This means..minimal choices of outfits, accessories, shoes….and SHARED INTERNET!!! ughhhhhh…so I might be MIA for a while…gonna try in the meantime at nights to make a video remix of updates…

As soon as I can I am going to do EPIC BLOG UPDATES which will include:

-more on how to ride the TAGADA

-deets on the opening of Fish and Chips, Twice Please

-Lady GAGA concert

-London travels, Paris travels

-Lessons Learned..part 2

In the meantime…I will leave you all with some TOTALLY awesome pics that my friend Karina took of me! One day we were just messing around in the sun…I decided it would be good to dress retro cause i LOVVVVEEEE retro…don’t get me wrong..i’m no model, but it’s still fun to gallavant & play around :P She gets to practice different techniques and I get some cool pics to cherish <3

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! so much fun! Thanks Karina! Now if I wanna go into plus size modelling i have a portfolio!! bahahahahahahah

SEE THAT PURSE?!? IT IS THE PURSE OF DREAMS! I bought it at David and Goliath in London..it brings me joy and makes me smile…THE SPEAKERS ARE REAL…AND you can hook up any device to it…(ipod, phone, cd player, tape deck…WHATEVER) and it plays music! it makes me giggle every time I use it!!! NOW I HAVE MY OWN SOUNDTRACK!!! heheheheheeheheheh it was like omg that purse is soo cute…then it was ARE THOSE REAL? “yes and you can hook up your ipod!!” SOLD! I’ll take pink sequins <3

watch out Ottawa for musical GALAVANTING cause you know it will happen. Who needs television when you LIVE the CARAVISION….now with portable soundtrack!! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

more updates later…

p.s. notice the 90s inspired lady gaga shirt.. got it at the concert in london!!

I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER….alejandro xx

Your eyes love the bustling scenes of summer. You could spend hours at a crowded beach people watching.
You are equally moved by the sights of nature. You can be endlessly entertained on a quiet hike.

So there’s this ride at the Prater Funfair – and it is RIDICULOUS! You can literally stand there watching it and the different batches of people who go on for an hour and adequately entertained! It consists of a spinning platform with bright lights and the occasional strobe light. The platform It spins,  and bounces, then it spins again, fast slow whatever it ROCKS! There are regulars that go on it and do dances and tricks….they are quite skilled.Click here for a Wikipedia definition.

Every week I go the funfair (sometimes even more) to go on rides but mostly to watch the awesomeness that is TAGADA. I love it – my friends love it – it is just such a great source of entertainment – it never gets old! You have the regulars, the dancers with the moves, the ones that go on with their friends and make a dance party, the ones who just stand, and the ones who spin!

One day I was like – hey I’m only in Vienna for 3 more months I wanna do the TAGADA! I wanna learn THE MOVES! It looks so cool especially with the music & strobe lights and occassional unnecessary fog! So this became the Goal of the summer. Here is an example of its hilarity and amazingness:

Now this might look easy – but its NOT! This dancer in the middle is at EXPERT level. He is a professional. You would probably have to practice almost every day for a year to get here. My first goal of the Tagada is just to stand up while its spinning.

the First time I went on was this Wednesday – this was coined as Day 1. The goal for now is just to stand up….and OH MAN! you get thrown around SO MUCH on this ride! I got soooo discouraged – but I kept getting reminded this is just day 1 day 1….

Friday was day 2 - this time I totally rocked it! Emma, Luana, and their friends came out and we went out our usual routine walking around staring at the rides, a quick visit to Schweizerhaus then on to watching the tagada with a big ol bottle of wine.  I wasn’t planning on going on but then this big group of guys were gonna go – you know a bunch of friends (beginner TAGADA riders) who looked like they were just gonna go for it with the dancing. Luckily I had my crew of girls to literally push me on the ride!  OH MAN IT WAS EFFFIN FUN! We all got up and danced – I successfully stood on it (but only when it was bouncing) cause EVERYONE got up and you kinda felt left out if you didn’t dance like an idiot! ohhhhhh hot TAGADA men – my dream men <3

TAGADA, Lessons Learned (from Observation too):

- So far I’ve learned that sandals on it are better than running shoes….you get more grip.

-A few drinks are helpful to maximize the Going for it level. The alcohol enables you to be less worried and more relaxed about falling or getting injured. HOWEVER I would not recommend going on it extremely hammered – you need to be fit enough to master THE MOVES!

-A good crew of people who really Go for it is better to go on the ride with than a crew of people who just sit – it gets the Showing Off factor and competitive factor levels going.

-Always have a few friends to watch and cheer you on.

-Footage is key – so you can study your tactics for the next ride.Also – the ride is just HILARIOUS to watch on so many levels.

-Observe the regulars. They know the MOVES!

I am glad to have made some progress after only day 2! In the meantime, each visit I will try to get footage to document my progression and in the end I will make a mini movie video remix of HOW TO RIDE THE TAGADA.

I <3 TAGADA

xx

THIS CALLS FOR THE CREATION OF A FULL FLEDGED OUTFIT with  SPARKLES & GLITTER! Emma is going to help me sew one! ohhhhhh STAY TUNED!!! May 30th 2010 = a night to remember (OR NOT).

I’m a free bitch! <3

When you are lonely,

I’ll be lonely too,

and this is,

the FAME!

I <3 you lady Gaga, love from one BIG little monster!

x

In a nutshell.

January – New Years Downtown, Italy, repetiveness, beige interns, some cool people

February - complete greyness. All of Vienna goes AWOL. This is why there is ball season, to keep peope from being completely depressed during the death that is Winter in Vienna. This year I went to the IAEA ball again but with a few friends, most exciting part was getting ready cause my friend Hannes came and did mine & Luana’s hair & make up. The actual IAEA ball wasn’t THAT amazing since I went last year..the novelty has worn off.

same dress...bigger eyelashes!!

on the dancefloor

gotta hit up that hotdog bar!

March - end of internship & my 25 birthday. It was really nice the whole office threw me a little surprise going away breakfast in the meeting room…I said my little goodbyes and got to share lady Gaga videos with all my co-workers. I think it all makes sense to them now!!

My BDAY – well what can I say I don’t remember much. So it was a good night! A few friends from Italy and from last summer UN internship came to visit and we tried to relive the magic moments we had last summer in TITANIC (our favourite trashy nightclub)! but all failed miserably because none of us made it further than 3 am!! pfffffff WE MUST BE GETTING OLD!

<3!

TEQUILLA!

great friends!

oh p.s.! and on the ACTUAL day of my bday I went for a quick drink to this pub called Four Bells which is where LADY GAGA got drunk when she was here….here is what she left behind..

<3 her!

<3 her!

April - so far has included transitioning to being a FULL TIME TOURIST OF DREAMS! Lets see… my couchsurfing friend Emma Bell - london based fashion designer & consultant moved back to Vienna to put on an exhibit called Fish and Chips Twice Please?! which I will be lucky enough to help make some props for! She also will be teaching me how to sew! We went on an excursion to a fabric store which is a story in itself.

Easter in Salzberg & Munich. Saw some pretty castles & where Mozart was born!

Me & Mozart

Munich City Centre

Munich Residenz - the former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs

Munich Residenz - a pretty roof in one of the rooms

Modern Art Museum = a waste of a few hours!

Royal Palace of Herrenchiemsee (no pictures allowed inside) = definite beauty

the Irish Ball was on the weekend which has had its dramas all in itself. First there was the constant stress of organizing people to go, then I got the date wrong, then we had a dropout, and I couldn’t find a replacement in time cause the replacement backed out! and THEN there was a drama finding an outfit & shoes last minute & I  HATE shopping for things under pressure…all & all the ball was alright.

IRISH Ball lessons learned: all you can drink whiskey & beer = trouble.

at the table

typical bathroom shot!

Theres a quick update!! Next i’m planing a trip to Paris & London when my friend Chrissy comes to visit me! I’m planning on some other trips too, Budapest & HOPEFULLY Berlin! Other than that will just be bumming around Vienna for the summer helping Emma, applying for jobs back home, and being a fulltime tourist of dreams <3

xxox love

dear facebook. while you may have noticed Cara W and i have parted ways this doesn’t doesn’t mean we don’t still remain the closest of friends. she will always hold a special place in my heart. she is a truly wonderful human being and i am greatful to know her and can’t wait for her return to canada.. unfortunately… it… just wasn’t working out long distance wise. lol.. yours truly.

how sweet!

***

In other news….my three month long hibernation is over!! Vienna gets pretty drewry in the Winter….especially when your counting down the days to FREEDOM! Having only three months of my internship left after being there since last March 2009 things at the office were getting a little dull.

The internship: Overall, the internship at the UN was an amazing experience and I’m grateful for my memories!! HOWEVER I don’t believe diplomacy and nuclear issues are my cup of tea. I realized that in life I must follow a more creative, exciting career, or at least work in a smaller office… I am too much of a frustrated & impatient person to work in such a BUREAUCRATUC atmosphere where things must go through multiple filters and projects move at the rate of a snail.

***

Moving out of my comfort zone to Vienna, working at the United Nations, spending five days a week at the Vienna International Centre, meeting all types of “profesionals,” and countless nights partying i’ve learned a few things about life & myself….here are some..

LESSONS LEARNED (so far)

.Testing/trying different FOODS & local alcoholic favourites is my FAVOURITE part of travelling.

.You can fall into friendships as fast as you can fall out of them and vice versa

.I need to find a way to unleash the artist within.This includes learning how to video edit & photo edit. and learning how to SEW! ahhhh can’t wait!

.Doesn’t matter how many professionals you surround yourself with…there is ALWAYS highschool worthy DRAMA

.Lady Gaga in ALL forms is an EXCELLENT way of escapism.I will always know the updates concerning her. I am so glad she exists.

.Even though i’ve seen many beautiful historic sites and will see some more before I move back I prefer novelty, over history. In short – I would much rather go to the prater fun fair, nasch flea market, or sit on the MQ outside couches then see a painting or museum any day. HOWEVER i love to say i’ve seen some of the most famous paintings in the world. Novelty brings joy, history challenges the mind, and both develop character.

.You can successfully avoid someone on the metro by looking at your telephone with great interest

.I am more independent than I think & cannot deal with clingy people

. If you tell people your bored to their face during a night they think is exciting, they will probably not want to talk to you

.You can succesfully live in Vienna for a year and a bit by only knowing five phrases of german. Ich bin Auslander, Ich komme aus Kanada, Spreke si Englisch? and Toileten? are golden.  so are Grusgot, Servus! Tchus, bitte, and Enshouligon (please excuse my spelling)

.Google has all the answers..Being spoiled has its limitations.Pokerfacing has it rewards.

.Weird people with quirky characteristics are the most pleasing to be around…from those who have small quirks to those who are totally out there. The bigger the character they are, the more I grow to love them!!!  I will always love being around Crazy people over people who are routine & cliche.

.Canada will always be home!

These lessons are always a work in progress.

To be continued…..

What have I been up to?!

Lets see in January I went to Italy with the family. We visited Rome, Pompei, and Sorrento. I took so many pictures in Rome that its taking more than an hour just to go through them and put them right side up! So i will only put a few up, because quite honestly going through them is not very exiting!

My take on Italy – Love the food, love the people, HATED the crowds, the public transport, and lack of toilets (including lack of toilet seats). This was the WORST time to go. There was lineups everywhere…..three hours to see most things unless you booked tours which we did and it paid off!

I saw all the big famous things though including:  the Vatican, Colesseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Sistine Chapel, Spanish Steps, the Pantheon and a bunch of other stuff. While most of the things were amazing to see – it was definitely a test of patience. The crowds in these museums mirrored the type of crowds you’d see at a rock concert – it was RIDICULOUS!

some of my favourite flix of the trip (there are PLENTY other sites, however my attention span only was only attracted to the most obvious):

Trevi Fountain

Trevi Fountain - crowd

Trevi Fountain

Legend has it that if you throw a coin into the foutain it means you will return again. I thought throwing in coins meant wishes so I threw in three….Guess i’ll be back!!

Colesseum

Colesseum - crowd

VIP! skip that lineup!

Colesseum

Colesseum

Colesseum

Colesseum

Then there was the Roman Forum which is like their old downtown for market, politics & business. First here are some shots of a nearby theatre where naked men would compete against each other in games for the entertainment of the elite – sounds like my kinda entertaining

theatre near forum

Roman Forum

Roman Forum

in the Roman Forum

Roman Forum

Roman Forum - again!

NOT the Roman Forum

Another one of my favourite highlights from the Rome trip was visiting the Vatican Museums which included a whollle rackload of art & statues…& the famous Sistine Chapel ( you know that one that Michelangelo did the roof of?!). I was however more interested in focussing on wall & ceiling paintings than any of the other things…including the Sistine Chapel of course! Beautiful paintings…heyyyyy i like-a-the Renaissance!! ehhhhhhhh!!!

entering the Vatican

the Vatican

the Vatican

the Vatican

the Vatican

The last part of the Vatican was the Sistine Chapel which was SO BUSY I lost my mom…..I had to get the tour guide to announce it over our audio guides …it was funny…she didnt find it amusing though. Also you’re not supposed to take pictures so we almost got kicked out a few times …. heheheh i snuck in some shots anyways…shhhhhhhh!!! oops~

Sistine Chapel - the crowd

Sistine Chapel - famous!!!

Sistine Chapel

Sistine Chapel

Sistine Chapel

There are plenty more pics of Rome! But these are my favourite! After Rome we visited Sorrento & Pompei. One day we took a bus around the Amalfi Coast. It was a nice view of the ocean from the steep mountains…but a little scary at times cause it felt like the bus was going to fall….the roads were super spirally  so much so that you get almost get motion sickness!!! and some guy did and puked like 4x on the way back….grosss!!! poor guy! I didn’t notice of course until my mom pointed him out – we had to provide him with some bags – the guy filled up 3!!! LOLLLL

anyways here are some day views of the coat – very beautiful

the view Amalfi Coast

the view Amalfi Coast

the view Amalfi Coast

We also went to Pompei for a day to see some ruins of a city more than 5000 years old…the stories from the tour guide was impressive & interesting….but not so much picture worthy I don’t think. PLUS that day it decided to DOWNPOUR! So we were stuck outside in these ruins in the middle of a huge storm. It was intense, because most of the buildings were ruins they didn’t have a roof so we had to huddle in the corner of two walls and make a fortress of umbrellas…we did this for an hour. After this my Mom and I got fed up and left, but my Dad (the extreme tourist he is) stuck it out! He LOVES history…..

I’ve learned that I prefer Novelty over history which I’ll explain in another post.

Nevertheless the trip had its memorable moments….I’m going to post more pictures in detail on facebook. There are soooooooo many, however I forgot the meanings of all the statues and buildings. Hope you enjoyed my highlights via CARAVISIONS preference!

More updates to follow! xxx

Love in the universe.

VS.

a still from her upcoming not yet released video Telephone - one of my fav songs from her new album the Fame Monster. Can’t wait to see the final product!

I still love her…Even if her singing as great as it used to be in 2008 she compensates for it by doing weird shit for the sake of doing weird shit!! love it! gives the mainstream a little bit of spice to shake it up!

xx

Love all of you out there!

BRB in the springtime…with more exciting adventures…until then

***

p.s. Jersey Shore is delightfully trashy.i’m hooked. GTL, it’s a situation…fist pumppp!

if hatin’ is your occupation – i’ve got a full time job for you. ♥

1) 2009 was the “year of Cara” coined last NYE. This NYE I decided amongst a great discussion with one my close friend’s Ben. That if 2009 was the “year of Cara” then 2010 resolution should be “be more like Cara” i.e. don’t appologize for being weird, quirky or different, stand by who I am and be proud!

2) Be more understandable and Open – this means of people who may seem annoying or boring or retarded at first. Have a more open mind and try to get to know others more before judging them

3) Be patient & Grateful

….I keep my resolutions to 3 because it is more realistic to focus on few then try to scatter the attention to a whole list!!

***

p.s. NYE was amazing this year!

It was filled with family, great music at first. I went to see Die Fledermaus a famous and traditional operetta to watch on NYE in Vienna. For a sample of the Overture, click here.  You may recognize the music. After this I had a nice dinner with parents.

The second part was filled with great friends, awesome company, and lots of laughs (with a little alcohol on the side). I was off to my bff’s Luana’s to make a party. What a great time to be amongst good people and have drinks! We counted down to midnight in the city centre where there is a yearly street party! Stay Tuned for Pics either here or on fb!

Street party means: outside bars, great food, different stages with music, fireworks wherever you want and WALZING at midnight. We certainly hit all this up! I didn’t have fireworks to set off, but sacrificed my discostick into the crowd at midnight as a symbolic gesture for the new year! I can make a new one for 2010!

Everyone got a little scattered before midnight, but it was so nice that we all reconvened at a little corner pub for some drinks….it was laughs until 4 am. I had to take momentary naps at the table.

You know you’re done drinking when you order Prikleland over and over (sparkling water). and when you are able to talk, joke, and dance on the spot, but handling phone calls and directions are out of the question! Good thing I was with people who took my calls otherwise all the crowd would have not rejoined for a lovely strawberry shot!

ALL THE BEST IN 2010.

Lots of love to all my loved one’s back at home in Canada <3 <3 <3 You are well missed!

Stay posted for some NYE pics…..Would upload tonight however….am going to ROME tomorrow for more adventures!

XOXO