Before You Love a Poet, a 5 minute poem

She is living poetry,
passion personified,
oozing sensuality onto your page.
She embodies desire,
encompasses your dreams,
again,
again,
again.
She smells like late fall afternoons;
all dancing leaves and coffee.
With sparks beneath her feet,
she leaves fire in her wake.
She speaks in iambic pentameter
mimicking your heartbeat
and sleeps warm and sound
in the crook of your arm,
molded to her body
like sculptor's clay.
She'll be your Persephone--
for you stole her soul
and she turned you into art.
This hellish existence of
"if's" and "when's".
You'll kiss her pomegranate lips,
she'll break your fragile heart,
you'll try to keep her
but she'll always leave you
in the dark.

Hayley-Quinn

Blast from the Past: The Ultimate 90s Playlist

I am constantly revisiting the 90s, whether it be through movies, TV shows, music or fashion. Naturally, I thought it would be fun to take a mini trip into the past and reminisce on some of my favourites. You might find a smile creeping upon your face as you make your way through these catchy 90s hits that will have you wishing you were back in the good ol' days. Enjoy!

1. Song 2 - Blur
2. Steal My Sunshine - Len
3. She's So High - Tal Bachman
4. Drinking in LA - Bran Van 3000
5. Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
6. Loser - Beck
7. Tubthumping - Chumbawama
8. My Own Worst Enemy - Lit
9. Creep - Radiohead
10. Zombie - The Cranberries
11. Wonderwall - Oasis
12. Kiss Me - Sixpence None the Richer
13. All The Small Things - Blink 182

- Mel

Roaring 20's

         Lately I've been making a lot of changes in my life in regards to fitness, eating (vegetarian friendly is a thing, right?), attitude and appearance. I'm not going to lie, this post was fueled by a haircut. I'm not talking a trim, I'm talking from upper ribs to above shoulders. I've been trying to make a conscious effort to be less attached to the things in my life and I'll be the first to admit that in the past I was very attached to my hair. It was always long and brown despite urges to make changes, my overall shyness and fear of being judged or "looking ugly" stopped me from diving into those big changes. However, in the past year I've had black, brown, red, purple, and blue hair and recently lost a hefty few inches by going from lob to bob.
         The way I see it, your twenties are your experimental years, the ones where you're old enough to move out, make changes and figure out who you are. As a quiet and awkward (we were all thinking it) woman, I came into my twenties almost a year ago now and I made a manifesto of sorts, dictating how I would live my adult life, almost like a less dramatic, less religious Eat, Pray, Love with no movies being optioned. The short of it was to stop second guessing and over-thinking every instinct that I had. A lot of this began after I started college. This is where I met people who loved art as much as I did (something I had never known before) and who introduced me to a plethora of new interests. I also got to experience new levels of freedom and responsibility which forced me to break out of my quiet/shy shell and try new things. University also allowed me to take a variety of classes, which helped me expand my horizons and discover who I really am and what I want.
         So I sat in the seat of my hair salon and let the stylist cut and dye to her heart's content. Before I first dyed my hair purple or cut it short, I worried a lot about how people thought of me, but ever since I've felt more confident and more like myself than ever before. I started dressing the way I wanted to and stopped asking for opinions. I wore heels because I wanted to and a septum piercing for the fun of it. I'm not saying that this newfound confidence stops people from giving me dirty looks (here's looking at you middle-aged-soccer-mom on the metro) or talking about me when I turn away, but I am saying that I no longer care if they do or don't. I spent nearly two decades trying to like things that made me fit in. I tried dressing like everyone else and I tried looking like everyone else. I wasted two decades trying to become this "normal" when "normal" doesn't exist.
         Nevertheless, here I am in what I'm calling my "Roaring 20's," where I've decided to be 100% myself. No explanations, no apologies. I've stopped playing dumb to get a boy to like me, I've stopped being a doormat for people who've wronged me and I've embraced feminism and stopped apologizing for being inherently female in a society which constantly degrades feminine interests. I'm not going to say that I have my shit together or that I've become this wise-woman because I still have miles to go. But for now I am happy, very young and very ready for whatever may come.
-Hayley-Quinn

Mad Max: Feminist Fury

     Okay, I will admit that my ingrained fear of society's judgments about this post did put me off of posting it for a few weeks. Since then, I've put on my big girl pants and am here to give my thoughts on the newest Mad Max installment "Fury Road". Having seen bits and parts of the original, I can't say that I was too thrilled with the prospect of this re-imagination but with rave reviews and the trailer, I must say that I was intrigued. Don't let the title fool you, the movie doesn't actually center on Max Rockatanksy (Tom Hardy), the haunted loner and namesake of the film. In my opinion, the real stars are the furious females attempting to escape from the post-apocalyptic world wherein they have been held as sex slaves in hopes of breeding healthy male offspring. In this desert wasteland, water is sparse and the acquired liquid is used by Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) as means to control the sickly, remaining people by limiting their access to it. The cast is composed of a majority of males or Warboys who view Immortan as a kind of  diety who will grant them access to Valhalla. Despite the stark disparity between female and male characters, the strength of these women propels them into the spotlight.  This has been touched upon by many male critics who wonder what all of these women are doing in a "man's movie", well that's exactly what I'm here to explain.
      The title character, Max Rockatansky is a feral loner who is haunted by the people (mostly the ghost of a young girl) of his past. When he is captured by the Warboys, he becomes used as a human blood bag to Nux (Nicholas Hoult), a Warboy on the verge of death. When Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), the only female in a position of power, commits treason by liberating the wives of Immortan Joe, the Warboys set out to get back their only viable means of reproduction. This puts Max into contact with Furiosa and the Wives and inevitably they lead to his own character development. The film was highly criticized for its female casting being composed of several scantily clad super models. However, these sister wives prove to be tough as nails women whose pacifist beliefs don't hinder their fearlessly looking death in the face. Despite Max's ferocity and animalistic loner persona, the women still throw themselves in front of him and any other ally as means of protection, furthering their roles as Maternal figures. This inevitably gets The Splendid Angharad (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), Immortan's clear favourite, killed alongside her unborn child. The strong feminist message showcases women as the true heroes and as being both strong and caring simultaneously. Furiosa is the tough as nails leader of the pack, an amputee with some serious knowledge of how to use a gun and drive a truck. Not only is she revered and respected amongst Immortan's people but also becomes a strong and valuable amenity to the escape of these enslaved wives.
        Overall, George Miller manages to turn what was originally a "man's movie" into a feminist's dream by subverting the male gaze common to the action movie genre and instead creating a "female gaze" in the women's efforts to thwart a predominantly male society's power structure by rescuing the only means of a healthy offspring. So, while I can already hear the meninists sighing far and wide, the film still retains the overdrawn car chases, gun fights and the like. So if you like a good action movie, a stellar cast and a post-apocalyptic setting, give Mad Max: Fury Road a go!
-Hayley-Quinn

48 hours in the 6ix

       This past weekend, The Paradox Platform took a mini trip to Toronto. With neither of us having a vacation in the books for this summer, we figured we'd take our long weekend out of the office to the streets of Toronto. We literally booked a day before we left and took a 6 hour bus ride to "The Six". Despite being only a province and a few hours away, Toronto felt like a different world. This could have been all the English speaking and signage or it could have been the immensely tall buildings, which our own Montreal lacks due to height restrictions. We both agreed that despite this disconnect, the city did retain a familiar feeling for us and we immediately felt right at home. For one, it was the first time either of us had the chance to explore Toronto's "urban lifestyle" as adults, but we managed to seamlessly make our way through the city like true Torontonians. Saturday was our first and only full day in the city so we dragged ourselves out of bed for a lengthy day of exploring. By far, our favourite spot was Kensington Market; an artist's oasis in this corporate city. The market is home to a plethora of vintage/thrift/consignment shops as well as independent coffee shops and all day breakfast! We spent a good chunk of our day squeezing into every shop that we could. If you find yourself in Kensington Market, check out Bungalow for your thrifting needs, Our Spot for your breakfast desires and top it all off with a delicious coffee or juice at Casa Coffee! From the Market, we ventured over to Queen St. West, through Chinatown, where we found a myriad of street vendors selling jewelry (Mel and her sister bought out quite a few pieces!). We had to make the obligatory stop at the CN tower, which can be seen from almost anywhere in Toronto and our hotel roof was no exception. The 51st floor had a panorama of Toronto's beautiful skyline as well as a pool that overlooked the cityscape. The next morning was our last before we hopped back on the bus home, so we woke early to grab breakfast and see the pop-up Andy Warhol: Revisited show (for a mere $5). We both left feeling a little bit un-finished by the time we stepped onto the bus platform, but we intend to be back there very soon! Cheers!

- Mel and Hayley-Quinn

Almost but Never Quite: Your 20s

Ok, I must admit, this summer baby is not yet 20 (almost there guys, but trust me I’m in no rush). Born later in the year, (Hayley will be 21 in October – she’s nearly a year older than me, but hey, who’s counting?) I’ve always felt the need prove my maturity to those who continue to classify me as a youngin. “Oh, you’re only 19,” they say, "you still have so much time.” As my 20s creep upon me though, I can’t help but feel like I'm somehow running out of time. But out of time for what? How can we even quantify or pinpoint a time and place that certain events or milestones are supposed to happen in our lives? Yet, our culture seems to suggest otherwise.

Talking to people with more experience under their belt (it seems like everyone has more experience than you, doesn't it?) can make you feel like the oddest ball out of the bunch. Should I have already backpacked through Europe? No, I've never been in love. Why don’t I have a European boyfriend? And why can’t I afford that trendy apartment in whichever urban center of the world? Then comes a feeling of wanting to embrace all these moments at once, to experience each inch of the world simultaneously, to accept these moments into your life spontaneously, readily and freely. This is usually followed by the disheartening dissatisfaction of them not occurring, of waiting for something, someone, but never finding them. If you’re really feeling cynical, as I sometimes do, you might even wonder whether or not your life will forever remain in this perpetual state of limbo.

It doesn't...I hope. 

I have a constant hunger for more: more people, more places, more things, more sunsets, more views. It seems like it is never, ever enough. I want to fill myself up with the most beautiful sights and the most beautiful sentiments until I combust. I swear, while fourteen year olds were stressing about the boys they liked in their grade, I was perturbed by the fear of aimlessly wandering through life and never reaching a satisfying destination.

Satisfaction.

Everything I do seems to leave me with a lingering taste of “almost” but never quite “there.” When will I get there? I suppose this is part of the journey. Like many of my friends, I have big dreams and lots of ideas, which I believe is a product of our millennial generation. Speaking to our Generation X can sometimes lead you to believe that these ideas will never materialize and that your expectations are too heavy for reality. I have found that the trick to happiness is to look for it: to smile in the company of those you love, to be happy in the simple every day tasks and activities of being, to breathe and remind yourself that it is great that you're even alive at all and to NEVER settle for a mediocre life. Your dreams can materialize and all the great things you want in life can be achieved, but it won't happen all at once, in the same month, or the same year. It will take time. But I mean, we have all of our 20s for it, right? 

- Mel

Easy, Easy

         Today's shoot was an impromptu city exploration day wherein a lot of the shots were actually candid. Pictured are Jesse (21) and Mel (19, aka co-blogger on The Paradox Platform) who acted as my models for the day. After a series of...well...mistakes, we made our way to Studio 303 located on St. Catherine, towards Place Des Arts, which hosts studio spaces for a myriad of purposes such as dance, yoga, art galleries, photo shoots and loft areas. The stunning building was a clear choice as the location for the majority of our shoot and the grey day provided some excellent soft lighting...which also just happened to match my Instagram theme (I don't want to say aesthetic...but aesthetic). Both Mel and Jesse's Instagram's are listed below!
  

Instagram: Mel: @melissamezz , Jesse: @kissqc


-Hayley-Quinn