“There will come a time, you’ll see, with no more tears and love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears. Get over your hill and see what you find there with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.” (After the storm, Mumford & Sons)

“Love that will not betray you, dismay, or enslave you – it will set you free – be more like the man you were made to be. There is a design, an alignment to cry, at my heart you see, the beauty of love as it was made to be.” (Sigh no more, Mumford & Sons)

On Thursday it was Nada Surf, they played a great show – their performances of “Always Love” and “Weightless” were particularly memorable. Unfortunately, they didn’t play “Concrete Bed” which is one of my favorites, but they explained that with the extra new band members they’re touring with, they couldn’t play some of their older stuff. Overall though, great night. Also, I’m in love with the venue, KOKO. I know I’m probably a little late to that party, but I’m thrilled to have quite a few upcoming shows booked there.

On Saturday night, it was The Black Keys’ show at Alexandra Palace. The Black Keys’ bluesy-rock sound and gritty vocals earned them an unmatched cool-factor. Their raw sound was at home in the no-frills show with very little chatter and a whole lot of rock. The crowd was slightly rowdier (note: drunker) than other shows I’ve seen here in the UK but the boys played a phenomenal show and made the haters/fighters tolerable.

This was me on Saturday night:

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I also went to see Snow Patrol on Sunday night – check back soon for updates.

Just this past week I went to hear Radical Face play at The Lexington (I posted their “Welcome Home” video a few months back). Radical Face played an amazing show – and despite mostly sombre themes, surprisingly witty and energetic. I’d encourage everyone to check them out. Here’s a recent song from their new album “The Family Tree: The Roots.” A few nights later I went to check out Philco Fiction, a Norwegian band that I had never heard of previously. I absolutely loved their sound and immediately looked up more of their music when I got home. Here are a few snapshots from my time in London so far…

]]> http://amylleblanc.wordpress.com/2012/01/28/hello-london/feed/ 6 citizenfame Merton-20120119-00091-pola IMG-20120112-00083-pola Islington-20120123-00093-pola Islington-20120126-00096-pola SAM_2936-pola IMG-20120117-00088-pola http://amylleblanc.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/ski-tripping-in-are/ http://amylleblanc.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/ski-tripping-in-are/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:43:23 +0000 amylleblanc http://amylleblanc.wordpress.com/?p=945 Continue reading →]]> Let me just say, Swedes definitely know how to do a ski trip. On my last weekend in Sweden a few of us packed our bags and headed north on an overnight train to the renowned Åre resort for some world class skiing. I hadn’t skied in more than six years and was a little overconfident about my abilities. When I got off the first lift I was almost instantly overcome with fear.

After a few falls and moments of extreme regret I thought, ‘what’s the worst that could happen? If things turn bad, I’ll just face-plant into the softest looking snow I can find.’ This strategy worked wonders (though not recommended for those worst-case scenario kinds of people…) Thanks to the group for the endless ego boosting and encouragement.

The main square in Åre was filled with cafes and quaint little shops selling overpriced Nordic treasures. Our beautiful cabin had everything we could possibly need – including our own sauna. Some members of our group participated in the traditional sauna-roll in snow-sauna practice but our neighbours out did us with a little sauna-naked roll in snow-sauna show.

I’m extremely excited to be heading home to Canada this week for the holidays, it’s just not Christmas without the family. In January I’ll be moving to London, UK for a whole new set of adventures, check back soon for more updates.

This week I couldn’t get Rihanna’s “We Found Love” (Feat. Calvin Harris) out of my head – probably because I had it on repeat on my iPod… Not wishing to keep the joy of this song all to myself I looked up the music video with the intention of sharing it on Facebook. I was only to be disappointed, yet again, in Rihanna’s unhealthy portrayal of relationships. Overlooking the explicit portrayal of sex, drugs and petty crime in the video, it was her portrayal of a dysfunctional relationship that I found most disturbing.

In an interview Rihanna claimed the video was meant to be a cautionary tale of love paralleled with drug use – the highs and the dangers of both. I would applaud her message if the whole thing wasn’t overly sexualized and sensationalized with the (awesome but admittedly limited) lyrics “we found love in a hopeless place” – I’ll admit I’m confused about those mixed messages, and I’m not a teenager. Is this how we portray love now?

I’m not hating on Rihanna (I love her music), but this isn’t a first for her – abusive relationships seem to be a theme in her music videos. I don’t know if it’s a result of her own highly publicized abusive relationship with Chris Brown, but her lyrics allude to overcoming anger, hatred and fear in such relationships for love. Yes, you read that right.

In this video, Rihanna admits that she’s “terrified” but that she’s not leaving, even though her partner is about to “test” her by playing Russian Roulette. Really? Whatever happened to Monopoly?

Too many lyrics to quote in this one, but a particularly alarming line involves Eminem threatening that if she tries to leave again he’ll tie her to the bed and set the house on fire… charming.

I’m not an expert on love or abusive relationships, but Rihanna herself has admitted (and experts on both love and abuse I’m sure would agree) that these portrayals are not of healthy relationships. I’m all for doing away with the cheesy and unrealistic knight-in-shining-armour portrayal of love, but let’s not replace it with the drunken beatings and trigger-happy arsonists portrayed in these videos.

I will admit that these videos are fascinating and artistically beautiful but I can’t help but wonder if these portrayals are actually doing anything in the anti-abuse campaign they are supposed to support. Personally, I think they only perpetuate a sensationalized idea of love as being so passionate that it becomes dangerous or abusive – extreme highs followed by extreme lows. Let’s clarify something here, passion doesn’t have to equal abuse.

Every year one in four adolescents reports verbal, physical, emotional or sexual abuse by a partner and nearly 80 per cent of teenage girls who have been victims of physical abuse in their dating relationships continue to date their abuser. I’m not saying music videos are to blame but those are some chilling statistics and kind of puts into perspective Rihanna’s “I’m terrified but I’m not leaving” message. If you’re in an abusive relationship, these videos are lying to you. I urge you to seek help immediately – love doesn’t have to hurt.

This issue also prompted an interesting discussion with a friend about censorship and artistic freedom. While I’m not at all for censorship, I have to wonder whose responsibility is it to consider the intended audience? Is it the networks? Is it the artists themselves? Is it the parents of young viewers?

What are your thoughts on this issue?

Opening my email inbox on Monday morning, still half asleep, was the virtual equivalent of confetti shooting out of my computer screen. Let me tell you, being Freshly Pressed will wake you up better than coffee any day.

First of all, I’d like to say thanks to WordPress, I’m so honoured that they chose to feature my blog on their homepage (yes, I took a screenshot, it was a very exciting day for me). I’m also incredibly humbled by the thousands of readers who stopped by my posting. I’m still working on responding to all the comments, but I promise to reply to each and every one. After the elation and exhaustion came the fear – what the hell am I supposed to write now? Surely, it’s all down hill from here, boys and girls.

A friend advised me not to let my newfound fame go to my head (ha), and while I envision more teasing from my friends, I’ve decided this blog will continue to be exactly what it was created to be – a forum for my thoughts and photos. I wouldn’t call myself an expert on hardly anything but sometimes people find my thoughts rather useful – that said, sometimes I post photos of my hair and love letters to dead writers… I have no explanation.

If there’s a particular topic you would like me to discuss, please let me know and I’ll see what I can do. For now, I have to get back to responding to comments but look out for a new posting shortly!

From Jerry Maguire’s “you had me at hello”, to Johnny’s “nobody puts Baby in the corner”, and Mr. Darcy’s “you’ve bewitched me body and soul” (yes, I’m aware this line would be really creepy if said in this century)… you get the point. We’ve been conditioned to believe that life and true happiness starts when your prince charming walks (or gallops) into your life. According to Hollywood, love equals happiness. And I’m not here to refute that logic, but after many a long conversation with single friends feeling the pressure, I decided to address the issue. Let’s consider for a moment that perhaps romantic love does not equal happiness. I’m not an expert on happiness, but if you want my opinion (and since you’re reading my blog, I’ll assume that you do), here are my tips on the subject.

1. Be happy with yourself. This is obvious and should be relevant whether in a relationship or not. Whether you are newly-single, looking to be in a relationship, or are intentionally single for a time, you are most likely a pretty decent human being. But since I don’t know who you are, I can’t say that for sure. Regardless, learning to be happy with who you are can be a long process and not quite as simple as it sounds, but figure it out – nothing will be worth it if you don’t.

2. Keep active. An added bonus to being single means that you can be as selfish as you want in this regard – your time is your own so make the most of it. Take up hobbies and try new things. I like to read and write but in the past I’ve also taken up cooking, running, climbing, hot yoga, and more. I’m also a huge movie fan so going to the cinema is a regular thing for me as well. If you’re uncomfortable seeing movies alone, find another friend who loves movies as much as you, or find a small indie theatre – either no one will notice, or in my experience, there tends to be a lot of singles seeing movies on their own at these places. Which brings me to my next point…

3. Don’t be afraid to do things on your own. This is probably the biggest challenge for sad-singles. Fact: If you don’t do the things you want to because you don’t want to do them alone, there is a very real possibility you’ll end up on your couch every night. Which, in my opinion is a single’s guide to depression, not happiness. If you’re not sure where to start, make a list of things you might be interested in trying and then put them into action (see point two).

4. Make friends! Perhaps more importantly, make friend groups. This isn’t as lame as it sounds. Making friend groups is a great way to fulfill certain needs. For example, if you’re a music lover, make friends with people who like to go to concerts, or, if you’re religious, make friends at your church who you can have coffee nights with. This logic is also true of team sports and book clubs, if that’s your thing.

5. Have your own “go-to” places. This is easier if you’ve lived in the same place all your life, but if you’re like me and are constantly traveling, I try to find cafes, restaurants, theatres (or usually, libraries), to frequent. I try to get to know the names of the employees and before long, it feels like a home away from home. These places also come in handy for the nights you just don’t want to be alone in your apartment.

6. As the old song says, go find somebody to love. As much as you may want to ignore it, love is fundamental to your happiness, but this doesn’t have to be romantic love. This can be evident in your relationships with friends, family, God, or even strangers. Try spreading the love by doing some volunteer work. As silly as it may sound, on some of my lonely days in Malawi (they will happen), I would visit the animal shelter near my work in Blantyre and play with the dogs, they didn’t get many visitors and the puppies were just so eager to have someone around. Those little guys instantly lifted my spirits.

I want to make a note here that you should be fully aware of the reasons why you are committing to being single. You don’t have to justify them to anyone else but yourself, but you should know what they are. If you’ve been hurt or heartbroken, being single for a while might seem like a good idea but you shouldn’t live in the past. I encourage you to use this time to heal and move on. Whatever your reasons may be, keep them in mind for the day when they may no longer be relevant. Committing to a single life doesn’t mean that you have to turn away every Romeo. If you’re interested, don’t turn him down just on principal. Being single is meant to feel like freedom, not a prison, so learn to appreciate it.

I don’t know what she’s talking about. This is just how I look.

Ok, seriously though, I’ll post more photos of Göteborg soon, I promise. I feel guilty for not updating the blog. I went out the other day to get photos of the Haga District, which is just around the corner and where I spend a lot of my time these days, but the weather was insane. It was extremely windy and rainy (and dark, because it was after 3:30pm).

I burrowed into a cafe pretty quickly with a cappuccino and a book but then all the power on the street went out and I was left reading by candlelight (brought back memories of Malawi, actually). So, unfortunately, I didn’t get any photos. I promise to drag myself out of bed one morning to get some good photos while there’s still daylight.