On The Weekend: Québéc City

A vista from the walls of Vieux-Québéc

This weekend was a little out of the ordinary.  A friend and I ventured up to Québéc City for two days to indulge in some Franco-Canadian fun.  We mostly kept to the old city, which is the only preserved fortified city in North America (North of Mexico).  It feels European, many of the buildings were constructed in the 1600's - 1800's and are very authentic.  We also took a half-day trip to visit Montmorency Falls, a very large waterfall just outside of Québéc City.

Quinoa For Breakfast?

In the morning time is essential, and I don't always have ample time to make myself breakfast (much to my horror, breakfast is my favorite meal!).  These quinoa filled breakfast bowls pack a ton of protein into one easy to prepare serving and keep you full until lunch.  They are perfect for busy days you want to continue to eat healthfully in.  Keep reading to find out how to make them!

Join Me For Lunch: Versatile Asian Salad

This salad has been a staple in my kitchen for at least two weeks now!  It's so delicious I don't think I will ever be tired of it.

Something I love about salads is their versatility.  If you don't like something about a salad you can skip or replace that component with virtually no risk.   That's why with this salad recipe I have included a list of other ingredients that might be interesting to add or substitute.  Be creative and play with your food!

Jia Aili

I have recently been very interested in the paintings of Chinese artist Jia Aili.  His work combines Chinese technique with Western influences to create scenes that are ambiguous in their time and place.
His works speak about environment, production, and the human condition.

These works are massive - often wall sized - and some even include installation elements such as mirrors, props and paper.

"The Seeker of Hope" (Series) Installation View

 "Our Century"

"The Wasteland"

"The Seeker of Hope" (series)

Tokyo Police Club

This Canadian band has been a consistent favourite of mine for years now, but I somehow neglect to mention them.
Tokyo Police Club has a pretty great range of song on my favourite album theirs: Champ.  I would recommend it for it's nostalgic lyrics mixed with a quick pace.  One of my favourites off the album is "Breakneck Speed", mostly for its layering, but also for the sound of the singers voice.  He manages a grungy feel which doesn't surface too much in other songs.

Give it a listen:



"Favourite Colour" is a more a more lively interpretation of the band:




Let me know what you think of this band!

How To Be Alone

An older video, but still refreshing to see nonetheless.

Yamantaka/ Sonic Titan

I realize it had been ages since I last posted, but no time for excuses, let's get back into it!

I was at an artist talk done by the lead singer of Yamantaka/ Sonic Titan today about her film work for their music videos.  Yamantaka/ Sonic Titan is a band that is also a collaborative art project based out of Montreal.  They create new instruments for their music, and their own story lines and installations for their band sets.  The lead singer, Ruby Kato Attwood, creates the bands music videos.  She utilizes many different film techniques to create the videos, from stop animation, live action film, and slow motion film, to drawing, painting, and installation-making.  In her presentation, she described that many of the costumes and sets used in their shows are made from found objects or very cheaply sourced materials.  However I think that their work has an almost high brow or rendered look to it, and this information from her presentation makes their work even more interesting to me.

Bandcamp:

Music Video for Hoshi Neko:


I found their work to be refreshing, fun and psychedelic.  Let me know what you think!

Coca-Cola Stage 2012

The line up for this years Coca-Cola stage at the Calgary Stampede looks great!  I am most excited about seeing Our Lady Peace, Awolnation, Seether, and Dragonette. It will also be nice to see The Trews and Mother Mother for the third and fifth time.  What parts of this line up look the best to you?

Michael Wolf

Michael Wolf's new photography series about people using the Tokyo transit system evokes the  claustrophobia in me.  I wonder how he managed to get all these close up shots without people noticing in such a crowded place.

All Photos are from Michael Wolf's website.