My YTT wrapped up beautifully, it was hard to say goodbye to everyone. My friend A. and I went up to K.'s country house in Lachute and slept in a big tent under the stars, played with K's Adorable 4-year old daughter and with her chickens, had a fire, and ate poutine. Sunday we went into montreal to the for brunch at a great little vegan and raw cafe called Crudessense and to the Tam-Tams and met up with some other YTT friends. The next couple of posts I'll go back and put up some more YTT pics for you!
Showing posts with label montreal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label montreal. Show all posts
Monday, September 01, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
although we have tons of fun, the YTT intensive is lots of work! every friday we have a 2-hour exam that requires memorizing sanskrit terms and names of poses, anatomy, and written explanations of philosophy concepts and teaching principles. in order to pass the program and get certified we have to get above an 80% on all exams and homework. can i brag a bit? i got a 99% on the first test! studying for all this is just fun for me and when it's fun it comes easy.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
we've got catching up to do! this evening ended an AMAZING first week of my yoga teacher training. i love love love it. i am learning from and with 12 incredible people. i am feeling connected, whole, stretched, relaxed. i can't wait to tell you all about it in future posts. but for the sake of chronology, let's go back to sunday and monday the 3rd-4th of august...
osheaga music festival:
held on the montreal's man-made expo 67 island, so many thousands of urban young, in their skinny jeans and tattoos, and trendy haircuts. my favorite band was gogol bordello. they are absolutely nuts. gypsy punk. must go if you ever get the chance to see them. ben, i know we have very different tasted in music, but i think you might love them.
the rest of the week i read in sunny parks, dinned at my favorite vegetarian restaurants, wandered the streets through the rain with my red umbrella, and had lovely times with old friends.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
I’m on the 3rd leg of my trip. The first, driving from goshen to windsor, started at 5am this morning. The second, the train from Windsor to Toronto, at 10am. Now its 5pm and I’m somewhere between Toronto and Montreal. I get in at 8pm. 13 hours, 2 states and international boarder and 2 provinces later I will arrive, returning to the pulsating, buzzing city. Although I am of course excited to arrive, I’m thankful for these hours in between places. Today I am glad we haven’t figured out how to travel at the speed of light. The speed of this train is just right.
The trip is pleasant. I doze, read, snack (on a carrot from the farmer’s market currently). Andrew Bird whistles sweetly through my headphones. Across the aisle is a Japanese family. Two cute girls dressed in pink chatter in sounds I even begin to comprehend as their dad reads the National Geographic Traveller’s Guide to Canada. I sit next to an Indian man who I haven’t exchanged more than a few excuse me’s and thank you’s with. He is clearly not North American. As I alternate between listening, ready, writing, eating, or all doing all simultaneously he sits and dozes contently. He hasn’t wiggled at all. The only media I saw him consume was reading the fine print back of his ticket.
At first was reading the “Yoga Tradition” a 500-page history of yoga, one of the required readings for my teacher training. After a couple of hours I was exhausted of that and started “Eat, Pray, Love”. This is a memoir of sorts by Elizabeth Gilbert that was recommended to me early in the summer, and which I was hoping to get my hands, but was also reluctant because of all the required reading I need to do for YTT. But then a day before I left, a gift showed up on my doorstep from my most lovely friend summering in NYC- and it was serendipitously the aforementioned book. I only just started it, but I’m loving and savouring it already.
Gilbert is insightful, thought provoking, honest and makes me want to laugh out loud- all at once. She articulates so well many of the questions that I am asking myself in this growth-spurt of the soul that I’ve been experiencing over the past few months. And her portraits of foreign as well as American culture are strikingly pointed and witty.
In this day of transition and travel I feel present, full, well and thankful.
The trip is pleasant. I doze, read, snack (on a carrot from the farmer’s market currently). Andrew Bird whistles sweetly through my headphones. Across the aisle is a Japanese family. Two cute girls dressed in pink chatter in sounds I even begin to comprehend as their dad reads the National Geographic Traveller’s Guide to Canada. I sit next to an Indian man who I haven’t exchanged more than a few excuse me’s and thank you’s with. He is clearly not North American. As I alternate between listening, ready, writing, eating, or all doing all simultaneously he sits and dozes contently. He hasn’t wiggled at all. The only media I saw him consume was reading the fine print back of his ticket.
At first was reading the “Yoga Tradition” a 500-page history of yoga, one of the required readings for my teacher training. After a couple of hours I was exhausted of that and started “Eat, Pray, Love”. This is a memoir of sorts by Elizabeth Gilbert that was recommended to me early in the summer, and which I was hoping to get my hands, but was also reluctant because of all the required reading I need to do for YTT. But then a day before I left, a gift showed up on my doorstep from my most lovely friend summering in NYC- and it was serendipitously the aforementioned book. I only just started it, but I’m loving and savouring it already.
Gilbert is insightful, thought provoking, honest and makes me want to laugh out loud- all at once. She articulates so well many of the questions that I am asking myself in this growth-spurt of the soul that I’ve been experiencing over the past few months. And her portraits of foreign as well as American culture are strikingly pointed and witty.
In this day of transition and travel I feel present, full, well and thankful.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
leavings
my last week in montreal was quite a whirlwind of work, spending time with friends, packing and goodbyes. here's a rundown monday to thursday i worked at least 30 hours at Maison de l'Amitié to help the registration run smoothly and train the next batch of teachers. although i've enjoyed the job, its been stressful these last few months and it was a good feeling to tie up loose ends and be finished on thrusday. in the last few weeks i had been putting in extra hours to prepare a manual for the new people who will be working for the program.
Thrusday night my mom got in to montreal. Friday morning we wandered around the plateau, did a few last minute things, shopped a bit, and ate at my favorite vegan restaurant for lunch. in the afternoon we cooked a big meal of homemade spring rolls (recipe soon to come!), coconut veggie curry over rice, and fresh fruit with orange-blossom water and dark chocolate for dessert. about 8 friends and roommates joined us and we had a really lovely time sharing food and stories.
Saturday we packed an in the afternoon mom and i went to a partner yoga workshop at with Karen at Heaven Yoga. It was really great, and i'm excited to learn some of the postures in my classes this summer!!
Sunday morning we left montreal and now we're in waterloo. Here, I put half my stuff in storage and saw a few friends and we're crashing at a hotel and will do the second leg of the trip to G-town tomorrow morning.
here are some pics from the workshop, more from the rest of the weekend to come once i get home
my last week in montreal was quite a whirlwind of work, spending time with friends, packing and goodbyes. here's a rundown monday to thursday i worked at least 30 hours at Maison de l'Amitié to help the registration run smoothly and train the next batch of teachers. although i've enjoyed the job, its been stressful these last few months and it was a good feeling to tie up loose ends and be finished on thrusday. in the last few weeks i had been putting in extra hours to prepare a manual for the new people who will be working for the program.
Thrusday night my mom got in to montreal. Friday morning we wandered around the plateau, did a few last minute things, shopped a bit, and ate at my favorite vegan restaurant for lunch. in the afternoon we cooked a big meal of homemade spring rolls (recipe soon to come!), coconut veggie curry over rice, and fresh fruit with orange-blossom water and dark chocolate for dessert. about 8 friends and roommates joined us and we had a really lovely time sharing food and stories.
Saturday we packed an in the afternoon mom and i went to a partner yoga workshop at with Karen at Heaven Yoga. It was really great, and i'm excited to learn some of the postures in my classes this summer!!
Sunday morning we left montreal and now we're in waterloo. Here, I put half my stuff in storage and saw a few friends and we're crashing at a hotel and will do the second leg of the trip to G-town tomorrow morning.
here are some pics from the workshop, more from the rest of the weekend to come once i get home
Monday, April 28, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
don't have many interesting stories to tell of the past few days... i've just been a bookworm trying to prepare for my last exam wednesday. golly gee, i can't wait till its over! my time in montreal is winding down fast, i'll be leaving 2 weeks from yesterday to return to goshen for the summer!
here's a pretty yummy supper recipe i made up tonight:
savory veggies and beans over pasta
in a large pan or wok, sauté with olive oil
- small red onion, diced
- 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
Add
-1 cubed sweet potato (already cooked, baked or boiled)
-1 red pepper
- 1-2 cups chopped broccoli
- 1-2 cups chickpeas and/or black beans
- 1 cup tomato/pasta sauce
- 1 t salt
- 1 t cumin
- some chili pepper if you desire some heat
simmer until broccoli is cooked. serve over a bed of pasta.
here's a pretty yummy supper recipe i made up tonight:
savory veggies and beans over pasta
in a large pan or wok, sauté with olive oil
- small red onion, diced
- 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
Add
-1 cubed sweet potato (already cooked, baked or boiled)
-1 red pepper
- 1-2 cups chopped broccoli
- 1-2 cups chickpeas and/or black beans
- 1 cup tomato/pasta sauce
- 1 t salt
- 1 t cumin
- some chili pepper if you desire some heat
simmer until broccoli is cooked. serve over a bed of pasta.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
the magical transformation of our fire escape....
its was emily's birthday and we wanting to something surprising and special. we succeeded overwhelmingly in both respects.
dinner was curried kabobs, pita, yogurt and cilantro sauce and sangria. then for dessert i made chocolate dipped fruit, since i got a number of compliments, here's the recipe. it's so simple.
chocolate + fruit= love
ingredients
- 8+ squares bakers chocolate
- 2-4 T butter/marg
- strawberries, pineapple, and/or dried apricots
- optional: ginger root, shredded coconut, chopped almonds or other nuts
- melt bakers chocolate in a double boiler with a couple tablespoons of butter (i did about 4 squares of unsweetened and 5 semisweet because i like it bitter).
-while its melting wash strawberries (leave the leaves on) and peal and cut pineapple into squares. also slice some thin pieces of raw ginger.
- holding the strawberries by the leaf or the pinapples pieces with a skewer, dip 2/3 the way in chocolate.
- set on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper.
- quickly, before the chocolate starts to harden sprinkle nuts, coconut, and sliced ginger onto chocolate.
(i recommend pineapple with ginger and/or coconut, and apricots with ginger and pecans or almonds. strawberries i prefer simple)
-refrigerate for about 1 hour for chocolate to harden.
after dessert, we drank chai tea, listened to music and basked in the glory of a warm spring evening spent amongst good friends.
its was emily's birthday and we wanting to something surprising and special. we succeeded overwhelmingly in both respects.
dinner was curried kabobs, pita, yogurt and cilantro sauce and sangria. then for dessert i made chocolate dipped fruit, since i got a number of compliments, here's the recipe. it's so simple.
chocolate + fruit= love
ingredients
- 8+ squares bakers chocolate
- 2-4 T butter/marg
- strawberries, pineapple, and/or dried apricots
- optional: ginger root, shredded coconut, chopped almonds or other nuts
- melt bakers chocolate in a double boiler with a couple tablespoons of butter (i did about 4 squares of unsweetened and 5 semisweet because i like it bitter).
-while its melting wash strawberries (leave the leaves on) and peal and cut pineapple into squares. also slice some thin pieces of raw ginger.
- holding the strawberries by the leaf or the pinapples pieces with a skewer, dip 2/3 the way in chocolate.
- set on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper.
- quickly, before the chocolate starts to harden sprinkle nuts, coconut, and sliced ginger onto chocolate.
(i recommend pineapple with ginger and/or coconut, and apricots with ginger and pecans or almonds. strawberries i prefer simple)
-refrigerate for about 1 hour for chocolate to harden.
after dessert, we drank chai tea, listened to music and basked in the glory of a warm spring evening spent amongst good friends.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Happy birthday two of my lovely friends: Darlana and Emily! I hope your days are as bright as the spring sunshine!
It’s a gorgeous day in Montréal. Everyone is out and about in tank tops and sandals, walking with friends, jogging, sitting along the streets at outdoor cafes. It’s glorious.
I sat on the fire escape and studied for about an hours and I’m looking a little pink. Now I know, sunburn=> skin cancer=> bad, but it really is a bit of a thrill to have the possibility of getting a sunburn after this looong, cold winter. In the late afternoon me and suz were both hungry, so we went to the Vietnamese place down the street and got spring rolls (how appropriate and delicious they were).
On a much heavier note…The snow is almost completely gone, and left in its tracks by the side of the road, chained to fences, light posts, parking meters is the winter’s road kill:
The cruelty and neglect of these poor bicycles breaks my heart. Just left out all of the harsh winter to be mauled by the snowplough. Now I know garages and places to keep bikes safe are few and far between, but really! Almost everyone has a balcony, but it up there where it at least won’t be destroyed by the snowplough, you could even put a tarp over it to keep it from rusting. Or even better, incorporate it as a piece of décor or artwork in your living room for the winter!
I’m calling for a new campaign, a new movement here people:
STOP CRUELY AGAINST BIKES!
It’s a gorgeous day in Montréal. Everyone is out and about in tank tops and sandals, walking with friends, jogging, sitting along the streets at outdoor cafes. It’s glorious.
I sat on the fire escape and studied for about an hours and I’m looking a little pink. Now I know, sunburn=> skin cancer=> bad, but it really is a bit of a thrill to have the possibility of getting a sunburn after this looong, cold winter. In the late afternoon me and suz were both hungry, so we went to the Vietnamese place down the street and got spring rolls (how appropriate and delicious they were).
On a much heavier note…The snow is almost completely gone, and left in its tracks by the side of the road, chained to fences, light posts, parking meters is the winter’s road kill:
The cruelty and neglect of these poor bicycles breaks my heart. Just left out all of the harsh winter to be mauled by the snowplough. Now I know garages and places to keep bikes safe are few and far between, but really! Almost everyone has a balcony, but it up there where it at least won’t be destroyed by the snowplough, you could even put a tarp over it to keep it from rusting. Or even better, incorporate it as a piece of décor or artwork in your living room for the winter!
I’m calling for a new campaign, a new movement here people:
STOP CRUELY AGAINST BIKES!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Namur Metro: a good deal of fun (Part III)
"and i'll have the tali plate with..."
"chickpeas, no bread and no cheese" mrs. pushap interrupts.
it's official, i'm a regular, and so proud mrs. pushap knows my order (and my food allergies) by heart! i know this happens all the time in the movies at those home-town restaurants. But it happened to me in montreal! i'm not gonna lie, i feel pretty damn special. especially considering that pushap's is probably the greatest indian restaurant on the planet.
Pushap is the gem of the Namur metro neighborhood. its worth the trip all by itself, sans shopping. to get there, turn right out of the metro on jean-tallon, walk to the first set of lights and turn right and its at the next intersection.
here's why i love pushaps so so much:
- the food is always amazing, just the right amount of spice. and its 100% vegetarian
- their pakora and samosas with sweat and spicy dipping sauseare to die for as an appetizer. take a few to go when you leave for your lunch the next day. below are pakora, they are chickpea dumplings with onion, cilantro and spice.
- it's dirty cheap. you get a huge tali (mixed plate that includes chickpeas or lentil dal, 2 vegetable dishes, rice, chipati, and salad) plus a chai tea and dessert for $6!!! incroyable mes amis!
- they have deliciously strange, techno-colored desserts
- the service is quick and so friendly. they are so sweet!
- the decor is fabulous
- its always busy, but you can still almost always get a table within minutes.
- every friend i've brought their loves it, you'll always have good company
"and i'll have the tali plate with..."
"chickpeas, no bread and no cheese" mrs. pushap interrupts.
it's official, i'm a regular, and so proud mrs. pushap knows my order (and my food allergies) by heart! i know this happens all the time in the movies at those home-town restaurants. But it happened to me in montreal! i'm not gonna lie, i feel pretty damn special. especially considering that pushap's is probably the greatest indian restaurant on the planet.
Pushap is the gem of the Namur metro neighborhood. its worth the trip all by itself, sans shopping. to get there, turn right out of the metro on jean-tallon, walk to the first set of lights and turn right and its at the next intersection.
here's why i love pushaps so so much:
- the food is always amazing, just the right amount of spice. and its 100% vegetarian
- their pakora and samosas with sweat and spicy dipping sauseare to die for as an appetizer. take a few to go when you leave for your lunch the next day. below are pakora, they are chickpea dumplings with onion, cilantro and spice.
- it's dirty cheap. you get a huge tali (mixed plate that includes chickpeas or lentil dal, 2 vegetable dishes, rice, chipati, and salad) plus a chai tea and dessert for $6!!! incroyable mes amis!
- they have deliciously strange, techno-colored desserts
- the service is quick and so friendly. they are so sweet!
- the decor is fabulous
- its always busy, but you can still almost always get a table within minutes.
- every friend i've brought their loves it, you'll always have good company
Monday, April 14, 2008
Namur Metro: a good deal of fun (Part II)
yes, i was being punny in the title, namur metro is truly the full of good deals. today we'll head left out of the metro stop, along Decarie blvd, away from jean-talon, past rue Paré to:
villages des valeurs! (value village sounds so much fancier translated into french!). for my dear non-canadian readership, value village is similar to goodwill, but most stores are 2-3x the size of the average goodwill. it can be pretty overwhelming for the amateur thrift shopper, so i thought i'd compile a list of 5 key tips for success at V. V.:
1. time: i like to give myself PLENTY of time, 2 hours is usually about right to cover most of the store. but i might recommend starting in smaller increments. say 45 minutes-1 hour and just pick one or two sections to do that day (skirts and tank tops for example...).
2. maintaining a state of wellness: don't go if you have a headache- the bright lights, colors, oldies music won't make it better. make sure you're well nourished, bring a bottle of water, and please oh please wash your hands extra well after you're done!
3. get a cart, and fill 'er up! because of the mix of brands, eras, styles you MUST try everything on, just looking at the size can be misleading. don't be afraid to try lots on- i usually reject about 80% of what you pick out. you can look for quality classics, current pieces, or you can go for the fugly (fabulously ugly that is) and vintage.
4. trying your selections on and deciding what to purchase: leave about 1/3 of the alloted time to try things on. when trying things on think of what you can pair the piece with- could you make it work with the right belt, by altering it (if you enjoy sewing), does the color work on your complexion. when buying fugly pieces ask yourself, "where and when am i honestly going to wear this?"
Just plain ugly!
FUGLY!
5. its always more fun with friends!
yes, i was being punny in the title, namur metro is truly the full of good deals. today we'll head left out of the metro stop, along Decarie blvd, away from jean-talon, past rue Paré to:
villages des valeurs! (value village sounds so much fancier translated into french!). for my dear non-canadian readership, value village is similar to goodwill, but most stores are 2-3x the size of the average goodwill. it can be pretty overwhelming for the amateur thrift shopper, so i thought i'd compile a list of 5 key tips for success at V. V.:
1. time: i like to give myself PLENTY of time, 2 hours is usually about right to cover most of the store. but i might recommend starting in smaller increments. say 45 minutes-1 hour and just pick one or two sections to do that day (skirts and tank tops for example...).
2. maintaining a state of wellness: don't go if you have a headache- the bright lights, colors, oldies music won't make it better. make sure you're well nourished, bring a bottle of water, and please oh please wash your hands extra well after you're done!
3. get a cart, and fill 'er up! because of the mix of brands, eras, styles you MUST try everything on, just looking at the size can be misleading. don't be afraid to try lots on- i usually reject about 80% of what you pick out. you can look for quality classics, current pieces, or you can go for the fugly (fabulously ugly that is) and vintage.
4. trying your selections on and deciding what to purchase: leave about 1/3 of the alloted time to try things on. when trying things on think of what you can pair the piece with- could you make it work with the right belt, by altering it (if you enjoy sewing), does the color work on your complexion. when buying fugly pieces ask yourself, "where and when am i honestly going to wear this?"
Just plain ugly!
FUGLY!
5. its always more fun with friends!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
saturday special
last night was really lovely. my apartment had a little ending-of-term dress up and go out night. we had a delicious dinner at the blue lotus down on Duluth. i'd rate them...
9/10 for presentation
7/10 flavor of main dish, 9/10 flavor of spring roll
9/10 service (he waiter took the nice group photo for us!)
10/10 my company
after dinner several of us headed up St. Laurent to the sala rossa to hear Basia Bulat in concert. it was such a great show. she is a fun, genuine, gracious performer. she has amazing vocal and plays a mean autoharp and guitar and her band (banjo, ukulele, cello, viola, piano, percussion) were so great! they're all so down to earth and they way they interact on stage makes you feel like they're a bunch of your friends. i bought her album, oh my darling, and will be listening to it on repeat all day. you can give her a listen here.
here's a sample from her goofy music video.
Part 2 of the Namur series Coming Soon. come back often.
last night was really lovely. my apartment had a little ending-of-term dress up and go out night. we had a delicious dinner at the blue lotus down on Duluth. i'd rate them...
9/10 for presentation
7/10 flavor of main dish, 9/10 flavor of spring roll
9/10 service (he waiter took the nice group photo for us!)
10/10 my company
after dinner several of us headed up St. Laurent to the sala rossa to hear Basia Bulat in concert. it was such a great show. she is a fun, genuine, gracious performer. she has amazing vocal and plays a mean autoharp and guitar and her band (banjo, ukulele, cello, viola, piano, percussion) were so great! they're all so down to earth and they way they interact on stage makes you feel like they're a bunch of your friends. i bought her album, oh my darling, and will be listening to it on repeat all day. you can give her a listen here.
here's a sample from her goofy music video.
Part 2 of the Namur series Coming Soon. come back often.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Namur metro: a good deal of fun!
Namur might just be the best metro stop in montreal. yes, its FAR up on the orange line, 2 stops form the end to be exact, which is about a 25 minute ride from mont royal stop, but its a straight shot, no transfers, so you sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
Namur is way up on the left by Cote-Vertu. I live way on the right at Mont Royal.
needless to say, namur is well worth the trip. in fact its a trip i make about ever week or two. i'm going to leave you at a cliffhanger though, wondering why oh why i would venture away from the comforts of my plateau neighborhood so eagerly. the delights of namur each deserve their own posts. for now, hopefully you'll be content and appreciative of Namur's spectacular sense of style.
original 70's architecture.
namur's quality music
outside and on the way to...
Namur might just be the best metro stop in montreal. yes, its FAR up on the orange line, 2 stops form the end to be exact, which is about a 25 minute ride from mont royal stop, but its a straight shot, no transfers, so you sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
Namur is way up on the left by Cote-Vertu. I live way on the right at Mont Royal. needless to say, namur is well worth the trip. in fact its a trip i make about ever week or two. i'm going to leave you at a cliffhanger though, wondering why oh why i would venture away from the comforts of my plateau neighborhood so eagerly. the delights of namur each deserve their own posts. for now, hopefully you'll be content and appreciative of Namur's spectacular sense of style.
original 70's architecture.
namur's quality music
outside and on the way to...
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