Happy Halloween

Ok, I only have a few moments to write but just wanted to share...

PEOPLE ARE REALLY HALLOWEEN CRAZY over here.

Everything we see on the movies in relation to this holiday seems to be dead accurate.

Costume parties, shop decorations, candy-fest... you name it, and I am seeing it.

One of my co-workers actually made a pumpkin halloween thing the other day.... i mean we watched him remove the insides and carve it...

AMAZING!!!

So Happy Halloween everyone!!!

Travel Bug

Yes I am in another country.

Yes I love it.

But today in my lunchtime I went with Maja to the bookstore, and we both got caught up in the Travel section.. We were looking at all the places in Canada, and where would we like to go...

The biggest one for me.... PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. Ever since I was young, and used to pretend I was actually Anne of Green Gables, I have wanted to travel there. Luckily for me, Maja is also a HUGE Anne of Green Gables Fan.

We both also want to go to Boston (US) which will be quite cheap if we get a group of people in, and rent a car.

Then I was browsing, and I found the MOST HILARIOUS 'How to survive Australia' Guide. It had amazing sections such as:

* How to survive a Heatwave
* How to survive a Desert Storm
* How to survive poisonous animals....

For all the Aussies reading, you can imagine how funny this was to read outloud, and how it has now entered my 'must buy before I travel home to Oz for crazy laughter value with family and friends ' list. Definately worth the $9.99 price tag.

I was also showing Maja my fave spots in a legitimate Sydney travel guide.... ahhh the beauty of Sydney, I cannot imagine being back there again...it will be weird and wonderful at the same time.

I think I will buy that Sydney book aswell :-)

Montreal Magic

Basilique Notre Dame.

Lovely streets in Old Montreal.

More Old Montreal....

and more....

Gorgeous FALL shot of Montreal.

Just like a scene from Anne of Green Gables...

View of City from Mont-Royal.

THANKS Kristin for letting me take your digital camera photos... my German sister comes to the rescue again!!!

Weekend Action

Maja - Polish Trainee that will be working with me at the Institute! Finally a team-mate... I am SO happy, she is my angel!

Maja, Me, Melanie(Swiss-French-Canadian-New Yorker), Harkan (Turkey) and Nadir - all getting back massages at Kristins house!

Cheeky Nads wanted a kiss on the cheek... MWAA!!!

Melanie and Kristin at Old Montreal looking over the city! Gorgeous!!

Harkan was staying at my house. Here is a photo with Kristin, him and me near the bed I set up for him to sleep on! Loved having you Harkan, it was awesome :-)

Aussies Leading the World!

My friend Tom, posted a cool link on his blog the other day. It is the Top 50 Successful Aussies in business abroad.

Have a look, its pretty cool.

http://www.crikey.com.au/business/2004/04/26-0001.html

Aussie Aussie Aussie OI OI OI!!!

Aussie Friends...

Last night was great....

I spoke to Lil, my best friend in Oz.... we will talk again tonight, but to hear Lil's voice.... SOOTHING! Thats all I can say. It was absolutely soothing, and about time aswell. Actually maybe soothing is the wrong word.... grounding may be better.

I also spoke to Andy and Alfy, my crazy MC buddies from Australia. Andy was driving his car, and Alfy was at home. Andy is my crazy 'do insane things' friend, and with Alfy I want to start my own company. I cannot even express how amazing it was to talk to them both.

Then I spoke to Jen in the US. Well Kristan and I called her, and it was like we were in New York again. It was a good timed call aswell, because its Jills (Jens roomie), Birthday celebration. So we both sung a happy birthday to her.

All in all it was an international night.

I must say in the last day I have been feeling down because of the work situation, but its amazing how chatting to the right people can pick you up in the most unexpected way.

Milo Chat with Bretto

Got a suprise call from Bretto today...!

Such a loser. I answer the phone: 'CO-OP Mazzy Speaking'.

To which he responds... ' Miss Cameron. This is Consolidated Debt Collectors calling from Australia...'!!

MONG!!!

Anyway, it was GREAT to talk to my Aussie mate again..Brett is currently working in Basel, Switzerland for Syngenta Inc, and hopefully looking to take a new position there soon... fingers crossed with all the visa stuff babe!

Anyway, Bretto Milos are a definate regular thing in the future!

Thanks Bretto!

Hugs Mazzy xoxox

Danish Voices

I had a wonderful chat this morning with friends in Copenhagen...

Spoke to everyone who was in the Danish MC office....

Sam. Maja, Soren, Louise, Jonas, and Diego.

It was sooo amazing to hear everyones voices and the latest news from them all...

Thanks guys, for making my day!

Lots of Love and Hugs,

Mazzy xoxoxox

Sam shared with me a great quote this morning...

‘Where the needs of the world and your talents cross,

there lies your vocation’

- Aristotle

Realisations.

I am at a weird place right now in terms of work.

Working for AIESEC over the past 2 years has been great in so many ways. I have been able to work in a diverse team environment where people are united in a common purpose and working for a higher goal.

This is something that I realise is not necessarily the case in all organisations.

I guess it is very strange in this way to move to:

* An Independent, work by yourself autonomous environment
* A working evironment with people that are not necessarily motivated or connected by a higher purpose

It is very strange, and to be honest very disempowering for me personally, but empowering at the same time.

It tells me what I want and do not want in the place where I work.

I do not want the feeling that I am going to a 'job'.

I want the feeling that I am contributing to something higher and see the bigger picture of what I do

I want to work WITH people, right there slam bam thankyou mam SURROUNDED by people.... i want people to frustrate me, challenge me, engage me, entertain me, and have close friendship relations with me. I want to derive my energy and excitement from others, aswell as myself.

I want to be in a diverse environement, an environment where all ideas and people are welcomed regardless of level of title.

I want to work in a think tank - that is where people constantly challenge and seek 100% performance.

and right now, at this moment, I want to have my own organisation.

I have the ideas, I have the people who I know I can start irt with, and I have the will.....

The work I am doing now, and the environment I am in was needed for me, its like a kick in the butt...

'Mazzy, what may happen if you dedicate 40 hours of week to your personal dream....?'

I know I am ready to find out when I go back to Australia.

Weekend Update

So... another weekend in lovely Montreal.

FRIDAY NIGHT

Chill out night with Nadir and Kristin. I was definately in a blah mood after a lonely day at work on Friday, so I needed the inspiration of the movies.... it was all I could think of: Cinema, Cinema, Cinema.

I went home and got a call from Mum. It was sooooo great to catchup, it feels like it has been ages since we last spoke, so getting the lowdown on the family was very much welcomed by me.

Then I met up with Kristin and Nadir to watch Friday Night Lights - a suprisingly good movie about a small town Football team in Texas. REALLY good actually, so that was awesome.

Then we went to Hurleys, an Irish bar to listen to some Celtic music..... SO GOOD, and so what I needed that night. Nothing too intense.

SATURDAY

Joined the Gym, and spent three hours there working out... yes, me... and the word Gym were in the same sentence. SHOCK HORROR!!! It was oddly motivating, especially when I found the womens spas and sauna room.... LOVELY!!

Then I had pre-drinks of wine at my house with Kristin before we went out. She was going to a party with a German friend, and I was meeting up with a friend Mimi to attend a party in Mont-Royal. It was very exciting for me because it was with Mims theatre and acting friends..... totally my type of crowd. It ended up being an amazing night. I spoke with a professional opera singer for the longest time, as well as playwright. It was an older crowd of 25-30 so very good to talk and relate with, also personally very inspiring. All in all, there were about 30 people at the party, and I have set plans to meet up with several of them in the next week.

I LOVE meeting new people - especially a new creative crowd, the people I want to surround myself with more and more.

SUNDAY

Kristin ended up joining the party at about midnight, then we left at about 3am.... and slept at her 'campus'. Well more CRASHED at her campus. We woke up at 2pm on Sunday afternoon and had a lazy mood. So we watched one of my most personally inspiring movies, 'Legally Blonde'.... GREAT FUN!

Anyway now I am at work and about to go home.... for a yummy stir-fry! WOO HOO!!!

My Personality Profile

I recently made some colleagues at work do the MBTI Personality test. I did it again aswell, and found out... yes, I am still the same result.

ENFP all the way!!!

Here is the profile http://www.typelogic.com/enfp.html

It's accurate I think.... DAMN!!!

New York

More NYC Photos from Kristins digital camera:

www.fotos.web.de/k_greminger

Happy Viewing!

My Roomie - Kristin!!!

One of my closest friends in Montreal, Kristin (Germany) lives only 20 minutes away walking, and she also lives alone. Last night I went to her house for dinner, and we both reflected about how we missed having roommates.

So we came up with a plan...

We are now ROOMMATES, living in the same house but in different locations or 'campuses'.

We will be getting keys cut for both locations, having toothbrushes etc in both locations, having PJs ready in both houses and just sharing where we live. Sometimes we may live at Kristins campus which is more modern and equipt with all the latest in internet. Other times we may chose to go to my place, which is the oldern campus - equipt with TV and DVD capabilities.

It depends on our mood.

Last night it was such a lovely time, it really felt like we lived together, and that we are roommates.

We also discussed Christmas and decided that we will have a truely international XMAS in Montreal... with snow, sharing cultures, and some people from Toronto and Ottawa will be joining us which is EXCITING!!!!

So HAPPY about my new roomie!!

NYC Captured!!!

I just had to have a photo under this BROADWAY sign...!

The lovely Chrysler Building.

The Empire State Building... ah, the movie An Affair to Remember was in my mind the entire time!! Mum would LOVE IT!

Jen and I..... Love you babe! Had SO much fun in the shop with you!

All of us in our I love NYC shirts that did not attract any attention.... ok, maybe a little :-)

With the NYPD Blue...

On Wall Street...

In USA!!!!

42nd Street and Broadway...

Times Square at night.... AMAZING!!

Another Shot of Times Square...

Meeting Signe in NYC

The weirdest thing happened in NYC... I am not sure whether I shared it, but I met a friend from Denmark randomly in the street. Her name is Signe and she is a member from AIESEC at the University of Copenhagen. How weird and random to meet up with a Danish friend unexpectedly on the streets of New York.

I am person that believes that everything happens for a reason, and I truely believe that this was a wake up call. Since I have come to Montreal I have been constantly meeting people, seeing new things, setting up my life... and I have not been in contact with my Danish friends as much as what I have wanted.

I know that seeing Signe was a reminder, Maz... do not forget about your friends in Denmark... the amazing people who you have spent your life with in the last 15 months.

So this week I am contacting the people in Denmark and Australia I care about, phone or email just to let them know I have not forgotten about them, and to let them know how much they mean to me.

To all my close friends in Denmark ... Know that I miss you, and I am really wanting to catch up soon...

Love Mazzy xoxoxox

LOVE YOU JEN!!

THANKS So much babe for an amazing weekend, it was soooo good to see you:-)

Can't wait for you, Roudy and Maro to come and visit me in New York!

Love Mazzy xoxoxo

New York Memories...

New York.

It is like Sydney, but bigger.

There are lots of people, lots of traffic, lots of sounds and noises.

But actually New York is a place that is larger than life before you go, and a normal city when you have seen it. The number of times I said to Carl 'I just do not feel like I am in NYC, do you?', 'It just feels TOO normal and natural...'. I think because NYC is SUCH a famous city, you really start to form impressions and expectations at a much higher level than in most other cities... so yes, you are really expecting something larger than life.

What did I love about my NYC experience?

* The hustle and bustle of being in a big city again... It really felt like Sydney, and in many ways like home.

* The New Yorker accent. Granted it was not as strong as what I was expecting, but its great when you hear it in action.

* Broadway & 42nd Street. This is the place of my dreams, and I had to pinch myself every second to make sure that it was real. I would be ALWAYS at Broadway if I lived in NY, especially since it is really not that expensive to attend.

* Central Park. Like Hyde Park in Sydney, so feeling the sense of home again.

* Friendly New Yorkers. Contrary to what I imagined, people were SO friendly and nice to us when we were in town. I sense hardly any of the famous aggressive New York attitude.

* Hanging out with Jen and her New Yorker friends.... SO much fun!

LOVE NEW YORK!!!

Central Park & Limo Time!

I had the BEST day...

Went to a cafe for brunch with the gang, it was great. I got free coke from the lady and had Jens Fries side order, so CHEAP TIMES!!!

Then we headed to Central Park, and walked in the lovely sun. We reminisced about Sex and the City, You've got Mail and all the other shows we have seen from NYC Central Park.

We checked out the PLAZA hotel... and pretended that we could afford to rent rooms there :-)

Jen and Carl bargained for a stretch Limo to take us around New York and over the Brooklyn Bridge.... what a memory! Listening to Jazz, looking at the Bridge, getting a overview from Boris (our limo driver), seeing a random sign telling us not to IDLE for more than 4 minutes, and then going to Ground Zero.

We then went window shopping and I am now chilling with Jen at her house.... JEN AND MAZ TIME IN A MAJOR WAY!!

She has just popped into her flanallette PJs and does not look like she is leaving very soon for a rampant night out. Thats cool because we are just chilling out, we are in a CBB mode (can't be bothered).

well i better run...

More NYC goss soon...

New York, New York

Hey guys,

Guess where I am?

NEW YORK!!!!

It's SO amazing!

Have only spent $150 in total, so its been REALLY cheap.

I travelled here with Kristan, and Taps on Friday. Its only a 7 hour drive from Montreal.

We have looked at EVERYTHING:

* Broadway and 42nd Street
* Empire State Building
* Rockefeller Centre
* 5th Avenue
* Statue of Liberty
* Hells Kitchen
* Yellow Taxis
* Time Square
* Wall Street
* Ground Zero
* Brooklyn Bridge

SPENT TIME WITH JEN..... WOO HOO!!!!

SO Amazing!! :-)

Have to run... write more soon

Hugs Mazzy xoxoxo

Mazzy & Metallica

So its 6.00pm on a Sunday night, I am organising a social event with Kristin and I get a call from Nabil, a colleague from my work.

'Hey Maz, I have a free Metallica Ticket for tonight, do you want to come?'

HELL YEAH!!!

So pretty much last night at 7pm I walked into the Bell Centre in Montreal.... a MASSIVE complex to watch Metallica in action.

It was CRAZY. Total Madness. There were about 19,000 people in the complex, looking down on Metallica in the centre. The atmosphere was wild, and people were having insane amounts of fun.

Even though I am not a Metallica music fan per se, I must admit it was a GREAT night. They really put on a show, and it was thoroughly entertaining.

What an unexpected night, always the BEST TIMES!!!