or
The curious mind of Nicole Picard.

Take Off Your Clothes is a clothing swap held twice every summer at the Piknic Électronik.

You bring used items of clothing and get to swap them with other fashionable clothes and accessories, one for one. Designers also donate clothes to the project, so there’s always something interesting in the racks.

Join the Facebook group to get invited to the next one.

I am sitting on the couch eating apples, clementines and curd cheese. Delicious, squeaky curd cheese. This is my final push to eat the rest of the food in the fridge.

There are numerous shirts on the drying rack, waving in the artificial breeze of a fan. They're whites that I'm furiously trying to dry out. This is, of course, because they have to be packed for my week-long trip to the States.

I have to catch the 6:55 train to Kingston tomorrow, so I'd better not get distracted too much. There is an absurd amount of packing to get done and quite a few things I must do. For instance, I've discovered that the blacks have not come cleanly out of the wash. They're going through again right now.

The rest of the family is driving up from Toronto, to meet me halfway. They'll be picking me up in an action-packed sequence where they drive alongside the tracks and I leap from the train on to the roof of the car. Then we'll careen down a hill, jump over a cliff, and end up on the highway to the nearest border crossing. Or something like that.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to get the house in some semblance of order. I've stacked the books in piles in the living room, put away most of my tools, and am staring at a pile of dishes. I'll probably get to those after I've eaten. Then it's cleaning out the fridge as best I can and scrubbing the accumulated stains off the stove.

Timin is snoozing on the couch, blissfully unaware of my activity. I think he's gotten pretty used to my crazy late-night packing. The plan for this week is to have cloquewerk and angorian come by every other day and fill the food dish. I have left them little gifts on the table, to make them feel better about trudging through what looks to be bizarre weather. I suppose that cuddling with a cute cat might also be a good reward, but I can never tell how charming Timin is when I'm away.

I never seem to be able to pack light, but by George, I'm going to try this time. I've limited myself to a camera bag, a messenger bag, and a small luggage on wheels. How I'm ever going to get around in style, I have no idea, but we shall see if we can be inventive with the outfits.

As you can plainly see, my mind has started wandering quite a bit. I've had a nap this afternoon, but I can tell that my plan to stay up all night is going to be interesting. scjody is staying over, in the hopes that Aslan can benefit from the same attention as Timin. I have just realized that I've forgotten to tell my wonderful, beautiful, generous volunteers about the extra kitty they'll be feeding. So I hope they don't get too upset upon reading this.

I have been surfing the Internet to find places to eat while we're across the border. Thankfully, the lovely people at …an endless banquet have reviews of New York pizza joints, which I will have to try. But first I have to finish this absurd amount of fruit.

Oh look, that alarm has rung. I'd better go down and fetch the laundry.

I lost my hat in San Francisco.

I've gone for a couple of days without one, but my head feels funny. So I went on a quest to get a new one.

I went to the Bay, where I originally got my hat, but they were sold out.

I went to a hatter on Mount Royal, but they were closed. Curiously, their hours and sign both claimed that they were open.

I then went to Ste-Catherine, where I remembered there was a hatter. Unfortunately, I walked east instead of west.

Fortunately, I didn't give up hope. So I found Henri-Henri and picked out a cap that resembles the one I lost.

I think I shall have to return to buy myself a bowler.

It's starting to get a little chilly, so I'm doing the standard settling-in-for-the-winter things. Pulling out the warm clothes, putting away the summer clothes, and battening down the hatches. I've taken out the air conditioner, with Konstantin's help this time, which made it incredibly easy compared to installing it.

I had also decided that it's time to get a fall coat. My previous coat was getting rather tattered, so I started walking west on Ste-Catherine last evening. I entered goodness knows how many stores, trying to find a size 36 men's coat. I never conceived that it would be this difficult to find something that fit, nevermind something that looked good.

I went to the Bay, where the saleslady tried in vain to find something in stock. We tried on numerous small coats, but they were always too wide. She shrugged, and suggested that I check out Maxx. There, they had only one fall coat. I tried it on, and the salesman tried to convince me that it looked good. Nope, too wide across the shoulders. Plus it had this strange cut that I didn't like at all. For one thing, it didn't have buttons. And it also made me look like an inverted candlestick.

Next, I tried Simon's. I figured that the younger set shopped here, so there must be something for smaller people. I found one small coat that fit properly, but it was polyester and filled and made me look puffy. And it needed alterations because the sleeves were too long.

At this point, I was starting to get discouraged.

The next stop was the Ailes, where I talked to this nice Korean salesman who tried to find something for me. Nothing in stock for a 36, though; they only stock from 38 to 44. Argh. I only men around here weren't so large! He looked at me apologetically, and admitted that he too had trouble finding decent clothes.

Finally, I stopped in at a 5th avenue, where I lucked out. One wool greatcoat, size 36, that didn't make me look wide, bulky, or immature. We bargained for a while, and I walked out of the store poorer, but warmer. It's a little heavier than a fall coat, so it will last from now until the first snowfall.

Now that I've gone through this much pain looking for clothing, I really see that I should have done more clothes shopping in Hong Kong. Lots of items fit me over there, if I tried on a medium. Here, it's extra-small. And who stocks extra-small? I'm worried when the season comes to buy thicker shirts, people might start telling me to wear sweaters under Oxfords.

Yesterday, elliptic_curve and I went off to get a messenger bag for her. As we turned the corner on Duluth, we noticed that Santropol Roulant was holding a garage sale.

Not just any garage sale, but a fashion show as well! There were awesome people parading around in designer clothes that were up for auction. They had boxes of books, racks of clothes, and a chest of toys. It was really awesome! Julie got a garbage bag full of clothes, and I managed to pick up some books, music, and casserole dishes. One of which I broke by accident.

After our little spending spree, we went to Propulsion, where they had held a black bag for Julie. We spent almost an hour trying on bags, whereupon I ended up with the black one and Julie got an olive green one. We strode out of the, already closed, store in style.

Today, we went about the town and couldn't walk two steps without bumping into more garage sales. I had wisely chosen to bring my new bag and soon it was briming with our marvellous finds. We eventually ended up at St. Viateur bagel, where we procured smoked salmon, cream cheese, and bagels. We sat in a giant chair and ate brunch greedily.

That was about when we saw joenotcharles and vierge_en_trop, who had switched places and appeared to be stalking us! I don't mind, though, as they are fun people to be stalked by. Joe told us that "it looks like other people sit in these chairs, but you guys look like you're living in one." I can only be flattered by our ability to make any place homey and awesome. We offered them some bagel with cream cheese, and then they ran off to do their things. I swept the sesame seeds off my shirt, and we let some kid take over our chair. Then we went home.

But not before bumping into yet another garage sale, filled with books about "failed ideologies of the twentieth century."

I did just about no cooking today, having made plenty of arrangements to dine with friends. In fact, I did very little aside from socialising with friends. But since I haven't done that very much as of late, I'm glad that I did.

Yesterday, I spent much of the day cleaning up the house. I had bought some wooden dowel and sawed wood all morning. No no, not snoring, that's what I do at night. Then, as swestrup suggested, I fed this through the holes in my shelving. Perfect. And it looks about right. I filled up half of one bookshelf with computer books before realising what time it was.

You see, I was to go to Simon Forman's birthday party later that evening. And I had yet to run out to get his present. So I ran into the drizzling afternoon, got lost several times, and eventually wound up at Le Valet d'Cœur. Very nice place, but service was so difficult to get. I managed to find someone to help me just as they were closing up.

I ran home with the gift in tow and finished tidying up a bit. Then I dashed over to catch the 80. Which I just missed. So I walked to the nearest Metro station. By the time I arrived at the party, well, the party wasn't populated by very many people. Apparently, musicdieu had come and gone. It was fairly cool though, since I haven't seen Simon in a long time, so I chatted with him for a while. Then Mary showed up and we sat around talking until Andrew appeared. By this time, people were starting to get tired, so Andrew and I shared a cab ride home.

This morning, I woke up to a kitty cat sleeping on my stomach. After getting out of that tangle, I got up and did some more tidying. Then it was time to go downtown for 點心. I missed the 80 again and was forced to walk to Chinatown. I have got to learn the schedule for that route. Eating at 富麗華 is a hit and miss experience, but this time was excellent. The food was reasonably fresh and everyone ate their fill. There was a Republic of China Veterans' convention going on in the same room, so we were treated to a lot of announcements coming over the loudspeakers. Still, I managed to enjoy conversing with France, Damian, angorian, Luke, and Jaleen.

After our meal, we wandered lazily downstairs to the street. France had invited us to see the Farha Foundation's au cœur de la mode, a fashion sale charity for AIDS research. We walked about the Palais des congrès until my feet hurt, searching out someone good and cheap. I managed to snag a knee-length jacket that seems pretty sharp. Actually, I'm glad I did because it got rather chilly on my walk home tonight.

Which brings me to why I didn't cook dinner. You see, for the longest time we've been saying that we ought to eat some Ethiopian food. Well, azhrey made reservations at Au Messob D'or (5690, av. Monkland. Montréal, QC. 514-488-8620.) This was a far more familiar environment and the food was quite well spiced as well. What I found strange was that all the dishes were on the rather dry side. Perhaps this is an aberation though. I understand that there is proper coffee service at this restaurant, so I'll have to go back some time.

On my walk home, I passed by the park in front of my flat. (How could I not?) I noticed a great many people playing in the grass and beating drums and chanting into a microphone. Ah, of course, tam tam. I am reminded of this because I'm sitting in my bedroom and I can still hear them. It is quite a rambunctous affair.

I met so many people last night, whose names are fading away like old photographs. Jessica, Greg, Maggie, Richard, Francis, Julian, Rachel, Kingsley, Chris, oh I've run out of names to put to people. But they were all very interesting. Which is an interesting assessment for me to make because I was in a sleepy stupor that evening, having walked around with elliptic_curve in her quest for new clothing.

Let me back up.

Sunday morning was miserable. Moments after we stepped off the bus onto Mont-Royal, the rain started to come down hard. We ran into Casa de Popolo for sandwiches and coffee. It's a vegetarian restaurant with good coffee and good beer. As well, they seemed to be booked with bands every night which makes it a place to keep an eye on. My vege-paté sandwich was fulfilling and so was the goat-cheese sandwich. The soup, however, was a little weak so I'm glad I didn't order it. With food inside me, I got fairly sleepy so I think I passed out on their green velvet couch. I only say this because I distinctly remember elliptic_curve waking me up.

By now, the rain had abated, so we headed out once more. We ran about the rest of the afternoon looking at plaid skirts, black boots, warm hoodies, and colourful tops. None of which was clothes-shopping for me, thank goodness. Sadly, I think that elliptic_curve's tastes and styles are quite different than mine. We resolved to avoid clothes-shopping together in the near future, so we could continue being friends. Friends, instead of mortal enemies who would gouge each other's eyes out—with egg spoons.

As we shopped, I noticed some interesting things about clothing in the Plateau. In "goth" clothing stores, it's fairly easy to feel out of place in them, what with all the skulls and corsets and black and red. Which I did, until a guy wearing cargo pants and a beige sweater walked in the door with his more fashionable friend. There was this store that had a mail shirt made out of pop-tabs on a clothes-hanger. I managed to snap off a couple of photographs before the clerks asked me to stop. American apparel brands itself as an ethical place to shop and it also has decently-tailored clothing. They also have a large photograph on the checkout counter of people cycling in the nude. An ironic statement for a fashion company. Another obvious observation is that clothing-store clerks are all universally young and good-looking. They are also dressed very well, which probably reflects the impact of their employee discount.

We had lunch at La Piazzetta and it was quite delicious, although I'm sad to say that I didn't have a bigger appetite. They serve thin-crust pizzas there with rather exotic toppings. It was nice to sit out on the patio and enjoy the afternoon sunshine and the moist Spring air. By this time, it was getting quite late so we decided to skip exercising at the gym and head directly to evildrgo's potlatch. We detoured momentarily to get a pie, had that wrapped in a plastic bag to protect it from the resumed rain, and dove into the Metro.

We emerged and dashed into his apartment. Already, things were in full swing and the table was ladened with food. We set our pie down on the dessert table and proceeded to chat and mingle. Or rather, Julie did, because I was having difficulty forming complete sentences. I think I made a couple witty interjections but was really unable to keep a conversation going. The pile of food was really good and mostly vegetarian. I quite enjoyed the lasagna as well as the chilli. There was also some very nice tofu that seemed to be well-enjoyed. I passed on most of the desserts, being in a nibblish mood, but apparently the pie that we bought was incredibly tasty.

It was all too soon that the night was coming to an end. I was wilting in my chair and many of the guests were gainfully employed so we all decided to leave before midnight. Before I left, I got a photograph of Jessica and her brilliant T-shirt. I had hoped to get more pictures of the party, but forgot that I even owned a camera. That's how out of it I was.

I must try for more sleep before going to parties. I think being cogent really helps my enjoyment.

I went shopping with angorian today. Not just any regular shopping, clothes shopping. This was pretty strange because both of us don't actually like going clothes shopping. Allison needed clothes for the weddings she is going to attend this summer and I just needed alternate summer clothes.

By alternate, I mean decent. As you may recall, I decided to get a new wardrobe which has been working out pretty well. I'm happy to say that I think I look a lot sharper now, instead of the geeky software-T-shirt and trackpants look of yesteryear. But it does mean that I need summery clothes, because in that department, all I have are software-T-shirts.

We decided to meet in the morning and head straight down to Ste-Catherine and walk east. Normally, this walk is rather unpleasant but on early Saturday mornings, Ste-Caterine is eerily quiet. We pop into clothing stores on this side of the road and then cross to pop into shoe stores on the other. Since neither of us actually know which stores sell what clothes, we decided to do a brute-force search by entering every one, just in case it stocked something we liked.

There's quite the range of clothing but all of it seems to follow a certain general trend. For instance, this spring, it looks like mocassins are pretty popular, whereas Chinese slippers are not. But you will find very cheaply made mocassins priced so, or you will find decent mocassins priced stratospherically. I still think that playing the fashion game is like pouring money down the drain.

We seemed to be having rather poor luck finding skirts and shoes for Allison, which was quite discouraging. As we entered one store, Allison remarked that she was drawn to a particular pattern. It's actually something that I wouldn't associate with her but she tried on a dress of that material. It look really good! Then a salesgirl came by with a matching shrug that made the dress even better. What a find. Plus, the salesgirl obviously earned her commission that day.

I had somewhat better results, merely because I have decided upon a preppy-look that suits me well. Since that look is never really fashionable, we figure that I'll always be able to fix up used clothing at the end of the season that will still look good in the coming years. I was able to pick up some nice shirts and sweaters that will look good layered. All of them on sale, as well. Bonus!

Allison eventually ended up with some pretty camisoles, which both flattered her rather nicely. We headed to le Vieux Dublin for lunch because I was aching for a good hamburger. I ordered another rare one while Allison, not used to being asked "and how would you like it", got hers medium-well. In the intervening time since I went there, I forgot how horrible their chips were, so I must remember to order a substitute next time. Or barge into their kitchen and teach them how to deep-fry.

Instead of battling the now bustling crowds on Ste-Catherine, we strolled along de Maisonneuve groggily with our new purchases, feeling rather good about the whole experience. I had fun shopping with Allison, she had fun shopping with me, and we both were a little bit poorer by the end of the afternoon. But we were looking forward to being well-dressed and both agreed that we make excellent clothes-shopping partners.

Oh no! I have an ink stain on my shirt.

Whatever shall I do?

As I walked around Hong Kong, I was able to notice a greater variety of Asian faces than I'd ever seen before. What struck me was how aged people looked over there. It's the sun, the pollution, the stress of everyday life. But it had a profound effect on me.

I looked at my grandfather, and looked at my father, and looked at myself in the mirror. Then I realised that I've been wasting the beauty of youth for all this time, and that I should get myself together before my hair fell out and the wrinkles set in. Then I've remembered how Julie's been nagging me to go to the gym, or take off that vest, or exfoliate.

Clothes are cheap over there, so I went and bought myself a reasonably sharp wardrobe. I could find no help, but I think I managed to get some decent apparel. I had hoped to come back and go on a makeover adventure with Julie, but she's no longer here. So I suppose I'll have to do this all by myself.

The next thing to do, I think, is to get a decent haircut. I seem to remember that a "number five Ceasar" looked good on me, so perhaps I can find a barbershop that will do that. And then, I'll try to go to a beauty supply shop, and find out what I need to clear up my face. Finally, signing up for a membership at the YMCA and learning how to use the machines.

It's truly odd how all these years of nagging have never gotten to me. How I've never paid attention to my appearance until now. Maybe the constant requests to take care of myself caused me to rebel, and not take care of my body in spite. But I feel time creeping up on me, and I'd better use the rest of my youth while I can.

Then I'll have to figure out how to look dignified, after I can no longer look attractive.

This morning, we had dim sum at London restaurant, where they have push carts. It's the first time I've seen them in Hong Kong, what with floor space being precious and all, and so it's a familiar feeling to see them again.

After this, we went to see a cousin of mine who works in an audio-visual store, and picked up a miniSD card for the new cellular telephone. Since it has the ability to play music, one might as well be able to store songs on it.

Went to the doctor's again and picked up some more medicine. Now I've just got this nagging cough that won't go away. The pills seem to make me a little drowsy, though.

After going to the Immigration Centre to pick up some application forms for a Hong Kong identity card, we stopped by the nearby Chinese visa office to get our passports authorised to go into China. We'll be heading to China to see a factory.

Finally, we went to a bunch of clothing shops and picked up some more clothes. I got to pick up some caps that I liked, as well as additional black socks. Socks here are wonderful! In Canada, all the socks I buy are always too big, and the heel of the sock goes above my ankle. Here, the socks all fit me. I've bought a very large supply, and don't expect to run out soon.

As well, I just learnt how to make sweet and sour ribs. Oh boy, am I going to make friends when I cook up some of those.

Tonight, we visited one of my dad's old college buddies, out in the suburbs of Hong Kong. He put out a very nice spread of food, and we ate ourselves silly.

Actually, we've been doing more than that. We've visited some other people in a big blur, we've also eaten out far too much. So much that I've had to let out my belt by two holes. I think I will join the gym when I get back, and maybe use their elliptical machines. As well, we've done a lot of shopping. Now people who know me know that shopping for clothes with me is a painful ordeal. So it's a wonder that I've found things here that I actually like.

We started today by going to the observation deck of a particularly tall office building, whose name now escapes me. For some reason, the air pollution had dropped drastically overnight, and it was possible to see across the harbour without a pinkish haze blurring everything. Hong Kong really has quite the plethora of skyscrapers.

We returned to the street level and proceeded to walk around. We found ourselves firmly in the tourist district, and saw people getting their wedding photographs taken. We also walked along a "Walk of Stars", where they had handprints of famous Hong Kong film stars imprinted into the ground.

Eventually, we wandered into a shopping district. Somehow, we got sucked into a fancy clothing store, and emerged with some clothing. I think my dad got a jacket (with pockets for any electronic device), and my mother and sister ended up with some shirts. My pocketbook, thankfully, escaped unscathed.

We met up with Uncle Gene, and visited the Hong Kong Museum of History, where we rushed through their History of Hong Kong exhibit in 45 minutes. The museum closed and we then went to a public commentary session. This had to do with a new development in West Kowloon, where they want to build a new iconic structure. Instead of a boring city council meeting, there were three companies with big models, computer displays, and flashy pamphlets. Apparently, they do this to sell these developments to people, so the people don't write in and object.

Mom and Dad left Flora and I to have dinner with their old high school friends. Uncle Luk and his wife took us to a Macanese restaurant. The Mecanese were forcibly westernised by Portugal, so their cusine reflects a fusion between the two cuisines. We had a very delicious and novel meal.

After this, we strolled around a mall and Flora bumped into a clearance sale, where she picked up some incredibly cheap jewellry for her friends back home.

After breaking fast, we left for my maternal grandparents' flat. We sat and chatted for a while, before we went for dim sum at the Super Star Seafood Restaurant. Things were quite tasty, and not only that, we think we were undercharged.

We went into the mall that was attached, Times Square, I think. As we looked around electronics boutiques, f_law's stomach decided that she would be ill. We rushed her to the washroom while we went to look for a pharmacy. Medication is a little different here, and it was a while before we were able to find something appropriate.

We did a little more walking around, before we realised that we needed some clothes. So we got off the underground somewhere, and went down a street that was filled with people who sold towels, socks and underwear. Exactly what we didn't bring enough of.

After getting some more essentials, we hopped back on the underground and went to an outdoor market. There were live shrimp, and vendors hawking their wares along the street. It was just like I walked into some televised travelogue. We bought some tasty treats, went back to our maternal grandparents' flat, and prepared fondue.