Well, I’ve been trying to write this all week. Haven’t really had time but sneaking in a few lines in between rest spots.

This week seems as good as ever to take some time out and just reflect on all the people in my life who have made it what it is today.

I have long believed that it takes a community to build a person. It isn’t just the parents who teach children but all of those around them.

I seem to think that I am truly a product of a broad influence of people and today while many would rather reserve it for themselves I want to reach out and acknowledge those who have brought me this far.

This day, I don’t want to be about me but about my friends and family.

They are the ones who shaped me, molded me and led me down the path in life I must now continue on mostly on my own.

I want to say thanks to each and every one of you. No matter how little we interact or how often we interact, no matter how frequent or infrequent our communication. Thank you all for being a part of my life and I am glad you are!

Well, today would be the start of the Civic Holiday here in Ontario. This holiday occurs on the first Monday of every August. I don’t know how I usually spend this weekend but this year I am with a group of friends diving in Kingston Ontario.

This entire week has been a bit of an anxiety rush as the last time I took on dives with the challenges that I would face this weekend it almost didn’t end very well. However, one of the things I’ve learned whether it be diving or driving or even just day to day activities if something knocks you down you can’t hide from it all your life you have to pickup and get back in the game. Taking this thought I decided that the only way I was going to find out if everything was ever going to be okay again was to challenge myself and take on the dives.

So hear I found myself standing on Pat’s dive boat being whisked across Lake Ontario on a Saturday afternoon with the sun high in the sky and the wind blowing across the open hull section filled with our gear. It truly is a beautiful day out today.

After a short we are at our first dive site, a wreck called the Munson. The Munson was an old dredger that was used to maintain the water ways in and around Kingston. One day while being towed to a job site (It had no engines) it was noted to be listing to one side and the tow line was cut to save the tug. Today, she sits on the bottom of Lake Ontario upright at about 110Ft. at the deepest point.

This dive took me to 108Ft, with a water temp of 58 Degrees F and visibility of Good. (Almost 30-40ft.) In my one piece 5mm wetsuit the dive was comfortable. My buddy and I went down the line and at about 75ft.-80ft. I noticed a slight issue, I made the decision to level off for a few minutes to see if I could resolve the difficulties. After a few minutes I was good to go and proceeded with the dive. Our profile took us around the external of the wreck and between the 2 decks. An Alarm from my dive buddies computer triggered the end of the dive and we returned to surface after 4 mins at our safety stop.

After a short hop across the lake we arrived at dive number 2 for the day, The Wolfe Islander II. The Wolfe Islander was a passenger ferry that went between Kingston and Wolfe Island. When the ferry was retired it was sunk intentionally and now sits in a protected area where the waves are quieter and the current is not as strong. Being a shallower wreck this ship is now home to several fishes!

We drop down the stern bouy line and entered the wreck into the engine room, proceeding out through the car deck entry. After several laps around the wreck and playing with several props on the deck we returned to the surface after a great dive to 60ft with a water temp in the high 50s the dive was comfortable. The Wolfe is always a great dive on a wreck with hundreds of fishes and many cool things for divers to poke and look at.

Today was an awesome day out. I opted not to use my drysuit and instead used my 5mm wetsuit on all dives.

Going to grab some sleep and head out tomorrow for more adventures!

So for those who notice the site content for some posts seem incomplete. This is in fact the case and not a trick being played on you.

Recent challenges with the site forced me to make some changes which “broke” some of the content. When I have a chance I’ll try and fix this but for now it will unfortunately have to remain broken.

Well, I have no idea how often I’ll have a blog post titled “New Chapter” but, it seems appropriate today. A lot has been happening over the last few months and I think I’m finally starting to adjust but I can’t say for sure. Maybe I’ll be able to determine that at the end of the week.

For the past few months blogging has been the last thing on my mind. I just finished wrapping up my under grad and started working. Between adjusting to life outside of school and a new office with new people I feel as if I’ve been tossed into a worm drive and told to hang on!

Anyway, as I sit here on the train ride in this morning I can’t help but think about how lucky I’ve become. I don’t mean to rub that in anyone’s face but what I mean to do is say that I’m grateful.

In my cramped, over heated and over crowded train car, I know that no one in this car is thinking or feeling the same way I am this morning. However I’m one of the few this year that will stream out of University and into a job. I have no idea how or why it happened to me, but here I am joining the flow of daily commuters into Union Station. I don’t care about how miserable the ride is this morning all I can think about are the people who got me here, the people who stand beside me every day and the people in my life that support me.

I know I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for all the people who influenced my life. Most importantly I wouldn’t be here without the help of my family. I’ve come a long way and I know I never give them enough credit or can give them enough credit.

Earlier last week there was a lot of thoughts and discussions about strip clubs and various reasons for going to or not going to them.

I’m a pretty average guy, or at least I thought so. I’m a single young adult male who like many other his age have interests in relationships. Recently a group of friends of mine decided it would be fun to get out to a strip club. I quickly declined the offer and decided to let my friends have their fun. Truth is, I was never fond of the idea to go to strip clubs. I’m just not comfortable with the places.

So I’m now curious and thought I’d open this up to the world….

Why are some men drawn to strip clubs? What is the benefit?

What about women? Why do they go? What is the benefit?

Earlier this morning I did something a little unorthodox. I’ve downloaded several applcations from Blackberry App World.

Despite being one of those people who likes to spread life or sections of life around the internet for the world in some ways to mock him, I’ve never thought to see what apps are available in App World to help me achieve this. I guess I’ve always been a fan of creating my own apps when I’ve had the time. To be quite honest as well, after bashing Apple the other day I think its time I started seeing what it is like to be a normal consumer I tend to be a bit different in terms of how I use my equipment and resources.

I can’t say that I am a huge fan of social networking but my usage would send a different message. As many of my friends know Tweets have been something I’ve been neglecting while working a lot on Facebook. The same could very well be said about my blog. Its been neglected.

In an effort to change all of this I’ve elected to test drive applications for my Blackberry that attempt to tie my Blog, Twitter and Facebook accounts together. My Blackberry appears to be an ever present constant in my life as I zoom through emails and web browsing all day.

This is the first time I will have attempted to blog from my Blackberry but I am hoping it won’t be the last. I will try to deliver feedback on all the applications I have downloaded.

There are no secrets here. My blog isn’t designed to be the most secure nor secretive thing in the world. I know a ton of friends have just started firing up tools to remind me that it should be but they are on their own for now. Sorry guys.

Alright… Let’s see how this works! If you can read this, it means I already have a reason to keep this app.

Before I start I want to make it clear, I am NOT an Apple Customer. I haven’t been for many years and for many reasons but of late this has been poking at me….

For the last few months I’ve been wondering what the deal is with Apple. All the restrictions on what I can and cannot do with their products. I almost feel like there should be a pre-interview, an exam and then certified to be an “Apple Customer”.

It seems like there is a new restriction every couple of months or so about what we can and cannot do with Apple’s products. So, my interpretation from what Apple has done and said is effectively: “Here is a cool toy! You can buy it, own it but we tell you what you can use it for. If you want to use if for anything else and we are going to have some issues.”

The App Store which as I understand exists for people to be able to find useful and beneficial software for their iPods and iPhones and whatever other iWhatNot you can get now. I understand the App Store has restrictions and regulations on what applications can go into the store.

Using that iPad thing as an example:

Cool? YES! Can I run my own apps on it? Yes! Do I need the App Store? Hmm…YUP or at least as far I can tell. If someone knows otherwise please do educate me.

In any case I’ve been working with people who have been using Slate PC for years. A Slate PC is essentially the PC equivalent to the iPad. My Slate PCs run Windows or Linux, I can write whatever applications I want and load them on the device just as if it were a Desktop or a laptop. No need for special stores or the creater of the product to “approve” my application. Essentially I can do whatever I want to my Slate PC. I can install all the Apps I need from here till the drive fills up. So what makes an iPad so special, so different that I have to get all my Apps pre-approved? What makes Apple products so different in general? I don’t need approval for my Blackberry Apps to work.

Whats next Apple?
Apple Medications: Your health matters but, only if we say so!
Apple Sponges: For use only with pre-approved Apple Liquids!

My thoughts are if someone purchases a technology be it software of hardware or any combination they should be entitled to use the technology to suit their needs, break it as they see fit and re-use it as they see fit. Apple in my mind has effectively become “Big Brother”. For all other devices such as Blackberry, Windows Phone, Android, users can do what they want with the product why has Apple decided to take this stand? I cannot see it as being a business or marketing decision.

One of my Dive Buddies has entered a contest put on by Doritos. If he wins the contest he gets money which goes to a variety charities! It’s a really great cause and I know its all authentic!!!

Please help support my dive buddy as he attempts to win money for charity by helping to spread the word to your fans and others.
Got to the site, vote for this video (which is really cool). It will only take a few minutes and I know you’re on your computer anyway!!

Vote HERE: Mark’s Doritos Viralocity

Touching down at Toronto’s Pearson Intl. airport 15 mins early felt like the most remarkable thing in the world after a 15 hour flight. I didn’t sleep on the plane at all and their weren’t any movies but it was an okay flight. I was excited and yet somehow saddened by the fact I was back. However that soon washed away as just 60 minutes after touchdown I was meeting with my dive buddies who I missed so dearly while I was away. It was great to see them all again!

That was 4 weeks ago. Things have been busy since I’ve gotten back. Jumped right back into school and right back into work. The past 3 weeks feel like they have been a blur and one insane roller coaster ride. I don’t know how I feel to be back just yet. To be honest, I just haven’t had much time to think about it. I’ve been playing catchup for a while and finally got the opportunity to level things out. I’m somewhat back in the game but just barely so the next few things on my to-do list are major advances that should put me in a comfortable spot. Diving had become a regular part of my life again until I got sick but that should hopefully wrap up by the end of this week and I can put in a few more dives.

Despite being busy and getting sick I haven’t forgotten any of the experiences I’ve had this summer nor have I forgotten the people I have met. There is no way I am going to regret going on this trip. I may have missed out on many things in Canada but spending an entire summer in Hong Kong was more than enough to make up for it. I don’t think one day goes by where I don’t think of the people, the places, my favorite hangout spots and of course the culture. I truly miss everything about Hong Kong. I think in the back of my mind I’m slowly trying to determine a point at which I can sneak back!

To those who joined me on this trip:

We shall meet again and when we do, I have no doubt there will be many good stories to share.

It may have been 4-6 weeks (rough estimate) but the relationships that developed during that time I don