Mitch's Blog

Jessie J!

2011-05-27T21:25:00.001-04:00

Seems all I do is post covers now. Here is one of "Who You Are" by Jessie J. She's such an incredible singer, I know I can't compare, but it's a great song so hopefully I did it some justice

Lady Gaga - Judas cover

2011-04-16T19:40:00.002-04:00

Well, I've got another cover. Heard Judas for the first time last night and couldn't be happier! After Born This Way, I was a little worried about the upcoming CD. Judas definitely gave me faith once more. I love it!!

Anyway, I made my own little rendition/acoustic version of it:

Britney Cover - another video post

2011-02-09T20:48:00.000-05:00

Well, I was bored and decided to make a Britney Cover for fun. But I thought it'd be cool to have the piano be a bit more complex and inspired by some classical music. My mic sucks though so the sound isn't GREAT, but it's all I had to work with, with the piano being so loud!

2010 Mashup/Medley with Greg

2011-01-09T19:42:00.000-05:00

So Greg and I thought it would be fun to make a little mashup/medley video of our own! We picked the songs based on some of the most played pop music through 2010 (We snuck a few in there because we liked them too much not to!), and away we went. Sorry the video quality isn't the best; only had a little handycam with me!

Enjoy :)

Black Swan Review

2010-12-16T21:00:00.000-05:00

As the lights came back on in the theatre, after 108 minutes of one of the most neurotic, intense, and masterfully crafted movies I have ever seen I realized something. My body was in utter shock. Not only could it not understand what it just experienced, but as I looked around to my friends, and the people around in the theatre - everybody felt the same way: Speechless.

This movie was NOTHING that I thought it would be. It had my stomach in knots, my heart racing, and my head guessing the entire time.

Black Swan...was perfect.

Hit the jump to read the rest of the review ((beware of spoilers))

As I read in another review, Black Swan shouldn't work, but it does. It's basically a horror film about a Ballet. But it's a horror film on such a different level than most; it's not about the pop-out scares. It's literally gut wrenching suspense all the time! And this suspense somehow lasts from start to finish.

Natalie Portman is fucking unreal in this movie. She has a moment in the earlier parts of the movie where she shows utter joy (for getting a role). I can't understand why this stands out in my mind so much, but we all had it on our minds afterwards. She literally gave the most genuine performance of somebody being overcome by joy, and I couldn't help but burst with happiness from inside. But this was only the beginning of one nasty transformation into the "Black Swan" that she is destined to become.

I can't even properly talk about this movie because all I want to say is "IT'S FUCKING AMAZING!!" over and over and over. "YOU HAVE TO SEE IT!!" The music, the dancing, the characters and the story just get to you. And it's not particularly ground breaking in story idea, but somehow it ends up being one of the most creative executions I have ever seen. It was literally so effective.

I thought to myself after the film how it would fare with it's audience. Well, I knew everybody who SAW it would love it, but would they go see it?? After all, it's a horror film about ballet! The preconceived notions about both those genres could have either side not taking it seriously. But once they see it....they will change their minds. I hope to god this movies is seen by every single person who loves film, and no doubt in my mind that Natalie Portman should win the Oscar for best actress. She blew this out of the water, and has proven herself now as a diverse and consistent actress (Lets ignore Star Wars).

Needless to say, I will see this movie again in theaters. And buy it when it comes out.

Here's the trailer:

Omni Heat - damn that's neat.

2010-12-08T19:55:00.001-05:00

I'm starting to see some ads on TV now about this new Omni-Heat technology that Columbia Sportswear has released. I'm not sure how long they've been out, but DAMN, this is a cool concept with a good campaign.

Looks like the video has been uploaded since August, but realistically, who watches winter commercials during the summer? I think these commercials are hilarious, and quite honestly I'm surprised it hasn't gotten more attention; but perhaps it will in the coming cold months!

I looked up some reviews on this supposed 'new technology' - hit the jump to read more!

Apparently this stuff actually works, and can keep you 20% warmer in the thin layer it provides, compared to any other warm jacket. I checked out this review which was useful. I've gotta say, the gloves look friggen epic; like Darth Vadar gloves or something. Seriously, is that a SPEAKER on the arm? But no doubt they keep you warm.

It's interesting to see a winter wear company really 're-inventing' themselves in a way. Not too often to you see any sort of clothing wear have a chance for a viral ad (unless it's sexual like Calvin Kleins underwear ads), but I really think Columbia has potential with this, if they push it hard enough. Clothes are clothes, and that's that - but for some reason this seems like some jump into the future; like going from the mp3 player to the iPod. Surely other companies will pick up on it soon, but I'm rooting for Columbia for now.

Here is a montage of their new commercial campaign:

So gear up, because winter is coming!!

Glee Ruins Christmas??

2010-12-07T21:34:00.001-05:00

Ok, this post won't be nearly as melodramatic as the title makes it seem, but I have a bone to pick. Apart from Glee seemingly become worse and worse, episode after episode, the most recent "Christmas" episode was for a variety of reasons, extremely lack luster. It had it's moments, as every show does. But the lousy song renditions are getting to me (Not to mention, does anybody else think they have a music producer who has a mixing board with one button? - AUTOTUNE!! I swear to God that's all I hear!!). And Brittany, while still the funniest character - her story line went a bit too far for me. The reason people love her so much is because she has great moments that they haven't tried to over-do. Until now! It seems like as soon as they find something people like, they have to shove it down our throats, make us barf it up, and shove it back down again. Ok, that was dramatic, but it's not even the worst part.

So what gets to me the MOST, and makes me SO MAD AT GLEE??

Hit the jump to find out

I absolutely HATE the fact that the whole episode was about how Santa Claus wasn't real! Fine, this might seem stupid but it actually gets to me. I was one of those kids (and still am) who LOVED the magic of christmas, and loved believing in Santa. I believed it in for as long as I could, even when everything told me otherwise.

So does Glee not realize how many little kids are watching this show? How many parents are probably, as I type this, explaining to their kids that Glee was just joking, or having to cover for the show (Or even worse, admitting it to their kids)? Come on, the entire episode was about keeping the magic alive...they could have tried a little harder, for all the kids who were watching. I've seen way more mature shows handle Santa talk more carefully. Not that it's their responsibility, and I get that Glee can actually have quite mature themes sometimes. But the whole thing just seemed a little ironic to me.

So this is my SCREW YOU to Glee, and one of the many last straws I've had with this show. I used to love it, but at this point the only reason I'm watching is because it's on a Tuesday night when I have nothing else to do (Good choice FOX). Hold on tight, this ship is sinking fast.

***End Rant***

Spider-man: The Musical?

2010-12-05T18:54:00.004-05:00

So there's been a whole lot of controversy over Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark (the musical on Broadway). It's been postponed for ages, but it's finally in it's preview stages (after many a crisis!). 60 Minutes did a nice spot on it, which gives the history and some footage from the production:

So what's my take on it? Hit the jump to find out.

The most expensive production in Broadway history? Sounds amazing to me! But to be honest, there are some things that turn me off - majorly:

1) I know some people love U2, and I don't mind them, but this already bugs me for some reason. It almost seems tacked on that they did the music; like it was strictly a ploy to get the publicity. Which, I suppose is smart. Having spent such a MASSIVE amount of money, they need to do all they can do make a profit on this.

2) The fact that it's Spider-man! Now, I'm by no means a die-hard fan, nor did I read (many) of the comic books growing up, but what is with Hollywood infiltrating Broadway? At one end it seems reasonable to me that if you want to put on the most expensive show, then having a name behind it helps. But another part of me screams "Why don't you just write something original??". I'm not being pretentious at all - I have no problem with people making adaptations of previous works BUT, it's like they are asking for a hating. Why not model a show around a similar theme or visual effects and build it that way? Then people see the show not expecting it to live up to the "Spider-man standards" and can enjoy it for what it is. Then again...it MUST all come down to money, and the only way to make it back on such an expensive show is to have it be controversial and popular enough to suck people in. A gimmick.

Having said that, I would LOVE to go and see it - once they get it together. I was a massive fan of the Lord of the Rings musical (though most weren't..) in both Toronto and London (don't hate me) because of the spectacle of it. Thought it was great! Though the story made no sense, I was captivated by the magic of it. And this absolutely has the chance to do that, hopefully without facing the same story conundrum.

So my vote is; wait a bit, but then go see it! I'm sure once they have all their effects down, it will be an amazing thing to just SEE, and if we're lucky, a great show too.

Space pics of 2010

2010-12-05T17:15:00.011-05:00

So every year National Geographic releases the "Best Space Pictures" and since I love space so much I thought I should share it here. I'm listening to Sigur Ros while staring at these, and it's pretty spectacular (dare you to try it):

You can find a description for all the photos (and more) at: www.nationalgeographic.com under the science section.

Enjoy :)

New Inspiration?

2010-11-23T18:08:00.004-05:00

So, after a long hiatus from the blogging world, I just may be coming back for more!

Stay tuned for some updates.... :)

The wait is over!

2010-03-06T14:03:00.003-05:00

After what seems like an age, the Melbourne Musical has finally been released! Check out the video and spread it to the world. Oh, and while you're at it, go visit this amazing city!!

Enjoy!

Balgal Beach

2009-10-24T02:50:00.010-04:00

I've been meaning to post pics from our Balgal Beach weekend for ages now - considering it was like 2 months ago! Has the time really flown that quickly?

Anyway, our lovely hostesses from the International Office (Louise and Karen), invited us out to Karen's beach-house in Balgal Beach with some other international students ('Danish Pastries' Chris and Christian, and the Norwegian Wonder Solvor) for a weekend. Fun ensued!

Our wonderful hostesses for the weekend, both striking a pose...oddly the same one?

Yummy spaghetti.

An intense game of clue (Called Cluedo here)
Danish Pastries did not understand the concept...got all 3 guesses wrong.

Leaving our mark--

'Maple Syrup Mitch' was my weekend name

Sleeepy! Appropriately ending the night with some Team America World Police

The weekend was full of drinking, eating, and relaxing!

The beach

Where's the water? Searching - loooowww tide

The skin cancer experiment

Besty: Laura!

Sand castle competition

Who's do you think was best??

Long walks on the beach at night

Trying to find satellites. Apparently nobody believed me that you could see satellites in the sky at night, so I set out on a mission to find some - but COULDN'T. How embarrassing.

Mocking my inability to find satellites. I swear I'll find one!

Playing some 'Ong-Pong-Clap' with some bouts of hysterical laughter.

Karen having too much fun!

The frosty Mango for some yummy treats

Australia does not appreciate smoking....

Is that the rock way across the street???....

Nawh, there it is. Not as funny as I had first thought.

Boccie ball!

Fish and chips day out

Lovely Louise

-An amazing weekend-

In my spare time

2009-10-17T08:31:00.011-04:00

Well, there are plenty of things that go on here in Australia when I'm not at class or writing papers. Many of which I know I'll miss when I fly back home (into SNOW!). Here are a few things for your enjoyment (or jealousy? Mauahaha)

Riverside fun

Swimming along the riverside and jumping off the rope swing

I'm not gonna lie, at first I was so paranoid about crocodiles, and eels eating me! Haha, because we've been warned a lot. My professor didn't make it any better when he started talking about parasites that swim in Ross River, that can break into your skin and make their way through your body. Still, being able to just go to the river whenever you want during the week, or between classes is something I'll miss a lot!

Not to mention, bellyflops always get a good laugh:

Megan's first attempt at the rope-swing jump :)

Fun with friends and Rugby

Watching the local match-ups with beers and screaming!

The pooooooooooooooooool

Underwater group shot: Could not stop laughing

Take 500, picture perfect

The life of a student here is ACTUALLY different. The fact that we go to the pool, or river, or beach between classes, or on weekends, is just insane, and makes it really difficult to ever feel stressed! It also makes it difficult to feel like you're in school! But the weather is always perfect, no clouds, for enjoying the sun and spending some time in the water. They don't know lucky they are!

Magnetic Island Weekend

There is an island just off the coast of Townsville that provides some good fun for the weekend, with lots of parties and beautiful beaches:

Hopping on the fairy over to Magnetic Island

Beautiful sunset on the way over

Getting to the island

Full Moon party on the beach!

The next day - beautiful water and view

Perfect relaxing time

On the boat back to Townsville

I think I'm going to miss it here!
Having heaps of fun (I have never heard the word HEAPS used so much until I came here. It's used heaps and heaps).

Some new friends

2009-10-14T03:09:00.003-04:00

This is why I love Australia.

Just outside my door I was greeted by some new(born) friends. I pretended to eat grass with them so I could get really close haha. People were staring. Oh well - it was worth it.

Don't act like it's not the cutest thing ever. The baby kept poking it's head out to see what I was doing, then hiding again.

More Fun in Townsville

2009-10-12T06:19:00.007-04:00

I've been having trouble finding the time and motivation to make big posts about all the stuff I'm doing between all the school, travelling, and just time to sleep! So, I figured I just post mostly pictures about some things I've done around Townsville. It's a lovely little town - reminds me a lot of Guelph!!

The Billabong Sanctuary

More Koala's...aaaghhhh!!

Okay, so the baby is cute...!!

And together we are cute...right?

The Wombat - So funny. I want one.

Dingoooo! I want one of these too

Well hello there!

Tinyyyyy

Cassowary - I swear these things ARE dinosaurs. The way they move, and that freaky thing on their head. So random!

Note to self: never wave a dead chicken in front of a crocodile

Note to self 2: only ever hold a crocodile that is 10 times smaller than you and has a mouth restraint.

Note the awkward "get it off me" smile :)

Reef HQ
The biggest coral reef aquarium in the world

Finding Nemo in Townsville

Just outside the aquarium looking back towards the city. Beautiful weather as always.

Much more to come!

Skydiving in Cairns!

2009-09-22T20:24:00.003-04:00

I know I'm behind on putting up a lot of things, and this is coming out of order, but I was just so excited to post this! This is the amazing skydive in Cairns!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you tell I was just a tad nervous?

EDIT: Apparently youtube took the sound off because the skydiving company used copyright music when making the video. I might try and re-edit it so that there can still be sound! Stay tuned.

James Cook Uni - Campus Tour

2009-09-22T01:10:00.009-04:00

Just thought I'd post some random photo's that I've taken around campus. It's amazing walking to class in the (always) perfect weather, with what seems like a rain-forest surrounding the whole campus.

James Cook Uni Campus

St Mark's Residence on my way to class

Random pathways between beautiful forest cover!

Student Mall on campus - maybe I should join the army?

The amazing pool on campus!

Yes, they even have vents here :)

Library off in the distance

Just before starting a lecture on Marine Conservation Biology

As JCU sleeps

Watch out

2009-09-15T09:07:00.002-04:00

They are everywhere!

Townsville, Queensland - my new home

2009-09-15T08:14:00.008-04:00

After saying a sad goodbye to Kim at the airport, I waited a fun 8 hours to catch my flight over to Townsville. I feel like I'm getting used to ridiculously long lay-over/waiting times at the airport. I spent 35 hours travelling home once from Estonia...yeah that was fun! Haha I manage to entertain myself by people watching, but for the most part, it's torture!

I was so excited and nervous to head to James Cook Uni. And every young person I saw in the airport I wondered if they, too, were heading to JCU. After finally catching my flight and landing in Townsville, I quickly found out I was the only one arriving at the time (maybe because it was pretty late?) and found the pick-up service from the airport our school had arranged for all international students.

Turns out one other girl got put into the van with me (who had been stuck waiting for the service for 4 hours), who was also heading to JCU but in a different residence. We quickly 'bonded' as much as we could in the 30 minutes we had, and each got dropped off at our own residence.

It was actually nighttime when I arrived, so it was hard to actually understand where I was. And of course, something had to go wrong, as things always do. Apparently they 'forgot' to make up my package for when I arrived and nobody was expecting me! Luckily, my bus driver went wandering around until he found somebody who contacted the RA on duty who came to help me out. After a whole debacle of being unable to find the key for my room, everything was sorted out and I settled into my room!

After finally settling in a meeting some of the people on my floor, I thought I might wander around to see where exactly I was living. And in an embarrassing first encounter with a wallaby just outside of the dorms, I realized, I didn't quite know what kind of animal they are! Can they have rabies?? Are they dangerous? Are they aggressive? As I walked a little further I saw about 7 more, and thought to myself...I think I'll check everything out in the morning.

Looking back, I feel stupid obviously. How could I ever think this thing would hurt me?

They are so damn cute!! And some of them have their babies in their pouch who stick out and try to eat the grass. As if I was more worried about these in the night, than the many snakes or bats that also roam around...

Orientation week was pretty incredible. Minus the fire alarm on the very first morning at 7am! Welcome back to residence. I can't lie though, I made some friends during that fire alarm! And we haven't had one since. Maybe it was meant to be.

We got to see this really great authentic Australian aboriginal performance at a big meet and greet with the almost 200 international students, along with a wicked sausage BBQ (which of course lacked ketchup!!). I tried to just soak up the whole experience and didn't take any photos during the first bits. But they were definitely fun and it was nice to get to meet people from all over the world. Every day provided us with some sort of event to hang out at and meet everybody, or get a tour around campus, which made me feel right at home.

The first Thursday night of classes introduced us to the "Uni Club" which is basically a bar on campus that everybody goes to on Thursday's - convenient because it's just so close! Stumbling home afterwards, there was an amazing display of fire burning up the mountains that surround the campus. It was basically a 'controlled' fire, and in the moment, it was so incredible to see up in the mountains!

Except the fire wasn't exactly as controlled as they thought. By the morning, the flames had reached the bottom of the hills, and surrounded our brand new home at Rotary International House. After walking home from Friday morning class, I could see smoke pummelling from around the area, as we joked that our building was on fire, only to find out the buildings were being evacuated!! As we got closer they told us to go inside, and grab our passports and laptops! ARE YOU KIDDING?? So the 'controlled' fire managed to come about 15 meters from our buildings, and had flames so high it was unbelievable. I caught some of the tail end of it.

An interesting first couple weeks to say the least! But it's what I'll have to call home for 5 months. I'll be sure to post more pictures of campus and class and all the other events that are going on here soon enough!

These are a few of my favourite things

2009-09-09T11:01:00.008-04:00

Though my Melbourne adventure has finished, I thought I'd go through some of my favourite places!

Events

-Bonza Bike Tour-

Though 4 hours, not nearly as exhausting as one would think (it was actually quite an enjoyable pace). A great way to start of the adventure and see the city!

-AFL Footy Game-

The most exciting game of my life. You.Must.Experience.One!!!

-Dali Exhibit at the National Galley of Victoria-

So cool

-Butterfly Club Cabaret Night-

A night of laughs and entertainment

-The Chocolate Factory, the nature and Phillip Island-

Beauty

Favourite restaurants

-Tjanabi-

Good fun trying kangaroo, wallaby, emu and crocodile

-Little Creature Dining Hall-

I think this was my favourite restaurant of the entire trip! It was like a big open factory warehouse building turned into a restaurant with amazing service, great beer, and seriously reasonably priced FANTASTIC food. The best shrimp I have EVER eaten.Yum!

-Colonial Tramcar Restaurant-

Experiencing the city at night while eating aboard a tramcar

-Nobu-

Who doesn't love sushi? A little pricey though...

Overall, amazing city, amazing people, amazing experience.

The Last Leg

2009-08-30T05:53:00.015-04:00

The moment I've been waiting for: I was about to see the cutest little penguins on the planet! I'd been waiting in anticipation for our trip to Phillip Island. Before beginning our work for the shoot, we had one last full day travelling around with Go West Tours.

The trip began with a tour over at the Royal Botanic Gardens, in Cranbourne. I'm not sure if the other botanical gardens around the world are set up similarly, but they had the whole garden mimic the flora of all Australia according to it's location. So - in the East section, all the plants you would find in the east of Australia were there, at the north end, it mimicked Northern Australia, etc. And in the middle it was practically all desert. It was a treat to walk through, though it seemed to go by so fast. It was actually a lot smaller than I had imagined it would be, but there was a lot of construction going on, preparing for an even bigger extension of the grounds.

With a drip of water starting to fall from the sky, we jumped back on the bus, unaware of just how wet the day was going to get...

Next up, Willy Wonka's Chocolate Facto....er...the Phillip Island Chocolate Factory!!
This chocolate factory, while not quite as extravagant as the one in the movie, was on the way over to Phillip Island. Famous for having the biggest chocolate waterfall in the world, and plenty of other gadgets, Kim and I were giddy just thinking about it.

The busted pipe creating a stalagmite was too hilarious, and though I thought it was 'staged' they assured me the pipe above it was actually leaking. You could play with lots of different things to make chocolate shapes and whatnot, and there was also a HUGE block of chocolate, weighing 1 tonne! Actually a ton! A scale beside allowed you to cram as many people on as possible, in order to compare just how heavy a ton was, and our whole tour group did not even make 3/4 of it!

Another drop of rain fell as we were leaving...

Our next stop was the Koala Conservation Centre. Now, don't get me wrong, koala's are actually incredibly cute! But seeing them over and over, you start to realize: all they do is sit there! My advice: choose ONE Koala adventure when you come to Australia, unless you are extremely fond of them. I've been on 4 since being in Australia. But that wasn't the problem; as we started walking through the conservation park, it started raining. Slowly but surely it picked up. Our tour guide, being enthusiastic and chipper kept us going, while some people went back to the building (Kim included). I didn't want to leave and feel rude, but it started to REALLY POUR on us, and I had my video camera on me, so I tried to run back, only to have the storm pick up even more. Luckily, i missed the heaviest part of it, but needless to say I was soaked, and regretting not turning back with Kim.

The aftermath of the storm = DRENCHED

Soaked to the bone, the storm finally lifted, and we got back on the bus.

Driving along provided some of the most beautiful scenery we could imagine. Up on the ocean front, with cliffs leading down to the crashing waves - it reminded me much of Eastern Canada. Beautiful and memorizing.

We continued down the beautiful coastline, until we reached Seal Rocks. Breath-taking. Still dripping wet, our tour guide made us some warm tea and cookies, as we walked around looking at the amazing view.

Though I was in no rush to leave, it was finally time...to see some PENGUINS!!!

Only, this time we actually were not allowed to use cameras! No way! Yes, apparently the flash can really frighten the penguins, and even though video cameras do not have, some people have to ruin it for everybody by bringing in cameras anyway, so now there is a strict policy against any sort of photo's or video.

Of course...that wouldn't stop me normally! I brought my video camera down, hoping to capture some footage of the cute penguins coming in. Only..

Drip....drip drip...

It started to POUR AGAIN. Just our luck. And I wasn't about to get my video camera destroyed by the rain - so I had to shove it under my jacket and hug it so not to get it wet. We waited in anticipation as the sunlight gradually left the horizons surface - the penguins don't come out of the water until they think it's most safe - which is obviously under the cover of night. They come in groups of about 50, all holding hands and floating in the water, until they reach shore. Then a couple come out to see if it's safe, and run back if they aren't sure. If they feel comfortable, then they all run to shore! They were so funny.

There were literally 1000's coming, all in their little groups. They would stop right in front of us, and start chatting to each other, and just stand there. Then they would run to their little 'houses', or holes in the ground.

Here are some photo's I've found on the internet of these cute little guys!

And I found this video, which is pretty much what we saw, only 1000's more!

After suffering through enough rain, we decided to head back to the bus, since we could officially say we saw the penguins, and headed home back to our warm beds, satisfied with our magnificent tours around Melbourne, and excited to get started on the video!

The Butterfly Club

2009-08-20T06:13:00.003-04:00

One of my favourite little spots in South Melbourne was this fantastic place called the "Butterfly Club". It manages to hide itself, but it's definitely worth checking out if you like shows/music and performances.

Basically we went and saw a cabaret night there! I was not expecting what I was about to come across - but to be honest I wasn't sure what to expect. The building was hilarious and awesome in so many ways; the amount of random stuff packed into this tiny building - doll houses on the walls, old toys, books, statues - it was just a collection of anything and everything, put anywhere! We started out with some drinks while waiting for the show to start.

When we were let into the theatre, we knew it was going to be a unique experience. Seating for maybe 20 people, with a tiny stage. Intimate.

Now, one of the problems about wanting to blog and document everything, is that every now and then you're not quite sure when it's appropriate to take pictures or video. On top of that, every now and then you just want to sit back and enjoy the show. So, as a result I didn't really get many photo's of the night (I didn't want to distract the performers), but looking back I really don't think anybody would have cared. The atmosphere was so relaxed and fun, they probably would have just made a joke about it.

The performance for the night was called "The Way to Cabaret" and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. And not even because the performance was that spectacular. The performers we saw weren't the best singers, but they had really funny and entertaining acts. And the fact that there were only 15 of us in the audience, and that they interacted with us, made it even more enjoyable. So, though I have no photo's or video of this event, I've searched for some stuff on youtube - not the same performances I saw (though I did get to see the guy in the second video performing a song later on, he was great!). Part of me wants to go back to Melbourne just so I can write my own show with some friends and do it. I really wish we had something like this back home! Anyway, here is a clip i found online to give an idea (keep in mind these are just song performances, but the whole act includes dialogue and lots of comedy generally):

After the two 30 minute performances, we went just around the corner to a pub for some dinner, and got to come back to see a 'master class' that was going on later with some different singers. This was a really cool experience, but I think it only made Kim and I want to jump on the stage and sing ourselves. But it was definitely neat to see what goes into making your own cabaret - something I'd love to do some day!

So if you're in Melbourne and do like seeing shows, I really recommend this place! It really was one of my favourite nights. You can check out their website for future performances or specific dates here:

http://www.thebutterflyclub.com/

Trying some new foods!

2009-08-10T10:44:00.001-04:00

Museum Mania

2009-08-07T08:39:00.006-04:00

I have to say, I do love a good museum! I sometimes forget how much stuff can be in one place, and then you go in and you get to explore so many different little worlds. It's a wicked experience, and the museums in Melbourne were no different.

Currently going on at the National Gallery of Victoria is the Salvadore Dali: Liquid Desires display. I couldn't help but notice that it's the "National" gallery of "Victoria" which is actually a state in Australia...a little confusing, but I guess it doesn't make a difference.

The gallery was actually incredible! I do like art a lot, but I never really get the chance to indulge in it, or learn a lot about it. So walking through each room and discovering different parts of Dali's life put me at a loss for words. It's actually incredible just the sheer amount of work he has done in his life. It goes to show that people who are really talented or 'gifted' are actually spending hours and hours of their life perfecting their craft. It was almost inspiring to see how young he started and just what he had accomplished through his life. And as we walked through each room, a new era or different phase in his life was brought forth.

Now, I wasn't sure of the museum etiquette regarding pictures; I didn't see anybody else taking any, but most other museums I've been to it's basically a "No flash" policy, but you can still take photo's. Apparently not! I took a few, but felt awkward so tried to avoid it. Then, at the LAST PICTURE, which was this magnificent larger than life painting, I took a photo and BAM - got caught! I thought the lady was going to make me delete the photo, but I think she realized I legitimately had no idea I couldn't take photos. Oh well!

You can see her emerging from around the right corner, about to catch me!

By far my favourite part of the entire exhibit was getting to see Dali's collaboration with Disney! I had absolutely no idea this video existed. Kim and I arrived at the mini theatre just in time for a showing of it, and I was completely in awe! I couldn't believe that something created in in the 40's could wow me more than half of the animations I see today. It really was a site to see, and after it was over, I felt like my jaw was on the floor, and I just didn't want to get up. I wanted to see it again and again. Not only was the video fantastic, but the music was beautiful, and the story was so unique and abstract like nothing I have ever seen. It truly was art made into a motion picture. I found a version on YouTube, though I'm not sure how long it will last (I feel like due to copyright it may get taken down). In the mean time, watch it

After the museum we went to this great restaurant called Tjanabi which serves traditional Australian cuisine. As usual, we wanted to try as many new things as possible, so I ordered the Kangaroo and Wallaby dish! And while you might be wondering how I could possibly eat such cute little animals - well I just had to try it! Not to mention, they are EVERYWHERE here, so it's not like some rare endangered species! And it tasted delicious, if I do say so myself! After our main dish, our server suggested we get some smaller sized versions of some other unique animals. Ready for anything, he brought to us kangaroo and wallaby made slightly different, along with some emu and crocodile!! SWEET! In all honesty, they were all delicious (emu tasted rather like pepperoni), with crocodile tail being my favourite!

After lunch, we made our way to the Melbourne Museum, where they had another special exhibit: A Day In Pompeii. Pompeii is this city in Italy that was basically destroyed by a massive volcano eruption back in AD79. The exhibit was set up to showcase life from that time period, as well as some pretty neat collections of items from the time. Unfortunately, Kim and I weren't smart enough to call ahead and reserve a time. Because the museum is so busy, and the exhibit is so popular, they recommend that you call and let them know when you are coming. So when we showed up, we were just thrilled to find out that we would have to wait 2 hours before going in. But it all turned out for the best, after all, we were at a museum. So for the next 2 hours we wandered the rest of the museum.

After waiting the 2 hours, we finally got to go into the exhibit. The only thing was, at this point, we were both completely exhausted and managed to rush through the exhibit. As cool as it was, we both just wanted to get home and relax before the nights events. The neatest part, though, of the exhibit I thought were the body casts that they had of people who died from the eruption. It was a little eerie to see cast of people together, parents protecting their kids, people covering their faces on the ground, and animals too. It was a bit sad, but a neat piece of history.

Of course, after the mornings scare I didn't actually take any photo's in the exhibit, so you'll just have to see it yourself!

Exhausted, we made our way back to the hotel to have a bit or a rest before heading off for the night, which I think deserves it's own blog as it was one of my favourite events! Stay tuned :)

Who can say "Echidna"?

2009-07-29T22:43:00.009-04:00

Kim and I had a good laugh about this - For the longest time we could not say the word "Echidna" and whenever we would try to tell people where we were going we would just laugh and mumble through the word.

Regardless of how unsure of the word we were (and of what the animal even looked like?) we spent a nice big day tour with the Echidna Walkabout Tours. It pretty much spanned from 9:30 in the morning until 6 at night, so we knew we were in for a treat!

We started off the morning with a Koala hunt. We were told early on that we wouldn't actually see an echidna because of the time of the year, and I guess we were fine with that, haha. Instead, I've taken the liberty to look it up online - it looks like a little porcupine almost, but with a beak? You can decide for yourself:

The Koala hunt was quite the adventure, stumbling through the bush trying to come upon the cute little creatures. Unfortunately the weather wasn't really cooperating with us, so we had quite a chilly and windy day to deal with. When we finally started finding Koalas, I only felt worse for them, because they were all huddled up, looking like they were trying to keep warm (a bit like Kim and I). But they really were so cute:

We continued exploring and ended up finding 11 Koalas, which, apparently is a record for one morning of sightings!! I guess they knew we were coming. And, though 11 doesn't seem like all that much, the Koalas all segregate and live on their own, and so you never see more than one by itself.

Following the Koala hunt we drove over to this beautiful billabong where we were greeted by tons of animals, including over protective geese. They weren't quite as big as the Canadian Geese, but believe you me they had just as big an attitude problem. They flew right after us forcing us to get away, which was pretty hilarious, because surrounding us on other ends were the likes of emus and other strange birds. We all cautiously ran from one spot to the other trying to decide which was the least harmful creature (turns out it was the ducks in the water!). I never really realized what a billabong was, despite wearing the clothing label! Little did I know it's an Australian company, and I can know tell people exactly what their clothes mean - hah. The emus were pretty funny themselves too; fairly dodgy animals, that don't really trust anything. To be honest, I didn't trust them either. I'm sure they could hurt us if they really wanted to. Regardless, we stood there and took photos in their face!

And man are they fast creatures. They don't seem to be running all that fast, but when we were driving by them, they were running around 50km/h, which is pretty impressive!

Following the billabong, we went to a place called "Big Rock", which was quite literally a massive rock. Well quite a few massive rocks where the indigenous people use to meet in the thousands and survive on. They must not have had the weather we were having, because both Kim and I felt like we were going to be BLOWN OFF the top of the rock. At first, Kim wouldn't even take a picture because she legitimately thought she would blow of the edge. But after seeing that her brave, awesome brother was still alive, she came over to the edge for a photo op!

The tour provided a delicious 'bush' lunch for us, of sandwiches and fruits and veggies. We actually got to eat a passion fruit which I've never had before. I've had things 'with passion fruit' but never the actually fruit itself. It was amazing - looked a little funny, but tastes amazing! Following lunch we went on the kangaroo sighting part of the tour. We ended up in a massive field with just TONS of wild kangaroos. They were pretty edgy, so we couldn't walk in a straight line towards them or they would just run off. Instead, we had to sort of do a massive swirl around them to get closer. Eventually they would run away, but we managed to get pretty close to the pack (herd, group? Not sure what to call them). Pretty interesting how all the males would stay and try to look touch as the females took off first. Then the males would eventually run as we got even closer!

The last two pictures there are of a corps we found. I thought it was cool and worth the picture!
That pretty much wrapped up our day. We jumped back on the bus and headed back to town for a yummy dinner at a place called Cookie. One of the great things about all the restaurants here is the whole idea of buying lots of smaller things and sharing them. Cookie really promoted this and we had an awesome waitress who explained the best meals to get and share. By the end of it all, our belly's were full with great Thai food, satisfied, and we could call it another great day!

It was good. It was so good!

2009-07-27T01:51:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the brief delay in updates - was in transit without internet, then got sick for a while, but things are back on track now! Here is some more yummy video footage of our fun times!

Wine, Dine and Win

2009-07-17T19:50:00.010-04:00

If you're a fan of wine, drinking, food, wine tours, or all of the above, then I suggest if you are in Melbourne you check out the Australian Wine Tour Company. I've been on a couple wine tours before - oddly enough for my summer job. We work testing leaves from stone fruit plants, checking for a virus known as PPV. It really affects the Niagara region, so each year we bus up and visit some of the farms that have been affected while also going on a wine tour. It's always one of the highlights of the summer job. But it couldn't compare to this.

Instead of just checking out 1 winery, we actually went to 4, and instead of just getting a few samples, it was literally an "all you can sample" kind of day. Now I'm no wine connoisseur, so perhaps that is the way it ought to be - well that IS the way it ought to be, right? - but for me it was like being a kid again on Christmas morning. Apparently a few others really took the all you can sample to heart as well.

The day started off quiet on our bus ride out of town; however things changed, slowly but surely, as each winery passed. I suppose naturally the more time you spend with people the more comfortable you become, but I'm sure the wine had something to do with it. Each winery had it's own vibe and flavour, but all of them had spectacular scenery. It was one of those moments where you take a picture and realize that a photo or video can never do justice to whats sitting in front of you. The endless fields, vines slowly climbing the fences, followed by mountains in the distance and then clear skies. It was really something.

and yet I still post the pictures...

Our tour guide was really quite hilarious and outgoing (as tour guides should be). And the group we were with ended up being quite a hoot - people from all around Australia, and some from just about as far as us (the UK, Germany). At our last stop, Chandon, we had the choice to try a red sparkling wine (red champagne) which I decided to go for. It looked so pretty and bubbly. Unfortunately, I wasn't the biggest fan of it. I'm not sure what it was about the wine, but I just didn't like it and actually couldn't finish it which was a shock.

The ride home was interesting to say the least - almost in every way opposite of the quiet ride there. One thing I find sad about doing all these fun trips is that every now and then you meet some really fun people, and by the time you finally feel like you know them and you want to sit down and chat with them, it's time to go! But, I guess in those moments you can just enjoy things as they are at that time and just be happy that you got to meet such amazing people.

Following the days events was something that I never could have seen coming.
I was about the have the most fun, at an event which would become my new love ...

AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL

Otherwise known as "Footy"

Now, I'm not a huge sports guru, but I think I may have just come across a sport so great, that I can't stop thinking about it. I'm actually genuinely SAD that this sport isn't played in North America (or anywhere else?). I don't exactly know how to describe it - I'm actually quite astonished that it hasn't picked up anywhere else. We were told one of the biggest issues is the field size is so large, if it were to come around the world, fields would have to be built just for the game. But it would be SO WORTH IT!!!

There are no words that can describe how into the game the crowd was - how they all rumbled the whole stadium with their cheers at precisely the same time (if I had a stop watch, it might have been every 4.2 seconds).

We started by meeting with Melbourne Sports Tours Anthony who sat us down and ran through the rules of the game. It didn't seem too confusing at first - well the basics. Basically, like many other games, you try to get the ball to the other end and kick it between the posts (different areas gaining you either 6 points or 1 point). It seemed easy enough until we got to the game.

As we walked into the massive 55,000 seat stadium, Anthony brought us to the front row, about 1.5 meter away from the Bulldogs team! Holy-Crap! Thank God Anthony was there, because we could ask him question upon question. After about the first quarter, I think I had understood most of what was going on.

If there is any way to describe it, perhaps it's like a version of Quidditch from Harry Potter, only minus the brooms, flying and magic. Suffice to say, it's just AMAZING. If there is one thing I recommend you do in Australia, it's go see a Footy game! The intensity of the game, mixed with the passion of the crowd created such a vibrant experience. Not to mention the food - classic meat pies!

Now, we could have been lucky with this game. The Magpie's started off with a huge 60 point or so lead until about the last quarter when the Bulldogs came back. Slowly creeping back, the crowd became more and more riled up with every point the bulldogs came closer and closer. 100-60.....100-80.....106-100....the score got so close, that every single play was perhaps the most adrenaline filled play I have ever witnessed. In the end, the score was 111 Magpies to 110 Bulldogs. Talk about CLOSE. And in classic Australian style, all the Magpie fans have a song they sing when they win (as do all the other teams), so the whole stadium burst into that song.

After a long day, I knew I had found something I'd remember forever. If ever there is a reason for me to come back to Australia, this might just be the top of the list.

Hello Melbourne!

2009-07-16T03:22:00.004-04:00

Our first day in Melbourne -

Planes, Lanes and Arcades

2009-07-15T00:08:00.006-04:00

Tons to catch up on!

Our trip has been amazing so far - lots of things to do and see, the past couple of days have been pretty exceptional!

We tried exploring the city a bit, with some success. But I'm really glad we came across a tour called the "Hidden Secrets Lanes and Arcades Tour". Basically here in Melbourne, if you see a sketchy alley way - CHECK IT OUT! Okay, that may not be the best advice, but there are so many lane ways here that when you take the time to explore them, they have tons of
stores/shops and restaurants - it's pretty incredible. It's like the innards of the city have a life of their own, completely separate from the surface view. I sometimes wonder if tourist really manage to get the full experience of Melbourne without this tour, or manage to meander into these places. I'm not entirely sure how much of it we would have found on our own.

We came across some pretty great street art, as well as what might be considered the worlds smallest cafe! It literally sat like 4 people, as you can see in the pictures below. The counter where you would order was on the left, and a couple seats were on the right. Cool stuff.

One of my favourite store ideas was called Design a Space. It was basically a place where artist/fashion designers could test out their clothes to see how they would sell. So the store was set up into a bunch of miniature sections where each artists clothing was. I'm not much of a shopper, but I did see some cool stuff - a little pricey though! Another cool one was the Retro Star which I didn't get any photo's of. The name describes it, but it had some really awesome clothes from all different time periods. Some really funky outfits, and a couple ridiculous things too (think: Anne of Green Gables. Amazing)!

We really got a chance to see around and inside the city with this tour which was a nice complement to the bike tour. I really think Melbourne is quite beautiful. One thing I've notice though is that every now and then it feels like it's lacking people - on the streets that is. Maybe it's just in my head. To the contrary, every time we go in a restaurant it's packed, so I guess that's where everybody is. After all there is some pretty great food here.

We ended our day at Young and Jackson where I got my first try of Victorian Beer (Yum). It was a local wheat beer, which I'd never tried before. Different, but yummy! I'm looking forward to trying all the different drinks and food - if there is one thing I know about myself, it's that I LOVE FOOD!!

Slowly but surely, ideas are coming together for the video!

Day 1 in Melbourne!

2009-07-11T03:26:00.009-04:00

After our amazing 16 hour flight with Qantas in business class (you heard right - talk about luxury) we arrived in Melbourne on Wednesday morning at 9am. I'd be lying if I said we slept the whole way on the plane; the entertainment system had me going all night! Movies, games and tv shows galore, I was actually sad it ended! We were thankful to be greeted by Gold Class Limousine service to take us to our hotel -- the Travelodge Southbank. We had about 20 minutes to get showered, dressed, and out the door to meet Mike Hermann for our first tour!

Stop #1: Bonza Bike Tours

We embarked on the 4-hour bike tour around Melbourne which showed us some of Melbourne's outdoor attractions. Mike Hermann was our tour guide, and he's also the founder of Bonza Bike Tours. We biked past the spectacular Melbourne Waterfront, the Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex, the Docklands, Brunswick Street, Queen Victoria Markets, and a few of Melbournes most beautiful cathedrals.

So amazing!

We are quickly realizing that Melbourne is posh, sophisticated, and clean -- and it has a natural beauty that makes us Torontonians feel at home!

Stop #2: Eureka Skydeck

We went to the top of the highest public vantage point in the Southern Hemisphere!! From the 88th story we could see ALL of Melbourne! The view from the 88th story was incredible, and reminded us quite a lot of the CN Tower experience in Toronto.

Aside from gazing across the city, Eureka Skydeck offers a terrifying ride for anyone willing to "test their fear of heights." This ride is called "The Edge" -- a huge glass cube that extends from the building... while we're in it!! How frightening! Here we are in the picture trying to be brave with our guide Stina. Do we look scared?

Stop #3: Dinner at Colonial Tramcar Restaurant

Picture this: Eating the most amazing meal, including appetizers, wine, entrees and delicious desserts, all aboard a historic tramcar!! Did we mention wine? The waiters never seem to forget to top off your glass! The cars are decorated to make you feel like you're in 1927, and the scenery of Melbourne's nightlife passed by as we enjoyed our meals.

What a great day!

Stay tuned for more adventures: Next up -"Hidden Secrets Tour!"

L.A. L.A. Land

2009-07-10T18:28:00.006-04:00

A quick video from our layover in L.A. where Leigh and Kate showed us the city.
Stay tuned for more of the 'real stuff'!

The trip of a life time begins now

2009-07-09T01:24:00.000-04:00

So, for those of you who don't know, a little while back after I released my "Best Job Sequel" video, Tourism Victoria (the state below Queensland) got in contact with me and basically said "If you want to come to Australia so badly, why don't you come and do something for us?"

Seriously??

At first I couldn't believe it, but as the months progressed, we began thinking of ideas for a video to promote Melbourne, Australia. Little did I know that almost exactly 2 months later I would actually be in Melbourne with my sister, sitting down to write a blog about my adventures on what I have deemed one of the most Amazing itineraries, and the creation of another video.

So here I am.

Now where do I begin? The trip began at around 3am on July 6th - the last time I would hear my ridiculously annoying cellphone alarm clock for a while. After a whole lot of packing, and getting only 2 hours of sleep, I was quite literally running on only adrenaline. While my sister will only be here for the 2 weeks, I'm flying up to Townsville for an exchange following the work down here, so I had to pack for almost half a year!

Our early morning flight from Toronto lead us into Houston, followed by a flight into LA. Sweet and short flights, but a dreaded layover from 2:30pm until 11:30 pm in LA. Luckily, Leigh, who works for Tourism Victoria and who helped put together this entire trip, is based in LA. He and Kate, another associate of Tourism Victoria picked us up, and took us around LA for the day!

Talk about taking care of your guests! They took us all around LA - to Venice beach where we went on some carnival rides, the Kodiak Theatre, around eating fantastic food and all the must-see spots of LA (well, as many as we could fit into the time period). We managed to see the Hollywood sign as well as the Hollywood Stars, where there was a plethora of tributes and flowers on Michael Jackson's star.

By the end of the day, we were completely exhausted, which was perfect for our upcoming 16 hour flight. Onward to Australia!!

A long time coming

2009-07-02T22:37:00.000-04:00

Well, I've been on hiatus for a little while - life has been so busy, but there is a lot to start updating on! I have some exciting news about a new video coming up. I'll be heading down into Melbourne in the next couple days to start a new project (Could it be another musical?), followed by some travel and an exchange in Australia, so keep checking back for new updates regarding that. But in the mean time, I'm long over due to post some pics from "The making of the sequel" soon to be followed by some video footage of the day which I finally converted so I can edit.

---

The day started off bright an early, with a cast call for 9:30am (believe me, I was up way before this with nerves and excitement beyond belief). Slowly but surely everybody started showing up, and as they came they were placed into a section of the musical.

Thank God for the weather. After having suffered a treaturous rainy morning the day before and having to cancel, I was entirely concerned that the video may not actually have a chance to be filmed. My other concern was that, since the day was changed with only 24 hours notice, a significan number of people wouldn't be able to make it. While people still filed in slowly, we worked out our little "Dance routine" on the porch along with the camera movements, anxious to see who would be able to show up.

With my phone ringing off the hook -- "I'm lost and can't find your house" -- "I think I'm near your place, can you guide me there?" -- "We're just on our way, don't start without us" -- it became increasingly difficult to coordinate the people who were there, with the people who weren't.

Luckily, I had some amazing friends who helped me coordinate all the new folks who were filing in, teaching them each segment of the dance/movement while I moved onto other people. Still, I couldn't help thinking that we needed more people to fill out the picture. I crossed my fingers for more, and then, my prayers were answered...

Around the bend came almost 50 St. Michael's students, to the rescue! I had got in contact with the amazing school a few days earlier to see if they wanted to send some kids over for the video, since they had enjoyed the first video so much. They answered my request with kids upon kids who were all excited and enthused to help out. With about 100 people now at my parents house (which they really loved, I'm sure), it was time to make sure everybody knew the words. We ran through the ending of the song, words and movement over and over until we felt comfortable.

With some news reporters documenting the event, and now a full cast, we were ready to start filming. Everybody was set into their position, and held their breath for the first take.

So, the first take wasn't PERFECT, haha, but from that we just made it better and better. We did 6 takes, and called it a day! I ended up using the 5th, which just goes to show how amazingly talented everybody was, and how quick they were to help put it all together. Of course, after the video, everybody wanted a sneak peak

Then, for all who could still make use of the beautiful weather, we went for ice-cream and hung out around the boat house in Guelph. All in all it was a good days work, and a fantastic experience. Thanks to EVERYBODY who had a hand in making this video possible, and helping it to receive so much attention. I had such an amazing time making it and seeing it all come together. This certainly won't be the last mini-musical I have a hand in making :)

Deep

2009-05-13T12:35:00.000-04:00

So last week we filmed a mini web series at the studio (Deep 5H1T). It took a lot longer than expected to build the set and get through the shoots, but alas, we finally did it.

Once we got all set up, I had the pleasure of sitting in the make-up chair, for what feels like ages, getting nice cold-wet-sticky makeup on my face and a big rubber head piece. Sure, it sounds icky but it was actually so fun

Some of the ships crew!

It was a fun little project, though I must admit that head piece gave me the biggest headaches ever, and the whole claustrophobia issue didn't help anything. But all in all, after all was said and done, I got to be a ridiculous alien for a week which was pretty sweet. An Alien that gets to eat a lot of ice-cream no less...mmm....

Stay tuned for footage from the show.
And I promise, behind the scenes footage from both "Best Job" videos will come soon.

It's Here! Best Job Sequel

2009-05-02T03:38:00.000-04:00

So, I've alluded to it for long enough now. Over the past week I decided to write and direct another 'mini-musical' ala the Best Job in the World. Since I didn't make the top 16, it was a way for me to thank all my supporters/voters and a thank you to Tourism Queensland for the wonderful experience! Not to mention it was a heck of a lot of fun!

I want to wish the best of luck to the competitors who are currently in Australia duking it out for the position of Island Caretaker! It should be an interesting battle, and I'm excited to see the outcome (and then go and visit them on the islands).

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the video!

Sneak peak

2009-04-30T22:05:00.000-04:00

So, I've had something rumbling in the works over the past little while - can you guess what it is? Here's a little preview that might peak your interest!

It's coming soon...

Filming, filming and more filming

2009-04-27T20:36:00.001-04:00

So, I'm currently in the studio wearing the most ridiculous costume and alien headgear for Deep 5H1T. We're waiting for the set, which is a spaceship that we built from scratch in the green screen room, to be finished and then we can begin shooting.

To be honest, I'm trying to use this blog post as a therapy session, as the mask/head piece I have on is making me feel claustrophobic! Hopefully we'll get rolling soon. I have a bunch of pictures I'll upload soon of the progress and the shoots and stuff.

In other news....there is something big in the making...something that is going down tomorrow and you will see very soon...something that will (hopefully) knock your socks off. (Dun dun dunnnn!!)

Could it be a...? No!!!

Stay tuned...

The Making Of

2009-04-20T18:10:00.000-04:00

This is a long one!

The process of making the video for 'The Best Job In The World' was so spontaneous it's hard to believe it all came together so well! I've had many people ask me how exactly it was made, so, here's the gist - I hope to upload some of the cuts as well (takes with mistakes that didn't make it), so stay tuned!

It all started out with my friend Jess, who sent me the nicest most fantastic email one day telling me about 'the job' and saying how I'd be perfect for it and I just HAD to apply. She left me with a link which I checked out, but to be quite honest, part of me thought it was some sort of hoax. After seeing how many people were applying every day though, and hearing about it all over the news eventually, the wheels in my head started turning! Basically I said to myself "What is the most ridiculous thing that will catch their attention?" - the answer was obvious - a spontaneous street musical! I knew with the 1000's of people applying every day, it had to be different and catch their attention from the first couple of seconds.

There were certain criteria that were more important than others that I would need to include into the video, and so I started working on some of the things I would want to say, and plunking out little jingles on the piano for a couple of days. Nothing really fantastic was coming to me, and I wasn't totally convinced I was going to follow through with the idea, until the idea came to me. It's funny, I actually have a bunch of "samples" recorded on my phone of what my song ideas were and how they evolved into the final product. Some are completely embarrassing because they are just me humming some tune - whenever I would think of a musical idea I wouldn't want to forget it so I'd record myself singing it on my phone, or if I had a piano nearby I'd record that. On a couple occasions I was in the library studying - well, obviously NOT studying - when an idea for the song came into my head. I had to run into the stairwell and start humming the tune into my phone. Of course, some girl walked by and thought I was crazzzzy...but it's the price you pay for trying to remember ideas!!

Eventually the song came out of my fingertips and I knew I had got it. From that point on, it was a matter of getting people together to start recording the music and the vocals. I let it be for a while, as I had school and a bunch of other things going on which I needed to attend to, but then I started to realize that my upcoming schedule was going to leave NO ROOM to do the video if I didn't act fast.

It was the first week of February, so technically I had a lot of time to submit the video (which was due mid-Feb). But the problem hit me in the face so last minute I never saw it coming: the second week of February I had 4 midterms and an assignment due, which would render me useless in terms of being able to film it. And the following week was reading week, so everybody was going to be heading home for the week, back to their own cities - All of my 'musical friends' which I intended on using would be gone and there would be nobody to be IN the video, or record the vocals. So I started to panic! I knew I wanted to do the video so badly, but if I was going to do it, it was going to have to be NOW!

UGGGGH!!

So, on Wednesday night after my "Fame" rehearsal, I begged as many of my friends as I could to come and help record the vocals (the night before I had gone in to record the piano). Thank God for so many of them wanting to help. We all headed to the Studio and had a fun time making up some harmonies and trying some different things until we had the song finished. After the song was done, I spent the next couple days trying to arrange my schedule for the week after to see where I could fit in a video recording one morning or afternoon. Just when I thought I had it worked out, another slap in the face: Nick, the best steady-cam guy we have at the studio (who was going to be instrumental in the video) was LEAVING after Saturday.

CRAAAAP!!

So, Saturday became the only day we could shoot the video. On Friday night I sent out a big facebook invite to all of my friends in the musical, some members from the studio, and other friends, begging and pleading for them to come. I posted the song so they could "learn it" and crossed my fingers that somebody would show up on a Saturday morning (these are a bunch of university students after a Friday night...it wasn't looking so good for me).

Saturday morning rolled around and I gathered together a bunch of props, like the scuba gear to add in wherever it might fit, and heading downtown where I asked everybody to meet. Not having any clue how many people were going to show up, I got downtown and saw a couple people. "PHEW! At least a couple showed up, and I won't be alone in the video". As we waited a bit longer, and blasted the song for everybody to learn (and everybody downtown to hear apparently), more and more people started showing up - I couldn't believe it was coming together! Eventually, around 25 were there, and so we decided to start filming.

I had in mind where downtown I wanted to shoot it, but one problem arose: how do you film on a busy downtown street with people always walking down it? Luckily, the busy-ness would go in streaks, and we were a big enough group that I think we intimidated a lot of the pedestrians walking (Sorry to all of you who were scared by us!). Since I wasn't sure how many would show up, we choreographed on the spot and had a few trial runs to figure out where to position everybody to make sense with the song. Eventually we got into the groove of it, and everybody was adding their own flares - it was finally coming together!

Of course, i screwed up a bunch of times on the talking part - I had to mouth the talking to match with the recording version, which is surprisingly difficult!! After about 10 takes or so, we were golden, and everybody had a big cheer and the whole group watched the video on the small camera screen outside. From that point on, it was a matter of me dubbing over the music, and submitting it (which took 2 days!!), and waiting...

A couple days of throwing things together, and we came out with an amazing video, and had and amazing time making it!

Deep 5H1T

2009-04-14T17:58:00.000-04:00

Lots of updates and projects coming from the studio lately, one of which will involved yours truly! Keep an eye out for our 'live-action-sci-fi-spoof' - Deep 5H1T. Here is a little promo teaser pic of what is to come:

Shooting will start in a couple weeks, so make sure you keep an eye out for updates. It may or may not be entirely ridiculous, and I may or may not be out of this world (haha...get it...right...). I'm heading in this weekend (once exams are all done) to do some fun stuff and will hopefully have some things to report back about. Stay tuned...

My life in 500 words... (well 497)

2009-04-10T00:48:00.000-04:00

So, many of the top 50 from the "Best Job in the World" gig have been posting their 500 word short stories that we had to submit for the job (which you can check out over at http://islandreefjob.ning.com/). I thought I'd throw mine out there too. Nothing too fancy here, but I did what I could! I threw in some pictures to make it a little more interesting. Enjoy!

My Life in 500 words
By: Mitchell Moffit

So – Who am I?

Spending most of my childhood in Guelph, Ontario, I grew up a small city boy, but with hopes and dreams as big as they come. I’ve always been fascinated with the little things in life; the ways to bring a smile to somebody’s face, or the way the stars shimmer in the sky. On a much more personal level, I have always been awed by the world around me, and have been compelled to experience life through every facet it has to offer.

From a young age I was always very involved. Whether it was racing to a soccer, basketball or hockey game, or playing at a piano concert or musical show, I have always kept my parents busy – of course, having three other siblings could only have made it more fun for them! At the age of 11 I was cast in the professional musical production of “Oliver!” in Toronto at the Princess of Wales Theatre as the lead role, Oliver. This began a chain of events that would result in my love for performing.

However, this love would leave me at a cross roads when it came time to venture to university. My passion for science, love for theatre, fervour for film production, and enthusiasm for traveling left me unsure of where my life was headed. After receiving the President’s Scholarship at the University of Guelph –given to 12 individuals across the country – I decided that I would pursue academia in biological science, while still satisfying my creative needs through other means.

I became a certified Yamaha piano instructor and taught a wide range of ages, while also composing and performing piano and vocal shows for fun, with different groups/bands. I also began working at a film studio, ‘Synn Studios’ as an editor and visual FX artist among other things. Alongside working in labs and clinics, it has been an interesting balancing act to fit in all of the things I love. To spice it up further, I absolutely love traveling and jump at any opportunity to explore more of our beautiful planet. I truly believe there is so much one can learn from experiencing different cultures and environments. I have managed to volunteer and explore in countries such as Thailand (working at an Elephant Nature park), Costa Rica, and Estonia to name a few.

In the end, the most important thing to me in life is just being happy, and sharing that happiness with family and friends. Our time on this planet is too short to ever feel anger or hate, and instead we should learn to find the beauty in everything around us. For this reason, I would love to bring my friend Jess (who told me about the job) to the island with me: the most hilarious and enthusiastic girl I know – though, I have hundreds of friends who have already promised to visit, and I would love to fly my whole family out to visit as well.

Busy Busy Busy!!

2009-04-07T08:51:00.000-04:00

I have had a lot of people asking about the process of making the video, and for any sorts of trinkets I can share about it. I promise it will come soon! Not to mention some other bits of quite exciting news :)

-Currently cramming my brain with digestive mammalian physiology (UGH!).

The Final Moments

2009-04-03T00:08:00.000-04:00

As I lay here in my final moments of the "Best Job" phase, completely exhausted (actually, almost delusional), staring at my research paper on 'stearidonic acid' and ready to collapse- I can't help but think about what a great experience this whole thing was!

The exposure, the support, the love - it's all been so amazing, and I can't thank everybody enough. I won't forget it in a hurry! I want to congratulate my fellow Canadians on doing our country proud, and send all my best wishes to Erik on his journey to Australia. And congrats to the other 15 applicants who made it as well!

So - am I sad? A little. But all I have to do is watch this video and I immediately start laughing hysterically (I swear it's not just because I'm so sleep deprived).

The unveiling!

2009-04-02T23:03:00.000-04:00

Well, as the "Best Job In The World" chapter of my life comes to an end, I thought I'd start up a new one - blogging! I'm so appreciative of all the fans and friends I've made through this experience, and wouldn't have made it to where I did without the help and support of so many people!

So - what's next? Stick around and find out!