prairie girl musings

Month: September 2012

  • Reasons to Love Autumn in Ottawa

    Reasons to Love Autumn in Ottawa

    “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”
    – F. Scott Fitzgerald

    Isn’t that beauty of it? Autumn, wherever in the world you may be, is quite spectacular. It’s a time for change, for renewal and for new experiences. It’s a time to put away our cut-off shorts and sundresses, our bare legs will no longer see the light of day. Fall fashion is always the most enticing, encouraging experimentation with layering and new colour palettes. A time that resonates with ‘Back to School’, we often feel as though autumn represents coming-of-age, urging us to take responsibility.

    As the weather gets colder, I feel myself more driven, more willing to pursue those activities I put off during the summer months. This year, I’ve started doing hot yoga again, as there’s a studio five minutes from my apartment. Throwing myself into this new endeavour, I can already feel my body becoming stronger and more agile. I am reminded of my years spent at the dance studio, committing to nightly rehearsals. Fall helps us remember, but aims to propel us forward into what’s sure to be a new adventure.

    In Ottawa, it’s a thing of wonder. Upon arriving in our nation’s capital early September, I’ve witnessed the trees go from green to miraculous shades of yellow, orange and red. These burnt hues feel comforting as I bundle up in knit stockings, a wool scarf and my trustworthy trench coat. The changing of seasons is a remarkable time, and this year was extra special for me. Having spent the past two and a half years in Auckland, it felt as though I would never witness four seasons again. Luckily, the city I chose to move to is known for its glorious autumns.

    So, what am I most excited for?

    Harvest Noir, which is taking place this Sunday in Ottawa. A few days before the event, Harvest Noir attendees assemble for a mass shopping flash mob at farmers’ markets to buy the ingredients for their picnic feasts. The event combines an elegant “dress your best in black” harvest celebration with a picnic, plus pop-up parade, and a DJ dance party: www.harvestnoir.com

    Haunting Season at Saunders Farm begins Saturday and is host to numerous fall activities and live entertainment both day and night. As a member of Savour Ottawa, Saunders grows much of the food they provide and believes in supporting local farmers: www.saundersfarm.com

    Pumpkinferno will kick off Thanksgiving Day Weekend at Upper Canada Village and is sure to be a delightful time! Stroll through an all-new, hauntingly beautiful and spellbinding outdoor exhibit of thousands of hand-carved pumpkins, set against a stirring night-time backdrop just inside the gates of historic Upper Canada Village.  Marvel at this eclectic display of scenes from exotic places and historic ages, meet up with forest animals and sea-born creatures, see story book heroes, mythical characters,  cultural icons and more …. all carved from pumpkins! www.uppercanadavillage.com

    Check out more events on www.ottawamagazine.com (A little PR never hurt anyone!)

    xxx, Vanessa

  • Prairie Girl Takes on ONTARIO.

    Prairie Girl Takes on ONTARIO.

    Greetings from our nation’s capital: Ottawa!

    I have recently embarked on a new editorial journey with Ottawa Magazine and Where Ottawa, and there is already much to report! It all happened so fast, I barely had time to blink – or to find an apartment. Despite having spent two and a half years in Auckland, which I (unlike my Torontonian friends) consider a big city, I’ve found myself more than flustered since landing in Ottawa. When I initially drafted this entry, I was only due to commence my first internship the following morning. I poured my heart out in a paragraph-length monologue about anticipating this momentous occasion, feeling a bit uneasy about my accommodation options (or lack thereof). As much as I’d like to use this time to vent, complain, and deliberate this issue, I’ll save you the pity party and move on to more readable content. I’m now located in a lovely loft nestled in Little Italy, just off Preston. It’s absolutely charming, and a brisk ten-minute walk from the office!

    Luckily, I was able to spend my first night in a hotel to give me time to prepare for the week’s events and the big move. As I opened the drawer to find a map, I came across a Where Ottawa guide brimming with local events, restaurants and sights! How exciting! Leafing through this magazine gave me some perspective, enabled me to relax and breathe during an otherwise daunting situation. After thumbing through a few articles, I decided to call a few of the tenants and to sort out my apartment qualms.

    After a few meet and greets, my friend Patrick called me and we went out for poutine (an Ontario/Quebec tradition) in the Byward Market area. As I familiarize myself with Ottawa and my new position, I’ll take some photos of my excursions. Flashforward to today, I’ve been at the magazine for two weeks now (with a quick jaunt to Toronto thrown in the mix) and I’m learning so much! My first day on the job consisted of proofreading (which is pretty standard for editorial interns) and research for two of my own articles! I was pleasantly surprised by these assignments as interns usually spend a lot of time editing and not a lot of time writing. I’ve now conducted my first batch of interviews, and my favourite was with a young entrepreneur, Rosina Mahlangu. She grew up in Toronto, but attended university in Ottawa. She’s young, a year younger than me, but so ambitious, bright-eyed and motivated. Meeting with her on Thursday morning downtown Ottawa was the highlight of my week because her energy was contagious. She’s the founder of a fashion consulting company and she’s already appeared on CTV and in various local publications and media outlets. She hosts her own events, with the help of a single assistant and a newly-hired intern. Pretty impressive for twenty-two, right?

    As I’ve now finished two weeks on the job, I’m ready to explore everything Ottawa has to offer. During my time off last week, I went to Toronto to meet my future boss at Weddingbells Magazine as well as catch up with some friends and my dad who was attending a business meeting. Here are some photos from Kensington Market (an eclectic, interesting neighbourhood that has great shock-value!)

  • Southeast Asia: Bali, Indonesia

    Southeast Asia: Bali, Indonesia

    Ever since Elizabeth Gilbert released her bestselling novel, Eat, Pray, Love with a movie deal to boot, everyone’s been abuzz with the intention of quitting their day job and jet setting around the world. I’m no stranger to this philosophy, in fact, I experienced my quarter-life crisis a bit earlier than most. At the age of nineteen, I resolved to study abroad for six months, merely to escape the sensation of of being sentenced to a life in a deadbeat American town; a town that, to me, personified the expression “bible belt.” I decided on New Zealand because I already knew a handful of people who had been to Australia (Like I said, I was having an early onset of a quarter-life crisis, and determined to go someplace where I knew absolutely no one.) Plus, Australia would be a good place to escape during our two-week Easter break, with a size and mentality comparable to Canada. And that was only the beginning, upon returning to what I considered a mediocre university town, I simply couldn’t seem to get back in the swing of things.

    Flash-forward to 2012: As I prepared to begin my last semester at the University of Auckland, I knew this was possibly my last opportunity for frivolous travel prior to beginning my professional life post-convocation. (Who was I kidding?) My high school education and family vacations had already taken me throughout North America and Europe several times. Fortunately, my cousin Lucia had a similar mindset, having just begun her first semester abroad in Auckland. We decided that on top of our local travels within New Zealand, (a country of four million) we would additionally benefit from a mini-vacation to Southeast Asia. I spoke of our Malaysian adventure in my last post, but before I go all Eat, Pray, Love on you, I’d like to rationalize why we decided to visit Bali.

    Bali is a breathtakingly beautiful island, with several excellent tourist options available. We wanted to dip our feet in the culture surrounding Bali. We also wanted to indulge in a vibrant nightlife and relaxing retreat that recharged our batteries mid-semester. My Canadian friends, an adventurous couple, Kirsten and Steve, had both been to Bali separately, and revelled about their experiences. Steve urged us to visit Ubud, Bali’s cultural capital. Needless to say, we were not disappointed with its abundance of art galleries, culinary delights, wildlife and exotic temples. Every community in Bali has a local temple, and every family builds a more compact temple in their home. I was incredibly intrigued by this form of devotion. We also visited a monkey temple (or so we thought); our tour guide, Sudarma corrected us immediately and told us it was a regular temple, but the monkeys protected its sanctity and acted as guards of the grounds.