Robyn McCorquodale: Blog

This was the question posed to me by CBC Radio early this morning. It gave me something to think about long after the interview was over.

I woke up yesterday feeling sad, feeling sick, still in shock from the post-game nightmare that erupted in Vancouver Wednesday evening. I don’t need to relieve the horror now by stating the details. We all saw it or at least heard the news of what took place. Many of us watched it unfold live, in disbelief and disgust. For those of us who live here, we suffer with feelings of shame and embarrassment and a devastating loss of reputation.

My yesterday began in mourning, feeling a tremendous pain that had nothing to do with losing a hockey game. That game, for me, was about unity and the spirit of excellence, no matter which team would come out victorious.

Until the criminals and anarchists are identified and made accountable we won’t know the who’s, the why’s and from where they all came, but I believe that these “thugs” were bent on destruction [...]

The Vancouver competition, “What I’d Do To Win Tickets To The Playoffs” is over, and guess what? I didn’t win. It doesn’t matter because a prize much grander than two tickets to a game, yes even an NHL Playoffs game, has come into my life again.

How many times have I said that I love Vancouver BUT I wish the culture here were just a little more about “the arts” and a little less about “Hockey Night In Canada”.

While this sentiment remains true, it is also true that I am over the moon excited about the game(s) remaining with the Boston Bruins and the possibility of the Vancouver Canucks winning the Stanley Cup.

Living a life of music and travel removed me from Canuck culture the last several years, but I reconnected with my city and our Canadian national sport during last year’s Winter Olympics. I had never experienced National unity as I did during Vancouver2010, and no one could argue that the Olympic fever peaked on the final day with our victorious hockey game [...]

Yesterday, April 22, was Earth Day: a day to inspire respect, awareness and appreciation for our earth. If we want to preserve our natural environment, we need to acknowledge Earth Day Every Day.

Late 2006, I was entertaining onboard a ship touring South Asia and The Middle East. It was an amazing and intense five week engagement. I performed only five shows during my contract, but I was on tour in port most days from early morning until late evening, visiting what was for me a new and fascinating world. With high powered guest lecturers on board speaking on the social, economic, political and cultural history and current tapestry of the regions we explored, it was a highly educational and enriching experience. One engaging lecture given told the story of the Red Rain of India.

While buildings fell in New York City on 9/11 in 2001, red colored rain was falling on the southern Indian State of Kerala. I suspect that all news stories about this event were lost in the wake of one of the [...]

In my last post I featured two very cute cotton candy-colored dolphins playing in the water. When traveling, you don’t always come across such unique and adorable creatures. However, what you DO often stumble across are camouflaged earth-tone creatures of varying sizes resembling those scary beasts from prehistoric times. It doesn’t seem fair to discriminate, but how can I begin to ogle over the latter without wishing I were back watching pink porpoises play in the Amazon!

Except for a brief homebound cruise from Africa this past Christmas, it’s been years since I performed on a ship touring the Caribbean. For me, it’s typically a two to three-day journey of minimum four connecting flights, crossing several time zones and filling out a lost luggage claim before I finally reach my embarkation destination.

However, I just arrived back home from an engagement in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean. Most stops I’ve visited before, but every place felt new to me this time, with [...]

There lived 30 million species of insects, and yes, I recently visited the tropical paradise and seemingly came foot to face with every one of them. Crunch, scream, eeeyooo, ugh!

Now I appreciate that not everyone has the opportunity to visit such exotic destinations as The Amazon Rainforest, and yes, get paid for it. To watch the rare Pink Dolphins play, I’m lucky. I’m grateful, BUT, let’s get real. Pink dolphins are cute and worth cuddling, but only IF you can catch up to one, not alone get a good picture of one. Rare. In reality, their presence is overshadowed by the more than 700 species of beetles, the pesky and worrisome mosquitos and the even more frightening 378 species of reptiles that coexist in this area of the world. Did I say 700 species of beetles? Yes, mostly an infestation of super beetles on steroids.

When on a cruise ship engagement, I love spending time in the fresh sea air. I find solitude out on deck watching a sunrise, sunset, shooting star, full moon, or [...]