22...22...22...

I love my friends. I don't think there's anything better than being able to spend a day with friends and not ever being bored. The feeling of completely acceptance and a natural high from just being around those you love.

365 days have passed, and I've aged by another year yet again. Having dinner (all you can eat sushi muahaha!) with the most important people to me, and spending quality time with them just having plain old fun. I really couldn't ask for any better way than this to spend my birthday.

Settlers of Catan, Rockband and Killer Bunnies. Drinking and reminiscing on the past, a big thanks to those who have stuck with me throughout the years. You all know who you are, and I'm so grateful to have you people in my life. You keep me grounded, and help maintain my sanity when I know it seems like a hopeless cause. There isn't anything more humbling than the feeling I have when I'm surrounded by my old friends, and newly made ones as well.

You know me incredibly well and are also patient enough to deal with me when I'm at my worst. And for all these things, I thank you. I thoroughly enjoyed my birthday, and every minute spent with you, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I consider myself very blessed when it comes to friends and family, and you are all proof of that. I know I can count on you when times get tough for me, and I want you to know you can always count on me as well. Even at 3am: when the going gets tough, I'll be there for you.

Panorama 2009!!

Friday, January 2, 2009, 6pm: scheduled departure from Fort Edmonton Park. Funny how I don't look tired at all... it was the beginning of a veryyy long weekend.
We left late, around 630ish. and made it to Panorama about 2am. Finally, everyone got their rooms and we settled in for the night around 3am. Most of our bus was upgraded to gold star condos, and I ended up at the Ski Tip Lodge, which was right at the base of the chairlift - so I could basically ski right into my condo! The slopes opened at 9 =)


It was -25C on Saturday, and by the time I got up the first chairlift (1 mile quad), I realized how unprepared for skiing on the mountains I really was.. but I made it down, safely, and relatively unharmed. and was ready for round 2. James, Tyler, and Mike were on the hill and made for good companionship when going down the run.
I got better as the day progressed, and soon I wasn't falling anymore and actually very much enjoying myself and the beautiful weather. The ski hill closed at 4, and we ventured back into the condos. After dinner and a nice long nap, we headed out to Kelly and Tifanie's condo about halfway down the village, for pre-drinking madness. James was already pretty far gone when I arrived, and I finally met the legendary Brody. yeahhhhhhhhhh =D too bad Aaron didn't come on the trip, or else it would have been significantly more epic of a night. After about another hour of drinking and random SouthPark cartoon watching, we decided it was time to head out. We trudged back up the village to T-Bar Grill, and luckily it was only about 3/4 full at that point, so getting in wasn't a problem.

The night was a downward spiral from then on. With copious amounts of beer drinking, and what I consider way too much drunken dancing, the time flew by as the bar got more packed. Tifanie lost her ID and subsequently wasn't allowed in, so it was just Kelly and I with the rest of the guys. A couple guys at the table next to us were very drunk already by the time we got there, and showing off some ridiculously odd sitting-in-chair-dancing skills they possessed. Needless to say they were the initial source of entertainment in the bar.

A wild night out at the bar wouldn't be complete without the typical moments of bromance. I love how the picture makes it look like Reid is blushing or laughing at something Jams is saying.
Love is in the air! =)
Anyways, I eventually headed back upstairs, because there was one more day of skiing left, and I was determined to get my ski on. Heading upstairs some time after 1am, I was bound to wake up before 9... right?

Since I was still running off the high from yesterday's skiing, I ventured up the second chairlift on day 2, and was adamant to make it down without falling. Some of the runs had moguls so I had to stop and turn around, but overall, the blue runs up higher weren't much more difficult.

Despite the overnight snowfall, there wasn't much powder and the slopes were still icy and hard, but manageable. Tyler and James ditched out, so Greg and I went to Cappuccino Hut ourselves. I'm sure there are pictures somewhere, that I don't currently have. I made a fool out of myself when I didn't grab a lid for my cappuccino, and subsequently spilled hot coffee on my bare hand as I stumbled in my ski boots to get up the snow covered steps. Thankfully another person saw and grabbed my cup from me so I could make it up the steps without any more scalding burns.
The view was fantastic, as we were situated roughly 2km above the level ground. It was a balmy -15 on day 2, and foggy as heck up high on the mountain. With the continual snowfall, and the generation of some fake snow, the fog was so bad in some areas that I actually had to stop skiing because I couldn't see directly ahead. This was frustrating, as it was hindering my ability to make it down in one go without falling - as I so adamantly protested that I be able to do by the end of the trip.

After a couple runs on the second chairlift, my physical incapabilities were catching up, and I needed to rest big time. I headed in to T-Bar to have lunch with Mike, Tyler and Brody, and managed to convince Tyler to head up for one more run with me. I was informed of James' venture up to Summit, and was unimpressed with being left behind, and of not being convincing enough myself to get James to head up with me. Leave it to Reid and Chris to coerce such a thing out of James.

Considering James spent a lot of the trip looking like the picture on the right, I was duly impressed that he was actually coerced to head up the second chairlift, not to mention to make it up the third to Summit as well.

Given the massive amounts of skiing and drinking done, the trip had to come to a close. Buses arrived at 330, and schedule to leave at 4. And the sad reality set in, that school was beginning the next day. =(


Arriving in Edmonton around 1130pm, we unloaded quickly and headed home - excited to plan the next trip out!

New Years' Eve 2008

Dinner at home, then heading out to Lucky13, it was a new way for me to celebrate New Years. Typically, I do something with family, or at least something at someone's house. Never have I gone out to a club, so it was a month of new adventures for myself.

My brother and I headed out to Lucky13 around 930 that night, and got there before 10. The place was about half full, which was perfect considering I wasn't planning on having a ridiculously rowdy evening.


A while after we arrived, Justin, Josh and Greg got there and we ended up snagging a table by the bar. Soon afterward, James and Dan showed up as well.

My brother and his friend left around 11 to hit up a house party, so it was just my friends and I. After one too many drinks, it was nearing midnight and 2008 was coming to a close. The club was about 3/4 full by this point, and it was very loud and drunk inside. The bar gave away free bottles of champagne to each person just in time for the countdown, and that was clearly a bad idea for me to collect on mine, and my brother's... but I still managed to make it home without a hangover the next day. =)

I eventually left the club some time after 2am. So my experience of ringing in the new year at a club wasn't half bad. I enjoyed myself much more than I expected. Hopefully that's a reflection on how the rest of 2009 will pan out for me.

Christmas 2008

It's been a fast few months since I left ARC and came back to Edmonton to finish University. How quickly Christmas crept up and then flew past me. This year was full of nights with the family and long-time friends too.

Christmas Eve, was dinner at my house while my entire mom's side of the family came over. With my cousins around, there usually aren't any dull (or quiet, for that matter) moments. It was festivities all around, with the building of the gingerbread house (actually a sleigh, but same deal). I set up the house nicely, pulling out all the stops for the dining room, and made a bunch of food for dinner too. It was nice to get in the kitchen again, considering I haven't really made any large quantity of food since moving back home. I didn't realize I missed hosting parties as much as I actually did.

It was a nice night, with online video conversations with cousins living far away, and drunken uncles refusing to go home at the end of the night. Eventually, all the family went home for the night and it was time for bed.

Presents were opened the next morning and I got some pretty cool stuff. Not as many gifts under the tree as years past, since everyone is giving red pockets nowadays, but there were still plenty to go around and a big garbage bag full of wrapping paper by the end. The rest of Christmas day was pretty tame, just relaxing at home reading the new books that I bought (Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series! woohoo!).


Boxing day, I headed over to Reid's place for board game (Zombies!) and drinking night. The zombies (my team) lost the game, then we broke out the RockBand skills and rocked out for a couple hours. I was pooped by about 1am, so we headed home and that was the end of the night.

The next day (27th): Gail, Tyler, James, Greg and I headed to snow valley. I was re-learning skiing with Greg teaching, Gail was practicing, and Tyler was teaching James to board. It was a beautiful day out, only -5 the entire day, and I think I managed to learn a few things that day. The next trip to snow valley was the 30th, where Gail and I hit the slopes again for more practice. Heather came along to ski with me, and I managed to gather enough courage to head down the main hill that goes right off the chairlift. Tyler, James and Mike joined us on the hill for some boarding practice, and we also ran into Clement and Roger that night as well. The second trip to snow valley was when I hit the learning curve. I fell less, learned to control my carving that much better, and was stopping more consistently and confidently. The $500 spent on all my ski equipment was the best investment I could possibly imagine. I was prepared for the Panorama 2009 trip!