Strange Days

Ecouter de la bonne musique!

2010-02-09T13:23:00.001-08:00

Montreal-based band Tricot machine is composed of couple, Catherine Leduc and Matthieu Beaumont, and Beaumont’s brother (who doesn’t appear in the video) Daniel.

My favorite part of the song is at 1:47, when Leduc sings Ce matin, or this morning. Her pronunciation of matin (mah-tayn as opposed to France’s mah-tahn) is representative of the Québécois accent that I have grown to love.

La nourriture Quebecois

2010-02-01T19:56:00.001-08:00

So now a little bit on Quebecois cuisine. Probably the meal that comes quickly to mind when one thinks of Quebec is

POUTINE!

a strange plate of French fries with gravy and cheese. The first time I tried, I admit, I wasn’t impressed but now, it’s a staple dish amongst friends after a long night on the town. Probably the best place to eat poutine is at La Banquise in Montreal.

But in Quebec City, I’ll take what I can get so I hit Chez Ashton with friends, a fast-food chain that serves the Quebecois culinary dish.

Another culinary delight, typical of Quebec is Tire sur la neige (Canadian maple syrup taffy). The best part is that you get to help out in the process of making the taffy.

First, the vender pours a scoopful of maple syrup in a strip on a patch of snow.

After letting it cool down, he hands you a wooden stick and you begin to roll the syrup onto it. Until finaly, you have “tire sur la neige”!

J’aime la musique Quebecoise

2010-02-01T09:44:00.001-08:00

Here is a song by Montreal-based band We Are Wolves.
In all honesty, this song represents how I felt in Montreal…every.single.day.

It was non-stop happiness, excitement, nervousness, noise, messiness, chaosssssssss, and just pure MAGIQUE.

Bonjour Quebec!

2010-01-31T21:00:00.001-08:00

So, here’s a quick update. Since January 1st I’ve been in Quebec City. Leaving Montreal was hard and I experienced culture shock, even though I’d only moved three hours north in the same province.

I went from the familiar to the unfamiliar in just a couple of hours. In Montreal, I spoke English to everyone, I knew my way around downtown and its surrounding areas without a problem. I was amongst friends and the weather was cold but tolerable.

But then, the day after an epic New Year’s party, my father called to inform me that he would be arriving to pick me up in Montreal a little earlier than expected, in fact, he would be there in four hours.

I suddenly had just a couple of hours to finish packing and to say good-bye to the group of close friends I’d come to see as family and soon enough, I was off.

I could immediately see the differences…
--- in Quebec it’s mainly French-speaking and the Quebeckers are very unhappy when you come up to them and speak in English.
---I moved in on campus a week early and therefore, for the first week I was mainly alone running errands and trying to figure out how to get around the city.
---Québec is a lot a lot a lot a lot colder. To prepare to go out, I wear snow pants, two thick socks, insulated boots (made for –20 degree Celsius weather), a t-shirt, a long-sleeved shirt, a fleece sweater, jacket, hat, snowboarding gloves, and scarf.
…And even then, I still get cold at times.

…More to come later…

Observation no. 125: First Snow Storm of the Season

2009-12-23T23:09:00.001-08:00

a. People still bike ride

b. Life continues normally, everyone seems to be oblivious to the fact that they’re walking beside huge mounds of snow.

c. The studies must go on. While Rhode Islanders would shut themselves indoors and enjoy a snow day, I took my usual 15-minute commute downtown to meet friends at the library (which was ridiculously packed).

d. Popular coat brands are Canada Goose, Roots, and North Face

e. Montrealers don't like snow. They like the cold but not the snow…(or so I’ve been told),

f. In the next day or two, the streets and sidewalks will have been completely cleaned.

Marie-Mai C’est Moi

2009-11-10T11:03:00.001-08:00

Here’s a dance-pop song by French Canadian singer Marie-Mai.

Un Monde, Un Village

2009-10-29T04:48:00.001-07:00

I got to have lunch with my fellow classmate Mike Belcher for an introduction on the Montreal literature scene, to visit Le Village, eat a Mango Panini at Kilo Restaurant, and discuss his first novel-in-progress, “Stitched”.

Le Village is Montreal’s gay village, located near Beaudry metro station on the green line and a couple of blocks away from my apartment.

According to Wikipedia, “By the 1990s, "The Village" had already started its expansion on Amherst Street, with the departure of many antique shops, more gay owned and operated businesses were emerging. At the same time, it had become well-established, and gained political recognition, acceptance by all LGBT persons, and by heterosexuals also. It has continuously thrived, gaining popularity, the area beautified, the housing renovated. Almost all gay businesses in Montréal are now situated in this area”.

Mike Belcher is a 26-year-old McGill graduate, a Chapter’s employee by day (Montreal’s equivalent to Borders), and a Concordia student by night. Phew.

Interested in the intersection of reality and the imagination in relation to body and self-image, Mike creates a story that follows protagonist, Joey, who struggle’s with how he’s being perceived by the world with some fantastical twists.

Here’s the actual synopsis from Mike:

Stitched follows the shifting delusions and illusions of Joey, a recent college grad who is looking for life’s greater meaning in all the wrong places.

Joey is obsessed with images – images of art, magazine models he’ll never be and, especially, himself – and it is through this obsession that the reader is taken into Joey’s mind, where passerby on crowded streets part for him in triple back flips, music brings words to life and unreachable cities grow from the earth.

Stitched is about the epic battle between the visible and the invisible in our lives. Our physical appearance versus the feeling of our presence. Our tangible lives against the imaginative spirit aching to be released into the world. Our head against our heart.

As he journeys between Montreal, Maine and Boston, searching for the fragments of a happiness he has lost along the way, Joey struggles to learn the difference between the stories we create…and the stories that create us.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think I’ll be the first in line when the book comes out.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!!!

2009-10-13T12:52:00.001-07:00

Yay! to the Canadians for celebrating thanksgiving in October. We had a delicious feast yesterday, better than any thanksgiving meal I’ve ever had back home. And it was all thanks to this guy below.

Hmmm looks like we’ve got ourselves a future male-model.

Other than hosting the meal in his amazing apartment—think walls lined with bookshelves, a kitchen overflowing with pots and pans, stacks of records on the floor, and just general craziness everywhere--he helped cook too.

Turkey, Ham, and stuffing. Oh my!

Plus, there were some new things on the menu….sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows?? Sure why not.
Cheese with potatoes with cheese with mushrooms with more cheese and a crust made of Corn Flakes!!! GENIUS

While the American thanksgiving celebrates the Indians and Pilgrims sharing a meal, Canadian’s celebrate the end of the harvest…meaning eat what you’ve got and store the rest. Sounds like an excuse to practice gluttony, but who’s complaining?

Oh Canada…

Piknic Electronik

2009-10-11T22:03:00.001-07:00

SO THIS IS A RE-WRITE OF AN OLD POST FROM SEPTEMBER 21…THE PICTURES WERE HORRIBLE, WHAT I WROTE MADE NO SENSE…HOPEFULLY THIS IS BETTER…

http://piknicelectronik.com/news/203/

So Annette, this post is for you. This past Sunday, some Concordia exchange students and I attended Piknic Electronik. I’m not entirely sure how to describe it because I've never seen anything like it.

Imagine a dance, outside, in a park, under a statue, next to a river, overlooking Montreal. There are punks, Goths, scenesters, indie kids, preps, and every stereotype imaginable. Teen agers, college students, young professionals, and families. All dancing together under L’homme sculpture.

Dancing under L’Homme Montreal across the river

I should probably mention that Piknic doesn’t take place in Montreal but, at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Ile Sainte-Helene. It’s about a five-minute metro ride on the yellow line from Berri-UQAM station, which is the metro a couple blocks away from my apartment.

DJs Skream & Benga were there. Apparently they were the ones who invented Dub Step…

Yes, I Had a Picnic at Piknic Electronik

2009-10-11T21:26:00.001-07:00

So, we re attended Piknic last Sunday, the last one of the year.
And we did things a little differently...
WE HAD A REAL PICNIC

And it was delicious. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, german sliced meant, waffles & syrup, French Fries, and carrots with lemon juice.

Four DJs performed: Green & LaTeez, Michel LLoyed, and Bender (all from California) and Dusty Kid from Italy.

the weather kept saying we would be

hit by showers but, we were greeted with a setting sum as we entered the park.

It did start to sprinkle three minutes before the event ended. So I got my chance to dance in the rain...

New Post

2009-09-05T03:37:00.001-07:00

New post coming up soon. Sorry for taking so long. With finding roommates, a new apartment, and adjusting to this new city life, I admit I haven't given much time to writing but, I finally sat myself down three days ago and should have something up by the Wednesday.

Allow me to introduce myself

2009-08-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

My parents crossed the border (by plane) years ago and next Saturday I will continue the tradition. However, I will be stepping over the Canadian line to spend my junior year in Quebec, Canada to learn French.

This semester, I will be acclimating myself to the French language in Montreal while attending Concordia University. I'll then travel two hours north to Quebec City for my spring semester, where I'll participate in a French-Immersion Program at Universite Laval. Of course, this is only if everything works out, things are still up in the air as I wait for a confirmation on my CAQ (equivalent to a Canadian visa) and I'm still apartmentless.

At first I was kind of bummed at not being able to afford to study in France but after some research I've realized how much Montreal has to offer and how similar it is to a European city.

And so, with this blog I'm hoping to shed a new light on Montreal, one that's not just freezing winters and a winter-break destination. I want to come out of this semester with a better definition of what it means to be a Montrealer and a Quebecker. I want to find the differences and similarities between the US and Montreal. And I plan on doing so by writing about and reviewing literature, art, fashion, culture, and events. So expect a lot of photography and videos.

To start off, I'd like to introduce the band Coeur de Pirate...

What I found surprising were the tattoos covering 20-year-old lead singer Beatrice Martin. It totally broke a stereotype. No longer will I think that post-hardcore screamers are the only ones who can sport tattoo sleeves, but also sweet-looking singers who deliver piano-driven melodies on love.

Recommended songs:
Comme des Enfants, Fondu au Noir, Berceuse

Montreal Performance:
September2
Apple Store
1320 Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest
Montreal, QC H3G 1P7, Canada
(514) 906-8400