It`s 12:48 am right now...finally got time to update this, even though I should since I am a house manager right now with Rebecca (going well, yes). Anyways I should go to bed, so point forms on what happened prior to this (yes I am getting lazy, too bad...)
- went to a fashion show (Rebecca`s work, recycled clothing), had a very good conversation with Cynthia regarding group dynamics and other things...that`s when I learnt 1) Maxime is leaving the group (more on that) 2) Cynthia, upon casual web surfing, found my blog a long time ago (February)...but she doesn`t remember the address anymore. Shocked? Most definitely. But much more impressed with her. Oh Christ that means others may know too.
- Zach got a haircut (with Stephanie/Maxime/Rebecca) doing the cutting...slightly surprised because he likes his hair a lot, but being in Katimavik means you are broke and experimental...speaking of that
- Cheryl and Charles got a tattoo (they both got the same one - Chinese character "raw"...look at Lindsay Lohan`s CD cover if you don`t know the character). Cheryl has a small one on her neck, while Charles has it on his arm. Talk about spontaneity, man...and I think Maxime is upset about that because apparently Charles and Maxime were supposed to get it together, not Cheryl...hmmm
- Mike did dye his hair...it was supposed to be blue but it turned green, haha. Now he is trying to get people to redo his hair (make it blue)
- I "technically" got a verbal warning (one level below a CTI) for...get ready...not coming home on time for dinner (rolls eyes)
- Mike is back on his Ritalin (a medication that he had to take throughout his whole life but he stopped 2 weeks after he started Katimavik)...I am against him taking this medication because a) I think it does nothing for him and b) he may have a dependency towards it. But hey, I am not the doctor, and at this point I think Valerie is using that as a last resort...how sad.
- Saturday: Volunteering at Cynthia`s workplace, outside clean-up...the weather was fabulous. Afternoon we went to Chicoutimi and all the groups (Alma/Jonquiere/Chicoutimi) were there...there was supposed to be a Capture the Flag/80s party...none of those happened, and people just hung out and did nothing...I got to chat with Robbie from Elliot Lake/Chicoutimi and got along with him really really well (he was the guy that cleaned up Cynthia`s barf on the first day, and I have always wanted to get to know him). Found out some drama (2 guys left in their group..."violence" and "love triangle" involved) in his group and realized our group is super tame...Maxime didn`t come with us because her grandmother was sick in Quebec and she requested permission to visit her (hence the "leave"...not the group for good, just temporary...whew!)
- Sunday: Group went back to Alma early to attend this volunteering appreciation thing...boring because I couldn`t understand what was going on, plus I was sitting at the back. Free lunch, and we went back home to celebrate Earth Day - cleaning up the yard (yes you guys can stop laughing now). Long group meeting (we ended at 10 pm, haha), and other fun stuff.
- I had to write 2 letters in French, one to invite Alexandre Cloutier, another to get recycling for my workplace. After Lucie`s editing, I sent the first one out already...no replies so far (grrrr). Recycling one...man the email address doesn`t even work, which means I got to call...merde.
- Tuesday night I hung out with everyone except for Mike and Cynthia in the shack outside the house, having a beer (I still don`t see how people like that crap)...got to talk to Maxime about her views of Quebec, and find out lots of interesting things about Charles...if I have the opportunity perhaps I will share them...good time, although the beer was totally unnecessary on my part.
- Went to work today because my boss needed help and wanted me to make tips...a horrible 3 hours time...everything that could go bad at work went really, really bad. I am not going into the details, ask me if you want to know.
- 2 "epidemics" spreading in the house, I find...one good one bad. The good - vegetarianism. Now there is 5 vegetarians - Zach/Rebecca/Cheryl/Charles/Maxime. The bad - smoking. Charles/Cheryl/Maxime are now full-fledged smokers. And apparently Valerie does it a bit too (rare, but the fact that she does....hmm hmm hmm). It must be a Quebec thing.
- And last but not least, it`s Stephanie`s birthday tomorrow. We will see what unfolds...
*And this has been your midnight news. Good night/morning...*
(Additional Updates)
- During Zach and Mike`s week as house manager, Zach came up with the idea of dressing up as another person in the house for one night during dinner. That was hilarious, as there was some hilarious combinations (Mike as Rebecca...actually that was more disgusting with him wearing Rebecca`s tight fitting clothes plus his mohawk...). Zach as Maxime was super funny, as he wore her mini jean skirt/tank top/bra/leather boots...and he kept posing in skanky positions, which irked Maxime quite a bit =). Maxime was very much into being Stephen, saying his phrases such as Howdy and Take`er Easy, plus declaring that he/she loves country music (Maxime hates country music, how ironic). But the most funny thing is that Maxime pretty much pretended that she was a pervert and kept staring at Zach`s boobs and saying how hot Zach/Maxime was. As well, she later moved on to Cynthia (being Cheryl) and kept snuggling against her and saying that he cannot ever leave her...quite funny to say Stephen`s reaction to Maxime`s behaviour...overall it was fun, and perhaps if I can upload the pictures...I was Valerie, and Valerie was me, by the way.
- There was this night where the whole house was awoken by someone screaming in the house and running around around 1 am ish...when I got woken up by that my first thought was What the Hell...and then I concluded that it was either Maxime or Cheryl goofing off so I went back to bed. But apparently the next morning Cheryl asked everyone whether they heard the noise...Cheryl and Stephanie got woken up by it and they both went downstairs to check what was going on, as did Stephen, who did not find the person. Everyone pretty much got a bit freaked out (depending on the person the freaked-out factor increases/decreases)...until Zach found out from an email from Bonnie Jean in the Chicoutimi group that their group did that (So Zach, did you get woken up by a girl screaming and running around in your house?). I think the funniest thing is that the majority of the people th0ught it was Maxime or Cheryl that screamed and therefore ignored it...Cheryl was slightly annoyed about that.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Notable Things of the Week Until Now...
Hello hello... I have approximately 50 minutes before my work day ends...I was going to write about the second day of my Montreal adventure, but I think I don`t really have time for that. (Edit - I didn`t even have time to finish this blog before that...I am now working on it 2 days later). Let`s save that for next time, and I will just summarize what happened on the weekend and other notable things.
1) Saturday - Recruitment Day
Apparently for 2nd and 3rd trimesters, each group must go out and promote Katimavik, in order to attract potential people who may be interested to join the program in the future. In other words, we are pretty much playing the role of Jehovah`s Witnesses, promising people everything under the sky if they do Katimavik...nah not really.
So Valerie splits us up into different groups and at different blocks of time, we were supposed to go to the local mall (Carrefour Alma) and sit at a little table, looking friendly and giving out information/pamphlets at the same time. I was in the same group as Valerie/Mike, and we were supposed to be there at 2 - 5 pm (every group had to do 3 hours slots). So everyone left around 1:30 ish and we all wore our Katimavik T-shirts (except Cynthia because she lost hers) and walked uphill to the mall. Saturday was incredibly gorgeous, the sun was out (I haven`t seen the sun/blue skies in Alma in forever), and it was warm...like a typical spring day. Put much of us in a good mood. The recruitment - not much about it, other than that a) it consists of 2 to 3 of us just sitting there, staring at people passing by with what we hope were friendly gazes and saying bonjour every now and then, while other groups walked around the mall, handing out pamphlets. Honestly, this is absolutely not a good way to do this (in my opinion) because not only are we not targeting the right people, but we are also wasting time, handing out pamphlets to people that are merely going to throw them away (Valerie/Mike/I found one lying on the concrete with footsteps all over it). I would imagine that we would target schools, work employment centers, etc, but Valerie assures me that we will be going to those places at another time, and we are covering more ground this way.
It was all right...met some nice people, met some ignorant people (Stephanie asked this old man whether he knows Katimavik, and he replied with "I do not need to know, I am not Indian"....??? Rebecca and Maxime had fun with it and went to the dollarama to get 2 pairs of underwear and giant sunglasses and dressed themselves up...and attracted some cute boys, haha.
Fun stuff...we are doing this on Friday night again.
Small things of that day:
-Cheryl gave herself a haircut and created some nice bangs. Oh speaking of that...that night Cheryl and Maxime were doing some highlighting in their hair and Valerie saw them. Apparently there is this stupid rule (with many others) that you are not allowed to dye your hair in the house. So Valerie said she will figure something out to "punish" them. We will see about that.
-The Day before...Maxime was shaving Charles`s hair, but left the middle part thus creating a mohawk-like haircut (he got rid of it on Sunday though)
-It was so nice out we had supper on the porch...it`s nice to have the view of the river and downtown as you eat, with the wind gently blowing on your bare feet...
-Had my first good conversation with Valerie about being Chinese, the cultural aspect and how it mingles with the western culture
2) Sylvie Jean - she is this folk singer that I thought was going to give a free show in Cafe Sofa that night. Because it is always nice to have free entertainment, I told people in the house about it (apparently Valerie really likes her) plus Annie at work. Unfortunately, I was given wrong information and when I got there a bit earlier I found out that there was no show, and instead there was a private party going on. So feeling a tad embarrassed, I had to muster up courage and tell Cheryl/Valerie that there was no show. I found out from Annie next day that she actually brought a friend and Aurelie along, only to find out there was no show...and the poster we both saw in the washrooms of the cafe was actually from last year...how utterly stupid of me. Time to laugh at myself. Hahahahaha
Sunday - Hiking in Val-Jalbert
So we left the house at around 10 pm (we actually had the option of either going during the morning or the afternoon, and a good number of people chose to go during the morning. This was a bit disappointing for me, because I would have liked to volunteer in the cafe that Sunday since they have this show with violin performance and breakfast combined...I wouldn`t mind a free performance (the show apparently costs $10) and potential tips, haha. But all is well, and we drove for 45 minutes to Val-Jalbert...I am not going to describe it because I have linked it to Wikipedia. Read it if you want to know more...it`s a pretty cool place, with waterfalls and old mills and other things. The hike is mostly uphill, with the cart stop (I can`t seem to think of the word for those carts that bring you uphill) marking as the middle of the hike. It may sound like that the hike is hard, but it really isn`t...it took around 15 minutes to get to the stop, and another 15-20 minutes to reach to the "top". And it`s mostly stairways. Oddly enough, the view in the middle was more spectacular than from the top, as from the middle we could see more of the town and the waterfall than from the top. Overall the hike was pleasant, even though the stairs were slippery from the snow and ice...many of us were sliding as we go up and down, and it doesn`t help that we have to duck each other`s snowball attacks too.
Let me talk about 2 Mike moments here:
1) American Idol/Amazing Race - when everyone except for Cynthia got to the top of the hike, we waited for Cynthia while we relaxed. And when Cynthia almost got to the top, we cheered her on to hurry a bit...and that`s when I made a comment about this similar to Amazing Race Finale, where everyone cheers at the winners as they run to the mat...and we kind of started a conversation on that note, with me saying that Mike would be highly entertaining in Amazing Race. That`s when Mike (or someone) asked who was the guy that went on American Idol and got a record deal because of his bad singing (William Hung, if you guys can still remember)...and after 2 seconds of waiting he answered with "wait I know, it`s Wai Han Tang!!!" Cynthia/Stephen were like "oh my godddddd" while Zach burst out laughing in this "oh no you didn`t" tone...and I was shocked, and then I just laughed loud enough that it echoes off the hills at his answer...Wai Han Tang is my Chinese name, for those of you that do not know.
2) This one is not something he did...while we were up there everyone took pictures, and Rebecca somehow captured this AWESOME photo (totally natural, no one really posed) of Maxime/Charles/Valerie standing on one side, with different degrees of disgust on their face as they all stare at one direction...and in the other side/direction there is Mike, staring back at them. I first found this picture as I looked at Rebecca`s photos, and honestly I can`t marvel at it enough...so I showed it to Rebecca, who pretty much reacted the same way I did and the cycle continues...I am going to see if I can put the picture up here another time.
What else happened that day? I hung out in the cafe for a little bit (man what a loser, I am still there even when I am not working) and Annie showed me her trailer, which is very cool looking...all hippie, full of her personality, and she drove me home (really not necessary and not allowed, as she didn`t sign the driving permission form, but who really cares?). Afterwards I walked to Zellers and gave in...actually bought a CD player since my stupid MP3 broke (I will have to send in the warranty soon)...meanwhile I am going to hunt for a better CD player on Ebay since the one I bought (Sony, almost $40 bucks) keeps skipping with my new Kylie Minogue CD but nothing else...very strange...and I will return the one I bought. Thank god for 30 day refunds.
New things:
1) Charles shaved his mohawk off, but Mike requested for a mohawk. So Cheryl did it for him and now...hmmm...let`s just say good thing his mother is not here. Mike is also thinking of dying his mohawk, and probably as I am typing this in the cafe Cheryl or someone else is dying it for him. This should be interesting.
2) After 2 months, Stephen has finally shaved his beard off. This was done with persuaision (is this how you spell it?) from Cheryl (cough cough) and now Stephen looks clean-cut and a couple of years younger. Stephen claims it`s his choice to do it but...cough cough...=)
3) How to put this kindly...I almost got into a car accident one day after work, and could have died. As I was about to cross the street a car stopped to allow me to do so (this is rare in Quebec, let me tell you)...so I do...and out of the middle of nowhere a van drives out and quickly heads to me...then the driver sees me and swivels to the other side of the road, and kind of goes around me and swivels back to where he should be...holy shit...crisse de merde? ;)
4) Oh yes...I actually donated blood yesterday. I was walking on the streets to do my usual grocery shopping and I saw that there was a blood donation thing going on in the town hotel on Apr 17/18. Since I have never given blood before but have always wanted to (this was one of my "to do things in life"), I decided to do so. It was ok...the French makes the situation rather interesting, and people kept saying "wow you are from so far away"...and it didn`t really hurt (pain with needles is 6 shots plus a blood test...oh yeah that was me)...and there were cookies and juice at the end, which is always cool. And no, no fainting or anything! I actually carried my bag and jacket with my left arm (the arm that they took blood out of). I am trying to push others in my house to do it too, but I doubt that`s happening (somehow many of them said they are afraid of needles...and I love Stephen`s reply: "I am not giving them blood because it`s my blood". And when I told him that his blood will eventually be broken down and excreted, his reply: "well that`s even better because like time, my blood is for me to waste..." What a dick =P.
PS. Ady if you get mail about my blood test, can you decipher the French and tell me what blood type I have? Thanks.
Last thing - I have an idea. I am thinking of inviting Alexandre Cloutier (the Bloc Quebecois representative in Saguenay Lac St-Jean, and winner of the provincial seat here. I don`t know if you guys remember me talking about him, but he is the super charismatic and "good looking" politician that wowed the ladies and others during the debate in Cafe Sofa in the election period) to the house and have a discussion on Quebec separation and politicis and stuff. And this guy hangs out in the cafe. However 1) I don`t think he will say yes because he is probably very busy and he is slightly of a celebrity (he reminds me a bit of JFK). 2) Quebec Separation is a bit of a touchy subject, I think. A lot of people actually do not like talking about it, I find. But wouldn`t that be cool? And we could understand the Quebec culture so much more...I am going to give it a try. Fingers crossed.
1) Saturday - Recruitment Day
Apparently for 2nd and 3rd trimesters, each group must go out and promote Katimavik, in order to attract potential people who may be interested to join the program in the future. In other words, we are pretty much playing the role of Jehovah`s Witnesses, promising people everything under the sky if they do Katimavik...nah not really.
So Valerie splits us up into different groups and at different blocks of time, we were supposed to go to the local mall (Carrefour Alma) and sit at a little table, looking friendly and giving out information/pamphlets at the same time. I was in the same group as Valerie/Mike, and we were supposed to be there at 2 - 5 pm (every group had to do 3 hours slots). So everyone left around 1:30 ish and we all wore our Katimavik T-shirts (except Cynthia because she lost hers) and walked uphill to the mall. Saturday was incredibly gorgeous, the sun was out (I haven`t seen the sun/blue skies in Alma in forever), and it was warm...like a typical spring day. Put much of us in a good mood. The recruitment - not much about it, other than that a) it consists of 2 to 3 of us just sitting there, staring at people passing by with what we hope were friendly gazes and saying bonjour every now and then, while other groups walked around the mall, handing out pamphlets. Honestly, this is absolutely not a good way to do this (in my opinion) because not only are we not targeting the right people, but we are also wasting time, handing out pamphlets to people that are merely going to throw them away (Valerie/Mike/I found one lying on the concrete with footsteps all over it). I would imagine that we would target schools, work employment centers, etc, but Valerie assures me that we will be going to those places at another time, and we are covering more ground this way.
It was all right...met some nice people, met some ignorant people (Stephanie asked this old man whether he knows Katimavik, and he replied with "I do not need to know, I am not Indian"....??? Rebecca and Maxime had fun with it and went to the dollarama to get 2 pairs of underwear and giant sunglasses and dressed themselves up...and attracted some cute boys, haha.
Fun stuff...we are doing this on Friday night again.
Small things of that day:
-Cheryl gave herself a haircut and created some nice bangs. Oh speaking of that...that night Cheryl and Maxime were doing some highlighting in their hair and Valerie saw them. Apparently there is this stupid rule (with many others) that you are not allowed to dye your hair in the house. So Valerie said she will figure something out to "punish" them. We will see about that.
-The Day before...Maxime was shaving Charles`s hair, but left the middle part thus creating a mohawk-like haircut (he got rid of it on Sunday though)
-It was so nice out we had supper on the porch...it`s nice to have the view of the river and downtown as you eat, with the wind gently blowing on your bare feet...
-Had my first good conversation with Valerie about being Chinese, the cultural aspect and how it mingles with the western culture
2) Sylvie Jean - she is this folk singer that I thought was going to give a free show in Cafe Sofa that night. Because it is always nice to have free entertainment, I told people in the house about it (apparently Valerie really likes her) plus Annie at work. Unfortunately, I was given wrong information and when I got there a bit earlier I found out that there was no show, and instead there was a private party going on. So feeling a tad embarrassed, I had to muster up courage and tell Cheryl/Valerie that there was no show. I found out from Annie next day that she actually brought a friend and Aurelie along, only to find out there was no show...and the poster we both saw in the washrooms of the cafe was actually from last year...how utterly stupid of me. Time to laugh at myself. Hahahahaha
Sunday - Hiking in Val-Jalbert
So we left the house at around 10 pm (we actually had the option of either going during the morning or the afternoon, and a good number of people chose to go during the morning. This was a bit disappointing for me, because I would have liked to volunteer in the cafe that Sunday since they have this show with violin performance and breakfast combined...I wouldn`t mind a free performance (the show apparently costs $10) and potential tips, haha. But all is well, and we drove for 45 minutes to Val-Jalbert...I am not going to describe it because I have linked it to Wikipedia. Read it if you want to know more...it`s a pretty cool place, with waterfalls and old mills and other things. The hike is mostly uphill, with the cart stop (I can`t seem to think of the word for those carts that bring you uphill) marking as the middle of the hike. It may sound like that the hike is hard, but it really isn`t...it took around 15 minutes to get to the stop, and another 15-20 minutes to reach to the "top". And it`s mostly stairways. Oddly enough, the view in the middle was more spectacular than from the top, as from the middle we could see more of the town and the waterfall than from the top. Overall the hike was pleasant, even though the stairs were slippery from the snow and ice...many of us were sliding as we go up and down, and it doesn`t help that we have to duck each other`s snowball attacks too.
Let me talk about 2 Mike moments here:
1) American Idol/Amazing Race - when everyone except for Cynthia got to the top of the hike, we waited for Cynthia while we relaxed. And when Cynthia almost got to the top, we cheered her on to hurry a bit...and that`s when I made a comment about this similar to Amazing Race Finale, where everyone cheers at the winners as they run to the mat...and we kind of started a conversation on that note, with me saying that Mike would be highly entertaining in Amazing Race. That`s when Mike (or someone) asked who was the guy that went on American Idol and got a record deal because of his bad singing (William Hung, if you guys can still remember)...and after 2 seconds of waiting he answered with "wait I know, it`s Wai Han Tang!!!" Cynthia/Stephen were like "oh my godddddd" while Zach burst out laughing in this "oh no you didn`t" tone...and I was shocked, and then I just laughed loud enough that it echoes off the hills at his answer...Wai Han Tang is my Chinese name, for those of you that do not know.
2) This one is not something he did...while we were up there everyone took pictures, and Rebecca somehow captured this AWESOME photo (totally natural, no one really posed) of Maxime/Charles/Valerie standing on one side, with different degrees of disgust on their face as they all stare at one direction...and in the other side/direction there is Mike, staring back at them. I first found this picture as I looked at Rebecca`s photos, and honestly I can`t marvel at it enough...so I showed it to Rebecca, who pretty much reacted the same way I did and the cycle continues...I am going to see if I can put the picture up here another time.
What else happened that day? I hung out in the cafe for a little bit (man what a loser, I am still there even when I am not working) and Annie showed me her trailer, which is very cool looking...all hippie, full of her personality, and she drove me home (really not necessary and not allowed, as she didn`t sign the driving permission form, but who really cares?). Afterwards I walked to Zellers and gave in...actually bought a CD player since my stupid MP3 broke (I will have to send in the warranty soon)...meanwhile I am going to hunt for a better CD player on Ebay since the one I bought (Sony, almost $40 bucks) keeps skipping with my new Kylie Minogue CD but nothing else...very strange...and I will return the one I bought. Thank god for 30 day refunds.
New things:
1) Charles shaved his mohawk off, but Mike requested for a mohawk. So Cheryl did it for him and now...hmmm...let`s just say good thing his mother is not here. Mike is also thinking of dying his mohawk, and probably as I am typing this in the cafe Cheryl or someone else is dying it for him. This should be interesting.
2) After 2 months, Stephen has finally shaved his beard off. This was done with persuaision (is this how you spell it?) from Cheryl (cough cough) and now Stephen looks clean-cut and a couple of years younger. Stephen claims it`s his choice to do it but...cough cough...=)
3) How to put this kindly...I almost got into a car accident one day after work, and could have died. As I was about to cross the street a car stopped to allow me to do so (this is rare in Quebec, let me tell you)...so I do...and out of the middle of nowhere a van drives out and quickly heads to me...then the driver sees me and swivels to the other side of the road, and kind of goes around me and swivels back to where he should be...holy shit...crisse de merde? ;)
4) Oh yes...I actually donated blood yesterday. I was walking on the streets to do my usual grocery shopping and I saw that there was a blood donation thing going on in the town hotel on Apr 17/18. Since I have never given blood before but have always wanted to (this was one of my "to do things in life"), I decided to do so. It was ok...the French makes the situation rather interesting, and people kept saying "wow you are from so far away"...and it didn`t really hurt (pain with needles is 6 shots plus a blood test...oh yeah that was me)...and there were cookies and juice at the end, which is always cool. And no, no fainting or anything! I actually carried my bag and jacket with my left arm (the arm that they took blood out of). I am trying to push others in my house to do it too, but I doubt that`s happening (somehow many of them said they are afraid of needles...and I love Stephen`s reply: "I am not giving them blood because it`s my blood". And when I told him that his blood will eventually be broken down and excreted, his reply: "well that`s even better because like time, my blood is for me to waste..." What a dick =P.
PS. Ady if you get mail about my blood test, can you decipher the French and tell me what blood type I have? Thanks.
Last thing - I have an idea. I am thinking of inviting Alexandre Cloutier (the Bloc Quebecois representative in Saguenay Lac St-Jean, and winner of the provincial seat here. I don`t know if you guys remember me talking about him, but he is the super charismatic and "good looking" politician that wowed the ladies and others during the debate in Cafe Sofa in the election period) to the house and have a discussion on Quebec separation and politicis and stuff. And this guy hangs out in the cafe. However 1) I don`t think he will say yes because he is probably very busy and he is slightly of a celebrity (he reminds me a bit of JFK). 2) Quebec Separation is a bit of a touchy subject, I think. A lot of people actually do not like talking about it, I find. But wouldn`t that be cool? And we could understand the Quebec culture so much more...I am going to give it a try. Fingers crossed.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Montreal Part 1
So Montreal...here goes
The day before we left...
1) I bought my Allo Stop membership from Aurelie, who after selling the card to me, found out that the best option from Allo Stop is me going to Chicoutimi (1 hour away from Alma) and taking a car ride from there to Montreal...which meant I would arrive around 9-10 pm. Because that is way too late, I chose to wait for a better option from Allo Stop and if not, I would buy a bus ticket. Which kind of meant I wasted $6 (non-refundable). Oh well...
2) Last day of billeting - Went back to the billeting house, had spaghetti for dinner (a big plateful for me, and my appetite astonishes Billy each time..."Angel you eat like...fuck..."), and after a bit of last minute packing, I returned to Katima-house at 7:30. So I gave Billy/Sabrina/Noah-Kim a tour of the house, and bidded goodbyes. By then pretty much everyone was home except for Rebecca (Stephanie already left for her 72 hours with special permission). The rest of the night, most of the people went to Cafe Sofa to chill, while Cynthia/Mike/I went to the bus terminal to buy bus tickets (Cynthia`s credit card, which is an American Express, unfortunately was not accepted in the bus terminal so I lent her my card), and Cynthia joined them in Cafe Sofa later on...I had things to do.
3) Later in the night I realized I left my whole CD collection at Billy/Sabrina`s place...yikes! Next Day...at 8 am Maxime`s dad came and picked up Maxime. Rebecca/Charles/Cheryl/Stephen went along...at 9:20 am
Cynthia/Mike/me went to the bus terminal to catch the 9:40 am bus to Montreal. Here`s what everyone is doing for 72 hours
Mike - Woodstock (bus to Quebec, train)
Cynthia - Montreal (bus to Quebec, train)
Angel - Montreal (bus)
Cheryl - Montreal (Maxime, bus)
Stephen - Montreal (Maxime, bus)
Rebecca - Toronto (Maxime, train)
Charles - St. Celestin (Maxime, rent a car/bus?)
Stephanie - Malartic (bus, family pick-up)
Zach - family coming over, stay in Alma
So the bus ride was ok...at the beginning the bus was extremely crowded and Cynthia/Mike/me sat in different seats, but once a good number of people got off at Hebertville-Station, we all took our window seats, and then Cynthia decided to join me. We ended up talking for the whole trip to Quebec City, as the bus rolls through the Laurentian mountain range (both of our ears popped, fun)...it was nice talking to Cynthia about our jobs, the group, what she is going to do after Katimavik (she is not going to school and she is thinking of doing something like of like Katimavik but she isn`t sure yet). And before you know it we arrived at Quebec around 12:30 something. Cynthia and Mike and I parted ways, and I boarded on another bus to Montreal...slept quite a bit and at almost 4, I was in Montreal. By the way, as I was on the bus from Longueil (a part of Montreal), I saw the famous La Ronde and the roller coasters and rides they have...it`s really quite something, and I absolutely cannot imagine people riding on them, because they were so big and high up. La Ronde is really quite impressive from the bridge I was on.
So once I got off the bus, I walked to the hostel, which was around a 10-15 minute walk. My hostel is called Le Sous-Bois, and it`s a really good hostel...in fact named one of the top ten hostels by hostels.com. It`s right in Old Montreal, and the decorations and set-up gives it a lot of personality. Not to mention that they offer free wireless, computers (2), free breakfast, and free laundry...all for less than $20 bucks. However the place isn`t perfect...they have 1) slooooooow computers (windows 98, come on), 2) free breakfast pretty much consists of bagels and jam, 3) the laundry soap is nowhere to be found...even though maybe i am supposed to ask the people to work there for some but if the laundry is free, I don`t see why it isn`t by the machine 4) the showers took a while to heat up...imagine my surprise when cold water hit my body at 12:30 am when I wanted a hot shower...as well some stalls didn`t seem to work. 5) The location was a bit confusing...the hostel is right inside the Le Guillert (or something to that spelling) Hotel, but when I tried entering the hostel/hotel I couldn`t open the door because it was locked (perhaps upon security reasons, but that`s not very welcoming eh?)...after 5 minutes of wondering around I rang the buzzer, then a bit of waiting...a girl opened the door and checked me in, and gave me instructions in French on where my bed is, how I go to the actual hostel, etc. It`s pretty cool, actually....I had to enter a little alleyway at the side of the building, where there is a wooden door with one of those press number locks...314. But once you enter it`s like another world. Look at the pictures, they are worth a thousand words (and I already used hundreds, haha). 6) Oh yes, I had to make my own bed...first time ever to do that in a hostel, but this I don`t mind...7) Not the hostel, more like me...I lost my debit card.
On the first day. In the hostel. My stupidity, and it was never found...oh well
So anyways as soon as I got settled in the hostel, I decided to go venture out a little bit before I head to my friend`s house. Since I haven`t eaten ever since 9 in the morning, I was famished and thirsty for some famous Montreal smoked meat that people were talking about, plus a nice fruit smoothie. Plus I wanted to walk around the area I was in (Old Montreal) to get a feel of it. After a slight confusion (I got a bit lost trying to find the big underground mall, which I never found on my own) and 40 minutes later, I got the fruit smoothie and Montreal smoked meat that I wanted. The smoked meat (thin shaven beef in a sandwich with mustard) was all right...something tells me I didn`t get the best version of the smoked meat, so I will not judge whether I really like smoked meat or not. After I downed my food, I decided that it was high time to take the metro to find my friend...I was going to call my friend, but because the phone was free for US/Canada calls, naturally people would be hogging the phone. So I sent a quick message to my friend through msn, and left...and that`s when I realized I couldn`t take the metro because I didn`t have enough money (less than $1 in coins) to take the subway, and I lost my debit card. So I had to go back to the hostel and tell my friend to come find me instead...and we decided to meet at the Champs de Mars (the metro station closest to me) ticketing place instead.
After 30 minutes of waiting (yes I was actually not late this time, haha), Kyle and I finally met for the first time.It`s kind of something for me to meet my internet buddy for the first time, especially when Kyle and I knew each other for at least 6-7 years (I met him on ICQ when I was grade 9). The expectation was there but at the same time I wasn`t really expecting anything special, because I knew him for so long. It`s hard to describe...but overall our first meeting with each other was not at all awkward and if anything it was as if we were just old friends that haven`t seen each other in a long, long time. By then it was 8 pm, and we decided to go for dinner and I requested Vietnamese food, which Kyle never really had. So we went to Chinatown and just picked out a random vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown...on the way we chatted a whole bunch, but it was more with me complaining about my lost debit card and discovering that he was actually deaf on one ear (right if I am correct). Oh Vietnamese food, how I miss thee...we had a giant beef noodle soup with every beef something, plus salad rolls and vermecelli salad. Man I am already salivating as I write.So afterwards we wanted to catch an IMAX film (I forgot the name of the movie, but I will find out for Montreal Part 2), but since it was getting late (film starts at 10 pm, and we didn`t leave the restaurant until 9:40 pm...and the last metro runs at 12:30 pm), we decided to go back to the hostel for a little bit and then perhaps find a cafe to hang out for a little bit. So we went back to the hostel and I showed him around, and hung out a little bit there...Kyle found the place to be very cool, and then we left and began looking for a cafe in Old Montreal to chill. However it seems that only bars are open and nothing else on a Friday night (what a surprise, especially in Quebec), so after 40 minutes of searching around, we decided to go to a bar instead. The bar we went to was called 3 Brassauds (I will check if it`s correct), and it is this chain of bars that is famous for their choices of different house-brewed beers. We hung out there for around 1 hour or so, before Kyle has to catch the last metro. And yes, of course we drank...things ordered:
1) Peach Snapps (me, and let`s just say it tastes like gasoline laced with peach essence, to put it kindly...the name was totally misleading because I thought it would ressemble something like a Peach Snapple, haha), 2) Orgasm (Kyle, a mix of Baileys/vodka/something else that I can`t remember...not horrible but meh), 3) Bay Breeze (me, very nice, pineapple and cranberry juice with a bit of vodka), 4) B7 (Kyle, something that liked just like the Orgasm one...we both were like "what the heck did you do an re-order" when we saw it), 4) Apple Dessert with Rum Flambe...pretty yummy too. Overall, we had a good time, I tried speaking French (even though everyone spoke to me in English because I was an obvious anglophone), and there was lots of good luck French guys in the bar, hahaha...and no I was not drunk, not even tipsy! Anyways that`s about it...went back to the hostel, showered (my shower issues started then), and went to bed...
...To Be Continued...
The day before we left...
1) I bought my Allo Stop membership from Aurelie, who after selling the card to me, found out that the best option from Allo Stop is me going to Chicoutimi (1 hour away from Alma) and taking a car ride from there to Montreal...which meant I would arrive around 9-10 pm. Because that is way too late, I chose to wait for a better option from Allo Stop and if not, I would buy a bus ticket. Which kind of meant I wasted $6 (non-refundable). Oh well...
2) Last day of billeting - Went back to the billeting house, had spaghetti for dinner (a big plateful for me, and my appetite astonishes Billy each time..."Angel you eat like...fuck..."), and after a bit of last minute packing, I returned to Katima-house at 7:30. So I gave Billy/Sabrina/Noah-Kim a tour of the house, and bidded goodbyes. By then pretty much everyone was home except for Rebecca (Stephanie already left for her 72 hours with special permission). The rest of the night, most of the people went to Cafe Sofa to chill, while Cynthia/Mike/I went to the bus terminal to buy bus tickets (Cynthia`s credit card, which is an American Express, unfortunately was not accepted in the bus terminal so I lent her my card), and Cynthia joined them in Cafe Sofa later on...I had things to do.
3) Later in the night I realized I left my whole CD collection at Billy/Sabrina`s place...yikes! Next Day...at 8 am Maxime`s dad came and picked up Maxime. Rebecca/Charles/Cheryl/Stephen went along...at 9:20 am
Cynthia/Mike/me went to the bus terminal to catch the 9:40 am bus to Montreal. Here`s what everyone is doing for 72 hours
Mike - Woodstock (bus to Quebec, train)
Cynthia - Montreal (bus to Quebec, train)
Angel - Montreal (bus)
Cheryl - Montreal (Maxime, bus)
Stephen - Montreal (Maxime, bus)
Rebecca - Toronto (Maxime, train)
Charles - St. Celestin (Maxime, rent a car/bus?)
Stephanie - Malartic (bus, family pick-up)
Zach - family coming over, stay in Alma
So the bus ride was ok...at the beginning the bus was extremely crowded and Cynthia/Mike/me sat in different seats, but once a good number of people got off at Hebertville-Station, we all took our window seats, and then Cynthia decided to join me. We ended up talking for the whole trip to Quebec City, as the bus rolls through the Laurentian mountain range (both of our ears popped, fun)...it was nice talking to Cynthia about our jobs, the group, what she is going to do after Katimavik (she is not going to school and she is thinking of doing something like of like Katimavik but she isn`t sure yet). And before you know it we arrived at Quebec around 12:30 something. Cynthia and Mike and I parted ways, and I boarded on another bus to Montreal...slept quite a bit and at almost 4, I was in Montreal. By the way, as I was on the bus from Longueil (a part of Montreal), I saw the famous La Ronde and the roller coasters and rides they have...it`s really quite something, and I absolutely cannot imagine people riding on them, because they were so big and high up. La Ronde is really quite impressive from the bridge I was on.
So once I got off the bus, I walked to the hostel, which was around a 10-15 minute walk. My hostel is called Le Sous-Bois, and it`s a really good hostel...in fact named one of the top ten hostels by hostels.com. It`s right in Old Montreal, and the decorations and set-up gives it a lot of personality. Not to mention that they offer free wireless, computers (2), free breakfast, and free laundry...all for less than $20 bucks. However the place isn`t perfect...they have 1) slooooooow computers (windows 98, come on), 2) free breakfast pretty much consists of bagels and jam, 3) the laundry soap is nowhere to be found...even though maybe i am supposed to ask the people to work there for some but if the laundry is free, I don`t see why it isn`t by the machine 4) the showers took a while to heat up...imagine my surprise when cold water hit my body at 12:30 am when I wanted a hot shower...as well some stalls didn`t seem to work. 5) The location was a bit confusing...the hostel is right inside the Le Guillert (or something to that spelling) Hotel, but when I tried entering the hostel/hotel I couldn`t open the door because it was locked (perhaps upon security reasons, but that`s not very welcoming eh?)...after 5 minutes of wondering around I rang the buzzer, then a bit of waiting...a girl opened the door and checked me in, and gave me instructions in French on where my bed is, how I go to the actual hostel, etc. It`s pretty cool, actually....I had to enter a little alleyway at the side of the building, where there is a wooden door with one of those press number locks...314. But once you enter it`s like another world. Look at the pictures, they are worth a thousand words (and I already used hundreds, haha). 6) Oh yes, I had to make my own bed...first time ever to do that in a hostel, but this I don`t mind...7) Not the hostel, more like me...I lost my debit card.
On the first day. In the hostel. My stupidity, and it was never found...oh well
So anyways as soon as I got settled in the hostel, I decided to go venture out a little bit before I head to my friend`s house. Since I haven`t eaten ever since 9 in the morning, I was famished and thirsty for some famous Montreal smoked meat that people were talking about, plus a nice fruit smoothie. Plus I wanted to walk around the area I was in (Old Montreal) to get a feel of it. After a slight confusion (I got a bit lost trying to find the big underground mall, which I never found on my own) and 40 minutes later, I got the fruit smoothie and Montreal smoked meat that I wanted. The smoked meat (thin shaven beef in a sandwich with mustard) was all right...something tells me I didn`t get the best version of the smoked meat, so I will not judge whether I really like smoked meat or not. After I downed my food, I decided that it was high time to take the metro to find my friend...I was going to call my friend, but because the phone was free for US/Canada calls, naturally people would be hogging the phone. So I sent a quick message to my friend through msn, and left...and that`s when I realized I couldn`t take the metro because I didn`t have enough money (less than $1 in coins) to take the subway, and I lost my debit card. So I had to go back to the hostel and tell my friend to come find me instead...and we decided to meet at the Champs de Mars (the metro station closest to me) ticketing place instead.
After 30 minutes of waiting (yes I was actually not late this time, haha), Kyle and I finally met for the first time.It`s kind of something for me to meet my internet buddy for the first time, especially when Kyle and I knew each other for at least 6-7 years (I met him on ICQ when I was grade 9). The expectation was there but at the same time I wasn`t really expecting anything special, because I knew him for so long. It`s hard to describe...but overall our first meeting with each other was not at all awkward and if anything it was as if we were just old friends that haven`t seen each other in a long, long time. By then it was 8 pm, and we decided to go for dinner and I requested Vietnamese food, which Kyle never really had. So we went to Chinatown and just picked out a random vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown...on the way we chatted a whole bunch, but it was more with me complaining about my lost debit card and discovering that he was actually deaf on one ear (right if I am correct). Oh Vietnamese food, how I miss thee...we had a giant beef noodle soup with every beef something, plus salad rolls and vermecelli salad. Man I am already salivating as I write.So afterwards we wanted to catch an IMAX film (I forgot the name of the movie, but I will find out for Montreal Part 2), but since it was getting late (film starts at 10 pm, and we didn`t leave the restaurant until 9:40 pm...and the last metro runs at 12:30 pm), we decided to go back to the hostel for a little bit and then perhaps find a cafe to hang out for a little bit. So we went back to the hostel and I showed him around, and hung out a little bit there...Kyle found the place to be very cool, and then we left and began looking for a cafe in Old Montreal to chill. However it seems that only bars are open and nothing else on a Friday night (what a surprise, especially in Quebec), so after 40 minutes of searching around, we decided to go to a bar instead. The bar we went to was called 3 Brassauds (I will check if it`s correct), and it is this chain of bars that is famous for their choices of different house-brewed beers. We hung out there for around 1 hour or so, before Kyle has to catch the last metro. And yes, of course we drank...things ordered:
1) Peach Snapps (me, and let`s just say it tastes like gasoline laced with peach essence, to put it kindly...the name was totally misleading because I thought it would ressemble something like a Peach Snapple, haha), 2) Orgasm (Kyle, a mix of Baileys/vodka/something else that I can`t remember...not horrible but meh), 3) Bay Breeze (me, very nice, pineapple and cranberry juice with a bit of vodka), 4) B7 (Kyle, something that liked just like the Orgasm one...we both were like "what the heck did you do an re-order" when we saw it), 4) Apple Dessert with Rum Flambe...pretty yummy too. Overall, we had a good time, I tried speaking French (even though everyone spoke to me in English because I was an obvious anglophone), and there was lots of good luck French guys in the bar, hahaha...and no I was not drunk, not even tipsy! Anyways that`s about it...went back to the hostel, showered (my shower issues started then), and went to bed...
...To Be Continued...
Thursday, April 12, 2007
First Taste of Bar Drinking
Many of you (friends who know me well enough) would be happy to know that something unordinary for me happened last night, around 10:00 pm.
Yes, judging from the title, I went to the bar with Rebecca/Charles/Cheryl/Zach/Stephanie (who came later). For you Castlegar/Blind River kids who will be coming to Alma in the summer, take note (although that special may not exist by the time you guys arrive, haha): Apparently every Wednesday night Le Bar Crapaud (well-named, in my opinion, since the beer they served was disgusting) sell small glasses of beer for 75 cents each (with tip it would be around a buck). But it is not just a simple go-to-the bar trip...
So the crowd of us went for the cheap beer and slight naughty behaviour since Valerie wasn`t home (she is often not home due to things...I don`t exactly know). Why I went - I haven`t went to a bar with the kids since I started Katimavik...and it`s Quebec, one must immerse in their boozing culture and go to the bar. Life is short, we gotta live a little, eh? Plus I thought it was time that I start hanging out with people more, and as they (some wise people) say, "a couple of drinks and everyone becomes friends".
Rebecca/Zach/I went to the bar first, and after paying for cover (2 dollars), we got a seat and ordered. I ordered 1 beer (they were small glasses), while Zach and Rebecca each ordered 3. We chatted (trying to carry a conversation in French), and Zach and Rebecca had a bit of a drinking-chugging thing going on (I didn`t because I intended to only have that one beer since I didn`t want to pay more). Well I didn`t need to pay more but that one beer thing didn`t happen, because as soon as Cheryl and Charles arrived (after their cigarette purchase at the depanneur and Cheryl forgetting her ID and had to return home to get it), they started buying 10/20 dollars worth of beer and coaxing me to drink some. Again, because it`s free beer and my attitude of "live a little" (even though most people would dub me as slightly uptight), I accepted...and chugged them down as quickly as I could because I hate the taste of beer. Perhaps of this, plus the fact that I don`t drink much ever, but around 4 glasses later (again they are small glasses) I started getting tipsy...and another 2-4 more (I don`t know, I didn`t count) I think I got drunk. Yes, guys, drunk...(gasps from my friends)
Crazy things that happened while I was in that state:
1) got photos of me looking red and stupid taken by Zach (usually that would never happen)
2) me acting hyper and funny (as if I am not like that in a sober state)...amused everyone
3) danced with a random French guy after Zach dared me (why is Zach involved in more than 1 of these things?)
4) kissed Charles on the cheek. A good couple of times
5) puked on the table after n cup of beer (more like 5-6)...we had to move to another table...and puked in the bar washroom. How classy.
Around 12 or so, I started crashing. My head was pretty much glued to the table, and the guys kept asking me if I felt sick...I just went "mmm-hmm, uh-huh"...Cheryl decided that I was done and walked me home, in my state of sick-giddiness (I learnt something new about myself - I am a happy drunk, yay). Then Cheryl and Stephen (who was hanging out at home with his laptop) worked together to bring me to my room, after I told Stephen loudly that he missed out some fun stuff of me at the bar and went straight to the washroom in preparation for another puking (that didn`t happen, and I ended up just lying on the washroom floor). I went to bed, my mouth full of sourness from my vomit...yum
Here`s what I am wondering. I personally don`t think I was drunk, because I could remember every single thing that happened last night, even now. I was relatively coherent during the whole thing. Plus when I woke up, I felt fine...no horrible hangovers or anything. However I puked, and according to Cheryl and others when you puke, you are officially drunk. And my behaviours seemed like drunken behaviour, haha. Since I am no expert on this area, I will just say I got drunk. Which means this is the first time in my life that I got drunk and puked...so that`s how it feels like - a surreal feeling like you are there, but not really...I don`t see why people enjoy it so much. I will take controlled drinking from now on, thank you very much...and no beer.
Now what should I do about those ransom photos that Zach has?
Yes, judging from the title, I went to the bar with Rebecca/Charles/Cheryl/Zach/Stephanie (who came later). For you Castlegar/Blind River kids who will be coming to Alma in the summer, take note (although that special may not exist by the time you guys arrive, haha): Apparently every Wednesday night Le Bar Crapaud (well-named, in my opinion, since the beer they served was disgusting) sell small glasses of beer for 75 cents each (with tip it would be around a buck). But it is not just a simple go-to-the bar trip...
So the crowd of us went for the cheap beer and slight naughty behaviour since Valerie wasn`t home (she is often not home due to things...I don`t exactly know). Why I went - I haven`t went to a bar with the kids since I started Katimavik...and it`s Quebec, one must immerse in their boozing culture and go to the bar. Life is short, we gotta live a little, eh? Plus I thought it was time that I start hanging out with people more, and as they (some wise people) say, "a couple of drinks and everyone becomes friends".
Rebecca/Zach/I went to the bar first, and after paying for cover (2 dollars), we got a seat and ordered. I ordered 1 beer (they were small glasses), while Zach and Rebecca each ordered 3. We chatted (trying to carry a conversation in French), and Zach and Rebecca had a bit of a drinking-chugging thing going on (I didn`t because I intended to only have that one beer since I didn`t want to pay more). Well I didn`t need to pay more but that one beer thing didn`t happen, because as soon as Cheryl and Charles arrived (after their cigarette purchase at the depanneur and Cheryl forgetting her ID and had to return home to get it), they started buying 10/20 dollars worth of beer and coaxing me to drink some. Again, because it`s free beer and my attitude of "live a little" (even though most people would dub me as slightly uptight), I accepted...and chugged them down as quickly as I could because I hate the taste of beer. Perhaps of this, plus the fact that I don`t drink much ever, but around 4 glasses later (again they are small glasses) I started getting tipsy...and another 2-4 more (I don`t know, I didn`t count) I think I got drunk. Yes, guys, drunk...(gasps from my friends)
Crazy things that happened while I was in that state:
1) got photos of me looking red and stupid taken by Zach (usually that would never happen)
2) me acting hyper and funny (as if I am not like that in a sober state)...amused everyone
3) danced with a random French guy after Zach dared me (why is Zach involved in more than 1 of these things?)
4) kissed Charles on the cheek. A good couple of times
5) puked on the table after n cup of beer (more like 5-6)...we had to move to another table...and puked in the bar washroom. How classy.
Around 12 or so, I started crashing. My head was pretty much glued to the table, and the guys kept asking me if I felt sick...I just went "mmm-hmm, uh-huh"...Cheryl decided that I was done and walked me home, in my state of sick-giddiness (I learnt something new about myself - I am a happy drunk, yay). Then Cheryl and Stephen (who was hanging out at home with his laptop) worked together to bring me to my room, after I told Stephen loudly that he missed out some fun stuff of me at the bar and went straight to the washroom in preparation for another puking (that didn`t happen, and I ended up just lying on the washroom floor). I went to bed, my mouth full of sourness from my vomit...yum
Here`s what I am wondering. I personally don`t think I was drunk, because I could remember every single thing that happened last night, even now. I was relatively coherent during the whole thing. Plus when I woke up, I felt fine...no horrible hangovers or anything. However I puked, and according to Cheryl and others when you puke, you are officially drunk. And my behaviours seemed like drunken behaviour, haha. Since I am no expert on this area, I will just say I got drunk. Which means this is the first time in my life that I got drunk and puked...so that`s how it feels like - a surreal feeling like you are there, but not really...I don`t see why people enjoy it so much. I will take controlled drinking from now on, thank you very much...and no beer.
Now what should I do about those ransom photos that Zach has?
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Self-Reflection...
...for a little bit, with something that happened last night.
So exactly what happened last night? There was an activity by Valerie`s friend/roommate Katherine, who is also studying or an actual social worker...she did something called "reconnaisance de soi", or knowing oneself in English. It was all right, and she pretty much did it in the format similar to personality tests and questions such as "what do you want people to say about you when you die?". Some of the answers were quite interesting, and I really like Stephanie`s response to the previous question: Bon Voyage. It really says a lot about her personality, and how a line so simple can have such a deep meaning to it. And I also love (rolling eyes) Mike`s answer to the question "What would you bring with you if your house is on fire?": his luggage (with his clothes inside), his MP3, his cell phone...all material things. (I teased him by asking him if he is expecting a fire to happen because he has all his clothes in his luggage bag)
You guys may think the test brought some form of light or epiphany moment for me, but no, it was something else. With one part of the test, Katherine wanted us to pick a person we know least about in the group and share results, and Maxime immediately turned to me to do that. I was game, but I was surprised that she chose me to do this. After the test, I asked Maxime why she chose me, and if she really thought she knew me the least from the group. She said yes, she knew me the least and that we hardly talk to each other...she felt like she knew Mike (who she dislikes) more than me. I told her that I was surprised, and although I don`t know her background enough, I thought I knew her as a person really well. Then she asked me who I knew the least from the group (Charles or Stephanie), and pretty much summed it up to me never hanging out with them and stuff...
What she said got me thinking about how I fit in in the group and what role I play there. And honestly, I am not exactly in a group with anyone, and that`s because I kind of choose to drift myself outside of "cliques" (Stephen at one point called me "borderline anti-social", which I was slightly shocked and miffed about because people would not call me anti-social in normal circumstances). And this has been happening since February, when a couple of people said they don`t think I ever talk about myself and I am often off on my own doing something else. Now, I enjoy my independence, and every now and then everyone needs their space, but what Maxime said really got me thinking. How much do I know everyone that I live with? Everyone in the house is unique and interesting, and why am I not putting enough energy to discover that? Cliques are pretty much apparent in this stage of Katimavik...if I don`t do anything where would I be in the group the next couple of months?
I think I should make some changes to my behaviour...things to think about...
On the upside, work was good today...I discussed my Katimavik Learning Plan with Claudie (KLP is one of the stupid things about Katimavik; I don`t need a couple sheets of paper to improve myself and become a better person), and talked to her about what I want to achieve in my job and stuff. She whole-heartedly agreed with everything I said, and added that she wants me to be happy at work and other stuff like that. With that, I told her that actually I have some dissatisfaction at work recently, despite the fact that I enjoy working at the cafe. I told her that working with her gives me pressure, because working with her is like working with myself at my prime (when I love what I do and am super-duper good at it), and many times I felt like I couldn`t keep up with her and instead was in her way. Although she was never mean about things, she would kind of take over the task I had difficulty with and then I would pretty much feel like an imbecile after...plus often she would say things in French to me and I get lost (not that I am complaining, but I just wish it`s easier for me to pick up). I told her all this stuff and pretty much she laughed and said I am the perfect employee, and I need to learn to relax. And she definitely agreed that we need to communicate more...very happy about that.
One up + one down = neutral day
So exactly what happened last night? There was an activity by Valerie`s friend/roommate Katherine, who is also studying or an actual social worker...she did something called "reconnaisance de soi", or knowing oneself in English. It was all right, and she pretty much did it in the format similar to personality tests and questions such as "what do you want people to say about you when you die?". Some of the answers were quite interesting, and I really like Stephanie`s response to the previous question: Bon Voyage. It really says a lot about her personality, and how a line so simple can have such a deep meaning to it. And I also love (rolling eyes) Mike`s answer to the question "What would you bring with you if your house is on fire?": his luggage (with his clothes inside), his MP3, his cell phone...all material things. (I teased him by asking him if he is expecting a fire to happen because he has all his clothes in his luggage bag)
You guys may think the test brought some form of light or epiphany moment for me, but no, it was something else. With one part of the test, Katherine wanted us to pick a person we know least about in the group and share results, and Maxime immediately turned to me to do that. I was game, but I was surprised that she chose me to do this. After the test, I asked Maxime why she chose me, and if she really thought she knew me the least from the group. She said yes, she knew me the least and that we hardly talk to each other...she felt like she knew Mike (who she dislikes) more than me. I told her that I was surprised, and although I don`t know her background enough, I thought I knew her as a person really well. Then she asked me who I knew the least from the group (Charles or Stephanie), and pretty much summed it up to me never hanging out with them and stuff...
What she said got me thinking about how I fit in in the group and what role I play there. And honestly, I am not exactly in a group with anyone, and that`s because I kind of choose to drift myself outside of "cliques" (Stephen at one point called me "borderline anti-social", which I was slightly shocked and miffed about because people would not call me anti-social in normal circumstances). And this has been happening since February, when a couple of people said they don`t think I ever talk about myself and I am often off on my own doing something else. Now, I enjoy my independence, and every now and then everyone needs their space, but what Maxime said really got me thinking. How much do I know everyone that I live with? Everyone in the house is unique and interesting, and why am I not putting enough energy to discover that? Cliques are pretty much apparent in this stage of Katimavik...if I don`t do anything where would I be in the group the next couple of months?
I think I should make some changes to my behaviour...things to think about...
On the upside, work was good today...I discussed my Katimavik Learning Plan with Claudie (KLP is one of the stupid things about Katimavik; I don`t need a couple sheets of paper to improve myself and become a better person), and talked to her about what I want to achieve in my job and stuff. She whole-heartedly agreed with everything I said, and added that she wants me to be happy at work and other stuff like that. With that, I told her that actually I have some dissatisfaction at work recently, despite the fact that I enjoy working at the cafe. I told her that working with her gives me pressure, because working with her is like working with myself at my prime (when I love what I do and am super-duper good at it), and many times I felt like I couldn`t keep up with her and instead was in her way. Although she was never mean about things, she would kind of take over the task I had difficulty with and then I would pretty much feel like an imbecile after...plus often she would say things in French to me and I get lost (not that I am complaining, but I just wish it`s easier for me to pick up). I told her all this stuff and pretty much she laughed and said I am the perfect employee, and I need to learn to relax. And she definitely agreed that we need to communicate more...very happy about that.
One up + one down = neutral day
Monday, April 9, 2007
A bientot, Montreal...
So this is my very last day in Montreal. In a couple of hours I will be boarding on to the bus back to Alma...a 6+ hour bus ride. I am now just sitting in the hang-out/dining area of my hostel, typing this and eating my leftover dim sum.
This 72 hours has been great. Lots of (mis)adventures, and that is what makes traveling so fun and interesting...Montreal is truly a beautiful city, with its old architecture , and good looking French guys no less ;). And honestly, I have only uncovered probably 1/10 of the treasures offered in this place. So many things, so little time...details of the trip will come very soon, I promise.
Kyle, thanks for everything, you are truly an awesome host...I don't think I could ask for a better person to hang out with in Montreal. It was also pretty cool that we both felt we knew each other for a long, long time (I know we actually do online, but like with each other...you know what I mean =)
Montreal, je reviendrai...
This 72 hours has been great. Lots of (mis)adventures, and that is what makes traveling so fun and interesting...Montreal is truly a beautiful city, with its old architecture , and good looking French guys no less ;). And honestly, I have only uncovered probably 1/10 of the treasures offered in this place. So many things, so little time...details of the trip will come very soon, I promise.
Kyle, thanks for everything, you are truly an awesome host...I don't think I could ask for a better person to hang out with in Montreal. It was also pretty cool that we both felt we knew each other for a long, long time (I know we actually do online, but like with each other...you know what I mean =)
Montreal, je reviendrai...
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Music
Grrr....a bit annoyed right now, because the service I want to use to go to Montreal (called Allo Stop) requires permission from my "guardian of the moment" (aka PL). Actually to be precise it is a Katimavik rule, and knowing Katimavik and Valerie I would not be allowed to use Allo Stop because I would be riding in a vehicle that is not registered by Katimavik, and therefore deemed "unsafe"...and that really irks me because now I would have to spend almost 100 dollars more on my transportation. Anyways I will not talk about that right now, because I only have 20 minutes or less to do this before I return to billeting...which by the way today is my last evening there.
http://www.allostop.com/english/default.htm
One of the good things about doing Katimavik is that it broadens horizons. And music is definitely one of things. From working in the cafe and living with the kids, I picked up quite a number of new music. The list and people include:
Rebecca - Regina Spektro, Ben Harper (Rebecca and I happen to have same taste in a lot of music, so we both listen to Jack Johnson a lot)
Zach - Imogen Heap, Scissor Sisters, Paper Moon (I am definitely going to buy their CD when I get back to Vancouver)
Charles - Not exactly one particular band, but the music he listens to are really chill, so I like a lot of random songs from him. He is really into Bob Marley, if you get the picture.
Cheryl - (Gateway to great Quebecois music) Les Cowboys Frigants, Corneille (LOVE THIS GUY!)...and a couple more although I cannot recall in my head
From the cafe...there is lots of good music there, and everyone has good taste in music there, especially Annie...I picked up some good stuff from her: Bia, Carla Bruni, Ariane Moffatt, Putamayo (Coffee House Music)...more to discover in the future.
One of the things I discovered in Quebec is that there is lots and lots of great talent and music. It must be a cultural thing, because although the English has a good number of talents (and famous because they are English), there is a certain flavour and distinction with Quebecois music...and I am digging it very much. Although everyone seems to like this guy named Pierre Lapointe...and yes his music is rather creative and whimsical, but I dunno, I am not digging it very much at the moment (maybe in another month).
Since I am going to Montreal in 2 days (YAY!), I am going to do some CD shopping
Corneille (2 CDs - Parce qu'on vient de loin, Les Marchands de rêves)
Les Cowboys Frigants (1 CD- Break Syndical...I picked up La Grande Messe in Alma for a very cheap price!)
Bia (1 CD - Carmin)
Ariane Moffatt (1 CD - Le cœur dans la tête)
Carla Bruni (1 CD - Quelqu'un m'a dit )
Gotta go...tata...Sometimes people are just destined to do what they do...that's what it is....now everybody dance.( JT)
http://www.allostop.com/english/default.htm
One of the good things about doing Katimavik is that it broadens horizons. And music is definitely one of things. From working in the cafe and living with the kids, I picked up quite a number of new music. The list and people include:
Rebecca - Regina Spektro, Ben Harper (Rebecca and I happen to have same taste in a lot of music, so we both listen to Jack Johnson a lot)
Zach - Imogen Heap, Scissor Sisters, Paper Moon (I am definitely going to buy their CD when I get back to Vancouver)
Charles - Not exactly one particular band, but the music he listens to are really chill, so I like a lot of random songs from him. He is really into Bob Marley, if you get the picture.
Cheryl - (Gateway to great Quebecois music) Les Cowboys Frigants, Corneille (LOVE THIS GUY!)...and a couple more although I cannot recall in my head
From the cafe...there is lots of good music there, and everyone has good taste in music there, especially Annie...I picked up some good stuff from her: Bia, Carla Bruni, Ariane Moffatt, Putamayo (Coffee House Music)...more to discover in the future.
One of the things I discovered in Quebec is that there is lots and lots of great talent and music. It must be a cultural thing, because although the English has a good number of talents (and famous because they are English), there is a certain flavour and distinction with Quebecois music...and I am digging it very much. Although everyone seems to like this guy named Pierre Lapointe...and yes his music is rather creative and whimsical, but I dunno, I am not digging it very much at the moment (maybe in another month).
Since I am going to Montreal in 2 days (YAY!), I am going to do some CD shopping
Corneille (2 CDs - Parce qu'on vient de loin, Les Marchands de rêves)
Les Cowboys Frigants (1 CD- Break Syndical...I picked up La Grande Messe in Alma for a very cheap price!)
Bia (1 CD - Carmin)
Ariane Moffatt (1 CD - Le cœur dans la tête)
Carla Bruni (1 CD - Quelqu'un m'a dit )
Gotta go...tata...Sometimes people are just destined to do what they do...that's what it is....now everybody dance.( JT)
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