So much to write, so little time...

4am, Monday morning. An amazing week full of fun and tinged with sadness - Kristin, my German friend is leaving to go back home tomorrow :( This week has been full of parties, late nights, meeting even more people, and having wonderful times. Photos to be posted as well, and possibly quotable quotes like Mazzy's reference to the "remote control".

I have also finally managed to get my laptop back home (rather than at the office), and up and running too. Hopefully I'll be updating a lot more and getting pictures online too.

More to write tomorrow, I will valiantly attempt to crawl into bed :)

Australia Day 2005

Last night Mazzy organised an Australia Day party which was great fun! Met a whole bunch of people: Merre (Ontario), Esther (Toronto), Smart 83rd - I mean Diego :) (Columbia), Tareq (who Mazzy was calling Towel Rack), Mimi (a true Quebecois), Talicia and Luc who just dropped by, and Vicky. We were doing an Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi thing every time someone else came into the pub and this attracted an Australian over (Simon), with his mates from Mexico (Oscar) and England (Simon). Quite an international bunch! Fantastic :)

We had a quiz with Maz asking all sorts of questions about Australia after splitting us up into two teams, the Spunks and the Vegemites. It was a close run thing but the Vegemites got there on the very last question: how many species of poisonous snakes are there in Australia? (Answer: 115 - it was multichoice). We had drinking song lessons as well, and finished it off with Australianisms which was a whole bunch of fun :) All in all, a brilliant night out and great to meet a whole new bunch of people too.

No Such Thing As A Free Lunch?

Well, there is...

This place I'm doing my Masters research at seems to hold seminars etc on a fairly regular basis. Which means that they cater for them. And as some of the visitors/sponsors/research centre partners are quite high-powered - mostly commercially or academically, they usually have nice food. Today I went by the lunch room afterwards to grab a coffee and there were trays of fruit which was lovely. There were also these little bite-sized dessert items, which I have no idea what they were. Some of them looked like mini tarts; others looked like some sort of layered cake with chocolate/caramel/etc. Not having much of a sweet tooth I only looked, but I wish I had my camera so I could snap some pics for the new nomadfood blog. Last week, though, they must have had the best food ever designed by man: bagels with cream cheese and salmon. They had a bunch of filled rolls, sandwiches etc. They also have these trays of raw vegetables with dips, vegies like brocolli, cauliflower, peppers, baby peas. If this place had a bed and shower, I could probably just live here and save a bundle on rent :)

Of Operas in French and Other Things

Lots has been happening over the last few days...

Saturday night was a party somewhere in the southwest of Montreal with a bunch of engineers who were friends with Anuj. There were also a couple of accountants, but for the most part they were engineers. They all work at Pratt and Whitney, which is a huge company - they have something like 3000 employees in Montreal alone. It takes 10 minutes to walk from the carpark to the actual building. Crazy! It was also really funny because out of all of them, only two were actually Canadians. Most of them had been recruited from Europe. There were people from Ireland, England, Scotland, Belgium, Spain. Fantastic! It was also really funny because their qualifications are literally in rocket science (something like space and aeronautical engineering). They were a bunch of rocket scientists. For those of you who know Bob Dugan from law school, you'll know why this is especially funny - "How does Section 52 of the Companies Act tie in with Section 142 Buybacks in the context of shareholders rights? IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!"

Enough of the private jokes already. I took a few photos but don't have them right now so will post them later. Anuj taught everyone the drinking game Bitches Bitches; I took a video of it but don't know if it's possible to blog it. Basically lots of shouting and drinking. I guess some things don't change wherever you go in the world! Around 1 we had to leave as the Metro stops working and we were far from home. So me (NZ), Mazzy (Sydney, Australia), Kristin (a place near Cologne, Germany), and Nabil (Morocco) all headed for home. Funny that we all eventually ended up logging in to msn once we got home - talk about computer geeks!

Anuj eventually made it home, it appears, because last night him, Mazzy, Kristin and me went to a free opera at Place des Arts. It was wonderfully done; the costumes, the stage, the acting, were all so refreshing. It was also very challenging, because it was all in French! As Mazzy and I don't know French, we had no idea at all - we were stuck trying to work out things. Afterwards Anuj gave us a rundown of what had happened, and so did Kristin (who thought she understood maybe 50% of it). So a wonderful night with great company in a foreign city. I need more days like these!

Call Centres

I hate calling call centres. They're so impersonal. Someone will spit out their name before you've even caught your breath. Of course, if something goes wrong it's practically impossible to track down a Pam or a Katie or a whatever. So I've been on the phone to the folks at American Eagle over an order I placed online well over a month ago. Last I heard, it seems as though it was sent to somewhere that I'm not in Montreal and was returned to sender. Very clever, people. Given that I gave them a different address before they sent it, it was obviously too difficult to simply change the address. Anyway, I just got off the phone for about the gazillionth time. The woman knew who I was: "Ah yes, I know the one, I spoke to you before". Errrrrm, okay? I've been told by another American Eagle representative "My, there are a lot of notes under your record". Thanks. There wouldn't be if AE had just sent the order when they were supposed to, to the right address. I thought that would be pretty simple to do. Obviously not...

It was a dark and stormy night...

Public Transport Nightmare
Originally uploaded by Chris C.

...except it wasn't really that dark because the snow was reflecting the light from the lamp posts so it made everything light up and be all white so it was really more like day time with kind of shadowy patches. And it wasn't really stormy either, more like a mild snow with no wind...

How about that for a Bulwer? :)

Anyway, yesterday was a tonne of fun. Finally met up with Maz which was great although the weather was freezing. Met up at one of the metro entrances and had a great long chat while waiting for a girl called Astrid. All we knew was that she was tall, blonde and Danish, which meant we had to look for someone who fitted that decription. This resulted in a number of things including:

* Yelling out "Astrid" at random crowds of people in the hope someone might respond (we have no shame since noone knows us here!)
* Mazzy making up a song invoking the name "Astrid" and singing it
* Mazzy making up a dance for the song and doing it
* Subtly going up to people who were waiting and fitted the description, and dropping the name "Astrid" into the conversation to wait for a response
* Going from one metro exit to another and back. And forth. And back. And forth.

As Astrid never turned up, we can only imagine what happened. Maybe there is no Astrid :-o After an hour of waiting, we caught the metro to Anuj's place. It was absolutely freezing; words cannot describe how bad it was. I also learnt that Mazzy's definition of "5 minutes" differs somewhat from the world's definition of "5 minutes" when she said that Anuj's place was "5 minutes away" :-P Frozen to the bone, starving to death, we staggered up the street looking for food. Mazzy has finally found someone who is more indecisive than her! With the threat of becoming icecubes becoming very real, we staggered into the next place we saw. Amazingly it was packed inside although we did find a table quickly. It turned out to be very funny, as the place was called Schwartz's, supposedly a world famous place to eat - famed for it's smoked meats and a special cherry drink. It was great, so hopefully I'll be able to get back there before I come home.

We eventually got to Anuj's minus Astrid and Maja (Mazzy's flatmate who was feeling sick), where we had a great chat, wine and food :) Before we knew it, we had to go as the public transport system here generally grinds to a halt not long after midnight. But not before MAGIC was born :) More on that later, but keep that last weekend of February free. After what seemed like ages working out how to get home, Maz and I finally set off. Mazzy's story is already on her blog, mine differs somewhat. I ended up waiting around half an hour for a bus in the freezing cold. Which took me to another depot to catch another bus. Except the second bus didn't turn up for another 15 minutes; it had no timetable so I just had randomly sit there. However, that bus actually went past where I thought it was going, so ended up a long way away. The bus got to its terminal so I had to get off and wait another half hour for the right bus. I eventually got home around 1.30am, frozen cold. All in all, a great night with a bit of adventure tacked on at the end :)

Tip For Today

Never ever try to work out how a public transport system works while you're in the middle of using it. Or rather, lost somewhere in the middle of it. In -30 degrees weather. And it's 1am. And there just aren't any buses. Or trains. And the bus driver can only speak French. And you can't even feel your face.

I will crawl into bed. I think a map of my night's journey will be in order... Met the famous Mazzy tonight and I think tomorrow's blog will be pretty lengthy :) Also the man they call Anuj, who I believe is going to reconnect with a bunch of AIESEC buddies when he becomes a nomad too :)

Earthquakeville

Apparently there were something like 10 earthquakes in 10 hours back home recently. Just now Elizabeth called me up on Skype to say that there had just been another big one back home - enough for things to fall off her desk, and for them to be talking about it on talkback radio. Apparently it just kept going and going. Hope everyone back home is ok...

Back Up and Running...Almost

So I spent 3 hours on the phone this morning to various employees of Dell trying to finally get my computer fixed. Each time I would have to repeat that I'm from New Zealand, but I am in Canada, and my laptop is broken, and I can't call home. Thankfully they were all great to deal with, so polite and well-mannered.

The very cool thing is that they will be sending me a replacement part to arrive tomorrow some time - my hard drive has basically burnt itself out I think... So I will finally be able to use my laptop - thank goodness.

Special hello to clever D the AM :)

Only in America...

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) -- Defense attorney Leslie Ballin called it the "jury pool from hell."

The group of prospective jurors was summoned to listen to a case of Tennessee trailer park violence.

Right after jury selection began last week, one man got up and left, announcing, "I'm on morphine and I'm higher than a kite."

When the prosecutor asked if anyone had been convicted of a crime, a prospective juror said that he had been arrested and taken to a mental hospital after he almost shot his nephew. He said he was provoked because his nephew just would not come out from under the bed.

Another would-be juror said he had had alcohol problems and was arrested for soliciting sex from an undercover officer. "I should have known something was up," he said. "She had all her teeth."

Another prospect volunteered he probably should not be on the jury: "In my neighborhood, everyone knows that if you get Mr. Ballin (as your lawyer), you're probably guilty." He was not chosen.

The case involved a woman accused of hitting her brother's girlfriend in the face with a brick. Ballin's client was found not guilty.

Help!!! It's -36 Degrees Celcius

And that means it's really really really really really cold. Really.

Coffee Contraption

Since I'm only just getting feeling back into my legs (see last post), I thought it would be a great idea now to go get some coffee to warm up. Except when I looked at the coffee machine, I have no idea how it works. It has no less than a dozen buttons on it, funny pipe things, lids that lift up and out and across, vents, levers. I think it's really a device made by a mad scientist.

Oh, and I didn't end up having any coffee.

Frozen Breath

Today must be the coldest it's been since I've arrived. I think it's something like -28 degrees outside. The walk from home to work is around 10 minutes long. In that time I saw my breath freeze. I also can't feel my legs - seriously. I'll be forced to resort to polyprop leg things like Rumpelstiltskin. Oh dear. And they say that the worst is yet to come in February...I can't wait (not!). If you can get over the temperature today, it looks absolutely lovely outside - clear blue sky for miles.

I was supposed to go skiing at a place called Mt Tremblant in the weekend which is supposed to be quite flash. My flatmate is able to get corporate rate tickets so can save quite a bit. Unfortunately the weather wasn't so good so it didn't end up happening. It would be nice to end up on a mountain at some point, and given that my flattie goes up almost every weekend I'd say there's a good chance I might be able to :)

In other news, apparently I have been called up for jury service back home :) Well, if the Ministry of Justice is prepared to fly me back to NZ on 9 March for a District Court case/s, then I might have been interested ;-) Reminds me of a lady in the news the other day - she was called up when she had moved to England (the MoJ had sent her letter to her there!).

For those of you aware of my American Eagle saga, it's still not over! The clothes I ordered over a month ago are still somewhere...they were originally destined to arrive to my hotel before I did in Montreal so I would have something warm to wear (since it is slightly cold). Unfortunately they are still not here... :(

My alter ego

It appears that I'm also studying at the University of Toronto, doing research on Tele-homecare Technology for the Chronically Ill Patient...

Aren't I a clever boy? :)

My Clever Countrymen... *sigh*

Question: what do you do if you've been drinking heavily, stumble outside the pub and see a police breath-testing unit set up literally metres away?

Answer: get into your car, and drive towards the testing unit. So that you can do the test and fail it.

Yes, that's right, my countrymen are very clever.

Fantastic...

Canadians use MSN at work, and they actually use it for work purposes! Who would have thought... I've only ever known it to be used for chatting :)

Canadians are Funny...

* Their light switches flick upwards and are really big
* You have to pull the taps to turn them on...or should I say, faucets?
* There's this thing called "tipping"
* Prices don't have the tax included
* There is NO (and I do mean NO) international news
* There is so much cable tv you could sit in front of the tv forever *shudder*
* Everything is BIG
* They think I come from England
* They also think I have an accent...
* Things are generally (and somewhat surprisingly) cheaper than back home
* Their power is different from the whole rest of the world
* Vancouver airport security was comprised entirely of Asian people (well, everyone I saw)
* They (Quebecois) can only really buy alcohol from places called SAQ - and they have all been on strike since November (ie so people haven't been drinking alcohol since then)
* The main news item last night was a burst water main in downtown
* They cycle around in -10 or worse degrees weather

But they are still cool :)

Catching My Breath

So a week has passed that I've been in Mtl without my even really noticing! So here's a little summary of what's been going on for the last few days:

* Spent something like 30 hours travelling from Wellington to Mtl, the highlight being almost upgraded to business class (I asked for a power cord for my laptop and they almost put me there except the last seat was taken by a person who paid but they thought would be a noshow).

* Spent New Year's sleeping - it was a looooong flight, ok? :-P

* Camped out in the hotel finishing off a couple of last ever assignments to complete my law degree - thank goodness!

* Waking to find my laptop had somehow fried itself and was essentially out of order (still working on fixing it).

* Seeing snow for the first time in a place that's not on a ski mountain.

* Interesting Fact: Everyone, and I mean everyone, here in Mtl is good looking. Really. It's like Model-ville or something :)

* Finding out that the prepaid phone package I got, which lets you call anyone, anytime for a measly 15c a minute is considered "a rip off". (Wait until you use cell phones in NZ then!)

* Setting up my office/cubicle - right in the middle of downtown Montreal with fantastic views everywhere (well, if I strain hard enough from my cubicle, I can just see the skyline...but if I had an office I would see better!)

* Moving into my flatmate Sirel's apartment, which is about a 5 minute walk from work/town/everywhere...oh wait, that's because it is in the middle of town...

* Meeting up with Benoit, my supervisor, and working out exactly what I'll be researching - something along the lines of union effects on legal issues in outsourcing, maybe... (stop with those "geek" emails already ;) )

* Working out that sometimes, wearing thermal pants and tops, and jeans, and a shirt and a jersey and a polarfleece and a puffer jacket and an overcoat and two hats and two scarves and a pair of gloves won't always keep you warm...!!!

Photos to post once (if) I get that stuuuuuupid laptop working (isn't that ironic if it melted in a place this cold?) :)

Offline for time unknown...

Sad news this morning...my computer appears to have blown up over night. More precisely, the hard drive is acting all spastic and appears to be broken. Hurrah. Great timing. Thus, I do not know how often I'll be able to use msn|the internet|this blog, etc. As I'm also using my supervisor's laptop, which is mostly in French and with a French keyboard, I'm having some difficulty... What a start to the year...

Who's Your Daddy

I think American Reality has sunk to a new low, with the premiere of Who's Your Daddy playing in the background while I'm sitting here working. I mean, well... I'm just speechless (which is usually quite rare for me) - think of all that emotional trauma and baggage that is going to be released. Does it raise ethical or moral questions? I think I'm thinking too much :)

Mr Potato Head in Sydney

Mr Potato Head in Sydney
Originally uploaded by Chris C.

...More to follow :)

Man burned lighting rubbish doused in petrol

That was a bit silly, now, wasn't it? :-o

Of Lost Luggage, And Other Things...

I have safely arrived in Montreal (or Mtl), after somewhere in the region of 30 hours flying. However, my luggage didn't. I had two suitcases, one with all my clothes and the other which was essentially empty but for a couple of random things and some pieces of paper. Of course, it would be the suitcase with the clothes that never arrived. Thankfully it has now turned up. Photos and more blogging to come as I'm so tired. Free internet in the hotel, so if you see me online then that's why. One last thing. A word of warning: I know there are free Samsung internet kiosks at Sydney Airport. However, do NOT use them for 3/4 of an hour updating your blog only to find out that it will not upload! And then find out that the copy/paste functions also do not work, so you can't email the blog to yourself! Oh, and one last last thing. Mr Potato Head was also seen on tour - there'll be photos of that too :)