jeudi 3 juillet 2008
Life on the other side of the country
So here are a few of the thoughts that have crossed my mind since living in Montreal for the past month and a bit (some of these started out as Facebook status updates, but were too long for them):
- It's really nice hearing music in the métro stations, especially the Amélie soundtrack on the accordion, but I wonder why I always hear wedding music being played at métro Jean-Talon?
- I've practically had chocolate overdose by now; having Juliette et Chocolat twice within the span of two days (as a dinner) does not seem healthy.
- The weather does not make sense here. Last summer, it was consistently hot and humid, with a couple of rainy days interspersed throughout. This summer, the rain has been extremely erratic (and frequent), almost to the point of imitating Calgary's unpredictable weather patterns.
- In the French program I'm enrolled in, we're each allowed up to three unexcused absences. And in the past three years, I've yet to make use of any of those, although I have to admit that I've been sorely tempted to do so within the past two weeks.
- On the first day of French class, I was seriously expecting the teacher to open in prayer. I guess being in Christian post-secondary education for six years has had a pretty lasting effect on me :)
- Living in the university residences has meant that everyone is on a never-ending quest for toilet paper. When I was at a wedding shower just recently, the first thought in my mind was, "That toilet paper would last about a week, maybe a week and a half. Wait, we're using that up on the bride and throwing it away?!"
- My English is deteriorating and it's not necessarily because my French is improving. Maybe my brain can't handle that many languages at once.
- I have to avoid all parks and the outdoors until after my best friend's wedding. Plus, I'd like to avoid those ugly, huge «bibettes» I've been seeing around in the West Island.
- My list of grocery stores that are in close proximity to the métro stations is slowly growing. I've discovered that there's a Metro right by Jean-Talon (along with the market, which I finally went to!) and a Super C by Lionel-Groulx. I think there's also a Metro near Snowdon, a Provigo near Parc, and the Metro that I went to last summer near Côte-des-Neiges.
- Going to school on Ste-Catherine Est has been bothersome all month. It's not a good part of town and it's always sketchy, no matter what time of day it is.
- Finally, this is my last extended Montreal experience. I've lived here on-and-off over the last four years and it's been such an adventure but I know that I'm ready to head back west and to settle down. Thank you for joining me on this journey - in looking back, it's a bit crazy that I've been able to live this way for that long. Now I'm looking forward to some stability and to establishing a new routine as a non-student, non-constant traveller :)
Libellés : Montreal
mercredi 2 juillet 2008
Pressed for time
I was going to write a long post today but the computer lab is closing in about ten minutes so I will have to save my thoughts for another time! Other than that, I am alive and happy about leaving the university residences in a few days :)
Libellés : Montreal
lundi 16 juin 2008
Delayed response
So I'm back in Quebec for the third summer in a row and it has been quite interesting. The biggest thing to come out of this experience so far has been the discovery that this is not where God wants me to move, either now or in the near future. It was a difficult decision to come to but I'm grateful that I've made it, especially since I've been praying since graduation about what to do with my life.
Although I've very much enjoyed being here and seeing my friends on this side of the country, I am homesick like crazy and am extremely anxious to head back west. I've never encountered this feeling before, so in a sense, I feel as if God is closing the door on Quebec in my life (not that I'm solely basing my decision on feelings but it's a definite sign). I will continue to pray for the province and the people but I no longer have the desire to be physically present in order to do that. I'm not sure why it took me such a long time to realize this but it sure leaves me with questions about why I'm still here for a few more weeks.
Out of all of the summers I've spent here, this one has been the most scheduled and rigid, making my days not quite so pleasant. Dorm life has been the worst due to the lack of privacy and noise, and I am awaiting the day when I will return home. I've been incredibly grumpy and having five hours of class everyday (with some days going to six-seven hours) is making me fidgety. I really hope that my attitude hasn't affected anyone that I've been spending time with lately; I don't want to be a grumpy complainer.
The reality is that this has been a hard time and it's something that I've brought on myself, so I have to learn how to deal with it. It's been good for drawing closer to God (which is always great) and for seeing how I cope with stress and less than favourable circumstances. So far, I have a long way to go in responding positively but I suppose I should be encouraged that I will come out of this with a stronger character than when I first started.
Libellés : everyday life, Montreal
mardi 27 mai 2008
Rushing around
This is going to be a short post since I have a lot of things crammed into today! I just got back from a family trip to the States (a mini-reunion of sorts) and am packing today to head off to Montreal first thing in the morning. I'm doing my last load of laundry and trying to figure out what to bring. I also have several last-minute errands to run tonight, so it makes for an insane day. All this to say that I am incredibly thankful for my summer so far even if it's a bit rushed. I'm excited about what God will do in my life and for the things to come... to Him be all the glory (especially as I run around, looking slightly crazed)!
Libellés : Montreal
jeudi 3 avril 2008
A few meanderings
1. I noticed a bus stop Bible study on the train today, which was an unexpected surprise. I had heard about it a couple of months ago but didn't think that we would already have them in Calgary. I'll keep my eyes peeled for more in the coming weeks and to see if they will appear in different formats.
2. After so many years of wanting to get a hymnal for myself (and mentioning it on here), I went to one of the Christian bookstores in town only to discover that they no longer carried them! What a shock! I've checked the other stores' websites but they're not available there either. In fact, the one I'm after can only be found through Amazon in the States and Word Music, which I suppose isn't that bad although the shipping and handling fees might end up doubling the cost of the book.
3. I'm intrigued by farmers' markets, especially since I've yet to go to the Calgary Farmers' Market, Marché Jean-Talon, or Marché Atwater. Wait, I think I've been to the Atwater one but it was in the wintertime. I spent all last summer in Montreal and went near Jean-Talon once or twice but didn't make it to the market somehow; I shall have to correct that this year.
4. So yes, I'm heading back to Montreal again this summer. Surprise, surprise (okay, no one is actually surprised - one of my friends even predicted it weeks before I knew anything myself). I'm excited that I'll get to go back there this summer, and more so in that I'll get to see my friends again. I was thinking of who I could invite to my graduation but most of the names that popped into my head were of those who live far too many provinces away to be able to attend. I guess I'll have to celebrate my graduation over there as well :)
5. I'm thinking of getting a hostelling membership but I haven't decided if I'll end up using it enough before its expiry date. I'm looking into potential European trips but there is still a lot up in the air. Unfortunately, this is taking away from my thesis time; therefore, I need to stop planning and get writing! Oh, the temptations of travel to lure me away from research.
jeudi 3 janvier 2008
Year in review
After coming across these CBC News review quizzes today, I wondered how I would fare between my hometown and the city that I resided in last summer. Not surprisingly, I did pretty horribly for the city that I spent the majority of my time in last year. There were more than a couple of questions that left me positively stumped, which makes me think that I've been a bit of a recluse with my schoolwork keeping me away from society.
On the other hand, I knew I'd do much better with the news from Quebec, so hooray for a better score on this quiz :) Maybe I'm more intentional about learning what's happening in Montreal since I'm not living there any longer; too bad the same can't be said about local news! I may be off to a good start so far though, knowing that Alberta is enforcing a smoking ban, that Calgary cat owners need to get licences, and that we are the first Canadian city to reduce trans-fats from restaurants.
vendredi 5 octobre 2007
A mini-breather
Happy October! I cannot believe that it has taken me this long to finally sit down and collect my thoughts. Things have constantly been on the go since my last post in August. After my best friend visited me for a few days in Montreal and I got to do all the touristy things with her, we headed down to New York City. What a blast that was! We took in Broadway, Times Square, Brooklyn and all the other prerequisite attractions like museums and walking tours. And the food... I cannot even explain how great it was (one exception was the pretzel street vendors). It was as if everything was done gourmet-style there; honestly, their grocery stores like Dean & DeLuca and Whole Foods Market are so aesthetically pleasing and delicious to take in. What an experience it was overall! It would have been nice to post a few things on here while I was on my trip, but it was so much better not having internet access on my vacation that when I got back, I almost didn't want to go online again - thus the very inconsistent updates on my blog.
Anyways, I've been back at school for over a month now and it still feels like I'm not quite in the academic mode yet, although I should be since I've been handing in a some papers already! I have an extremely heavy course load this semester because I couldn't complete one of my classes during the summer. I am going a tad insane with the amount of things I have to do (my to-do list is over two pages long now!) but I'm thrilled that I just have a year left in my program :) I cannot wait until school is finished; I'm starting to refer to things as AG - after graduation - now, which isn't too good on my morale at the moment! I'm praying that in the midst of all this busyness that I won't miss time with God. It's so tempting to think that I can work my relationship with God "later" but one thing that really hit me this summer was that "later" is "now". So the next few weeks of my life are going to be quite the adventure as I wrestle with figuring things out like priorities and deadlines. You'd think that after being a student for many years that I'd finally figure this one out, but nope!
Well, I haven't given up on this blog yet. In fact, I think I'll be starting another one for a school assignment but I don't think I'll keep that one up long-term. I'm still pretty content with this one and happy that I can still come back whenever and drop a little note. Ahh, life is good and it's nice to be home.
Libellés : Montreal, seminary, travel
lundi 13 août 2007
A break of sorts
So July 2007 is the first month on here that doesn't have any entries. I'm tempted to change the date on this post just to keep my archives consistent but I'll leave it for now :) I ended up not having any time at all to blog last month because I was at the university studying French. Living in residence and being about twenty minutes away from the computer lab meant that any time I had on the Internet was restricted to (my attempt to) keeping up on emails and registering for my classes this next year (a very stressful ordeal that has yet to be finalized). Now that I'm back with my friends, I have a bit more time to sort through all these things but I hate that I'm so dependent on the web for everyday things. Isn't it dreadful that it is near impossible to be away from email and etc. for a prolonged period of time? I was able to stop blogging for over a month because I had no other choice but I think I'd have a much harder time ceasing all other Internet activity. I suppose the problem lies with me and how much of my life is starting to become online... everything from buying textbooks to putting holds on books at the library to planning vacations, ahh!
Anyways, less of a rant and more of an update. I'm finished my French classes and am now on a mini-vacation. In a few days, my best friend will be flying out to Montreal to see me and then we'll both be heading down to the States for some travelling. I'm really excited as this is the perfect end to a summer of homework (first for my spring class and then for my language courses) and it'll be nice to have company as I make my way home. I've been homesick for a little while but it's been coming in stages. It was horrible when I was living in dorms but now that I've moved out, I know I'm really going to miss it here. I am happy that I'll be back in a few weeks but it feels a bit unreal at the same time. That's life in a nutshell for me lately - unexplainable but good. God has been faithful and I've had different opportunities to talk about Him and to Him throughout this summer internship. It's also nice knowing that I'm not the only one on an internship this summer and going through a weird transition period; I just met someone yesterday who is going through the same thing as me - currently completing a "stage" and going back to school in the fall for another year. While it is a lot to absorb, I'm glad I have a chance today to relax and think back on everything!
Libellés : Montreal
lundi 18 juin 2007
I exist!
Goodness, I haven't updated on here much since I've arrived in Montreal! In fact, it took Esther's post to prompt me to write something :) It was cool to finally meet her and I'm glad she got to come out to my friend's launch party. Hurray for another Montreal blogger!
Here are a couple of things that I've been able to experience over the past few weeks in point-form:
- Eating lots of crêpes
- Consuming an abundance of Nutella
- Going inside the Chinese restaurant on Gouin and Sources
- Visiting Laval and the South Shore
- Exploring the Plateau
- Checking out the St. Viateur Street Festival
- Seeing a Quebecois television celebrity walk his dog (but not knowing who he was at the time)
- Watching the Simpsons in French
- Living with four other Quebecois roommates
- Gorging on desserts galore!
- Walking all over downtown to help a friend promote her album
- Helping out with a friend's launch party
- Getting takeout at Schwartz's
- Riding the Metro to destinations not previously encountered
- Carrying on odd conversations in Franglais
- Enjoying the Grande Bibliothèque (and meeting the decorum police there)
- Suffering from the humidity
- Walking on the Main during the Fringe Festival at least 4-5x
- Discovering that the closest grocery store is on a touristy/historical street
- Attending my French church and my English church
- Seeing a deck get built in our backyard
- Experiencing a "Chinese fondue"
- Playing volleyball and getting sunburned on my ear
- Finding out the delightful world of entrepôts
- Listening to great Quebecois music
- Running into several film shoots throughout the city
- Having wonderful spiritual conversations with friends
- Sharing my story of why I'm here with people I haven't met before
- Travelling to the West Island and remembering how long the journey is
- Hanging out with my French family from last year
- Taking many walks around the neighbourhood
- Being in awe of how amazing Montrealers are at parallel parking
- Walking to the Old Port with friends
- Wishing that my two papers were finished with already
- Picking up interesting Quebecois slang (and forgetting some of it)
Libellés : Montreal
samedi 2 juin 2007
Life a few provinces away
Well, I'm in Montreal now and enjoying being on the other side of the country! I'm still adjusting to the humidity though, and especially summer humidity. I learned today that there are such things as humidity bugs; isn't that crazy?! I think I'm beginning to appreciate dry Prairie weather more now - after all, when it gets dry, you can always slap on more lotion and chapstick :)
While it's been nice hanging out with my friends and doing fun activities, I hate that I have homework hanging over my head all the time. At this point, all that is left are a research paper, lots of reading and an annotated bibliography (not to mention another course that I'm taking concurrently with my internship) but still, that's taking away from the full experience of being here. However, after I finished my final exam yesterday, I was able to take in the St. Viateur Festival de Rue, so that was excellent. I also bought some very freshly-made bagels, yum! I can't believe how inexpensive they are either; not only do you get wonderful Montreal bagels but they're at a fraction of the cost of bagels out west!
Since I'm living downtown this time, I've had the pleasure of observing street life and seeing how different it is from the suburbs. I'm sharing a place with my friends (maybe it could be described as a flat since it's not quite a house or an apartment?) and so it's been cool having roommates for the first time in my life. I'm always shocked that I have somebody to talk to; what a shift from the only child experience! Also, it's great to be immersed in French - by far, this has been one of the best immersion experiences I've had. I've remembered a lot of my vocab and I've been able to use my butchered French a bit more ;) Still a long ways to go from understanding people but I'm slowly getting there.
Anyways, I'm still without a plan for this month at this point so I'm just soaking up as much of the culture and language as I can. What a blessing that I've had my friends to help me with all that!
Libellés : Montreal
lundi 21 mai 2007
From one strike to another
Grrreat. I'll be going from one potential transit strike here in Calgary (pending 72-hour notice) to another that will most likely take place in two days in Montreal. Having lived through the Calgary transit strike that happened six years ago, I know that if another strike is called anytime soon, it will be even more chaotic with the large numbers of people that have moved here since. I'm also worried about the looming strike in Montreal - I've become so transit-dependent over there that I simply won't have any options of getting around except for the kindness of my friends. I am grateful that I'll be living close to downtown this time so that I won't have to traverse across the whole island to possibly use the limited Metro and bus service. I know other people will be in even worse pickles. Well, no sense in dwelling on it now, not when I still have numerous assignments to finish up before I can even get on that plane! I'm hopeful that things will work out, one way or another.
vendredi 9 mars 2007
Transit joys
I thought I was imagining things yesterday afternoon when I saw someone on the C-train reading what looked to be a Metro newspaper. I kept staring at it for a while wondering what language it was in since I had only seen it in French. My first thought was, "Did that man bring that paper all the way from Montreal? That doesn't make any sense!" My thinking isn't usually too logical. After seeing that the paper was indeed in English (you'd think the missing accent would tip me off), I figured that Calgary was now distributing this free daily transit newspaper, and it is! I saw a woman with a copy of it today, which made me wonder where I could get my hands on one. I haven't seen any newsstands in the train stations yet, so I'll have to find out what these "strategic locations" are (they must be hidden from as far I can tell since I've seen all of two people reading them).
Another great transit find has been coming across this article about a proposed Smart Card system for Montreal, which makes me really excited about how convenient it'll be to take transit there in the future! It will certainly take away the guesswork when I'm trying to figure out what ticket I need to buy to go from the bus or Metro to the commuter train or vice versa. And Quebec City too - that means the RTC will join the STM and AMT in one big happy family!
I don't know when I became a transit nerd but now I have this habit of collecting transit maps from my travels. Not only are they handy for getting around town, they make pretty fun souvenirs too. The strangest one has to be the subway map from the MBTA that has this blurb at the bottom: "Ironic. The guy who fought communism has a stop on the red line." That guy is JFK and he doesn't even get the stop to himself but has to share it with the University of Massachusetts. At least he's not sharing it with Aquarium or Butler :)
Admittedly, I used to hate taking transit in high school. I didn't mind it for school since I was downtown but for getting to church, it was a nightmare (a bus here, a train there, another bus somewhere else). I guess taking it last year was a struggle as well since my commutes from the West Island to downtown Montreal would take hours, making me exhausted before I even got to my destination.
Even though they were draining trips, I know I missed a great opportunity with that experience. I could have had so many chances to talk with people on the bus or Metro rather than being off in my own world listening to music or just staring out the window. Thinking back on it now, I'm saddened at my lack of initiative and my selfishness for being wrapped up in my own thoughts instead of reaching out to others. I have friends who have this amazing ability to sustain engaging conversations with people on transit all the time. I have a long way to go before I get to that point but I want to be open to the opportunities that God may have for me when I take transit. I often listen to music to pass the time but what if that is blocking me from communicating with people? In fact, I know it's getting in the way of doing that.
I missed the start of Lent this year (my trip to Montreal always throws me off track with the timing) but I think just for the rest of this month, I am going to limit how often I escape from connecting with people while I'm on the train and bus. I wonder if there are any random conversations that God may have waiting for me. It'll be exciting to find out.
Update: Forgot to link to this fun collection of the world's top 11 underground transit systems. This link and the Smart Card article courtesy of montreal city weblog. I also came across some Metro newsstands today - they're actually everywhere throughout downtown! These bright green containers can be found outside the train stations (no use of indoor wire racks thus far), so happy Metro-ing!
lundi 5 mars 2007
Back and scrambled
It's been over a week now since I've returned from Montreal but my mind has been so scattered that I haven't been able to write anything. I feel like I'm still all over the place, even though I'm confined to my desk chair at the moment.
It was so lovely to see all of my friends again and to be a part of their lives, if only for the end of February. It's always so heart-wrenching to leave them, and I long for the day when I won't say farewell as often. My heart is truly in Montreal and I am waiting to see what God will do with that, especially since He gave it to me in the first place! :) I have to believe that my not being there right now will serve a purpose in preparing me to be there one day. I also have to be careful that I'm not just living in the past or the future - both involving Montreal - but that I'm fully living in the present for the glory of Christ, no matter where I am.
And seminary..! I'm not as diligent as I should be and I'm having a hard time keeping up the motivation. It's hard not to become discouraged amidst all the tasks that bog me down. While I enjoy school and learning, I wonder if there's a point where the brain just needs a minor break. One of my best friends encountered this problem last year when she was counting up all the years she was in school and lamented that her Master's was driving her crazy. I may be at that point, and I'm only a semester and a bit into it, how sad!
There's something about the seminary environment that can do this though. Some of my professors have commented on how challenging it can be not only to our lives but also our faith. I recall hearing a brief message in class about seminarians who have become so wrapped up in the academic world of Christianity that they either become skeptical and leave the faith or they neglect their walk with God and are basically no longer living the "Christian life". It's a terrible reality and I really need to guard myself against this.
Unfortunately, I can see how things have taken a toll in the last couple of months. My Bible reading has been reduced to homework assignments (it'll be nice to finish most of my Bible requirements this year!) and my ministry also to homework. I'm praying that God will help me get out of this slump - that my love for the Word and for serving Him will be revived. I really do want to make the most out of where I am since I have another year after this. At the same time, my internship this summer is going to be like a spring of fresh water to this parched student! Oh right.. I should be focusing on my current studies; daydreaming comes later :)
"Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body." - Ecclesiastes 12:12b
jeudi 15 février 2007
À bientôt
This is the third year that I will miss Family Day, a uniquely Albertan holiday, which is no longer ours to solely claim since Saskatchewan has decided to follow us. Speaking of that province, what's with all those "come to Saskatchewan" ads taking over the C-trains?! You can hardly enter one now without getting bombarded by posters trying to convince you to move next door. Anyways, that wasn't the point of this post - I just wanted to mention that I'll be in Quebec for the remainder of the month. I'll be spending my reading break on a missions trip and while I'm terribly excited about being back in Montreal, I'm panicked beyond belief with how behind I am going to be in all of my classes. If there's one thing that is different between seminary and college, it's that extensions are no longer a given. Ahh, the privileges I've allowed myself to become accustomed to... must I now suffer? ;)
Libellés : Montreal
lundi 23 octobre 2006
Cornucopia of thoughts
1. It has been many a day since I've signed into Blogger now that I'm trying to cut back on Internet time to work on homework instead.
2. I feel a bit guilty that I've neglected this blog so much but relieved that I've been able to do other things like read or catch up on errands.
3. I'm saddened to hear the latest news of Quebec's plans for sovereignty by 2015.
4. What's worse is the indifference of young Western Canadians who could care less about this separation issue.
5. Admittedly, I was one of those indifferent people back in 1995 (although my excuse is that I was a little kid and Quebec didn't affect me then as it does now).
6. I don't know why I don't listen to French radio more often. It's been pleasant to hear bands like Malajube and Les Cowboys Fringants again.
7. I get to return to Quebec in just a few months (providing I survive this semester)!!
8. In non-Quebec/French news, I'm getting there with my clutterless room. I'm waiting until Christmas break when I can finish what I had planned to do this summer - purge through all the papers I've collected since kindergarten!
9. I found this "Praying with Scripture" booklet from my first year of Bible college and realized that there are really bizarre things in there I didn't notice before.
10. Such as: "Posture - Relaxed and peaceful. A harmony of body with spirit."
11. And, "Read aloud or whisper in a rhythm with your breathing - a phrase at a time - with pauses and repetitions when and where you feel like it."
12. I think I've mentioned before how uncomfortable I am with this type of theology but I'll leave it at that.
13. I just finished a great book on evangelism for one of my courses which I recommend: Evangelism for "Normal" People. It's even on sale for ten bucks less than I had to pay for it (sigh, the fluctuating market of books which I can never benefit from)!
14. God has been teaching me so much through one of my Old Testament classes and I have really enjoyed spending this year taking a deeper look at the OT books.
15. I'm going to get back to my assignments now but I don't think I'll be as sporadic this time around on posting. After all, term papers are coming up and the opportunity for procrastination abounds!
Libellés : books, Montreal, procrastination
vendredi 13 octobre 2006
Metro birthday
The Montreal metro is turning 40 years old tomorrow! I wish I could be there so that I could take the STM for free and go exploring through all the stations I haven't been to yet (though why I didn't do that when I had a bus pass is beyond me). My birthday is also tomorrow and it would have been grand to be in the Metro celebrating along with it - as cheesy as that is - but I'll just have to settle for being there when the Metro turns 50 or something :)
Side note: I love that they had a gospel choir sing at Berri-UQAM! I'm starting to discover the popularity of gospel music in Quebec which is really awesome. Also, Cyberpresse has an online quiz about how well you know Montreal (link via mtlweblog). Oh how I miss that city.
Libellés : Montreal
mercredi 13 septembre 2006
Rainy day
Well, I ended up not taking the extra class so I hope it comes around again next year!
I've been pretty occupied this past week doing homework for my courses, not realizing just how much there was to do. I have two papers due this week along with reading entire textbooks at once (gone are the days of reading a few assigned chapters). The first book that I had to tackle was a Volf book that required a bit more attention than I usually give to textbooks. I later found out that it's one of the more difficult readings, which was a relief since I thought it was standard level!
I was in the middle of a break during class today when one of my classmates told us that "a Columbine happened in Montreal". My mind immediately raced to all of my friends and to which school it could have been. It turned out to be Dawson College, where I do know someone who is studying design there. The news is still coming in so I'm just praying as I watch TVA and RDI and read some news online. Esther has written a more detailed post about the shooting at her blog and updates are being provided at Metroblogging Montreal.
Lord, I pray that in such a terrible time as this that people will turn towards You and seek refuge in You... Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. - Psalm 62:8 / Mon salut et mon honneur reposent sur Dieu. Mon rocher protecteur, mon refuge, c'est lui. - Psaume 62:8
Libellés : Montreal
dimanche 9 juillet 2006
April Hometown Six
I'm behind on my Hometown Six pictures because I was away the last few months, but here they are a little late. April's challenge was "Self", which turned out to be more difficult than I thought. My interpretation is: these are a collection of pictures which I took during April where people asked me why I would take it in the first place. Well, I guess that is a way to describe myself!
I saw this sign in a lumber mill in a small Quebec town. Being the only Anglophone in the group, I snapped this which made the others realize that non-French speakers seem to find anything interesting :)
I love taking pictures of the sun directly, so I couldn't pass up this opportunity when we were driving through a cégep that some of my friends attend(ed). Much more than I can do with lens flare in Photoshop!
I don't think you'd find things like this in Calgary where poems are put up on the side of buildings, but the closest I've seen are "Words in Motion" where short poems are advertised on the buses. I saw this while I was waiting at a bus stop outside a Metro station.
This is a blurry picture that I took really quickly for my friends in Quebec. I got hooked onto the licence plate game a year ago and have been playing it ever since. However, the elusive 000, the number that you need to start the game, does not exist in Quebec so my friends have started at 001 instead.
I took this out of boredom/fun before Frank and Gordon ended up behind bars in the actual Bell advertisements. When I returned to Montreal in May, I saw some ads where Bertrand et Jacques (correct me if I'm wrong on their French names) were leg-cuffed and it was déjà vu!
Sigh, can one ever get enough of the Rocky Mountains? I definitely missed seeing them when I was living in Quebec so I'm glad I took this picture for when I headed back east again. One of my close friends who lived in Switzerland for a while commented that when she first saw these mountains, they reminded her of that country. Sweet. I am definitely grateful to see the Rockies behind the skyline from pretty much most places in Calgary.
Libellés : Montreal
jeudi 4 mai 2006
Which button to click
I made it! And now I am accessing Blogger in French. I don't know if I have much to write; time seems a bit warped to me is all. It's as if I never left and like my time at home happened beforehand rather than in-between. I'm really enjoying spring here and how different people are from winter. I have reason to sympathize with Montrealers now because the Flames didn't make it into the playoffs either. I'm sad because I won't have the excitement of calling home on game days to find out how my team is doing since there won't be any game days!
Libellés : Montreal
mardi 2 mai 2006
There I go
It seems like all I've done this year has been saying goodbyes and packing at the very last minute. Speaking of which....
Libellés : Montreal
