FUCK NEGATIVE SHIT

Hey guys! How's it been? No actually, write in the comments how it's been! How your lives have been going, been linking my posts maybe, or something you did with your spouse, just ANYTHING that's happened in your life that has meaning to you. To quote a song I'm listening to right now "No time to get down cause I'm moving up." Now THAT'S what I'm fucking talking about. Fuck all that sad shit in our lives, right now is the time to enjoy being who we are. Live in the NOW. Sing on your way home, dance in the elevator, if that's what it takes for you to feel alive then DO IT. DO IT NOW. Why am I so happy all of a sudden? Well, I've realized once again that no matter what life throws at you. Whatever fucked up shit it gives to you, you have the opportunity to find the AWESOMENESS in it and fucking beat the living shit out of sadness. My language is a bit colorful tonight, and I really don't care. Guys, you just gotta be happy. All the sad shit you may be going through right now? IT'S GOING TO END SOONER OR LATER, SO DO SHIT THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY AND DISSOLVE THE SITUATION. You didn't get that thing you wanted long ago or something didn't go the way you wanted it to? FUCK IT, FUCK IT ALL. CAUSE THAT'S THE PAST AND YOU CAN'T CHANGE IT. So anyways, I'm just gonna build off of this Happy High right now as much as I can before it wears off!

Newsflash: Listening to mothafucking Shakira right now. WHENEVER, WHEREVER. WE WERE MEANT TO BE TOGETHER. I'LL BE THERE AND YOU'LL BE NEAR. Fuck yes can't get enough of her. By the way, that song is called "Whenever, Wherever". Anyways, so how have I been? I GOT MY MOTHAFUCKIN LOOPSTATION SETUP FINALLY!!!!! COMPLETE WITH THE RC-300 AND SYB-5 PEDALS!!!!! Holy shit it's been so long since I've wanted this setup it's just so hard to contain myself sometimes. Living the dream I had when I was what 12? You guys have experienced something like this too, you just haven't given it much thought. That clarinet piece you mastered for band class? YOU'RE A MOTHERFUCKING BOSS AND YOU ROCK THE CLARINET. That SAT preparation you just smashed into the ground with your awesomeness? WELL YOU JUST DID THAT, YEAH, TAKE IT IN. Anything you've accomplished so far, YOU'RE FUCKING AWESOME FOR DOING SO. Oh and a sidenote: CAPS LOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL. Anyways, so yeah the point of this segment is to recognize what you've done so far or EVER. Read the Hunger Games? Fucking awesome book right? No? Well read the Perks of Being a Wallflower? EVEN BETTER. Look, along life's road you're going to find troubles. And often times you won't have ANYONE to help you out. Count this as your PERMNANENT "Get out of Sad Ass Jail Free" card. You've accomplished SO much in this life and YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THE BEGINNING OF IT. That person you helped with that math/physics problem at one point? You were their world for that good 10 minutes, and that sure as hell meant a lot to them. That person you held the door for? Common courtesy is dying out these days, AND YOU REBIRTHED IT LIKE A GLORIOUS PHOENIX. YEAH THAT'S RIGHT, I'M LOOKING AT YOU GRYFFINDOR. Man, you guys don't even know the half of it. What kind of a contribution you've made to this life, my life, your parent's lives, your friends lives, this EARTH'S life. NO IDEA what kind of an impact you guys have. I'll be talking more about that in the next segment. Once again, you're FUCKING AMAZING AND YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THE HALF OF IT.

So guys, this is my version of a thank you note. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE. BY READING THIS SENTENCE YOU'VE DONE WAY MORE THAN YOU. OK ANOTHER NEWSFLASH: MORE SHAKIRA LYRICS INCOMING. "I NEVER KNEW SHE COULD DANCE LIKE THIS. SHE MAKES A MAN WANNA SPEAK SPANISH. OH BABY WHEN YOU TALK LIKE THAT, YOU MAKE A WOMAN GO MAD. OH I'M OFF TONIGHT YOU KNOW MY HIPS DON'T LIE. DON'T YOU SEE BABY THIS IS PERFECTION" Fuck yes, Shakira just get's me going. Anyways, thank you SO much for doing what you've been doing for so long: being YOU. For giving me the inspiration to go through with what I love: MUSIC. Thank you for your criticism, hate, love, and everything in between/beyond those 3 things. Because without all that you have done, I wouldn't be what I am today: PROUD. Proud of who I am, my friends, my family, my accomplishments, everything. And if you're thinking: "Mark, I don't want to hear why your life is so fucking happy. I got my own shit to deal with aight?" Well look, it's ALL THANKS TO YOU. And shit man, you've been there for me PLENTY of times although you may not have realized that. So why not let me repay the favour??? Feeling down? Hit me the FUCK UP. Wanna hang out? Shoot me a text or message on Fb. Man without you guys I'd be nowhere right now, I couldn't have done it without all of you. And what could I have not done? Be the "man" I am today. Why the "" well cause I don't even know if I'm a man yet. I have an idea of what it takes to be a man, but I'll know once it happens so let's just keep the quotes there. So yes, a big MOTHAFUCKIN welcome to ALL OF YALL for doing what you do best: being YOU. Man, I can't even begin to emphasize how big of an accomplishment you guys have just done. Every single interaction I've had with every single one of you has led to this moment. Instead of sulking and sitting and NOT writing a MOTHAFUKIN blogpost I'm here and I'm happy as SHIT (shit's pretty happy, trust) and writing a MOTHAFUKIN blogpost. Jason Mraz lyrics NEWSFLASH: "DAMN RIGHT YOU LANDED ON MY EAR, AND NOW YOU HOLD ME TIGHT. AND NOW I SEE YOU PERFECTLY BEHIND CLOSED EYES. I WANNA FLY WITH YOU AND I DON'T WANT TO LIE TO YOU. I CAN'T RECALL A BETTER DAY. YOU'RE AN OPEN MINDED LADY/MAN YOU'VE GOT IT ALL. AND I NEVER FALLED, GET AFRAID. LET'S FACE THE FATC HERE, IT'S YOU WHO'S GOT IT ALL. YOU KNOW THAT FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE, WELL LET ME GET PAID WHILE I MAKE YOU BREAKFAST. THE REST IS UP TO YOU, YOU MAKE THE CALL. YOU MAKE THE CALL TO MAKE MY DAY, IN YOUR MESSAGE SAY MY NAME YOUR TALK IS ALL THE TALK SISTA'BROTHA YOU'VE GOT IT ALL." And THAT is how you end of a thank you note. Thank you guys for EVERYTHING you've done. All those nights you've stayed up with me. ALL the lyrics you've read and analyzed. All of these posts, this journey, THANK YOU SO MUCH. But it doesn't end here, and that's the BEST PART. So let's keep going!

My my this post is getting long, it must be the CRUISE CONTROL. Man I don't even know what I should talk about, so I'll just vent. Things haven't really been going for me the past weeks. Been facing 7 exams and added to that initial pressure, my mom's been hassling me with it. In the middle of the exam period I bought my MOTHAFUCKIN LOOPSTATION SETUP WHICH IS AWESOME and my mom made me not play with it until ALL exams were done. I of course still played with in the Auditorium at my school which was FUUUN. Karaoke between 2 guys singing Mike Posner's "Cooler Than me" has NEVER been more fun. Or at least, it's more fun than you think. Anyways, exam pressure of course got to me like it does to everyone sometimes. I was also having some issues with personal relationships. I kind of needed some people to be there for me but they weren't. Which was bad in a way, but I needed to realize that I've gotta be able to take care of myself in situations like those. And hey, I got through it right? Fucking rocked the Anthro and Bio exams. Anthro is no surprise, more than half of it came from personal experience and common sense for me. And Bio? Shit that was a surprise, cause I always got 50's-60's on tests and I FINALLY STUDIED FOR ONCE AND IT WAS AMAZING HOW EASY THE EXAM WAS. I EVEN LEFT A HALF HOUR EARLY. MAN IT WAS AWESOME. Anyways, so yeah. Bad shit happened for two weeks or so. And yes it got to the point where I just couldn't concentrate on shit. At least now I know that in order to get through it all, you just gotta power through. To be honest, next time exams roll around I'm just gonna PILE DRIVE THEM INTO THE GROUND AND ACE THAT SHIT. Cause I went through my own version of "Study Hell" and next time I got back, I'm gonna be ready with an Arsenal of Chuck Norris biceps. That analogy/simile/metaphor makes NO sense at all probably. But what I'm trying to say is, sad shit happens. It'll ALWAYS BE THERE, DON'T EVEN TRY TO CHANGE THAT. But come on man, you've been through sad shit. The fact that you're reading this means you've survived through hell and back possibly. It means YOU'RE STILL HERE, AND THAT'S AMAZING. And hey, fuck all that sad shit. Jealousy, hate, everything in between/under/on top/beside that. In fact, and I'll admit to this. I've been jealous of a close friend of mine. This friend has been there for me when I needed their help, through thick and thin they've stayed with me through it all. And lately they've been getting their spot in the limelight, I felt like I was being left behind. But in all honesty, NOPE. I know deep down what I mean to this person, and that's a WHOLE LOT OF AWESOMNESS that'll keep them by my side NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS. So honestly, I'm just so fucking happy for ALL of you. For what you've done, for what you're doing right now, for what you're planning to do, EVERYTHING. Forgive me for all the negative shit I may have caused in the past. Because it's the past, and I'm sorry. We all do bad shit to those that are close to us sometimes, but the important thing is to forgive and move on. Does this excuse me from everything? Absolutely not, I am accountable for every single thing I've ever done. Feel free to call me out on it anytime you want. But hey, you've done bad shit too. We all do/say/think negative crap, but that's what makes us HUMAN. I forgive you, and I hope you'll forgive me. You guys are awesome, I love every single one of you. Honestly, just thanks for being you and for reading this much and for being so patient. So yeah, FUCK NEGATIVE SHIT. Don't forget to Read it, Learn it, Live it, Love it, and Post it!

Cheers, MarkL

P.S. Watch the Silver Lining Playbook. That whole thing above ^ the ENTIRE post, wouldn't have been even started if I didn't see that movie. WATCH IT, WATCH IT NOW.

Change

Chorus: 

As you already know, in life we all must change

Our habits, structure, modifications must be made

Otherwise, our lives, will always stay the same

And we'd never advance from the childhood that we came

Life gives many choices, times that we must think

Am I prepared to take this road, or do I need a drink

Sometimes life hits us hard, in places we don't expect

And we are given a choice, one that we might regret

To take the high road and work hard, or the easy way and neglect

For, the both roads and choices lead us to a different aspect

And we can't see any further than the moment that we are in

Which makes all the uncertainty really settle in

But within that clouded future, somewhere there's a light

Your better life and choices, really come into sight

It's not really easy, the leap of faith, there's a lot that you must do

And the really funny thing is, it all begins with you.

Chorus X2

It may seem really obvious, sometimes it's really not

The change that we must make always ends up a lot

It starts off with the small things, eventually trickles down

Life manages to change us, and turn us all around

It has its ups and downs, and we live through them all

Because change is what keeps us going, and you're still here after all

Chorus X2

I wrote that song this morning immediately after I woke up. For some reason the melody of it was stuck in my mind before I even wrote it, it's as if I woke up with it. As you guys may have already noticed, the songs that I wrote nowadays are about life lessons. And only if I was going through these challenges in my life could I write these songs. So just by that I can already tell that my first album is going to be really special to me. I'll have a full post out tonight, I just wanted to share my lyrics with you guys.

Cheers, MarkL

No Idea

Hey guys, for those of you that care I'm not feeling sad or happy at the moment. Somewhere in the middle actually, so personally I think I'm in shape to write a post. Otherwise if I felt like shit, it would reflect in my post and you guys would have to read that crap. So I'm just gonna start.

Lots to share. I made the Boys Volleyball team, that's 6 years I've been playing. Funny how fast those years have gone by now that I think about it. From semi-starting on the first line in games, to the bench, and now I'm starting not just because of my height, but because I'm actually good. Surprised? Yeah me too. But it's a good surprise, I'm more confident about my sports playing now. We have some great guys on the team, not to mention the best coaches. One of course is a Gym teacher that has MORE than enough experience to also coach. But the other coach, he's played for the best University team in America. Had the chance to go pro, but turns out there isn't any real money in the sport. A career would be nice, but if you're putting in the daily 9-5 and it's not yielding results (or the results you want) then it's worth giving a shot at another career choice. Thankfully he decided to coach us, which is INCREDIBLE. It's going to be a great season, I'm evolving as not only a team player but also in terms of my volleyball skills. It's actually FUN now, instead of "Pass it to the Seniors." I hear "Mark!" being called as a set for me to hit. I make mistakes of course, but it's all about doing repetitions and getting those mistakes to disappear. That's what the coach says at least, he's gotten us this far so he can get us even farther. I think I'll just leave the Volleyball topic at that then, oh and we've lost our first 2 games but have been undefeated for the past 3 games. Talk about........TRIPLE KILLing it on the court. SO what else have I been doing lately............listening to a lot of new artists. In the last month I've downloaded KiD CuDi's latest album (which is great to listen to even if you're not a pothead), BoB's latest album (mix of rap/hip-hop and dance, overall it's a feelgood album), Casey Abrams thanks to a fellow friend Marijna (the artist himself sound's a little bit like Indie, a great mix of feelgood/nostalgia/rainy day music), Snoop Lion (his name change happened for a reason, the guy has turned over a new leaf and I love his new Reggae sound, can't wait for the full album), Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (these guys are a Seattle bassed Rap duo, one does the music and the other does the rapping, it's a great album based on morals and values. It's not as boring as I make it sound, just go and listen to "Thrift Shop" or "Same Love" on YouTube and you'll see), K'Naan's discography (no, not "Waving Flag". If you honestly listen to his other albums you'll see that he's not just a one hit wonder. His music speaks a lot of truths and just sounds great overall, go and listen to his sound and you'll see what I'm talking about.) Maroon5 (their latest album is a bit iffy for me, they have turned to the electronic music scene which is a drawback for me. That's because I still remember when they made "This Love" and other songs that were kind of Love Ballads. That's their sound, and the fact that they changed it is kind of like what the Black Eyed Peas did. Mind you, they have some good songs on their album but not all in my opinion.) Fort Minor's Discography (the guys that sang "Remember the Name", that whole rap that add's up to over 100%, yeah well they have better songs than that actually like "Where'd You Go" and "Believe Me". They're a bit outdated by today's standards but I still think they're worth a listen.) The Weeknd (he's a Toronto based.....indie rapper....I guess. The thing is I can't exactly pin point his style because it's so diverse. In his music he sings, but sometimes it would be considered Rap. And I can't say Hip-hop because it's not funky/jumpy enough. His music is the kind you'd listen to in order to calm down or listen on a rainy day. Chill as fcuk. Yes, I meant fcuk not fuck.) Oh and T.I. (for when I need to get my Swagger up, by Swagger I mean attitude and overall well-being.) SO yeah, those are all of the artists that I've lately been tuning into/focusing on. I shall be posting my favourite tracks on the side, give them a listen while you're reading.

Ever feel like you have a hard time trying to find something to do on the weekend? I did a couple days ago, and all of a sudden I just found myself building a shelf. Like the one you see below.





So all it really took for me, was some scrap wood I had for my "Communist Re(a)d" project. I actually scrapped it, sorry guys. The reasoning behind that is because frankly I don't have enough time to do it and I'd much rather build a shelf. If you'd like to know about my scrapped idea just message me and I'll tell you all about it, after all I did keep it a secret and not offering an explanation would be bullshit. So yeah, scrap wood, then I cut it with a hand saw to the appropriate size (measure twice, cut once. This should be fucking posted everywhere.) and then glue it. But I'm adding my own little twist to this project. Instead of just gluing all the pieces together and then leaving it as it is with the colour that it is I'm going to collage newsprint all over the pieces. So somewhere you'll see actual paragraphs, and on other places you'll see incredible pictures thanks to the Globe and Mail. I actually can't wait until I finish this entire project, gotta make 2 shelves though so the first one is a test. If you're wondering the length (for some reason, if you actually were, +100 Mark Points for being so smart.) the 2 shelves are going to be 18cm or around 7.5 inches. They're not going to be hung, but rather put on top of my bed's nightstand. I wonder what other DIY (Do It Yourself, +100 Mark Points for learning something new today.) projects I'll get into as the year progresses. I might even start selling some of my stuff if it's good enough.

The Junior Achievement Project has started up once again. Of course I joined for those of you wondering (by the way, you guys are getting WAY too into my life if you're wondering all these things, you're almost as creepy as me. Keep it up!) This year is going to be great, most of the people in my company are people that have been in the program in the past years so clearly a lot of experienced people shall be running the executive team. I'm looking to run for head of H.R. (Human Relations). Basically I'll be solving the Company's social problems that happen within the company. If H.R. didn't exist then an entire company could fall apart withing weeks because of rising conflicts. As far as I'm concerned, nobody else is running for the position so hopefully I'll be able to be head of H.R. I personally don't think I'm a big fan of anything to do with business and commerce. So why am I going to JA? I love to give fresh ideas, whether it's for the products, or the website, or sales tactics. Just giving ideas and my opinion is something I love. Otherwise I wouldn't be here writing a blog, and you wouldn't be here reading this but rather spending your night/day doing something WAY more productive. I'm excited for this year's JA, new faces, new advisers to help us along the way, some of my close friends have gone to a different location that's more accessible to them. I was disappointed for a bit, as anyone else would be, but honestly getting to know new people is as great as hanging out with old friends. This way you get to make NEW friends along the way.

Oh and another thing, I've been writing a lot more too. I mean poems, songs, thoughts, whatever. I haven't written another complete song, but I do have the beginning of one. Sadly I don't have my notebook on me at the moment so I can't really type it on here as much as I'd love to share my new work with you guys. I've also been posting my photography on my DeviantArt page, you guys should go check that out at Underestimatedgntlmn.DeviantArt.com where you'll see my collaborative works, Film, and Digital Photography. It's been great writing this post, my apologies for the post being a month late or so. But hey, I wrote it on a Thursday instead of a Friday so that you guys don't have to wait as long. Grade 11 is busy as fuck, more busy than I ever expected. But if I've learned anything, it's that you should always make time for friends. Your homework won't take care of you when you get sick or feel like shit, your friends will on the other hand. Oh and send a letter to someone, just anyone really. Make a long distance friendship with someone and send a letter, regular mail is rare these days, the fact that you show THAT much dedication to send a letter would not only surprise them but make their week (no, not day, I meant what I said, You're going to make their ENTIRE week better by sending a simple letter asking how they are. So get to it.) Alright well I gotta go to my 2nd period Chemistry class. You guys have fun doing homework, or what have you over the weekend. Don't forget to Read it, Learn it, Live it, Love it, oh and Post it.

Cheers, MarkL

Bliss

Hey guys!!! How you been?? Yeah I've been busy, again! Now that I look back since my last post, I've actually managed to do a lot of things. And of course this post is going to be about every single one of them!!! So let's start then!

Once I got back from Russia I had TONS of plans for little art projects I made for myself, like constructing and painting things. Why? Just for the fun of it. I've never been a good painter or sketch artist but I love constructing. Whether its with wood or metal, just doing something by yourself and making it your own has always given me a sense of satisfaction like no other. One of these projects is confidential at the moment but I'll share the title with you guys. I'm looking to feature it in my school's Newspaper if it gets in, if not I'll post it here and on DeviantArt. I actually got a DeviantArt now, here's the link! UnderestimatedGntlmn.DeviantArt.com it has some of my digital photography, I'm updating on a weekly/daily basis!! So here's the title of my latest project: Communist Re(a)d. The rest is up to you to decide. It's a construction type deal, so no sculpting or anything. More like building a model. But yeah, so now I have a DeviantArt that you guys can visit instead of trying endlessly to find my photography on here, plus my blog will load faster if I don't have as many pictures on here. I'm planning more art projects with mediums like Styrofoam, spray paint, glass, CD's, and several other materials. I may not have used the word "medium" properly there but whatever! So in terms of the art department in this post, I think that's all I have to say. Oh wait, I want to try Grafitti. But not the spray paint kind, the Moss kind. I found this image of Moss Grafitti a couple months ago and always wanted to try it. Involves a lot of planning though, the best place, how to get there daily to water it, the design, everything takes time. Oh and glow in the dark Graffiti, always wanted to try that. Gotta make it permnanent though otherwise it'll wash off in the rain. That'll work best in the winter because of how bright it is during the day, but I'll work out the details once it comes to those steps. I'm going to have more art project plans and DIY plans in the future, like dyeing my infamous White Pants which have become the symbol of hate at Stage Crew. Nonetheless, I'm planning to have plenty of more projects in the future. Because you never know when an idea will pop up into your head and you just won't be able to resist turning it into reality. SO onto my next topic!

So I have a job now.....not as hard as I thought it would be to get one. All I had to do was take matters into my own hands by posting up posters advertising my yard work services and the details of my contact info. The point of this is to raise money for my RC-300 and SYB-5 pedals. So far I have almost $200. The thing is, I need to sell my VE-20 A.S.A.P. so if you guys know a willing buyer please contact me. For all intensive purposes let's say that the VE-20 will be sold for the asking price of $250. I'm still going to need around $400 to cover everything including taxes. But $200 ain't bad for only a couple weeks worth of work. I think I'll have the money by at least the beginning of December. Because as the Fall Season approaches more people will need their lawns raked and then as Winter begins the snow shovelling jobs will come piling in. Plus, by the time Winter Break rolls around I'll have 3 whole weeks to earn money!!! I'm hoping to have it before NT Idol though because I REALLY want to perform and practice with it and hopefully release a couple songs if not an album by the end of the school year. The thing is, every part of this feels right. I have no regrets or anything about it. Maybe I'm meant to do this for the rest of my life, but I'll let time figure that out. For now I'm just going to do my thing and do what I love.

Oh and my photography, I'm no longer featuring it on here or on Facebook. You will only see it on DeviantArt now. Here's the link again: http://underestimatedgntlmn.deviantart.com/ It's just THAT much simpler if you guys just visit it every now and then. Because some of my readers don't have access to Facebook and uploading pictures to my blog makes it SO much slower it's impossible sometimes. From what I hear, people like my photography. Especially my film shots, so I might go back to that for a bit. It just gives me a feeling like no other. A digital photo can be changed, remastered, Instagrammed, you name it and it can be done to it. But film, it's permanent. It cannot be changed in ANY way, you're responsible for the photo you took. NO DO OVER'S. But the thing is, it's expensive. Around $7 to process 1 cartridge and $12 for 3 cartridges. The total cost comes to $33 for 3 cartridges which is around 72 photos. But not all of those photos will turn out. Some will be over exposed so much that they turn white or some of them will just be crap. So you have to be careful, and know what you're doing. Often I just take pictures of whatever I consider significant or beautiful enough, and it usually works out in my favour. Like my "Flight" photo up on DeviantArt. I submitted it today and it has already gotten 51 Favourites, 400 Views and 8 Downloads. What completes the photo is the specific exposure the film got while being developed. It gives the photo a Light blue/purple tint to it. Had I taken the photo with a DSLR the Geese would be black and the photo would be dark in general. It would take A LOT of effort to make it look like the Film Picture I have of it already. Once my income picks up I'll be able to go back into Film Photography and start getting more incredible shots of Toronto. Like Queen Street East, I've always wanted to explore it fully and only gotten small glimpses of the area. But even from what I've seen, you could get GREAT photography done there. But let's save all that for the future, for now I'm gonna stick with Digital. Don't get me wrong, Digital is AWESOME. It's just that I started out with Film. I have an emotional bond to it, it's what started me off, what got me interested in photography. They're 2 whole different mediums, neither is best, all up to one's opinion. And my opinion is that I prefer Film over Digital.

The reason for my title "Bliss" is that's because of how I've been feeling. School is great, I'm getting to know new people while still hanging out with my old friends. I have GREAT teachers that I look forward to seeing every day. Things are going my way, I'm employed, several projects and extra curriculars are getting done, and I'm just generally happy. Life is great right now. Who knows, maybe I'll meet another girl sometime soon? This is kind of a short post, but hey, better than nothing right? I have a life like anyone else does, and lately a lot has been happening. I've done my part, filled you in, now how's about you do yours and Read it, Learn it, Live it, Love it, and Post it! I am proud to say that this is the work of the Underestimated Gentleman!

Cheers, MarkL

P.S. +50 Mark Points for reading all of this

Last Day in Russia!!

So here we are. Me with a brickload of Ice Cream (it's literally the size of an ordinary brick, and the same density probably) on my plate, plate full of regrets. And a glass of Kvas! It's like Beer but without the alcohol. The taste is essentially the same, and there are different brands and types of Kvas of course. Packed suitcase, and yet to be packed backpack waiting for me upstairs filled with goodies for my friends and fam. Got around to working out even a couple times, I'm proud of the progress I've made. There's a lot of things I've learned here. Both from TV and Movies and from my entire experience in Russia. It's been truly great here, so many new things I've learned and seen and heard. It's been great here. Oh and yeah, so much for that every day post thing. Well after writing it I realized that it would've been to weird if I just wrote what I did every day and whatnot. So yeah, this is just my post to end my "Vacation" off. Here we go.

Russia was great, I lived in somewhat of a village out in the countryside. It wasn't too densly populated so the quiteness was a great thing. Plus the moon was out on several nights during the week. I never got to sleep outside though, it gets too cold outside here. The reason being is that I'm surrounded by greenery and WAY too many plants and greenery to count, turns out being surrounded by so many plants actually cools down the air around you enough to get chills if you're wearing just a shirt and pants. Which is a surprising fact to me because no matter where you are in Toronto except the Harbourfront it's warm. I imagine it's the same for Moscow because it's a much more packed and dense city than Toronto. In terms of both population and buildings. But it was very old the first couple days here, I had to wear jeans and my sweater every day until it  got warmer. Which lasted about a week and a half. But soon it got hot, REAL hot REAL fast. Around 30 degrees every day as an average, on the train it gets unbearable in the middle of the day. I mean, 80 people in a cart, thick metal train, plus all the heat and sweat of the people does not equal room temperature. The windows are of course always open even if it rains, but even then there's only a weak current going through them which is so disappointing. On those train rides, every train ride in fact, I just pull out my Music Player and turn on the Shuffle. With my recent addition of The Beatles Discography and several non-mainstream DubStep/Reggae tracks it's been a blast. Currently though, I'm listening to YONAS - Pumped Up Kicks. He's an up and coming Rapper that did a remix of what some of you may have guessed to be Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People. It's a great track, the lyrics are carefully worded which I really enjoyed bobbing to. So yeah, there's been tons of great music here in Russia. Funny how I find all of these tracks while I'm in a country where people hardly listen to this music. You'd think I'd listen to Russian music, well I'm not exactly a fan of Russian Rap. It's full of Douchebags that think they know rap and think they're all that, which gravely disappoints me of course but I don't really care :P And the thing is, I find that while I was here I had Russian culture basically stuffed down my throat. Look, I get the whole heritage thing and everything. I'm supposed to know my culture and know my history and everything but I'm just not interested in a lot of the Russian culture. Like the times of knights and Cars. Don't get me wrong, I love everything about the USSR and that era. And I will gladly read a book about it if given the opportunity because those were the times of fast change, the time when the future of the world was literally chosen. Had the Russians launched their missiles the world would be in ruins, same goes for US. And please don't start saying "OH COME ON MARK!!! LEARNING WHERE YOU COME FROM IS A GREAT AND WONDERFUL THING!! A MAN CAN'T HAVE A FUTURE IF HE DOESN'T LEARN HIS PAST!!!" Yeah well unless you come from Japan, China, Korea, or any other country with a several thousand year history, don't say shit. If you're Canadian or American, your history is around 200-400 years and everyone in North America except Mexico is mandated to know each Country's at one point in their education. Nobody is forced to know the history of Russia unless you live in Russia. And even then you probably don't learn the entire thing. And the whole thing with Russian Culture is based on Christianity, and I mean STRONG influence of Christianity. So almost every painting has a hint of Christanity somewhere incorporated in it. The thing is, I'm not really a super dedicated Christian. The farthest extent of my religiousness is taking the time out of my day sometimes and thanking God for where I am in my life and for some things that I believe happened with the help of God. I don't believe that God created us, or that he is an almighty being, I believe that he is a friend on my journey of life. So the fact that much of the art and culture is surrounded by STRONG influences of Christianity, didn't really make me happy but I dealt with it nonetheless. Onto another paragraph because this one is too long and this is such a run on sentence it's unbelievable how long this is and how incredibly longer it's getting by the second and as each second it gets longer and longer......

So the cultural differences I've encountered are actually incredible and bigger than I thought. The comedy for one is vastly different than North American comedy. Often if a Russian would tell a story about their misfortune to another Russian like getting stuck on an airplane or getting stuck in a mess of some sort, well the Russians would both laugh because they've both been in a similar or exactly the same situation as them. Or if you make a joke about the living conditions of the average Russian whether it's in Moscow or near the wild. Because it's truly funny, while in North America people would be outraged and would say things like "Oh man, you gotta report this to an official of some sort."or "Wow, I can't believe you had to go through that." even if it was something small. It's just the way Russians work, it doesn't take much to make people laugh. Turns out a bad experience like a failed attempt at washing the dog or copying a Magic Bullet infomercial. Don't ask how I know those specific examples, it's a long story and childish story. And the way that North American comedy works is that there's often a shocking ending or punchline. And most of the comedy today revolves around a lot of content where there's swearing or vulgar language. That being said, it doesn't mean it's bad comedy. It's just that sometimes its overdone and unnecessary which just ruins the whole act. Anyways, comedy is a BIG difference that I noticed. Amongst those differences, another one is peoples understanding. It's very rare that if you cut somebody off or do something accidental that people will understand what happened. Like, if somebody in your family or some relative takes one of your possesions and doesn't ask you which is of course essentially stealing well they'll most likely see it as something fine. Of course people do it in N.A. too but it's more "popular" in Russia, as in accepted. Well, it's more like people don't do anything about it or if they try people just don't listen. It's just the way things have been getting ever since the fall of the USSR. Teens younger than me smoke on a regular basis (not weed, which I understand and have accepted, but cigarettes which is pretty crap) and not to mention the drinking. Which I also understand at 16, but ar 12 or 13? That's just stupid and straight up fucked. My opinion on drugs like alcohol, marijuana, and cigarettes have changed of course since my last post about drugs which was a year and a half back. Some of you might be like "BUT MARK, YOU SAID THAT DRUGS WERE STUPID AND POINTLESS" Lol I was what 14? What the fuck did I know? Really? You're going to trust a 14 year old and his opinion as truth? Look, opinions constantly change and I'm a perfect example. A couple years ago all I listened to was the Radio (Pop) and I believed that it was the only way to listen to music and it was the best music since most people listen to it. LOL YA RIGHT. My opinion on that has clearly changed of course, I've learned a lot since then and gone through a lot. Actually, imma start another paragraph.

Yes, my opinion on narcotics has changed: marijuana, cigarettes, and alcohol. People say that Marijuana is the gateway drug, and boy are those people WRONG. You know what the original gateway drug is? Alcohol, if you aren't tempted by that then you'll never try cigarettes and eventually Marijuana. It's true, just think about it. Marijuana is a wonderful plant, it calms the mind and relieves great pain which has been a great advancement in the medicinal world. And yes, I've heard the news story about synthetic Marijuana and how the black guy ate the face off of another guy. Marijuana isn't supposed to be SYNTHETIC, it's a PLANT for God's sakes. Who KNOWS the horrible effects of synthetic Marijuana? Well the face eating is a pretty strong reaction of course. That doesn't mean that the plant (it's not a drug, 'nor is it a narcotic, it's a plant and so is Tobacco) is a bad thing. Somebody tempered with the nature of it and tried to make a quick buck. If you don't want anything to go wrong, then use some common sense and do it the right way and not some experimental method never tried before otherwise you'll have face eaters running amock. And the thing is, Marijuana is good for you. It eases the mind and opens it up to creativity. Just look at Dub FX and Bob Marley and Classified, ALL artists are tremendous in their art. Bob Marley is eternal, Dub FX and his words are like poems made by Angels, and Classified makes me proud to live in Canada and know that there are amazing artists right at home. The music I listen to, my laid back-ness, of courseit explains why I've changed my opinion on "drugs". I've done plenty of research on Marijuana. Seen documentaries and several shows about it. Yeah people say that you can still get smokers lung from it. Of course, if it's grown the wrong way. If your stock has mites or is infected then the smoking is going to harm your system. That's why if you want to smoke good Marijuana, you gotta get it from a good dealer that KNOWS what he's doing because it's a part of their life and not just a random hobby they picked up during College. Growing Marijuana is essentially farming, except you smoke your crop and it's illegal in several countries. The main components in Marijuana are THC and CBD. THC being the psychoactive component that gives you hallucinations while CBD is the calming and painkiller in Marijuana. The highest composition EVER of THC in a Marijuana strain is I think around 20% which is TOO DAMN HIGH. Well, it's a pretty high amount and you only know once you try. Anyways, my point being. Cigarettes are crap and not as addicting as you may think, alcohol is great in moderation if amongst friends and or family, and Marijuana isn't lethal as long as it's done right.

So right now it's 23:42 or 11:42 local time here, and I have a flight at 12 tomorrow so I really need to go sleep or else I'm gonna be messed up tomorrow. So I gotta hurry this up. It's been great writing this post and I've really enjoyed my time in Russia. I have loved this journey, learned a lot and went through a lot. Opinions changed and things happened, I moved on and became a different man. That's what life is about, change. And the sooner you accept it, the better off you'll be. I won't update the music playlists because honestly I love them too much, I've listened to them non stop ever since I found them. I'll probably just change them to new ones when I get back home, which will be in 20 hours or so I think, not so good with math at 10 before 12 <--- That was some good math right there. But anyways, thanks for reading all of this. If you didn't, you suck, if you did, +100 Mark Points for you* So Read it, Learn it, Live it, Love it, and Post it!

Cheers, MarkL

P.S. Mark points only apply if you know what it means, keep track of your balance.

Summer's Start

How you guys been? It's been so long since my latest post. That's cause I got a surprise for you guys. A couple weeks ago my Birthday passed as some of you may already know. And my mom decided to have it celebrated in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. It was an incredible trip which I of course have pictures of which I will be uploading to Facebook and imgur for those of you non-Facebook users. So yeah, going to Punta Cana was an amazing experience, I got to learn ho to surf, scuba dive, and experience some of the many things life has to offer. It was actually at the same time of Summatives which are BIG end of the year projects that are worth 1/3 of your final mark. I'm still glad I went to Punta Cana because it was DEFINITELY worth it, I got back just at the right time and I managed to finish all of my projects with surprisingly good results. And then shortly we had exams, which for some I didn't study at all but they were easy surprisingly. And not easy in the sense that I answered everything fast, but easy in the sense that I understood everything asked of me and I knew how to answer it all to my best ability. Well everything other than the stupid Math exam, but that's math :P So yeah, I got off easy with my vacation in terms of timing and coming back to school. Ok let's just continue this in the next paragraph.

It's been a great year overall, in terms of the school year. Grade 10 was the year I immersed myself just a bit more than I did in Grade 9. I joined Stage Crew, which is a BIG plus for me. Thanks to Crew I get to experience real life teamworking exerience where it counts on my scale, I have learned A LOT not only in terms of technical experience with lighting and sound but also with Stage Management and Stage Movement. Next year is going to be interesting because we'll only have around 5 people on Crew since all of the Seniors are leaving for University and whatnot. But I'm more than sure we will be able to pull it off thanks to Rachel and Adam which will be our Stage Crew Heads for next year and probably until all of us leave. Unfortunately we had a member of our Crew leave this year, but he's only Grade 10. This is because Seth is going to be attending an all boys school, still in Toronto but I'm afraid we won't be seeing him until maybe by the time Fashion Show rolls around. It's a bittersweet goodbye because we are all going to miss Seth A LOT, but we are all VERY happy for him that he has this kind of opportunity to go somewhere new and to an INCREDIBLE school. Seth has been a great addition to Crew. Him and his muscularness and skill has proved that he knows what he's doing when it comes to working on and off of Stage. The guy has a great sense of humour and isn't afraid to make fun of people for wearing deliciously sexy white pants ;) Seth will undoubtedly be missed, it's been one hell of a year man, we won't forget you! And my hat(s) go(es) off to all the Seniors leavin this year. Thank you guys SO much for teaching me everything you knew about the Auditorium and telling us about you past wild experiences, I couldn't have asked for a better year at Crew and it's all thanks to you guys. No year will ever match the year I had with you guys, I've learned A LOT not only in terms of Stage Crew but in terms of life experiences. Thnx4thememories.

The School year has just been a BIG learning experience for me. I changed my blog from a place where I rant to a place where I can just come and share what's new and happening and my opinion while controlling it at the same time. I entered NT Idol once again, but this time with my Loopstation which got me to the 2nd Round but unfortunately not the 3rd, that's my goal for next year. I grew as an artist in terms of music, lately I've been VERY proud of the songs I'm writing, because I am finally writing about what matters to me and not just creating hype. I'm still working on it, writing more and more, exposing myself to more and more music artists and new genres. It's a learning experience, I have NO idea where it'll take me but I'm hoping I'll go far with it. This Summer I'm planning to sell my VE-20 and buy a new RC-300 Loopstation and SYB-5 Bass Pedal so that I can finally have a proper layout. And I've also learned how to record in the Auditorium so I might be starting to release songs little by little. Maybe 1 every 2-3 weeks or even 1 per month or so. I've written A LOT of songs and I've thought out a beat for every single one of them but there's only a select few that I would be proud releasing. Thank God for Stage Crew, it's going to be a BIG advantage having the auditorium to use as my studio. My grades are also catching up, I'm starting to work a bit harder as every test goes by. I've also advanced in my Photograpy, this year I acquired a Nikon D3100 Digital Camera. I miss the riskyness and fun of film which I have NO doubt that I'll go back to soon but for now I'm still exprimenting with Digital which is quite fun. Flm Photography was a big part of my life, not only in terms og Photography, but because it was the best Summer ever and I managed to capture it in the best way: film. My relations with people have grown, I've been making more and more friends, and adding months worth of relations with other close friends that have been helping me so much and I cannot thank them so much for jut being themseles. And now, sitting in Russia with a cat on my lap, I feel very proud of the year that has gone by. I went through a breakup recently, missed A LOT of the school during the year for Stage Crew, made mistakes on Crew, but it has been one hell of an experience and I don't regret anything. Because from every bad thing and mistake I made I learned A LOT, it's been one hell of a year.

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you guys I'm at Russia right now. And the time is 13:37, we use 24-hr time here and it just so happens that it's 13:37 :D It's really nice here, nothing has really changed. There's a cat, a dog, and even a bunny!!! I'm going to get A LOT of great photography done while I'm here, I've already started to compile a hundred or so pictures and it's only my 3rd day here. So right now I have 2 surprises for you guys. The first is that I managed to write a song on the plane ride over to Russia which I shal post soon. In the middle of it I rant about N-Sync and boy bands and trashy music, but I scratched that because I realized that I'm done dissing other styles of music and whatnot. Yes you guys know my opinion on all of that but I just think it's better if I just do me and let them do what they do. That way I'm not super opinionated, which I learned through experience will get people to hate you really easily really fast. The second surprise is that since yesterday I have started a Travel Log in my little leather notebook that describes what happened on each exciting day. I'm not going to write about EVERY day, just the exciting ones. Otherwise I'll have around 20 worthless posts and only around 12 good ones which will be an imbalance and waste me precious time when I could be doing something fun! Oh yeah, and I came up with one of those Summer Reading lists, it's more like a list of books I started during the year but never finished :P My lists consists of: The Games (no, there's no Hunger in between the two words), Body Language, How to Win Friends and Influence People (I'm CONSTANTLY reading this book, it's too good to put down) and I'll probably find some more books to read soon. So yes, I will be posting the song below along with my Log for Day 1 of my trip. Song first, Log last because it's been too long since you guys have seen a song from me :)

24th of June 2012
Life Takes Flight


Chorus:


Breathe in breathe out
Now that's what I'm talking about


Breathe in breathe out
Let the flow hit the floor an let it run about


Breathe in breathe out
Take a seat, sip a drink, there ain't no need to shout


Verse 1


Life is complicated
We got tese Red Bulls and Vicadin to keep us medicated
People need to slow down and smell the Roses
Otherwise we miss the beaut and see the hopelessness
Derived from the needyness and the greedyness
From mankind's strive to be the best at this
This life is so full of beauty
This ride was meant to be for you and me
This mind that we all have is full of beauty
We can create, or destroy, or rebuild our city
Revolutionize, evolve from the child within
Our souls, our body, our minds
Just pieces of the puzzle in the scheme of our lives


Chorus X1


Verse 2


You must think you're so clever
Nobody's planned their life out and kept it all together
The beauty of this is the riskyness
Having never thought out who you're going to meet or even kiss
Adds the beauty and fun into our lives
When we really need to open up our eyes
And realie the path we're going down is full of lies
Our parents taught us all about morals and stories
So that they would keep us safe without any worries
From the future, the unknown state of negativity
And our struggle to reclaim the positivity
From this world that is rapily increasing
In chaos, population, revolution, and disagreeing
Reaching maximum speeds of sharing and relocatio 
Our youth has become so numb to their sensations
They'll settle for anything with public consensus
We're so diracted by advertisements and entertainers
So we can never start aything new let alone get it
Done, that's what this life never is
We hve a growing amount of actions, jobs, skills hat we all miss
And sometimes we all unite and tether
To celebrate this life is better done when we're together


Chorus X2


I really hope you guys like that, please add a comment or two below this post and tell me what you think about the song or even on my etire post. I'd love to hear some feedback from you guys! So here's my Day1 Log for my Trip to Russia

26th of June
Vacation to Russia: Day 1


The flight was surprisingly great. No crying babies, chilled with my music, even managed to write a  song I'm REALLY proud of. My Dad thinks my Russian has improved, for some reason he's right. "Call me Maybe" was on the radio today, funny how news ges around. Anyways, so far things are good. Getting good photography done, going places like the Moscor River on a Ferry :D, this Summer is only beginning. Shish Kebab for breakfast is something everybody should try, it's delicious!!! Also, never leave bunnies on furniture otherwise you might find yourself watching what looks like sitting when in actuality he/she is taking a crap. Going to be a great Summer, I might even do a little film photography if I get the time.


Alright guys, so that's my post for today. I think that's enough writin for one day :P I apologize that it's been so long since my last post, in all honesty I've been lazy. I just haven't taken the initiative to tell you guys what's been going on. But I think what matters more is that I finally wrote another post and that I'm going to keep you guy updated on my Daily Adventure!!! To conclude, it's been a great year overall, Stage Crew has been amazing, and this Summer is going to be incredible. Life is good :) Oh and by the way, I don't hav any featured artists, so instead I posted 8track links which are just as good if not better!!! So I guess it's time to Read it, Learn it, Live it, Love it, and Post it!

Cheers, MarkL

Social Experiment

Hey guys! I've been meaning to do a post on this topic for some days now. And now that I have the opportunity I'm not going to hold it back!!! These micro-posts will last around a paragraph or two, they're just small snippets of what my long posts are. And they'll be posted at random, note its 10:51 right now as I'm writing it. So let's get to it! Recently there was an event at North Toronto called "Soda Pop Shop" which is essentialy a talent show. And of course, Stage Crew has to prepare the whole thing and make sure it runs smoothly, cause that's what we do!! Anyways, before the event started, we had to tape all the messy clusterfuck of cables to the wall so that performers don't set off the Richter scale as they walk onto the stage. And as one of our younger members was doing so, he had a piece of tape left over. He decided to put it on my shirt. I immediately said "I've got a better idea." And I put it on my arm. Here's a picture. The thing is, I'm on my phone as I'm posting this so I have NO idea whether the picture is where I want it. So anyways, I'm sure you can find the picture on your own if anything. This piece of tape has been in that spot for a couple days now, to be exact its been 4 days.

The purpose of me keeping the piece on my arm is this. You know how in stories there are symbols? Well I've been thinking about this for a couple years actually, occasionaly in class and whatnot. What if there are symbols in life? And there are, we just don't pay attention to them. So the point of this piece of tape is to figure out its symbolism. Once it comes off, I'll look back at what has happened in my life, and write what it symbolizes. The thing is, this all has to do with timing. In a month or two it can symbolize something else if it came off in a year. Maybe you think what I'm doing is weird, but its an interesting experiment. Oh Jesus Christ, NEVER hold in a sneeze. I just did and it felt like my rib cage was going to explode. Anyways, back to the topic. The only rules are that I can't take the piece off by myself, it has to happen on its own. And I guess that's the only rule :P I wonder what it'll symbolize.......

Anyways, its been great writing one last post before the weekend ends. I'm really hoping that these micro posts become a regular thing at one point. Well, Read it, Learn it, Live it, Love it, and Post it!

Cheers, MarkL

More to come!!!

Hey guys, how you been? It’s been a couple weeks since my last post, as always. But a lot has happened since then (as always I did a ton of photography over March Break, which I shall be posting!!!!! And I’ve been getting involved in more stuff, like always. Thankfully my good friend Mandar let me use his MacBook Pro to write this post because at the moment I’m at this program called Junior Achievement in which I help run a business. I’ll explain it soon enough so don’t worry, it’s one of the things I’ve been involved with lately. Also, the artist that I have chosen to talk about, if you haven’t noticed yet will be Down With Webster and their new album Time To Win Vol 2. I know in the past I have said that I’m not a big fan of Pop and probably went off on a rant on why it sucks, BUT THE BEAT IS SO GOOD!!! And the music just makes me feel good, so I couldn’t care less of what you guys say I’ve got plenty of stuff planned for you guys for this post. So, let’s get started!!!

So, business program. Basically what it is, is a bunch of teens get together and run a company in which you create a product and sell it and try to make a much money as you can by the end of the project. It’s actually more interesting than it seems because in the company you have the exact same departments as you would in a real company.
- Human Resources
-Production
-Finance
-Marketing
-Health And Safety (Or otherwise known as the Bullshit Department)
-Sales

The department I was assigned by my Exec/HR/Boss/Friend Guy is “Fluid” which means I work in any and every department and do my best to help. The company that I’m a part of sells T-Shirts and more recently Bath Bombs. What that is, is a small pyramid shaped object that when it comes in contact with water it dissolves and fizzes and just smells amazing. I think in revenue we have made around $500 something dollars which we will have to split amongst 19 people in this company depending on how much work they did and such. According to my friend Exec/HR/Boss/Friend Guy I have made $130 in sales, which isn’t much if you consider that each Bath Bomb costs $3 and you can buy 2 for $5 or 5 for $10. You learn a lot while you’re here. Company conflicts, teamwork, how to sell products, how to market a product, advertising, and creating a website. These are essentially the skills you’ll need if you’re going to work in a company one day or are interested in Entrepreneurship. It’s just an interesting program overall, you learn a lot and you get to experience something that you wouldn’t be able to in school. I’ll be including a bit of pictures of the company and our products below. So let's move onto our next post.

I recently saw the Hunger Games movie, which disappointed me. Let me explain why before you start saying "MARK??? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??!?!?! IT WAS THE BEST EVER!!!" For one, I personally remember the movie missing A LOT of details that just made the book so great. I found this list of details that were missing from the movie on Reddit which someone took the time to write themselves. Enjoy!

1. In the novel, Katniss gets the Mockingjay pin from Madge. In the film, she trades for the pin at The Hob and gives it to Prim, who gives it back after the reaping. Madge is never seen in the film.[64]
2. In the book, Peeta's eyes are described as blue by Katniss. In the film, they are dark-brown colored instead of blue.
3. In the book, Katniss is visited by Peeta's father after Prim and her mother come to visit her. In the movie, Mr. Mellark never makes an appearance.[64]
4. In the book Katniss gives Peeta sleeping syrup received from Haymitch so she can go to the feast. In the film she waits until he falls asleep.
5. In the novel, the girl who lit the fire at night was found out by the Career tributes and Peeta. Later then they tried to kill her but the cannon didn't shoot immediately, so Cato sent Peeta to make sure the bonfire girl was killed. In the film, the bonfire girl died right away.
6. In the novel, the tribute girl from District 4 dies along with Glimmer during the tracker jacker attack. In the film, she dies in the bloodbath.
7. It is never pointed out that Katniss's leaf bandages will help withdraw the pain from the tracker jackers and in the book they are chewed into a paste by Rue.
8. In the novel, after Rue dies, Katniss received a loaf of bread she identified as likely being from District 11, and thanked the people of District 11 for the gift. The film didn't include this scene.
9. In the novel, Katniss loses hearing in her left ear after blowing up the pyramid of supplies and does not regain it until after she leaves the arena. This only happens momentarily in the film.
10. In the film Katniss has no struggle to find water and is shown finding it during the first day. In the book she is almost dead from dehydration by the time she locates it.
11. In the movie, Katniss receives actual note messages from Haymitch. In the books, she simply guesses at what he is thinking.
12. In the book, Katniss and Peeta are at the lake retrieving water when Cato emerges, sprinting from the woods with the muttations chasing behind him. Cato is wearing body armor that deflects one of Katniss's arrows. Cato's body armor allows him to continue a lengthy melee with the muttations after he is thrown from the cornucopia. None of this was featured in the film.
13. In the book, the muttations resemble the dead tributes making it difficult for Katniss to kill them. They are described as so realistic that Katniss and Peeta are unsure if the actual tributes' eyes are present in the muttation.[64]
14. In the movie, the cornucopia is a dark metal, not golden as it is described in the book.
15. In the book, Clove is viciously beaten to death by Thresh with a rock. In the film she is repeatedly smashed into a wall, presumably resulting in a broken neck.
16. It is never shown that after a tribute dies, the birds go quiet and a Mockingjay whistles during the approach of a hovercraft. After Rue's death, Katniss simply walks away and we don't know what happens to Rue's body.
17. In the film, we see more of President Snow than in the book, where he was only a minor character.
18. When Cato falls off the horn to the muttations in the film Katniss quickly shoots him to put him out of his misery. In the book, Katniss and Peeta sit on the horn all night listening as Cato slowly dies. When the sun begins to rise Katniss then decides to shoot the arrow and end it.[64]
19. In the books, we hardly know anything about Seneca Crane besides the fact that he was killed after the Games because he didn't blow Peeta and Katniss "sky high" when Katniss pulled out the berries. In the movie, we see a lot of "behind the scenes" actions concerning the Gamemaker and the people working in the room that controls all the elements of the Arena.[64]
20. In the book Peeta's damaged leg was amputated and replaced with a "metal-and-plastic device." In the film, he doesn't receive any new injury from the Mutts and therefore doesn't need an amputation.
21. In the book, Peeta finds out on the way back to District 12 that Katniss's feelings were a game for sponsors, and in the movie the subject is never brought up, although it is hinted that he guesses this.
22. The girl with red hair whom Katniss encounters first in the woods and later as an Avox in the Capitol is never featured in the film.
23. Darius the Peacekeeper was not a character in the film, unlike the book.
24. In the book, Cato kneels down next to Clove when she is dying. In the film, there is no sign of Cato during the feast.
25. In the movie, Cato realizes the true meanings of the games (on the Cornucopia) and knows that Peeta and Katniss are supposed to win. In the book, he shows no knowledge of the true meanings of the Hunger Games.
26. In the book, Katniss and Peeta actually put the nightlock berries in their mouths. In the movie, the game is ended before they get the chance.
27. Much of Katniss' thoughts are portrayed in the book. However, there was no similar narration in the movie, leaving some details to cut-scenes and character dialogue.
28. In the book, Katniss and Peeta are trapped inside the cave for several days while it is storming. They also receive numerous gifts from sponsors. This does not happen in the film.
29. There is much more intimacy between Katniss and Peeta in the book than in the film. While the book states numerous make-out sessions between the couple, the film only features one kiss on the lips between the couple.
30. Rue shares a lot of information about District 11 and her knowledge about gathering berries in the book, but not the film. While this information is hardly relevant in the first film, the information about District 11 might prove important in "Catching Fire" and in "Mockingjay."
31. In the book, during the training in which the judges score the tributes, Peeta goes first. However, in the film, Katniss goes first and we never learn exactly what Peeta does for the judges.
32. In the book, eleven tributes die during the bloodbath. In the film, twelve die in the bloodbath, and thirteen die before sunset of the first night.
33. In the movie, when Katniss escapes the Cornucopia, she collides with Foxface in the woods. In the book this never happened.
34. In the book Thresh was killed by Cato shortly after the feast whereas in the movie, he died being slaughtered by the mutts.
35. Foxface and Thresh exchanged ranks in the movie where in Foxface should have been 4th and Thresh should have been 5th.
36. At the end of the film, it is implied that Seneca committed suicide by eating the nightlock berries. In Catching Fire, however, it is implied that he was hanged.
37. In the film, Katniss frees Rue from the net that Marvel trapped her in and hugs her. Marvel then appears and throws a spear at Rue, after which Katniss shoots him in the heart. In the book, Katniss does not have time to rescue Rue and only sees her a second before Rue is speared, then shoots Marvel in the neck. 

These details may seem insignificant to you, but in my opinion it's what made the book great. The other thing is, it went WAY too fast. I think that the Arena scenes account for at least half the movie, I personally don't think it's enough. I don't care if the movie took 4 hours or even 5 to finish. Because honestly, it would be worth it. Everything was too fast, Rue's death, the Feast, ESPECIALLY the cave scene, and Katniss's relationship with Rue. Also, I HATE (with passion) how the target audience was made up of tweens and young teenage girls. WHAT THE FUCK???? I apologize, but STILL!!! The themes displayed in the book are WAAAY to complex for the target audience, including me. Yeah, and there's this whole controversy thing going on about the book being too violent and crap. Well here's my solution: DON'T GIVE IT TO MIDDLESCHOOL KIDS TO READ THEN!!!!! Jesus Christ, it just half ruins everything for me to even hear about kids as young as 12 and 13 reading such a book. After finishing it I was just in shock at what I just read. How much of a masterpiece it was and how it left me puzzled. You know why? Because I didn't understand them, because I'm too young to comprehend. I don't know war, rebellion, love, betrayal, sacrifice, and even bravery. And it saddens me that the target audience was that age group. What hurts me even more, is that this was their ONE chance at a movie about the book. At minimum they're going to have to wait 20 years to make a reboot if they go through with the trilogy. Just this whole idea of how they had one shot, and they rushed it, targeted the wrong audience, skipped MAJOR details, and messed up many things just disappoints me. But then, I remembered some of the good things that I saw in the movie. For example, when Cato realized what the Games were for was just genius. How someone from the Careers group realized that he was just trained to become a killing machine for 18 years of his life and how Katniss needs to win instead of him. But even then he still wanted to take Peeta with him as a one last kill, which just added another psychological level to it. Which is the most complicated thing about the movie, the rest was A-B-C. There were a lot of things that could've been done better, and very few things were done successfully. You guys came here to hear my opinion, and you got loads of it. If you don't like it, your problem not mine :) So let's move onto our next topic!!!

Before I move onto the artist of the post I'd like to take a little time to talk about relationships. So lately, some of you at NT may have noticed that I have been spending time with a certain girl. Her name is Diana (I ain't giving a last name for obvious reasons) and we've been going out for almost a month now. The reason I'm bringing this up isn't to show off my new relationship status, but to tell you what I have learned from the past month. I'm the farthest thing from a relationship expert, but maybe some of the stuff I've learned will help you guys. Here's a picture of her by the way:

(PICTURE HAS BEEN REMOVED FOR PERSONAL REASONS)

The reason I put in a picture is for the first lesson. This might be cheesy, but whatever.

#1: It shouldn't matter to you what he/she looks like. What matters is what's on the inside. If at the end of the day, they make you laugh and smile and enjoy every second you spend with them. Then in the end they're worth it all. This seems like a common sense kind of thing, but you'd be surprised how hard it is to learn sometimes.My girl is short if you put her up against my height. She's around 4-5 feet and I'm 6 feet something. Her height doesn't matter to me, it's kind of cute actually :P

#2: Do whatever you can to make them happy. Even if their day is already good, make it even better!!! Happiness never hurt anybody!

#3: Give them a present once in a while. It doesn't have to be your anniversary or a special holiday, just give them a gift once in a while. It'll make their day no matter how bad it is.

#4: If you have ANY problems, whether it's with your significant other or somebody else, don't hesitate to tell your special someone. It's their duty to help you out no matter what it takes at any point in time. If they're special, they'll be there for you.

#5: Let them hang out with friends once in a while. You probably already spend enough time as it is with them, they have other people to talk to too you know. Who knows, maybe they'll be talking about you while they're there ;)

 There are a bunch of rules that I could add on, but I think you guys should come up with some yourself and post them into the comments!!! It's interesting to see what you guy would come up with. Anyways, I think this is all I'm going to say about this topic for now. I think you guys should expect Diana to pop up in my next posts, she IS my girlfriend after all :) And I'm really happy to have her, plus she's SUPER smart and retarded just like me! Except I'm not smart.......I'm more artsy! Oh and Diana doesn't like pictures of herself for some reason, and I just happen to be a photographer, good combination right? I'll be trying really hard to get pictures of her, I'll find a way to convince her.

Oh, SCRATCH THAT! I just found a guy that is ALMOST like Dub FX but he's not :P He uses a loopstation of course, in fact it's almost the exact same one as Dub FX. The guy has an amazing voice, I'm pretty sure he's Australian. Those damn Aussies have ALL the fun :/ Anyways, I posted his video on the right here----------------------------------------------------->
Whether he's good or not is up to you guys, but to me this guy is AMAZING. Not only is his music thought out VERY well, but the lyrics are incredible. Unfortunately I don't have enough time to go on talking about him forever so I have to bid you farewell :/

It's been hard sitting down and writing these posts for you guys lately. I've been kind of pressuring myself with deadlines I can't meet, which is REALLY stupid but I do it anyways for some reason. So I guess the way I'll do it from now on is just write a post whenever I feel like it or whenever I have an idea that I want to share. Which is hopefully going to be happening sooner than I think it will. Until next time: Read it, Learn it, Live it, Love it, and Post it!

Cheers, MarkL

Best Week/end ever!!1!

He guys, like always it's been FOREVER since I've written last. Well at least that kept you peeled to your screen, or at least that was the desired effect. Anyways, TONS of stuff has happened since then. I'm pretty sure I haven't made a post about Fashion Show yet, and some other stuff. My artist of the day shall be Cas Haley, I'm pretty sure he placed 2nd in America's Got Talent at one point. I will share with you guys some experiences that I've had and what I learned from them. It's nothing special, the same things with different events I guess. So, let's go!!!

So first off, I'm going to start us off by talking about a lesson I recently had to learn the hard way. Don't let people walk over you. It's fine and dandy to help people out with their problems or at least try your best to, but when the person isn't doing their best to return that favor then it's not worth it. And I'm talking about EVERY relationship out there, be it friendship, girl/boyfriends, anything and everything. If the person isn't returning the favor then it's a waste of your time. You're better off with someone else. It seems like an easy thing to learn, but sometimes you'll never understand the lessons of life until you experience them. If you choose to keep helping the person instead of quitting on the relationship, well it'll only get worse from there. They might start promising to be there for you and such, but trust me, you're better off without them. If you've been as helpful with that 1 person as you have been with everyone else in your life then you'll have some friends to fall back on and possibly even a crush. If you don't learn to let go, you'll have bouts of depression because you'll spend all your time wondering why they just won't return the favor. Would you rather be having fun with an old friend or lying around wasting time? The toughest thing is letting go though, especially if you had great times with that person. But in the end it's best to just move on, you'll be better off in the end. I can't really say much on this topic. I've just been itching to share it with you guys for some time now, and now that I have I feel much better. Anyways, let's move onto the next topic!

So......Fashion Show happened!!!! Several weeks ago, and I miss it a lot. It's the single BIGGEST event of the year for all Stage Crew members. It's not really a Fashion Show, we don't have much of a catwalk and club music. But what happens is we have scenes, full of: special talent, model scenes, and dance scenes. This year was MUCH better than last year. This kid named Zefan did special talent and he went out there and created music right on the spot. Kind of like what I did for NT Idol except he used electronic beats instead of vocal. What he did was SIIICK!!!!!! It was like Techno and Club music combined with kind of a DubStep feel to it. Anyways, the show was a success despite some hiccups. At one point we had a pointy pin somewhere on the floor and all the models started freaking out about it. One of the models dislocated his hip holding a girl. One of the Special Talent's Amp cord wasn't functional. But at least now we know what to fix for next year. In the end all of us just came out and danced like the bosses we are!!!! I wish I could upload the video but it's 830mb large and that would take 3 hours to upload, or at least that's what Facebook says. But I shall upload pictures which you can see for yourself below!!!

That strapping young fellow with the grey sneakers over here ^ is yours truly

 So yeah, as you can see there are A TON of people on Crew. This is because we had some Alumnus ;) come by and help us out with the show. It's kind of a tradition to help out I guess. The dude with the Red Chapeau and Bear Ears is the 2nd and other only member of Stage Crew that is Russian :D which pleases me to the utmost. And I won't upload videos of the scenes because they are ALSO very large. I'm sorry for having an HD camera :/ I'll most likely upload the videos to YouTube at one point, but even then I'll make them private only to Stage Crew members (that's the perk of being on Stage Crew :) So that's generally all I have to say on that topic, ONTO THE NEXT ONE!!!!

Lately I've been listening to this awesome guy called Cas Haley. For those of you that don't know you, and that would be most likely all of you since this guy isn't famous/mainstream. He is a musician from Texas that won 2nd place in America's Got Talent, and he's white even though he doesn't sound like it when he sings. Anyways, his music is somewhere between Reggae and Acoustic, at least that what I classify it as. His music is really upbeat except like 2 songs or so. I STRONGLY suggest that you guys go ahead and listen to his music, but I always do that anyways with every artist :P I think that other than Maroon5 this is the only Acoustic Artist that I listen to, but for a great reason cause this guys is just out of this world. Sometimes I just sit in my room and take my Trumpet out and try to play along to his music which is more fun than it sounds. Anyways, why don't you just go ahead and have a listen to his tunes here on the right and see for yourself? If you want the link to his full album just ask for it in the comments and I will kindly give it to you. So yeah let's move onto our next topic.

Recently I have begun to write and do more music related activities which feels REALLY good like finishing off on old blogpost. I have actually finished writing a song which I shall post. I haven't written a "Happy" song yet, so this would be my first. I think even at one point I began to tear up while I wrote it. But then again I stayed up til like 1am finishing it. So here it is:

(I don't have a title for it yet, but I'm open to suggestions!)

Have you, got a frown?
And it ain't upside down, no

It takes less muscles to smile
And it lasts more than a while

Well life can be hard on all of us
Everyday


But we have to, get right back up
Be as it may


No matter, however, we do it
We have to put effort to try


Because what we make of these sad times
Is what we'll remember for the rest of our lives


The beautiful colours
Over the rainbow


The children and birds singing fills the air
Across the world


People caring for one another
Without a word


And all this happiness is so damn gorgeous
I'll give it a whirl


So that you too may enjoy yourself
And have a good time


Maybe one day you'll come around
And share all this kind......ness

Chorus:  What you make of the world is up to you
You don't ever need to cry
There's so much love in this world
All you need to do is try, to
See it, believe it, share it and spare it
Everyone just needs to unwind
Take the time with your neighbor
Kiss and love 'em to death
One day, maybe one day
Mankind will be happy for the rest of their lives

Remember those happy times you spent with your mother?
Or those special moments you spent with a brotha?
Then why even waste your time sad?

When you've got, your whole life ahead of you
Years upon years to be glad

That you took my advice, or someone was nice
And you decided to let the world know, with a smile

Chorus X2

Now, just like all the songs I write they are subject to change. I am REALLY looking forward to recording this one, it's probably going to be sooner than later. I already have the rhythm down, I just need the harmonies and bass lines thought up. All in all, I love what I have written (like always :) Unfortunately I have to get off of the computer right now, it's getting late and the OSCARS are on!!!! I'll finish this post up next time and see you guys soon!!! Remember to: Read it, Learn it, Live it, Love it, and Post it!!

Cheers, MarkL

A time to reminisce

Hey guys! As per usual I have left you hanging for about a week or so, it's hard to cut a bad habit :P And also, TONS of stuff has happened which makes it THAT much easier to write a new post for you guys! I've been extremely busy with tons of stuff in the past few weeks. Including: NT Idol (yeah i went this year again, but this time I had my loopstation!!!), I started doing photography again (which has led me to discover several things), and just a bunch of other stuff I'll include. I haven't decided my artist for today's post but I'll think of something eventually. So, let's get to it!

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, about everything in general. In this part of today's post I'll be mentioning anything that's on my mind or anything I have an opinion on. In Civics class recently we were talking about Rights and Freedoms. You might be wondering what the difference is,. Well, Rights are something that the Government gives you and they can't take them away. Freedoms are what you have naturally and the Government can take them away or induce consequences for abusing your freedoms. For example, the Right to bear Arms in America was specifically made a Right because if the Government happens to be oppressive at one point the people can rebel. There's also the Freedom of Speech, it's a Freedom because if you abuse it (bullying, verbal abuse) the Government can give you consequences for doing so. And there was this one topic we stumbled upon. It was a Right's/Freedom's case about 2 years ago right here in Toronto. A severely physically pained man was prescribed Medical Marijuana to ease his pains. But his pain was so severe that he needed to be high 24/7. And he had this favorite restaurant he always used to go to for his food. Now, the patrons didn't like him visiting because he disturbed the clients and was rude to the workers. And from what I can remember he wasn't allowed into the restaurant. Now, how long does this man have to live? As in, how much time do you think he has left before he kicks the bucket? I'm not saying that to offend or arouse anger, this is a sincere question. Medical Marijuana is prescribed to patients with mind blowing pains. How long do you honestly think a person like that has time to live? Why not make his last few days or even years the happiest by assisting him instead of being angry with him. Carnegie even said so himself, that although it's hard to stop and think for a second and find a solution to the problem to make the person happy. But I believe that no matter how hard it is to do, you should do it anyways. Most of the time I don't do this, and neither do most people on Earth. But in times when it really counts, why not try that? Sure, maybe he won't remember how people treated him when he was high. But wouldn't it make you feel better that you just took the hard way out and you might have even made a lifelong moment you'll never forget. There have been moments that I remember were pretty memorable. Last Summer I met this orthodontist Viktor near the Harbourftont in Toronto. And I find myself Reminiscing that Summer every now and then. The misty air I felt pelting across my face as I biked down Yonge Street. The cool watery breeze on Sugar Beach. Those Scarlet Sunsets, and Starry Skies I sat under sipping on a Coke. That lengthy trip across half of Canada, those were the good days. I'm just hoping that this Summer will be twice as memorable, and it shall be cause now I have a new camera (Digital!!!!) and I'll be going out more now that I discovered a completely different Toronto I never knew last Summer. Speaking of Photography, let's see some!

These are all somewhat recent pictures that I was lucky enough to take with my DSLR. I'm constantly uploading more pics on Facebook and Tumblr so just stay tuned. If you're wondering how I wrote the letters of my name like that, all you have to do is set your camera to a long Shutter Speed (about 5-8 seconds) so that it captures a lot of lights and that you have time to write your letter or make your shape. You can use Glowsticks, Lasers, Sparklers, Flashlight, and any light source in general. It's a really easy effect that makes for great photos. Professionals also use this to keep track of the star's movements. If you have a normal camera it should have a "Bulb" option. And what it does is it leaves the shutter open for as long as you need it to be open for. If you Google Image Search "Star Movement" you'll see what I'm talking about. But make sure you're far away from City Lights because they "pollute" the sky and make it almost impossible to see any stars except the North Star and a Sputnik if you're lucky. I'd like to see some feedback when you guys get the chance to comment, negative or positive it doesn't matter as long as it's constructive. Personally I think i did a good job, but I was just lucky to be at the right place at the right time for the Sky photos. Now, let's move onto our next topic.

Lately I've been reading "The Hunger Games" which came out around 3 years ago or so or maybe even 4 (I'm a late bloomer when it comes to reading good literature). And I love the books so far. The way the author describes the scene and moment reminds me a bit of Philip Pullman's "Golden Compass" Trilogy (which is still FAR more superior to ANY book I've ever read). I highly recommend you guys read BOTH the "Hunger Games" and "Golden Compass" Trilogies. In fact, I highly recommend you read period. Surprisingly most people don't read these days. I know right? Go figure. I remember a kid in my Civics class just went out and plainly said "Who reads? That's such a waste of time!" Ok, I acknowledge your choice to not read but I don't necessarily accept it. Reading allows you to open up your eyes and see the world through a different point of view. It lets you experience a fantasy or a time in the past and relive those moments. It opens up a completely new world for you and allows you to escape and learn the things you'd never learn in a classroom and maybe not even in your life. Books can change your opinions, move millions, change the lives of many. In fact, I've been thinking about writing a book myself. I have somewhat of an idea what to write about but I haven't worked out the details. I'll give you guys a sneak peek in my next post. So, to conclude this part of my post, I STRONGLY encourage you guys to read about anything you love. But start with classics like "The Call of The Wild", "White Fang", "Art of War", "Golden Compass", "Catcher in the Rye", "Pride and Prejudice", "10,000 Leagues Under The Sea", "Oliver Twist" and anything else you can get your hands on. Then start to move onto books like Biographies of famous people. Like Chuck Yeager, Infidel, Albert Einstein, Glass Castle, Nickolas and Alexandra, and anyone else you find particularly interesting. Then start reading anything you can get your hands on. The Newspaper, Poems, and anything else. Reading expands your mind, it lets you see into another world, I don't see how that could EVER be a waste of time.

To recap NT Idol in a few words: it was fun! Ever since back last May when i got my Loopstation I always wanted to practice Dub FX's songs and perform in NT Idol. Even before that I knew I wanted to be like Dub FX. It was about 3 years ago in October. After a shitty day at school I came home and my brother called me to the Computer to show me a YouTube video. I asked him what it was, and he just clicked play. For the next 7 and a half minutes my eyes were opened up to a new world. I had Goosebumps for the entire length of the video. I couldn't believe my eyes at what I was seeing. And then my brother said these words that I'll always remember for the rest of my life "You see, you're just like him. He makes music, and you play your harmonica. You're a musician like him too." At the time I was auditioning for my school's talent show with my rendition of the USSR's National Anthem and "Oh Christmas Tree". At the time music was just something I listened to but loved doing so. But even then, I love making music no matter how. I was in the school's band and I played the Harmonica from time to time. I never would've guessed that I made it this far music-wise. When my brother showed me that video I also realized that music isn't just something that you can listen, music can be used to and I quote "change this world, revolutionize the boys and girls, it's possible to educate the next generation ever rule the world." Maybe some people don't realize this, but those are just some of the people. To me, it matters more that you have SOMETHING to sing about rather than have a good voice. Dub FX isn't exactly a Johnny Cash when it comes to singing, but he's definitely the Albert Einstein in lyric writing (at least in my world he is and forever will be). Back to the point, I went to NT Idol and for the first round I sang "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele and for the second round I went out there and made the beat/harmonies/bass line for "I Never Made It" by Dub FX and sang the first part of the song. The problem was that we couldn't connect my Loopstation to the School's Auditorium so we connected it to some high-powered portable Speakers. The acoustics weren't exactly great, and I made the beat so loud that people could hardly hear my singing. Just goes to show that singing isn't easy, but singing in front of people makes it all the harder. I'm proud of myself for making it to round 2, but I still REALLY wanted to make it to the 3rd round. But there was something that troubled me after NT Idol. Some of my classmates started coming up to me after and asking me "Mark, what did you do up there? What was that?!" and at one point someone said "Mark, you suck at singing". I'm not saying this so that you guys can pity me, let me explain. Many people don't know how hard it is to get the timing right for every beat because you can't change it once you've recorded it. You have to make sure every beat is in sync with the ones already playing. That it's in Tune and it doesn't mess up your singing. It's MUCH harder than it seems. Anyways, even if people think that it took me a week to do all this why would they say that? I'm not saying that everyone did that either, one of my classmates even said it was sick that I went out there and just did it all on the spot and that raised my spirits more than anything. Back to the topic at hand, if you have nothing nice top say then don't. It's as simple as that. And another thing people don't realize (this includes EVERYONE, even yours truly) is that when you criticize something about them it may mean A LOT to them. Dub FX isn't just an artist to me, he's the single person that INSPIRED me to write music and perform. He proved to me that music is more than a job, it's a lifestyle. So, let's move onto my last paragraph.


Jason Mraz, is our artist for today's post! I've been listening to him for a couple years, mainly his single "I'm Yours". As far as I'm concerned it's my favorite Uplifting song. His songs are just so cute and indie and lovely that I just can't resist listening to him. He's basically a Contagious Artist to me. Once you get the song in your head, it will NEVER leave. I can't really say much about his music, because I'd rather LISTEN to music than DESCRIBE it. If you get more joy out of describing, well this ain't the blog for you then! As you can see I've integrated my blog page for all your Jason Mraz needs. Feel free to watch the videos that I have posted, and stare with amazement at the background. And just sit back and relax!


I've had tons of fun writing this post. It hasn't been TOO long since I've posted last, but I love every time I do it. It's been good writing for you guys. And it's been a good month, hopefully I didn't write too mcuh for you guys to handle. In that case, take a breather, but by now you can't.......So read some more! You guys know what to do: Read it, Learn it, Live, Love it, and Post it!!!


Cheers, MarkL