Year-end Roundup: My Moments of 2007 [Update: Flickr Link Added for Photos from New Year’s Eve]

What to say about 2007? It has been a wonderful year that I enjoyed. There has been ups and downs this year.

January: A favorable moment that I can tell was on January 10, 2007. I finally bought a Nintendo Wii. Here’s the story, I waited for the whole morning at Carlingwood Mall and then I was close to leaving the mall until I saw the Purolator guy and then I finally got it. Due to my dumb thinking, I didn’t go back home and instead went to Carleton University. I was totally worried having to carry the Wii but it was humourous too because I was carrying like a goof.

February: One “defining” moment was February 12, 2007 when the lion dance troupe had a performance at the National Gallery of Canada. It was for the 18th Annual CAO Sweetheart Lunch for the Arts. What happened later on was that the Mayor of Ottawa, Larry O’Brien made a bombshell announcment that he wouldn’t be funding the arts in Ottawa. The new media made a big deal the next day when our lion dance troupe “scared” the Mayor. It was unbelievable that one of the lions was on the front page of the Ottawa newspapers.
Another thing was that I didn’t know Jim Bryson (Amanda Putz’s favorite musician) was at the event. I will explain Amanda Putz from the September section.

Aside from that, I finally went to Winterlude on February 18, 2007. It was the final day of Winterlude and I went along with my friends to Jacques Cartier Park in Gatineau, Quebec. Before walking down to the park, we had a tough time walking from Byward Market to the park. It was pretty brutal. All in all, it was fun going to Jacques Cartier Park. Relive back a few images on here, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157601201590386/

April: Not much happened in March and semi-fast forward to April. A memorable moment was on April 28, 2007. That was when I stayed up so late to finish up a take-home exam. How is it memorable? Well, it was the final assignment to end off my term in university. I was kept company and listened to music all over in Hong Kong. I messaged Alyson Hau to play “All Good Things (Come to an End)” by Nelly Furtado because the song meant that all good things come to an end as I finally finish my studies at Carleton University. It was bittersweet to be finally done with university.

May: The only moment was on May 31, 2007 and it was the sold out Feist concert at Bronson Centre. I got a good view at the concert and the only downside was that my brother could not use the D-SLR camera. For whatever reason, I guess it had to do with copyrights because D-SLR cameras bring out a perfect image. All in all, it was an amazing concert and one of the precursors to getting into Canadian independent music.

The only downer was seeing a very close family friend pass away. It was in early May.

June: The big day happened and it was on June 12, 2007. That was when I had my convocation at Carleton University. The worse part was that I was sweating from waiting at the old gym at Carleton and to make things worse, the Field House was not cold too. It was nice to shake hands with astronaut and Carleton University chancellor, Marc Garneau. I finally get my degree in Political Science and a minor in Canadian Studies.

There were the usual things I have done like the lion dance performance at the Dragon Boat Race Festival in Ottawa. I also checked out Montreal on June 23, 2007 and I haven’t been to Montreal since 2002 for Just For Laughs.

July: July 15, 2007 was when I went to the Kanye West concert at Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest. It was a great concert but it was also a rainy night and ended up getting my hat soaked. It was great to hear old and new songs like “Touch The Sky” and “Stronger”.

August: August 17-19, 2008, went to Toronto and on Saturday, August 18, 2007, checked out the Rogers Chinese Lantern Festival.
Links from Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157601564776079/. The lanterns were amazing to watch. I also got some Apple accessories at The Apple Store.

September: Starting off September, on the 2nd of that month, I went to Camp Fortune Aerial Park. It was a fun and challenging having to climb and swing down wires. I thought it was scary when gliding but overall it was just fun. Photos on this link, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157601823891560/

On September 11, 2007, I finally met Amanda Putz at the CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre for the second FUSE taping but I missed the “season premiere” taping from a week earlier. Why is it significant? Well, I got in contact with her via MySpace in early 2007. Originally, I did not know she left to Hong Kong in Summer of 2006. So, I left an email to CBC Bandwidth but it was too late. In the email, I told her to meet up this person in Hong Kong. What did surprise me in early 2007 was that Amanda did get in contact with Alyson Hau as I was skimming through her MySpace. I was totally astounded because it felt coincidental that Amanda would get to meet Alyson Hau. Amanda got to host a indie show by the same name from CBC Radio One (excluding Toronto on Saturdays) on RTHK Radio 3 for several months. The thing is that I am used to her as a radio host but it’s different that she is a radio DJ as well as she is also a host for CBC Radio 3. Prior to her return to Ottawa, she was one of the benefactors to getting me into Canadian independent music. Another thing I forgot is that Amanda Putz is a Saskatchewanian. Since September 2006, I encountered a few graduate Journalism students from Saskatchewan. It was a feeling different having to hang out with them because I was the lone person from Ottawa and see a different perspective from those amazing people. I think Amanda Putz is the last person from Saskatchewan that I have encountered. Aside from the Saskatchewan Rough Riders winning the 2007 Grey Cup, it is time to end my experience of knowing people from Saskatchewan. Overall, she is a great person and without you informing about CBC Radio 3 on the Internet, I wouldn’t get into Canadian indie music. It was also nice to have you mention me on-air during the Web Radio broadcast.

On September 30, 2007, I got to check Mont. Tremblant. It is a great place for skiing, but I went with no snow. Going to the summit was breathtaking.
Link to the photos, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157602215220552/.

Rounding out October through December:
– Several lion dance performance from Double Ten to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
– Went to several CBC Fuse tapings and one memorable taping was at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, QC. Maybe Smith and Christine Fellows. [Flick link]
– The Acorn concert at Barrymore’s Music Hall. A funny moment was when I was sitting and watching, Amanda Putz taps my shoulder and she was taking photos.
– Ending off 2007 (December 31, 2007) was going to Major’s Hill Park for the fireworks at 18:57pm. [Flickr Link from New Year’s Eve]

Happy 2008 Everyone!

Holiday Wrapup – TV Viewing on Christmas – S3E08

Of all the Christmas programming throughout December, I was more than pleased to watch the Doctor Who Christmas Special 2007. The episode title called “Voyage of the Damned” and it also guest-starred Kylie Minogue. What did I think of the episode? As spoiler free as I can be, it was another excellent Christmas special for the Time Lord but it was last time that I felt sad watching the series since “The Girl In The Fireplace” from Series 2 in 2006. What a way to feel bummed out during the Christmas holiday in 2007.
How did I think of Kylie Minogue? She was great and overall, I found the cast and story to be strong on the third Christmas special.
I was more happy to watch Doctor Who Confidential at Christmas 2007 because they played clips from Kylie Minogue‘s hit songs. Songs like “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”, “I Should Be So Lucky” and “The Locomotion.”

Here’s another image from the Christmas special. I hope it is spoiler-free. Man, how many times has the Tenth Doctor snogged? 🙂

I hope to get another year-end entry which will be about my favorite moments that I have done.

Year-end Roundup: Music 2007 [Update on Dec. 28: Links Added]

2007 has been an interesting year for music. Legal downloads from Apple iTunes, Amazon and other retailers continue to dominate the way music is being sold to the consumers. What else was groundbreaking was Apple finally come out with DRM-free songs. The only major record label to sign on to iTunes Plus was EMI.
– Other notable happenings were Kanye West’s Graduation versus 50 Cent’s Curtis on September 11, 2007. Kanye West beat 50 Cent in album sales.
– The horrendous performance by Britney Spears from the 2007 MTV VMAs, ’nuff said on Britney. Not going to explain about her current album.
– Madonna leaving Warner Bros. Music to Live Nation Inc.
– Live Earth happened on July 7, 2007.
– Feist becoming a surprise in the United States and internationally.
– The Spice Girls reunite and have a comeback concert.

Concerts I attended were Feist in May and Kanye West at Bluesfest in July. Those two concerts were amazing. Feist was one of the benefactors to getting into Canadian independent music. Kanye West was just fun but it happened in the soaking rain.
Near the end of the year, I enjoyed Canadian indie artists concerts like The Acorn and The Russian Futurists. Even though, tickets for big name artists are expensive, I found that going to a smaller venue like Barrymore’s Music Hall felt more worth it. I felt more appreciative to Canadian indie artists.

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My Top Songs of 2007 (Links from Wikipedia);

1. Umbrella by Rihanna. I chose Umbrella because it was 10 weeks on the UK singles chart and that I got hooked to the song. Plus, people kept singing “ella ella eh eh eh” where to the point it got annoying and overplayed. I even annoyed Alyson Hau on occasion.

2. Stronger by Kanye West. Even though the song was sampled from Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by Daft Punk. I found the song catchy and smart coming from Kanye West. I also liked the music video which featured Daft Punk and R&B singer, Cassie. Plus, it was filmed in Japan and gave a nod to the anime, Akira.

3. 1234 by Feist. Nuff said on this song because Feist accomplished her popularity. The iPod nano TV ad elevated her status in the United States.

4. No One by Alicia Keys. I know this song is almost a latecomer to 2007. It is still a great song coming from Alicia Keys.

5. All Good Things (Come to an End) by Nelly Furtado. This song meant a lot to me because it felt like things were coming to an end as I finished my academic term at Carleton University. Refer back to previous blog entry.

6. The Way I Are by Timbaland featuring Keri Hilson & D.O.E.). This song caught my attention because at first, Keri Hilson sounded like Jennifer Lopez. The rest is history as this song rose to the top 10 charts around the world.

7. When You’re Gone by Avril Lavigne. This power ballad song grew on me when I was in Toronto in the middle of August. It was played a lot and it was the time when Avril Lavigne went to Hong Kong.

8. Makes Me Wonder by Maroon 5. I still like this song because it seemed fresh coming from Maroon 5. It was also big jumper when it debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart.

9. My Moon My Man by Feist. This is my favorite song because it was the first released on The Reminder. The video made it one of my favorites to watch because Feist is dancing through the flat escalators.

10. Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control) by Groove Armada & Mutya. I kept ‘grooving’ to this song from my iPod and that I haven’t listened to a lot of Britpop songs lately.

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Favorite Canadian Indie Songs. It’s in no particular order. Since September, I have been enjoying Canadian independent songs from CBC Radio 3. I just hope none of the hosts are reading this as I’ve become fans of them. You know who you are. Hmmm, one being a guest host and the other being based in Ottawa.

1. Around This Town by Grand Analog

2. The Night Starts Here by Stars

3. Weighty Ghost by Wintersleep

4. Listened On by Lightning Dust

5. Melody Day by Caribou

6. Nothing More to Say by The Joel Plaskett Emergency

7. Your English is Good by Tokyo Police Club

8. Sweet Dreams by Pride Tiger

9. What You Want by Hayley Sales

10. Hearts Like Bears by Maybe Smith

11. Give It a Night by Bella

12. If I Live or If I Die by Cuff the Duke

13. Backed Out On The… by Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew

14. Take Me to the Riot by Stars

15. Let’s Get Ready to Crumble by The Russian Futurists

Another Fuse Taping I Attended… No Joke and Christmas Planning – S3E07

Yes, there was another taping for CBC’s FUSE and it was an early hour than usual Fuse tapings. The performers were Michael Kaeshammer and Hayley Sales.
Photos are up on Flickr again, here’s the link, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157603331125358/
Overall, it was a great performance from the two musicians.
*Spoiler* There was a bit of a Christmas feel when Hayley Sales sang Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon.

The holidays is approaching and I have been thinking of planning a Christmas get together at my place for the second year. That means I have to clean up the house, get a few gifts for the so-called gift exchange and think of food to make. I cross my fingers that the second year of my Christmas get together would be better.

A reminder that I am planning to have my picks of the top songs of 2007. What are my favorites of 2007. Wait and find out.
Aside from the Canadian independent music scene, I am still liking the current #1 song on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles, “No One” by Alicia Keys.

One comment I totally left out and I was suppose to write it on a previous blog entry. I am enjoying these kinds of concerts (mainly The Acorn and The Russian Futurists concert) because it is smaller and costs less to get tickets than going to a big-wig concert. Briefly chatting with independent artists makes it fun for myself because I find they are approachable and they don’t leave right away. It gives me experience to socializing and mingling with these kinds of people.

Tuesday Night’s Fuse Taping – S3E06

This might be a spoiler because the airdate for Fuse will be on January 12, 2008. I really enjoyed Tuesday night’s taping of FUSE. The performers were Grand Analog and Dr. Draw. I was happy to see Grand Analog perform because the last time I went to a different CBC radio taping, they were in Ottawa. The funny thing was that I added Odario William on MySpace after the Glen Gould special for CBC Radio 2 and a few days later, he messaged me how he liked my display picture.
Overall, it was the best FUSE taping and a kind of a make up of sorts because I didn’t get to go to The Sadies and Gord Downie fusing.
Link to the photos at http://flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157603315126606/.

Another concert I went was on Saturday, November 24, 2007. It was The Russian Futurists w/ The Consecos and Tallships. Link to the photos at http://flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157603288988525/.

Lion Dance Performance at The Brookstreet Hotel – S3E05

I had a great performance tonight at the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata. What was the significance of the performance? It was for the COC (Canadian Olympic Committee)’s 2008 Media Summit. It was the first time checking the hotel and also the first time to perform there. It is a nice and elegant hotel. Very luxurious and regal since it seems high-end and located in the hi-tech sector in Kanata. I wish I had a chance to see which of the current Summer Olympic athletes was at the event.
I will have a second performance this Thursday but it is another Olympic related event but different from the event at Brookstreet Hotel because it’s done by a different organizer. It will be at the Hilton Lac Leamy.
The photos via Flickr are posted up, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157603244554801/
Enjoy!

Friday Night at Barrymore’s Music Hall: The Acorn Concert – S3E04

It was the first time in my life that I finally went to Barrymore’s Music Hall. When I went inside, I was stunned to see how decorative the building is like.
Friday, November 16, 2007 was The Acorn’s concert and it was live to tape for CBC Radio One (Bandwidth) and Two (Canada Live). All I can say that the concert was great but the sound level was way too loud. My ears is somewhat at 80% in hearing range.
It was also convenient to see Amanda Putz at the concert. I told her I wished I went to the Fuse taping with The Sadies and Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip. She told me it was packed. I mentioned about how she talked about growing up liking New Kids on the Block on her web radio show. Why I find it funny? It was because she mentioned it back on April 30th’s edition of The Morning Brew with Alyson Hau as fill-in hosts on RTHK.
Overall, The Acorn with Bruce Peninsula & Male Nurse concert was excellent. Another funny story, when The Acorn sang the second song, someone tapped me in the back. ‘lo and behold! It was Amanda Putz and she was taking pics. I was surprised to see a former student from Bell High School.
Photos of the concert are up on my Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157603220359179/

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I am trying to get used to the MacBook styled Apple Wireless Keyboard. I like the small and thin look. I need to get used to the buttons on the keyboard. I am typing fast at times and feel like I am making mistypes along the way.
If you are having web browser crashes getting to my blog due to the CBC Radio 3 Miniplayer playing Stars, leave a comment and I will take it out.

Blogger’s Block(?) – S3E3

It has been an uneventful final two weeks of October. Minus the fact that there was excitement on October 26, 2007. Well, I got Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard. All I can say that it’s great and I have enjoyed the new look. Another was going to Saunders Farm with friends and some videos have been posted up on Facebook “exclusively” (for FB users).
For the lack of updates, I must be suffering from (pardon the pun) blogger’s block. I couldn’t think of a way to write an entry after the exciting first two weeks of October. I hope I can make up some ground for November.

I’m still enjoying CBC Radio 3 web radio. Still loving the hosts and Canadian independent music.

It’s this time of year again and it’s become my tradition as I got another toque from Roots for the Winter season. Although, it is a month early but I was too eager to use the Roots gift certificate from Air Miles. A pic of me (using Photo Booth, no duh) will be coming soon as I am still wearing my 2006-2007 toque. The toque will retire when snow drops on the ground.

It’s October! – S3E02

I like to apologize for the lack of updates on my blog. Reasons were that I was sick for the past few weeks in September. The unpredictable change in the weather caused me to get a cold, sore throat and a cough. I have recovered since but with minor coughing.
I hope to get back into blogging again and to get “Extra” into a weekly basis.
It has been an adventurous past week to start off October. Two liondance performances and then a radio taping.
Here’s the link via Flickr
Liondance performance – http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157602244531073/
CBC Radio’s Fuse in Wakefield, QC at The Black Sheep Inn. – http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157602264856666/

Kudos to Alyson Hau as she goes to Sydney, Australia and work at Triple J radio station. Good luck with it. I hope to listen to Triple J on the Web. I am unsure about the time zone difference. I will still support you! OH! Happy Birthday to ya! Though, not October 10 yet. 🙂
Note: Tagged you on Facebook.

Last thing, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Or to the people/friends/whatever/whoever I know. 🙂

A New Start… Not Entirely Yet, But a Brand New Season – S3E01

Not a new start in my life yet, but it’s now “season 3” for my wonderful blog.
I had a jam packed week to officially kick off the new season.
From September 10-15, 2007;

Monday – I got a call from a friend and we watched Harry Potter & The Order of The Phoenix.

Tuesday – I finally went to a radio taping of CBC Radio’s Fuse at CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre in downtown Ottawa. The host being the returning Amanda Putz, who recently returned from Hong Kong and did a stint for RTHK Radio 3, the English radio station in Hong Kong. I finally get to meet her because she got to hang out with a DJ that I usually talk to. It was an unusual link to who I know. The pic of Amanda and I is on this link, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/1362990675/. The pic is also on Facebook for FB users. Also, a new “look” for me because of the Roots jacket. What a way to start off the new season.
The performers were Andrew Cash and Jenn Grant. It aired this weekend and it was a good edited down broadcast.

Wednesday – It’s the usual, go to the comic store and usually talk about what’s happening in the news, pop culture and sports. One of the debates discussed was Kanye West and 50 Cent’s new album. I won’t get much into it because it will be covered on WildWorks Extra.

Thursday – Went to Avant-Garde Bar and Gift Shop in downtown. It is near Rideau Centre. What was happening? It was an event to celebrate Found Magazine’s 5th issue. Even though I don’t drink, I was interested in eating. What I had was crepés. For some funny reason, I was interested in ordering caviar. The crepés I chose was called Bliny 5, it was crepés with smoked salmon, salmon caviar and sour cream. It was delicious per se. All in all, it was a fun night going to the place.

Friday – I went to another radio taping at CBC. It was FUSE again and the performers were Wendy McNeill and Lori Yates. The crowds were not as packed at Tuesday’s because it was a Friday night. That taping will be airing on the weekend of September 22-23 on CBC Radio 1 & 2.
Here’s the link of the photos via Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157602021662857/

Saturday – Again chilled with my friend, Leo to watch some movies at AMC Theatre at night. We watched Mr. Woodcock and The Bourne Ultimatum. I won’t comment much on the two movies.

Whoa, that was one crazy week to start of season 3.
Last thing, I forgot that “Free Hug Day” was on Sept. 10. It was promoted on Facebook and I wasn’t even sure about “participating”. I did hug a friend on Monday and then hugged another person the day later. I never expect to participate randomly.

Update – September 18, 2007: Added the CBC Radio 3 miniplayer on the blog. Hope you will enjoy the indie Canadian music picks I have.