Family Christmas in Oz

mum & nicky
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

So, my family have sent me some pictures of Christmas in Australia. This picture is of my Mum and my sister, Nicky.

It is amazing to think it has beem almost 2 years since I have seen everyone back home.

Time Flys...

Thanks Dad for the photos :-)

Grandma, Bro and Grandpa

nath
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

Here are some of my faves...

My Grandma, my brother Nathan and my Grandpa :-)

So jealous of the summer clothing they are profiling!!!

Good Times, Good Times !!!

As Dana would say... Good times, Good times:-)

That has definately been the case for the last two days...

i. KRISTINS FAREWELL - THURSDAY NIGHT

So we all gathered in McKibbins Irish Pub for the official farewell for Kristin. It was a pretty big crowd that gathered- including Andrew from Washington who was in town with a few friends for a mock United Nations Conference. It was awesome to catch up with him, and remember some of the good times from Chicago :-) It was Karaoke evening, so Anuj and I thought it would be a good idea for us to sing 'Reach for the Stars' and get all the AIESECers dancing.... and IT WAS A HIT!

But also sad for me, as I cannot even begin to imagine Montreal without my German sister. So we almost shed a few tears, but said NO NO... we will cry later, at the airport.

ii. RANDOM FRIDAY NIGHT & DAN IS IN TOWN!

So Friday night was pretty random and play it by ear. Dan arrived to Montreal in the morning, from New York and we both headed in the night to the AIESEC Concordia Information Session. I almost did not make it - due to mass exhuastion from running trainings all day. But Dan and others convinced me... Maz, we will give you energy! So I headed to and spoke at the information session.

It was pretty fun to see all the gang again... and add to that, I finally saw the IC 2002 in Calgary, Global Village Video - awesome. Afterwards, a group of us headed to get something to eat and to catch the movie 'Coach Carter' at the Paramount Cinema.

Tonight is a French-Canadian Party for Mims Birthday... WOO HOO!

Going to start getting ready now :-)

Oh and after breaking the sleeping record in our house, Dan has finally got up and is showering. You have to love the effects of Australia to the rest of the world Jet Lag.

Smile Material ...

Nuns on Stools
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

My Polish co-worker sent this to me this morning, and it made me smile :-)

Wintertime in Montreal

Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

snow cart
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

ice skating
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

snow1
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

ice
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

Aussie Night - The Outcome

So we met up last night to celebrate Australia Day... and it was definately good times. It was Esther, Chris, Merre, Sophie, Mims, Diego, Luc, Talicia, Tareq, Vicky and myself.

It was alot of fun. I taught them some Aussie drinking songs, we played Trivia with 'The Vegemites' going head to head with 'The Spunks'. However, the Vegemites were victorious in the end :-)

It was pretty rowdy with the two teams questioning the judging, the questions... and realising that actually they did not know too much about Australia. It was also pretty funny because when we were cheering AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE OI OI OI, another Australian was in the Pub. He came over and joined us, bringing his international friends with him. Namely a guy from UK and Mexico. So that was pretty cool, they will be joining up with us all at the Pub again tonight for Kristins farewell.

We also did Aussie language Lessons, and guess the meaning of the word. That was HILARIOUS!

Anyway, it was a good night. It is a shame there are no photos - oh well, next time ;-)

Loving...

... My new Cold Threshold - Due to my exposure to -40 tempretures, when it is -15 I feel normal and when it is above zero I feel like summer has hit in a major way.

... Listening to the 'I am Australian' song by The Seekers that Anuj sent to me today, although at the same time it is making me miss home.

... The new book I am reading, 'From Fields of Gold' by Alexander Ripley and the cosiness of reading before my eyes shut in bed and on the way to work in the morning.

... Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice. I discovered it in the last week, and have become an addict. Canada definately has great juice.

... My favourite home cooked meal; Mum's Asian Stirfry. It is the only food I am able to cook that tastes exactly how mum makes it, and that makes me feel competent in the kitchen.

... The anticipating of the weeks social events. Australia Day tonight, Kristins Farewell tomorrow, Friday Madness, and Mims Birthday on Saturday night. Plus Andrew from DC and Dan from Oz are in town visiting, so that is going to be fun.

... Maz time, the time when I blog, when I write my thoughts, when I read about people I care about all around the world, blogging their thoughts and experiences.

Happy Australia Day

Aussie BBQ
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

Well it is now the 26th of January in Australia, and that means something.

It is AUSTRALIA DAY!

I am pretty excited because it is a night I have been looking forward to in Montreal. I am getting everyone together at the pub for some:

- Aussie Trivia
- A Language Contest
- Boat Races
- Aussie Drinking Games
- Sao eating contest (If I find them)
- Vegemite Treats!!!

It is going to be FANTASTIC!

Look out Canada, Australia Day is about to hit :-)

The Toga Gals

gals
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

Ahmed from the Bay Area in US, sent me a zip file with pictures from Chicago today ... it was awesome.

THANKS SO MUCH babe :-) You made my day!

But I could not pass putting this picture up... Three of the coolest gals I know. Francis (Seattle Mischief Maker), Lynette (Colorado Moprah Sister) and Jen (Aussie BOMBSHELL!!)

Opera v Play - A HUGE Difference

So the Opera turned out being a little different from expected. Totally different. It was actually a French Play :-) I mean it was still fantastic but there is a HUGE difference between music in another language and a classic French play with long verbal sections.

The Difference? In the latter there is the potential to have NO idea what is actually happening. Add to this the fact that there were random things happening throughout the performance i.e. a man coming out in the middle of the scene screaming RAH like a lion.... and it was pretty confusing.

It was a group of four of us that attended, with Chris from NZ and I desperately trying to put the peices of plot together at the end of the performance.

It was a good night, a huge cultural thing, and a pretty interesting experience all up... but probably the last time I attend a play in another language to be honest.

Opera Time

Open Air Opera - Copenhagen
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

So I am pretty excited now, because in a short while I am going to Place Des Arts to see a famous Opera .... FOR FREE!!

Free, Free, Free.

Finally, a Mazzy event comes along, that I do not have to pay an arm and a leg for ;-)

I have pretty high expectations. The last time I watched Opera was in Copenhagen last summer. A group of us went to a free open air Opera in the park. It was magnificent. I have never seen people so quiet for so long simply due to the power of the music.

Needless to say, I am pretty happy about tonight - something new and exciting to do, which by the way is TOTALLY down my alley.

Au Revoir!!!

A Confession

I have a confession to make.... I am addicted to stationary.

Today, I was wandering in the downtown, and thought I would pop into the Dollarama store. I headed straight for the stationary section.

Pens, Markers, Paper, Books, Post-Its, Glue, Paint, Stickers...

I think I spent about half an hour glued to the endless stationary possibilities in front of me. Which book would I buy? Which pen would I choose, or maybe pencil? Would I live on the wild side and get some unecessary stickers? Or a two year plan ahead calendar? What about the so proclaimed 'magical markers' - they certainly sounded good.

I have a serious problem.

I love this stuff... LOVE it. I ended up getting an awesome hardcover 300 page notebook, some new textas, and post-it notes. I decided as cool as the stickers were, they really served no purpose for me.

Oh, and brought a cool book.... just about to snuggle up on my bed and read it now :-)

Unexpectedly Wonderful

Mailed Photos
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

I love the unexpected.

I love spontanaeity.

I Love impromtu.

That's why last night was soooo wonderful. It was completely different from what I imagined it would be.

So I was sitting at home, about to cook dinner when my roomie called me...

"Maz, you HAVE to come down to the pub and join me. I am catching up with some friends, and I think you would love it".

SURE THING! I was totally up for meeting some new people, and besides I was just going to relax and watch TV anyway - going down to the pub was a much better option.

So I joined Mims and met four of her French Canadian friends. I mean FRENCH Canadian. Apparently one of the guys I was talking too had not spoken English in months, so it was a bit of a shock for them all to be talking in English with me (even though I insisted that it was not necessary as I love the sound of French being spoken :-)) It was SO much fun sitting with them all, talking about Quebec culture and sharing some Aussie culture at the same time. We all had wines, and beers so it was REALLY relaxed.

Then one of the guys invited me to join them for dinner.... his treat! WHAT? No way, I said. I couldn't. Mimi (my roomie) said not to worry, that it was normal, he was wealty and just liked to buy things for people. Ok... But I can't stay too long, I told him.

SO, we went to this cosy Italian restuarant a few blocks away. GREAT food, although I had to leave at 10 to meet some other friends and head to an international party.

Meet other friends, and head out in -40 degrees to the house party. It was actually a farewell to Miguel a Spanish guy, and a join Birthday with Mitch (Belgium) and Paul (Ireland). It was FANTASTIC - there were only 2 canadians in the room, everyone else was from different countries in the world..

AMAZING! I LOVE these international parties... and the international crowd in Montreal.

We ended the night with Bitches Bitches - taught by the crazy Anuj himself.

Good Times, REALLY good times.

btw: This picture is on the way home in the Metro... it's pretty blurry, and I think that is how we all were at that time anyway :-)

Headache

Blogging.

Thats all I am productive for at the moment - I have a mamma headache happening, with a potential to move into the migrane category really fast. I feel terrible. I am at work, and don't really feel like talking to people at the moment, so am trying to hide away... feeling tod darn sick to interact.

Tylenol do your job ASAP.

MAGIC ' 05

Everyone keep the last weekend of February free, book flights, buses and trains ASAP...

Why? M.A.G.I.C 2005

Bigger than Ben Hur :-)

Freezing Times

So, last night was not what I expected. It was originally supposed to be Thursday drinks at my friend Anuj's house - well with a small group of people. But due to illness, people getting lost, no phone with battery power, the night ended up just being 3 people - Chris (New Zealand), Anuj (Montreal) and Me:-)

But it was really cosy, and oddly motivating. Funny moments:

* Waiting an hour and checking two exits for Astrid in FREEZING temperatures. AND never actually meeting up with her. The key question now: What happened to Astrid?

* Randomly choosing a place to eat before popping to Anuj's house - and finding out it is one of the most famous smoked meat places in the world called Shwartz's. I mean they even sell their own T-Shirts, their own cherry drink and I have to say it was PACKED with people. So unknown to us, we ended up having a really awesome dinner in a really famous place... unexpectedly.

* Rediscovering the power of old dial operated TVs, the power of the forgotten cassette tape, and the beauty of free things lying on the street at Anuj's house.

* Planning out what is going to be an awesome event called MAGIC - more on this soon :-)

All in all it was a great night. We also have plotted down the social plans for the next week, and I have been instructed to put these online here - so that we all don't forget. So it should be a pretty cool week ahead


SOCIAL AGENDA

Saturday 22nd January - International Party
Sunday 23rd January - Free Music Concert
Tuesday 25th January- Cafe Campus
Wednesday 26th January - Australia Day at Grumpy's Bar
Friday 28th January - Kristins German Farewell at Mckibbins
Saturday 29th January - Mimis Birthday Party
Tuesday 1st February - Movie Night
Last Weekend February - MAGIC 2005

Can't wait to the craziness ahead!!!

Cultural Differences

Enjoyed this article on the cultural differences between Aussies, Canadians, Americans and Brits :-) All cultures I have been exposed too, and could relate with many of the points :-)

Pedantic Musings

"Pedantic"

Over the last week, whilst running training seminars for the students at Concordia University, I have realised that no-one in Canada seems to know the word Pedantic. It has been pretty funny, because in each seminar when a certain slide shows on the PPT, everyone asks... What is Pedantic? What is that word? What does it mean?

This really interested me, as I thought it was quite a commonly understood word.

It prompted me to do a scan of people in the office - and NOT ONE CANADIAN KNOWS THIS WORD. I mean it is not like people are not educated or do not have wide vocabularies but they seem to have simply not been introduced to this word.

I took my research further, driving a poll on my msn list. It seemed Canadians still did not know (ASHA!!), and all Aussies, British people, Danish people etc seemed to know it. Actually right now, I have Asha pestering me... What does it mean Mazzy... What does it mean?!!

I am telling her I am writing the long awaited answer on my blog.... RIGHT NOW!

So here it is:

Pedantic (Adjective):

1. Emphasizing minutiae or form in scholarship or teaching; strict; meticulous

OR

2. Marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects

Examples: Professor Jones's lectures were so pedantic that his students sometimes had a tough time understanding the big picture.

Mystery is solved :-)

I am NOT Canadian

I was travelling in the bus to work today listening to my radio, and the funniest parody song came on. It was 'You gotta learn French' to the tune of 'You gotta have Faith, faith, Faith' by Boy George I think.

Anyway, it reminded me I wanted to put up the lyrics to the Quebec parody of the Molson 'I am Canadian' rant.

The ' I am NOT Canadian'. Here it is, it is hilarious!!!

I am not Canadian

I'm not unemployed, or smuggling cigarette [sic] across the border.
I don't eat Pepsi and Mae Wests for breakfast.
I don't watch the hockey game doin' it doggie style.
And non, I don't know Claude, Manon or François in Abitibi - Témiscamingue;
but I'm sure dey all 'ave nice teeth.
I smoke in church.
I speak Québecois and Joual; not French or Hanglish [sic];
and I pronounce it 'turd', not 'third'.
And eating french fries with cheese makes sense, mon hostie;
I believe in [the] distinct society – as long as someone else pays for it.
I believe in language police, not equal rights.
And, calice, I believe that "Club Super Sexe" is an appropriate place for my wife and me to celebrate our anniversaire!
What da hell, she goes on at ten, anyway!
In Québec, the Stanley Cup actually comes round more often than Halley's Comet.
I can get beer at the dépanneur, not at the convenience store.
And maybe I can't turn right on a red light, but, tabarnac, I can go right through it!
Because Québec is the world's largest producer of maple syrup, the 'ome of Céline Dion and Roch Voisine;
The land where everybody is shackin' up, and the legal drinking age is just a suggestion.
Je m'appelle Guy - and I am not Canadian. (Mautadit tabarnac hostie...)

Public Thanks

Public thanks to Chris for finally solving the Geoloc Map mystery for me, and making it work on my blog.

Dude, I am so happy it is finally working properly.

Geez, I am such a computer nerd now.... nomadlife what have you done to me??!!! :-)

Hugs Maz xx

Queue Culture

Bus Queues
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

One of the biggest things that I have noticed being in Canada is the polite queue culture.

In Australia, and in Denmark when waiting at bus stops etc it is random style. You locate the bus stop and then you can stand anywhere, it does not really matter because when the bus arrives it is every person for themselves.

I remember when I was at school and the bus would arrive it was a mob mentality... people would literally all bunch around the door and it was anyones guess as to who would enter the bus when and in what order. Usually the more aggressive and assertive people pushed their way to the front. In peak hours, it could be chaos - and definately to get the on the bus you wanted, it was a survival approach that was necessary.

In Montreal, it was and still is so strange to me, the amazing queue culture that exists. People go to the bus stop, and stand in a self made queue. If you arrive first, you are first in line. People will literally line up one by one all the way down the street, and sometimes around the corner of a street.

It is SO POLITE. SO ordered, and simply natural to everyone.

I was thinking the other day, when I go back to Oz or other countries where this does not exist, I am going to get so frustrated, and most likely find people rude.

It is going to be interesting to reintegrate to the chaos based approach :-)

Lil Energy

lil
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

So finally I got to chat with Lil, one of my absolute best friends in the world. Nothing like a Lil chat to give clarity to my world. Forget about all the thinking time, the umming and ahhing... within 10 minutes of talking to Lil everything seems to magically become clear.

THANKS BABE!
SO good to catch up... even if it was cut short by the dodgy phone card.

Have fun while Al is in town,

Hugs Mazzy xx

Another Cry for Help in Montreal

I just saw on my lovely Montreal commorades blog, Chris, his cry for help.

I echo it!!!

It is MINUS 36 DEGREES CELCIUS HERE!

Let this posting always be a reminder to me that I have lived in these insane human conditions.

Where is Bondi beach when I need it???

WHY?!!

Why is everthing that I love to do invariably more expensive than the other stuff I could be doing?

I just saw an advertisement for the BEST show at the Montreal Casino... it is called 'Broadway' and contains more than 27 broadway melodies...I almost fell over, the show might as well be called Mazzy it is SOOO very much me. It had no price, so I thought... FREE! GRATUIT!

Well, not quite. It has a cost - more than I can afford put it that way.

WHY WHY WHY!!

This is becoming a trend... I had no idea that I had such expensive tastes and interests.

Yesterday, fresh with passion on my feelings that I want to explore my creative side more, I checked out some acting classes in montreal.... $300 PLUS for 12 weeks (to be paid in advance).... I mean, seriously.... thats huge for me on my salary... HUGE.

SO now, I am thinking of innovative ways to make money to afford the things I love and to explore what I want to do with my life...

The Perfect Present

120-2075_IMG
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

So I have been glued to the computer, looking at the faces and places of my time in Denmark courtesy of one of my closest friends from Slovakia, Bergio (Pictured).

I am not the person that usually takes photos, and as much as I would LOVE to have a digital camera- I never seem to have the money to buy one.... so coming out of my Danish experience, I didnt really have any photos to show for it.

Today however, I received a package from Bergio containing a CD with all the pictures he took from our time in Copenhagen - and CATEGORISED!!! Wow.... amazing.

So many things I remember, and so many things that I forgot and the photos are triggering my memories of... its pretty awesome to now be looking at them after being away from Denmark for almost 5 months.

It is definately one of the best presents I ever!

Thanks Berg, and thanks for the advice email :-)

Love you!

Zippidy Do Da

Gosh.. I am having a great day.

Today we have been running professional training seminars at the University for the students... and it gives me SO much natural energy. I LOVE IT so very much...

Zippidy Do Da
Zippidy Ay
My oh my what a wonderful day!

This is the best Monday I have had in ages :-)

I Heart Peirogies!

I just had my first Polish Peirogie with Maja and Mimi...

AMAZING!

Combining my two fave food tastes of potato and dumplings...

What a Sunday discovery :-)

Strange or Natural?

My roomie has just told me... " Maz, you are the only person I have ever met that thinks about who they are, their life direction, and personal goals so much... I only do this sort of deep thinking time once a year..."

Hmmm... It has got me thinking, do I think too much? I mean I am always looking at these questions it is true... I think being surrounded by people on MC in Denmark and Australia I got used to being around people who did this, and it was always a natural thing.

Strange to think that it could be consideredird act to think about your own personal future.

What if...?

Ok, It is no secret that I have been doing alot of self-reflection lately, and thinking about the next steps in my life.

So one of the questions I have asked myself is if someone said to me; Maz... If I could let you do anything you wanted with your life, what would be your dream job...

My internal answer - I would love to have my own TV show.

Ok, doesnt sound too amazing, doesnt sound too impacting.... but when I think of what makes me come alive, this is what comes to my mind.

I would love to have a TV show that brought real issues to people in an entertaining and fun way, inspiring people to act, to think, to do things that they never believed possible. I would love to have an audience that spans throughout the world, and to have the job of being me, being Mazzy and bringing these people into contact with new people, new experiences through the time that we would spend with each other through the TV.

I would like to have access to they way people think, and a medium to communicate things of importance but easily chewable to the everyday person....

Don,t get me wrong, I would love to have the JOY company.... but I am not sure if the JOY company is just a manifestation of this dream.... because when it comes down to it I think I am really a performer at heart.

I mean I have thought at length about why I loved Chicago so much, and alot of it comes down to the fact the chair role felt natural... a role that is perform, talk to people, entertain....

Could it be that I am a performer at heart? I mean when I was little maybe I was more aware of this. I used to gather the extended family and put on shows for the adults. I would get all the youngsters to do different talent acts etc... Maybe I was on the right track when I was 8.... maybe I need to get on that track again.

When I think about it, my favourite show is The Actors Studio. I watch it relentlessly. My favourite thing to do is go to the movies, or the theatre, or live acts. My favourite people are usually ultra expressive in nature.

Wow... I am not sure really. One thing I think is for sure, I am not the type that should be working in a multinational organisation.... I just think that maybe it is not for me. But what then? So my dream is to have a TV show... to be in the entertainment business, do I follow that now? Or do I work in another area I love... like people development (a path I am on at the moment) and take up lots of creative interests on the side.

Then again, my favourite quote comes to mind. Do what makes you come alive, because what the world needs is more people who have come alive.... I mean entertaining and performing is what really makes me come alive. I guess in some way thats why I am in training, it is a sort of means of theatre. It contains an audience, it allows me to be on stage and communicare a message. Is it an excuse? A band-aid? An easy option instead of following what could be my real calling?

Its strange. Sometimes I feel like there are two Mazzys.... no I am not dilusional... it is just that one Mazzy is the artsy one, the performer, the dreamer, the theatre buff and the other one is the career one, the go for a multnational, the get more money, the stay abroad. Am I making any sense? Maybe not.... but I am definately in a thinking mood.

I will now log off and spend some time with cool music pondering on these thoughts.....

I LOVE having a blog to put these thoughts down, consolidating what I think and feel.

Likely to Roam

I often read star signs at the end of the day out of interest to see how accurate they can be... I look at several, take the average and then evaluate. Today's daily horoscope had definate truth in it...

"Feeling less attached to home, you're more likely now to roam"

It is true that since returning from Chicago I have been different... I feel less attached to Montreal than I did before Christmas. Add to this the fact that my closest friend here is leaving in 2 weeks to return to Germany, and it is safe to say I am in a weird state at the moment.

I have tried explaining it at length to my Polish roommate. It is like I am more detached, and I have this incredible desire to move to the next experience and place in my life. It could be in Asia, in Africa, in Europe, in Australia, or even still in North America but at the moment I have this huge desire to roam. All this week I have been looking at different maps, places that I would love to visit.... people whom I would love to catch up with.

I know it is weird for the people around me, as I am usually the person that drives the social activity and interaction. To be honest, since I have returned I have not felt the need to do this - I have really loved maz time - at the movies, in the cafe, on the phone. I guess I have been re-connecting with people and things I have not connected with in ages... and through the disconnection with Montreal, saw this as a good time to foster those relationships.

But its amazing how that line really speaks to me at this point in time...

"Feeling less attached to home, you're more likely now to roam"

I am just figuring out in what way, form, time and means that roaming can be best facilitated.

Musical Buff

I love theatre.

I love acting.

I love drama.

I love musicals.

Last night I went and watched the movie version of The Phantom of the Opera with a few friends. I was skeptical, having read some pretty nasty reviews but pleasantly surprised. I mean I have grown up on musicals, and would often put Phantom of the Opera on repeat whilst I studied for my final high school exams (Does that sound really dodgy?)

So I know every word, every nuance of the musical, every breath that is taken and the movie really captured this for me. I loved it.

At times I would just shut me eyes, and let the music overtake me.

For me, it was TOTAL inspiration.

Localised

I am now a local in Montreal. This morning I actually caught myself saying to my roomie, what a lovely day... so balmy...

Ok, let's get some perspective.... It was 10 degrees celcius

No doubt about it, I have joined the local masses in Montreal in that anything over zero degrees is warm :-)

The Beach

I miss the Beach - the great Ocean. Not just sea, not just a lake but a beach. I miss the white or yellow sand, I miss the sounds of the ocean, the smells of the ocean. I miss sitting on a blanket, and being consumed by the water in front of me.

Whenever I need to think, whenever I need to take decisions, whenever I need time alone.... I always go to the beach to get my natural energy.

You know, if it came down to it I could live in a crappy house, I could even have crappy clothes but one of my life goals is to have a place on the water, in the sun with someone amazing to share a wine with as the sun sets...on a verandah...

Hmmm is my Aussie side coming out all of a sudden?

Ahhh, yes. I definately miss the beach.

PJ Power

pjs
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

We LOVE our Pajamas, and our Ug Boots, and hanging out on the floor of a party. Here is a pic of Jen and me, just chilling out, not really in the mood for huge dancing... talking on the floor whilst the party was going on the background.... good times, good times.

One of my Favourite AIESEC Moments

WSC 05
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

Alex from the Bay area sent me this photo of my favourite AIESEC moment... Crowd Surfing in Action...LOVING IT! Gosh, it is still so amazing thinking about that week, and now with people on my msn I can keep in touch so easily :-)

Sheila thanks for the photo aswell... and DJ Kev, also. Finally I am building up my photo collection from the conference which is awesome. Just looking at the photos always brings a smile to my face.

Actually looking at this photo is pretty funny... seeing it from a different point of view. I only wish I had a video cam on me when i was that high, it was amazing looking out onto everyone.

Heard the song, Let's get it started today and immediately thought of Line Dance Instructor of the new millenium.... Chris from UK. hahahah :-)

MRA Certified.

My colleague and I are certain of one thing, some of our co-workers did not get MBAs but rather MRAs.... Masters of Random Administration.

A Single Motivating Thought.

When I think about the organisation I want to have in the future, it makes me smile.

Firstly I imagine the people that work within it. Passionate, Zany, a little nutty, Intelligent, Free-spirited, worldly, inspired. An amazing team of people that work together and play together, that mean something to each other, that LOVE what they do and that love permeates to everyone who comes into contact with them.

I imagine the culture... an innovation and ideas culture. Let's think of a new way, let's be the first. An action culture of making things happen. A fun culture of crazy energy - where people feel free to be random and totally themselves. A culture of excellence, the we will be the best mentality in life and in work. A team based culture... people working together towards a common unifying goal, and passionate about it. HELL YEAH BABY!!!

I imagine the impact the organisation will have...the young individuals it will touch and the positive contribution to the world it will make and how that will funnel back to the people in my org who are making that impact, and impact them inturn.

Ahhh......... Sometimes, just sometimes when I am having a bad day at work, like today. When I realise people just do not know what they are doing, that the culture is the anti-christ of what I would like, and when I feel all the pressure of responsibility to make things happen upon my shoulders...

I simply sit back and imagine my organisation in the future.

Ah, starting to breathe a little better already.

Congratulations Australia

Congratulations to Mei-Lisa (MCP 05-06), and the new Australian MC team: Tilly, Ralph, Westy, Bretto, Tugba, and Penny.

It is so strange because you are the guys that were in the organisation when I first started my MC term. I know you will do an amazing job... Three cheers to Sydney Uni aswell... Tillz, Ralph and Westy, SYDNEY SYDNEY SYDNEY OI OI OI!!!

I am not on the MC now... so guess what, I can allign with my LC again :-) mwaa haa haa.... Sydney going strong !!!

Loving my new place...

So sitting with one of my roomies, Maja from Poland in our French Canadian friend Mimis room.... eating some strawberry cheesecake ice-cream, listening to Norah, talking about love and life, blogging on the internet....

I just read something from Andy Warhol that comes to mind:

" You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you"

Well this moment in time is definately thrilling.

Ricky G

ALI G
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

Ricky G hit closing plenary with these amazing disco divas... good times, good times.

Daffodil and Lilac

Daffodil and Lilac
Originally uploaded by Mazzy.

Hanging out with the my partner in Randomness... Chris from UK aka Daffodil to me. One of my faves from the conference.. who could ever forget: 'Steering wheels, windscreen wipers, sunroof, FRONT LIGHTS'. You make me laugh so much babe!!! Hugs Mazxx

Phone Passion.

I love the phone. With a Passion.

I love it, I love it, I love it....

For me the phone is a device that enables me to connect with people that I care about all around the world. I am able to touch base with Lil in Australia, with Mark in Germany or with Jen in USA.

I LOVE PHONE CHATS.

I think this week, coming back from an amazing week in Chicago, I have a huge desire to talk to the people that I love and care about... and randomly call people around the world. Tonight I just caught up with Jen... two little Aussies lost in a big bad world... hmmm ok so maybe that is not accurate. But needless to say, we had the best chat ever, as always.

THANKS BABE... We have now scheduled in Milo chats everyweek because afterall, NYC is just like Sydney and Montreal is like Melbourne so we really have NO EXCUSES.

Tonight I am also calling Lil - my best friend in Oz. She is the person that is the ying to my yang. Everyone thinks that we are SO opposite, but we know the truth: That we are actually more alike when we get to the fundamentals. But whereas I get excited and crazy about an idea, Lil looks at it with apprehension and sceptism. Thats why she is my closest friend, she brings the elements to my life that I really need, and often severely lack.

So I am really looking forward to a chat with her tonight.

Ahhhh so many people I will be calling this week... this is giving me all the energy I need.

To all my amazing friends, Just wanted to say you may get a random maz call this week.... I LOVE YOU GUYS!!

Hugs Maz xx

Normalising... Finally

Ok, so it has been a crazy few days.

Desperately exhuasted from Chicago, plagued with illness after coming back to the lovely -15 temperatures of Montreal, emotional from missing people, moving houses so essentially having no home, and returning to the reality at work that not much happened since you left, and you have HUGE amounts of work to do.

But slowly I have adjusted.

I have finally caught up on sleep, moved into my new place, got some medicines, and started to reclaim my life in Montreal.

This is a good feeling - by tomorrow I should be pretty much normal again... albeit with a new passion for what I want to do in life, and intentions of visiting some pretty cool people I met last week.

Last night I had a pretty cool conversation with my roomie, Mimi - about life, about decisions and people. It has definately made me think alot. Thanks babe.

So just about to go to a cafe, get a HUGE hot chocolate and think about what I want to do in the next few months and year after my traineeship finishes....

and you know what, it is a pretty exciting time. To have so many opportunities and ideas, it is just a matter of which one I will do now, and which I will save for later.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Love Mazzy xx

Life Juxtaposed

How funny...

I have walked from an amazingly inspiring environment back to boredom central. It's definately two polar ends of the spectrum that I have experienced in the last week - US WSC v Canadian Traineeship.

I am generally a person that believes that at certain times in your life things come up to tell you things. Kind of like, indicators where you need to stop and think about where you are headed.

The AIESEC US WSC was definately a Mazzy indicator.

I was luckily in a role and environment which I loved again... and I had forgotten what it felt like to be in a role I loved. I love talking to people, I love educating people, I love interpreting and creating a group dynamic.... If only the job of Chair was a fulltime, fully paid position then I would be set on my dream for life.

Contrast that to my traineeship environment - people who do not like what they do, are unmotivated, who do nothing, office politics is high, and i am stuck in a windowless room all day. Talk about stifling my personality, and quite obviously causing me to count down the hours till the end of each day.

The quality and environment of my traineeship, and my frustration with it, is nothing new. I have spoken and unleashed my thoughts about this discontent often on my blog. BUT attending WSC was a HUGE kick up the butt. What the hell am I doing working in this role? In this environment? Where is my passion for a higher purpose and the job that I do? Where is my passion for my co-workers?

Quite frankly, it is not present.

SO now I need to make some life decisions.

Yes, I was going to do my masters but now I am not sure... sitting in a room all day, studying hmmm it sounded good... but its not truely what makes me tick, and since I do not need masters to get where I need to go, I am not sure that this is an urgent to do for me.

I was also considering another traineeship or work abroad in a large multi-national corporation. This would enable me to get the pure corporate point of view and environment I have lacked to date. Also I would like to work in a competent people development role, so this is definately a possibility - no matter where in the world it is located.

Based off my recent passion for AIESEC US, (I love those members ALOT), another option is running for the planning and co-ordinator role which is definately something I would love to do, also working in a completely different @ environment, travelling the US, and of course working with some amazing people. But this role is for two years, and I am not sure I want to define my life for that amount of time doing that role.

Another idea I have is running for AIESEC International. It is something that I thought about this time last year, but I had NO motivation for the organisation back then and was quite disillusioned by the people within it. I just did not see inspirational leadership, I did not see passion for changing the world, and so I thought @ would need a major reform in ternms of leadership before we could make any huge step in the direction of impacting people to make that change. Now I have a different point of view, I think that by focusing on building inspiring leaders with the desire and the ability to make change, we can really have a great impact.... I guess being in a traineeship has made me see what is really important, and this was re-inforced at WSC. So this is also an option, and would be many of the things I love doing contained in one role.

For those of you who know me, you know I want to start my own organisation. I actually know exactly what this org will do, who I want to work in it, how it will happen. But I want to strart it from Australia, and at this stage I don't think I am quite ready to return home. There is plenty of time for that and my vision :-)

Hmmmm.... another idea is to work in an organisation with a culture I love... and a purpose I love... I will be researching these tonight. I know an organisation in Netherlands which is about ideas - and their consultants just go into different orgs to provide ideas and creativity. I have also seen another position ' Director of Applied Imagination' which is pretty awesome aswell. Or an organisation aligned with the one I want to start called 'Passion Planning'. These options are also highly appealing to me at the moment.

Maybe working for an NGO in Asia or Africa... this is something that has always been a dream... maybe now is the time to pursue this before getting serious with my own organisation..

At any rate, this weekend I will be making some tough decisions.

But no matter what I am resolved to not extend my traineeship. I am meant to finish January 15, and worse comes to worse I will finish February 1st. No matter what option I take, I know this environment and work is not what I want to be doing for very much longer.

Decision time - taking notice of this indicator!

Closure

At the moment I have none.

I mean I REALLY miss the people I met in Chicago, and cannot imagine that I will not be seeing or working with them for a long time. Add to that the fact that I have no photos from the conference, and lost all my sugar cubes - and its safe to say at the moment I have absolutely no closure.

What I usually do after an intense conference experience is paste all my sugars, and memories in a book, aswell as some photos.... I make a journal about the experience. I have done this for most intense conferences, it is something that helps me to remember years down the track.

This time I do not have that, and its like there is this peice missing. Thats why I am going to get a book tonight and put all my thoughts into it, so I can remember forever the wonderful experience I just had.

But I only hope the OC has found my special stuff I left behind... I am such a dag for losing it when it actually means so much to me.

So, off to buy a book now... hoping this will help!

Hugs Maz xx

Missing US

Wow... I am so emotional.

I am missing people so much.... How do I get back to reality?

How do I not miss some of the amazing people who have just entered my life?

Any ideas would be appreciated xx

An Amazing Moment

SO I am finally back from Chicago and the AIESEC US Winter Strategic Conference.... and I am in such an emotional state you would not imagine. The experience I have had in Illonois in the last week has been easily one of the most wonderful of my life.

From the pre-meeting till the final ceremonies - every minute was filled with challenge, with energy and with amazing heart. At times I was tired, energetic, happy, sad.... EVERYTHING.

But thats what made it so wonderful for me.My favourite moment was at the end of the conference, when all the delegates sang to me 'Wind Beneath my wings', then croweded around me in a huge hug and picked me up to crowd surf me.... gosh I have never been part of such an inspiring moment before in my life....

THANK YOU @ US for giving me that special thankyou, and for having a bigger impact on me than you can ever imagine.

I love you all very dearly.

Love and Hugs,Mazzy xx