Quantum of Solace

On Saturday, December 27, 2008, I went to see the new James Bond movie: Quantum of Solace. OK, it's not really new, it's been out for about a month or so, but it's still new in my eyes, because I haven't seen it yet.

The movie is about James Bond, Agent 007, who is trying to get revenge for Vespa. However, his quest gets sidetracked because of another trail that he stumbles on. At the beginning of the movie, a very important person nearly gets killed, and so Bond goes on the hunt for answers, for himself and for the agency.

As he discovers more and more information, he gets more and more tangled into this web of deceit, lies, double crossing and conspiracy, and he just kind of rolls with it.

I personally thought that the plot was a little thin, but there was a lot of action. There were lots of car chases, shoot-em-up action sequences, and moments that added to the plot. However, I was disappointed with the lack of foot chases...

A bonus is that there were a lot of hot men in this movie... That helps... Daniel Craig as James Bond... Not bad... The guy he has some business with at the end, not bad either... Lots of other good looking men as well. That's always a plus.

It was an entertaining film, but the plot is a bit thin...

"This song is so boring"

Last night, Friday, December 19, 2008, I watched Mamma Mia! (on DVD) with my friend zikio, and also *Raoul and *Rupert.

When we got to the Winner Takes It All in the movie, Rupert commented, "Ugh, this song is sooooooooo boring."

Yes well Rupert, you who stumbled onto the first man who treats you like gold, of course you can't relate to this song, because you have never experienced the world of love, and coming second, or always on the receiving end of being dumped. You, who has never received comments of, "We're not sexually compatible, so we should not date" or "I think we should start seeing other people" or actually coming second to someone whom you thought you were making great progress with. Thus, you would find this song boring.

Oh, and just because you were broken up with Raoul for a week, and then he got back together with you? That doesn't count. Why? Because you still ended up being the winner. You've never been the loser in that context. Also, because that break up lasted only a week.

The gull of some people.

Matt Sundin goes to Vancouver Canucks

So, I read today that Matt Sundin, the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs has signed a two years 20 million deal with the Vancouver Canucks.

Sundin, who is 37, and was considering retirement after this season, decided to play the "Oh, I'm going to retire card", and then once he recanted that decision (which he probably decided to do all along), he got all these attractive offers.

You Sir, are a sell out. If you were truly honourable to your sport and as a professional, you would have retired after this season, which was your original plan anyway. No, you are going to ditch all your fans in Toronto and go play with the Canucks.

I hope that you get what the fans gave Roberto Alomar when he ditched the Blue Jays on a not-so-high note.

I would like to add also that I am not a huge hockey fan, and my team of choice is not the Leafs. But I really detest sell outs. Really really detest sell outs.

Nostalgia Critic

There's a guy who has a website called www.thatguywiththeglasses.com. He calls himself the Nostalgia Critic.

I watched a few clips of his about his rantings for movies, and I didn't think that he was that funny. No, he's not funny at all. Granted of course, that's only my opinion, and you are allowed to have different opinions.

Un Conte de Noël

On Tuesday, December 9, 2008, I went to see the movie Un Conte de Noël, starring Catherine Deneuve.

This movie is about a family with three siblings. Well, they had four, but the first one died from this sort of rare cancer. Unfortunately, they could not find a bone marrow donor for him, so he ended up dying. So, it was about three siblings.

The eldest sibling and the youngest sibling was in a partnership with a theatre, where the youngest sibling, Henri, would run the finances, and do the plays for the eldest sister, Elisabeth. However, things went awry, and Henri found himself owing people money. Elisabeth somehow managed to find the money to pay the three people that are suing him for the damages, but she made the condition that she would never see Henri again, or hear from him.

For five years, that condition was upheld. She never saw her brother Henri, or had any interaction with her. However, that was not to last. Her mother, Junon had a rare disease which required a bone marrow transplant. Junon has a rare blood type, almost the rarest of the rare, which means that finding a donor is very very difficult. Even in her family, there's a 1 in 16 chance that it would be a match. It turns out that Paul, Elisabeth's son is a match. However, as we later find out in the movie, Henri is also a match.

Anyway, the movie is about a family who spends a very awkward Christmas together, and we also see the secrets that have been hidden away.

Now, onwards to my "journey" this evening.

I finished watching the movie with my friend at about 12:45 a.m.. We go to the metro station. There was a problem, some idiot was walking on the tracks. Eventually, this problem was resolved, and we got on the green line at about 1:08 a.m., and I was at the metro station at 1:10 a.m.. However, nobody told all the clients that there was no more service on the orange line. At about 1:15 a.m., I said to my friend that, "If there's no metro at 1:25 a.m., then I am going to walk and take the night bus."

Sure enough, 1:25 a.m. arrived, and I started to walk out of the station, but my friend insisted on staying in the metro station and waiting for the metro. The person who worked at the counter for the STM assured the passengers that there will be one more metro. At about 1:30 a.m., we got a message that informed us that there was no more service of the metro, and requested us to go towards the exits of the station. This caused me to waste an hour of my time, because I could no longer take the bus at 1:30 a.m., and I had to wait for the night bus at 2:30 a.m..

That is why I am home now and writing my review this late. What bugs me the most about this situation is that it could have been AVOIDED. If my friend and I actually took the night bus and left the station at 1:25 a.m., then we would have been home in our respective rooms sooner. However, this friend decided not to listen to me, and listen to someone who worked for the STM. People who work for the STM cannot be trusted... They have the same reliability as Environment Canada, who cannot predict themselves out of a cave.

Restaurant Les Cabatins

On Saturday, December 6, 2008, it was the party for YMCA Hochelega-Maisonneuve, and our party was at Restaurant Les Cabatins, which is situated at 4821 Sainte-Catherine East.

This is a restaurant that serves bizarre French cuisine. Well, that's what they claim anyway.

The restaurant had a very nice decor... It was kind of homey, and it was a nice theme. The food was exquisite. The owner/server was very nice, and for the appetizers, if we didn't have enough soup or salad, he would offer seconds. He also offered extra quail. I guess it was because our boss reserved for 60 people, and less than that showed up. So, that means that if they don't give the food away, it means that they have to throw it out. They might as well give it to people.

The owner had a nice philosphy. If your clients leave your restaurant, and you see them eating hot dogs and what not, that's a problem. Unfortunately, a lot of restaurants nowadays bank on that.

Truly enjoyable restaurant. Go and have a meal there if you can.

SimpléChic

Yesterday (due to the technicality of the whole 12:00 a.m. thing) December 3, 2008, was my friend Zikio's birthday, and to celebrate his big day, we went to this restaurant called Simpléchic. This restaurant was in Verdun, and was close to the Lasalle metro.

We had a seven course meal (the servings were small, it was mostly to taste the food), some wine, and it was very fun. The food was very yummy. I had foie gras for the first time. It was very rich, and it was very salty. It was however, very yummy.

I was also presented with this cheese from Îles de la Madelaine, where they are famous for it. According to my friend Zikio, they are not famous for it, because they are the only ones who make it. In my opinion, if they are the only ones who make it, then they should be famous for it, because they are famous for the fact that they are the unique producers of this cheese. The cheese was served just before the dessert, and it was quite good, but very very very strong... It smelled like someone's week old socks. I also believe that they should be famous for the fact that this cheese smells like someone's week old socks. About two hours later, I started feeling the effects of the cheese.

The restaurant was opened by a chef that recently released a cook book. I'm not really into chefs, cookbooks and restaurants, but if you want more detail about the chef, check out Zikio's blog.

The evening was fun, and I really enjoyed myself. There was a bit of a mix-up before hand about the Toi, Moi et Cafe, but eventually that sorted itself out.

Changeling

On Tuesday, December 2, 2008, I went to see the movie Changeling.

This is a movie starring Angelina Jolie, who plays the character of Christine Collins. She's a single mother in the 1920s. One day, she gets called in to do an extra shift at her work, which she tries to turn down. She reluctantly accepts. However, once she returns from work, she discovers that her son has gone missing.

She files a missing persons' report. After five months, she gets good news that her son has been found, and they reunite her with her son. However, she realizes that when her son is returned on the platform, the child is not her son.

The rest of the movie is her battle with the police about trying to get her son back.

This film was directed by Clint Eastwood, and I thought it was a minimum of 30 minutes too long. I also found it funny. The movie is not ha-ha funny. It is definitely a drama. I found it funny in the sense that for the majority of the film, she's sane, and trying to prove that she is not insane. However, after a certain point, I think she's insane, and trying to prove that she is sane.

Java U location to avoid

Today, I went to a Java U location and I was not impressed with it at all. It is in the McGill campus, on Sherbrooke ouest at the corner of Union.

I am not a picky person. I am not *Rupert. I don't demand the world of everything when I arrive at a location. I don't expect the red carpets to be rolled out for me, and that someone takes my coat and hangs it on some sort of ironwood hanger. I just expect to be treated with respect.

The staff at this location think that just because they are in prime location with McGill students, and because they are one of the few locations that offer beer, Voss (Norwegian water) and Belgian fries, they can be snobby to anyone who wants to go there and have a coffee. I had a Java U card, and when I asked why I only got one stamp when I ordered two beverages, I was told matter-of-factly that at this location, they only stamp coffee. I stated, "Well, that doesn't make sense. If I order something that costs more than a coffee, I shouldn't be penalized for it." They also did not have a good selection of coffee. I wanted a Hazelnut Cream coffee, and they didn't have that. Almost every other location I've been to (of Java U) had five selections of coffee.

I'm not saying that a fresh pot of Hazelnut Cream coffee should have been made for me... I took the French roast. However, the staff were very very rude. They had this sense of entitlement. For example, when the staff at the counter told me about their coffee stamp policy, she stated, "I'll only say this once." I thought to myself, "You don't need to say it more than that... I'm not coming back ever."

The manager and/or the staff need to get their heads out of their asses. I don't go into cafes so that I can be treated like shit. I don't ask for much, just serve me with respect and that's it!