Montreal and Quebec

This summer, I went back to Montreal for a week to see people and places that had not been accessible to me in almost a year.  It was my first time back since I had left on August 26 of the previous year.

Here's a summary of what happened on my trip back home...

June 27
I left work with my light luggage and went straight to the bus terminal.  The lady at the counter there was a Quebecker.  It felt strange to talk to her in French.  A bit like a taste of things to come in Montreal.

On the bus to Seattle (from where I would fly to Montreal on a ticket I had not used the previous year), I started thinking about all the events that lead me to be where I was at that precise moment.  Everything started, almost to the day, a year before.  I was going back where my story with Sylvia, cities, jobs, apartments and all these major changes started.  I was going to the places that were part of these changes in reverser order (Vancouver, Seattle, Montreal).

Looking at everything, I felt depressed.  Back when I was in Montreal, I had a job I liked; I was in a good city; I liked my apartment and I had a girlfriend I truly loved.  I was happy.  I had everything I wanted; I just didn't know  it.  And now, what did I have?  A job that didn't correspond to my aspirations and in which the team dynamics were quite poor; an apartment I didn't like going for 2.5 times the rent I paid in Montreal; no lover and rain and gray skies in a city even smaller than Montreal.

All of this for some more money and the chance to live in a city other than Montreal...  For the job, there was not much I could have done; Motorola was closing its center in Montreal.  For the city, I could always go back to Montreal.  For the apartment, I could always find something if I looked around.  For Sylvia, I just had severely fucked up and losing her was what left me with the most bitter feeling.

It's in such a brooding mood that I arrived in Seattle.  When I got there, I had to go through the neighborhood where I used to live and work.  I felt a powerful mix of anxiety and sadness that amounted almost to a panic attack.  My emotions from all the events surrounding my departure from Montreal were surfacing.

Then, I noticed how empty the streets were and how everything was closed and also how everyone I saw was ugly and trashy.

The city bus ride to SeaTac was like a zoo revealing many types of subhuman individuals that characterize Seattle so much.

As if the mutants weren't enough, Americans are so much bigger (read fatter) than Canadians.

Leaving Seattle was truly the right decision.


June 28
I took the good old 211 bus to get downtown from Dorval (where the airport is located).  On the bus was this pale young electro/punk/whatever redhead with her blouse open so much you could see all her black bra covering her small breasts.  Arriving downtown, the bus driver drove through a red light.  Welcome to Montreal!

Walking on Lionel-Groulx avenue (where I used to live) made me very emotional.  Was it the feeling of finding back a cherished place or was it the feeling of having made a grave, unrepairable mistake by leaving?

Half of my week in Montreal, I slept in the two adjacent houses where I used to live.  It truly was a return to my roots.  I spent the first night at Luc's place (where I used to live a while back).

Before going to bed, I met a friend and we walked her dog on Ste-Catherine, through the Jazz Festival, on St-Laurent and on Prince-Arthur.  Things somewhat felt familiar and foreign at the same time.  I noticed how the people in Montreal are not aligned with my preferences.  I like the composition of the population in Vancouver more.

I also went to the SAT.  It wasn't SAT's best night.  It was full of young, fat, ugly people and the music sucked.  At least, some people were doing drugs and lesbian shit.


June 29
I noticed how very little has changed in Montreal since last year.  I only noticed one new building.  In Vancouver, new buildings pop up every week.  The infrastructure is old and poorly maintained in Montreal.  Vancouver is much cleaner and newer.  The feeling in Vancouver is one of growth.  The feeling in Montreal is one of stagnation.

I went to the tam-tams and took a look at the medieval fighters there.


June 30
I went to the West Island to see my parents.  On the way to their place, I met the parents of a few people I use to hang out with when I was younger.  Nothing much's changed with my parents.  I spent the night at an old friend's place.


July 01
I walked around Montreal some more.  I had heard many times that people in Montreal look and dress better than people in Vancouver.  I didn't find so.  I think people in Vancouver are fitter in general, too.

Had dinner with some friends in a Spanish restaurant.  We later met up with other friends and went to see Bran Van 3000's show.  It was packed.  I got introduced to a few ex-Vancouverites who now live in Montreal and are also in the gaming industry.  We ended the night at the St-Sulpice, Montreal's largest terrace.


July 02
Had some açaí.  I went for a stroll in Westmount Park.  Had a BBQ on Louise's patio.

July 03

I drove to Quebec City.  I met my cousin there and we walked a few hours through the city.  The city was officially 400 years old that day and many people came into town to be part of the festivities and see the mega fireworks.  We didn't stay long enough to see the fireworks as my cousin really didn't feel like hanging around.  My cousin now owns his own house and is thinking of joining the special forces as being in regular infantry is not hardcore enough for him.

July 04

Drove back to Montreal.  I slowed down just in time to avoid getting caught by cops monitoring the traffic with radars.  Half an hour later, I saw a cop behind me with his lights flashing.  I thought this time it was it:  I had been caught speeding.  I slowed down and was about to pull over.  But, then the cop was waving with his hands for me to get out of the way.  He actually was going to the scene of an accident.  I had escaped getting a ticket twice.

Back in Montreal, I met a bunch of ex Motorola co-workers at our traditional watering hole.  From what I gathered, no one seemed quite as happy about their jobs as when they were at Motorola.

Already drunk, I left my ex co-workers to join other people for some more drinks.  One of the people I was with ended barfing.  That's Montreal for you.

July 05

I saw Sylvia's mother to get stuff for her back to Vancouver.  I also went to where Sylvia used to live to get mail from her brother, to see her cat and for memories' sake.

I went to see the fireworks that night.  I also had some St-Hubert.  I missed their rotisserie chicken.

July 06

Had breakfast at Cora's, which is (sadly) not located on Stanley anymore.

Went to Piknic électronik.  Had to leave quickly as I had to catch my flight back to Vancouver.

All in all, it was a good trip.  It made me lose my homesickness.  I did pretty much all the things I would normally want to do in the summer in Montreal in one week.  When I came back to Vancouver, my new city felt a bit more like home and I didn't mind living in Vancouver anymore.

I think I had been idealizing Montreal and my old apartment and that I what I truly missed were not the places, but rather the moments I had there.

In a weird way, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't fall in love with Montreal.  It would have made things easier as I would have known where I belong.  Thus, I'm still wondering where my true home is...

Whistler

In May 2008, I went to Whistler. It's a nice place and I saw a wild bear there. However, it didn't change my life. I guess you have to be a skier or snowboarder in order to truly appreciate the place. Since I'm neither, I'm just happy to say that I've been there.

Hawaii

This post relates events that occurred in April of 2008.

After living for a few months in Vancouver, I went on a short vacation to Hawaii. I took Sylvia along with me as a thank-you gesture for hosting me when I first got to Vancouver.

We went to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (on the Big Island) and saw volcanic fumes and an active volcano. We also traversed acres of land covered by solidified lava. We went snorkeling with manta rays at night. Still on the Big Island, we saw sea turtles, beaches with black sand, incredible scenery and an abundance of sea creatures.

Later, we went on the Island of Kauai and visited "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific" and the Na Pali Cliffs.

Finally, we explored Oahu. We went to Pearl Harbor and visited the USS Arizona memorial, where hundreds of men still remain in the sunken battleship's wreck. We also saw an ancient Hawaiian temple and beautiful landscapes when we circled around the island.

The trip was too short. I hope one day to go a third time to Hawaii.

The only thing that wasn't great is the fact that Sylvia and I had some frictions and nearly killed each other many times. At one point, I was so upset by her that I inadvertently locked the rental car's keys inside the car. That did nothing to relax the already tense atmosphere!

Hong Kong

On my way back from Thailand, I stopped for a few days in Hong Kong. Again, this blog entry is over half a year late. Life's been keeping me busy in the past few months.

Hong Kong is a bit like Asia's New York: lots of people, lots of capital, lots of skyscrapers. People in Hong Kong are colder than in New York: even those who are supposed to be courteous to you (e.g., clerks in commerces where you buy things) don't give a shit about you. That impression might partially be due to the language barrier. Also, people in Hong Kong don't seem to have the same level of cultural, fashion and educational sophistication that you would find in Manhattan.

In Hong Kong, I saw long line-ups to get in stores such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci. I'd personally go in one of the street markets and buy rip-offs if I wanted such items. One nice thing I saw were Wi-Fi enabled phone booths. Another thing I'd never seen before was currency bills printed by private corporations. The first time I withdrew money from an (HSBC) ATM, I got HSBC bills. At first, I was wondering what kind of funny money I got. It turns out that money issued by private banks is common here. I wonder how the monetary policies work at a macro-economic level in Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong, there are tons of people from the Philippines and Indonesia. They come to work as maids and nannies. They get way better salaries this way than degree-bearing professionals would in their home countries.

During my second night, I met up with Alex (a guy I went to college with). We went out to a couple of pubs. This is where I noticed another phenomenon that was new to me. In pubs and bars, Filipinas are hired to dance and socialize with patrons. The logic is that if patrons are having fun, they'll stay longer and buy more drinks. The ladies will be all friendly with you and subtly make you buy drinks. They'll then drink some, flirt with you and might give some of their drinks to the more sober men in order to get them to become better customers. Some women even go in bars where they don't work, start talking to men and tell them they want to go with them to this super cool place (which happens to be where they are working) in order to get more commissions. I found the whole thing very interesting. It's a bit reminiscent of hostesses in Japanese hostess bars.

After drinking a bit, Alex and I went to his apartment to sleep. His place was basically a single room, not bigger or nicer than what's you'd get in, say, a Holiday Inn. Yet, the place went for roughly 3000$ a month! That's way more expensive than Vancouver or even New York. One funny thing about apartments in Hong Kong: they don't have heating. Since their winters are short and mild, they simply don't bother with the expense of putting in heating systems. I was sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag that night and I found it pretty cold, though!

Thailand

I've been meaning to write this entry for a long time now. It seems I just never got around to it. So, more than half a year late, here's the account of my trip to Thailand.

Before starting at my new job, I wanted to get away on a trip. I thought about Argentina for a while and then ended buying a ticket for Bangkok two days before leaving. After all, I might as well enjoy the cheaper tickets and shorter flights to Asia I can get from Vancouver.

I stayed in the Nana district in Bangkok. It's one of the hot spots of the city. Full of people selling bunches of stuff on the streets (including sex) and activity all around the clock. A few blocks from my hotel, there was this "entertainment complex" composed of dozens of prostitution bars. I went to take a look. I never had so much attention in my life. All the girls wanted me to be their next customer. I actually bought one a drink to ask about her life.

I asked her if she wasn't disgusted by her job sometimes. She didn't seem to be. "What about when you get a really old, ugly and fat customer?", I asked. She said she didn't mind that and that she's happy as long as the customer is a nice person. I didn't quite understand, so I asked her what she meant by that. Then, she told me some customers had beaten her up, raped her and such... Also, since there are so many working girls, they must always struggle to be chosen. I knew it sucks to be a prostitute, but not to what extent. I thanked her for the conversation. As I was leaving, she said "Wanna fuck?". I politely declined. "What about a blowjob?", she insisted. Pretty direct. Just like the people on the streets asking me if I want a girl, a guy, a ladyboy or a "ping pong show".

The next day, I woke up (alone, mind you) to the sound of a himam calling the faithful to prayer. Nana has a large Arabic population. I explored Bangkok some more. Although it was February, the temperature was well above 30 degrees Celsius. I saw many local attractions and did lots of people-watching.

I took a cab to see an attraction. The driver tried to pull the old "I didn't understand you wanted to go to point A, I took you to point B instead, which is three times further" trick on me. I told him to take me to my desired destination and that we'd discuss the issue of remuneration once there. The normal trip would have cost me something like 60 bahts (less than 2$). The driver, "because of his good will", told me he'd let me pay "only" 100 bahts for the whole trip, including the detour he forced upon me. I told him I'd give him 50 bahts. I wanted him to make less money out of me than he would have if he had been honest. He said no. Then, I pointed out that his taxi number was on display and that I would report him to the tourist police. He freaked out and lowered his price to 83 bahts. I was shocked by his cockiness. The situation was getting a bit more tense and I got out of the cab, extended a 100 bath bill (my smallest bill) to the driver and told him to give me a 50 if he wanted any money at all. He insisted on not going below 83. I started shouting at him and I was getting very irritated. I told him to get out of the cab and come get his money. I must have looked pretty threatening because I never saw a cab driver go away so fast without being paid.

The next day, I went to Ayutthaya (the old capital) to see ruins of temples. Back in Bangkok, I explored the city's dodgy side again. This time, I got to talk to a ladyboy. I asked "her" about her life. She got her share of abuse too. I noticed she had a bunch of circular scars. She told me they were cigarette burns from her ex-boyfriend. The guy used to beat her too. I asked her how her job was doing. Apparently not too well. The supply of ladyboys far exceeds the demand. Sometimes, they go weeks without a customer. Also, STD's are always a concern. If they do catch something, they can't let those who hire them find out. I then asked the ladyboy which she enjoyed more: "getting it" or "giving it". The answer came without hesitation: she's a taker. She likes getting it, except when she's sick and gets gastro-intestinal problems. And you tought having sex with a menstruated woman was gross!

The following day, I went to the floating market about an hour north of Bangkok. A gecko fell out of the blue on me. It didn't freak out when I held it. It was my pet while I was being paddled around the market. It took us forever to get back to Bangkok as the tour guides insisted on bringing us to a bunch of places where people sell us crap so that they could get a cut. Four Brits and I just decided to squeeze in a cab to get back faster. It wasn't that faster as the traffic jams in Bangkok are insane. Try not to get sick or injured during rush hour as cars don't even yield to ambulances!

That same day, I went to Pattaya. I thought Bangkok was pretty crazy, but Pattaya has to be the most hardcore place I've ever been to. Imagine the decadence and chaos of Vegas, but without the puritanism of America or the regulations of first-world countries. I've never seen a place in my life so eager to help you indulge in whatever debauchery you fancy. The many bars there will try anything to get potential patrons' attention. Most will post attractive females at their entrance to lure customers in. Others will have free shows such as live muay thai fights or dozens of naked women dancing.

Prostitution is no less intense in its competition for you attention and money. I can't count how many times I was solicited by girls or pimps. If you make eye contact with any of them, expect to be hassled in a major way by that individual. Once, I glimpsed at a girl and she wouldn't let me go. Because I was ignoring her, she literally jumped on me. I found this amusing and walked with her around my neck for a few blocks while she was telling me how she wanted me to fuck her!

Thailand is a warm country with warm people. It's not all messed up as this blog entry might lead to believe. But, it's more fun to write/read about the sensational stuff. For another perspective on my trip, you'll be able to take a look at my pics when I finally put them online.

Vancouver It Is!

The past few months have been quite hectic.

On December 28, I quit my job at Amazon. Then, I went to live with Sylvia at the hotel her company was paying for as part of her relocation package. I went back to the state of Washington for an interview with Microsoft where I clearly stated that I did not want to live or work in Redmond and that I wasn't interested in the technology that the position I was interviewing for was using. Not surprisingly, I didn't get an offer from them.

Since I had had an offer from Ubisoft before leaving Montreal, I figured I could try my luck with EA in Vancouver. I got a phone interview scheduled with them, but had on-site interviews with two other video game companies before I even got to make the phone interview. The two companies are Blue Castle Games and Nexon. Both companies gave me offers the same day I had an interview with them! And by then, I knew better than to want to work for EA (which has long hours, is far from downtown and limits creativity).

Both offers sported exactly the same salary and similar benefits. I ended up accepting the offer from Nexon as the office is located downtown (three blocks away from where I now live) and has a more comfortable work/life balance.

Nexon is a Korean online video game company. I had never heard of it before, but it's huge in Asia. It's now making its way into North America. It will launch its IPO in a year or two and is setting up a work exchange program. All this is great news for me as I have the potential of making big bucks and getting to work in Asia. We'll see how things will unfold.

After signing my job offer, Sylvia (and, thus, myself too) moved to an apartment. Given our past together, we agreed it would be best if we each had our own place so that we can both move on. So, the same day, I applied and got accepted in a condo tower. The next day, I left for a trip to Asia to get to travel a bit before starting my new job. I went to Thailand and Hong Kong. That trip is the subject of other blog entries.

On my flight to Asia, I reconsidered the lease I had just signed in Vancouver. It was 1250$ a month for a 440 sq ft studio. While in Asia, I had to deal by email with the damn landlady who wouldn't let me break the lease without having me pay an astronomical sum of money. In the end, I got out of the situation by saying I would sublease the place instead of breaking my lease. Then, she agreed to let me off the hook for a few hundred bucks. It was an unpleasant situation which gave my trip a not-so-great backdrop.

Finally, I did find an apartment in downtown Vancouver, in a neighborhood called Yaletown (the yuppy district of Vancouver). As mentioned before, it's three blocks away from where I work. It's brand new. The building was just finished and I'm the first person to ever live in my unit. It's a studio with a den and a small office. It's got hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, in-suite laundry, a fireplace (although an electric one) and a deck on top of the building for BBQ's and city-watching. It's around 500 sq ft and goes for 1050$ a month. In Vancouver's market, that's a steal! I'm quite happy with the place.

I've got the basic furniture already; got connected to the Internet by cable; changed my address in my accounts... I'm making Vancouver my home. All that's left to do is buy the missing furniture and establish a social network here. For the furniture, I'm going to the States next week-end. For the social network, it's a work in progress.

In the near future, I'm taking Sylvia to Hawaii as a way to thank her for all she did for me. I'll go enjoy Montreal's summer a bit too.

For the long term, I see myself sticking here for a while. Then, I'll either go to Asia with Nexon or fulfill my dream of living in New York. I could also try Toronto. There are so many opportunities in this life.

Week-End in San Francisco and Silicon Valley

Lots of things have happened since I last posted en entry. I went to Vancouver again and to New York once more. The person from Microsoft I interviewed with contacted me (much to my surprise) to tell me he had been impressed by my performance (!?) and wanted to cut the red tape and have me work for Microsoft should I feel that Amazon isn't the right place for me. Also, things progressed on the Google front and after two phone screens, I got flown to an on-site interview with the company of my dreams.

I arrived in San Jose on Friday night. Even though I saw buildings bearing the logos of Sun, Oracle, Yahoo and such, it was hard to fully realize that I was in the middle of it all - the heart of the technological empire. That night, I slept at Ricky's place, on the carpet.

The next day, I visited San Francisco with Ricky and Do-Yong, a Korean intern at Google. On the 75-minute train ride from Mountain View to San Francisco, I learned that Do-Yong got flown-in by Google; given 5000$ of relocation money and paid one month of rent. All this for a mere three-month undergrad internship!

It was nice to walk the streets of San Francisco again. However, this time around, I was not there as a tourist but as a prospective resident. The perspective is immensely different. This time around, I noticed more the high number of junkies and bums; the oddness of the transit system and the relative "desertedness" of the city. Of course, the place is light-years beyond Seattle, but it is no New York and the quality of life over there doesn't compare to that of the average Canadian city. I'm starting to realize just how much the American Dream is just a sham.

On Sunday, I visited Google's headquarters with Ricky. There really is a lot of food free for the grabbing over there. And good stuff too! Many cafeterias and many kitchens stocked with lots of ingredients for people who prefer to cook themselves. Lots of snacks. Lots of free laundromats; a gym; a piano; electric scooters; electric cars (that you can take to run errands at the other end of town), ... It's pretty cool. Being there, we made sure to benefit from the free dinner. I had salmon with rice and salad.

The place looks almost too good to be true. Many people were there even though it was a Sunday probably because it feels nicer to be there than alone in a plain apartment cooking for themselves. I was a bit nervous, though. I was thinking about all the changes moving yet again would mean. Also, Mountain View isn't a great urban center. It's just plain Californian Suburbia. If I get a job with Google, I'll try to be assigned to a position in NYC. That would be the dream job in the dream city. I couldn't ask for more than that.

On Monday, I had my interview session. I interviewed with four people and had lunch with a fifth. For three of the four interviews, I gave a performance of a similar caliber to that of my phone screens. For the fourth, I think I fared a bit better. All in all, I think I did well and I have the feeling I will get an offer from Google.

So, my life keeps on changing. I can't wait to know where I will be in two months!