Mele kalikimaka is a thing to say...

As we all are sharing our time today with the ones we love either in thoughts or physically, I just wanted to wish you all a merry christmas on this bright day.

Enjoy your turkey dinner, your foie gras and coquille saint-jacques!


I'm giving virtual hugs to the ones overseas and thousands of Santa kisses from Canada!


Love you ;)

Enjoyin' coffee and Bailey's on a Xmas morning

It's that time of the year...

It is indeed that time of the year where everyone feels like wearing their tacky christmas sweater. It's that time of the year where you drink hot chocolate with ramarshwmallllow (pretending to eat my marshmallow while writing). It's that time of the year where one can smell clementine. It's that time of the year where you gather with friends after a final race for the end of the term. It's that time of the year where you wanna share everything: time, love, friendship, gifts...

The tree is ready, stockings are filled, packages to be wrapped, Christmas sweater on, Christmas movie on, cinnamon candle on, everything surrounding us is bright, enlightening and heart-warming.

Last friday was our christmas dinner, friends at home, fondue on the stove, pinata stuffed with candies and not-so-candies like gifts, gifts and Elf. Christmas is about that, not about going to the mall and buying, no I'm just coming back from there and seeing people rushing... This is not my christmas. My christmas is about sending people letters and packages that will make their heart go wwwwweeeeeeeee up and down booom booom boooom, eyes filled with stars of happiness and surprise: this is christmas.
When you can touch someone, with a word, with an attention, with an invitation, it's all that matters.

There are two things in Canada, (good and bad): the malls and the family time.

On my way back home, I caught myself looking and laughing at kids falling over and over on the ice rink, uptown waterloo. This was one of my favorite moment today. Looking at that little girl, trying to ice-skate, with her brother and her mommy. Canada: where the kids know how to ice-skate before walking. This moment was what I preferred compared to the comments I could hear in the mall: "What can I buy him/her? What do you think she/he will like?" Use your brain or at least your heart, not your wallet... These tow kids were just enjoying their moment. We, adults, sometimes forget how to enjoy Christmas, but we can learn again...

So I hope everyone will enjoy their sharing time, it's not about pretending who you want to be or who you think people think you are. It's about family, good times, fun times. It's about sharing what you know will make the other happy. It's deeper than just exchanging gifts, it's about our time together separated, away or together.

Merry Christmas everyone : Love From Canada

Coleeeeeny out ==>

Whaaaaaaat : illegal immigrant

On this day, known as the 22nd of December, I'm officially considered as an illegal immigrant in the states....ooooooops my mistake.

Let me rewind a bit... In September, after having been stuck and wandering around Buffalo I was able to go to Canada. However, I had to go back to the States for my friends' wedding and I had my visa waiver in order... Then, after the wedding weekend, I went back home, with a relaxed mind. I was at the border (finally) getting my study permit and did not really take into account that Visa waiver... should have I guess.

Hours, days, weeks, months go by and we're today or maybe a tiny bit earlier, we're yesterday. Chillin', smokin' shisha with R, catchin' up on what's new and what happened, talking about our travels and then it hits me hard in the face like a Maple Leaf's puck :  I forgot to surrender my I-94W form.

I start freaking out, just a bit, you know the states are not the most heart-warming persons and welcoming in terms of immigration. I started researching methods of not being considered illegal or having over-stayed my visa... and of course the internet is great and offered me the answer on a plate. I just needed to send the green paper (not a green card of course) to a specific address with, however, a whole bunch of evidence, proof of your residence in a different country: debit or credit card receipts, bills, contracts, passports, tickets OOooo MMmmm GEeeee. What else a coffee topped with milk foam and chocolate powder??? Ok, on my way to school to scan all the necessary documents, a letter of explanation with my information and I'm all set to send them the evidence that of course I'm not an illegal immigrant ;)

I guess I'd do the same if it was to prove that I was a legal immigrant.

Express post and hopefully next time I'm going to the states I'll have to be a billion nicer than what I should (just in case that they have it in my record, since they already have my picture and finger prints XXXX)

So from now on, I will definitely let them take the card before I go!

US : I want to be in order (I am, I'm in Canada)

Ze paper in question

Coleeeeeeny out ===>

This is an announcement...

« I have had quite enough ! Since the moment I fell down that rabbit hole, I’ve been told what I must do and who I must be. I’ve been shrunk, stretched, scratched and stuffed into a teapot. I’ve been accused of being Alice and of not being Alice. »

Ooooh Deleuze, I'm now over you, dissertation done, and please let me not repeat it. However, you know that feeling... the one that surfaces once your done... It's just like that, well I'm done, but I can still feel the presence of it and I can't help it but having to look at it, to think about it... I'm haunted by this dissertation. Well at least, I can say I'm haunted by Alice and it's pretty much enjoyable. 

Least to say : what's next... Renaissance, pedagogy and then the term will be over. Two weeks of death, two weeks of pure intensity, my brain is electrically as productive as a nuclear station. I guess it could be a good idea to plug human beings... 

In addition to our continuous process of thoughts or thinking, we debate a lot (we being not me and my thoughts but friends and I) : "la philosophie deleuzienne normalement n'est vraiment pas associée à la littérature de jeunesse" is that right, maybe not, let's rephrase it a bit..................

Oooh and of course the corrections, best moment ever, because of the discovery of treasures, once written and forgotten, or maybe not.... One of these treasures: "Je me jette les déchets dans les pourboires" That sounds correct, but not coherent... She must have had a different perspective then.

After this week will come the time of christmas parties, reunions, dinners, gatherings and gifts' exchanges... That's why I will have to leave you for now on, I have to prepare surprises for loved ones....

On a christmas party, I once had to hold a baby:

"Soft kitty warm kitty, little bowl of fur, Happy kitty sleepy kitty pur pur pur"

Coleeeeeeny out ======>


 

Scrunch scrunch scrunch....

It's that time of the year again when you love dressing up... to walk in the snow.


Snow boots on, bright pink coat, scarf, gloves, glasses, double trousers, and BIKE. This morning, it was a nice ride to school, in the snow, feeling freshened up because of the air and because of the whiteness of the landscape.

Winter is finally there, and I wonder how people in France can live without the snow. I love being cold with the snow: not without. It makes more sense to have winter with fun times whereas just having a greyhish winter, thanks but no thanks.



The sound of snow cracking or squishing under your shoes is also unique and joyful. Silence surrounds the place but the only sound you can distinguish in that silence is your scrunch scrunch scrunch as you walk...

Just so you can see : 

A view from the office

 

 

 

 

To be continued....

Well stories never really start but when they do, we tend to think they will have an end, this one does not it's just an ever to be continued process, never separated from when it started and never ending...

Anyways, after having been stuck for the past few months at the border.... NOOOOOO, of course not! After looping up and down with the immigration, running from one place to the other, getting papers and authorizations, I was finally able to get to Canada and me Home ;)

Ever since then, life has been pretty casual, punctuated with our customary celebrations and parties, dinners, lectures, essays, exams... One thing for sure is that one day I'll publish a book as I told J with her sentences, just a few as an intro here:

"I just puked a little in my mouth"(context = burping)
"I just had a pois chiche and it was amazing" (context = Mongolian grill no pois chiche in her selection => SURPRISE for her taste buds)
"Tu as dit chatte ou chiotte" (contexte = someone having seen a lot of them) The face was pretty epic


"T'es loffe"

PS: J I hope you'll recognize yourself and PPS: I will definitely make a christmas book quotes out of it!!!


SOME PIX of what happened now and then around here

Chillin'

Pumpkin search

HALLOWEEN 2011

Gandalf's pumpkin carvin'

ROOMIES 4 XMAS

Awkward family portrait... no AWESOME

P's 25th

Chillin' on the roof 26/11/2011

 COLEEEEENY OUT ====>

STUCK at the US BORDER

Well a cool summer, a hot summer, a working summer, a vacation summer. All this to say that since I was back in France everything went pretty fast. I finished my master's degree (not without any difficulty and some panic attack), had two jobs and filled paperwork to get back to Canada. I was trying to figure what paperwork to fill out and noticed some difficulty there too (difficulty that will lead to the bed I'm currently lying on).

In July I filled my paper, sent it to Canada hoping that everything would be done. Being away from all the adresses I had given it was a bit scary since I did not have any control on the information but anyways. I went on holiday in French Guiana, awesome holidays of course, visiting everything, sun bathing, swimming finally enjoying a break. (a short one since my back to school is pretty hectic!!!)

And then came the time to travel back home: ie Canada. After many stops in the Caribbean Islands, I finally got to Miami, first scary moments since US immigration officers always scare the hell out of me. I get in (through the diplomats and crew lane = cool) and wait for my next flight ===> heading to Washington DC.

Of course Washington DC was awesome. We had a great time for the Bachelorette party of Shiny S. Dancing Michael Jackson (on the Wii), Kayacking, clubbing. Brunch with drag queens, movies... A great time indeed. And then some visits.

After that it was time to get back on my travel machine and get back to Canada. MEGABUS: yeah a long ride and there comes the border. Getting off the bus with my papers and here comes the Canadian officer. I explain my status and then she says that she has to take me to the immigration office behind the counter (gluuuurps) OK, OK... I get there and then after talking and checking my status they tell me that the extension had to be done in Canada (oups Crappa di Crap). So I'm not allowed to go back to Canada and I have to be sent back to the US border in order to go to the consulate... And I'm sent back to the US side and I have to wait in the restricted area where the bad guys are ( :s ) . I'm allowed back in, get to the consulate but too late for today's schedule... And there I am booking a hotel in Buffalo and waiting in my hotel room until Thursday to know and learn about my fate...

I hope I'll be fine and just wanted to let you know how it was to be back on the other side again!!!

Coleeeeeny out ====>