A Pact with the Weather

Mai 14 (Samedi)

I made a pact with the weather last night. If it's sunny and if I wake up between 7-8am, I would go to the Biodome, Botanical Garden, Olympic Park & all that jazz. If it's not sunny or if I wake up later than 8am, then I'm just going to study hard core for the whole weekend.

Guess what? The weather gave me a reply & rained hard core today. It was freezing cold last night too. I experienced the same unavoidable- freezing-cold-wind during my first night stay at Montreal. No more!

My prof reminds me of a friend whom I hardly see nowadays.. the way he acts, talks, looks at people, plays his instrument, etc. It's freaky. It's strange now I think about it. The world is so small. You see shadows of people you know even in strangers.

I can't believe I've been here for 2 weeks already! It just felt that I've been here only for a week or so. Looking out my window, I think the warmest scene I see is when a father holds the little hand of his kid, walking back home. I miss my family but I don't want to go back.. back where? My sister is on the other end of the continent. My parents are on the other end of the Pacific Ocean. Where is home? Home is where my family is. But we're like stretched elastic bands; 'tho far in physical distance, we're always close in our hearts.


A "sepia" view of the buildings opposite from my window. Isn't it a bit nostalgic?

Harp - Choose one!

Mai 13 (Vendredi)

Finally got the harp room- after struggling to get it for half of the month. 'Tho I ended up have to pay $30 to rent it 'til the beginning of June, it's worth it. So happy to see harp again.. I have been practicing piano for the past few weeks - I played more piano last week than I ever played in the past 6 months. I like the piano practice rooms too 'cause I get to choose which ever piano I want to play, as long as there's no one in there. & of course I always choose the grand piano.


Harps @ McGill!

I went to harp room at a corner on the top floor of the building. There were 3 huge hard cases for grand concert harp outside of the room, making the hallway narrower than it is. Went in the room & saw not the 1 harp that the room manager told me but THREE! They're all Lyon&Healy (a good brand of harp) too -> the one my friends and my teacher have! Basically I could just choose whichever one I like. It was like WOW! The practice room also has a large window that looks out to the busy streets of downtown Montreal. What more could I ask for? Grand piano & 3 harps.. 'tho they're not mine but it doesn't make a huge difference. It's already better than what I had anywhere else. But..but.. but... I forgot to bring a TUNER!

3 harps!! I was going to choose the fancy one (which looked like my friend's harp) but it was smaller than the other 2.. so I chose the one in the middle 'cause I don't like the black one on the right.
A view of the streets from the window of the harp room.
Went to a piano concert w/ Romantic works (eg. Beethoven, Brahms, etc) for my class concert report. It was ok.. actually the Beethoven piece was kinda screwed b/c it was played on a fortepiano (not the modern piano) & the performer probably had more trouble w/ the instrument. But I love Brahms' Intermezzi, Op 117. He did a great job. Now I want to play it.

An illusion of summer.

Mai 12 (Jeudi)
The weather here is really strange. Yesterday I was wearing T-shirt + skirt. Today I had to wear sweaters, paints + coat! Yesterday was 24C & Today was 3C to begin with. It's still sunny but the temperature just went like a roller coaster. I just don't know how to dress for this weather. Je ne comprend pas.

Sorry I don't have a lot of pics to show you these days b/c I hardly went out of my quarter (my rez & the music building => which are architecturally connected). The furtherest I went would probably be the Underground mall.. that's it. Midterm next Monday! Just thinking about that makes me want to stay inside all day & night.

My prof's concert yesterday was interesting. It was a Czech piece written in the 192o's for tenor & piano (My prof played the piano) & there was a mezzo soprano & 3 off-stage singers. The piece was called "The Diary of One who Vanished" by Leos Janacek. It was a really DARK piece (musically speaking). & It's one of those sophisticated pieces that you felt you don't really know what happened throughout the whole thing.. Why can someone compose a song cycle based on a plowman's feelings about a gypsy woman whom he eloped with b/c she has his child. Anyway, the piece was kinda cool.

The cherry tree in the courtyard of my residence (RVC) is just blooming!
Behind the tree is the music building.

The cherry blossoms and the little court yard have a Japanese feel to it.

A View of the street (rue University) from my window.

Heard a person whistling by my window this morning & heard another person whistling as he walks by in the afternoon ( I live on the 2nd floor) . Then, as I type this now, someone is playing a flute outside with someone singing along - just some fragmented melodies. It's 8:30pm. The sky is a canva of pure "bleu"... but it's getting dark now. There are still cars passing by and the streets are still busy. This place just seems so much alive! & alive in a way that doesn't horrify you but energizes you.

Some kind of exotic encounter?

Mai 11 (Mercredi)

Didn't do much for the past 2 days b/c I was too lazy & it was too sunny (my so-called Sunny-day-Syndrome). It has been really HOT (not warm) for the past few days 'tho it rained last night. I have to take out my T-shirts & skirt (I'm so glad I brought one w/ me!).

My midterm is next Monday. It's INSANE... I have to really get down to it. D*mn the Liszt thematic transformation in Mazzepa. I knew I heard the theme throughout the whole piece but I wasn't too sure about whether it was some kind of theme & variation so I didn't mention it in the class discussion & the prof eventually said it and said he was surprised that no one in the class caught the recurring theme. D*MN. I heard it! I just didn't say it. Don't you just hate it when you knew you were right but was too afraid that you would be wrong & thus you just did nothing & feel like crap afterwards b/c you know you could have said something. ANYWAY.

Finally decided to go to the Lafontaine Park today. The class was cancelled b/c the prof is performing at a concert. I didn't feel like venturing far away from where I am so I just went to the Park (which was about 20 blocks away from my rez). Went on the bus, not long after, a guy set in front of me, wearing all formal & stuff (but looked about my age) started talking to me. He was slightly on the good-looking side but it was strange. I forgot what he talked about in the beginning. Maybe something about he was from CA.. doing missionary kind of thing here. No offence to anyone who's affiliated w/ a Church, but whenever I hear anything related to religion, my brain just automatically goes on BLOCK mode. & everything else that comes after that just goes like water flowing through a fishing net.

The guy & the other guy spoke Mandarin, which was not that surprising but interesting b/c the guy who talked to me could speak it REALly well & not w/ the China accent. But I pretended that I didn't really know Mandarin that well. Cutting off the "similarity" connection is impt when you know someone has other purpose in mind - application of psych class material here!

& He asked where I originally from. I said something about from Vancouver but originally Japanese.. half Chinese & half Japanese.. born in Japan, but family = Chinese, moved to Vancovuer soon after. I'm live in Montreal but I move around & I don't have a cell # . & my name was Sana. I AM SUCH A LIAR.. haha. but there are some truth to my lies, which makes me less evil.

Anyway, that was fun (Actually no. shoot, that was scary..). Next time, if something similar happens (which I hope NOT) I should say I'm Hawaiian, but born in HK, raised in Indonesia.

Here's some pics of the Parc Lafontaine - Montreal's third largest park. It's pretty.. but seems artificial, unlike the Parks we have in Vancouver.


Walking toward the lake.

Walking along the lake.

It's said that the eastern half is pure Frech (geometric designs) and the western side is English (irregular shaped ponds, etc). I don't know. There weren't really distinctive differences.

The statue of the person whom the park was named after - Sir Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine. He was a pioneer of responsible gov't in Canada.

Went to the Undergroun afterwards & bought a microwavable plate that could be a bowl. It's impt to get things that has multi-functions when you're traveling! Then I'm going to my prof's concert at 3:30. What's for dinner?? I have no idea.

War of Piano & TV

Mai 9 (Lundi)
I was planning to go to the La fountain Park right after class but I was too lazy & too overwhelmed by class assignments that I decided not to go. I went down to the lobby to play the wrecked grand piano. It was really dusty and out of tune. & Then a girl came & turned on the TV at the other end of the hall - freakingly loud. But I managed to continue playing Beethoven's Sonata. Then the front desk person came & told me people are not supposed to play piano when someone is watching the TV. What the? First of all, I came first. Second of all, there was no sign that says I can't play when someone is watching TV. Third of all, if I can play piano while the person is watching TV, why can't the TV person watch the d*mn TV while I'm playing the piano? It's all a matter of concentration and attention when it comes to doing things. Watching TV just doesn't engage enough of brain cells to keep the person distracted from other things.


This is the out-of-tune piano in the lobby. Photo taken at another day - as you can imagine.
So I went to the private piano room, which if I knew EXISTED (as I was told it was not earlier), I would not even have tried to play that out-of-tune crap in the lobby. I have to get back to researching my topic for the paper. I don't want to do any of the things listed b/c I'm just that kind of person - always making life more complicated than it could be. The paper is due in 3 weeks.. but I'm trying to get it done before then - just to get it over with so I can go to Quebec City or Ottawa without worrying about it~~ kekeke..

Musee des Beaux-Arts de Montreal

Mai 8 (Dimanche)
It's another sunny & warm day in Montreal. But the clouds are getting thicker now. It's going to rain next week! NO~~

Went to the Musee des Beaux-Arts de Montreal (The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts) today. It was founded in 1860 & it was one of Canada's oldest art museums. There are two buildings - the older neoclassical one called Michal & Renata Hornstein Pavilion and the new modern one called the Jean-Noel Desmarais Pavailion. The two buildings are connected by an underground passage that has exhibitions of art works from Africa, Asia, Islam, & etc.

The bus dropped me off right outside of the Hornstein Pavilion. The admission to the permanent exhibitions is free but there's an admission fee to the temporary exhibition. & GUESS what the temporary exhibition that's currently on now? -> ETERNAL EGYPT!!!! I saw it already when it was in Victoria, B.C. !! My family took the ferry all the way to Victoria just to see that! & now it's right beside me in Montreal! The Egyptian mummies from the British Museum followed me from Victoria to Montreal~ haha.. or maybe it's the other way around? I'm not sure if the ETERNAL EGYPT was in Taipei last yr... b/c I remember seeing some sign that looks like it when I was in Tw.. HO! This is freaky~

The collections of the museum in the Hornstein Pavilion include: Canadian Art, Inuit Art, Amerindian Art, Canadian Decorative Arts, Decorative Arts from the Renaissance to Today, & Mediterranean Archaeology. The first 4 were all on the second floor. The last 2 were on the first floor.

The Hornstein Pavilion of the Musee des Beaux-Arts de Montreal. Don't you just love the 2 red hearts at the corner of the museum?

The elegant lobby of the Hornstein Pavilion.

The Contemporary Art Section. My sis would love this. The sofa is actually called the "Sunset in New York sofa".

One of my favorites - there's 3 men - one a hunter, one a singer, & one a fisher. It's in the Canadian Art section.

Titled: Fireworks. I just love how this piece stands out from the rest.

Sometimes art can be just as simple as symbols & numbers. "Signs in Space" by Leon Bellefleur (from Quebec).

Another one of my favorites. He looks as if he were preparing to dive.. It looked so real! & Look at the shadow, it already tells you he is going to win (ie. The shadow seems to show that he has won).

An Inuit Art - The raw material is the whale spine.

"The Dummer" - Another Inuit Art. It's quite cute~

I forgot what this was called. But this Inuit work is soo cute too~ keke..

The stage for Modern Art. The melting-glass-looking structure is called "Glass Dance" > or something that like.. I can't remember.

This is not a display case in a mall. This is ART~

This seems to be a pretty rough sofa to sit on.

More contemporary chairs.

A Spinet from England around the 1700s. Doesn't it look like a mini-piano/harpsichord?

A piano from the Victorian era in England.

Egyptian Zone!

A bunch of incence burning things that look kinda cute.

The Roman heads in the Mediterranean Archaeology section.

More Roman statues.

I got out of the Hornstein Pavilion and decided to go to the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul just right beside it. The church was closing at the time I went in. I got in before the guy in there had a chance to lock the door. So I asked the guy whether this place was open to the public ('tho I knew it was.. but seeing that he was locking the doors so I decided to be polite). & The guy said that they just had the Sunday service (which I knew already too from the tourist guide) & he said that everyone was just pouring out of the church after the service... maybe b/c it's Mother's Day today. Isn't that just interesting? God may be important but not as important as Mom, ye know.

The guy from the church was really nice. He let me stayed there & told me how to exit now that the front doors were locked. This Presbyterian church was built in 1932 by the Scottish community in Montreal. What's strikingly different about this church from the other ones is that its interior is entirely constructed by stone. There weren't fancy decorations and carvings. It was just straight-forward -> stone! It makes me think of pictures of those lonely castles in Scotland. The church has Montreal's largest organ. it's a four-manual Casavant with 6,911 pipes. It's amazing.

Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul. I got in just on time! keke..

The interior of the Church of St. Andrew & St. Paul. It's stony!

The stained-glass windows.

While the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul was on the west side of the Hornstein Pavilion, the not-much-advertised Erskine & American United Church was on the east side of the Pavilion.
This is the Erksine & American United Church. Although you don't find people talking about this church much but you gotta know that this neo-Romanesque church built in 1894 has 24 Tiffany windows! (Tiffany -> not the jewelry.. but the famous brand in glass on lamps - is that how u say it?!). The Musee des Beaux-Arts actually wants to buy the church and use it as an exhibition space for religious art.

Then I went to the Desmarais Pavilion, the more modern-looking building of Musee des Beaux-Arts. Other than the temporary exhibition - the Eternal Egypt, the permanent collection includes: Contemporary Art, Galleries of Ancient Cultures (African, Oceanian, Asian, Islamic, & Pre-Coloumbian Art), 19th & 20th-c. Art, Old Masters (Picasson, Miro, etc), 19th-c European Art, Prints & Drawings, & Drawings, Prints and Photographs from 1900 to Today.

The Damarais Pavillion with the Eternal Egypt ad.

Looking at the lobby/ticket area from the 2nd floor.

Here we meet again -The Eternal Egypt Exhibition!
No, I did not go in. Once is enough~ unless I become a Egyptologist & know how to read Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Pierre Auguste Renoir (Impressionist) - "Young Girl with a Hat" (about 1890).

Pablo Picasso! I think the one on the left is called the "White Hen". 95% sure.

Is this your idea of what Picasso is like? A cubistic work done by Picasso.

A cool architecture model of the Romanesque Sacre-Couer Basilica (1st half of 12th-c) in Paris done by Antonie Polisois (plaster).

I think this is a model of the famous church in Florence, Italy.

Jame's Tissot's "October".

A gallery that makes you feel like you're walking through time.

Some of the 18/19th-c paintings on the wall.

A famous painting done by Rembrandt - "Portrait of a Young Woman". It's a bit on the dark side, don't you think?

I think I've seen this painting in my music history textbook.
"Duet" (1623-4) by Gerrit von Honthorst.

Godfried Schalcken's "Salome with the Head of John the Bapist"(about 1700). The torch/light really caught my attention. It looked so real.

Are you hungry? This still-life painting (mid-17th-c) by Christiaen Luyckx looks so authentic.

Some modernist movement here - Jim Campell's "5th-Avenue Cutaway" (2002) LED display. It's like a TV screen & all you see is people walking by.

2 big heads -> that's all I know.

More contemporary stuff.

Is this your understanding of contemporary art? - It's a MESS! No no no.. you gotta look beneath the colors.. look at all the brush strokes (if there were any) & the colors.. & the spirits w/in it.. etc.etc. (remember Mona Lisa Smile?)

"Got MILK?"
NO! This is not the title of the work! but I forgot what it was called.. & the circular thing at the back is one of those "hyptonising" diagrams.

African art!

Chinese Art!

Pre-Colombian Art!

"Flying Sausage?"
NOOOO~~~!! But I forgot what it was.. I just thought it was kinda cute with the small elephant on one end.

I had to check my backpack b/c it was big. So I took out the laptop & impt documents w/ me. The laptop strap was totally poorly designed. My shoulder hurted so much after walking out of the Desmarais Pavilion. & There was seriously a LOT of walking. My feet are sooo dead by the end of going to the museum, going for some grocery shopping, & walking back to my room from the grocery shop. I was going to go to the La Fountain Park today too! But I'm so tired now that I just want to sleep.. or go play piano or something 'tho harp would be a better incentive.