Summer 2014: Festivals, DJs, Best Friends, and Memories To Last a Lifetime

For those who know me, I’m a die-hard fan of everything electronic dance music. ‘Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat’ is pretty much my life motto. So what I wanted to do was share my best summer so far in picture form. Its only fitting since this weather sucks and I’m dying for festival season to return once again.

We begin first off with celebrating my 19th birthday over at my new favourite club besides Guv (#RIP *sadface*), The Hoxton. The crew and I went to check out a DJ we’ve been dying to see for a long time, Julian Jordan. Ironically he’s our age as well and to see him live was really a treat. Being right up front and centre in the first row (as seen below) to experience the madness happen while dancing my ass off will be a memory I’ll never forget.

Move forward just a couple weeks later to Canada Day long weekend. The biggest dance music festival in all of Canada is upon us, and the crew is back in full force for Digital Dreams. Two days of great music, partying, and more memories. My favourite moment of that entire weekend had to have been Dash Berlin‘s epic set. Words can not even begin to describe what I felt for those 90 minutes. It was magical, amazing, and one hell of an emotional rollercoaster. Especially when the downpour of heavy rain came down upon us all, we still danced and went even harder. To experience that moment of euphoria was truly a blessing because I may never get a similar moment like that ever.

And I just have to share this next picture of the MASSIVE and epic mainstage from Digital Dreams. You had to see this in person to understand its sheer size. Its the biggest outdoor stage in Canada, and it looked absolutely amazing. Just look at it and the 80,000+ people in awe of it raving together as one.

Fast forward to the next holiday long weekend, all the way in the beginning of August. And of course, there’s another festival for that. We set our sights on Veld Music Festival over at Downsview Park. It was yet another weekend of madness, one which ended in us getting superbly hammered, partying nonstop for 48 hours straight (literally), and in me needing a new phone thanks to the rain damaging it entirely. This is just one of very few photos I was able to recover, probably the best one in all honesty.

Of course, we had to have this summer go out with one last bang. So why not head down to Cabana Pool Bar right on Polson Pier for some good music, good vibes, beautiful girls in bikinis, and day drinking. Of course, it was another long weekend but the last one of the summer. From day till night we partied on and had another great time that we would never forget. Plus the sunset by the pier was absolutely beautiful that night, as you’ll see below.

It was quite the summer indeed, one that will go down in my life as one of the best. It was all thanks to the festivals, the DJs, my crew of best friends, and all these glorious memories that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life, wherever it may lead me.

Keep it PLUR and spread the love – yours truly,

Christian Caputo

 

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Rewind.

Think back to a few years ago. You were at home, work, a friend’s house or whenever, on a computer, choosing a college/ university to go to. So many choices in front of you, so many programs. you thought this would be a straight decision but it instead, as if you were on a curvy road, you dipped and dodged schools and programs until you found this baby.

Sent in your application, came to do the essay, spoke with Sheila, Neil, Robyn or whoever and a few weeks later, you were accepted into the family. You were as happy as a kid in a candy store, or in this case, like my nephew going into bath time.

Feel special because out of the hundreds of applicants and wannabe’s, you were the most special and talented one. out of 70 open spots, 1 had your name on it. you made it into the limited capacity.

YOU rose above the rest, during the interview process. As an announcer and newscaster, you talked your ASS OFF, during that meeting, so much so that you can call yourself a jawbreaker.

Pathways were introduced in 2nd semester. So many choices. your friends are going down one way but where did YOU want to end up? Take the wrong pathway, and you could slip, fall and break you confidence. You took a step back, looked at all your options and chose wisely.

You chose a pathway that you felt, you’d fall right into place with. This picture also represents the production pathway. Producers, help create and build, put together, commercials and shows. making sure EVERY unique, speical and sepereate piece sticks and fits together to keep the game running smoothly. Like Tetris.

You’ve put heart and soul into everything you’ve done so far for this program. Constantly working hard. Like a constuction worker. when we started, that building was just getting built. Just like you were. Our profs are the ones who mold us, give us a strong foundation, insulate us with knowledge. Even with distrations around us, you stayed focused. Now, that building outside is almost complete. Just like you will be in April.

It takes time to build a strong, steady and long lasting structure.

uncomfortable. not knowing what to expect. fear. the thing we all felt when we sat in front of a live mic for the first time.

My sister is going to kill me for using this picture but still.

But you know what. that helped us build confidence. Now, the station is your home. a place where you’re secure, confortable and can relax.

in the begiining this was like readeing chinese or playing twister for the 1st time.  moving all over the place, getting tangled up. now, it’s second nature. BUT even though we’re off, the pressue is always on.

in the past 2 years, we’ve made amazing friendships and some of us have made fantastic relationships. Even between the 01s and 02s, we’ve mixed with one another and become one. 01s are still the best, but i digress.

the ultimate goal is still the same as it was since day 1. make it….in radio.

 

 

 

 

 

Jammin’ With Geoff: A New Bond To Share

Welcome to another addition of Jammin’ with Geoff! Big news happened out of Pinewood Studios this morning as you may have already heard. Sam Mendes, director of such incredible films as American Beauty, Road to Perdition and the most recent addition to the James Bond franchise, Skyfall was on the scene at 6am EST to unveil with great anticipation the title of the 24th feature and the follow up to the worldwide phenomenon that was Skyfall.

The whole video is below, but if you can’t wait like I did, just skip to 2:00. If you’re a huge Bond fan like I am, you’ll be glad you did.

Epic, right? Did you see that car? If I could sell my future romantic life for that car, I would! Because let’s face it, I ain’t getting lucky any time soon!

The first thing that caught my eye was the impeccable choice of name, also viewable below.

Fans of the franchise will know that SPECTRE – which stands for Special Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion – was an old-school terrorist organization that Agent 007 frequently came into contact with in the earlier years. Sadly, the memorable organization or it’s head hasn’t been featured on screen in over 30 years. Well luckily, after settling a dispute over ownership of the famed group of foes, SPECTRE will be making a big return in terms of plot and is also getting the great honour of being the title of the freaking film!

Another thing that has me as excited as a kid at Christmas is the amazing cast. Returning of course are Mr. Daniel Craig as James Bond 007, Rory Kinnear as Tanner, Chief of Staff, Ben Wishaw as the youngest Q ever, Naomi Harris as the gorgeous Eve Moneypenny, and taking over after Judi Dench’s unfortunate departure, Ralph Fiennes as M. They added so much to Skyfall and can’t wait to see them again for Spectre. A new inclusion to the MI6 family is Sherlock’s Andrew Scott as a fellow named Denbigh (It’s pronounced “Den-bee”. I had issues too). Joining him as new inductees to the film are Dave Bautista playing a henchman known as Mr. Hinx, Monica Belluci as Lucia Sciarra, Lea Seydoux as Madeleine Swann, and two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz as the main villain Bond will go up against.

Now many people figured that given Mr. Waltz’s status in the film, and then the reveal of the title, he’d be playing old school Bond baddie Ernst Stavro Blofeld. But on the IMDb page, he’s listed as Oberhauser. So from appearances sake, Blofeld will be waiting to return to the Bond franchise.

HOWEVER!!! I am of the belief that Waltz could still be Blofeld and here’s why. Recently, a ton of movies have been doing the ol’ bait n’ switch with characters. Star Trek Into Darkness revealed Benedict Cumberbatch’s villain John Harrison to be a classic Star Trek villain by the name of Khan. Skyfall made a pair of big reveals when Naomi Harris’ Eve was unveiled to be the iconic Moneypenny. Even Ralph Fiennes went from being Gareth Mallory to the new M. So who knows how many people will be knocked unconscious by Christoph Waltz simply for teasing him about his “real identity”. Only time will tell.

I do know one thing, I’m gonna be counting the days until November 6, 2015 when Spectre makes its big unveiling. Wouldn’t blame you if you did too.

LAST NAME EVER, FIRST NAME BEST-WORST GIFTS

 

What is a best-worst gift, you ask?

$pooktacular Co$tume Tip$

She obviously gets her good looks from me.

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You can look like a million bucks by only spending 20.

Halloween is crazy expensive, heck for a costume alone, you’re down 60 bucks and thats without the make up and wig. (You’re lucky as hell if your costume comes with one.) Costume shops forget that you’re a college student and you can barely afford to buy food for the week let alone a costume for one day.

I’m hear to change that.

Last year, my sister (above) had tons of people comment on how wicked her costume was and their first question was, “How expensive was that?” Her response, “it costed me two big mac combos, 20 bucks” My sister is not a make up artist, not even close to one, she can barely paint her own nails BUT she is creative and mad cheap. That deadly combo created one, budget friendly and epic Halloween costume. You’re in luck because I’ll tell you what she used and where she bought it so you can create your own budget friendly

costume for this year.

6 Things she used:

1. Liquid Latex -> $7.00 at Party Market in Woodbridge

2. Fake Blood (2) ->$2.00 at Dollarama

3. White Shirt-> $2.00 at Value Village

4. Jeans-> $7.00 at Value Village

5. Red Hair Dye-> $1.25 at Dollarama

6. White Paint-> $1.00 at Dollarama

Grand Total: $20.25

 

 

Quick point-> My sister used a lot of her own make up like mascara and eyeliner for the shading and colouring around her eyes so that saved her money as well.

If you have any of the 6 things she used at home, use it! Makes your life easier and your bank account happier!

Once you have all the ingredients to make this epic costume, get to work on your face and costume. My sister just used scissors and cut up her white shirt then she splattered a tube of fake blood all over her shirt. It was a DIFFERENT kind of wet t-shirt contest. Jason OR Freddy Krueger would have probably had an extra knife in their pocket when they seen that 😉

Like I said earlier, my sister isn’t a make up artist, she used this video tutorial as an outline to help her create her face but then she spun it her own way. Here you go, enjoy!

To show off your makeover, there’s three Halloween events happening at Linx this week.

Nora Young Lecture Blog

Now…even though, we were able to attend the Nora Young Lecture and stay for the entire hour and hear some questions being asked to her about the lecture, which she was gladly able to answer…I have to admit, I still have no clue who is she, what she does, and what the lecture was completely about.

That’s not to say that I wasn’t paying attention, a few key moments/points did stick out to me during the lecture, and I actually wouldn’t mind learning more about these certain points.

One of the main take-aways from this lecture that really hit me, was the Revolutionary Nature of Cell Phones. Nora Young explained how 86% of the worlds population, being 6 billion people, have access to a cell phone, where as 64% of the worlds population, being 4.5 billion people only have proper access to a toilet. Huh!? What!? How is that even possible, and not only that, that’s just terrible. A lot of people I know might disagree with me but, If I was given the choice of either having access to a cell phone or having access to a toilet, I have definitely have to choose the toilet.

Another take away that really struck me, and actually creeped me out a bit, was that people can now have the ability to take a photo of a crowd of thousands, and zoom in, and zoom in, and zoom in enough until the picture becomes a group of 5 or 6 people, and that the picture is so crystal clear, you could easily make out the fine details of everyones face. And if that wasn’t weird enough, now there’s a website that takes the big crowd photos, zooms them in, and people can have the ability to tag themselves in the photo for their Facebook profile…If thats not creepy to a lot of people…then I don’t know what is.

I will post the video of the lecture here…You can find the take-aways mention @27:00 and @32:00. Take a look for yourself and make your own assumptions about the Nora Young Lecture and what she’s trying to teach, and what you can learn from this.

http://mediaservices.humber.ca/streamingmedia/department/las/event/2014/pls/2014-10-02-pls-young.php

The Hoxton Is The Place To Be

Ever since I finally became of legal age in Canada in the beginning of June, I’ve been galavanting the streets of Downtown partying it up in numerous different clubs and buying one too many shots (or beers, depends on the occasion) for the night. However, throughout the craziness that is Toronto nightlife there’s one place that really stands out in my eyes and that has to be The Hoxton.

Located right at the intersection of King Street and Bathurst Street, The Hoxton has been continuously bringing the masses through its doors for the past 3 years for some wonderful events and awesome times. Having been there quite a bit in the past few months, I can definitely say that this is absolutely true. I’ve seen so many stellar and talented DJs perform there, and every time it was incredible. They may not be super big names that you hear on the radio every day, but these guys make some really good tunes and know how to play to the crowd. They’re the up-and-comers of the electronic dance music scene that are slowly changing the game from the ground up.

The Hoxton may not be the biggest club in terms of size, but its compact look and basic interior design makes for an atmosphere like no other. Even if the place is packed with people, its still very easy to maneuver and you can slide your way out in no time. Nothing but good vibes here as well; its full of people who are going for the artist and their music and to have a good time. There is the occasional drunk or idiot(s) who can’t seem to follow dance-floor etiquette but you learn to just ignore and move away from them. The sound in the club is phenomenal and I also like their barebones visual setup where you can see the DJs actually do their thing so you know its all being done live as you’ll see in the picture below. There’s less flashy stuff there and I kind of like it that way. It puts your focus more on the music and the DJs in front of you rather than on something else going on in the club.

If you do happen to be Downtown on a Friday or a Saturday and your looking to take it to the next level, I highly recommend you check out The Hoxton. You’ll have a good time I guarantee it, even if your not a fan of electronic dance music (they do have artists other than DJs perform there too!). There’s a good chance you can find me there raging the night away for the next few Saturdays…you never know.

For events & ticket info check out thehoxton.ca

Say I, Then Spell Cup

Are you done watching me urinate? Don’t worry, I’m not going to hit you or aim at you or call the cops. Believe it or not, it’s normal to watch people use public bathrooms.

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Nora Young – CBC Spark

On Thursday afternoon, Nora Young – Creator and Host of CBC Radio’s “Spark” and authour of The Virtual Self – came to Humber to talk about the sudden rise of data collection. No, she wasn’t talking about USB’s, (That’s what I thought) She spoke about all the things we put online about our personal information. Everything from what we chose to share with apps to what you chose to share on the internet INCLUDING where we piss.

I might have needed depends when Nora showed us that information but since people watch us when we go to the bathroom, I wouldnt have been surprised if new underwear was being sent to me right away. Okay, I know people aren’t actually sitting in a room and legitamatly watching us through a camera or better yet, through a hole in the wall – a glorfied hole – they’re not watching at all BUT they are taking data from us when we pee or poop.

That info stuck out to me big time because one, it was so creepy (It could tell if you were pregnant before you could!) and two, I began to think, what other personal things, be it weird or not, are being recorded as “data”?  Does a company somewhere in buttf*** Idaho know how many wings I eat when I go to hooters? How many times I swear daily? How many girl’s butts I look at in a week? Nora’s presentation was interesting and eye opening. In the end, it is us who allow this data to be recorded. How many times do we download something off the internet and just click “I agree to the terms and conditions” and not even read it? I’m guilty of that, who knows what the fine print says and what info I agreed to share.

Her presentation reminded me a lot of Morgan Spurlock’s – The Super Size Me guy -documentary, ”The Inside Man” on CNN. It pretty much went more in depth into Nora’s Data collecting presentation. His doc showed the endless ways of tracking people online. It’s a solid documentary. Want to stalk that EX who broke your heart? Want to make sure your man is actually “working late”? Check this out:

Mind BLOWN! Technology is becoming more advanced but it seems as though their users are becoming duller. Nora’s presentation really made you think. It was an awesome lecture and one that you’d hate to miss.

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To watch Nora’s entire presentation, just click here