…You know the ones with tails and fur?  I’m talking about monkeys of course!  If you’ve lived in Calgary long enough, chances are you’ve heard about Calgary Zoolights.  If you have not gone yet, let me convince you (which is not going to be that hard).  Over 1.5 million lights cover the Zoo in a spectacular display of holiday spirit and animals from all over the world.

This year there are 9 brand new, unique animated animal figures, and Santa is back – via SantaVision – by popular demand. You can live chat with Santa Clause and right afterwards you can send a Video Postcard!  The postcards let you send a message or song to loved ones wishing them “Happy Holidays!”  There are hot chocolate stands and fire pits set up all over the Zoo to keep you warm in the snow that just dusted Calgary.

Now, if you’re going with the family, don’t forget to stop by the Winter-FUN-derland kids play area and play in the Reindeer Stables, or sing along to the Festival of Choirs (7pm until 8:30pm)!  However, may I suggest closing your eyes as your parents walk through the Tunnel of Love, trust me on that one, or use that time to walk down Candy Cane Lane!

Now for all the important information:

Zoolights is on now until January 3rd, 2010. (CLOSED on Christmas Day and excluding Zoo Years Eve)

The night begins at 6:00pm until 9:00pm, but gates close at 8:30pm

Adults are $8 and Children are $5

You can get your tickets at the gate or purchase them online.  And get this!  Parking is INCLUDED after 4:30pm!!!

Check out the website for more information and for other special holiday events happening like, Brunch with Santa.  Don’t forget a toque and a warm pair of mittens!  “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!”

We recently posted about the U of C’s Fairly Traded Market Day and a few of us were able to attend last weekend. We were able to find awesome holiday gifts for friends and family, and for surprisingly reasonable prices, too.

Just because the Market is over doesn’t mean you can’t still buy fair-trade goods for the holidays.  10 Thousand Villages is open for business and has two locations in Calgary.  Joel is a fan of their Holiday Blend coffee, and Sheena and I picked up some really cute bags of tea.  They also have awesome bags, scarves, and incense sets available, among other things.

My favourite Kensington store, Mañana, was also at the market, and is another awesome fair-trade store for the holiday season.  Their jewelery and incense selection is unmatched.

But if you do want to make it out to another fair-trade market, the Social Justice Club at Centennial High School will be hosting its third-annual Celebrate with a Conscience event, open to the public for the first time this year. On December 10^th from 3-7pm you are welcome to browse fair-trade goods from around the world at this student-run event.

So try an ethical gift this season, or even just treat yourself to a bar of fair trade chocolate or a cup of fair-trade tea/coffee. It can’t hurt, and there are really no downsides to knowing you’re supporting the livelihood of independent craftspeople and farmers worldwide.

That’s right, the Santa Shuffle Fun Run & Elf Walk is here!

This Saturday (or tomorrow!), December the 5th, 10:00am, at Eau Claire Market, you can run 5km or walk 1km around Prince’s Island Park to benefit those in need of the Salvation Army’s Services.  This annual event is held across North America, so be sure to join in on the fun that brings families and friends together!

If you would like more information, you can check out the race information page for Calgary, follow the Santa Shuffle event on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook!  Technology is so handy these days. : )

Now, if the idea of *actually* participating doesn’t appeal to you, there’s a chance to volunteer instead. Head on over to CYFC‘s YVC page to sign up! You will be helping to make the race a success by assisting in race marshalling and you will get to participate in the closing ceremonies afterwards.

Yes, I know there’s a blizzard warning in effect… but we’re Calgarians! The cold and the snow have got nothing on us!

Youth Are Awesome had the chance this weekend to meet up with Inner City Elegance at Tubby Dog to ask them a few questions about music, their upcoming show and everything in between.  The Calgary-based trio Inner City Elegance is one tight ‘bromance’ with a high-energy sound that is uniquely theirs.  Brazilian front man, Bruno Rodrigues and two high school friends, bassist Justin Parsons and drummer Spencer Kathrens burst through Calgary’s music scene in late 2008 and have recently recorded their first EP, “Hot & Dangerous”.  Inner City Elegance will be playing a FREE show on Saturday, December 5th at Tubby Dog.  Doors open at 7:30 and this is going to be a show you won’t want to miss!

Youth Are Awesome: Where and when was the first time you played together as Inner City Elegance?

Justin: Our first show as ICE was at the Distillery last January or February.

YAA: Is it difficult to find venues in Calgary?

Bruno: All ages venues yes, but bar shows are a lot different then all ages shows because people go to bars to get drunk not to listen to you sing.

YAA: How did you guys come up with the name Inner City Elegance?

Spencer: That one was tongue and cheek for sure, its kinda named after the house where we jam, its this old house just on the outskirts of downtown.

YAA: If you could use one word to describe ICE what wouldn’t it be?

Bruno: Love. Haha.

Justin: Let’s say flakey, we like to put it all out there.

YAA: Who plays what role in the band? 

CBC Radio 2 just wrapped up the first leg of the Great Canadian Song Quest, and CBC Radio 3 is just about to announce the winners of the Bucky Awards.

Listeners were asked in October to nominate CBC Radio 3 artists, and then in November to vote for the best in categories including Reason to Learn French, New Band Name, and Sexy Musician, among other conventional categories such as Song and Lyric.

Winners will be announced live on Wednesday, December 9th on the Grant Lawrence show.  But if you miss the announcement, you can always catch up with the CBC podcasts on their website or through their awesome iPod application.

Have you ever wanted to travel across Canada, learn about its history and culture, and help contribute to sustainable development in Canada?  Have you ever wanted to learn Canada’s other official language?  If you are between the ages of 17 and 21, Katimavik is a great way to do that.  Katimavik is one of Canada’s leading youth volunteer programs.  

Youth from all over Canada live in different regions in Canada for either 6 or 9 months and participate in volunteer programs in each of the regions.  It is a great way to meet new people and make a difference, while gaining valuable skills. 

In addition, you can get university credits for Katimavik, depending on which program you are doing.  And you don’t have to worry about how much it costs.  It is Free!  Katimavik is paid for by the federal government.  Cool, huh?

The WFW saga is back!  It has been almost a week since Operation Beautiful was introduced and hopefully it got you through November to December!  To start this new month off I would like to present The Book Inscriptions Project— the final installment to our saga.

Have you ever turned to a page in a book or a textbook and there is a random little message left in the corner?  Well book inscriptions are more personal, as they are messages written to the original reader of the book but those books find their way into the hands of others.

The project all began with this book in 2002 when Shaun, the founder of this website opened this book up and saw the message that was written in the cover:

Something about that note, handwritten by an unknown to an unknown of whose whereabouts, gender and relationship I was unaware, struck me as both tragic and powerful.

It seems like everyone today wants to get on the eco-friendly, save-the-world, stop-killing-our-planet bandwagon.  As someone who loves nature and believes that we should respect it, I have no problem with this.  Some artists have decided to support the cause (intentionally or not) through the use of recycled materials to create their masterpieces.
 Now, the first thing that comes to mind when you think of laundry is likely not art, and I think that it makes more sense to have leftover clothing fibres remind you of destruction, not construction.  But, lint scultures are just that. Construction from deconstruction.  Check it out.

If you are a petrol head or just someone who enjoys a quality television presentation with their vehicles, then this is definitely the show for you.  Top Gear is a BBC original which started as a magazine, but finally found its way to television in 1977.  It was re-launched in 2002, and is doing better than ever.

One reason for Top Gear’s success is due to the quirky and humorous personalities of the hosts and definitely the unusual reviews they do.  Like when they test drove their Porsche Panamera across the UK in a race against a letter being delivered by the British Royal Mail, or when they play British Bulldog against the British Army.  Along with the various reviews, interviews, racing, and other random segments, the cinematography of the show is absolutely amazing when they end up taking their test drives across the beautiful landscapes all over Europe which really tries to convey the artistic part of driving vehicles.

I highly recommend this show to anyone really, even if you are not that interested in vehicles, it is still a great television program which deserves the recognition it gets.  You can watch videos here on their website.

Also, if you would like to give any suggestions on reviews you would like to see done for future posts, just leave a comment here and I will try to check it out if I can. Enjoy!

A week ago, my friend sent me a link and told me I should watch this Youtube video because it was so hilarious. After watching the video, I was unsure if it was making fun of Punjabi people and their culture or if it was a tribute to diverse music like Bhangra.  The video was a Punjabi version of Jingle Bells with a Punjabi Santa and so on. Take a look at the video below:

[youtube MHkfPjW0aRg]

What do you think?  Is this a racist joke by Nickelodeon, or an acknowledgement of Bhangra music and the Punjabi culture?

Miles, a social outcast at school becomes board of his eventless life, and he is tired of being a nobody.  But that all changed when he moved to a boarding school called Culver Creek in search of “the great perhaps”.

Soon Miles befriends a group of teens including the colonel, his muscular but short roommate; Takumi, a Japanese student with a strong interest in rap; and Alaska, the impulsive, gorgeous, and intelligent, female leader of the group.

Miles gets dragged into a world of pranks, adventure, dating, and rule breaking -the great perhaps he was searching for.  This novel starts 136 days before a life changing event and ends 136 days after it.

Looking for Alaska is intended for an older audience, as it contains a lot of scenes and words that are inappropriate for children.  It also contains a lot of symbolism and messages about life.  This book is not quite as funny as Paper Towns, but it is in some ways deeper and more meaningful, due to the fact that it deals with more serious subjects.

This novel is a great read, and I would recommend this to anyone above the age of 14.

“How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?” – Simón Bolívar’s last words and one of the central themes of this novel.

Tune in next week for An Abundance of Katherines.