The Street Art of Vitry-sur-Seine

Ta P'tite Flamme - Amélie Les Crayons 

Well hello fabulous people! It's been quite some time since I've posted anything, but I'm back again, re-inspired and excited! This summer I took my vacation in Asia (more to follow on that) but I found I missed my trip to Europe. Now I have a specific destination in mind for my next trip: Vitry-sure-Seine.

Vitry-sur-Seine is a suburb outside of Paris known for its amazing street art! Just take a look at these pictures (taken by Sara Tucker) and learn more at CN Traveller.

 Pretty fabulous, no?! Au revoir!

Peter Pan, Flamenco Style

Como la Luna en el Agua - Miguel Poveda

¡Hola todos! It's been a crazy month full of rehearsals, dancing, designing, painting, and now the big show is one day away! The Karen Flamenco Dance Company and School is performing Peter Pan, flamenco style. Here are a couple of behind the scenes snapshots! More photos coming soon!

Mermaids waiting in the wings...

Captain Hook and Smee trick Tinkerbell...

Sartorial Men

Sous le Soleil - Major Boys ft. Aurélia

I can't resist sharing some of my favourite photographs of men's fashion from Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist...

On the Street.... Brera, Milano

On the Street.... Military Tailoring, Milan

 I love this shot. Typical Manhattan.

Venice Backstage

Vivaldi - Spring

I have always wanted to visit the romantic city of Venice. One day, I hope I will be able to walk through the winding narrow alleys and next to the canals. Although it would be nice to go when it is not too busy, I hope for a trip during the Carnivale celebrations! Some of the masks and costumes are absolutely jaw-dropping!

(Costume photo/design: Tanja Schulz-Hess, World of Costumes)

Carnivale designs aside, ever wonder the how's, why's and what's of Venice? Well, then you will love this very informative short film about the enchanting, floating city of Italy.

Venice Backstage. How does Venice work? from Insula spa on Vimeo.

New York Adventures Part 2

Back with part 2 of my recent New York adventures after an insane stint of presentations and school work! It's truly amazing what we accomplished in only four days! If you thought our first day was busy wait to till you read this post! Here's a brief run down of some things we did and that I highly recommend you to squeeze into your New York itineraries!

Day 2: Good Eats

First item of the day? Pastrami sandwiches from the famous Katz's Delicatessen! (Anyone seen that famous scene from When Harry Met Sally? That restaurant.)What's a fabulous lunch without coffee and dessert afterwards? Next stop: Sugar Cafe.In between our food sessions we did some shopping at C Wonder, EasySpirit, and Uniglo, and a quick stop at the Philippine Embassy.
Then on to Bloomingdale's and The Forty Carrots for the most amazing fro-yo!After all that, believe or not, we went home just to get ready for dinner in Little Italy, at a place called Angelo's.
Day 3: A hockey surprise...

After a slow start, we had lunch at a charming place called Fig and Olive in Midtown Manhattan, followed by another stop at Uniglo.While my mom, aunts and uncle (four people on the right side of that picture) went to the country for the night, I stayed in the city with my cousin (he and I are standing on the left). We took a quick train to new Jersey and watched the Vancouver Canucks - fabulous surprise and treat from my cousin.

Day 4: Independence in Manhattan... and I filled it up with as much as possible!

I made a decision to skip the museums this trip and spend on my other passion: theatre. The spending began with an early start at Wicked: Behind the Emerald Curtain tour!I have more fun pictures to come. This insightful and super fascinating tour was followed by a freezing walk all over Times Square as I tried to decide what Broadway show I would watch that afternoon! I settled on How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.If I was a big fan of Nick Jonas, I probably would have screamed when I saw him appear on stage. This seriously entertaining Broadway classic was followed by chilly, windy walk to Juniors to get cheesecake for my dad back in Vancouver (yes-I hand-carried a cheesecake along with pastrami).
I worked off all the food on this trip when I had to walk 8 blocks over and up to try and catch a cab back Uptown. Before I knew it, I was packed and headed to the airport. I wasn't ready to go home!

Travel Tip: Be friendly and charming to the airport employees. I know from personal experience, both as a traveller and as an airline employee, the difference it can make just to smile at the check-in counter or in the security line-up. We were treated to lounge access even though we flew economy and I got a birthday hug (a month early) from the passport check guy.

Hope you enjoyed my adventures! I'd love to hear yours!

New York Adventures

Hello hello from sunny New York City! It's been a whirlwind, unexpected trip to the Big Apple and in two days I have already done so much! Here's a visual tour of my two days so far...
Day 1:
We arrived at the apartment and took the most delicious nap. Then my mom and I went to watch our first show of the trip...After an incredible production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic, we went to Junior's Bakery for their famous New York cheesecake!Of course, we made a stop at Tiffany's and looked at the windows like Audrey did before going in. (No I did not leave with any blue box or bag)...Then came the shopping! First splurge stop: Anne Taylor with my mom and aunts...After we shopped (couldn't resist that store wide sale), we went home to get ready for our next show, War Horse at the Lincoln Centre...Of course, we had to finish it off with a very late dinner at PJ Clark's...Not bad after a 4 hour red-eye flight! And yes, we actually did all of that in one day!

[Image sources: Folium flickr, NY Daily News, my-new-york.com, scalleja flickr, A Simple Life of an Odinary Londoner, Vegas Chatter

Ballet Stills

Flamenco is beautiful and passionate and I love dancing it. But I have to say, ballet is beautiful and soft. Flamenco has it's quieter, soft moments as well but ballet seems to have a softer glow to it. I just watched Center Stage again and found myself browsing through photographs. Here are a few of my favourites. Enjoy...

Swan Lake, American Ballet Theatre, image by MIRA. (Links below)

Sleeping Beauty (2009), The National Ballet of Canada
Svengali, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet

Links: American Ballet Theatre, National Ballet of Canada, Royal Winnipeg Ballet

Live the Language - Paris

I must say congratulations to Jessica W.N., makeup artist extraordinaire, who just won an all expenses paid trip to Paris for four days! Can you imagine a treat like that? I couldn't think of someone more deserving of a getaway like this one will be. Congratulations my love!

It's got me thinking of Paris, France, and the French language. Don't speak it? Neither do I. I've pretty much forgotten the majority of everything I learnt in my high school French class.
Here is a fabulous video that is definitely inspiring me to review those old notes! Enjoy!

How Not to Look Like a Tourist in NYC

Every time I travel, I want to explore new places and visit the attractions. But I also want to blend in and be a local. I don't really know why, but it's always been an unconscious thing. I've avoided whipping out the maps on every street corner, wearing sneakers and fanny packs, and having the camera hanging from my wrist (although now having a camera around doesn't necessarily scream "tourist!").When I was in New York this summer, I really wanted to experience more than just the tourist bits. Here are four things I learnt about blending in, New York style:

1. Walk with confidence. It works wonders! Someone even asked me where the Ralph Lauren boutique was on Madison! Luckily for them I walked past it every day to get to work. When I was a bit confused about directions, I stopped and checked the map on my phone. If that's not enough, don't be afraid to ask someone.
2. Shoes. I didn't even bother bringing running shoes with me. I brought my Converse sneakers and wore them with pretty much anything: shorts, jeans, dress pants!
3. Pace. I didn't run on the sidewalks but I didn't meander extremely slowly. I generally kept pace with the locals. Well, often that was necessary so that I could get to work on time!
4. Crossing the street. In the smaller streets of the big city, I crossed when it was safe and traffic free, even if the pedestrian light was not signalling go. I noticed New Yorkers don't really pay attention to the running man or red hand on the other side of the street!

That's all I've got for now but native New Yorker, Joanna Goddard of A Cup of Jo has even more fabulous tips!

Enjoy and happy travels!

Images from: weheartit, nyc

Valencia

Que Bonito - Rosario

It's no secret that I love Spain. I've been fortunate to have travelled there so often (thank goodness for airline employee benefits!) but I never get tired of it. I would love to make a trip to the region of Valencia. There's so much to see and do, I'm sure! Here's a taste...
Fabulous architecture, old...And modern and new...
An underwater tunnel at the L'Oceanographic Center!
Sunny beaches...
And some seriously good food!One day soon I hope, I will be in Valencia :)

Note: I do not own these pictures. I found them floating around on Google. If there is something you own that you wish removed, please leave a comment and I will gladly respect your request.

Temple of the Jungle, Cambodia

Traditional Cambodian Folk Music (It's really quite pretty!)

Happy Monday all! Yesterday I was searching the internet for images of Peter Pan and its various productions (film, stage, ballet etc.) and somehow, in a very roundabout way, I found myself looking at pictures of Ta Prohm, Cambodia's Temple of the Jungle! This is definitely a place that I hope to visit in person someday... Cambodia is on the travel wish list!If you've seen the Tomb Raider film, you'll recognize this as one of the filming locations...
Ta Prohm is just one of the many architecturally amazing temple complexes in Cambodia (Angkor Wat, Beng Maleya, Angkor Thom to name a few). They are so filled with history and stories that are waiting to be rediscovered by visitors!

Image Sources: Jason Barbacovi (1st), Jus Medic (next 3), and Farl of Photojourneys (last 2)

San Francisco

Evening everyone! What a crazy time it's been: midterms, projects, quizzes and... a last minute weekend getaway to San Francisco! Sometimes, you just need a quick break from your hectic routine. But I can't believe I forgot my camera!Time to sleep! Tomorrow will be an early day full of surprises, shopping, spending time with family, train rides on the Bart and eating delicious food. Hello from San Francisco everyone!

Portobello Road, London

I've never been to London. Actually I've never even been to England! I have been to Scotland once. Anyways, if I was making the trip, I'd visit Portobello Road, the world's largest antiques market: vintage silverware, books, old cameras, decorative tassels, the old printing shop, walls of vintage sewing machines, fine china, silverware... it seems like a fun, eclectic and definitely colourful place to visit...Remember this? I loved watching Bedknobs and Broomsticks!

Photo sources (aside from a Google image search): Decorati Access, Oleg Skrinda, and Souvlaki for the Soul.