It takes courage to...

...do "accrobranche".


Accrobranche is a french word which means a kind of a treetop adventure. It's a sporty obstacle course at the top of the trees.
You are reassure with a safety harness and you have to go from footbridges to footbridges, walking on beams, hanging from rings or using tyrolean.

I suffer from vertigo but I love this activity, specially when I go with friends because then, I don't pay attention to the height.

There is one "accrobranche" place in the forest near my house. You have 5 levels : the green one where footbridges are between 4 and 6 metres from the floor, the blue one (6-8 metres), the red one (8-10 metres), the black one (10-12 metres) and the extreme one (more than 12 metres). The higher the footbridges are, the more difficult to cross are the "obstacles".

I usually do the red, the black and the extreme one because I like challenges. But everytime, I get stuck at the same place.
There is a footbridge, which is 14 metres above the floor, and where you have a rope and in front of you a net tight between two trees. Your goal is to catch the rope, jump into the space, and to catch hold of the net.
And everytime, i'm so much scared that it takes me more than 15 minutes to do it ! But I don't have a choice because there is no escape so I have as much time as I want but I have to jump !

And everytime I say "never again" but finally I go back and I'll try it again and again until I could jump without being scared !

Good manners.... or not !

It's easier to learn when we are children. That's why good manners have to be teached early.
The first place where children can learn good behaviours is with their parents, way before going to school.

The six most important things a child should be taught about manners are : tolerance, respect, politeness, hygiene, sense of civic responsibility, moral.

Here are some example for each topic :
* Politeness : say hello, good-bye, please or thank you, don't swear, don't speak with your mouth full, ...
* Respect : respect to the other kids and to older people, respect others' belongings, ...
* Tolerance : respect others' opinions and others' differences, ...
* Hygiene : wash your hands before you eat, take a shower, brush your teeth, ...
* Moral : stand up and give your sit to older person, learn and respect rules at school, to be fair when you play a sport, ...
* Sense of civic responsibility : help the others, respect the environnement, vote (later), ...

But for me, all those good manners are connected. For instance, not swearing can be considered as politeness but also respect and moral. Not speaking with a full mouth can be politeness, hygiene and respect at the same time.

And first, kids learn those good behaviours at home with their parents, grand-parents or siblings. As it's the first place to learn them, it's also the most important. For me, it depends mostly on the parents.

Then children keep learning good manners at school. The problem in our actual society is that parents count to much on teachers to educate their children. But teachers don't have time enough to educate the pupils as the parents could have. So, for sure, one part of teachers' job is also to educate children but in the same way as the parents have to.
Furthermore, usually, when a teacher punish a pupil, parents desagree so the child can't know what is wrong or not.

Uh Huh Her

Last Sunday, I went to Richards on Richards to see Uh Huh Her, an indie-rock band. And they really put on a great show !

" The concert is sold out, so when we arrive in front of the venue at 8.15pm, there is already a lot of people, mostly girls actually !
It becomes immediately apparent that the majority of the audience are fans of The L Word and are here to see Leisha Hailey, as it could be expected.

The first part of the concert was supposed to be The Fashion, a punk new-wave band that I really didn't like. Finally, we can see Army of Jennys.

Jenny Galt, the singer, was introduced in 2006 on the TV show Rockstar: Supernova.
She is an awesome singer with gorgeous vocals, an interesting mix of pop melodies, moody synth sounds, sophisticated lyrical undertones, drum and vocal loops, and impressive piano work. She is a multifaceted and talented musician whose sensuality and soulfulness captivate.

After half an hour, she leaves us impatient to see Camila Grey & Leisha Hailey, the two girls of Uh Huh Her. And it is time for a drink and a walk to visit the place !

But time becomes long and people starts to be really noisy.

However, the duo arrives on stage and, right off the bat, throw a change up, begining with "I’ve Had Enough", a track which offered a glimpse of what the group may make with its next studio album.















The song meets a positive reception, but nothing compared to what is heard when the sounds of "So Long" and "Run", older songs from their EP, I See Red, ring aloud to follow.
Later, "Explode" with its deep synth and simple piano melody makes the main highlight of the evening. It is followed by "I See Red", the main song of their EP, which carries a touch of The Cure in its guitar melody.

Leisha Hailey is the talker during the show, announcing the first song Camila ever wrote "Say So", and the group’s favorite song to play, "Wait Another Day".

As the end of the concert approaches, I am still waiting for my favorite song. And they leave the stage without playing my song. Dam' ! Why ?!

However, it takes less than a minute before the clamors force an encore. Uh Huh Her comes on stage once more to play "Dreamer", my favorite song. Uh huhhhh !!! "

Because of the short life of the band, Uh Huh Her finished its set in about a hour and fifteen minutes.
Anyway ! Camila and Leisha managed to give us a phenomenal musicianship as they played their lovely electro-indie-pop that carried a sparkling sound filled with menacing guitars, ethereal vocals and spacey synthesizer sounds.

How does Vancouver compare to your home city?

First, there are a lot of similarities between Lille & Vancouver. Both are big towns. That implied that there are a lot of people, a lot different cultures, clouded streets, very developped public transports, ...
One further similarity is the weather which is rainy in both city.

Differences : sea & moutains all around, green, architecture, ...

Yes : globalization deletes the different cultures which become only one ;
homogenization of the architecture (in accordance with the contemporary style);
same organisation in the cities (ex. chinatown, "black area" in Paris, Vancouver, NY, Montreal, ...)

No: communal culture still live through people and way of life ;
main caracteristics of the cities stay the same (ex. organisation, main square, streets' layout, ...)
even if it looks the same, life is different (climate, politics, geography, history)

Eavesdropping !

This afternoon, in a shop, there were two girls looking for Halloween's costumes. One was telling to the other how she wanted to get dressed.

First, she said that she was looking for a long red dress with thin straps. She explained that she wanted to wear it with black boots. Her friend responded to her that it would be even better with long black gloves.

Then the first girl added that she was looking for black make-up to draw a spider on her right shoulder.

She told that she had also red devil's horns and a black tail.

To finish, she confessed that she was going to dye her hair black.

Truth & Lies !!!

* Family & relatives : I'm the oldest of my family. I have one 20 year-old sister and a brother who is 11 years younger than me.


* Things you love : I love horror movies.

* Things I hate : I hate Brussels sprouts.

* Things you own : I own 3 violins.

* Places you've ever been : I've been in Finland to the Artic Circle and especially to the Santa Claus' village.

* Famouse people you've met : This summer, I met Johnny Deep at his wife's show !

* Unusual experiences you've had : When I was 5, I cut my sister's tongue with scissors.

* Jobs you've done : I worked at a butcher's.

* Illnesses and accidents you've had : I had a leg in plaster for one month when I was 6.

* Skills and abilities you have : When I'm listening to music, I can recognize exactly which notes are played.

Kalahari desert : stay with Bushmen

"The day is just dawning in the middle of the Kalahari Desert.



A group of Bushmen is leaving for hunting. They only wear a coatskin, their quivers, bows and spears. After 2 or 3 hours, they will come home with some oryx or gazelles. There are going to light a fire with 2 pieces of wood and cook their preys.



During this time, in the village, women pick up some ostrich's eggs to make pitcher which the children will fill with water.


Then, they are going to share the meal with all the villagers."

This is a typical moment in Bushmen's life. Maybe you could take part in it for your holidays. You are a nature lover, you are ready to abandon your cell-phone, electricity and all our modern conveniance ?

This trip is for you !

What do you think about spending 2 weeks at their side, learning all the rudimentary skills to live in harmony with the nature ?

You can discover a people living only on hunting, fishing, gathering and barter. This is a great opportunity to live and relax, respecting and preserving the Earth.

Would you...

* ...never do :
- wear leather trousers : I don't like it !!!
- spend more than $100 on a haircut : I don't like to go to the hairdresser !
- buy myself a flashy sports car : I don't need one !
(Huhhhh such good reasons !!)

* ... (secretly) like to do : Secretly ????? Why ? I don't have any secrets ! Or maybe...
- get a tattoo : I'd like to but I'm scared because it's something permanent. Maybe one day instead of a wedding ring !!!
- fill your home with abstract art : it depends on which piece of art but sometimes it can be pretty nice !

* Have you already done : but maybe I've done it secretly here again !
- buy your clothes from a second-hand shop : Of course I don't see any problem with that ! I can buy more clothes 'cause it's cheaper !
- cover your walls with photos of your favourite rock star or football team : Yep I did ! And it's still covered but not with pictures of my favorite singer, just pictures of my life ! And just on one wall !
- wear pyjamas with cute cartoon characters on them : Everybody has some like this !!! Or they are liars ! But the ones I have now says "Wake me up for a sweet sunday morning" ! It's a message for the people who live with me !
- pay $100 a head for a meal in a chic restaurant : Well, usually it's the man who has to pay but I did once with a friend... just to astound her !
- talk nonsense on your blog : Well, I think that now it's done !!!

My roomate

I've a good friend that I've known for a long time. We have a lot in common. We have the same taste for a lot of things. We like the same music, the same cooking. She's very lively, with a huge sense of humour, easy to get along with. She's the kind of poeple I like.

I discovered her biggest drewback when we decided to live together. She is neat and fussy ! We divided the housework and I used to cook because she was working. Whatever I was doing, she always found something to say. And I really don't like to be told what I have to do and how to do it !!! I think I'm grown-up enough to know what is good or not !
In addition, I like to keep the house clean but I'm not maniac for housekeeping. I'm not gonna be sick if I don't tidy and clean for one week !

That could be a good reason to live alone but I don't really like to be alone. I need somebody to speak with, to laugh. I don't like too-quiet house. Also I prefer to cook for somebody than just for myself.

However that may be, I would live with her again if I could.

If I could do anything in the world...

I'd go for a one-or-two-year trip around the world. I would leave alone or with a friend by feet with just a backpack. I'd like to go on each continent to discover new cultures and new people.

First, I'd visit the Eastern Europe : Poland, Greece, Bulgaria. Then I'd go in Russia, India, Nepal, Mongolia, Thailand, Indonesia. Next would be Australia and New-Zealand, Peru, Brazil. And to finish, South Africa.

In my opinion, this kind of trip are really good for the open-mindness. It allows to meet a lot of different persons, to share experiences with them and to discover other customs.
That's one of the reasons for my stay in Vancouver !

I don't know if I would begin to change the world because there is too much to do !!! But maybe I could help Won Sik as a competent assistant !!!!!

Vancouver news

Thunderbird Stadium looked like a sea of pink this weekend.

This weekend was the fifth weekend to end breath cancer.

1,600 participants have run the 60 km, two-day walk. And over 4.1 millions $ has been raised.
One of the most important events of this week-end was Bif Naked's show on Saturday night. It was her first performance since her breath cancer had been diagnosed.
It is said that one in nine women will get it in her life. And this walk allows to win money for finding preventions and detections.
This year there were more men and young people than preceding years. So it's believed that they feel themeselves more concerned.
And I think it's a good things !

English Bay !

On wednesday, I've been at English Bay and I had taken lot of pictures. I did a montage with its. (Click on the picture to enlarge it).

What do you do in your free time?

For the last 3 years, I had a lot of free time. In French university, we don't have a lot of classes (or mabye it was just me !!!).

However, I absolutly don't like doing nothing. So I make a lot of activities.

First, I like sport. I play tennis and I'm playing fencing for two years. By this way, I can run and use up all my energy. I can let off steam.

Then, I've done some acting. I did first in High-school and after in a little company. Last year, we acted a play called "voyage à Bruxelles" (trip in Brussels), a funny tragi-comedy.

But my favorite activity is the music. I'm playing classical violin since 17 years, and I also play electric violin now.

I play in an orchestra, in a jazz band, in a improvisation's group, and with friends in bars or sometimes (like during the Music festival on June, 21st) in the street. I can play classical music, contemporary music, movie's music or even I can invent it (with my improvisation band).

When I play music, I forget everything, all the things that make me angry or stressed or sad. I just think about playing.

And when I don't play music, I listen to it. I love to go to concerts, rock concerts as well as classical. And when I am in a room, there's always music.

I think I couldn't live without music.