my favourite thing about montreal so far? randomness.
on friday, we were trying to figure out what we could do that was a- cheap and b- fun. john was his industrious self and found something for us to do- 3 unknown bands playing for 7$ cover. we figured why not? for 7$, if the gig sucked we could just leave. we called what few friends we have in montreal, then made our way to la sala rossa.
la sala rossa is interesting. (in the "mom" sense of the word). it was built (and i quote) by the "left-winged Jewish community of montreal in 1932". the centro social espanol has occupied the building for the past 30 years, and is a cultural centre for spaniards in montreal. the ground floor houses a nifty tapas bar that i would definitely go to (we didn't eat there, but our friends did. they seemed happy). up the stairs, you enter the sala rossa itself.
the hall is your classic elementary school gym. old hardwood floors, stage flush with the back walls, thick red velvet curtains hiding the stage, relatively poor sound quality. however, unlike my elementary school gym, there we a variety of stuffed (and by stuffed, i mean taxidermy stuffed, not plush-toy stuffed) birds (owls and geese) and a full sized deer. yes, that's what i said.
as the night got on it's way, we were slowly but surely engulfed by hipsters. hipsters to the left. hipsters to the right. if you don't know what a hipster is, let me enlighten you as best i can. picture someone who pretends they're not trying to be cool, but tries harder then most. then add shoes (either Cons or ugly brogues), slim fit jeans (on boys) or flower print "dresses" (on girls), a 1970's ski-style wooly sweater/sweater vest (ugh), thick glasses they probably don't even need, "messy hair" that clearly was expertly styled and possibly a tweed or cord jacket thrown over it all, and you'll have one. add to that some dancing to i-don't-know-which-beat and you solidify the hipster genre.
the first band played on the main floor, no stage. it was a bit more punk then we'd expected. i could see nothing as the crowd sort of rushed the area and created a rather large human-screen. i don't feel like i missed much. the 2nd band took to the stage (velvet curtains drawn, of course) but was rather overwhelmed by green lights and a smoke machine. so much so that i could only just make out his ridiculous hair. the 3rd band (headliner, if you will) was actually quite good but the set only lasted about 30 mins, which was rather unfortunate.
when the last band finished, the hipsters quickly fled the sala rossa for greener pastures (namely, the bar across the street we decided to avoid), whilst we made our way to a quieter place to have a drink and laugh about the ridiculous night we'd just had.
only one of many, i'm sure.
xo
April 26, 2011
April 17, 2011
machine wash cold
the full title of this should actually be "machine wash cold, tumble dry low" but it felt too long. no, it's not just washing instructions. it's the name of a rather cool event that happens in montreal once a year. it's described as "an artist and apparel showcase" where designers show off their collections of t-shirts, prints, hand-sewn whatsists that are unique and difficult to find elsewhere (if you can find them at all). the event is in its 4th year. we'd been told it was the most amazing party, so we figured why not?
we took a cab to the event, mostly because montreal apparently forgot that it's now spring (not winter) but also because we had no idea where we were going. thank god we did. our cab pulled in and we looked around thinking that surely this was not the place. we were in the dodgiest area of town amongst a variety of old, run down industrial buildings. we couldn't see anyone or hear any music (so much for a party!). we eventually found our way in, only to discover that we were some of the first to arrive, even though we thought we'd be late (mental note: you can never be too late at an art-like event. artists can't tell time)
the setting was weird, as only artsy events are. the trendy industrial loft, as my friend kept calling it -until we arrived- was actually an indoor beach volleyball court. half of the area was curtained off and the other half was transformed into a beach party. kind of. t-shirts were hung around the area and artists were painting a mural along the wall. a dj was spinning cool music and one shirtless man was dancing up a storm on the beach. we grabbed some drinks and waited for the night to unfold.
and unfold it did. whilst not exactly the most amazing party of the year (which we were prepared for), it was instead just a fun night of complete randomness. the rollerboyz (their spelling. not mine. clearly) performed (i use that term loosely). essentially, the roller-skated (in short shorts) down a small boardwalk on the "beach" and then jumped off the ramp at the end into the sand. their tricks were poor at best, but it was incredibly funny to watch.
t-shirts were on sale, and i feel that they sold incredibly well, especially as the night (and drinks) wore on. home made hot dogs were available for snacks (not so useful for a veg like me, but you know, not all artists are hippies i guess). drinks were had. laughs were copious. hipsters were abundant.
we left there with a few t-shirts (and uhm, a newly acquired, bowling pin) enjoying the fact that whilst we felt like this was the most ridiculous evening of random events, we live in montreal now. so we should probably get used to it.
xo
we took a cab to the event, mostly because montreal apparently forgot that it's now spring (not winter) but also because we had no idea where we were going. thank god we did. our cab pulled in and we looked around thinking that surely this was not the place. we were in the dodgiest area of town amongst a variety of old, run down industrial buildings. we couldn't see anyone or hear any music (so much for a party!). we eventually found our way in, only to discover that we were some of the first to arrive, even though we thought we'd be late (mental note: you can never be too late at an art-like event. artists can't tell time)
the setting was weird, as only artsy events are. the trendy industrial loft, as my friend kept calling it -until we arrived- was actually an indoor beach volleyball court. half of the area was curtained off and the other half was transformed into a beach party. kind of. t-shirts were hung around the area and artists were painting a mural along the wall. a dj was spinning cool music and one shirtless man was dancing up a storm on the beach. we grabbed some drinks and waited for the night to unfold.
and unfold it did. whilst not exactly the most amazing party of the year (which we were prepared for), it was instead just a fun night of complete randomness. the rollerboyz (their spelling. not mine. clearly) performed (i use that term loosely). essentially, the roller-skated (in short shorts) down a small boardwalk on the "beach" and then jumped off the ramp at the end into the sand. their tricks were poor at best, but it was incredibly funny to watch.
t-shirts were on sale, and i feel that they sold incredibly well, especially as the night (and drinks) wore on. home made hot dogs were available for snacks (not so useful for a veg like me, but you know, not all artists are hippies i guess). drinks were had. laughs were copious. hipsters were abundant.
we left there with a few t-shirts (and uhm, a newly acquired, bowling pin) enjoying the fact that whilst we felt like this was the most ridiculous evening of random events, we live in montreal now. so we should probably get used to it.
xo
April 7, 2011
advance (like) australia fair
oh canada. how you disappoint me sometimes. i recently had experiences that tainted my feelings about being home. i should have added these to the "things i liked about australia" post in my last blog, but i forgot. well, now i've remembered.
1- cell phones: it never ceases to amaze me that canada can be so crappy when it comes to cell phones. for years we've paid "tower fees" and "access fees" on our phone plans, been charged roaming when stepping 1 meter outside your calling area, get charged for calls going out AND coming in (same for texts) and have restricted times of day to use minutes. all this at ridiculous prices, on obscenely long contracts that you'd have to sell your first child (or 2) to get out of!
it's been argued many-a-time, generally by companies like bell and rogers, that canada is just too big and too sparsely populated to sustain anything else. well, not so! you see, australia is similar to canada both in geographical size and population size (in fact, we have about 12 million more people then australia). and they can do it.
sure, australian phone plans have their own faults, but i can far more easily look past them. first, australia has an "australia wide" cell phone number (or mobile, if you will). meaning that if i am on a cell phone (or mobile...), i can call another cell phone, anywhere in the country, at any time of day, and pay the same rate. perth to perth, or perth to sydney. doesn't matter. i don't have to guess if i'm calling a cell or a landline either because all cells have the same phone number style. landlines have a different one. so. much. easier.
add to that the fact that they don't charge you for incoming calls (because really, it's just ridiculous to do so), often have free calls/texts between the same company's users and that data plans don't add 40$ a month to your bill and bam! miles ahead of canada. and that's just the beginning. pay as you go actually works well there (back to the whole won't-charge-for-incoming-calls thing) and it's generally easier to upgrade your phone (without offering your kidney to them). all in all, their system puts us to shame.
i've recently had the joy of looking at my cell phone bill wondering why i got charged long distance. well, you see, when i went to another city it became my local calling area. for calling out. only. when i accepted an incoming call, i was billed long distance roaming. and the same for when i called my voicemail in another city. from my own phone, i might add. long distance fee. WHAT? stupid canadian cell phone plans. i will never get used to them.
2- banking: more specifically, online banking. if you've never had the pleasure of trying to get money transferred into your account from another bank, you're in for a treat someday. the process, involving emails and secret passwords, makes me think that canadian banks have forgotten to move ahead with the whole internet-thing. i also tried to get money transferred from out of the country. generally, a routine process involving about 12 different pieces of information (bank account, routing bank, other routing bank, codes, numbers, letters...) in australia, a simple BSB and bank account number will allow you to transfer money smoothly from one account to another. regardless of which bank you use. surely it's more secure to just transfer money without having to send an email (and then hope that the person on the receiving end either knows the answer to your secret question - my favourite band?- or else you have to send them the answer via email... it all seems a bit suss to me.
on the same note, i can pay bills/rent/plane tickets by bank transfer (because it's such an easy process). not so in canada. i actually had to get a checkbook. a checkbook! i know a lot of people still use them (i guess) but i don't. i haven't for over 4 years. it was all done digitally. so much easier. better to set up regular payments and transfers. no worrying that it'll get in the wrong hands. no need to balance it, because it's all there in front of me. easy.
the other thing banks here are missing is the visa-debit card. a visa you can use anywhere in the world and the money is immediately taken out of your account. i loved that card. i'm told it's just about everywhere else in the world. mostly it just facilitates your online purchasing without using a credit card, but it's also helpful when you go somewhere and your interact card doesn't work (hello USA) but you'd rather not rack up huge credit card bill. does it mean people won't ever use a credit card? of course not. but it means that you can buy things online and be a bit more responsible about it if you want. i never had a credit card in australia. it was kind of liberating.
canada, you could learn something from the aussies. because if they can do it, we can too. there. it's been said.
xo
1- cell phones: it never ceases to amaze me that canada can be so crappy when it comes to cell phones. for years we've paid "tower fees" and "access fees" on our phone plans, been charged roaming when stepping 1 meter outside your calling area, get charged for calls going out AND coming in (same for texts) and have restricted times of day to use minutes. all this at ridiculous prices, on obscenely long contracts that you'd have to sell your first child (or 2) to get out of!
it's been argued many-a-time, generally by companies like bell and rogers, that canada is just too big and too sparsely populated to sustain anything else. well, not so! you see, australia is similar to canada both in geographical size and population size (in fact, we have about 12 million more people then australia). and they can do it.
sure, australian phone plans have their own faults, but i can far more easily look past them. first, australia has an "australia wide" cell phone number (or mobile, if you will). meaning that if i am on a cell phone (or mobile...), i can call another cell phone, anywhere in the country, at any time of day, and pay the same rate. perth to perth, or perth to sydney. doesn't matter. i don't have to guess if i'm calling a cell or a landline either because all cells have the same phone number style. landlines have a different one. so. much. easier.
add to that the fact that they don't charge you for incoming calls (because really, it's just ridiculous to do so), often have free calls/texts between the same company's users and that data plans don't add 40$ a month to your bill and bam! miles ahead of canada. and that's just the beginning. pay as you go actually works well there (back to the whole won't-charge-for-incoming-calls thing) and it's generally easier to upgrade your phone (without offering your kidney to them). all in all, their system puts us to shame.
i've recently had the joy of looking at my cell phone bill wondering why i got charged long distance. well, you see, when i went to another city it became my local calling area. for calling out. only. when i accepted an incoming call, i was billed long distance roaming. and the same for when i called my voicemail in another city. from my own phone, i might add. long distance fee. WHAT? stupid canadian cell phone plans. i will never get used to them.
2- banking: more specifically, online banking. if you've never had the pleasure of trying to get money transferred into your account from another bank, you're in for a treat someday. the process, involving emails and secret passwords, makes me think that canadian banks have forgotten to move ahead with the whole internet-thing. i also tried to get money transferred from out of the country. generally, a routine process involving about 12 different pieces of information (bank account, routing bank, other routing bank, codes, numbers, letters...) in australia, a simple BSB and bank account number will allow you to transfer money smoothly from one account to another. regardless of which bank you use. surely it's more secure to just transfer money without having to send an email (and then hope that the person on the receiving end either knows the answer to your secret question - my favourite band?- or else you have to send them the answer via email... it all seems a bit suss to me.
on the same note, i can pay bills/rent/plane tickets by bank transfer (because it's such an easy process). not so in canada. i actually had to get a checkbook. a checkbook! i know a lot of people still use them (i guess) but i don't. i haven't for over 4 years. it was all done digitally. so much easier. better to set up regular payments and transfers. no worrying that it'll get in the wrong hands. no need to balance it, because it's all there in front of me. easy.
the other thing banks here are missing is the visa-debit card. a visa you can use anywhere in the world and the money is immediately taken out of your account. i loved that card. i'm told it's just about everywhere else in the world. mostly it just facilitates your online purchasing without using a credit card, but it's also helpful when you go somewhere and your interact card doesn't work (hello USA) but you'd rather not rack up huge credit card bill. does it mean people won't ever use a credit card? of course not. but it means that you can buy things online and be a bit more responsible about it if you want. i never had a credit card in australia. it was kind of liberating.
canada, you could learn something from the aussies. because if they can do it, we can too. there. it's been said.
xo
April 2, 2011
le marché
what a glorious spring day! there's nothing quite like the first amazing spring day in canada. the sun is out. it's warm but crisply cool at the same time. you can sit outside but still need a jacket. and when the sun goes down, you remember that it's still only april 2nd. but still- it's glorious!
we took advantage of the weather to (finally!) start roaming around montreal. first stop, the jean-talon markets. the market sits in the heart of little italy (which we have yet to explore) and has an abundant amount of local producers offering their goods. the market has been up and running since 1933 (!) and is open all year round. apparently in summer it's huge. some 300 vendors or so. i'm already looking forward to that.
otherwise, it's just your typical market: fruit and veg, cheese, meat, florists, fish mongers, yadda yadda yadda. but then, with a great canadian twist (which i'm sure they would say is more quebecois than canadian, but i digress)- the mini-"cabane a sucre" (or sugar bush, for you anglos).
the cabane a sucre is a quintessential part of spring in this area of the world- northern USA, quebec and ontario (maybe elsewhere, i have no idea). the real cabane a sucre is an experience in itself, which i think all folk trying to experience canada should do. the market's mini version isn't quite the same, but it's good nonetheless. not only can you buy maple syrup in all of it's sugary embodiments (suckers, cones, syrup, hard candies, butters, etc) but you can also get the most spectacular treat of them all: maple syrup "tire" (taffy. sort of). they drizzle boiled sap onto some snow, and twirl it around a popsicle stick. bliss. sugary sugary bliss. (actually, we didn't have any today. we had some not long ago at another little sugar shack in old montreal. and after about 2 licks of the maple-syrup popsicle, we had to throw it away because i could feel my teeth and innards rotting. so sweet. so, so sweet. for some reason, i loved it as a child...)
we sat outside the market, in the sun, and enjoyed a coffee (type beverage) whilst listening to a pan-flute band busk. i can honestly say that i 1- haven't heard a pan flute band in years (clearly, not a popular instrument in australia) and 2- only hear the pan flute buskers near markets. in canada. this band wasn't playing to a track though, so we gave them some coins.
but really, i do love markets. in any country i've ever visited, i try to take in the market. it's such a great way to see different cultures in action, see local foods, smell local smells (some more pleasant than others). it makes me feel a bit more like a local, and less like a tourist. i like talking to growers and finding out about the products i'm buying. i like roaming around and feeling like i'm part of the community, even though i'm just one of thousands of folk who also roam.
there was nothing particularly special at the jean-talon markets. but i'm happy there just the same.
xo
we took advantage of the weather to (finally!) start roaming around montreal. first stop, the jean-talon markets. the market sits in the heart of little italy (which we have yet to explore) and has an abundant amount of local producers offering their goods. the market has been up and running since 1933 (!) and is open all year round. apparently in summer it's huge. some 300 vendors or so. i'm already looking forward to that.
otherwise, it's just your typical market: fruit and veg, cheese, meat, florists, fish mongers, yadda yadda yadda. but then, with a great canadian twist (which i'm sure they would say is more quebecois than canadian, but i digress)- the mini-"cabane a sucre" (or sugar bush, for you anglos).
the cabane a sucre is a quintessential part of spring in this area of the world- northern USA, quebec and ontario (maybe elsewhere, i have no idea). the real cabane a sucre is an experience in itself, which i think all folk trying to experience canada should do. the market's mini version isn't quite the same, but it's good nonetheless. not only can you buy maple syrup in all of it's sugary embodiments (suckers, cones, syrup, hard candies, butters, etc) but you can also get the most spectacular treat of them all: maple syrup "tire" (taffy. sort of). they drizzle boiled sap onto some snow, and twirl it around a popsicle stick. bliss. sugary sugary bliss. (actually, we didn't have any today. we had some not long ago at another little sugar shack in old montreal. and after about 2 licks of the maple-syrup popsicle, we had to throw it away because i could feel my teeth and innards rotting. so sweet. so, so sweet. for some reason, i loved it as a child...)
we sat outside the market, in the sun, and enjoyed a coffee (type beverage) whilst listening to a pan-flute band busk. i can honestly say that i 1- haven't heard a pan flute band in years (clearly, not a popular instrument in australia) and 2- only hear the pan flute buskers near markets. in canada. this band wasn't playing to a track though, so we gave them some coins.
but really, i do love markets. in any country i've ever visited, i try to take in the market. it's such a great way to see different cultures in action, see local foods, smell local smells (some more pleasant than others). it makes me feel a bit more like a local, and less like a tourist. i like talking to growers and finding out about the products i'm buying. i like roaming around and feeling like i'm part of the community, even though i'm just one of thousands of folk who also roam.
there was nothing particularly special at the jean-talon markets. but i'm happy there just the same.
xo
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