To busy Spring, laid back Summer

Hello everyone! My my, I've done it again, it's been more than two months... To my defense, I had a LOT going on in May/June. 

First, I performed my solo show for the first time at the end of May during the EAT New Work Series, and then two more times at The Hive in Brooklyn. It was a wonderful experience, and I felt so blessed with all the support and feedback I got! I now feel confident that I have a good piece and that it speaks to people despite its personnal nature. It still needs some tweaking, but I'm excited at the prospect of traveling with it, provided the department of Immigration grants me my visa... Here are some pictures of my Hive performances, courtesy of my Dad who was here for the occasion.

How to juggle your passions effectively

Hey everyone! So, I've been pretty busy recently, but not so much overwhelmed, despite stretching myself in several very different directions (as usual). In addition to finishing my show (you can help by participating or sharing the Indiegogo campaign in the sidebar), learning my lines for The Tempest (and yes, we have a campaign for that too!), working on a dance show set to happen late June, putting together my visa petition and working as a tour guide to support myself, I have also started meditating every day, designed 2 knitting patterns, finished knitting a huge shawl, started drawing and blogging again and managed to go see three Broadway shows in less than two weeks. Now for those who know me, I have literally spent my life trying (and failing!) to devise a schedule that includes everything I like to do and everything I have to do while still staying manageable and flexible enough for me to stick to it. I had pretty much given up on trying to pursue everything while also feeling like I was accomplishing something. Enters: DA book! 

Ghibli and me

So, I actually have a lot to say about what I've been doing, but it will have to wait because I've been dying to write this post for a month now! I'll just say this: I have just launched an Indiegogo campaign to help me finance my one woman show... If you want to donate or share it, I will be much grateful! Just click on the link below:

Fund "Woman Seeks God" Indiegogo Campaign 

Ok, so now let's talk about Ghibli. Very few people know that, but I'm a Ghibli maniac. I don't think their work is as popular in the US as in Europe (but I may be mistaken). In trying to deal with my own life this past month, I've turned to Ghibli and rewatched some old favorites, as well as discovered some new ones. Without doing an in depth analysis, I 've been wanting to share here why I love those movies so much. 

The winter of my discontent...

Ok, I just noticed that my last post was in 2013. I have officially become the worst blogger ever. Anyway, it is never too late to do good, as we say in French ;) 

Let's make up time... first part!

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Hello everyone! Yes, I know, I disappeared ... What can I say? ... The last few weeks have been epic to say the least! I do not even know where to begin ... The past two months, every day I felt like:

Spring is back... or not!

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Well, yes, I know, it's been two months ... I do the best I can, huh ! Let me tell you that I have been busy lately, and I'm barely catching my breath after a week off before resuming the craziness...

Some time at last!

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Okay, I know, water has flowed under the bridge since my last post, but the first two weeks back were plagued with one day weekends because of mocks dance auditions ... What I learned from those was that you have a better chance if you really want the part... lol!

The enchanted holiday...

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Let me start where I stopped yesterday, at my departure, on Christmas Day, to go to my Mum! Yay! The  gifts were  barely unwrapped when I jumped on the train (2 min before the doors closed...) for a safe trip to the sea ..

Merry Christmas... hum...I mean... Happy New Year!

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And a Merry Christmas to all!! What, I'm late? Barely! Although ... I have a lot to tell you! Here we go, I'll try to be brief  (I might fail!)

Make way for Tofurkey!

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I know, I know, it's been years since I have posted anything new! Shame on me! I'll try to catch up ... So, first, it's holiday season. Our Thanksgiving break was just long enough to make us feel how exhausted we were, and I had the chance to eat a delicious traditional meal prepared by my favorite roommate. The only unconventional dish was Tofurkey for an assistance mainly composed of vegetarians ...

Hide yo kids, hide yo wife, Sandy's in the place, yo.

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So here I am waiting for the coming of our stormy visitor. Classes were canceled tomorrow for the first time in the history of Circle (barely an exaggeration). No subways from tonight 7pm. Which means ... more time to catch up on my blog !

These last two weeks have been full of new and varied emotions ... The first is that, nine hours a day locked up in an environment where we are asked to expose ourselves constantly can wreck havoc in my ability to relate to people without tension.

Week...? Who's counting anymore?

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Hello hello, my faithful readers!

Last weekend was very busy, so I found myself forced to postpone my article to today ... thus, I now have too much to say!

First thing I should say is, we are tired!

These last two weeks have been epic and eventful ... The week before last week was hard for me and I found myself going back to an "hyper protective" state, which is not really the most efficient for a theater program, eh ... So last weekend I kicked my own ass to get back to "vulnerable" ... come what may!

All the cool kids have regret - CrazyTown post.

Who hasn't heard the expression "no regrets"? But the truth is, we'd better buckle up for some if we want to actually have lived...

I don't know about you, but I tend to regret more the things I did than the things I didn't do. Because of this, I spent many years doing nothing, living in fear of having to one day regret my choices. Let's face it, the overwhelming message of any well-meaning friend or self-help book is "Live to the fullest, you don't want to have regrets". Ah, yes. But here's the catch: if you truly live to the fullest, you are going to have regrets. For sure. It's non-negotiable. From the moment you make a choice, you are giving up the alternative and taking the responsibility of whatever future feelings will come with that choice.

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And what do you do? - CrazyTown guest post

It is not always easy to find your place when you refuse to be put in a box. It is, however, highly entertaining to watch other people trying, and failing, to categorize you. 

Ever since I was a child, I always had an overwhelming urge to thoroughly and immediately explore anything that took my fancy. One thing ALWAYS led to another and I lived happily in a Matryoshka-like world, where every interest would eventually bring me to another, completely new.

As I grew older, needless to say, I didn’t change much. What did change were the expectations of the outside world. I discovered with dismay, as I boarded the coasts of adulthood, that you were not supposed to “do” too many things.  

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Don't give up stories, they can save your life.

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On how fairy tales continue to guide me, even into adulthood.

Even today, in my venerable old age of 30, one of my favorite movies is "Spirited Away", from Myazaki. I could argue about the intrinsic quality of the work, but the real reason it is dear to me is has nothing to do with its obvious artistic qualities.

The first time I saw it (I was about 19), from the first frame, the atmosphere of this movie transported me right into my childhood dreams. And every time I watch it again, it never fails to reconnect me instantly to a primal part of myself, both serene and enthusiastic, generally stifled by "the realities of life".

When I was a kid, my favorite dreams might have been regarded by others as nightmares. But this notion was foreign to me (at the time, I had the ability to change dreams at will, and thus never found myself "trapped"), and I reveled in the strange and dangerous worlds and fabulous adventures that filled my nights.

Try a little tenderness - Crazy Town Post

What is this sorcery? Sometimes a good artist can also be a mean person.

When I was 19 years old, I learned the hard way that being a good artist did not automatically imply being a good person. As a first year music student, I became an assistant for one of my teachers, wonderful singer/performer and very dysfunctional human being. I escaped the very dysfunctional relationship that ensued after nine months, jolted awake by a family emergency.

Nearly ten years later, after very little contact, this person wrote me the meanest, low hitting things anyone has ever hurt me with, mean to the point where I refrained from reading that letter more than once, so afraid was I that I would never be able to forget it otherwise.

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