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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Everybodys got a Story: Todd Shapiro

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sit down and interview one of Sirius XMs finest and of course hard working radio personalities…Todd Shapiro.

Todd and I had a quick talk while I was working on the Humble and Fred show, and asked him if I could interview him, for a segment I like to call: Everybodys got a Story.

Todd agreed to the interview, but only if we could conduct the interview…Live on his on Sirius XM radio show. How awesome is that? I was super excited, and in was, for a fact, a huge opportunity for me, that I could not say no to.

So, I hope you enjoy my quick but insightful interview with Todd Shapiro on Everybodys got a Story.

‘Tis the season to be Jolly…

So here’s the deal…

There’s only 8 more days left in the semester, and things are actually looking up in means of school. Everyone is pretty much kicking ass when it comes to assignments/exams and then that’s when you realize there’s only 21 more days until Christmas. I’m sure by now most people have their Christmas tree up, the smell of fresh pine is in the air(unless you have a fake tree from Walmart like me, that’s fine too) and have all sorts of Christmas decorations hanging around the house, and you just know for a fact that once that long and very well deserved Christmas break is over, and you go back to school or work, people might not recognize you(unfortunately) due to all the weight you’re probably going to gain from all of the delicious chocolate, turkey, stuffing, garlic bread, cake, not to mention the candy candies and whatever Santa left for you in your stocking…I could go on forever.

Good thing that “New Years Resolution” always comes in handy….I am right…huh…oh wait…thats just a figure of speech…right?

But of course, just because it’s Christmas and you are on your Christmas break, doesn’t mean it’s all about you. You always have to be thinking about your family, friends, and loved ones.

But it’s also time to think about the ones, who are less unfortunate then you. Everyone loves Christmas, and everyone deserves to have a happy holidays and a happy news years(even if you are a filthy animal).

So in saying that, I encourage anyone and everyone who reads this blog post, or who as ever read a blog post to be generous this year and to take a step back from reality and realize that there are millions of people each year who don’t get to experience a Christmas like other people do. If you don’t feel like having bad karma for the rest of the year, might I suggest you head out to your local Toy Drive and donate, or you can visit CP24 CHUM Christmas Wish and donate online.

Merry Christmas, ya little jerks.

-Scotty Shade.

Son of a Mazda Podcast

This week a brand new podcast has been born! The mothers of this baby are Isabella Conceicao and Sarah Thorpe who take you on a quest around town. They talk about anything and everything such as celebrities, trends, social media topics. Be a passenger and listen in to Son of a Mazda.

The College Party Guide for Dummies!

When you invite the whole world to your party, inevitably someone pees in the beer.  – Xeni Jardin

OMG – A Podcast. This is the first instalment of a series of podcasts and features called “OMG”.

This week to commemorate the start of Halloween Party season, we have the “The College Party Guide for Dummies!” where Olivia gives you 5 tips to party safety!

Life Off the Air

This is the first of what will hopefully be a long series of podcasts between “#1” and “#2” with random banter on topics of the day or things going on in our lives. We also play some very cool Canadian music and give our opinions

Sports podcast on the Toronto Maple Leafs, Fighting in hockey and the Reimer/Bernier duel.

Stay tuned for more from me next time! also follow me on twitter @DilanAvila92 

Real Talk: Where the Topics Matter but The Guests Don’t

Welcome to the first episode of Real Talk, the podcast where I bring in completely unqualified people to talk about the big issues.

This week I asked Megan LeMay’s opinion on female representation in video games. Give it a listen and then send me your thoughts on twitter @zak552.

 

99 Problems With Philys O.g

Heyyy yall! Philys O.g here bringing you yet another jaw dropping, knee-slapping, tell yo mama how good it is edition of ‘99 Problems.’ of course the 99 problems are your problems but I’m just kind enough to easily solve them for you.

Last week I spoke about being single in college and how freakin’ awesome it can be.      I still think that’s true! Buuttttt I decided to grant you your one wish.

i’m gonna give you some tips on how to get a boyfriend/girlfriend at Humber College.

You’re welcome.

And check out my blog again next week cause…. well…. who knows what I’ll say next.

For info on events at Humber to find love go to: http://humberlife.com/

-@PhilysOg

Crossing Etobicoke Creek – Music Focus

96.9 Radio Humber Music Focus is a podcast that focuses just on two songs. The hosts, Jared Knight-Fudge and Tylor Brewster, each bring a Canadian song and the pair discuss their opinions of the music. Of course, other topics are bound to come up in conversation.

This week we have two artists from Mississauga with wildly different styles. Tylor has brought in “Don’t Count On The Wicked” by Billy Talent, and Jared has brought in “The Riverbed” by Owen Pallett. In addition to the music, Tylor and Jared talk about the problems of the TTC, and the vultures of Finch and Kipling.

Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments!

Air Canada Centre and Security Guards.

Peter’s rants is a short little rant about situations that have happened in my life. This week we go back a few months to when the Toronto Raptors were in the playoffs, in game seven against the Brooklyn Nets. I got into a little situation with the security guards with regards to a Raptors flag that I brought into the building…

CRAZY ATMOSPHERE!

Below is a picture that I took of another fan in the building waving the SAME flag that I had but he doesn’t get in trouble… Ridiculous! Take in theres like 16 seconds left in the game! HE HAD THAT THE ENTIRE GAME!!!

Next weeks podcast I promise not to tell a story half a year ago!

Till next time…

Hi, I’m on TV?

So this Friday the class is going into the television studios to dabble in the audio/visual arts and it got me thinking of the couple of times I’ve been on TV, and I thought I would share with you those times. Let me start here:

In the 10th grade, myself and three other buddies started a semi-crappy high school punk rock band called This is Not a Drill. We played our first show to mainly our parents at a tiny upstairs bar in some irrelevant spot in Ajax and then played several more shows and wrote some tunes. It was a good time. After about a year of playing we decided to apply for some Battle of the Bands-type reality series on Global. We went, played two fairly lame songs and then didn’t make it to the next round. Oh well boo hoo I still had fun and we met some cool dudes there. The show was called Can Your School Rock, and really wanted to emphasize the school part for some reason. Anyways, here’s a picture.

This was fun and all. WE kinda wouldn’t have minded being on television again. That happened, but because my class is in the TV studios again next week, that is when you’ll get to hear the rest of the defining moments of television history, starring me.

Weekend At Bunsie’s

As students we all have different opinions on almost everything, but if there’s something we can collectively agree is that we don’t like 8 am. I know that right now in my life, I’m doing nothing exciting at 8am. How does one, especially a student, find the motivation to get up for this retched hour? Well, you don’t. You just get up and go do what you got to do. No thought process, just go. Its definitely not easy though. I am not a coffee drinker, I don’t have any morning stretches or regiments that I can do, I just roll out of bed and do the necessary things like: put pants on, brush my teeth and I’m out the door. You want to know what the worst day of the week is as an adult? Saturday. Yeah, I know it’s the weekend and that should be treated like the greatest thing in the world. Not in my world. Saturday becomes just another day that I have to wake up early and go do something. Now, keep in mind I’m always on my way to something that I love doing. During the week, I’m doing radio and my part time job on the weekend is BLESSED. It’s just having to move so early in the morning. As a kid, I used to love the mornings. Nothing beats, waking up in my Batman underwear, which I still have, eating my favorite cereal in the morning and lounging around. On my days off that’s exactly what I do. I should start a petition to remove Saturday and Sunday from the week. That’s probably the best idea I’ve ever had. I think I’ll get started tomorrow. I’ll go around my school and get signatures. Genius! On second thought I’d rather get some sleep.

Leafs drop Season opener to Habs 4-3.

The Leafs opened their much anticipated season at home to their biggest rival, the Canadiens. The Leafs have not lost a season opener to the Montreal Canadiens in four years and the streak ended last night.

Max Pacioretty of the Habs scored on the teams first shot of the game just five minutes in. It looked like it was going to be a long night for Jonathan Bernier and the buds but Bernier battled back nicely, making 28 saves on 32 shots, while Carey Price had 24 saves on 27 shots.

Nazem Kadri, Tyler Bozak (PowerPlay) and Morgan Reilly all scored in the leafs loss while Subban’s goal and two by Plekanec was enough to hold off the leafs late.

You can see highlights here!

Last season the Leafs were a team that that couldn’t go a game without being outshot and were constantly running around in their own zone and at times, looking like a minor hockey team. I don’t want to say that won’t be the case this season, but they showed signs of promise in the season opener. Tension was high, Adrenaline was even higher and the atmosphere was great, so the Leafs could have just been feeding off the crowd and energy. However, I am under the impression that even if they DO NOT improve to the point of being an elite team, which in all likely hood isn’t going to happen, they should be a little bit more competitive this year with four lines that have skill and more defensive minded players who like to hit.

What are the Leafs capable of this season? At best, they are going to be battling for a playoff spot, at best. that doesn’t mean they won’t get in. If Jonathan Bernier (Goaltender) stays healthy for the entire season, the #Leafs chances increase more.

The top line has to be the top line and Dion Phanuef HAS to pick up his game, if he has to compete with the oppositions teams top line every night, we could be in for a long season leaf fans. Improvement is a must. Silver lining? Roman Polak was brought into town to be physical and had to play against and he showed just that in the first game.

#Leafs #TMLTalk #LeafsNation #Habs #NHL #HockeyIsBack #GoLeafsGo #MontrealCanadiens

Stay Single My Friends…

Philys Og here and i’ve been single for roughly….4 months now (19 years) unless you count that awkward grade 6 boyfriend who I dated for 2 weeks then its been 7 years. And I know what you’re thinking, “Philys Og! How on earth is a beautiful, talented, smart, funny creature like yourself single?!? And how can I get up on that?!” First of all, i’d say calm the crap down with all that thirsty-ness and take a cold shower. But also being single is fantastic! (I also found out like 2 days ago that it’s not a choice or something and that i’m gonna die alone, but whatever.) When you’re single you can pretty much do what the heck you wanna do, you’re like a single mom out on a girls night. And its not just me who agrees with this theory Cosmo says so too.

     Cosmopolitan.com composed a list of the 12 Best Things About Not Dating, and I couuldnt agree more with this list. In no particular order i’ll say the ones that really resonating well with me. At number 6 they say you can do anything you want when you’re single. This statement cannot be more true. How many of you wanted to make big huge plans but have to check with your friends significant other if it’s okay for them to go. Or even you yourself have to ask to go out? Since when did your girl/boyfriend become your parent and you’re in the 3rd grade? When you’re single the question of “Can I go out to that cool new club?” Becomes “Which dress shows off my “assets” more without getting arrested?…Again.”  Another reason why being single is the tits is you can eat whatever the hell you want and be as disgusting as you want. You can literally eat ice cream out of the jar with your hands, like you can do that.

  So before you say, “But Philys you’re soooooooo damn cute pllleeaaassseee let me take you out on a date!! PLEASE!!” First of all, i’m guessing that cold shower didn’t work for you cause you still be acting all thirsty and second of all, nah i’m good I like loving me and not caring about anyone else unless they buy me things. (okay, that sounded bad but i’m single so it’s all gravy). Theres so many more reasons why you should love being single so check out the full list below and i’d check back with me next week cause I change my mind more than a kid at a candy store.

-Philys Og

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/advice/a31902/the-best-things-about-not-dating/?click=_hpTrnsprtr_17

Hey, it’s me again.

Oh man, so I guess you’re back to hear some more stuff about me…why? I’m not that interesting…well yeah I guess I am.

Well I guess i’ll start by talking about whats been going on these pasts few weeks. As I mentioned in my last blog, I have started my second year of my Radio Broadcasting course, and that I recently started doing on air shifts. Well besides that, I have been running around all of Toronto getting interviews from On Air Personal and Program Director for my seminar assignment, on the topic of AM Radio.

First, I head down to the NewsTalk 1010 station Downtown to interview John Moore from the Moore in the Morning Show. I also got to sit in on the last hour of his morning show, and ran into Brett Dalton from Agents of Shield without even knowing it was him (“he’s famous?”). John Moore is a super nice guy to meet and hang out with, and he has an amazing radio voice, plus he give me some really good insight for AM Radio.

Later on I visited Humble and Fred at their own Sirius XM Station to interview them about AM Radio, except with a little twist…They wanted me to interview them…live on their radio show. I couldn’t believe it, I was actually gonna be a guest on a radio show, what an amazing opportunity. I got meet Christine Magee, the President of Sleep Country(I know, you know the catchy jingle) and Meredith Shaw(Country Singer and Boom 97.3 Announcer)

To add more to the Humble and Fred…I recently heard that the Humble and Fred show was looking for new interns…and since I haven’t started my intern hours for school, I thought, this is the perfect opportunity for me and after sending an email to the shows producer(Who is a Humber Alumni) I have an Interview for the internship this friday. Wish me Luck.

…and just for the fun of it, Here’s a song I’ve really been diggin’ lately.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P77GfpzqDvQ

Five Reasons To Be Excited For Films in 2014

My favourite season of the entire year is upon us: Oscar Season. It’s the time of the year when the best movies come out and when I can sit on my hands in anticipation over how excited I am for those movies to come out. Now recently, I was privileged enough to see the best film of the year so far. It was Gone Girl and I was moved, disturbed, and captivated at how brilliantly executed the adaptation of the Gillian Flynn novel was. Now as good as Gone Girl was, I’m certain there are still better films to come, so without further ado, I present to you the five films I am most anticipating for the rest of 2014.

#5. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies

Now I saw the last two Hobbit movies on the same night I watched the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time (I know, blasphemy). One of the most inspired pieces of casting in film history was putting Benedict Cumberbatch’s magnificent voice into the terrifying dragon known as Smaug. The way he left us at the end of Desolation of Smaug was the best hook you could use to pull people into the seats to watch Battle of the Five Armies and I’m sure I’ll be sitting in the theatres like so many of you just to see how this epic trilogy concludes.

#4. Foxcatcher

Steve Carell is so much more than a funnyman. Don’t get me wrong, Anchorman and the TV show The Office are two prime examples of his comedic wit. But ever since seeing him do drama in The Way Way Back, I’ve wondered if he can do it again. Now that he’s taking on the true life role of schizophrenic millionaire John du Pont in Bennett Miller’s Cannes Film Festival hit, I can’t help but wonder just how evil he has become.

#3. Interstellar

The Dark Knight trilogy is now a distant memory for Christopher Nolan. Well done and congratulations on a solid set of films. Now he has this mysterious film about a group of astronauts who leave Earth to search for a more inhabitable environment after most of their current planet is dying. With a cast of gigantic star power, led by no other than our latest Best Actor winner Matthew McConaughey, Mr. Nolan sure has my sense of curiousity tingling.

#2. Big Hero Six

I’m a sucker for the animated. When I first saw the trailer for this movie about a big bouncy inflatable robot, I was laughing to the point of tears. This is a film I get more and more excited for every time I see a poster, a commercial, even the title has me squealing like a schoolgirl. Disney for me cannot do wrong and I’m severely hoping this will be no exception.

#1. The Imitation Game

The ingredients are all there. World War II drama, check. Biopic, check. Brilliant man shamed for being different, big check. This movie about mathematician Alan Turing breaking the Nazi Enigma during the war and then being condemned for being a homosexual captured the Grolsch Audience Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival and since then has been riding a steamroller of popularity. Many are already calling it Best Picture material, but only time will tell if they’re right. I personally cannot wait. Mr. Cumberbatch, wow me.

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

DeMar DeRozan Needs More Respect

With the NBA 2014/2015 season just a few weeks away, it’s safe to say there is tons of excitement in the air. Maybe a little bit too much as reporters, networks get ready to rank players/teams for the upcoming season. Sports Illustrated came out with an article not too long ago ranking the top 100 players going into this year.

Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan was on that list, and for good reason. Last season DeRozan put up career numbers, was a first time NBA All-Star, took the Raptors to the playoffs for the first time since the departure of Chris Bosh, got the team to break a franchise record in most wins in a season, and won another Atlantic Division title. Oh yeah, and how can I forget that DeRozan also just won a gold medal in the summer at the FIBA world championships, first time in his career representing his country. The kid has A LOT to show for. Sports Illustrated however, doesn’t seem to agree. SI (Sports Illustrated) rated the Raptor guard a 61/100, something DeMar didn’t take too kindly as he tweeted this:

Although DeMar could be referring to any number, is it safe to say that he was clearly commenting about his ranking? Apparently, according to Sports Illustrated, “the rankings were assigned based on a fluid combination of subjective assessment and objective data” and the “sole concern how players are likely to perform this season alone”

Last year, DeRozan was ranked in ninth in points-per-game with 22.7 as well as making the All-Star team and representing the US in the World Cup, DeRozan’s confidence is at an all-time high right now. I would anticipate with the overall “ranking” SI has given him, I could only see DeMar being more motivated than ever.

It’s disappointing that when it comes to basketball, the Raptors will never get any credit, but when it comes to hockey, everybody wont stop talking about the Maple Leafs. Besides all the rankings and critics, what should be the most encouraging to Raptors fans is that DeMar, even after all the things he has accomplished thus far, still realizes that he has something to prove. Is this the start of something big in Raptor land? Only time will tell..

#TorontoRaptors #WeTheNorth #RTZ #DeMarDeRozan

Do What You Love

What are your favorite hobbies? Do you make time to do them? Or do you ever have time? It seems like life always gets int the way sometimes that we never have time to do the things we love. Whether its work, family, chores, work or school that gets in the way, there’s not enough hours in the day to get some down time.

Whenever I had some time to myself, or when I wasn’t working, I would draw or paint. There was just something that was so appealing about a blank page just waiting to be filled with colour and life. Since I was little, I remember sitting on the floor of my parents family room with a stack of blank paper on this wooden stool my grandfather had made years and years ago. I had my crayola makers and pencil crayons in this tin that was once a container for this sour gum my dad brought home for me. I would sit and draw on this little stool table for hours. It was my favorite thing to do. I had so many ideas and would draw lots of scenic landscapes, animals and people. Then I got older and my drawing became less and less frequent. Then the time to go to high school came around and I was excited to go to my first art class and get my creative juices flowing again. Art was always my favorite subject throughout school but unfortunately when my first art class of high school came about, my grades weren’t that great. My Art teacher was a nightmare. I tried really hard but would only get 60’s or 50’s. She was a real piece of work and it got me really discouraged until one day I discovered japanese animation.

When I was in my early teens my best friend Laura and I would watch the anime series Sailor Moon. I loved the art work on that show. I loved how the characters looked and the vibrant colours they used in the animation. This is what gave me the idea to go online and look at some amazing anime art work. I drew my first anime character that looked just like Ray from the Series Neon Genesis Evangelion.  I thought: ” wow it looks exactly like the picture!” I was hooked. I figured out I could take any character look at it and draw the exact same thing. I had a hard time drawing my own characters from my minds eye but I could do this. It’s kind of a useless talent really. But I like doing it.

Here are some of the characters I’ve drawn and painted throughout the years:

   

 

  

  

Even though all I seem to draw anymore is characters from anime, so it looks like thats the only art work I care about. I also really do love grafitti. Im not talking about just tagging, but the actual street art. I wish I had the talent that these people do and I admire the creative abilities they have.  Here are some amazing images of what I’m talking about: Amazing Graffiti

I also love water colour but I find it to be very hard to work with but it looks really neat. An artist named Mary has a really cool youtube channel called ” Mary Doodles” where she paints different things and records her work in a time lapse setting. See what Mary Doodles!  does. She’s so talented and if you watch one video it makes you want to watch more!

So what do you like to do for fun when you have the time? It’s important to find the time and do what makes you happy!

 

 

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

Album Review: Little Machines

On September 23, Canadian Electro-Pop singer, songwriter and musician, Lights released her third studio album titled “Little Machines.” It has been three years since Lights has released a studio album–in 2011 she released her album titled “Siberia.” This album debuted at number 3 on the Canadian Albums Chart, sold more than 10,000 copies in the first week, was number 47 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S, and was Nominated for Pop Album of the Year at the JUNO Awards in 2012. The success of “Siberia” was tremendous, and put her in the perfect spot to be just as successful if not more with whatever she were to put out next.

Unfortunately,  for the artist she was faced with her worst nightmare instead: writer’s block. It was a hard time for Lights, but she has since suggested that perhaps the writer’s block was due to focusing on other things. Such as, her wedding to husband Beau Bokan in 2012, her Siberia Tour, and giving birth to her baby girl Rocket Wild Bokan earlier this year.  But finally, she decided to focus–she listened to inspiring female artists, turned to poetry, and painting. She also decided to change her focus a bit from her prior albums, and pay more attention to the lyrics, and focus on the production after. She wanted this album to be able to be stripped down, sung-along to, and something listeners could get hooked on. Lights has also said that becoming a mother paid a big part in putting “Little Machines” together, into something that she is extremely proud of. And after finally finishing the album, Lights has said that this could be her best album yet.

And with that I’m going to have to agree, this is her best studio album yet. (I say studio album, because she has also released acoustic albums that are so amazing and should remain in a category all their own). I believe she accomplished exactly what she wanted, this is a new sound for her, with a touch of her classic old style that we say in both of her previous albums. The songs are perfect lyrically, instrumentally, and the production is amazing. I would recommend this album to anyone, whether the style of music is typically to your taste or not, I guarantee you will love it. It is a must buy/download.

Would a “Bad Witch” Look this FABULOUS?! Halloween Tips and Tricks.

“Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story.”

Halloween is just around the corner now that October has hit – which means it’s time for the all famous questions: but what am I going to WEAR?! What am I going to DO?! 

But… Let’s face it, we’re all on a budget AND wanna have fun, right? RIGHT! Never fear! I’ve got some things for you!

The 24-Year-Old With 40-Year-Old Movie Taste

If you asked me, I’d be able to tell you exactly how many movies I’ve seen in my lifetime. Just to save you the suspense, it’s 1,381. I currently own 400+ movies. I used to have a book keeping track, but I lost it. The very first movie I remember seeing was Pocahontas in the movie theatre in 1995. I still go to movie theatres regularly. The vast majority of the movies in my collection predate 1990, the year I was born.

So why the grand obsession with movies? Why this fascination. Well, if you recall my last post, you’ll know that I have Asperger Syndrome and one of the “quirks” involves a fascination with a specific thing. And as it turned out, cinema happened to be my passion. I think of movies every single day. I try and slip movie lines into conversations with my friends and sometimes, they don’t even notice. However, those that know me best always know to follow up my line with, “What’s that from?” The oldest movie in my collection is All Quiet On The Western Front which currently sits at #7 on the American Film Institute’s Top Ten Epic Films. #1 was Lawrence of Arabia, which sadly, I’ve only seen half of. To be fair, it is close to four hours in length.

Yes, there are legendary films which every film connoisseur should view that I haven’t. I have some movies in my collection that I’ve never watched! I just have them so I can save them for a rainy day. Some of the greats that I’ve never seen – take a deep breath, you can question and beat me up later – include A Clockwork Orange, Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Citizen Kane, and even Full Metal Jacket. I know, I’ve sinned. But keep in mind, only seven movies in my top 20 were made after the year 2000. Yes, my taste in film is expansive, classic (or old as some people call it), and vastly different from my friends. While most of my friends are squirming with anticipation for Friday to see Annabelle, a movie about a series of hauntings surrounding a creepy looking doll, I’m shaking with excitement over Gone Girl, based on the book of the same name where a woman disappears on her 5th anniversary and her husband is being suspected by the media as the killer.

Yup, when it comes to movies, I’m the oldest 24-year old in the world.

The Anti-Flu/Germs/Colds Scarf Is Here!

A scarf that keeps the flu away? I’M IN.