Giselle, Ticket for One

Last night I got all dressed up and headed to Place des Arts to see the Ballet Nacional de Cuba's Giselle. I thought it might be fun to just go all by myself, all independent and adventurous-like. Verdict: not so fun. Everyone else was there with girlfriends and boyfriends and sisters and moms and aunts and there I was, wandering around in my white, faux-fur polyester Superstore jacket trying to look like...who knows what I was trying to look like! Anyways, it was pretty stupid, I was almost laughing at myself.

NOT stupid though, was the ballet itself. Based on 15 minutes of googling and YouTubing a couple days ago, Giselle is like the specialty of the Cuban ballet and more specifically its artistic director Alicia Alonso. As a prima ballerina she set the standard for the role of Giselle back in the 30s.

It was really good. The music was amazing, I bought the full score this morning on iTunes. The one pro of being there by myself was how much I was able to get into it. Whenever I go to the ballet with other people I'm constantly worrying about their enjoyment of the show. And its not like I go with a bunch of hick-duds who don't like the ballet. Casey actually really likes it-seriously! But I can't help but worry that the other person is liking and appreciating it as much as me. Anyways, without that on my mind I got so into it I was glued to every second! I even cried a few times, even though it wasn't like my favorite ballet ever. Anyways. Then they brought Alicia Alonso out at the end and I cried as if I'd been aware of her existence for more than 48 hours. It was totally weird but I just went with it.

I think its a mini-tragedy when people get overcome with emotion, good or bad and hold it in. What's the point of being a human if we're to repress naturally-occuring tears or laughter? Anyways, there's my preachy line of the day.

Here's Alicia Alonso reprising her most famous role at the age of 60. I feel like this was mostly a bad idea...

Whenever I go to the ballet I leave kindof sad that I didn't pursue it more seriously. It's so beautiful and magical. I'm just in love with it. I have to find a way to incorporate it into my life more. The ballerina movies and documentaries and exposés have been done. Although I said the same thing after Save the Last Dance-Amazing that they could have topped that masterpiece! So anyways, I've decided I'm going to be the Steven Spielberg of promotional videos for prestigious dance companies. 

Finally a topical twist on all of this, check out Alicia Alonso's Black Swan. Slightly different from Mila Kunis' (or Natalie Portman's) version:

Getting Settled and Important Lessons...

So these last three weeks have been about settling in to my place in Little Italy! I live in this duplex with one of my best childhood friends Annick, who's been here 4 years, studying film. I love this place...

I spent a good few days getting my room set up...some stuff I brought from home, the rest is prettymuch from Ikea. Cute, eh? My fave is the balcony off my room...

I also had to make myself at home in the rest of the appartment (Annick's had to deal with a few adjustments there, including a complete kitchen re-org and a little Fung-Shue'ing of the living room-haha sorry Annick!..you had to know what you were getting into).

It's taken time to get to know the best places to buy different foods, where to buy ziplock bags and q-tips, which metro stop to get off at for a Starbucks or a Scotiabank, getting to know the homeless guy who lives at my metro stop who says everyday- "que dieu te bénisse, mademoiselle!" I think his name is Gérald.

Important lessons I've learned in the last three weeks...
-Escalator etiquette in the metro- no standing still in the left lane of the escalator -WATCH OUT!!
-Watching what I buy based on size and weight since I have to carry it all the way back home
-When in the metro, it is wise to zip your purse zippers towards the front and not the back
-Do not, I repeat, do NOT use the english pronunciation of fine cheeses with the old man at 'Qui Lait Cru' cheese shop at the marché: "Gorgunzolla? Non! NON. J'en ai PAS du GORGUNZOLLA! J'ai du Geurgounnezolah!!"
-Flirting with the old-man vendors at le marché will get you cheaper tomatoes
-A lot of Québecois hate anglophones "tsé la..anglo-shit, what-èvur là..." haha

Things that are amazing about Montréal...
-Bring-your-own-wine restaurants: these alone, are worth the trip out here
-Being able to get anywhere and everywhere with the metro
-Marché Jean-Talon: a 5 minute walk from our place to Montreal's biggest and best farmers market produce, bakeries (the best croissants you've ever had), butchers, cheese shops, florists...ect..
-Walking, walking and more walking = dropping 11 pounds in 18 days
-H&M, BCBG, Zara, fcuk, Chanel..ect, ect...
-The Bay here is a royal palace! Looks exactly like the department stores in Christmas movies
-Little Italy, my neighborhood, full of amazing little grocery stores, church bells and Italian yelling
-Fun to be speaking french everywhere you go

Bring your own wine! It felt so illegal the first time I did it...cuts your restaurant bill in half. Incredible.

   Marché Jean-Talon

The Bay from the outside and a beautiful jacket I would buy if I didnt love animals

...and if I had an extra 7000$ lying around.

H&M-For those who dont know, H&M is a store that collaborates with high-end designers like Karl Lagerfeld, Lanvin, Stella McCartney, Rykiel, Jimmy Choo Shoes.. ect, ect.. and makes super cheap versions of thousand dollar clothes. Here's a dress I'd like a bridesmaid in. Looks like maybe a Marchesa or Lagerfeld collaboration...only 39.99!! The shoes I think are Jimmy Choo impressions for 30 bucks.


Things I miss about Winnipeg (other than family and friends)...
-Nice people
If you've wiped out on the sidewalk, or are a smallish woman trying to lift something heavy like the 200 pound Malm dresser you've purchased from IKEA, people walk RIGHT by you-how rude!

-People who mind their own business
Ok so if you're in need of help, they dont do much. However! If you jay-walk or you're carrying something awkward, whatever,  people will make a point to comment:
"aie!! tsk tsk tsk!! tu va t'faire écrire un ticket si tu fA pas attention!!!"
"Ouain, c'est toute une load que tu portes la!! Tu t'es pas ammené un meilleur sac?!"
 ...Orc, mêle toi pis va t'en!

Understanding words when people talk-
Janelle: Oui, euh, ça, c'est une sandwich au quoi?
Lady behind counter: stunesandwhichaugorognzotomateojanbonné
Janelle: Pardon?
Lady behind counter: stunesandwhichaugorognzotomateojanbonné
Janelle: En?
Lady behind counter: une SANDWICHaugorognzotomateojanbonné!!!
Janelle: K, nevermind lady, j'ai pu faim.

So basically I guess I'm still working out the kinks with the people here.. but it will come.

                                                           

Sherbrooke: Morning breakfast, discovering the word Croissantwich is real! And David hungover, sucking on a gatorade, looking like une grosse nenounne hahaha ..Here's a few more photos from my first three weeks...(yes, the Marion's unnamed cat is still alive). That's Annick making brownies at 1am on a Tuesday and then Annick's delicious roast served with my arugula and goat cheese salad. I'm really trying to learn how to cook, so..i'll keep you posted on THAT.

Tonight I have a ticket for ONE to Giselle by the National Ballet of Cuba! haha how sad. But it should be fun..

"ah cultcha!" ('culture' with a british accent) 

-Patsy Gibb

Miss you Winnipeg xx

Hello Montréal!

On February 1^st, 2011, after 24 years (my whole life) in Winnipeg, I moved to Montreal.

I wanted to move to Montreal, so I quit my job as a weather girl, packed my bags and moved... to Montreal. Without my boyfriend, all by myself, without promise of a job. I just did it because I could. And to prove to myself that I could. I can’t believe I actually did it.

Bye Winnipeg!! (gazillion tears)

I did it for the day I’m 35 and wiping up spilled juice with a crying baby on my hip while on an important phone call with an employee of the successful creative company I’ll be running. On that day (and it will come, right down to the spilled juice) I do NOT want to be able to say: Remember that time when I could have just dropped everything and moved to Montreal?

I did it so that one day I can tell my daughter that I did something brave before “landing” and stablizing my life completely. My mom traveled a lot. She lived in little appartments by herself, spent months in Africa building huts (or something like that) and I always looked up to that.

I did it for Winnipeg. I do plan to come back someday when I want to start a family. I love that city despite all its warts but before I can accept, appreciate and love it completely as my landing pad I have a need to live and experience other places. I feel guilty about abandoning the industry there a little, but I'll make it up to it.

I did it for my relationship with Casey. I am so grateful for his support in what, really, is a pretty selfish endeavor for someone in a committed relationship to take on. What happened was I met him- the man I’m going to spend the rest of my life with, a little sooner than I thought. I thank him for so whole-heartedly encouraging me to take the time to take care of this unfinished business: Time to live and grow independently, educate my soul (cue the eye-rolling), find, align and complete myself outside the nice little frame I’m framed in, back in Winnipeg.

Or maybe I did it because I watch too much Oprah and too many Julia Roberts movies.

On a less annoying level, though, I also did it for my career. I work in the media industry, so staying in Winnipeg (for now), somewhat limits what are very big possibilities for people in this line of work. I have very big dreams and have set scarily high goals for myself. So this, I guess would be scary step one.

In the summertime, I will be reuniting with Casey out in Vancouver and continue the big-city journey from there.

Anyways, all of that is not really what this blog is about. It’s more about the prairie child in the city part. An easily excited, small-town outlook on everyday big-city life things from the point of view of a little Winnipeggette. First in Montreal, then Vancouver.

(Plus a whole bunch of in-between topics from Full House to designer shoes)


Here's my home in Montreal. That's my bedroom up there with the balcony.

And so the journey begins...