Meeting Jack and Dean, TimH, Bertie Gilbert and Ben Cook

As I mentioned in my previous post I went to VidCon last week and I did some meet and greets. This year for the meet and greets they did a lottery system and you choose your top 15 YouTubers you would like to meet and they did a random draw and you got 2 or 3 meet and greets, depending on how popular the person you choose was. My number one choice were a group of film makers. They are smaller on YouTube compared to some of the other people were there but they are probably my favourite creators online. They all have their separate channels and their videos range from comedy sketches, to thought provoking films and basically everything in between. And I was very excited to meet them and I want to talk about it. More then I already have. (Sorry friends)

I waited in line for probably an hour or so? I don't really remember that part but it went by really quickly because I was surrounded by people who shared the same interest. And what I found the different between this line and other lines, like Connor Franta's line which was right next to mine, was that this line was seriously so chill. When the guys came out we were just like oh cool this is so exciting, and then they went back to their conversations, which honestly, were very intelligent and interesting. Where as over in Connor's line people were like flipping out, which there is nothing wrong with. It is totally fine to fangirl and everything I just prefer not too. So it was really cool to actually have interesting conversations with people instead of just screaming.

I was kind of nervous waiting in line because I tend to word vomit when I get nervous and I did not feel like doing that today but once I got up there I was instantly cool. They were so nice and it just felt very relaxed and it was nice. They were joking around and just having fun which made me SO much more comfortable. I wrote them some letters and made fancy envelopes which honestly took me ages. I made the first one and instantly regretted it but I was already in it for the long run by that point. I spent so much time making those envelopes that I actually forgot to write the letter until I was sitting in the airport waiting to catch my flight. Yay procrastination. I also made them some string bracelets and I found out after I left that one of them fell out of the envelope and that will haunt me until my dying day. I feel so bad. So if you guys are reading this, I am sorry and I will be sorry until I die. It's just the Canadian in me.

The overall experience was great. Yeah it was quick but there is something about meeting the people who inspire you the most that is the best thing. These people inspire me to be creative and to make stuff and to know that they are real and they are genuine is the best feeling. To me, they felt like the people I see on screen. They were goofing around, making jokes, just being themselves and I love that. It's amazing and it was the best way to start my first VidCon.

The best part about meeting them was the photo I got. I asked them to pose ballet and this was the result.

I mean, you can't beat that. I look really good and I'm in a photo with my favourite people. Honestly this is my favourite photo thus far in my life. It's my laptop and phone background. 

I just want to say, (in case any of them are reading this) thank you for being so kind and friendly and making me feel very comfortable. Like I said in my letters and just now, you are my biggest creative inspirations and you kinda made my VidCon. So thank you.

Until next time!

Tori

VidCon 2015

As some of you may know I recently traveled down to Anaheim, California last week with my two friends Dallas and Callista for the 6th annual VidCon. And I had a great time. We went for 6 days, leaving Wednesday July 22nd and coming back Monday July 27th. The convention was three days and holy crap was it a whirlwind of a weekend. I honestly had the best time, it was so crazy and weird but REALLY fun.

For those of you who don't know what VidCon is, VidCon is a internet convention created by Hank Green from the Vlogbrothers. It is a place for viewers and creators to come and basically just have fun. You can buy merch, go to panels, play games, meet your favourites, watch interviews, there is no shortage of stuff to do over these 3 days.

When we were planning the trip, it didn't feel real. It didn't feel like it was actually a thing that was going to happen until we got there. It was really cool to be somewhere where everyone has one thing in common, YouTube. You could literally start a conversation with anyone and they would be friendly about it. I mean when I was in line for a meet and greet I was talking to a few girls and they were so sweet and they were into the same stuff as I was. It is just such a cool experience to be somewhere where every one is collectively excited. The whole convention felt very welcoming.

My meet and greets were amazing. I'm not going to go too much into them because I'm going to write a separate blog post for each of the meet and greets I went to but I was lucky enough to meet my biggest inspirations while I was there. I met, Jack Howard, Dean Dobbs, Bertie Gilbert, Ben Cook, Tim H and Hannah Hart. These are the people who inspire me creatively and just in general. And meeting them and knowing that they are real is just the best thing. Nothing can top that for me.

Honestly I left this whole convention feeling inspire to create more stuff. I didn't get to see very many panels because of the pass I got but that's okay. What I saw was enough to have me leave inspired and ready to create. Which means I will definitely be putting more work into this blog and hopefully starting to make YouTube videos as well. I did vlog the weekend and when that is up I will definitely let you guys know.  And I have lots of posts lined up for this space as well!

Until next time!
Tori

Top 5 Travel Destinations

I love to travel. I have only done a few big travels in my life but I love travel. Even something as small as going to the city I find exciting. One day I hope to be able to travel the world because I really want to go see what other cultures are like and just go explore the world. So these are the top 5 places I would like to visit!

1. Ireland

Now I have already been to Ireland in the summer of 2011. My grandparents took me when they went to go visit family and I fell in love. I honestly did not want to leave, I love everything about it. The rolling green "mountains" (they are hills), the old buildings, the culture, the potatoes. I 100% do want to go back to Ireland.




2. Greece

My dad went to Greece when he was 18 and he said it was one of the best things he has done in his life. I love ancient Greek culture and myths and again the old buildings. And that ocean though. Oh man the pictures I see of Greece just make me want to jump on a plane and go now.





3. London

Yes I know this isn't very original but I REALLY want to go to London. I want to travel all of Europe really but I'm narrowing it down for the sake of this list. I would really like to see Big Ben and the London Eye and just do all the touristy London stuff because I am SUPER original.




4. Australia

My brother, my mum and my grandma went to Australia in 2012 I believe to visit my grandma's sister and they had the best time. They came back with so many fun stories like the boat ride to this island they were staying at, and biking around it in the rain and the hole my brother dug at the beach just because he could. And of course the weather. Who wouldn't want to be
somewhere that nice? P.S this is a photo my mum took! Isn't it nice?

4. Italy

Italy is another place I would like to visit because I like the ancient culture. The Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I want to see it all. I also love Italian food so really it's a win win situation.






5. New York City

I know, I know, New York, classic. But hear me out, New York is the top of the line as far as performing goes and I am a performer and to be able to see a Broadway production or see a professional musician play live on stage would honestly be the best thing for me to see. And I know I can see that everywhere but it's different when it's New York. It's the city that never sleeps and I want to be there. And sing New York, New York in Times Square because that is the type of person I am.

There you have it! That is top 5 destinations I would like to visit and hopefully one day I will get to visit them and many more! I am going to be going on a trip to California with some friends for a YouTube convention called Vidcon so I will definitely be blogging about that and hopefully there are more adventures in my future!

Whiplash Review

Promising young drummer, Andrew Neeman enrolls in the most cut throat music program in the country where he begins his road to being a jazz drummer. Along the way he meets instructor Terance Fletcher who will stop at nothing to turn his students into the next Charlie Parker.
I didn't know anything about Whiplash when I watched it, a friend recommended it to me by saying, "it's about band!" So obviously I had to watch it. And oh my goodness am I ever glad I did. Just because this movie is about music and musicians doesn't mean it is focused to musicians. I think anyone who has a drive in life can relate to this movie. It touches on drive and addiction and it does a damn good job at it.
I think watching this as a musician gave me a bit of a different perspective on it versus someone who isn't a musician. In the movie the protagonist practices until his hands bleed to impress his instructor and I relate to that. I relate so hard to practicing my butt off to impress someone, especially in music. But the great thing about this movie is you don't have to be a musician to get that. You can be anyone.
Another thing that was great about this movie were the characters. Both the protagonist and the antagonist have their flaws and their attributes and you don't really know who is good and who is bad. They are real people, good and bad. The character played by J.K Simmons is a total jerk, but there are times in the movie where you like him and it's weird because you want to hate him but you can't help but like him. It's a very strange feeling.
There is a scene in the movie where Andrew Neeman and Terance Fletcher are talking about Fletcher's rough teaching method and how he did it to inspire the next generation of Charlie Parker's and Louis Armstrong's. He said that Charlie Parker only came to be who he was because a cymbal was thrown at his head because he messed up a solo which only pushed him to work harder and to prove himself. Neeman then asks Fletcher, is there a line that is crossed in this method? And Fletcher replies with no, because Charlie Parker and Louis Armstrong would never give up or be intimidated. And that my friends, is my favourite line in the movie. In order to be one of the greats, you need to work for it and you need people to be honest. You are not going to be the best by having everyone tell you, oh it was good and not improving. I think that is something to take away from this movie. You always need someone in your life who is going to be brutally honest with you and if you can't take that honestly, maybe you aren't cut out for what you want to do.

Has love lost it's meaning?

I've been thinking a lot recently about the word love. I think that it has lost it's meaning and is being used too casually now. Back when our parents and grandparents were young the word love was used for your family members and for someone you care about. It was a powerful word that means a lot of a lot of people. But I think that it has lost it's power in this day and age.

Couples now are saying love two days into dating. Some couples as young as 12 or 13 who are "dating" aka holding hands in the hallway are saying that they love each other and they barely know each other. I know people who say "love you!" to their boyfriends and girlfriends just so casually like it means nothing and that makes me sad.

I am the type of person who will not say I Love You to someone unless I mean it because it isn't something you can take back. I don't think you can be in love with someone a week into dating. You can lust them, but that is something very different. I think you really need to know someone on a different level to REALLY love them. And not like a friend saying love you or you mom saying love you. I mean like a deep, infatuating love. You don't just love this person, you are IN love with this person.

I think saying I love you and I'm in love with you mean two different things. I think saying I love you is saying I trust you, I like every part of you, you're great. But saying I am in love with you is like saying every part of your body loves every single thing about them. That you are just overcome with so much feeling and you are absolutely infatuated with them.

It makes me sad that the word love is used so casually and loosely and has lost it's meaning. I mean it still has meaning to me but a lot of people, especially young people, really just don't get it. And that makes me sad.

Tori Embarrasses Herself: Movie Theater Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of, Tori Embarrasses herself. Now this occasion did happen before the Tyler Oakley incident in case you were keeping track. And once again, I was in a room full of people.

A few months ago my friend Caitlin and I went to the movie's to go see Pitch Perfect 2. Now when the two of us go out together in any occasion it is going to be eventful one time we brought a whole thing of cupcakes into a movie. This time we actually bought snacks and this is where the story begins.

We had just purchased our movie popcorn which, let's face it, is the best popcorn ever. We were walking over to the ticket guy when I noticed I had dropped my ticket behind the next lady in line. Now a normal person would say "oh excuse me I dropped my ticket" hand their popcorn to their friend and pick it up. No not me. I awkwardly crouched down to pick it up and basically almost fell right on my butt in front of a whole lobby of move theater goers. It also didn't help that Caitlin was laughing. But the lady didn't notice.

So we proceed to the ticket guy. This is where I think that this isn't my ticket because it didn't look like Caitlin's. Caitlin gave her ticket to the guy and I then say,
"I think I lost my ticket but here's my receipt."
To which he replied with,
"Oh not this is your ticket. Theater 3 on your left...don't get lost."
And then Caitlin says,
"Don't worry that's why I'm here."

So basically the ticket guy thinks I'm an idiot and Caitlin confirmed that fact. This is why I don't go in public by myself people.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen Review

Annabel Greene is the girl who lives in the glass house. From the outside, everything looks perfect but even glass hides some bits of what you think you are seeing. After spending a summer isolated and alone Annabel starts the school year with many secrets hanging around her. Then she meets Owen, someone she never thought she would connect with and with his help she discovers who she really is.

Holy crap. I did not expect this book to be as real as it was. When I picked up this book my thoughts were, oh this will be a fun light read but oh was I wrong. This book touched on things like eating disorders and rape and it did a damn good job at it. It was so real and raw it really took me by surprise.

I like Dessen's writing style. It is easy to read and connect with the characters and she developed ALL the characters in this book. Not just Annabel, but Whitney, Kirsten and Owen all had some major character development and I loved it. I loved that she didn't just focus on Annabel and Owen. Dessen took us into the lives of Whitney and Kirsten who was living in a different state but still contributed to the story. I loved that. I loved all the different aspects playing into this book.
Overall I give this book 4/5 stars. It was a good read, real and really set a mood for the book.