Sunday 30 January 2011

the night that was almost worth it


Walking along frozen rivers at 2am & having more fun with heart shaped post-it notes than I ever thought possible - is it bad that I often feel like I'm in an episode of skins here? (The fun that was the first season, obviously) It doesn't matter, the only thing I want to know is, WHY IS LINDSAY ON THE PHONE?

Saturday 22 January 2011

*cough cough* i'm sick


i intended to write something here but a;djalfhdkfhdsjkhalaf.

Monday 17 January 2011

'oh i love your blog, why don't you follow mine?'

IS ANYONE ELSE REALLY FED UP OF THESE STUPID COMMENTS. it frustrates me - the people clearly haven't bothered reading your blog and just want to promote themselves in the fake and often egotistical world that is the 'blogosphere'... I mean my blog isn't even about fashion anymore, as if anyone reads it except people back home! (Which is what I want). I dunno, I just got another of these stupid comments and it angered me. 


On a brighter note, had a pretty awesome night last night... however too much lying in snowbanks has resulted in me being really quite ill today. I sound like Barry White and it hurts to breathe... photos soon!

Sunday 16 January 2011

$27


It's been snowing here quite a lot recently which consequently meant Thursday was spent snowboarding and a thirty minute wait for an unusually late bus home, resulting in snow wrestling and rolling and basically behaving like a small child. Realised that snow is much more fun when you are not wet and/or cold - I shall never venture out into it without snow pants etc ever again, although I have a feeling that after this season English snow will always fall flat. (And mushy and disgusting...)

Wondering what the title is? It's my paycheck for this week. I'm not even joking, I got paid $27 to live on. For two weeks. We got double rent taken off this time (because our boss forgot to take rent last paycheck, which in my opinion is his problem not ours...) and as I've got my ski pass & security deposit deductions still coming off I kind of expected it, but that didn't stop me from being in an utter state of shock for at least half an hour after opening it... Talk about being poor! The ironic thing is I didn't even get the whole $27, because as a result of cashing the cheque in I had to pay a bank charge of $22... Sad day! I mean, I didn't come here to have a lot of money in any way at all, but I'd like enough to live on! 

Strange that I actually don't feel too worried though - I mean I have a roof over my head, my ski pass and some food left in the cupboards. Even if that doesn't last me, I have friends who aren't going to let me go hungry! (And then there's always the option of eating free food from work, one which I have taken advantage off and therefore it's been shepard's pie for dinner for the past two days). Apart from food, I really don't feel the need for money. It's so liberating to feel like you don't need it! It would be nice to have it, of course, because then I could maybe get a new helmet or ice skates - but I don't feel the need to have anything here the way I usually do back home, in terms of clothes/magazines/makeup/general things like that. It's nice. Still, though - $27!!!!!

Feeling quite... strange, today. It's not good for me to be sat on my own in my room I don't think, as familiar and unshakable pangs of apathy and loneliness leading to paranoia tend to settle in. I need to  deal with it though, and I don't think I should be ashamed to think these things - although   in two days I will probably highly regret splashing this all over my blog... Oh well, there was always going to be ups and downs wasn't there, and I started writing this to document everything. Learning to be happy with yourself is difficult. 

Monday 10 January 2011

rare becoming reality

my window :)

today was spent braving -25C, snowboarding - aka falling down and getting up then falling down again, cosy beans on toast lunches with housemates, ice skating, developing early stages of frostbite on my toes and thus being carried by james through a posh hotel with no shoes on, 'chunky' whipped cream, six sore people in the hot tub, reflective swimming, 'goayeeeee' (only spiele will know what i mean) from jumping from the cold to the hot, nutella, oranges and jersey shore followed by my usual post-midnight run of shame from aussie house.

doesn't sound like much, but it all made up to be a perfect day... now to put my aching body to  bed so that i can get up tomorrow and do it all over again. except hopefully not the frostbite.

Sunday 9 January 2011

ice skating on lake louise


I absolutely love ice skating. Think I'm developing a slight addiction - I went three times this week in the space of four days and I would've gone more except that I had to work! The first time I went I went with my new Swedish housemate Christel (2nd photo). This woman is frickin amazing - she's only been with us about a week and a half but we've gelled really well already. She's such an interesting person to talk to and has travelled so much - she spent a few years working in South America so is fluent in Spanish, as well as English, Swedish (obviously) and conversational in Russian & German! Whenever we chat she always ends up telling me a story about 'when I was in Mongolia...' 'when I was in Bulgaria...' 'when I was in Chile...' etc, and I love it. I hope I'm like her when I'm older. She's moving out soon though, from B1 (my house) to D3 (brooke & mel's house) because the Thai girls are leaving so D3 has two while we have four... I'm gutted! Who is going to make me tea and toast when I am too hungover to even wash a cup now? :')

Anyway, the feeling of pure contentment I had the first time I went was bizarre. It's the first time I've ever skated on a frozen lake, and it was really awe-inspiring just to be zipping/falling around whilst being surrounded by beautiful mountains. Me and Christel were chatting about my plans for Canada and I felt so at peace about everything... The feeling of freedom is overwhelming and I think I'm only just beginning to realise how much opportunity I have here! At the moment the plan is to leave Lake Louise in the middle of May and go kayaking in Yukon, and then travel to Ontario to work at a summer camp in the middle of June. It's in a place called Miskoka, (I'm sure that's spelt wrong!) and it's a Jewish camp called Camp Ramah. I wouldn't be working with the children though, I'd be dining staff, which is good for me 'cause you still get the atmosphere and antics of a summer camp but without having to deal with little shits! (I'm really not a kids person, aha...) Brooke has gone for the past two years and says that it's her favourite place in the world. You get to live next to a lake, which is an aspiration of mine! The money is too bad either... in fact, it's fricking amazing. $4500 for two months (£3000) but you get to take it all home because they pay for EVERYTHING for you!

That's the plan at the moment, but things can always change. I mean, four months ago I didn't even know I was going to Canada, so who knows what could happen in that time from now? That's one of the best bits though, I think.

So to get back to the original point, ice-skating is going to become a hobby of mine. I'm determined to be good by the time the ice melts - so Manchester outdoor ice rink 2011, watch out for me and my skillzzzzz!

Speak soon, love



WTF


Dear Gene,

We were perfectly happy having a kitchen cupboard without a door, so it was to our dismay to arrive home from work yesterday to discover that you had decided to 'fix' it, i.e. replace it with a hideous door that doesn't even match. Although this caused great amusement, it is quite an eyesore and we would appreciate it if you would change it.

On another note, we would also appreciate our cable being fixed, because we're getting pretty tired of our two channels, especially seeing as one isn't even in English half the time. Who knew Canada had such a large Italian/Japanese/Ukrainian population that it required a channel devoted to it.

Thanks ever so much,

The European House XXXX

Wednesday 5 January 2011

shrillest highs and lowest lows


Photos from NYE - prebar, mind :') ! Was a really fun night, but a strange feeling that back home new year's had already happened... I said I'd write a post about christmas didn't I, but I never got round to it! I think i'll just leave it now... the banana bread was worth it! Grace and I seem to be getting into a habit of midnight baking, and then making her housemate stay up to watch it in the oven because we're too tired...

Had a bit of a techno-phobe week! Had to buy a new phone yesterday as the one I bought in Vancouver broke. The guy at the phone shop reckoned it wasn't actually my fault and I'd just been sold a damaged phone :( I knew that guy was a bitch, and not just because I was angry at him! Managed to keep my cool this time though, despite being forced to spend $100 (around £66) on a phone that back home you could get for a tenner in tesco! It's their cheapest phone though, how ridiculous is that? 

Feeling really quite tired at the moment, but in a good way. I don't have a stable sleep pattern because I work such varied shifts (5.45am-12pm one day and 12pm-7.30pm the next!) and rather than going to sleep at night I always end up being at someones house til 2am. For example, last night me, Tarra and Jess decided to leave the bar early ('cause lets be honest, the bar when you're sober is rubbish) to go home, eat toast & australian two minute noodles and watch the trashy yet wonderful program that is Jersey Shore. (:

Oh! Finally got my nose pierced. Tarra and I were in Banff yesterday, it was kind of a look-at-each-other ok let's do it! kinda thing. Didn't really hurt, was more just a bit uncomfortable... the piercer was laughing at us because he told us to take a deep breath and he'd count to three but we were just like WHAT don't tell us just stab us! 

Going ice-skating on Lake Louise soon. I went t'other day with my Swedish housemate Christel and got a few photos, they'll be up soon!

Oh, and in case you were interested, here's photos from NYE post-bar...


me, james, brooke & phil. i have no recollection of this whatsoever, hahaha....