Starting my own Company... Coming soon!

Part of my Program Aviation Management are 3 semester long coops. For my first one this upcoming summer (April-September) I am starting my own business! I am very excited to venture into following my passions and sharing my gifts with others.

While it is still in Mid-late stages of planning, I will not be sharing any significant details as of yet, however, I am excited to do so when I do! Stay tuned!

Henry

First time at Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

The other day, I was invited by my friend Kyle to his mixed martial arts club called "Empire MMA". While being a little nervous, I decided to accept his invitation to this new adventure.

As I stepped into the building, I was greeted by a tough, heavily tattooed man, yet he had an honest smile as he greeted all kids, teens and adults to the class. As I met up with my friend Kyle, the class began. I was surprised to see around thirty people already doing some kind of wrestling in the ring. They were all seniors practicing Jui-jit-sui.  As the seniors cleared out and we and our fellow beginners entered, our class began our intense warm up, and then proceeded to Muay Thai, otherwise known as traditional "kick boxing". 

Kyle was an excellent peer, as well as teacher. As the entire class practice it's movements and tactics, Kyle and I went over every single detail and scenario, he taught me both persuasion and form. The next few days that proceeded were full of body pains from stretched muscles that I never knew I had! It was a very positive experience for me, and just goes to show what fun can be had when you are spontaneous and try new things.

First Rink Shoot

Yesterday, I woke up bright and early before College and joined the AMAZING skaters at Mariposa. I know a few of them, and they said that they would be delighted to help out with my personal portfolio (and they knew they could get some cool shots too!).

The shoot started out with a very warm welcome from all the skaters on the ice. From young to old, their spirit was absolutely breathtaking, as they both trained, yet  played hard as well. They glided across the ice just like birds on a warm summer's day.

They were all excellent, and very photogenic. Camera wise, the rink is a mess trying to get a decent shot. The lighting is horrible and skaters move very fast, which is a terrible combination for photos. As I described to the skaters about the situation, they seemed surprised how hard it was. They pointed to the lights above and said that it was very bring in the rink. That maybe so to the human eye, but not to an SLR camera. Since the skaters were moving so fast, I had to change the shutter speed so it was going very fast (around 1/500 of a second) But since the shutter was moving faster (so they wouldn't be blurry) there was less light coming into the lens, so I had to raise the ISO (the sensitivity of the camera in regards to light), however, a greater ISO means more fuzziness, so I needed to find the right balance (which turned out to be a shutter speed of 1/500 and an ISO of around 800). I shot in both JPEG and RAW formats, so it would be easier to edit most shots.

 After just over an hour of fun, I believed I got my shots. I still cannot believe that such an amazing place is so near, yet I never spent time at the rink. A small yet important lesson learned.

In the end, the shots turned out, and many friends were made. I spent an hour or two fixing the salvageable shots up and uploaded them to Facebook for the skaters and my website. I learned that RAW makes it so I don't have to worry 'too' much about the lighting in the rink, however, I learned a lot in regards to both the camera (and different lenses and filters I used) as well as the social and editing aspects of photography.

I can't wait for next time!


All of the new photos can be found at http://www.henrybailliebrown.com/sports.html

An amazing practice.

Getting on a New Aircraft (DA-40)

Hopefully tomorrow (If the weather holds up!) I will be flying the DA-40 for the first time. I have so far been rated in a few gliders, Learned to fly in a DA-20 and have flown a C-172 for a year now. I am very excited for this new experience, and cannot wait for the stories I will have to share.

I have been studying the aircraft for a while now: checklists, the 'red' pages, airspeeds, systems, etc... I feel a little odd about being able to "feather" the propeller, but I feel I will manage just fine with a little practice. Best of all, the aircraft that I will be flying out of Collingwood has a G1000 glass cockpit - even newer than the G500 glass cockpit and normal steam gages that I am used to. I cannot wait to get flying! Here's hoping that the weather holds up for us!

Why So hard? - A Story of Motivation During the "Winter Brain-fart"

Have you ever said you wanted to do something, but never got around to it? It is indeed a very annoying feeling. When you have the same word file, task, idea, etc.. for days on end, practically sitting in front of you, yet procrastination, laziness or just general avoidance takes over.

It really is a weird concept. If I want to do something so badly (such as writing a story) why then does it take so much effort and motivation to even start it - let alone stick with it?

It is a phenomenon seen much this time of year, but I personally feel affected by this "mini-plauge" of the winter brain-fart.

Besides this post, things have not been the most exciting or productive. Hopefully, being active again and sticking at it will get me out of this darn loop soon!

Have a good day, all!

;^)

Being Nice to People on the Internet is Possible

Facebook, Twitter, Google and other social networking sites are all places where we store our "internet identities" yet when we head into the world of online video games, forums and MMO's (massive multiplayer online games) we tend to see the darker side of people and "Trolls". This has become a stereotype of these areas, and has become a sad part of society.

Me, being myself, take these stereotypes and throw them out. I am personally a "good samaritan" when it comes to online gaming and forms. When I use my mature, polite voice, I actually sunrise people. Getting replies such as "OMG, YOUR ACTUALLY NICE" to "WOW, there are actually nice people on here" to even" Kudos to this guy for being awesome". It is sad when people are so surprised by one being mature on the interned, but this just shows how far things have come. We have separated reality and our cyber experience.

My advice is be yourself, but in a mature manner. Help bring the positive side to the internet back, and just, well, be NICE! :D

My Life as a College Student: Simplified

Yup, College is already a month in, but it feels like I have been here forever. Morning commutes up the Highway 400 are not as bad as I had previously thought, although that is bound to change when Winter comes around!

College itself is easy. While it may not be a challenging as I had hoped, I have found comfort in the friends and experiences I have had. As well as keeping me busy when I am not on one of my four day weekends, College is so far deemed an "okay" experience. More to come in the future!

Cadets - My Journey

This past week, I saw my old cadet squadron's annual parade, and then my friends sea cadet annual.   Looking back, I feel so amazed with what I accomplished with joining Air Cadets. I am happy and grateful for all seven and a half years, all of the good times with the memories they brought, and the bad times that helped me grow as a person.

It was a hard decision to leave cadets, especially early (long story) but it was something that I had to do. All the friends made, adventures that were had and goals achieved, it was a remarkable journey that I wish everyone I know could experience, especially the sense of comradery.

There are a few things I wish I could do over, but at the same time, I am proud of the path I made, and skills I've learned. With their motto of "To learn, To serve and to Advance" I think that I really did get all three pieces of the pie!

Probably the largest achievement that I had while in the program was achieving my goal of my PPL (Private Pilots License) but probably the most important thing I did was earn the respect of not only my entire squadron, but all of the people I had met throughout the entire cadet experience.

Where I will be heading next is still unclear, but the roads I have already traveled have revealed a path leading to great people, adventures and dreams that I could only hope to imagine.

A blog post about blogging...

Blogging really is amazing, isn't it? I mean, ten years ago, the only real things you could do were write in a journal, send your news to the TV stations or news papers or even just pass a message along peer-to-peer, but the progression of the internet (in the case, the evolution of blogging) has changed this all completely! 

Blogging is a great way to vent, keep a journal, become a journalist, share stories, etc... and technically its free! (well, blogger anyways)

I am so very happy and grateful I started blogging, for it is great for ones writing skills, and keeps me thinking and on my feet. The best part is that I don't feel "forced" into doing it, but instead, I actually enjoy it when I can add an entry. 

If you have EVER thought of blogging, just give it a go! Why not? Who knows, you might even become an addict like me! ;^)

Cheers,

Henry

First time as the PIC in a Cessna 172

Flying away in my first conversion flight!

It felt nice getting current on another aircraft. While feeling a little more slower and sluggish than a Diamond Katana, the Cessna 172 is by far a great aircraft for learning on. This also marked the first time I flew around my home town, so now I can take family and friends flying more easier.

Justin Treadeau - Liberal Leader

Me and Justin after a very interesting conversation in Barrie, 2012.

I am truly happy that Justin Trudeau has achieved the role of being the new Liberal party's leader. I remember when he first started his campaign in the later stages of 2012. He visited many communities around Canada, and I was fortunate that he visited mine. just a three minute drive from my home, Justin stopped in at a local restaurant to give his people a speech, as well as promoting his campaign. I never felt so empowered by an individual before. One can watch speeches on television and in films, but when you have a Trudeau in the room, you emotional state changes with a surge of excitement and dedication to change. Possibly the most memorable part of his speech was when he talked about being a Canadian. Something that I really loved he mentioned was Vimy Ridge, the WWI battle when Canada first fought as one as all four Canadian divisions held their ground and took the ridge. Justin explained that this is when he believed, Canada became united as a country. This, I absolutely agreed with.

I shook his hand and looked into his eyes, and for that brief few moments, when we hugged, I felt that true connection. I am proud to be a Canadian, and as a young man, I support him with his new leadership role, and hope when elections roll around, that I shook the hand of the future prime minister of Canada.