5 More Weird Laws In Quebec

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Most Bars & Nightclubs Have To Close At 3 A.M.

Can someone explain why we can’t dance the night away until sunrise? Wouldn’t it be nice to have more events like Montreal’s annual Nuit Blanche? Nightlife in France ends when you emerge from the club at 6 a.m. and you go straight to the nearest bakery for breakfast. Montreal has been testing all-night nightlife on several occasions in 2022 and 2023, but sadly, the regular last call is at 3 a.m.

Weed Is Legal — But Only When Sold By The Government 

The fact that cannabis is legal for recreational use in Canada is already mind-blowing when you come from abroad. But what most of us find even more surprising is that only the government-owned SQDC can legally sell pot in Quebec. I can’t picture the Indian government selling weed to its citizens, ever.

You Must Pay Driving License Fees Every Year Before Your Birthday 

What a lovely birthday present from the SAAQ! A few weeks before your date of birth, the Crown corporation reminds you to pay fees to keep your driving privilege. Luckily, it only costs $24.75 this year thanks to an “insurance contribution vacation” implemented by the government.

French Words Must Be Bigger Than English Words On Signs

Most of us understand the intention of keeping the French language predominant in Quebec. But Quebec must be one of the few places on Earth to have legislation about font size on signs. The law doesn’t prevent grammar and spelling mistakes on local signs, according to a study by the Office quĂ©becois de la langue française (OQLF).

Turning Right At The Red Light Is Permitted Everywhere Except In Montreal

The prohibition applies mostly to Montreal for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. The rest of Quebec allows it. Try not to forget, or you might get in trouble!

RIP Julian Sands : Remains Found 6 Months Later

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I missed this news from 2 days ago. Human remains found in mountains in California have been confirmed to be those of British actor Julian Sands, who went missing on a hike in January. Sands went missing while hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles in January 2023. Walkers found the remains on Saturday, police said, and they have now been formally identified. Sands, 65, was best known for his roles in the Oscar-winning film A Room With A View and TV dramas 24 and Smallville. Other notable films he appeared in include The Killing Fields (1984),  Warlock (1989),  Arachnophobia (1990),  Naked Lunch (1991), Boxing Helena (1993), Leaving Las Vegas (1995), The Medallion (2003),  Ocean’s Thirteen (2007) and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011).

On television, he portrayed Vladimir Bierko in 24 (2006) and Jor-El in Smallville (2009–2010), and voiced Valmont in Jackie Chan Adventures (2000–2002). Born in Otley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England on 4 January 1958. Sands began his film career appearing in supporting roles in films, including Oxford Blues (1984) and The Killing Fields (1984). He also had a cameo as a Greek soldier in the BBC adaptation of The Box of Delights in 1984. He played Erik, aka the Phantom in the 1998 horror-film version of The Phantom of the Opera.  He played the Doci of the Ori in two episodes of Stargate SG-1—in its ninth and tenth seasons (a role he reprised in the film, Stargate: the Ark of Truth). He played a college professor in a Season One episode of The L Word. In 2002, he starred in Stephen King’s Rose Red.

Sands was married to Sarah Harvey, a British journalist and author, from 1984 until 1987. The couple had one son. On 22 September 1990, Sands married Evgenia Citkowitz â€“ an American playwright, author, and journalist who is the daughter of Israel Citkowitz and Lady Caroline Blackwood â€“ after being introduced by John Malkovich, a friend of Sands.  The couple had two daughters.[29] Sands was fiercely protective of his family and rarely spoke about his wife or children in interviews. Sands and his family lived in Los Angeles, California from 2020 until his death.

Sands disappeared on 13 January during bad weather in the Baldy Bowl area of the San Gabriel Mountains. Air and ground searches were hampered as California was battered by deadly storms, as well as icy conditions and a threat of avalanches.The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said the remains found in the Mount Baldy area at the weekend had been positively identified as the missing actor.

Coffeeshop Chains In My City

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Cafe Coffee Day : This is an Indian chain and the biggest in the country. They have been around for quite a few years and have 5 in the city. 1 in Lulu Mall, 2 on MG Road – the OG near Shenoys and the one near Medical Trust hospital, the big one on Kaloor-Kadavanthara road and 1 on Pathadipalam which I have never seen.

Costa Coffee : This British owned coffeeshop chain started in Cochin back in 2012 when they launched their little open air shop on the ground floor of Lulu Mall. They now have just 2 in the city, one in Lulu Mall & the other in Center Square Mall.

Starbucks : Starbucks is the latest entry in the city having established in India a few years ago. Currently we have two in Kochi – the first one started in Lulu Mall in late 2020, and around 8 to 10 months ago they opened one near Holiday Inn on the bypass.

We will soon see Tim Hortons come to the city but that will be in 2024 (I hope).

Kai Havertz Joins Arsenal From Chelsea On A 4 Year Contract

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Germany international Kai Havertz has joined us from Chelsea on a long-term contract. The 24-year-old has been a key player at both club and international level in recent seasons and already has 35 appearances for the German national team to his name, scoring 13 times and representing his country in two major tournaments. Havertz is a graduate of Bayer Leverkusen’s academy, where he signed his first professional contract in 2016. During his four years at Bayer Leverkusen, Havertz made 150 appearances, scoring 46 goals and assisting 31 times.

In October 2016, Kai became Leverkusen’s youngest ever debutant in the Bundesliga at 17 years and 126 days, and also went on to become their youngest ever scorer in the league, scoring a late equaliser in a 3-3 draw against VfL Wolfsburg in April 2017. In summer 2020, Havertz moved to the Premier League, by signing for Chelsea. During his three seasons in west London he made 139 appearances, scoring 32 goals and assisting 15 times in all competitions. Kai notably scored the only goal of the match in Chelsea’s victory over Manchester City in the 2021 UEFA Champions League Final.

Sporting Director Edu said: “We’re excited to bring Kai to the club and great work by everyone to get this deal complete. Kai is an exciting addition to our squad, who will bring great attacking quality and versatility. “As an experienced 24-year-old, his signing represents another important step in strengthening our young core of talented players we have at Arsenal. We look forward to working with Kai.” Manager Mikel Arteta added: “Kai is a player of top quality. He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield and variety to our play.

“We welcome Kai and his family to Arsenal Football Club and we are all excited to start working with him when we start pre-season training soon.” Arsenal new signing said: “It’s super exciting for me to be joining this amazing club and to be part of the Arsenal family. This club has such a big history, and I hope we can achieve lots of things. “The mentality in the Arsenal squad is very high and you can feel that. That was one of the reasons why it has been so hard to play against Arsenal recently. “The aim is to win trophies and I’m going to give everything to do that for the supporters and everyone at the club. I’m now looking forward to meeting all the players and the staff when we come back for pre-season.” Kai will join up with his new team mates for pre-season training in early July and will wear the number 29 shirt.

My Favourite Hideout & Hangout Spots

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What’s your favorite hideout or hangout spot, and why do you like it?

My favourite hideout would be my own bedroom. I know it’s not much but when I want to relax and shut myself off from the rest of the world, where else could I turn to but my own room. I would like a bigger room, I would like a new mattress but other than that, I do enjoy being in the solitude of my room.

My favourite hangout would either be in one of the two Starbucks nearest to me or Blue Rock Bar which is in Olive Downtown. I love both. When I want a nice cold frappe I like to go to a Starbucks and then enjoy with a grande and a bite to eat. Sitting there and just thinking about nothing as the sweet nectar is sipped slowly.

Similarly I love the food at Blue Rock and I usually drink beer and just chill at the bar. I can forget all my woes and just zone out and the only worry is what will I order off the menu. A couple of hours there and I am happy, a bit buzzed and tummy full and ready to come in for a nap.

Prompt from 87 Blog Post Ideas That Will Never Fail You (2023) at Blog Tyrant

8 Delicious Facts About Pancakes

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1. The first pancakes were called Alita Dolcia (“another sweet” in Latin) and were made by Romans in the 1st Century AD.

2. The world’s biggest pancake measured 49+ feet in diameter and weighed 6,614 pounds.

3. In the U.S., Southerners eat the most pancakes, accounting for 32.5% of the nation’s pancake consumption.

4. International Pancake Day falls on the same day as Mardi Gras. It’s also called Shrove Tuesday and it’s how countries like England and Ireland observe the day before Lent.

5. The world’s most expensive pancake is available for $200.00 at Opus in the Printworks in England. Ingredients include Madagascan vanilla pods and 23-carat gold leaf.

6. In Sweden you can order BlodplĂ€ttar, which are pancakes made of pork blood.

7. If you break the world record for most pancakes eaten, you won’t be in the Guinness Book of World Records; it’s not one of their categories.

8. A breakfast of two pancakes with butter and syrup will set you back 520 calories, which is about two hours of steady walking’s worth of maple syrup goodness.

RIP Nicolas Coster

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Nicolas Coster, an English–born American actor, has passed away at the age of 89. Coster was most known for his work in daytime drama and as a character actor on nighttime television series, such as Wonder Woman, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, T. J. Hooker, and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Coster was born in London to an American mother and a New Zealand father who was a London theatre critic and marine commander, Coster was raised mostly in California. Coster returned to England to study acting at the Royal Academy of the Dramatic Art. He also studied acting with Lee Strasberg in New York City. After his stint on Broadway and the Victoria Theatre in England, Coster appeared in the NBC soap opera Young Doctor Malone. He created the role of Professor Paul Britton on The Secret Storm, a role he played in 1964 and from 1967 to 1968. He played John Eldridge in the primetime serialized drama Our Private World and on As the World Turns.

Coster created the role of Robert Delaney on Somerset in March 1970 and later moved to Another World playing the same character. He played gangster-turned-informant Anthony Makana on One Life to Live, but left that series to create the role of Lionel Lockridge on Santa Barbara. He played kidnapper Steve Andrews on the ABC soap opera All My Children and returned to Another World for its 25th anniversary in 1989. He returned to his role on Santa Barbara in 1990 until the show was canceled in January 1993. He appeared on As the World Turns from 1993–1995.

I first watched him on Santa Barbara back in the early 90s when the show was being telecast on cable tv in India. Back then we had one channel with American and some British shows and my sister and I watched a bunch of the soaps as well. After that I saw him in an episode of Star Trek The Next Generation in which he plays Admiral Haftel and more recently in The Concorde … Airport ’79.

To Read Or Not To Read In The Loo

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Are you a toilet reader? As in do you read books, newspapers or magazines while you are sitting on your throne and doing the business? Or perhaps you prefer to use your smartphone or tablet and browse the internet or watch reels or videos while taking a dump.

I used to read a lot while in the toilet, like a few millions others, and you (dear reader)! I used to take a novel or a magazine with me and quite enjoy the time I spent in the loo taking a shit and being lost in reading. I used to get scolded by my mom especially since I sometimes spent 30 minutes to an hour in there as I lost track of time and just read on and on. I remember being told that it was not a good habit to have and that you shouldn’t spend that much time in the toilet.

I have since corrected that but it has been a struggle. I continued to read books in the novel until my late 30s and it took me all that time to get out of this habit. So for the past 8 years or so I do not take books or magazines with me and no not even a newspaper since I long stopped reading newspapers over 10 years ago. Though I am tempted to take my phone with me, I do not take it in at home but I do so at the office.

SCARIEST PLACES IN THE WORLD : St. George’s Church, Czech Republic

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Originally built in 1352, St. George’s Church (about 125 miles east of Prague) boasts quite a history. The building was nearly destroyed by fires many times over the centuries, and its roof partially collapsed during a funeral service in 1968. Many people were convinced the place was haunted and opted to leave it to the elements instead of going inside. People refused to enter, as a result, the building was stripped by robbers and fell prey to vandalism.

In 2012, local resident and volunteer caretaker Petr Koukl wanted to raise the funds to repair it but wasn’t sure how to do it. He enlisted the help of student Jakub Hadrava who created the installation as his thesis for art college. He created plaster models of real people, then covered them with sheets before placing them in the church. In the past five years, the ghosts have slowly given the church a new lease of life. They sit solemnly in the pews, congregate at the altar, and stand at the doorways, as if to beckon you inside. Word of mouth began to spread and in 2014 a video published on YouTube helped more people discover the Czech curiosity.

600,000 koruna (€23,500) has been raised from admission fees so far and they were able to get the roof repaired last year. They also organise concerts and even hold the occasional mass in the church. At present, the ghost church is only open on Saturdays from 1pm to 4pm – though the installation itself is permanent – and attendance is excellent with about 150 people coming every weekend.

Nine Facts About IQOO

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IQOO is a phone brand under the BBK group heritage – that’s the same group behind the likes of OnePlus, Vivo, Oppo and Realme. Here are some details about their operations in India.

  1. iQOO is not just a random collection of letters. And no, it is not a different spelling of IQ (intelligence quotient). It actually stands for “I Quest On and On,” reflecting the brand’s commitment to keep improving.
  2. The Indian branch of the brand will be based in Bengaluru. That makes it the third major phone brand to be headquartered in the city many people call India’s Silicon Valley (Xiaomi and OnePlus are the other two at the time of writing).
  3. Initially seen as a sub-brand of Vivo, iQOO is, however, going to be an independent entity in India and globally. And this extends to everything from its product development to service centers and retail stores. Yes, it will even have separate service centers and will not be “leveraging” those of Vivo, a brand with which many associate it. “Vivo and iQOO are independent brands. We are competitors,” Gagan Arora, Director-Marketing, iQOO, told us.
  4. The brand will be launching its first phone in India in February 2020. Although details are scarce at the moment, we have been told it will be a global launch and will be the first phone in the Indian market to come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor and support for 5G.
  5. The brand’s first phone was manufactured in India, using shared manufacturing facilities in Vivo’s plant in NOIDA, India, near the capital Delhi.
  6. iQOO’s team in India started with eighty people but we were told its size is likely to go up in the coming days. As of now it seems the company has around 200 employees.
  7. The brand is not focusing on a predominantly online or offline retail strategy. Although the brand mostly sells mainly online, it has also been made available in all channels. However Amazon seems to be the preferred destination to buy their products.
  8. India is the first market outside of China to get iQOO products. Not a bad start for the brand, and it is also wonderful to see brands getting into this mode.
  9. As per briefings in India, iQOO is going to be a brand that is going to be competing mainly on performance. “Best in class performance, perhaps the best in the industry,” Arora said, also indicating that the brand would be bringing a number of innovations to the Indian market.

We Felt A Little Special In Our School

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When my family moved back to India back in 1987, I as very excited as I wanted to spend more time with my cousins. My sister and I enjoyed our summer holidays when we would travel from Kuwait, where we lived at the time, and spend the better part of 2 months with our extended family in Kerala. My sister would end up moving to India at age 16 to studying her 11th & 12th and stayed in a hostel for a year while my parents and then 10 year old me continued to live in Kuwait for a year more. Once we moved back, my parents looked for a school for me.

As I didn’t know how to read or write Malayalam, which is the state language, they looked for schools where I could opt for another language instead. We found a school that one of my cousins studied in – he was about to start the 9th grade that year – and which was very close to my house. So the curriculum would be taught in English and for languages classes we had English, Hindi and instead of Malayalam, I could opt for a class called Special English or Advanced English. So when I joined I was one of just 5 students in that class as everyone else would have the Malayalam language classes.

Well every year, from 6th grade till the 10th, we sat in a small room, with a couple of desks & benches and the English language teacher would take us through the difference class of Special English and we had tests just like the rest of the kids did. It as fun, made us feel a little extra special, plus the last couple of years we had some awesome texts. It was fun.

Saturday Is Good For Recovering From A Work Week

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Well it is getting harder and harder to recover from a week of working the late evening shift. After more than 2.5 months of me working a morning / regular shift moving to the evening shift from 2 weeks ago is taking a toll on my sleep. I need more time to sleep and rest up after I wake up than I used to and that is ofcourse because I am getting older.

Today I woke up a little before 9 am but after a visit to the loo I went back to sleep till almost 11 am. I had my coffee and my breakfast and didn’t do anything other than play songs on my computer until 1pm. I had to buy some groceries for home and I ordered them online and went to collect them from downstairs. My family and I had lunch at 2:15 pm and then I went to lie down and watch the lastest episodes of Star Trek : Strange New Worlds and The Blacklist and then it as time for evening tea. The three of us had our tea with biscuits and cashews.

I kept watching music videos/live stuff on Youtube and took a hot shower by 6:45 pm. I then spent the rest of the evening catching up on vlogs and then ordered some grilled chicken and kuboos with garlic sauce for our dinner. Once it arrived, I set the table with the plates and served my mum & dad. Post dinner, I was back online until 10 pm when I shot two movie reviews and now I am typing up this post and I will go to bed soon. That’s about it for this Saturday!

14 Facts About The Sony Walkman

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1. 50,000 Units sold in the first two months of its release.

2. 385 Million Units sold between 1979 and 2009, the year before the name was retired.

3. 200 Million Walkman units that were cassette players; the remainder were either CD, Mini-Disc, MP3 players, or smartphones.

4. 199 Dollars, the original retail price of the first Sony Walkman model upon release.

5. 738 Dollars, the cost of the original Sony Walkman converted to 2019 dollars.

6. 799 Dollars, the cost of this refurbished TPS-L2 on Etsy.

7. 3,199 Dollars, the cost of the most expensive model in Sony’s current high-end audio digital Walkman series.

8. 30 Percent increase in the number of people who claimed to walk for exercise during the products’ peak sales years of 1987 to 1997.

9. 14 Ounces, the approximate weight of the TPS-L2. An Apple iPhone X weighs 6.14 ounces.

10. 300 Different models of Walkmans made between 1979 and 2010
 at minimum.

11. 50 The percent of the market share that Sony Walkman products owned in the portable music device category in 1989.

12. 2,000 Limited-edition silver-plated Walkmans made for the product’s 10th-year anniversary. Another silver-plated edition was created for its 20th birthday.

13. 90 Minutes, the typical, maximum amount of playback a cassette tape could perform and still offer quality music audio in 1979.

14. 1,980 Minutes, the maximum amount of playback the current WM1A Signature Series Walkman offers.

Time To Recharge The Batteries

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I am really looking forward to this weekend. I can’t wait for log out time and then to come home and crawl into my bed. I could use a little extra sleep. With us working two Saturdays in a month – for no reason other than our employers can’t plan things properly – I get only 2 full weekends to relax in a month. When it is just 1 day in a week, you tend to try to balance your me time, watching a movie or so, paying the bills and other household duties and the stuff and then you go to bed and catch up on some sleep and boom – it’s Monday.

Not so when you have the full 2 days you get to balance things. What I plan to do is catch up on my sleep tomorrow and watch a movie, do a few errands for the family but stay in for the most part. Go to bed early if possible as that rest is really needed. Have a meal with the family! Then on Sunday I am planning to go out, if possible and if I have time go get a haircut and then have a couple of beers and lunch with either a couple of my friends or my cousins. I need this.

As a matter of fact since I only drink and go out once a month, I really do need this. It is part of my relaxation and my recharging of the batteries that is much needed. So I hope everything does according to plan.

Cinch Championships : Facts & Figures Of The Queen’s Club Event

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Two weeks before the action shifts to tennis’ third grand slam of the year at Wimbledon, some of the biggest stars in the game will travel to the Cinch Championships at Queen’s Club. Queen’s Club in West Kensington, London, is named after Queen Victoria and it was established in 1886. It was the first multi-purpose sports complex ever to be built anywhere in the world. Besides tennis, it also holds the World Rackets Championships and has in the past held ice-skating, baseball, athletics and rugby.  Since its inception in 1890, the tournament has gained recognition as one of the most revered warm-up events for the Wimbledon Championships, which is held shortly after.

The total prize money pool for the 2023 Queen’s Club Championships sits at around ÂŁ1,880,000 (€2,195,175 / $2,384,064). That’s an overall increase of 2.8% compared to the 2022 prize fund in an attempt to entice even more players to the tournament. Of that amount, the winner of the event this season will net ÂŁ409,712 (€477,795 / $518,908) -— a near 20% increase on last season’s figure for winning the title.

Interesting Facts about the Queen’s Club Tennis Tournament

  • The Queen’s Club Tennis Tournament was the first official lawn tennis tournament in the world, preceding Wimbledon by one year.
  • The tournament has a longstanding tradition of inviting the reigning Wimbledon champion to play, providing an opportunity for fans to witness the clash of champions.
  • The record for the most titles won at the Queen’s Club Tennis Tournament is held by the legendary British player, Fred Perry, who claimed the trophy eight times between 1931 and 1938.
  • In recent years, the tournament has introduced a doubles competition alongside the singles event, adding further excitement and opportunities for players to showcase their skills.

Seven different players have completed The Queen’s Club-Wimbledon title double in the same year, including John McEnroe (1981, ’84), Jimmy Connors (’82), Boris Becker (’85), Pete Sampras (’95, ’99), Lleyton Hewitt (2002), Rafael Nadal (2008) and Andy Murray (2013, ’16). In 2016, Murray became the first player to win five Queen’s Club titles, separating himself from the elite group of players who have won four Queen’s Club crowns, including McEnroe, Becker, Hewitt and Andy Roddick. The cinch Championships was the ATP 500 Tournament of the Year in 2015-16, 2018 and 2022.