Author Archives: Connor Baldwin

How the Vancouver Warriors celebrated St. Patrick’s Day

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“May the leprechauns be near you to spread luck along your way. And may all the Irish angels smile upon you on St. Patrick’s Day”.

The day I’m writing this is St. Patrick’s Day, and that is one of the many Irish blessings that are shared on this holiday. Did you see how the Vancouver Warriors celebrated St. Paddy’s Day on Friday? It was quite the show, and I was lucky to have a bird’s eye view.

The luck of the Irish might have been on the Vancouver Warriors side on Friday night, as they battled from down 7-2 to beat the Las Vegas Desert Dogs 13-12 with the game-winning goal coming from Adam Charalambides with just 26 seconds left.

The game was great, but what about the well-marketed theme for that night? If you saw the advertising for the game or attended, you could tell right away that it was a night to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, or as some call it, St. Paddy’s Day.

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I’ve always been interested in how pro sports teams approach theme nights, particularly those connected with holidays. You might not always see a so-called “authentic” representation of the holiday, but you likely see an overall representation of what makes that holiday unique or memorable. So what did the Warriors do to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day? Well, more than I first would have imagined, and it was a fun-filled night to remember for those in attendance.

Before breaking down what and how this theme night was done, I begin by asking you this question, what’s the first thing you think of that’s associated with St. Patrick’s Day? Okay, there are probably a few good options, but at the core of it all, it has to begin with the colour green. Did you know the original colour for St. Patrick’s Day was blue? I know, surprising right? But it was, and it was changed because of Ireland’s nickname: Emerald Isle. Green is the colour of choice now because of shamrocks and the green in the flag of Ireland.

Green was everywhere, and I mean everywhere, at the Warriors game. From the scoreboards, the beer, the decorations, and even the sponsorships (ok, maybe TD being green is just a coincidence). Since I had a bird’s eye view of the game, I also noticed all the green St. Patrick’s Day apparel in the party zone. The fans came to celebrate, that’s for sure, and I could tell even before the game began that the Warriors had some plans ahead for this intriguing theme night.

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That was just the atmosphere of the game, like that feeling you get when you’re settled into your seat getting ready for the game to begin. So what followed, and how did these pre-planned activities stack up with some other North American traditions when it comes to St. Patrick’s Day? Well, it all began with a local music group, The Shenanigans, who performed Irish-type, and I say type here because some of it was more “North American Irish music” as opposed to traditional Irish music, before and during the game, including commercial breaks. The highlight of all the Irish music had to be during the player introductions, where a real classic: ”I’m Shipping Up to Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys, set the mood for the night. At this point, if you were in attendance, you were not just ready for the game but also for the festivities planned for this special theme night.

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Okay, so you’re probably thinking by now, that’s it? Well, no, that was just the beginning of the St. Paddy’s Day activities that night. Halftime was when the real fun began. You may have heard of the phrase “Leprechaun Leap” before, but what does that mean?

Well, for the Warriors, it was a race with four contestants hopping across part of the floor in a “bean bag”, spinning around many times and then hopping back to the starting line. This was surprisingly entertaining and ended in quite the photo finish at the end of the race. This got the crowd’s energy going; everyone was in a good mood, despite the Warriors trailing at the time. Following this race, they had a pair of Irish step dancers who kept that energy going, and you could feel the mood lighten up despite the Warriors’ average first-half performance.

The Shenanigans came back with some more Irish music leading into the start of the third quarter, and at this point, I was already quite impressed by what the Warriors had done for this theme night. The third quarter was where even more fun segments happened on the big screen, really getting the fans involved with these. One lucky fan did a “pot of gold” toss where he had 30 seconds to score points by throwing these inflatable balls in garbage pins to win prizes. I guess you could say he was “searching for gold”, but he didn’t quite have the skills to take home the gold.

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The fans got a good laugh at this guy’s somewhat poor performance. As the third quarter progressed into the fourth, there was a quartet of moments throughout the latter part of the game that got everyone in the crowd involved.

Starting with a dance cam, because who doesn’t like dancing along to a good Irish jig? This was followed by one of those “cheesy” sayings you probably have heard more than once on St. Patrick’s Day… but with a twist. It was the “Kiss Me I’m Irish kiss cam”, a classic at sporting events, but even better when it’s in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, right? So are you convinced yet that the Vancouver Warriors put on a good show to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day?

As the cliche goes, but wait, there’s more! What’s something that I haven’t mentioned yet that is a very North American thing to do on St. Patrick’s Day? Ah yes, of course, drinking green beer! This staple was highlighted by the “Green Beers Cheers Cam” which was highly entertaining, to say the least. Before the final of this quartet of interactive activities, the Irish dancers and the Warriors dance team joined forces with the Warriors mascot – Timbr the Sasquatch – to bring a St. Patrick’s Day edition of the tradition they do at all of their games… the Timbr slide.

To cap it all off (before what was an epic final few minutes of the game I must add), was a singalong! Not just any singalong though, it was of the Spirit of the West’s classic: “Home For A Rest”. If you haven’t heard this song yet, you’d probably recognize it if you heard it, because it’s probably one of the most notable Canadian St. Patrick’s Day themes. The song was made by a Canadian group, but you can hear the Irish influence, and the crowd at Rogers Arena had a grand old time singing along to this classic.

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At the end of the game, as the fans said “Slán go fóill!” (An Irish way of saying farewell or bye for now), everyone agreed that the luck of the Irish was in fact on the Warriors side that night. Did all these wonderful St. Patrick’s Day activities play a role in their win? Well, probably not, but the night as a whole is just always more positive when the home team gets the win.

So, to answer the question that I was searching for even before I arrived at the game: Did the Warriors do a good job in representing this jolly green holiday? I would say yes, they certainly did just that. They checked off most boxes for some of the many St. Patrick’s Day traditions, of course doing what they were able to do at a live sporting event. You just had to be there to experience it, but I hope you got an understanding of how the Warriors celebrated St. Paddy’s Day if you weren’t in attendance. Happy St. Patrick’s Day 2024 from the Vancouver Warriors and myself and cheers to this great holiday, a Warriors win, and a day to remember for everyone in attendance that night!

If you want to see more photos and videos from this night, check out my latest Instagram post!

Three Canucks prospects that are excelling in their leagues right now!

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Is there hope for the Canucks prospects pool? If you aren’t aware yet, there is some newfound developments with the future of the Vancouver Canucks. Three players in particular, who play in three different leagues around the globe, are making Canucks fans keep an eye on them. Canucks are ranked in the lower “tier” for their overall group of upcoming players, but this could change if these players keep it up. Arshdeep Bains, Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Hunter Brzustewicz are the ones in the spotlight today.

A member of the Abbotsford Canucks, sometimes referred to as the “Baby” Canucks is a 22-year-old from Surrey named Arshdeep Bains. Have you heard anything about his start to the season? Bains was actually an undrafted player, who the Canucks management picked up after seeing his dominant 112-point season with the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL in 2021-2022. After getting settled with Abbotsford last season, Bains is tearing it up with 3 goals and 12 assists in 9 games. Will we see Bains on the Canucks later this year?

Shifting to Sweden, the Canucks 1st round pick from 2022, Jonathan Lekkerimäki is tearing it up so far in his first full season in the top Swedish hockey league. Canucks sure love to draft those Swedes, eh? After a tough season with some injuries, Lekkerimäki is making the most of this season as he progresses towards a top six role with the Canucks. Will he be the next great Swede for Vancouver?

There’s a Canadian, a Swede and now to wrap up the trip around the globe is an American, playing in Kitchener, Hunter Brzustewicz. What a name right? How to you even begin to think of how to pronounce that last name properly? Hunter (for lack of easy pronunciation here), is one of the newest Canucks prospects, being drafted in the 3rd round of the 2023 draft. Possible steal of the draft? Here’s a crazy stat for you: so Hunter is a defense right, but get this: he leads all skaters in the Ontario Hockey League in points! 26 points in 14 games as a defense is no small task, so there will be plenty of attention on him as his second season with Kitchener goes on.

Bains, Lekkerimäki and Brzustrewicz, three future starting lineup players for the Canucks? The potential is there for all of them, it’s just a matter of time before we see if they can all keep up their progress towards making the big team!

A valuable lesson for anyone: appreciate your friends!

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When’s the last time you showed appreciation to your friends? Have you ever had a moment where you feel the need to tell them thank you? I’ve come to a realization over the past couple of weeks that it’s more important than you’d think to appreciate and be grateful for your friends. Why did I just come to realize this now? It’s not like I haven’t appreciated my friends in the past, but I’ve just reached one of those days where my mind wonders off to critically think about an unusually important topic.

Pixabay / ninosouza

One of the first words of advice that I remember from my first year at BCIT (last year) was that you should write or talk like you’re speaking to a best friend. It was a difficult concept to understand at first, because it’s not an easy thing to “picture” your best friend whenever you write or speak. Once you practice and understand that advice, it changes how you think moving forward.

How does this “advice” affect how you think? You’re probably wondering what I’m trying to get at now, and how this relates to the appreciation of your friends. It’s not an easy thing to explain, as it is more of a “mindset” rather than a physical action. You don’t need to change the way you interact with your friends, but you should understand the power of friendship.

My realization was that appreciating the friends you have in your life goes a long way. I’ve made a lot of new friends at BCIT, so my awareness on this topic is growing by the day. Just being around friends and having their presence on a daily basis has improved my overall experience at school.

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Continuing with my personal experience, I’ve also started to appreciate doing things with these friends outside of school. Are you more of a “do something on your own” person or do you always go or do activities with your friends? I noticed I was a bit of the first one for the last few years. It wasn’t that I didn’t like reaching out and doing things with friends, it was more just my own way of going about things that I wanted to do, when I wanted to do them.

Today, I’ve now re-acquired that feeling of joy that I got as a child when I hang out with friends. Whether it’s my new friends at BCIT or my long-time friends from back home, I appreciate each and every one of them for being a positive part of my life. Hopefully you feel the same, because it can have a positive impact on navigating a sometimes-tricky aspect of life.

Cancel your lunch plans: today is National Sandwich Day!

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Do you have some bread, cheese and meat? That’s all you need to get started on a sandwich! Today is National Sandwich Day, a day to celebrate one of the foods that are open to the most creativity. What’s your favourite sandwich? The possibilities are endless. Let’s discuss some of the history of the sandwich and see what some of my favourites are today.

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Big shoutout to John Montagu. This man from the 18th century is deemed the first “creator” of the sandwich. Are you familiar with the story of how the first sandwich came to be? The tale goes that Mr. Montagu was playing cards with his friends and didn’t want to leave the table to eat. What was his solution? Instead of having his food served traditionally (on a plate or with cutlery), he simply requested to have some roast beef placed between two slices of bread. Montagu got his request and ate it with his hands, and the sandwich was born. Pretty unique origin story, right?

What are some of your favourite sandwiches? Is there one “go-to” sandwich that you’ll make? How about your number one Subway order? Is there a “new” kind of sandwich that you’ve newly discovered. I have different answers for all of these questions, and I feel like my sandwich experiences are as distinctive as anyone else’s.

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My go-to sandwich? A simple, yet classic one: a turkey and cheese sandwich. I’m not too particular on what kind of bread, or what toppings or sauce go with these two wonderful ingredients. It just comes down to if someone asked me what sandwich I’d want, I’d happily say turkey and cheese.

As for my number one Subway order? That would be a tuna and cheese sandwich. I know it’s not a very traditional choice, but it’s something I started ordering when I was young and it’s stuck with me all these years. I guess the habit that people talk about on the internet about Subway is true, that no matter what sandwich options there are, you’ll still go with the “first” one you picked when you were young.

Then you have breakfast sandwiches. It’s less of a “new” discovery for me, but rather a new appreciation for their reputation within breakfast foods. It’s less convenient to make than what I usually I have time to make in the morning, but if I ever go out for breakfast I will nine times out of ten order a traditional breakfast sandwich.

Make or order your favourite sandwich today! The optimal lunch food is here to stay for generations to come!

Did you brush your teeth today? Today is National Brush Day!

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Happy November 1st! How was your Halloween? Mine was pretty good, but this morning I wondered to myself, what should we celebrate next? Turns out, among other celebrations done on this day, it is National Brush Day! What kind of brush? The toothbrush, so this day appears to have been conveniently placed after the night where we all ate some Halloween candy.

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I purposely waited until today to let you know about the day of the brush because, well, Halloween was yesterday. But now that it’s the day after, it might be a good day to remind you to make sure you keep brushing your teeth! I have no dental knowledge, but I would assume that eating sugary treats in bulk can’t be good for your teeth. Sweets are in fact the number one contributor to some level of decay in your teeth if not dealt with properly.

National Brush Day is focused on children, because they are the ones that are still developing habits in their life, such as when and how often to brush their teeth. Did your friends or parents ever try to make brushing your teeth fun? It seems strange at first, but developing a good habit like brushing your teeth can easily be carried forward to the rest of your life if learned well. It doesn’t need to be looked at as a “chore”.

Can you think of some examples of how brushing has been attempted to look “fun”? The big one has got to be the toothbrushes from the 90s. They would play two-minute tunes for you to jam out to while you did the “recommended” brushing time. I never had one of those, and they are pretty much extinct now, but I could see how this idea could work!

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Personally, I’m happy I can say I’ve never had a cavity. My dentist used to put up pictures of the children who were part of the “no cavity club”. I was included on this picture board, and that’s given me a mini motivational boost in my life to keep my teeth healthy and happy. I’m no perfectionist when it comes to brushing my teeth, but I still understand the importance behind the activity in terms of my overall health.

What will you do to celebrate National Brush Day? The best thing I can recommend is to “brush up” on how you brush your teeth, meaning be conscious while you brush. The next best thing to do? Grab your speaker, get creative, and jam out to your favourite song while you brush your teeth on National Brush Day!

TikTok’s positive and negative impact on the music industry

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Have you heard the expression “TikTok music” before? You’ve probably come across it, whether you use TikTok or not. It’s a fairly new saying, and it’s a controversial one both on TikTok and in general throughout social media and the music industry. It’s not all good and it’s not all bad, so how will “TikTok music” continue to both benefit and hurt music going forward?

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Should we start with the bad? I personally think that “TikTok music” has more of a negative effect on society and the music industry than it helps it. Why is that? Well, I think the biggest downfall that has come out of this recent trend is the declining attention spans of the upcoming generation.

Way too many times I see people only know like a ten second snippet of a genuinely good and well-produced song. The rest of the song? Silence! This is because there will be one part of the song that is used for TikToks (the part people know) and then people just don’t care enough to hear or appreciate the rest of the song!

Have you seen the new variations more artists are adding when they get a hit song that reaches a TikTok trend? They are not needed at all! The original is all you need. What’s the point of slowed down versions, sped-up versions and even reversed versions? These “variations” of the songs that trend are only used for TikToks, there’s no other valid reason for listening to them!

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Now maybe I’m being too harsh on “TikTok music”, because it’s not all bad at the end of the day. Know any artists that have “made it big” because of TikTok? I have a few in mind, but it’s great to see when a small artist uses TikTok as a starting platform, and eventually becomes a well-known artist outside of their original platform.

TikTok might also be used to expand your music taste. “TikTok music” isn’t always what you might listen to on a daily basis. Sometimes you’ll hear a trending sound and think “hey, maybe I’ll check out the rest of the song”. That’s only the beginning, because once you’ve heard one song, you’ll want to hear more from that artist, and eventually, you’ve gained a bunch of new songs for your rotation!

Where will this trend go from here? All I can hope for is that the positives I mentioned will continue to benefit small artists, while I hope the negatives slowly fade away and people learn to appreciate music for what’s it really worth, and not just as a TikTok sound.

Did you hear? The NFL trade deadline is today!

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Football fans of BC, did you hear the news? Today is the NFL trade deadline! Now I know it’s nothing like the NHL trade deadline, and especially not like the craziness that comes with the NBA trade deadline, but it’s still an important day! There won’t be any superstars traded, but you should still expect some moves that will shake up the league. Will any of them make an impact in the second half of the season?

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The clock is ticking, there’s only two hours left before the league shuts down any trade calls. So is there anything left to look forward to this deadline? Perhaps… there always seems to be a last-minute surprise when it comes to any sports trade deadline. That being said, have you seen the few trades that have already happened? Let’s break a couple down a bit and see if they’ll be impactful at all.

Starting with “BC’s team”, the Seattle Seahawks (ok not really, I know there’s a lot of teams that people support here), they grabbed defensive end Leonard Williams from the Giants. In exchange, the Giants are getting a 2nd round pick and a 5th round pick, which is considered a pretty big return in terms of NFL trades. Will he help the Seahawks? He should, and many people, including myself, are surprised that the Seahawks are doing as well as they are so far this season. The 49ers will likely still win that division, but Seattle wants to make things interesting!

The Bears, yes, the 2 and 6 Bears, traded a 2nd round pick to Washington for a great pass rusher in Montez Sweat. The timing of this trade might seem a bit bizarre at first, because why wouldn’t the Bears be the ones trading people rather than acquiring? Looking ahead, the Bears have a lot of salary cap next year, like over 100 million, so the trade makes sense if they sign Sweat long-term.

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I won’t stop thinking about the trade deadline until it’s over because my favourite team: the Vegas Raiders, who might do something. Does Davante Adams want out? Will they make any panic moves? We shall see, it’ll be interesting to say the least.

In breaking news, a trade that just happened one minute ago from me typing this, the Vikings acquired QB Josh Dobbs from the Cardinals. I guess that means the Vikings aren’t giving up on their season, after QB Kirk Cousins tore his achilles. Very nice pickup for the Vikings.

Well there you have it, keep an eye on the trade deadline today, because it all wraps up in just a few hours!

Three legendary hockey jerseys from the past

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What’s your favourite hockey jersey? Is it a jersey that you happen to have in your collection? Do you have an “all-time” favourite jersey that comes to mind? As a hockey jersey collector, there’s so many jerseys that are uniquely great in their own way. Even if you don’t know a thing about hockey jerseys, let me present to you three legendary hockey jerseys.

MONTREAL CANADIENS HOME JERSEY

Even if you don’t know a thing about hockey, you might have heard of the saying “la rouge, bleu et blanc”. The red, blue and white home sweaters of the Montreal Canadiens remain the iconic hockey jersey. You might be thinking to yourself, has it changed over the years? Not really, and that’s a good thing because it is so iconic in the jersey industry that it never needs a complete makeover. I got myself a Carey Price Canadiens jersey before I went on my trip to Montreal, and it’ll remain a legendary jersey in my collection because of its history.

ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS 90S JERSEY

Another absolute classic in the hockey jersey industry is the Anaheim Mighty Ducks primary jerseys. The green and purple jersey from the 90s is an iconic colour scheme that just worked, and ended up being immortalized in the famous hockey movie “The Mighty Ducks”. The Ducks have gone from having one of the best jerseys to one of the worst jerseys, with a weird orange colour scheme. I don’t have a Ducks jersey in my collection yet, but when I get one it will definitely be one of the legendary players to wear the Mighty Ducks jersey.

CANUCKS SKATE JERSEY

I’ve mentioned a universal jersey and an iconic movie jersey, now I have to give a shoutout to a jersey everyone in Vancouver should know and appreciate. Do you remember the “spaghetti plate”, usually referred to as the “skate” jerseys from the Canucks in the mid-90s? Here’s another example of a colour scheme that just worked. Now that this jersey is back in the Canucks rotation as a third jersey, it gives us another chance to appreciate these beauties. I own a Horvat jersey in this re-design, and it’ll remain one of my favourites in my collection forever.

So there you have it, three legendary hockey jerseys from the past. How many of these three did you know about? There’s some jerseys that deserve to be recognized and immortalized for their greatness, including the three jerseys I just mentioned. Can you think of other jerseys that deserve written praise like these one?

Hockey jerseys remain the best type of sports jersey of all the major sports. No debate needed.

Has the culture around sports gambling gone too far in 2023?

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To bet, or not to bet, that is the question. Have you taken a shot at sports gambling yet? The whole culture around sports gambling over the past few years has grown expeditiously. As someone who’s done a bunch of small bets here and there, it’s crazy to see the expansion of both the gambling sites and the leagues acknowledgement on the topic. Should something change?

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Before we get any further, I feel like it’s the necessary thing to say: please gamble responsibly. I’ve been sports gambling since the summer of 2020, when my interest peaked from a friend’s successful hockey bet. I’m lucky to say that I’m not down money since I began, but the past few months I’ve become a lot more conscious on the whole culture around sports betting.

Have you seen some of the NHL’s new advertisements on helmets? You guessed it, a few teams have actual sports betting sponsors that are on display whenever they play. Doesn’t that seem to counteract some of the league’s policies around gambling? To make matters worse, a massive 41 game suspension was just handed out to Senators’ forward Shane Pinto for “breaking” the NHL’s gambling policies. But get this, it wasn’t actually, or directly Pinto who was making the bets. Why can the rules not just be transparent?

Looking around the world at other major sports leagues, you might have seen similar harsh suspensions for NFL players who have made bets. But again, there are several examples of the league directly “promoting” its sponsored gambling sites, yet remaining silent whenever sports betting is mentioned in any “unofficial” matter.

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Perhaps the strangest recent trend when it comes to sports gambling is the direct promotion of odds and predictions during a live sporting event. Isn’t it annoying when it’s halftime and all of a sudden, the hosts say, “hey, here are the live odds of this game, what do you think will happen”. This doesn’t just happen at halftime; it especially happens before the games begin.

Having odds, prop bets, spreads, recent treads and other information thrown at you, sports bettor or not, is just not what should be shown on tv for sporting events. There seems to be this recent push to try to get as many new sports bettors as possible. Are they trying to make people feel more “a part of the game” or is there an “unethical” reasoning behind all of this?

Wherever the culture around sports gambling is headed, it’ll be interesting to see how the dynamic between the fans, league and the gambling sites develop moving forward!

Eating food without a YouTube video, is that a wild concept?

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If you live alone, think to yourself, when’s the last time you sat down and had a meal without a YouTube video playing? Maybe just music playing, or even just the sound of a TV. Is that a crazy concept to think about? I stumbled upon this YouTube video from one of my favourite internet duos known as “Fairbairn Films”, who couldn’t have portrayed this topic in a more accurate and humorous way.

The main point about the whole video has to be about having stimulation while doing something. They have a fair point though, like think about the last time you did something alone in “silence”, it just has this “still” and “weird” feeling. I do agree that the “TikTok” generation has become way too reliant on having something else going on while doing another. However, my personal experience has become more accurate to this video as of late.

Going back to the question I asked earlier, what is it that makes you feel like you need to have “something else” going while doing another? Is it silence? Is it a lack of activity? Could it just be that it’s more “enjoyable” in terms of brain activity? For me, living on my own this year for my last year of school has made me more aware of all of these questions and more.

When I’m home on the weekends with my family, just their presence is all I need to be able to “do” something, whether that’s having a meal with them, or doing tasks around the house such as homework or watching sports. But now that I’m living on my own, I find myself needing that YouTube video going whenever I sit down to enjoy a meal in my one-bedroom suite. It just seems to make the room more “alive”.

Pexels / Marcus Aurelius

Do you think this will change in say, 10 or 20 years from now? Will it come to a point where we will be so reliant on technology that it will basically become a part of us? The next time you catch yourself having a “moment” that the Fairbairn brothers described hilariously in their video, just think about what is the reason for whatever it is you find yourself doing.

Some activities require at least music to be completed though, like you really expect me to do laundry in complete silence? Regardless, I say the best thing to do in any situation is just assess what needs to be happening for your personal “ambience” to be complete and follow through.

Just enjoy whatever it is you’re doing, however way you see fit!