Wicked

Alright, I just got back from seeing Wicked at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and by God was it ever amazing. Here are some of my tweets and status updates from the night (and by some, I mean all)

"listening to the Wicked soundtrack on the way to see Wicked. overkill? never!"

"Just spent $50 on a shirt. Oh, Wicked, the things you do to me... I already spent close to $200 last time!"

"Dear person in the row in front of me a few seats down, your hair is awesome. It kinda looks like its on fire!"

"Dear obnoxious Canucks fans at the theater, I realize you are excited, but this is neither the time nor place for your insessent screaming. I do hope you cease and desist when the lights go out and the curtain rises."

"alright, the obnoxious fans have silenced and the show has so far been amazing. can't wait to see act two!"

"Oh freakin Wicked! I love this show! Gonna obsess over it for a little while... Don't mind me..."

So, as you may have noticed, I mentioned Canucks fans a couple of times, so let me first elaborate on that before going any further. Its one thing to be excited about the game. Yell in the streets, post on your Facebook or twitter or whatever else you may like, that's totally cool. But when I'm sitting in a theater about to watch a show, a musical, I really don't want to hear your screaming. I'm all for expressing your enthusiasm (believe me, I do it regularly for various things) but please, learn the time and place. I realize this probably sounds "bitchy" to many of you sports fans, but I don't care. I don't come out on the ice and break into "Dancing Through Life" so don't come in to my theater and scream like a crazy person. Have some respect. Thanks.

Righto! Now on to the good stuff!! 

So the show was spectacular! As I said, I saw it in New York last year and it was amazing. So, naturally, I spent most of the night comparing between the show I saw, the show I was seeing and Original Broadway Cast recordings. Don't get me wrong, everyone here was fantastic, but it's a personal preference thing. I liked their Elphaba quite a lot, I felt they made the character very likeable, and acting wise, I much preferred her over the lady in NY, (because that one was a little more gruff, almost mean, and it made it difficult to feel sympathetic towards her in the end, which is kind of the whole point of the show) and this one seemed sweeter, kinder, though her voice couldn't quite compare to the Elphie in NY. And I noticed she changed a few small things in her songs, made them her own I guess you could say. Some of them I liked, others... not so much. I noticed she went up instead of down at some points during her songs and I wasn't keen. However, there was one significant moment at the end of No Good Deed which just felt so right. Just a change in inflection, but so impactful. As for Glinda, well... she was no where near the Glinda we saw in NY. This one's version of"Popular" had some wicked hilarious moments (no pun intended) and she certainly was talented, but not my cup of tea. Her portrayal of the character was more annoying than funny/cute to me and her voice I found a little grating. She had her moments though, for sure. She is clearly a very talented girl. Fiyero... ohh, Fiyero... his voice was so delicious. And he certainly had the moves ;) Oh, and Boq... he was cute and all, but when he held the note in "let's daaaaanncee" (which is honestly one of my favourite parts of the whole show)  I wasn't impressed... However, I was super impressed by the amazing ensemble! The dance routines were phenomenal! And by golly, the costumes!! Gahhh!! And holy shit. When Fiyero and Elphaba sang "As Long As You're Mine" I could have died. Just died, I tell you! It was so... intense, emotional, powerful, beautiful, lustful, sweet and just plain and simply amazing. Good God, the harmonies in that song... I can't even. I'm listening to it right now as I type this. That last line... "For the first time... I feel... wicked..." SO GOOD. Although, tonight's Elphie didn't do it justice in my mind. But their singing was so superb that it made up for it. And those freakin' monkeys. Man, those monkeys are scary shit. I tell you what. Scary. They're just... creepy, you know? Always climbing and crawling around in the background, always moving. And that one monkey, the main monkey, the one that belonged to the Wizard first, I can never freakin remember his name and it drives me nuts! Someone, anyone, tell me his name! And then of course there was this absurd phenomenon of people being late and coming in to sit down after the lights had gone out and the show had clearly begun. Why were so many people so late? After intermission especially. There was a stream of people, at least thirty or so who came much, much after act two had already begun. Two songs in and it was never ending people on both sides. Wtfffff?

All in all it was a great show, but as good as this cast was, as a general, overall, I personally prefer the cast I saw in NY. But this was still fab. I highly recommend you go see it. 

I'm sorry if this review was sloppy or incomprehensible, but it is nearly two in the morning and I've been sitting here trying to write it just so for so long, but I've simply just gotten too tired to care. So there ya go. Have a nice night.

Hello hello!

Ah! I feel much better now!

No, I am not fully recovered. But feeling a hundred times better than yesterday and a million times better than the day before. So admittedly, I'm not at 100% but so close, I can almost taste it. Except I can't taste it because all I can taste is blood. Yeuck.

Anywhoo! Turns out, the pain meds they put me on were the main problem, actually. They were making me vomit and super super nauseous. So I've switched meds and I feel a whole heck of a lot better. My mouth still hurts and I can't eat anything and I have to rinse with nasty salt water four times a day, but at least I'm not puking! Whew!

Now, on to better and brighter things!

I finished watching Nowhere Boy, which was splendid. It gave me a quaint feeling. I enjoyed it. But let's be honest, with that face in it,

how could I not?

I also just finished watching Back To The Future part two (I watched part one last night) and I'm about to move on to part three. Zomg, I friggin love these movies. Obviously, the first one is the best but the second one still rocks and I can barely remember the third but I'm sure it's awesome, too. I've been tweeting a bit about them as I watch, mostly things like "Michael J. Fox was a babe in these movies." and "I love these movies blahdee blah blah" but seriously. So much epic.

I also managed to edit together the first part of my trip to Orlando videos. Well, I didn't really "edit" it much, I just slapped together the clips I took and it's currently uploading to YouTube (for the second friggin time because the first upload failed. akjdhgkdfjhkjdfhdfgggerrrrr) I'm hoping it's not horrendously boring for people to watch, but really it's just for me to document and remember the awesomeness of that trip. It really made me smile going through the footage, especially when I was feeling so crappy...

I also want to say how much I love my coyotes. I made a long post about how much I needed a hug and all the crap that's been going on and immediately about twelve people responded with words of support. Even those who just came on and wrote "hugs!" it meant so much to me, so thank you coyotes. You are the best damn thing that's happened to me lately. I'm so glad I can always rely on you, for support, love and lawls. I saw all dem posts of photoshopped pics the other day. Hardeeharharr. But srsly. Loooovveee yewwww. #coyotepacklove

OH YEA!!!! And the most importantest thing evarrr!!!

TONIGHT I'M GOING TO SEE WICKED WITH MY FAMILY!!! I'M SO STOKED!!!!!! THIS IS GONNA BE GOOOOOOODDD!!!!

I wish I was feeling a little better though, so I could enjoy it more... but I've been looking forward to this for months. Last time I saw Wicked (also the first time haha) was in New York last year and it was the most amazing, beautiful, moving experience I've ever had. I worked so hard to get there and as I sat in that theatre finally watching the Broadway performance of my lifetime, I was so overcome with emotion I can't begin to describe. I'm a very emotional person, so it's not unusual for me to cry during moments like those. But I will never in my life forget that feeling. Nothing else can compare. None of the other shows we saw in New York gave me quite the same feeling, nothing I've ever seen or done before could live up to that moment. I know that this time around won't be quite the same, but I'm anticipating an emotional reaction never the less. Now I just have to decide which of my many Wicked t-shirts to wear tonight, if any. I spent almost $200 on Wicked merch in New York, so I've got lots of things to pick from. I might bring my stuffed monkey dude with wings, and wear my witch hat necklace... Oh boy, I'm getting so excited just thinking about it! I can't wait! I will tell you all about it when I get back! In the mean time however, I must go... BACK TO THE FUTURE!!! Ahahah, see what I did there? ;) No, but actually, I gotta go finish this trilogy. Trilogy of awesome.

Oh no, not again!

So, I have lost another four teeth. Had them removed yesterday. Was given gas, then an IV and I spent most of yesterday crying, vomiting or sleeping. So you can imagine how I'm feeling today. I'll give you a hint: Not so great.

I have spent the entirety of my day sitting in front of my computer scrollin' around on Tumblr and reblogging shit like crazy. I think I've reblogged more stuff today alone than I have at all ever. Whoops. Sorry Tumblr followers. Nah, who am I kidding, not really. It's muh Tumblr yo. I'll post what I waaant.

So anyways. I'm stuck on bed rest for the next couple days because the doctors told me to "take it easy" and that "the third day will be the worst" which will be Thursday, they said. I was supposed to go back to work tomorrow, but my mum had to phone for me and tell them I can't make it.

I feel awful. I can't eat, well, I can't chew. I'm living off mashed potatoes, jello, ice cream, those meal replacement drinks and apple sauce and everything tastes like blood. Because, you know, I've got four open wounds in my mouth. Sorry, I don't mean to be graphic. I'll spare you the details.

But basically, I'm fucking hungry. I want a friggin hamburger. Or a sandwich. Or a big delicious taco. But I can only eat soft, non-chewable food. I refuse to touch yogurt though. Blech. Never again. Too many bad memories from last time.

I've been laying on my bed a lot watching soothing things like 10th Kingdom and Pushing Daisies. Currently I'm trying to watch Nowhere Boy but I've gotten greatly distracted by the glory of the internet. I suppose I should finish watching it since it's due back tonight. My dad also rented me Back to the Future. Eff yeah.

I just removed the horrible bandaid over where the IV went in. Ouch. I have done nothing but ramble and complain throughout this blog. I think I'm gonna go back to watching my movie and silently fuming about the fact that I can't friggin eat anything. Goodbye.

Oh yeah, and my dad got me a $15 iTunes gift card. He said "happy feeling sick day" when he gave it to me, then laughed. I love my dad. But now I gotta figure out what I'm gonna buy with it... ideas? :)

Somewhere Only We Know

I am obsessed with the Glee version of Somewhere Only We Know by Keane. (sung by Darren Criss, of course.) I have listened to this song 102 times on my iTunes. And that's not including the many times on my phone, ipod and in Caralyn's car. It's just so... beautiful. And soothing. It's like a lullaby. A great big, tight, bear hug for my heart. And with the way I've been feeling, I need that.

Which is exactly what I came on here to talk about, because I feel as though letting out some of these thoughts and feelings I've got all crammed inside me might make me feel a little better. So bear with me, as I may get very incoherent and rambly very quickly. Actually, I can pretty much guarantee it.

Let us begin.

Every aspect of myself, my life, feels so overwhelming. Both positively and negatively. With all the stress and nastiness going on, I feel it's almost equal parts amazing and awesome things. But that just makes the hard things harder and the good things less enjoyable because I'm so panicked and stressed about the bad and the various consequences or even just potential consequences of the good things. And I'm never fully truthful with anyone. I don't let on that I'm breaking down. I don't let it show that I'm not handling it. I put on a big smile and I act bubbly and happy and normal. So everyone thinks I'm fine. But really, I know that's far from the truth. Breathe. I just need to breathe. Something so natural and easy, and yet I somehow manage to forget. I often give very good advice but I very seldom take it. I let things build, I let things boil. It's troubling to think I could easily avoid this feeling, it's almost as though I've chosen this. But I wouldn't go so far as to say that. No, I wouldn't choose this. I didn't choose this. I want to feel better, do better, be better. I want something more but I'm too afraid to find it, try it, take it. I almost feel like I need someone to guide me. Someone to take my hand and show me the way. But I shouldn't need that. I should be brave. I should be strong. And do it on my own. But I don't know how. And it always comes back to this. This same problem, this same feeling. Or at least something related to it. Why does it always come back to that? I wish I could understand my own mind. And the way the world works. I know I'm not the only one, but I feel as though I don't belong. And I can't shake this feeling that something is wrong. Something is not right. Am I alone in this? Does anyone else feel this horrible sensation that something is missing? I know I don't make sense. And I know from an outsiders perspective I probably sound like I'm whining or something. And maybe I am. But I swear I'm not. Or.... Ack. I just don't know anymore. It's time for a change. I'm going to make a list of all things I want. Little things, big things.... every thing. I'm going to set deadlines. Work hard. Make the changes. I've made changes before. I can do it again. They never last, but I can try.

And one last thing... If I'm Rapunzel, where's my Flynn Rider?

I'm baaaaaaaackk!!!

Hello bloglovers! I am home! And have been home since very late friday night but have barely had a chance to breathe since...

But show choir was cancelled today, so after catching up on some much needed sleep in an attempt to overcome the jet lag and a very late night last night, I find myself sitting in front of my computer going through pictures from my trip and thinking to myself, "perhaps I should update my blog..."

So, here I am and here we go!

It was a long and tiring trip but absolutely worth every moment.

My GOD was it ever hot over there! I thought I was going to die. For most of the time. But again, totally worth it.

Our first night was a bit of a fiasco because it was pretty late at our arrival, but to us being still in Vancouver time (which is three hours behind Orlando time) we were a little... out of sorts. My parents made a 2am trip to Walmart to grab some groceries (that's Orlando time, jsyk) and we just basically slept and tried to adjust to the time difference and the immense heat.

Our first day we had a late start. A very late start... we rented a car instead of taking multiple taxi rides to get from place to place. We went to the local mall, went out for dinner then over to a different mall that we really should've been going to in the first place but we got confused and horribly lost hahahah. It was excellent.

Then came our Universal day! Which of course was my favourite day because Universal Studios is the home of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Which was amazing, in case you were wondering. I have a lot (and I mean a lot) of footage from that. When I have the time and energy to go through it all I will most definitely be posting a video... hopefully soon. Basically, everything in the park was exceptionally exciting to me. I was flipping out the entire time, and my parents kept laughing at me and calling me a "nerd" with my tear streaked face and gibberish spewing from my mouth because I was too excited to form words. The ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, was so amazing. We rode it three times. And I think the coolest thing about it is that in order to get to it, you have to walk all the way through the hallways of Hogwarts and along the way bump into Dumbledore, many talking portraits and of course, Harry, Ron and Hermione. I think I can die happy now. Oh yes, and did I mention I got a wand? Not just any wand though you see. I was chosen. The wand chose me. It was the coolest experience ever. I am such a nerd. I will post the footage so you can fully understand, because right now I'm sure I sound like an idiot but it makes sense if you know what I'm talking about. They have a wand shop, they bring in groups of thirty or so people and only one person gets chosen to have the wand shop owner help them find a wand. And I was chosen, he chose me. He let me test out wands and it was all rigged up so it felt like I was doing real magic! And then I got to purchase the wand after. I AM A REAL WITCH. I CAN'T EVEN DEAL.

And of course I spent a butt load of money. I bought so much stuff and I'm so excited about all of it. And there were two other rides there, a small, kid friendly roller coaster and a massive, intense crazy roller coaster. I have never screamed so hard. On the second one, of course. And they had Zonko's joke shop (so cool!!) and Honeydukes candy shop!!!! And an owlery and the Three Broomsticks and the Hogwarts Express by the entrance and an awesome conductor guy! ACK! I CAN TOTALLY DIE HAPPY NOW. I HAVE BEEN TO HOGWARTS AND HOGSMEADE. I AM SET FOR LIFE.

Okay, enough about that. Now on to Disney!

Our next day was spent in Epcot, the sort of... Science World of Disney. Hah. It was pretty neato. There was a virtual ride you could design yourself, a car test track ride (sort of like a roller coaster but not really) and a whole slew of mini villages that represented various countries around the world. It was a very very long day trying to get around that park. And it was technically our first day because we spent the entire previous day in the Harry Potter section of Universal (which is rather small) and hadn't had to navigate our way around an enormous theme park yet. It was a real test of our patience. We had a bit of a blow out... a meltdown, if you will. But we got over it and rode the amazing Soarin' ride (another virtual ride which they have in Disney California Adventure and my mum really loved when we went there so we had to make sure we went on it again in Florida) And we were given a very helpful piece of advice from the man behind us in line about how to get an alternate entrance pass for all the attractions in the park, so that my sister could get through the lines with her wheel chair. Wish we'd bumped into him at the beginning of the day...

Then came Disney's Hollywood Studios on our next day there.

Most of this day was spent on my little American Idol Experience. Essentially, we got there pretty late in the day because we decided after two very long days in the parks, we needed a little rest and chose to take the later shuttle. So when we got there, some guy dressed as an old timey police officer with a funny accent asked if any of us were singers and told me to audition for American Idol and gave us directions for how to get there. It was pretty funny actually. Then we headed on down there, I passed the first audition (where you sing about 30 seconds of any song of your choosing in front of an audition coordinator or something), moved on to meet a producer(where I sang two shortened versions of songs I had selected from their list and was then told to try a different song which he thought would better suit my voice (which objectively probably did but as much as I love that song it was a little boring to sing) and made me learn it), passed that audition and was put in the 5:30 show, the last show before the big finale. Basically, every day, they hold auditions for the American Idol Experience from (I think) park opening until about 2pm. If you pass the first two auditions, you will be put into a group of three to sing at one of the eight showcases through out the day. If you receive the highest number of votes out of your three, you move on to the finale. If you win at the finale you receive a "magic golden ticket" which allows you first in line privileges and a guaranteed audition at any American Idol audition across the country. Essentially, I have no use winning that any ways since I'm not American so I don't really care, and at the time I didn't even know that was the prize anyways, I was just doing it for fun and because my mum really wanted me to sing. It's all very cool and professional. I wish I could have filmed the whole experience, but it was such a whirlwind and I really don't think I would have been allowed to anyways. We each got our hair and make up done and a short amount of time with a vocal coach to go over our song selections. It was a nerve wracking and fun experience. We had a run through of the show, which is so cool. If you ever get a chance to go to the American Idol Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando Florida, I would highly recommend it because it is so awesomely done. Really professional, and really looks like the real show. There are actual cameras all over the place, a real host (who looks and sounds remarkably like Ryan Seacrest) and actual judges. They do a short little interview with each contestant before they sing and even put your face on the big screens around the stage! It's so cool. I'm hoping my sister will let me upload her video footage of the show because I'd really like to see it! I got to sit backstage while the others performed and watch their performances. I went first. It was terrifying and awesome. The judges were mostly nice except for the "Simon" type one who told me I'd be perfect to attend the red carpet at the Grammys and help people out of their cars. Pffft whatevaa. Okay, anyways, long story short, I didn't make it into the finale showcase but I had a great time anyways and they took about 60 pictures of me, all of which I have access to for the next 30 days and can purchase online and such. We did of course buy a few of our favourites while we were there :) I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to choose the song I sang, they kind of chose it for me... but oh well.

Oh yes, and there were two very awesome rides in that theme park which we managed to catch between my audition and when I had to be back for my performance. I tried to get a coyote games picture on the Tower of Terror, but it didn't really work out. The roller coaster was awesome though! Super fast and loud and because it's in the dark with neon and glowing lights and such, you totally don't know what's coming so the flips and turns take you by surprise. So fun.

Then our last two days were spent at the Magic Kingdom, which is essentially what I like to call the Disneyland of Disney World. That's where Cinderella's castle is and all the princesses, characters and various more children oriented attractions and rides. Our first day in the park we did a full pan around from one side to the other, catching as many rides as we could along the way. We essentially got them all, or at least all the ones we really wanted. Space Mountain of course. And the others were really just little kid rides so no biggie. And we ate funnel cake. Omg funnel cake yuuummmm. Then our second day in that park (and our last day before we left) we spent getting autographs and pictures with our favourite characters. I waited in line for a very long time in the sweltering heat to meet Flynn Rider and Rapunzel. TOTALLY WORTH IT. Zomg I was so stoked. But Flynn didn't smolder in my picture! I'm so disappointed... I just kind of assumed that he would because well, have you seen the movie? We also met Ariel and Prince Eric, Tiana and Naveen, Mickey and Minnie, Cinderella, Aurora and Belle. (Damn, those princesses are tiny!! I'm towering over them in most of the pictures!) All in all a successful picture and autograph trip. I wish I'd gotten Peter Pan though... just to compare, you know. Then we rode a couple extra rides, had a fancy meal, got another funnel cake, skipped the parade and fireworks (because really, once you've seen one Disney parade you've seen them all. And fireworks are just big loud bright things in the sky.) and did all our last minute shopping. It was a long, tiring and draining day. But in the end was definitely worth it all. The Magic Kingdom is probably my favourite park because I'm about six years old on the inside and truly enjoy the magic of it. I have to admit, whoever composes the music for Disney sure does a great job because every time I heard those tinkling tunes I got emotional. I can't wait to do it all again in Disneyland in two months! Although, it'll be a whole different experience for sure.

Then finally it was our last day there. We packed our bags, called a cab and went to the Premium Outlets for a little shopping before heading to the airport. There was a Betsey Johnson outlet there, we had to go! I barely had any money left by this point (nor room in my suitcase either) but I did get some very cute earrings and a necklace that matches a pair of Betsey earrings I already have. Then we went to the airport and caught our two flights back to Vancouver. It's nice to be home...

Over all I can say this about Orlando: It is way too effin hot. And we weren't even there during peak season! I don't know how they can stand it! The best thing we ever did was buy one of those fan/squirt bottle combos. Especially when we filled it with ice. Ahhh, so refreshing... seventeen dollars well spent. And now that I'm here, I feel like I'm absolutely freakin freezing! And my internal clock is all wonky because I got used to the three hour time difference and now I have to revert back to normal... Plus sleeping the past two nights has been pretty freakin weird... Hopefully that'll sort itself out soon.

But anyways...

I had a super amazing trip! And even though it was frustrating at times (as any family vacation is, I'm sure) it was worth every moment! I can't wait to share all the footage I took! I'm so happy :) I spent way too much money on stupid things and look like an idiot in most of my pictures, but hey, that's what vacations are all about!

And I have certainly missed all my friends and more than definitely missed the internet. A week away feels like an eternity! There's so much to catch up on, I just don't know where to begin! Okay, love you all, goodbye.

I'm sorry for the big wall of text... I just had so much to say!

Orlando, Florida

Dear blog,

I love you and I miss you. We don't hang out often enough.

Unfortunately, I don't have time to change that because in a very, very short time I will be leaving my home and going on a flight to ORLANDO FLORIDA to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal and of course Disney freakin World.

My adrenaline is pumpin and I've got some last minute running around to do before we go.

But I just wanted to drop a little line, explaining my extended absence.

I vow to post more often upon my return, but don't hold me to it ;)

This is going to be a mega fun trip.

Nine hours of travelling, here I come!

PEACE SUCKAS!!

This may possibly be the greatest thing to ever exist.

DENYSE CAN I JUST LIKE, EXPRESS MY UNDYING LOVE FOR YOU!?

ahahahha this is the BEST.

Oh yeah, and this too hahahah even though they're old, I still smile every time I see them.

You cooky crazy latino awesome chick you!

Keep makin' your AWESOME photoshop thaaannnggss xD