yodit dragged me out with a bunch of her friends last night.
i almost forgot how much fun a night out dancing can be, even when sober.
but that was the last all ages event i’m ever going to go attend.
Month: July 2011
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we are clearly the rising stars of the music world.
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karaoke.
above: yes, we decided to sing nelly’s ‘ride with me.’ whatever.
so a few of the aberkids and i decided to go to a karaoke bar tonight. i gave my shift away just so i could make it, but it was alright since i had a good time. i was kind of tipsy through the whole thing so that helped to up my buzz factor.
i met up with soraya, ana and angelica before shehan and the rest of them arrived (shehan was driving). the first thing soraya told me to do was try her drink, which had been contained in a medium-sized mcdonalds cup. it looked harmless enough but i took one sip and almost gagged – it was filled with rum.
they claimed that it was actually a mixed drink, but no, i didn’t believe that for a second – even if it was true. in any case, the rum was so entirely dominant that soraya and i had to go and get a bottle of coke from a vending machine to use as chase. as we were walking over to the vending machine, we passed by this couple that had been making out in the middle of dundas square.
like, i guess i understand how that might be romantic in a movie, but in the real world – without the soundtrack and the perfect lighting and the dazzlingly good looks – it’s just kind of bizarre. we made sure to avoid them on our way back.
we eventually met up with shehan, jesse and marianne and then we all headed over to bar+ for a feel-good night of belting our hearts out.
the song list we created for the night was pretty good. here were a few i actually remember:
– i don’t wanna miss a thing
– the lazy song
– don’t stop believing
– your song
– lady marmalade
– total eclipse of the heart
– a bunch of rap songs that i can’t even rememberi didn’t even have to waste money on drinks since i was already a little bit tipsy. i remember stripping down at one point just because i’d realized we had the whole room to ourselves – and with that freedom in privacy, why not, right?
soraya, ana and i went to frans afterwards and got sweet potato fries and a poutine to go and then we parted ways.
but there were things that kept me indecisive on the way home. i hesitated and almost ended up doing something that i would most definitely have regretted immediately afterwards, and i know all of this sounds cryptic, but there still exists territory that i’m too ashamed to delve into.
the night can bring out the best and the worst in me, and there are still secrets that i have never told.
let it suffice to say that i ended up making the right decision and heading straight home, but i still ended up doing something that in the moment felt right, but was really so incredibly wrong.
and i still ended up making promises i don’t intend on keeping.
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yodit and i went to the beach today.
a friend of ours was supposed to meet us there but that didn’t end up working out.
nevertheless, we had a good time not-tanning (the sun remained hidden behind a layer of clouds the entire time and it was about 4pm by the time we got there), enjoying some realtalk and dipping into the water for a swim from time to time.
i love the beach.
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waiter love.
above: the aberkids (+ mandy) being silly and cute. minus mack who’s just way too cool for all of us and is perpetually on her phone talking to people who are probably cooler than we are.
the bunch of us had dinner plans and mackenzie invited me over to her apartment to predink with her and her roommate and i eagerly accepted. the night had already looked like it was going to be a good time, but some spontaneous alcohol definitely couldn’t hurt.
i showed up at her doorstep around twenty minutes before we were supposed to meet up with everyone else. she was in the bathroom when i arrived so i let myself in and met her roommate amanda (mandy). people always seem to be in bathrooms when i get to the party.
the two of them had been keeping it classy (as always) and sipping on glasses of wine but my arrival was apparently the cue for a shot of vodka. we all took a shot and mack found it disgusting. i ended up taking three more and finishing one of mandy’s glasses of wine and we were all in a very happy place by the time we left.
i was tipsy when we met up with everyone else and we decided to go to the old spaghetti factory down by the esplanade since jesse recommended it and everyone else seemed content to do whatever.
i am never going back there ever again.
first of all, the food wasn’t even that great (apparently the salads were especially subpar – thank goodness i got the soup), but more importantly, we were, as a group, a downright embarrassment.
leave it to the aberkids to turn what was supposed to be a nice, quiet dinner with the coworkers into a rowdy laughandlovefest.
i saw another one of my starbucks baristas as we were waiting for our table to be ready and since i was tipsy (and therefore not entirely capable of behaving in a socially acceptable manner) i went up to him and awkwardly introduced myself. his name was andrew and he was with his best friend and his asian boyfriend, who i could tell took an instant disliking to me.
even i could tell that things got pretty awkward pretty fast, and usually my gauge on awkward-levels gets wonky when i’m drunk.
so i made my way back to my friends and they accused me of being a slut and flirting with another random stranger when really i already kind of knew the guy.
soon our table was ready and we were all seated. and that is when we caught sight of our server.
jesse instantly (and jokingly, thank goodness) fell in love with him. i mean, i guess he was kind of cute. poor guy soon became a running inside joke. we got his name (jason) and jesse even got a photo of him before we left. i couldn’t tell if he liked us or if he was entirely annoyed by our presence. he kept popping up as a theme of conversation (jesse claimed they were getting married) and i’m almost certain he heard at least half of what we were saying, which must’ve been embarrassing for both parties involved. he definitely knew we were talking about him.
at one point there was an asian bus boy (we later learned that his name was andrew) cleaning a table next to us and shehan kept making jokes about how marianne was probably going to have sex with him in the bathroom or something. we were all giggling and being generally immature when he turned around and addressed us, saying
“fyi, i heard everything you said”
or something to that effect.
we just about died laughing. absolutely shameless.
by the time we left, i knew that they all probably hated us, but whatever – it was a blast.
the staff there should be happy for all the lovin we showed them. we even left a little love note with marianne’s number on it for andrew.
maybe it’s because i was kind of drunk at the time, but dinner was a lot funnier and much more entertaining than what i just described. i guess you had to be there to really get it.
there was rarely a moment when one of us wasn’t laughing and good times were had by all.
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how do you say gentleman in croatian?
above: me and amy at her boyfriend’s birthday party, which she was kind enough to invite me to.
i had a choice between that or a party that a friend of the best friend of a friend of mine was hosting to take up my saturday night. i chose amy’s because, well, it just sounded a tad more interesting.
the sister graciously picked up some rum for me and i towed the mickey to a lovely little house in kensington market where the party was being held. it had been raining so i was walking under the protection of a small umbrella, but i could still feel drops splatter across my leg. i always hate that feeling – that and wet shoelaces whipping against bare skin.
i got to the address and found some people sitting on the front porch. i asked them if amy was around and one of them said ‘you must be obed,’ and i kind of just stood there for a bit wondering when and why my name had popped up in a previous conversation.
i told them that yes, that was me, and they directed me along the side of the house to the stairway leading to a basement apartment. the basement was already pretty full – everyone had been taking shelter from the rain – and as soon as i entered i found amy. well, i found her friends and introduced myself first – she happened to be in the bathroom when i arrived.
i looked around at all of the unfamiliar faces and i got that weird, bubbly feeling i get when i know the night is bound to be filled with fresh introductions and the excitement of mingling with the unknown.
it wasn’t long before there was a drink in my hand (and soon somewhere along my alimentary canal) and soon i was learning new names and registering new faces. there were a lot of croatians and a couple of australians in the room and i was glad to be immersed in conversation layered in thick accents. i’ve always loved accents.
everyone was really friendly and open – i remember instantly clicking with one girl yolana (yolanna?) who’d arrived in canada only nine days prior and she told me she liked me because i reminded her of a friend.
i was probably the youngest person there but i’ve never been one to be phased by an age gap. in fact, i usually gravitate towards older company. i guess as you grow up you become more sure of yourself and i like people who can just be comfortable with themselves and who know how to have a good time.
the rain stopped and we all moved to the backyard. candle’s provided ambience and light and soon the cake was brought out and devoured. everyone loves a good ms. fields cookie cake – they’re probably the most delicious things ever.
the conversation was easy flowing and the people were interesting and i was under the influence of various substances so i was feeling pretty content.
a couple of people even managed to catch my eye, but i wasn’t really out to pursue anything. it wasn’t the night for a hunt.
i took a couple of walks by myself because i love kensington market and i just kind of tried to soak up the night.
eventually people were passing out or just mellowing out and i took the dwindling spirits as my cue to leave.
i left the party a happy man.
i even remembered to grab my umbrella on my way out.
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so i’m kind of a cover boy, no big deal. yes, you can have my autograph.
no, you can’t touch me there!
oh stop it, i’ll never forget you little people! i will always adore my fans! there is a special place in my heart for each and every one of you.
i’m still jenny from the block!
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are you chinese?
above: riley, kate, katelyn and nellie on the way to nellie’s car.
met up with nellie after work at seven east for some good thai food. i didn’t really know what to do with the sticky rice, so i kind of just unwrapped the leaf that it came in and clumsily flopped it onto my way-too-tiny plate. like, i get the aesthetic value of minimalism, but sometimes it’s just impractical.
there two skimpy-looking 12-year-old girls with their fathers at a table close by and they made us dwell on how the times have changed for a little bit. i mean, they were wearing heels. they probably also had their own blackberries and original coach bags. and one of them had a pair of shuttershades perched atop her head.
i was eavesdropping for a little bit and heard one of them mention a recent break up. i definitely did not date in seventh grade. i was too busy running around pretending to hunt ghosts and/or make gourmet food out of dirt and water.
when it came time to pay for the bill, the waitress came by and asked me if i was chinese. i graciously told her i was filipino and then she just kept mentioning how pretty i was. like, she wouldn’t shut up about how good-looking she found me to be. she just kept saying things like ‘you’re so pretty,’ ‘you must get all the girls’ and ‘you’re more beautiful than the other filipino boys.’
i just smiled and blushed and inserted my debit card while this barrage of compliments went on. i think nellie found it really strange too, and we got out of there as fast as possible.
we headed to nellie’s after that. super bass was blasting in her car but my iphone fell over and the music stopped and i started to panic because it was just about to get to the chorus and i was getting so into it (singing along, dancing in my seat, etc). i kept yelling at nellie to pull over so i could retrieve my iphone and put the music back on but she refused to pull over for the longest time. eventually she was laughing so hard that she couldn’t drive properly – we swerved and i thought we were going to die – so she pulled over and everything was fine.
we hung out at her place for a while and then went over to katelyn’s for a swim. kate and her boyfriend riley were also there and since i wasn’t aware that i’d be swimming that day, i had no swim suit and had strip down to my underwear before diving in. i was so scared katelyn’s parents were going to come out to check on us and peg me for the total slut i am.
i was supposed to watch harry potter with the fam later on, but those plans fell through – the tuesday discount tickets convinced us to watch it next week – so i ended up going to cafe crepe with katelyn, nellie and flo, who joined us later.
and then i went home and learned how to rap like nicki minaj.
totally feeling accomplished right now.
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blackout on a monday night.
above: a couple of much-needed candles, some delicious juice, and the liquor i lost later that night.
monday started well enough. i grabbed lunch with sivan which gave us a chance to catch up. she went to spain for two weeks and apparently a lot had happened when she was gone. we went to eatons and had coffee while reading the latest issue of cosmo before i had to go to work.
my sister came and dropped of my white barcardi during my shift and that made me ready for the party that night.
after work, i headed over to annika’s apartment, and shannon – being the wonderful friend she most definitely is – picked me up from the station with a few of her pals.
we got to the apartment, i whipped out my rum and immediately poured myself a drink.
i met a few people, saw a few old friends, and i was just getting into the swing of things when the lights suddenly went out. and so did the electric fan.
the power was out in the entire building and in neighbouring ones as well. it was dark and candles were lit and part of the party went downstairs to cool off in the night air while the rest of us remained.
the humidity got the better of us and soon we were all in our underwear and nobody seemed to mind too much.
during our stay at the apartment, a mirror was broken, a group shower was taken, i made out with one of my friends (did not see that one coming) and i lost my rum. and then we all left to go pool-hopping.
we went over to rosedale first because a couple of the members of the group wanted to pee on the school. someone stole a watermelon from rabba along the way (i didn’t even notice this happen) and it became the communal fruit of the night.
and then we went to riverdale pool where we hopped a fence – will stayed and kept watch – got butt naked and dived in.
i think it might have been in part due to the intoxication, but it was one of the best, most liberating experiences of my life. i just felt so absolutely free and refreshed and wonderful. the water on my skin, and the friends all around, and the laughter in the air and just everything was good.
another party of people came and soon the pool was pretty full for about 3 am in the morning and everyone was having a good time.
and then the cops came and we bolted in the blink of an eye. i grabbed my underwear and everything else i could grab and went over the fence. i don’t really know where shannon and the rest of them went. i later learned they’d hidden in a bush of some sort.
i put my underwear on and met up with will atop a flight of stairs and he let me wear his shirt again to cover all my shame.
then we went back to check on the others but a man with a flashlight approached so i bolted again. i found taylor and we went and hid in a staircase for a while because neither of us wanted to get arrested.
eventually, after a bit of a wait, we figured the coast was clear and we headed back.
we found the gang and our gang met up with the other party and we exchanged all of the items that we’d accidentally stolen from each other. they had my phone and my wallet and i was entirely thankful that they decided against stealing them.
but there were a few casualties.
we couldn’t find celeste’s camera and my favourite pair of shorts were nowhere in sight, leaving me no choice but to wear my abercrombie jeans. it was just lucky that i’d come to the party directly from work i had extra clothes on hand.
we looked for the missing things for a while and decided to part ways after it started seeming futile. it was late and people were tired.
well, i know this seems stupid, but shannon, taylor and i decided to go back to the pool and swim some more. the cops were gone and there were already people in it so we stripped again and dived in.
thankfully, the cops didn’t show up a second time.
it was about 5 am when we decided to leave and we headed over to a streetcar stop by shannon’s house so taylor could get home. he decided to take a cab and shannon and i went over to tim hortons for some breakfast – chili and a blt.
by the time i got home it was 7 am and daylight was in full force.
when i woke up, i was covered in scars and mosquito bites.
and i’m still kind of pissed about the rum and my shorts.
but i skinny dipped for the first time that night, and it was in the company of good friends, and the party itself was enjoyable, so all in all, it was a pretty fantastic time.
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yeah, skratch bastid!
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kjell called me as i was finishing up at work tonight and had me meet him and a couple of his friends at dundas square.
the livegreen festival was going on and kjell wanted to see skratch bastid, who was absolutely amazing.
tap joined us later on and we were all just jiving.
it’s nice to know that my life will always be full of spontaneous hangouts.
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mackenzie, alex, shehan and i all went to frans after work last night.
it’s becoming a ritual of sorts.
that was the third night in a row that i’d eaten there and i think the staff is beginning to recognize me.
they should probably start giving me free food – or at least some sort of discount or something.
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lounging.
above: mackenzie, bram and alex reluctantly chilling in the shade because the sun went into hiding behind a skyscraper.
i didn’t even know what the plan was until late last night. at first i was supposed to be going to woodbine beach, then center island, then the beach again and then alex invited us over to her condo for some tanning and morning drinking and we settled on that.
i met up with mackenzie at around noonish and we headed to alex’s condo after buying me a pair of swim shorts and picking up some snackage and chase.
alex picked us up in the lobby and we went upstairs to the outdoor deck. we had to separate to go into different change rooms and i got stuck in the pool room that led to the deck because i didn’t realize the door had to be pushed instead of pulled. mackenzie had to come and rescue me.
i was acting really dumb all day for some reason. it was like my IQ suddenly dropped about thirty points. i went to pick up cups, sunscreen and utensils later on and i had trouble finding sobeys even though it was clearly just across the street. when i asked some lady where it was, she looked at me like i was an idiot, which i was.
(on a side note, apparently nobody uses sunscreen anymore. am i the only one worried about getting skin cancer? has nobody watched the ‘dear 16-year-old me’ video?)
bram arrived shortly after with alex’s coolers and we all tanned for a bit before the sun drifted behind a building, immersing us in unwanted shade.
we chilled for a while, played drinking games, took a dip in the pool, yelled at some children – it was all pretty relaxing. but in retrospect, the four of us just chilling strikes me as kind of odd. the whole thing was so last minute and out of the blue and strange.
in any case, i was already pretty tipsy by the time we decided to leave and get more booze for some reason. we didn’t end up getting more booze, but we did walk all the way to mackenzie’s apartment in a drunken stuppor. bram kept hitting his bike against things even though he claimed to be sober. and then he left to go get mcdonalds because apparently not-so-good food trumps way-too-good-for-words company.
so it was just me, mackenzie and alex who headed up to mackenzie’s apartment and we pretty much all crashed as soon as we got there.
i left shortly afterwards to go home and pick up my stuff for work. i was still kind of buzzed when i started my shift and closing was a huge shitshow tonight. there were clothes EVERYWHERE and i had to standardize girls one (re: things that make me want to end my own life) before helping out with the MOUNDS and MOUNDS of clearance.
we ended up leaving at around one in the morning.
and then mackenzie and i went to fran’s for some late night dindin.
it was a long day – down time and arduous labour (folding clothes can get pretty physical) all rolled into one hazy day.
i didn’t have time to change out of my swim shorts before going to work, and i didn’t want to wear jeans so i looked pretty skimpy on the way home. i bumped into my sister (she’d been out catching the midnight showing of harry potter) part of the way so at least i had some company for the latter half of the journey.
and now i’m tired and also hungry and there’s nothing to eat because our waiter didn’t pack up my fettucini alfredo.
solution: sleep.
and now i’m off to watch another episode of the vampire diaries.
