Weekend Conquerer

After losing 2k in the morning - ehhhhh, felt bummed out, took a nap, meditated, then got at it again - and making it all back in 4h online, I close the laptop, put on a nice tidy shirt - AKA the anti-grinder clothes, because I certainly don't want to look like no pro with his hoodie, sweat pants and that stink of “I am here in your country to take your monies without wanting to speak to you, let alone learn your language” - tuck it into my clean pants - somewhat tucked in, as I am a product of the grudge 90s after all -, putting on some aftershave, some deodorant and all that smell good stuff, slip into my grinding shoes and, voila , am ready to go fire another couple of 2k bullets into the live 10-20 game. So I gently stroll down the Lima streets (eyeing the luscious Weekend dressed Latinas in the process, smile on my face), find an atm, get some monies, pay the exorbitant fees, make my way into the casino and…. no cash game Only a tournament, as seems to be the case every Saturday. I did get to soak in the Miraflores weekend vibe though, by aimlessly wandering around

Finished watching the second season of The Path yesterday, a tv show starring Aaron Paul and revolving around this new age cult-like religion that also have a centre in Cusco, Peru (for Ayahuasca journeys, obviously). So of course, that was the final drop needed to make me book a flight for Cusco on Tuesday





Run good all

Free Flow

I am enjoying Latin America WAY more than Asia this time around. Not sure exactly what it is, but just am really happy to be on this side of the planet, learning the language (that might be part of it : that desire to invest myself in the culture as oppose to always being an insider looking in...), wanting to date a Latina and connecting more with the tourists over here... Much like this old French Canadian today, who after detecting traces of a French accent through my Spanish, told me his story. He has rooted himself in Lima for 7 years now, after being a Spanish teacher back in Canada A simple yet cool story, a lot of which was desperately lacking with most of the expats in South-East Asia, me thinks...

I will start my skype courses in the next couple of days - a bad internet connection, not withstanding -, now that I have come down my initial delusional sugar-coated buzz of "yeah man, I can speak Spanish " Atm, there is a ton of me politely pretending to understand - ohhh so Canadian -, but mainly figuring out the meta signification through contextual/situational understanding, and general deduction after picking up 20-50% of the words (less when they speak too fast). I will say this though, it is always a f**king grind to learn a new language (English was definitely not easy either, back WAY then ).




This is what 31USD$ can net you in Miraflores, which is, not much On top of that, the wifi has cost me a couple of hundred already . +600$ in 2h


Run good all

YOLO 4 Life

In the midst of fully engaged combat on the virtual battlefield where I displayed all my arsenal - stuff like bluff-overbet-shoving-rivers-while-insulting-villain's-grandmama or X/R-bluffing-turns-until-the-end-of-times-while-punching-my-opponent-underneath-the-belt-in-the-nuts (yet still seeing them hit their 0.001 outers 1001 times ) -, I get a text from my previously conceited date (turns out her arrogance was more of a defence mechanism than anything else), hence drop my tables in a heartbeat, jump in the shower, sprinkle some love on my face and confirm with the washroom mirror that I will be presenting a favourable version of myself, and make my way to our rendez-vous spot just in time . Phew . Except, alas, she is late, obviously

Anyways, long story short : I am in Cusco right now, but already have a flight back to Lima and an AirBnB in Barranco booked, because... well... she is worth it Has all the qualities I am seeking (liberal, open minded, slightly artsy, kind, pretty, intelligent, into meditation and a bit weird ), and I don't know, will play my cards right and see what may come on the flop




+900$ in 10h this week. The wifi connection has been an issue, dug slightly into my winnings and cut at times my sessions short


Run good all

Gonna go ahead and call it. Best active pg&c.

Pics of latinaments will put it up with the goats

Subbed just for this post. Some really nice reads.

Notepad, Cusco Style

- That chick is really cool and I can't wait to spend more time with her

- Me luving so much so - yes mucho GRANDE, como el mundo - this recent crypto upswwwinnnnnngggg Ehhhh, now if I could stop checking out the price swings 10 times a day, a habit that was instigated a couple of weeks back when I was utterly dreading their free fall

- Speaking of which, as reported on the 2 + 2 podcast, there are a few poker pros that simply gave up on the grind in favour of crypto trading, as the sheer monetary number of the former paled in comparison (perhaps at a 10-20% clip...) to the latter. The thought has also crossed my mind, granted, but one would not be quite professional if he gave up his bread and butter source of income for the sake of fluffy f**king dreams like peanut butter and jam, right

- How about dem Toronto Raptors, first in the East, FULL OF MOJO and whatnot, out for blood I tell you, vivid-fresh-mama-fracking-blood

- The internet is pretty bad here. The combination of my hotel/AirBnB wifi with my phone are usually not enough to dodge the intermittent disconnections/lost monies Down 400$ in 2018 alone.

- Darn, she is hot, smart, a dancer, into meditation, doing her Master's degree and almost made me message her yesterday for Valentine's Day like a cheesy little frack

- Booked 2 weeks thus far in Lima. Will probably do some weekend trips to nearby towns/beaches and whatnot, and most likely just leave if it doesn't work with the misses.


Thx bro Not sure about the pics, as I save the best ones for my travel thread

On the Latina dating front though : had 3 dates with 2 different girls thus far. 2 with the misses, and 1 cool chick that brought me back to her place and literally jumped on me If not, all quiet on the dating front, as am not seeking to score much (I had a few hot chicks in their 20s send me some tentative pics, but I just dismissed them, as it is not my scene...). I am more into building something. The one I am fond of, is 34, has travelled a decent amount, worked in the States before, is educated, liberal/non-religiouis yet spiritual and... ehhhhhhh, I will stop speaking of her now, as I sound like a fracking school boy


Thx man, yeah, I liked the fast pace tone of that post




Pic will probably not make this thread GOAT, but these Peruvian are though +900$ in 15h


Run good all

What app/site do you use for dating/meet ups?

Asking for a friend...

Feast or Famine

Wanna know the difference in between 200z and 400z ... When I show up and see a table full of regs @ 200z, I comfortably take a seat, stretch out my legs, greet everyone with a f**king grin on my face extending to the moon and galaxies beyond , take out my fork and knife and begin feasting, yo As simple as that

- "Friend, can you pass the salt", I casually say, mouth stuffed/burping in the process, because who needs to exhibit class when you are a f**king King and everyone else is your peasant… Moreover, because we can never get enough, I calmly add :

- "that was delicious, can I get seconds.".

I am already salivating when I hear a reg mention "dessert", anticipating to stuff me tummy with 1001 calories of sugar-coated fish-regs dipped in melted chocolate sauce with a side of ice-cream... the taste of victory is always ahhhhhh so yummmmmmy The same applies for HU or shorthanded tables, which acts as an open buffet for yours truly, with a welcome sign hanging stating "all the fish-regs you can eat"

Now, the same cannot be said when I approach the 400z tables... God no I tiptop on my toes - scared to disturb even a fracking ant in the process : - slowly make my way to the table even though the open seat is vacant for everyone to take... I finally awkwardly sit down, manage to mutter "hhhiii" like a f**king timid kid on his first day of his new highschool that is trying to avoid attention by all means, yet still manages to draw all eyes on him with his outward clumsiness I studiously observe every participant ; every moment, every gesture, every word spoken without fail, until someone looks at me, points towards my plate and asks :

- "are you going to eat?".

- "Yeah, hahahahahha ", I manage to stutter, but it is of little use, as I lost all forms of appetite. In fact, if there is not at least 1 fish sitting at the table, when all eyes quit observing me, I stand up and make a f**king run for it


#Run4TheHillz/Run4UrLife


Disclaimer



I use Cupid, but rumour has it that Tinder is pretty effective as well. Peru is obviously not the first go-to country in Latin America 4 da ladies (probably Colombia, Republic Dominican and Brazil, me thinks...), but you will find some pretty Peruvians with a little bit of patience. I think that the prettiest women I saw this winter is probably in Romania or Bosnia... And Montreal, of course




+2.4k in 21h


Run good all

hi brother!
Here is a Peruvian spins player ($ 3 / $ 7 spins for a stake)
My name is Jorge, im 27 years old, have a full time job and family. If you are still interested in learning Spanish, I am interested in improving my English.
Skype me if you want: jorge pajares gamarra (can search me in facebook too)
The internet in the hotels is usually unstable, but you can have a decent connection using the gbs of a cell phone.

Week in Review + New Schedule

Alright, because of being slightly under the weather for the past couple of days (ehhhh stomach ache and some fever ), I fell short of my adjusted 30h goal this week : +2.5k in 27h. Feb-March will see us aim for a weekly volume of 28h, which is the estimated time required in order to release my final RB milestone of 5k. April will be much different, as life stuff will henceforth be more predominant, namely spending time in the Cusco and surrounding areas (Machu Pichu and the Sacred Valley) and do an ayahuasca journey. In fact, I rarely felt vibrant as I did in Pisaq yesterday…. Perhaps in India, where similar bewildered vibrations of such tremendous beauty opened a breach into a Universe a bit TOOOOOOO Fracking BIG, exposing yours truly to a sorta metaphysical vertigo, if you wish…. Anyhow, the new schedule should look like the following :

-4h of daily grinding
-2h of studying poker and Spanish
-2h of meditation
-1h of writing
Some exercising (booked an AirBnB with a gym and pool)

A bit of a workload, one might say, but I am known for being extremely disciplined and determined. Moreover, lest not forget the live 10-20 game where I plan on playing 3-4h every Friday. Ooooffff, add the time potentially spent with the misses, and we are heading for a CPU/RAM overload, yo.


Thx bro, I added you on facebook (Coco, si?). Donde vives? En Lima? Si quieres encontrar para cafe y para hablamos, dijes a mio




This was on the outskirt of Pisaq, but am presently back in Barranco, Lima, where I will for at least 2 weeks


Run good all

Open Up the Gates

It feels good to be back here in Barranco ; I like the artsy vibes, the live music in the evening, strolling down in the park down towards the beach... Also found an excellent local restaurant that serves the best soup known to peoplekind since the Midieval Ages - where we all know that soups were Gangsta SOUPS, right, like stated by legendary films like Conan The Barbarian, for instance But I believe that part of it, is just knowing that I will be here in the short/mid-term, thus guaranteeing my nomadic arse with known commodities such as a blender to make smoothies in the morning, a pool and the Sea to go dipping in and developing familiar habits in order to smooth into the Spanish and poker grind

Came out soaring out of the gates on the virtual tables today, which is always a welcoming way to debut the week... until my wifi became spotty as frack,, that is, my brain a bit too toasted, and hence started thinking about taking an afternoon virtual break for lunch, a haircut and a small stroll... so I decided to play 1 last round when I got dealt A3 in the SB.

I hesitate in between folding and just calling my session quits, but button being aggressive and all, I 3bet to 17$ after he made it 5$. He calls.

Flop (36$)
46K

Can you say Giiiiinnnn I think about the merits of betting, until villain's agro tendencies come back to me, and I happily X/C his 16$ bet.

Turn (68$)
46K 4

The paired board is not the ideal scenario, but is not an extra and it is certainly not stopping me from dreaming of Vegas Baby and all the glitter and all the... ehhhhh, ok, no more Rounders references Anyhow, I check while villain rapidly fires a pretty big and polarizing 62$ bet. I tank-call, part of it due to contemplating (but never quite seriously) on the merits of shoving (disclaimer : none, outside of an unreliable wifi connection ), and the other being that my internet is acting up (probably due to the increase RAM of the brewing big pot, BIG like Midieval Soups yo ).

River (192$)
46K 4 J

I lo........... lose my f**king connection I don't know... while I am sitting there, leaving my router do its thing, I realize that it really doesn't matter, despite the potential pot being 600CAD$ and all, things are good. I am still up 1.3k for the day in 2h, am riding a sweeeet upswing, both in the game and in life, and that I have already accounted for 2k in potential loses due to wifi for 2018 (already @ 1k though).




Flight Cusco-Lima


Run good all

Came tumbling down my fluffy cloud. Yup, even all the fluff in the world could not keep me up there, in dreamland, forever contemplating the horizon like a French romantic dreamer...

It started with a bad wifi connection, some run bad and, quite frankly, perhaps my worst performing day of poker since I really don't know when... My brain cells had somehow managed to manoeuvre through this recent flu of mine, but today, all my brain CPU power failed up there But whatever, I wasn't going to let a 1.5k morning downswing get in the way of my date #3, right... It turns out that the misses was conceited once again She went from having all these qualities to being high maintenance af... Whatever, will just go with it, spend some time with her and see where it goes, but in the meantime, I was going to get me monies back, right Ehhhhhh, finished the day down 3k and had to quit after 3h, as tilt and fatigue were becoming overwhelming factors Anyhow, will watch a movie, rest and get back at it tomorrow, yo




-1.1k in 8h this week


Run good all

Stakes

Retrieved 1600$ from the atms (just barely enough for the 10-20 game), paid the exorbitant fees, got ripped off by the bank converstion - ehhhh, should of exchanged the monies at the casino (no fees whatsoever) - met up with fellow 2 + 2er PrideofCucamonga - great encounter, the guy has been travelling since before the beginning of times - for a bite, then proceeded to go to the casino…. Game was running, but it is a 20-40 game, min buy-in of 3k, in fracking Lima, go figure It is a little over my normal stakes, but would still be willing to shortstack for 100bbs if it wasn’t for the cumulative burdens of the fees, being more of an exposure before and after (assuming I win...) the game when potentially carrying all that monies when I might hit the road in a couple of weeks or so Sigh and a thousand times sigh!!! On the other hand, there is an Omaha game ; a 2-2 game, granted, but still enticing enough to go have fun splashing around/practicing my 2 + 2 card game.

Got a date Saturday with a cute/classy looking 31 year old pretty Peruvian chick ; this date might be REALLY interesting, given that she speaks little to no English and that my Spanish is stuck in inertia/AKA fracking mud I mean, this is the way to learn, right For the record, back in my 20s, I went to a random small town wedding after being picked up hitchhiking in Mexico and also got invited to sleep over in a random Guatemalan household when I was found stranded by the side of the road, a year later…. So it is not as if these potentially awkward encounters are new to me, but this one should be peculiar for obviously different reasons To be continued…

Been focussing on the grind moreso than anticipated ; which is good, money wise, but not so much for my Spanish though…. The biggest hurdle has been the wifi : I need a reliable connection in order to debut my Skype lessons. Here’s to hoping my next AirBnB does include it in its package (the host is hot as frack though, which is definitely an advanced form of compensation )




+1.4k online in 7h, -200$ live in 4h


Run good all

Really that big a difference between 200 and 400z? Which site is it though?

Is this 31 year old the same one you have the hots for? The kinda spiritual and yet not religious one.

Double Up

I find myself (unexpectedly) a bit exhausted from the grind ; it became a priority the past few days when I unexpectedly found myself 3rd in a rakerace and well within reach of 1st (2k difference) Once February is over though, I will slack off (slightly), concentrate on some life stuff, make Spanish a priority and thus balance myself once again.

Probably will go for a massage today (body/mind need it ) and check out some tattoo shops for a potential Alex Grey small piece (2h) next week on my arm

Sidenote : darn, because I am feeling mentally tired and all today, found myself reminiscing that 400k hands/5 months of run bad from 2 years ago Pretty insane that I was still grinding 8h/4000 hands/day, despite the abysmal unlikely mathematical outcomes on all fronts No kidding I was emotionally drained I mean, how many hands - run bad or not - a brain can sanely take with just 1 break a day Especially a 40 years old brain...



No man, I just like to let myself get caught up in the narrative ; it is much more fun to write/story tell in a extremist tone Oftentimes, stories do indeed have a mind of their own This is not to say that the storyline becomes less factual, but perhaps more fictional, if you get my grip...

This said, lest not forget that anytime we are moving up in poker, we are always doubling our stakes - not insignificant in itself - and find ourself vs tougher regs and perhaps a bit more scared money/unwilling to take those thin edges... For me, it has always been a slow and tentative climb when moving up.


Unfortunately not. I kinda of gave up on that chick, and her on me... Our second date was really good, but for some reason, not so much our third... Our distinct TITANIC differences could alas no longer be conciliated through the power of seduction alone... We have not communicated since. In fact, I have kinda of lowered my expectations dearly on the dating front and just want something steady, yet casual. I don't think a longterm relationship is pragmatic right now tbh, albeit still within the realm of possibility, I guess... Also, to fall in love would deter me from my plans of making it back to Europe in November once again )




You can "rent a cat" here and play with them for a few minutes/hours or a day +2.2k in 25h this week (am releasing 4k in RB in the next week )


Run good all

plz post the Alex Grey tat if you end up getting one!

Sands in a Hourglass

Darn, already a month has gone by A full fracking month... And yet I feel I have not accomplished much over here outside of the grind... But then again, perhaps setting goals like being fluid in Spanish in 3 months was setting the bar high when juxtaposed with stuff like getting a gf, making 25k online, losing a couple of kgs... I guess that we can extend until Spain next winter this whole "being fluid Spanishy thingy", as well as settle for encounters on the dating front... As far as the 25k goes, given how much we have made the grind a priority, anything short of 30k will be a disappointment.

On the subject of goal setting : I am an ambitious fellow and establishing difficult targets has been an integral part of my adult life, especially since being self-employed ; I mean, I have the necessary amount (and beyond) of self-disciplined required for the task. So the question becomes : where does the fine line lie in between regulating ourselves and engaging with the natural flow of things/AKA the present moment... Of course, like most equations in life, the answer lies in a more balanced outcome, yet I can't help to wonder about the intrinsic nature of contemplative interrogations... I mean, take the cliche quote "it is better to regret something you did, than something you didn't do" which, granted, I get it, you want to go ahead and experiment left and right in life, but I still feel that this phrase misses the point (as do all cliche statements, tbh ) ; if you find yourself regretting missed opportunities in your life, the point of discord lies not in the prior unconsumed moments, but the fact that you are not embracing the present one at hand. End of digression


Will do man, but am looking at a simple one on my right arm to compliment an alien-Buddha that I have on the left. Ultimately I would need to find a way to connect both to my back (probably with climbing plants or something...) :




+3.1k in 31h this week which, after the 600$ loss due to a wifi mishap, is not too bad, not too bad indeed


If I had the opportunity to go back in time and redo my back, I would probably go ahead and get an Alex Grey inspired universe as oppose to a Bryan Froud one... No biggie though, as I do like the present result that is my back piece as, you know, stuff happens in life, like a tattoo here, a tattoo there, and then you do your best, patch it up and try to end up with something nice in the end, you know


Run good all

Making Ends Meet

I find myself clearly 3rd in the rakerace today, with 2nd and 4th resoundingly out of reach. Which comes as a blessing in disguise, as it time to relax a little and finally make Spanish a priority.

Will be attending a meditation meet up on Wednesday, where vipassana meditators group for an hour long sitting session. Pretty cool that there is nowadays a vipassana community across the world Will also go play some live pokerz at the end of the week, either the 2-5 or 2-2 omaha game.




+2.6k in 3h


Run good all

Change

Been on quite the upswing over the past few days. Like a TITANIC one, MASSIVE as frack, enough to instil anyone worthy of awareness with a GIANT case of vertigo You see - and this is not meant as a form of entitlement, as nonsensical as it might sound -, but any significant change comes with its dose of destabilizing effect, be it ultimately positive or negative. Of course, if you want to dwell in your comfort zone all your life, you live in a suburban area with a dog, a wife and a fracking white picketed fence, not roam around the world as a professional poker player/meditator ; yet, in the end, we remain human. Too human. To whom brash transformations might unfortunately come as a threat, be it as positive as it may... There is a reason why anarchy as a political system remains impossible, despite offering so many benefits... But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, shall we…. End of early day digression

Am attending a vipassana group sit tonight, which most likely consists exclusively of Latinos ; it is cool to what extent different communities can form around the world, despite multiple apparent barriers such as language, age or culture…. I remember a German friend explain to me how she found a harp community - of all instruments - in Vancouver and attested that the likes exists in most cities worldwide.

I went to get a quote on my potential Alex Grey yesterday, only to notice 4 Alex Grey paintings framed on the wall, go figure Also hopped over to the casino, but all tables were full, there was no omaha running and I did not really feel like playing that much, tbh, so headed back home. This said, before leaving, I did notice a local eyeing me from head to toe - from toe to head and then all over again - while I was standing there asking myself “where do I know this guy..." until it all came back to me through the shape of a hand :

After I Mississippi stradle the button to 4$, villain opens to 16$ from MP to which I elect to defend my button holding 45.

Flop (38$)
410J

I am not that happy with life when villain decides to fire half pot, given that this game is nitty as frack and he has a tight range and all, but I mean, can I fold a pair here - GTO baby, right -, so I reluctantly call.

Turn (78$)
410J 6

Villain rapidly checks, as do I.

River
410J 6 2

Villain decides to bet 60$ and I snap call. He shows AQ, I turn over my 4th pair to the sight of which the table erupts in shock, most of them insinuating that I am a complete donkey I mean, I get this is a small stakes game and all, and that they often understand ranges through the prism of strength shown by various bet sizes, but man, such this is such a trivial spot/easy call when in my shoes. Villain is a reg and most likely one of the top players in this game, yet like pretty much everyone that plays lowstakes, he will always be looking to protect his made hands on the turn, namely AA, KK, QQ or AJ. Also, he would never use such a big polarizing value bet for 10x on the river. But even if he somehow decides to have a balanced checking range on the turn, that would still leave him with 27 value combos as opposed to 48 bluffing combinations (KQ, AQ and AK) ; considering we need to be right 30.3% of the time on our call, I obviously snap-called, faster than a Western showdown during the last spark of the dying sun




+8.1k in 13h


Run good all

Integrity

I believe that one of the most of the most important aspects for an individual integrity in any given work industry, is to remain genuine. To your belief system. Ideals. Personality. And to yourself - however volatile of an adaption that might require.

In the kitchen industry, Anthony Bourdain was/is a major influence. His bestseller Kitchen Confidential defined the attitude of cooks to come. One might argue that Bourdain simply reflected upon the industry standards, sure, but either way, he thus reassured this substance abuse/sexist/homophobic world. If a Jack Kerouac had anti-consumer and Buddhist views that ultimately ended up in pure hedonistic alcoholism (and left him many regrets), Bourdain is a str8 up hedonistic prick. I mean, the guy seems nice and all and a charismatic enough fellow, but the influence that he left behind him had a tremendously negative ripple effect, even if he tried to defend himself by writing "hey man, I am not sexist nor homophobic : you can be gay, just as long as you do not act like one" Anyhow, the same can be applied for the poker world.

How can one remain genuine when he is surrounded by balla wannabes self-indulging little f**ks? Not to mention the challenge that this can be for an observer when you are still in your early 20s, impressionable and that being accepted by your peers precedes everything else at times... End of digression.




+10.4k in 24h this week


On another note, I really don't feel like going back to Canada and especially not to Dawson...


Run good all

Nice write up the last post. Completely agree man.

(Non) Mother's Tongue

Well that was interesting : met up with this absolutely pretty and classy Peruvian chick yesterday (who could not speak a work in English ), went for a walk by the beach, stumbled linguistically, fumbled a few assertive charming acts, failed to bring her back home and perhaps scored a C/C- in my overall seduction grade... Imagine all those awkward silent moments of first dates being exponentially multiplied, as even if I do have an immense amount of trust in my first encounter impressions in French and English, when executed in my 3rd language, it is just not the same in espagnol, Jack

Booked a flight for Trujillo this coming Tuesday, a northern coastal city acting as a gateway to smaller beach towns. The wifi connection will factor in where I ultimately end up, as will my upcoming date this week


Thx bro Happy that you concur, as I was a little concerned about coming across bitter... For some reason, even if I had a 5 digit week, I feel bummed out from the grind. From Lima. And just impatient af in general All I keep thinking about, is how I would like to spend the summer in Eastern Europe... Unfeasible right now, as I got stuff to do in Canada, but something to look into for next year though...





Run good all

Baby Steps

Well that was an interesting first Spanish lesson ; on the plus side, my teacher is a very cute Mexican chick that speaks French, English, Portugese and Spanish , has graded me as being level 4 intermediate (out of 6), has attested that it is more than feasible that I will achieve native speaker skills within a year ; on the negative side, it is fracking taxing for the brain to learn a new language, especially when one cannot take a break for an hour str8

Looking forward to the Trujillo part of this trip Just nice to go exploring new grounds, new coastal horizons, and to thus leave behind this city of 10 million+ souls... I mean, for a (ex)Yukoner like myself that spends a big chunk of his time in the Arctic part of the globe, 10 mil is about 9 mil and 999 thousand tooooooo many

Quit the grind today after 2h and 1001 disconnections (down 1k or something) ; just don't have the patience for the virtual world recently and wanted to spend my last night in Lima out and about, or perhaps playing some live pokerz…





Run good all

The North

Just landed in Trujillo this evening ; we will have to wait until tomorrow before I get a feel for this place, when I have a dinner date and I am assuming, some exploring of the old city... In the meantime, I have 2h of Spanish homework to do tonight (after a 45m course ) which, when combined with the poker grind and studying, is just too much . Something has to give... Probably will cut the volume of grinding to 20h weekly, as my 40 year old arse of a brain will simply not cope

Am pretty excited about being in a new city, learning a new language, meeting a new chick tomorrow ; all is good folks, all is good




Pretty epic how the all 3 trees coincide with the hair dew of the grafitti characters AKA natural afro style yo +1.5k in 3h


Run good all

The 90s

In Montreal, my teens/early 20s (moved out west when I was 22) in the 90s was pretty fracking amazing, tbh and defined by the likes of grunge music, acid, herb, festivals, hacky sack, camping and, alas , anger towards society. The following is the top 5 musical albums that significantly marked this era with its defining importance :

Ill Communication, The Beastie Boys : Few bands have managed to blend different musical genres together (until it became a thing, obviously) like the Bboys did with hard rock and hiphop. In fact, before the Bboys became this rap phenomenon, they were a skater punk band. And for me, the evolution of the band musically, politically and spiritually, was a revelation throughout my teens where I would eventually turn to Buddhism at the age of 19 (think Tibetan Freedom concert). Ill communication is the Bboys at their most diversified, me thinks, with sounds going from punk, to hiphop, to Buddhist chants etc.

Aenema, Tool : Many have compared Tool to Metallica which, perhaps is a legit comparison for what they represented for their respective eras, yet fails to reflect the musical depth of the former, me thinks. Numerous are Tool songs where multiple listens are required to truly appreciate the complexity of the musical arrangement. And lest not forget the Buddhist themes of the lyrics (oftentimes combined with dope songs) and the use of Alex Grey's art for the album covers.

OK Computer, Radiohead : OK Computer is the album that brought the mainstream's attention to this visionary band. And thankfully so, as this album is not only luring by its accessible tunes, but is a existential journey into the themes that took the 90s by storm : individuality vs technology, depression, The death of God, anger etc.

One Hot Minute, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers : For the record, I do believe Blood Sugar Sex Magic to be a superior and more innovative album, but having Dave Navarro (from Jane's Addiction) tag along with the Chilli Peppers, was epic and brought a pure grudge sound the the funky-hiphop-punky band And it kind of makes up for not including Jane's Addiction in this list and reflects (somewhat) the influence of Lollapalooza/the breakup of Jane's upon the grudge scene.

The Downward Spiral, NIN : Like the title indicates, Trent Reznor takes us down the rabbit hole of a Junkie’s mind. The journey is frightening as frack, with the moments of extasy not strong enough to compensate for the dreaded visits into a hellish abyss…. In the end and through the mesmerizing lyrics of the songHurt, all that is left is pain after this long trip. And lucidity. Too much lucidity.

Washing Machine, Sonic Youth : I could not bring myself to stop at 5 if it meant excluding Sonic Youth, a band that, much like many others in the 90s, did not get its due recognition. Sonic Youth erupted in 1981 with an unprecedented experimental-grudgy sound, a bit too ahead of its time, and it was not until the 90s and the Nirvana-Pearl Jam alt rock explosion, did fans start to recognize Sonic Youth for their great sound.

Le Dome, Jean Leloup : I Left out tremendously great French 90s albums (Boom, Boom, Richard Desjardins, Les Colocs etc.), but had to include this French Canadian album, when factoring in how 90s it sounds and how hip it was within the French Canadian scene Also, it is kinda cool that I got to not only see him live on multiple occasions, but got to see him in clubs in Montreal as well (he was even more wasted than I was, which was not an easy feat to accomplish back then

Honorable Mention : Rage Against the Machine, Beck, Faith No More, Sublime.

My personal favourites (but less influential): Clann Zu, God Speed You Black Emperor. Both epic, if you like progressive rock




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Run good all