Sick Spice

Since Quebec life has been very merry :-D I like Canada lots and lots, however I think you might have realised that by now. Our bonkers travelling has ceased for the moment as the work begins to pile up. However that does mean because we are not travelling, we have time to GO AND GET BLATHERED IN MONTREAL BEVERAGING ESTABLISHMENTS. HEChange socials, Cafe Campus, BallRoom, Dawns Birthday @ GoGo, Happy Hour (known over here as 4@7) etc etc etc. My liver is hurting as I am now on the third day of the biggest hangover of all time and I question myself for the 1 millionth time why the hell we do it to ourselves, or rather why Jenna and Bianca did it to me ;-) !

Apart from the alcohol I did "some" work this week ohhhhh and managed a day trip to Ottawa to skate on the largest skating rink in the world (and World Heritage Site); the Rideau Canal! It's 7.6km long (we managed 6.6km round trip) and the ice is over 2 meters thick. Its amazing to think that I was skating on something that I saw as a river the last time I was in the city. However it lasts less and less each year due to global warming; they used to have a skating season of over 3 months and now it is only a matter of weeks. Talking of skating the lessons are going well (I've probably gone and jinxed myself now though)!!! I can skate backwards and do a funny cross-over-feet-thing (obv the official term for the move) and theoretically I know how to do a pirrowet (sp!!??) but putting it into practise is a little more difficult. Note to reader = never go to a 7am ice skating lesson with the worst hangover of all time, its always going to end ugly.

Anyway another HEChange party to night in ode of Valentines Day and before I know it, it will be the weekend where I might just have to have more fun ;-)

P.s. decided to go to Florida on Spring Break so plenty of face rubbing will be done over the next 18 days :-D NICE TIMES NICE TIMES

Carnival Time

Sooooo my second visit to Quebec City took this place last weekend with (who else but) HEChange. We were going for the 400th aniversary of the Winter Carnival and the party spirit was definatly embraced!!! Following our arrival at lunch time we did manage to do about 1 hour of tourism before hitting the bars and sampling some local brew. Post pub we went like good little tourists to the ice hotel - one seriously amazing place to stay! It takes 22 men working 24h a day for 6 weeks to build the hotel at a cost of $105 million! All this for a building that will be little more than a giant puddle of water come april! Everything is lit by fiber optics because they don't emit heat and melt the place, and seriously EVERYTHING was made of ice from the chairs to the bed to the cups you drink out of. Also they have a chapel out the back where you can get married - seriously romantic but bloody freeeeeeezing!! Talking of cold, they give you a 30 minute lesson before you go to bed so that you know how to surive the night in a room made of ice!!!

Obviously there had to be more alcohol involved in the weekend!!! So after a quick visit to SAQ for our screwtop wine, we ordered room service and lapped up the luxury of hotel living. Then we headed to the same night club as last time (Chez Mourice) and to everyone's (my) amazement Jenna made it to the night club!!!

Sunday morning was a hungover blur however there is nothing better to blow those cobwebs away than a day in the mountains! We had a day of snow as we leant to snowshoe and went dogsledding in the woods for a few hours! Snowshoeing was hilarious!!! At first it seemed like the most pointless activity on the planet and it would have been easier to walk without the monsterous tennis racket attached to your feet however you soon realise that the snow is waist deep below and serious hilarity develops as you slowly sink sans racket! So with an increased love for the bonkers sport and we're planning to do some more next weekend.

Dog sledding was just as good as you can imagine! A serious princess vibe was happenning whilst you are getting pulled along in the sled and then as the driver you fell a bit like Father Christmas. An hour of dog bonding later it was time to return to Montreal cold, wet, but very happy :-)

NICE TIMES NICE TIMES!!! Next trip.....Ottawa this weekend :-D

Random Spice

I am now totally convinced that the Spice Girls were suposed to be a girl band of 6 with the addition of the quirkly named "Random Spice" making up the sixth member. However I do believe that position will be fiercy fought over bewteen Jenna (Randy Spice), Kate (Sexy Spice) and I (Random Spice). (Please note Kate came up with the Spice names...thus saving Jenna from years of embarassement after she names herself "Randy Spice"). Anyway the concert totally rocked!! Seriously boobyliscious costumes, a medly of the cheesiest memory crammed songs ever and I am now a proud owner of an adult sized Spice Girls t-shit. Ohh and we even managed to sneek a glympse of all the Spice Babies from our rafter seats.

This was the end of our "week at the Bell Centre" with a Mika gig earlier in the week! And although I think I would be able to preserve my street cred if I lied....I loved that too! Amazing sets and bonkers props not to mention the gayiest play list possibly ever. Long live CHEESE!!!

Quebec City for the weekend tomorrow with HEChange...the madness is never ending :-)

IM GOING TO SEE THE SPICE GIRLS TONIGHT WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP

Immigrants and the city...and some Philly cream cheese

Another weekend of (you guessed it) INDULGENCE in New York with a result of financial bankruptcy and camera exhaustion. BUT IT WAS TOTALLY AMAZING. I am a proud tourist hehe and we seriously did some New York attraction lovin' during the weekend...get ready to be bored....; Staten Island Ferry, Statue of Liberty, Financial District, Ground Zero, Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, Bloomingdale's, Sex and the City tour, Central Park, romantical horse and carriage ride, the Guggenheim museum, 5th Av, Trump Tower, sunset up the Rockafeller centre and a comedy club ohhhh and not to mention a good amount of shopping.

Carrie's steps from Sex and the city and cupcakes from Magnolia bakery

Ground Zero and the Empire State Building

View of the Empire State Building from the top of the Rockafeller Centre

Staten Island ferry lovin'

The Financial District

Puis a little hop over to PHILADELPHIA to stay with Ollie and have a mini Rivers Street reunion 4000 miles away from Rivers Street as Nomes was (totally coincidently) in Philly for the weekend. The tourism got off to a good start however we were smashed by 5pm and that lead to a very interesting night "Philly style." Never, and I say never, drink alcoholic slush puppies...its bound to end in pain the morning after!

The Philly skyline with some Ollie and Nomes lovin'

The art museum at the top of the "Rocky steps"

ONE SERIOUSLY AMAZING WEEKEND :-) MERCI BUCKET ohhhh and I am finally a proud owner of my I "heart" NY t-shirt and a Medium Brown Bag from Bloomingdale's :-)

One very big apple and one overly excited yorkshire lass!!!

As most normal broke 21 year old students do IM GOING TO NEW YORK TOMORROW!!! Seriously excited, the kind of excitement that is almost beyond words, wowowowow 21 years in the waiting and I finally have a reason to buy my I "heart" NY t-shirt. And if it couldn't get any better, on Friday I finally get to see Ollie and Nomes and dance like a wilderbeast for one night only :-D

Would you like ice with that sir?

I had my first ice skating lesson on Tuesday at the god unearthly hour of 7am and despite the fact that is probably the earliest I have ever been active in my 21 year existence I am more than ready to do it every day of the week. Wow, I love it, and I don't think I've ever been this motivated to learn! Genvieve and I even went to the Old Port for some romantical night time skating so I could show her what I learned hehe and so I can practise again before my next lesson. Watch out Torvil and Dean, Lorna is on the ice (that's supposed to be a "watch out your Olympic Medal record will soon be broken," not a "watch out because I have no control and might smash into you")!!!

Then obviously there was a splattering of nights out in various drunken stages during the week and before I know it it's back round to another week of lessons and frolics. I spend the last few days at Mont Tremblant learning to ski with Jenna and her sister Kate. WOWOWOWOW; another winter Canadian sport I could become quite attached too. Managed to spend a lot of time on my ass but also impressed myself at how much better I got over the three days; even managing a few bits of Blue runs by the end of the third day. The only inconvenience re. skiing in the COLDEST COUNTRY ON EARTH is the weather...today's temperatures were hilarious, a mere -34 degrees at the summit....I didn't know temperatures like that existed in the human world....let alone the fact that people did physical activities outside in them. However I am still alive....I have to be one of my few friends who has survived the experience of frozen snot (oh yes very very attractive) and whilst my body remained warm during the day I do think I left a few toes behind on the last run I did. I return to Montreal happy, aching and sore but still with both legs, arms, ears and eyes...ohh and accompanied by a wallet which is a considerable amount lighter.

On a hunt for the Irish

The Quebecois night on Friday was FREAKIN' BRILLANT if I don't say so myself. Cheap booze in Salon L'Oreal (the Quebec equivalent of a village hall) accompanied by Quebecois food, games and company followed by the craziest dancing EVER seen this side of the Atlantic. We went to this crazy pub/bar/club place called Les Deux Pierrots in the Old Town and boy does it live up to its "internationally renowned Montreal institution" reputation. A few wicked live bands playing traditional francophone music, coupled with some seriously wild dancing with all the new immigrants and the HEChange committee lead to one of the best nights out I've had in Montreal for a long long time (a sweeping statement perhaps after all out partying these past 6 months).

Then on Saturday night, in response to our new obsession (correction my new obsession) with all things "Ps I love you" related, we went hunting for an Irish pub filled with equally Irish hunks. Two English (Lorna and Jenna) and two Scottish (Dawn and Ross) in an Irish pub (Hurley's) which contained numerous drunken people and some ugly but vocally pleasing bands...ohh and a space lawyer (yes I know I also said WTF). All in all a wicked night out. I don't think I've ever "just been to the pub" and come home at 4am and I'm now seriously digging a bit of fiddle playing.

(I think I used brackets a little too much in that post...hehehe)

Ps....

Don't really have very much to infom you on, however I'm bored and can't be bothered on the mountain of work I have already been set. Havn't decided on which classes I am taking this semester yet, I comitted the mistake of signing up to loads with the idea of dropping those full of freaks or taught by weridos however all of them were kinda interesting so will reserve my judgement for another week or so.

Last night me and the girls (ie Scarl and Jenpen) went to see Ps I love you and whoooaaahhh not a dry eye in the house (well on my part at least). I think that there was about 7 minutes of film where I wasn't crying my eyes out but still loved it ohhhhh and I have a new appreciation for hunks of the Irish variety:

Then tonight is another Quebecois night where the alcoholic exchange commitee have been charged with cooking for us again. Needless to say I will be eating before arrival out of fear for my life, and for sure will be nursing a monster hangover por la manana.

20 DAYS UNTIL THE SPICE GIRLS WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP

Intergration with Celine Dion anyone??

I like holidays, in fact I would go as far as saying that I love holidays, that is why it is even more painful for me to drag myself to my first class of 2008 second semester tomorrow!!!! However today was just a perfect end to a holiday and has put me in seriously jolly spirits for the next 5 months. HEChange planned a snow day and baby there was snow in abundance!!!!!

Ingredients =
1 bus full of exchange students
1 car full of exchange student organisers
1 mountain
1 escalator up mountain
1 month of snow
1 giant rubber ring for each person
1 death wish
Ohh and a set of appropriate snow clothes

Method =
Take giant rubber ring and travel up mountain on escalator. Choose appropriate death slide. Sit in rubber ring holding onto the ring of other exchange students. Find passing stranger to push. Scream as you fly down side of mountain remembering to pull unflattering faces for photos and videos. Reach bottom of mountain, hopefully still with dignity intact. Climb mountain to do it all again.

After three hours of tubing we moved onto a finish spa which is probably the most relaxing think I have ever done!! You had to move from a sauna, to an ice pool outside, to a hot thermal bath also outside, followed by relaxation room, a steam room, then under an ice shower then repeat the process over and over. It was amazing an a perfect solution to the battering of the tubing.

Then just when I think my life cannot get any better (hehe) we happen to come across CELINE DION'S MOTHERS HOUSE. Oh yes baby this is the closest I will ever come to sed Canadian goddess, so naturally we posed for photos! Thanks Joelle and Alex for an amazing day!

Long long time...

SOOOOOOOOO its been a while since my last trip to boredom (aka a blog) but its all been a bit crazy since the end of exams. I went back home to England for Christmas and New Year WHICH WAS WICKED, basically the holiday consisted of 9 days of sofa loving with numerous crappy Christmas films and copious tins of Christmas chocolates!!! Had a very strange Christmas day (sans extended family) because of the state of disrepair my house is in but was still a food fest, I've missed my mum's cooking lots!!!!!!! Lots of walks on the beach, bit of Ollie, Helen and Emily lovin' etc etc. New Years Eve was wicked, spent at Tash's (like normal) at one of his dinner parties that have become rather legendary. Around 50 bottles of booze were consumed leading to behaviour I am not claiming responsability for and a wave of destruction but a banterous night all round. Then before I know it I'm back in Montreal, as the plane landed the pilot announces that its -27 degrees outside and I know that life is going to be VERY different.

I hadn't been back in Canada 2 hours before I was in a car being driven up to Mont Tremblant. I was heading for dinner with the Appleby family who had been visitig Jenna for Christmas, nice times nice times!!! Then the last few days have been spent sorting my life out for next semester any buying colour coordinated ski accessories so that even if I can't ski for shit I look funky :-)

Most of the exchange students from last semester have left and have been replaced by 97 new ones........ my opinion is reserved as yet because we havn't had a lot of time to talk to them but if you're reading this YOU HAVE A LOT TO LIVE UP TO!!!!!!! Marie, Heta, Ann-Laurre, Eloise, Michiel, Linda, Benoit, Claire, Clara, Ulrike, Naty (and anyone else I fogot) I MISS YOU and you don't realise how strange it is being here without you all!!!

Intergration week is in full flow, with alcohol aplenty and many layers of clothing to prevent us from imminent death of freeeeeezing. Last night was the pub crawl followed by 737 (the club on the top of a sky scraper) and then Greg, Jenna and I spent 3 hours intense training on the ice today down at the Old Port (lots of romanticalness) so now I'm hungover with aching ice skating legs but ready for what this semester has to offer.....BRING IT ON :-D

SATC yes please thank you very much :-D

May 2008, 1 word: WHOOP WHOOP (ok maybe that was 2)

Fall Semester 2007

Soooooooo exams are over FINALLY after an amazing amount of proscratination.
My revision this year included:

• Ice skating romanticalness in the Old Port with Jenna
• Attending Christmas firework displays outside in -21 degree weather
• Drinking appropriate warm alcoholic wintry/Christmas beverages in the appropriately named "Bar d'hiver" (strongly recommend hot chocolate with maple syrup liquor dedans)
• Attending the theatre
• Fondu parties with the Frenchies
• Playing "how many countries of the world can I list in one go" with Rhiannon
• 35 hours per day on Facebook
• Watching seasons 1-5 of Sex and the City
• Going out with Quebecois friends on the Crescent where one intends on taking the last metro back home at 12am and instead one takes the first metro home at 5am

So all in all I am expecting very good results this semester after all the hard work I have put in.

Jenna has also been revising very hard; the fruit of her labour shown below in a video/slideshow thingy of our first crazy months over here. Please appreciate the credits at the end, personally my favourite part ;-)

Ps I just remembered that I also used to own Spice Girls body spray :-) 44 days!!!!

HEC

I HATE EXAMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They made me eat snails!!!!!!

So I've spent the last few days speaking solely about the Spice Girls, one might say understandable ;-) Anyway the conclusion is that I was pretty obsessed with them. "Back in the day" Grandma bought me the Spice Annual for Christmas but my mum confiscated it on Boxing Day after she had read it and realised that it was just a sex annual (bearing in mind I was 11). I also used to collect these photo postcards and I had a t-shirt haha ohhhh and the first time I ever went on the Internet I searched for the Spice Girls fan page but all mum and I found were pictures of a topless Ginger Spice; that put an end to my Internet searches for another year. Helen had a discussion over MSN today for about 2 hours re what our favourite song is; conclusion STOP (it's the only one we know the whole dance routine for; practised for hours in Kilham Village Hall aged 12).

Lectures for my first semester in Montreal are officially over and exams have begun which is course why I have an abundance of time to waste writing blog posts and searching for random things on ebay. Stress levels rn't too high......YET......I only have 3 exams so chilled at the moment thus plenty of time for frolics. It's been a week of birthdays with an English pub session for Greg (21) on Friday and then an amazing french meal and shisha night for Elo (22) on Saturday. I would say that I enjoyed the meal however I was pinned down by four Frenchies and forced to try snails (another thing off my 101 list of things to do mind you) and I'm not sure what disturbs me more; the fact that I've eaten a snail, or the fact that I liked it. They also tried to teach me about wine but I was far more interested in downing it rather than swirling it round in a glass and sniffing it, ohhh how very English of me.

I'm feeling festive also.....yes I know how YUCK and disturbingly I downloaded Miracle on 34th Street and have now watched it 3 time in 2 days haha. I'm religiously opening my advent calendar every morning (thanks mum) and my neighbour has decorated his house with a giant inflatable singing snowman hehe.

Other news?? Me and Jenna went on a romantical date the other night lol. We decided to go ice skating in the Old Port on the frozen river lit only by fairy lights and it was amazing. 8pm at night -10 yes sounds like hell but the view made up for the fact I actually had an iceicle hanging from my nose (no word of a lie); it's probably the most beautiful view in Montreal and I had to share it with Jenna haha love you really darl.

Most of the immigrants are now counting down the days before they go home; most only stay for one semester. I am contemplating stealing every passport but I think it's quite a big solo job so I might have to recruit Jenpen and Scarl hehe. And not only are the immigrants disappearing but the snow is melting....does nothing I like want to stay in Montreal right now :-(

SPICE UP YOUR LIFE

Jenna, Scarl, Kate, Rob and I just got tickets to see the SPICE GIRLS at the Bell Centre in Monreal on the 31st of January!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I DONT THINK I CAN EXPRESS HOW AMAZINGLY EXCITED I AM AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME.

FEAR

My teacher said this to us today in class :aux étudiants étrangers : n'ayez crainte l'hiver n'est pas encore commencé ! How can 39cm of snow not class as bloody winter = "scared face"

Let it snow let it snow let it snow!!!!

37cm of snow in 24 hours; "most snow never on the ground in Montreal by December 3rd" whoop whoop whoop! I think it's about time I stopped denying that winter is here and my god I've never seen snow like it. A few pictures below to illustrate meee city under the snow, bit crappy light but you get the message, the one of my back garden of the table shows just how deep it was this morning yet its continued to build up all day and i now cannot see the table hehe. I don't know what it is about snow, but I'm now feeling sickeningly festive, mum sent me an advent calendar (the non chocolate variety like normal) and everywhere is decorated (including my irritatingly noisy neighbours who have embraced the inflatable Santa Clause concept) and the next thing you know I'll be downloading Christmas music DADADA!!!!!!! Apart from the imminent death of burrial by snow life is gooooood, rather stressed with work as I have like 3 million presentations and 5 million assignments in this week and cannot believe I spent nigh on 15 hours in front of my computer yesterday, Lorna = 1 mahusive geeeeeeek. Last Cafe Campus night out tomorrow with a few supprises in store before the exams...I cannot wait for the madness to begin!

Montreal: 7 Day Weather Forecast for this week
Monday -14°
Tuesday -8°
Wednesday -5°
Thursday -16°
Friday -13°
Saturday -17°
Sunday -9°

ARGGGGGGGGGGG IS OHHHH SO COLD!!