Is it just me, or do we not hear anything of those anymore? Are computer viruses a thing of the past? I can’t image that it’s because Microsoft and others have gotten so good at fighting them that nobody creates them anymore, can that really be the case? Or have “virus-creators” (also known as “people with too much time on their hands”) moved on to bigger and better things?

In my regular Vista updates, every second day, i quietly see “windows defender” updates. On my home laptop, I have AVG free running quietly in the background doing its thing. What are your experiences? Are computer viruses a thing of the past? Is there a new version of a computer virus, if so, what is it? Feel free to chime in about how your country is dealing with the H1N1 one crisis here too if you like, any virus discussion is good

I believe that it IS possible to have healthcare for all. I don’t think that money should decide whether a doctor can cure you or not. I want to hear from you, so please post your opinions in a comment at the end of this post. If you want to know what I think about the countries I’ve lived in, see  .

When I had called at lunch, to book for dinner (reservations ARE required), it sounded like very loud background noise, and it’s true, the place filled up so fast for dinner (it was a Friday night), the noise was definitely up one level, but it added a lot of warmth to the experience.

A word about our waiter. I should have asked his name. He was the perfect waiter, always available, always smiling, fast and efficient, knew his specials, knew his wines, joked with us.

Actually, now i think about it, there was something very familiar about everyone. Over the evening, i noticed so many guests getting up and saying hi to someone they knew sitting at another table. And because we were there quite long, i saw at least one table be turned over at least twice, so by the end of the evening, i feel like i saw the whole of Westmount stream by… and a very chi-chi elegant crowd they were too.

So, i should probably talk about the food. Fabulous would be the word. Starters: one of us had oysters, cutely served on a deep square plate, on ice, with all the fixin’s… I had breaded shrimp, slightly sweet with a small taste of honey, and sitting on a vinegary cucumber salad, was yummy. Two people had what they affectionately called KFC, Korean Fried Chicken, it was a special of the day. They both said it was a little spicy (good spicy), but was a lot of food.

Main courses: well, 3 out of 4 of us had the lamb, because it’s description was so awesome. It had figs, sweet onions, and amazing chickpea fries. Again, though, waaay too much food for one person (the dish that arrived in front of me actually didn’t look like it was a lot, but actually, it was quite filling). The fourth person had the daily fish special: grilled bar, apparently was fantastic, but i will say, i think with his oyster starter being really light, and then this main course, he probably felt like he could have had a little more.

A couple slightly negative points: the menu is not HUGELY varied, in fact, it all fits in one short page. But the specials really were worth listening to, and added 3 more options for starters and 3 options for mains (well, that wasn’t quite a negative, then, huh?)… and the other negative one.. real biggie this one (not!): they could be more generous on the butter portions that come with the bread… oh, and we did wait a little long between starters and main courses.

A note about deserts… they were really good. creme brulée was perfectly done, and i LOVED that you could pick a small or large portion, because i will say, after all that food, all i wanted was a few bites of desert. Lemon tart was very light and fluffy. and they had at least 3 items on the menu containing chocolate… always a plus there.

overall an awesome experience, a feast for the eyes and the taste buds, definitely recommend it. A little pricey ($50 per person), but well worth it.

Tavern on the Square, 1 Westmount Square, Westmount, QC, H3Z 2P9 – 514-989-9779 – 11:30AM-3PM (lunch) 6PM-11PM (dinner, but will stay open depending on crowd)- RESERVATIONS REQUIRED.
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ok, so the acting was nothing transcending, but, having said that, i will give katherine heigl credit for the orgasm scene. Not quite as classic as the Meg Ryan / Billy Crystal “When Harry Met Sally” one, but still, a valliant effort.

So, about those one-liners. Thanks to IMDB for the exact wording:

Mike: You’re all about comfort and efficiency!
Abby: What’s wrong with comfort and efficiency?
Mike: Well nothing, except no one wants to f**k it.

Mike: [to Abby, on how to attract Colin] You have to be two people. The saint and the sinner. The librarian and the stripper.

Mike: Rule Number 1: Never criticize.
Abby: Even if it’s constructive?!
Mike: Never. Men are incapable of growth change or progress. For men self improvement ends at toilet training. And rule number 2: Laugh at whatever he says.
Abby: What if what he says isn’t funny?
Mike: That’s irrelevant, a fake laugh is like a fake orgasm.
Abby: A fake orgasm is good?
Mike: No, but a fake orgasm is better then no orgasm at all.
Abby: A fake orgasm is no orgasm.
Mike: Only to you. See you’re no the only person in the room you know. Lets not be selfish.
Abby laughs
Mike: Now that was perfect. Real or fake?
Abby: You’ll never know.

and of course, there’s the ultra-chauvinistic-pretend-you’re-offended-but-secretly-snicker quote:
Mike: “…billions and billions, wasted on this psychobabble bullshit. Now listen up ladies, ’cause I’m only gonna say this once and it’s just three little words…men are simple…we cannot be trained. and all of this, ‘Men are from Venus” crap is a waste of your time and money. If you want to be a lonely hag, then keep reading these books, but if you want a relationship, heres how you get one…It’s called a Stairstepper, get on it, and get skinny. and get some trashy lingerie while your at it, because at the end of the day all were interested in is looks. No one falls in love with your personality at first sight.

Definitely a memorable movie for me!!

I love my blog because it’s 100% reflective of me, it has just the right amount of info, and i find it visually very pleasing. So there! :p

In the meantime, i just went to a fabulous restaurant this evening, so i’ll prepare my review, and hopefully post it in the next couple days.

So I found Ewan McGregor so funny in this movie and couldn’t seem to take him seriously. Every time he had one of his passionnate tirades about the battle between science & religion (and he had many!), I just expected him to break into a song any second now. See, everytime he acts the “passion” emotion, he only knows how to act it in 1 way: it transcribes as these big blue innocent eyes looking straight at you with, apparently, “passion”! In “Moulin Rouger”, he had the exact same puppy-dog look, he would passionately stare into Kidman’s eyes & break into a love song. So naturally, anytime the Ewan-McGregor-Passion-Eyes came out, I’d naturally expect a song to follow!

In fact, I think i might have enjoyed Angels & Demons way more if McGregor HAD ACTUALLY broken into a song & a dance now and again!Similar Posts:

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When you walk in, the restaurant is very quaint, you have to walk up a few steps and pull an old heavy door. The romantic atmosphere can be felt as soon as you walk in, with wood and candlelight visible from the entrance foyer. There are stairs that lead to the upstairs level, but we were seated one the first floor (I’ve been upstairs before, it’s nice too, more of a modern feel whereas here below, it feels nice and retro).

Fondue is originally a swiss dish that comes in very different varieties, but the 1 common thing is that it’s about putting a piece of something onto a long fork and placing it into a pot of a boiling liquid and leaving it there for a little while.

There is the cheese fondue where you put bread into liquid melted boiling swiss cheese. There’s Chinoise and Bourguignonne ones where u put raw meat into either boiling oil (bourguignonne) or broth (chinoise) to cook your meat. then there’s the ever fabulous chocolate fondue for desert.

So, at Fondue Mentale you can choose any one you like, there have different variations on each. And of course, if there are many of you, you can each take something different for a variety of samples. But what i really recommend you should do it take the menus, you have to be a minimum of 2 people for each menu though.

L’ aventure is the cheapest, at $29 per person, and there’s also La Romantique at $33 per person. We were four people, so we took one of each. For starters, you get a cheese fondue (a smaller portion), but still it’s a very filling dish, and we puposely ended up leaving a little at the bottom of the pot, to save place for the rest of the food. The good thing is, since we get 2 portions of Cheese Fondue (since we had 2 menus), we had a different type of cheese in each fondue.

Then came the fondue Chinoise, where we got dishes of raw beef and chicken (L’ Aventure) and a dish of raw beef, chicken, shrimp, salmon and calamari (La Romantique), that you have to place at the end of your long fork (you get 2 forks per person so you can be more productive)…

Of course, I made sure to tell my dinner companions that, when i was in Switzerland, i had been taught that the rule for fondues was: if a piece drops off your fork (i.e. you pull your fork out of the pot and there’s nothing attached to it), you have to pay a penalty… and the penalty can be anything from kissing your neighbor to handing over a piece of food in penalty

Oh! and rule no2 (way more important if you care about your tummy): with cheese fondue, NEVER drink ice water while eating the fondue, because then the melted cheese solifies in yuor tummy and well, not good! So, ice with no water (small sips only, otherwise effect will be the same, and you’ll be full by the 4th bite) or better yet, a nice bottle of white wine (always good to use this as an opportunity to try a german or swiss wine).

Desert was a fruit fondue, perfect end, a little pot of hot melted chocolate and a plate full of cut up fruit to dip into it. FABULOUS!

Anyway, so, conclusion: for this restaurant, my tips are: go with a group, be adventurous, come hunry, stay away from too much water, stay close to lots of wine, and find a way to maximize the different dishes you end up with. The menus are GREAT ideas because they are designed for maximum sampling. HAPPY FONDU-ING!

FondueMentale is located at 4325 Saint-Denis (between Marie-Anne and Rachel) – (514) 499-1446 – http://www.fonduementale.com/ – open from 5.30 to 10pm (weekdays) and until 11.30pm (weekends).Similar Posts:

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I listen to the news and look at what’s happenning in the US, and everything is so negative, the economy, the borders… listening to lou dobbs (why i do this to myself, is a whole other question), watching Pelosi’s daughter’s documentary today where a bunch of rednecks (they called themselves that, i didn’t) complained about how the world was changing so fast and they still wished black people weren’t heard from and women couldn’t vote… i can’t help but think… u know what? canada’s really figured something out.

i applied for immigration in 2003. the process took 8 months. in feb 04 i arrived at the montreal airport as a canadian resident. Then and there, the officer gave me documentation and flyers on where i could attend free classes on learning / integrating in canada, this included telling us how we could get our driving licenses, our health cards, our social insurance numbers… even the driving license process was fast and efficient, i just exchanged my massachussets license for my QC one. Later as a french citizen, i was sent the address of a joint french-quebec organization that helps french nationals find jobs in QC (yes, for free). Then, i applied for citizenship 3.5 years later, and was canadian before my 5th year living here. The process was fast, the ceremony was emotional and something i will remember forever. i got a certificate, a card, and a warm fuzzy feeling inside. and yesterday, i got an unexpected diploma.

seriously, how often can you say that a bureaucratic process was seamless from beginning to end? let’s take a moment and be grateful for well oiled, well run, efficient democracies with smart, caring and welcoming citizens. Congratulations Canada, you rock!Similar Posts:

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Very quickly, i wondered if it was all worth it. I mean, how many people was i really affecting? Afterall, i’m not the most famous blogger in the world, so the answer is “less than the famous bloggers of this world”… but even for those famous bloggers… don’t they sometimes think that they’re just talking to thin air?

So then i thought… here we are, in this little bubble of technology… blogs, twitter, social media, etc… but who really cares other than those who know about it? For every 10 twitterers, there are a million that have never even heard the word, let alone understanding it’s power. Does that make them less of a customer or an audience? Should we ignore them?

Too often, when i request feedback on a particular trend or idea, i find that all i get is the feedback of the last person we spoke to. I hear “the trend is to start using this technology”, but actually, it’s not… it’s just that we spoke to 5 people in our own bubble and they all said the same. But what about the rest of the world out there? We seem to forget what “gathering market feedback” really means.

So imagine my relief when i found out that one of those famous bloggers was talking about exactly that, hours later. Read “Get out of your own way” from Mitch Joel. Then come back and tell me, do you agree? Are we just that conceipted that we think that everyone does it the way we do it?Similar Posts:

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ok, so maybe this is just a marketing ploy, and he’s trying to get me to vote for him. but u know what? it just made me smile all day. because i didn’t expect this, and it just made me feel good.

So let’s take a moment to be grateful for the small things in life that make us happy.

I’m trying to keep to short posts, but stay tuned for my commentary on the entire canadian immigration / citizenship process.Similar Posts:

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