On Traveling: I’ve been fortunate enough to be in a position where I have been able to do alot of traveling in my life. I have been to many places all over the world, but no matter how different each place has been, here are a few things that I have found to be constant when traveling: -I think its a good thing to always act under the assumption that the people wherever you are going have either heard bad things or had bad experiences with foreigners. This is something that can be easy to forget particularly if you are “on vacation” somewhere. Travelers in my opinion have a responsibility to live up to--you are representing “foreigners”. Ask yourself--how do you want to portray that representation?? When you are buying something at the store, do you not care what the person you are dealing with thinks (despite the fact that you are a guest in his/her country) or do you want to use this opportunity to help shape someone’s opinion?? A smile goes a long way and a conversation goes even further!! I’m not at all a flag waving person (other than a flag with a big globe on it!!) but personally my goal is always to leave people thinking, “man I have to go to Canada one day, those Canadians kick ass!!” -Wherever you go, whether its to a third world country or a small town in your homeland, try to get to know some people who live there. This can be rewarding in so many ways I don’t even know where to begin, but I am addressing this especially to those who like resort style vacations. Most know that there is an entirely different world outside the “rest and relaxation zone”, but some do not take the time to venture outside to see what day to day life holds for the locals. There are many places where locals brag to their friends when they meet foreigners!! The way I see it, if you are gonna go suntan on somebody else’s beach, the least you can do is go out and shake a few hands of people who live there but maybe aren’t so lucky!! You never know what you could find!! About Me The Leigh Opinion!! For anyone who is curious or bored enough to want to find out what I am thinking this is the place! I just thought I would shoot out a few words on some random topics, so here goes:
Travel Photo Albums Check it! China I totally wasn’t expecting this to be one of my best trips, but it so was!  Greece What can you say about Greece that hasn’t been said before?! It rules!!  Australia A truly great experience. Outdoors people, Australia awaits!!  Cambodia Very educational and humbling place to visit. Kind people and indescribable scenery.China.htmlChina.htmlGreece.htmlGreece.htmlAustralia.htmlAustralia.htmlCambodia.htmlCambodia.htmlshapeimage_4_link_1shapeimage_4_link_3shapeimage_4_link_5shapeimage_4_link_7
WHUZ CRACKALAKIN
It is through this mixture of both Western and Eastern perspectives towards health that I have come to realize the importance of balance in lifestyle.  Balance is important in everything we do.  And balance is derived from our sensitivity, towards ourselves, towards others and towards life.  I notice so much bad technique in the gym due to a lack of sensitivity.  Think about it when you are exercising; where are you feeling the pressure-- on the muscles you are trying to develop, or on your joints?!  After you work out, is there a place on your body that is stiff or sore for days?  Does your neck or spine hurt?  Often times  the answer to some of these questions might be yes, and people choose to ignore the pain or worse still, are oblivious to it.  They just learn to live with it.  This is an example of a lack of sensitivity, a lack of understanding about yourself.  Can you tell the subtle difference in your skin tone from one day to the next?  When you fall and hurt yourself, can you pinpoint the exact point of injury on yourself and recognize what steps must be taken in order to recover?  Is the left side of your body EXACTLY as strong and as balanced as the right side?  Are you unknowingly sitting at work day after day in a position that is detrimental to your posture or giving you back pains?
 
I believe that health and well being starts with an acknowledgment that your mental and physical selves are machines that requires attention, respect and upkeep.  The more in tune you are as to what is going on within you, the easier it is to take charge and bring yourself to a level of holistic health, which for me is the ultimate goal.  I have a page on this site where I will be dropping health and fitness tips that I learn along the way, so if you want to check it out CLICK HERE.
 
And the whole time I had my own thing going on the side:  I was slowly building up a recording studio setup of my own.  My goal was simple: I wanted a modest setup, but one that was fully functional and diverse enough to be a musical laboratory for both myself and my clients.  What it lacked in immenseness, I would make up for by knowing every parameter of my tools through experience.  I opened my doors to customers in 2001 on a part-time basis, as I was still working at the store.  But in 2005, after finally purchasing the last piece of gear I needed to complete my system, I quit the store and opened SIXLIGHT STUDIOS TO THE PUBLIC FULL TIME.  A very happy day for me.
 
Thats kind of where I’m at now, still doing what I’ve always done--trying to make a living doing what I love.  One thing I’ve learned with regards to doing music on a professional level is that it can be really beneficial to be as diverse as possible; the competition is so fierce that  the bigger your skill set is the more of an asset you are.  Thats why I have tried to branch out and do as many different types of music as I can.  I don’t care!  As long as its music, regardless or not of if it is my style, I just try to put my heart and soul into it; if its music, then thats all I need...I’m havin’ fun!!  I have a page on this site where I post things I am currently working on so if you want to listen CLICK HERE.
 
 
-For those who are traveling to underdeveloped or poverty stricken countries, a great way to make friends with the locals is to bring gifts!  As price, quantity and size are likely to be factors that determine what you can and can’t travel with, A trip to the “dollar store” before you go could be just what the doctor ordered!  For kids, bring stickers, balloons and gumballs and you will be God.  Incidentally this is a great idea for places where there are a high number of poor children as it teaches them to identify foreigners with other things besides money.  For adults, there are many places where toiletries such as toothbrushes and toothpaste are very expensive, so some freebies definitely help to offset the high living costs.
 
-If you are going to countries that have a high level of tourism, staying in hostels and keeping the lines of communication open is a great way to find out everything from the “must see” places to where you can find a good meal at a cheap price.  I highly recommend this if traveling is something you aspire to do on a regular basis--hostels are where you meet people from all over the world and therefore are a great source for making connections...You might end up having a place to stay on your next expedition!
 
 
 
In 1996 I spent a year at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.  That year was amazing and it changed my life.  I saw what it was like to completely immerse yourself in something.  I lived on infamous “Boylston Avenue”, in the same apartment cluster that the  legendary band Aerosmith met and jammed for the first time. Anyone who lived within a 3 Km radius of Boylston was some kind of struggling artist--everyone living in identical 2 1/2  roach and mice filled apartments with hopefully one but often two roommates!
 
But it was so much fun and I learned so much.  My days were spent
going to class studying music theory, practicing guitar throughout the afternoons and then going to the recording studios in the evenings.  I guess you could say that my interests in audio engineering began here, although I have to say that as you couldn’t be an engineering student during your first year at Berklee, I had to learn most things on my own.
 
I quit Berklee the next year and began working at the music instrument store across the street, Daddy’s Junky Music.  Despite the freaky name, it was actually quite a large store and one of the biggest music instrument chains in the U.S.  I stayed there for a year and a half, working my way up to assistant manager of one of the stores.  I was learning as much there as I was at Berklee plus getting paid for it.  It was cool.  At the end of the night after I would kick everyone out I would turn that place into my own personal mutil-million dollar recording studio, working on my music.    I would use only the best equipment in the store.  The company’s head office kept calling asking why the alarm was only being turned on at 1 am instead of at 9pm like it was supposed to!!
 
Eventually I found myself back in Montreal.  I needed a job, and Steve’s Music Store seemed like the logical choice. If Steve’s isn’t one of the biggest music stores in Canada it is THE biggest; its over 40 years old.  I worked there for over 7 years and in retrospect I am really glad that I did.  The people who work there were pros when I used to shop there as a kid, they were pros while I worked there and they are pros now; people like me who live and breathe music.  It was great--now not only did I have the toys to play with, but I had professionals all around me who’s experience I could benefit from.  I guess you could say that Steve’s was the “school of hard knocks” for me.  My musical knowledge and people skills grew each day that I worked there.
 
 
 On Music: Music is my first love. People who knew me when I was 10 years old could attest to this. Even before I was a musician I was doing everything I possibly could to get closer to music. My first record was a 45 of “I Was Made for Lovin You” by Kiss and I was putting Cheap Trick posters on my wall even though I had never even heard one of their songs (Little did I know that they would eventually become one of my all time favorite bands!!)! Luckily dear old Granny saw that I was serious about it and generously bought me my first guitar at age 14. It was the first and last time anyone bought me a musical instrument. Any money I made during my high school and college years went to buying bigger and badder musical equipment. I’ve owned probably about 20 guitars throughout the course of my life. For 10 years I played in local bands writing songs, playing gigs and recording CDs. On Health: I have made health, fitness and balance a priority in my life. I have a long history with sports such as tennis, weight training, running and martial arts. In 1996 I took a one year Fitness Instructor Course at the YMCA specializing in weight training. There I learned alot about the bio-mechanics of exercise and about the roles that exercise, diet and rest play in physical, mental and spiritual balance. I have also been privileged enough to study with Masters Steven Rueberer and Tieg Henderson from the Warrior’s Den Martial Arts Academy, a traditionalist Kung Fu school that places emphasis on endurance and longetivity rather than power.