Author: ade2709

Summertime

Categories Life3 Comments on Summertime

I moved to Canada when I was 19.  It all happened because of love. I married my husband Sebastian, 21, and five days later, I left my family, my friends and my country forever.  The marriage was a condition for me to move to Quebec, Canada, where Sebastian’s family had moved a year before on a family immigration program. The day Sebastian told me that the papers from Immigration had arrived and that they would be moving in just a few months, I started crying. I didn’t cry because I knew I would be away from him; I cried because I knew right there and then that I would be leaving my family to be with him — there was no question in my heart that this was what I would do.

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Wab Kinew’s The Reason You Walk – A Memoir About Reconciliation

Categories Books2 Comments on Wab Kinew’s The Reason You Walk – A Memoir About Reconciliation

This year Canadians celebrated their 150th anniversary since Confederation. Though the Canadian Government made a great effort to celebrate this milestone anniversary, in true Canadian fashion, the date brought a lot of conflicted feelings and introspection to many Canadians. So while most of us still celebrated the extraordinary accomplishments of this country, many also took the time to reflect on our past and the historical wrongs that have been inflicted towards our Indigenous peoples.

Continue reading ➞ Wab Kinew’s The Reason You Walk – A Memoir About Reconciliation

Sia’s “Nostalgic for the Present Tour” is conceptual and unforgettable

Categories Music1 Comment on Sia’s “Nostalgic for the Present Tour” is conceptual and unforgettable

The doors of the BART open at the Coliseum station. Hundreds of people get off and start to walk in the direction of the twin stadiums in the distance.  The typical pre-show excitement from the fans making their way to the venue is palpable. Still, the smell of hot dogs from the vendors in the elevated walkways connecting the venues is a surprise. It’s 8:00 pm on a Saturday, and there is no sporting event scheduled.  

Rather, the occasion is Sia’s second show of her Nostalgic for the Present Tour in Oakland, California. The venue is the Oracle Arena, the home of the Golden State Warriors. Despite the festive ambience around me, I am only barely able to talk for fear that my voice will betray me; I am overwhelmed.  As I enter the Oracle, an 18,000-plus-seat arena, I keep thinking that this cannot be the venue where Sia will be playing. But the sights (men, women, girls and boys everywhere are dressed up in wigs, bows, and nude leotards) and sounds (there is already a roaring crowd enjoying the opener, Miguel) are real –  All these people are here to see Sia.

Continue reading ➞ Sia’s “Nostalgic for the Present Tour” is conceptual and unforgettable

Permanent, Forever, Rush

Categories Music4 Comments on Permanent, Forever, Rush
Rush recording their album Permanent Waves at Le Studio, Quebec. Photo by Fin Costello.

Some loves are too big. These are the kind that affect you so completely, so profoundly, that to talk about them becomes daunting, almost embarrassingly difficult.  So it is with me and Rush, the Canadian prog-rock trio, my most constant and enduring musical love. But recently, in the context of what may be Rush’s last big tour (or tour, period), I was given the chance to talk about them on the radio. It was a gift, and the person who so kindly gave this gift to me probably only has a small idea how special this was for me.

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Whiplash Offers a Dazzling but Flawed Tune

Categories Movies, MusicLeave a Comment on Whiplash Offers a Dazzling but Flawed Tune

When I was 18 years old, I quit university to dedicate myself to music exclusively. I had been studying piano and cello since I was 8 or 9 but had only gotten more seriously interested, if not confident, as I got older. I studied at the Conservatory of Music in Maracaibo (Venezuela), a revered institution among all musicians in the city. Apart from some serious heartbreak that I was going through at the time, those months of intense focus and dedication to my instruments were some of the most satisfying of my life. I gave myself a rigorous practice schedule and took to it almost immediately. Discipline can give you great pleasure, in particular through the feeling of mental and physical control it gives you. Every day, the slowly won victories–mastering a difficult exercise, moving from painfully learning a piece to being able to play it with feeling–gave me hope and kept me going.

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Corazón de León (Lion’s Heart)

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In a world of cliché movie love stories, along comes Corazón de León, a hilarious and unusual love story about a woman trying to overcome a world of prejudice and fear.

Continue reading ➞ Corazón de León (Lion’s Heart)

Phillip Phillips Steps ‘Behind The Light’ And Emerges Triumphantly

Categories MusicLeave a Comment on Phillip Phillips Steps ‘Behind The Light’ And Emerges Triumphantly

Phillip-Phillips-Behind-The-Light-album-cover-art (1) This review was originally published on PhillPhill.com.

We waited, listened to the snippets, counted down the days, and finally, it is here. To the sheer joy of Phillip Phillips fans everywhere, Behind The Light was released at midnight on Monday; within an hour, it had reached number 1 on the Pop Charts on iTunes, a testament to the enormous anticipation and the incredible support from Phillips’ ever-growing fan base. It’s only been a few hours, and a few listens, but I can say without hesitation that Behind The Light has exceeded all my expectations and hopes and keeps proving that Phillip Phillips has arrived and is here to stay.

Continue reading ➞ Phillip Phillips Steps ‘Behind The Light’ And Emerges Triumphantly