Chapter Twenty one: Chosen reality

There is many ways to live one's life.

In our societies, it is the norm to follow the pack.

The one who tries a different path is easily and rapidly outcasted, followed by envy, judge and condemned.

But, the outcasts are the ones who bring the society to a new extend, a new dimension, they are the one who change the society.

Live your dreams.

Fear is there to be conquered.

Change the world by living your dreams.

At the age of 43, I choose to change my life, again, to create a chosen reality, to live my dreams.

On the 1st of September 2010, I moved to South America, a continent I had never been to, to Brazil, land of so many differences.

After many hours of traveling, many planes and many stories, I finally arrived in Curitiba, my new home town for the next 6 months.

Those type of things don't happen easily, they require work, commitment and courage.

But in the end, it is easier to act than to be silent and inactive.

In the end, there is just the experience one had in life.

Life is wonderful.

Mine is.

I have organized my life in Canada the best I could, prepared everything for my children to be well taking care of while I was away, and I left to join my wife that I missed so much.

I have been in Curitiba for 10 days now, and these are my first impressions of this immense country.

I had never been on the other hemisphere.

Everything people say is true.

The water in the sink really turn "backward".

The stars in the sky are brand new to me, exciting and marvelous.

All is new.

The language, the way people walk, the way the sun shines, the plants, the water, even the society.

Brazil is so very different.

And I already feel at home here.

I live with my wife's parents.

Both are amazing artists who are able to live from their art.

I do admire and respect that a great deal.

Her father, Mr. Davide Boriani http://www.davideboriani.com/ , is a major figure in Kinetic Art.

This is extremely inspiring to me, this opens my eyes.

Life is a very special thing.

It never seized to surprise me.

It changes me.

It fulfills me when I do what I am really meant to do.

They live in a massive and beautiful house filled with incredible artwork, a paradise for a guy like me.

My days are never the same, but we could say that, when i am not going to a farm or the jungle or in the city (Curitiba is a city of 3.5 millions people), my days goes this way.

I try to wake up as early as possible, 6 am is a time I like to get up.

I wash the dishes and have a real Italian coffee with cereals.

Then, i go study for about 2/3 hours, out of a book Marlene, my wife's mother found in their library.

I am learning Portuguese, which is a very challenging language.

I am most definitely back in grade 1.

However, after 10 days, I am starting to be able to read portuguese.

I do all the exercises very carefully, and I must admit that, I enjoy that a great deal.

Soon, it is time to cook. I help the best I can, and practice my poor portuguese with Marlene.

Then, we eat.

And, let me tell you, we do eat amazing food.

Silvia's father is Italian.

We eat a lots of italian food.

I eat like I have never eaten. I am most definitely going to gain weight, most definitely, which is a very good thing.

Now, this is one of the funniest thing ever:

While eating, I speak english with Silvia, french with her father and some portuguese with her mother, while they speak italian with each other.

It is hilarious, and we are all getting confused with all those languages.

Marlene, Silvia's mother is the only one who speaks all the languages, quite an amazing woman for whom I have the outmost respect.

Then, it is cafe time again, and I often speak with Silvia's father for a while, about art and politics.

We discuss french and italian politics, it is absolutely wonderful.

After lunch, it is time to wash dishes again.

Then, I go with them in their workshop and help them complete some piece of art they are finishing for an exhibit they have in Milan next month.

This is an incredible experience. I am in heaven. Literally.

When they don't need me, and I have already spoken with my sons, I go with my wife to the university and wait for her while she does her course. 

I love being there when she comes out.

This is the most beautiful moment of my life.

Because, let's face the truth, I did all of that, come to the other side of the continent, live 12.000 km from Canada for her, to be with Silvia. She is the reason why I live on a very personal level.

She is my wife in the real sense of the word.

Then we come back, and eat again.

The evening is filled with more conversations, more good food, and more time with Silvia.

We usually go to sleep quite late. And, we smile.

I discover Curitiba little by little and the surrounding areas.

I met some of Silvia's friend, especially Elyka and Claudi who are simply awesome people.

I met Silvia's family, her aunts and uncles.

And, I slowly start to understand.

There is so much to say.

A country in full expansion, a country with so many options and contradictions.

A fascinating country.

But, let me show you some images of my first 10 days:

Have fun People
Live you dreams

Sincerely,

Serge

Welcome to Curitiba

Serge Happy

Curitiba at Night

Curitiba at Night

Please, Don't Drink and Drive

Red Dirt

Monument

Sil and Serge Happy

Sil on the Bridge

Sil on the Bridge

Elyka and Claudi

Elyka and Claudi

Sky and Mountain

Pillar and Lake

Sky and Bridge

Lake

Pink Flower

Red Flower

Purple Flowers

Purple flowers

Purple and Yellow Flowers

Purple and Red Flowers

Flowers on a Tree

Jungle Sky

Giant Wild Bamboo

Wild Dog Skull in the Jungle

Wild Dog Skull in the Jungle

Weird Jungle Fruit

Silvia & Elyka in the Jungle

Banana Weird Leaves

Banana Flower

Jungle

Jungle

Chapter Twenty: Losers Awards

So, seems to me it's time for some Losers Awards well deserved.
Let's start in no particular order:

 - The City of Victoria for cleaning the street at 4.00 am with air blowers.
Well done, absolutely no respect for the sleepers.

- To people who borrow money and don't plan to give it back.
You get what you deserve in the end.

- To the Victoria Police Force for giving tickets for jaywalking and driving bicycles without helmets instead of fighting crime.
Boooooooooooooo.......

- To the cyclists in Victoria for being the worst drivers on the entire planet. The fact that you are driving a bicycle does not give you the right to create your own rules while on the road.

- To all the ignorant who thinks they are special and know better.
How sad and pathetic is that?!!!?!!

- To the asshole who stole my bike last Tuesday and who is clearly going to kill himself with it.

- To Microsoft, Google & Apple to be nasty corporations.

- To myself for not being positive enough.







Have a great day.
Sincerely,

Serge

Chapter Nineteen: Letters...

Pffff, it's hot...
perfect!
Freakin'  p e r f e c t ! ! !
I mean it.
A tad more would be nice but, finally it's hot!
I love it.
I just LOVE IT!
I wear black under the sun.
As much as I can.
It feeds me. It feeds my soul, it's amazing. I don't need it all the time, but I need it every year.
It makes me happy. :)
it's great!

--

- Letter to Meghan -
Hello,
I just want to write a little letter, just to tell you how much I appreciate our friendship. I appreciate every minute we spend together, and our friendship, really, is dear to my heart.
I want to thank you for all the help you gave me in the past few years, you have made such a difference, at every level, really, you have truly been a true friend.
And, I want you to know that I don't take any of these for granted. And that I cherish this friendship.
Thank you,
and, be yourself.
Sincerely,
Your friend.
Serge

Meghan & Norm

Meghan & Norm

Meghan & Norm

--

- Letter to Sarah -
Dear Sarah,
I would like to start by apologizing for taking so long to answer you, the days flew by, and here we are, already a week ago we've seen each other. I want to say that, seeing you, is like seeing family. In fact, it is not "like" seeing family, it is seeing family. There is so much I would have like to say, how happy your happiness makes me, how smart and funny you remain, simply, how good it was to see you.
And you appeared out of nowhere, and you were loud, and you were laughing, at me, and you were wearing a bright yellow dress, amazingly, I saw my sister in you.
That's who you are.
It was fabulous to see your beau, and I like him. I ain't going to lie, I don't know him, we just saw each other for few hours, but what I've seen, I like.
And, it always makes me realize how much I miss you. :)
I am sorry I haven't told you about Silvia and I. I am so secretive you know, but you are right, I should have tell you. I regret it now. I am sorry.
I join some pictures I took, you and your beau - I like calling you like that guys :) - and some of the girls, and Kait...

Kisses,
Serge

Sarah & her Beau

Kait & Sarah

Kait

The Girls: Terri, Kait & Sarah

--

 - Letter to Eric -
I know dude, it's amazing, we have known each other for a long time, and still, we don't know each other, and still we know each other very very well you and I Eric.
It's been a while we haven't talk.
I find myself thinking of you often. I often wish you were here, so maybe you could help me to write music. I know that it would work.
Well, I am about to go even further away from you, in a brand new adventure, I am sure Mike told you.
I have been kind of living like a gypsy recently, and i mean, it's okay, it's economical, but, it comes with some serious disagreeable facts. I am smiling as I am writing that, which after all, is a good sign.
I think we should keep in touch, communicate more often, even though, you might really be extremely busy, in your own end of the world. Chances are, I would like it there... :)
I hope this finds you well, and possibly sober.
Salut a toi, mon ami!
Serge
ps: oh, here is a nice shot of the master I didn't know, and I think you will appreciate at its' just value.

Mr. Lee

--

- Letter to Silvia -
My Darling Love,
I miss you so much.
I find myself starting every letter with the same words. And still, it is not a pattern, but more a matter of fact. The weather has become very hot here, and I don't think you would like it. Still, i would give anything to be able to walk hand in hand.
I am smiling, and I know, we are alway holding each other hand, but I miss when you were walking beside me and jumping on me and kissing me in the middle of the street, and your smile, your perfect smile on your perfect lips...
You make me happy. I know that, you often worry about not being able to do so, but you make me happy all the time, like no one has ever done before. You... You take me off my feet.
You are who I always wanted, who I always needed, who I have been searching for all these years.
This is the truth.
And, there is not much longer to wait anymore now.
The wait is almost over. And still, it doesn't seem real.
Soon, I will open another chapter in my life.
And, for the first time, the first real time, we'll write the chapters together, the day to day chapters, the real life chapters.
I love you Silvia.
I love you so much my wife.
I miss you.
I miss having you in my arms.
I love you my darling love, I love you my little Bee.

Your husband.
Serge

Sil

--

And, I would like to talk about Art, and a bunch of stuff I have been thinking about, and Art in the city, and some ideas of videos I have been pondering about and life and what's not, but, let's just finish with that lady singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow, at the drag ball, the annual gay etc baseball game.
It was fabulous!
Enjoy

Sincerely,

Serge

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Chapter Eighteen: National Canada Day - July 1st and Thoughts on Stuff

Sigh...

This is canada Day today, the Canadian National Day.
I don't know what happened on the 1st of July.
I have been here for about 20 years, and I still don't know what happened on the 1st, even though, i could make it up, or actually find out.
This is the lame part of myself.
Also, i ain't that interested by Nationalism.

It is, never the less, a day off...

--

I am frustrated, nothing is working the way I wanted this week, except for work, which has been quite good. :|
Go figure.

Anyway, let's celebrate Canada Day with something worth it:
I saw that Heron in beacon Hill Park, and, i ain't a huge fan of birds, but, this one is special. Fascinating. Just beautiful.

Heron in Beacon Hill Park

Now, among the coolest birds and stuff from Canada, you can also find some pretty cool bikes...
I don't know, they attract my eyes, let's just put it that way.

Two Black Harleys

Awesome Kawasaki

Kawasaki Awesome Front Wheel Disc Brake

Now, only few more things, I am feeling rather low today, to say the very least.
So, one thing I want to say, is, well, the effect of Art at First Sight vs Thought Processed Art.
But, I am not going to do that now. :)
I'll write a fair bit about it in a near future.
But, all of that to say that, I thought I had used all the decent pictures of my son Ethan in that hot tub, but as I went back to double check, there was actually a fair bit of pictures that were totally workable.
How and why did I decided they weren't the first time, that's what I'll talk about next time... I guess... :)
So, anyway, here is Ethan on Father's day Part #4:

Ethan on Father's Day #4

And finally, probably my favorite part, a tribute from my all time favorite french actor, Mr. Jean Dujardin!
Here is Jean Advice #1, taken from the fantastic movie called 99 Francs

Jean Dujardin in 99 Francs

Have yourself a good day.


Sincerely,


Serge