Montreal VS Sydney

Lili and I were in Montreal last weekend. I must say, I have never had a bad time there. My friends are tres excellente. They really know how to show us a good time and get us to experience the great vibe of Montreal. Highlights included a housewarming party with a zillion different wines to taste, followed by 3am drunk golfing at a 24 hour, stadium-lighted course. It's pretty crazy walking off the 9th hole as the sun is rising. Lili spent 4 1/2 hours getting her hair chemically straightened, while I enjoyed the most amazing 1 hour massage by my Russian masseuse, Okzana. No, there wasn't any 'happy ending' (hi, Rhands!). But, I did euphorically gaze at the ceiling after my massage and wondered, "what the hell are those hand rails doing up there??". I guess I overlooked that added option on the spa price list. Old Montreal at night is a blast, especially in the summer time. Everyone is out drinking and dining on different terasses (yes, pronounce 'tur-ASS'...hi, Ray!). The pastries are sick. Thank God, I'm not a diabetic yet. We even saw the 'Body Worlds 2' exhibit at their Science Centre (that's some crazy shit right there). It's just too bad that I didn't retain much of the french I learned in school. It would have come in handy. It's weird being a foreigner in your own country. Here's a few sites from Montreal:

AMAZING patisseries that could put you into a diabetic coma. The chocalitines or chocolate croissants are dynamite!

Me and my $1.50 mini gelato cone. I ordered 3.

The famous Basillique Notre Dame

Taking a stroll in Old Montreal

The girls enjoying 11am Lechee Sangrias on the terrasse (terrace in English)
at Jardin Nelson in Old Montreal.

Maria, do you have a long-lost brother in Montreal that we don't know about???

Well, I decided to do a comparison of Montreal, Canada and Sydney, Australia. I find these two places to be quite similar. I have great friends in both cities, and if I had the chance to, I'd definitely live in either of the two.

	Sydney, Australia	Montreal, Canada
Friends	Wonderful, good natured, goofy, fun, adventurous, hospitable. My friends here call me Brox.	Ditto…or, Une Ditto. Except, my friends here call me Bro (Chris is already taken, and gets very confusing)
Alcohol consumption	Wine lovers. They drink on days ending in ‘day’. They say, “Cheers, mate!” (or is that Cheese tart?). Bunch of fuckin’ drunks. hehehe.	Also wine lovers. Best sangrias, ever! “Happy Hour is anytime you want it to be”. They say, “Salute!” Un paquet de drunks…tabernac! Honh honh honh.
Food	Ethnic food abound. Australian meatpies and sausage rolls kick Chuck Norris’ ass.	Very European. Tonnes of bistros. There is no chocolate croissant better outside of France.
Landscape	Located in tropical weather and next to the ocean, how can you go wrong? Absolutely breathtaking.	Very charming, warm, old-European feel (cobblestone roads and all).
Hospitality	Very, very welcoming. With ‘no worries’ or ‘no dramas’ as their mottos, everyone is so laid back and easy going. People say that Canadians are generally nicer than Americans, but Australians are even nicer than Canadians. They specialize in customer service.	Some of the francophones are a bit snooty towards the Anglophones, especially from Ontario. Maybe it’s the language barrier, or maybe some want to separate from Canada. Customer service is hit or miss, but I found most were friendly. It helps to have French speaking people in your party.
Fashion	Like their attitudes, very laid back. Jeans and nice top is the common wear. You’ll also feel out of place without your thongs (flip-flops) or Tevas.	Everyone and their moms are dressed so damn chic here. I’d go broke if I lived here and tried to keep up with the fashion styles. Most lineups at clubs look like a Zoolander movie.
$$$	Even though my CDN dollar is worth more, mostly everything is much more expensive. I’m not used to spending 10 bucks on toast and coffee (aka Turkish Pide and a Flat White).	Same currency, and very reasonable for a metropolitan city. Sales tax in Canada sucks donkey balls, period!

My 80's Celeb Crushes

No, although the title might suggest it, I do not have a crush on Bea Arthur from the Golden Girls. This is a list of celebrity women/girls from the 1980's that I had 'big time' crushes on ('big time' is such a honky term, eh?). I don't even think I was old enough to whack-off to most of the girls on my list...with the exception of Alyssa Milano, of course. She was in my palm...err...my heart well into the 90's. Anyways, at the time of my infatuations with these girls, I would save any picture I could find (i.e. from Tiger Beat, People, or Pop magazines) and put them up in my room, or on my school binders. I used to dream that they would be my girlfriend. I fantasized that we would neck, I would squeeze their IBT's, and we would give each other hickeys n' shit. Like I said, I hadn't quite reached complete puberty with most of these crushes, therefore I think I only wet dreamed Alyssa.

In no particular order or ranking:

Mary Lou Retton: The summer of 1984 was golden. I remember having vivid dreams about her being my girl. It wasn't until later on in life, that I realized she was basically a disproportionate midget.


Sheila E. : I loved 'Love Bizarre' and my first latina crush. She could bang on my drum anyday.

Marta Marerro: Kids Incorporated was never the same after she left. And the crush wore off by the time she became Martika.


Winnie Cooper: Girl next door syndrome. She's Winnie fucking Cooper...'nuff said!


Alyssa Milano: If I had to rate my #1 crush of all time...it would have to be Samantha Micelli. She was the girlfriend every pre-pubescent teen wanted.

Odds & Ends

Facebook: I joined a couple of weeks ago. I'm not really into contacting people I hardly see, unless I really want to touch base with them. There are heaps of acquaintances that I know on here that I haven't bothered adding as a friend. If they add me, they add me. If not, oh well. No wonder when I did the Heroes personality quiz I ended up being Jessica....the two faced bitch. HA!

Detroit Pistons: I swear I need an Ativan to watch this team play. They never seem to beat anybody handily, and they always have to do things the hard way. It's stressful to be a Pistons fan. Lili hates how I get when I watch a Pistons game and they are losing. I get all zoned out and quiet. My responses are quite terse and I tip the scales on the 'tude meter. Sorry Lili! Lili, btw, is completely enamored with Carlos Delfino (who, I admit, has a great head of hair), and is obsessed with the giant Pistons floor swiffer they use to clean up the sweat (she wants one for the house). Anyways, the season is over now for Detroit as they got their asses served to them by Lebron James and some Cavs. It'll definitely be interesting to see the changes to the roster by next season. I can't wait to "watch NBA" next season! (Hi, Ray!...bahahaha!).

HEROES: NBC Heroes season 1 finished several weeks ago. Most people I talked to about the season finale were disappointed with the way it was presented. I guess I'm just easy to please then...I loved it! Then again, I'm not a comic book and sci-fi geek like some people I know *coughguiaocough*. I decided that if I could be on any TV show, Heroes would be it. Even if that meant having some jacked up Hero power, like the ability to touch my elbows behind my back and wipe my ass at the same time, then getting killed by Sylar in the first minute...I'd do it.

SUMMER Reality TV: This means only 1 thing...So You Think You Can Dance [shoo-be-do-be-dance-dance]. Without trying to sound TOO gay, this is the only show I care for during the summer months (okay..maybe a touch of Hell's Kitchen too). Cat Deeley is hot. The dance routines are killer (I like stealing the salsa moves...now I'm sounding gay). And the rest of the shows are garbage. The FCC should have laws against shitty reality shows like America Has Talent, The Next Best Thing, and House of Carters.