New years New years New years. I love it. Don't why cause I've had pretty shitty New Years in the past and only in the last 3 years have they been better. But I love it. And you know what I love even more than getting dressed up and paying for overpriced drinks at a mediocre bar?! REMINISCING.
1) Where did you begin 2009?
On a boat on the ocean in Los Angeles, surrounded by fog, with my boyfriend borderline grind dancing with my mother.
2) What was your status by Valentine's Day?
Still with said boyfriend.
3) Were you in school anytime this year?
Yes, bar-tending school. I now can legally make my friends drunk on a Tuesday night with gin martinis.
4) How did you earn your money?
My expertise, post-production. Un-employment insurance. Now with the Olympics.
5) Did you have to go to the hospital?
Once for my sister while I was in Germany, she had an ear infection.
6) Did you have any encounters with the police?
No! How refreshing ;)
7) Where did you go on holiday?
Berlin, my fave spot in the world. Then Italy, which was heaven on earth. You have not lived until you've ridden on a scooter by the amalfi coast in 45+ degree weather.
8) What did you purchase that was over $1000?
Summer trip to Europe. worth.ever.penny.
9) Did you know anybody who got married?
Yes, good old Dave Sanderson to the always lovely Emily Bolton. Awesome wedding. Awesome couple. There even was Brickhouse.
10) Did you know anybody who passed away?
A lot of people's family dog died this year, which is very sad.
12) Did you move anywhere?
Yup, into the new party/day drinking pad with Franzie.
14) What concerts/shows did you go to?
Nine Inch Nails in Berlin, can't get any better. Okay wait the Kills were pretty good. Oh who am I kidding, Animal Collective blew my brain. again.
15) Are you registered to vote?
Nope, I am an alien.
16) Who did you want to win Big Brother?
stupid question is stupid.
17) Where do you live now?
vancouver, 'tis still lovely.
18) Describe your birthday.
it involved twister, a large cake, party hats, fake tattoos, the fairview and drew and I singing Forever Young very, very loudly.
19) What's one thing you thought you'd never do but did in 2009?
Actually go to Italy. With my boyfriend. Direct something. Semi make it into Crazy 8's after having to change my story/pitch 12 hours beforehand.
20) What has been your favorite moments?
- directing a music video
- randomly escaping to Tofino multiple times.
- lying on a gorgeous beach in Positano Italy with Dan feeding me drinks.
- any day drinking. which was a lot.
- U2 concert and drinking with my dad after.
- not working in july/august and actually taking time to enjoy my summer and vancouver during the heat wave of 2009.
21) What's something you learnt ?
unemployment fucks you up. mentally and emotionally.
22.) Any new additions to your family?
billy mays, the new house cat of dan.
23.) What was your best month?
july!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
24.) What music will you remember 2009 by?
The Kills. The Raveonettes. The Cool Kids.
25) Who has been your best drinking buddies?
franz. alexis. uuuggghhh way too much drinking.
26) Made new friends?
besides getting to know dan's gang even more, it's been the same old crew. which is fine by me :)
27) Best NEW friend?
uhh billy mays?!
28) Favorite Night out?
oh christ. can i even remember them? my birthday was pretty awesome. that night in berlin where i got mad at the african dude. that night at the morrissey while my sister was here where i ran into my old producing teacher peter helm and we talked for like 3 hours. oh wait, here was a good one, byron's birthday in the VIP lounge, p.i.m.p. oh and that random night at barney's with dan and cody, hellz yes, felt like the summer of 2007.
29) Someone you liked ?
yes, i like his cat that's not really his cat as well.
30) have you kissed the one from question 29?
yeah, it's one of my fave things to do.
31) kiss any one of the same sex?
no, it's been tame again.
33) something you look forward to before 2010?
getting that side mirror fixed on my dad's car.........................
34) where will you start 2010?
somewhere with good friends, pints, music and dan for a midnight kiss.
HAVE A GOOD ONE GUYS :)
Ta!
Julia Gulia
31.12.09
23.11.09
sleeping in for 3 months
Have you ever been unemployed? I hadn't been unemployed since I was 13. I started delivering newspapers and never looked back. Making money is awesome. Even after film school I swallowed any pride and worked at Chapters before I got hired in the film/tv industry. When I came back from my awesome euro trip this summer at the end of July and found out that the recession wasn't a myth and had finally hit my production company (which had been my home and life for almost 3 years), I was dumbfounded.
What do you mean, hiatus?
Oh we're getting new shows in December?
Oh wait we're not?
HOLY FUCK.
I decided to forgo any type of panic attack and head straight for the crown bottle and enjoy my time off for the rest of summer. I mean seriously, I'm sure I'll get hired for some other project come september. And I'll be honest, at first I was one of those naive people who was out on a tuesday getting hammered yelling "dude unemployment is AWESOME. I'm on EI, I get money for doing nothing!". Next thing I know it's fucking mid october and I'm finally having that panic attack. Followed by a quarter mid life crisis. See when you're unemployed you suddenly have time to THINK.
What am I even doing with my life?
Where am I going to be in 5 years?
Holy shit I'll be 28 in 5 years!
It's gross. And makes you drink more. But alas, starting November 30th I will be employed. Just in time for Christmas where my extreme holiday cheer kicks in and I buy a bunch of shit which pisses Franz off 'cause I attack him with holiday decorations and music that drives him nuts. At least now I'll be able to afford Bailey's to keep him happy. I have joined the drones and signed up for the Olympic army. At least I'll be working in the department that's sort of up my alley, aka the people who organize all the parties/events/medal/victory ceremonies. My plan to escape the Olympics are now demolished.
Frankly, I will look back at my 3 months of unemployment as quite a memorable time where I learned a few things of myself that I've been ignoring for 4 years because frankly, it's easy to ignore your own issues when wrapped in your daily life routine. But after almost drinking every day and discussing life with your 2 other unemployed friends, some things go "click", for better or worse. So here are some of the things that I've done during my no work period.
- went to bartending school. hopefully I can use my actual right to serve alcohol legally one day. who needs a wedding bartender?!
- used said new learnt drink recipes to entertain people at my house.
- created a make shift air conditioning system with franz during the vancouver heat wave of 2009 by putting a bucket of ice in front of a fan.
- finished my first feature length script.
- learned how to dress like a grown up/lady after numerous franz "you're not going to the morrissey" like that moments. apparently i know how to dress myself now.
- finally started watching mad men, it's always sunny in philadelphia and dexter in full season lengths.
- learnt that using cola, vanilla extract, coffee liquor and vodka makes a mean cocktail at 3 am on a monday night.
- going to tofino to escape quarter mid life crisis helps immensely.
- food on a budget - tomato sandwiches are AWESOME.
- food on a budget - spaghetti with watered down ketchup sauce is AWESOME.
- 13$ rain boots from canadian tire are way better then the expensive shiny designer rain boots.
- buying the cheaper brand of tequila is not though.
- start thinking of ways to make money, franz "we can become high priced escorts", Alexis "we can sell handmade dog balls!".
- day drinking and then taking a gin nap is WAY better then night drinking.
- also jogging and then drinking champagne is a great way to prepare yourself for a job interview at HMV.
- on that note, getting my dream job at HMV... 8 years late.
- wait I just remembered I have to call HMV and tell them I can't work for them.
in the end, unemployment blows but it had some great moments. so therefor, I salute you unemployment and all the ridiculousness you come with. now let us never meet again.
I leave you with my fave character from mad men, roger sterling.
What do you mean, hiatus?
Oh we're getting new shows in December?
Oh wait we're not?
HOLY FUCK.
I decided to forgo any type of panic attack and head straight for the crown bottle and enjoy my time off for the rest of summer. I mean seriously, I'm sure I'll get hired for some other project come september. And I'll be honest, at first I was one of those naive people who was out on a tuesday getting hammered yelling "dude unemployment is AWESOME. I'm on EI, I get money for doing nothing!". Next thing I know it's fucking mid october and I'm finally having that panic attack. Followed by a quarter mid life crisis. See when you're unemployed you suddenly have time to THINK.
What am I even doing with my life?
Where am I going to be in 5 years?
Holy shit I'll be 28 in 5 years!
It's gross. And makes you drink more. But alas, starting November 30th I will be employed. Just in time for Christmas where my extreme holiday cheer kicks in and I buy a bunch of shit which pisses Franz off 'cause I attack him with holiday decorations and music that drives him nuts. At least now I'll be able to afford Bailey's to keep him happy. I have joined the drones and signed up for the Olympic army. At least I'll be working in the department that's sort of up my alley, aka the people who organize all the parties/events/medal/victory ceremonies. My plan to escape the Olympics are now demolished.
Frankly, I will look back at my 3 months of unemployment as quite a memorable time where I learned a few things of myself that I've been ignoring for 4 years because frankly, it's easy to ignore your own issues when wrapped in your daily life routine. But after almost drinking every day and discussing life with your 2 other unemployed friends, some things go "click", for better or worse. So here are some of the things that I've done during my no work period.
- went to bartending school. hopefully I can use my actual right to serve alcohol legally one day. who needs a wedding bartender?!
- used said new learnt drink recipes to entertain people at my house.
- created a make shift air conditioning system with franz during the vancouver heat wave of 2009 by putting a bucket of ice in front of a fan.
- finished my first feature length script.
- learned how to dress like a grown up/lady after numerous franz "you're not going to the morrissey" like that moments. apparently i know how to dress myself now.
- finally started watching mad men, it's always sunny in philadelphia and dexter in full season lengths.
- learnt that using cola, vanilla extract, coffee liquor and vodka makes a mean cocktail at 3 am on a monday night.
- going to tofino to escape quarter mid life crisis helps immensely.
- food on a budget - tomato sandwiches are AWESOME.
- food on a budget - spaghetti with watered down ketchup sauce is AWESOME.
- 13$ rain boots from canadian tire are way better then the expensive shiny designer rain boots.
- buying the cheaper brand of tequila is not though.
- start thinking of ways to make money, franz "we can become high priced escorts", Alexis "we can sell handmade dog balls!".
- day drinking and then taking a gin nap is WAY better then night drinking.
- also jogging and then drinking champagne is a great way to prepare yourself for a job interview at HMV.
- on that note, getting my dream job at HMV... 8 years late.
- wait I just remembered I have to call HMV and tell them I can't work for them.
in the end, unemployment blows but it had some great moments. so therefor, I salute you unemployment and all the ridiculousness you come with. now let us never meet again.
I leave you with my fave character from mad men, roger sterling.
23.9.09
music on reel
the other day i had the rare treat to catch a music video on muchmusic and it was miley cyrus. and it was stupid. now of course you can argue miley cyrus is stupid but honestly, i used to watch music videos from artists that i HATED cause back in the day, music videos were AWESOME. now, not so much. it's either disney friendly or some epic kanye west shit. same old, same old.
music videos were the first things to inspire me to become a filmmaker. i used to have a notebook full of music video ideas. i was a major music nerd/snob in high school and spent my days day dreaming in class listening to my walkman (hellz yes) thinking about how to pair the song with film. i seriously spent about 3 hours a day doing this. i couldn't help it. as soon as i heard a song i connected to, the reels in my head started turning. it also helped that you could turn on muchmusic and waste 4 hours watching music videos. anyone my age (between 20-25) remembers the golden age of music videos. the 90's was the decade for music videos. to elaborate dance sequences, to indie film makers breaking new ground (michel gondry, spike jonze) to rappers making videos that had a bit more substance then naked chicks and booze. I MISS IT.
now i could sit here and pretentiously type out what the BEST videos are, but that's easy. take your pick from michael jackson, radiohead or missy elliot. but this list are my fave videos that left a mark on me, that still have an impact on me, that made me watch muchmusic all day hoping it'll come on and that make me want to be a teen again scribbling in my notebook. lets go!
p.s i omitted any dance videos cause everyone knows i'm a huge dance nerds and there would be like 40 videos on here.
Bush - Swallowed
hey remember when gavin rossdale was hot? this video introduced us to Bush, which is all fine and dandy but this video stuck with me because of the sheer randomness. why is there a girl about to give birth? why is that one chick freaking out in the corner? why is a creepy old lady dancing when gavin starts losing it on his guitar? the lighting and slo-mo pull you in till the end. the parting shot of gavin with the immobile party-goers blew my mind for some reason. this made me want to find a crack addict house party and start moshing.
Everclear - Father of Mine
say what you want about everclear, but don't be hating on art alexakis. guy is one of the most honest and brilliant songwriters. he cuts right into the story and pairs it great with his pop friendly rock. as a pre-teen finally dealing with the aftermath of my parent's divorce, this song hit home and helped me deal. a lot of everclear's songs helped me deal with stuff so they will always have a special place in my heart. they had a lot of great videos like everything to everyone, but this one really shows off their ability to use their video to heighten the story of the song. all their videos were always colorful and memorable.
Father of Mine by Everclear
Smashing Pumpkins - Ava Adore.
This is how you shoot a one shot video. I didn't even dig this song from them (I was more a Siamese Dreams era fan) but this video made me love it. from the crazy art direction in every room billy enters, to darcy's creepy stalker dance, to the pan over the actual set (awesome) and james's creepy makeup, this video is just EPIC EPIC EPIC. you can't tear your eyes away. no matter what i was doing, when this came on i had to watch it. also, billy corgan's creepy nosferatu dancing at the beginning is AWESOME.
Smashing Pumpkins - ava adore
Beastie Boys - Sabotage
What can i say? it's a classic. it riles me up everytime. just brilliant. amazing concept. amazing editing.
beastie boys: sabotage
Prodigy - Breathe
i had no idea this kind of music even existed and this video brilliantly introduced me to the genre and i'm a huge fan of it now. so many great eye candy in this video. it also scared the shit out of me, but i could not turn away. same thing as ava adore, i had to watch the full thing everytime it played. the middle part when the hair grows out of the arm in fast motion still gives me goosebumps. great performance from the 2 leading singers in this band.
Jay-Z - 99 Problems
this is a more recent one but it just proves that jay-z is amazing. also take note pretentious filmmakers, black and white only works properly and has the effect you want when done right. aka with purpose. wait vincent gallo AND a dance sequence?! mind blown. jay-z getting shot down at the end? yeah you are the best rapper alive.
Linkin Park - Faint
another band i usually don't enjoy but blew me away with this video. brilliant concept. a truly fresh take on a performance video. when the camera finally reverses to reveal them it gives me chills. well played.
My Chemical Romance - I'm Not Okay (I Promise)
Shitty band, amazing video. A great homage done to Rushmore that speaks to you. Amazing editing at the end, i dare you not to get riled up from it. awesome acting from the band. emo mcgee's scene with the cheerleader where he pulls out her eyelash is hilarious. actually this whole video is hilarious. great way to debut your band and get people's attention. Teenagers unite.
George Michael - Freedom
I could also make another list of early 90's videos cause I love that era and all it's pop music from it. But this one is so brilliant it would have been number one on that list. George Michael leaving Wham! and going solo was awesomely displayed by the burning of his leather jacket in this video while every single famous supermodel from that time are singing his lyrics. So 90's. so awesome. directed by david fincher!
George Michael - Freedom '90
Matthew Good Band - Apparitions
MGB ruled muchmusic in the late 90's and early 2000's. They put out video after video that played heavily and won them MMVA awards. The craze all mostly started with this one. Like everclear, MGB always used their videos to further show their story and out of all them, this one did it the best. Still gives me chills. Still makes me love Matt Good. Still reminds me what a huge crush i had on dave genn... and still do... WHY DID HE MARRY TAMARA TAGGART?!
Universal Music is a bitch and won't allow embedding so click on the link to see the beautiful music video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsljWSslr5s
so there you have it. i left some out, like The Perfect Drug by Nine Inch Nails or any Chemical Brother videos (check those out), but these still hold up as my faves and will cherish them till music videos become completely obsolete. sigh.
ta!
julia gulia
p.s listen to Pursuit of Happiness by Kid Cudi f. MGMT and Ratatat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfAR5wKEp4A
music videos were the first things to inspire me to become a filmmaker. i used to have a notebook full of music video ideas. i was a major music nerd/snob in high school and spent my days day dreaming in class listening to my walkman (hellz yes) thinking about how to pair the song with film. i seriously spent about 3 hours a day doing this. i couldn't help it. as soon as i heard a song i connected to, the reels in my head started turning. it also helped that you could turn on muchmusic and waste 4 hours watching music videos. anyone my age (between 20-25) remembers the golden age of music videos. the 90's was the decade for music videos. to elaborate dance sequences, to indie film makers breaking new ground (michel gondry, spike jonze) to rappers making videos that had a bit more substance then naked chicks and booze. I MISS IT.
now i could sit here and pretentiously type out what the BEST videos are, but that's easy. take your pick from michael jackson, radiohead or missy elliot. but this list are my fave videos that left a mark on me, that still have an impact on me, that made me watch muchmusic all day hoping it'll come on and that make me want to be a teen again scribbling in my notebook. lets go!
p.s i omitted any dance videos cause everyone knows i'm a huge dance nerds and there would be like 40 videos on here.
Bush - Swallowed
hey remember when gavin rossdale was hot? this video introduced us to Bush, which is all fine and dandy but this video stuck with me because of the sheer randomness. why is there a girl about to give birth? why is that one chick freaking out in the corner? why is a creepy old lady dancing when gavin starts losing it on his guitar? the lighting and slo-mo pull you in till the end. the parting shot of gavin with the immobile party-goers blew my mind for some reason. this made me want to find a crack addict house party and start moshing.
Everclear - Father of Mine
say what you want about everclear, but don't be hating on art alexakis. guy is one of the most honest and brilliant songwriters. he cuts right into the story and pairs it great with his pop friendly rock. as a pre-teen finally dealing with the aftermath of my parent's divorce, this song hit home and helped me deal. a lot of everclear's songs helped me deal with stuff so they will always have a special place in my heart. they had a lot of great videos like everything to everyone, but this one really shows off their ability to use their video to heighten the story of the song. all their videos were always colorful and memorable.
Father of Mine by Everclear
Smashing Pumpkins - Ava Adore.
This is how you shoot a one shot video. I didn't even dig this song from them (I was more a Siamese Dreams era fan) but this video made me love it. from the crazy art direction in every room billy enters, to darcy's creepy stalker dance, to the pan over the actual set (awesome) and james's creepy makeup, this video is just EPIC EPIC EPIC. you can't tear your eyes away. no matter what i was doing, when this came on i had to watch it. also, billy corgan's creepy nosferatu dancing at the beginning is AWESOME.
Smashing Pumpkins - ava adore
Beastie Boys - Sabotage
What can i say? it's a classic. it riles me up everytime. just brilliant. amazing concept. amazing editing.
beastie boys: sabotage
Prodigy - Breathe
i had no idea this kind of music even existed and this video brilliantly introduced me to the genre and i'm a huge fan of it now. so many great eye candy in this video. it also scared the shit out of me, but i could not turn away. same thing as ava adore, i had to watch the full thing everytime it played. the middle part when the hair grows out of the arm in fast motion still gives me goosebumps. great performance from the 2 leading singers in this band.
Jay-Z - 99 Problems
this is a more recent one but it just proves that jay-z is amazing. also take note pretentious filmmakers, black and white only works properly and has the effect you want when done right. aka with purpose. wait vincent gallo AND a dance sequence?! mind blown. jay-z getting shot down at the end? yeah you are the best rapper alive.
Linkin Park - Faint
another band i usually don't enjoy but blew me away with this video. brilliant concept. a truly fresh take on a performance video. when the camera finally reverses to reveal them it gives me chills. well played.
My Chemical Romance - I'm Not Okay (I Promise)
Shitty band, amazing video. A great homage done to Rushmore that speaks to you. Amazing editing at the end, i dare you not to get riled up from it. awesome acting from the band. emo mcgee's scene with the cheerleader where he pulls out her eyelash is hilarious. actually this whole video is hilarious. great way to debut your band and get people's attention. Teenagers unite.
George Michael - Freedom
I could also make another list of early 90's videos cause I love that era and all it's pop music from it. But this one is so brilliant it would have been number one on that list. George Michael leaving Wham! and going solo was awesomely displayed by the burning of his leather jacket in this video while every single famous supermodel from that time are singing his lyrics. So 90's. so awesome. directed by david fincher!
George Michael - Freedom '90
Matthew Good Band - Apparitions
MGB ruled muchmusic in the late 90's and early 2000's. They put out video after video that played heavily and won them MMVA awards. The craze all mostly started with this one. Like everclear, MGB always used their videos to further show their story and out of all them, this one did it the best. Still gives me chills. Still makes me love Matt Good. Still reminds me what a huge crush i had on dave genn... and still do... WHY DID HE MARRY TAMARA TAGGART?!
Universal Music is a bitch and won't allow embedding so click on the link to see the beautiful music video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsljWSslr5s
so there you have it. i left some out, like The Perfect Drug by Nine Inch Nails or any Chemical Brother videos (check those out), but these still hold up as my faves and will cherish them till music videos become completely obsolete. sigh.
ta!
julia gulia
p.s listen to Pursuit of Happiness by Kid Cudi f. MGMT and Ratatat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfAR5wKEp4A
7.8.09
amateur cooking hour. chicken.
Oh gorgeous summer, what better way than to celebrate you then cook a feast? Granted, living in Canada we are lucky to be blessed with all four seasons, each one bringing it's own urge and inspiration to cook a feast. But there's something about summer... maybe it's all the colors of the different fruits and vegetables that come with summer, maybe it's the easier process of inviting friends over at the last minute to join you at your feast, or maybe it's all that summer wine. Either way, summer cooking is a blast. And here at Franz and Julia's pad, there's always a reason to be cooking a stellar meal, come join us won't you, FOR FRANZ AND JULIA AMATEUR COOKING HOUR.
like most of our adventures, it all began on a late morning while I was surfing the internet and Franz was doing a crossword puzzle when:
Franz
"I wanna braise something"
Julia
"okay"
Franz
"I wanna braise a chicken, how do I do that?"
Julia
"Many ways... easiest is to sear it and then boil it in chicken broth with water."
Franz
"..."
Julia
"Or you can cook it in wine."
Franz
"Lets cook it in wine."
So after browsing through the grocery store, we decided upon braising chicken thighs with a vegetable medley and polenta. A little French inspired, but isn't there a Julia Child in all of us?
STEP 1
Adorn tacky apron you got from your parents from Christmas and taste the cooking wine.
STEP 2
Heat a frying pan with oil. Wait until pan is hot before putting chicken in. Let it fry on one side till brown, about 5 minutes. Put chicken thighs in a medium sized cooking pan or pot. Cut up some shallots, red onions, leeks, lemons and mushrooms and place on top of chicken. Pour red wine on top of everything until pan is half full, fill the rest with chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper, cover and place into oven at 400 F. Apparently I haven't cut onions in awhile cause I had tears like that day Michael Jackson died rolling down my face.
STEP 3
Making polenta. Apparently some people are scared to make this delicious alternative to mashed potatoes, but trust me, it's easy and quick. Buy some regular cornmeal, bring a pot of water to boil and slowly add the cornmeal while whisking. You'll notice it gets quite thick very easily. Stir it around until all water has been absorbed and it comes off clean from the side of your pot while stirring.
We then poured our cooked polenta into a pie pan to cool off. You can lay it out on a baking sheet as well, but we wanted our slices to be thicker. Franz then grated some parmesan cheese on top, stuck it in the oven for ten minutes for the cheese to melt and then let it cool again. In the end, we were able to cut pie shaped slices out like a pizza. Awesome.
STEP 4
Vegetable Medley! Our picks this evening were zucchini, leeks and asparagus. We just cut them into little pieces and then let them fry in butter for like 15 minutes. We also put in some fresh thyme just as a little punch. At this time we also started cooking our chicken at 475 F cause it wasn't boiling yet. We also started poaching some white pearl onions in boiling red wine and chicken broth. Those puppies cooked for 30 minutes until they were nice and tender.
STEP 5
Le sauce. After taking our chicken out (cooked for an hour), we put the pieces on a plate and covered them to stay warm. I took the leftover broth, red wine and everything else that the chicken had cooked in and threw it into a blender. I mixed it until it was smooth, and voilĂ , instant sauce. The flavors were out of this world. Nothing like a bunch of stuff that has been cooking together to give you a mouthgasm.
STEP 6
Plating time, aka eating time. This meal was an epic success. The chicken was so tender and juicy. The polenta had a nice texture compared to the velvety and buttery flavor of the vegetables. The poached pearl onion was a nice add on to bring a stronger and crisp flavor to the mix.
Of course, all meals must end with a dessert. After our epic french meal, we decided to abuse cherry season and opt for a simple and refreshing dessert. We cut up some strawberries and cherries and then whipped up some cream. All we added to the cream was vanilla, sugar and cinammon. So delicious.
After that, all there was left to do was pour another glass of wine and enjoy the season finale of so you think you can dance. Thanks for joining us!
Ta!
Julia Gulia
5.6.09
best-worst june.05.2009
friday.friday.friday

one of my dear friends from film school, dave sanderson, is getting married this weekend. to a very beautiful and amazing woman named emily. i'm sending them an early congrats!
Best and Worst week of June 5th 2009.
Worst
- capturing PAL footage on an hdv deck.
- david carradine dying because of a sex accident. note to people with a fetish about pain and sex, don't hang yourself while masturbating.
- working on my never ending excel sheet at work.
- my bike dying a slow painful death. it now pretty much stays in one gear.
Best
- Vancouver heat wave. Bring it van city, bring it. I spent my teen years in Quebec with 40 degree weather and ridiculous humidity.
- fudgesicles.
- drinking beers behind the rio theatre before film screening.
- 2 more weeks till my europe vacation.
obligatory cute kitten of the week:
ta!
Julia Gulia

one of my dear friends from film school, dave sanderson, is getting married this weekend. to a very beautiful and amazing woman named emily. i'm sending them an early congrats!
Best and Worst week of June 5th 2009.
Worst
- capturing PAL footage on an hdv deck.
- david carradine dying because of a sex accident. note to people with a fetish about pain and sex, don't hang yourself while masturbating.
- working on my never ending excel sheet at work.
- my bike dying a slow painful death. it now pretty much stays in one gear.
Best
- Vancouver heat wave. Bring it van city, bring it. I spent my teen years in Quebec with 40 degree weather and ridiculous humidity.
- fudgesicles.
- drinking beers behind the rio theatre before film screening.
- 2 more weeks till my europe vacation.
obligatory cute kitten of the week:
ta!
Julia Gulia
29.5.09
best-worst may.29.2009
back in 2006 when myspace was still somewhat relevant, i apparently used their blog function in my profile. this week jeremy informed me that i'm sending spam via my myspace account and that it's probably been hacked. my reactions were as follows:
myspace?
i still have an account there?
oh my god when was the last time i logged in...
holy shit i gotta go check out my profile.
oh god my profile pic was from my vegas trip 2007 with thea!
so i go to close my account, so hopefully my hacker stops sending spam, but then it gives me the ominous "WE WILL DELETE EVERYTHING IN YOUR PROFILE" and suddenly a wave of nostalgia came over me.
i recall signing up for myspace back in 2005 first month of film school. my class was in the computer lab (aka mac lab) and dillon wyant told me to sign up to myspace. i thought i was pretty in tune with the net but i had no idea what the hell he was talking about. pretty soon everyone in my class was hooked and we all nerdly (that's not a word) left each other messages while we were in the same room. as i browsed through my old profile that now lays in dust i basically saw my year of film school. my blog entries were mostly about the first film i directed (epic ranting. problems that seem impossible now, i reread and laugh at myself thinking, why didn't i just do this? guess you do grow wiser with age. christ i was 19), and some brief entries involving the barely memorable months i worked at Chapters after i graduated and working at BoDog, my first paying industry job. then it stopped. probably cause drew and chelsea barrie kept telling me to join facebook.
so i saved my blog entries in word and deleted my myspace account. i mostly felt nostalgic for my 19 year old film student life, being so broke that i would steal peanut butter packets and eat them for lunch, drinking every fucking night, and not logging into some social networking site every couple of hours to see what my friends are up to. no i would talk to them.
but then i can't sit here and complain about "how we don't communicate anymore outside facebook". cause i would just text with my brand spankin' new cell phone that i never got tired of playing with, or log into myspace. same thing, just updated. so next time you feel guilty for using facebook to check in with your friends, don't. it's 2009. what's done is done.
one thing i found amusing in my old blog post of years back, was a "best of, worst of". apparently in 2006 the best was watching bring it on again with sean and the worst was editing a 48 hour film festival while sick.
calling it now, new weekly Friday post while be best and worst.
Best and Worst week of May 29th 2009.
Worst
- biking up extreme hills for 25 blocks.
- monday morning rainfest.
- craving chocolate while watching 2 hour episode of so you think you can dance but being too lazy to go to the store.
- starring at a huge excel sheet all day and typing in timecode.
- hearing noisy drunk chicks at the bottom of your window puking at 4 am.
Best
- biking down said hill for 25 blocks at twilight, heading to animal collective concert.
- so you think you can dance being back in my life on a weekly basis.
- my jazz teacher making us do amazing broadway choreography. my jazz hands were in full effect.
- Toxic cover by Yael Naim.
- beer friday at work starting at 4:30 pm
- revenue canada realizing their idiots and sending me a letter basically saying "ignore last letter we sent you about owing us money, we see that we cashed that cheque in february..."
- lisztomania by phoenix, someone brilliantly recognized that this was an 80's homage so they made a brilliant brat pack homage to it. who wants to learn how to 80's dance with me? if this video doesn't put you in a good mood or make you wanna dance, you're dead to me.
ta!
julia gulia
27.5.09
vitamin T
my weekend was pretty solid. it felt like one of the first real summer weekends of 2009. i love when vancouver wakes up from it's rainy winter/spring slump and graces us with it's clear skies, mountains and ocean. also all the hot chicks come out wearing their best tight lululemon garb and parade around english bay on their roller skates and bikes for male viewing pleasure. and thus, all the men in vancouver are content again.
so i started my weekend by sleeping in. which is always a +. i made a giant batch of delicious margaritas and put it in franz's nalgene water bottle and then we put on our beach gear, hoped onto our bikes and headed to jericho beach. seriously, that first bike ride in shorts, flip flops, bikini and tank top is G-L-O-R-I-O-U-S. we passed through our old hood, waved to our former humble home le 2905 and had a moment of "ohmygod i miss this neighborhood".
we scoped out a rad sandy spot and proceeded to down our giant margarita. during suntanning, some smart ass bird decided to relieve himself of something nasty he ate earlier, which landed perfectly as one giant brown, gooey, liquidy mess on my tank top. thankfully not on my skin. i proceeded to shed said tank top and rock my bikini top... and then washing my shirt like a loser in the ocean. after 4 hours of lying in the sun, i had yet to tan or burn for that matter. fucking pale ass german skin.
animal collective. i love thee. i know a lot people don't get it, that's fine. but some people like me, just do. and man do we get into it. there's something about finding that one consistent beat in their songs and then appreciating and getting elated by all the different layers they add. it's beautiful and invigorating. for easy listening to try and get into it, check out "the purple bottle" and "summertime clothes". i discovered them in 2005 from le cody bown. he played me "we tigers" and i was hooked. we used to listen to animal collective 24/7 and write crazy shit. it was our film school soundtrack. we first saw them at the commodore in 2007 (with my mouth wired shut from my accident no less...)

animal collective consist mostly of Avery Tare, Panda Bear and Geologist. Their live shows are super high energy and you never wanna stop dancing, and they make dreamy musical intervals between every song so the music never stops. it's like one giant musical trip that doesn't stop for an hour and a half. i started off by the side of the stage with dan and mike to get a good view but these two tall dudes stood in front of me and REFUSED TO MOVE once animal collective started. dude, you're at an ac show, fucking dance. so i did something i swore to never do in concerts cause it's an asshole thing to do, i pushed my way to the middle of the front of the stage. seriously, i wanna get into this with my fellow ac fans. which i did. we were all dancing and jumping around, so satisfying. i also made friends with the two hilarious dudes in front of me. see conversation:
dude 1: ah man i can't wait until they play brother sport!
dude 2: yo they already played that.
dude 2: what?!!! how did i miss that?! HOW?!
dude 1: it was like the second song dude!
me: they didn't play brother sport yet.
dude 2: they didn't?!
me: yeah that was summertime clothes.
cue animal collective playing brother sport and all of us rejoicing, i thought dude 2 would keel over in joy.
also i love panda bear so much. his singing voice is insane. he takes it to a whole new level. and when he turns to the drum set beside him and starts going ape shit on it during songs i lose it. i love it so much. i love seeing people going through different instruments. he does it so well.
p.s also on my way back, i crossed the granville street bridge with dan. on my bike. first time since the accident. i made it. without freaking out and getting off my bike. HOLLERZ!
p.p.s y'all need to check out the new cool kids tunes. ugh i love these guys. summer jam.
so i started my weekend by sleeping in. which is always a +. i made a giant batch of delicious margaritas and put it in franz's nalgene water bottle and then we put on our beach gear, hoped onto our bikes and headed to jericho beach. seriously, that first bike ride in shorts, flip flops, bikini and tank top is G-L-O-R-I-O-U-S. we passed through our old hood, waved to our former humble home le 2905 and had a moment of "ohmygod i miss this neighborhood".
we scoped out a rad sandy spot and proceeded to down our giant margarita. during suntanning, some smart ass bird decided to relieve himself of something nasty he ate earlier, which landed perfectly as one giant brown, gooey, liquidy mess on my tank top. thankfully not on my skin. i proceeded to shed said tank top and rock my bikini top... and then washing my shirt like a loser in the ocean. after 4 hours of lying in the sun, i had yet to tan or burn for that matter. fucking pale ass german skin.
franz and i headed back home before stopping at our favorite.place.ever, elwoods. i put my bike helmet on the bar which prompted some dude to ask "so what do you ride?" and i awkwardly and confused replied "i'm riding a bike", which made our fave bar gal lizzy laugh out loud. we had two coronas and lazily rode back home.
we landed on the couch and decided to pop in my new season 1 of roswell on dvd that i got for 20$ at future shop. fuck i love re-watching series i was obsessed with as a teen. they are so mediocre now but still amusing. at around 10 pm we got our asses of the couch to join dan and his friends at a little house get together. first summer night bike ride in t-shirt with a backpack full of beer? G-L-O-R-I-O-U-S.
sunday prompted more sleeping in, more roswell and more vitamin T - aka tequila. dan came over and we made some delicious bison burgers and then got on our bikes to drink at mike's in prep for ANIMAL COLLECTIVE CONCERT. fuck yes. riding to mike's was torture, all up hill for 25 blocks. fuck vancouver and your hills. every bike ride is a workout i swear to god. we got tipsy at mike's with peter and lindsey. mike has a swank basement suite. dan and i's bike ride downtown to the commodore was AWESOME. beautiful clear night, all downhill and perfect temperature.
animal collective. i love thee. i know a lot people don't get it, that's fine. but some people like me, just do. and man do we get into it. there's something about finding that one consistent beat in their songs and then appreciating and getting elated by all the different layers they add. it's beautiful and invigorating. for easy listening to try and get into it, check out "the purple bottle" and "summertime clothes". i discovered them in 2005 from le cody bown. he played me "we tigers" and i was hooked. we used to listen to animal collective 24/7 and write crazy shit. it was our film school soundtrack. we first saw them at the commodore in 2007 (with my mouth wired shut from my accident no less...)

animal collective consist mostly of Avery Tare, Panda Bear and Geologist. Their live shows are super high energy and you never wanna stop dancing, and they make dreamy musical intervals between every song so the music never stops. it's like one giant musical trip that doesn't stop for an hour and a half. i started off by the side of the stage with dan and mike to get a good view but these two tall dudes stood in front of me and REFUSED TO MOVE once animal collective started. dude, you're at an ac show, fucking dance. so i did something i swore to never do in concerts cause it's an asshole thing to do, i pushed my way to the middle of the front of the stage. seriously, i wanna get into this with my fellow ac fans. which i did. we were all dancing and jumping around, so satisfying. i also made friends with the two hilarious dudes in front of me. see conversation:
dude 1: ah man i can't wait until they play brother sport!
dude 2: yo they already played that.
dude 2: what?!!! how did i miss that?! HOW?!
dude 1: it was like the second song dude!
me: they didn't play brother sport yet.
dude 2: they didn't?!
me: yeah that was summertime clothes.
cue animal collective playing brother sport and all of us rejoicing, i thought dude 2 would keel over in joy.
also i love panda bear so much. his singing voice is insane. he takes it to a whole new level. and when he turns to the drum set beside him and starts going ape shit on it during songs i lose it. i love it so much. i love seeing people going through different instruments. he does it so well.
ta!
julia gulia
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