Globetrotter, wordsmith, and wacky-wild wonder woman, Christine Estima is the gal that everyone wants to know, so here’s your shot…
Give us a snippet about you. What should people know?
I am a half-Portuguese, half-Lebanese, feminist, vegetarian, pacifist, fag-hag, novelist, hipster, atheist, shit-disturber, blogger, backpacker, playwright, bookworm, film critic, and lovertine who cannot wear white without spilling something on it, but you’ll still find me, most likely, in the fridge at 4am.
Finish this sentence: I love Toronto because…
…we Torontonians like our bike wheels to be spinning, our Americanos to be percolating, our Word On The Street book sales to be traffic-diverting, our Trinity Bellwoods to be frisbee-ing, and our street art to be provoking.
What are three things you simply cannot live without?
Runny black-ink fountain pens, lots and lots o’ paper, and my creative faculties.
If you had to choose just one, which path would you pursue with all your passion: writing or performing?
In my life I have tried to pursue both, and the choice for writing was easier. My writing will never be rejected because I’m not tall enough, not thin enough, not pretty enough, not white enough, not vociferous enough, or not photogenic enough, unlike the arbitrary rules that govern the audition and casting worlds in performance. Writing is about employing your voice, your ideas, your humour, your irony, your style and your knowledge, and that is of the utmost importance to me.
What’s the project that you’re most proud of?
Last year I finished my first novel, which is about 300 pages of my neuroses ejaculated in Microsoft Word. Ha! In all seriousness, it’s a modern retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Pygmalion and it kiboshes all over Pygmalion adaptations that came before. Swearsies. My literary agent is shopping it around to prospective publishers as we speak. Fingers crossed!
What’s your favourite country that you’ve visited?
Too many to choose just one, but if I had to make a Top 6, they’d be (in no particular order) Thailand, India, Brazil, Cambodia, Croatia and Peru. Honourable mentions go to Lebanon, Bosnia-Herzegovina, France, Kosovo, and the United Kingdom. I’m always on the lookout for the next big adventure!
What’s your most embarrassing travel story?
My most embarrassing travel story is also my most courageous! I’m afraid of heights so I decided to face my fears whilst in Whistler, BC, and go bungee-jumping. Earlier that day I had done zip-lining, and the day prior I had done whitewater rafting and downhill mountain biking, so I thought, in all my inflated bravado, that I could pull off bungee-jumping no problem. Technically, I did, as I managed to jump off the bridge overlooking the gorge. But when they pulled me back up, I started hysterically crying in front of all the other jumpers and the hippie-bungee-jump-company-dudebros. Mor. Ti. Fied.
What’s your favourite restaurant and why?
It’s hard for me to find a vegetarian restaurant that I like, because it’s easy to get bored with the menu, but Live on Dupont, Sadie’s Diner on Adelaide, and Hibiscus in Kensington Market have never failed to delight.
What’s your favourite drink/cocktail and where do you go to get it?
I am Teetotal and don’t drink at all, alcohol just isn’t my thing. So my “drink of choice” would be a latte! And my usual haunts are Crafted on Ossington, Tango Palace on Queen East, Green Grind on College, Capital Espresso on Queen West, and The Common on College.
Who’s your favourite designer/brand and why do you sport their fashions?
Instead of supporting major labels and designer couture which I think is too tightly woven with elitism and out of touch with the current economic state of the market, I prefer to buy from second-hand shops that employ tailors and seamstresses who redesign old pieces into new styles. It’s like recycling fashion, if you will, and it’s highly sustainable. With that in mind, places like PreLoved, and Courage My Love are good starts. When that fails, I like to shop online at ASOS.
Let’s get social for a mo’. How can people stay up-to-date with all your globe-trotting?
Lotsa ways! I blog it like it’s hot, I’m a Twitter tweetheart, I make oh-so clever and witty travel films on my YouTube, I’m your G + 1 on Google Plus, and I’m Instagratifying over on Instagram.
Photos by Nigel Hamid.