SURPRISE, SURPRISE

You guys knew I'd be posting about fashion at some  point. My loves for this week... A girl can dream, right?!

PAGE ONE or WEB PAGE ONE

I'm a documentary nut. So, you can imagine my reaction when my journalism instructor announced that instead of being in the classroom on Friday, we would be heading to the Cinematique to watch Page One: Inside The New York Times. Watching a documentary, instead of being in the classroom. I say it every day, but, I LOVE CreComm.

The film follows several Times journalists in the recent era of an extreme shift in the journalism world: a decrease in demand for print, the decline of print advertising sales and the rapid popularity of online news. It explores the inevitable question of where and will print exist in face of one of the biggest transformation in the history of journalism.

Admittedly, the first thing I do in the morning after shutting off my alarm is, still cocooned in my sheets, open my Twitter app and see whats going on in the world. I want to know what I've missed while I was asleep and what progress has been made with news stories I've abandoned for some shut eye the night before. I'm a social media junkie. I love to be connected, educated and have the freedom to be opinionated. The digital landscape lets me do all of these things.

However. I love books. When I read a book that moves me, I make an effort to give that book to a friend. Books should be read, reread, shared and discussed. They should give rise to new dialogue, new ideas and new perspectives. For me, no tablet or ipad will ever replace my beloved book. My argument rests in the simple fact that I will never take my ipad into the bubble bath. 

I propose that print and digital co-exist. Digital will become inevitably more prevalent but the romanticism and nostalgic element of print will never die. 

AUTUMN

Markets, river walks, thai cuisine and new friendships. Great weekend.

PASS IT ON

My friend Suzy, Creative Director over at SANDBOX Magazine (and fellow CreCommer), and I stopped by the Clark + Huot Pass it On event earlier tonight. It was a fantastic mixer made of up some of Winnipeg's most creative people. LOVE.

Check out Suzy's blog called WINNIPEG LOVE LETTERS where she features people who are proud to love and live in Winnipeg. You should probably follow her on Twitter too. #shesababeschwing.

THE NEW PARLOUR

There is nothing that I love more (except for cheese) than an aromatic, creamy, smooth cafe latte. I've been a devout member of the Church of Starbucks for quite some time now, but have decided to change congregations as of last week. Big deal, I know.

Enter Parlour Coffee. Before I gush about their outstanding coffee, I have to comment on their customer service. The baristas are friendly, conversational and relaxed... not in a "Starbucks-y corporate culture" kind of way, but rather in a genuine, optimistic "brand new business venture" kind of way. 

On Monday afternoon, my barista Andrew chatted briefly with me and my boyfriend about the new cafe. I was so impressed that Andrew asked what my name was and reached out a friendly hand for a shake. That, my friends, is great customer service and after years of working in the service industry, you learn to appreciate those sincere moments.

In addition to serving the best latte I've had in a very long time, Parlour compliments it's product with excellent service, and a minimalist, chic decor. You can't help but notice how cool the vibe is here. 

Parlour's coffee is flown in fresh every week from Calgary and Vancouver, serving 49th Parallel Coffee, and Phil & Sebastian Coffee. 

Parlour is located in the Exchange District at 468 Main Street in Winnipeg, Manitoba. You can also follow them on Twitter. Now, go grab a latte and tell them Monique sent you!

TWITTLEDO TWITTLEDUMB

TOP TEN TWITTER DO'S.

1. FOLLOW PEOPLE OTHER THAN CELEBRITIES.
2. RESPOND TO MENTIONS.
3. GIRLS, EASY ON THE SEXY, POUTY FACE.
4. BOYS, CHILL WITH THE MUSCLE SHOTS.
5. SAY SOMETHING INTERESTING.
6. USE PICTURES AND VIDEO.
7. RETWEET/ GIVE CREDIT TO SOURCES.
8. UPDATE WHEN YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING COOL, PLEASE.
9. TRY, TO USE OMG LESS.
10. TWEET ME! @monique_pantel

PEARL JAM

Although I loved that Eddie Vedder sang an impromptu "GO JETS GO!" tune at the Pearl Jam concert on Saturday, my favourite part of the night was when he said:

Thanks for the excitement...Good things are about to happen here [in Winnipeg] in the next couple a years.

And I couldn't agree with Eddie more. The Jets, the Human Rights Museum and loads of development and investment are creating a serious buzz in our city. I feel like Winnipeg is embracing change and supporting so many things that will add value to our city. I get the privilege of spending nearly every day in the Exchange District and I love how it reminds me of a miniature version of Chicago. Fantastic architecture, a burgeoning music scene, quaint cafes and foodie heaven are the things that shape this special area of Winnipeg. And now Eddie Vedder has tipped his hat to us. Awesome.

If you want to see what Pearl Jam looks like from the 3rd row on the floor (ya, that's me bragging) check out the video below. Eddy, the band, some babes and a crazy crowd.

PEARL JAM IN WINNIPEG from Monique Pantel on Vimeo.

THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE: THE ASLEEP & THE AWAKE

Francis Firebrace from Kevin Lee Brown on Vimeo.


Another great video for you, my wonderful readers. This one is much more profound about Francis Firebrace, an Aboriginal story teller from Australia/New Zealand. He's dedicated his life to spreading the message about the power of the human spirit.

Firebrace is the father of the incredibly talented, eighteen year old international photographer Nirrimi Hakanson. Check out her beautiful, ethereal work at her blog WE LIVE YOUNG, another one of my personal favourites.

Side note: I'll be attending the TEDxManitoba event tomorrow, which will feature some of the most progressive thinkers, creators and innovators from a National and International perspective. I'll make sure to fill you all in about the event and divulge my absolute undying LOVE  for TED talks. À demain!

ADVANCED STYLE

Advanced Style: Age and Beautyfrom Ari Cohen on Nowness.com.


The fashion industry constantly bombards us with fresh faced, pretty young things. And because the fountain of youth just simply does not exist, I thought I would share a different perspective. These little darlings made me smile with their dedicated enthusiasm for all things glam.

NOWNESS   is one of my all time favourite websites. Everyday they share projects from some seriously inspiring creative pros.

The blog Advanced Style, curated by Ari Seth Cohen, is dedicated to featuring "Proof that the wise and silver set that personal style advances with age."

UNITASKING

On any given day, at pretty much any given moment, you can find me doing three or more things at once. I consider myself a master of drinking my coffee/texting/emailing/painting my nails while running out the door - my mouth still chewing my last bite of breakfast.  Its like a beautiful symphony of task juggling, and it almost always works.

Which brings me to a writer whose experiment literally stopped me in my tracks, wet nail polish and all. A.J. Jacobs, author of My Life as an Experiment explored different ways to live his life and then wrote a book about it, each chapter examined a different lifestyle. The concept I found to be most interesting (and borderline impossible) was the idea of UNITASKING: doing one single task at a time, without distraction of any sort.

Jacobs tells of The Unitasker chapter:

I was so distracted – by the internet, by my cell phone, by snacks beckoning from the kitchen – that I was four months behind deadline in writing this book. So I became the Unitasker. I pledged to quit multitasking. I decided to rewire my brain to I will be the most focused person alive. I unplugged my laptop, I meditated, I talked on the phone – just talked, no surfing the internet at the same time – crazy, no? (it helps that I blindfolded myself). I literally tied myself to my desk chair. It did end up changing my 
life. I’ve come to believe multitasking isn’t just a minor problem, it’s the Eleventh plague.

I know that I could never give up multitasking, but the idea of doing one thing at a time is kind of romantic. I've made a deal with myself that when I find myself trying to do three or more things at once, I'll stop myself and attempt the theory unitasking. I'll make sure to write a follow up post on this one...with only one Safari tab open, and no other applications running on my Mac - wish me luck!

Iphone, Macbook Pro, magazine- wasn't difficult finding a photo of me multitasking.

PHOTO JOURNAL: CRECOMM WEEK ONE

Thought I would share some photos I've taken over the past week. Consider this a survival guide/ CreComm family album of week one. Enjoy!

I also wanted to say a sincere THANK YOU  to four of Winnipeg's most popular bloggers for speaking with the Creative Communications class of 2013. Alyson Shane, Liz Hover, Erica Glasier and James Hope Howard - your insight on the blogging world was excellent!