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23 November Melody is MOVING into a KIWI!!HERE IT IS....FINALLY!
http://kiwi.mie.utoronto.ca/melody/
As much as I will miss MSN Spaces (my first blog home
Before you leave, please remember to take a few minutes and let me know how you feel about my MSN Spaces blog by filling out my survey. Thanks!
22 November Public speaking is the devilI had my thesis presentation today...boy was that fun (insert sarcastic tone here). Luckily it didn't go too horribly . I mentally prepared myself for the worst case scenarios...ie Having a mental blackout, forgetting my slides, tripping on the overhead projector which would break the bulb and set my hair on fire
 Lol, when you think of it that way and set your standards so low, it's easy to feel good after it's done and you still have your hair! 
19 November Party night
Last night was the UofT Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Dinner Dance
 at the Pavillion Royale. The event was all you can drink.Now, if you happen to know any engineers, chances are you probably know their philosophy of life: Work Hard, Party Hard!Needless to say, people were already throwing up at 10:30pm and by the end of the night there was an ambulance outside...lol. I wasn't drinking since I was the designated driver, but it's probably for the best otherwise I probably would have ended up in the ambulance too!
 Other than that I have to say it was a very pleasant evening. For dinner I was sitting with a few friends and a couple of Profs. It was actually a really good chance to talk to profs in a non-academic setting. Who knew profs are people too? Just joking...i'm gonna get in trouble for that one
 Anyway that was my friday night. If you have a better story from the weekend I wanna hear it!
15 November Canadian Ruby Shooting Rubys 
This Montreal based band writes and delivers their own work. Their music is a refreshing collection of Alt.Pop / Rhythm Rock / Americana flavour. Check out their latest called "Into the Sun" which is recorded live. I was checking out their website and on the home page they have two really funny quotes that made me laugh:
11 November You might recognize this one from Canadian Idol I found a new band on InDiscover named Discourse Poetic. Band members consist of Amy Thiessen and Jarred Nicklen:
If you think Amys' name sounds familiar it's because she had a short run at "Canadian Idol". Now, Amy is more determined than ever to use her spirituality and creativity to overcome life's obstacles through her music.
Jarred Nicklen, the other band member, views music as his personal remedy. He's also a spiritual person, driven by his piano and guitar. His music is actually comparable to the Counting Crows but I think he describes it best by saying... "Sometimes music is the only way out. Sometimes music is the only remedy. Sometimes music is the only thing left. ... It’s ok to feel good about feeling sad. "
The song that got my attention was 'You'll be Missed'
 by Jarred. 07 November Help Support the End to Violence Against Women
"Join Upstage Productions and the White Ribbon Campaign this Wednesday evening for a special cocktail reception that will bring you delicious treats, stimulating conversation, and to complete the memorable evening, an award-winning theatrical performance. We step into the world of violence towards women through a captivating performance packaged with an interactive cocktail reception that heightens our awareness about just how close these horrors can hit home. Even if you can’t get tickets – this is one reception no man or women can afford to miss.
Wednesday November 9th, 2005
Cocktail reception beings at 6:30pm
Show begins promptly at 8:00pm
The Harbourfront Center Tickets including cocktail reception $17 For tickets, call Harbourfront Centre at: 416-973-4000 Please Quote: Collective Soul for your special $17 rate (reception and show) For more information visit:
To support this great cause 'Daughters' by John Mayer has been selected as today's song of the day. Click on the link to watch the video for the heart-warming song. If this song doesn't make you want to support the Campaign, I don't know what will!
03 November Someone get this guy a girlfriend so that he'll stop singing....PLEASEI thought I'd dedicate this entry to all the not-so-good music I've come across in my attempt to find the hidden Canadian gems...
Today's feature goes straight into the
Hall of Shame
'Sundress' by 5 Pieces of Hungry is so blatantly awful it makes me laugh. Even if the lyrics are just the result of bad humour, it's not as if the rest of the song makes up for it. There is clearly no talent here at all...I hope these guys don't give up their Kingston Day jobs
That's right, Melody can be cruel too  02 November Midterm bluesHere comes the crazy time of the year where I start to pull my hair out and STRESS
....I need to find a good song to get me through the next couple of week of midterms and projects  . Let me know what your favorite 'stress-relief' songs are and after these two weeks, I'll put out a list of my 5 favorite'GET ME THROUGH MIDTERMS' songs  31 October It's HalloweenHAPPY HALLOWEEN!
In honor of the festivities I found the perfect song for the occasion: DO THEY KNOW IT’S HALLOWE’EN is a benefit song featuring Beck, Sum 41 and The Arcade Fire. The group is known as the North American Halloween Prevention Initiative. The proceeds from the song is donated to UNICEF charity so go check it out!
Also, here is an article for more info if you're interested: article link.
I hope you all have an AMAZING NIGHT ...come back to tell me all about it. .If you have funny pictures 26 October Candian talent on stage tonightI just found out that Vivek Shraya is playing tonight at Holy Joe's (651 Queen St W - Downtown Toronto). I really like his music and his style - he's very talented, so if you're in the area go check him out.
Here are the details:
Holy Joe's (651 Queen St W)
Wednesday October 26th
Doors @ 9pm, cover $5.00
25 October Blogger favoritesSam Champion is an alternative band from the states recommended by Shannon. I checked them out on myspace and they had a few good songs playing. Listen to them online or find out where they're playing cuz Shannon says they put on a great live show. 19 October That's fresh alright
Today's indie song is called 'Fresh Cocktails' by a new Minneapolis basement band called Tokyo Love Crash. November will mark the one year anniversary
“We’re still a new band, just trying get something started. We have to learn how to crawl, before we can walk. But crawling has got us to some exciting places, and we have grown accustom to the smell of the floor.”
I thought that was pretty funny, but in all fairness the band seems to be doing well. They've already written over 60 songs and have been known to collaborate with other Minneapolis talent at local live shows. The band draws its influences from all over the spectrum - Led Zeppelin to Bob Dylan.
I think we'll be hearing a lot more from this exciting group in the next few years as the band continues to evolve and produce a unique and more sophisticated sound. 17 October Meeting of MindsCASCON
The 15th annual international CASCON conference hosted by the IBM Centers for Advanced Studies is THIS WEEK! This computer science and software engineering conference is an excellent venue for exchanging ideas, showcasing tools, and networking with researchers and practitioners from academia, industry, and government. CASCON is an opportunity to present research, discuss, and learn.
The UofT Interactive Media Lab will be at the hands-on workshop and will have a poster titled Blogs and Communities - Using Blogs to Build Communities at Technology showcase on Tuesday and Wednesday. The exhibit is about how one can build communities using blogs. It'll be great so if you're interested in learning about blogging and communties come check it out!
This year's 15th annual conference will be held at the Sheraton Parkway, North of Toronto. There is NO FEE TO ATTEND OR PARTICIPATE so go to the website or the official CASCON Blog (new this year) to find out more. Here is my song of the day. I picked this tune for all the hard working Lab members who put together the blogging exhibit for CASCON! You're listening to André Nobels, a 27 year old folk-rock Canadian singer-songwriter.
 Ouu Ouu...Gimme a little of your Soul Fever 13 October Rain rain go away...Here's another great song by markovich/a.m.p. called 'When the Sky Fell Down'. It's a soft song with a dark mood...perfect for rainy nights
 when you're home alone  .
10 October October FunHAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
October is such a pretty month..the trees changing colour, the thanksgiving long weekend....and you all know what's next...that's right Halloween...mmm chocolate
! I got tagged by Shelly and Alesha to do a halloween quiz so here goes:1. WHAT DO YOU MOST LIKE ABOUT HALLOWEEN? Convincing my mom to buy tons of candy (for the neighbourhood children of course) and then eating everything that's left over.
2. WHAT DO YOU LIKE LEAST ABOUT HALLOWEEN? Trick or treating in snow (doesn't that suck!)...this year will probably be nice though, lucky kids....back in my day it was freezing!
3. WHEN WAS YOUR FAVORITE HALLOWEEN AND WHY?
It was in high school...me and my friends dressed up as the SPICE GIRLS (i can't believe i'm admitting to this) and then went to a coffee shop that was really a high school hang out...Wow we were such losers..and to think I was SCARY Spice (LOL common picture it...how funny is that?)
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HALLOWEEN TREAT?
I like kit cat, aero, coffee crisp, caramilk.....ok i like them all...but no healthy stuff...what's up with ppl that give out fruit and raisins
5. DO YOU STILL GO OUT TRICK OR TREAT NIGHT?
No, but maybe I can start taking my nephew...it's for him, I swear!
6. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COSTUME? Fluffy chicken suit...oh and when chubby cute babies wear big pumpkin outfits...so cute!
7. WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? Those rubber masks that look real
8. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE HALLOWEEN MOVIE? I dunno they all suck but on that note I just saw the exorcism of Emily Rose and it was decent I think I'm missing out cuz i've never seen one...but i'm sure I would like it 07 October Shelly's Guest Blog!A while ago Shelly left a comment on one of my entries recommending an indie band for me to check out…well seeing as she has great taste in music (if you don’t believe me check out her space and find out for yourself), I asked her to guest blog about it on my space…..so here is her wicked entry:
"Well, Melody was kind enough to ask me to do up a guest post on her space here, and really, I’m never one to turn down a request from a beautiful woman with a really cute smile…but thanks for the opportunity, Melody! You rock! Alright, I’m here to introduce you all to some stuffola. Let’s start with ….Le Tigre. “What is Le Tigre?” you may be asking yourself… Le Tigre is a trio of three lesbian women from New York who set out to make “a new kind of feminist pop music.” Indie-Electronic is probably the best way to describe these girls; oh and kinda bizarre and loud and crazy and slightly messed up. Some of their stuff has a political slant. I don’t necessarily mean singing about Bush (no pun intended), but usually the girly stuff, the feminism stuff. You can really hear it on “F.Y.R.” “Dyke March 2001” and “On Guard” off of the Feminist Sweepstakes album. Yeah, there’s a reason why this album has “feminist” in it’s title. Other good tracks to check out on this album: “Shred A” “TGIF” “My Art” and the instrumental “Cry for Everything Bad That’s Ever Happened.” Want to hear something a little more, uh, fun from these ladies? Check out “Deceptacon” off of their debut album. This track is essentially a dance track with the craziest frickin’ lyrics I’ve heard in a while. I’m not even so sure the song makes any sense…but, you know what? It doesn’t even matter. My favorite lyrics: “Who took the Bomp from the Bompalompalomp? Trust me, fun to sing along with. If you’re an LCD Soundsystem fan, they did a remix of Le Tigre’s “Deceptacon.” Well worth checking out. I’ll be honest though, Le Tigre is an acquired taste. They’re not for everyone. Very unique though, worth hearing just for kicks. Something a little more mainstream now: The Canadian group, The Organ. These five women hail from Vancouver and have actually appeared on Showtime’s The L Word. I guess, for me anyways, they sound like a mellowed-out, indie Garbage. Their lead singer’s voice (Katie Sketch) is almost haunting and fairly easy on the ears, but at times it feels like one can only listen to them for so long before it gets a bit monotonous. Still good though! Don’t get me wrong… Stand-out track from their debut album, Grab That Gun, would have to be “Brother.” With a chorus that’ll get stuck in your head and lyrics that I’m still trying to figure out, it’s my favorite. Other good tunes: “Love, Love, Love” “Sinking Hearts” “A Sudden Death” and “Memorize the City.” There you go, a couple a bands, both completely different from one another, different sounds. And so concludes our lesson for today, here’s your homework:
This track is very club-friendly, bass-y as all heck. The lyrics kick butt too! Make sure you listen to the lyrics! Laterz All! Shelly"
05 October Dundas square on a tuesday night?I was passing by Eaton Center (downtown Toronto) last night and noticed a couple of large crowds gathered in Dundas Square. On one side of the road there were some teenages break dancing (quite impressive actually)
 On the other side was a spanish guitar band named 'Gypsy' performing and selling their Cd's.
 All in all it was really refreshing change from the usual...sometimes entertainment is just outside your door.
03 October Research SurveyHello fellow blog friends...I have a favour to ask all of you
 If you have a few minutes to spare, I would really appreciate it if you could fill out the survey below. Thank you!
We are conducting an academic research project to explore methods for building communities on blogs. In particular, this research will help us understand what features encourage contributions to blogging communities.
The first part of the survey will ask you some questions about yourself and the rest will ask you to reflect upon your participation in the blog: How about that...Melody? Your participation is completely voluntary and anonymous. Your email address or any other information cannot be attached to this survey. You may stop the survey at any time. If you have any questions or comments, please contact the researcher in charge of this study, Annie Xu at (416) 946-3995, or her supervisor, Professor Mark Chignell at (416) 978-8571. If you agree to participate, please click on this link: I AGREE. 01 October OutLo and the Magnetics is a Montreal based 5-piece band formerly known as 'The Kingpins'. The lead singer has a great voice that makes their pop/ska/new wave music truly unique. Check this song 'Out':
Lyrics 'Out' By Lo and the Magnetics All the boys have bigger plans The undertaste is poison Lay your burden down beside me Have you ever learned your lesson You're floating out so aimless Out 29 September SUDSFor those of you that are in university or college maybe you can relate to my experience last Friday night. I decided to go to the engineering cafeteria where on Fridays they sell beer and play loud music...a weekly event called SUDS. Being in my last year I was already starting to feel a little nostalgic and I figured I should appreciate my last year as a student by taking part in more campus activities. Boy was that a mistake. Last Friday at Suds they had a live student band performing...one that made me wish I wasn't so alive. Just to give you a little sample of the torture I was enduring, I got my boyfriend to record a clip on his mp3 player. I wanted to make sure that it wasn't the 3 dollar Smirnoff Ice that was impairing my hearing so we recorded it and if you really want to subject yourself to some bad music, press play on the media player below. I didn't set it to autoplay because...well...that's just mean. I'm almost positive that their rendition of 'We will we will Rock you' made Freddie Mercury himself turn over in his grave. In any case, we'll give these guys the benefit of the doubt and we'll call them 'artists in the making'
 . (Pics taken with mobile camera - sorry if the quality isn't good)
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)...I think it's time to spread my wings and discover new blogging capabilities. Check out my new blog for amazing new features including:
of your costume e-mail them to me and I’ll put them up !
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