EPTI love the airport. There are two places I love going to: The Airport and The Cinema. I feel the reason for it is that it is a controlled, formal hub, a limbo of infinite portals to new places, new worlds and fantasies. For the cinema, it's more analogical than the airport, but the concept remains the same in that everyone needs to be or intends to go somewhere and the entrance is cut off from the world, separated and kept up to a degree of basic courtesy and living. Similar to the big screens at the cinema, the large windows here keep the place naturally bright, the food is conditioned to be almost bland but with some texture (questionably) and the vehicles that shrink this world come in from above and welcome us with the same formal courtesies we were met when we first stepped into this airport.
I love the airport because things are consistent, even the problems and bullshit of delays, losing luggage, etc. I love seeing people come and go and know that we are all important in the sense that we are all intending to go somewhere; achieve something or pass the time doing nothing. Look outside, all I see is the large tarmac for the planes, the largest clouds I've ever seen in my life and the depth of green from the surrounding trees. I am a small man at the door of international travel and yet; we're all equally eager to leave. I got 10 hours of flying to do and then the joyride will be over.
Although Sinatra's "Young at Heart" is classic, I love Buble's band in the background as well as the youth in his voice.
I spent 12 years growing up in the USA, 14 years restarting my life here in Montreal, Canada; learning French, surviving high-school and getting my degree in 3 years flat (2 for CEGEP for a dual-Associate's Degree and 3 at Uni). Throughout college, I sat around on my ass, completely eclipsed with how little I did online. If you thought I was a forum whore on TeamLiquid, my previous endeavors, communities and games I really got into had me full-time. I was studying and playing games simultaneously, just so I could stay in touch with everyone and continue to be a part of a place I so thoroughly enjoyed. Writing papers (in two Social Sciences!) were incredibly easy and fast, which allowed me to spend more time with the communities I integrated with. It took me through CEGEP to realize that with a degree in Sociology (and later on; Professional Writing), my career prospects were going to be grim and limited. I definitely knew what I liked and to do and I knew what I could do, but never followed-through on that confidence. All this time spent online was just a bad way of spending my time that I had so much to spare. MMOs and Team Fortress 2 were not great ways to spend my time and it eventually became the disgust I had with myself that pushed me over the edge to flip my life around; get some friends, do the things I always wanted to experience, etc.
[i]Goo Goo Dolls' Black Balloon is amongst their most popular songs, but didn't make the test of time in comparison to "Iris" (fucking overplayed) and Train's "Drops of Jupiter" (also overplayed like crazy)
When university started, I made no hesitation to start looking into University clubs. We had a chess club, but no gaming club? I eventually inquired about interest of a Starcraft community, just putting myself out there - meet some people and see what could be done. I loved video games, but I would really liked to try some LANs and playing alongside others, the closeness of being amongst like-minded interested people. Soon after this topic, I started a university club with a handful members and over the years we did a few tournaments, events, etc. We weren't huge; 110 members maximum, but it helped me confirm what I always felt I knew; that I had the time, the dedication and willingness to follow-through on what I wanted and accomplish it. Didn't take long until I branched myself to other local projects:
I did some casting at the start. I casted for the TL Opens, LAN ETS here in Montreal and a few other events. I enjoyed the improvisation aspect of it, but eventually stopped because I was comfortable with my voice and became eventually overwhelmed with my other duties (I had started managing Team Dynamic at the time and I was previously managing VT Gaming).
As our university club grew, so did the responsibilities: writing a 12-page series of articles on the order and conduct of the club, new members, etc., event-planning and pushing for a proper budget and room at Concordia Student Unions, as well as my event-planning projects;
Barcraft Montreal was amongst the many ideas I founded and followed-through for a good year. It was incredible to know MLG consistently featured it, Tasteless and Artosis gave it a good rep and we even had the support of local Vuugo.com and Evil Geniuses. I believe a total of 2,200 people attended across four events in about a year of work and planning. I wish we made some bank on these events, but not a cent went into our pockets haha. It was definitely a dream for me, to realize that I could do this with the help of some of the coolest people I've ever met (and yes; passionate).
Later on, I got to do an exposition series with Interceptor Group and met White-Ra, the first professional gamer I've ever met (minus the local players I managed here). Another amazing experience and his wife is incredibly sweet, polite and courteous. I don't drink very much at all, but for White-Ra; I definitely tried to keep up, albeit pathetically.
This was all during my three years as well as my other accomplishments and work online. All this just to prove to myself that I could do something if I set my mind to it and kept and open-mind. I didn't know how to do anything until I started trying, first managing, then starting a university club, events and soon writing, public relations, sponsorship deals, etc. It just overwhelms me with pride and enjoyment, I know for some people, my work ethic and persistence both on the forums and through these cooperation with groups within the scene can be a bit aggravating and tiresome and to be honest; I am sorry, yet I don't regret anything and just hope time will change things, if anything at all (I take the teasing too personally too haha).
I love Montreal and I love what I was able to do there with the help of some amazing people. I shifted my thoughts from knowing I could amazing things to actually doing and fulfilling my own confident initiatives. I learn the form of 'application' through the many local events I had the honor of working on, the university club where I found all my dear friends and the major LANs I got to improve. In truth, it was also thanks to the help of my parents who never understood or supported me 'being on the computer for long periods of time', but gave me the financial stability and mute understanding/distance to let me fulfill what I wanted to do. They didn't catch onto my endeavors until 2012 or so, but their consistency in removing the common worries of all soon-to-be young adults is something I appreciate, but never voiced (because of that immaturity), so thank you.
The beginning of this song grows on you, but this song is just cool (:
And that'll be it. This is getting long and to be honest; I just wanted to get this out there: I'll be arriving in Berlin tomorrow at 9AM and I am anxious to learn the European scene more and hopefully get to go to my first international event (I have gone to the NASL S3 event, though I don't necessarily count it as international since it was so close to where I lived [about 6 hours distance].
Many thanks, I'll see you guys in Berlin, Germany.
PS: I also just wanted to thank everyone in Montreal as well that I had the honor to meet: WCG Canada, SC2QC (now defunct.), CyberActiv (despite our differences), Esports Canada (these guys are the real deal), LAN ETS crew, Team Killing Spree, MTLSF (street fighter guys! go Snafoo!), Foonzo and everyone else who I may have missed <3!
