The Best Day

AXE Consumer Consultant 2010: THANK YOU!

2010-05-19T16:41:00.000-04:00

So I Thought I Could Dance...

2010-05-18T19:49:00.000-04:00

Javier. Javierrr. Javierrrrrrrrrrrr.

Sounds like the name of a smooth, very sweaty, hip-swingin' ballroom dancer with a Latin flavour, doesn't it? Oh, but he was so much more that that...

Just when I thought my very first ballroom dancing experience couldn't get anymore stereotypical, Javier proved to me the saying never say never...

Now wait a minute! How did I even get myself into this situation?... a question I ask myself everyday. Well, it started like this... read on homies...

I was sitting at home one afternoon, I think it was a Thursday, when the phone rang and the screen read "Blue Heel Dance." Having no idea what this meant, I stared at it for a few seconds before deciding to answer.

Hello?
- Hello miss, how are you today?
I'm fine, thank you.
- Is anyone in your household interested in trying ballroom dancing?

Now usually this is anybody's cue to suddenly go hard of hearing... the phone to cut out... a baby to start crying... a dog to attack... But not today. After a long pause I thought to myself, I know what it feels like to be on the sales side, I know the excuses, I know the rejection, so YES, I am interested in ballroom dancing! I'm so glad you called! Maybe his name was Alejandro or Fernando or Roberto, who knows? Or maybe I'm singing Lady Gaga? All I do know is that I agreed to a one-on-one ballroom dancing lesson, and yes, I would like to bring a date!

Cue my Aunt. About a week prior, we decided to start a tradition where every Wednesday night we would do an activity we had never tried before. On the inaugural Wednesday, my Aunt invited me to join her at yoga. I was hesitant and judgmental. All my life I had thrived on throwing elbows and diving headers, and never had I once pictured myself connecting with the four corners of my feet in downward dog. Ommmmm.

Initially, I hated it. I hated everything about yoga. I hated the breathing. I hated the quiet. I hated that I wasn't flexible. I vowed that I would never take part in another yoga class as long as I shall live. And what do you know... a few days later and I'm going to yoga class twice a week and loving it! Call me hypocritical, but I came around.

Anyways, back to the big, bad point of this post! Ballroom dancing. My Aunt and I entered the dimly lit studio laughing nervously, when we were swiftly greeted by the one and only Javier. Our nerves were obvious, so he sat us down to give a small introduction and very convincing pep talk. And then to my surprise, the time had come, the time to ballroom dance. I think back to last Thursday when I agreed to all of this... did I regret it? I don't think so. I was so overwhelmed that I didn't know what to think! The fact that I was in a dance studio at that moment, watching a sweaty Latino man swing his hips a bit too loosely for my liking, was seriously boggling my mind. But in a cool way. I can now say that I, Jaime, have been ballroom dancing. I'll wager that not many of my friends can say the same. And was it painful? Not at all! It was a blast. I learned to Rumba, and my boy Javier said I was even a natural. Huh. Who woulda thunk?

Next on the docket... a shooting range.

I'll see ya when I see ya,

j

Bucket List 3.0

2010-05-10T13:16:00.001-04:00

Drum roll please... I making yet another addition to my Bucket List. Before seeing Iron Man 2 yesterday there was a preview for the final instalment of the Shrek series. It reminded me of something I've always wanted to do...

14. Voice a character in an animated television show/movie

If I could pick any cartoon character, I would chooooooooose... Spinelli from Recess! So bad ass.

14.5 - Own something like this...

WOOHOO!

j

Super Cool

2010-05-10T12:57:00.001-04:00

Eleven days from today I am going to see Taylor Swift, THE T. Swizzle, in concert! These tickets came to me last November in my Paediatric Growth & Development class where I was more interested in getting great seats than learning about a rare eight-legged child from India. Needless to say, I am very excited for this concert. Though what I didn't know about Tay Swift is that, with the newly updated Facebook, I can actually access her "profile" which is more like a fan page. But this is a very different kind of fan page. It's different because she has contol over her page, and not a random techie she hired. Her writing is wickedly honest and very funny, and as a fan I appreciate that! I lawled at this picture...

Another person I think is freakin' awesome is Ellen DeGeneres. Probably the funniest person on TV in my opinion! She can relate to absolutely anybody on the planet and be humorous without having so humiliate. Just watch her monologues and you'll see what I mean when she can turn any situation into a funny situation. I realize I'm not conveying a gigantic point in this blog post, but hey, I was inspired by the supercool Taylor Swift yesterday and I wanted to write about it!
Iz dat kewl wit u!?

Oh yeah, and Steve Nash is a cool, one-eyed basketball superstar too!

Party on,

j

Muchos Gracias!

2010-05-05T18:34:00.004-04:00

The time has come the walrus said, to thank a billion people.

First off, to anyone and everyone who was even remotely connected or involved in my quest for AXE Canada's Ridiculously, Ridiculously Good Summer Gig, my hat's off to you, brotha. I would be nowhere without all the love and support from a circle a people whose size I couldn't have even imagined! But if I may, I'd like to break it down for ya'll...

MY FAMILY - From east to west and north to south, I have family everywhere and I would like to thank them all! I could rely on you to vote daily and perhaps even from thirty computers in a hospital. Thank you for all the wonderfully kind emails and messages, I am truly blessed to have such a big, caring family.

MOM - As I stated in my video, I would be nowhere today had you not bought me the alphabet placemat when I was four... really, nowhere. Thank you for your constant promotion to literally every person you talked to, especially your office! Props to The Oakville Soccer Club for being my #1 fans.

DAD - Even if the "Date & Tell" concept keeps you awake at night, thank you for standing by me and recognizing all the hard work I put into getting this gig.

MY ROOMMATES - Thank you for enduring this competition and even having fun with it! To Lauren - I would be lost without your wardrobe and style advice. Thank you for always lending me your clothes and taking pictures for Challenge #1. Maddi - Thank you for contributing your artistic talents and making the infamous AXE axe! Mel - This competition got the best of me at times, so thank you for dealing with my meltdowns and always encouraging me.

TARYN - I am lucky to have a friend as talented and musically gifted as you are. Thank you for helping me with my AXE rap and reppin' the contest out east!

LIZ - Thank you for filmg the AXE rap... even if it was with a digital camera, you made it look great!

VICTORIA & SAMMY WHIT - Thank you for bringing AXE all the way west and into the bumpin' clubs of Miami.

To anyone who took pictures for Challenge #5, lent a creative idea, or spread the word to another person... THANK YOU!

Thanks for believing in me, I hope to make you proud this summer!

LOVE,

j

10

2010-05-05T17:35:00.002-04:00

Wow.

What a whirlwind the past couple days have been... and it's only just beginning!

After being chosen as the AXE Consumer Consultant last Friday, I have experienced a multitude of emotions, most of which I can happily state have been very positive. Why hasn't it all been rainbows and sunshine you ask? Well you see, when I recieved news that I had been chosen to work with the AXE team this summer, naturally, I celebrated. I jumped, I screamed, I ran circles... heck, I even shed a tear. But as the high of winning cooled off, I couldn't help but feel sad for the other eight finalists. Sad because I know firsthand how much effort and resources it took to compete for the Summer Gig. It was no easy task. Constant promotion and Facebook updates, along with challenges that tested our wit, creativity and sheer desire to win. Not to mention most of us attended University full-time and held down multiple jobs. Call it a contest for summer work if you wish, but as all ten finalists know, the quest for the Summer Gig was a committment and another job more or less. With that said, I would like to congratulate and commend the finalists on their hard work and kick ass effort. While it may have seemed like an extra credit course, it was no doubt exciting and tons of fun to be a part of with nine amazing people. However, the sad reality is not all ten finalists can be rewarded for their accomplishments over the past 4 months. And frankly, I think that sucks. So it is my hope that as many of finalists as possible can make it Toronto to celebrate a job and a condo each of us deserved.... a party for the AXE V.I.P.

Much love,

j

R.I.P. Visa

2010-04-25T00:11:00.001-04:00

First off, I would like to apologize for the brief hiatus. Blame it on the a-a-a-alcohol... just kidding, blame it on child labour AKA exams.

But now, being done school and all, there are so many things to look forward to!!! Things like not going to school and going to concerts! The summer concert count at the moment: Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley and John Mayer. Carrie Underwood tickets went on sale today, and, had my Visa bill not taken a beating the past few days of freedom, tickets would be mine, all MINE!

And so that's the way life goes I guess... Carrie's uberhot beau Mike Fisher also lost to Sid the Kid and the Pens tonight, so I guess it was an all around sad day in Carrie world. Another sad note of the day was my Visa cahhhd :'( But I can't help it! Listen...

Okay boys, you may not understand this... actually, I'm going to bank on it that you don't. However, today I embarked on an impromtu shopping trip wherein my Visa card damn well had a heart attack. Blame it on the shoes. Mind you, I didn't buy any shoes but I could have bought the whole mall! Saying no to shoes is like looking a puppy in the eye and walking away. Heart breaking, really. I tell you, the perfect pair of heels gives you a feeling like everything is right in the world... like the birth of your first child. It's magical. Not that I have had a first or any children, but when I watch TLC's "A Baby Story," I know that I'm sharing that same feeling of joy. It's a beautiful thing.

Anyways, this week is THE week ladies and gentlemen! I will let you know when I know :)

Hopefully I am a...

:) j

Bieber Fever 2.0

2010-04-16T14:30:00.000-04:00

I think it's safe to say I'm a little bit confused in life right now...

My iPod is literally rotating between deadmau5 and Justin Bieber.

All I want right now is a giant glass of cold chocolate milk.

Summer starts in 5 days, yet I have one exam left.

You know, the only thing I know for sure is how insanely happy I would be if chosen for the AXE Summer Gig. I can guarantee that I will work my butt off and have a summer to remember forever. But hey, fate's not in my hands anymore... let's just hope AXE appreciates grillz and a mighty fast alphabet.

When it doubt, rap it out!

j

Stir the Pot

2010-04-13T13:45:00.002-04:00

I just like to stir the pot.

Ruffle the feathers. Evoke emotion. Spice things up. Because sometimes... well, most of the time... things become too routine, too structured, too perfect. And that's why I like to stir the pot.

You see, it's frustrating to me when I see people falling back on their old ways because "that's what always happens" or "it's the way it goes." Here's a novel idea. How about this is your life and you can decide how you want it to go! Funny thought, eh? So stop "resting on your laurels" as dem old folk say.

As an almost daily example of my pot-stirringness, I like to throw down in the gym with the meatheads. Not exactly. What I actually do is go where no woman has gone before (correction, very few women, those brave souls), the free weights. Yep! The bicep curlers and chest pressers go into a frenzy because God forbid a girl step foot into their beach body haven. The reaction is comparable to a girl walking into a male changeroom, a la "WTF!?" Hate to break it to you boys, but I have a tip for you muscle maniacs... Look down. No, past THAT. See those things down there? Those are called your legs and you are able to exercise them, too! Crazy, I know. I thought chest and bi's were the only body parts too, don't worry, you're not the only one...

Make no mistake boys, you look very nice and all but I feel like the Rosa Parks of the gym somedays when you literally step in front of me, jump ahead on machines, and basically disrespect every rule of gym etiquette. Because everyone knows where the girls belong... Go back to your treadmill, crazy lady!

Well I will not. I will continue to take up space in the weight room because I think it's down right hilarious the looks on your faces. And don't get me wrong ladies, there's no checking out here, nope, this is a territorial issue now and I'm crossing the line. Just the way I like it :)

Girl Powa!

j

Insane in the Membrane

2010-04-12T20:29:00.004-04:00

It's a funny time of the year.

A time for cramming your brain and losing your mind. Welcome, my friends, to exam season. And this ain't just any old exam time, this is April exams, the nuttiest month of the year.

I've realized many things during the most unwonderful time of the year... I've learned that procrastination comes in all shapes and sizes. For example, I've noticed myself doing things, all things, in place of studying. Things like brushing my teeth multiple times a day, practicing my no-handed, eyes-closed bicycle riding, and of course, perfecting the art of sleep. It seems as though when exams hit I morphed into a cat and could literally sleep at all hours of the day in any location necessary.

Other exam oddities include making my bed every morning and after every nap, an increasing urge to play frisbee (perhaps on a bike so I could simultaneously practice my no-handed trickiness), and buying a dog just so I can run in the sun, sun, sun!

But not to worry, I should return back to "normal" in approximately 8 days, 15 hours, and 30 minutes. Until then, I shall remain zombie-like waiting in great anticipation for great news from AXE!

By the way, here's a source of temporary procrastination and my exam season theme song.

Keep it classy,

j

I've got Bieber Fever!

2010-04-08T21:19:00.004-04:00

I'm not a serious person, but I am very serious about a few things in life.

1. I am serious about the way my steak is cooked. Medium rare and no more. So far only The Keg and Earl's have succeeded on this front. Sorry Dad.

2. I love Justin Bieber. Seriously.

3. I am very serious about Half Birthdays. I celebrate mine every year (February 15th).

4. With very ounce of seriousness in my body, I want to win the AXE Summer Gig!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHOUTOUT TO ROOMMATE LAUREN!!!
... Blog follower's dream come true! LOL :)

Stay young,

j

Friend = Whopper

2010-04-08T20:58:00.000-04:00

I found out today that there's an app on Facebook that gets you a hamburger from Burger King if you delete 10 friends. And those 10 lucky friends get a lovely little note telling them they've been traded for a Whopper. I may have to play the Delete Game reeeal soon!

lovelovelove,

j

Rated: OMG

2010-04-07T19:34:00.005-04:00

WARNING: What you are about to read is not recommended for those with a weak stomach, vivid mental imaging, or a death wish for the game Scrabble. Don't say I didn't warn you, things are about to get ugly...

Read on Oh Courageous Reader of the Blog, read on.

Three things happened to me in the past 48 hours that should never, and I mean NEVER, happen to an innocent, frolicking human on all of Earth. What I witnessed in the past two days are sights that eyeballs should never get to experience, err, I mean see... ever. Alright, alright, you probably got the point by now, HERE WE GOOOOOO (Mario voice)!

One - I saw a girl eat an apple. No really, she ATE that apple! And by some devine power of God or force of physics, this girl ate an apple like I have never seen NOBODY eat an apple before. Now I'm not a fruit expert by any means... meaning I don't eat fruit... so I had to lightning-text my roommate just to clarify if what I was seeing in my anatomy class was normal, or if this girl was seriously off her rocker.

- Jaime "Apples have cores right?"
>> Lauren "Haha yea mon"
- Jaime "Because I just saw a chick devour an apple, core and all!"
>> Lauren "WHAAA? 'Tis crazy talk!"

Yes, yes, it really was. I don't know how it happened, or why, but boy was I confused.

Two - I was minding my own business, jammin' to The King of Pop, stretchin' out my hammys after some serious squatage, when out of nowhere something so weird started happening in the gym that I could not look away (no matter how hard I tried)! A simple glance up from the zoned-out place on my mat was all it took to captivate me. And there it was... an old, shoeless, bald man slowly but surely sliding into full on splits! It was like those surgery scenes in Grey's Anatomy when what you're watching is SO gross and bloody but you can't seem to look away. When you know something spectacular is about to happen, like Meredith is going to bring someone back from the dead, that you have to see it to believe it! And girrrl did I see it alright. And so did the poor lassie pinned into the corner spot with nowhere to esacpe to and mirrors all around. The look of fear on that girl's face as the old man acrobat slip-slid in splits position was enough to make a grown man cry. It was somewhere between drinking spoiled milk and being chased by a gorilla. The man then proceeded into "wrist exercises" like those of an air traffic controller... now that part was just bizarre.

Three - This tale is neither as gruesome, nor nauseating as the previous two, but magical? Yes, I would say it was magical. The kind of magical only Harry Potter knows about. So there we were, my roommates and I, enjoying dessert and a round of my favourite game Scrabble. I had a slow start, but laying down "judge" on a triple word score brought me back to the top... though only temporarily. Anyhaha, I had just played a pitiful three-letter word of which I blocked out of memory and instinctively reached into the bag to get back my chips. What happened next was so mindblowing that I wish Hermione and the gang could have warned me. The first letter... A - ahh, f@#%! Like I need another vowel! The next... X - woo! That's more like it, 8 point piece baby! The last letter... E - OMG! No. Did I? Could I? Does that spell "AXE?" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whether it was a sign, a cruel joke from the big guy upstairs, or just an overreaction, I pulled out A X E and it was freakin' cool!

So, in conclusion, maybe just two of the three tales were really unnecessary visuals during my day, but I hope you get to experience wizard magic like I did!

Later days,

Tino... I mean,

j

Easter, Chocolate, and Rock & Roll

2010-04-04T19:54:00.003-04:00

You know those cousins you have? The ones you only see on special holidays and family events? The ones who you feel like the only thing you have in common is the fact that your cousins? We all have them, right? And God Bless them, we love them like family but sometimes good conversation is a'lackin'.

Maybe you're an athlete and they like art. Or perhaps you haven't seen the new Star Trek movie so there's no hope in even trying. What I'm saying here is no matter how big the effort, things might feel a bit awk... that's the case for me anyways.

Easter came this year, and like every other Jesus holiday, we made the trek to family far, far away for some good ol' egghuntin' fun! Minus the fact that this year, approaching 20 and all, it seems the Easter egg hunt has been laid to rest... R.I.P. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a fish fry on Friday and my cousin's birthday on Saturday. Here's where my point kicks in...

Well I have that cousin. Love her to death and all, but I can't for the life of me seem to find anything we have in common... until this weekend. Anyways, for her birthday a friend got her a concert DVD of a band I had never in my 20 years of existence heard of (and maybe that makes me weird), but I settled in for a little late-night vewing.

Turns out the music was killer and I was the one requesting more, intrigued by her endless collection of classic rock live concert DVD's. So we watched... and listened... and watched some more. It was great! She played every one of my requests and then some, so astounded, and what I feel impressed by my eagerness to listen and learn about her music! And let me tell you, I learned more about the life and death of Freddie Mercury and the history of Queen than I ever would have.

But what I got out of this whole experience is one really amazing lesson. I learned some really cool classic rock songs this weekend, but more than that, I learned about my cousin and her unrelentless passion for music. I learned that I can relate to her and learn from her, and that I absolutely LOVE and respect her obessison with the classic stuff. But most importantly, I learned that I love passionate people. People who like something and go with it, no matter what anyone else says. People who have a drive to learn every last and little fact about what they love... and then some. It's inspiring and humbling all at once.

So as the night ended and I drove back to my Oma and Opa's, I was excited to get back to my computer in Hamilton and download all the wicked songs I had heard thanks to my music-lovin' cousin. And maybe I didn't tell her, and maybe I should have, but she showed me this weekend that no matter how disconnected I may feel from people at times, everyone has a passion and I am lucky she shared hers with me :)

Let the good times roll,

j

Spittin' Rhymes and Doin' Time

2010-03-30T10:43:00.001-04:00

Ever get sick of the same old, same old played on the radio? Has Miley been stuck in your head for the past 17 excruciating days? Never fear, AXEGIRL is here!

Click on the link below to check out the music video I made as part of the Bonus Challenge for AXE Canada's Ridiculously, Ridiculously Good Summer Gig competition. You can see the other finalists' work as well, and they're good, but no one brings the T. Swizzle quite like I do...

JAIME NEEFS Week 5 Bonus Challenge Axe Canada's Ridiculously, Ridiculously Good Summer GIG

So, whatdya think? Beyonce in the making? The next Gaga? A girl can only dream...

Thanks a BUNCH, and don't forget to VOTE while you're there :)

j

Sportscentre Top 10: AXE edition

2010-03-29T00:19:00.005-04:00

As a child, my little brother and I used to pretend we were the Sportscentre anchors every morning during the 7 am telecast.

Well... when I say as a child, I really mean we still do this at the ages of 19 and 14. Lametastic I know, but I'm over it. And if you were really wondering, I'm Dan O'Toole (orange tie) and he's Jay Onrait.

On this note, I am going to present to you a Top 10 special: Top 10 Reasons Why I Should Be the AXE Consumer Consultant

10 "I've got nice white teeth, but I like to wear grillz"

9 Intensity and dedication. Sometimes referred to as "the most intimidating person ever", but only until you get to know me of course. This comes from my competitive nature and need for perfection. I don't do anything unless I do it 100%

8 When it comes down to it, I'm basically a girl with a guy mentality. I'm easygoing and you can please me by simply feeding me, so I'll be able to relate to the men of the AXE world.

7 Teamwork. I have played on competitive sports teams my entire life and held multiple jobs that required me to work within a team of people. The more the merrier :)

6 Ability to work on my feet. It's pretty hard to stress me out and that's why I think I'm able to work on my feet and just go with it. I hope to have demonstrated this through the interviews I have done during the AXE competition, especially on live radio!

5 Creativity. I constantly try to one-up myself in the creativity department. I love thinking outside the box and being eccentric, and I hope this has been apparent through my AXE challenges.

4 Writing. A little known fact about myself is that during high school I was aspiring to go to University for journalism. I made a last-minute switch to the beautiful world of Kinesiology, but creative writing is definitely a passion of mine.

3 Which brings me to the dreaded question that I have had to answer time and time again... "What the F%&# does Kinesiology have to do with the AXE Summer Gig?" Well let me tell you, young grasshopper. To put it in simple terms, my courses in Anatomy and Biomechanics may not be directly correlated to the AXE purposes, but a little exta knowledge in navigating the human body is definitely beneficial when dealing with the dudes... to show them where to spray their AXE of course! Double Pits to Chesty, or Double Lats to Pectoralis Major in my world ;)

2 Another little known fact about this Kin Kid is that I did a 6 month CO-OP in high school at ma main read "The Oakville Beaver!" I worked with the Special Feature Editor and interviewed local businesses as well as wrote published weekly articles and editorials.

1 If all else fails, I'll just bust out the T. Swift

There you have it AXE, my wish is that I have impressed you enough for you pick me to be your Consumer Consultant for summer 2010. All of the finalists are wicked people and it’s got to be uber tough to narrow it down to just two, but hopefully I have stood out in the crowd and can be your girl for AXE!

You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. Rock on,

j

AXE: Saving Lives One Day at a Time

2010-03-28T22:42:00.005-04:00

AXE. Once just an everyday brand of men's body spray, NOW a multidimensional, all powerful line of men's body care that saves lives too! True story...

Last week, sometime around-ish Hump Day, I struck up a deal with a buddy from high school... I made him an offer he couldn't refuse...

Here's the deal: My friend Daniel goes to Laurier and was raising money for this weekend's Relay for Life benefitting the Canadian Cancer Society. Not only that, but he promised to match every donation that was given in his name! Funny thing, because at the same time I was giving the last final push in my AXE campaign, getting as many guys as possible to take a picture with my sign for the "Tag Yourself" challenge.

So we got talking like any two high-rolling business people do and we came up with deal... a plan that would benefit both of our causes! For every picture he got of guys with my AXE sign, each tag would be worth 50 cents on my part. And then to top it off, he matched each one of my donations! What a guy...

One weekend later and 12 hours of relay, Daniel managed to get about 10 pictures and even more tags! I donated my lot of money to a very worthy cause and thanked him for his business partnership. It was a win-win situation! This goes to show how awesome my friends have been in supporting me through this entire competition, and how AXE can change the world!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my longtime friend and neighbour, Daniel Adamic, for his extreme dedication not only to a great cause, but also to helping me out with my cause as well :) ...even if he did shoot me with a Nerf Gun in Grade 12 Assassins! People don't forget Dan, people don't forget!

"Go out into the world and do well. But more importantly, go out into the world and do GOOD"

To make donations, please visit The Canadian Cancer Society

j

JAIME NEEFS Week 4 Challenge | Axe Canada's Ridiculously, Ridiculously Good Summer GIG

2010-03-27T09:58:00.002-04:00

JAIME NEEFS -4 days left- Axe Canada's Ridiculously, Ridiculously Good Summer GIG

Please help me out and click the link above to VOTE! Thank you for your support :)

PS, only 4 days left to VOTE! Check out this site as well:

Jaime's "Pick-up" Face <<< RATE me a 5! Sign up takes 1 minute!

Bucket List 2.0

2010-03-26T23:14:00.001-04:00

Currently, my bucket list stands at this...

1. Wear a bandana with as many outfits as possible
2. Visit the state of Oregon
3. Own a pair Christian LeBoutin heels
4. Run across the white pedestrian bridge in Toronto
5. Throw an awesome punch
6. Go to Africa
7. See the Redlight District in India
8. Own a motorcycle
9. See a Great White Shark do something ferocious
10. Dance in a Coyote Ugly bar

...I'm making a few additions:

11. Sit courtside at a NBA game
12. Learn how to bake cheesecake
13. Compete in some form of steak-eating contest

Party like a rockstar,

j

Emo in the Front Row

2010-03-26T21:06:00.002-04:00

Cool Story, Bro

2010-03-26T20:39:00.006-04:00

If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE birthdays! And not just mine, I get excited for everybody's birthday. I pride myself on getting uber creative and giving the coolest gifts and cards.

However, as my birthday is quickly approaching (142 days), I have finalized my birthday list for this year:

1. A Jeep

Mother thinks this it too dangerous and that it will tip over. I think it's more fun with the doors off.

2. A tree

I know, WTF right? All I want to do is plant a tree on my 20th birthday so that when I am 100, it will be really big and old.

3. A shark

I have a fish tank, so why not stick a shark in it? Sounds legit to me.

3. b) World Cup tickets

This is more of a life dream than a birthday gift, not to mention it would have to be an early birthday gift. However, I am prepared to sacrifice multiple holidays and occasions for this. Any takers?

Happy Birthday Scott!

Brilliant

2010-03-26T20:12:00.007-04:00

In light of my most recent post and mention of rock-paper-scissors, I remembered a variation that my friend Victoria and I invented when we were about 14 years old.

It's equally brilliant, and called bird-bunny-croc.

Bird beats croc by pecking at his eyeballs.
Bunny beats bird by eating him.
And croc beats bunny by eating him as well.

Makes perfect sense, right? I thought so.

:) j

The Pursuit of Happiness

2010-03-26T12:07:00.001-04:00

How conveeenient that as I am writing this blog post, "If I Had A Million Dollars" by the Barenaked Ladies comes on my iTunes. Seriously, the song started just as I was about to begin my rant on the little things in life... (No offense to the Ladies... it's is my favourite song by them... well, this and "Brian Wilson", but who really cares...)

But what I was going to say is how much happiness the smaller, seemingly insignificant things in life give me. Like, when I come home and someone did the dishes, or the song I wanted to hear comes on the radio. Among other things like people who hold open doors, winning a game of rock-paper-scissors, grilled cheese sandwiches, and the word ubiquitous (my favourite word for some very odd, unknown reason).

It's those small things that make me smile more than anything in the world. Sure, it would be wonderful to win a milli and be able to buy a motorcycle (#1 on my list) or go on an insane shopping spree. But even 1 million dollars can't buy the awesomeness of sitting around a bonfire in the summer with your best friends, or the feeling you get after going on a long run.

For all these reasons and a thousand more (literally), is why I got hooked on the blog 1000 Awesome Things after I heard about it on the radio about a year and a half ago. Each weekday the writer posts a new awesome thing, all the while counting down to the #1 most awesome thing (he's currently at #540). Reading his blog makes your realize all the good that happens in the world that usually goes unnoticed. Take #995 for example, "Finding money you didn’t even know you lost". How about #960, "Strategic trick-or-treating?" Or my personal favourite, #837 Pushing Those Little Buttons on the Soft Drink Cup Lid.

Whatever awesome thing strikes home with you, I hope you enjoy this blog I happily stumbled upon a while back. Even more than this, I picked up a day-by-day desk calendar at my school's bookstore in December that is as equally entertaining. You know, those calendars where you rip off a page for each new day. The calendar I bought is called "365,000 Things That Make You Happy". Each day has a list of 10 random things that are just plain good. I actually get excited and sometimes wait up until midnight just to rip off the next page and see what it has to say. And call me crazy, but just to add to my lame factor here, I write down the ones that I like the most, the ones that make me happy!

Before I go to class, I want to leave you with my top 10 list of happy things (which I have painfully narrowed down from my current list of 254). My hope is that you can relate to at least one of these... that one of these make you smile, or at least want to. Because that's what it's all about brotha... just keep smiling :)

10 Planting trees
9   Learning a great synonym
8   You desktop background
7   Wishing on a star
6   A milk-and-cookies break
5   Sharing silence
4   M&Ms
3   A purring cat
2   Sunday naps
1   Scrabble

Lata beta (fish),

j

PS, click on the title for the brilliant Kid Cudi

W

2010-03-23T23:59:00.002-04:00

There's a reason Wednesday starts with W.

Wednesday is for wicked. Work. Working out. Winning at Mario Kart. And wallowing in self-pity.

= Wednesday!

Just kidding about the last one!

Happy Hump Day, xoxo gossip girl.

j

8 DAYS LEFT!

2010-03-23T12:26:00.001-04:00

JAIME NEEFS Week 4 Challenge Axe Canada's Ridiculously, Ridiculously Good Summer GIG

Check out my "Text Date" with Vaughn and all other challenges during the competition here ^^

Please take a second to VOTE and COMMENT on my page!

Thank you for your support, it's extreeemely appreciated! :)

First

2010-03-20T19:02:00.000-04:00

There's a first for everything.

First word. First steps. First date. First base. First Lady. First place. First kiss. First the worst, second the best. First day of spring. First blog post. First dance. First concert. First of January. First sleepover. First grounding. First car. First aid. First and last name. First snowfall. First Choice. First birthday. First class. First pet. First Christmas. First haircut. First thing in the morning. First job. First Nations. First swim of the summer. First keg stand.

Sorry Mom,

j

Take 4!

2010-03-19T18:51:00.004-04:00

The show is coming to a close ladies and gentlemen. That's right, Challenge #4 has been posted on the AXE site, and it is certainly entertaining! I love how every "couple" gave this challenge a different spin, makes for some very interesting reads.

My partner in crime for #4 was Mr. Vaughn Turnbull, aka VON STAR. Hilarious guy... I quite enjoyed our text date. As for now, that puts the AXE competition 12 days away from shut down, and I can't even explain how much fun I have had with this! The whole experience has been insane... insane fun, and a time I will never forget! But I'm not finished just yet... I'll see you guys in June ;)

Thanks for readin' up on my blog and pressin' my friend the VOTE button errday :)

TGIF,

j

The Mating Game

2010-03-19T17:21:00.003-04:00

Before I go all schooltron-3000 on you, let me ask one question... Do people have types? What do you think? I have no idea what I think so I am going to ramble...

Last week a co-worker and I got talking about relationships and all that jazz, when we stumbled on the topic of "types," and if there's such a thing. The reason being is because my co-worker claimed that everyone else BUT him has a "type." One of his friends was into short blondes, the other into tall, athletic girls, but him?... Oh no, he didn't have a type, he liked all species.

After much thought and a 5-hour shift later, here's what I think (I apologize if you don't care what I think)...
Sure, you can call it a "type," or maybe you prefer "broad," but I think peope can have an attraction to a cetain person, but to call it a "type" totally closes off a world of opportunities.

What if you meet a person you're really into, get to know them a bit better and find out they're left-handed? "Oh shit, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were one of those rare breeds that make up 10% of the population... see ya!" OK, maybe that's a bit over the top, but you know what I mean, people dismiss others before they even get to know them. I'm not saying I'm Jesus or anything, but I try to have an open mind. The thing is, I have just heard waaay too many people describe their ideal to me that consists of a list longer than the essay I wrote yesterday.

Say, for example, you look for a guy who's in physics, plays the flute, loves green tea, and has an identical twin name Jim. Well you're in luck! I happen to know of a dozen guys who fit that order. I also happen to know that I just lied to you. Why have a list of requirements dude, you're not hiring. Now I can understand if you look for a person with similar values and shtuff like that, but I'm talking appearance here. As cheesy as this is about to sound, how do you know what love looks like? It could be anybody! People are surprising.

Which bring me back to my hopeful co-worker... it was refreshing to listen to someone so open minded and optimistic about the stereotype-obsessed dating world. Last week it was the short, blonde socialite, but this week was the captain of the rugby team. Whoever... whatever floats your boat... don't make me bust out some classic 2PAC.

On the other hand, I could dive into the psychological view on things and mumble on about how people are attracted to others similar to themselves in appearance and character... Or maybe you're more of an evolutionary bio junkie and go for the whole "seeking out the most successful mate" game plan. However you roll and whoever you're into, get out of the shallow waters son, there's a lot of fish in the sea!

Love,

j

NEW TATTOO!

2010-03-15T22:30:00.002-04:00

I got a new tattoo!! Left arm, full sleeve...

Do you like it?

Challenge Number Deux!

2010-03-13T00:26:00.004-05:00

In all the excitement over my epic tie in Scrabby tonight, I forgot to mention two very life-changing things:

1) My rockin' roommate Lauren found this wicked hilarious video entry on Ibeatyou.com whilst voting for my "Pick-up Face" as many times as possible...

Web-Cam Karaoke

2) Challenge #2 has been posted on the AXE site and Ibeatyou.com, which is really exciting, let me explain...

The whole jist of this site is to compete with your mad skillz against complete randoms and win stuff! Liiike, a year supply of AXE, wowza! And, even more exciting, which ever finalist finishes in top spot gets an XBOX! Holy mothalicka, it could be me for cryin' out loud! So all you, my best friend, have to do is follow the Challenge #2 link and rate my "Pick-up Face" a 5 for AWESOME! It will then prompt you sign up and errthang, but I promise you it takes no more than a minute!... I sound like a WorldVision commercial don't I? "So pick up the phone, it only takes a moment, and sponsor a child for just 27 cents/day." Love them WorldVision folk... which, exciting side note the sequel, I once sponsored a little girl!

Anywhoville, you got just 2 dang things to do... rate my pick-up face and vote for me on AXE Summer Gig Thank you SO much, it means more to me than you know :)

Damn, it feels good to be gangsta,

j

Winner! Gagnon!

2010-03-12T23:54:00.002-05:00

It's Friday night, I just finished work and I work tomorrow morning as well. Needless to say the most exciting moment of my night was when I tied the computer in Scrabble without cheating!!! OMFG! Well I was pretty excited... let out a little fist pump not gonna lie.

This riveting display of utter geniusness was followed by my second favourite activity in life. Get your mind outta the gutter son, I'm talking about baking cookies! And not just any kind of cookies... the Pilsbury seasonal sugar cookies with designs on them for whatever season it is, ie. EASTER! Les petits lapins, oui oui! Sewww cute. So naturally I baked 2 dozen, and who knows, maybe by the time I go to bed tonight all those little bunny wabbits will be in ma belly... the night is young. And this is very possible, let me tell you! Around this time last year I was having a mid-midterm breakdown in my lonely little cave called residence and thus, 24 cookies later I was not feeling too fine, not too fiiiiiine at all.

Before I make you jealous with my crazy nightlife activities, let me explain, this is not typical but merely a result of having 2 jobs and an exam every other hour of my life. Also, exciting sidenote - I'm gearing up the AXE Bonus Challenge, which calls on me to be a star in my very own music vid! Juuust you wait :)

Hoppy weekend (oh, I'm so punny),

j

Character Choice and Personality Types: A Mario Kart Analysis

2010-03-10T21:16:00.004-05:00

Howdy!

So yesterday was not a good day. A lot of things contributed to this bad day but I'm not going to go into the deets. Needless to say I had chocolate chip cookie dough (my fave flava flav!) ice cream for dinner and it made my day a teensy bit better. After half the carton I hit the hay, and for some reason as I was trying to fall asleep visions of Nintendo 64 danced in my head... specifically Mario Kart. Don't ask me why but I think it has something to do with God trying to inject a little happiness into my day. And it worked! I cannot tell you how much of a Mario Kart junkie I am. I know, I know, everyone claims "I'm ACTUALLY the best at Mario Kart, me and Bowser are tight, yo!" OK, two things ae wrong with this statement, a) you're probably not, and b) such an amateur choice of characters. Trust, I know my stuff, I am Mario Kart born and raised.

In short, I went to a babysitter's for 11 years of my life and my summers were built on Mario and the gang. I'm not talking Mario Kart Wii (I hate Wii) or any of that "Double Dash" mumbo jumbo, I mean the one, the only, Mario Kart 64. Man, I studied this game like it was it was my calling in life... maybe it is... but for real, all us kids would get together and play for hours. We'd draw maps of Yoshi Valley and all it's shortcuts, devote days perfecting our ramp angle and speed to ensure we could hit the jump everytime we raced on Koopa Troopa Beach, and occasionally hit up the Single Player mode and set world-record times. So as all this and Rainbow Road flashed before my eyes last night before bed I got thinking... maybe the character one chooses to race with in Mario Kart is indicative of the type of player and/or person you are...? Just a thought.

Personally, I am DK through and through, always have been and always will be. As for how he relates to me as a person... well I think there just might be a correlation. DK is your type of dude who's intense and slightly intimidating at first, but really he's just a goof in a tie! I'd say him and I are very similar if you're going by that description. So I started running through all the characters with the above image in mind, because obvi I have it memorized, and this is what I came up with...

1... Mario. If this is your pick I have nothing negative to say about you, I mean after all, he IS the game. You're traditional, a jack of all trades, and look good with a 'stache.

2... His bro, Luigi. He's an odd guy with terribly unproportional legs, but talented and usually flies under the radar.

3... Peach - my second choice if some jerk wins rock/paper/scissors and snags the monkey first. Peach is a game player who comes off all innocent and cute, but secretly she's a bitch, a woman on a mission.

4 & 5 ... Toad and Yoshi. I group them together because I can't decide which character I hate more. For two reasons - 1. Just because Toad is petite doesn't mean he is sooooo much faster, so shut up! 2. Yoshi is not lucky, Nintendo did not create a "lucky" character so get over it.

6... Wario. Such a badass dude with some serious tricks up his sleeve. Sneaky, conniving, and CEO of my least favourite track.

7... The big guy, Bowser. He may be a tad slower but he has spikes and shoots shells like the Devil.

Well there you have it. My not-so-scientific look into character choice and personality traits. More or less I am just decribing the character itself, but if you find any similarity between yourself and your character of choice then you can call me Doctor.

On a hilarious and mortifying sidenote, last summer at work where the days were long and the sun was a'blazing, my co-worker and I would often break out in Mario Kart and only speak in character sounds. Think "OOOH AH AH" (a la DK grunt) or "WAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Stay young,

j

Grinds My Gears

2010-03-06T17:29:00.003-05:00

You know what really grinds my gears? Many things do, but I mean specifically...

So last week I filled in for my friend's intramural basketball team, and just so you know, this wasn't a regular sort of occurrence and I was very unfamiliar with the team and rules and such. Anyways, it was a co-ed league so there were guys on the court ready to play some serious ball! And then there's me... sure, I played ball back in high school AKA. the glory days, but I was no Kobe in the school scene, I was just your regular run-til-I-throw-up grind-it-out sort of player. Since then I've added a few ankle braces to my swag and haven't dunked a ball. FYI, I've never, ever dunked a ball, but I mean I haven't played pick-up since good ol' STA.

Anywhoville, the friggin' point of this obnoxious rant is something I learned just before stepping onto the court that day to take my shift... I was gettin' to know a few of the girls and guys on my team and they were explaining the general rules of the intramural league. Apparently! in co-ed basketball a girl can't guard a guy and a guy play defense on a girl!! Maybe you could care less about this, or you totally agree with this rule, either way, I swear there's a deeper argument here...

My first thought when I heard this was, this is stupid. The second thing I argued was if it's apparently unsafe for a girl/guy to play defense on the opposite sex, why the hell does this league exist!? I'm not a "feminist" by any means but it just grinds my gears when a girl wants to play with the guys, yet she'll complain and use the fact that she's a girl to justify a change in the way the game is played to make it more "fair!" If you signed up for this, giiirl you better be ready to play a bit rough. Obviously the guys aren't going to execute a UFC-like take-down on you, but I'm all for strong women athletes and being able to compete with anybody... even if it is a dude.

So the take home message here, boys and girls, is don't try to segregate yourself through sport. Just look at all the bad ass Canadian chicks who cleaned up at the Olympics... Jenn Heil, Maelle Ricker, and Captain Canada Hayley Wickenheiser. These athletes represent strong, beautiful women who have a passion to compete with the best and push themselves to their ultimate potential. To all the girls out there - don't squeak and squeal, toughen up and play your game. And guys, don't be afraid to lay a little body contact on us ;)

Keep it clean,

j

Straight stuntin'

2010-03-06T02:19:00.002-05:00

Oh hey dere... check out Challenge #2... just everyday hustlin' sort of tingz.

Rocked my boy Toews' jersey at a party tonight, probs not dress code but I don't give a whatwhat!

Hollaback youngin',

j

PS, if you click on the title of this blog post, something mindblowing and magical will happen...

Party For Two

2010-03-05T15:01:00.002-05:00

I have no brain left to think of a clever blog post. This is all I got...

a) Calculus test on Tuesday, FML.
b) Work tonight and tomorrow (x2!), FML.
c) Make a music video

Stay in school,

j

CA-NA-DA!

2010-03-01T19:18:00.000-05:00

How amazing was the game yesterday? I know, dumb question. But seriously, it was like a movie and I don't think anyone else could have scored the winning goal. Sidney fucking Crosby. He's 23 years old and he's got an Olympic gold, Stanley Cup, awards and medals for everything, and the most famous face in Canadian hockey. I say he retires right now. But no, he shouldn't, he's too good. My point is, yesterday I felt an overwhelming feeling of pride to be Canadian. I just love my country. I love pizza, chicken wings, beer and hockey... and Sid the Kid.

Congratulations Canada, you kick ass.

- j

Say WHAAAAAT?

2010-02-27T11:48:00.002-05:00

So, if I win the next AXE challenge, I could potentially be given an XBOX. No big deal.
Hopefully my pick-up face and pick-up line can win your heart (and your vote) and we can be rippin' CoD in no time!

^^^ That's just a little "Autumn Warfare" right there

Stoked,

j (PS, remember to vote for me daily at AXE Summer Gig)

Check. It.

2010-02-23T22:41:00.001-05:00

G'day ladies and gentlemen, even though you've already voted for me on the AXE site today :P You should check out the site again because Challenge #3 has been posted! Super exciting... and also very embarrassing because I answer 5 questions that I've never seen before in only 2 minutes!

Mind blowing stuff,

j

The Buried Life: My List

2010-02-22T16:54:00.000-05:00

If you haven't watched the new MTV show "The Buried Life" I suggest you give it a chance because it's a super cool show based on these guys from Victoria, BC who spent 3 years crossing off items on their bucket list. Hilarious.. hot guys.. and an awesome meaning behind it all! So in light of this, I've started to compile a bucket list of my own...

(In no particular order)

1. Wear a bandana with as many outfits as possible
2. Visit the state of Oregon
3. Own a pair Christian LeBoutin heels
4. Run across the white pedestrian bridge in Toronto
5. Throw an awesome punch
6. Go to Africa
7. See the Redlight District in India
8. Own a motorcycle
9. See a Great White Shark do something ferocious
10. Dance in a Coyote Ugly bar

Peace,

j

I'm Baaack!

2010-02-22T14:57:00.003-05:00

Sup playas, got in this morning at 12:30am to a beautiful snow storm :) So I guess I left off after Day 1 of being in Van... Tuesday was cool because I got to roam the city solo, where I got some serious shopping done and ended up with cowboy boots! So stoked! That night we hit up BC Place for the Medal Ceremony where we saw Canadian Mike Robertson win the silver medal for snowboard cross. After the ceremony was finished, Barenaked Ladies hit the stage and were SO good! I knew they would be sweet because I really like their stuff, but Ed the lead singer was hilarious and freestyled throughout the whole show and finished the concert with a full band line dance. Pretty much my two favourite things in life, rap and line dancing, so I was def loving it!

On Wednesday we got to go to the Women's Hockey Game vs. Sweden at Thunderbird Arena at UBC. We had to leave after the 2nd period but I'm pretty sure the ladies won...

After the game I had to go back to the hotel to pack up my stuff to meet my friend Sam at King Edward station for the rest of the trip!! This half of the trip was insane consisting of a lot of beer, beach and Dutch people. So here's my Sportcentre Top 10 of the trip...

10. The flight over
Started the trip off right stting beside some sweet snowboarders on the plane to Calgary where we drank and read Cosmo

9. Ferry rides
I thought this part would be boring but the scenery was unreal which made for some sick pictures

8. Robson Square
Downtown Vancouver was madness 24/7, especially around Robson and Granville streets

7. Earl's Restaurant
Steak. I ate the greatest steak of my life that night, and my boy Crosby scored the game winner

6. Women's Hockey Game vs. Sweden
The Women's team cleaned up and were virtually untouchable on the ice. By the way, I have a girl crush on Hayley Wickenheiser because she is THAT good

5. Our Lady Peace Concert
Didn't know all the songs going in but will definitely download them ASAP because this concert was AWESOME

4. China Beach
Spent a beautiful afternoon at China Beach just past Sooke on the Island the day before leaving

3. Cowboy boots
Ranking high on the list are my cowboy boots that I bought... SO stoked

2. Barenaked Ladies Concert
Such a great show ending off with, of course, If I Had A Million Dollars

1. Holland Heinekin House
PARTY PARTY PARTY!!!

WOO such a great trip! Thanks for reading, reader :)

Rock on,

j

Women's Hockey

2010-02-17T16:59:00.001-05:00

Hello :) I'm in the Canada House right now. This is a place for people to come to watch the game, grab some lunch, and some free peanut M&M's too! I was sitting at the table, minding my own business watching some men's halfpipe, when a random lady came up to my Mom and I and said, "Hey, do you want to go to the Women's Hockey Game at 2:30pm? Canada vs. Sweden?"

What a dumb question... obviously!

Day 3: Olympic Fever

2010-02-17T03:09:00.002-05:00

Hello/Bonjour... typical greeting everywhere in Vancouver. The city has been overwhelming so far, with so much to do and see everywhere, but I'll start with Monday in the city...

Yesterday we had to wake up early in order to catch the sky-train to Pacific Coliseum where figure skating practice was being held. There wasn't any competition yet, just the skaters (both men's and pairs) practicing their routines for the upcoming events. Every skater came decked out in costume for their run-through. Pretty mellow for the most part minus a few sweet falls and bailouts along the way.

After that was straight to the short track speed skating event held in the Richmond Oval. We walked for 40 hours only to watch 1/4 of the program because of major delays due to broken zambonis. You'd think Canada would have the zamboni figured out by now but unfortunately we haven't and had to miss the Canadian Jeremony Wotherspoon skate. However, the highlight of this part was definitely sitting amongst the hundreds of insane Dutch fans. I got myself a pair of bright orange Netherlands gloves and few Dutch lessons from a cute old man.

Post-speed skating debacle, met my Mom at the Molson Hockey House for dinner. This event was unreal and everything Canada. The women's team arrived after their game and I managed to get a few pics of Captain Canada - Hayley Wickenheiser.

That's all for Day 1 in the city... Tuesday was even more exciting :)

Cheers,

j

Day 1, 2: Gettin' to Van

2010-02-17T02:42:00.001-05:00

FINALLY I'm back. The past few days have been pretty busy... getting from Toronto to Victoria to Vancouver, which is where I am now. But I'll start from the beginning...

On Saturday I hopped on the plane in Toronto ready for 5 hours of travel. With that much time I was hoping for a decent human to sit beside at the least... as I was sitting in the Emergency Seat which my Mom recommended. Too bad the seat table was pretty much 5 miles away from me, but the cool thing was that I was responsible for all 150 people's safety on the plane! LOL. Yeah right. So in the event of a crash or alien attack, errybody would be looking at me to open the tiny window and guide them on out. But I'd like to think I was cut out for the job. Anywho, I was in my seat early because safety officers such as myself get to board early. After much anticipation, my seat neighbours sat down and happened to be 3 21-year old snowboarders en route to Banff! Score. The guys were pretty chill and during our 3 and a half-ish hours I got them reading Cosmo, buying me mixed drinks, and taking pics with my Axe sign! Gold medal for me.

After we got to Calgary I had to transfer planes and bought Bits & Bites that cost about $25 in the airport. The plane to Victoria brought song and dance and Wanda the Wicked Flight Attendant. Apparently learning the emergency routine in 1 language wasn't enough for her and she kept evil eyeing me when I got my iPod out during the French version. Her name was also Wanda... HA! Luckily the other attendants were quite witty, even ending out flight with a little parady to Barney! I wrote it in my iPod because I thought it was pretty awesome: "We love you. You love us. We're much faster than the bus. We've got style and personality. Marry one of us and you'll fly for free!"

The minute I stepped out of the airport in Victoria I noticed how amazing it smelt! It was like Ocean - Hamilton pollution = Victoria. Beautiful. I spent the night at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Vic and caught the bus to the ferry on Sunday for a 2-hour boat ride. The scenery was surreal. I thought mountains like that only existed pictures. Wrong-o! Took some mighty pics before I had to get back on the bus for the late-night ride through VanCity, baby! The streets were wild with Alex Bilodeau winning the Gold medal! Amazing! Eventually got to hotel where I was staying in New Westminister after I took the sky-train for the first time. (It was so cool!) Then came the highlight of the evening... THE KEG! Obviously it was mindblowing even though I didn't get my usual, The New Yorker. Headed back to the hotel for some sleep before Day 1 of my Olympic action!

^ Ferry from Victoria to Vancouver

Keep it classy,

j

GO CANADA GO!

2010-02-12T23:03:00.008-05:00

Alright, so this is likely my last post before heading off tomorrow to Victoria and Vancouver on Sunday! I caught The Opening Ceremonies online just in time to see Canada walk into BC Place. Wow. It hasn't really hit me how cool this all is for Canada, and how lucky I am to be there... but it hit me when our Canadian athletes walked in. I mean, how COOL is that! It's so inspiring (especially as an athlete myself) to see someone so successful, so driven, and so passionate about their sport and their country. It's wicked. To think that they've probably been training years... no, their entire life for this moment. That's what I've always dreamed of. To work so hard, and finally you have that opportunity to lay it all down on the line, to put everything out there, and leave it all out there. As cliche as it sounds, but it all comes down to this.

Maybe you think it's great too, but I can't describe how much I get that, how much I want that. I've had my fair share of moment-defining plays in sports through the years, and although it's at an obviously smaller scale compared to the Olympics, there's nothing like the split second right before it all plays out when everything flashes back in your mind... every suicide you ran, everytime you thought you couldn't and you did, all the times your body wanted to stop but your mind wouldn't let you. That's what it's all about. The passion... the fire... the desire (excuse the unintended rhyme).

And in the past few months I thought I was losing that drive that I so proudly brought to everything I did... soccer went on a downturn, life got busy with everything else, and it killed me to think, "Was that it? Really? 19 years old and 'Yup, sorry Jaim, you were great and all but your time is over'". And it almost was. But I realized something interesting about myself lately, especially in a talk a recently had with one of my best friends... High school was the shit. We ran it. We were at our best. We thought 'How could we be any better than we are right now?' And then you go to University and suddenly instead of a 4-sport athlete, team MVP, and extracurricular junkie, you're now fortunate to be playing at a Varsity level and lucky if you touch the field. And I'm going to be honest with you, I'm not a cocky individual by any means... I mean, I'm proud of what I have accomplished... but when your role to a team, to a school, to your community changes that drastically, that shit messes with your mind. As hard as it is to say, it TKO's your ego. Suddenly you go from being the go-to pass, or the last-second jumpshot, to a player, a role player in a different kind of role. And it makes you feel small and insignificant. Like you've passed your prime... but how could you? You're only 19!

I realized something though. It's not about the title anymore, it's not about the recognition or the awards. It's about building yourself up again to be something even better. And maybe I won't ever be the "recognized" athlete I once was, but I'll still be an athlete and I'll still have the determination and the intensity that sometimes scares myself (and usually others). So, I know I've been rambling, and maybe you've been able to follow (good for you, because I'm not sure I can even follow what I'm saying) or maybe you're a little lost. But the point here is you have to find the passion inside you and go for something you really believe in. And even if you don't get awards... heck, even if no one notices... it's for you. And at the end of the day, that's all you got - you. I've been able to rediscover this in me and I hope you can find it too, because we are not aware of what we are capable. So I'll leave it with a wicked quote I read:

"Champions are made when no one is watching"

... or if your an Olympian, when the entire universe is watching you :P Go get'em tiger!

Much love,

j

So0o0o Dericious

2010-02-11T18:38:00.003-05:00

Hhhokay SO! After intense anticipation, Challenge #1 is FINALLY up on the site!

Click right hurrr >>> Axe Challenge #1

On another fantastic note, I wrote my last midterm before the break today, and...wait for it... it actually went SO well. Surprised me that's for sure hahaha... well I mean, how hard can I really concentrate when everything else is so much more exciting! Like eating chilli for the first time in my life today :O! I know, I know, LIKE OMGZ SHE'S NEVER HAD CHILLI!? Yes, it's true. I also don't eat fruit and hate chocolate milk so get over it :P After dinner, which should be another healthy meal PAUSE not (I'm having Spicy Perogy Pizza!), I'm going to print out all the pics on my cam to get it clear for . . . VANCOUVER! Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! So excited :D But also, another reason I couldn't really concentrate was because I was preparing for Challenge #2 and #3 last night! Here's a sneak peek at #2...

Sneak peek = Sneak Peek? Yeyuhhhhh!

Feel it ;) Sincerely from the hood,

- Shady

(Side note: Now you probs think I'm a HUGE loser since I just called myself Shady... Let me inform you, that's been my nicname on my soccer team since like Gr. 8. Don't playa hate!)

ReminDERRR

2010-02-10T23:10:00.002-05:00

Dope

If I was half as cool as Jay-Z is... no, 10% as cool as he is...

Our House

2010-02-10T22:58:00.001-05:00

An Ode

Five fun facts about my (student) home sweet home...

1 - If you walk 5 steps out our front door it is highly likely you will either be a) run over by public transit or b) get crunched by a garbage truck, then refer back to a
2 - My bedrooms walls and windows shake when a really big truck drives by
3 - We get nicky nicky nine door'ed at least 3 times a day
4 - Our next door neighbours are a 24-hour Tim Hortons, a tanning salon, and Booster juice
5 - Our cute little house is nicnamed The Shelter

The Final Countdown!

2010-02-10T07:52:00.001-05:00

The countdown is on... 50 days...

or 4,320,000 seconds until the voting period is over for the Axe Summer Gig! And I've realized in the last few days that I really gotta step up my game... and that's what I'm gonna do. Look out for my YouTube channel coming up... Should be pretty exciting since I'm leaving for the Olympics on SATURDAY kjhfaisufiufgauytfb! I can't wait! The atmosphere is gonna be crazy! Plus, the best part of it all... well, maybe not the BEST part, but a top part in my mind... is going to The Keg on Sunday night! Yeahhh. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love this haha MMM... Steak!

So stay tuned and if you have a second today, vote for me @ AXE Summer Gig!

Take'r easy... and if she's easy... take'r twice.

(I'm sorry, that was inappropriate haha)

Love j

Axe Summa

2010-02-06T10:03:00.004-05:00

Alright, so quite clearly I am no LeBron James of the blogging universe, but I'm giving it my best shot, LOL. The reason I started this page was for the reason of Axe Summer Gig... you know, support, promo, all the fun voting shenanigans. But even through all my really bad blogging, I want the Axe Summer Gig more than anything. It would be an unbelievable experience. And yeah, the 10 grand isn't too shabby either, but it's more the opportunity and valuable experience that I think would be the coolest part. I mean, I've never done anything, nor will I ever do anything, probably as cool as this work wise. It will be exciting and different everyday, something I will really benefit from... and I'm up for the challenge. I work hard at everything I'm given and would definitely excel in a job that perfectly combines the work and the play, you know?
So after the embarrassing shameless self promotion, all I ask if for YOUR vote! Check out AXE Summer Gig, click on my picture and press VOTE!

Thanks guys, I appreciate it :)

Love,

j

PDF stylez

2010-01-31T01:55:00.004-05:00

Challenge 5: Tag Yourself for me

That's all ^

Merry January 31st!

We Don't Have The Power But Never Say Never

2010-01-28T21:57:00.003-05:00

Young Forever

Doug

2010-01-27T22:40:00.000-05:00

Then we're going to find our best friend Doug
And then we're gonna give him a best friend hug!

Just bananas!

2010-01-26T23:01:00.004-05:00

Today was... insane! SO busy! Like busy, unexciting, slightly depressing school-related things, but still! Here's a quick run through... Math class, Study, Class, Skip class to study, Test, Study, Math midterm, Home - nomnomnomnom. So brutal, but so glad it's over! Except until I wake up tomorrow morn at 4:45 for work! AHHH! But even through all the brutal school work there's this AXE competition that is, in it's self exhausting, but exciting and wonderful to come home to! Haha... and then to read all the lovely comments people have left me... it's really amazing... whatever comes from this, I know it's going to be great experience for me :) But don't get me wrong, I wanna win :P

Thank YOU for supporting me, YOU'RE the best :)

Much love,

j

Boo

2010-01-25T17:35:00.003-05:00

Why promote AXE when you can study for math?

Boo!

LIKE OMG, VOTE FOR ME!

2010-01-25T13:55:00.002-05:00

Okay, here it goes, my first ever blog...

I started this thing initially to promote for the AXE competetition I'm in, but I intend to keep it either way. Basically, I'm a finalist for AXE Canada's Ridiculously Ridiculously Good Summer Gig and I would really love it if you took 2.36 seconds out of your day (after reading this) to vote for me! All you have to do is go to AXE Summer Gig (vote here) Click on Jaime and press VOTE! Tres simple. I really appreciate it :)

Thank you,

j