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Cool Bike

During summer time, I can see so many "strange", "awkward", "funny" persons. Check out this one, with his skinny legs and fat belly riding his bike. So funny.

TD Canada Trust

I really like the advertisement promoting this bank ( my bank by the way ). I took it after using their ATM. It's really something you can only see in North America. An advertisement saying that "their product/service" is the best, or better than an other one, saying out loud the name of the other company. On this one, it is said that this bank ( Canada Trust ) is "Open earlier. Open later. Open longer than any other bank in Canada". I remember once hearing while living in Seattle an advertisement from a sandwich company. And it really surprised me to hear something like that. I forgot which of two company between Subway and Quiznos was being promoted. Basically, this advertisement was saying that their sandwich was better and healthier, with more meet/vegetables/dressing, etc.... than the ones from the other sandwich company. I feel like it can be unfair sometimes. I just hope that whatever is said in those kind of advertisement is true. There is absolutely no way you will hear or see something like that in Europe, it is prohibited by the law.

Transportation in the Old Montreal

With those days of vacations, I enjoy going out. This city has so many things to see. Here is a great way of transportation to visit the Old Montreal. Fuel efficient, and green for the environment. In this historical district, It feels like you are brought back in the time of Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve ( Founder of Montreal on Mai 17 th 1942 ).

Concordia's Library

Check out all those books. I rarely take out books from the library, I usually use the internet to find all my information. One thing I don't like about Concordia's library, are the detectors when you exit the library. So far, I've only seen happening to very few students, but I'm one of them and that's bugging me. The detectors are so powerful, that even when go through with some of your own books that you purchased at the book store, the alarm goes off. Also, when the alarm goes off, the door locks itself so that you can not run away. Once I remember, I was studying at the library, and I realized that I had class in 5 minutes. Quickly I gather my things, pack up and run out of the library. One my way out, I totally forgot about those darn detectors. Suddenly, as I ran in between the detectors, the alarm goes off, and the door locks itself ! Ouch ! that hurts to walk straight into a locked door. Now I buy photocopied books for $35 to some Chinese around school, and that does the trick. That was my little story of the day. Have a good one everybody !

Place Jacques-Cartier

After yesterday Quebec National day I thought I'll post a famous picture of Montreal. This place is a square located in the Old Montreal, and was built by the city of Montreal in the first half of the 19th century. It is really popular among tourist and also locals, with many coffee places, bars, restaurants and souvenir stores. The street is named for Jacques Cartier, a French explorer popularly thought of as one of the major discoverers of Canada. I hope you all enjoyed yesterday's day off.

French Canadian National Holiday

The Fête Nationale des Canadiens Francais (English: French Canadian National Holiday) is an official holiday of the Canadian province of Quebec. Originally, June 24 was a holiday honouring one of the patron saint of French Canadians, St John the Baptist, and in ordinary conversation the day is still often called la Saint-Jean by Quebequois.

The origins of the traditional festivities are more than 2000 years old. Among several European peoples, the summer solstice was the object of pagan celebrations. Fires were lit during the night in this period of the year when the days are longest. The celebration of Saint John the Baptist was a very popular event in the ancien regime of France, and it is celebrated as a religious feast day in several countries. The tradition landed in North America with the first French colonists, the first celebrations of this Christian day in New France took place around 1638.

On this picture you can the the Édifice Price (English: Price Building) is a 18-floor (originally 16) skyscraper in Quebec City. Built in 1930-1931, it is the tallest building in the Old Quebec historical district, and one of the oldest skyscrapers in Canada.

Tired Doggy

Check out this dog, resting on the edge of the door. Today I'm gonna study all day long, I got a big math final later. Hum...I don't want to, I'd rather go out and enjoy this Monday. Well, tonight is my last final and the semester is finally over.

My Gas Guzzling Car

Oh my god, I've just put $ 70 of fuel in my gas guzzling car, and the tank wasn't even empty. Are we heading towards a third oil crisis ? I hope not. All over the world people are complaining about the high gas prices. Fishermen, truck drivers and other profession depending on oil are one strike all over France. I remember reading in the news, about a week ago, that police officers, somewhere in Georgia, have established a "gas-fee" for every speeding tickets they give in order to pay for their fuel. I took this picture from my window apartment located at the 14th floor.

Hotel Le St. James

Built in 1870 in the heart of Old Montreal, this hotel features exquisite rooms that will take you back in time. Located at 355 St-Jacques Street, it is located just a few blocks away from the lively riverfront and the downtown business area. It began life as a merchant's bank in 1870, and the opulence of that station of privilege has been both retained and upgraded. The richly paneled entry hall leads to a grand hall with potted palms, carved urns, bronze chandeliers, Corinthian columns, and balconies with gilded metal balustrades. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner are served right in this "Banker's Hall," often accompanied by harp music. Rooms are furnished with entrancing antiques and impeccable reproductions. All have video screens that control lights, room temperature, and even the "do not disturb" sign.

Kanda Sushi

Located at 2045 Bishop street, this sushi place is a favorite one among hungry Concordia college students. With all you can eat for lunch for only $ 13.99, it is packed every single day. Inside looks nice, and the service is decent. Have a nice weekend every body ! The picture looks blurry, but the staff kept moving, I couldn't take a good picture.

Banana Republic

Well, now that I have few days to rest before my math final exam next Monday, I (force) myself to go out shopping for some new clothes. I still need to buy some clothes, after I lost all of them in the fire of my apartment. I already told you guys that I hate shopping, but it's the right time now with the summer sales happening. Located at the corner of McGill College and Ste. Catherine streets, inside looks really nice. I didn't buy anything in here, I've only looked around.

Pedal For Kids

I took this shot few days ago, at the corner of Maisonneuve and Guy streets. Every June, more than a thousand participants join together for 5 days of fun and fund-raising. Pedaling for their respective teams, valiant cyclists ride the Mighty Bike, which has become a familiar sight on the streets of downtown Montreal. Their goal: pedal, pedal and pedal to raise funds in support of excellence in pediatric care at The Montreal Children's Hospital.

Summer 1 Semester Will Soon be Over

I don't know if you remember, but I've taken a picture at the beginning of the quarter in this same student lounge of an old lady sleeping on the first day of school. Today is the last "official" day. The finals are to come, and once again, I get to see someone sleeping in here. Hum... it makes me want to sleep, I think that's what I'm gonna do today after today's final exam in ENGR 202.

Wok Cafe

Today I went to get something to eat for lunch in this restaurant. Located at 1845 Ste. Catherine W. street, it's a great place if you want to have a really bad lunch experience. Let me explain, first as soon as you get inside, there is only one waitress for the whole restaurant. She's got one of a look, with messy gray hair. Her pants kept going down, and each time she was walking, you could hear her form the other side of the restaurant with the noise from the coins she was carrying in her apron. Then, when time arrived to order the food, she told me they were out of salad. Also, they were out of something else I tried to order. Finally, they were out of some soda drinks ( I can't remember the name). At least they had silverware ! What a strange feeling when you want to order something and you get to hear three times that they are out of it. What I took was good, it was some cabbage with some pieces of beef on top. (To see a picture of my plate, click here.) To sum up, it's a great place to eat some Thai food ( if they have it ), inside looks nice, but don't expect to have a decent service.

Happy Father's Day !

Here in North America, it's father's day this Sunday. I took this shot this weekend in the Old Montreal. This fountain is located West of the city hall of I should say "Hotel de Ville".

Cafe Vienne

This coffee place is a nice place to take a breakfast. Located at 2153 Guy street, right at the corner of Lincoln and Guy streets. I enjoy going there in the mornings, it's on my way to school, and it's never too crowded. The service is descent, and the decor conjures up images of Renaissance Austria. I usually take a latte coffee with a mozzarella panini sandwich as you can see on the picture (I already took a bite in the sandwich before taking the picture). The summer 1 semester will soon be over and the final exams will start next week for me.

Bistro L'Aromate

What a great day today. First, my group and I are done with the project I talked about last week. After discussing for a while about which topic to choose, we finally chose to write our report about LCD ( Liquid Crystal Display ). Today at 1:00 pm we turned it in into the teacher's office. Later in the day, I went to get something to eat at Bistro L'aromate located at 1410 Peel Street( These two women were eating next to me). It's a really nice place to go. The ambiance is nice, and the service is descent. Later at night, I went to see the movie Hulk. It's a great movie, with nice effects.

Six Flags: La Ronde

Today I went to this amusement park called La Ronde. Owned and operated by Six Flags, it is the largest theme park in the province of Quebec and the second largest in Canada after Canada's Wonderland (Ontario). It is a 146 acre (591,000 m²) park located on Saint Helen's Island. I had a lot of fun today. I was a great way to relax after this busy week at school. A good thing to go there during a week day was the short waiting time. (I'm with the white t-shirt on the right side of the boat)

The Beauty and the Beast

I was walking on Crescent street last weekend, during the Grand Prix, when I saw these two, sitting on bench in a back street in between Maisonneuve and Ste. Catherine. Aren't they cute ?

Check out the Pimp

I was walking on the downtown campus yesterday when I came across this strange person. He's got everything of the pimp, the dressing style, and also the position in which he is standing. Look at the way he is resting his left hand onto his hip. The light just turned green for pedestrian, so I had to take a quick shot, before he change his position that is why the quality is not so great.

Paris Crêpes

Today's been very hot over Montreal. So hot so that when I came out of my math class at 9:00 pm, I started to feel dizzy. I started to sweat, and feel really uncomfortable in my clothes. I'm really no used to this kind of climate. Still I decided to go get some crepes from this place called Paris Crêpes located at the corner of Ste. Catherine and Crescent streets. The place looked more or less like a typical French Crêperie, except that both waiters were, I believe, Koreans. They still said "Merci" (Thank You in French) at the end but you could tell they were not fluent in French. Anyway, the crepes were good, with a vanilla ice cream on top, to help during this hot season.

Robert Kubica Winner of the Grand Prix du Canada

The Formula one driver Robert Kubica, form Poland, driving for BMW Sauber powered his way around the Gilles Villeneuve race track during the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. The Pole was lead by both BMW Sauber (Kubica and Heifeld), followed by Red Bull Renault (Coulthard). I was watching the Grand Prix in the Hard Rock cafe on Crescent street. The place looked empty, as well as most businesses around. It's like if the whole city stopped everything to watch the race.

Grand Prix du Canada : Interview

I don't know who this lady is, but I'm sure she's got something to do with the formula one race of tomorrow. I took this shot on Crescent street, in between Ste Catherine and Maisonneuve streets. I was among the camera men shooting this lady being interviewed. On the left there was a racing car exposed, probably from the Le Mans Series. Montreal is packed, and it will probably be, just for the weekend, the most crowded city in Canada. I really enjoy this atmosphere, where you get to see every body happy, having a good time with people from all over the world.

Roofless Double-Decker Bus

With the Grand Prix officially kicked off today, there are many activities are happening here in downtown. Like this British style roofless double-decker bus driving in town, with loud music and people partying on board. Most of the streets such as Crescent street are closed for traffic. Instead, the whole street is filled with activities, concerts, car expositions, etc.... It's a really nice place to be these days. Montreal is crowed with people and cars from all over the world, here for the Grand Prix. I've heard that Pamela Anderson is here as well, among many other stars, and famous people.

French Flag Flying at Half Staff

I'm sure all of you heard that Yves Saint Laurent died last Sunday in Paris. Funeral services were held today in Eglise Saint Roch, in Paris. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco have designed and developed, in partnership with the Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent, the first retrospective spanning the forty years of creation of the Maison de haute couture Yves Saint Laurent. Presented from May 29 to September 28, 2008, the exhibition Yves Saint Laurent focusses on this virtuoso of haute couture, whose unique style blends references to the world of art with allusions to pop culture and social revolution.

Shuttle Bus #3

That is one new shuttle bus for Concordia University used to transport students between the two campuses. This one seems to be friendly for the environment. I didn't had time to take a close look at this bus because I was walking with my group members to the teacher's office. We wanted the teacher's advices since we could not agree about with product to choose for our assignment about life cycle analysis. We had to choose something "simple" like a computer case given as an example by the teacher. We have to go in a very detailed analysis of the product. From the different "ingredients" we use to make the paint, the case, etc.... basically for just the computer case, there was already a 5 pages report. Me and some other members of my group were thinking about doing our report about a hockey stick. Explaining in details every component used to create the paint, the plastic stickers, metals, composites, etc... we have to research every single steps, from the assembly line to the mining of the metals, and other component making the paint, plastics, etc... What was bugging me was this fat canadian asian guy wanted us to take products that were out of reach for us. Among the ones he kept suggesting, I recall hearing some nuclear heads, missiles, nuclear power plants, ISS space station, etc.... yeah, you're like me, that guy should come back on earth and cut the bullshit. We are just students.

Eating on the Grass

What a nice place to eat something and relax in between classes. I took a shot of this guy eating lunch in the little park of St James the Apostle, a little church next to the University. Today I called my dad to wish him a happy birthday !

Fire Trucks on Guy Street

Oh boy ! I was suddenly scared today as I was walking back home from school. I saw those fire trucks stopping at the intersection of Guy and Lincoln streets, right where I live. I'm glad the incident did not happen in my building apartment. Have a good Monday every body. Oh, and by the way, I totally nailed my math mid term, I got a 30/30 !

The Grand Prix Du Canada

As you can see, businesses are preparing for this weekend "Grand Prix du Canada" happening here in Montreal. This Puma store located on Ste. Catherine street is one of the Official Ferrari Sponsors. Starting Thursday with the qualification races, it's going to be four days of total happiness for formula one lovers. The circuit, at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Notre-Dame was originally named the Île Notre-Dame circuit. However it was renamed in honour of Canadian Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, father of Jacques Villeneuve, following his death in 1982. 

Montreal General Hospital

The Montreal General Hospital was established on May 1, 1819 as an early teaching hospital. The hospital has moved several times in the past, and is currently situated on Mount Royal, at the intersection of Cedar Avenue and Cote des Neiges Road. MGH is a part of the McGill University Health Centre network of teaching hospitals associated with McGill University. I took this picture last Saturday. As you can see on this photo, it is foggy outside that dayt, with a very wet climate. I've always lived in places where the climate is dry, I personally don't like this kind of weather, it's giving me headaches.

Let's Dance ?

That's what is said on this advertisement made by Fido, a wireless telephone company here is Canada. They have several different ads like this one all over the city, every time showing this dog and some funny outfit. 

Cool T-shirt

I really like this guy's t-shirt. I took it while I was waiting to print something in the printing store of Concordia University when these two guys came in. I'm pretty sure they are working at Reggies, a pub inside the H building of the university. Every bouncers have this kind of t-shirts over there. You can see the school logo, the Stingers, on the back of his hat.

In Engineering 202 Class

Today I thought I'll take a picture while sitting in class. This morning I had an ENGR 202 class, which is dealing with environmental issues. We are learning things such as greenhouse gases, renewable energies, and things like that. Today I had to turn in a paper whose topic was : When and what will happen when the world will be running out of crude oil ? Hum... interesting topic, based on some data, charts and tables from my text book, my answer was by 2100 but frankly, who really knows the answer of that question ?

Club 1234

I know I've already made a post about this club, but I thought I'll post a photo of their logo. I read also on the internet that before its metamorphosis into a disco club, this historical building was a funeral parlour, as well as the home of Alexander Galt, a Father of Confederation.

Club 1234

Located at 1234 de la Montagne street, this club is one of a kind. David R. Wood originally built it as a residential home in 1859. In 1977 it became a night club known as "Twelve-Thirty-Four" operating seven nights a week. Apparently, it was not uncommon to bump into celebrities such as The Village People, or disco queen Grace Jones. I've never been inside, but I'm sure it's one place to check out. Oh, about my midterm, both of them went fine. Happy Memorial Day for those living down in the States.

CIBC Tower at Night

Today I've been studying all day long. Tomorrow I got tow midterms exams waiting for me. Hopefully I'll do fine. Bell finally came and connected my telephone today. FINALLY, after struggling for 2 long months. I find it really amazing, 40 years ago we were able to send a man on the moon, and today, in 2008, we're still having "difficulties" to hook up a telephone land line. Well, some of you might think I start to look ridiculous acting like that just for an internet connection. Well, here is the thing, I don't have no television, no radio, and no newspaper delivery in my apartment. Internet is my only source of connection to the outside world. I used it for school, reading the news, etc... that is why I've been so mad at Bell. 

View of Downtown from my Window

What a beautiful today over Montreal. I took this picture from my window. The white building on the left is called the “H Building” ( I got a class in this one ), the pinkish cubic building is where you can find one of the library. One the foreground, the first building is where the Tim Hortons is located. Today, I finally received my new modem from Bell, unfortunately it didn’t work. Bell had some “difficulties” ( that’s the term they used ) to connect my apartment to the internet, it should be fix in 72 hours. Oh boy, this Bell company really starts to get on my nerve. I’ve never had such problem before with Comcast down in the states.. Hopefully I won’t have to call Bell again.

Huge Tic Tac Box

Whoa, today I was out early. 6:00 am I was out in a coffee shop close to school to get a good coffee and use the internet. Oh yeah, I am still mad at Bell, it’s been almost a month now that I asked them to send me a new modem. I didn’t know how long it would take, but after 2 weeks, I started to wonder what was going on. Where do they send it from ? Yellowknife, or some other remote place like this. But still, two weeks to receive a little box is quite long. Unless they’ve sent it on the back of a donkey, I would understand. So, at the beginning of the week I checked my mails at school and I was surprise to receive a bill form them, yes the folks at Bell send me a bill !!, arg, when time arrives to send the bill, this one is going pretty fast. Anyway, to come back to my problem, I decided to call these guys ( in English of course, since the French ones don’t seem to be helpful ) and they told me that they’ve sent my modem to my old address. Come one, are they stupid or what, I’ve told them may times my new address. Well, whatever, they told me that they would send an other one … we’ll see….. About the picture, check out this huge tic tac box I bought today. I’ve never seen such a big one like that before.

John Molson School of Business

This building under construction will be the John Molson School of Business of Concordia University. This 15 story building is supposed to be completed by summer 2009, it will be part of Quartier Concordia which will transform the Sir George Williams campus from a collection of scattered buildings into a welcoming and cohesive urban campus in the area bordered generally by Sherbrooke, Guy, René-Lévesque, and Bishop. This stunning new building will be like the twin tower of the Engineering and Visual Arts building ( already completed ) that you can see on the right of the picture. Minister Fournier announced that Quebec Government's $60 million investment towards construction of this new building represents about half of the total construction costs.

Batman Superman

Today as I was walking to the grocery store, I passed by this store selling different things from famous hollywood movies. I liked those two neon signs. It reminds me my childhood heroes.

Nice Condominiums

I really like this building being built on Sherbrooke street. It's going to be some luxurious condominiums just like this antique building on the left. On the right of this building you can find the "Musée des Beaux Arts" ( Art Museum ). I've never been so far, but I'm sure it's a place to check out. 

Checking his Drying Clothes

I don't have school today, the university is closed. I think it's like some kind of teacher meeting or something like that. I used that day to study for my mid terms coming next week. This guy came out to check his drying clothes. I just had time to grab my camera and open the window to take a picture of him. His balcony is located on the left of the window his was cleaning on yesterday's post. What a messy balcony he's got. Have a good monday everybody. 

Time to Clean the Windows

It's been raining the whole weekend, the sun came out only very few times over Montreal. This guy, living in the building across mine, took some time to clean the windows of his apartment while the sun was out. There is a saying in French "Le Ménage de Printemps" ( Spring Cleaning ). It sounds like that's what he is doing. I've been watching him for few hours ( you might think I'm a spy, don't worry, it's not the case ), he's been vacuuming his apartment before cleaning his windows. I should do the same thing, because it starts to be a mess right now in my apartment.
Also, as a little update about ice hockey, Canada lost the 2008 IIHF World Championship final against Russia. Damn it ! lol

View of Downtown

I took this shot from park Mont Royal, one of the main park in Montreal. It is located east of Mont Royal on the mountain flank. It's a great place to be during summer time, with lot's of activity going one. Moreover there is a great view of the downtown area. On the left you can see Parc avenue. In the middle of the picture, you can see the moon trying to pierce through the clouds. Have a nice weekend everybody !

Washington State, the Evergreen State

Whoa ! what a surprise to see a WA license plate here in Quebec, and his tabs expire at the same time as mine. It's the first time since I left Seattle that I see a washington license plate other than mine (127-RTP). I wonder what they are doing here. I see many cars licensed in New York State, New Jersey and Massachusetts. However, I don't see many cars licensed on the West coast. I remember seeing a California one once, that's it. It reminds me some good memories of my time spent over there.

Cherry Blossom

I really like those cherry blossom on McGill College avenue; the city also added some pink tulips underneath, making it a very colorful street. I also like the combination of the pink color from the trees and the blue from the buildings behind. The building on the left belong to the Eaton Center. I don't know yet what those two towers on the right are, but the two buildings on the far right side belong to McGill University. The green hill of the right is Mount Royal. Located north of the downtown area, the mountain consists of three peaks: Colline de la Croix at 233 meters (764 feet), Colline d'Outremont at 211 meters (692 feet), and Westmount mount at 201 meters (659 feet). At this height, it might be otherwise considered a very tall hill, but it has always been called a mountain.

Security Officer

This security officer working for "Banque de Montreal" on Ste. Catherine has a one of a look ! I've been trying many times to take a good shot of him, but each time the picture came out blurry. I have to take a quick shot since I don't think I am allowed to do it. ( They might think I am planning to rob the bank ). I've already been stopped two times by a Concordia security officer for tacking pictures inside the building ( I know, I find it stupid too ). Well, this time I got a great shot of this guy, and he didn't see me taking it. :)

Time for a Break

It was 12:30 today when I walked by this construction crew taking a little break from their hard work. They deserved it ! These days, I feel like there are construction everywhere I look. It's understandable, now that the beautiful days are here. I guess they were done eating, you can see an empty yogurt in between them. I'm sure you all wonder what they were looking at. They were looking at this well dressed guy, with long blond hair, talking to a girl about a suit displayed in the window behind them.

Broken Bus

Today is Monday, and it's back to school for me. By the way, the reason I'm saying this is because of this new song I discovered today. The title is "I don't like Mondays" by the Boomtown Rats ( what a coincidence, I find out about this song on a Monday !). I've been reading few things online about the group. Here is what I found on Wikipedia. Geldof wrote the song after reading a telex report on the shooting spree of 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer, who fired at children playing in a school playground across the street from her home in San Diego, California in 1979. She killed two adults and injured eight children and one police officer. Spencer showed no remorse for her crime, and her explanation for her actions was "I don't like Mondays". It's a sad story, but things like that happen every now and then in American schools. I remember when I used to study back in Seattle, there's been a shooting few years before I arrived. Also, when I was a student over there, the school security/police caught a student carrying three guns and munitions in his bag while sitting in class.
Well, let's talk about some more peaceful things, when I came out of my math class tonight, I've been watching this bus being towed away after a break down on Guy street.

Thank You For This Exciting Season

Since the Montreal Canadien hockey team are out of the season after loosing against the Flyers of Philadelphia, the flags of the Canadiens are becoming scarce in the city. On my way to Quebec city last week I was listening some french canadien radio ( since the tape I am using to play music from my ipod inside my car broke couple weeks ago ). They were talking about the flags of the Canadiens being removed after the defeat. Apparently some "fans" were disappointed about this, while some others were saying that it's useless now that the Canadiens won't play until next season. This weekend, as I went to Future Shop to get some new earphones ( they broke as well ), I walked by one of the underground mall entrance, (the Eaton Center at the corner of Ste Catherine and McGill College streets) and I was surprised to see this sign. I stepped inside the mall to check is there was something dealing with the Canadiens, and the whole mall was teeming with waving flags. I think it's a great thing to do, I really like it. I kinda miss this joyful and exciting time when the Canadiens were still in the competition. Happy Mother's Day for those in the US and Canada.