First week in Ottawa:
* On May 26th, I embarked on the journey home to Ottawa for a two week vacation. There are no direct flights from Ottawa to Dubai so the trip was a long one (Dubai to Paris, 6 hour wait, Paris to Montreal, bus from Montreal to Ottawa). Luckily my flights were on time, the baggage arrived, there was an empty seat next to me on both flights, and I was able to sleep a lot.
* Arrival: Arriving in Ottawa was GREAT! Seeing & hugging my parents was amazing - no words to adequately describe :) It had been five months since I had seen my parents, or been to the Ottawa home, so just being back was exhilarating. Love, Joy, Happiness. Even the pets - two cats & a dog, recognized me and showered me w cuddles. With the 8 hour time difference, the jet lag was a bit of a nuisance so I did end up sleeping alot the first few days -
* Favorite Foods: during the course of the two week holiday, my wonderful mom prepared some of my favorite foods including chili, spaghetti, turkey dinner, italian sausages, hamburgers & hotdogs, and steak. It was such a culinary treat - merci Maman !!! For some reason, the food even tastes better in Canada - it could be that Dubai must import most of its food so its not as fresh and nutritious? lol my theory...
* Buddha Bar: Friday afternoon Audrey came over for a girls catch up session - lots to chat about & catch up on after 5 months. We followed that up by a night at Buddha Bar with one of my fav Ottawa DJs Martin Villeneuve on the decks. I cant recall who opened for him, but he was terrible & I hope to never see him behind decks in public again. Anyways, it was great to be back at the Friday night hang out place w familiar faces & great tunes. Just being back in Buddha Bar for 5 minutes brought back my passion for house music - there is just no inspiration for that in Dubai.
* STEREO: on Saturday May 28th, Audrey & I ventured down to Montreal to go to STEREO with Chus & Ceballos playing All Night Long ! It is no surprise to anyone that I missed Stereo - the music, the ambiance, the people, the staff the feeling & the love. How amazing it was to step out onto that dance floor again and see my favorite international DJs spinning great tracks for hours on end. I have to say that in terms of their track selection and set, it was not the best I had heard from them... They were almost a bit experimental with an electro track, and then other tracks mixed together just sounded like noise & bad noise. Luckily, the good outweighed the bad - Audrey & I still had a great night :) Chus even came out of the booth to have a chat and dance w us - what a stand up guy, very loyal to his fans! The club was packed, the energy was up, the people were dancing & the feeling was house. Again, my love and passion for house music became increasingly apparent, and it was nice to have that feeling brought out again. However, with the jet lag and the lack of stamina, I had trouble keeping up with Audrey. I had forgotten how tiring it is to dance the night away.
- There was a strange incident at Stereo - the owner said someone was trying to use my name to get by in the club, and causing some problems. This is totally NOT cool, and I really do not appreciate this sort of behaviour.
* Aaron's Arrival: on Sunday May 29th my boyfriend Aaron arrived to Ottawa from Dubai - his first visit to Canada. Having just arrived back to Ottawa from Montreal, I eagerly waited at the airport for his late arrival. We were both exhausted and had a quiet night in. But one thing was for sure, I was certainly excited to introduce Aaron to my Ottawa life. The first few days together in Ottawa were fairly quiet - I took him to see the ByWard Market, the Parliament buildings, the Rideau Canal, and just general Ottawa touristy things. Another day was spent indulging in real Quebec Poutine - and then visiting my grandparents, and aunt & cousin. One evening we went to little Italy on Preston street for dinner with my parents - it was such a great memorable night. And another evening was spent at Hooleys for the Wednesday night half price menu special with Audrey & Tim to watch the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup finals. Aaron was not familiar with the NHL hockey - and hockey fever. I guess when I type it all out - we were busy & always on the go ! :)
* Family: during my two week holiday in Ottawa, I got to see a majority of my family. Family is such an important factor in my life so it meant a great deal to me :)
Holiday to Ottawa week 2 to be continued in next post :)
xox <3 xox
