It's good to write again!

Hey guys! I told you I'd be writing again :) How was your week so far? Mine was just great, I did A LOT of stuff. I started listening to Tinie Tempah (A British rapper, which I'll be talking about),  and I'll add something else in the end. This starting paragraph is very small, and I apologize. Oh by the way, my 1 year anniversary is going to happen very soon :) I'll have an extra special post for you guys when that time rolls around. I'm also going to be posting a StumbleUpon blurb for today, I think I'm going to make it so that I'll have a new one every day. So I guess I should get started.

For the past couple of weeks a lot of stuff has happened at NT. Assemblies, tests/exam, practices and a bunch of other stuff. I recently joined the "Student Orchestra" which is run by and for students. Right now we are playing a piece I believe is called "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and hopefully we will move onto a piece called "All of The Lights" by Kanye West. The thing about this band is that it's so chill yet serious. I'm not under ANY pressure which gives me a bit more confidence about playing. Unfortunately it's a VERY small band with only 2 brass (me as Trumpet and another girl as French Horn) and 5 string instruments. I'm trying to get some of my other friends to join, we need more brass and at least 2-3 winds. If you guys are interested then just find me in the hallways sometime or ask me in class and I'll fill you in on all the details. It's a really fun band, we have practices 1 time per week (Monday afterschool) but we still practice on our own time. The pieces aren't that hard either, they're really fun to play. Plus we can crack jokes every once in a while which makes it a more relaxed environment. The conductor is great too, he's funny and keeps things under control. Things at NT are going good for now. Stage Crew has had some assemblies in the past weeks. There was the College Assembly, December 6th Assembly (which was today), and Fall Fare. My position on Stage Crew is being Runner, you work your way up through the ranks. A "runner" does whatever the BSM (Back-Stage Manager/Bullshit Manager) tells them to do. Adjust a mic, move a chair, turn on the electric piano, bring schedules. And I was the spotlight for the Rememberance Day Assembly at one point. Spotlight just basically does whatever he's told. Shine someone here, move the spotlight there. It's not difficult work, but it's fun. Fashion Show is going to be one hell of a show though, being a Runner will be a hectic job. So far we are on the good-side of the staff that run the assmeblies, so far so good. But I've recieved mixed reviews from students. After leaving the auditorium today after school one Fashion Show Model said to one of his friends "Stage Crew is just a bunch of f*cks". Well point taken, we may seem like the boring and rule enforcing type, and maybe like a joke. In fact that's what I thought Stage Crew was before I joined it, but now my opinion has changed drastically. And maybe it's also because today Fashion Show had a practice today in the auditorium and Stage Crew took a break and we hovered over to the basketball game that was going on in the gym. When we came back the Models were blasting club tunes through the speakers and just chilling. So we told them to stop screwing around with the speakers, and I could tell that they didn't like that too much. Add that to the fact that the male models looked like they were going to kill themselves if they didn't get out of that practice. So here's my question, why did you join Fashion Show then? For the After Party? I wish you the best with your goals then. I don't know, it's just something about people not caring about dance that gets my blood going. Maybe they don't really care about dance, but I ask again "Why join Fashion Show?" Dance to me means something more than what people do at the clubs every Friday night, it's more than a casual dance at your school's Semi-Formal. To me, dance is a way of showing people that you have talent, showing people that you can move in a certain way that shows how you feel. It's a way of getting respect from fellow preformers, and making new strides in the dance world. To some people dance is something else, but it means a lot to me. But that's just my opinion, whether anyone wants it or not :P


Recently, many of you may have noticed a small change to my.......social-ness. I recently re-activated Facebook, for many reasons. I felt it was time to reconnect with friends and add another method of communication. I will be posting my StumbleUpon and Blog Post links on there as well. You can friends me: Mark Froh. Froh is my nickname for Stage Crew, because when I became a member I had a Fro. And then me and my desk-partner for German one day found a German word which was spelt: Froh. It means: glad. Sadly the word doesn't relate to me in any way, other than the fact that I'm glad that I joined Stage Crew this year. Anyways, I'm back in the system. It feels good to be back, I'm connected with my friends again. I'll be posting my film photography pictures up on the Facebooks and Tumblr once I get a chance to scan them. There's around 9 rolls of developed film lying around in my album, scanning each individual image isn't an easy task. But it sure was a hell of a fun time taking all those pictures. Anyways, that's my short blurb on why I re-activated my Facebook account.


Recently, I've been listening to a British rapper. I've heard of American, Canadian, French, and even Russian rap. But British rap is something else. His name is Tinie Tempah and his #1 Hit was: Written In The Stars ft. Eric Turner. Generally, I like his music better than his raps. Some of his raps in his songs are good lyric wise. But since he originates from Britain the Drum&Bass/DubStep music style has affected his music which appeals to me. I'm not a HARDCORE Dubstep fan, but I listen to my fair share of it. The reason I'm a big fan of it is because it's such great music to dance to. You can dance to virtually ANY music track out there, but Dubstep appeals to me because of the style that I dance in. Anyways, I'm getting off track. He's not the greatest of artists, some of his raps represent the stereotypical rappers that rap about girls, money, and partying. My favorite song at the moment is "Wonderman". The music track is just awesome! Tinie's lyrics are okay, my main focus is the lyrics of the person that sings the chorus. Something just seems so magical about the way she sings it. Gives me the Goosebumps whenever I hear it. I apologize that this is such a short analysis. But there isn't really much to say about this artist. If you have an artist that you'd like for me to review then by ALL MEANS please hit me up on the Facebooks/Tumblr or just put a comment below!

Here's my StumbleUpon blurb for the day!


Well it looks like this is the end of my post. I apologize if you guys waited longer than you wanted for it, but I bet it was worth the wait :) Well I'll be announcing a bunch of stuff in my next post like always so stay tuned!!!! You know what to do: Read it, Learn it, Live it, Love it, and Post it!


Cheers, MarkL

I'm back!

Hey everyone! (Marzia, Anna, and Liz (I hope I spelt that right, teehee bracket inside a bracket :D because nobody else bothers to read my blog :D It's been a really long, in fact this is the biggest gap I've ever had between my posts. I guess lazyness added to a busy schedule isn't exactly a stellar working habit for a blog author (I use author because it makes me sound bigger than what I really am :) But I'm here now aren't I? So enjoy it while you can. Many things have happened this month. The new school year started, I joined many clubs and the volleyball team, I've been listening to A LOT of Maroon5 the past weeks, I've been letting the photographer inside of me loose (I have 12 film cartridges to be developed, it costs 7$ to develop one of them, FML) oh and by the way my brother recently got married in Russia. The time I started writing this post was Sunday the 23rd, this is due to the fact that at that time I didn't have internet access for the simple fact that I was living in a village. SO how am I writing this post? Well there's this thing called paper, many use it, I decided to hop on the train. I may have to extend this post into 2 connected posts because I have SO many topics and ideas and events to talk about. And if you haven't guessed the musicians I'm going to mention for this post will be Maroon5. I grew up with their music when I was 8, and continue to do so. So, here we go!

As this school year began, I made a promise to myself: join as many clubs and get invovled as I humanely can. Surprisingly, I managed to keep my promise. I joined 2 bands, stage crew (shout out to the crew of the stage!) boys volleyball team, Grafitti (School newspaper) writer & photographer. It may seem like I'm super active in everything around me, but I have to often miss one event for another. I sometimes have to miss band for volleyball and band for stage crew and vice versa. Writing and being a photographer for Grafitti gets lost in the midst of it all. So all of you NT students reading this, you won't have the pleasure of reading my awsum articles and seeing my eye-candy filled photos. Although, I shall write for the next issue which I think will be published in the winter-time. But being a part of it all, even if it's not full time is still a great feeling. If you're on Stage Crew, before, during, and after the show you have a feeling of "Wow, without us the show would have been utterly awful!". Because along with the performers, Stage Crew is also a part of the act. Although we may lurk in the shadows backstage and over your heads and down your aisles, it doesn't mean we're less human!!! Right? Anyways, being involved in ANY N.T. club or team is a great experience which I think everyone should have. If you're in 1 club or team, why does it have to stop there? The more the merrier right? Well at Stage Crew I've learned many things. Ranging from setting up a light, to why certain light shades/focuses make an audience feel ominous/happy/sad/concentrated etc. Being a part of Stage Crew is a great experience, tons of laughs, and you learn a bunch of stuff and it's NEVER a boring day at Crew. Now the bands I've joined (Marching and Junior) I've had to miss most of the practices because of Volleyball. SO far it's been okay. We've practiced Christmas songs and that's about it. But that's self explanatory, seeing as it is the only parade Marching Band participates in is the Santa Claus parade. But I was hoping we could have some Pop or "Drum Line" stuff. Maybe play some Michael Jackson or some other music genre. Playing Christmas songs over and over again gets you bored easily. Sure, there's a lot of practicing that has to go into just one song to be played perfectly and our only parade is the Santa Claus parade. But why can't we just have Marching Band play something good whenever we have a home game on our new field? So far, all we've done on the field was practice marching on the track of the field and attempted pinwheels. But why can't we just play or at least try something different for once? I understand that this stuff is tradition, but it's been 100 years of the same traditions. Can't we have some new ones? Some new traditions that the next generations will fulfill? If my generation doesn't like Marching Band, then I can only imagine how the next few generations will react to it. Anyways, that's my opinion whether anybody wants it or not like it always is. Oh and on a side note, Graffitti Photography seems messed up to me. I mean, they don't assign people to do certain things. And there wasn't even an elimination process. SO it's a "whoever comes to the 1 meeting, is a part of the club" thing. Which I'm really starting to hate now, there's no point to it. Because I honestly try to make my photography as appealing as I can, whatever I think looks good I capture. Oh by the way, you guys can take a look at my photography by going to my Tumblr link: http://underestimatedgentl3man.tumblr.com/
And the other thing about photography, I hate it when people take pictures with their Blackberry or iPhone or even Digital Camera, add some effects and count themselves as a pro. A few years back, in middleschool a classmate of mine said to another friend "Photography is harder than it seems" and his friend just laughed. Well after a summer full of photography, I agree with him. And having people think they're pro's with their effects is just spitting in the face of what many proffesionals strive for. It's just wrong, imagine if people found something you were good at, tried it and used a cheap method to achieve what you can achieve without it, and call themselves professionals. People may think about this differently, but I'm not a big fan of that behaviour. I'm not saying I'm a pro photographer, I'm far from it. But at least I actually make an attempt to maker my photos look great by finding the best of places and best of things to photograph. That's my new school year in a nutshell, I'll be posting more stuff soon of course :) But for now, let's move onto another topic.

So, Maroon5. I do remember what I said about Pop music, but my opinon has been changing since then. I've realized that not ALL music in that genre is awful and deserves to be burned, some of it is actually good. Some people say that Maroon5 has no original songs, and that they do a lot of repition. But that's not exactly true, I've listened to ALL of their albums. Have those people listened to ALL of their albums? I'm 95% sure they haven't. I prefer their music to ANY up and coming Pop artist out there, other than OneRepublic if you count them as Pop. What is it about their music that is so awesome? Well, nothing really. It's just that I've listened to their music on the radio when I was younger and it just brings back memories. Some of my favourite songs include "Misery", "Stutter", "Figure it Out", "Harder to Breathe", "This Love", "She Will Be Loved" and a BUNCH of others I don't even remember. Anyways, I really love their music because it has good lyrics, great instrumentals, and they bring back memories. And there's another thing I REALLY like about this band. The vocals of the lead singer are a bit weird, he sings well but he just has an awesome voice. It's weird to describe, like Eminem's voice when he's rapping. But why question something if it's already great enough? Of course I added their videos to my blog already and you can listen to them on the right ------->
I wish I could say more about their music, but I want you to decide for yourself by listening to their music. I'd like to see what you think of Maroon5, so please leave it in the comments, oh and please take the time to reccomend your own artist for the next time I post.

So my trip to Яussia, how was it exactly? It was entertaining and cold to say the least, but it was an overall great experience. I got to see my grandma on my mother's side which I haven't seen for about 7 years now, it felt really good to see her again. Nothing really changed since I was there last, it was good to see everything again. I did some great photography while I was there, for both the wedding and visits to family. I might possibly post the pictures I got while I was in Яussia soon, depending if my brother allows me to post them on the internet, you gotta be careful about the stuff you post these days. SO anyways, my trip consisted of 3 weeks. The first week was mainly composed of visiting family and relatives, and then by the end of the week the wedding had begun. It was a nice wedding, nothing big, small and casual, really nice. A LOT of photography had been done that day, not only mine but also by a photographer at the wedding. After all the registration and paperwork had been done, we head over to the restaurant to celebrate and toast the lucky couple. Now I have an even bigger family, and it's nice to know all these people. It was a really fun trip, and I enjoyed going there. On a related note, I hate air travelling now. In total I took 6 planes (3 there and back) countless busses, many cars, and tons of subway and trains. Everything in Russia is far from one another, it's just the way it has always been. On another note, I lost my iPod during one of the flights. Of course I got really sad, but then my brother made me realize something: that iPod was just a piece of metal, and the most important thing was that I made it safely. It may sound stupid, but considering how many forms of transportation I took to get where I was it's a miracle nothing happened. Especially since bus accidents had risen over the past years. So I eventually got over my loss, but then I realized that now I have even MORE time on my hands. Instead of buying a new iPod I've decided to actually work for it this time, over the summer I'll be looking for jobs to earn some good cash for whatever it is I'll need it for. That's my trip to Яussia in a nuthshell, I'll be posting photos later on so don't you worry!

I guess that's the end of my post then, I'll try to say more but don't expect stellar results. It's good to be back in Canada, I'll never take hot water and indoor plumbing for granted now, NEVER. I've got a lot ahead of me, tons of work, extra curricular stuff, dancing, everything in general. I'll be posting once a week now, :) you don't know how good it felt to say that :) I'll be active on Tumblr of course, which is where you can catch my photography before I post it on here. Here's the link again: http://underestimatedgentl3man.tumblr.com/
I'll also be posting some of the stuff that I see on StumbleUpon which is a GREAT website by the way. What it is, is a website that asks you what your likes are and it shows you webpages and videos and pictures and GIFS that relate to your likes. Then once you view the page you can "Like" or "Dislike" it and StumbleUpon makes changes to the pages it shows you according to what you "Like" or "Dislike". In general, it's a GREAT way to be the BIGGEST hipster you know, and you can find some INCREDIBLE stuff like this--->
It's a pastel painting which is just BEAUTIFUL! Trust me, StumbleUpon NEVER fails to make your day! Anyways, I had A LOT of fun writing this post. I deeply apologize for making it SO late, but I'll be writing once a week now :)
Until next time, you know what to do: Read it, Learn it, Live it, Love it, and Post it!

Here's to more of these posts :)

Cheers, MarkL

P.S. Here's a little something that should help you guys.

    Don't Quit

    When things go wrong as they sometimes will.
    When the road you're trudging seems all up hill.
    When the funds are low & the debts are high.
    & you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
    When care is pressing you down a bit.
    Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
    Life is queer with its twists & turns.
    As every one of us sometimes learns.
    & many a failure turns about.
    When he might have won had he stuck it out.
    Don't give up though the pace seems slow.
    You may succeed with another blow.
    Success is failure turned inside out.
    The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
    & you never can tell how close you are.
    It may be near when it seems so far.
    So stick to the fight when you're hardest high.
    It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

    You've got to follow your passion.
    You've got to figure out what it is you love.
    -Who you really are.
    & have the courage to do that.
    I believe that the only courage.
    Anybody ever needs is the courage to follow your own dreams.

    Lessons On Life

    01. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
    02. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
    03. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
    04. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
    05. Pay your bills, no one else will.
    06. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
    07. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
    08. It's okay to get angry with God. He can take it.
    09. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
    10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
    11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
    12. It's okay to let your children see you cry.
    13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
    14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
    15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
    16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
    17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
    18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
    19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you & no one else.
    20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer. 21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
    22. Over-prepare, then go with the flow.
    23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
    24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
    25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
    26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
    27. Always choose life.
    28. Forgive everyone everything.
    29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
    30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
    31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
    32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
    33. Believe in miracles.
    34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
    35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
    36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
    37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
    38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
    39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
    40. If we all threw our problems in a pile & saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
    41. Don't audit life. Show up & make the most of it now.
    42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
    43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
    44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
    45. The best is yet to come.
    46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up & show up.
    47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
    48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
    49. Yield.
    50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.