What I learned from my first pole dancing class:

Yes, I took my very first pole dancing class last night. No, I don’t have dreams of strutting my stuff for the next amateur night at the French Maid. I had heard about pole dancing for fitness from seeing some demonstrations at the Taboo shows. When I saw a Groupon for Aradia Fitness, I thought it would be fun to sign up with some friends.

Here is what I learned at my first class:

1. ‘Sexy walking’ ruins pedicures.

2. It’s hard to be sexy when you feel about as graceful as a llama on ice skates.

3. These women are to be respected and feared. That shiz is so much harder than it looks.

 

*Obviously, this video is NSFW. There’s no blatant nudity, but I don’t think too many bosses want to see ‘Pole Dancing Championships’ on their employees internet history.

I did have a lot of fun though! It’s definitely going to take some time before I don’t feel awkward with my rubbing my ‘wandering hands’  all over myself in front of a group of strangers, but I guess practice makes perfect? I’m looking forward to the next class, we are learning the Fireman Spin! Watch out!

R.

Thoughts on the Academy Awards

For the past few years, I have set out to watch all of the Academy Award Best Picture nominations prior to the Oscars. Somehow the awards night snuck up on me and I always seemed to miss a film or two. Not this year!

I have seen all 10 of the movies nominated for Best Picture this year. I agree strongly with some of the nominations and am left wondering what the Academy was smoking for a couple others.

Here are my thoughts on each one of the films, in 15 words or less:

Black Swan – Brilliant. Masterfully acted by Portman. Thought about it for days afterward.

The Fighter – Great acting. Good story. Nothing mind blowing.

Inception – Groundbreaking. Incredible screenplay. Talked about it with friends for hours.

The Kids Are All Right – Great acting. Great characters. I felt an emotional connection to all of the characters.

The King’s Speech – Incredibly acted by Firth and Rush. Charming. Wonderful feel good story. Monarchy nerd approved.

127 Hours – Well acted. Interesting. Weird direction and cinematography.

The Social Network – Interesting (if not  mostly fictional) story. Good acting. Nothing to write home about.

Toy Story 3 – Wonderful feel good movie. Great for children and adults alike.

True Grit – Fantastic acting by Steinfeld, Bridges and Damon. Surprisingly funny. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Winter’s Bone – Weird story. Boring. Couldn’t understand the dialogue most times. Good acting by Lawrence.

 

My pick for Best Picture is:

My pick for Best Actor is:  Colin Firth.

My pick for Best Actress is: Natalie Portman.

 

What are your picks?

R.

You Should Hear This: Arcade Fire

Without a doubt, “Arcade Fire” has been typed into Google and Youtube quite a bit within the past week since the Montreal band won a Grammy for Album of the Year.

I could not be more thrilled for them! Not only is this a huge accomplishment for the band, but for Canadian music industry as a whole. Canada has a wonderful music scene (believe it or not) and I’m so glad that talent is being recognized!

For those who might not be as familiar, I’d like to share a couple of my favourite Arcade Fire songs!

This is the song that first got me hooked on the Arcade Fire. It’s from their 2004 album, Funeral.

Wake Up is another one of my favourites from their first album.

Black Mirror is one of my favourite songs from their second album, Neon Bible. I love the weird dark circus-esque sound towards the middle of the song.

And one final thing, if your use Google Chrome be sure to visit The Wilderness Downtown. It’s an ingenious interactive music video for We Used to Wait from their Grammy winning album, The Suburbs. I don’t want to give it away but I’ll suffice it to say that it incorporates your life into the music video!

Have a lovely day!

 

R.

I’m back!

 

I took a little break from blogging to think over where I wanted to take this thing, and I am back with some new ideas and fun projects!

When I first started this blog, I wanted to focus on mainly on a healthy living and food. Although I still very much appreciate both of those things, I’m looking to branch out and show more aspects of my life.

So things on a.k.a. jolie might look a little bit different from here on out. Along with posting recipes, I will be sharing some of my home and craft projects, favourite music, fashion inspiration and all that is lovely in my life!

Hope you enjoy!

-Rachèle