Happy Birthday Luke!!!

Jay

El Birthday-Boy Loco! There’s something you need to know:
1987; the year you were born: 1+9+8-7 = 11
May; the month you were born: allocating each letter in the alphabet to its corresponding number, M=13, A=1 & Y=25, so Y-A-M = 11
29; the day of the month you were born: 2+9 = 11
L.A.B; your initials, again, with their corresponding numbers, L=12, A=1 & B=2, so L+A-B = 11
I’m just saying… Think about it. You are eleven. That’s got to help your theory… whatever it is.
All jokes aside, I love you like a brother.
No, seriously, you’re a loving, funny, generous and selfless brother and you’ve taught me much throughout my 21 years, not in the traditional teacher/student way, but through admiration. You give me confidence I didn’t know I had, and I know a lot of people could say the same thing. We get along famously and I treasure our closeness and unique sense of humour. I mean, who else could understand the hilarity of “Got my bean in a coffee cu~rp”, or even, “Yeah, go on then…”. Our memories speak for themselves and I look forward to making countless more with you.
May the road rise up to meet you.
Happy Birthday!

Oh, and according to Mark Hoppus of Blink 182, nobody likes you when you’re 23… so that’s unfortunate for you.

Helly

In Castle Hill, lives a guy named Luke Bovino

He is of Italian descent, as we all know

Enthusiastic and animated, he is always the life of the party

He also has another side which is sensitive, soulful and arty


He enjoys rap battles, and can always hit us with some cool rhymes

And if he had one wish, it would be to travel through time

He has a feisty Italian temperament, but becomes as gentle as a lamb

After he watches one of his favourite actors, Jean Claude Van Damn


It’s no secret that he’s a bit of a Cassanova

A pretty girl just has to smile at him and he’s completely bowled over

He seems to fall in love with every girl he meets

But one day he’ll decide that it’s time to play for keeps


Acting is his chosen career

Which requires him to put himself out there and show no fear

A unique, creative point of view and I suspect

That this will serve him well when he decides to direct


With this last line, I swear I’m not trying to make you puke

But we really do love you, our dear friend Luke




Lee


No epic blog about Luke could continue without at least one story of him being a dick. I remember being floored by Rocky the first time I saw it. Arriving at school the next day, I knew I had to find Luke as he was a huge fan of the movie and of course the whole series. He was the only other person I knew that had seen it, plus he called himself The Italian Stallion as an ode to one of his favourite movies. But when I finally found Luke, ready to discuss all the great moments of my new favourite movie ever, he stopped me after only a few words.

"I saw that way before you did."

"But Bov" I replied, "Nobody has seen this movie but us, you finally have someone to talk about it with!"

With a look of ego-fueled dickheadedness all he said was, "I'm a bigger fan than you."

And he walked away. To top it off, I learned only a little while later that he had never seen the film. Let me repeat that. Never. Seen. The. Film. Dick!



The person that Luke has revealed to me in recent times has turned out to be a great friend and someone that I have shared thousands of laughs with. NOT a dick, but with an ego the size of Kansas, he is one of my best friends and I love him like a brother.

The most awesome thing, from my perspective, to happen to Luke as of late is his discovery of the wealth of talent within himself in areas he didn't realize existed. I specifically mean his drawing. If someone were to look at a drawing by Luke, one would assume he has been doing this for a long time, but amazingly, he has only very recently found this side of himself, this unique talent. I say unique not because drawing is unique, but because Luke's personal artwork is. Works of abstract beauty are flowing from his heart to paper, and he's still a little shy about it, which is hard to believe. Two months ago, after watching Van Dam, The Trilogy was sitting at my dining table and Luke started drawing on this flimsy little napkin. After a few minutes, he had drawn a simple, yet amazingly complete piece of abstract art. We kept the napkin for prosperity.

Happy birthday Luke, I may be one of your fifty friends, but you're one of my five, so consider yourself very lucky. I know I do.




Eden

11 Reasons why I love Luke

1. You are an amplifier of life: I think the best way to explain you as a person is someone who amplifies life. There are moments that I experience in everyday life, like a funny joke or a cool story and I’m usually glad to have experienced it. However, if I get to share that moment with you, your enthusiasm and passion makes the moment something greater. You may not be as funny as Lee or Hamish or Burrtank but your laugh is always genuine and insanely infectious, which makes any of their jokes infinitely better.
2. Your confidence: As someone who has struggled with my own confidence at times, it has always been inspiring to have such a confident friend around to lead as an example and challenge me to confront fears.
3. Your Integrity: If someone loved shows like Ghost Whisperer and movies like The Count of Monte Cristo* were their all time favourites, they might be afraid to admit it, but you not only admit it, you are proud of it and defend your love. I love how you are unyielding in knowing what is true to you.
4. The memories: “Remember when we used to…” This is how some of my favourite conversations start. "...sit in English and I said all the answers under my breath, and Dean said all the funny jokes under his breath, and you yelled them all out to the class. You were the smartest, funniest guy out!"
5. The future: I can see us being friends for a long time, and the memories are just going to keep growing. Lucky you always have a camera with you to make sure we capture at least a few of the countless special moments.
6. Your Family: From Tones all the way to Cousin Frank, you have an amazing family which has to be a big reason why you are who you are.
7. Your ‘heaps funny’ jokes: Nothing like having your best friend swear to you that he didn’t take your wallet 50 times until you believe him, and then he reveals that he had it the whole time.
8. Your Birthday Messages: You were born to be an actor, but you can always fall back on being a Hallmark birthday card writer. I love how you come up with them on the spot. They are always special even if you write them in October, cos Facebook told you it was my birthday.
9. HELD, BAJ, SEALD**, Dr Hell: Doesn’t matter what the abbreviation is, it always has an E and an L. Maybe we should be called EL Friendship Loco.
10. Our friendship: Some of the conversations we have are deep and personal and I couldn’t have them with many other people and still feel comfortable having them. There is an obvious chemistry between us, and we understand each other so well.
11. Your Friendships: It says a lot about a person when, while most people have around 5 close friends at best, you have about 20. I’m just glad to be one of them…officially number 3 on Facebook! Sucked in Lee, you’re not even on there.

*It's not a bad movie, just not the best in the world
**I don't think this abbreviation ever officially existed, there was BTNH but that didn't have EL in it

The Legend Of Luke Bovino Part 1 – The Early Years

Luke Bovino, son of an extremely attractive mother and mega-cool father, was a young man working his way towards fame and stardom via acting. Not even he could possibly imagine the amazing deeds he would go on to accomplish in life.

He started life just like any other unassuming individual. He worked part-time at channel 9, hung out full-time with his friend Van Dam and wondered the lands looking for the answers to the questions that plagued his mind such as; do aliens really exist? If a guy came up to me and said he was me from the future, would I believe him?

It was during his high-school years that he began acquiring some of the legendary skills he would utilise later in life. Be it making his friends laugh at his insanely entertaining stories, making humorous observations or stealing jokes/answers, Luke was somewhat of a jack-of-all-trades.

Also during these times he became a member of the powerful organisation HELD. HELD went on to make several amazing films with Luke often starring as the lead. It was his powerful performance in the critically acclaimed Around House Beatings, which led to his first Oscar nomination.

Once he travelled to the great-untamed snowy lands of Canada for the better part of a year where he stumbled upon a small mountain town by the name of Vancouver. So great was his impact in this snowy little town that I hear the townspeople erected a statue of him in the town square in his honour. Now once a year, Canadians travel far and wide to Vancouver to trade stories and sing songs of his amazing feats. But if you try to locate Vancouver on a map now days you may have a little trouble finding it, as now days it goes by the name Bovcouver (or maybe Vanvino).

Luke came back from Bovcouver a changed man. He was twice as knowledgeable and was now wise beyond his years. He was kind enough to share his knowledge with his friends as well as his stories involving his encounters with UFOs.

Luke Bovino is a good man whom I’ve had the pleasure of knowing personally. He’s always upbeat and his positive nature is infectious. He was always kind enough to laugh at my jokes no matter how poor of quality they may be and he just seems happy to be here in general.

Later in life, he finally discovered the secret to time travel and became the first man to travel through time. This would lead to chain reaction of disastrous consequences, which would take Luke several journeys through time before he could manage to stop a hole in the space time continuum destroying the world. But as they say, that’s a story for another day.

To Be Continued…

-Unidentified scholar circa 2010


Russell

I'll keep this brief because A) I am extremely late in providing BOTM with my portion of this super blog; and B) I'm nowhere near as artistic and funny as those who have written before me.

However, I do have a few things to say about a special man named Luke Bovino:

• Encouragable: I don't know any other person that is more encouraging than El Ino. My mood can go from mediocre to extremely happy in an instant with one strategically placed sentence from the mouth of the Italian Stallion. Furthermore to this point, his very presence at a party or a small social gathering is intoxicating - I think Hamish said it well in his famous Dr Hell article "If you're having a party, you need Luke".
• Laughter: Some of my greatest "laughter moments" from High School come from hanging out with Luke, especially in drama class. I recall a time when we had to read amongst ourselves from a play entitled "The Club", and it was Luke's jokes that made the task impossible to complete. 
• Movies: This guy Luke loves movies, and so do I. The funny thing is though, is that my taste in film is pretty different I have to say to his - but also very similar at the same time. With variety being the spice of life, this provides for some excellent conversation on films past and present.
• Generosity: Luke is extremely giving and generous. I travelled to Bovcouver last year and he was kind enough to provide me with a lodging, food, Van Dam, and the sights and smells of his newly-conquered town. 
• Friendship: I feel honoured to have Luke as a friend. We have shared some great times together, and I'm looking forward to keeping the good times rollin. I think all you need to do is to read the warm-hearted, genuine comments from his mates above to see just how much of an effect he has on peoples lives. 

Keep being you, Luke. I hope to one-day travel time with you, maybe to the year 11?

A moment that felt

“Run your fingers through my soul. For once, just once, feel exactly what I feel, believe what I believe, perceive as I perceive, look, experience, examine, and for once; just once, understand.”

Until a few months ago I was living in Vancouver, Canada. A beautiful place might I add. A place that I felt I had to reassure myself that I arrived there in a plane and not a delorean. Vancouver is amazing, the whole time I was there I felt as though I was living in a modern version of the 60s. The simplicity of that time, yet a tad more advanced; a place that has a peaceful and happy vibe constantly flowing.

In May of 2009 my older brother came to join me for my birthday, and stayed a couple weeks. One weekend of his visit, my brother and I hired a car along with a mate of mine and drove to Vancouver Island; with the help of a big ferry to glide across water. When we arrived on the Island we hopped in the car and started our journey. Towards the afternoon of our voyage, the road on which we travelled shot out through the trees and ran alongside the water, which to our surprise opened out to a beautiful secluded lake surrounded by mountains. And it was that which made us chuck-a-u’e and find a place to park. Each of us quickly walked with anticipation to the water. The sun was out so it made this endeavour quite exhilarating. When we met water, we turned right and walked along side to a spot that wasn’t accompanied by a couple in love, or a family of fun. After a few moments we found a spot of our own. I placed my iPhone on the ground and connected it to a pair of small portable speakers. A playlist of mellow, acoustic music, which for the first time featured Jack Johnson amongst it by choice; it seemed as though this moment and place was perfect for his work. So as it was, we chilled to the music and took in what surrounded us. The whole time here, just a tad over an hour it turned out, was spent in the water, not our entire bodies, t’was Vancouver in May after all, but from our thighs down. We took photos and re-enacted films that had scenes in places similar to where we were. One being Jean Claude Van Damme’s Nowhere to Run, which was the second time JCVD made an appearance that day, and not the last. When our time here came to an end we threw our thongs back on and started to head back towards the car. I kept looking back at where we had just left, because if it was up to me, I would have stayed there all day.

Just as we pulled out of the dirt car park and continued our journey for Tofino, I noticed how relaxed I was. I felt fresh, rejuvenated. It was then when I asked the rest how they felt and, to my surprise, they were in total agreement. It then got me thinking, we had spent an hour or so barefoot in this magnificent bed of water. Walking on the rocks that were the ground beneath, trying not to step on twigs or sharp edges, yet feeling every little thing underneath us. To me it felt like my body had been recharged. That I had become run down and needed nature’s greatness to bring me back to full life. This was something that had never really crossed my mind. To me, nature was just something that was there. What was always there. It’s just around us and that’s it. I never really gave it anymore thought, but after this day, this moment, it was then when I realized that I never had felt like that before. So then I looked at me, at us - humans. And it came to me; we have grown up covering ourselves, protecting ourselves from everything, never really letting anything in. And don’t get me wrong, it isn't a bad thing. For instance, shoes have been made to protect us from the ground we walk on; rocks, sticks, broken glass, etc, but my question is, do we actually feel anything? Yes it protects us, but are we also just blocking one of the most sensitive parts of our body from what grounds us? The mood your feet are in is the mood you are in. If your feet are cold, you are cold. As long as it is not a hard man made surface beneath us, it is going to feel amazing on the soles of our feet, therefore making us feel amazing. Although, come to think about it, I guess that is what’s wrong with the world these days, we don’t feel enough.

- Luke

Why Women Are Awesome

A smile came to my face immediately when thinking of something to write for the "Why ....... is Awesome" section of this blog. See this is my first entry to this Blog so I had to weave my way in, and the Awesome files sounded easy. Now, what is awesome?

Women. They are huh? I love everything about women. Each girl has something unique about them. Whether it be a smile or laugh, or the feel you get when falling asleep with her in your arms. No matter what it is every girl is cute in their own way. Which is why I wanted to bring them up because if anything is awesome its women. Although, that’s not where it ends with girls. It’s not just the slow kisses when falling asleep, or the smile they make in the morning when their eyes have barely opened, or the scent they leave behind on the pillow. They’re just the parts we want to remember and care to love. Now, I’m no Casanova. Wouldn’t be calling me no Fabio. I ain’t no Jude Law. Can’t say I’ve ever been titled no Don Juan. People don’t call me Russell Brand. Wait, maybe the last one has been thrown around 5 or 6 times but that’s not the point. What I’m trying to say is I’m no Jack Nicholson, but I did kind of think I had some idea as to knowing them.

Here is a perfect example. This was said to me a few months ago that totally blew my mind. I was talking to a girl about relationships and fights, and boyfriends and girlfriends, and so she says,
‘If a girl asked you for space, what would you do? Would you try and contact her?’
Now like I was saying before, I’m no Antonio Banderas, but in a situation like this, I thought I would have it handled, play it cool, wait a week, let it cool down and see where your at. I mean, its right there, she’s asking for it. Only a certain Michael Bay with 200mil could fuck this up. So I says,
‘Give her space.’
To which she responses with,
‘No. Girls want you to contact them when they say that. They don’t actually want space.’

Can you believe that? That’s like telling me to go hire Batman Begins when you really want to watch Michael Keaton in the real batman, the only Batman. Actually, Adam West gets a gold star too. As for you Mr Bale, how about u go play the lead in Terminator only to come out a supporting. Pfft. You know who we were really rooting for. Way to turn John Connor into a douche bag.

My point was lost, much like Bale’s focus in the filming of Terminator. I think what was I was trying to say was that women play with your head. Tell you one thing and mean something else.
“Call me, it’s not just a drunken number give. I really want you to call me.”

....

No answer.

Speaking of playing with your head, look what happened to The Beatles. Nuff said.
All that aside, mind games and such, I’ll still dodge oncoming traffic to introduce myself to a stunning brunette across the road, because no matter what, the list is endless when it comes to women. It’s just, we are yet to figure them out.

- Luke