Hey guys! So it's been a while since I had a new post, life's just been a constant stream of chaos these days, and I'm just trying to keep a handle on stuff. Unfortunately, I don't take my camera often these days when I go out so I don't have any new stuff to update you with :( But I HAVE discovered something awesome: YOUTUBE COVER ARTISTS. Now you might be saying, "but Kevin, they've been around forever!" to which I would reply "yeah but I'm lazy and I discover things late." LOL but yeah, I was recently introduced to a couple of covers by a good friend of mine and I just instantly fell in love. I mean, I heard heard bits and pieces or just heard of them by name, but once I actually started listening to them, I realized how amazing they really are.
So, today, I'm gonna introduce a few famous ones that are already extremely popular on YouTube (kinda defeats the purpose of introducing them since 99% of the world has heard of them, but bear with me!)
Alex Goot
This man is a god, he plays so many different instruments, and has a voice like he's trying to seduce me with every song. The most interesting thing about his music is that he takes pop songs and tries to put a different spin on them, almost like re-inventing them, it's pretty amazing when you hear it.
It really doesn't matter if you're a fan of the original artist, give Goot's covers a listen!
Beauty and a Beat (feat. Kurt Schneider and Chrissy Costanza)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-BXNXvTvV4
Apologize
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQtFyp-AxP4
Payphone (feat. Eppic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bssVzEXy80g
Sam Tsui
To be honest, I've only ever heard one Sam Tsui song before I started getting into cover artists and that was his cover of Just a Dream alongside Christina Grimmie and was flat-out AMAZING. Their voices match together so well, it's actually pretty awesome! Plus, it was pretty much a whole new take on Nelly's song, minus the R&B part.
Just A Dream (feat. Christina Gimmie)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2RA0vsZXf8
Just Give Me A Reason (feat. Kylee and Kurt Schneider
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYgAPEUAibg
Mirrors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-O6G_zFH-Y
Tyler Ward
First of all, jesus christ you need to check out this cover of Titanium featuring the Piano Guys, it will blow your MIND.
Titanium (feat. the Piano Guys)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk81akon-yU
Holy crap, listen to that, that's awesome right there. Although the auto-tune in the song is a bit obvious at times, he manages to pull it off well and still remain true to his voice. Many thumbs up to this (Y).
Suit and Tie Acoustic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BYit6wTW4k
Fix You (feat. Boyce Avenue)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n19hMu4yW0
May I just add that Fix You is one of my favourite songs of all time, and I highly recommend you check out the original by Coldplay, it's a fantastic song.
Welp, there goes another post, hope you guys check out these awesome cover artists, I'm totally hooked on them at the moment. Hopefully I'll free up some time with another photopost sometime soon, stay tuned for more interesting stuff ! :)
Tuesday, 27 August 2013
Sunday, 11 August 2013
Taste of Danforth!
Hi everybody! Sorry for the long absence, things have been REALLY hectic these days. Unfortunately, I have been debating with myself whether or not to continue updating this blog, but I realized that I really do enjoy photographing things and placing them here so I will continue posting as best as I can. However, I DID realize that I don't have nearly enough clothes to keep making OOTDs or even be fashionable (let's be real), so I'll be focusing more on stuff I do and places I visit. There are A LOT of places that I have never been to in Toronto or elsewhere and I hope to be able to visit those places in the near future before I get completely bogged down by work and my full course load for university.
I went down to Taste of Danforth with my friend Mixalis and the first thing we thought was "Whoa this is a HUGE festival!" I've never really been to a street festival like this before and it was a bit awesome and eye-opening! I really hope to be going to more of these when they come up during the year. It was also great to run into some friends there and reconnect with them, as most of them have been really busy or out of town. We explored the festival but left shortly after, because it closes around midnight. I would've really liked to go again either today or tomorrow but my busy schedule won't permit such nonsense :(
Anyways, here's a few pictures of the festival and hopefully I'll have lots more adventures to share with you later on. Until then, ciao! :)
I went down to Taste of Danforth with my friend Mixalis and the first thing we thought was "Whoa this is a HUGE festival!" I've never really been to a street festival like this before and it was a bit awesome and eye-opening! I really hope to be going to more of these when they come up during the year. It was also great to run into some friends there and reconnect with them, as most of them have been really busy or out of town. We explored the festival but left shortly after, because it closes around midnight. I would've really liked to go again either today or tomorrow but my busy schedule won't permit such nonsense :(
Anyways, here's a few pictures of the festival and hopefully I'll have lots more adventures to share with you later on. Until then, ciao! :)
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| Only part of the street that wasn't COMPLETELY packed! |
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| People even set up stands to sell clothing |
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| I don't even know why people lined up for Mike's Hard, but they did LOL |
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| Greek pita wraps, oh my goodness |
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| They looked absolutely mouthwatering |
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| You can't see it, but the line for the stand was a mile long |
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| The nightlife here was totally amazing |
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| Strangely studio-esque lighting at this stand |
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| This man looks like he knows what he's doing |
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| Last picture of the night and I managed to capture a sliver of the moon :) |
Friday, 2 August 2013
Delays!
Sorry guys, this is gonna be a short post, but unfortunately, I might not be able to post anything new for a while now. Some stuff is going on and pressure's really starting to mount. Work is just killer these days and on top of that, it's assignments and studying and an exam next week. I'll try to do some adventuring this weekend and maybe put up some new pictures, but until then, I probably won't be able to do much for a while. Don't worry, this blog isn't dying though, I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to get a whole bunch more stuff up (esp new outfits!) later on, so stay tuned!
Saturday, 27 July 2013
A Slice of Markham
So today I happened to cross paths with a friend that I used to be extremely close with! It's been around 6 years since we've seen each other and we decided to spend some time exploring Main Street Markham together and find all its little gems. It's great to see somebody that you used to know and to rediscover who they are and what they do, it's like meeting someone completely new! We just toured around the street, but unfortunately, there's loads of construction so not everything was accessible. We first visited a quaint little café on the side of the street called "It's The Cat's Meow", with a cute cat themed décor.
The interior was very well adorned and had a relaxed, "put-your-feet-up" feel to it. There were plenty of little cat figurines and cat-themed motifs all around which is really cool, considering it's a small cafe tucked in the back of Main Street.
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| The café itself has a nice, home-y feel to it |
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| Comfy decor, with nice modern touches |
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| The feline ornaments add a charming feel :) |
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| So many organic teas available (drool) |
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| Hung over the door, honestly the cutest thing |
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| I do love cats, very much so :$ |
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| Not too overpriced, regular pricing for a café bar |
After chatting over a cup of steeped Earl Grey, we set off and explored the streets of Main Street Markham, full of tiny boutique stores and restaurants.
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| Never tried but assuming a meal here would be fantastic |
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| The entrance looks nice and inviting though |
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| One of many pub/restaurant open on Main Street |
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| Has a very European feel towards it |
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| The decor looks very home-styled |
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| Obligatory picture here :) OOTD ZARA Man Denim Couture Short Trench Coat ZARA Man Basic Trouser H&M Basic Sweater |
Loving the backdrop in this picture as well.
During our little exploration, we found a small used bookstore and decided to check it out. The owner of a bookstore is one of those classic examples of complete strangers that seem to inspire you out of nowhere haha! He had a lot to talk about philosophy and religion and I could tell he was a very educated man, and its sad to see that not many people have an interest in buying books in our day and age.
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| Shelves upon shelves of old books |
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| So many stories jammed side by side |
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| Exactly the kind of quote to be expected in this place! |
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| Found some nice backdrops along the street! |
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| A magic garden appears out of nowhere! |
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| Here's me and my best friend just chillin' |
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| Decided to pop in and check out how it looks |
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| This café has a very old timey feel |
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| The jar of teas look wonderfully hand made |
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| The most romantic and inspiring thing I've seen in a while! |
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| For all of your music needs, here's an old-time piano :P |
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| The china in the café is gorgeous and classy at the same time |
For our last stop, we found a hidden side street and discovered a gelato shop named...well "Gelato" LOL. It's very hipster and new-age, and sold merchandise along with food. The thing that capture my attention the most was the watches on sale, which had a wooden frame along with classic metal timepieces. According to the lady who worked there, for every watch sold, the company selling the watches would plant a tree, which is a pretty cool way to give back to the environment I guess.
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| Awesome wooden design with classic watch structure |
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| Mmm the mango gelato was fantastic (double drool) |
All and all, a great day and I'm thankful to be able to spend it with a friend I haven't seen in 6 or 7 years! Thanks for tuning in again, I'll be sure to post as often as I can and send some new adventures to you all! Bye now! :)
Friday, 26 July 2013
Introspective Thoughts
Personally, I don't want this blog to be about my personal thoughts and feelings because I feel like that the point of this would be a cry of attention and I don't want that. But at the same time, I feel like this is a safe place where I can express my thoughts and feelings without people judging me. I realize that nobody really even reads this blog so why not?
Lately, I've been trying to change myself for the better. I look back into the person I used to be and I don't like him. I had no sense of responsibility, whether it was towards my family, or my relationship or even my own future. I also had no sense of consequences and thought that everything would work itself out in the end, but it didn't. I lost the trust of a lot of people around me because of that. I depended too much on other people to do things for myself, when I was the one who should be doing things for myself. Whenever something went wrong, I always went to other people to whine and complain about things, instead of changing things so they wouldn't happen again.
And recently, I've been trying to be more responsible towards myself. Working everyday, as well as doing everything I can to take care of my family. My family is sort of a broken home, which means that I should be doing everything I can to support them. I've been trying to catch up on all the schoolwork I've missed recently and been doing assignments and studying everyday when I get off work. Even this blog is kind of a way of changing myself because I've been so embarrassed to really open up before, that I never really told anyone how I feel.
But... with this new responsibility to myself comes a lot of pressure. Working every single day is hard at times, and even worse when I have to wake up early in the morning to transit for an hour and a half. And sometimes, things don't really go my way. I had planned out my courses well ahead of time and come registration time, almost half my courses had to be waitlisted because other people had earlier start times. And there's an endless amount of schoolwork to be done and caught up on. On top of that, all the chores and commitments to my family really do take its toll on me.
And that's how I know that the old "me" was so terrible. The fact that I've never felt this much pressure before means that I didn't have a handle on my responsibilities or things that I should have done. I think back to the things I used to do, like sit around and play video games all the time, as well as not care about simple things like cleaning my own room, and I realized that the person I used to be was good for nobody. I always thought that I was very mature because I had to endure things that happened in the past with my family, but I never really realized that as much as I thought that made me a better person, it didn't.
So I'm learning to let go of some things about me. I'm learning to let go of my dependence on other people for my happiness, and my dependence on the thought that I don't have to do anything for things to work out. Because things will only become better once I work on it. These things take time, and I try every day to be the best person I can be. And I know I can't take back some of the things I've done, but I know that if I truly can be different, I can make up for it.
And even though apologizes don't mean much after you've done something, I'd still like to, because I really do care about the people I've hurt. I'm sorry to my family for disappointing them when they needed me this whole time. I'm sorry to my friend that I've gone on and on to my problems with, but didn't consider that he was going through the same thing and felt crappy as a result. I'm sorry to all the people I've made commitments to, and never went through with them.
But I'm going to do something about it. I'm going to work as hard as I can in my job. I'm going to study hard and get good grades for the first time in a long while. I'm going to appreciate my friends and hold them dear to me. I'm going to go through with the commitment I made to my school club, and be a good leader to them. I'm going to strengthen the bonds with my family and make sure I appreciate the time left I have with them. I can stop smoking so much, and have a healthier lifestyle. And once I learn to appreciate the opportunities and things that I have been given to me, I know that I can become a better person.
And hopefully, the next time I blog about my feelings, I can blog about how fulfilled I am to have made this decision to change myself. If someone really does see this, then sorry for the long rant haha. But seeing as how a bunch of Canadians, a few Americans, and strangely, some Serbians only happen on my blog, then I'll just pretend this is my own personal diary. I'll be sure to update all you guys with some new events soon, I might be checking out a local Greek festival happening in my town as well as many some more adventuring in Toronto if I have the time. Bye for now, and wish me luck.
EDIT: This post is kinda like "my mischievous escape" HAHAH GET IT? Ok good night.
Lately, I've been trying to change myself for the better. I look back into the person I used to be and I don't like him. I had no sense of responsibility, whether it was towards my family, or my relationship or even my own future. I also had no sense of consequences and thought that everything would work itself out in the end, but it didn't. I lost the trust of a lot of people around me because of that. I depended too much on other people to do things for myself, when I was the one who should be doing things for myself. Whenever something went wrong, I always went to other people to whine and complain about things, instead of changing things so they wouldn't happen again.
And recently, I've been trying to be more responsible towards myself. Working everyday, as well as doing everything I can to take care of my family. My family is sort of a broken home, which means that I should be doing everything I can to support them. I've been trying to catch up on all the schoolwork I've missed recently and been doing assignments and studying everyday when I get off work. Even this blog is kind of a way of changing myself because I've been so embarrassed to really open up before, that I never really told anyone how I feel.
But... with this new responsibility to myself comes a lot of pressure. Working every single day is hard at times, and even worse when I have to wake up early in the morning to transit for an hour and a half. And sometimes, things don't really go my way. I had planned out my courses well ahead of time and come registration time, almost half my courses had to be waitlisted because other people had earlier start times. And there's an endless amount of schoolwork to be done and caught up on. On top of that, all the chores and commitments to my family really do take its toll on me.
And that's how I know that the old "me" was so terrible. The fact that I've never felt this much pressure before means that I didn't have a handle on my responsibilities or things that I should have done. I think back to the things I used to do, like sit around and play video games all the time, as well as not care about simple things like cleaning my own room, and I realized that the person I used to be was good for nobody. I always thought that I was very mature because I had to endure things that happened in the past with my family, but I never really realized that as much as I thought that made me a better person, it didn't.
So I'm learning to let go of some things about me. I'm learning to let go of my dependence on other people for my happiness, and my dependence on the thought that I don't have to do anything for things to work out. Because things will only become better once I work on it. These things take time, and I try every day to be the best person I can be. And I know I can't take back some of the things I've done, but I know that if I truly can be different, I can make up for it.
And even though apologizes don't mean much after you've done something, I'd still like to, because I really do care about the people I've hurt. I'm sorry to my family for disappointing them when they needed me this whole time. I'm sorry to my friend that I've gone on and on to my problems with, but didn't consider that he was going through the same thing and felt crappy as a result. I'm sorry to all the people I've made commitments to, and never went through with them.
But I'm going to do something about it. I'm going to work as hard as I can in my job. I'm going to study hard and get good grades for the first time in a long while. I'm going to appreciate my friends and hold them dear to me. I'm going to go through with the commitment I made to my school club, and be a good leader to them. I'm going to strengthen the bonds with my family and make sure I appreciate the time left I have with them. I can stop smoking so much, and have a healthier lifestyle. And once I learn to appreciate the opportunities and things that I have been given to me, I know that I can become a better person.
And hopefully, the next time I blog about my feelings, I can blog about how fulfilled I am to have made this decision to change myself. If someone really does see this, then sorry for the long rant haha. But seeing as how a bunch of Canadians, a few Americans, and strangely, some Serbians only happen on my blog, then I'll just pretend this is my own personal diary. I'll be sure to update all you guys with some new events soon, I might be checking out a local Greek festival happening in my town as well as many some more adventuring in Toronto if I have the time. Bye for now, and wish me luck.
EDIT: This post is kinda like "my mischievous escape" HAHAH GET IT? Ok good night.
Wednesday, 24 July 2013
Music of the Day!
Hi everyone! Unfortunately, no photos today, nothing much has been happening except for work and school and chores. The worst thing is that my course enrollment period for my university is opening tomorrow at 3PM and I have a shift from 4 to closing, so I'll have to enroll in my courses on the way to work. Lucky I can do that with my phone so it's not all that bad. Instead of an update, I'm going to post some songs which really vibe with me right now.
First up is really surprising to me because I just recently got into them, which is Tegan & Sara. Somebody introduced me to some of their songs before but I never really got into them until recently. Their recent album, Heartthrob, features some really snazzy songs but the ones I like the most are "I Was A Fool" and "I'm Not Your Hero". They have a really indie feel, mixed with some electro and dance, which is pretty cool, I rarely hear that kinda thing. Their lyrics are really interesting and really match with the feel of the song, so check them out if you haven't heard of them before.
"I Was A Fool" - Tegan & Sara
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZHGeg_0Rlo
"I'm Not Your Hero" - Tegan & Sara
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSGbOmW4AjI
Next up, I have to say is one of my favorite songs of the moment, "Save Your Scissors" by City & Colour. Dallas Green, the front man of the band was also the front band of Alexisonfire, one of my favorite bands. His voice in his songs are really quite beautiful and angelic, and you can really hear the emotions behind the lyrics. The guitar work is also very well done and technical, and complements him very well. Take a listen, I swear you won't regret it!
"Save Your Scissors" - City & Colour
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZIj31QHidY
One of the great bands that emerged recently is fun. and they became extremely popular with the song "We Are Young". The song itself is very youthful and energetic, with a hint of a "devil-may-care" attitude that really makes me want to sing along! "Carry On" is also, in my opinion, a fantastic song that really captures your emotions in a certain way. It starts off very gloomy in the beginning, but is surprising in its change of pace and tone later on in the song. Nate Ruess' voice is also surprising endearing and is very impressive in its own right. I recommend anyone who is a fan of alternative and indie music to give them a try.
"We Are Young" - fun. feat. Janelle Monáe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv6dMFF_yts
"Carry On" - fun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7yCLn-O-Y0
Another indie band that I also love is Bright Eyes, which feature more emotional and romantic songs. Connor Oberst, front man of the band, has an amazing and unique vocal style, which combines raw emotion with a solid voice. One of the songs that really stood out to me was "Lua", a very emotional but somber song. He really puts all of his feelings and emotions into the song, to the point of exaggeration, but he still manages to create an amazingly powerful song. Another great song by Bright Eyes would have to be "The First Day of My Life", which goes the opposite way and gives off a cheery, hopeful and romantic feel. Listening to them really perks my day up, so I really recommend that you give them a listen.
"Lua" - Bright Eyes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSBs-hiapo4
"The First Day of My Life" - Bright Eyes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwFS69nA-1w (video version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztGPYPArAyE (album version)
The last band I'm going to introduce today is Belle & Sebastian. People familiar with indie music will most likely recognize them; they truly are an amazing band. In fact, one of the first vinyl records I ever bought was their 2003 album, Dear Catastrophe Waitress. My favorite song by them is "I'm A Cuckoo", it really is an upbeat song which lifts your spirits. It's frequently on my workout playlists and really energizes you, I highly recommend it. Another great song by them is "Piazza, New York Catcher", which is more of a deep, thoughtful song. There are many hidden meanings in the song, but manages to keep it in a more spiritual, brighter light. The way the song flows back and forth really captures my heart, definitely two thumbs up for me.
"I'm A Cuckoo" - Belle & Sebastian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuKuw71YBbI
"Piazza, New York Catcher" - Belle & Sebastian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7wSBqOIJBo
Well, that's all for now! Tell me what you think about these songs, and I'll be sure to introduce more of the same kind. Be sure to check back for more updates later, I'm quite a busy-bee these days, but I'll try my best to put up more updates, bye for now :)
First up is really surprising to me because I just recently got into them, which is Tegan & Sara. Somebody introduced me to some of their songs before but I never really got into them until recently. Their recent album, Heartthrob, features some really snazzy songs but the ones I like the most are "I Was A Fool" and "I'm Not Your Hero". They have a really indie feel, mixed with some electro and dance, which is pretty cool, I rarely hear that kinda thing. Their lyrics are really interesting and really match with the feel of the song, so check them out if you haven't heard of them before.
"I Was A Fool" - Tegan & Sara
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZHGeg_0Rlo
"I'm Not Your Hero" - Tegan & Sara
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSGbOmW4AjI
Next up, I have to say is one of my favorite songs of the moment, "Save Your Scissors" by City & Colour. Dallas Green, the front man of the band was also the front band of Alexisonfire, one of my favorite bands. His voice in his songs are really quite beautiful and angelic, and you can really hear the emotions behind the lyrics. The guitar work is also very well done and technical, and complements him very well. Take a listen, I swear you won't regret it!
"Save Your Scissors" - City & Colour
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZIj31QHidY
One of the great bands that emerged recently is fun. and they became extremely popular with the song "We Are Young". The song itself is very youthful and energetic, with a hint of a "devil-may-care" attitude that really makes me want to sing along! "Carry On" is also, in my opinion, a fantastic song that really captures your emotions in a certain way. It starts off very gloomy in the beginning, but is surprising in its change of pace and tone later on in the song. Nate Ruess' voice is also surprising endearing and is very impressive in its own right. I recommend anyone who is a fan of alternative and indie music to give them a try.
"We Are Young" - fun. feat. Janelle Monáe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv6dMFF_yts
"Carry On" - fun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7yCLn-O-Y0
Another indie band that I also love is Bright Eyes, which feature more emotional and romantic songs. Connor Oberst, front man of the band, has an amazing and unique vocal style, which combines raw emotion with a solid voice. One of the songs that really stood out to me was "Lua", a very emotional but somber song. He really puts all of his feelings and emotions into the song, to the point of exaggeration, but he still manages to create an amazingly powerful song. Another great song by Bright Eyes would have to be "The First Day of My Life", which goes the opposite way and gives off a cheery, hopeful and romantic feel. Listening to them really perks my day up, so I really recommend that you give them a listen.
"Lua" - Bright Eyes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSBs-hiapo4
"The First Day of My Life" - Bright Eyes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwFS69nA-1w (video version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztGPYPArAyE (album version)
The last band I'm going to introduce today is Belle & Sebastian. People familiar with indie music will most likely recognize them; they truly are an amazing band. In fact, one of the first vinyl records I ever bought was their 2003 album, Dear Catastrophe Waitress. My favorite song by them is "I'm A Cuckoo", it really is an upbeat song which lifts your spirits. It's frequently on my workout playlists and really energizes you, I highly recommend it. Another great song by them is "Piazza, New York Catcher", which is more of a deep, thoughtful song. There are many hidden meanings in the song, but manages to keep it in a more spiritual, brighter light. The way the song flows back and forth really captures my heart, definitely two thumbs up for me.
"I'm A Cuckoo" - Belle & Sebastian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuKuw71YBbI
"Piazza, New York Catcher" - Belle & Sebastian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7wSBqOIJBo
Well, that's all for now! Tell me what you think about these songs, and I'll be sure to introduce more of the same kind. Be sure to check back for more updates later, I'm quite a busy-bee these days, but I'll try my best to put up more updates, bye for now :)
Tuesday, 23 July 2013
Experiments with Outfits
Going through all my clothes made me realize that most of them clash with each other, so it's difficult to decide on different outfits to wear! I threw some on and made a kind of "mashup OOTD", tell me what you think!
Just experimenting around with these clothes, tell me what you think of these styles and what might or might not work. Might be posting some OOTDs when I don't have work and school, so look forward to that my friends, Kevin out. :)
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| H&M NYC Tank Top Aldo Accessory Chain Tokyo Laundry Skinny Chino |
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| H&M Easy Iron Dress Shirt ZARA Man Black Tag Denim Jean |
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| H&M Stripped Sweater ZARA Man Chino |
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| H&M Brooklyn Tee ZARA Man Chino |
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