This site will point you to places you've never been to before.
You'll also be introduced to films (ratings from 1- 5), festivals, music, getaways travel, restaurants and much more. Commentaries and amusing anecdotes may pop up.
I really welcome your comments at the bottom of each article.
So join me on the ride into the rugged and the luxurious.
We all need to discover open borders in the world and in ourselves.
S.N.
The Montreal Symphony Orchestra has garnered
a prestigious international reputation. Each concert creates a rich tapestry of
symphonic music preformed with exceptional virtuosity. With close to 100
concerts given a year, this acclaimed orchestra is an inspiration to classical
music aficionados and performers alike. The MSO enthralls audiences the world
over with its amazing maestros.
Kent Nagano, the MSO’s brilliant artistic
director, brings genius and passion to each performance; 92 permanent musicians and
chorus perform under his baton.
The orchestra has recently welcomed assistant director, Adam Johnson
to the ranks; his remarkable talent and exceptional experience musically merge
with immediate impact.
Shot in black and white with
a Hitchcock-type feel,this German-language movie with English subtitles, is a film
noire/thriller that revisits Nazitimes; it takes place at the end of the
Second World War. Simone, a spy working for the Allies is supposed to find and
execute Emil, a scrupulous Berlin
scientist who discovered before the Americans the way to build an atomic bomb.
He is trying to hide form the Nazis and finds his alcove on a train. But Simone
finds him on this very train as it makes its nighttime journey towards Switzerland.
German soldiers, led by König, a German scientist are in pursuit of Emil. They
need the secret code for this bomb. Will they find it and him? The chase gets
complicated when memories of love get intertwined.
Simone and Emil were once in
love, but each has his own integrity to abide by. Who would have thought that
this bomb could be hidden in a pocket watch, and if found will parallel worlds
have it explode in Berlin or Paris? It turns out the group of scientists
wish to hide their secrets about the lethal bomb for fear the Nazis would indeed
use it, if the 'formula" were discovered. The film commemorates those brilliant men who made physics their life,
but would ultimately end in their death.
A
hand-man/woman’s guide to maintaining and enriching a roommate relationship.
They say
necessity is the mother of invention. I have learned that moving in with
someone out of necessity as a roommate requires a lot of skillful flexibility.
I moved in with a man whose health was deteriorating who I did not know well,
and yet we have both learned how to get along and keep our friendship intact. I
realize that if people in a marriage could apply what we have learned to apply,
a relationship might endure.
My roommate
and I endured a terrible landlord, floods, no heat and more. We also endured
two very different distinct personalities. He is a serious introvert and a
sit-in. I am active and a talker. What we have both learned is how to teach one
another some survival relationship skills: give space, say hello, compromise on
the bathroom, and share the cleaning load, and most of all do not take the
other person’s lack of tact or poor habits to heart: laugh, laugh laugh. Use
humour to help the person change bad habits. Set the example as well, and verbalize how you have contributed to cleanliness. let them know, you get tired as well. You are grateful to him/her if she/he would split the burdens/load.
Assume and
be proactive in good will intentions from yourself and the other.
If the
other keeps on misbehaving in a truly disrespectful way, call him or her out on it. Let
them know that if it happens "one more time", it will be seriously handled. Make a list
of changes needed for both of you. This objectifies the issues more.
Most of
all, realize that we all live in our heads, and a lot of the times, we fog out
on the other. These magic
words have worked for us: kindness and thank you: say "thank you" even for little deeds, such
as the other washing a spoon YOU used. BE KIND, EXERT PATIENCE! and try to make the other one
laugh. NEVER MOVE IN WITH A STINGY PERSON. DO NOT NAG! Do not be nosy either.
Tell the
other you appreciate it when he or she allows you to have an off day, but let
the other one know, you are not going to be up to par that day.
SHARE SHARE
SHARE in different ways. You may share your news for the day. The other may
share his/her time to help you with something. Compliment when sincere. Accept the fact that you are a
being who lives in his/her mind alone, but the times/activities/opinions that you
can share are gifts.
Best of
all, do not give up. There will be days, when you loathe the person for being
massively insensitive. Be humble and honest about 2-way emotions, as anger and frustration work both ways. If you make the
other happy, you feel great too. It takes energy and maturity. The pay-off is
you increase your chances of hiaving a reliable friend for life – even if you move out down the road.
When is it time to call it quits? Constant aggravations, two days go by without communication due to hurt and you refuse to initiate why you are not talking ot the other, and when you have reached a limit that you have no interest in recharing. You've had enough! Here are my top five features that tell you you must move out because the other is doing this:
BEING CONSTANTLY SELFISH,
LYING, STEALING, DRINKING AND ENDANGERING YOUR SELF-ESTEEM. Move out, but
always leave with calmness; do not insult the other even if you feel he/she
needs to hear your invective.
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Hi all,
Here's Nancy Snipper's travel blog article on her "Love Affair With Merrickville".
Initially,
the article was to be about the 1840 Guest House B&B but Nancy
expanded her article to include the great attractions and "one of a
kind" businesses in our wonderful village. The result is her travel blog article at the following link: Nancy Snipper Merrickville Travel Blog Link
I
think Nancy has captured the great wonders, attractions and unique
businesses of Merrickville extremely well and hopefully will attract
many of her Montreal followers to come explore Merrickville.
Have
a read. I hope you enjoy Nancy's vivid tale of her exploits in
Merrickville discovering the attractions and the unique businesses
detailed in her "Love Affair With Merrickville" article.
In the 17th-century,
two Jesuit priests in Portugal, Rodrigues and Garrpe
(played by Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver respectively) go to Japan to search for Ferreira, their priest
mentor (Liam Neeson). The church has heard that he has rejected his faith (apostatized),
and so they wish to find him. They also act as priests to Christians who lead
such intolerably miserable lives in hiding from the cruelty of the Japanese
inquisitor. So this is about faith overcoming fear of torture.
But this is one badly made movie in all ways; how many times can you
show various way Christians were tortured by the Japanese? How many times do you
have to repeat the same scene of stomping on a relief plate of Jesus under your
foot?
How many times do we have to watch Christians hanging upside down in a
pit, being burned, drowned and crucified? In trying to graphically chart the
suffering of the two priests – in particular – Rodrigo (Garfield) and their
flock of starving villagers, the movie becomes intolerably long, overly done,
and pretentious. The dialectic between the Japanese inquisitor and Rodrigo;
this Japanese Inquisitor is trying to convert him; it becomes more painfully boring than having to
sit in a church pew singing hymns that are monotonous rituals. Based on the novel written by Shusaku Endo which itself is based on true events, this historical chapter in Japanese history is not without great cruelty to Christians.
Nonetheless, its visual manifestation
is melodramatic and self-righteously insufferable. The film would have fared better in the hands of
Mel Gibson and a brand new editor. Garfield
was great in Hacksaw Ridge, but the emotional height he duplicates here falls …
on deaf ears. Silence is the operative word here. The script is to fault for
this.
This stunning national park in Quebec’s
Monteregie region, which is only 35 minutes east of Montreal, has a unique history that enthralls
visitors. A mix of indelible imprints consisting of gentrified wealth and religious
devotion rests on this gentle mountain.
Quietude and pristine beauty cocoon the park. It continues to inspire
visitors. Its colourful 4-seasonal vistas and multitude of surprises both
natural and structural continue are a big draw – ever since it first opened in
1985. To date, close to 900,000 people annually leave their tread.
Small in Size, Big on Variety
The park’s small size (only 8.84
kilometres in area) is deceptive park; asyou wander
under the canopy of trees a vital ecosystem reveals itself in a plethora of
bird life (234 species), and closer to
your feet – a maze of fabulous flora (574distinct plant species).
Deer appear on any
given day – only part of the animal diversity: 35 species of mammals, along
with fish and reptilian life – all zealously protected by Sépaq. Along with the activities it organizes, Sepaq
ensures nature will continue to thrive in harmony with humans who constantly
tread on the park’s hospitable paths of circuitous routes that frame
Saint-Bruno’s five landmark lakes.
Cross-country skiing in snowy beauty on New Year’s Day
Having spent a full day during summer both on foot and accompanied by Sepaq
park guide/warden Suzie in her ATV, I wanted to return in winter.
From the get-go, Mont Saint-Bruno’s welcoming Sepaq employees
demonstrated expertise and enthusiasm. Take for example Rosalie at the ticket
accueil who never stop smiling. And there there’s Sarah at the rental area who
not only waxed my old skis, but suggested I try newer equipment.
She selected a
spanking new pair of Rosignol skis, boots and sleek ski poles (mine were too
short). Looking at the trail map Rosalie had given me, she suggested I try
trail 1. Suzie took initiative to call
upon ski patroller, Timothé Plante. My first day of the New Year was about to
turn gloriously in sync with the outstanding weather. The sun was shining, a
fresh crop of snow had just fallen, and it was unseasonably warm.
Timothé… a guide of unparalleled passion for the outdoors
Meeting Timothé was a godsend. Not only was he incredibly patient and
considerate with me. His long time experience skiing on the mountain – he
started at the age of four – came into play at every turn. Only 24 years old,
this remarkable man already boasts exceptional immersion experience in the
outdoors; he obtained a leadership adventure guiding certificate from B.C.’s Trinity
College. He has scaled
mountains all over the world, including the Rockies, the Himalayas, and the
Sierra Nevada in the USA.
He recently spent a stint in Norway
honing more of his skills, and had just returned from British Columbia where he skied, rock climbed
and camped for long periods of time.
TimothéPlante ski patrolling at Mont-Saint-Bruno
Hearing that I had not yet been on skis last month, he mapped out a
“made-to-measure-route”. We began on trail # 1 and eventually merged onto trail
# 5. The park has a 35-kilometre cross-country-ski network whose nine trails range from easy to very difficult.
We followed a loop around part of the mountain that bordered Lac du Moulin. (3 lake photos below taken by Jean Claude Honjik)
A terrain of tree growth amidst brooks greeted the eye at every turn.
He always announced an upcoming “hill” I was
about to descend. As time passed, my confidence soared. We had skiing a few
hours, chalking up about 10 kilometres. Scenic
vistas transported me into snowy, tree-filled realms of ski-gliding delight.
Time to pause
A log fire in front of the tea house
We went into the tea house - once an 18th-century mill. The teas and scones hit the spot.
Here, we met up with Marie-Andray Chouinard – Timothé’s mother who also ski patrols here.
In fact, they are the only patrollers for its recreation ski
trails.Marie-Andray is also the park
warden at Îles de Boucherville Park which I visited n the summer and this
part November.
I loved my New Year’s Day.
Perhaps I will return to explore its 3.7 trail of snowshoeing, or simply
rediscover its three walking trails to enjoy the contrasting appearance of
summer and winter.
Skiing on the trails at night starts in February, and if you
love biking, rent one of their fatbikes to ride away.
The address is: 330, rang des
25 Est, Saint-Bruno, Quebec, J3V 4P6