Sunday, November 27, 2011

Run Away with Me



In the tradition of capturing my proposals I thought I would write about the one I received yesterday.  I volunteer at an organization in the DTES one day a week.  I just sit and chat and have coffee with people from the community.  The purpose is to build commmunity and for them to have someone to talk to.  I enjoy it because I get to chat and hear stories and get to know people.  It is an education for me and a dose of reality given how privileged I have been in life.  Yesterday, near the end of the day I met Jean-Marc.  We have seen each other before but it was the first time we interacted.  We introduced ourselves and once the formalities were over he jumped right in and asked me to run away with him back to Quebec.  He told me that we could get married and live together in Montreal.  He also mentioned another more x-rated activity.  I told him I would consider his proposal...the wedding proposal and not the "activity".

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Look'n Good...maam

I walk past a 7-11 every morning on my way to work.  Not sure what it is but there is always someone standing in front of it asking for change.  I generally don't give out change, I may occasionally give out an apple or a granola bar if I have one with me, but I always smile and say hi.   This morning was no different but as I walk past, the man standing out there yells out, "look'n good Maam, have yourself a good day"  I am not sure if I should be flattered or not, the looking good is nice but the maam.  Do I look like a maam?
Adventures in Italy

The last thing my sister said to me before I left for Italy was be safe and don't talk to random men.  Of course for some reason in my life that is unavoidable.  Plus it makes for great stories for my friends.

I was wandering the streets of Florence not really with a destination in mind.  I was just wandering around watching people and trying to absorb the sights of Italy.   As I was walking towards the Piazza Republico, I spy a man holding an umbrella but all over the umbrella were silver things.   As I got closer I realized it was earrings that he had stuck in the umbrella and he was selling them for 2 Euros.  Given my jewelry addiction and my travel tradition to pick up earrings for my friends, I had to stop and look.  The man turned out to be pretty friendly and was very patient while I closely examined each and every pair so that I could pick the right ones for my friends.  He held up a few to me and had this big grin on his face.  The man was from Bangladesh but he did not speak much English and I didn't speak any Italian but somehow in the span of 10 mins I had a marriage proposal.  He first made sure that I was old enough for him, found out where I was from, how long I was going to be in Italy for and then asked me if I would marry him.  Perhaps it was the dimples or perhaps it was to get me to buy earrings.  I smiled at him and said no and then proceeded to pay for my earrings.  He did not seem too upset with my decline of his offer because when I went to pay and I was a bit short, he smiled at me and said it was okay,

I was wandering the canals of Venice, slowly making my way back from St. Mark's square and came across this shop where there were these beautiful paper lanterns in the window.  I stopped and looked through the window and the man in there smiled at me.  I smiled back and then started to walk away but that man's smile lingered in my mind and I was about 5 meters away I turned around and walked back in.  Once again, the man didn't speak English and I didn' t speak Italian.  He tried Spanish and then he tried French.  Thus began a 20 min conversation with me racking the recesses of my brain trying to conjugate verbs.  I must have sounded like an idiot but it turned out to be a really memorable experience  The man's name was Fernando and he owned this paper shop that made these sculptural paper pieces by hand.  He showed me each piece and explained what they all meant.  He showed me this paper necklace and noticed my tibetan prayer charm.  He asked me what it was and I explained it to him and he thought it was beautiful.  He was so sweet and charming and let me look at all his work without every pressuring me to buy anything.  As I left he kissed me on both cheeks and wished me safe travels. 


It is encounters like these that stand out in my mind.  The museums and churches are stunning but it is the interactions that make the experiences for me. 

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Ciao

I fall in love easily, well let me preface by saying that I fall in love with places and objects easily,  people are a bit different.  When I am traveling I find that I get caught up in that moment and get lost in where I am at and usually find myself falling in love with that space and time.  Most of all I loved being carefree and exploring on my own and discovering the small things that make me smile, like the cute little gelato shop or the hidden away campo with the violin player that I sat and listened to escaping the madness of the city.  

Italy brought out the carefree, curious, and capable person that often only appears when I am away from my comfort zone.  I am joyous and filled with light when I travel, someone who I forget exists sometimes. 


Thursday, July 14, 2011

Smell of Summer

Lilacs light rain and warm summer day. I love the smell of summer.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

What makes me happy

On a bright sunny day there is nothing more soul satisfying than the pop of the ball coming off your racquet and seeing it fly across the net and hit the court with a resounding thud.

My dad picked up wooden racquets at a garage sale and that started our road to tennis. When I was younger I played almost every day with my siblings in the summer. We would play after dinner until it was too dark to see. However, somewhere after university life got too busy and I let almost 10 years pass without picking up my tennis racquet. Recently, a friend asked me to play with him and I was hesitant at first because it had been so long since I had played and worried that I had forgotten how. It took about 5 minutes for me to realize that tennis and I should never have taken a break. Being out on the court really makes me happy. Admittedly, there are moments when I get frustrated when I miss the ball or hit the net but there are also those moments when I make the cross court winner or when I move my opponent from one side of the court to the other. I know it is not very nice but is satisfying.

I think I have rekindled my love affair with my racquet. Now to perfect the backhand and serve.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Lessons learned

Admittedly I like guys that are assertive, ones with goals and determination...except when it comes to trying to get me to go out with them. I met someone virtually on-line, not someone that I would normally be attracted to but in an effort to be less judgmental and more open to experiences I decided to respond to his message. In hindsight I shouldn't have done it. The "I am looking for an Asian Princess, a girlfriend that I can take care of", was the giant red flag that I ignored. However, I felt compelled to address this specific issue. I was a bit angered and wanted to correct some assumptions. Apparently, my response was the invitation for the start of a marketing campaign to get me to meet up with him. Over the course of a week, he proceeded to message me at least twice a day and ask me out every other day. I managed to ignore it but eventually I felt like I should maybe give him a chance, he gave me his phone number and I mistakenly gave him mine, mistake 2. This was a Thursday and the Friday he called me. I was out with friends and he proceeded to ask if I was out on a date. I told him I would talk to him later. The next day, he texted me twice, I ignored him. He then called me and I answered, mistake 3. He told me about his ephiphany about curing HIV with tuna blood, then when I told him I was busy all week when he asked me out, he asked if I was going on lots of dates. I decided that he just wasn't the guy for me, I was feeling suffocated and I wasn't even dating him. I texted him and told him I didn't think it would work out. He texted back and asked me why and then when I told him it was a gut feeling, he called. I answered, mistake 4. So for about 15 minutes he tried to convince me to meet him for coffee, even for 15 mins. To get him off the phone I told him I would think about it and he made me promise I would call him. (I was on a date with someone else when I was on the phone with him, and my date couldn't believe how pushy he was). I texted him the following Monday and told him again that I didn't think it would work out. He once again called and I answered, mistake 5. For another 20 minutes he kept asking me to meet him. He decided that I was the kind of girl that he wanted for a girlfriend and I should at least meet him for coffee for 10 mins. We could be good friends. He then asked me the last time I had dated because apparently all my previous dates were jerks and that is why I wasn't giving him a chance. Yeah right... I finally told him he was creeping me out. He asked me one last time if I would go out with him. I told him no and he hung up on me. By the end of the call I was in tears because I was so frustrated. I hate confrontation and he really made me feel like a bad person because I didn't want to go out with him. I hate it when boys made me cry. The final creepy thing he did was send me another text last Monday, a week after the call with a Hi and a smiley face.

I truly believe that he would have been waiting outside my door if he knew where I lived.

So lessons learned: do not pick up the phone when you don't know who is calling. Do not give out your phone number to perfect strangers.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

In the moment...

Late at night, under the street lamp he grabbed my elbows and pulled me in close and kissed me. Totally spontaneous and unexpected. I walked away a bit stunned not sure where it came from or where it will go. I guess he was in the moment and had to do it. I on the other hand wasn't quite sure what it was about or if I enjoyed it. I was too stunned.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Therapy Smerapy

Who needs therapy when you spend the day with some great friends riding around as a bicycle gang on a beautiful sunny day when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom around the seawall in Vancouver. Then spending the rest of the evening eating sushi, drinking sangria, and laughing so hard that you are crying and your stomach is hurting. I don't think the day could have been any better. It just makes your heart smile and you forget about all the other stresses.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Neo-liberalism and Challenging Preconceived Notions

I am the first to admit that I am a bit of an intellectual snob. I don't think that I am better than someone just because I have been to gradschool but I do sometimes flaunt that I have a Master's degree. I don't do this to make others feel small, I just sometimes do it make myself appear more qualified. Today I met someone who made me really question my right to that snobbery. I was really pleasantly shocked by this encounter. This was someone who I was meeting for the first time and our previous interactions was based on an online profiles and a few emails back and forth. Admittedly, I was initially unsure about how it would go simply because of my elitism around education. I had way more formal education, but he turned out to be far more knowledgeable with his less than highschool education. He mentioned neo-liberalism and social constructs. Two subjects that I find very interesting. I was extremely impressed with how well read and knowledgeable he was. I felt horrible that I had passed judgment. It was a great conversation and I learned a lot about different things but most importantly it showed me that I shouldn't judge simply based on the letters behind your name. I felt incredibly humbled by this interaction.

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Naughty or Nice?

Recently a few interactions with individuals has made me question whether you can be too nice. I always just assumed that being nice was a given. I am one of those people that thinks that being compassionate does create inner happiness. I find that for the most part "killing them with kindness" serves me well through my daily life. However, those interactions have left me feeling a bit jaded with the world. I am questioning whether I should be less open and generous with who I am. I am left feeling like I am being taken advantage of. It is a strange feeling for me to question whether you can too nice when it is something that I find is intrinsic to being human.

Monday, February 21, 2011

The music in my heart

I have always wanted to play the guitar. I remember as a child making my own guitar out of paper plates, elastics, and a ruler. That was my very first guitar and unfortunately my very real guitar doesn't sound any better. Somewhere inside me, I knew that there was music that needed to be let out. I just didn't realize how very deep inside me this music lies. Apparently it lies so deep within me that when it does come out it is all tired from the long journey that it is all garbled and sad. Try as I might I can't seem to connect the music in my heart with what comes out of my finger tips.

Admittedly, I am not as patient as I should be with learning something new. I get frustrated and look at my fingers expecting them to magically dance over the strings. My brain and heart are willing if only my hands would listen. Fear not, actually you should be a bit fearful of the racket that I make, but I am determined to at least be able to play one song.

Monday, January 31, 2011

A third of my life

Tomorrow I turn 33. Somewhere after 30 I really stopped thinking about the numerical value of my age. It takes real concentration to remember that I am not in fact in my 20's and that I am heading towards mid-30's. Sure, there moments where I question myself and think that I should be somewhere further in my life then where I am at, ie married, kids, and house. Thankfully, just as soon as I start to have a bit of panic attack and feel unaccomplished, my sense of self kicks in and I realize that where I am is perfectly fine. I don't need to be at some arbitrary marker set out by expectations of who I should or shouldn't be. I just am. I guess the one good thing about being 33 is that by this time you have a truer sense of self. Afterall, it is just a number and as cliche as it sounds you are only as young as you feel.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Your art is a reflection of who you are

It is indisputable that art can and is often reflective of the artist. Art is that unconscious expression of who you are, even things that you would not readily announce to just anyone. Yet somehow through your art, you express and share that part of you, consciously or unconsciously. As a potter, I know that I have a distinct style. My pieces generally are simple and organic, I like them to have clean lines and simple glazing. My pottery teacher and I often talk about what to do with piece, how to glaze it how to shape the handle. I like to get his advice. During one of our conversations last week we talked about how pottery is reflective of the potter. Without having ever talked about my upbringing or how I feel about being a CBC he succinctly described how I often see myself. My pottery is a reflection of both western and Asian influences, a balance of the two styles. My pieces often shows western shaping, a solidity and strength normal in more western style of pottery, while my glazing and colour choices reflect a more Asian influence.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011



Up Up and Away

With our feet normally firmly planted on terra firma there is something freeing to be released from gravity. I have always wanted to sprout wings and fly away, to be above of it all looking down. I guess that is why I have been skydiving and paragliding, the closest way for me to achieve aerodynamic freedom. Last weekend I had the opportunity to go flying in a small plane. I couldn't stop smiling and looking out of the window, my nose was pressed up to the window. It was exhilarating.

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Too young for a tattoo

Today, on my lunch break walk I overhead a conversation between a man and his son. Both of them had stopped to look at a sidewalk artist and as they walked away I heard snippets of their conversation.


Father: You know, I am an artist.
Son: You aren't an artist you just do tattoos
Father: Before I was a tattooer, I painted. Tattoo is an art form
Son: If it is art, can I have a tattoo
Me: Laughing
Father: Your too young, maybe when you are an adult
Son: you aren't an artist, if you were you would want to tattoo me

I walked away laughing to myself. I love this conversation, maybe because it is about tattoos but mostly because it reaffirms my belief in the artistic merit of beautifully done tattoos and justifies me gawking at people to see their body art.