xiaowei's Blog

After living in Montreal, Quebec for more than 3 years, I think I’m quite used to the not-so-efficient way of doing things, and getting different answers from different people answering the same question. However, Montreal is actually not French enough.  It’s still in North America after all.  But I didn’t realize it until I heard a short conversation yesterday.

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Student A: Can we pay the rent now?  (Rent was due 2 days ago.)

Housing Admin: No.  You cannot pay today.

Student A: Why?

Housing Admin:  Because we are busy.

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I find the conversation very amusing and aspiring.  In France, people really do things at their own pace even when it comes to money issue.  Lots of people, especially those from America find it very inefficient and annoying.  But I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing.

People always complain that there are too many deadlines and too much pressure at work.  But we are actually the ones who created all these deadlines and pressure for ourselves.  If we just slow down a bit, like the French, would’t our life be less stressed?

Daily Thoughts

Day 1

- Didn’t feel being in France.  My friend drove me to IKEA, just felt like in Montreal.  All the labels in French, people speaking French.

- My friend from middle school, whom I hadn’t seen for 10 years, waited for me at my residence.  She picked up my room keys from my school beforehand, arranged airport pickup for me, and even prepared food and all kinds of kitchen utensil for me.  I’m very thankful to have friends like this, and it’s probably one big reason why I didn’t feel being in a new country.

Day 2

- Went to Auchan to get grocery and stuff.  Things are not expensive at all. 1L of organic pure orange juice is only 1.99 Euro, 1 freshly baked Baguette 0.37 Euro.  Other things like detergents, stationery, cooking utensils, etc. not expensive either.  So don’t know why everybody says things are so expensive in Europe???  I think things in Canada are more expensive.

- A lot of French people are very nice.  I was standing on the street holding a map looking for directions, someone stopped and asked if I needed help, without me asking first.  Yesterday too, from the plane to the airport to getting checked baggages, there were always people offering help initially.  I was quite impressed.

- The French I spoke today, may be more than the French I spoke in 3 years in Montreal.

- I was struck by the way the French people preserving their centuries-old houses and at the same time living a modern life.  There is a small village near my student residence.  There old stone houses with wooden windows form very narrow winding streets.  But on the roofs of these houses you can often see satellite dishes, and there are so many cars driving by every minute.

I started feeling sad about the fast diminishing old architecture, the rapidly disappearing history and culture in my own country.

Daily Thoughts

An album of Montreal, 3 years’ memory of the city.

Daily Thoughts, Photography, Travel

After dinner, I took the last antibiotic pill.
I want to write.  I miss writing.  I’m returning to my blog which I stopped for half a year.

I’m opening a new blog on Windows Life for my daily thoughts and more personal topics, and will also share photos there.  The first thing will be a recap for the past 6 months, which feels like the most difficult period I’ve ever gone through.  Hope it is the most difficult, and things will be easier and better from now on.

There will be some changes to do for this blog.  I will make it more career/profession focused, which is actually my intention for the blog when I created it 2 years ago.
Hopefully I will have enough time to make the change before I start my new life and new career in Paris in September.

Daily Thoughts

2009的最后一个星期。
好像又到了写总结的时候。
又一年，又一岁。
离自己的目标却似乎又远了些。
无奈。
生活的无奈。

2010
是无奈，是改变？
不再二十，
我还有那份勇气吗？

Daily Thoughts

忙忙碌碌了几个月，在09年末，简单回顾一下吧，也不知自己是怎么挺过来的。

September

Moved.

The first time to have my own place.

Empty.

Slept on the floor in a sleeping bag.

Made plans,

To establish a place called “home”.

Although very stressed out about this “home building” project, the beauty of my new neighborhood in the beginning of fall dragged me out of my chaos, and let me smell the flower for a moment.

Simpson Street - lies in the "Golden Square Mile" of downtown Montreal, 4 blocks away from the most prosperous commercial shopping street, yet very quiet and peaceful. Simpson 街，是蒙城市中心被誉为“黄金地带“的其中一条街。位于半山腰，与市中心最繁华的商业购物街只有四条街之隔，但却非常安静。

对面邻居的townhouse

fence and flowers outside the townhouses

另一邻居的豪门

It's so lovely to have a tree like this in the garden.

很喜欢这串耷拉在红墙外的叶子。

October

Shopping = Physical exercises – numerous trips to reno depot, home depot, Canadian Tire, IKEA…
boxes of different pieces of furniture, renovation materials, tools…
I’m living in a warehouse.

Second month of fall, more colors have fallen from the sky.
Colors, how can I ignore this beautiful creature Mother nature creates!

The park behind my home-to-be "warehouse" 我家的"后花园"

"后花园"中浪漫的秋景

Beside the park, there're stairs leading up to Mount Royal 公园旁上山的小路

Path in the mountain

好可爱的果果

邻居

邻居

I pass by this red wall twice every day.

"Fall"

I just found out that I actually live 2 blocks away from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts! 不知这是否是老天对我这个不务正业的"artist"的嘲笑？

November

From dumpster to home

Dust! Lots of dust!!!
Garbage, tons of garbage
Cleaning…Days and nights of cleaning…
Assembling… Decorating… and more Cleaning…

In a foreign country without families, it’s so not easy to establish a place called “HOME”!!!

Daily Thoughts, Photography

29 degree.

Blue sky, clean.

Breeze kissing skin.

Green trees, shining.

In the sun, sitting.

A bit intoxicating.

Feeling…

To Live,

Is a blessing.

Daily Thoughts

iTunes 里播着随意的歌

十几年前的歌

我随意地听着歌

十几年后的我

吃着那汉堡包却想着水饺 在China Town去找那家乡的味道
 整天驾着车在那画满图画

的街上绕
 陌生的灰尘也偷偷的在笑
 外国的月亮究竟圆不圆
 自由神像的白色

在我心里面摇晃
 整天驾着车在那ABCD的街上绕
 快乐不快乐

我也不要知道 整天驾着车在那红灯绿灯的街上绕

那里可歇脚你可让我知道

有时候爱情比时间还残忍 把人变得盲目 而奋不顾身 忘了爱 要两个同样用心的人

你恨自己是个 怕孤独的人偏偏又 爱上自由自私的灵魂

哦 可惜爱不是几滴眼泪几封情书哦

将这样的感触
写一封情书 送给我自己
感动的要哭 但就没哭
不失为天大的幸福
将这一份礼物 这一封情书
给自己祝福

Daily Thoughts

一只蛤蟆经过多年的努力，变成了一只灰天鹅。

他得以接近一只白天鹅。

然而，

尽管蛤蟆披上了天鹅的毛，他还是一只蛤蟆。

尽管蛤蟆学会了几句鹅语，他还是不懂天鹅。

天鹅：如果可以变回丑小鸭，是否就不会中邪？

如果没有中邪，是否就不用等王子？

如果不用等王子，是否就可以简单些？

蛤蟆：不用等了，世上根本就没有王子，就算有也不一定能解你的咒。

天鹅陷入了沉思。。。

Daily Thoughts

It’s an imagination,

that I talk to.

It’s an imagination,

that I think of.

It’s an imagination,

that I worry about.

It’s an imagination,

that I miss.

It’s an imagination,

that I dream of.

It’s an imgination,

that I’m feeling.

It’s an imagination,

that makes me laugh.

It’s an imagination,

that makes me cry.

It’s an imagination,

that hugs me.

It’s an imagination,

that hurts me.

Silly, I know.

It’s only,

an imagination.

Daily Thoughts