Cultured Individual

October 2026 Update

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 16:22:27 +0000

I thought I would check-in with an update instead of the usual blog post this week. The reality is, I do not have any blog posts ready for release these next few weeks. Here are some things that I have planned for the weeks and months to come.

I have been to 15 countries in my life, and next week, I will be travelling to my 16th country. I am excited to tell you what this country is, but I am going to keep this a secret for now. I have planned many things that will fill this blog with content for the rest of this year.

I should also mention that due to my studiousness in collecting airline points, I will be arriving to this new country in style on a business-class seat. I have never flown in business-class or even been to an airline lounge, and I will tell you my entire experience when I get back from my trip. Actually, the reason I booked this trip in the first place is so I can fly in business-class. The rest of the trip is a bonus.

I am also patiently counting down the days until I can play Grand Theft Auto VI, as this game was 13 years in the making! I have some games that I want to play in the meantime, including Control: Resonant and the new remaster of The Witcher 3, but GTA6 is going to be the crown jewel of this gaming year for me.

So yeah, this is a little update from me, there will hopefully be new blog content in November as this month will be quite busy for me.

I Drove An ATV For The First Time In Mexico

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 15:56:38 +0000

While I was staying at the Dreams Sapphire Resort and Spa in Mexico, I had time to go on an excursion, which was ATV riding in the Mayan jungle. I have never driven an ATV before, let alone actually ridden in one before, so this would prove to be a different experience for me.

A minibus came to pick us up from our hotel in the early morning and it was a 30 to 40-minute drive to the Aventuras Mayas compound. At the front of the compound was a convenience store with bathrooms and lockers to put our things in.

After signing the waivers, our guide led us through the jungle path, telling us about the flora and fauna of the jungle we were in. Our guide told us not to touch the plants as they could cause serious rashes on the skin, and he would also tell us about the jaguars that would swim in the cenote on the compound. I would put myself in harm's way later during the trip.

There was an ATV display on the path, so our guide was explaining to us how to operate the vehicle, which felt like operating my e-scooter (when I used to have it). After the explanation, we went to get our helmets, and then we got to hop on our ATVs for some riding. I was a solo rider on this occasion. I was supposed to have someone sitting behind me on the ATV but she had too much to drink at the resort last night and therefore could not make it.

What did I think of my first ATV drive? I enjoyed it. It was good to have the wind hit me with full force as I was flying down the trail. We went through some smooth trails, but then we also went through some bumpy and rocky trails as well. The best thing for me was to just speed through the bumps and rocks as quickly (and safely) as possible, as I think you would feel the bumps more if you drove slowly. Operating the ATV accelerator and brake, as well as turning the ATV was a real workout on the arms as my ATV did not have power steering.

We spent around 40 mins on the ATVs before we drove back to return our vehicles and helmets. The next thing I got to do (which no one else wanted to join me to do) was to go swim in the cenote. With my lifejacket on, I jumped into the swimming hole with reckless abandon. The cenote was around 14m deep, which scared everyone else into abstaining from this activity. There were ziplines set up, as well as a platform for diving, but I did not want to do any of that. I just wanted to swim in the cenote where jaguars may or may not have been stalking me.

After the swim, the guides fed us a lunch of tortillas, rice, beans, and veggies which was nourishing.

After lunch, it was time to leave Aventuras Mayas, and the minibus took us into Puerto Morelos for some shopping. I went walking around the waterfront, and eventually, I joined some of my guests for drinking Coronas at the seaside restaurant.

Overall, I enjoyed the excursion, but I would not pay $100USD for something like this again.

Dreams Sapphire Resort and Spa Highlights Post

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 17:23:27 +0000

I just posted my formal review of the Dreams Sapphire Resort and Spa, and so I have this post for my more unstructured thoughts and experiences during my stay, such as the wildlife, the shows, and the other various events at the resort.

Because this resort is in the Mexican jungle off the coast of the Caribbean Sea, I would see lots of wildlife while walking around the resort. There would be iguanas chilling at the pool, and raccoons digging through the trash bins at night.

The animal that I would see the most is the coati, and they would be climbing the trees and walking around the resort. I even saw a coati family running around looking for food.

It is a shame that I went to this resort in the middle of the sargassum season which make swimming in the ocean extremely difficult. There would also be this stinky smell coming from the sargassum whenever I was on the beach.

On a few nights in the lobby, there would be some musicians that would play some familiar songs, including a violinist, a pianist, and a flutist. This would add some color to the night as I would go get my drinks from the lobby bar.

Every morning at the pool, there would be the event staff leading the guests in the pool in some water aerobics. I never took part in the exercises, but I always liked watching the guests take part while I was sipping on a drink from the pool bar. I heard this one song "Danca Da Maozinha" every day during my stay which ended up getting stuck in my head when I left Mexico.

On one day in the pool, the staff brought out the foam machine for a foam party and was spraying out foam for all the pool guests. Throughout my stay at the resort, I would always hear the same Pitbull and LMFAO songs that it drove me a little bit crazy, though I would also hear some Spanish songs as well.

I had some genuinely great food at the a la carte restaurants and so I would like to do a ranking of all the a la carte meals I had at the resort.

1: Mexican (9/10) - steamed tilapia was the best dish of my stay

2: Italian (8.5/10) - cannot go wrong with pizza and pasta

3: Asian (8/10) - sushi and pad Thai were solid

4: French (7.5/10) - shrimp and potatoes were good, but the eclair for dessert was disappointing

5: Bluewater Grill (6/10) - vegan burger with BBQ sauce was just okay

This would not be a resort without the nightly shows, and there were shows in the theater, as well as outdoors close to the beach. There was this roller-skating acrobatics show in the theater one night, which I thought was a bit boring.

The other show I saw in the theatre was the magic show by this illusionist named Alonso Bro. The show was marginally better than the acrobatics show, but this show felt like something more towards children.

The outdoor shows were much better than the theatre shows. There was a fire show with some performers twirling fire around, which you should not try anywhere. The fire show was certainly a spectacle.

The other outdoor show was a Mexican dinner show with singers, dancers, and other performers highlighting the country of Mexico. This was a neat show, and it contrasted well with the moonlight.

One thing that the lobby bar had that I have not seen in an all-inclusive resort before is that you can get a hookah for smoking. Our party had a couple of hookahs on my last night at the resort and I can certainly tell you that the quality of the hookah and the flavors were much worse than what I have experienced in Toronto.

That was everything that was going on at the Dreams Sapphire Resort and Spa on the Riviera Maya in Mexico. I will leave you with some of the best photos from my trip.

Resort Review: Dreams Sapphire Resort And Spa

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 19:29:54 +0000

I stayed for seven days at the Dreams Sapphire Resort and Spa, which is an all-inclusive family-friendly resort on the Riviera Maya in Mexico, just south of Cancun. I was at this Hyatt property to attend a wedding. The Dreams Sapphire Resort and Spa a designated AAA Four Diamond resort, but I wanted to see if this resort was a hit with me.

Check-In

We arrived at the resort in the morning and the check-in was a rather slow experience, with all the staff assisting other guests while we were waiting in line for about 20 mins. My room would not be ready until 3PM, so I had some time beforehand to check out the resort. There were staff that offered a welcome drink of champagne (or anything you wanted) while you waited, which alleviated the check-on experience a little bit. I had only one suitcase to take to my room but there were bellhops who were there to assist guests checking in to take their luggage to their room.

Room

I had a Deluxe Junior Suite Tropical View which was spacious. The room had amenities such as a TV, a safe, some bathrobes, extra pillows and blankets, and a coffee machine. There was a mini-fridge with water, soft drinks, and beer. I had a king-size bed which was comfortable to sleep in. There was a sofa (which can pull out to a bed) as well as a small table with chairs. I had a balcony with some wicker chairs and another small table. The bathroom was out in the open with one sink and a shower, and there was a separate small room with the toilet. My issues with the room were that the lighting was far too dim, especially in the night. Also, although the room was clean enough, I would not call the room completely spotless as I saw some small areas not cleaned properly or not clean at all. Overall, the room was fine to stay in, but nothing special.

Rating: 7/10

Food

The main restaurant to get food was the World Cafe, which was a buffet restaurant where you could get breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There were some changes with the food each day and the food was above-average. I liked that the buffet was indoors and I did not notice many flies buzzing around the food, which was good.

There are also several à la carte restaurants which are first-come, first-serve, rather than you having to book a reservation, which is something that I prefer. The only thing you must book a reservation for is the Teppanyaki grill where the chef puts on a show for you as he serves your food. The food at the à la carte restaurants are noticeably better than the buffet restaurant as they have their own dedicated kitchens and some of the kitchens have glass barriers so you can watch the cooks prepare your food. À la carte restaurants include Mexican, French, Italian, and Asian restaurants, to name a few.

Next to the main pool was is a snack bar where you can get burgers, pizza, chips, and condiments to put on your burger or make your own tortilla. The pizza was decent but the rest of the food at the snack bar was below average.

There are other places to get some food, including a smoothie bar where you can get sorbet and fresh fruit, and a coffee bar. There is also 24-hour room service where you can also get food from a set menu.

Ratings:

Buffet Restaurant: 7/10

À la carte Restaurants: 8.5/10

Snack Bar: 4.5/10

Shops/Vendors

There are some shops within the resort including a souvenir shop, a jewelry store, and a pharmacy. There was also a small shop by the pool that sold convenience store and pool items.

On a couple of nights at the resort, there were some vendors that would set up some stalls along the walkways with some souvenir items for guests to peruse and buy.

Beach

I went to the Dreams Sapphire Resort and Spa in August, which was in the middle of the sargassum season in Mexico and made going in the ocean water next-to-impossible. Obviously, the seaweed issue is beyond the resort’s control, but I always saw the resort staff cleaning away the seaweed as much as possible and generally maintaining the beach area. I had some time to walk around in the sand and dip my toes in the water, but I did not spend much time at the beach (nor anyone else). It therefore would not be fair to give a rating for the beach at the Dreams Sapphire.

Pool

There are a few pools on the property. There is the main pool which is accessible for everyone. The pool itself is large and did not feel crowded at all. There is also a swim-up bar on one end of the pool to get drinks. I believe the pool had climate-control, so it felt like the perfect temperature when you enter the pool for the first time. There is also a hot tub in the vicinity as well. It was good to just swim around the length of the pool with a drink in your hand. If I had one improvement, maybe the swim-up bar should be in its own separate pool, but this is a minor suggestion.

There is a quiet pool in the middle of the houses with the rooms, but this is for the Preferred guests. I got to check it out one evening and it looked nice.

Finally, there is the rooftop pool for the Club and Villas guests where you can look out into the ocean or relax on the loungers.

Rating (Main Pool): 8/10

Amenities

The Dreams Sapphire has many things for kids and teens to do. There is a kids club for the younger children, and there is a games room for teens. I was able to look at the games room where there are VR attractions and places to sit and play video games, which I thought was awesome.

Outside the games room is the courtyard where there are table tennis tables, a pool table, cornhole, and other games set up for guests to use.

The resort has a few water slides next to the main pool which are a nice addition to the resort. Next to the water slides was a mini-golf course which was in rough shape.

In regards of things for adults, there are things typical of resorts such as a gym, a spa, and sports courts where you could play football, basketball, tennis, etc.

Ratings:

Things for Children: 8/10

Things for Adults: 6/10

Entertainment

During the daytime, the staff would host events at the pool, including water aerobics, water sports, and various fun competitions for guests. One day, there was even a foam machine that sent foam into the pool.

Going into the evening, there would be some musicians performing in the lobby bar including pianists, flutists, and violinists, which was classy.

There were a few theatre shows during my stay, including a magic show, a roller-skating acrobatics show, and a couples game-show. They were average to mediocre at best.

Finally, there were a couple of shows outdoors by the beach, including a fire show and a Mexico show, which were much better than the theatre shows.

Rating: 6.5/10

Nightlife

After the evening show, there would be a DJ playing music at the lobby until around 11:30pm.

Alternatively, you can go to the sports bar which is the main nightclub and drink and dance until midnight, when at that time the music stops. There is nothing else going on at the resort after midnight, which is extremely disappointing. There is not even a late-night snack bar to go to (so I had to rely on the late-night room service on a couple of occasions). If you are looking for some sort of nightlife, you are not going to find it at the Dreams Sapphire.

Rating: 3/10

Internet

The Wi-Fi was surprisingly strong with very little drops around the resort. The Wi-Fi was free to connect for all guests.

Rating: 8/10

Service

Overall, the service was great and I had no major complaints. Most of the staff were willing to go above and beyond to make your stay a pleasurable one. The room-keepers were fantastic in keeping my room clean and stocking my fridge with drinks. The waiters at the restaurants were attentive and accommodating. The bartenders were firing off drinks with a smile. Whenever I would walk from my room to the lobby, many of the staff were quick to greet you as they walked past, which I appreciate. I always made sure to tip generously, and you should too.

Rating: 8.5/10

Final Verdict

The Dreams Sapphire Resort and Spa is a clean and competent family-friendly resort with great food and service, which were some of the best I had at an all-inclusive resort. There are so many things for children to do at this resort, while at the same time, it did not feel like there were too many things for adults to do. This resort was more of a relaxing resort rather than a lively resort, and I prefer the livelier resorts. My biggest issue with the resort of the lack of things to do in the late-night, which I suppose makes sense in a family-friendly resort, but it is something of which I am not a fan. Regardless, if you like to go to an all-inclusive resort to relax and you want something more family-friendly, then the Dreams Sapphire is a solid option.

Final Rating: 7.5/10

I Did Some Tourist Toronto Stuff (Summer 2026)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 17:24:19 +0000

During the Civic Holiday weekend, I had some relatives visiting Toronto for the first time. In fact, they have never left the Atlanta area (where they lived), nor ever flown on a plane before. So, I had the task of giving them the stereotypical Toronto experience, which includes taking them to some of the major tourist attractions in the Toronto area, as well as the necessary tourist trip to Niagara Falls.

Before all that, on the first night, I took the relatives to the local waterfront, which includes a picturesque view of the local nuclear power plant and some ice cream.

The next day, I took the relatives to Downtown Toronto and made them go up the CN Tower. I personally have not gone up the CN Tower since I did the Edgewalk a few years ago, and before that, the last time I went up the tower to browse the views was back in 2012. It was nice to come back to see Toronto in all its concrete splendor.

I also took them up to the SkyPod (now called “The Top”) for even higher views from the tower. I was hoping to see the roof of the SkyDome open to catch the Blue Jays game but they were playing away from home that day.

The Toronto Skyline from the CN Tower in 2012

The Toronto Skyline from the CN Tower in 2026

I put up some comparison pictures of the Toronto skyline from the last time I went up the tower.

I took my relatives for a walk in the Toronto islands on another beautiful day in the city. We hopped on the Ward’s Island ferry and got some drinks from the Runaway Cafe. We walked on the boardwalk facing Tommy Thompson Park and Lake Ontario. It was better than walking on the main path with the bicycles and quadricycles zipping about.

I showed my relatives the best place to get the best pictures of the Toronto skyline. There was not a cloud in the sky.

While walking the Harbourfront (back on the mainland), we came across an installation of a rather inconvenient floating convenience store. I showed them a few of the areas in Toronto, including Chinatown and Yonge-Dundas square.

The next day, we took them to Niagara Falls and did the “Maid of the Mist” attraction, which I have not actually done before. You hop on a boat that takes you up close to Niagara Falls where the falling water will drench you. It was difficult to get pictures of the Falls because water was pelting me when we got closer to the falls. It was still a fun experience, and I think locals and visiting tourists should do this at least once in their life. What also did not help us was that as soon as we got off the boat, there was a massive rainstorm that came through that further piled on the misery.

Switching gears (no pun intended) from the visit of the relatives, I spent the Saturday at the Honda Indy at the new Markham street circuit to watch the INDYCAR practice. This was the first year that the annual INDYCAR race took place in Markham as it moved from Exhibition Place in Toronto. There were some growing pains, as there were some hard gravel walkways that messed up my ankles.

There was a great viewing spot next to Enterprise Blvd to see the cars go flat out on the slight bend before the tight hairpin turn.

There were many food stalls, merchandise stalls, and simulators to check out as we walked around the concourses. The other problem (along with the gravel) was that we could not complete the loop around the track as we would require a Paddock Pass to cut through the paddock and back to where the train station was. Going to the Honda Indy was a nice novelty and it was cool to check out, though I am not sure if I would ever go back to the event again until the organizers improve the fan experience.

Those were some of the things I did in Toronto this summer, and there will be more to come in the fall and winter of this year.

Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge Is A Bonafide Xbox Classic

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 16:23:16 +0000

By GameFaqs [1], Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19852317

Microsoft are beginning to release some old Xbox exclusives to their Xbox Game Pass platform, and they started out with these first four Xbox exclusives. There was Conker: Live and Reloaded, which is a remake of Conker’s Bad Fur Day on the N64, which I already played. There was Fuzion Frenzy, which was Microsoft’s answer to the Mario Party series, and a game which demo I played significantly when I was younger. There was Blinx: The Time Sweeper, which is a platformer whose gimmick is that Blinx can control time (and the marketing claiming that the game is “4-D”). However, there was one game that caught my eye because I remembered how awesome this game was when I initially played it.

Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge is an action-oriented flight game where you play as Nathan Zachary, who is the leader of the Fortune Hunters air pirate gang as they travel to various locales to avenge the death of his old friend. The graphics have obviously aged from the game's release in 2003, but they are still decent today. The thing that surprised me even today is unexpectedly strong the story, characters, and dialogue are. There are lots of fun interactions between the members of the Fortune Hunters, as well as the many characters you meet as you play through the game. Crimson Skies also took some risks with cinematics when there were not too many games doing that at the time. Nathan Zachary always felt like a type of "Indiana Jones" figure but he mostly flies planes. I also think that Nathan Zachary was a precursor to Nathan Drake from the Uncharted series.

The best thing about Crimson Skies is the arcade-style flight gameplay. I am glad the developers made the decision to make the gameplay more of an arcade game rather than a simulation game, as I think this decision would have attracted more players to the game. The plane combat/dogfighting is still so much fun, and the plane controls are simple and easy to work with. Crimson Skies follows an open-world structure with each location that you visit, where you can fly around to accept missions or discover hidden secrets. Most of the missions involve dogfighting, though there is some mission variety where there are turret and checkpoint racing missions as well. There are many planes that you can find and fly, though I wish there were more customization options.

If you have Xbox Game Pass, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge is a must-play. The main story only takes around 5-7 hours to complete so there is no major time commitment. You will have a blast flying around in these planes and trying to shoot the other planes down. This is a game I had fond memories playing when I had an Xbox and I am glad I got to relive those memories on Game Pass.

Halo: Campaign Evolved Felt Unnecessary

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 17:05:03 +0000

By https://steamdb.info/app/2806050/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81428498

The Halo video game series are some of the most iconic video games in history, and the original Halo: Combat Evolved on the Xbox in 2001 proved that high-quality first-person shooters can exist outside of the PC. Fast-forward 25 years, and now we have a remake of the original Halo called Halo: Campaign Evolved now available on the Xbox, PC, and for the first time ever, on PlayStation. Saying that aloud made me feel a bit dirty.

The best thing about this Halo remake is that the visuals look outstanding on Unreal Engine 5. This hammered home for me while playing the “Silent Cartographer” level when you were on the island and you see the waves of the water look so clear and crisp. There is also a big upgrade in the character models and expressions, with Cortana and Sgt. Johnson being the highlights of these improvements.

In Halo: Campaign Evolved, there are new cutscenes, dialogue, and weapons to use in your playthrough, but the big addition in this remake are three bonus prequel missions with Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson, which I am afraid to say are nothing special and do not stand out from the original campaign levels. The overall gameplay has not changed much from the original 2001 release, though it did not need to change much at all. I noticed that there are a lot more navigation markers telling you the next point you need to go, as well as enemies getting markers above their heads. The enemy markers also give away where the camouflaged elites are, which is a spectacular oversight from Halo Studios.

I ultimately enjoyed my time playing Halo: Campaign Evolved but my main takeaway from this game was that Halo: Campaign Evolved felt unnecessary. Not only do you have the original 2001 Halo, but you also have the remaster Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary as part of the Halo Master Chief Collection. In the remaster, you can toggle between the original and remastered visuals. I can only recommend this game if you already have Xbox Gamepass. In no way you should pay full price for this Halo Remake on PC or on the PS5, especially knowing that Halo: Campaign Evolved does not include the multiplayer! If you want to jump into the Halo series, the best way to do that is to get the Halo Master Chief Collection.

Cathedral Laser Shows, Speakeasies, and Night Walks in Montreal

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 19:10:36 +0000

My weekend in Montreal was not just going to a football match and going to a couple of attractions. Here is everything else that was going on while I was in the city on this specific excursion.

After the Canada/Ireland match, I found myself walking around the Latin Quarter looking for a place to have a late-night drink before I head back to my hotel. It was a Friday night and there were many people looking to have a good time at the bars and clubs on the street. I was walking on some of the side streets to get back to my hotel, and there was a rave going on across the road. I was not dressed for the occasion.

There was one more attraction that I went to, and that was a laser and light show inside the Notre-Dame Basilica on the Saturday night. It did feel a bit like sacrilege to have something like a laser show inside a place of worship. There was a large lineup outside the cathedral but the line moved quickly so I could get inside and get a decent seat.

It was cool to see the interior of the church be all lit up prior to the actual show, but we were not allowed to film or take any pictures of the show once it started, which makes sense. The show was entertaining, and also weird for the fact that I was inside a church.

When the light show was over, I walked around the interior of the cathedral taking pictures of the various saints and the architecture.

I would end my nights at Bar Leonor which is just around the corner from the Travelodge that I was staying at and also open late. I would order my shot of liquor and sip on a Peroni as I take in my neon surroundings.

Another bar that I went to was the Cloakroom bar which was inside a men’s tailor shop. I walked in the front door waiting for a few seconds until a hidden door opened up and a waiter called me inside the bar, which was a speakeasy.

The bar itself was tiny and it was unusual in the fact that there was no set menu. You tell the bartender the kind of drink that you like and the bartender makes a cocktail for you based on what you tell the bartender. I had a couple of unique cocktails which were delicious.

I had my share of local cuisine on this little trip. I had Chinese food at Chez Chili in Chinatown, and some poutine at Poutineville, among other eats. I also went to some other bars including McLean’s Pub, which was great.

I also had some time to check out Jean-Talon Market and the other touristy areas. I think I used the Montreal Metro more times in a weekend than I would use the TTC in a summer.

Anyways, that was my time in Montreal in 2026. More pictures below, including pictures of murals as I was walking down Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

Media Gallery - Montreal Biodome

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 18:52:31 +0000

On my weekend in Montreal, I needed something to do on the Sunday before I took the train back home the following day. I was deciding between going to the Biodome and going to the Biosphere, but after some brief online research, I decided to go see some animals at the Biodome. I am not much of a zoo person, but I needed to do something to pass the time. It was back to Viau station and the Montreal Olympic complex where the Biodome was.

At the Biodome, there are distinct biomes/ecosystems that you can walk through, and the first biome I went to see was the rainforest. The biome was humid and I was sweating a lot, but I got to see quite a few animals including parrots, crocodiles, and capybaras. The capybaras were way bigger than I imagined them to be. I would also see some scarlet ibis flying around as well.

The next biome was the maple forest, which had some beavers and ducks, but there was more of an emphasis on aquatic life, including pike and sturgeon. It was difficult to get good pictures and video because there were many children at this attraction checking out all of the animals.

The most popular biome at the Biodome is the polar biome where you can check out a colony of penguins, as well as some puffins. They were cool to see up close.

That is all I have for the Montreal Biodome. I did not find the offerings to be all that impressive, but this is an attraction that would be more suitable for children.

More pictures/videos below:

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Is A Huge Art Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 17:25:16 +0000

It was a rainy Saturday morning in Montreal, and fresh from my wild night at Stade Saputo for the Canada/Ireland match, I needed to find some activities to do this weekend. The torrential rain limited my options to only indoor activities, and I decided to go to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, which is the oldest, largest, and most visited art museum in Canada. This was not my first time going to a fine arts museum, and it was not even my first time going to a fine arts museum in Quebec, as I went to the Quebec Museum of Fine Arts in Quebec City last year. I got there as soon as it opened, paid my $30 admission fee, and set off to peruse its exhibitions.

The feature exhibition is a collection of Roman sculptures from Prince Alessandro Torlonia from the House of Torlonia, who are a wealthy aristocratic family from Italy. There are sculptures of different Roman emperors and other figures made from marble and with incredible craftsmanship. There were sculptures of coffins that piqued my interest, as I am sure it must be difficult to move around. Even the lid for the coffin must be very heavy.

I ventured into the main parts of the exhibition where there are different artifacts from ancient African, Chinese, Indian, and Egyptian cultures. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is looking just as much as a history museum as it is an art museum.

Another exhibition I went to check out is the collection of self-portraits from photographer Richard Avedon which he took between the early 1950s to the mid 2000s. I found this exhibit to be one of the most unsettling exhibits I have seen, as looking at these black-and-white portraits of these people; from celebrities to ordinary people; felt like you were looking into their soul and even into their pain.

I went to check out one of the main exhibits next, which is a history of the creation of chairs and other furniture over the years. There is a wall of all these different cantilever chair designs, which I thought was neat.

There is a section with 20th century artifacts, from vehicles such as the Brabus Smart Car, to various classic electronics such as vacuum cleaners and telephones.

There is this display of what a cubicle would look like in the 1980s, including an old Macintosh computer. I could not imagine using an old Macintosh computer from the 1980s at all.

There is a section of the museum with Inuit art and sculptures worth checking out.

Finally, there is a section of the museum with traditional paintings, sculptures, and other works of art.

Fatigue set in for me by the end of my visit, as there was so much to see at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and I felt like I was only scratching the surface of what to check out. You could easily spend the whole day seeing everything there was to see in this museum. This was time well spent on a rainy day in Montreal.

More pictures below:

Winnipeg Travels: The Forks, Luxury Hotels, and Local Neighborhoods

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:02:22 +0000

Here is my compilation post of everything else I did in Winnipeg that I did not cover in my previous Winnipeg blog posts. Overall, I thought my trip to Winnipeg was enjoyable in the three nights I stayed here, though I was struggling to find things to do by the end of the second night. Winnipeg felt like an isolated city, but it has its own scene and community that I appreciate.

I stayed at the Inn at the Forks, which is a luxury boutique hotel in the middle of The Forks Historic Site, which is the tourist area in Winnipeg. I have stayed in older luxury railway hotels before but nothing this modern. My room was clean and spacious, and had this simple but elegant look. After this Winnipeg trip, I found it funny that what I paid to stay at a Winnipeg luxury hotel was the same price I paid for a room with one double bed at a Travelodge in Montreal, which is insane to me.

On my first morning in Winnipeg (and while I was waiting for my room to be ready), I went walking around The Forks Historic Site, to look at some of the monuments and landmarks.

I went walking along the Red River looking over to the Saint-Boniface neighbourhood (more on this later). It was a calm and chilly morning. I walked over to where the Red and Assiniboine rivers meet. I would not want to find myself in the current in the Assiniboine River.

The Forks Market is the main tourist market/shopping centre in the area, and this was where I got most of my food on my trip. I did not expect the market to be so busy, but it was lively during the day. There were many food stalls and even a bar with many kinds of local craft beer. The food was decent, but I was not too adventurous with the culinary offerings on this trip. However, I did not particularly enjoy the beer on tap.

I took a quick peek inside Winnipeg's Union Station. Apparently, there was a railway museum in the building but I did not go to visit it.

One of the places I wanted to visit while I was in Winnipeg was The Fort Garry Hotel, which is the grand railway hotel in Winnipeg. I wanted to visit a specific room in this hotel called The Oval Room. The Oval Room is this beautifully-adorned domed room with this presidential-style of furnishings. Apparently, this room is popular as a movie set for various Hallmark movies.

I sat at the bar to order a summer cocktail (Jungle Bird) and was talking to the bartender to learn more about the room I was in. This was one of the most impressive rooms I have ever been inside.

The next morning, I took a walk from my hotel to the Exchange District (which was where I was going to rent a car). I took some pictures walking through Downtown, including the Fairmont Hotel and the intersection of Main and Portage.

The Exchange District had this look of an old American city with its classic big ads on the sides of the brick buildings. It was like walking around a mini-Chicago.

I had breakfast at the Clementine Cafe, which was quite busy when I went, which told me that this was going to be a good meal. I had a potato rosti with salmon, an egg, and salmon roe. The meal was excellent, and this was the best food I had while in Winnipeg.

On the last morning of my trip, I went for a walk in the Saint-Boniface neighbourhood, which is the French Quarter of Winnipeg where most people living and working here spoke French. Also, the signage and street names in this neighbourhood are in French as well.

The old City Hall in the neighbourhood was a tourist information centre with a small art gallery worth checking out.

Other things I saw in the neighbourhood include a private university and the local cathedral.

The last thing I want to mention is that there is a Caribbean restaurant (Deen's Caribbean Restaurant) that existed here in Winnipeg since the 1970s, which completely took me by surprise. I had to go see this place by myself, because I did not think there would be a Caribbean community in Winnipeg. I ordered some doubles, and they did not look like the doubles I would normally see in Toronto. The doubles were fine, I was not terribly hungry, but I got to speak with the owner about this restaurant and it thrived in a city where I would not expect Caribbean people to live.

That was all the other things I did while I was in Winnipeg. I am glad that I went to a city where I would not think about going in Canada, but I felt like I did everything I needed to do in my time, and I do not plan to go back again.

More pictures below:

More Airports Should Have Aviation Museums (Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 17:29:08 +0000

Across from the Winnipeg Airport is the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada, which is a great place for me to spend some time before I go into the airport and check-in. The aviation museum is this giant hangar with all these classic planes. I am not an aviation geek by any stretch, but I felt like I learned a lot looking at all these planes and learning about their roles in the aviation industry in Western Canada.

The first section of the museum were these old bush planes from the early 20th century which served several functions, including delivering mail to rural communities and delivering mining equipment for mining gold and other valuable resources. The earliest planes were made of fabric before manufacturers started building planes out of aluminum and other metals.

There is an old Air Canada passenger plane from the 1950s that you could walk inside and check out. I got to see passenger planes used to look like around 60 years ago, and it looks more comfortable than flying in the present day.

There was also some old military aircraft on display from the Royal Canadian Air Force, as well as some rockets and other aircraft parts.

There were some other aircraft on display, including some cargo planes, and a prototype helicopter that could only achieve a lift of around 3 metres.

The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada was a great way to spend some time before your flight, and I wish more airports had aviation museums to go see.

More pictures below:

Manitoba Museum Photo Gallery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 22:21:55 +0000

I went to the Manitoba Museum as part of my trip to Winnipeg and prior to my visit, I heard a number of good things about this museum. I have to tell you, there were some excellent exhibitions in this museum and this was one of the better museums I have ever been to in my travels. This is just like my visit to the Quebec Museum of Civilization in Quebec City, but in Manitoba.

I will let my pictures do the talking, but there were some highlights from this museum that deserves some words.

There is a full replica of a ship inside this museum that you can explore. The Nonsuch is a merchant ship that sailed to Hudson Bay from England in 1668-1669 which came to be the first trading voyage for the Hudson’s Bay Company. This is a crazy thing to have in a museum, and it was popular with younger visitors. The Nonsuch replica ship is part of a collection of items from the Hudson’s Bay Company on display at the Manitoba Museum.

There is also a re-creation of what looks to be early 20th century Winnipeg full with makeshift residences, shops, and other commercial storefronts, which was incredibly immersive. This would be around the time of the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919.

There is also a Science Gallery and Planetarium, but I did not check those out. I stuck to the main exhibition of the History of Manitoba with the taxidermy animals and displays. The rest of my pictures are below.

A Chilly Morning At The Assiniboine Park Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:07:52 +0000

I spent a chilly morning walking around the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden and the English Garden at Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg as part of my little excursion to the prairie province. This was in mid-May and the temperature for the morning was around 6-8 degrees Celsius, so nothing outside was in full bloom. Regardless, I saw a number of people getting their steps in on their morning walks so that was nice.

There were many sculptures to see in the Sculpture Garden, though it was a shame that the fountain was not turned on or the indoor gallery was open; it was not quite open season yet. Leo Mol is a Ukrainian-born sculptor who moved to Canada. This garden is a collection of his sculptures, of which I will share with you below. I also took some pictures of the surrounding area of the park. I will have a separate post on my visit to The Leaf Conservatory.

Enjoy!

The Leaf Conservatory Is An Impressive Structure

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:41:19 +0000

Continuing my morning excursion to Assiniboine Park, I spent some time at The Leaf Conservatory, which is one of the major attractions at the park. Before I go inside, I want to talk about the structure of the conservatory itself. It has this tent structure that looks like it is a big white flower in the park. Along with the Human Rights Museum, The Leaf Conservatory is one of the most impressive-looking buildings I have seen in Winnipeg, and maybe all of Canada.

It was a chilly mid-May morning at Assiniboine Park, so there was not much growing outside The Leaf, but there were some things to climb on and take some pictures from an elevated position.

I enter the conservatory and I instantly feel the warmth radiating inside. I pay my admission fee and the staff allow me into the first biome. There are separate sections of the conservatory, including two biomes, and a butterfly garden. The first biome was a tropical biome full with tropical trees and plants, and a waterfall to give that tropical vibe. There were always staff walking around engaging with the guests and giving more information about some of the plants growing here.

There was a little river flowing through this biome with a koi pond, so you can look at some koi fish.

The elevator takes you to a higher floor of the conservatory so you can get some views of the two biomes.

On this higher floor is the butterfly garden. I do not think I have ever been to a butterfly garden before, but I thought it was interesting. Part of the fun is trying to find the butterflies in the bushes and trying to get a good picture using the zoom on your camera. I also had some butterflies flying around me, which was a bit of a shock that they would get so close.

The second biome is a dry, desert biome with plants you would most likely see in the Southwest United States or around the Mediterranean Sea. There were some cacti to check out, but this was more of the same as the tropical biome.

That was my time at The Leaf Conservatory. Winnipeg has been impressing me with its architecture and The Leaf is another example of it. There is also much to learn about botany at this attraction and it is worth checking out.

More pictures below:

Pragmata - Capcom’s New IP

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 19:08:04 +0000

By Capcom France, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=183892404

I just finished playing Pragmata, which is Capcom’s brand-new action-adventure game. Pragmata follows Hugh Williams, who is a space explorer, and meets an android girl named Diana, as they try to escape the moon and try to make it back to Earth alive. Pragmata gets comparisons to the Dead Space series due to the space setting, but without the survival horror aesthetic.

The thing that Pragmata does different from other action-adventure games comes from its unique combat mechanics. As Hugh, you can shoot enemies as you encounter them, which is nothing new. The new dimension to the combat is you can also play a hacking mini-game as Diana while you are shooting enemies to damage enemies further and open weak spots on the enemies for even more damage. This combined combat mechanics of shooting and hacking makes Pragmata frenetic and a lot of fun to play, though it can get a bit challenging in trying to focus between shooting, hacking, and dodging enemy attacks.

As you play through the game, you start to see this pseudo father-daughter relationship develop between Hugh and Diana, and I think this is a refreshing take on writing both characters. Usually, you see the father as this stoic, manly figure, and the daughter as some know-it-all, but it is nice to see Hugh as an attentive figure to Diana despite the situation they find themselves in, and it is also nice to see Diana act as if she is an actual child, despite her being an android.

With these positives, there is an obvious weak point with Pragmata, which is that the overall story is quite average, not very engaging, and takes a back seat to the dialogue between Hugh and Diana. There were long stretches of Pragmata where the game gets much in the weeds in the interactions of the main characters that it seems to forgot the main objective of trying to get off this moon base and try to get back to Earth.

Overall, I had an enjoyable time with Pragmata, and I think it is a great game. The combat alone makes this game so much better gameplay-wise than other similar action-adventure games, and there are several fulfilling and touching moments between Hugh and Diana that make you invested in their relationship. However, Pragmata as a game never gripped me. Maybe it is because of the average story, but I felt like I was waiting for a payoff that made the experience worth it, but never came. Still, I am glad there is this brand-new successful IP in a sea of remakes. I cannot wait to play a sequel of this game and I hope this IP sticks around for a bit.

Braving The Cold Of Lake Winnipeg (Gimli/Winnipeg Beach)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 20:36:36 +0000

One of the things I wanted to do while in Manitoba was to take a drive up to Lake Winnipeg and see the sights. I rented a car for the day and set off on my journey to the lake and to the town of Gimli.

It was about an hour and fifteen-minute drive from downtown Winnipeg to Gimli, and the drive there was straight, flat, and hardly anything to see. On top of that, the roads themselves were in questionable condition. This was probably one of most boring drives I had to do in my Canada travels so far, and it made me wish I was back to the coastal drives in Nova Scotia.

I park my car right next to the CFB Gimli Memorial, which is a plane monument that the officers of the Gimli Air Force base gifted to the town.

I walk over to the Gimli seawall to check out Lake Winnipeg. It was a cold and windy day to be on the shore, and I was feeling the chill from the lake. Gimli looked like a small British seaside town with some attractions, restaurants, and shops. People were walking further along the seawall to get to the end of the pier, but I was not doing that and turned back to see what else was in the town.

There was a small welcome centre with a little gift shop and museum about Lake Winnipeg, which was worth checking out.

Icelandic settlers founded the community of Gimli, and the town maintains a strong connection to its Icelandic roots. There is a heritage museum about the Icelandic settlers that I wanted to see, so off I went to check out the museum.

I paid my admission fee, and the attendant takes me to a room to watch a short film about how the Icelandic settlers came to live off the land through agriculture and fishing in the late 19th century.

The museum itself detailed many aspects of the lives of the Icelandic settlers, including how they dressed themselves, their shelters, and the tools they used to farm and fish.

There was also a little dress-up area where you could try on some Viking helmets and hold some Viking shields and look at yourself in the mirror where you can look like a true Viking.

Outside of the museum, there is a 15-foot statue of a Viking to check out. I think this is one of the major attractions of the town, and I am sure there will be many people here to take pictures in the summer months.

After visiting Gimli, I drove down the local road to Winnipeg Beach to see what was going on over there. Winnipeg Beach was a tiny town with a few shops and restaurants, but there was a boardwalk stretching the length of the beach. I snapped some pictures and stuck around a little bit to grab some grub at Midnight Annie’s.

All in all, I was glad to check out some of the seaside towns on Lake Winnipeg just so I could say I have been there. I wish the weather could have been a bit better on a mid-May afternoon, but what can you do?

More pictures below:

I Went To Canada Vs. Ireland At Stade Saputo in Montreal

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 16:39:00 +0000

I went to Canada’s last World Cup warm-up against Ireland in Montreal, and I was lucky to snag a ticket through The Voyageurs supporters group. Since I live in the Toronto area, I would need to make my way to Montreal on the morning of the match. This was the first match I attended in Stade Saputo, and now I have been to matches in all three Canadian MLS grounds (BMO Field, BC Place, Stade Saputo). I have my first impressions of the stadium, as well as what was going on in and around the match.

Using the Montreal Metro, I hop off Viau station and make my way with the crowd of people to the stadium with the toilet bowl of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium in the horizon. Further along the path, Stade Saputo comes into view. Now I had some preconceived notions about Stade Saputo, as I would imagine that the stadium and its concourses would be a bit bare-bones and lacking of any character. In some ways, Stade Saputo surprised me.

Walking through the Stade Saputo concourse felt like going to an outdoor patio with many string lights hung around the area. It certainly felt different to walking through a concrete jail block that BMO Field can feel sometimes. The concourses were wide with a lot of space to move around, and the concourses only felt tight around the concession stands. Also, the pre-game attractions were inside the concourses themselves (instead of outside the stadium like at BMO Field).

I walk out of the concourse and into the stadium proper. Stade Saputo always had this look of an unfinished English Championship stadium, and now that I am here, I can confirm that it does feel that way. I was in the supporters section in section 132, which is general admission (which really needs to be a thing at BMO Field) with bench seating. The only issue with the bench seating is that people sometimes stand on the benches while watching the match which obfuscates the view of the near goal. Also, with general admission, if you need to go to the concourse for any reason, be prepared to have your spot taken my someone else.

There was an away section of Irish fans, as well as a spattering of away fans around the stadium, but thankfully the stadium attendance was overwhelmingly supporting Canada and decked out in red. This was a sold-out match and it was great to see mostly Canada supporters at a Canada match in Canada for a change. There was an electricity in the air probably owing to the World Cup starting next week. As for the supporters section itself, I would not absolutely say that the section was in full voice, though there some good moments with the chants. I noticed the capos were having some megaphone issues in the first half, and the chants from the bottom of the section were not travelling well to the upper half of the section to pick up the chanting.

There were some other tidbits worth mentioning while I was at this match. Undoubtedly, the biggest cheers in the stadium were when the Stade Saputo staff would show other athletes watching the match in the stadium. There were a few Montreal Canadiens players in attendance, as well as Canadian Women’s Hockey great Marie-Philip Poulin. Also, when Canada scored their goal through an own goal from Ireland, the stadium DJ played “Sucks to Be You” by Prozzak, which is a Canadian music act that I have not thought about in at least 25 years.

Despite the disappointing 1-1 draw at the end, I had a good time at the match. I was excited to get to watch a match in a new city, check out the stadium, and see what the vibe would be like in Montreal for a matchday. This was basically my World Cup outing, as I know I would not want to pay those outrageous ticket prices to go to a World Cup match. This was a fun night out, and I am eternally grateful.

I Went To My First CEBL Game In Winnipeg

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:40:11 +0000

The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) is Canada’s pro basketball league with 10 teams spread across six provinces. Prior to going to my first CEBL game, I knew little about the league, as I was more familiar with the NBA. The only things I knew were that Scarborough had its own team, and there were a few changes to some of the rules in this league.

I was looking for something to do in my first night in Winnipeg, and I saw that the Winnipeg Sea Bears had their CEBL home opener against the Saskatoon Mamba at the Canada Life Centre. I bought a $50 ticket and walked over from my hotel to the arena. I would not call a $50 ticket reasonable, but I also would not call it expensive as well. The primary tenant of the Canada Life Centre is the Winnipeg Jets of the NHL, but it is nice to see the arena get some use in the summer with a basketball team while the Jets are in the off-season.

One thing to note about the Canada Life Centre is that the concourses are on the narrower side so it was a bit tough to navigate with the amount of people in the arena. Also, another note: the team name ‘Sea Bears’ perplexed me. Why not name the team the Winnipeg Polar Bears? Maybe the name ‘Sea Bears’ is easier to say and you can work it into the chants easier? That would be my guess.

My seat was in the last row of the lower bowl closer to the middle of the court, so I grab myself an expensive local brew and head up. The configuration for basketball is that the lower bowl is open for seating while the upper bowl remains closed. I was taking in the arena and the pre-game stuff. One thing I liked about the Sea Bears experience was that the DJ was exclusively playing old-school hip-hop before and during the game. I do not think I have heard one Drake track the whole time I was at the game, so props to the DJ. Your song selection was excellent.

The teams came out for their pre-game warm ups as more fans were filing in. You had the typical basketball fan things, including the dance crew doing their dance numbers on the court, staff throwing swag to the crowd, and the mascot getting up to some mischief around the arena. Also, because it was the home opener, there were special entrances introducing the home players to the crowd.

In terms of the standard of basketball on display, I would say that it is better than the NBA G-League, but the standard falls short of the Euroleague, and further away than the NBA. This is a good league for the development of Canadian basketball players.

The game begins, and the crowd were slow to find their voice in the first-quarter in cheering for the team. The Sea Bears got off to a good start, and they were consistently maintaining an 8–12-point lead on the visiting Saskatoon Mamba throughout the game. As the Sea Bears were executing their plays and making their shots (and as the drinks were flowing in the crowd), the crowd were getting louder and louder with the chants of “Let’s go Sea Bears”. The noise was good, and there was good crowd participation. I believe the Sea Bears have one of the biggest average crowds in the league, and there were around 8000 in attendance for the game.

There is an interesting rule in the CEBL that I want to talk about. After four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, at the first stoppage of play, the game clock turns off and a target score of the leading team’s point total plus nine points is set, so the game will always end on a winning shot. I believe there is a restriction of timeouts a coach can use during this time as well. I think this rule is here to maintain a consistent pace of the game, and it is something I like. I have watched too many NBA games where the pace of the game slows to a crawl due to the coaches of the teams using their timeouts, and I hate seeing it, so this is a nice change of pace.

The Sea Bears win the game 108-96 and the crowd leaves happy. Overall, I think this was a solid experience for my first CEBL game with a nice community feel among the crowd. I am glad there is a basketball team in an isolated city such as Winnipeg because let us face it, what else is there to do in the city? I may check out a game in Scarborough and see what the crowd is like over there as well.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 May 2026 22:02:28 +0000

I have a new series of posts coming out on this blog detailing my time in Manitoba. I spent most of my time in Winnipeg but I did get to travel to Lake Winnipeg (which you will hear about in a future post). One of the biggest attractions in the city was the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, which is the newest national museum established in 2008. This museum focuses on human rights and explores human rights issues in the past, present, and future from both a Canadian and a global perspective.

Before I even talk about what is inside the museum, it is worth talking about the building itself. I think the Canadian Museum for Human Rights is one of the most impressive buildings I have ever seen in Canada. It has this wrapped glass exterior like a warm blanket, with a lookout tower springing out of the middle. The building is so large and imposing, and it is a complement to the Winnipeg skyline.

I pay my $23 admission fee and head inside. The first parts of the museum detail what human rights are, and there are also these small exhibits that show different past human rights issues in Canada, such as the internment of Japanese-Canadians during World War II, and the fight for women’s voting rights in Canada, to give some examples.

One quick note: The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is fully accessible, which is great. Because the building is so big, you are constantly walking up these long ramps to get to each floor of the museum, which can get quite tiring.

The next level of the museum highlights the horrors of the Holocaust and the Nazi regime in Germany under Adolf Hitler. There is quite a lot of information to read here, and some of the accounts of what happened are quite traumatic, but necessary to tell.

Walking further along, one art installation I want to highlight is known as “The Witness Blanket” which highlights the atrocities of the residential schools system in Canada through hundreds of artifacts taken from former schools and government buildings.

There were two other exhibitions on display while I was at the museum, including the dispossession of homes and items from Japanese-Canadians by the Canadian Government during World War II, and the persecution and dismissal of LGBTQ+ public service by the Canadian Government (called the LGBT purge).

Lastly, you can take an elevator up to the top of the tower where you can get a 360-degree view of Winnipeg and the surrounding area.

Overall, I think the Canadian Museum for Human Rights is incredibly informative and is an excellent attraction for the City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba. It is worth going to see if you happen to be in Winnipeg for some reason like I was.

Resident Evil Requiem Is Two Resident Evil Experiences In One Game

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 May 2026 21:24:00 +0000

By Capcom - Xbox, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80155870

I just finished playing Resident Evil Requiem, which had to be one of the most anticipated releases of the year (that is not GTA VI), and is also one of Capcom's premier franchises. The Resident Evil franchise feels like an important and prominent franchise in video games with some RE games being outstanding, while there are other RE games that were truly disappointing. I wanted to play Resident Evil Requiem to see where I would rank this game among all the other RE games I have played.

You play as two characters in Resident Evil Requiem and each character feel like its own experience that is distinct from the other. When you play as Grace Ashcroft, the game functions like a true survival-horror experience, and it is a similar experience to playing Resident Evil 7 where you have limited ammo, and you need to rely more on stealth to proceed. I think Grace's voice-actor put in a sensational performance as the character, as you feel Grace's anxiety and panic in her voice throughout the game. I also liked exploring the environments as Grace, and you hear her panicked breathing as she explores, which is an incredible atmospheric attention to detail.

The other character that you take control of in this game is the fan-favorite badass Leon Kennedy. His gameplay feels almost exactly like playing Resident Evil 4. The Leon sections are almost entirely action-sections with the familiar cheesy one-liners, over-the-top action sequences, and the general action hero aesthetic. The Leon sections are a nice change of pace from the Grace sections, even if I think the transitions between playing the two characters feel a little bit jarring.

I have some other little tidbits about the game. I think Resident Evil Requiem's story is generally good, though there are some questionable decisions that negatively affect the story, especially in the later sections of the game. I also appreciate the solid visuals with extremely detailed environments and the trademark Resident Evil creepy atmosphere.

The last thing I want to mention is Resident Evil Requiem's value. I paid $80 CAD for this game and I completed the game's story in around 12 hours. This does not sound like great value, but there were no boring moments in my 12-hour playthrough of the game. I did not feel like the game was a bad value because the playthrough itself felt so gripping and not lacking of any quality.

Resident Evil Requiem is a home run for Capcom, and with the success of the Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, and Street Fighter franchises (among other titles, including their brand-new game Pragmata which I have yet to play), I think Capcom is among one of the best publishers in video games right now. I think Requiem is among one of the best Resident Evil games I have ever played, and I would only rank Resident Evil 4 higher on my list of Resident Evil games. Regardless, Resident Evil Requiem is a fantastic video game.

Quick Thoughts: South Of Midnight

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 19:31:00 +0000

I picked up a month of Xbox Game Pass for the PC, and one of the games I wanted to play that I heard a lot of good things about was South of Midnight, which is an indie action-platformer. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I would like to tell you my quick thoughts about the game.

South of Midnight feels like a spiritual successor to the Psychonauts games in its character control, its level design, and the occasional humor in its story. The abilities you have playing as Hazel feel like playing as Raz in the Psychonauts games. I also like the unique art style of South of Midnight which I can best describe as a paper-mache, almost a clay-mation art style. If you do not have the budget to create realistic graphics, then it would be worth it to create something that is visually unique.

South of Midnight offers a compelling and engaging story, narrative and atmosphere capturing the American South and the folklore surrounding it. I think this is the main selling point of the game. On the other side, I found the gameplay to be a bit average and run-of-the-mill with the jumping, combat, and abilities. I do think that this is where the Psychonauts games feel more robust.

Regardless, I think South of Midnight is an excellent experience that is worth playing. I think it is better to play the game on Game Pass rather than buying the game on Steam or other gaming platforms. South of Midnight is a $50 CAD game before discounts, and that is far too much money for a game that is around 10 hours long.

My Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green Hall Of Fame Team

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:51:00 +0000

This is a quick one today. I recently bought Pokemon Fire Red on the Switch 2 as I had a credit on my Nintendo account. It has been a while since I played Fire Red/Leaf Green and while I was playing this playthrough, I was reminded of my time playing Pokemon Blue when I was a child. I thought I would share my Hall of Fame team that I used for this recent playthrough, and let us hope that we will see more main-line Pokemon games show up on Nintendo Switch Online.

Blastoise: Surf, Ice Beam, Bite, Rain Dance

Nidoking: Earthquake, Megahorn, Rock Slide, Brick Break

Dragonite: Dragon Claw, Fly, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave

Arcanine: Flamethrower, Extremespeed, Bite, Sunny Day

Snorlax: Body Slam, Shadow Ball, Brick Break, Yawn

Kadabra: Psychic, Shock Wave, Calm Mind, Reflect

Let's Talk About BMO Field's World Cup Upgrades

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 17:25:00 +0000

Last week, I went to the international friendly between Canada and Iceland at the new-look BMO Field (which will also be known as the "Toronto Stadium" for the purposes of the upcoming World Cup). While I can talk about the match and the atmosphere, I want to talk about the upgrades to the stadium. While I know there has been some chatter that BMO Field will be the worst-looking stadium in the World Cup, after being in the stadium, I can say that this sentiment is true. However, I do not think this stadium looks completely terrible.

As I make my way to the stadium and see the exposed steel pipes of the north stand, BMO Field has the feel of a temporary home. I know that just looking at these exposed steel pipes may cause some people to think that the temporary stands are unsafe, but I think the stands can handle a full set of fans.

I will say one positive thing about the upgrades to BMO Field. With the addition of the north and south temporary stands, it will create a significantly better atmosphere in the stadium, because it closes the gaps in the stadium. I always thought BMO Field as a stadium looked unfinished, but the addition of the temporary stands makes the stadium look less unfinished. I also like the addition of the corner screens and the upgraded sound system; upgrades that the stadium sorely needed.

I was walking in the west stand concourse, and there was a temporary structure right in the middle of the concourse which has some lounges and other rooms which I am assuming are for hospitality clients. The thing that I did not like about this concourse is that it reduces passing through the concourse to a single two-person-wide hallway, which could be a potential bottleneck.

In the temporary stands, due to how the ends of the stands slant towards the field, there are some rows in some sections that have two, or even one seat in the row, which I find hilarious. This would be an introvert's dream.

Overall, I found walking through this iteration of BMO Field to be rather weird with all these temporary structures in the stadium like the lounges and other amenities. Again, I will say that I appreciate the heightened atmosphere that the temporary stands brought (even if they were empty for this match) because they help to contain the noise, and it was something I felt while watching the match from section 114. It will be interesting to see the organization of trying to move 45,000 people to the stadium and away from the stadium when World Cup matches conclude, because I did notice some bottlenecks when I hopped off the train station and made my way to the stadium.

Anyways, those were my thoughts.

The Death Stranding Games Were A Premium Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 20:26:00 +0000

By Kojima Productions / Sony - https://www.giantbomb.com/death-stranding/3030-54232/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61353418

I have long delayed trying to play this game, but I saw Death Stranding on sale for $20 on Steam, so I decided to pick it up and play one of the most talked-about video games in recent memory. Death Stranding is an action-adventure game released in 2019, and it is the first game from director Hideo Kojima (most famous for the Metal Gear franchise) since leaving Konami. I admit to having some preconceived notions prior to playing this game where I thought it was going to be rather boring and be a walking simulator delivering cargo to different people. When I played this game, all my preconceived notions came true, but I ultimately still enjoyed the experience.

There is no doubt that with a Hideo Kojima game, you are getting a high-quality experience. The voice-acting, cinematics, and soundtrack are all excellent and there are some familiar faces performing as the voices. The overall story is quite good as well, even if there is some of the all-too-familiar nonsensical and confusing Kojima storytelling. When I played the first Death Stranding game, I immediately thought about my time playing The Last of Us. Both games have this story and narrative-focused approach which gives the gameplay less importance. I still prefer the story of The Last of Us over Death Stranding, but I enjoyed the gameplay of Death Stranding more that The Last of Us.

With that said, the gameplay of Death Stranding is not everyone's cup of tea. Most of the gameplay consists of delivering packages to various colonies and connecting them wirelessly to establish a communications network after an event nearly decimated the population. I found the act of playing as an Amazon courier to be peaceful, as I can shut my mind off while delivering packages from place-to-place. There are also combat sequences and bosses to fight where you need to use your guns and grenades to overcome any obstacles. You can also build structures on your own to help you traverse through the land, such as bridges and generators. I also like the implementation of the social elements of the Death Stranding games, where other players going through their playthroughs can use your structures and pick up your donated packages/weapons (and vice versa).

I also played Death Stranding 2 (while writing this post) and the second game plays just like the first game but with more combat and a more streamlined experience with taking orders and delivering packages.

The Death Stranding games felt like premium, high-quality gaming experiences which is what you would expect from Hideo Kojima as a director. However, the issues with the Death Stranding games stem from the fact that they are games from the mind of Hideo Kojima, with the sometimes-convoluted storytelling, too many (and long) cutscenes, and polarizing gameplay (with the "walking simulator" criticism). Personally, I enjoyed the gameplay of the Death Stranding games, even though some gamers may want more of an action focus. I would recommend playing the Death Stranding games if there is a sale, but I also would not blame you if you end up not liking the games at all.