A thought...

Learn as if you were going to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow. --

Mahatma Gandhi

New York, New York

One of my friends is organising a car to drive to New York for the long weekend - thats next weekend. With all of us sharing the cost, it will only be about $30. WOO HOO!!!

Then I am staying at JENS HOUSE... so Free accomodation aswell...

I AM SO EXCITED!!!

GOING TO SEE JEN AND NEW YORK...

Can't wait!

Hugs Mazzy xoxoxo

Oh what a NIGHT!!!

Crazy Emotions

So, I need to share where I am at and have been emotionally in the last few days. It has been crazy in terms of all the different things that have been happening.

On Friday I attended the Quebec Regional AIESEC conference. This is a conference for all the new members in local committees throughout the Quebec province. I drove up in the car with Chris, Eugenie, Kristin, Natasha and Telicia. On the way we saw a huge green van that had been overturned with all the effects thrown over the grass - we collectively achknowledged what a bad accident it must have been.

Then news at the conference - they were AIESEC members in the Van driving up from Montreal to also attend the conference. 7 people were in the car, 6 from McGill University and 1 from Concordia. I had met and partied with 3 of them before aswell, the rest were new members.

Unfortunately one of the girls was killed, another 2were in critical condition, 1 in a stable condition, and 2 walked away with bad cuts and bruises but not needing to stay in hospital. It was a tragic situation, and as you can imagine affected everyone at the conference deeply.

Of course the sessions on Saturday morning were cancelled to allow people the time and space to filter the information, and to deal the with tragedy in whatever way or means was best for them.

Something like that really makes you think....makes you think 'It could have been me', makes you think 'what do I value, who is important to me'... and ultimately makes you think about what really matters in life. What is REALLY important.

Yes I had these questions, and the need to reflect alot on how I was personally LIVING each moment of my life.... was it everything I wanted, was I giving it my 100%.

That afternoon I dealt in the only way I knew how... to get back in there, to make people laugh and try to spread positive atmosphere. That helped me alot.

Today I also found out that another one of the people in critical condition had passed away. Again bringing back those questions, those emotions but on a more subtle level. Reflective, reflective reflective.

One of the positives coming from it all, well something to hang on to was how such a situation really brought people together, and got people connecting on a more deeper level. So much so that i have been with people non-stop in the last few days.

Tonight I will be going out with the girls dancing.

Anyway I have to run now... more later...

My Weekend

I have so much to say and share about my weekend.

It was emotional, exhausting, exciting, crazy and fun.

It was a roller coaster.

I will let you all know about it when I have time to sit down and write a meaningful posting, something I definately need to do soon because it is so fresh in my mind.

But I am off to an info session, then dinner at Kristins house tonight.... so ciao!

Quebec Regional Conference

Suma and Taz - the Poker playing duo!

My German Sister.... Kristin! I love this girl, she is AWESOME!

The Concordia Local Committee Team. From Back Left: Kat, Nadir, Ming, Taz, Diego, Merre, Kristin, Valerie, Chris
Front: Telicia, Flavia, Eugenie, Suma and Esther.

My fave wacky couple.... Jumping Merre and Christophe the MAN.

The CONU Boys - Nadir, Diego, Taz and Chris.

Losing my possessions...

I have always had this terrible way with posessions, and material belongings.

I inevitably lose them.

Again and again and again.

Although in recent years I have managed to retain the essentials such as house keys, mobile phones, wallets etc I still have a knack for the losing the things that I love.

What brings on this outburst? Well I lost my favourite jacket in the last week. It was French Connection and a bargain I picked up for 50 kroners in Copenhagen. I have never had a jacket like it, I ADORED it! Plus it also has memories and associations for me of my time and friends in Denmark.

Gone.

Never to be seen again.

I am actually upset about it, and don't want to be this way anymore. I know it is because I am so focused on events and people, that i forget about things, they are not as important. This is an attitude that is costing me lots of money, and lots of things I love...

I guess I just have to start being careful...

My World!

Mels weblog has inspired me again.... THANKS MEL! SO I have been to 7% of the world, so much more to see!!!!

create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide

Faces of Montreal!

My Social Entity

Category I - The Hub

You're a 'people person'. Networking runs in your
blood. Consequently, you can move through most
social circles with ease.


What Type of Social Entity are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Also inspired like Diego, Teresa and Melissa I also thought I would try this test of social entity out.

Poutine

A Quebec speciality - Poutine Chips, Cheese and Gravy... FAT PLUS!

Susie & Tori Working in India

This picture has two of the craziest girls that I know. Tori (on the left) who was LCP AIESEC ECU when I was LCP of Sydney a few years ago. She was one of my favourite new friends from that year. Also Susie (on the right) whom is a great friend I met in Latvia in February whilst facilitating at the NMS conference. Guess what? Suse had a picture of me and the girls on her wall, Tori who was in her house in India walked in, and was like... do you know Mazzy... they realised they both knew me! SMALL WORLD HEY! Meeting each other in a foriegn country with a common friend they had no idea about!

QRC Fever

I almost forgot.... I am going to Quebec city this weekend for QRC 2004 (Quebec Regional Conference).

I will meet all the people in AIESEC Quebec... thats about 8-10 local committees i think, and the conference is mainly in FRENCH!!!

WOO HOO!!

Going to be super fun I am sure.

RALLY and Cafe Campus

Well I have barely had a minute to myself... just the way I like it! People 24-7!!!

COOP WELCOME RALLY

Monday night was at the COOP Welcome Rally. This is the event where we welcome all the students to the COOP. It was held on the Concordia Layola Campus in a big white corporate tent. I was helping the other COOP people, and it was generally a great night. Free food, but after all the students, so it took about an hour to get anything.

CAFE CAMPUS II

Last night it was off to Cafe Campus for some retro dancing again... YAY!

This time it was a huge group of about 20 of us that went. We all met at my place for pre-drinks, then headed to Cafe Campus (only 5 minutes down the road from my street). I invited some people from work, so it was an AWESOME bonding experience. Who was there? Taps, Souma, Elie, Galien, Sofian + gf, audrey, mario, kristin, kristina, nadir, nabille, nabilles friend, Arsum, Pam, Pams sister and Dana. It was FANTASTIC! We went home when it shut at about 3am. Nadir, Kristin, Nabille and I all got some pizza on the way home which was LOVELY!

Nadir stayed over, and this will be the tradition each Tuesday night I am sure :-)

Tonight looks great aswell. I am meeting up with Taps after work, then its a girls night at my place with DVDs and popcorn... just a quiet night in. I cant wait!

Loving the busy montreal life...

Chillout Dinner

I had a chillout dinner at my house last night.

It was TOTALLY HYGGE with candles, snacks, cushions and great company.

Who was there? Souma, Taps, Randeep, Nadir, Kristin, Caroline, Christine and me! It was a lovely size group. It felt SO great to be entertaining again, and having people over. It was what I really love, and gives me so much energy :-)

Anyway gotta run, hugs maz

Did I mention I LOVE my new home...

Just sitting in my new apartment, and feeling relaxed.

I am doing my washing downstairs, my pantry and fridge is stocked with food for the month, I have just taken a long bath, and am now listening to Norah Jones whilst I update my blog.

My apartment is SO ME!!! Its crazy. I know I have said it before, but I love whereI live soooo much. I also had Josee and Issam over last night for supper. They own the apartment, and we have become good friends. Josee and I have SO much in common, we are so happy that we have met each other. When they come back from Morocco they are going to take me out everywhere apparantly, something to definately look forward too.

I know just being in this house how much I have missed a Mazzy home. I mean I was living in a room in Denmark for overa year... butthat was never my home. I hated the room, and my apartment so much I used to stay out as much as possible.... obviously not the best solution.

I can honestly say that not since I left Australia have I felt so much at home. In just two weeks here, I have all the things I was missing in Denmark.... and I guess missing them for so long, has made me really appreciate them alot more. I am so thankful that I could come here, that I could borrow money from my family, because without a doubt, when I said in Copenhagen that I felt Montreal would fit me like a glove, I actually had no idea how on the mark I would be.

I am filled with a happiness, and wholeness I have been missing for a few months, thank you Montreal, so far you have been amazing for me.

Week Highlights

NADIRS HOUSE OF FUN

- Watching crazy amounts of Pakistani and Indian TV with Nadir and his two brothers
- Bumming out with Taps all day, watching TV, bumming, going to get Indian food, bumming and more bumming
- Eating yummy Quebecois Poutine, which is fries, gravy and cheese. Totally fatty but totally good. And Nadir took me to the best place in Montreal to eat this famous item. Thanks dude!
- Spending more time at Nadirs house and with his family than Nadir is a highly amusing situation.
- Learning French songs with Nadir and a friend from Germany, Kristin.
- Speaking on the net with a webcam to Dorys and the Aussie MC office was definately a highlight.

All in all staying at Nadirs house was crazy fun, and I felt totally at home there at all times. I am so happy that circumstances made it so that I was out of accomodation in the last 10 days.

THANKS NADIRS HOUSE OF FUN!!!!

COOP EDUCATION INSTITUTE

- Getting to know the weirdoes in the office more: Kristine, Noor, Nabille and Fabio are the other under 30s gang members. We are becoming a good force in the office, and much random fun is happening more and more...

- My project is great.... I am doing education development work. I am just waiting for the management to approach my framework and approach, then I can move forward in the project. Basically, my task is to design a holistic learning program that enhances the COOP education experience for the students. As you can imagine, I feel totally alive in this conceptual area, and have found an idea buddy in Fabio... or the FAB fabio as he tells me. Apparently I will have to buy tickets to his funeral, he is THAT popular..... yeah... OK!

- We have a Welcome Rally on Monday... so I get free food.... looking forward to that one..

Ok i have more to write but I am ffalling asleep so I will update more later.

Night!!!

You should see where I live...

Ok, Imagine the best section of Montreal...

Right in the heart of French speaking district...

My street is off one of the main streets and only 10 mins from downtown on a bus.

I can catch a bus from outside my house that drops me right out front of my work. It only takes 8 mins.

I live in a student block....all McGill students live there, so it is a very young area.

My apartment block is European, Paris style... so very old old pretty buildings with balcanies and fire escapes!!

My apartment has a huge living room, bedroom, lovely warddrobe (double)...

ahhh there is no point describing it. I will have to get ohotos online of it for you to see how amazing it is...

I LOVE MONTREAL!!!! I LOVE MY PLACE!! I LOVE MY FRIENDS.... I LOVE MY LIFE AT THE MOMENT!!!!

Montreal Home

My Address in Montreal:

Apartment 63
3659 Ste-Famille
Montreal, Quebec
Canada H2X2L5

My Mobile number is: (514) 816 4943

Pete and Bergio, I believe you both owe me a little something in the post!!!

Hugs Mazzy xoxoxox

People in Montreal.

Barbara (Czech Republic) and Edith (Germany). They were both working here on a traineeship at the COOP before me.... LOVELY gals!!

JP, Taps and Caroline.

You can call me...!!!

Hey everyone,

Guess what, you can now call me at work.

The number is:

+1 (514) 848 2424 extension 3973

CAFE CAMPUS

Imagine...

- A place that plays retro music (English and French)
- A huge disco light dance floor
- Mass loads of people who want to enjoy good music
- Talking to people and singing with people on the dancefloor
- Huge University student hangout place!!!

THATS CAFE CAMPUS!

And on Tuesday nights it is an awesome place to be - its RETRO NIGHT!

I went with Nadir and Kristin from Germany. We are the official cafe campus crew..... !!!

GO CAFE CAMPUS!

We will be there every Tuesday night for the next few months. I also live close by in downtown Montreal, so I can actually walk home!

But now I am MEGA tired....!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Miss you too Huy!

Was reading your weblog...

Just wanted to send you the biggest hugs.

I miss HUY TIME - talking about life with you, chilling out, getting advice...

CALL ME you mega mong.

Love Mazzy xoxoxo

Signed UP!!

I am so excited. I have signed up and been accepted as a volunteer in Montreal.

I will be helping a local community centre by running english conversation groups for new immigrants to practice their english. These will be run every week on Tuesday night, and I just have to get them talking. Plus obviously correct them if they have any pronouciation difficulties.

I am looking forward to getting more involved and meeting people in this way.

Hugs Maz

Bumming Around

Had another great weekend. Highlights include:

# Friday drinks with Taps and Souma at Taps house. Talking about life, love and boys!
# Blue Club Friday night after pre-drinks. It was Taps, Souma, Ranjit, Nadir and mwa!!! SO MUCH FUN!! Talking, and danding! Nadir and I took to some swing dancing aswell which was great amounts of fun!
# Saturday bumming around day. Nadir took me to the best hot dog place in Montreal... the family who own it are SO friendly. I also tried a very Quebec food... PUTIN! Its hot potato chips, gravy and cheese.... YUMMY!
# Saturday night was a quiet one, with movies, and chilling out at Nadirs house with Taps, Nadir, Kristin. We watched Dirty Dancing - Havana Nights, a dodgy dirty dancing style movie. SO dodgy.
# Ended up chatting with Nadir till the early hours of the morning, so then I slept on Sunday. I was supposed to meet up with a group for brunch and to go the STINGERS college football teams game - but i was too TIRED!!
" Bummed around with Taps and Nadirs brothers all day yesterday....and again chatting to taps and nadir till the early morning...
# Spoke to Adrian, Geneieve and Carl all on the phone... I LOVE free time arrangements with mobiles here ;-)
# I am going wacky at work, and becoming too loud... feeling very comfortable with the people and my role....so more maz is coming out, the mega expressive one.... ah well, and totally random side is coming out today with the excessive tiredness....

I am going loopy...

HELP!!!!

Oh what a great Weekend!!!

As you know I had an amazing weekend... Here are some of the highlights;

FRIDAY- TAPS HOUSE AND LA BOOM CLUB

* Hanging out at Taps house in downtown Montreal, and meeting a friend called Adnan. Taps is the Local Committee President here at Concordia AIESEC committee.

* Getting free VIP passes to a club on the 'Montreal Clubbing St'... Crescent St, to a club called La Boom. It was a FROSHIE party, meant to be for all the Freshmen at Concordia University.

* Getting an invite to a 'Homecoming 2004' party.... ok so you know that you are in North America when you are invited to a Homecoming. I am going to keep the invitation in my scrapbook as a memory forever.

* Meeting some of Taps Indian friends; Ranjiit and Sandeep. Absolutely lovely guys, and we had great fun dancing and talking through the night. I left early with Adnan, and we got a coffee in the famous Canadian fast food cafe outlet called 'Tim Hortons'. I had no idea before I came here, but it is one of the most famous things in Canada.

SATURDAY - GREEK DINNER AND FRENCH DANCING

* Meeting up with Carl (Aussie friend doing a traineeship in Toronto) and all two trainees from Ottawa who were travelling to Montreal for the weekend - Claire (UK), and Sylvio (Switzerland). Plus Mimi and Chris, French Canadians. We stayed at Mimis house for a while, the joined up with a group of 10 or so AIESECers for a dinner at a Greek Restaurant. It was awesome, because it was the first time that I have had a meat pie like food in ages....!!! Plus some wine and good people... well it was great fun!

* Dancing at a French Canadian club.... good fun. I left at about 3am but the others stayed out till 9.30am.... HARDCORE!

SUNDAY - INDIAN, A HINDI TEMPLE, ELECTRONIC PICNIC & NADIR'S HOUSE

* Great lunch at an Indian Restaurant with Taps and her friend.... but apparently the food was a little dodgy, but not to me!

* Going to a Hindi temple, learning more about Indian culture and Hindi beliefs with Taps was really sightful

* ELECTRONIC PICNIC. It's an outdoor dance club at a park on the water, with really famous DJs. It was a wonderful atmosphere, and a large group of us went along for some dancing, and fun in the sun. it will only be happening for another two weekends, as it is a summer thing, so there are some plans to go back next weekend and check it out again.

* I moved to a friend called Nadirs house. Nadir is the VP MD at Concordia AIESEC, and he has kindly allowed me to stay at his house for the next 10 days untill I can move into my new place. He is GREAT fun, and we get on like a house on fire. We joke that we are brother and sister seperated at birth. He has been my mum for the last few days.... bossing me around, and making sure that I know what is happening. He often launches into Pop Quizes, to test what he has taught me. But overall I am having great fun staying at his house. He also loves 80s music, so we are going to go dancing at CAFE CAMPUS every Tuesday night and boogie to the 80s music there.

MONDAY - SIGHTSEEING OLD MONTREAL

* Relax relax relax.... after all the action, I chose to be more by myself this day.... and looked around all of Old Montreal. The Notre Dame here is amazing, as are some of the old European influenced streets.

Anyway, so happy cannot explain.

AMAZING Weekend

I will put more up soon, but wanted to say that I am having an AMAZING weekend at the moment...

Dancing, dinners, picnic, sightseeing, friends..

WHAT A TIME!

Gotta run for more Montreal Action!

Hugs Mazzy xoxoxoxo

Creative Licence

Today I had my first meeting with my supervisor, and I am motivated.

I have full creative licence on my project... he said, do you want the ball? I said... yes, and I will run with it. Its how I work.

So starting next week I am self managing again... just like when I was a national director.

I am responsible for designing their professional development education program here at the Co-op and this is something I feel very comfortable in. I asked if I can post things around the walls... the answer, YES!

I love my work, I love my new place I have lined up, I love my life, I love the people here...

MONTREAL IS A TOTAL MAZ ZONE.

Settling in...

So I have now been in Montreal, Canada for 4 days. It has been amazing so far.

- I am settling into work - mainly doing transition with the AIESEC trainees that are about to leave soon; Edith and Barbara. Today I have a meeting with my supervisor, the first time I will get clarity about my role, so I am really looking forward to that. But my goodness, compared to AIESEC the pace is SOOOOO relaxed!!!! It is crazy!! I want to do some work.... not just random stuff. But hopefully that is coming soon.

- Was invited to dinner and drinks last night, but I think for the first time exhaustion hit me so I had a night at home. I had snackmaker sandwiches, and watched Canadian Idol... Watching Canadian TV, and American channels really made me clear... I AM IN NORTH AMERICA!

- We have a long weekend, so the trainees are travelling to Niagara Falls. I will stay in montreal and party with everyone else here. Carl is coming up from Toronto and will arrive lunchtime Saturday, so I am looking forward to some Aussies in Montreal action.

- I am now in the position to compare three cultures, which is awesome. I often find myself saying... this is so different from Copenhagen, or this reminds me of Sydney. It is nice to have that base to observe things from.

- Fashion here is sooooooooo bad. After living in Copenhagen for a year, where everyone wheres the best and dresses designer and trendy, it is weird being here. I am noticing fashion like I never have before.... its weird when your eyes get used to seeing trendy and beutiful people... and then coming ino a more diverse environment. Each one has its pluses and minuses.

Well thats all for now...

Hugs to all

"It is never too late to become what you might have been."

-- George Elliot

Craziness...

Since I arrived:

- The landlord at the trainee house where I was going to be living with Guilia and Andreas has turned psycho... ok maybe he always was. He wants to know when we have people over, what they are there for, and no noise at all. It is understandable in one way as he is very security conscious as he has a handicapped daughter and his wife living downstairs. However, I pretty quickly decided that this is not what I want in my home - to feel like a prison. I am moving out, but Andreas and Guilia are staying because they have been having such a bad time with accomodation here so far, and are tired of looking for places to live.

- Good news - I have accomodation sorted out. It is a friend of an AIESECers I met with her boyfriend the other day, and she wants to sublease her apartment to me while she is going to Morocco. The place is AMAZING. Its more expensive at 600 a month BUT it includes all furniture, internet, TV, Phone bill, electricity etc. Plus the place is all to myself. I have a bathroom, a kitchen, a huge bedroom and a living room. The place is really open, with high ceilings and airy rooms. Also it is in downtown montreal, 10 minutes from work, and I get their bikes aswell if I want them. Plus, it is being rennovated with bright colours... Josee (the gal who owns it) is soooo much a Mazzy person, so I feel right at home there and she feels great about leaving it with me. Also it is in the McGill university district, so most of the peopel in the apartment block are American and Canadian students who are studying at McGill.

- Been to the local AIESEC office, and met most people by now... they are AWESOME. SO SOCIAL! I love it!

- Went to Carolines house last night for awhile and her mum gave me a pair of pink slippers because I loved them so much. They are gorgeous with little silver glitter flecks.

- Had Dinner last night at an Asian restuarant...it was awesome. Met Taps the LCP aswell which was really fun, she really wants to use me where she can in the LC.

- First day of work went fine. I had the introductions in the morning which was a bit scary, but then I settled in. I am mainly doing transition work at the moment with the gals, Edith (Germany), and Barbara (Czech Republic) who are trainees here finishing in the next week. I have the feeling I can add alot of value, but its weird not to be the boss, and to be able to just go in and do my thing.

- I am starting jazz dance classes with Josee and Caroline on Wednesdays.

- Next week I have a Sushi reception dinner on Thursday night. Going out with Trainees tonight, and this weekend is a long weekend... so no work on Monday...

I LOVE MONTREAL!!!!

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm thats all for now.