Burgundy Bike Trip

I built up the nerve to decide to go on this trip. Remember my post about not having ridden a bike since I was 13? Well, that was part of the reason why, and also I had heard from people who attended this trip last year that it was, well, slightly strenuous.
I finally decided that since I really wanted to visit Burgundy, and that this would be a unique way of discovering it, that I would bite the bullet and give it a try.

This past Friday morning, we boarded the TGV to head to Dijon (yes, the mustard). In Dijon, we switched trains to continue our journey to the quaint town of Beaune. Little did I know that it would be so touristy.

I too am a tourist, so I guess I can’t really be annoyed when I visit areas that I think are taken over by tourists…but…I am. There were SO many languages other than French that it just really threw me off guard.

Anyway, after we arrived to Beaune on Friday midday, we had a little time for lunch (during which I ate moules marinieres for an appetizer and a fruits de mers tagliatelle for my main – the pasta was FAB…scallops, fish, shrimp, squid…actually the best main I’ve had in Europe for a long time), and then we took a tour of the old Hospice.
It was neat to see the beds, chapel, different instruments and devices used way back when to cure and repair maladies and injuries. The pharmacie (shoot, look at me spelling things in French) was neat too. All the porcelain jars of herbs, powders, drugs, concoctions…really cool. By the way, got a bad cough or asthma? Eat some slug slime.
After the tour, we walked towards a winery (another tour and a wine tasting) and on the streets of Beaune, France, we bumped into people that we knew! So weird. The wine tasting was bearable. Walking through the caves, I felt nauseous, and I managed to keep my sips of wine down, but it wasn’t too pleasant. We tried four different types of wine. A young wine, an old white, a young red and an old red.
I could smell the differences in the bouquet of the wines. The berries, plums, cherries, oaks, smokey-ness, peachy-ness…that was really cool. I found out that I like aged white wine better than the young ones (less of a gag reflex) and the colour difference is reversed from white to reds (older whites are darker, whereas younger reds are darker). The reds were more bearable than the whites, but I forget which one I liked more. Maybe the older? Whatever, I don’t think I’ll be drinking wine again in the near future. I wanted to at least try the wines at the tasting because I was in Burgundy, and it’s the thing to do, but I won’t be enjoying a bottle/glass with my meals. I think that would just ruin my meal. Oh, 1999 and 2003 are good years.
Dinner was very mediocre. They tried to incorporate Burgundian (is that a word?) cuisine into it, so I give them credit for that, but it wasn’t particularly tasty. The appetizer was a simple salad that had a generous sprinkling of the saltiest ham/bacon I’ve ever had. Or was supposed to have. I left the little morsels on the side of the plate untouched. The main was Beef Burguignonne. It wasn’t great. The quality wasn’t great. The side of pasta was dry, and the beef and mushrooms, was pretty standard. Next came a cheese plate. One cheese tasted like cream cheese (but with mustard seed on the outside), the other I think was a Camembert and tasted like your average cheese, and the last was completely stank. Mushy, and sour and never to be tried again. Dessert was a frozen soufflé that looked like it had the potential to be really really good, but the excessive alcohol taste made it unbearable, and was left untouched. No dessert made me sad. Why couldn’t then make the same thing without completely saturating it with alcohol? I forget what kind of alcohol it was. It definitely wasn’t wine. It was a hard liquor. Not Grand Marnier. Brandy? Cognac? Anyway, I give the restaurant SOME credit for trying to let us try local specialties.

The next morning, we’re up and at ‘em for a full day of biking. Luckily for us, it’s starting to rain. We get our gear, and head out on the streets. The bikes we were provided with had their gears on the handles in a way that you rotated the handle to switch gears where on the left hand you had 1-3 and on the right hand 1-7. It was really easy to use, except if you wanted to switch from 2-7 to 3-1 for example, because you’d have to rotate your handles super fast while getting stuck in different gears that you didn’t want along the way. Not the best situation when going up hills. So, to avoid that problem, I stayed in the 2’s. I think I would have liked going up to the 3’s every so often, but I didn’t want to deal the awkward switching.
We head out of town towards the vineyards. Can you believe it, I was biking through vineyards in France!!! We started the run by going up a very long and steadily steep hill. Boy, that was a test of gear using abilities and plain old determination. There was no way that I was going to get off my bike today and walk up any hill. Just when we were getting to the top of the hill, the sky opened up and it just POURED. I was wearing a raincoat (specifically bought in 2nd year university to battle the Kingston windstorms), but even though purchased at a quality store, I must say…it didn’t work. I was wet under that coat. (If anyone can give some insight as to why this quality Gore-Tex coat didn’t stand up to the job, I’d love to hear it. I also have half the mind to take the coat back to the store and get a refund – I’m pretty sure they have a life-time guarantee.) Anyway, it was just pouring. I wasn’t cold or anything…I wasn’t even grumpy that it was raining. Sure I couldn’t really look around at the scenery as much because I was concentrating on not falling and I was blind half the time from the rain in my eyes…it was a different kind of thrill. It was really rewarding. Really gratifying. It’s though endorphins that get going in your body. The “happy hormones”.
That morning we biked though vineyards and small towns. It was picturesque, quaint and as European as you can imagine. I felt like I was getting a good workout (I think my body was craving one – skating season hasn’t started yet) while being able to look around and enjoy my surroundings.
Partway through the morning, we took a break in a little village in hopes that the rain would cease. We were all soaked to the bone and tried to cram into a café to warm up and dry up. It didn’t work that well.
It seemed as though most of the vendanges for the area were done. Hardly any grapes to be seen on the vines…but you could still smell them. And the whiff you got when biking by the winery…ugh.
At lunch, we stopped in a village and luckily at this time, the rain had stopped. Before we set off for the day, we had gone to the market in Beaune (incredible!!!) and bought some supplies for picnic lunch. Some fresh bread (luckily didn’t get too soaked), clementines, apples, cheese and the best buy of all…a roasted chicken. SOOOO good after a wet morning of physical exertion. The chocolate bar that I had stashed in my backpack this morning was toast (I wouldn’t discover it until the end of the day when I was emptying out my bag and noticed a crumpled, mushy, wet, mass of Lindt Cresca White. Darn it. Those things are really good too.) I was impressed that the public (and FREE – very rare) washroom was so well kept. And it was a self cleaning toilet too. One downside. The seat was metal. A smidge cold on the tush.
The afternoon was very pleasant. More vineyards, more towns…oh yeah, mix in some highways?!? Yeah, how unsafe was that. Biking on the side of the highway. A little bit scary. Oh, and mix in some falls too. I never did, but I witnessed quite a few. It was just really slippery from the rain, and there was a lot of mud too.
By the end of the day, it was raining again, but by then, we were too weathered to really think anything of it. As we headed back towards Beaune, up yet another hill, my bum wasn’t in too much pain and I could feel my quads feeling a little sore, but was really was a good bike. A good day that I feel proud of. I’ve never biked for that long, use gears, gone up big hills, seen and experienced that things I did that day. 60km. That’s right, we biked 60km. Left Beaune at 9:30am, stopped in total of about 1.5-2 hours and returned back to Beaune at around 4pm. The last 30seconds of the run was the worst, because the bum was a little sore, and the city centre of Beaune is cobblestone. Ouchy!
After a long, partially hot shower (I think we used up the hot water, so the last 5 minutes of my shower was lukewarm), I stretched and decided to cool down by walking around town and doing a little bit of window shopping. For a small town is had stores including: Sephora, L’Occitaine, Pimkie…one other one that I can’t put my finger on (either C&A or ___ - really can’t remember it…it’s a four letter word though). But no bigger ones like H&M, Mango, Zara, what have you. There were a lot of art galleries where artists were selling their work, and tons of confiseries. One store in particular had a very impressive spread of nougats, and I sampled the flavours of Lemon, Black Currant, Praline, Strawberry and Pistachio. I can safely say that if I went back to Beaune, I would not by making such purchases again. I found the nougat too soft and there were TOO many nuts in it. It was okay, but I’d try something different next time. I was going to by a good quality tablecloth for mom, but it turns out that European have much smaller tables that us North Americans do (figures – I mean, we’re obsessed by SUVs) and after a lot of pondering and really trying to figure out just how much the dining table in Scarborough is, I sadly decided to pass and profusely apologized to one of the nicest and most helpful and understanding salespeople I’ve ever met. I picked out the pattern and the colours…it would’ve been so nice…but only if you had a table that needed a 1.75m square nappe (French for tablecloth). So, no tablecloth mom, but I told you what I got instead. I hope you’ll like them.
Our dinner was at a former monastery, now a hotel. You had to duck and step down into the dining room. A dark room with no windows with gorgeous arches and tapestries hanging from the brick and stone walls. The food was better than the night prior. A great salad with yummy balsamic vinaigrette (I need to get myself some of that this year – and some olive oil too), I passed on the piece of cheese to my neighbour. The main was chicken in a sauce that had a bite to it. A wasabi kind of bite. I wasn’t a big fan of that. And the dessert was a chocolate brownie. So the meal itself wasn’t anything spectacularly impressive, but each dish was good to eat (less the weird sauce with the chicken).

The next day, we were only going to be biking 25km and the skies were gray, but not rainy. We headed out of the town in the other direction through some of the most beautiful villages and yet again more vineyards. On hill was particularly daunting, but by now I was a pro and got to the top without any problems. By bum was a smidge sore, but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I was really lucky in that I got a bike with a uber padded seat. My quads weren’t too bad either. I wanted to bike longer (we finished the whole 25km earlier than out guide had envisioned), however some of our group was hurting a little bit more than I was and we decided that it would be best if we headed back early, had more time to relax (and do some last minute shopping – I’m a phenom when it comes to last minute purchases) before heading back on the train to Neuchâtel. We also had enough time that I decided to go have a great last lunch before leaving. All by myself. It was fantastic and I didn't feel weird. I went back to the amazing restaurant that we ate at the first afternoon and had duck. I love duck. It's so good. Luckily for me (Europeans tend to like their duck very red, whereas, I'm used to the way it's cooking at home and it's brown on the inside) after I asked them to make it really really well done, the almost obliged (last resturant I asked, it came back red, I sent it back and then it came back red again - not a happy camper). Anyway, the duck came with a bit of ratatouille and a celery puree. This meal was just as good at the one on Friday. A brouchure dissapointingly lists the restaurant as a tourist restaurant, but I really have to say that if you're in Beaune, you must eat at Le Gourmandin. The food is fantastic and the wait staff are FAB as well.
By the time we were ready to leave the beautiful town of Beaune it was DARN cold (luckily for the whole weekend I had my FAB etole to keep me warm). And when we arrived back to Neuchâtel. It was DARN pouring rain.
DARN.

You may know that I have an extreme dislike for running. After this bike trip, I think I know why. Before I thought that it was because it was too mindless, that I was repeating the same thing over and over again (can’t be that because I pedaled over and over again). Or I thought that I would get bored with the scenery (can’t be that, because biking by different things was pretty nice). It’s because I run too slow. The world would be passing by at too slow of a rate and I would feel like I’m not really getting anywhere for the effort exerted. I wouldn’t feel as much "wind in my hair".

…but I guess I don’t have an excuse not to want to bike with people anymore. Except that I’d have to borrow a bike from someone because I don’t have my own.

Posting pictures

Over the summer, I was so excited to figure out how to post pictures that were being hosted by another site. And then, I found out that blogger has its own way to upload pictures to posts...but recently, I can't seem to get it to work anymore.
Could be that I'm back behind a firewall (although I was for some of my recent posts with pictures, and it obviously wasn't a problem) or that something's wrong with blogger itself (recently, I've been getting error messages when trying to attach pictures to posts, or that it says that the picture's been attached, but then the tag never shows up on my post).

Eitherway, all I'm saying is that I was really excited to add some visuals to my posts, but now it seems that I have to go back to boring words again.

Darn.

Crash

Last Thursday night I went to see Crash at one of the local cinemas. Going into the movie, all I knew was that it was about racism. I'm the type of person who needs to know lots of details about the movie that I'm going to see and what type of movie it's going to be. Like, is it going to be super-Hollywood-esque, artsy, what have you. Needless to say, I was already uncomfortable before the movie started becuas eI didn't know what to expect.
Then the movie began, and although I knew that the movie was about racism, I felt very uncomfortable for the first half hour or so. I cannot stress very enough. Racism is a pretty touchy subject for me already, and before I could getting settled into the movie, I felt so uncomfortable sitting there.

The movie starts with one of the main characters examining a scene of a crime. He soon has a flashback with takes the audience back and introduces them to the cast of characters whose daily lives you will follow until you are brought back to the crime scene and the final moments of the movie. The characters come from different backgrounds, have different challenges and different lives. They are devoted and have relationships which they treasure. They are all very caring and passionate and in some way affected by racism. Their lives inevitably intertwine and their actions and reactions affect one another.

About an hour and a half into the movie the dreaded moment hit. When all the storylines intertwined in the most predictable manner. From then on in, the rest of the movie was a write off.
...
But not really.

This movie was so intense. The acting (for the most part) was amazing. Though predictable, it was still really interesting.

I think I can't really describe how I feel about this movie, because I'm not really good at deciphering my feelings/emotions when it comes to issues on touchy subjects.

Eitherway, definetely a must see movie.

Cheap flights

Ha ha ha. Anyone want to fly from Berlin to Geneva in November for 0.99 Euro? Visit easyJet for details.

Desalpes

Another "again" experience (see early October 2004 post for details).
Again we headed to Lignieres on the Saturday of Fete weekend to see the parade. It was pretty much the same as the year before and the streets were lined with the same vendors at the same spots (come to think of it, Fete was set up exactly the same way - if it ain't broke, don't fix it). Again, I ate some lemon pie and this time added some sausage and fudge to the mix.

[By the way, this fete, I sampled steak and onions hamburgers, chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate covered pineapple, these long donut-ish things sprinkled in cinnamon which I forget what they're called, calamari, Guarana, beer nuts, sprite, hot chocolate and most impressively a huge piece of grilled morree (sp?!? I vaguely remember the French name, but can't seem to figure out what it is)]

I noticed that there were less cows this year. And smaller bells too. Only one cow had a tree on its head, but it was a whole tree instead of just a branch. Many other cows had wreaths around their waists. I did read about cows coming down from Lignieres early this year, so maybe they didn't feel like waiting for the parade, and headed down the hill themselves?!?
It's still a pretty impressive parade though, because it's such a cute little small town affair, but with lots of tourists in attendance to join in on the festivities.
Good times.

Fete

Year two means having to repeat things over again. When it comes to Fete, this is not a bad thing.
For those who need a little bit of info about the Fete des Vendanges, please see my brief synopsis on in the late September 2004 archives.
I had a friend come to visit me this weekend and she got to partake in the Desalpes and Fete festivities...the more people the merrrier! It was great having someone extra here to party with. Someone who's up for anything and loves having a great time as much as I do.
Friday night was like the "intro to fete". My friend was arriving on the Saturday morning, so I was out with my usual posse to soak up the Fete goodness. We met at someone's place who was conveniently located in the middle of the action. I'm ridiculously envious of his rooftop balcony which if I had one, I would go out at every spare moment just to lie there and stare at the sky. It's so fab at night to lie back and star at the stars. Anyway, when we were there, we could hear the party getting started below us. When we were ready to head out, the party was in full swing and the Guggenmusik parade was just getting underway. These marching bands get so incredibly dressed up in bizzaro outfits...it's such a blast. Did you know that they crown a Miss Fete des Vendanges?!? Tee hee. We saw the candidates going by sitting on the backseat of a convertible. They had their waves down pat.
Aside from the fact that the city comes alive and they're hoards of people out for Fete, I love it because there are so many different cultures represented in a normally not so multicultural town. The streets are filled with stalls of vendors from different cultures selling food and drinks from back home as their music is pumping out through the speakers. How people do not feel compelled to dance is beyond me.
Saturday was even more packed and raucous than the night before. The key is to figure out a hot spot and stay there for awhile and then take breaks to walk around and get something to eat and/or drink. This night, we followed a good tip and found a little corner with an amazing vibe and great music. Good times for sure. One ingenious drink that I must tell about: drinks in IVs pouches. Instead of being hooked up to your veins though, the tubing is used as a straw and the pouch is attached to a string that is worn around your neck. It's all about the packaging!
Oh, and hello...CONFETTI!!! Kudos to the Neuch who can clean up a multicoloured mess (and I mean there's so much that there's a nice thick layer of confetti on the street) in one night.

It's Sunday, and Fete's still going on until tonight...

Sigh

...well, I just found out that I won't be able to go to Poland mid October to visit Auschwitz and Krakow. Darn it.
I guess I can make plans to go to Dublin or London instead.
Can't have it all.

Creux-du-Van

This past Monday, was the Jeune Federal holiday in Neuch. It’s a Cantonal holiday as opposed to a National holiday. Instead of having a day to rest, we decided to hike up the Creux-du-Van. Only about 1.5hrs to get to the top, this hike is much shorter than that of the one in Grindelwald and of the one done in Locarno last year. The difficulty of this hike comes in the form that it’s quite steep and narrow in parts, and then depending on the weather conditions, the mud/rock combination can get quite slippery. The hike has 14 switchbacks, which is great to keep your mind focused on the goal. The first couple are pretty long (makes logical sense if you’re heading up a mountain), and seem like they’re never going to end, but the higher you go, and the more tired you get, the shorter they become and you really feel that the end is near. By the end, I was pretty to be happy to be at the end. I was a little bit more tired than I wanted to be. Although, I must say now, after the fact, I’m not sore or anything, so that’s pretty good.
At the top, you get a wonderful view of Lake Neuch and the city in the distance. It’s pretty wonderful.
Unfortunately, this particular day was really cloudy, and as such, once at the top, we couldn’t see a thing. Last year, the weather was beautiful and it was blue skies and sunny, and after a short rest at the top, we headed back down to be rewarded to a fondue at the end of the hike. This year, we were scheduled to have fondue at the top instead (ugh, can you imagine hiking down after eating a mass of cheese and bread?). It was really really cold at the top, and started to drizzle. We were also in a cloud (so cool!) which was extremely dense. You could hardly see 5 metres in front of you. A little scary knowing that you’re standing on top of a cliff. Anyway, at the top, we went for a fondue (I must admit, I only had bread and didn’t even dip any cheese – fondue isn’t my fav meal ever) and headed back down the same way we came up instead of walking around to the other side of the cliff and down another longer route (we didn’t want to risk people falling off the edge). The way back down was a little slippery, but not too bad. No wipe outs on my part!

Grindelwald

Last year, I began the year hiking in the Italian part of Switzerland. This year, I decided to change it up and hiked in the German part instead. In the "real" Swiss alps.
From September 7-10, the touristic town of Grindelwald (1034 m) just above the uber-touristic Interlaken was where we stayed.
At the end of the summer, heavy rainfalls flooded many areas of Switzerland (something completely unheard of) so badly that road, bridges and railways were washed away. There was concern that the repairs wouldn't be made in time for our stay in Grindelwald. Luckily, we could made our trip and on the bus ride up you could still see the construction that was being done to rebuild different parts of the area. We went up on a private coach, but the commuter trains still weren't up and running, so to get from Interlaken to Grindelwald there were shuttle buses.
Grindewald was so picturesque. It was so different to see the alps not completely covered with snow. The last time I was surrounded by alps was in the winter in Zermatt, so this was a whole new experience being in an alp-town, where everything around me was green!
The area was filled with tourists. Lots of English speakers which always makes me do a double take. The streets were lined with hotels and chalets as "Swiss chalet" as you can get. You know, the wooden buildings with flowerboxes just outside of the windows. Fabulous.
We stayed in a little chalet in which my bedroom window looked out to the infamous North face of the Jungfrau.
One interesting experience to tell. I got to try playing an Alpenhorn. You know the one. Ri-co-la!!! I had great difficulty. I've never played a brass instrument before, and when learning how to play the digeridoo...well that took a lot of effort as well. Apparently my embouchure was too tight, but no matter how hard I tried, it wasn't what I wanted. I got some high pitched sounds out, which is better than nothing (albeit after a couple of attempts) so I guess I should be satisfied...and I guess I am. It was an experience, that's for sure! It was a lot harder than I expected and the mouthpiece was about the size of that of a trumpet. Those horns look so big. You forget that it gets bigger at the end that you're usually looking at, and the mouthpiece would need to be quite small. So yeah, I don't see a future in Alpenhorn playing, but it was a lot of fun trying!
We hiked up to a glacier. I was expecting a huge mass of ice, but was disappointed with what I saw. If I had been there only 5 years ago, I would have seen a much bigger mass. It's pretty incredible seeing the effects of global warming and such. Seeing the scrape marks on the rock from the glacier was really neat too. It's always more interesting to see things you learn about in a textbook in person.
Our hike lasted about 5 hours. We took a cablecar up to an altitude of about 2168 m and then hiked up to Gassenboden (2553m) just above a small glacier lake. We walked by quite a few cows who obviously had the right of way. It's pretty clear that when a cow starts heading towards you and crosses the path, you should stop and let the cow go wherever it wants to go. There was the option of hiking up to Faulhorn, at an altitude of 2681m before heading all the way back down again, and of course I jumped on that one. Who knows when the next time I would be able to stand on the top of an alp would be? The view was UNREAL. You could see the fabulously picturesque Interlaken and two lakes below. Yet another indescribable experience.
This particular hike didn't seem too strenuous. Just long. Although, I did feel my breathing change the higher we got up. The way down was more difficult than going up. Something about my anatomy doesn't bode well for going downhill on unsteady terrain. I think my pigeon-toedness tends to work my side-bum muscles a lot more. I was definitely feeling a good pain for the next couple of days. I love that kind of pain. You know you've accomplished something if you're in pain. On the way down some people stopped for a dip in the glacier lake. Darn cold! After just wading in to my ankles, after just a short while, my ankles clenched up and became like ice. I lost feeling pretty quickly. Those that just dove in, wow. Daring.
At the end of it all, you get such an amazing feeling. I guess the point of a blog is to try to describe things, but there are just some things that you can't describe. You just have to experience them for yourself.
At night, we would often go to a cafe with a fab terrace for drinks. Sitting there in the candlelight, wrapped up in my special Parisian etole and staring at the spotlit Jungfrau and the stars up above...my life...it's like a dream. I never want to wake up.

Ferrero Raffaello

I recently tried Ferrero Raffaello. It's Italian, not Swiss, but whatever.
I'm sure you're aware of Raffaello's more popular brother Ferrero Rocher, but I'd never heard of this one until just before I tried it. I'm a white chocolate lover, so I thought I'd give it a go.
I quite enjoy them. It's basically all the goodness of a Ferrero Rocher, except softer and smoother on the inside (white chocolate), the outside is white chocolate and a dusting of coconut on the outside as well. Yum.
For those who haven't had to pleasure of eating a Ferrero Rocher, imagine a crispy chocolate ball of goodness with soft fluffy chocolate filling with a hazelnut on the inside. Voila. Tis a Ferrero Rocher.
If you're a fan of Ferrero Rocher, I would highly recommend trying Raffaello. That is, unless you don't like coconut.

-picture courtesy of www.ferrero.it

Shewoam

Last night, I went to watch Shewoam at the Theatre du Passage here in Neuch. The show hadn't really been advertised much, and I'd only heard about it from the friend who I was going to see the show with. All I knew was that it was a "Breakdancing Show" and that was enough for me to warrant buying a ticket.
Breakdancing is quite popular hear in Europe. I've watched a couple breakdancing competitions that have been aired on the telly. Breakdancing is hot.
Anyway, I wasn't sure how this show would work out. I've never watched breakdancing in a theatre. I've never watched breakdancing while sitting down. I'm pretty sure I've always been standing...in a circle. This show could be a little odd.
And it was. Well, it got better. The "host" was hilarious, but the opening musical act wasn't my cup of tea. A guitarist/vocalist and a keyboard player. It was pretty ghetto. The first two songs were exactly the same, bust with different words, and in a different key. The chord progression and rhythm was exactly the same. The keyboardist did a couple different variations here or there...anyway, I didn't like it all that much. The vocalist had a nice voice though.
Then the dancing began. A pretty low-budget show, that's for sure, but whatever. The three members of the troupe played characters whose stories came together as the show went on. There were three members of the group. One smaller one who had great balance and spins, one taller one who was really smooth and was the "slinky" one and one who could pop and lock with the best of them. I can't think of a group that doesn't have one of each. Funny how that works out.
Some of the numbers were pretty tacky. Some of it reminded me of those troupes that would come to your elementary school and sing/act/dance/whatever to deliver a positive message. One particularly amusing act involved the three onstage together in an especially bad "boy band" kind of thing. I couldn't help but laugh out loud. They should have skipped that number.
After the intermission, they showed a video that was supposed to show a day in the life of each of the members of the group. Again, low budget, but whatever. And as expected, "a day in the life of" turned into little episodes that would branch off into breaking.
There was a great act that involved beat boxing and mike-ing the stage so that two members of the group could drum/slap/hit/snap to produce some seriously amazing beats. Not a new idea, but still impressive nonetheless.
This led up to the ending where a percussionist on a drum set provided the beats for the dancers to solo. The drummer would produce different types of beat in different styles for the dancers to break to. Some good stuff.
Anyway, it was a fun night out. I definitely felt like going out dancing afterwards.

Lindt Excellence Fraicheur de Fraise Edition Limitee (blanc)

Lindt Excellence Fraicheur de Fraise Edition Limitee (blanc)

A summer chocolate bar, this is a thin white chocolate bar with pieces of strawberry (and after more careful inspection, rhubard as well...they were definetely using it for filler).
It's not bad, although I wasn't sure how the pieces of fruit would work in a chocolate bar. Turns out that they are little flakes of a consistency much like Fruit To Go. A little bizzare, but strangely quite nice. It seemed like a weird contrast of a uber sweet white chocolate which was so exquisite, and then chewy, a little bit sour pieces of little-kid-get-stuck-between-your-teeth fruit.
I would have this bar if I wanted a shot of flavour other than just chocolate. Something with a little bit of a twist. A little bit of a difference.

-picture courtesy of www.lindt.ch

Cailler Frigor (lait)

Cailler Frigor (lait - Recette Original)

A good chocolate bar to start with.

Last year, in a very scientific "Milk Chocolate Taste Test", Frigor came out on top out of a group of seven different bars of varying quality and popularity.

One connoisseur described the bar as having a:
"strange immediate taste...similar to hazelnut (nutella-ish), smooth, sticky in mouth 8/10"
And another expert deemed the bar:
"slightly nutty taste, hazelnut in aftertaste, good heartness, good milkyness, melts well in mouth 7/10"
Now, I don't find Frigor quite that nutty in taste, but still very smooth. The inside of the bar has a slightly softer consistency (although I wouldn't describe it as having a "filling" - to me, something that is liquid in consistency) and is where I would assume the hazelnut essence lies.
I'm not really sure what to say about this bar. It's quite "plain" (in a good way) and definetely yummy. A good solid bar. A simple, smooth, melts in your mouth, quality bar. One that should be a staple in any chocolate cupboard.

-picture courtesy of www.cailler.ch

La Schubertiade

On September 4th, 2005 I attended La Schubertiade here in Neuch. This music festival takes place every two years in a different city in the Swiss Romande region of Switzerland. The festival was on for the whole weekend, however I only attended concerts on the Sunday, although I did listen to some of the street performers on the Saturday while I was downtown at the market. It was such a wonderful atmosphere. Being back here in Europe, walking the streets of little town Neuch, walking from stall to stall looking for fresh produce (although funnily enough I only bought groceries from the newly opened Coop City that day because I wanted to see what it was like and they were having huge sales) and being serenades by relaxing classical music. Lots of people were milling the streets, standing, watching and listening to the performers. It was pretty wonderful.
I’d seen a couple posters about the festival since I’d arrived back in town, but didn’t really look into the details of it. From my lovely RCM History courses, I knew what a Schubertiade was, and as much as I love to sit and listen to classical music played in an intimate environment, the style of music at a Schubertiade isn’t my fav. Still, walking around on Saturday made me intrigued enough to want to venture out on my own and take part in the festivities and soak up as much classical goodness as I could.
On Sunday, I paid for a day pass which allowed me to listen to any of the concerts that would be taking place at 14 different venues around the downtown area. The 45 minute concerts started at 1pm and ended at 5:45pm except for a couple special concerts that started earlier and ended later. So with 15 minutes to travel from concert to concert, one could attend five different concerts that day. Out of a possible 60-ish concerts to choose from, I decided on my 5:

1. Christian Chamorel, piano at the Hotel DuPeyrou
Programme:
Frederic Chopin: Ballade No. 2, Op. 38
Franz Schubert: Drei Klavierstuke D946

The one Chopin performer of the festival, of course I would want to attend this concert. The last time I heard this Ballade being played was at a student concert and I remember feeling really stressed out for the performer. The fast part of the piece wasn’t very steady and I was worried for the well-being of the performer. A can’t really think of a better description than that. This time, I felt a lot more comfortable as the performer easily went through the difficult passages. His playing was very smooth and I wished that there were other Chopin performers, but was thankful for getting at least one Chopin piece in for the weekend.
The venue was perfect. A small chapel-esque concert room with the performer playing on a Steinway on the circular stage at the front of the room.

2. Suzanne Klowsky, piano at the Theatre du Passage (Petite Salle)
Programme:
Wolfgang-Amadeus Mozart: Sonate en do mineur KV 457
Johannes Brahms: Kalvierstucke Op. 76

In almost all concerts that I attend, about an hour or so into the programme I get a little tired. Since this concert was about an hour into listening to music for the day, I started to get a little tired during this concert. Nothing against the pianist by any means, but I’ve never been a Mozart fan (to tell you the truth, I was actually starting to get a little tired during the Schubert from the last concert – also not one of my favs…at little problematic as the festival is entitled “La Schubertiade”). I guess when I was going through the schedule of concerts for the weekend, I didn’t have too many problems narrowing down my choices of concerts to attend. There was a lot of Schubert and other similar composers, so when it came down to the concerts I actually wanted to listen to, I had a list that was very easily manageable.

3. Camerata La Stravaganza (Carole Haering, violin/direction, Louis Pantillon, violon/direction, Daniel Meller, violin et Roumen Kroumov, piano) at the Temple du Bas
Programme:
Johannes Brahms: Danse hongroise No. 5 en sol mineur
Boris Leopold: Echos de Russie (Fantaisie sur des theme populaires russes)
Anton Dvorak: Humoresque
Milan Skoric: Melodie ukrainienne
Jo Knumann: Airs bohemians pour violin solo et orchestre
Pablo Sarasate: Airs bohemians pour violin solo et orchestre
Dimitri Chostakovitch: Prelude – Valse

I had actually been to a concert where this ensemble had played, and quite enjoyed it…strange thing though is that they had exactly the same programme this time as the last. Hmmm. Good thing I liked the pieces. The Temple du Bas was PACKED. By the time I got there (10 minutes early), there were no seats left, so I stood near the side. A little bit into the performance, I felt adequately tired, and plopped myself on the ground. Sure, I could hardly see the musicians, but all I really cared about was being able to hear the music, and of course I could do that just fine. It was just such a relaxed atmosphere, people even going to sit on the stage, people singing along…good times. I love classical music and fun community spirit building events!
The soloist was great. I love ethnic Russian/bohemian-eqsue pieces. They have such strength and character to them. Someone should skate to these pieces. I know the first couple are way to popular and have been skated to many a time, but the other ones are great too.

4. Pascal & Gerard Desmeules, piano at the Conservatoire
Programme:
Franz Liszt: Concerto pathetique
Maurice Ravel: La Valse
Witold Lutoslawski: Variations sur un theme de Paganini

I don’t know if it was the acoustics of the room or what but I found the playing WAY too loud. It was a two piano, four hands with the grands open, but I wouldn’t think that would make a big difference. I mean that’s usually how it is. Something about the playing just gave me a little bit of a headache.
The last piece was really neat. Everyone knows Rachmaninoff’s famous variations, but this one was sort of jazzy in feel. Of course you could make out Paganini’s theme, but it was just a different take on it. What makes that theme so famous to use anyway?

5. Piano Quattro (Francois Creux, Alexandre Loeffler, Vanessa Lenglart et June Allender) at the Conservatoire
Programme:
Menu special "Schubertiade":
Petite marche pour ouvrir l’appetit, recette Franz Schubert – Presto du pere Joseph, sauce Hoboken – L’allegretto rafraichissant de la maison Bartholdi – Notre fameux Petrouchka facon Igor – Riz “Goletto” alla Verdi – Le supreme de Dvorak servi dans une garniture slave – Le parfait symphonique si vous aimez Brahms – La surprise du chef

This was a fun concert. The programme was delivered by the performers in the form of a menu. My favorite pun is the Verdi. Yuk yuk yuk. The concert was a two piano, eight hands romping good time. The room was absolutely packed (luckily I was seated comfortably) and there were people standing anywhere that there was space and they even spilled out onto the balcony where they couldn’t see the performers, but of course could still hear the wonderful music being played.
And even though I was in the same room as the previous concert and there were more “hands” playing away on the same two pianos, I didn’t get a headache like the last concert. Maybe it was because there were more people to suck up the sound, but for some reason I don’t think that more people would make THAT much of a difference.
It was a great concert to eat on. Light, casual, with a touch of humour…just how a Schubertiade should be!

It was great to see a diversity in the audiences. Different languages, age groups and cultures being represented. I definitely felt comfortable and enjoyed having some alone time to just soak up the beautiful music. Everyone was so friendly and there was such a nice community feel all day. Seeing everyone milling the streets and speaking with strangers was another one of those unexplainable calming feeling.
In two years, La Schubertiade will be held in Fribourg…I wonder if I’ll be around to attend???

-picture courtesy of www1.rsr.ch

Chocolate trials

Last year, I decided that I would try every type of chocolate bar by the big names here in Switzerland once, just to compare and say that I’ve sampled everything. I've decided to chronicle these trials and pass on my thoughts about the choclate-y yum-yums. This may mean that I will need to go back and re-sample those that I’ve already tasted. It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it so that the knowledge of various chocolates gets spread out into the whatever sized group that actually reads this blog. Tee hee.

Bike ride

On Saturday, September 3rd, 2005 I went on a bike ride. The last time I rode my bike was just under a year ago, and it wasn’t a pleasant experience, for although as the saying goes “you never forget how to ride a bike”, not having ridden a bike since the summer of 1994 put that saying to the test. And come to think of it, I don’t even remember if I rode a bike then. I remember it was a group of five. With two bikes and three pairs of rollerblades. I remember borrowing something…but now I don’t remember what, because I know for the sure the bikes had hand brakes and gears and when I rode a similar bike last year, braking with my hands and changing gears seemed very very unfamiliar. This means, that my memory may be flawed (QUITE possible) and that the last time that I rode my bike was actually LONG before 1994 on a bike that braking meant backpedaling. Old-school.
Anyway, when I rode the bike last year, even steering the bike proved to be very difficult for some reason, so when the opportunity of going for a bike ride came up again, I was quite hesitant, but I really wanted to have positive feelings towards biking (especially since there is a high probability that I will be going on a weekend bike tour in the near future) so I decided to give it another go.
I ended up biking for 34km!
And it went really really well! I could steer, I could brake, AND I could use my gears! I pedaled up hills without stopping…only feeling that annoying “wow, my feet are pedaling really really fast, yet I’m going nowhere…I hope this bike still continues to inch forward and that I won’t tip over” feeling.
We biked from Neuch to Erlach through little towns, on major streets and over bridges, between cars and on sidewalks, through gravel and beside rivers, by fields and through farms, past horses, cows, goats and boats…stopping for a snack, a drink and a dip in the lake…it was really really fun!
Maybe this biking thing isn’t too bad afterall…but I think next time, I will try to bring along a walkman/discman or something of the sort. Listening to myself sing really isn’t enough, and no, I guess I can’t just enjoy the quiet outdoors. It’s nice to sit and watch the world go by in peace and quiet, but when you’re whooshing by on a bike, a soundtrack to life is key.

Getting back into a routine

It'll be awhile before I get all of my updates done, but I'm just getting back into the swing of things here in Europe.
I have so many little odds and ends to deal with and of course this blog is taking a little bit of a backseat (and to write all about my fabulous adventures over the past little while WILL take quite awhile I'm sure), but I promise it will get done. Sort of soonish.
I must say that I've missed little Neuch. And this continent is FAB.

Little Earthquakes

Little Earthquakes, by Jennifer Weiner

The final installment in my summer of chick lit, this one definitely wasn't as airy as the Shopaholic series. This story line actually had some substance to it.
This book is about the interactions between four ladies who have recently been pregnant for the first time. The book takes place aver a span of a couple months, and tells each woman's story from their point of view. Each woman has a very different life and is going through varying degrees of adversity and their friendship helps each of the women to deal with their challenges and move ahead with their lives.
It took me awhile to read this book, not because it was difficult to read (my interest was held throughout), but because I read it in little snippets. I didn't really have a big chunk of time recently to sit down and just plow through a substantial amount at a time. Unlike other books I've read in the past, this wasn't a problem, because I could quickly get back into the book without dwelling on the fact that I didn't completely remember what has previously happened. The story flowed pretty easily so when you continued it would be pretty obvious what had just happened.
Anyway, I enjoyed the book. It was light (but not fluffy) and easy to read. The intertwining of the characters stories was interesting too.

-picture courtesy of www.chapters.indigo.ca

Broken Flowers

On Tuesday night I went to see Broken Flowers.
I'd seen the trailer and thought that it would be interesting. I figured it'd be the type of movie that I'd probably enjoy, although maybe I should have been tipped off on the fact that it was very "Lost in Translation"-esque, and I wasn't sure what I thought about that one.
Anyway, I guess there were some funny moments in the movie, however I left with the feeling that I had missed something. That I didn't "get it" or something. I think it was because I felt that it was unfinished. I didn't like the ending. Although the way that it ended (I don't mean in the story line, but how the very very end - before the credits started rolling - was shot) was dfinetely a groaner. As soon as it happened...just...ugh. I also felt like the plot line or "funny factors" faded as the movie went on. The beginning was much more interesting than the end. There was a moment that I actually wanted to check watch to see how much more of the movie there was left to go (to give me an idea of how much more of the plot needed to be developed), but I didn't get the nerve to do it, and surprisingly (because I started to feel that it was dragging) it ended soon after.
I don't know. It was okay I guess, but I wouldn't add it to my list of favorite movies of all time, that's for sure, but I think I'd recommend it. Just because it's not your typical Hollywood flick.

-picture courtesy of www.rottentomatoes.com

So You Think You Can Dance

Last night I watched So You Think You Can Dance one last time before going back to European TV.

All I can say is: DA-AMN!!!

Kensington Market

Tonight, I was in the Kensington Market area and walked by all the stores (they were closed by this time) and by the area sectioned off for Pedestrian Sundays.
There was music playing and a crowd had gathered, and it really looked like a lot of fun, but I didn't have time to hang around to check it out in great detail.
Anyway, the point of this post is to say that Kensington actually creeps me out. I actually feel really gross and uncomfortable walking in the area. I really don't like the vibe.
I've heard many many great things about the area and all that it has to offer, but no matter how hard I try, walking through Kensington still makes me cringe.
It really is too bad. I'm sure I'm missing out on some interesting stuff.

Music selection #4

Warsaw Concerto, by Richard Addinsell

Immortal music

I predict that incidental and theme music from movies will be today's version of classical music. Music that will live on forever.

Preparing for my return to European life

...by going to Hollywood Gelato.

Up until today, Greg's on Bloor Street has been my favorite "cold treat" place to go to by a long shot, however tonight proved Hollywood Gelato worthy enough to creep closer to that coveted pole position. It wasn't my first trip to Hollywood Gelato, but I think that I've finally realised that although chocolate/fudge/caramel/nut/marshmallow/everything-but-the-kitchen-sink gelato sounds cool and excting, fruit flavoured gelato really is the way to go. Hollywood Gelato isn't quite as tacky as it used to be. They've changed the design of the logo and updated the faded pinks, blues and greens with brownish-orange colours. Of course they still have the bicycling chicken/duck thingy outside the store. I like the addition of coloured names and photos of "Today's Flavours" on the wall to prevent crowding near the counters (because the store's crowded enough already) and you've got to be impressed at how efficient the counter staff are at getting the customers paid and happily eating their gelato.
Tonight I happily ate Key Lime Pie, Forest Berry and Mango. I would highly recommend all three options.

-picture courtesy of www.yummybaguette.com

Feathered Dinosaurs and the Origin of Flight

The Royal Ontario Museum currently has a special exhibit entitled Feathered Dinosaurs and the Origin of Flight.

This afternoon, I popped by to wander through the exhibit.

Going to museums makes me feel very, well, not-smart. I just feel like there's so much about the world that I don't know about that I wish I did. I wish I could go to school for the rest of my life and sit in comfy chairs and have someone tell me stories about everything in life. If they have visuals and manipulatives, it would only make storytime better.

I'm not sure if it was because the information was over my head, or because I was feeling a little tired this afternoon, but I really struggled with reading the graphics. You know how I've always said I've had problems reading and retaining? Or that I find it really hard to learn from reading textbooks? Well, I felt that again today. It was really really hard to focus and learn from the graphics. My knowledge about looking at the fossils, prints and replicas only took me so far. I needed explanations to go along with them, and the graphics that they had just didn't seem to be working for me...until..."The Bird Connection".

This part of the exhibit definitely had families and children in mind. They had lots of pictures, and simple graphics (along with the normal ones) which I really got a lot out of, because I could read the children's graphics and then move on to the "adult" versions and learn more about the basic things mentioned in the "kiddie" ones. I think having a more basic explanation could be a way to make exhibits less intimidating and more accessible to the average visitor. Not all visitors know much about what they are seeing, but they're there to get as much as possible. The kiddie graphics were a really casual way of introducing the visitor to the topic and I felt that they really explained the main points of the exhibit quite well. One of the main things I enjoyed about this section, was that each graphic had a little icon, and beside each replica/cast was an arrow (with the corresponding icon on it) that pointed directly to the spot on the replica/cast that the graphic was describing. Often I see these impressive specimens, but don't really know what the main features are, and what's so significant about them. Or for example (using feathered dinosaurs to prove my point), archaeologists and curators know exactly what to look for in fossils, but to an untrained eye, a couple little ridges in the rock really doesn't have you clue in that is a cluster of feathers. Having someone blatantly pointing it out really helps and makes me better understand the significance of what I'm looking at.

I know that if you take a tour, the guide (and there are some incredible ones at the ROM, I must say) would point out such things, but I don't think most visitors take tours. I just have to reiterate that I really enjoyed the fact that this specific part of the exhibit was so accessible and I hope that museums consider making more of there collections just as accessible as this one. It will cater to so many more types of visitors.

I also decided that I need a latin name. Sure, I'm homo sapiens, but that's my genus and species name. I need a me name. Something cool. Any suggestions?

The exhibit runs until September 5th, so go visit soon!

Music selection #3

Rhapsody on a Theme By Paganini Opus 43, by Sergei Rachmaninoff

- Genius how inversion and putting it into the minor makes one of the most beautiful pieces ever created...(18th variation)

Music selection #2

Bolero, by Maurice Ravel

-What a difference a crescendo and brass make...

Music selection #1

Adagio for Strings Opus 11, by Samuel Barber

Bergdorf Blondes

Bergdorf Blondes, by Plum Sykes

This book was next up in the summer of chick lit.
This one was so over the top in air-head fun, it was great...until 3/4 of the way through, when it seemed like the author decided that she needed to get to some kind of plot climax (I was pretty happy about reading out their ridiculous lives) so that the book could end (I guess that's something important).
Getting to that ending was like pulling teeth. It was almost as frustratingly annoying as chick flick! This one was predictable, but so far-fetched, that I just groaned and was so put off when all happiness and perfection broke loose. It was ridiculous.

-picture courtesy of chapters.indigo.ca

They're watching...

I'm wandering around a major shopping mall in Toronto, and as I pass by the entrance of a major department store two casually dressed men wearing black leather gloves and headsets walk up to an unassuming teen aged (I think, I'm bad at guessing ages) girl with a backpack who seems to have just purchased something from the store (there's a bag of merchandise in her hand). The two averaged sized men swiftly came beside her and stop her. One looks inside her bag of merchandise, and the other grabs her arm and holds onto it while he looks inside her backpack. It looked like a pretty routine, "the alarm beeped when you walked out of the store, so we must have forgotten to take the tags of your merchandise" kind of stop, except for I never heard any beeping (maybe it happned before I arrived on the scene) and of course there were the fancied up men. Still grabbing her arm, they take her back into the store, and towards the escalator. Being the nosy girl I am, always wanting a piece of the action, I decide to follow them in. They go upstairs and take her into some back room (I wasn't following close enough to really see where they went). All the employees are staring and whispering, but none of the shoppers seem to notice that anything's up.

I wonder what happened in this story half and hour before and after my rendition of it...

******

A short while later, in the same mall, but in a very different department store, a well-dressed man walks by, whispering into a walkie talkie "yup, I just walked by them...the two of them". I looked over to see who he was refering to hoping for some more excitement in my day. The walkie-talkie man kept walking and by now has disappeared, whereas I casually loiter around the "two of them" but don't seem to see anyone else who is as interested in them as I am...but I'm sure they're around. After a little bit, nothing seems to happen, and I make my departure. A lady can only loiter so long in the Men's Department.

I wonder what happened in this story half and hour before and after my rendition of it...

Who can say no to pink?

I've been itching to get a bag from this store since it's "Rugby" days, but never worked up the nerve to open up the wallet for one no matter how many times I was told "it's an investment!" by various people in the know.
For many years, I would walk by the store (I conveniently worked down the street), enter with a smile, say hello to the nice gentlemen, look longingly, sigh, and leave...utterly deflated.

Well, I did it. After much stress, I bought a bag from there.

Some rationale in no particular order:
1. It's a travel tote (which I've been wanting for a long time)
2. It's the prettiest shade of pink ever
3. It's on sale
4. It's super soft
5. It's SO me
6. It's multi-functional
7. It's unique - or at least I hope I don't see (m)any people with it
8. It's an investment!

Imagine this in the prettiest pink possible...that's the one I've got! And for the sake of my selfishness (and rationale #7), for the love of all things fabulous, please don't go out and buy a matching one!

Go on, congratulate me on my fab purchase and let me bask in your jealously! =)

Next on the list: A black "teacher-y/professional/chic" bag

P.S. Special mention to the two fantastic fashionistas who did just the right amount of convincing on this "luckily" rainy day.

-picture courtesy of www.hilary.com

Another dream fullfilled?!?

I've found something to play out my dreams of waitressing, since I think that I won't be taking orders anytime soon!

Music to my ears

It's a common question: "What kind of music do you listen to?"

I never really have a good answer. For all intensive purposes, my answer is "everything", and that's pretty boring, but it's the truth.

Or even worse: "What's your favorite band?"
Or how about: "What's your favorite kind of music?"

I don't know the answer. Music is music is music. There's some kinds of music that I like better than others, but I listen to everything. All music is good for your soul.

I don't own a walkman. I don't own a discman. I don't own an mp3 player. I don't own a stereo. I don't own an iPod. I think those are a couple reasons why I don't get obsessed about certain types of music.
Oh, I guess I lied a bit. I do own a walkman or discman, but I don't use either of them. And they're both hand-me downs anyway.

At work I will put on MTV Radio to pep up the workroom. At home (in Neuch) I flip my telly to MTV France quite often.
My radio (in Neuch) is set to Espace 2 which I listen to before bed, and am woken up to the same sounds.

Here in Toronto, the radio in my room and in the car is set to Classical 96.3FM. Sometimes I switch to some kind of Top 40 station, but I usually end up back on Classical.

I grew up sitting in the backseat, listening to CBC Radio, before it became "Radio One". AM radio was where it was at. 740AM if I'm not mistaken (still remember listening to the show when they switched over and the personalities were joking about how they would have to learn how to use "FM" voices). Many nights of "As It Happens" (Radio That or The Show That *insert punch line here*) to the ballet studio and on the way home, "Ideas" which meant it was time for bed. Knew we were late for Chinese School if "The House" had already started. If we timed getting picked-up right, we got to hear the Gremlins theme song and "Double Exposure". I think that show is the only reason I know how different politicians sound. Couldn't wait for "Quirks and Quarks", and still love the show even after Jay Ingram passed on the torch to Bob McDonald. Knew the end of the Saturday driving marathon was coming to an end if "The Inside Track" and "definitely Not The Opera" had come and gone. I still do a double take when I hear Sook-Yin Lee's voice nowadays, because I still think of her as a Much Music VJ (I know, it's been awhile). And the hush that comes over the car (even to this day) when the beeps come on signaling the big hand reaching the 12 and the hourly news soon to follow.
In Grade 7 I decided to be cool and listen to 640AM with Tarzan Dan. That station folded, and years of following him along with the Jesse and Gene (don't know spelling - it was radio) Morning Show through various AM and FM Top 40 stations passed by.

The car radio has many stations pre-programmed that I'll flip through, but classical music seems to win out at the end.

Anyway, the point of this post was to say that I think I'll post some names of classical music pieces every so often just for fun. They'll probably be pieces that I enjoy for a variety of reasons. Take what you'd like out of my choices.

Epic

Last night, I dined at Epic...the newish restaurant at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.
Although Summerlicious was on, we decided to pass on it, and look at their full menu.
I asked the waiter for some kind of non-alcoholic drink (fruity, please) and he came back with the bartender's creation of a yellowish orange drink garnished with a lemon and an orange. It was quite pineapple-y, but wasn't bad.
We turned our attention to the "Water Menu". That's right. As a non-alcoholic, I was excited at the prospects of being able to sample some fine drinks. Sadly, the Swiss were not represented on the list, however I recognized most of the French and Italian labels. We ended up picking a sparkling Voss from Norway and a still Gleneagles from Scotland to start. Unfortunately, the water sommelier didn't come by to help us with our selections (we're thinking he wasn't working that evening).
I found the Voss very smooth. And for some reason, the Gleneagles was very filling. I think I've lost the taste of still water. Garnishes of lemon, lime, cucumber and ginger provided to be excellent. I quite enjoyed ginger in the sparkling water. It only accentuated the bite, and added that ginger essence that I have come to love.
We were given a Black Bean and Mango Salsa with a small tortilla which was quite delicious to whet our appetites and the bread was quite nice as well.
My appetizer was a Yam and Vanilla Bean Soup with Mascarpone Cheese Infused with Ginger. The mascarpone was delicious. It was quite a large bowl, and it got quite rich by the end. It was quite nice, but I think I would have enjoyed a smaller bowl with a thicker soup.
We were out of the Voss, so we decided to sample the Galvanina Blu. I thought this one had more bite, but the bubbles were so small you couldn't feel them.
My entree was Jumbo Gulf Shrimp served with Pineapple, Mango and Purple Potatoes. The shrimp wasn't anything too special, and it was such a weird contrast to how filling my appetizer was.
My dessert selection was rather limited due to the overwhelming choices with an alcoholic content. I didn't feel like asking if anything could be made without the alcohol and I didn't really need to because I was quite happy with my selection of a delicious chocolate cake served with a scoop of ice cream (don't remember the flavour - it was something unique I'm sure...but the flavour wasn't overpowering, hence not remembering what it was). The cake had the most gooey filling and the chocolate was fabulous (hey, I know good chocolate).
Petit-fours weren't too special - a pistachio biscuit, macaroon and a chocolate with a disappointing centre.
Our waiter was very pleasant and the service was quite nice. From looking around at the platters presented to Summerlicious diners, it really showed that you really don't get the chef's best food with that deal. An enjoyable meal, but next time might just sample a few appetizers and skip the entree, drink some great water and have a delicious dessert.

Beaches International Jazz Festival

Friday night, I went with some friends to the Beaches International Jazz Festival Streetfest.
We lucked out and found a parking spot super close by Queen St, and walked into the action. It was a gorgeous night. Not too hot...there was just enough breeze.
Queen St. East (between Coxwell and Victoria Park) is closed down for the event and a variety of musical acts, food/drink stands, craft tables are set up alond the sides of the street. Some stores are open later for the event and ice cream parlours including yummy Ben & Jerry's were in high demand. I decided to try "In A Crunch" and "The Last Straw". They weren't too bad. I think I was still really full from dinner at Saigon Sister just off of Yonge/Bloor to really be able to enjoy the ice cream. But of course I wasn't going to say no!
We walked pretty far down Queen St. I don't remember to where, but I think the streetfest has extended further than it used to be, because looking off into the distance it didn't look like the partying stopped. I could see a sea of people to forever.
I didn't pay enough attention to which band was which, but I really did enjoy the music. I guess you don't really need to be able to see the musicians to enjoy the music, but sometimes it was just a little too crowded for my liking. Not, "shoving people out of the way" kind of crowded (well, sometimes it was), but I felt too far away from the music.
I think my strategy for next time is to get a cold drink, pick a nice slab of sidewalk, and sit and chat the night away while listening to the fabulous music all around.
Walking back to the car, we walked on the boardwalk. Looking south, there was a dark void lit up by a fast rising, quite full moon. At the horizon is was a beautiful red/orange and turn yellow the higher and higher it flew. Stars speckled the night sky and I was very happy. Looking west, a bright sky reflecting the downtown Toronto nightlife had its share of speckling lights from the CN Tower and neighbouring skyscrapers.
And I couldn't be happier riding the fluorescent lit TTC subway all the way home.

I like it here in Toronto.

Shopaholic Ties the Knot

Shopaholic Ties the Knot, by Sophie Kinsella

The third of the Shopaholic series, yet another quick read, but either I'm getting bored of reading this series (which, if this is the case, no worries, because I don't have any more to read) or else this one wasn't as good. I flipped by a couple pages at the 2/3 point.
As always, it's still the same story line as before, except that you know at the end she's going to get married. It's always a happy ending for these kinds of books, but I gotta say that getting to the happy ending in this one seemed a little forced. The first part of the solution to the big issue in this book just seemed so completely bogus and like the author has to resolve the issue quick so she decided to go this one route and deal with it fast. It was a little annoying...and then got crazier and certain things happened which didn't make any sense, because if they did the whole problem probably could have been dealt with the same way right from the get go.
Whatever. It's just chic lit.
So I'm done reading a whole series of books. If you want a fun read, I would highly suggest reading the Shopaholic books. They're pretty fun. I liked the first on the best though.

Shopaholic Takes Manhattan

Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, by Sophie Kinsella

Book number two of the Shopaholic series...done!
Same sort of premise. Loves to shop. Goes into debt. Love issues. Work issues. Happy ending!
Only main difference is that a bunch of the book takes place in New York as opposed to London, so the brand names that's dropped are all different.
Another quick read, but I think I liked the first book better.

Next up: Book three of the Shopaholic series.

Dancing with the Stars

I didn't get a chance to watch this show, but now, after it's over, I'm hearing a little bit of buzz about it. I was looking into it, and I've realized that I've basically been watching the identical show off and on throughout the year in Neuch. Just the Italian version that I can't seem to remember the name of. I noticed that Dancing with the Stars was based on a BBC show, so I guess I wasn't watching the original one either, but it's just so strange that different countries seem to have the same shows. Yes, I know every country around the world has (or had) "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire", "Survivor" and "Big Brother", but when I was watching this one, somehow I didn't think that it would fly in North America...although movie stars in North America are the equivalent of royalty in Europe, so I guess there would be a demand to see celebrities doing yet another TV show (even if they aren't A-list ones). Still it was a little weird to hear about this show being a success. I enjoyed watching the Italian one (even though I had no idea what they were saying) because the stars and their partners looked like they were having such a great time dancing, and isn't that what dancing's all about?

There's another show that I would watch off and on in Neuch. It was another Italian dance show called Amici about dancing. It might be similar-ish to the potential next dancing show phenom: So You Think You Can Dance. Because of the language barrier I couldn't completely figure out what was going on, but the dancers seemed to only have to dance classical, jazz and hip hop or something, all the participants sat on some kind of panel in the audience and would discuss each other's performances or bash each other (there was an episode with lots of crying - it was like there was some weird romance going on as well?!?), and after they were down to a smaller group of competitors it looked like they lived together in some weird set up in/nearby the television studios. For some reason I think there was singing too. It might have been more of a triple threat kind of show. The host lady had a crazy deep raspy voice and although the show was dance focused, there was a lot of question and answer stuff with the competitors, and the competitors would have to do/discuss different things. One competitor did a great impersonation of the host. It was pretty funny. Oh, of course there were judges, but they seemed pretty harmless.

Anyway, I love a good dance show (I loved the Wade Robson Project and the European version he did as well) so I hope the new show won't disappoint!

The baddest buttons around

Today, my brother gave me my buttons that he'd ordered for me a couple months ago.
They are SO dope. I'm going to be the coolest girl in school (come September). Everyone will be so jealous of me and my ubercool buttons (...errr...in Switzerland).
Bop bop. What-what!! Booyah. Woot woot!
I haven't figured out the coolest way to wear them yet, but it's got to be something fab.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Confessions of a Shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella

Continuing on with my summer of easy reading, I just finished reading the first book in the Shopaholic series (I'd read a later one earlier this year - because it was easily accessible - with quite good results).
For sure a chick-lit book, it was quite easy and fun to read. Nothing too strenuous, and while I read it off and on, little bits at a time, I never had to worry about forgetting what had just happened. As long as you could get the gist of the whole book, you were fine. I mean there were a couple things that could have happened. She shopped and blew too much money. She went to work and was bored. She got letters from the bank/credit card companies. Something about potential blossoming love.
It was definitely a perfect ending type of story, but I think with this type of book, I would be disappointed if it wasn't. Gotta love a cheesy happy ending when everything works out perfectly. A warm-fuzzies book. I hope my life has a perfect-ending!
Seriously though, the next book on my list is the second Shopaholic book (might a well go through with the whole series since I've started)...I'm sure after I'm done that one, I'll have a similar kind of reflection on it. Not too much substance, but everything perfect as expected with this kind of book. Perfect for a mindless summer.

The trip home

I left Neuch early in the morning on Wednesday, June 29th and hopped in a taxi (didn't really feel like lugging my stuff onto the bus for one last time) where upon arrival to the train station, the driver tells me that he remembers me from a previous ride (I don't remember him, but I'm not good at remembering faces) and he mentions that I'm the last passenger that he's going to have. After a brief discussion, I realise that he means forever. He's taken another job, and I'm the last person to be using his taxi services. Wow. Didn't really know what to say, except for thank you and good luck in all of his future endevours!

Took the train to Geneva Airport (love how gentlemen here always help people with their heavy stuff without you needing to ask for their help), and because I'm so great at time management, I've got plenty of time to spare, and people watch until they call my flight to board. I initially wanted to ask the lady at check-in if I could upgrade, but she seemed pretty cranky, so I didn't bother. No big loss. I probably wouldn't have gotten one anyway.

I get on the small Austrian Airlines plane to Vienna where I am to stay overnight. It's a pretty short flight, that's quite uneventful. All I really remember about the flight was that the cabin was bloody cold and that I was sitting right besdie the air conditioner. And that my legs were cramped up from putting some awkward gift-ish carry-on luggage where my feet would have liked to be.

Upon arrival to Vienna, I go to wait for my luggage, and it doesn't come. Grrr. How frustrating. So after a little bit (eating unto my well planned out afternoon) I decide to ask the airline what's going on, to find out that my luggage had been checked through to connect with my flight the next morning to Toronto, and that I wouldn't be collecting it for the night. Too bad Ms. Cranky didn't tell me that in the morning. I guess I didn't ask her, but I didn't really say much to her at all, because, well, she was so cranky! After initally asking if I could get my luggage (I didn't have all of my overnight stuff with me - even though they say you're supposed to), and then waiting around impatiently for my stuff to come (which wasn't the airline's fault by any means - I was just impatient), I decided that I really didn't want to create a hassle for the airport workers and that I could make due with what I had in my bag. The airline guy even gave me an overnight kit (which contained all the things I already had anyway). It was still a nice gesture.
I take the bus (feeling like a pro) to the hotel (which I stayed at with my parents of the winter holidays) and instantly feel anonymous with the foreign language surrounding me. I love that feeling. A lot of people feel overwhelmed, or alone, but I like it for some reason. Sure it's a little annoying to figure out what's going on, but if you let all of it wash over you, it's fine. And quite enjoyable. I had a little conversation with a man on the bus, but after awhile, we both got a little tired and decided to just watch the world go by. We arrive to our destination, and both look up what times we need to catch the bus back to the airport the next morning and part ways wishing each other the best. I love travelling!
My carry on stuff sure is awkward and heavy, but it sure beats having to wheel around all of my luggage as well. I guess leaving it with the airport does make things easier. I was just a little concerned that it wouldn't get on the right flight the next morning, but I always worry about silly stuff like that. I go confidently straight to the hotel comforted by all of the familiar sights and sounds from the last trip there. I get to the hotel and settle in to my tiny little room, coincidently just across the hall from the room that I was in last time. I settle in, get a little obsessed with the scale they have in the bathroom (never really know how much I way, and with all of my varying eating habits it's kind of interesting to see the results) and when I'm ready, I head out for a quick walk around town. My first stop is the State Opera House, where I had seen from the outside the last time, but this time I wanted to go inside and take a tour. The tour guide was quite interesting with what he had to say, but the content wasn't as interesting as the Paris Opera House Tour. This one was cool though, because we got to go backstage, and the scene was set up for Act I of Werther by Jules Massenet. The huge tree was fabulous.
Afterwards, I shopped for a bit. The Hotel Sacher got some business from me...you gotta have some delicious souvenirs to take home! I also got a pair of pants and some socks (to keep my feet warm on the airplane the next morning - I'd planned to transfer stuff from my luggage, but obviously that wouldn't work out) from H&M and some other souvenirs from other places. I was so tired that I decided to grab a couple things from the grocery store and call it a night.
It was a quiet evening (which was fine by me) with a quick dinner and then lotsa sleep (because I knew I wouldn't be getting much for a couple more days).

The next morning I take the bus back to the airport and get some money from the "tax free shopping". Wander around a bit, head to the gate, and board the big plane to Toronto.

Again, an uneventful flight (watched Brother Bear, Spanglish and Ocean's Twelve), but the landing was quite something. Well, hitting the ground was really really smooth, but after taxiing to the gate, after everyone's already standing in aisles waiting to get off (the seatbelt light hasn't even been turned off yet - people are even more impatient than I am!) the captain comes on the loudspeaker and says that there's a problem with us connecting with the tunnel. So we need to wait a bit. A little while later (we're still waiting) and he come back on the loudspeaker and says that for some reason we're still having problems but they don't want to connect a ladder with the airplane and get us off that way and he's not sure hot long the delay's going to be. Now people start getting annoyed, and I'm feeling pretty relaxed about the whole situation. I mean, there's not like there's anything I can do about it right? He gets back on and says that airport control is telling him that he needs to move the airplane to another gate, but then moments later, he says something about how he can't move the airplane and that they're going to have to tow the airplane. We had to strap ourselves back in and put our luggage back in the appropriate places becasue we were going to be moving again. Fine fine fine. People were getting a little annoyed...and annoying. Some people were trying to make light of the situation, so that was great, and there was this one incident where an elderly lady didn't want to put her carry-on luggage back into the overhead compartment. She left it in the aisle. Obviously, a flight attendant asked her to move it, and she said something in German which made him really really mad. (Blast - I wish I understood German). He was speaking in English the whole time with her, but said to her that it wasn't appropriate that she said whatever-it-was-in-German to him. He explained the rules, she still persisted...it was quite a scene. The old lady was getting so mad, she was almost going to cry. Another collegue arrived to deal with the situation, and the two flight attendants started discussion what happened in German. I wonder why his didn't just speak German to the old lady in the first place? Whatever.
Anwyay, I think by the time we got out of the airplane, we had been on the ground for an hour.
I get through customs (chatted with the customs officr for awhile) and got my luggage pretty quickly and out of the gate to meet my Dad.

I was back in Canada...and it felt a little weird.

Last big fling of the year

The weekend of June 17-19, my 2nd last in Neuch before the summer (and the last that I could get away from the city) I took a trip to what may be my favorite weekend getaway trip in Europe:

PARIS

It was the third time that I went there this past year. I could keep going back forever and ever. It's just so full of life. There's so much to see and do, I love being anonymous and testing out just how good my French skills have gotten.

I went by myself and was a little anxious because I was staying at a hotel that I'd never been to before (found on the internet but booked over the phone after calling to confirm a couple details), and well, I'm usually anxious about ridiculous things...so yeah.

The train ride was pretty uneventful. It was a Neuch-->Lausanne-->Paris one since I'd booked the ticket sort of last minute, so there weren't any reserved seats left on the direct train. This also meant that I had to leave pretty darn early in the morning, but it seemed to work out well because I ended up getting a really cheap ticket because of my age. Who knew being a young-in had so many advantages?!?

When I arrived, I quickly headed toward the Metro. I felt like such a pro. I've said it before and I'll say is again: I love the Metro. I got off at my stop and surfaced at an area that looked unfamiliar to me. It took me a bit to find my bearings, but I did it, and got to the Hotel. It was cute and seemed family run. Not as scary as I'd imagined it could have been.

It was ridiculously hot that day (the sun was SO harsh), but I had no time to lounge around...I was on a mission. A wedding present mission. I took out the map and made a plan of attack. The hotel was pretty close to LaFayette and Printemps, and those were my best bets, so I figured I'd go there first, in my minimal amount of time remaining in the day and hopefully get lucky and then have the rest of the weekend to relax and do other fabulous things.

On my way out, I noticed that the Cirque du Soleil was in town on their European Tour of Saltimbanco. I'd never seen a live Cirque show, and even though this was one of their older shows, I figured, hey, I'm going to get a ticket because I deserve to go see something that I've always wanted to see (makes sense doesn't it? Usually I decide to flipside though for some reason.) Anyway, bottom line is that I splurged on a ticket and felt good about it. I figured I wasn't sure when I would have the opportunity to see a Cirque show again anytime soon, so I might as well go for it. I reasoned it (I ALWAYS need a reason) as a "congratulations for finishing your first year" present to myself. I was here in a fabulous city by myself, so I was going to do fabulous things...by myself. So I needed to get back to hotel in time to change for the show (so I had an even more limited amount of time to shop that afternoon).

I headed out and immediately turned into a sweating machine. It was disgusting, but I was on a mission, and I was sure that the fab department stores would HAVE to be air-conditioned, so I just had to get myself there and I'd be safe. I walked all the way there to soak up the streets of Paris. I just love to walk around and see different things. There are so many different areas of Paris, that I don't know if I'll ever be able to discover each one in enough detail to satisfy me.

Anyway, I go through the two fab malls with ideas of what I was looking for, but nothing really stuck out to me. What a disappointment. The ridiculously huge and lavish department stores had NOTHING?!? I couldn't believe it. A little depressed, I headed back to get ready to see the show all the while thinking about what I would have to do tomorrow to make up for the lack of items found that day.

The show was fabulous! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I think my mouth was actually hanging open in awe for most of it too. It was a smaller venue than I'd imagined, but it was really really nice. I was in the second row in almost the middle. I obviously had a great view. Of the stage, of the gags going on in the audience and of the doohickey-thingamabobber that held up the tightropes and other gadgets for the performers. It was neat to see how the crew worked so efficiently along with the performers. It was definitely a well-oiled machine. I wondered if a lot of the crew were Canadian (the performers sure weren't), or the people selling souvenirs and stuff, or did they just hire people in the area to do the job. I always thought it would be really neat to have a job like that. I still think it would be really cool to try and be a waitress too. Okay, there's a lot of things that I'd like to try to do, but I don't think that it's possible. There's just not enough time to do everything that I want to do. Such is life. My favorite act of the night was the Chinese Poles, and the clown was quite hilarious as well. I noticed that the Double Wire performer tried to repeat a trick after screwing up the first time. The second time around was a little bit better, but still not perfect. You could see her grimace, but I guess she had to keep going on. I loved the bright costumes and the music. The lighting and acting was incredible. It was better than I imagined it would be. I can't wait until the next show that I get to see. On the website, I noticed that Dralion's coming to Zurich in the fall. Wonder if I'll go or not?

It was an incredible night. The show made me so happy, but I was so exhausted when I got back to hotel. It wasn't even THAT late, but I just crashed. I had to wake up early the next day as well to make sure that I found all the objects that were on my list.

The next day, just as hot as the day before...it was torture. I had to go back to the hotel a couple times a day to cool down. After a full day of running around to so many of the shopping districts, at the end of the day, when I had basically given up, I went back to LaFayette and Printemps for one last look. Success! I don't know what happened the day before (I bet I had tunnel vision - I usually do when I'm on a mission), but there they were, exactly what I was looking for. Everything worked out. Well, not quite. I had bought everything I needed for other people like I was planning on, but at the same time, I was supposed to be looking for fabulous things for myself as well. I wasn't successful in that venture. It was a little sad. But, you know, you gotta make sacrifices for the better good right? And honestly, I could go back to Paris next year and find all of those fabulous things then. No biggie. And I got to see Cirque du Soleil for goodness sake. They couldn't take that away from me. Whoa. I'm rambling.

I went back to hotel with all of my purchases, and remembered that I hadn't eaten the whole day. No breakfast, no lunch either...and it was almost dinnertime. I'd only had a couple yogurt drinks that day. It was just too hot to eat, and I was too tired to go out to a nice sit down place, so I popped in to a grocery store and just picked up a couple things along with other items for the train ride home the next day. I got back and after just my soup, I was full. I guess the heat, along with not eating anything throughout the day just made me not have an appetite at all. So I saved all my food for the train (even though I probably wouldn't be able to eat all of it)...well, that's less groceries that I'd have to do in Neuch I guess.

I go to sleep completely exhausted, after having a little chat with the concierge in French. My French had held up pretty well that weekend. A sign that I had gotten better that year. Parisian French scare me. They just talk so fast that while my brain is registering what they're saying, there's that awkward silence in the air, and I hate awkward silences. I find that when I speak French in Neuch, I just register what people are saying to me, and it's all good. But in Paris (at least with the fast speaking ones), I have to repeat at my own speed everything that they said again in my head (in French) and then do some quick translations in my head. What a waste of time. It's getting better though, and that's all that matters.

Oh, I forgot to mention my haircut in Paris. I needed to get something done to my hair before the wedding, and since I wouldn't have anytime to go to somewhere in Toronto after getting home, I figured it'd be fun (and another treat to myself) to go somewhere fabulous in Paris. I was hoping that they'd go something super-duper great. I don't really care what stylists decide to do to my hair. I trust them. All I tell them is that I don't usually use any product in my hair, and I don't blowdry it, so please give me a cut that will work for that. I mentioned to this guy as well that I had a wedding coming up that I'd probably need enough hair to put up, but other than that I was willing to go with anything fabulous that he wanted to do. The salon itself was pretty fab. It was in a great area. I won't even discuss the price. It was a treat. I don't think the language was an issue (although there was less conversation going on than I would have liked...I said I hate awkward silences). The combination of fast talking and loud hairdryer didn't work well for me. Anyway, bottom line was, I was disappointed. I mean, when I walked out of the salon, I felt great. It was shorter than before, so it was lighter, but it really just looked like the normal layered cut that I always have. Sigh. I was hoping for something totally out there and fab. Another problem. This cut really only looks THAT fab when it's blowdried. I've already told you that that would never happen on my own. Darn it. Maybe it's just a sign. My face shape is calling for a layered look. With the same length everytime. I'll just keep trying different places I guess.

The next morning, I pack everything up, leave it by the front desk and head out for a last walk around town before I had to catch my train. I decide to head out to Montmartre and wander around the Sacre Coeur. Yep, I wanted to Amelie it up. It was another scorching day, but the walk was fabulous. It's such a beautiful area filled with life. It was the only really touristy monument that I visited that weekend. I had walked by a couple of other things, but hadn't really stared at anything except for the Sacre Coeur. I sat, read some of my book, people watched, looked at the world passing by. It was a great morning. The only thing that put a damper on it was the vendors who rudely thought I was a Japanese tourist. I hate that. There's nothing wrong about not knowing where someone's from, but the way they assume, or are pushy about knowing just bothers me. A LOT.

Anyway, I head back to the hotel to get my things after an all in all great weekend, and get on the train to head back to normal Neuch life laden down with bags filled with gifts. It's like Christmas in 30+ degrees weather.

I love Paris.

CN Tower

Today, I visited the CN Tower right here in downtown Toronto. Typically Torontonians don't go up the tower on their own, and today was no exception. I met up with a friend and another who was visiting from Dublin, Ireland.
I like being a tourist. I think it's because tourists are usually really excited by what they see, and I am a fan of exciting times. I hadn't gone up the tower since the fall of 1998 and a lot has changed since then. For example: the security check to get in involves this arch/port/thingy that you have to stand in/under/on which would beep/flash/blow air at you. The bursts of air came from all directions, which was a little scary when wearing a skirt. Luckily I wasn't the first in line, so I saw this coming and was prepared for it. (No Marilyn moment for me!)
I also remember the glass floor being larger.
Oh well. It was really really fun just to watch the city go by below. Like a little toy Sim Town going about normal life. It was really fun to see the city from above. The strategically placed parks, skyscrapers fighting to be the tallest...a well placed and bright blue coloured (you know the blue I'm talking about - it's all over the place) iPod advert on the south side of the Paramount Cineplex Odeon on Richmond St. Trying to pick out the buildings you've grown accustomed to at ground level, trying to see past the smog (luckily we went first thing in the morning, so it wasn't too bad).
A fun day for sure.

P.S. Since when did the Skydome become the "Rogers Centre"?

Score two for Toronto

I really wasn't homesick this year while I was in Neuch...so it was really hard trying to decide what I missed about Toronto. (Other than family and friends)

Today, I figured out two of those things (after experiencing them again):
1. MEC
2. Greg's Ice Cream (Roasted Marshmallow is my fav with Ginger being quite close behind...)

I'm sure that I will find more things that I missed once I get back into my old Toronto life.

On tap for tomorrow:
1. Yorkville browsing (will purchase a little later)
2. SC2005 (quick hello today, but wasn't enough time to stay longer)
3. White Hot Chocolate (skim milk, no whip) from Second Cup (across the street from the ROM)

Speaking of the ROM, look at my baby! It's growing so fast...I'm so proud.

One point for the Europeans

I like the fact that I don't have to add in how much I have to pay on top of the ticket price for darn PST and GST.
It's annoying (and means that you're actually paying a heck of a lot more than your brain initially thought when it read the price tag)...or maybe after 10 months my brain kind of forgot to automatically add 15% to the ticket price when thinking about how much everything costs.
Meh, I guess it's the same as trying to convert prices in your head.
Still...Switzerland's not as expensive as a lot of people think. Or at least little Neuch isn't. I gotta get used to Canadian prices again.

Lost in Translation

I had high expectiations for Lost in Translation, and is quite often the case, was disappointed after watching it. It was OK I guess, but it didn't blow me away. I could have been tired and wasn't in the right state of mind to watch it, but I found parts of it a little slow. I think that's the point though. That life is slow when you're "lost".
I usually like either super-duper Hollywood movies (because as cliche as they are, at least I know that's what I was getting myself into) or completely the opposite (not sure how to classify the type of movie I like - not Indie perse, which I would consider the opposite of mega-Hollywood), and this movie I guess would classify as the latter, but anyway...it wasn't THAT great.
Okay, the more I think about it, the more I liked it. But at the time, I swear I was bored.
I'm sure there's great discussion about it (or it's known somewhere out there, but I'm way behind on the times)...but what does he whisper in her ear at the end? (Maybe it was audible, but by that point I wasn't paying much attention).

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling

My first book of the summer, and I figured it should be an easy one. I get the feeling that most, if not all of my summer reading books will be pretty light and airy. Not sure how much time I will be able to dedicate to one book, and you know how bad my memory is, and how frustrated I can get.

Anyway, obviously part of the wildly popular Harry Potter series. Book number three, and like the other two, read AFTER watching the movie. I was actually planning on reading this one BEFORE watching the movie (was going to read it last summer - no prospects of being able to watch/rent the movie), but headed off to Switzerland before I could read the book and had no idea when Harry Potter would enter my mind again.
You may have noticed that a previous post shows me watching a whole lot of DVDs all of a sudden in a pretty short span of time (which I never really explained, but still and putting that post off for a little while longer). Harry Potter, Number 3 being one of those DVDs. So I watched it, and enjoyed it.
Just a couple days ago, I got hold of a copy of the book, and read it (quite quickly I might add!). I'm not sure which one I liked better. It was sort of weird because certain things I knew happened in the movie didn't happen exactly in the same order as in the book, so I was waiting for them to happen, or was confused when something else happened first. I don't know. Maybe because I'm pretty visual I enjoyed the film better, or maybe because it was my first experience with the story-line so I was more on the edge of my seat. Nothing to take away from the book though. I really really liked reading it. Enough for me to not want to put the book down. It was really easy to get through the book. I felt like I was being compeled to keep reading, I think mainly because I wanted to get to parts I knew were coming.
Anyway, I definetely enjoyed both the book and the film and I'm looking forward to reading book number 4 this summer (which if I find interesting means that watching the movie first isn't what makes me like reading the book!).

Here's to a great start on lots of summer reading!

Can't get no...satisfaction...

I wonder if it's a character flaw that I will never be satisfied for what I've got. Once I attain a goal which I think will make me happy (which it does - at least for the time being) I always look to the next goal on my list and continue to work towards acheiving that one and all the rest to follow.
Will I ever just sit back and say, "This is enough, and I'm happy with what I've got?".
Not to say that I'm ungrateful for what I've got right now or anything. No way, hopefully you can tell by this blog that I love my life and everything I've had the fortune of being able to experience, but will I reach a point where I don't strive for more?
I'm not sure if I'm explaining exactly what it is that I'm trying to get across, but yeah. I guess that's it.

My first wedding

Congratulations to the FAB bride and groom, I couldn't have asked for a better couple to have as my first wedding to be a part of.

My first bridesmaid duty, and hopefully not a sign of "always a bridesmaid, never a bride" to come. She knew what she was getting herself into, but I was still really really sad that I couldn't be around for the whole year to help with the prep and stuff. I'll never forget the one thing that I am so fortunate to have been able to experience: the dress search.

I KNEW it was the one as soon as she put it on. There was the whole dilemma with that other dress, and I definetely didn't want to sway her eitherway, but this dress was perfect. It was the case of seeing it, and just knowing. I'm glad she decided that it was the right one as well. She was absolutely stunning on the big day. If I had any emotion, I would shed a tear...=)

Seriously though, even though I wasn't around throughout the year, I guess they wouldn't have gotten such International presents otherwise. And seeing as how one special store in Yorkville is now gone, the bride wouldn't have been able to get two FAB pieces (if I do say so myself) otherwise! I hope that they enjoy their gifts as much as I had looking for them and carrying them around on various plane rides! It was stressful looking for the perfect gifts (and heavy), but you're both worth it. I really hope ya'll like 'em!

It was a couple days filled with first experiences (which I love!). I missed the bachelorette (after hearing the stories, maybe a good thing!) so couldn't experience that, but can't have it all. I can't even put into words how great this past weekend was.

Here's to just a few of the countless fabulous moments and memories:
- a good massage experience (to make up for sketchy Budapest)
- a pedicure (still feel sorry for the lady who had to deal with my horrible feet - and remember when I was so terrified to put polish on my nails way back when?)
- 4 parades?!?
- a strapless dress
- the perfect musical selection for everything
- that ridiculous walk that everyone has to do down the aisle
- relaxing and rejoicing in the back room
- stretch limo
- ultimate jet-lag but wouldn't change it for a moment
- busting a move on the dance floor with your best friends
- seeing two faces of utter happiness and full of love

A special Kudos to the make-up guru who did my eyes in such a way that I actually liked! Now that's no simple feat! I should've paid more attention to how it was done! Darn it.

Another special mention to some girls who shaped my university life. A group of highly accomplished and driven young ladies. Can't wait until our next big hurrah! To the future lawyer of the group: we WILL see each other again soon.

I can only hope that if I get married, my wedding will be as perfect and beautiful as theirs!

To the new Mrs: You're fabulous and I love you...

"Home" for the summer

I'm not really sure where I consider home right now, but I'm back in Toronto for most of the summer.
Leading up to my trip home was hectic. Lots of last minute things to get done, but it was fantastic. I'm not going to dwell on my professional life (I said I would never discuss it on my blog - I guess that got shot out the window a long time ago), but I've got to say that it was fabulous being on the other side of a graduation ceremony. I have graduated for the past two years afterall. I KNOW I'm in the right profession. I love what I do. I hope I never lose my love for this job. Ever.
Anyway, I'm back in Canada and have made my list (I'm a list-maker) of "Things to Do this Summer". It's pretty long.
This week I'm hibernating, but next week I'm going to be let loose on the streets of T.O. Watch out, cause here I come!