Alaska

Recently, my parents went on a cruise to Alaska. They took a plane to Vancouver, visited Victoria, and then went to Alaska and stopped in three different cities. After seeing some of the pictures my dad took, I thought it would be nice to share some of my favourites! I don't take any credit for these photographs, all the credit goes to my dad.


A vine-covered building.


A leaning tree.


Floating homes.



A building in lights.


A butterfly (the sides look like snakes' heads)


Somewhere I'd love to spend an afternoon.


Rather cool fountain


Glacier





Oh, nothing... just WHALES!!!


A building made entirely of driftwood.


Ice sculpture


Beautiful Alaskan Sunset.


A small tree growing from a trunk.

Hope you enjoyed some of the photographs from my parents' trip! I wish I could have gone! Please comment and let me know what you think!

Favourite Dances (...So far)

Since I've begun watching So You Think You Can Dance, I've really grown to love dance. Dancing is so beautiful, and can really express so many emotions. Over the course of 2 seasons of SYTYCD, I've grown to love certain routines. Here are my favourite dances (so far):

What: SYTYCD Season 4, Top 14 Contemporary Group Performance
Song: The Dance by Charlotte Martin
Choreographed by: Mia Michaels


What: SYTYCD Season 4, Twitch and Katee Contemporary Routine
Song: Mercy by Duffy
Choreographed by: Mia Michaels


What: SYTYCD Season 4, Twitch and Kherington Contemporary Routine
Song: Dreaming With A Broken Heart by John Mayer
Choreographed by: Mia Michaels


What: SYTYCD Season 4, Twitch and Kherington Viennese Waltz
Song: A New Day Has Come - Celine Dion
Choreographed by: Jean-Marc & France Genereux


What: SYTYCD Season 4, Katee and Will Pas De Deux
Song: Imagine (Beatles' Cover) by David Archuleta
Choreographed by: Desmond Richardson


What: SYTYCD Season 4, Katee and Joshua Lyrical Jazz
Song: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room - John Mayer
Choreographed by: Wade Robson


What: SYTYCD Season 4, Katee and Joshua Contemporary
Song: Hometown Glory - Adele
Choreographed by: Mia Michaels


What: SYTYCD Season 3, Lacey and Kameron Contemporary
Song: Dancing - Elisa
Choreographed by: Mia Michaels


What: SYTYCD Season 4, Courtney and Mark Jazz
Song: The Garden - Mirah
Choreographed by: Sonya Tayeh

The Garden (Mirah by Sonya Tayeh)
by yonibest

What: SYTYCD Season 5, Kupono and Kayla Contemporary
Song: Gravity - Sara Bareilles
Choreographed by: Mia Michaels


What: SYTYCD Season 5, Randi and Evan Jazz
Song: I Only Have Eyes For You - Jamie Cullum
Choreographed by: Tyce Diorio


What: SYTYCD Season 5, Kupono and Kayla Contemporary
Song: Eyes On Fire - Blue Foundation
Choreographed by: Sonya Tayeh


What: SYTYCD Season 5, Caitlin and Jason Pop Jazz
Song: Creator - Santigold
Choreographed by: Brian Friedman
Sidenote: You might wonder why this is one of my favourites. Basically I think it's really out there, and so unique that I had to love it!)


What: SYTYCD Season 5, Jeanine and Jason Contemporary
Song: If It Kills Me - Jason Mraz
Choreographed by: Travis Wall (old contestant on SYTYCD)


What: SYTYCD Season 5, Melissa and Ade Contemporary
Song: This Woman's Work - Maxwell
Choreographed by: Tyce Diorio
Sidenote: This routine is about a woman with breast cancer; it's very touching.


What: SYTYCD Season 5, Kayla and Brandon Contemporary
Song: All I Want - Ahn Trio
Choreographed by: Stacy Tookey


What: SYTYCD Season 5, Ade and Jeanine Hip-Hop
Song: Move (If You Wanna) - Mims
Choreographed by: Napoleon and Tabitha


Hopefully you enjoyed those dances as much as I did! Please comment and let me know if you loved or hated any of the dances posted! If you're interested in watching SYTYCD, Season 6 is beginning in the fall (premiering September 9th) and it plays every Wednesday night from 8-10pm (performance show) and Thursday night (elimination results) from 9-10pm.

SYTYCD Season 5 WINNER ANNOUNCED!

It's already the end of So You Think You Can Dance Season 5; can you believe it?!

Last night's show was the Finale, where all of the judges chose two of their favourite routines from the season and these routines were performed once more (but this time at the Kodak theater in Hollywood! Oh wow!).

Adam Shankman chose Phillip and Jeanine's first Hip-Hop routine choreographed by Shane Sparks and Randi and Evan's 'Butt Dance' choreographed by Mia Micheals.





Lil C chose Jason and Caitlin's Bollywood routine and Janette and Brandon's Disco routine.





Debbie Allen chose the Top 16 group routine and Asuka and Vitolio's Waltz choreographed by Louis Van Amstel.





Mia Michaels chose Kayla and Max's Samba and Melissa and Ade's Breast Cancer routine choreographed by Tyce Diorio.





Mary Murphy chose Jeanine and Jason's routine choreographed by Travis Wall and Jeanine and Brandon's Paso Doble choreographed by Louis Van Amstel.





Nigel chose Janette and Brandon's Argentine Tango and Kupono and Kayla's Addiction routine choreographed by Mia Michaels (I have to say, I was so happy to see this latter routine because a) it's my favourite and b) Kupono is GORGEOUS!)





After re-watching all of these fantastic routines, the eliminations began:

Kayla was the first to go. I wasn't all that surprised after the previous night's reviews.


Evan was 2nd to go, and I have to say I was very happy he didn't win and wasn't runner up.


Then it was between Jeanine and Brandon... Cue the drumroll...


and finally the winner was announced...
...
...
...
...
...

CONGRATULATIONS JEANINE MASON!

I'm very happy with America's choice! Jeanine is an amazingly talented dancer, she's got great personality and she can do anything! She really deserves the title, so congratulations Jeanine!



Hasn't it been a great season, everyone?! :) Can't wait for Season 2 of SYTYCD Canada and Season 6 of SYTYCD US! :D

Book Review: The Kite Runner

Title: The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
# of Pages: 401
Published:
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5/5

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption. And it is also about the power of fathers over sons -- their love, their sacrifices, their lies...

After having this novel for approximately a year and letting it gather dust on my bookself, I finally decided to read it. I really should have read it sooner because this book is phenomenal.

This emotional story is told from the point of view of the protagonist, Amir, as he recounts his childhood and the horrible event that scarred him and his life afterward. Set in Kabul, beginning prior to the Russian invasion and the Taliban regime, Afghanistan's violent history acts as a backdrop to this powerful story.

The Kite Runner surprised me several times, and had me completely immersed within the first couple pages. This novel is not for the faint-hearted; some of the events are chilling. It's shocking to realize that many of the events in this novel really did happen or do happen. This book really touched me, and I'll admit I did cry quite a few times. I don't want to give much away because this novel really did surprise me, and it would have much less impact if the storyline was completely revealed. I'm very happy to have an Afghan novelist writing in English to give a native perspective on a country that's so present in political life.

This novel is well-written and the style was easy to read and follow. Hosseini added a lot of Farsi words (with English translation) that really connected the story with it's strong culture. I greatly enjoyed this novel, and I would recommend it to anyone. I award Khaled Hosseini's spectacular debut novel, The Kite Runner, a 5/5 for a compelling and touching story.

SYTYCD Season 5 Last Performance Show

Tonight's show took place in the Kodak Theater in Hollywood! It was very weird not to see the SYTYCD theater but the Kodak is massive and really did give the show a different feel.


From left to right: Kayla, Brandon, Jeanine and Evan.

The first dance of the night was a routine choreographed by Wade and Amanda Robson and performed by the Top 4! The idea was that the boys were football jocks and the girls were cheerleaders. It was a very entertaining, fun and cute routine but it was so far from what I normally see from Wade that I was disappointed. I'm used to Wade doing something different and this was so...Americanized.


The first couple of the night was Jeanine and Evan. They performed a Jazz routine choreographed by Sonya Tayeh; the idea of the routine was a guy who's trying to keep his girl but she's over him. I thought that it was kind of dull for a finale performance and Jeanine did better than Evan. Jeanine continues to impress me but Evan always falls flat.


Brandon performed the first solo of the night, and it was really quite amazing. He's so athletic, it's insane! He's definitely one of the best of the Top 4!


The second couple of the night was Kayla and Brandon. They performed a Broadway routine choreographed by Tyce Diorio. I loved the outfits here and the Rocky Horror Picture Show vibe. There was a lot of great moves, and it was a very strong routine!



Jeanine performed the 2nd solo of the night. Oh wow! The pirouettes were amazing; I loved tango vibe with the music and the rose. She's really grown during this season and I'm so impressed with her!


The Top 2 boys performed a pop jazz routine choreographed by Laurieann Gibson. I thought this routine was rather weak for a Top 2 Boys finale performance. I've seen such impressive skill from past years that this routine disappointed me. I was hoping for something more masculine, more athletic. Even though, Brandon was clearly outshining Evan. Evan can't do nasty, and Brandon really pulled it off.


The Top 2 girls performed a contemporary routine choreographed by Mia Michaels. This routine was representative of the journey they’ve been through in the competition and having to shred all these layers. Wow. I love Mia Michaels. Her routines are really very interesting and different. Both Jeanine and Kayla were amazing, and the costumes were fantastic. Now THIS is a Top 2 girls routine!


Evan performed the 3rd solo of the night. It was a variation on his audition piece, which Adam Shankman said was sort of risky. He's great in his own style, but he needs some new moves. Nigel doesn’t think he’s grown enough this season, and I have to agree. Even in other styles, he continues to look Broadway-ish.


The 3rd couple of the night was Kayla and Evan. They performed the jive choreographed by Tony and Melanie. This jive had a very country feel, and if you know me, then you know I'm not a big fan of country. Although I was put off by the song and the boots, the routine had very good lifts and the ending was sweet!


Kayla performed the final solo of the night. Her solo was a little bit dull. I've seen her do all of this before, and I have yet to see her try for a different style. She's lacking personality in her solos and that's really making me wonder about her.


The 4th and final couple of the night was Jeanine and Brandon. They performed a Paso Doble choreographed by Louis Van Amstel. Oh WOW, this was BY FAR the best Paso Doble of the season! The song wasn't my favourite, but the choreography was great and the ending was fantastic! Jeanine and Brandon really pulled off this sexy, sultry, angry vibe that the Paso Doble demands. This routine got them a standing ovation from the judges. This was a really great way to end the show!


Overall, this final performance show was a little disappointing. I've seen better routines for the Top 4 and the Top 2 boys and some of the couples routines were not really 'finale' material. After tonight, I'm really certain that I want Jeanine or Brandon to take the title of 'America's Favourite Dancer'. Good luck to all of them, and I can't wait to see the Finale tonight! :D

"A photograph is memory in the raw."

As some may know, I really enjoy photography. I just do it for fun, and I enjoy taking photographs of anything. So here's some shameless promotion of some of my favourite photographs:


The majority of these pictures have been taken with this camera, a Canon EOS Rebel XS.


My friends Edward and Danielle; how romantic!


A day lily outside my house


A marigold on my porch


Flowers from the garden


My friends Andralyn, Danielle D, Steven, Stephanie and Danielle C posing on a sculpture in Confederation Park.


Ice hanging from a lookout near Duchesnay Falls


Duchesnay Falls


I'm aware that I'm in this photograph, but I love everything about it. From the bear statue made of metal to the bright red front door. This was taken on Wolfe Island.


Hello kittycat :)






Canada Day Fireworks :)


Bonfire.


A pretty epic fail while tubing.


My friend Danielle D just hanging on.

These few photographs were taken with my old crappy digital camera but I like them none the less:

During a dress rehearsal for 'La Ballade Des Planches' performed by Quiproquo.


Laying in nature.


Playground.