Mon chum m'appelle Pti-Chou

I'm not dead... Just pregnant.

2010-01-11T14:50:00.002-05:00

I did not completely stop blogging... But I felt it was more appropriate to move to a pregnancy journal style of blog so I can tell all my pregnancy adventures in one spot.

Meanwhile, a few friends told me they can't just seem to remember the new blog address and they keep coming back here instead. FEAR NO MORE!!!

If you are looking for my pregnancy updates, you can click on the banner below to be redirected to the new blog.

If you like what you read there, don't forget to click on the "vote for us on TopBabyBlogs" button on the right!

Nouvel an

2009-02-02T17:54:00.001-05:00

Le 31 décembre était une journée bien planifiée. Nous avions d'abord pensé aller dîner à l'îlot Canard et faire un peu de plongée en apnée dans leur circuit sous-marin et en soirée, attendre le décompte à la grande horloge, avec notre pique-nique - champagne inclus.

Il en a été tout autre.

Îlot Canard

11 : 00 Charles et moi avons quitté la maison pour aller rejoindre Ruth à l'Anse Vata d'où le bateau nous transporte sur l'îlot Canard.

Ma mère était restée derrière pour terminer les préparatifs mais surtout attendre mon père qui devait finir de travailler vers midi et ils devaient tous deux nous rejoindre à l'îlot Canard, près des chaises et parasols qu'ils avaient réservés pour nous tous.

11 : 15 À notre arrivée à l'Anse Vata, Ruth nous attendait déjà pour nous annoncer un changement de plan : le bateau allant à l'îlot Canard ne prenait plus personne ? Effectivement, il avait été décidé de libérer l'îlot des touristes plus tôt ce jour-là puisque c'était jour de fête et les employés pouvait quitter plus tôt... OK. On n'a pas de téléphone pour appeler mes parents, mais comme on sait que le gars du bateau ne les laissera pas passer eux non plus, on a décidé de les attendre sur la plage de l'Anse Vata, à faire un peu de plongée en apnée pendant que Ruth se faisait bronzer à l'huile de bébé (!!!) tout en gardant un oeil sur le trottoir menant au bateau pour pouvoir intercepter mes parents.

La plongée fut très intéressante, j'ai trouvé le beau porte-montre (voir photo), pleins d'étoiles de mer et nagé avec une tortue de mer... Coup de soleil en prime ! La 30, c'est pas assez...

Quelques minutes de plus et une belle tortue de mer est passé près de moi. Nous l'avons suivie pendant quelques minnutes jusqu'à ce que Charles s'approche un peu trop et qu'elle clanche en 3e vitesse...

Le coquillage n'est pas le seul souvenir que je rapporterais de cette journée à l'Anse Vata. L'heure pendant laquelle nous avons plongé était suffisante pour que j'attrape un coup de soleil qui me cloîtrera pendant les 4 prochains jours. Je portais de la crème solaire avec SPF 30.

12 : 30... pas de parents

13 : 00... pas de parents

13 : 30... pas de parents

14 : 00 Le bateau revient de l'îlot Canard avec, à son bord, mes parents (!) Ma mère sachant se montrer très convaincante lorsque ses poussins sont en danger, avait réussi à convaincre le gars du bateau qu'elle était investie d'une importante mission de sauvetage : que ses 2 "enfants" l'attendaient déjà sur l'îlot et allaient mourir de faim si elle ne pouvait pas leur apporter la glacière porteuse de vie. Bref, ils ont réussi à se rendre à l'îlot Canard sans être détectés par Ruth et sans être bloqués par le conducteur du bateau. Faut le faire ! Ils se sont vite aperçus qu'ils étaient seuls et nous ont rejoints à l'Anse Vata sans pouvoir vraiment profiter des locations de chaises et parasols qu'il avaient déjà payées...

Le décompte

C'est aussi Ruth qui nous a appris que cette année, le décompte officiel près de la grosse horloge n'aurait pas lieu. Apparemment, les Calédoniens aiment beaucoup le champagne et l'événement faisait beaucoup de grabuge...

Donc, aucune festivités ou activités prévues pour le nouvel an... de toute façon, mon coup de soleil me faisait beaucoup trop souffrir pour que je sorte. MAIS, ai-je mentionné que si les Calédoniens aiment le champagne, ils sont aussi de grands amateurs de feux d'artifices ? Nous avons donc soupé en famille et comme l'appartement de mes parents est juché sur le mont Vénus, nous avions droit à un spectacle haut en couleurs. Aucun spectacle de feux d'artifices n'était prévu officiellement, mais il y avait tellement de particulier et d'entreprises qui avaient préparé leurs propres feux d'artifices qu'on ne savait plus où donner de la tête. Ça éclatait en même temps de tous les coins de la ville ET de tous les îlots.

On s'aurait cru en Irak en 2004, mais c'était beaucoup plus joyeux.

Kuendu Beach

2009-01-15T05:58:00.012-05:00

À quelques minutes de la ville, se situe la plage de Kuendu Beach (oui, je sais c'est redondant mais c'est comme ça qu'on l'appelle quand même).

C'est un endroit magnifique et tranquille malgré ses installations touristiques, et on a la possibilité d'y louer un chalet sur pilotis ou de célébrer un mariage dans une petite chapelle sur pilotis.

Lors de cette première visite avec mon frère et ma mère, nous avons seulement marché près des chalets pendant une dizaine de minutes et sommes revenus à la voiture en marchant entre les citronniers et flamboyants (c'est l'arbre aux fleurs rouges des photos) qui poussent sur la côte.

Je retournerais plus tard avec Brian pour une petite séance de plongée en apnée pendant laquelle je n'ai pas pris de photos, mais qui nous a permis de voir une belle

raie.

Ciel que c'est beau !

2009-01-15T02:45:00.010-05:00

Quelques photos prises du balcon de mes parents sur le mont Venus et qui font rêver...

Notre arrivée au pays des cagoux

2009-01-09T16:15:00.008-05:00

Déjà 2 semaines que je suis à Nouméa en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Le temps passe tellement vite !

Je suis arrivée à 13 h le 28 décembre dernier sur un vol d'Air Calin avec mon frère Charles. En arrivant, on était top shape. Un sentiment de superhéro me comblait de fierté : j'avais vaincu le décalage horaire. Ma stratégie était pourtant simple ; il suffisait de se retenir de dormir dans l'avion jusqu'à ce qu'il soit une heure normale pour dormir à l'heure de la Calédonie.

L'erreur.

Si à 13 h j'étais supposément top shape, j'ai vite réalisé que mon cerveau m'avait abandonnée en cours de route. Sur le chemin de 45 minutes entre l'aéroport et l'appart de mes parents, mes parents et mon frère m'ont - c'était mon impression - bombardé d'information sur ce qui nous entourait. À droite : des arbres à lichis. À gauche: des citronniers, des manguiers, des cocotiers, des chevaux, des bananiers et des papayiers ? Jusque là ça va... Mais avec les noms des montagnes, des rues et un peu d'histoire au travers de tout ça... Ah oui, à droite : le bagne. Il faudra bien visiter un bagne pendant que je suis ici. Toujours à droite, le bateau qui emmene les employés à Goro. Un peu plus loin, le bateau qui emmene les gens à l'ilot canard. Entre les deux, des dizaines et des dizaines de voiliers de toutes les grandeurs.

L'appartement de mes parents bénéficie d'une vue enchanteresse. Perché sur le mont Vénus, on profite des paysages de la baie de l'Orphelinat, la baie des Citrons, l'anse Vata, l'ilot Canard, l'ilot Maître, l'ilot Signal, un mont dont je ne me souviens plus du nom, port Plaisance, et d'autres plages et baies qu'on m'a certinement identifiées et que j'oublie déjà...

Première constatation : mon frère et moi avons l'air blanchement malades. Il faudra y remédier.

Deuxième constatation : il fait quelques 34 degrés dehors mais avec une humidité d'environ 80% on veut s'échouer sur une plage et se laisser mourir sur le sable. Mes parents ont remarqué et préparent une petit visite chez leur voisin de pallier qui est en vacances et leur a offert d'utiliser sa piscine.

À 19 h, coup de barre. La fatigue me frappe et pourtant, c'est l'heure à laquelle les Français commencent à souper. On est donc sorti pour mon premier repas de tartare de thon sur la terasse des 3 Brasseurs (oui, oui, j'ai appris que c'était une franchise française donc ils ont la même chose ici) dans la baie des Citrons. C'était délicieux. Ici, on sert le pain sans beurre. Si on demande du beurre, il faut le prononcer à la calédonienne (beuuuh-rrrrrre) parce que si on demande du beurre à la québécoise, on a beau avoir un couteau dans la main droite et le bout de pain dans la gauche, faire des gestes de tartinade entre les deux, y'a rien à faire, ils ne comprennent pas. (!)

Au retour, toujours croulant de sommeil, je n'ai pas pu fermer l'oeil avant 23 h 30, en terminant les quelques pages qu'il me restait de Twilight et en prenant mes courriels avec mon nouveau iPod touch.

Les 2 prochains jours seront encore plus difficile. Insomnie ou décalage horaire, je ne semblait pas pouvoir rattraper le manque de sommeil accumulé et me réveillait quand même à 3-4 heures le matin sans être vraiment capable de me rendormir par la suite. Pauvre Charles. C'était déjà la 2e visite de mon frère au pays des cagoux et il avait très hâte de pouvoir me montrer tout ce qu'il connaissait sur la place. De mon côté, j'avais surtout hâte de récupérer et de pouvoir embarquer dans le rythme Calédonien. Il avait bien dormi dans l'avion lui. Les deux prochains jours seraient un combat entre l'homme qui veut partager ses découvertes et la femme qui refuse de sortir faire des visites et veut prendre le temps de s'installer.

Party de Noël du bureau

2008-12-22T16:28:00.003-05:00

Le party était organisé au restaurant Verses de l'hôtel Nelligan et mis-à-part des problèmes techniques survenus avec la merveilleuse tempête de neige, la soirée s'est très bien déroulée.

La photo me montre en compagnie du DJ et du comité organisateur.

Retour sur 2008

2008-12-22T14:58:00.008-05:00

Aucun article écrit en 2008... Aye ! On va essayer de résumer les événements qui ont marqué l'année en quelques lignes...

Brian m'a demandé en mariage le 31 août de cette année (YÉ!!!). J'ai dis "oui"- ô surprise - et depuis ce temps, j'ai une peur bleue de perdre la bague ! On n'a pas encore déterminé de date et on espère être en mesure de décider du "où" et "quand", dès mai 2009.

J'occupe maintenant un poste permanent à la SODEC, dans le Vieux-Montréal. J'adore l'équipe avec laquelle je travaille et mes nouvelles fonctions.

Mon chien, Luka, aime encore manger de la neige et sentir le dessus des tables. Il ne mange plus ses toutous, et a calmé sa dépendance aux os. Nous avons dû nous départir de Roméo, mais avons adopté 2 nouveaux pensionnaires furets. Cosmos, notre mâle d'âge inconnu a récemment présenté ses premiers symptômes de cancer des glandes surrénales. La femelle, Comète, est une belle furette de 2 ans qui a récemment adopté sa fourrure d'hiver, dans les tons de roux.

Dans 3 dodos, je sauterai dans l'avion avec mon frère pour rejoindre mes parents en Nouvelle-Calédonie pour une période d'un mois pendant laquelle je vais tenter très fort de ne pas trop m'ennuyer de la neige et des embouteillages qu'elle cause à chaque année au centre-ville.

Cet automne, je me suis inscrite à une ligue de volleyball amicale et des cours de karaté. Un mois plus tard, j'avais une entorse de 3e degré à droite et une entorse de premier degré à gauche. Comme quoi ma carrière de karatéka n'a pas eu un grand succès. Ma physiothérapeute m'a accordé un retour complet aux activités sportives et normales il y a à peine 2 semaines.

Il y a quelques semaines, j'ai fait une saucette à Sept-Iles pour voir mes grands-parents. Ça faisait tellement longtemps que je suis surprise qu'ils me reconnaissent en me voyant arriver. Une chance que j'avais annoncé mon arrivée !

Pendant toute l'année, Brian et moi avions passé d'innombrables heures à faire évoluer nos personnages respectifs dans l'univers de Guild Wars. Depuis environ un mois et demi, ces mêmes personnages ont pris un congé sabbatique de durée indéterminée, question de nous laisser évaluer les possibilités offertes par World of Warcraft (WoW). Nous avons donc joint les rangs de la Horde et avons suivi la naissance et le développement de Lactantia, Livesbane, Pattedevlour, Tinkywinkee et Perfidia. Dernièrement, nous avons rencontré et partagé les péripéties de Rakknor, joué par la soeur de Brian, Ann.

Plus ça change, plus c'est pareil

2008-12-22T13:41:00.006-05:00

Bonjour et re-bienvenue sur mon blog.

Pour ceux qui n'ont pas suivi le cheminement de mes blog, une récapitulation s'impose :

Création du blog* Jerrika's Lounge bilingue
Création du blog Le boudoir de Jerrika (en français) et lien avec Jerrika's Lounge (en anglais)
Constatation que 2 blogs demandent plus de temps qu'un seul et que de tout traduire dans les 2 langues est un exercice non inspirant dont je pourrais me passer
Oubli/abandon des 2 blogs
Destruction du Boudoir de Jerrika pour ne garder que celui-ci qui aura certainement des sections en anglais et d'autres en français et que je ne prendrai jamais le temps de traduire

Je continue de croire que l'époque pendant laquelle je bloguais plusieurs fois par semaine est terminée. Par contre, l'arrivée prochaine de mon voyage en Nouvelle-Calédonie ainsi que l'organisation de mon mariage me remplissent déjà la tête de sujets de discussions sur lesquels bloguer.

Je reprends donc ma plume avec un nouveau look. Je viendrai donc de nouveau dépeindre mes aventures sur ce nouveau canva, d'où je l'espère vous apprécierez partager mes états d'âme.

Bonne lecture !

Cynthia

* Oui, je sais, en français, on parle d'un blogue... mais j'vous avais prévenu qu'il y aurait des sections en anglais !!!

Happy New Year!

2007-01-02T02:24:00.000-05:00

Brian and I celebrated the arrival of 2007 with a bunch of friends at Verses Restaurant (Nelligan Hotel) in Old Montreal, where The Jello Shots were performing.

The food was delicious, the music was great and the bar was... open!

Meet Blackperl

2006-11-25T18:43:00.000-05:00

Have you ever played Puzzle Pirates? Until recently my answer to that question would have been: "Puzzle What??"

But then, my friend Marie-Elizabeth, aka Redrhum, introduced me to that online multi-player puzzle game. You can see right here the first portrait taken of my Pirate called Blackperl, Fleet Officer of the Sea Lords crew in the Viridian Ocean. Of course she now wears much fancier clothes than this but the prices of making a new portrait is out of her budget after just purchasing a new house...

I will not lose myself in describing this great game since Brad Cook already wrote a detailed article about it.

Puzzle Pirates is free, simple to learn, compatible on Mac and PC, and allows you to interact with other pirates navigating and pillaging the same Ocean as you.

If you decide to give it a try and create your own pirate, make sure you navigate in the Viridian Ocean and please say hi to Blackperl if she's online by typing /tell Blackperl Ahoy!

Congratulations to a new Master of Engineering

2006-11-19T15:15:00.000-05:00

Several years of hard work and determination brought Brian to Place-des-Arts last Friday for McGill University Graduates convocation 2006 where he was awarded his Master of Engineering.

A very important "piece of paper" that does not even mention the program he completed (aerospace) or the quite impressive cumulative GPA of 4.0/4.0 that he managed to maintain throughout these 5 - 6 years of graduate studies...

Random facts :

Nobody knows if the bagpipist was wearing undergarments under his traditional kilt
Jean Béliveau made a remarkable speech
The live music was excellent
The President Vice-Chancellor's French was horrible
Brian's family's seats were simply the best!

Does that piece of paper makes him smarter, more serious or credible?

I'll let you be the judge of that...

Congratulations Brian! We're all very proud of your accomplishments! Even those of us who just couldn't be there in person...

5 Years Already

2006-11-17T14:09:00.000-05:00

Brian and I being the big sushi amateurs that we are, it should not come as a surprise to hear we celebrated our 5th year together with a nice sushi dinner yesterday evening.

The place we normally go to for sushi is called Sushi Mou-shi and is located in Greenfield Park. However, yesterday we both wanted to try something new and closer to our new home.

We ended up at Kimono restaurant in St-Hyacinthe and were both very impressed with the place. We had reserved a tatami for two so we were give this small private dining room with japanese style sliding doors. The decor is impeccable. The sushi was simply excellent and the warm sake was also a delight. There was a good choice of music and we had control over the lighting. It was the perfect place and time to have a very romantic sushi dinner to celebrate our 5th year. I had a great time.

Kimono is not a sushi restaurant. It is an Asian restaurant where we decided to have sushi... But we loved the place so much that we talked about going back with more people and try their other Asian specialties.

A Halloween Night

2006-10-29T13:59:00.000-05:00

A great halloween party started at Mark's place where we watched the very famous movie "Killer Klowns of Outer Space". Around midnight, we were ready to hit the bars and ended at a very cool place... what was the name again? Mark? You gotta help me here! Anyways, we all had tons of fun and are looking forward to next year's!

Note, Marie-Claude, our favorite Jester, is not in the picture because I think she was actually taking the photo.

Back from Sept-Iles

2006-10-15T22:34:00.000-04:00

I'm back from spending a couple of days in Sept-Iles with Luka. We had a blast. How fun was it to run and walk on the beach with Luka wandering around me, free of his lead?

My grand-parents were, as usual, very welcoming and treated me like a queen. Rich foods and other goodies kept coming my way and I have to admit I didn't do much to stop them!!! It had been 2 years and a half since my last trip to Sept-Iles and I have missed everybody a great deal.

Random facts

my windshield got slightly damaged by a flying rock on our way there :(
my digital camera stopped functionning for no apparent reason :(
Luka is now able to go to "the toilet" off-leash :)
Luka's calling for attention has increased :(
I performed 2 job interviews over the phone while I was in Sept-Iles :)

A cold day at the beach

2006-10-12T14:42:00.000-04:00

I went to Sept-îles with Luka to visit relatives. While there, we had a very fun afternoon on Monaghan Beach even though the day was freezing cold and very windy. It was Luka's first time on the beach (to my knowledge), his first time running off-leash, his first time chewing seaweed, and his first time walking on the moon. I tried getting Luka to go fetch his ball, and even a stick but the new environment left him very uninterested in old games and old toys...

Thanks to my cousin Patricia for the pictures. Enjoy!

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

15 km hike in Rougemont with Luka

2006-09-30T22:18:00.000-04:00

The beautiful weather today made it perfect for a long walk in the mountain with Luka. It was both our first time in Rougemont and we had a great time.

Since we returned home tonight, Luka's been sleeping on the floor and doesn't even bother to blink when my cat Romeo steps on him. The poor dog is beat!

I'm considering another trip to Rougemont next weekend, with Planet, Rex and their owners, if the weather permits.

Welcome to Jerrika's Lounge!

2006-09-29T01:30:00.000-04:00

It's finally ready: Welcome to Jerrika's Lounge!Picture graciously taken by René Lafontaine.

Bye bye BCX!

2006-09-23T10:26:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, Brian and I both quit the Balboa ConneXion team (BCX).

It was three great years of fun practicing, learning and dancing with the team and we wish them the best of luck with their coming participation at the US open in Anaheim. Why am I wishing them luck? They don't need luck, they're GOOD!!!

We'll be with you guys! Keep the spirit up and dance your way to the first pole! We are looking forward to the pictures of the team holding that trophy and coming back with a fat cheque! ; )

Don't forget us, we know we won't forget you!

2006-09-22T23:32:00.000-04:00

Johnny Depp Cry-Baby

Old memories... I love that movie! Awwww....

Jivin' at A&W

2006-09-07T09:08:00.000-04:00

Jivin' at A&W, originally uploaded by Jerrika.

Good ol' fun at A&W Chateauguay on the Cruisin' the dubb Tuesdays.

This is a picture of me and Ryan, doing a couple of jive basics. The shot was taken by Marie-Elizabeth Lebrun photographer extraordinaire and a very bad quality camera, which explains the lack of image definition.

Don't miss the grand finale on Sunday September 17th at noon. Over 100 old cars and hotrods are expected, plus animation, the usual 50's music and the A&W root beer of course!

To learn how to jive, visit www.JiveStudio.com

JiveStudio Opening its Doors in Montreal

2006-09-02T12:23:00.000-04:00

flyer_JiveStudio, originally uploaded by Jiver007.

So many people have asked me where they could learn to dance "that thing you dance on rockabilly music" in the past that now I can't trace them back...

FINALLY, a new dance school devoted to the teaching of Jive is opening its doors in Montreal! I strongly recommend anyone who ever felt like learning this dance to visit JiveStudio.com ASAP or give MAF a call (see flyer) to register for the next session.

Marc-André Forget, the teacher, is the Jive Canadian Champion 2006 and has learned 6 years ago from the now famous Miss Wolff.

Romeo in all his glory!

2006-09-01T11:17:00.000-04:00

My cat Romeo is camera shy but I couldn't resist to take a snapshot of him when he was sunbathing in the afternoon light on the sofa.

Finally, a picture fair to his beauty!

FordFest - Walking on Sunshine

2006-08-27T02:00:00.000-04:00

Dailymotion blogged video
FordFest - Walking on Sunshine
Video sent by Jerrika

Here is a short preview of what you missed today...

The Jello Shots at Ford Racing Festival

2006-08-27T01:27:00.000-04:00

Today was a long day for The Jello Shots. No only did they play last night at St-Ciboire and had to get up early this morning to go get the stage ready at the Ford Racing Festival 2006 on Crescent for their mid-day performance, but they played in full suits, under the sun a long 90 minute set and they still had another gig to attend at night at McKibbin's West Island! Good luck boys!!!

The day was gorgeous, the crowd was fun, everything was just perfect for a day of outdoor sightseeing. After the show, we went to Winnie's across the street to grab a bite with some friends and the band.

I'm wondering how things went at McKibbin's... I'm sure they did great (as they always do) but I'm expecting tomorrow to be a very slllllow day for my beloved guitarist...

Dishwasher Ramble

2006-08-21T18:56:00.001-04:00

Our new house is over 50 years old and never had a dishwasher installed. Things have to change. There is no way Brian and I will wash our dishes by hand eternally, certainly not after leaving a perfectly good dishwasher behind us for my brother to use!

The initial challenge was that our kitchen has lots of cabinets but they are completely full and necessary, and there is no space left for an regular dishwasher, only maybe a portable one.

Too bad we got rid of our brand new portable dishwasher in January, only months before knowing we would be moving out in June! Good timing Kagoux... very lucky...

After visiting a couple of places for appliances, we realized we would never waste our time ever again at Maison Ethier (St-Basile-Le-Grand) and would go directly to Corbeil Electroménagers (Brossard). The prices are better, the showroom has a lot more models and the staff is much better informed about their products.

After seeing the variety of portable dishwasher they had, we concluded that maybe it would be worth the effort of clearing one whole cabinet unit and installing a regular dishwasher instead of the portable types that are:

more expensive
more noisy
less efficient
less stylish

So, we dug in our pockets and invested in what we believe is a fancy dishwasher (the Kitchen Aid model shown right), convinced that it would be as simple as paying the bill and wait for the technician to come install it. Wrong.

The technician takes care of all necessary plumbing but nothing electrical, so it is our responsibility to make sure there is a 120V power outlet underneat the countertop.

~~Removing~~Destroying the unit required 1 person pulling the countertop upward while 2 others were pulling on the cabinets, lots of patience, pure strengh as well as a good jigsaw

So, now that the cabinet is out of its hole, we still need to appoint an electrician to come install the necessary power outlet AND saw the bottom part since the dishwasher won't be sitting on anything else than the floor...

Just when you think it's finally getting over, that all the boxes are cleared and the cabinet unit is out of the counter, you turn around and see the new mess : drawers sitting everywhere on the dining room floor, waiting for me to find them a new home!

Sounds like it's going to be a fun week... Washing the dishes manually was not that bad afterall !

The Show Must Go On!

2006-08-20T13:08:00.000-04:00

I went to see the Jello Shots tonight, at Brutopia downtown Montreal. The music was good and the crowd was most interesting...

An old enthusiast has managed to borrow Mark's mic during a song and stole the show with his improv "It's All About Love", which led a hip hop amateur to borrow the mic too!!! Overall, the song lasted a good 8 minutes 30 seconds and the musicians were taken hostages of their new singers.

How was it? I will let you be the judge:

Dailymotion blogged video
The show must go on!
Video sent by Jerrika

Bleezer to the rescue

2006-08-19T19:12:00.000-04:00

The big blogger that I am felt quite frustrated to be wasting a good 45 min. on the train, every morning and every night, with no access to internet, so I couldn't use the time to update my blogs!

For every problem related to computers, a solution exist somewhere on the web and can usually be found with a short search on Google.

Bleezer is a freeware (free software) that can be used to prepare your blog postings when you're offline. In my case, it allows me to maximize my time on the train to write, compose, correct, illustrate and translate my postings so that they can be uploaded to my blog in just a click or two the moment I get online.

This program could also prove very useful for travellers keeping a journal on their laptop. They can write as many posts as they want at the moment they want and then simply upload it all when they get internet access, even for a short duration.

It works with Blogger, Movable Type, WordPress and many more.

Technorati: bleezer blogging freeware

Pear

2006-08-17T20:48:00.000-04:00

Pear, originally uploaded by Jerrika.

I promised an update on the pears... Here it is!

New Camera - Meet the Victims

2006-08-17T00:41:00.000-04:00

My parents offered me a very nice digital camera as an early birthday present and I started experimenting a bit with it tonight...

Meet my happy victims:

Brian, practicing his guitar (above)

Tixie, recovering from an eye treatment (left) and Sam-Edward from two angles (middle and right)

Romeo, visibly not impressed with my new toy (above)

Aloha - Hawaiian Night

2006-08-16T12:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday August 19th at 9PM, come danse and party with us at Vieux Rosemont (5860 De Lorimier, Montreal) for the much awaited for Hawaiian Night.

$5

Bring your yukulele, coconuts and flower necklaces: it's gonna rock Hawaiian Style!

Back on track with YBB and WOWY!

2006-07-26T20:56:00.000-04:00

I gave a try to Yoga Booty Ballet (YBB) in February this year. I stuck religiously to the program for a nice 5 weeks and was enjoying the results, so WHY did I fell off the wagon?

I started the program when I was unemployed. When I started working again and my already busy evenings with the Canadian Swing Championships, Balboa ConneXion, le Club des activités branchées and my job search, I couldn't keep up with the workout routine anymore... Then, the opportunity to buy a house presented itself and I was trapped for a couple of months into the wheel of visits, negociation, preparation, moving, painting, renovating, etc.

Am I just making excuses? Probably. I guess I *could* have continued but it was easier at the time to just interrupt it and start seriously again when I can. THE TIME HAS COME.

ABOUT YBB
Yoga Booty Ballet is a full workout program of BeachBody composed of Yoga, Pilates, Ballet and cardiovascular. It targets the deadly stomach/hips/thighs section women hate so much, while keeping you focused on your goals with the help of meditation.

It comes in several tapes or DVD for the conveniency of working out from home.

MY SECRET WEAPON : WOWY

Being the social person that I am, working out from home - alone - can be very difficult. Especially finding the motivation and self-discipline to stick to the program and not cheat. A great tool that's made it possible for me is WOWY.

WOWY - Work Out With You (also provided by BeachBody) is a free online support system open to everyone who's serious about their workout.

Features:

Calendar of workouts
Personal Diary
Transformation tracker
Statistics
Online "gym"
Cooldown chatroom
Workout groups
Possibility to schedule your workout and find workout buddies who will care if you're not there ;)

Since I started back from scratch, today is day 3 of week 1 of my program. It means that for the third day in a row I worked out at YBB on WOWY and tomorrow is rest day! : )

If you wanna try WOWY, feel free to appoint me to one of your workouts, my username there is Jerrika.

If you're looking for workout DVDs but don't think Yoga Booty Ballet is the right for you, have a look at the other BeachBody products: they really have a program for everyone!

See you in the gym!

C-D-E-F-G-A-B...

2006-07-11T23:34:00.000-04:00

It's so good to hear the real notes (on pitch) on our new piano! Even if the piano is still in great condition, it probably hadn't been tuned for several years since some of the notes were more than half a tone too low!

As soon as I have a little bit more time for myself, I'm planning to go through all the musical parts I can find in the bench and will attempt to refresh my skills progressively.

11 years without a piano might sound painful at first... The tuner thought about it and made sure the middle pedal (used to soften and lower the volume) worked well so I can practice without bothering the whole neighbourhood!

Bye Bye Beloved Swatch!

2006-07-06T11:35:00.000-04:00

Those who have known me for a while know how passionate I am about Swatch watches. Even though I've never considered myself a true collector, one could, untill yesterday, count as many as 17 of them scattered in different drawers and boxes at home

My resolution : OUT!

Since I don't use most of them anymore, I've agreed to get rid of my unused watch inventory. To reward myself, I bought a new bracelet and polished the clock of my everyday Swatch so that it'll last me longer...

Pears...

2006-06-25T18:20:00.000-04:00

That's right! Our new back yard also includes a pear tree and the pears are already starting to enjoy some sun rays!

To be continued...

Happy Quebec National Day!

2006-06-25T17:44:00.000-04:00

Isn't he handsome? Here's a picture of my boyfriend, Brian, on Quebec National Day last weekend.

Who said patriotism couldn't be sharp-dressed?

We had a gorgeous day and had lunch outside under the trees of our new back yard. Moving into this house is a lot of work but it sure is worth every drop of sweat!

A Girl's Ramble

2006-06-09T22:19:00.000-04:00

If this post is qualified girl ramble it can only be about... men!

I presently work at Aon's new office downtown Montreal. I say "new" office because some of Aon employees are still at the "old" location, waiting to be moved.

Yesterday, I came back from lunch to find an "admirer" note on my desk...

The note said he had been watching me for the last two days prior to approaching me with the note. Then he signs his first name, and mentions he is the tall guy from the movers crew and left his phone number.

Surprised, flattered and then curious to know who the author of the note is, I have tried to see him in the halls where the crew spent some time earlier. But since yesterday at lunch time, the movers are nowhere to be found on our floor and I'm starting to think that it is probably why he wrote the note in the first place: knowing that he would soon be gone?

Too bad I didn't get a chance to talk directly to him... There's no way I would call this stranger only to let him know I'm already in a serious relationship! but I also feel awkward letting him wait to see if he'll get a call or not. I mean, the guy had the guts to leave a flattering note... doesn't he deserve a straight answer?

On June 21st, we GET OUT!

2006-06-09T22:05:00.000-04:00

It's official, the truck has been reserved: Wednesday June 21st is our moving day!

The countdown has started and untill then, I will be extremely difficult to contact. Internet will not be installed before a couple of weeks so don't be surprised to find me less often 'online' and see my blog getting dusty.

Last weekend's yard sale was a big hit and some customers promised to keep their eyes open for the second edition expected shortly after the moving day. Unfortunately, our success with the yard sale made the painting job a big flunk. I needed the guys' help all day on Saturday with the yard sale so we ended up doing a lot less painting than we thought.

Despise the delay with paint, Brian and I started to stay over at the house to better catch up on the painting and Romeo is already settled. There is still a lot to be done untill the 21st!

Yard Sale and Painting Party this Weekend!

2006-05-29T01:52:00.000-04:00

This Saturday June 3rd and Sunday June 4th, between 10AM and 5PM, come by 493 Helen Street in Otterburn Park to see our mega yard sale.

You can expect anything from bed matresses to lamps, tables, beads, dishes and a lot more!

No reasonable offer will be refused. Everything must go. You're sure to find something you like!

***ATTENTION*** We need extra help for painting a few rooms inside the house AND helping with the yard sale outside. If you want to help for one or the other, we offer free pizza and (cold) beer to all our helpers! Email me at jerrika@gmail.com to confirm your presence.

It sounds like Spring!

2006-05-23T23:23:00.000-04:00

Have you met Romeo yet? He's my siamese-mixed cat. Yesterday, he earned his name.

Romeo is about 7 years old now. When he arrived to my place 6 years and a half ago, he was neutered and has been enjoying the indoor life since then... with the exception of a few escapades he made from my bedroom window, which he found a way to push the screen out of its frame to clear his way out.

Since a couple of weeks now, it smells like Spring in our 2 bedrooms appartment. For a mysterious reason, Romeo seems to have developed the bad habit of marking his territory. Unfortunately for me, the indoor cat's territory happens to be constituted of curtains, bags against a wall, guitar case, etc.Yesterday night, he ran off another time through the window in our bedroom. Exhausted and upset, I decided to close the window, knowing that his "supper" had not been served yet and that he would be back begging for it soon. Brian and I confortably watched an episode (ar*hum... 3 episodes) of the serie "24" and forgot about him

Half-way through the second episode, we were hearing some complaining. "Voices" that were moaning and almost grunting! At first, I thought it could be kids or teens teasing each other on the boardwalk near our window but after a few repetitions, my curiosity had the best of me and I went to the window to find... a short black haired pussycat that flew away as soon as she saw me ...and Romeo who was calmly walking towards me so I could let him in!!!

Last thing I wanna do is starting rumors, but it is certain that my "half-male" cat has recently found his inner self, and that, neutered or not, Spring fever has revived his most primal instincts!

Speaking about flowers... see OURS!

2006-05-12T14:43:00.000-04:00

In my last post I showed you flowers from downtown Montreal and said the apple trees and lilacs were still taking their time to bloom.

Wait no longer! I have pictures of the crabapple tree and the macintosh apple tree on our new house freshly taken this morning. Apparently, it will be a good year for the lilac on the other side of the house as well... pictures will come in time.

"our" macintosh apple tree in bloom

"our" Crabapple tree in bloom

It's My Turn To Make You Jealous

2006-05-08T22:53:00.000-04:00

Alright, the picture is small and the resolution is as bad as the best I could get out of my cell phone today in the late afternoon.

In any case, there's no tropical paradise that can compete with the beauty of the soft Spring in Montreal when all the trees get overwhelmed with flowers from which emane a divine scent.

There's a lot more to come! Think about the apple trees and lilacs that are still making us await their bloom!!!

(picture taken behind Place-des-Arts, Montreal)

And yet another contract!

2006-05-08T09:43:00.000-04:00

Temporary workers ususally need to have strong nerves and a stronger than average ability to adapt to new environments and situations in order to deal with the fear of the unknown and emptiness associated with the beginning and ending of every mandate.

Fortunately for me, the job market has a lot to offer in the moment.

Since the completion of my last mandate as an executive assistant in March, I immediately started on a new project as a department secretary in April finishing today. Tomorrow, I'm starting in a new division of the same company and for a minimum of one month duration with a possibility of becoming permanent. Moreover, this time I had the choice between this mandate and another one similar but at a lower rate (wage).

We can't really say I was unemployed for a long time… and since I started accepting short mandates, I haven't been out of a job for a single day!

My secret? I use the help of a temporary personnel agency.

Obviously, as with anything else, different agencies offer different levels of customer service, quality and specialize in different types of jobs or to a specific industry.

Here is a non exhaustive list of a few personnel agencies recognized for administrative work in the Montreal area:

Working with an agency

Identification of our goals: the first step into achieving any project is always to identify our objectives.

Desired type of work?
Minimum and maximum duration desired?
Maximum acceptable distance (transportation)
Salary expectations?

Resume creation or update
Registering with an agency

Calling the agency : call an agency and ask to speak to a consultant for temporary administrative work. Ask him/her how to submit your resume and insist for meeting with him/her for an interview.
The tests:normally, when you show up for the interview, you will be asked to complete a number of tests depending on the type of work for which you seem qualified. The most popular ones are: French and English grammar, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, typing speed and data entry (keypunch and alphanumerical). The most versatile you are, the longer you will be there! A 30 minutes period is allocated to every test. The results will help determine your strengths and weaknesses in order to place you in positions you can shine in!
The interview: a 30 minutes interview will allow the consultant to better understand your work experience, your goals and expectations. The ideal candidate will be dressed in a corporate/classic fashion, will have a clean speech and a confident attitude. Be prepared to explain every rupture in the dates on your resume as well as the reason for the termination of every past employment.
The follow-up: after the interview, it is important to maintain a good contact with the person who met with you, so she does not forget who you are. It is usually recommended to call in once a week to see if she got new mandates that would fit your profile. Ask which day of the week is the best to phone for your follow-ups.

BBQ season is open!

2006-05-01T10:36:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, the weather was simply unbelievable. We had the nicest blue sky, a very soft breeze and a radiant sun.

Unfortunately for him, Brian was enslaved by his school project which is due sometime this week... So he decided to catch a few sunrays by working outside, on the terasse.

In the meanwhile, I went with my good neighbour "Pôlin" to Costco to have the propane bottle filled and we organised a nice barbecue dinner. Katherine prepared a salad, Pôlin took care of the BBQ cooking, and I was in charge of setting the table, preparing lemonade and making sure nobody needs anything. What a great night!

BBQ season is officially open!

Language Reconstruction

2006-04-28T12:36:00.000-04:00

I started to be annoyed at posting twice the same exact message on my blog just to offer the text in both languages...

Not that it was too much of an effort to do it, but I thought it was inefficient and repetitive for most of my friends who are fluent in both languages to see twice as much text as they needed AND for those who only understand English or French, it must have been quite annoying having to scroll and search for the section they will understand.

This is the end of this old era. I now created another blog called Le Boudoir de Jerrika, which is going to reflect exactly the same posts as I have here in The Lounge, only, everything will be in French. I am trying to implement a system in which you can access the French blog from the top of the page and/or switch the language of any post by clicking the French or English link at the bottom of the post.

Thank you for your patience, understanding, and bug reporting during the reconstruction!

6th May's Performance

2006-04-27T14:50:00.000-04:00

On Saturday May 6th, come and see the greatest competitors in Quebec, right here in downtown Montreal !

As soon as 8PM, come by for the Move of the Month, taught by mystery guests from Quebec City... Bring your friends and family too, because there will be an intro to swing lesson given simultaneously by teachers from Swing ConneXion !

At 9PM, it's Showtime! Our guest artists include:

Zack Richard & Maryse Lebeau, founders of Swing ConneXion, Canadian Champions since 2003, guest teachers around the world;
Balboa ConneXion, the brand-new Montreal-based Balboa team;
Benjamin Ricard & Geneviève Kérouac, World Lindy Hop Champions 2005, directors of Port-O-Swing in Quebec City and aerials specialists;
QCX, from both Quebec City and Montreal, formed with the cream of the dancers from both cities;
and many other dancers who will show you their best, before taking it out on the competition dance floor in Canada and elsewhere in 2006! Some of them are seasoned competitors; others will star in their first show on May 6th.

Come and encourage them all, because competition is an expensive dream, and getting quality Quebec representation outside of the borders is... priceless !

After the show, wind out, dance, and let the good times roll with the music of Zack Richard and Swing and the City (exceptionally moved from Thursday to Saturday). At 10:30PM, discover a brand-new SCX initiative: the Battlefield. For the first edition, two teams were drawn out from a pool of volunteers, and will be put face to face on May 6th. Who will win? You be the judge. What's the prize? Glory, and the love of the people!

If you have any more energy afterwards, the night is not over: get yourself to the Jazz Hot (372 Cremazie E) and their live band for a night of dancing... Get there with your fundraiser ticket and get in for only $5 !

GETTING YOUR HANDS ON TICKETS:
You can get your tickets from ME through one of 2 options:

Email me at jerrika@gmail.com to make arrangements if you want to pay me in person and so I can hand you the tickets directly.
Click on the Paypal button below to pay for the desired number of tickets and write the name under which you would like the tickets to be kept at the front desk on May 6th. Don't forget to bring an ID to identify yourself !!! :)

This is an ideal place to bring your friends and family who want to discover what swing is !

QUICK DETAILS:

Where: Victoria Gym (1822 Maisonneuve W, Montreal, QC)
When: Saturday May 6th, 8PM
How much: $10 in advance, $12 at the door

ClamXav for Mac OSX and virus issues

2006-04-26T22:13:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd never have to run a virus scanner on my computer again when I bought my iBook last year. While it's true that viruses that attack Mac OSX are fewer than those attacking the different versions of Windows, after receiving tons of emails from fans every day, you're bound to catch something eventually...

For some reason, yesterday was the day.

I receive my emails from 3 accounts into my Mail application via pop3. One of them is rarely used because it's one of those ugly emails provided by my ISP and I have a few old subscriptions that still get in through that email. I received 3 emails in there yesterday.... over 900 times!!! Imagine: 989 new emails in your inbox and all you can find in it are tons of carbon copies of the same 3 emails you didn't need to receive in the first place!

I came across ClamXav today and thought I would give it a try. So far, so good. The software is free(donationware), open-source, and acclaimed by Mac Update with a good 4.5 stars out of 5. Since I'm scanning the whole laptop for a potential virus, it should take some time to scan.

Untill now, nothing has been discovered. I'll keep you informed.

About my new car

2006-04-15T13:01:00.000-04:00

A Toyota Camry 1991 = 1$
Car insurance for a year = 150$
License & immatriculation = 144$
1/2 tank of "super" gas = 40$
New car battery = 94$
Oil change = 20$

The autonomy to go where you want, when you want = priceless.

Coin Rolls & Flip

2006-04-06T22:10:00.000-04:00

Dailymotion blogged video
Coin Rolls & Flip
Video sent by zhirou

That's what I call BODY ISOLATION!!!

That's it! I'll start practicing tonight! ;)

Photos de la nouvelle maison

2006-04-01T22:38:00.000-05:00

Voici quelques photos de la maison, tel que promis!

C'est confirmé: on va être de vrais Otterburnois!

2006-03-31T13:17:00.000-05:00

Ça y est! Sortez tambour et trompettes: le couple Cascarano-Quenneville va s'approprier une jolie maison à palliers multiples d'Otterburn Park.

Pour les curieux... Je me suis procuré des images satellites de l'endroit (euh... non, non, pas de rumeurs, c'est pas Brian qui a ramené ça du bureau!).

La maison est celle sur le coin Nord de Helen et Ozias-Leduc, l'immeuble juste derrière contient une pharmacie et un vidéo
Vue des rues avoisinantes
Celle-ci donne une idée de la proximité du mont St-Hilaire et des terres agricoles de l'autre côté

À venir: photos intérieures de la maison! :)

Première maison

2006-03-29T09:44:00.000-05:00

Après plusieurs années à jeter de l'argent par les fenêtres à chaque mois dans le loyer de mon 4 et demi de la Rive-Sud, il est normal de commencer à souhaiter pouvoir troquer mon appartement pour une propriété qui me permettrait éventuellement d'aller rechercher une partie de mes paiements mensuels lors de sa vente.

Par contre, une maison ça coûte pas mal plus cher que mon 4 et demi. Donc le projet d'acheter n'était pas prévu pour cette année mais plutôt d'ici 2 ans.

Voilà maintenant que la maison de la grand-mère de Brian appartient conjointement à son père et sa tante (par succession) et qu'elle serait à vendre, à Otterburn Park (près de Beloeil).

Hier, nous sommes allés souper avec lesdits propriétaires afin de voir leur ouverture à la possibilité de s'entendre sur un prix sans l'intermédiaire d'un agent immobilier. Horreur et surprise: l'évaluateur venait tout juste de rendre son rapport qui statuait que la maison pourrait se vendre 196 000$ sur le marché ouvert!

Première réaction: c'est beaucoup trop cher. Deuxième réaction: c'est trop cher. Troisième réaction: comment pourrait-on faire baisser le prix dans une zone plus abordable pour un premier achat? Arriverons-nous à nous entendre sur un prix convenable?

Évidemment, la maison nous intéresse beaucoup. Elle n'exigerait pas de rénovations majeures, est située près de plusieurs services, sur un coin de rue d'un quartier résidentiel tranquille. Des arbres fruitiers arborent la grande cour arrière et l'espace intérieur nous permettrait finalement d'avoir un coin réservé pour la danse et l'entraînement.

Cette projection n'est-elle qu'un rêve qui s'envolera dès les négociations entamées?

Cours de jive avec Paul Mako

2006-03-28T16:48:00.000-05:00

Ça fait longtemps que vous en demandez, ça y est Paul Mako est finalement de retour pour vous offrir, avec sa partenaire Jenny Bismuth, des cours de jive de qualité pour débutants !

PAUL MAKO
Paul a découvert le jive en 1998 et a marqué la scène montréalaise de plus d'une façon. Cet ancien co-propriétaire du Swing Ring (aussi connu sous le nom de Club 48) a dailleurs formé plusieurs excellents danseurs tels que Adam G. Duff, Stéphane "Jiver" Collin et Benjamin Ricard et a offert des ateliers à Québec et Montréal. Au fil des ans, il s'est perfectionné et a développé un style unique duquel émane une inspiration à la fois swing et salsa. On le reconnaît pour son style et sa créativité débordante qui lui permet d'innover avec de nouveaux mouvements sur une base continue.

Paul et Émilie en 2000 au Swing Ring
Les cours:

Quand: les Jeudi de 19h à 21h, débutant le 13 avril 2006.
Où: Studio Swing ConneXion
Combien: Seulement 140$ par personne pour 8 semaines de cours (16 heures)
Comment: envoyez votre nom, numéro de téléphone et le rôle que vous désirez apprendre (cavalier ou cavalière) à jerrika@gmail.com. Les paiements peuvent être faits: par carte de crédit (Visa, Mastercard) ou débit (via PayPal en cliquant sur le bouton ci-dessous), ou en argent comptant lors du premier cours.

*notez que les frais de PayPal (environ 3%) seront ajoutés au montant de votre inscription.

Jive for Beginners with Paul Mako

2006-03-28T11:12:00.000-05:00

You've been expecting it for a while and it's now happening: Paul Mako is finally back to offer you, with the help of his partner Jenny Bismuth, quality jive courses for beginners!

PAUL MAKO
Paul has discovered jive in 1998 and has left his footstep in the Motnreal scene in more ways than one. Indeed, this former co-owner of the Swing Ring (a.k.a Club 48) has also taught jive to several excellent dancers you know, namely Adam G. Duff, Stéphane "Jiver" Collin, and Benjamin Ricard and gave several workshops in Quebec city and Montreal. Throughout the years, he developped and mastered a very unique style from which we can feel an inspiration from swing and salsa. He is known for his incredible style and creativity which allow him to innovate with new moves constantly.

Paul with Emilie at the Swing Ring in 2000
The classes:

When: Thursdays from 7PM to 9PM, starting on April 13th
Where: Swing ConneXion Studio
How much: Only $140 per person for 8 weeks (16 hours in total)
How: email your name, phone number and the role you want to learn (lead or follow) to jerrika@gmail.com. Payments can be made by PayPal (Visa, MasterCard accepted) or in cash at the door.

*Please note that PayPal fees (approx. 3%) will be added to the registration price.

Un p'tit 5$ pour encourager vos champions? $5 to help us win the US Open?

2006-03-24T11:35:00.000-05:00

All Bal Team - 2e place au US Open 2005
All Bal Team - 2nd place at US Open 2005

Je m'entraîne au sein d'une troupe de danse appellée Balboa ConneXion et anciennement connue sous le nom du SAF All Bal Team (voir photo ci-haut). Cette année encore, nous avons besoin de la contribution de tous nos supporters pour pouvoir participer à la compétition du US Open à Anaheim, CA du 23 au 26 novembre 2006. I train with a dance troupe called Balboa ConneXion formerly the SAF All Bal Team (see picture above). This year again, we need all the help we can get from our supporters to organise this trip to the US Open in Anaheim, California from november 23rd to 26th 2006.

Je vous invite donc à faire un p'tit don directement à l'aide de PayPal, qui m'aidera à payer billet d'avion et hôtel pour ce séjour chez nos voisins californiens en cliquant sur le bouton ci-dessous. You can use the button below to make a small donation through PayPal, which will help me cover the transportation and hotel costs for these couple of days in California.

Merci de votre générosité! Toute aide est grandement appréciée.
Thank you for your support! Every amount counts and is greatly appreciated.

*Si vous voulez être listé parmi la liste des contributeurs, ajoutez l'information désirée(nom, site web, etc.) dans les commentaires ou notes additionnelles lors du paiement**If you want to be listed in the contributors list, make sure to send your info (name, website, etc) in the notes section of your payment.*

Accrochez-vous solidement aux palmiers!

2006-03-24T09:11:00.000-05:00

Vous voyez le petit point écrit Nouméa? C'est la capitale de la Nouvelle-Calédonie et c'est en plein là que mes parents habitent, parmi les cagoux. Pas trop loin du cyclone hein?

Papa, maman, accrochez-vous solidement aux palmiers!

Can you see the small dot with Noumea written on it? That's New Caledonia's capital and that's exactly where my parents live. Not too far from the twister heh?

Dad, mom, please hang on to the palm trees!

Heeeeee Haaaaaaa!

2006-03-23T10:51:00.000-05:00

Samedi le 8 avril, c'est la fête à Nadine pis on va fêter ça à la Western!

Avec les costumes encouragés, ça promet d'être beau! Il me reste donc 2 semaines pour me trouver un costume western... HELP!

Saturday, April 8th is Nadine's birthday and we're celebrating it Western style!

With the costume rule being in effect it promises to be quite a night to remember but that leaves me with 2 weeks to find one for me... HELP!!!

Enlightening video about 9/11!

2006-03-22T09:10:00.000-05:00

Merci à Crystelle pour m'avoir envoyé ce video ce matin
Thanks to Crystelle who sent me this link this morning

Time to shed it off.../C'est le temps de perdre tout ça!

2006-03-21T09:17:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of my cat Romeo. Romeo is a siamese mix with rather long and thick hair. Every year, when Spring arrives I try to get him a good trim so he doesn't lose all of it on my couch and rug... It's about time to make an appointment for this year! Stay posted to see the 'after' picture sometime soon...

Ceci est une photo de mon chat Roméo. Roméo est un chat croisé siamois avec un pelage plutôt long et épais. Chaque année lorsque le printemps arrive, j'essaie de le faire tondre pour empêcher que le plus gros ne tombe sur mes meubles et tapis... Il commence à être temps d'y penser pour cette année! Une photo 'après tonte' sera disponible sous peu...

ils m'énervent!!!

2006-03-21T08:42:00.000-05:00

Ben oui! C'est de mes parents que je parle!

Pendant que le Québec tout entier essaie de se remmettre des temps gris et froids (bon printemps tout le monde!), moi je reçois des photos que mes parents prennent dans leur quotidien en Nouvelle-Calédonie.

Bon c'est sûr que j'aime bien avoir de leurs nouvelles et voir ce qui les entoure là-bas... mais je suis verte de jalousie!!! Moi aussi j'veux plonger avec des poissons de toutes les couleurs et voir des gros voiliers se stationner devant chez moi! Je partage quelques-unes des dites photos qui m'on fait baver dernièrement...

Pour en savoir plus sur la Nouvelle-Calédonie, visitez Nouvelle-Calédonie Tourisme-Sud

Jordan Officer @ Verre Bouteille

2006-03-21T00:59:00.000-05:00

onight was my first time at the Verre Bouteille... It's a nice, relaxed atmosphere in the middle of the Plateau.

Marc-André, François and I entered the place not knowing where to go: the room was PACKED. Even more so than at the Howlin' Hound Dogs' CD launch last week if that's possible! We manage to steal Nathalie's spot as she leaves and wait for Jason Officer to return for a second set.

My first impression of Jason when he starts playing: I must be looking at a full-size picture of him and a CD player is hidden behind him... The guy plays like crazy but only his fingers move!!! No head, no facial expression, no body movement, NADA! It is very unusual because the crowd is going crazy for him...

People are cheering, screaming, standing and paying close attention to his every note. What a great guitarist he is! With his very distinctive guitar sound and soothing voice I could definitely listen to him for hours without the need to change the CD.

I just don't know how long I would watch him on t.v. if the sound was off! ; )

Loft Story - les voleurs de biscuits

2006-03-09T15:04:00.000-05:00

Dailymotion blogged video
Voleurs de biscuits
Video sent by Loft_Story_Quebec

Mon coup de coeur de la semaine à Loft Story2: Mathieu et Etienne ont volé les biscuits d'Elisabetta... mais comme chaque fois que Mathieu essaie de se la couler douce, il s'est fait prendre par le maître du jeu!

Bon bon bon, je l'avoue je suis une accro de Loft Story! Et il me semble que cette 2e édition est encore meilleure que la 1ère... Néanmois, faut tout de même avouer qu'on s'ennuie de la Mélanie-chialeuse-nationale!

Comme vous l'avez peut-être deviné, Mathieu c'est mon préféré... je lui reconnais un p'tit côté présent dans ma famille et c'est pas sa coiffure! ;)

Photos - Nuit Blanche avec le CDAB

2006-03-08T17:12:00.000-05:00

Un gros merci à Jiver007 pour ses photos!

Cat By Tail CD Launch this Saturday

2006-03-07T11:26:00.000-05:00

The Howlin' Hound Dogs are launching their latest album 'Cat by Tail' this coming Saturday, March 11th, at Bar l'Escogriffe. The night starts at 10PM.

The four piece band is known for its authentic 50's style rockabilly sound and energy.

L'Escogriffe
4467A St-Denis (near Mont-Royal)
Cover: $5
CDs available for $15

SEE YOU THERE!!!

Liste des contributeurs

2006-03-01T15:41:00.000-05:00

Voici les gens qui ont fait des dons pour me permettre de participer aux US Open 2006 avec l'équipe de Balboa ConneXion, à Anaheim en Californie.

25$ Anthony Presidente
10$ Evans Tremblay
10$ Guillaume Drouin
5$ Nadine Lauzon
----
50$ Total

Merci encore de votre support!!! :)

A New Yahoo Group: Montreal Jive

2006-02-28T17:40:00.000-05:00

I'm a part of several Yahoo Groups already, namely:

SwingMtl (for everything that swings in Montreal)
Rockin' (for rockin' events internationally)
Montreal Hepcat Movement (everything rockabilly in Montreal)
Rockabilly_tunes (rockabilly music exchange group)
McGill Swing (McGill Swing Kids)

So why create a new one for jivers? Simply because, ever since I was involved in the jive and swing scene of Montreal about 6 years and half ago now, I saw how the two distinct crowds do not mix that much.

Of course, there are always the few crossovers like Jiver007 and me, but we are a minority. Basically, the swing dancers interested in jive never end up on the Montreal Hepcat Movement group and the rockabillies who enjoy jiving never join or read the SwingMtl group either. The jivers are so few in Montreal that if only 1% of the swingmtl list is about jive, why would the jivers receive all the other emails that don't interest them?

By creating a channel for jivers, I hope to raise a sense of unity among jivers from both backgrounds without them needing to join the other group if it doesn't interest them. Welcome to Montreal Jive!

Click to join mtl_jive

Le CDAB, c'est quoi?

2006-02-27T16:11:00.000-05:00

Qu'est-ce que le CDAB?

Un organisme à but non lucratif consituté de danseurs bénévoles qui organisent, à chaque mois, des Activités Branchées et le Swing en Partage. Une initiative de l'école Swing Connexion.

Les Activités Branchées

Un club social qui permet aux danseurs de la scène swing montréalaise de se rencontrer socialement dans un cadre autre que la danse.
Rafting, soirée de quilles, fête de Noël, etc. toutes les idées sont bonnes, envoyez-nous vos suggestions!
En mars = Nuit Blanche

Le Swing en Partage

Chaque mois, l'équipe de Swing en Partage rassemble un nombre de danseurs bénévoles pour aller danser devant des gens qui en ont besoin, pour leur redonner le sourire.
Un groupe différent est ciblé à chaque mois.
En mars = les enfants malades

Samedi le 4 mars: Nuit Blanche avec le CDAB!

2006-02-22T17:20:00.000-05:00

Dans la nuit de samedi 4 mars à dimanche 5 mars, on fait le party au studio de Swing Connexion, avec le Club des activités branchées!

À l'horaire:

Animation de jeux (style La Fureur) en début de soirée par Caro & Véro
Plusieurs jeux vidéos - Xbox, Playstation, Game Cube, NES (oui, oui le dinosaure!)
Concours Dance Dance Revolution
Concours des plus belles pantoufles
Vieux films de swing sur projecteur
Divers jeux de sociétés - Sudoku, Twister, Cranium, Monopoly et bien d'autres!

Quand? Samedi, 4 mars 2006. Ouverture des portes à 21h00
Où? Studio Swing Connexion, 7250 rue Clark, 3e étage, 514-993-1231
Combien? 4$ en prévente, 5$ à la porte
Pour qui? Petits et grands (pas d'alcool), danseurs et amis qui ont envie de veiller tard et déjeuner en gang le lendemain!
Quoi apporter? Votre matelas de sol, oreiller, sac de couchage (si vous pensez dormir), pyjama ainsi que vos plus belles pantoufles!

Du pop-corn et des rafraîchissements seront à votre disposition pendant la nuit et croissants et fruits seront servis pour déjeuner le lendemain!

J'ai encore plein de billets à vendre: réservez votre(vos) place(s) dès maintenant en m'envoyant un email à

Soirée porto & chocolat de la chambre de commerce

2006-02-21T12:48:00.000-05:00

En ordre: Luc-Étienne (LEGZ), Marie-Josée, Luc, Marie-Hélène, Marie-Élizabeth(GoofySwings), Robin et moi(Jerrika).

Quel bon temps nous avons passé jeudi dernier à la soirée porto et chocolat de la chambre de commerce!

Voici la p'tite histoire qui explique comment 7 danseurs de swing se sont retrouvés là...

Luc-Étienne travaille avec les organisateurs de cet événement. Ses collègues savaient qu'il dansait le swing et lui ont demandé s'il connaissait des gens qui pourraient venir faire un petit spectacle, rien de trop compliqué. Évidemment, Luc-Étienne a sauté sur l'occasion pour faire un appel à tous sur le yahoo group de swingmtl et nous y avons répondu.

Un groupe de musiciens avait été embauché pour l'occasion. Il ont joué des airs jazz toute la soirée au grand bonheur d'un public de plus en plus joyeux (vive le porto!).

Je n'ai pas su le nom du groupe mais pour me faire pardonner j'ai mis leur photo juste ici et si vous les connaissez, vous n'avez qu'à me dire leur nom pour que je leur donne le crédit qui leur revient.

Le spectacle: pas très compliqué, en effet. Nous avons en fait dansé socialement (improvisation) sur quelques airs connus, interprétés par le groupe de musiciens ci-haut.

Nous étions 7 danseurs, donc il y avait contamment une personne qui dansait seule en attendant les changements de partenaire. Sur la photo ci-contre, Marie-Élizabeth était probablement en train de danser un charleston en solo pendant notre danse sociale à 3 couples.

Nous avons terminé notre présentation avec un 'jam', mettant en vedette un couple à la fois sur le célèbre air de "Sing Sing Sing":

Luc-Étienne et sa femme Marie-Josée

Luc Rivet et Marie-Élizabeth Lebrun

Luc-Étienne et Marie-Hélène

Robin et moi (et oui, on m'a coupé la tête!)

Les gens ont tellement aimé le spectacle, que Robin s'est laissé convaincre de donner un rapide cours de base à tout le monde présent, gracieuseté du Studio88Swing!

Héhéhé, avoir su qu'on aurait eu tant de succès, je suis convaincue qu'il aurait apporté plus de cartes d'affaires avec lui!

Félicitations au organisateurs pour une soirée bien réussie et en espérant vous revoir l'année prochaine!

The Devil's Hotrod Rocked the Wheel Club Yesterday!!!

2006-02-19T13:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday night was the big Red Hot & Blue fundraiser night at the Wheel Club, featuring the Devil's Hotrod and Miss Oui Oui Encore!

It was the first time I saw the Devil's Hotrod live in action, and let me tell you there was a lot of heat on stage! Here is the only decent picture I was able to take from my cell phone to immortalize the moment.

I couldn't find a website about the band, but I found a much better picture of $leepy, the double-bassist (shown right). This musician certainly has style and talent! you should see him manoeuver with the huge double-bass and ride it like a bull while playing!!!

Nathalie Lavergne (Happy Birthday Nat!) made a big announcement at the end of the night that the Devil's Hotrod were going to play at the Red Hot & Blue Weekend, in St-Hyacinthe, October 2006. A show not to be missed!

Miss Oui Oui Encore! has got the crowd's attention in between the Devil's Hotrod's first and second sets. What does she do exactly?

Strip tease!

With her cats' eyes and furry ears, this pussy cat was dancing playfully to a sassy retro song and was wearing less and less as the song was moving forward...

Did she take it all off? I won't tell you! But if you want to see for yourself, check out the Blue Light Burlesque's next public appearance on the troupe's official website, where you can also find information about taking burlesque classes and appointing her for bachelorette parties.

iSquint to the rescue

2006-02-17T12:33:00.000-05:00

Remember my post about the new video iPod? The real problem I found with it was with the difficulty to convert regular video files into iPod compatible videos files with QuickTime Pro, which had to be purchased to have the conversion option...

I found an alternative to purchasing QuickTime Pro yesterday and I've converted all my video files easily since.

iSquint is a simple, yet efficient and FREE software that lets you drag and drop your selection of video files to convert, choose the quality level desired as well as format (iPod or TV monitor).

Features:

Conversion is many times faster than QuickTime Pro
iSquint is free
Possibility to convert a list of files in one step
Simple, user-friendly interface
Automatically adds the converted files to iTunes for easy synchronizing with the video iPod
Requires Mac OS X

Valentine Rockabilly Picture

2006-02-14T04:32:00.000-05:00

Feel the luuuuuuv baby!

Happy Valentine's Day !!!Photo credits: KillToKnow.org

Any jivers NOT going to the Red Hot and Blue fundraiser next Saturday?

2006-02-13T04:24:00.000-05:00

If you are in a band and would like to play to the 2006 edition of
the weekender, send a mail (and a promo kit!) info@rockabillyjam.com

***NEW! BENEFIT CONCERT***
Saturday Feb 18th
Wheel Club 3373 Cavendish (south of Sherbrooke Street), Montreal
Come and support the festival!
Only 10$

With
DJ CUSTUM PAT
THE DEVIL'S HOT ROD
and more bands to be announced soon!

ps: come and celebrate Nathalie's bday as well!

Super timor

2006-02-11T20:07:00.000-05:00

Dailymotion blogged video
Super timor
Video sent by morvanus

super timor est encore plus fort, avec sa nouvelle formule!

tunak tunak attitude!

2006-02-11T19:51:00.000-05:00

Dailymotion blogged video
tunak tunak attitude
Video sent by a3mtek

Look at this guy's energy!!!

He's so into it! I can't understand a single word in this song but I figured one of the guys is not very happy at some point.

My favorite moments: Mr. Earth's smile after hitting the ground & The 3 guys sitting on the sand and dancing like cobras.

Enjoy!

Moskau

2006-02-11T19:45:00.000-05:00

Dailymotion blogged video
Moskau
Video sent by ptipimousse

Sorry guys if your were expecting more text content on this blog but I'm totally getting addicted to DailyMotion and the possibility to show you some really funny clips and commercials.

This is a kind of 'Village People', RUSSIAN style!

Enjoy!

Videoblogging made easier with DailyMotion

2006-02-09T01:38:00.000-05:00

I was looking for a way to post videos directly into my Blogger blog, and since Blogger does not allow storage for anything but text and pictures, I had to look for outside hosting.

I'm a cheap girl. So if I'm gonna use a web service for personal entertainment, it's gotta be free. Not only is DailyMotion free, it is also AD-FREE. No saving the file to your computer, no relocating you onto an outside website for download. Look at the example below to see how simple and convenient it is.

Dailymotion blogged video
Amazing Breakdance
Video sent by diabolo013

This video hosting, sharing and managing tool let's you upload your own videos (up to 150Mb per video), share them with the world, search their video database and post them directly onto your blog like this one here.

Sounds simple? Try it and let me know what you think!

TickerFactory helps you keep track of... whatever!

2006-02-08T02:17:00.000-05:00

I discovered this cute little convenient signature from TickerFactory today. It let you count down to a date or to a goal and keeps track of your progress... It can be used in discussion boards and forums, emails, blogs, etc. Basically, anywhere you can use HTMl or BB code.

Here are two example tickers I made for my personal goals:

This one keeps track of my progress in doing the Yoga Booty Ballet -10 weeks plan

This other one counts the pounds I've shed off by sticking to the program.

Grab your own ticker and have fun customizing it the way you want!

New Haircut/Nouvelle coupe

2006-02-07T18:08:00.000-05:00

Yep! that is me, today, picture taken with the help of my Nokia cell phone. That's why the quality is so poor!

Basically, I was going to get a new haircut with bangs so here is a preview of what it looks like.

Do I look tired? I am. I didn't sleep well at all yesterday night so the tiredness is kicking me now!

I guess this picture can count as the Rockabilly Picture of the day as well...

-----------------------

Maintenant pour ceux qui parlent français et qui veulent une meilleure idée de la longueur que j'ai fait enlever, voici une deuxième image, prise aujourd'hui.

Bon, l'éclairage n'est pas terrible mais j'ai fait avec les moyens du bord, alors voilà!

C'est tout une changement avec les 15 cm de cheveux qu'elle m'a enlevé!!!

Il va vraiment falloir que je m'y fasse...

About Google Adsense...

2006-02-07T02:20:00.000-05:00

If you visited my blog in the last two weeks, so might have noticed the appearance of Google banners here and there. This program is called Adsense.

Basically, there are 3 parts in Google Adsense...

Google search
Targeted banners
Sponsorship

I'm having some trouble with Google search: If you look on your upper left corner, I added a little google search bar. Everything seems to work fine if you search the web. However, it can't seem to find anything on my own page as it should. If anyone know why, let me know by posting a comment, it will be much appreciated!

The targeted banners work in a different way. The system reads the content of my blog and associates it with advertisement containing as many similar keywords as my blog. In other words, if all I talk about is fashion, you should not be bothered with some random ads about online gambling or penis enlargers because their keywords will certainly not match mine! The more readers click (YES THAT MEANS "YOU") the more these guys will pay me for having advertised their sites. Simple. Easy. But you need a lot of clicks to make some $, so keep clicking! :D

The sponsorship works in yet another way. You see the Firefox and Adsense white banners on the left side? Everytime someone downloads firefox from my link, I get 1$ for that. I don't really understand how they make money out of this one because, between you and me, Firefox is not only the best browser for the web... it is also FREE to download!!! So where does Google find the 1$ they pay me? I don't know... If you do, you can leave the answer as a comment.

Now, if you have a blog or a website and would like to cover your hosting fees by adding some simple advertisement, try Adsense by Google, but most importantly, click on my Adsense link to register. As a referrer, I will touch a commission as soon as you receive your first payment of 100$ and it will not affect your own earnings.

Bottomline: you click on the links, you make money, I make money, we're both happy!

Rockabilly Picture of the Day

2006-02-03T11:07:00.000-05:00

don't dance, originally uploaded by DeadAirLou.

Lovely rockabilly couple.

Great pictures say it all, so why am I always trying to add a description text when no words can describe best than what you see on the picture itself?

Enjoy!

J'ai triché/I cheated

2006-02-03T10:34:00.000-05:00

Aujourd'hui est ma 2e journée de jeûne et j'ai une confession à faire: j'ai triché. Un peu.

Mon jeûne consiste en 3 repas par jour, chaque repas étant limité à 8oz d'un jus fraîchement pressé d'un légume de la liste OU 8oz d'un jus DILUÉ d'un fruit de la liste.

Mon souper = 8oz de jus d'orange... NON DILUÉ. Ça peut sonner idiot, mais je me sens tout de même coupable... Je vais essayer de passer au travers de ma 2e journée sans tricher!

---------------

Today is my 2nd day of fasting and I have a confession to make: I cheated. Just a little.

My fast consist of 3 meals a day, every meal being a 8oz glass of freshly squeazed juice of a given vegetable OR 8oz of WATERED DOWN juice of a given fruit.

My dinner = 8oz of NON diluted orange juice. It might a little silly but I feel guilty about it... I will try to do better today and not cheat at all on my 2nd day!

Rockabilly Picture of the Day

2006-02-01T14:28:00.000-05:00

Sara_BODacious2, originally uploaded by greyhound808.

This is one of the best pictures I've seen so far. What a great model!

2 words: Big and Beautiful!

Just Do It!

2006-02-01T05:01:00.000-05:00

Sounds like a Nike advertisment? Well it isn't.

You see a couple of days ago, I was seduced by a new workout/body shaping program I saw on t.v. and I impulsively made the call to order it. Now the package arrived home and I don't know where to start. Or maybe I just don't really want to start.

My fears include:

Counting calories
Weighing food : I don't have a food scale, I don't even have a person scale!
Rediscover a military-like discipline
Measuring my own body parts
Having someone take my 'before' shot
Cheating in the process

The program is called Yoga Booty Ballet and incorporates elements and benefits from yoga, ballet, hip hop and cabaret dancing (I can never get enough dancing!), musculation and cardio.

It starts with a 2 days of fasting, moves on to an intensive 7 days of controlled diet and exercise twice a day and can be maintained with a lighter, more moderate program during the rest of the year.

First things first: opening the package
Everything seems normal at first.

Then, I realise I was shipped the DVDs instead of the VHS tapes I had ordered. This wouldn't be too bad because I can read the DVDs from my laptop about just anywhere I want, but I was planning to see it on the t.v. screen in my bedroom...

When I read the little booklet of information about what is supposed to be included in the package, nothing is explained about the hip hop and the cabaret DVDs and I'm supposed to have another 2 yoga tapes Basics and Advanced... Oh, wait, these are all included under the same DVD, so I guess I'm not missing anything.

Next: grocery shopping
Ok, I skipped the part where I'm reading the booklets because I went through it as I opened the package... I need protein powder, citrus, lean meat, cottage cheese... and a food scale!

I'm dressing a list from the menu I'll be following in the next week and I'll be ready to go as soon as Brian comes back with the car.

Next 2 days of fasting:
I'm allowed to drink. Drink water, water and water again. My 3 'meals' of the day will be a glass of freshly pressed vegetable juice (now how am I supposed to do that?) that I can choose from a list. The water in between my 'meals' should contains lemon juice. I can't exercise other than something really smooth like walking. For this reason, and because I have a dance workout scheduled tonight, I'll start my fasting tomorrow!

I am still scared that this is something I might start and not finish, or cheat on... But it is such an adventure and I could never do it if I was working full-time so now's the best time to do it!

Rockabilly Picture of the Day

2006-01-31T15:30:00.000-05:00

50 handsome
Originally uploaded by judithschulzphotography.com.

There you go, another rockabilly picture just for you Jiver007!

Isn't he adorable? :P

The Joy of Online Poker

2006-01-31T02:20:00.000-05:00

Those who know me best know how much I hate gambling: I don't like to risk my money or belongings over a game. However, that does not stop me from trying different games if I can play them with fake money. Same fun, risk-free!

So I tried a couple of online poker games and I found my favorite: PokerRoom.com (see picture).

I will compare PokerRoom.com to PartyPoker.net because the latest is always advertised on T.V. and I think they are big competitors.

Play Money = both sites allow players to use fake money or real money
Create your own table = only PokerRoom allows you to create your table so might have to wait for a seat to be free at one of the existing tables at PartyPoker
Player with no money has to leave the table = only PokerRoom forces the player to leave when he runs out of money and to refill his account, PartyPoker lets a losing player recharge from the table while he's playing
Compatibility = PokerRoom is compatible for macintosh and pc, PartyPoker is pc only.

For all these reasons and because I like to use my macintosh iBook laptop, you are much more likely to find me on PokerRoom.com than anywhere else so if you wanna play with me, look for Jerrika's table in the play money section and grab a seat!

Rockabilly Picture of the Day

2006-01-28T05:03:00.000-05:00

Tristan & Isolde movie (4/5)

2006-01-28T03:57:00.000-05:00

Je viens de voir le film Tristan & Isolde (voa) au cinéma. C'est une histoire datant du Moyen-Âge qui raconte la vie de Tristan (héro anglais) et Iseult (princesse irlandaise) qui, sous l'influence d'un élixir d'amour qu'ils ont accidentellement avalé, deviennent prisonniers d'un amour impossible.

Mes impressions? C'est une très belle histoire d'amour qui est divertissante à regarder sur grand écran. Déçue? OUI. J'étais déçue car après avoir lu l'histoire, je ne comprends pas pourquoi Hollywood a senti le besoin de faire tomber en amour nos 2 tourteraux de façon des plus clichées et sans l'aide d'une élixir!!! Il me semble que c'est un élément critique de l'histoire et j'aurais évidemment apprécié un peu plus de conformité au conte original.*

Les romantiques n'ayant pas lu le livre devraient apprécier ce film.

*je suis consciente qu'il existe différentes versions de l'histoire de Tristant et Iseult mais toutes ces versions ont certains point en commun, dont l'élixir d'amour.

Nouveau look / New Design

2006-01-27T23:26:00.000-05:00

Je suis très excitée d'annoncer que mon blog change de tête! Plus d'espace avec un menu supplémentaire à gauche, des couleurs et des images qui me représentent mieux et plus de liens à visiter! D'ici les prochains jours, vous pourrez voir les changements s'effectuer et je vous demande d'être patients pendant que la transition s'effectue.

Merci de me rapporter les problèmes!

I am very excited to annouce that my blog is being revamped! More space with an additionnal menu on the left side, colors and pictures that suit my personality better and more links and goodies to visit! You should be able to witness a couple of changes in the next couple of days and I thank you for being patient during that transition period.

Thanks for pointing me the errors!

TAG!!!

2006-01-26T16:38:00.000-05:00

Bon, j'ai été taguée moi aussi! Je me rends...
Alright, I've just been tagged as well! I surrender...

Mes '4' / My '4'...

Emplois/Jobs :

Conseillère RH/HR consultant
Sauveteur/Lifeguard
Recruteuse/Recruitor
Officier de Marine/Naval Officer

Films préférés/favorite movies:

Swing kids
Saw 1 & 2
Lord of the Rings 1-2-3
Ennemy at the Gates

Villes/Cities:

Brossard, QC
Sept-Iles, QC
Trois-Rivières, QC
Victoria, BC

Émissions/TV programs:

Smallville
Beauty and the Geek
What not to Wear
Nanny 911

Destinations préférées/Favorite destinations:

Brisbane, AUS
Sept-Iles, QC
Waterton Lake, AB
Victoria, BC

Livres/Books :

Princes of Ireland
Geisha
Harry Potter
The Green Mile

Places où j'aimerais être/Places where I'd like to be :

Nouméa (Nouvelle-Calédonie) pour l'apnée/Noumea (New Caledonia) for snorkling
Noosa (Australie) pour le surf/Noosa (Australia) for surfing
Sept-Iles (Québec) pour le lièvre et le caplan/Sept-Iles (Quebec) for hare and caplan
Abu Dhabi (Émirats Arabes Unis) pour l'arabe/Abu Dhabi(UAE) for the Arabic language

Sites web que je visite à tous les jours/Websites I visit on a daily basis:

Personnes que je 'tag' et qui doivent faire leurs '4'/People I am now passing the 'tag' to and who have to write their '4'

Skiing in Dubai, UAE

2006-01-24T16:52:00.000-05:00

This is a big construction site in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. What were they building this big???

This is the project finished... Anybody found what it is? Maybe from the inside...

That's right, with a good 40oC outside, emaratis have decided they too wanted to cool down and enjoy the slopes of a snowy winter with their own indoor ski resort!

Un ange est venu la chercher

2006-01-16T12:48:00.000-05:00

Elle avait mal, elle était fatiguée de lutter, elle méritait de se reposer.

À 12h15 aujourd'hui, son voeu a été exaucé. Un ange est venu la chercher et elle a pris son envol. Elle nous a quitté pour aller rejoindre celui qu'elle aime et qui l'attendait depuis quelques années déjà.

Son souffle n'aura touché le fil de ma vie qu'un bref instant, mais aura su lui apporter un vent d'amour et de courage.

Rest in peace, Patricia Cascarano aka 'Nana', 01/16/2006.

Parking nightmare

2006-01-10T01:46:00.000-05:00

Picture this: it's 6h30PM and you arrive at Montreal General Hospital to visit your dying grand-mother. You find a parking space available on the street right in front of the hospital, in the same way you have every day of the week for the last 2 months. Other cars are parked there as well. You don't pay attention to the orange-temporary-covered-with-snow-sign that warns of snow clearance later on that day (see picture below).

8h30PM - You leave the hospital and find your car has disappeared with all the other cars on the street. Ok, you beat yourself for not noticing the sign and then how do you get your car back after it's been towed by the City of Montreal?

8h45PM - You give your first call to the infamous 514-872-3777. A lady informs you that she won't receive the information concerning your vehicule untill a good 2 hours after the towing time. In the meanwhile, all you can do is walk around the nearby streets and try to locate it yourself.

8h50PM to 9h30PM - You jump in your parents' car and let them help you search and look around the nearby streets. UNSUCCESSFULLY.

9h35PM - Your parents drop you off with your girlfriend in a restaurant for a break and dinner and they go home.

10h30PM - 2 hours after the maximum possible towing time, another call confirms that nobody has yet heard of your vehicule being towed. "Martin" (one of the phone agents) decides to help us out and says he will calls us back when he can locate the missing car. You go back outside, in the snowy weather and, with the help of your girlfriend, start searching the streets again, as pedestrians. With no luck.

11h30PM - A few calls later, still no news from the car. Martin decides to send a trooper to look out with his car and search the streets for us.

12h30AM - The car has been located. You have a 92$ fine to pay, and the car is not even on the same street written on the contravention (the car is on Côte-des-Neiges, contravention says McDougall).

1h20AM - You arrive home. How do you feel?

Blogging made easier with my Nokia

2006-01-09T16:49:00.000-05:00

You guessed right: my cell phone has a small camera on it! So I can snap a quick picture to capture a moment, send it to myself by email and then edit it in the way I like before posting it to my blog. Isn't neat?
The picture above was one of my first attempt with the cell phone camera. Morning lights and shadows on my beloved Brian and me...

Of course, it's a very small cell phone camera so no big expections there, small resolution and the picture quality is mediocre compared to any digital camera... But for blogging, I think it's just perfect!

Things to know about the Video iPod

2006-01-09T16:21:00.000-05:00

As you might already know, I have received a Video iPod 30Gb for xmas this year which you can see on the picture below - Thank you so much Réjane: it's a great gift!!!

As I started playing with it I realised that the iPod synchronises everything from my apple iBook G4 when I plug it in. By 'everything' I mean, contacts, calendar events and to dos and music.

What about the video?
Ah ah! Here's the catch! iPod works with iTunes. iTunes has a music and video store that lets you buy legitimate music and videos. I you bought videos from the iTunes store, these will be automatically synchronized to you iPod. If you haven't, then your other regular videos won't be uploaded to the iPod.

Why?
To prevent and control piracy.

How?
The iPod can recognize only files of the format .m4v as video. This is not a standard video format on the web and therefore, any .avi, .mpg or .wmv will need to be converted to a .m4v if you want iPod to download it and play it.

What can I do to convert my existing video files to .m4v?
Unfortunately, the only software I know that is able to make this conversion is QuickTime Pro.

Download QuickTime
Pay to register it as Pro
Open your video file in QuickTime Pro
Export the file as a iPod .m4v.
Wait for the - long - conversion to finish
Go in iTunes and open the new .m4v video.

Once the video is added to the iTunes video library, it will be picked up by your iPod just like it does the song and it should look beautiful on your little screen. The resolution and sound are quite impressive for the size of the iPod, but it's a long process to convert long video files.

Des petits bobos...

2006-01-09T10:46:00.000-05:00

Entorse lombaire

Depuis environ un mois, j'ai des douleurs persistentes au bas du dos. Après 2 visites chez le chiro, rien ne semblait s'améliorer... Le chiro faisait les ajustements au niveau de ma colonne vertébrale sans trouver la source exacte de ma douleur.

Aujourd'hui, il s'est aperçu de quelques nouveaux symptômes qui lui font croire que j'aurais une entorse lombaire. Après une séance d'ultrasons, je retourne chez moi avec la mission d'appliquer de la glace pendant une dizaine de minutes à toutes les heures et de retourner le voir dans deux jours pour un suivi.

Troubles intestinaux

Bon, appellez ça une gastroentérite, un empoisonnement alimentaire, une grippe intestinale, je n'ai pas encore de diagnostique pour ce qui me fait restituer depuis vendredi dernier mais j'en ai ma claque de me nourir de jell-O, biscuits soda et Sprite dégazé!!!

À part ma diète stricte, j'ai acheté des comprimés de Pepto-Bismol, qui, selon leur publicité, s'occupe de tous les troubles intestinaux. Pour dire la vérité, à part changer la couleur de ce qui sort, je n'ai pas remarqué un grand changement dans ma condition...

La clinique sans rendez-vous près de chez moi ouvre à 17h et je serai première en ligne pour voir le médecin si mon état ne s'améliore pas d'ici là. Une fille a besoin de manger!!!

La saga des cadeaux de Noël

2006-01-04T13:42:00.000-05:00

Il n'est un secret pour personne que la fête de Noël est maintenant très commerciale.

En effet, c'est l'occasion rêvée pour bien des boutiques de rattraper une année qui aurait été moins profitable. Petits et grands ont souvent bien plus hâte à l'échange de cadeaux et aux festivités qu'à l'arrivée du petit Jesus.

Soit, bien que la surprise de recevoir des cadeaux inattendus soit excitante, chaque année, l'effet 'surprise' cause bien des déceptions autant pour le donneur que le receveur.

Le cadeau en double

Ce Noël fut particulièrement marqué de cadeaux en double chez nous. Mon conjoint a reçu un superbe ensemble d'ustensils de barbecue (identique à celui que j'avais gagné à un tournoi de golf l'été dernier), j'ai reçu un gril à panini (j'en avais déjà un), une chaîne en or (comme celle reçue de mon conjoint il y a à peine 4 mois) et un iPod.

Bon pour le iPod j'ai été très chanceuse car mon ancien iPod n'était qu'un Shuffle et le nouveau est un video 30Gb mais le fait est que le donneur ne savait pas que j'en avais un et si j'avais eu un video au lieu d'un shuffle il ne l'aurait probablement pas plus su!

Quoi répondre à un cadeau en double?

Bon évidemment, "merci beaucoup" est de mise (duh!) pour toute personne qui a pris la peine de faire les magasins à la recherche de ce qu'il croyait être le cadeau idéal... Mais ensuite?

Mentir/ommettre la vérité ou le "merci beaucoup! ça va être pratique!": cette approche est très efficace pour ne pas décevoir un donneur qu'on ne voit que rarement... cadeau à l'hôte d'une soirée, qui nous connait peu et n'a aucune idée de ce qu'on peut avoir besoin!
L'approche directe ou le "merci beaucoup! quel dommage que j'en aie déjà un!": je n'ose employer cette réponse qu'avec mes proches avec lesquels je suis à l'aise (ils ont sans doute vécu des déceptions bien plus grandes en ma compagnie et peuvent affronter la vérité!) L'avantage principal de cette technique est la possibilité de retourner l'objet et l'échanger pour autre chose au Boxing Day. L'inconvénient majeur: décevoir le donneur.

Bref, je ne connais pas encore de formulation magique qui me permettrait à la fois de pallier à la situation d'un cadeau en double et sans décevoir le donneur. Je suis toujours prête à entendre les suggestions, mais pour les plus timides comme moi, eBay demeure une solution alternative.

Souper à la marocaine

2006-01-03T18:09:00.000-05:00

Ok, ici on enlève les 2 gallettes d'oeufs frits sur le dessus et on obtient les boulettes de foie de poulet et de viande à la marocaine que j'ai préparées pour souper ce soir. Servies avec des pommes de terres à l'ail et une salade méditerranéenne, ça requiert évidemment un thé vert à la menthe pour compléter... Bon, où se trouve ma musique arabe maintenant?

Alright, here you take away the two fried egg from the top and the remaining show you the moroccan chicken liver and meat balls I've prepared for tonight's dinner. Served with garlic potatoes and a mediterranean salad, all we need is mint flavored green tea... Now where did I put my arabic music again?

Le temps des fèves au lard

2006-01-02T18:01:00.000-05:00

Et oui, je suis de retour dans la cuisine avec l'intention ferme de préparer plus de petits plats maison en 2006. Quoi de mieux pour commencer la nouvelle année qu'une bonne soupée de fèves au lard? J'ai essayé cette nouvelle recette (qui inclut de la sauce barbecue), qui connu la gloire auprès de mon conjoint Brian...

I am finally back in my kitchen with the intention to prepare more of those homemade meals in 2006. What could make a better jump in the new year than a pot of traditional homemade beans? I tried this recipe (that involves bbq sauce) for the first time and I have to say if Brian was the only judge, it was a big success!

Evolution: People Change, So Do We

2005-12-20T04:15:00.000-05:00

This was Brian and me 2 and a half years ago... Do you remember these days?

This was us last month... Can you recognize us?

Update on the snow...

2005-12-19T11:51:00.000-05:00

Despite Montreal's 3000 city snowclearing vehicules, it is expected to take another 5 days to finish clearing the few 4736 km of road from the few 42 cm of snow that fell during Friday's snowstorm. These operations alone are estimated to cost over 20 million dollars to the city of Montreal.

Untill then, drivers have to be patient and keep their eyes open for any temporary 'no parking' sign because they could pay both a parking fine and their own car's removal (tow) cost!