My Daily Life in Montreal

My New Blog

2008-07-08T00:08:00.008-04:00

You will automatically be redirected to my new blog at http://web.me.com/jcdessertenne

Cool Bike

2008-06-29T15:39:00.003-04:00

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

2008-06-28T17:54:00.004-04:00

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

2008-06-27T16:27:00.005-04:00

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

2008-06-26T16:57:00.006-04:00

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

2008-06-25T16:46:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-24T16:44:00.003-04:00

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

2008-06-23T10:16:00.000-04:00

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

2008-06-22T20:04:00.004-04:00

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

2008-06-21T13:57:00.000-04:00

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

2008-06-20T14:57:00.001-04:00

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

2008-06-19T12:16:00.000-04:00

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

2008-06-18T09:13:00.000-04:00

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

2008-06-17T09:01:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-16T21:50:00.003-04:00

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 !

2008-06-15T11:31:00.000-04:00

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

2008-06-14T23:48:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-13T23:33:00.001-04:00

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

2008-06-12T23:41:00.008-04:00

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

2008-06-11T22:12:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-10T15:11:00.003-04:00

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

2008-06-09T11:07:00.000-04:00

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

2008-06-08T19:46:00.001-04:00

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

2008-06-07T18:50:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-06T16:18:00.001-04:00

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

2008-06-05T19:37:00.004-04:00

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

2008-06-04T15:01:00.000-04:00

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

2008-06-03T16:11:00.000-04:00

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

2008-06-02T14:32:00.001-04:00

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

2008-06-01T14:05:00.000-04:00

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

2008-05-31T22:53:00.000-04:00

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 ?

2008-05-30T22:50:00.002-04:00

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

2008-05-29T19:53:00.007-04:00

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

2008-05-28T22:41:00.006-04:00

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

2008-05-27T18:47:00.003-04:00

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

2008-05-26T11:15:00.003-04:00

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

2008-05-25T23:37:00.000-04:00

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

2008-05-24T20:40:00.003-04:00

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

2008-05-23T20:38:00.001-04:00

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

2008-05-22T20:39:00.003-04:00

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

2008-05-21T20:18:00.001-04:00

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

2008-05-20T19:44:00.002-04:00

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

2008-05-19T19:33:00.001-04:00

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

2008-05-18T16:17:00.005-04:00

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

2008-05-17T17:22:00.005-04:00

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

2008-05-16T16:53:00.007-04:00

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

2008-05-15T23:55:00.003-04:00

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

2008-05-14T11:12:00.002-04:00

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

2008-05-13T18:33:00.005-04:00

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

2008-05-12T21:11:00.005-04:00

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

2008-05-11T18:14:00.006-04:00

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.

My Next Car !

2008-05-10T16:32:00.002-04:00

Too bad I didn't win the $ 22 million at the lottery last Friday. That's a joke, I don't play those kind of games, but I bet the winner is now thinking of getting a car like this one ! Now that the snow is gone, many Montréalais ( that's how we call people living in Montreal in French ) are taking their nice cars out. I've seen this Lamborghini driving in town many times, as well as other ones like Ford GT 40, Ferraris, Bentleys, Porches or Mustangs. Talking about nice cars, here is a little story. I remember once coming back from IKEA with my car, and many people were looking at my car ( there are not many cars like this one in here ) until .... I've been over passed by a white with blue stripes Ford GT 40 ( that was funny, the colors of the car matched the colors of the Quebec license plate ! ).

Spring is Coming

2008-05-09T17:01:00.007-04:00

It's the first time since I am living in Montreal that I can see some vegetation in the downtown area. Besides the relatively chilly nights we have in Montreal, the leaves are coming out again. It feels good to see some colors in this city. I took this shot on Mackay street this morning on my way to school. Most of those buildings ( if not all of them ) except the large concrete tower belong to Concordia. I've never been inside so far, but I've seen that all of those buildings are used as offices for the university.

Rainy Night on Ste Catherine St.

2008-05-08T13:22:00.005-04:00

Yesterday night, or I should say early this morning, I made it out from Quebec City just one time for the last subway ( 1:00 am ). Since I park my car in a public parking lot underneath the UQAM university. (It's 3 subway stations away from where I am living now) I have to take the subway if I want to go and use my car. I took this shot after coming out of the Guy Concordia subway station. I really like this shot; It turned out pretty good with the lights and the wet road. Watching all these hockey game made me want to play hockey again. It's now been more than a month since I've been on the ice. I didn't play since I lost my equipment in the fire. For sure now the next thing on my "What's next to buy" list is a hockey equipment.

France vs. Belarus

2008-05-07T23:37:00.002-04:00

Today I was off again to Quebec City to watch the 2008 ice hockey world championship at the Colisée Pepsi ( Pepsi Coliseum ). This time it was France against Belarus, with a 3-1 win for Belarus. France will play their neighbor Italy while Belarus will battle neighbouring Russia that day. I want to thank again Mr. Pierre Pousse for getting me a free ticket to the game.
Once the game was over, I headed straight back to Montreal. It was the first time for me to take the freeway at night outside of the Montreal Island. Oh my god, the roads are terrible. Moreover that day it was raining cats and dogs outside. It was impossible for me to see the marks on the road, and with nothing delimiting where the sides of the highway ends, I found it very dangerous.

Is this Paris Hilton ?

2008-05-06T00:36:00.003-04:00

As the summer season gets closer, you get to see many girls walking in the street dressed like this woman on the picture above. I personally think that it looks like .... well.... how can I say that, I don't want to offense anybody, but I think that sometimes it's too much. I mean come one, with her blond hair, her huge sunglasses ( at least today was sunny, because sometimes I see some girls walking outside in the street wearing sunglasses while it's raining ) and her fake pink fur. In addition, there is also the purse, and the cigarette. She's trying to much. I get so see girls like that every day in Montreal. Who does she think she is ? a Hollywood star ? well if you understand my point, you'll make your own judgement....

Looking up !

2008-05-05T12:49:00.001-04:00

Today I was back in school, I woke up early, and since I had time, I went to school to use the internet. By the way, I don't know what is tacking so long for Bell to hook up the internet in my apartment, but it's been a week already since last time I showed up in one of their store to ask them. (by the way, it's a different story, but the employes of Bell that speak french don't know their job !!! I might have talked to at least 10 different french speakers from Bell to ask them to get a "dry loop" for my internet connection. None of them were able to help me, so I finally hanged up and called again, this time I pressed #2 and spoke in english. Finally I had to deal with somebody that knew what he was talking about). Well, well, well, to come back to today's story, since I don't have the internet ... YET ! I have to go to school to access it. I took this shot while looking up in the EV building in Concordia.

Quebec City

2008-05-04T10:31:00.002-04:00

After yesterday's game, I thought I'll stay and spend the night in Quebec City, I was a bit tired to hit the road and head back to Montreal. I wanted to sleep in Quebec City, but with the hockey games going on right now, all the hotels were packed for couple weeks. So I ended up sleeping inside my car as you can see on this photo. I felt like I was sleeping inside the Frontenac Castle ( the impressive castle in the background), with a leather bed and carpet on the ground.... my car was perfect for me and all of that for $0.
Quebec City is located about 233 km ( 145 mi) East of Montreal, it is the second largest city in the province, after Montreal. The ramparts surrounding Old Quebec ( like you can see on this photo) are the only remaining fortified city walls in the Americas north of Mexico, and were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 as the "Historic District of Old Quebec". It is also one of the oldest cities in North America (founded in 1608).
Quebec City is internationally known for its Summer Festival, Winter Carnival and the Château Frontenac, a historic hotel which dominates the city skyline. To view more pictures of my day spent in Quebec City, Click Here.

France vs. Switzerland

2008-05-03T21:22:00.002-04:00

Today I was off to Quebec City to watch an ice hockey game between France and Switzerland at the Pepsi Coliseum for the world championship. The French team lost 4-1 against their (european) neighbor. I was lucky to get a free ticket to assist the game thank to Mr. Pierre Pousse, the coach/trainer of the French team was in the past my coach/trainer when I used to play hockey in France. You can see him on the bench behind the players right of the little french flag. On this picture you can see the game starting with the puck dropped between Meunier and Monnet. To see more pictures of this game, click here.

Enjoying a Cigar

2008-05-02T20:07:00.000-04:00

The 12 degrees celsius temperatures don't seem to bother this old man enjoying a cigar while reading the news on Ste. Catherine street.

Theme Day : Numbers in your City

2008-05-01T23:12:00.001-04:00

Since the first day I saw buses in Montreal, I was wondering what the "POLICE 911" red sign was used for on the top of the left window. My guess was that maybe, in case something goes wrong on board of the bus, the driver simply turn this signal on to warn people outside to call the police. Just like in banks, with a silent alarm. Hum... who knows, maybe I watch too much television...

Good Start of Summer Semester

2008-04-30T16:16:00.005-04:00

Today was my first day of school for the summer semester. I decided to arrive a little early ( 8:30) in order to give me time to find my room location. On my way to go there, I walked next to this lady, asleep, in the student lounge. If she was a bit younger, I'll say that she's been partying every day during the break and now she is trying to get some sleep back. Good luck for all of those who went back to class this morning.

Circular Building

2008-04-29T10:50:00.001-04:00

Couple days ago I found a great place in Montreal to go groceries shopping. It's called Aubut and it's located on St. Amboise street few blocks behind the Atwater Market. Inside you can get almost everything you need for a restaurant, and for a very low cost. The only bad thing is that you need to get a car to drive back home with your groceries because it's being sold in large quantities. I'll try to go there at least once a week and great all my groceries for the week over there. Tomorrow school starts again for me, so I use this last day of vacation to go out groceries shopping. On the way to go there, I came across this odd looking building, with a circular wall on the east side of the building. I still don't know what this building is used for, but for sure, next time I go there, I'll try to know more about this building.

View of Downtown from Old Montreal

2008-04-28T17:05:00.001-04:00

With those few days left I got to enjoy the sun before starting school, I spend my days walking around the city. On this picture you can see the montreal skyline taken from the Old Montreal right next to the city hall.

BAR inc.

2008-04-27T01:04:00.000-04:00

BAR inc. is the name of this bar on Mont Royal avenue West. I really like this place, the waiters are nice, the manager is always happy to come and talk to his customers. If you are looking for a quiet little place to drink a beer or enjoy a hockey game, it's a place to go !

Waiting on his Goldwing

2008-04-26T18:27:00.003-04:00

This guy waiting at the corner of Peel and Ste Catherine next to the HMV music store seemed really happy to be on his bike. School will start soon for me again, so I enjoy those last days of vacation going out shopping. Talking about bikes, the Honda Gold Wing is my favorite one. Have a nice weekend everybody !

Hotel de Ville

2008-04-25T19:46:00.004-04:00

On this picture you can see the city hall of Sainte Anne de Bellevue, a municipality at the western tip of the Island of Montreal. It had a population of 5, 062 in 1996. This city is the second oldest community in Montreal's West Island, having been founded as a parish in 1703. The oldest one, Dorval, was founded in 1667. It is also home of McGill University's Macdonald Campus, which includes the J. S. Marshall Radar Observatory.

Teen Meeting

2008-04-24T19:32:00.002-04:00

I took this shot today as I went to the West Island (in French, l'Ouest de l'île). It is the unofficial name given to the western cities and boroughs of the Island of Montreal. The name probably originated from the geolinguistic division of the island into French and English, with francophones typically inhabiting the eastern portion of the island and anglophones typically inhabiting the western half. The West Island has a multicultural look with modern buildings and country homes side by side. I felt good to go away of the downtown, and enjoy this quiet neighborhood. Those teens meeting on the shores of the St-Laurent river are probably studying at the the John Abbott College, a three years pre university program called CEGEP.

City of Toronto

2008-04-23T02:28:00.003-04:00

Since couple weeks we can see the montreal fire trucks speeding down the street emblazoned with “City of Toronto” insignia. At first I thought the city of Montreal borrowed some trucks from the city of Toronto, since there are more fire during winter here in Quebec, or simply that some guys from the Toronto FD were here on an exchange.
Montreal’s fire fighters have been feeling slighted by the city recently; they have been without a contract for over a year and have received no pay increases unlike their counterparts in Toronto who are seeing increases of almost 10% and already receive larger paycheques than fire fighters in Montreal. Our fire fighters have taken notice and have launched a series of pressure tactics which they hope will embarrass the city into hearing their demands. They’ve used what the Toronto Star calls a “Fightin’ Word” as part of their pressure tactics. The word? The dreaded “Toronto”. Local fire fighters have set aside past tactics of punching holes in fire hoses, tampering with station doors, and locking managers in their offices. This time around, fire trucks have “City of Toronto” banners on the front bumpers and on the ladders, their is also a sticker of each door and on the back of the truck. You can see this sticker left the the truck number "425". Fire fighters are wearing shirts that say “Toronto FD”, and they have even created a new logo reminiscent of the Toronto logo with the Mountain and Olympic Stadium replacing the CN Tower and Toronto skyline (the Toronto crest is copywrited so could not have been used in its original form).
The city, of course, is less than pleased. They have issued bills to the union for the cleanup of the decals and repainting if necessary. The union and the city are still negotiating but little has come from the talks. The city is vowing to hold the line saying it doesn’t have the money to increase pay and that comparing salaries of fire fighters in Montreal to those in Toronto doesn’t make sense as the cost of living in Montreal is so much lower than in Toronto. Fire fighters have little at their disposal to try to force their demands as they are considered an essential service, and are therefore barred from striking.

Live Fast

2008-04-22T19:28:00.000-04:00

I really like this advertisement on Guy street. Made of multiple rectangular windows, it brighten up Guy street at night. Yesterday night, the streets of Montreal were the site of much of the rioting following Monday's Habs ( name given to the Montreal Canadien hockey team) win against the Boston Bruins. Some unruly fans stomped on police cars, even setting several cruisers on fire. Others bashed and destroyed storefronts. Rioters damaged 16 police cruisers and 10 downtown buildings.
The game ended at 9:30 pm ET, the violent riots along Ste-Catherine Street didn't begin until about two hours late. I could hear from my apartment style some riots at 3 am the next day. I personally don't understand why people were like that, especially after the Habs won the game.

Montreal Canadiens Vs. Boston Bruins

2008-04-21T17:20:00.002-04:00

Tonight, the Montreal Canadiens played their seventh game against the Boston Bruins. The whole city stopped "living". I remember looking through the window during the game, and I couldn't seen anybody outside. The whole population of Montreal ducked into bars, at home with friends, and for the lucky ones at the Bell forum to enjoy the game. By the way, for those of you who didn't know, Montreal won 5-0, making it over for Boston this season. After the game, everybody went crazy outside in the streets, I could hear till 3:00 am people shouting and horning. I could see up in the sky a chopper of the Montreal Police observing from the air.
For those of you who don't know, hockey in Montreal is very important, I think it is considered as a religion. Wherever you go you can see a flags of the Canadiens, cops cars have one on their window, buses have some on their mirrors, and even fire trucks have one on the back.

Tropical Hawaii

2008-04-20T02:43:00.000-04:00

This warm place is located on Maisonneuve just few blocks west of Concordia University. Inside you can get some refreshing drinks with the tastes of coconuts, mango, or pineapple and at the same time you can be surrounded by a tropical atmosphere. With the heat out there, I'll definitely check it out. Only one the sand and the sea will be missing.

Free Hugs

2008-04-19T02:38:00.000-04:00

This boy was standing at the corner of University and Ste. Catherine streets with this cardboard with written on it "Free Hugs" on one side and in french "Calins Gratuits" on the other side. The "Free Hugs" campaign originated in London with Juan Mann. To read more about this campaign, click here.

Small Chinese Temples

2008-04-18T20:57:00.000-04:00

Today I went to the Old Montreal to visit a bit. Last time I went there was in the middle of winter. When I came out of the Place d'Armes subway station, I could see those two little temples on top of a hotel. On the other side of the building you can find the main street "rue de la Gauchetiere Ouest" where most of the asians stores are located. To view this street again, here is a picture I took couple weeks ago.

Dancing in the street

2008-04-17T20:49:00.000-04:00

Those two were really funny. I saw them dancing on St Catherine Street today. The guy dressed as Spider Man, was pretending he was controlling the steps of the other guy by throwing some web at him under the intonation of the music. Plenty of people gathered to watch them acting.

Au Québec On Parle Francais

2008-04-16T20:41:00.001-04:00

It means " In Quebec we speak french". I took this shot at the corner of Mayor and De Bleury Streets on a display showing the new residential building under construction. Only french was written on the board, so I wonder why he wrote it onto that sign ? Who knows... anyway, I liked the message by itself.

Condos apartment in old church

2008-04-15T20:24:00.000-04:00

Today I was supposed to go back to my burned building apartment and get some of my stuff back. Unfortunately I was unable to go inside my apartment, as well as my neighbors. The city of Montreal installed a huge lock on my door. They condemned my apartment. I was so sad not to be able to go back inside and at least try to get something back. Thank you everyone for all your comments.

On my way back home, I saw those nice condos apartment building in inside an old church close to Park Avenue. Must be nice to live inside, especially for those who live in an apartment in the oldest part of the building.

Doughnut Stand

2008-04-14T20:15:00.000-04:00

Now that I moved in my new apartment, I live right next to Concordia University Sir George Williams campus in downtown Montreal. Right next door to my building apartment, I can find the Tim Hortons Doughnuts and coffee place. I find it great to go and eat breakfast before going to class.

Reading in the Park

2008-04-13T20:08:00.000-04:00

Today was relatively warm outside in Montreal, but a warm jacket was necessary to enjoy this sunny day reading in the Jeanne Mance park.

Life is colorful

2008-04-12T20:03:00.000-04:00

I took this shot at the corner or Maisonneuve and Guy on the Sir George Williams campus. It gives colors to this beautiful city.

View of Downtown from Atwater

2008-04-11T19:54:00.000-04:00

Here is what you can see of downtown Montreal from Atwater. Located west of the downtown, close to the Atwater subway station. This place is very quiet, but apparently not very safe at night. Located only one subway station from Concordia, it's very easy for those living in the city to go there and look for some natural foods.

A bread stand in the Atwater Market

2008-04-10T19:50:00.000-04:00

Here is a worker arranging the bred to display in the Atwater Market.

A fruit stand in the Atwater Market

2008-04-09T19:38:00.000-04:00

The main structure is a long building in north-south axis. On the ground floor, an arcade along the whole east side of the building allows merchants to set up their stalls, protected from rain, and sunlight (too much sunlight is not good for food on display). Inside, the majority of stores is the ones that demands refrigeration system and other electric appliances in order to conduct their business (ex: meat, cheese, sausage, etc). Café and pet shop can also be found among the stores. The west side of the building is designated as the loading area that allows delivery trucks to park near the building without disturbing the customers. What a pleasure to walk by with all those colors and smells.

Les Douceurs du Marche

2008-04-08T19:29:00.000-04:00

It's the name of this store located one the first floor of the Atwater Market. Inside you can find plenty of natural products, from the cans, to the drinks, passing by their large quantity of olive oils and vinegars, coffees, etc... . This store looks cozy and warm. Once you step inside, it's just a spectacle for your eyes and nose.

Atwater Market

2008-04-07T19:24:00.000-04:00

Located in St-Henri, near Lachine Canal linear park, Atwater market is accessible by metro (Linonel-Groulx), bus, or private car (a number of parking lots at its proximity). It's one of the few remaining markets of Montreal. Built in 1933, in the middle of the Great Depression, Atwater Market provided working opportunity to hundreds of unemployed people. At a cost of $1 million (in 1933), this long and imposing building replaced the old St-Antoine Market. It was equipped with central refrigeration system and installations permitting use of mechanical instruments, at that time, it was considered by many as a "very modern" facility and the "most beautiful" building of its kind in Montreal.
During the Second World War, the Canadian Army used this facility to store meat for our over-sea soldiers, and part of it was used as training camp for new recruit.
It reminds me of Pike Place Market in Seattle, I recommend this place for those visiting Montreal.

Église Saint-Irénée

2008-04-06T18:45:00.000-04:00

This church, located a 3044 rue Delisle, at the corner of Delisle and Atwater Avenue, is dedicated to St Irénée, father of the church. It' s in 1900 that the citizen of Saint-Henri asked for the construction of a church. Construction started in 1903. In 1911 a fire destroyed the church, but in 1912, it's been reconstructed with some original walls.

Cafe Santropol

2008-04-05T17:40:00.000-04:00

Located at the corner of Duluth and St Urbain, the coffee place seems very attracting at night, with some candle light on the balcony on top of the building. I've heard that they make wonderful sandwich. Definitely a place to check out.

Protesting

2008-04-04T17:27:00.002-04:00

I am posting this blog on April 4th, 2 days after my building apartment burned down. All the photos you will see form now till Monday 21 th were taken with my camera, unfortunately I didn't had time to post them on my blog. Since I don't want to have a big "hole" in my blog due to this terrible event that happened to me, I decided to complete those missing posts.

That day, some Concordia University part time teachers and full time teachers were protesting in front of the H building of the Sir George Williams downtown campus after the university decided to decrease the number of Concordia part time teachers.

Updates

2008-04-03T17:13:00.002-04:00

Thank you everybody for what you did for me, I am touched by everyone’s comments.
Let me explain you what happened to me.
The fire happened last Wednesday on April 2nd. That day I had my chemistry class. The fire started at 9:40 am (I heard that from the news), but the alarm only went off around 10:30 am. It's only at 10:35 that the police received the first phone call (I learned that the same night in the news too). The alarm lasted only few seconds, and then it stopped. Surprised, I went to look at the window to see if something was happening, but everything seemed to be fine. As I was walking to my bathroom to brush my teeth, I realized the power was out and some black smoke was coming out of the ventilation system. Quickly I opened my door and saw some black smoke in the whole corridor. At that time the fire alarm went off again, this time for good.
I rushed back inside my apartment grabbed the first pair of pants I found and packed up few important things. First I grabbed my passport, and my visa as well. I also took my school bag, my Swissarmy watch, and my brand new laptop computer. I was surprised not to see anybody else coming out of their apartments. I went back in the corridor, and walked, as close as possible to the ground, where the black smoke was less dense. The stairs were located on the far left side of the building, my apartment was on the far right side, where the elevator is located. Once I arrived to the door of the stairs, I grabbed the door handle and burned my hand ( good for me, few days later the pain was gone leaving no scars). The door handle was so hot that it had to kick the door to open it. The stairway was filled with a dense black smoke. Later one I’ve heard that the stairway was stuck due to either the dense smoke, or some flames.

I realized that it was not possible for me to take the stairs. Moreover I didn’t know where the fire was exactly, so I had no idea wether to go up or down. At that time I remembered I had my "own" emergency exit that was leading on the balcony of my neighbor. So I went back to my apartment ( it was now filled with smoke since I didn't close my door when I left earlier). I arrived to my emergency door, and the damn door was locked !!!. In order to open it, I was supposed to open it and puling it towards me, ( and not pushing it forward) The door handle was so weak that it almost stayed inside my hands. I tried to kick it in order to open it, but the door wouldn’t open, and neither break. At that time I really freaked out, I remember I started to cry. I was thinking what else I could do to escape. I really thought it would be the end for me. I couldn’t go out through the window, there are bars on it, moreover, located on the 3rd floor, it was impossible for me to jump.
I suddenly heard the sound of the fire trucks stopping in front of my building. I went to the window, opened it, broke the filter, and yield at the firefighters exiting their trucks to come and get me. One of them heard me screaming; he grabbed a ladder and installed it in front of my window. As soon as he arrived to my window, I remember the first thing he told me was “Francais or English ?” translated as “French or English ?” Speaking both, I don’t remember witch one I spoke, I just asked him to get me out of here. He was loaded with equipment. I remember seeing three oxygen tanks on his back, a circular saw on his left, and some big hammer on his right. He asked me if somebody else was living in my apartment; and I told me that I was the only one. Then he told me that I had to leave everything, and climb on the ladder. I was so terrified that I just dropped all my bags ( I wouldn’t have been able to go through with it anyway) and climbed on the ladder. Once one the ground, I realized that the fire was in the unit underneath mine. It took me few minutes to calm down and realize what was happening. That is when I started to take pictures ( that you can see in the previous post)

The Red Cross took care of me, they gave me a blanket ( because it was relatively cold outside at that time ) and some socks. They took us inside one of their bus and gave us food and drinks.
125 firefighters were there, and it took them four hours to control the fire, they did all they could for the buildings next to mine not to be damaged by the fire. Two firefighters were injured in this incident, but they are still alive. Nobody else except those two brave firefighter were injured. Only and old lady who was living in the same building as mine inhaled smoke (they took her to the hospital right after).

I’ve been sleeping at my friend apartment for ten days now. My school, Concordia University, took good care of me. They offered me the possibility to drop all my classes. They also offered me a room in their dorms, where I could stay for free till this summer, a free lawyer from school and some money ( $1500 ). They also gave me back all my books, and school supply for free. Apparently we were three students from Concordia in this building, I remember also that one guy sitting next to me in the red cross’s bus was in McGill University. Probably there were couple students from McGill too, since it is closer to my apartment than Concordia University is.

Today I found a new place, and I also got a new computer. Now I have to restart my life from scratch, and I thank God I am still alive.

Fire in my building apartment

2008-04-02T22:13:00.000-04:00

To all my readers,

I am unable to continue this blog right now. A fire destroyed my building apartment on April 2nd. I lost everything I had except my cellphone, camera, passport, wallet, ipod and car keys.
My brand new computer stayed in the fire as well. I was inside when it happened and got trapped in my apartment because my emergency exit was locked. The fire started in the unit underneath mine. I made it out with the help of the firefighter only two minutes before the flames destroyed my apartment.

I want to thank all of you for your kind comments.

To see some more pictures of the fire, click here.

Theme of the day : water

2008-04-01T22:19:00.003-04:00

What a weird weather today. First when I left home, the sky was cloudy, but it was not raining. Then in the middle of the day it's been raining, and finally, tonight around 6 pm, it was sunny with a clear blue sky. As you can guess, I took this picture in the middle of the day, when the rain was present. On my way to the Loyola campus, while sitting on the bus listening my music, I could see some students looking at me and talking at the same time. I realiszd that something was going one but I didn't realise what until I received a drop of water on my head. Some water was leaking from the roof of the bus, right onto my shoulder. Anyway, it was the little story of today, by the way, if you wonder where I took this picture, I took it on the Loyola campus of Concordia University in NDG.

Inside one of those brand new buses

2008-03-31T20:48:00.001-04:00

Today again I had the pleasure to step in one of those new buses ( I am not sure if they are really new, or simply that my route number ( 80 ) didn't get to be deserved by those new buses before ), anyway, they look brand new. As you can see inside one this bus still not every passenger could have a seat, but at least everybody was able to come inside.

Jeanne Mance

2008-03-30T23:24:00.000-04:00

Here is a photo of the statue of Jeanne Mance. She was the first nurse in New France, and she founded the hospital Hotel-Dieu on October 8th, 1645. This statue stand in the middle of the parking lot's entrance of the hospital.

Musée des Hospitalières de l'Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal

2008-03-29T21:55:00.000-04:00

What a long name for a museum. Located at the corner of Des Pins and St-Urbain, this museum provides insight into the history of medicine in the city's early days. Th museum takes a look back at the physicians, nurses and apothecaries who made their quests to comfort the sick. From long forgotten treatments to the important discoveries made throughout history; from the foundation of a nursing school to the nationalization of health care services, the history of medicine in Quebec is unfolded in this museum located within the hospital itself. To get some more information, check this link http://www.museedeshospitalieres.qc.ca/

New buses for the STM,

2008-03-28T22:52:00.001-04:00

Today I was surprised to see one of those stretch buses picking me up at the subway station ( since it was raining, I took the bus ). Usually it's a normal bus and we're all packed inside. In some cases I've seen people not able to step inside the bus because it was simply full, what a shame. Anyway, this problem now seems to be solved. Also I could see some improvement in the technology of those buses, among them was a big light on top of each door lightening the steps, and adigital speedometer for the driver. I'm sorry for the quality of the picture, but once I got off, the bus left right away. Alain, this post is for you !

Voie De Passage Ne Pas S'Attarder

2008-03-27T23:39:00.000-04:00

It means, "way to go, but don't take too long". I took this shot on Parc Avenue near the McGill dormitory. Basically, it means that it's not safe to walk underneath. It's the first time I see such sign, usually there is nothing written because it is supposed to be safe to walk underneath a construction site.

Waiting

2008-03-26T16:46:00.000-04:00

As I was walking today to go to the library, I saw this student, waiting for somebody probably on the campus of Concordia University. I thought it was strange the way he/she was waiting. Everybody walking by was looking at him/her, so I thought I'll take a picture to show you.

Old Building

2008-03-25T14:04:00.000-04:00

I am not sure that many of you will like this building, but I just thought that the colors and the design of the stair to access the second floor was good. I took this picture near Notre Dame de Grace.

Université de Montréal

2008-03-24T11:44:00.000-04:00

The University of Montreal, located at the northern part of Montreal, first opened its doors on January 6th, 1878 where less than a hundred students were registered. This french speaking university is one among the fours others universities in Montreal. The University was hit hard by the Depression of the 1930s. Construction halted for a decade, and the university almost closed its doors. It survived this dark period, however, in 1943, the University inaugurated its new campus, 15 years after construction had first began. I took this picture from Saint Joseph's Oratory yesterday where there is a good view of the northern part of the city of Montreal.

Saint Joseph's Oratory

2008-03-23T08:11:00.002-04:00

This Oratory, located on the northern slope of Mont Royal in Montreal has a history of more than a hundred years old. Originally, a small chapel, on the side of the mountain near Notre Dame College, it became too small. In 1924, the construction of the basilica was inaugurated. It was finally completed in 1967. The Oratory's dome is the second largest of its kind in the world after Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. This church is the largest in Canada. To see more pictures of this amazing building, Click Here.