Literature: The Luck of the Irish

   Good evening dear readers! As the weekend slowly creeps nearer to us and I wait patiently for another eventful time, I almost forgot a significant day. In exactly 30 days from now, I will be boarding a plane, on my way to Ireland! The land of leprechauns, fairies, lucky clovers, guiness beer and the highest population of gingers per capita; it's going to be a great time!!

   Before every trip (like my last one to Iceland), I take the time to read up on the country. To get a virtual feel of the land and find guide books that will get me a better idea of what to expect. My goal (when exploring a new country) is to be a traveler, and not a tourist. I search for my guide books in special stores and with specific intentions. I also tend to read works by writers/poets who are from the country I plan on visiting, as well as immerse myself in music from bands from there. I try to create an experience, before the actual travel experience. The reason I do this is not only because it's fun and entertaining (because let's be real, it's like I'm becoming a local) but because it gives me something to reminisce about when I come back. It's like every time I'll read Jane Urhqhart, or listen to Kodaline, I'll get these flashback feelings from my travels. At least that's what I hope will happen. It did with Iceland. I can't help being a little nostalgic now when I listen to Kaleo or Of Monsters And Men. 

   So what I recommend to you my dearest readers is not only to research the place your planning to travel (because it's really more of a necessity to know what you're getting yourself into that just a helpful suggestion) but immerse yourself in everything at your disposal that's related to the place. Books are good, but make sure to get a mix of both fact and fiction. It'll prepare you just enough before blowing your mind once you get there. The "THERE" is fun, but it's also the "GETTING THERE" that's just as exciting.

                       

 

K.P.H.

Love: A Weekend of Wonders

   What started out as a calm weekend quickly turned into a three day adventure my dear readers. It consisted of three cities, two major events and many miles to get us from point A to point B (and when I say "we", I mean my friend Gen and I). She took the train from Kingston on Friday so that we could officially start our epic weekend early enough on the Saturday. We went to dinner, came up with a game plan for the next day, and called it a night.

   Saturday began with waffles and ice cream at the local coffee shop down the street, and soon after, we headed to the exhibition centre near the Ottawa airport for the Ottawa Outdoor show. I had gotten us tickets ahead of time, and we hoped to get some ideas (or at the very least some discounts) for anything and everything related to our travels. I had also met the organizer of the event previously (as he also happens to be the editor of that magazine) and I had high expectations. We got there in good time, explored the booths, got some tickets, pet a few animals and even participated in minnow racing. We did lose, but we didn't mind since we lost to a 5 year old little boy; he was quite pleased. We took our bags of free "swag" and headed out.

   Our next destination was Merrickville. Yes, we went to one of my favorite places since I thought it was imperative that Gen could relish in the love I have for this adorable town. We had lunch, did some shopping, bought some books and listened to the locals over some coffee. She loved the feel of it and we made a deal to come back over the summer so she could see it when it was busier and more beautiful. She didn't hesitate to agree. Then we headed back to Kingston late in the afternoon to arrive there in time for dinner. We ate at one of her favorite pubs (Red House), and once we were pleasantly content, we went back to her apartment, got in our pj's and spent our glorious Saturday night formatting and creating our new travel blog; (yes dear readers, you will get to read even more of my crazy adventures, but this time, they'll be a little more specific).

   After breakfast at a wonderful coffee shop on Sunday, I left early in the morning to make my way back to Ottawa to go to the Juno's Songwriters' Circle with Riles. As always, he managed to get amazing tickets (which happened to be front row, dead centre this time) for this intimate concert. There were 7 artists who performed songs after explaining the backstories to them. I LOVED it so much since I related with them on a personal level. What they were saying, were things I told myself often. The event was hosted by Bruce Cockburn, a legend in himself, and accompanied by performers Chantal Kreviazuk, Colin Linden, Daniel Caesar, Donovan Woods, Lisa Leblanc and Paul Murphy. Some of them I knew, and others, I grew to love in a matter of two songs. After a couple hours, the show ended and, Riles and I went to lunch. It was nice to do something a little different other than our regular movies (not that I don't enjoy them) but I always have so much fun when we try new things too.

   So as you can see my dearest readers, things don't always go as plan, but sometimes that's even better. We learn, we discover and we grow. It isn't just in travelling that we find this, but whenever we take a small step out of our comfort zone and try something different. With a busy month ahead, and a big trip coming up, I feel nothing but excitement as I await all the adventures ahead of me!

K.P.H.

Laughter: The Good Kind of Crazy

   Good afternoon dearest readers and here I am yet again. After such a long absence (and my first post in French) I didn't want you to feel like I was neglecting you. For those of you who cannot understand the French language, I simply stated that the reason why I haven't posted in a while wasn't because of a lack of material to write about, but rather a lack of time on my part. Slowly but surely I will continue to divulge my numerous adventures and I hope you will tag along for the trip because I enjoy it all oh so very much.

   Now today's post is in relation to the wonderful concert I attended this past Tuesday. What's funny about it was not so much the show itself, but the circumstances and decisions, and our overall attitude before, during and after the show. It was a concert performed by The Lumineers with Kaleo as their opening act; (I had been able to see the first group this summer, and I had been dying to see the second act ever since I bought their first album in Iceland). Needless to say I got a little stir crazy. However, one of the main reasons I wanted to go to this concert (other than to listen to AMAZING bands) was because it was 10 days before my original last day at my job. When I accepted my first contract at my current workplace, my last day was supposed to be March 31st, and I was in the mood to have something to celebrate. Ever since I landed my second contract, (I should celebrate that too) I'm not set to finish until November 30th 2018. That's a little more than 10 days. Despite that, I fan-girled hard when Kaleo took the stage and blew my mind as they played most of my favorite songs; there's only so much you can do with 45 minutes after all. The Lumineers dazzled us with a heartfelt and catchy performance, and we left the venue smiling. With a few funny pictures, we returned home to rest after such an emotionally exhausting day.

   But the story doesn't end there my readers. My friend Gen had taken the train earlier that day to arrive in Ottawa 40 minutes before the show was set to start, getting us to our seats just as the opening act took the stage. We sang to our hearts content and returned to the apartment for some light snacks (having barely eaten that day) and for a well-deserved rest since we all had an early start. Gen even more so since she was taking the 5h30am train back to Kingston the next morning so she could get to her 9h30am class. She informed me after that this wasn't the first time she did something so spontaneous (and a little crazy) to see bands she liked. I recalled that in October we had done something similar, but not as pressing as we impulsively roadtriped to Toronto to see Boy and Bear at an intimate venue.

   It made me think that we really invest our time and energy in things that make us happy (when we can actually do it) because we all too often compromise and set aside what we want to do for what we should do. Though it doesn't always last long, and could actually leave us a little more exhausted than before, we take our crazy adventures and spontaneous natures as a good kind a crazy. Wouldn't you agree my dear readers? Perhaps it is time you tried your own good kind of crazy out and see what you discover!

K.P.H.

PS. photos props to my roommate Nicole.

Love: "Le tour d'une toune"

   Bonne soirée mes chers lecteurs. Je ne ferai pas une grande introduction, puisqu'elle va se faire plus ou moins sur le vidéo mais j'ai pensé que c'était à peu près temps que j'écris de nouveau dans le blog. C'est pas qu'il me manquait d'inspiration, mais plutôt un manque de temps. Généralement, j'écris en anglais, mais après avoir passé mes journée en français, je croyais bien qu'il serait temps que j'intègre ma passion d'écriture et ma créativité avec ma culture et mon amour pour ma langue maternelle.

Pour cette raison, le vidéo d'aujourd'hui est une de mes chansons préféré en anglais que j'ai traduit en français; et avec ce changement, le "cover" de cette chanson est devenu une de mes préféré à jouer. C'est une représentation parfaite d'un marriage de deux de mes amours. Donc sans trop dévoiler, je vous présente mon premier "cover" en français. Je vais afficher d'autre entrés dans le blog sous peu (et oui, d'autre en anglais aussi).

K.P.H.

Literature: Books Fit for 2017

   Good morning dearest readers! With the weather finally cooling down, I feel like it's appropriate to stay inside a little more and cuddle up in my bed with coffee and a good book; that is, at least on those days that I don't have to work. Once I cam back from my holiday break and settled into my new job at work, I felt like it was time to settle on some time for myself again. With my new resolutions ensuring that I get a good dose of my favorite people, and a strong helping of my writing, I figured it was a right time to assemble my reading list for 2017.

   Last year I attempted the 50 book pledge and I got close. But with my life in turmoil and half of my year taken by school, it was only natural that I didn't quite hit the mark. So instead, this year, I've decided to aim for that half point, and whatever books I read extra will be bonus! I've got a good mix between fiction, non-fiction and poetry books which I believe will give me a good balance throughout the year. Now I ask that you do not judge the reading list as some of you might be a little shocked by some of them (and by shocked, I mean that you probably assumed that I've already read it but I didn't actually yet). If you've completed any of the below, please do not tell me any spoilers because there's a good chance that I never forgive you. Reading transports me to wonderful worlds and allows me to live out great adventures... don't rip me out of that because you can't keep your mouth shut. So take a look, and feel free to use my reading list as your own; I think you might enjoy it just as much!

1. Trigger Warning; Neil Gaiman
2. Harry Potter (HP) and the Philosopher's Stone; J.K. Rowling
3. HP and the Chamber of Secrets; J.K. Rowling
4. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban; J.K. Rowling
5. HP and the Goblet of Fire; J.K. Rowling
6. HP and the Order of the Phoenix; J.K. Rowling
7. HP and the Half-blood Prince; J.K Rowling
8. HP and the Deathly Hallows; J.K. Rowling
9. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; J.K. Rowling
10. The people look like flowers at last; Charles Bukowski
11. The Spawning Grounds; Gail Anderson-Dagartz
12. Percy Jackson: The Last Olympian; Rick Riordan
13. The Death Cure; James Dashner
14. The Kill Order; James Dashner
15. Big Magic; Elizabeth Gilbert
16. The Woman Who Lived with Wolves; Paul Globe
17. The Educated Imagination; Northrop Frye
18. The Weight of Glory; C.S. Lewis
19. The Boy Who Drew Monsters; Keith Donohue
20. Life from Elsewhere; Amit Chaudhuri
21. Rooftoppers; Katherine Rundell
22. The Shack; Paul Young
23. Rumi (poems); translated by Farrukh Dhondy
24. No Matter the Wreckage; Sarah Kay
25. On Love; Charles Bukowski

   So now dearest readers you know the list of journeys I plan on embarking on, and I hope you will choose a journey as well; maybe not one of mine, but select one that will suit you just as well. We are truly incredible people, seeking out incredible lives. I don't think I would mind if my thirst for adventure never be satiated. It means I have wonderful things to look forward to.

K.P.H.