The other day i had 2 large coffees in the morning… NOT A GOOD IDEA. Oh my dear lanta, why Steph? Why?!! Well, because three quarters of the way through a meeting, there were still 3 untouched coffees left at the center of the table. It would be a shame to let those coffees go to waste, no? Glug, glug, glug my second one. For many others, drinking 2 coffees is part of a regular routine but for me it was a shock to the system.
I’ve always had this fear of consuming too much caffeine because of all the addiction stories i’ve heard. Headaches, shakes, life-depleting dependence! (some stories more extreme than others!) I only started drinking coffee a couple years ago and still in moderation. I might have a coffee a couple times a week and always a small size. I purposefully keep it at a distance even as i enjoy it more over time. Heck, I went through my entire university degree having never drank a single cup of coffee.
But soon after our meeting ended, my head was spinning and felt heavy as an anvil. I found a place to sit and put my head down. I learned how uncomfortable an irregular heartbeat is. I took for granted that I don’t usually have to actively think through breathing. I was visualizing cartooned receptors in my brain going crazy. My body was affected for the next 12 hours.
Okay- I’ve learned my lesson. Cursed caffeine, never again.
I had such a fun Grammy-filled day! It started with the Pre-Tel Ceremony in the early afternoon where the bulk of the Grammy Awards are given away before the main festivities happen during prime time. This is the first year ever that the Pre-Tel (Pre-Telecast) has been made available to watch streaming online so I was happy to to oblige. A lot of the “lesser known” categories are recognized here (e.g. Instrumental, Classical, Latin, Jazz, Gospel, Choral, Technical/ Engineering, etc) but still many of the main categories are represented as well (e.g. Pop, R&B, Country, Rock, Rap, Alternative, etc).
Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Michael Buble, Beyonce, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga all won hardware at the Pre-Tel but none of them were present to accept any of it– disappointing! I’m sure there’s a lot to do in prepping performances or being on the red carpet, etc, but it would’ve been nice to see them accept in person. So that’s why I especially appreciated the fact that Taylor Swift made a point to be there. Good thing cos she won her first 2 Grammys at the Pre-Tel! Best Country Song and Female Country Solo (both for “White Horse”). It was heart-warming to see her label there cheering and taking photos in the audience, like proud parents. Genuine and humble.
Then, Red Carpet, dresses, short interviews– i love pre-show stuff! Quickly, onto the main event! My reflections:
Performances: Lady Gaga’s opening was super entertaining. Beyonce can whip her hair ’round! No idea where that Alanis Morrisette cover came from though. Pink was crazy cool– hidden talents much! Bon Jovi was so fun, especially “Living on a Prayer” with Sugarland. Taylor Swift’s delightful Butch Walker-inspired arrangement of “You Belong With Me” made up for her lesser vocals. Stevie Nicks is legendary and banjos are sexy! Mary J. Blige and Bocelli’s “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” for the Haiti Tribue was AMAZING. Michael Jackson tribute- power singers! It only lacked in 3D glasses on my end. Btw, Prince and Paris Jackson saying a few words for their father was very sweet. Well-spoken, bravo. Drake, Eminem and Lil’ Wayne- and the beat goes down, ba doom.
Highlights: Beyonce was fierce winning 6 of 10! What a humble acceptance speech during Best Female Pop Vocal. And, Song of the Year with “Single Ladies”– glad it got its recognition. Kings of Leon snagging 3 of 4 nods is very commendable. Though they’re ‘calm, cool and collected,’ it’s very apparent that they are thankful. Record of the Year, I didn’t expect that but I’m happy for them! Lady Gaga winning the Dance categories was appropriate as her other 3 noms in Song, Record and Album were not going to happen with the Beyonce, Taylor, and KOL as competition. Just too strong.
All in all, it was definitely Taylor’s fearless night in taking home the most prestigious Album of the Year amongst her 4 of 8 gramophones! Youngest artist ever to win that category. I’m very happy for her, a much deserved win. It was added fun being at Laura’s little Grammys party as we screamed and cheered at the screen during Taylor’s Album of the Year win. YES!
Back in December I started writing a lengthy blog post about “Why I Like Taylor Swift” but because January has been such a busy month i never got to re-visit it until a couple days ago. I was hoping to roll it out before the Grammys tonight but that’s not likely to happen so it should be soon after.
Until then though, I wanted to make a few comments on the biggest night in music. Taylor Swift has been nominated for 8 Grammys and it’s not out of the question that she sweeps the top 3 categories of Album, Record, and Song of the Year. If Taylor doesn’t win Song of the Year, it’ll be because of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.” Beyonce is great and 10 nominations speak for itself.
I do think Taylor will win Record of the Year with “You Belong With Me” even with the stiff competition. Beyonce would be even greater competition if “Single Ladies” was submitted in this category instead of “Halo.” But my most confident prediction for Taylor is winning Album of the Year. It would be a darn shame if she didn’t as “Fearless” has been the highest selling album for 2009 with over 3.2 million copies in the calendar year alone. That brings “Fearless’” total to over 5 million– 5x platinum! Not to mention it’s been on Billboard’s Top Ten for 54 weeks, the longest running country album on that chart, ever.
A couple more thoughts: kudos to Kings of Leon with “Use Somebody” being nominated in 4 categories! One song for 4 Grammys, crazy. And also, it’s too bad that Lady Gaga couldn’t qualify for the Best New Artist category (since she had a nomination last year for “Just Dance”) cos she deserves that one. Many other thoughts but i’ll leave it at that. Still choked I couldn’t be there in person but nevertheless I am looking forward to Grammy night!
You wouldn’t believe it but today I won 2 tickets to the Grammys this weekend. YES. I’M NOT EVEN KIDDING. I FREAKIN’ WON 2 TICKETS TO THE GRAMMYS!!!!!!!!!
But SAAAAAAAD TIMES, after winning them I had to pass it on to the next person cos this contest win could only be claimed in the US. SAAAAAAAAD TIMES. Oh, it hurt. It would have been SO flippin’ awesome to be there.
This is how it went. The Grammys have been doing Twitter contests. They tweet out trivia questions and first one to reply with the correct answer wins. Simple. They asked:
1st correct reply @TheGRAMMYs wins two Bronze tickets to the 52nd GRAMMY’s. Name the five artists with six or more current GRAMMY Nominations
I read the question and replied in less than a minute of them tweeting it. “I know the answerrrrrrr!” Click click click away and SEND!
Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Black Eyed Peas, Kanye West, Maxwell
I get a Direct Message from @TheGRAMMYs to find out i’m the first one to reply correctly. WAAAAAAWWWWWEEESOMME!! This is a million times better than the free 2010 Grammys Nominations CD i just won last week.
But it was short lived. After messaging back and forth with @TheGRAMMYs, turns out i can’t claim the prize as the contest is within the US. Massive excitement plummeted from 100million to zero. I was at work on campus at the time and it was a sad, upsetting hour. Oh dear, if only you were there to witness my pathetic whimpering and dramatic disappointment. Just ask my staff team. They absolutely pitied me– in a sympathetic way. Oh, it hurt. Imagine… I could’ve been in L.A. this weekend, AT THE GRAMMYs, seeing Taylor Swift take home some serious hardware.
@TheGRAMMYs was sympathetic towards me, too. They messaged me saying they were sorry it couldn’t be mine. That was nice knowing they were appreciative for me participating (slight, ever so slight comfort)
I’m so sorry! Great job answering fast & correctly – thanks for playing!
I know, I know. It’s not the end of the world; life moves on. But it would have been tres awesome to be there, live at the 52nd annual Grammys.
I’m so proud to see the world respond to Haiti with generosity and compassion. We really need to rally as many people as possible to extend aid to those in need, to “the least of these.” Especially us in the Western world; we must leverage our position away from selfishness and towards compassion. Compassion is active. Not just a passive pity.
Watching the news and photos and videos is so heartwrenching. Photos of dumptrucks unloading piles and piles of dead bodies into mass graves, holes essentially. Unbelievable. Check out these 38 COMPELLING PHOTOS. Please.
With tonight’s “Canada for Haiti” and “Hope for Haiti Now,” i’m reminded again that despite the fact that “I don’t materially and financially have a lot”– that is merely a relative statement. Relative to a very small percentage of the world’s population. I, in fact, am in an incredibly privileged position. And i will be held accountable for that at the end of it all.
I’m reminded again, that even if i’ve given, I can give again. And i hope others would do the same. IF WE DON’T GIVE, WHO WILL? There’s no passing the buck to the next person on this one.
There are so many awesome organizations out there, on the ground right now, whom you can give to. If you don’t know where to start I will highlight 2 orgs that i’m directing my own giving. The first is my own employer, Power to Change. The humanitarian aid division of Power to Change, called Global Aid Network, are in Haiti meeting the immediate needs of those hurting. Check them out out at www.globalaid.net to give. Check out the Global Aid Network (GAiN) Facebook Fan Page to see pictures and videos of what the teams are doing on the ground to help. Working for a non-profit organization has made me so grateful and proud to know people who are personally involved.
Our help complements the initial waves of humanitarian aid that pour into a country in the wake of a disaster. Many countries have relied on networks of local churches to be a primary conduit for the flow of health care, humanitarian aid, and even education. Rebuilding churches is a means of restoring infrastructure in a country through which aid can flow into local communities which so desperately need it.
As a Christian, I want to especially come alongside the churches in Haiti to bring restoration and healing. But regardless of your beliefs, we can all find an organization to partner with. Find the one you want to particularly support. We can all help. And we all should. Pray and Give.
.. because I just won a contest on Twitter.com/TheGRAMMYs! They did a contest to give away the 2010 Grammy Nominees CD that just released a few days ago. There were 10 copies to be won and I managed to snag one! It’s not a huge prize but I love free stuff and I love music… bada bing, bada boom.
The tweet went out: “First reply @TheGRAMMYs with a twitpic of yourself and one of @TheFray’s CDs wins a 2010 GRAMMY Nominees CD!”
Conveniently, I was picking up something at the mall when this went out and HMV was 4 stores away so i walked in, grabbed The Fray’s self-titled (but not debut) album and a click of the camera, voila.
Notice how the plastic is still on the CD. Well, soon enough TheGRAMMYs tweeted out the winner and c’est moi! I LOVE FREE STUFF!
If we’re able to spend even a few bucks on ourselves, whether it’s a latte on the go at Starbucks, going out to a movie, buying ice cream at the grocery store, etc, then we’re able to give a few bucks (probably and hopefully more) to those in need. A major earthquake has recently rocked the island nation of Haiti, killing multitudes. Comprehensive news and updates at CNN and every other news outlet.
My friend found a consolidated list of a dozen charities helping Haiti relief efforts I’m posting here. If you are in Canada, you can redirect to the Canadian division of international organizations (e.g. Compassion Canada, World Vision Canada, etc)
11 Charities Collecting Donations for Haiti (taken from DesiringGod.org)
I would like to also add what Power to Change is doing through its subsidiary organization, Global Aid Network (GAiN) – you can click here to read more or give through them.
I’m super excited for the Grammy’s coming up on Jan 31st! I like watching award shows a lot and there’s nothing bigger than The Grammy’s when it comes to music. I’ve taken a liking to this website they’ve rolled out called, We’re All Fans. It’s a simple concept but visually superb.
The marketing and promo guys behind The Grammy’s have come up with a creative and fun way to reel in the fans by giving them a sense of empowerment… or, at least some acknowledgment. Regardless, smart move. I think it’s so neat that they’ve consolidated all those fan postings and covers. Check out this very short but delightful 30 second video promo:
I love getting my hands on new music and have recently added another 10+ albums. There will always be music i want to buy; there’s never a time i can’t think of some album i’d like to have. The necessity of prioritizing is key.
There’s a broad range of music i enjoy but I usually have a few albums that I’ll listen to in concentrated spurts. For example, I’ll be playing 1-3 albums that I’m really into non-stop for a certain amount of time. Literally, the same album, over and over. While i’m working, cooking, sleeping, driving, idling. Love it. And, then I’ll filter other albums in rotations over time.
Though I love continually adding to my personal music catalogue, I have to weigh my purchasing decisions and cue which CD will be next. (Currently, next in line is Carrie Underwood’s, Play On. It’s been out for 2 months and it shall be mine before the end of January!) Of course, a big part of my decision-making is previewing the various songs first. Enter: MySpace, YouTube, artist websites, etc. But, there are a few bands/artists where that is not necessary. I will mentally countdown their release dates, jump to buy it the day of without ever needing to preview anything. Those artists include:
Angels & Airwaves – recording new album, releasing in February, yes! Brooke Fraser – writing new album, can. not. waaaiiiiit. Greg Laswell – still enjoying this year’s EP, waiting on next LP. Mat Kearney – so disappointed he didn’t play in Calgary, so jealous friends went to his Vancouver show. Taylor Swift – i love this girl. i have a heck of a lot of respect for her. William Fitzsimmons – touring Europe, come back to Canada! i will sell your merch anytime. U2 – since their last album took 4 years of touring, it may be a while before the next album. Still loving NLOTH though.
Btw, I’m in the middle of writing a blog post entitled, “Why I Like Taylor Swift.” It’s long. I might break it up into a series but we’ll see. Still thinking it through but I’m excited to share my thoughts. I’m a big fan and i’d even fly to another city to see her in concert were it not already all sold out. Random fact: In December alone, I must have listened through Fearless over 30 times. That’s not counting her first album either. See what I mean about concentrated spurts? I’ve done that with every artist i listed above and many more. I heart music.
In my opinion, one of the biggest things that has happened in 2009: Twitter.
Though Twitter has been around for while, it wasn’t until this year that it really exploded into what it is. I have a few thoughts as to why…
(1) The proliferation of smartphones. The public is increasingly becoming owners of iPhones, Blackberries and the like, so the instantaneous nature of Twitter updating in real-time complements our accelerated pace in technology. If you’re not already using Twitter in a mobile fashion on a smartphone, the appeal of Twitter is one factor that compels many to start. Ka-ching for Apple, RIM and competitors.
(2) Twitter is effective in advertising and as a news source. As if marketing online wasn’t accessible enough, it just got more… accessible. You don’t even need to be sitting down in front of your computer and surfing the net to come across a company’s ad. No, now it’s just, “Bam” sent to your phone like a text message. But how did they get permission to send their cleverly-worded marketing to you? Well, because Ellen Degeneres or Shaq or Demi Moore liked it and tweeted it, and then your own personal friends re-tweeted it. Brilliant.
(3) Which leads me to my next thought: Twitter has skyrocketed due to celebrity. We live in an unprecedented time where we can actually hear (not literally, well for the most part anyway) directly from celebrities. Who needs to write into a PO Box Fanmail site when it’s now just a few clicks away? And who needs to read People Magazine to get the latest dish on Hollywood when People itself will write many articles based on recent celebrity tweets?
It’s so fascinating. I myself started a Twitter account in the summer not for a personal social network but to follow a few select celebrities, sort-of-celebrities, musicians, etc. I had no desire to use Twitter on a personal level- no one’s interested in what i’m doing. But, what is Ashton Kutcher doing? “I’m interested!” Actually, I’M not interested but over 4.1 million people are.
Those who i am interested in? Well, unashamedly i think one of the most interesting people i follow is Hailey Glassman. Laugh all you want but i’m telling you, it’s intriguing! She’s very honest in her tweets, maybe too much, but she’s not very good at spelling (at least on the go). And, I still pray for the Gosselins so i follow Jon, too (though he hasn’t tweeted in a while).
Jim Carrey updates often and is pretty funny and random. Taylor Swift is probably who i enjoy following most. She’s so flippin’ endearing and wholesome, I’m honestly very happy for her in all her success this year. Scott Harrison, president of charity: water, gives great and concise updates on the immense impact they’re having. I’m thrilled at how much influence they’ve gained over the last 2 years since I first heard about charity: water. And, Brooke Fraser, still my favorite. Those are a few people i enjoy having a little peek at every now and again.
So, after about 6 months of fiddling with Twitter on and off, I’m considering possibly using it for personal updates now. One of the main reasons is my recently founded accessibility. Back to my first reasoning of smartphones, I am now mobile with a Blackberry (I’ll have to get around to sharing my steal-of-a-deal story surrounding my Blackberry and phone plan). Even before the hype of Twitter, I’ve always had random thoughts on the go. Now that I can digitally jot them down, maybe I will. I’ve thought about whether this is going to turn into something about numbers, but I don’t think so. I can’t imagine having very many followers anyway. I think i’d still mostly stick to following people i don’t know as I feel decently connected with people i do know already since i’m a faithful Facebook-er. But we’ll see, i’ll fiddle some more. If you are an active Twitter-er, feel free to try to convince me with reasons to cross the line…
