Meanwhile In Montreal...

Montreal is a very bilingual city (then again, so is Vancouver, just a different bilingual). Not only it is English and French, but the French is separated to 'French French' and 'Quebec French'. The two has its similarities but sometimes the sayings are completely different.

Going to Montreal always remind me of how Quebec French doesn't make sense. Walking by a cupcake store, I saw a cupcake decorated in pretty icing with a little sign on top that says "bonne fête":

"You guys buy gifts for people if they have a good party?" I asked. (In my mind, I thought 'gosh, what a waste of money for a gift'.)
"No." my friend replied.
"So why does that cupcake say 'good party'?" I asked again.
"Bonne fête means 'happy birthday'."
"That doesn't make any sense, 'bonne' means 'good' and 'fête' means 'party'. How does 'bonne fête' mean 'happy birthday'?"
"It just is."
"And what if you don't have a party on your birthday?"
"... Quick being a smart ass."
"So how do you say 'good party' in French then?"
"Uhm.. We don't really say that."
"Apparently not because complimenting someone that they had a good party means wishing them a happy birthday."

Even with the language barrier, most people in Montreal, English or French, seem to love dogs. I took my dog antique and boutique shopping and received at least half a dozen compliments about my dog from old and young people, English and French. What seemed to be the bonus point is when I commented that I adopted my dog. "Ohh! Good for you!!!" They would say, giving me a verbal gold star on my forehead. Later I found out that it is because Quebec is known for puppy mills.

On top of it having a reputation for puppy mills, Montreal is also quite active in the adult entertainment industry. A friend of mine recently got an interview with a software company that does adult entertainment. I didn't think any more of it other than perhaps some second rate mobile apps on finding an escort, or maybe a small production on some random unnoticed sex toys in the over-saturated sex toy market. But it turns out that the software company is the creator for PornHub and RedTube.

"Wow! that is SO cool." I said.

I was fascinated from a business standpoint. On an entrepreneur level, how do you start a free porn website let alone have it grow be as well known and profitable as PornHub is today? To afford having a huge ass ad in Time Square is not something any company can do. And out of all places, the company started out with just a few guys in their basement in Montreal.

"What are you going to be doing there?" I asked.
"Project Management" he answered.
"So... You'll be managing the next fetish launch on PornHub?"

Yes, Porn has a negative portrayal on women and intercourse. But like anything else from the media, we have to take it as nothing more than face value. Or else we'd go crazy trying to have a body like Victoria's Secret models and expect every guy in relationships to act like John Cusack in "Say Anything" or Jack in "Titanic". So, like a kid having a rare Pokemon trading card, Pornhub being a huge successful Canadian company kind of make me proud to be Canadian. Over the years we have lost Molson, Hudson Bay, Tim Horton to Americans, while Blackberry is on its last hurrah, but this show that there will always be something else. While things might go and vanish in a world that seems to be saturated in everything, there will always be new territories to acquire- one just has to be innovative enough to discover it.