Everyone is always complaining about how rude people are, especially in a big city like Montreal. However, I’ve been a public commuter for a few years, and I’m always pleasantly surprised at how polite people really are on the bus and the metro. Of course you encounter the random person who is uptight or absorbed in their own little world, but for the most part, I think Montrealers are very considerate. People are always giving up their seats to the elderly or moms with children. A lot of commuters adhere to the “stand on the right, walk on the left” rule of escalators. The urbanites I encounter say thank you (or, in Montreal’s case, merci) when you let them pass or hold a door. I think it’s time we stop presuming the worst in people all the time and give them the benefit of the doubt.

It wouldn’t hurt if you projected some of your own kindness too. Don’t be so afraid to smile at a stranger (just not the creepy ones who will misconstrue your nice gesture). Be an example of good manners and give up your seat for a mom or an old woman/man. Let someone get on the bus before you. Kindness has to start somewhere…

I’d consider myself a pretty creative person – writing aside, I’m always making tons of homemade gifts for Christmas, I love planning parties for my friends, and in high school, I had the coolest photo albums. But I’ve quickly learned in my professional life that I’m really not the most visually-creative person. While I find layout and design extremely interesting, and I’m in constant awe of those who can lay-out a great newspaper or magazine page, I’m not very good at it myself.

The same goes for photography – from the moment I met Daniel Kudish of davina + daniel (who I had the privilege of working with at the beginning of his career, and then he and his beautiful wife shot my wedding), photography was so intriguing to me. Photographers seem to see things in a completely different way – Daniel would find these interesting nooks and crannies to photograph in a room where I’d be focused on the obvious (like a couch).

I want to work on my photog skills, so my husband bought me a verrrry professional camera for my birthday a few weeks ago. It doesn’t just come with an instruction manual – it comes with an informational BOOK. I need to really learn about this incredible gadget so that I can use it to its fullest potential. I know I should be framing things a certain way, pulling back on some pictures and zooming in for others. I try to catch candid shots of people but they end up with twisted, contorted expressions that are anything but flattering. I hope I can learn more about this art, but I can’t help but wonder – is it something that can be taught? I’ve had people tell me they want to learn how to be a good writer, but I think that the writing gene is something you are born with, not necessarily something that can be taught. Sure, you can learn the basic rules of writing so that your story is more structurally-sound, but being able to develop characters, create a storyline, and use imagery is something that is inherent, not something you can be taught.

I’m hoping that the photography skills I do, in fact, have are just buried, and with practice I’ll be able to bring them to the surface.

So here’s a few samples of what I’ve worked on since getting the new cammie…

1- I hate standing in an elevator with, like, one or two people. I feel so awkward in silence. It helps that everyone is so tech-obsessed these days that most suits take a 7-second break like an elevator ride to check emails on their BlackBerrys, but when you’re standing there looking straight ahead, I always feel like I should say something like “Crazy rain we’re having eh?” or “Wonder how bad winter will be this year?” And the person will usually reply in a way so you can tell they really don’t care and now feel forced to interact. And then suddenly a 7-second elevator ride feels like a 7-hour elevator ride, and when we finally get to the floor, I get off and start asking myself why I can’t just stop talking for 7 seconds of my life…

2- Some people shouldn’t have caught on to the legging trend. I’m just sayin…

3- I know I’m not supposed to do nice things to get something in return, but honestly – when I go out of my way to hold the door open for you or let you cut in front of me in traffic, you should say thank you. It’s just the decent thing to do.

4- Why do I always get the grocery cart that only makes left turns?!

5- Weathermen are so corny, especially the American dudes on the Vermont stations. One guy always predicts that there will be “oodles of sunshine” – who says “oodles”?? Oh right – corny weather dudes!