The York School Student Blogs

This is my very first play review, and I must say… I wish I had a better play to do a review of. Chances are I’ll be reviewing Warhorse at some point, but for now, The Toronto Center for the Arts’ production of MacBeth!

I must say, their intention wasn’t clear in the slightest; supposedly it was supposed to be a post-apocalyptic world where medieval thanes and kings fight with machetes and bats? One where they use what they can find? Seems pretty weird to me. They could’ve been more clear with it.

Speaking of more clear, half the time I couldn’t understand what they were saying. They went for a more simple approach with less unnecessarily grandeur in dialogue and props, but without the visual aids it was very difficult to grasp the story. Had I not seen other performances of MacBeth, I would’ve had no clue what was going on.

The positives? MacDuff. Everything that guy did was awesome. He Mr. Acrobatic, dual-wielding machete man with a thirst for revenge after MacBeth has his family put to sword. He also had a beard. He exuded awesomeness from EVERY PORE IN HIS BODY. The only issue I had with him, and the other supporting characters, was that there was little to no focus put on any characters except for MacBeth and Lady MacBeth themselves.

This video is hilarious, it’s a prank gone terribly wrong. The user’s name is MikeDakotaHayden. There are many copies of this around the internet but this is the original.

On Wednesday April 4th A man reported that a suspicious car with no regards to traffic laws was speeding off at high speeds  by two people and driven off. The dispatcher sent out an RCMP high speed squad to chase down the 2006 Dodge Ram pickup truck. the chase led the car through a golf club and breaking down beside a Pacific Rail line. the RCMP contained the area and caught the two people fleeing the broken down pickup truck. The driver was charged with 10 counts of various offense under various criminal acts, he appeared in court on April 5th and will appear again on April 19th. The woman the man was driving with is also facing charges but they have not been released yet.

Source: http://www.canmoreleader.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3530793

Hey Hey Hey,

So, some time ago, my friend sold me a pair of Abec 11 Freeerides. For those who don’t know, they are a pair of longboard wheels. Mine are 72mm and 84a. Also, they are green.

There are several things that I love about them and there are some things that I don’t like. For 1, they are very slidey. They are able to break into a slide faster than other wheels that I have ridden. The reason that I love that so much is when you decide to slide and you aren’t going fast enough, the wheels do the work for you. sometimes you would have to go faster to break the wheels into a slide. With these, less speed is needed. Also, I love the colour of them. They are a lighter green. People can see them when you ride past them. Yes, it sounds kind of stupid but if a car was coming at night, the light colour of your wheels could be a life saver. Usually, this isn’t really the case though.

The one thing that I do not like about these wheels is that sometimes, they can get a little too slidey. When going fast down a hill, it is necessary that your wheels will grip you on turns when you want to stay in traction. Even though I haven’t gone extremely fast on them, but with these wheels, you could lose traction when you don’t want to.

Other than that, I like these wheels. I still need to get used to them a bit though. If I were to want to go down a hill fast, I would probably have to change them.

Thanks for reading

http://www.abec11.com/products/abec11

-Max

For someone who loves the Toronto Maple Leafs, its hard to see them miss the playoffs. AGAIN.

Ever since I first got on skates, ever since my Dad explained the rules of hockey to me, I have been an avid fan of hockey and everything surrounding it. My team always was and will be the Toronto Maple Leafs. Back in the younger grades, I breathed hockey. Matt Sundin, Darcy Tucker, Brian McCabe and all the old Leafs were my idols. I used to go through the paper every day to find pictures of my favorite Leaf players. I would tape them up in my room. I had a whole wall dedicated to the Leafs.

Eventually, I grew out of the idolization phase and got more into actually playing. I started playing on a competitive hockey team  and I got really into it. I was always into the NHL video games, and played them with my friends.

I loved hockey. To me, thats part of being a real Canadian. Loving the sport that is founded off of our main season; winter. After around 10 years of worshipping the Leafs, I started wondering about stuff like draft picks, salary caps, and stuff like that. By the end of the year 2009, I had pretty much figured out how people ran hockey teams. But all throughout that whole time, I had been wondering why the Leafs did so badly, every single year! The only time I truly remember being excited about watching them in the playoffs was in 2003-2004 season. But that’s because thats the only time I’ve ever seen them in the playoffs!

In the past 2 years, my support for the Leafs is slowly starting to die away. When the Leafs started off so well this season, everyone thought “This is the year!” Obviously, the Leafs are out again. Everyone keeps throwing this fact around, but its worth saying: The Leafs haven’t won a cup since 1967, making them hold the record of having the longest playoff drought in NHL history.

In the last half of this season, I didn’t even watch the Leafs play. I simply wasn’t interested. Its become too stressful to watch something that I have loved for so long simply lose over and OVER again and AGAIN! A few days ago, the Leafs played the Flyers and they lost 7-1. As my Dad said, they lost by a touchdown.

If the Leafs don’t start winning soon (i.e. next season), my love for hockey might actually die.

Yeah, I’m a fantasy geek, but that doesn’t mean that, as long as it has elves, I’ll read it. So here is my list of the top ten best YA fantasy novels. Disagree? That’s what the comments are for. N.B. I’m not including The Hunger Games, and I know that makes you hopping mad, but there is a reason for that: The Hunger Games is a sci-fi, and, while I love sci-fi too, this blog is about fantasy.

10. Abhorsen Series– Garth Nix

This series is not the first thing you think of when you hear “fantasy. There are no dragons and elvish languages. What there is is the beautifully imagined story of a family that binds the dead into Death. The characters are all immediately likeable, with the possible exception of Lirael who took some time to warm up to, and their companions, particularly Mogget the “cat”, add a touch of dark humour to the series. This is a great series for the beginner fantasy reader.

9. The Saga of Darren Shan– Darren Shan

If you have a taste for pure, innocent characters who reflect deeply upon all their actions, go and read Twilight– Darren Shan is not for you. This series is packed with the macabre, the horrifying, and the just-plain-icky. A monstrous circus travels from place to place, appalling audiences with their grotesque antics. Sparing no character from agonizing death, Darren Shan tells the story of another Darren Shan. Darren (the character) joins the Cirque du Freak upon becoming a vampire, and is embroiled in a world of betrayal and chaos. A must-read for horror fans.

8. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children- Ransom Riggs

This is another slightly creepy book. It’s aura of menace comes from the vintage pictures author Ransom Riggs inserts throughout the novel. The photos serve to lend credence to the outlandish stories Jacob’s grandfather told him. The photographs lead Jacob to an abandoned orphanage upon a creepy Welsh island. The events that transpire there will change his life forever.

7. The Mortal Instruments– Cassandra Clare

I realize that this book does not take place in a different world; it takes place in New York City. But the plot more than makes up for that. In fact, if it weren’t situated in a “mundane” city, TMI would be laughable. The plot deals with young demon-hunters as well as vampires and werewolves. Of course, there is also romance in the air, sometimes to the detriment of the plot, but overall the books are great fun. Readers can look forward to an excellent heroine, heart-stopping twists, and wonderful writing.

6. Discworld series– Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett is the funniest writer in fantasy. His outlandish stories, unforgettable characters, and penchant for parody are stupendous. I really enjoy reading and re-reading his books, whether they are Discworld or not. The Discworld is a flat world that is carried by four elephants, who, in turn, are carried by a turtle. I swear, I’m not making this up as I go along. The various Discworld novels feature anything and everything from fairy tales to crime procedural to anthropomorphic librarian gorillas. If you ever need a pick me up, try a Discworld, you’ll find it instantly likeable.

5. A Wrinkle in Time– Madeleine L’Engle

I realize that this is the first book of a series, but I am choosing to let A Wrinkle in Time stand alone. A Wrinkle in Time is a wonderful book. It is the imaginative story of Meg Murry, her brother Charles Wallace, and her friend Calvin O’Keefe and their mission to rescue Meg’s father. The quest takes them throughout space, guided by the engimatic “Mrs Whatsit”, “Mrs Which”, and “Mrs Who”. It’s a grand adventure, and stands (in my opinion) head and shoulders above the sequels, which is why it is on the list all by its lonesome.

4. The Hobbit– J.R.R Tolkien

This is one of my favourite books in the universe. It is the original fantasy novel. Everything that a great adventure requires is found in this book. I’m so very excited for the movie to come out. If you don’t know the story yet, you need to read it now. It will make you so glad you read it.

3. The Lord of the Rings– J.R.R Tolkien

The reason that this Tolkien ranks higher than The Hobbit is that it’s more epic in its scope and size. Otherwise the two are neck and neck.  Tolkien tells his story with a great deal of  humour and sensitivity. It’s one of the best loved and oldest fantasy books, and I recommend it very, very highly.

2. A Song of Ice and Fire– George R.R Martin

This series has been called the American Lord of the Rings, but I actually like it more. Martin combines everything that makes fantasy popular with everything that makes CSI popular. It’s violent, sexy, and exciting. You can even see it on the television now (as Game of Thrones on HBO). Don’t let the size of the series (the shortest book is some 800 page long) put you off, it doesn’t feel like a slog. An engaging plot and the vivid and fascinating character POVs make this series earn its no. 2 spot on this list.

1. Harry Potter- J.K Rowling

I adore this series and everything in and around it. Harry Potter has changed my life and made it better in so many ways. But why should you read it? Because you will fall in love with the world. The characters are lively, funny, spirited creatures, in one of the most exquisite literary worlds I’ve ever experienced. J.K Rowling knows how to write for young people, but also enthralls everyone else. Every detail of Harry Potter is so perfect and enchanting, that it will remain in your heart and mind forever.

Honourable Mention for worst sequels: Inheritance– Christopher Paolini

I loved Eragon. I really did. I immediately set about learning all the Elven and Dwarven languages and all the spells. When the sequel Eldest came out, I immediately ran for the hardcover copy and was sorely disappointed. When the third book came out, I bought that too, and again hated it. I didn’t even buy the fourth; I borrowed it from the library. It was really sad how the novels went from promising farm boy with a dragon to angsty elves and preposterous teenage drama (given that these people are supposed to be rebel heroes). It left a sour taste in my mouth and I spent more time shouting at the characters than rooting for them.

FYI I have set up a blog not associated with the school. Here is the link if you’re interested

http://callouswords.blogspot.ca/

Recently I have taken up skateboarding, something I never thought I would take up, but since beginning I have been really enjoying it. I was inspired by the music that I listen to; mainly American Punk Rock from the late 1990′s and early 2000′s. Many members of these bands were skateboarders, and the music is often associated with skateboarding and the whole culture. It seemed like a really fun way to spend my time and get some exercise, so when I found my brother’s skateboard in our garage I decided to give it a go.

I ended up spending most of my free time that week skating up and down the roads in our neighborhood, playing music from my phone, and enjoying the challenges that learning a new hobby presented. Without trying to sound too cringe worthy, or deep, it really felt like I was discovering something that represented who I am and what I enjoy in life. Obviously, learning how to skateboard can be frightening and tough. I have fallen over enough times already, and god knows what will happen when I try to jump of ramps and grind along rails!

Finally, I recently bought my first and own skateboarding from a local store on Queen Street West, and am thoroughly enjoying it so far.

Keep skating, my friends.

Hello readers,

I apologize for my lack of writing but I have fled from the movie scene for a little television hiatus. The TV show that has enchanted me as of recent goes by the name of Mad Men written by my new found idol Matthew Weiner. If you have never heard of this television show, why then you are in desperate need of a season one ASAP as it is unbelievable. It focuses around the life of 60′s advertising executive Donald Draper (Jon Hamm) the tall, dark, and handsome womanizer and his life in the firm as well as outside. If you aren’t hooked yet then at least look at some images or a trailer of season one perhaps but I do hope my words are enough to influence you. Combined with excellent acting, the art direction of this show is spectacular ranging from the look of the office in itself to the costume design that gives me a glimpse of the time that never existed for me. There is a certain magic to the show and if you have any confidence in my opinion I do hope that you listen and rent season one.

The aspect of the show I didn’t discuss was the writing and although the writing is superb as there is a memorizing story to follow along to, it is the head writer/creator/executive producer/director Matthew Weiner I would like to discuss. This man, the genius behind Mad Men is a man of great courage and for that I respect him. Here’s the story behind it, Mad Men is viewed through the channel AMC and in most cases, the network/channel usually has the majority of the say concerning a television show. Yet they came barking down Mad Men’s alley commanding budget cuts and all sort of other edits to the show that Matthew Weiner didn’t like. He told them to literally &%$@ off and that they weren’t controlling his TV show. You know what they did to calm him and regain control over their biggest success? Give him a $30 million 3 year contract. How’s that for showing up the authorities.

Anyhow, that’s all for now. Until next time.

A

Do I think that the Toronto Blue Jays are going to make the playoffs this year? Let’s look and see…

The Jays are looking incredibly sharp this year as opening night looms closer.  With 2 more days until the first ‘real’ game of 2012, the Jays have proven that they are a changed team through their incredible 25 – 7 preseason record. Not only are the Jays showing that they are able to win games consistently, but all of their players are showing their true potential, proving themselves worthy of the almighty label of being on the Toronto Blue Jays.

Probably the Blu Jays biggest issue last year was their bullpen. Blowing the most amount of leads in the entire league, the relief pitchers were not giving the Jays enough opportunities to grasp a win. This year, things will undoubtedly be much better, much more consistent. With recently acquired Sergio Santos, Fransisco Corderro, and Darren Oliver, the Jays look to have a very reliable bullpen to pull the team through those 7-8-9 innings. These three pitchers have proved themselves extremely reliable through their careers with other teams, and they look to further that reliability with manager John Ferrell.

Many prospects that have yet to complete a full season in the major league are also shining for Toronto – an incredible sign. Brett Lawrie, third baseman for the Jays, has accomplished a .525 average for the Jays in spring training, including 15 runs batted in and two homers.  Wow. What more could you ever ask for from a 20 year old guy who has barely even played before in the majors. Then,  Eric Thames, left field for the Blue Jays, has sported an outstanding .360 average through spring training,  including a pair of homers and thirteen runs batted in. Once again, this is a 20 year old prospect who’s development is essential to the succession of the club.

Unfortunately, you can’t just consider the Jays to see if they will make it to the playoffs.  The Yankees will definitely take the AL East division lead, leaving the wild card pretty much up to the Angels, Tampa Bay, and the Red Sox. Although the Red Sox are on a decline (as seen by last year’s poor performance),  they are still an incredibly dangerous team with offensively minded players such as Pedroia, Gonzalez, Crawford, Youkillis, Ortiz, and Ellesbury. The Rays are obviously also a very young team that are on the rise. With Longoria, Price, Shields, and Hellickson, they are bound to be a very dangerous team this year as well. Then, the Angels will be a tough competitor as well. Last year they were a very strong team, with rookie Trumbo, ace Weaver, and veteran Abreu. Now, throw in the the aquisition of Albert Pujols, and the recovery of Kendrys Morales, and unfortunately for they Jays, they are an incredible team.

I wish the best of luck to the Jays, and I think that if they all keep to their moto (hustle & heart), they have a chance at making it.

Let’s go Blue Jays!

Jonah Latsky

Tom DeLonge caused a lot of anger among  his fans when he left famed Punk Rock band Blink-182 to start a new band, playing the music that he aspired to create. Though the falling out may have been unexpected to some, it was very predictable that this was eventually going to happen. Box Car Racer, his first side project, were actually a great band that recorded some darkly themed, punk rock songs. However, Angels & Airwaves brought out a musical side to DeLonge that not many new existed.

Blink’s self-titled album provided a complete change in musical genre, moving from their previous teenage heartbreak punk sound, to a much more dark, heavy and grown up side of music. Though, Angels & Airwaves was another giant leap in the same direction. Known shortly as AVA, the band pursue a cinematic rock sound themed by love, religion, and freedom. Many people have chosen to be extremely skeptical over AVA, because they believe no band DeLonge is in will ever be as good as Blink. I used to be one of these people, but having given a listen to AVA’s songs, I realized that they’re truly a magnificent and unique sounding band that deserve much more recognition than they get.

Angels & Airwaves display emotion in their songs that most musicians would be afraid to display. It is noticeable how passionate the bands seems about the messages conveyed through their music, and it is always a pleasure listening to them. I have selected two of my favourite songs by them for your listening pleasure.

First off, I would like to say this movie was incredible. From its amazing performances of its cast, to its amazing score (music) and editing, this movie had all the elements it takes for a great film.

Rooney Mara, (the girl with the dragon tattoo) did a fantastic job protraying the character Lisbeth Salander .  In fact, she was so spectacular, she was even nominated for an Oscar and arguably did a better job then the original girl. There were many strong performances from other cast members including Christopher Plummer and Stellan Skarsgard which helped contribute to making the overall film as amazing as it is.

It had a great plot thanks to the author of the famous trilogy, Stieg Larsson,and had many surprises along the way. The style of the film had director David Fincher written all over it especially with the opening credits. As always, Fincher chose a great soundtrack and musical score to add even more to the films greatness.

Although people tend to undermine this category of film making, the editing was done in such an interesting way. For any of you movie fans out there, this editor had also worked with Fincher on editing The Social Network and has won an Oscar for both.

In my opinion, this film should be considered one of the best films of the year. I recommend this movie to any person who enjoys mysteries and can watch a movie with some gore and nudity.

hey guys! so recently I just got back from a safari and service trip from Tanzania which I went on with the school. I wish I could put up photos to show you all but i’m technologically challenged so I have no clue how to do that! anyway, while on safari we had a lot of free time when we were just driving (no one really warns you about how much sitting around in a car there is!). I filled my time with bracelet making, music, and, surprisingly, reading! if you know me, unfortunately, I am not much of a reader, but the one author that I can read for hours, and hours, and hours, is Nicholas Sparks. if you don’t know who he is, I am very worried. He wrote Dear John, The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, and my recent read, The Lucky One. He wrote many more but I was just listing a few of the ones that were made into movies- almost. The Lucky One comes out in a few months and it looks really good! I knew I wanted to read it before the movie came out as I did with, The Last Song, and thank goodness I had time on safari to do that. I literally read it in two days. Like with most Nicholas Sparks books, the beginning is slow, romantic, and steady, but by the last 60 pages, you really can’t put it down. I think Sparks has like a “60 page” rule. The book doesn’t really start until 60 pages in, and then the last 60 pages are crazy. I really liked this book. It was very romantic and you could feel how real the conversations between each character were. A short plot summary is this guy Logan finds a photo of a girl while he is touring in Iraq. The photo starts to bring him all this good luck so with the encouragement of his friend Victor, he sets off on a walk across the country to put a name to her beautiful face. Thanks to the internet he was quickly able to locate where she lives due to the background of the photo, and on the back it read “Keep safe -E”. Not a lot of info, but enough for him to trek from Colorado to North Carolina to find her. Along the way he meets Keith Clayton who is very suspicious of Logan and tries to stalk him to stop him. But when Logan meets Beth, or Elizabeth, his feeling start to overcome the reason he came, and he never told Beth about the photo. Twists and turns make this a really great read, and I loved it. it’s definitely a girl read! talk to you soon!

Hey Hey Hey,

As stated in my last blog post, I am going to give you a brief summary on The Hunger Games. Again, I will not spoil the ending for you guys.

The Hunger Games is set in a time in the future, after some huge war hat wiped out a lot of the people of the world. There were 12 districts that were rebuilt after it. All of the districts are governed by one “city” called the Capitol. The capitol is very wealthy and powerful.

To remember the war that almost ended humanity, The Hunger Games takes place. One boy and one girl are chosen from each district (24 people) to fight to the death in an arena set up by The Capitol. The last person alive wins The Hunger Games.

Katniss Everdeen, the main character lives in the 12th district. She lives with her sister Primrose and her mother. During the reaping (choosing time for The Hunger Games), Primrose is chosen to be one of the tributes for the games. Katniss steps up for her older sister and volunteers to go instead of her. Katniss and another boy named Peeta are now the two tributes from district 12. They are sent to The Capitol for some training and then they are put into the stadium. Katniss must now defeat everyone else in The Hunger Games. What will happen?

Peace,

-Max

Hey Readers,

Recently, a lot of people have been talking about the Hunger Games book series and movie that recently came out. For those of you who have not read the books and are thinking about it, here is a quick review.

For those of you who do not know, the Hunger Games is set in the future where North America has been split into 12 districts. The capitol is the government of all of the districts and the capitol controls everything that the districts do. Before the districts were split, the world was at war for the limited supplies that were left in the world. The capitol took over and forced each district to send all supplies to the capitol. Each year, to show the power of the capitol, the capitol sends one boy and one girl (12-16 years old)  from each district into a huge arena where they must fight to the death. Every person in North America is forced to watch these Hunger Games. The book follows the story of a girl named Katniss, whose younger sister is chosen for the Hunger Games. To save her sister from death, Katniss volunteers in her place.

I, personally loved this book although at first I thought that I might not like the story. Since I’m not the kind of person who reads violent books, I thought that the subject of this book may be too cruel for my taste. However, I found this book to be very addicting and I could not stop reading it. The book was extremely suspenseful and there would be a new twist in the story every chapter. The book not only was suspenseful but also had romance in it. This is why anyone can enjoy this book, having romance, suspense and drama in it. There is nothing that I did not like about the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 12, since there are some gruesome scenes in the book and to boys and girls. Anyone can read it

As for the second and third books, I would recommend the second one, which is almost as good as the first. It is also very suspenseful also and is much more dramatic than the first. The third book, I did not like because of the ending. I will not give it away, but the ending made me very mad and for this reason I do not recommend reading it. However, a lot of people enjoyed the book so if you have already read books one and two, it is worth reading.

Happy Hunger Games!

Clarissa

P.S. check out this blog: blogs.yorkschool.com/yorkstudents/mfoster14

Last month I discovered the new game called League of Legends (LoL). This is Action RTS game, also it is online multiplayer game. Basically LoL is a remake of the old DOTa. This game have an amazing game play, 3D graphic is available, 2 different modes, more than 40 different characters. The interface in this game is not really hard. When you going to start playing it is going to be challenging to learn what kind of items you need to get and how to use your skills property. The most often play mode is  classic, the point of this game is to destroy enemy Noxus (main tower) that is not that is easy as it sounds like. To destroy enemy Noxus first you need to kill 5 turrets and one Inhibitor. On first level the turret kills you with 3 shots when you need to take 70 shots to kill it. But anyways if you have a good teammates and they all communicating this is really easy. This game is really depends on the teamplay if half of the team running on the one side the other on the other side you will lose 100%. This game also have a variety of classes such as: Tank, Jungler, Assassin, Mag, Stealth, Fighter, Pusher, Support, some of this characters can be mixed. If you going to start playing this game people probably swear at you a lot in the beginning but I still recommend to try it

I was walking through my house when I heard my sister listening to the song safe and sound by Taylor swift, this song is a perfect mix of country and sadness. This song is played in the hunger games and fits in perfectly with the storyline, in the song it has a theme of safety. In the lyrics it talks about shutting your eyes so that you cant see what is going on outside and just imagine that your going to be ok or “safe and sound”

The song “safe and sound” is good for the hunger games sound track because in the song it talks about getting away and being safe, this could be used as a reference to escaping the dictatorship of a government or forgetting that you are in the hunger games and trying to relax before you die. This song is only used in the movie during the ending credits but I think that the song had so much more potential than just being an ending song, through all of these references to the plot line and how cruel the hunger games were forcing the children to kill each other this song make a great song to listen to when your sad so that you can get away from your problems.

Dear readers,

Thanks for waiting up while I have had a bit of a break from my blog, I do apologize but I am here to discuss the approaching summer break. I have been looking forward to this summer for quite sometimes and I am sure I am not the only one. This summer, I hope, will be very exciting. I just go the news from my parents that they are sending me off to Paris to visit my cousins for the entire month of August to spend some quality time and to get to see different sites in Paris, France. I have only been to France once in my life when I was younger therefore the only thing I remember about it is the long plane ride. I am ecstatic about this new opportunity and even more about what I will be able to see there, that I do not have the chance to see in Toronto. The sites that I am sure most of you may know is the Eiffel tower, Notre Dame and l’Arc de Triomphe.

Before I get too far as for speaking about August, first I had to figure out what to do with the month of July. During the month of July, I will be spending a lot of time at my cottage with my friends and my family. At the end of July, there is an annual jazz festival in the beaches (where I live) where there will be live bands, singing and dancing, lots of music and ice cream stands and food tables. It goes from the Thursday to the Sunday. It starts at 7pm and lasts until midnight. This festival is always very busy and a fun way for many people in our community to get together. Each year since I was about 5 years old, I have attended and this year I will be continuing this tradition. I will be attending Thursday, Friday and Saturday but will be missing Sunday because I will be on an early morning flight on the Sunday to spend the rest of the summer in Paris.

I recommend all of you to visit Paris, although I have not been, I believe it will be an incredible trip.

Thank you and please continue to read my blog posts.

hey everyone! i hope you all had a fabulous March break! And though it may seem like I’ve fallen of the edge of the earth, I promise I haven’t- I just went to the other side of it… About a week and a half ago, I got back from the schools trip to Tanzania! It was honestly such a fantastic experience. My favorite animals are giraffes and we were so lucky to see so many of them! Also working with the kids in the home was such a fun experience! Every single one of the kids was so happy and energetic all the time despite everything that they were going through. I miss every single one of them so much and I am dying to go back there! So yes, I realize I haven’t posted in months but to be honest, nothing exciting has really happened since then except my amazing Tanzania trip- except the One Direction concert, of course, but i’ll do you a favor and not go in to detail about that! So now that I’ve covered all the exciting events of the past, lets talk about Easter! I can’t even tell you how excited I am! Every Easter my family does the same old traditions like an egg hunt, and coloring hard-boiled eggs in dye. But last year I decided to surprise my family with two things we love- sugar and sushi… Weird combo, right? But thanks to seriouseats.com, I made “Peep Sushi” for my family on Easter. I plan on doing it again- everyone loved it. I’ll post a link for the recipe (I guess it would be considered a recipe…) and a photo once I’ve made them this year. For the link, click right here! I’ve been trying to brainstorm other cute Easter treat ideas but i’m currently stuck! I’ll let you know if I can think of anything! Alright, goodbye for now I guess, and I’ll be sure to upload a photo of my Easter creations after the break!

Hey Hey Hey,

This past Sunday, I went out with a couple of friends to see The Hunger Games. I read the book during our march break and loved it. I can confidently say that the movie exceed my expectations. I absolutely loved it. There were a few minor changes to the movie that were not in the book. They didn’t really bother me. They made me mad for a bit but I got over it. The story was retold beautifully. They didn’t miss any of the main points and details that were in the book.

The movie was the perfect length for my liking. It was a bit on the longer side but it is a long book. I actually liked it better as a long movie because I enjoyed it so much.

Katniss Everdeed, played by Jeniffer Lawrence, was played perfectly. Her in the movie was basically the exact person that I pictured in the book. Same with most of the other characters.

In my next blog post, I will give you an outline of what actually happens in the book/movie. Don’t worry, I won’t ruin the ending for you. I really suggest watching this movie. There were some scenes that were a bit scary/gory but they weren’t too bad.

Ill keep you posted,

-Max

A few weeks ago I was at the ACC watching the Leafs lose to the New York Islanders 5-2. The Leafs had an early 2-1, but four straight goals by the visiting Islanders was more than enough to hand the  once playoff-bound Leafs their 8th straight home loss and send many of their heart-aching fans into various (often drunken) outbursts of “Let’s Go Blue Jays!” Whether or not these fans were simply mad at their beloved Leafs continuing downward spiral towards last place in the Eastern Conference or they are actually aware of the Blue Jays’ seemingly imminent rise to the spotlight in the world of Toronto sports, it does not matter. Both in Toronto and just about everywhere else in the major leagues.

Dear readers,
The past weekend, I invited a few friends over to catch up and to watch the movie footloose. I loved this movie; it was very exciting, entertaining, funny and sad. This movie was based on a boy named Ren who just moved to Beaumont from Boston, his first look on Beaumont was pretty good, he liked what he saw, until he heard about the tragedy that struck Beaumont high school about a year ago and all the laws against teenage activities such as public dancing, drinking, playing loud music and many more. He met a girl named Aria who he got to become very close with and encountered a few struggles along the way. He himself has had some tragedy in his life but doesn’t seem to show his emotions that much throughout the movie. Aria, the girl Ren meets, like him, loves to dance. They spend every night dancing (against the law) but Aria (ever since her brother got in the car crash along with four other students from their school died) has been the rebel type. The car crash struck on the way home from dancing, they were playing loud music and had a bit to drink when they came head on to a truck. They were all killed but their memories stay with the town. This story I recommend to all of you. The acting is incredible along with the outstanding dance moves. I also really enjoyed the change in character throughout the movie which was very exciting.

This movie is not the original, the original footloose movie came out in the year of 1984, it was a very popular movie back in the 80′s and today it is still very well known.

Footloose is the kind of movie that all you want to do at the end, is dance. This movie will get you up on your feet dancing to the songs within the movie such as “footloose” and “bang your head” which is also in the original movie.

Thank you, and please visit my friends blog : http://blogs.yorkschool.com/yorkstudents/cratjen14/

References:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087277/

With the Spring Training season coming to a close, Canada’s favorite (only) baseball team is getting ready for what many Blue Jays fans are hoping to be a fun and enjoyable season. There were quite a few changes this off-season; aside from the new (or old, depending on how you see it) and beautiful jersey’s. Our much needed bullpen got a HUGE boost (courtesy of Darren Oliver, Sergio Santos and Co-Co Cordero). Our young, but smart, Canadian  GM, Alex Anthopoulos has improved our bullpen with experienced arms that have proven themselves in the MLB.

While he may not be Co-Co for Cocoa Puffs, he is definitely Co-Co for another great season from the pen. Fransisco “Co-Co” Cordero is ready to prove that last years 5-3 1.02 Era and 37 saves was not a fluke and hopes to add that much needed back-end pitching depth the Jays have been needing for years now.

Another key piece to the puzzle is 30 year old Sergio Santos. Him and Cordero will form the 1-2 punch, or the 8-9 punch, as I like to call it. In my perfect world, Cordero will pitch a scoreless 8th followed by Santos pitching a flawless 9th picking up save after save. Everyone in baseball knows how strong Sergio’s arm is. He was originally a very sought after SS prospect and was even once in the Jays farm system. His problem was that he could not hit, so he signed a contract with the White Sox and transitioned to one of the best closers in the game.

Darren Oliver, who is fresh off his World Series loss to St. Louis, brings experience and his left arm to Toronto to help the young guys mature and to help the Jays hopefully make the playoffs. As mention in the National Post this morning, he seems to be getting along great with the only other lefty in our bullpen, 27 year old Luis Perez. The Jays will be looking for Oliver to help Perez grow into a mature and dominant pitcher who can get outs when you need them most. Oliver is not only here to help others; he is also here to pitch. We are paying him $4.5 million this season so he better pitch well, and I think he will. As he has gotten older, his stats have gotten better. We need big things out of these 3 this season to be successful.

Now for the rotation. As said at the start of the off-season, we need to improve on our rotation…but we didn’t. We lost out on Gio Gonzalez and the infamous Yu Darvish and then decided we should extend the contract of Dustin MacGowan for 4 more years so that he can sit on the DL. We have 2 solid pitchers at the top of our rotation in Romero and Morrow, but after that we have an unproven and unpredictable Brett Cecil (who injured his hand trying to clean a blender last season), Henderson Alvarez (who doesn’t know the difference between a slider and a cutter) and then Kyle Drabek (who once was the best pitching prospect in the game and is now only in the show to fill in for the piece of glass we call Dustin MacGowan). Even with the extra wild card teams, how can a team do well with a rotation like this? Here is the answer…

Hitting! Our offense better be record shattering this season if the Jays want to become a force to be reckoned with in the tough AL East. Here is the predicted opening day lineup with a few predictions and facts about each player:

1. Yunel Escobar SS – Yunel had a solid season last year knocking in 48 RBI and 11 HR hitting an impressive .290. This season he has to step up. As a lead-off hitter it is his job to get on base…a lot. My prediction: .285 AVG 11 HR 58 RBI

2. Eric Thames LF – Eric played decently well in his rookie campaign last season and we are looking for him to step it up this year. I think he will play very well for the first few months because he has to prove that he deserves to be in the MLB, not Travis Snider (don’t get me started with him). I predict Thames will hit .275 AVG 15 HR 61 RBI

3. Jose Bautista RF – Jose followed his incredible ’10 season with another Hank Aaron award. He had the most walks in the majors, but he saw a decline in his power numbers after the all star break. He has to be consistent this year and play like he did back in 2010. He is the only proven star on this Jays roster. Prediction: .309 AVG 47 HR 119 RBI

4. Edwin Encarnacion 3B, 1B, LF, DH – His power numbers were great last season and not having him in the field let him concentrate on hitting. We need him to hit and score runs, and I think he will do just that. Prediction: .247 AVG 27 HR 73 RBI

5. Adam Lind 1B, DH – Adam managed to knock in 26 homers last season after a fantastic start, but then saw a decrease in average and pretty much ever other statistic. He has to be consistent this season for the Jays to score runs and play well. Prediction: .283 AVG 31 HR 99 RBI

6. Brett Lawrie 3B – After Lawrie’s incredible rookie campaign, many are seeing Lawrie as the games next great third basemen, and I think he will not let us down. He is going to have a monster first full year in the big leagues. Prediction: .296 AVG 25 HR 87 RBI

7. JP Arencibia C – JP had a great first year in the MLB hitting with great power, but his average wasn’t too impressive. Look for him to hit around the same as last season. Prediction: .221 AVG 29 HR 73 RBI

8. Colby Rasmus CF – After a controversial stint in St. Louis and having a very disappointing season, look for Colby to come out strong this year and prove everyone wrong…we need him too. Prediction: .237 AVG 27 HR 69 RBI

9. Kelly Johnson 2B – We all know Kelly can knock the ball out of the park, but this spring training he has proven he can hit the ball anywhere on the field. We need him to bat in some runs and make the bottom of our order just as tough as the top. Prediction: .278 AVG 24 HR 74 RBI

The Jays open the season in Cleveland on Thursday and I couldn’t be more excited.

Until next time,

Adam

Hip-hop is a genre that is constantly changing its style. Every year the music changes, but every now and then a rapper comes along who drastically changes what hip-hop is, or in this case a group of rappers come in and determine new boundary for rap pushing it to the edge through controversy. Love them or hate them Odd Future is gaining momentum in the world of hip-hop through their controversial image and style of hip-hop. The album Goblin by Tyler the Creator, one of the members of Odd Future, has a demonic style of rap that is very dark. Some would say that his album was too dark. Nonetheless, the main single of the album, Yonkers, has gotten over 40 million views on YouTube. Some would say that the only reason it has that many views is due to its controversial lyrics and video, in which he hangs himself at the end. However, I am not here to talk about his previous work. The new Odd Future album, “The OF Tape, Volume 2″, shows the development in the rap group in terms of their ability to create music in their image but through a different style. They have strayed away from the demonic image to create a more familiar hip-hop style. However, the lyrics in this album are controversial, as is all their other work. Although, if I was speaking, strictly, from a hip-hop stand point regardless of my opinion of their lyrics I would say that this album was fairly good because of the beats and overall flow of the lyrics. The flow means that the lyrics rhymed, had message, and went pretty good with the beats in the album.

As my fellow peers all know and have experienced, not strictly following the uniform code at The York School usually results in a detention. Last year it was simple. If you didn’t have the proper uniform a teacher let you know you were getting a demerit and that was that. Three demerits and you get a detention, no time wasted and a fair warning that would give everyone the chance not to make the mistake again. The demerit system was always nice because if you came in late and went straight to class without remembering to change your shoes for example you probably wouldn’t end up getting a detention for forgetting to change your shoes one time. This year the demerit system was tossed in the garbage and the great idea of handing out uniform slips to every kid that forgot to do his top button up emerged. Not only is it a lovely waste of paper, it reminds us how much of a negative impact not following our monotonous daily routine of dressing up to look like toy soldiers mirroring each of our peers has on our education. Wait a second, could this uniform slip thing not really have such an impact on us and not benefit our school? Are my blue vans really going to distract my entire class, compromise our schools reputation and make me fail my next test? It seems kind of obvious that missing 10 minutes of class and getting a detention might just impact my day or week a bit more than wearing blue shoes for an hour in class… Missing class means missing work time or part of a lesson, wearing coloured shoes means my feet are a few shades brighter. Missing most of my lunch hour and not being able to socialize for an hour halfway through a day I’ve gone through hundreds of times with the same schedule can mean i might not be able to catch up on something I’ve missed regarding sports or school, and more simply that i cant even have an hour outside of on of these creativity draining white classrooms and clear my head before my next set of classes. Some might say that not wearing the same thing as others puts you out of place and makes all of the students seem less united, but seeing what others wear and expressing yourself visually lets people get to know a bit about you before you even meet them. You don’t need to be wearing the same thing as someone else to be friends with them, work well with them or respect them, in fact wearing different clothes can bring people closer together because they can understand each other better. Missing class, lunch and wasting paper isn’t worth the, well there are no benefits so it’s just a bad idea.

For the past week, I have been immersed into the London club scene, and all things electronic music. I had the opportunity to travel to London, England for a 2 day DJ/Electronic Music education course. In addition to this course, I was given an all-access pass to the club for that weekend, and was able to see the club in action, as opposed to empty, because patrons to fill the club didn’t come with the course!

The first day started off with a demo of the main room sound and lights, a perfect activity for 9 am in the morning (4am Toronto for me!)

The rest of the day consisted of two 4 hour sessions with the two tutors (both world-renowned and accomplished DJs) in two different of the rooms in the club (there were four total.) We played, or rather watched the tutors play, in the biggest room called “The Box” and the smallest upstairs chill-out room “The Loft.” Both rooms were equipped better than any club I’ve played in, with the monitor system in The Box alone being more impressive than most clubs use as mains.

The second day was more free form, during which the club was our playground; our entire group was split into the 4 rooms and each DJ was free to do as they wished (within reason of course.) I was fortunate enough to end up in The Box, with only 2 others, giving me more than adequate time to play with sixty thousand watts of speaker power, and a broad range of equipment and music at my disposal. To wrap up the second and final day, the group made one long mix, with each participant mixing 3-4 songs before the next DJ mixed into the set. I was up first, and played 4 great tracks before the next DJ took the reins from me. Here’s a bit of my set:

Overall I am extremely happy to be able to say that I have played in a top 10 club in the world (#6 to be exact; as per DJMag) but more so to have played on the best club sound-system in the WORLD, as voted three years straight.

Here’s that system live in action the next night as shot from the VIP balcony overlooking The Box’s main dancefloor:

And from in front of the DJ Booth:

Over the spring break I went to Hawaii. As I sat by the beach with nothing to do but stare into the endless ocean I decided I would read a book I picked up at the bookstore because it had a cool title. I thought it would be a typical beach read. A beach read is basically a book you read to pass your time while at the beach. But As I began reading I found that I couldn’t put the book down. The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha had so many awesome things that I felt that  I connected to, which made me read page after page. The awesome things in the Book of Awesome varied, some made you laugh, some made you think of the past, some made you think of the future, and others made you think of life in general. The Book of Awesome looks at the little things in  life that make a huge impact on our lives, bigger than what most perceive it to be. I highly recommend that you read this book, even if you aren’t planning to go to a beach anytime soon and if you do enjoy it check out the 1000 awesome things blog which the book originates from. The Book of Awesome is….AWESOME.

For me, this blog has been a collection of very interesting things like album reviews, photo essays, and updates from my time in Australia.

However, I haven’t put anything too personal, or experiences that happen in my home of Toronto, Canada.

Well, I have one today. It is the story of how I got sprayed by a skunk.

It all started out with me coming home from my friends birthday dinner. This was on a school night, so I got home at around 9:00pm so I wouldn’t be tired for school the next day. When I was walking up my driveway, I noticed my dogs (Darcy) face in the window. His tail was wagging and he was barking, clearly very happy to see me. Or so I thought!

As soon as I opened the door, he gave me a quick look, then bolted at the closing door. Unfortunately for him, it closed too quickly and he didn’t get out. Unfortunately for both of us, I decided that he wanted to go outside to play, so I let him out and chased him. As soon as the door opened, Darcy was off like a shot. I chased after him, and there it was. A skunk. I got sprayed, pretty much full on. Naturally, I sprinted back inside and slammed the door. When I got inside, I screamed “SKUUUUUUUUUNKKKKK!!!!!!!!!” My parents came running, screaming, and I thought it would be okay, but nope! I realized I had left Darcy outside. I dove back outside, and saw Darcy who was basically taking it in the face from a point blank range.

Now I love my dog a lot, much more than most owners. He has been a best friend to me for the longest time. But it took every ounce of courage in me to get back out there and save him.

It was a on-the-spot decision, and because I had no time to think, I just punted the skunk. Its not like I was going to pick it up, you know? What else could I do? I ran at the skunk, and kicked him and yes, he did get a couple feet of air. Then I grabbed Darcy and came back inside to my family.

The next few weeks were a little tough, as we had to get used to the smell hanging around our house and outside, but the main thing I learned was to look outside before I let my dog out.

Also, Darcy recovered in a couple of hours, and went right back to being his crazy old self. Hopefully he (and we) never have to deal with this again.

and tomato sauce doesn’t work!

March Madness is a term associated with the true underdog story. Every March, viewers are presented with more basketball than one can imagine. Three weekends of pure insanity.

Of course, every year fans create their own “bracket”, choosing who they think will win every match up in the tournament. Never has there been a perfect bracket and in fact everyone’s is quite the opposite. I would post the link to my bracket, but to be honest I am a little embarrassed by the outcome. I followed college basketball all year, thinking I could get a leg up on the competition– A.K.A. my friends– but instead I was utterly disappointed.

What was so different about this March from all other March’s was the absence of the madness. On the first weekend of competition, known for its unpredictable results, there were only 3 noteworthy upsets. 15 seed Norfolk State beating 2 seed Missouri, 15 seed Lehigh beating 2 seed Duke and 13 seed Ohio beating 4 seed Michigan. Although this is the first time ever two 15 seeds have won in the same tournament, and only the 3rd and 4th teams to do so, it is embarassing that Michigan can be listed under biggest upsets. Ohio matched up prefectly with Michigan and even went on to the round of 16 (Sweet Sixteen). Michigan was very streaky, relying on their 3 point shot and Ohio had a perfect match up. In addition, the championship game was everything but an upset. Number 1 overall seed Kentucky faced off against number 2 seed Kansas. I was ecstatic to see Kentucky in the championship game, and better yet to win the game, but there was nothing “mad” about it. Many people had predicted that finals match up and compared to last year (3 seed Uconn against 5 seed Butler) it was a disappointment.

I am not saying March Madness was bad tv, I am not saying that I am happy it is over; what I am saying is it was a let down. There were no final shots to win the game and no true thrill a fan can get from this month.