Why I Blog

When I first started blogging, my only reason for starting to blog was simply for and assignment for English class. My teacher decided to try out something new by getting the students in the class to start blogs about their “passion”. We have to write at least 4 times a week and post it on our profile. I was really confused about why he was giving this assignment and what significance it had, but yet, I knew I had to do it since it was contributing to part of my mark.
To be honest, at first it seemed weird to me that I was going to write stuff about myself on the internet for everyone to see, but now I don’t feel like it’s a very big deal. After I wrote my first blog, I realized that I actually enjoy blogging. I enjoy writing blogs because it feels so liberating, I can write about anything I want and in any way I want! I don’t have to worry about proper form and all that. I never really thought of myself as a writer but blogging makes it really easy to write, I guess because I choose the topic.
It feels good to talk about something I love to do, and knowing that someone (even if it’s only my teacher) will be listening to what I have to say, the only thing I’m actually worried about is if I will have enough to talk about for all the posts that we have to make in the next 4 months.

Simple Plan's "Perfect" vs. Hedley's "Trip"

In the music industry, it is no a rare occurrence when two songs sound similar. An example of this can be seen through the song “Perfect” by Simple Plan and “Trip” by Hedley, where both songs start with a similar guitar riff. Perfect was recorded by Simple Plan in 2001 and released in 2003. This punk song uses guitar drums and bass and deals with the topic of the insecurities of teenagers. The lead singer puts himself in the position of a teenager, desperate for the approval of his father. He talks about how he worked so hard to make him proud but still never lived up to his expectations (“And now I try hard to make it, I just want to make you proud, I'm never gonna be good enough for you”). Throughout the music video, teenagers are shown sitting alone in their rooms, visibly upset. This adds to the concept of teenagers being insecure as they have no one to talk to, not even their parents. The song shows that we all deal with issues with our parents but it’s important to remember that no one in perfect.
Trip was recorded and released by Hedley in 2005, two years after the release of Perfect. Even though these two songs have a very similar beginning, the two songs are about two very different subjects. Using guitar, drums and bass in the song, Trip follows the story of the lead singer’s relationship with a woman. The lyrics show that he’s in love with this woman, but yet he is struggling to stay in the relationship. In the music video, he is seen cheating on her, he realizes his mistake but feels he cannot be with her because he can’t get over what he’s done to her (“No matter how hard I tried to wash my hands, I could never get 'em clean”). He is being tortured because he loves the woman so much but can no longer be with her (“And the hardest part is knowing that I'll never follow through”). The song shows the importance of staying faithful to the person you love, because if you hurt that person, you might not have them anymore.

Under the Bridge: Red Hot Chili Peppers vs. Gym Class Heroes

When a band plays a song written by another band, it is common that the cover will not sound like the original. This may occur because the band my try to change the song and “make it their own”, meaning that they will change it to fit their style of music. These changes in the song can even therefore changing the message and feeling of the song. An example of this can be seen through the comparison of the song “Under the Bridge” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the cover version by Gym Class Heroes.
The song “Under the Bridge” has a very different tone when compared to that of other songs by Red Hot Chili Peppers as it is a slow song and seems to be very emotional and sad. It is written by the lead singer about a time in his own life. It is obvious that this song is about a time when he was feeling lonely. He is feeling very sad and remembering all the mistakes he has made, and how it felt when he was alone and no one was there to comfort him. He says that he tried to find comfort in the city he lived in, but yet he was still alone (“It’s hard to believe that there’s nobody out there its hard to believe that I’m all alone”). It also seems like he is looking for an escape, trying to run away from who he is and change (“I don’t ever want to feel, like I did that day, take me to the place I love, take me all the way”). Listening to the song gives me a feeling of sadness, because of the struggles that he went through. It seems to me as though he realized his mistakes too late and therefore lost out on a lot of things.
The cover of the song by Gym Class Heroes differs from the original in the tone of the song. I think that the way the band has changed the song has given it more of a happier feel. The drums, bass and guitar are more sped up from the original song and the singer in the song sings and raps. In my opinion, the song sounds as if it has a similar meaning to the original, about loneliness. However, when I listen to this song, I get a feeling of happiness because while the lyrics are dark and sad, they are sung in a happy and upbeat tone; to me, it seems as though the person is happy and is only remembering his lonely past. He regrets the mistakes he made but has now overcome them, and is fearful of going back to the way his life was (“I don’t ever want to feel, like I did that day”). He has broken free of his old ways, so that he can live his life. He desires to be happy and is relieved that that part of his life is over. The band adds lyrics at the rapping part of the song saying “from the four track tapes to over 10 million sold”, this shows that the person has changed, in that they have become successful. At the end of the song, more lyrics are added when the phrase “the bridge is over” is repeated, I think that the bridge is a symbol of the old life of the person, and that it is now over.

How my passion started

It’s hard to say exactly when I developed my passion for film production. Since I was younger I have always wanted to take pictures and videos. When it came time for family a get together I always wanted to hold the camera, I guess it was also my excuse for when I didn’t want to be in pictures. But even at regular events like going to my brother’s soccer game (which I had to every week) to special events like family vacations, I was ready and willing to be behind the camera. I’m not sure why I loved it so much though, what was I doing that fascinated me so much? I guess that answer started forming when I went to Italy in grade 3.

Obviously the place is filled with a lot of beautiful scenery and I was simply in awe of the place. I wanted to capture it all, so that I could remember it even when I left, and I did just that, taking pictures of such amazing sights such as the coliseum. Yeah I was a kid, and I knew nothing about photography at the time, but I actually took some good pictures, and it was truly an amazing experience.

Going to my brother’s soccer game also provided me with experience in video. Watching soccer all day eventually got boring, and I wanted to do something else! My dad was always videotaping his games and it seemed that videotaping the soccer game was pretty much my only option for an activity, and so I started to film. At first I think my skills were pretty poor, I often missed the shot because I got distracted easily (I guess that’s because I was still a child). Another thing I always did was fool around with the effects on the camera, such as changing it to black and white, or sepia, I thought it was so cool. I also like to play with the fade in and fade out button, to make it look more “professional” (although at first, I was fading in and out from every shot). As time went on and I kept filming my brother’s games, I got better, and I started to plan out the way I would film and how I would end the footage of his game. I was loving every minute of it, and that’s how it all started.