everybody isaSuperstar ^_^

The Virgin Festival in Montréal goes BOOM BOOM POW

So apparently, when you decide to host a party for thousands of guests, you need:

• 3000 km of recycled toilet paper
• 74 guitars
• 327 guitar picks
• 48 MEGA sound woofers
• 6800 kg of ice to cool the beverages

Yup, those items figured on Virgin Mobile’s grocery list when they decided to kick off their national tour in the city of Montréal. The inaugural edition of the Virgin Festival was held at the gorgeous Parc Jean-Drapeau where 20 artists shared the venue’s two stages.

Montréal was selected to host the event because of our thriving music scene and thousands of festival-loving fans. And true to our reputation, Montrealers gave it up for The Black Eyed Peas, who treated the local audience to new songs from their new album The Energy Never Dies (The E.N.D) as well as classics “Let’s Get Retarded” and “Dont’ Phunk With my Heart”. They closed with “Boom Boom Pow” which left the audience chanting for more.

Another notable act that wowed the crowd, young and old alike were the New Kids on the Block. It was endearing to see the different generations following the American pop group “step by step”. Brilliant way to end the festival.

Music à la Montréal
Even with all those superstars, the crowd was stoked to groove to the beats of Montreal talent Jonathan Roy and Karl Wolf. But the local band that really shook things up was Simple Plan. This world renowned band delivered a rockstaresque performance to an ecstatic crowd. They also treated their fans with a cover of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face”.

The uniqueness of this city appears to be an inspiring place for emerging artists. The mix of cultures becomes a muse to them. Indeed, Montreal singers can be influenced by the soulful American music, the richness of European lyrics, and the variety of other parts of the world. Artists can gain a lot from evolving in this blend of cultures where opportunities arise due to the particularity of their work. Moreover, Montreal gives a chance for many new comers to perform in several festivals. For example, the Jazz Festival allows “small” artists to play onstage during the day.

My insider tips
- Make buddies with the security crew of the events.
The security guards were quite nice and chatty. I asked them whether they saw any VIPs entering the venue and they spilled the beans that Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens arrived in black Cadillac limousines to watch the festival!

- Inform yourself about the refund policy
Unfortunately, Akon had to cancel due to immigration papers problems. As a result, you could get a 100% refund before the next artist arrived on stage. So there is a trick here if you want to make quick money: Go buy a last-minute ticket from a scalper at a reduced price (around $30) and get a full refund at the tickets stand ($75). But don’t tell anyone that I told you that.

If I could clone myself…
Montréal is always grooving. There are tons of things to do in the city. On that week-end, not only was there the Virgin Festival, but there were also the St-Laurent Street Sale and the Montréal International Fireworks at La Ronde. So if you want to know what to do while you’re in Montreal, ask the locals to give you the down low and the boom boom pow.

Susan Boyle’s Competition at Britain’s Got Talent

Susan Boyle doesn’t need a presentation (her first performance got about 100 million views on YouTube). She dreamed a dream. Now, during the awaited Britain’s Got Talent semi-finals, she sang ‘Memory’ from the musical Cats. What do you think?

By the way, have you had the chance to watch her competition? 39 other contestants were chosen by the jury to go through the semi-finals. Check out other bloody brilliant performers:

Natalie Okri, 10, singer

Cute little girl who wants to be like Beyoncé.

Sue Son, 24, violonist

Had to leave her best friend behind.

Diversity, aged 12-25, Street Dance Act
A group of dancers with a diverse background

Embedding is disabled, but I had to put them in my list, since they are my favorite

Shaheen Jafargholi, 12, singer

The choice of the song is paramount.

Aidan Davis, 11, Dancer

Surprisingly very talented break dancer

Shaun Smith, 17, singer

His lack of confidence is somehow beguiling.

What about you? Who are your picks?

Internet in my life 网络改变了我的日常生活

Truth be told, since Seth Godin commented on my post, I struggled to find a topic worth blogging. But why all this pressure? I’m ashamed to have forgotten for a moment that my initial goal of this blog-with-an-old-but-oh-so-symbolic-layout-of-Beijing-Olympics-2008 is to have fun. That is why I decided to go back to the basics, to one of my passions, Chinese.

It’s been a long time that I haven’t practiced my Chinese. I thought I should at least make an effort and revise a bit. Here’s a little composition describing the role of Internet in my life. (My Chinese friends, feel free to help me learning and point out my errors :)

近些年，网上冲浪很快乐。我几乎已经忘记没有网络的日子是怎样度过的了。我无法想像没有网络相伴的日子，生活将会怎样。平时，我每天要上网。

我生活节奏很快，有很多的事情要做。我一边攻读硕士学位，一边打网球，一边学高级汉语。我觉得快要忙死了。当然我没有很多机会跟朋友去玩儿。幸亏， 网络能让我轻松一点儿。我经常一开始就先查看我的邮件.我一般收到很多的邮件， 有时候让我头昏眼花。然而电子邮件让我保持联系和我的朋友。我也用 QQ，MSN Messenger, Twitter。我常常在这些网络即时沟通工具上跟朋友聊天。尤其跟中国朋友视频聊天。这样不仅不花钱，而且不费事，还能见到朋友们。虽然他们离我很远但是就像在身边一样。网络真让世界缩小了。

除了即时沟通工具，Facebook，这新兴的社交网络更是改变了我的交友方式。因为我怕浪费时间，我努力控制自己不泡在Facebook 的很长时间。

Seth Godin Lost his Montreal Tribe and Tony Chapman for Prime Minister

How a Master’s degree student like me would treat herself after completing her final exams of the semester? Attending Seth Godin conference is the answer, but that candy didn’t turn out as sweet as expected… Let me unwind the salient facts of the day.

The “Journée Infopresse 360 avec Seth Godin: Saisir les nouvelles opportunités d’affaires ” started out with an introduction by René Vézina (Journal Les Affaires), followed by conferences of Marcel Côté (Secor Conseil), Jacques-Hervé Roubert (Nurun) and Tony Chapman (Capital C).

The introduction gave us a sneak peek at the economical context. M. Vézina indicated us statistics that are encouraging for the market in Quebec: Montreal’s unemployment rate is for the first time in history lower than Toronto’s. I enjoyed his conclusion where he shared with us an endearing analogy. He compared the economic crisis with the winter on the Anticosti Island where about 20% of the deers don’t survive, leaving all the green grass of spring to the strongest deers. OK, maybe it didn’t give you the same effect, but to us, proud Quebecois, that comparison made it stick in our minds.

As for M. Côté, he informed us that 8% of the Fortune 500 companies will disappear because of the crisis. He also listed out 3 winning strategies to adopt in order to perform during the troubled environment:

1. Frugality: Save. Stuff up your drawers. In all, scrape some money together.
2. Agility: Be more flexible, be ready to adapt to changing situations.
3. Opportunism: Be insightful and fast to act, because excellent occasions are appearing.

Afterward, M. Roubert presented an aesthetic keynote about how the crisis can be a catalyst for innovation. He showed different types of innovation, ranging from costs reduction to truly revolutionary innovation. I understand that it is not only a matter of introducing new products, but innovation also means harmonizing your business model in a more optimal way. He also gave a list of ideas to keep in mind during crisis:

1. Promote on a daily basis the concept of innovation among the employees. Every little gesture counts.
2. Understand the evolution of consumer behavior.
3. Adapt the company’s offer and philosophy to the economical context.
4. Optimize the investment in marketing communication without reducing it.
5. Remember that the marketing of innovation is as important as innovation itself.

He later concluded with a memorable quote of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel:

“Never let a serious crisis go to waste.”

Furthermore, M. Chapman took the relay, and in a brilliant way. He convinced his public to stop advertising and start socializing. Charismatic, he transposed his ‘joie de vivre’ right at the beginning of his presentation. I must admit that he won me over with his first slides with these optmistic words “FEELS so great to be alive”. More than a keynote with beautiful pictures, he managed to use remarkable buzz words to justify his message. Here some of them (Even though my dear friend on my right managed to spill his glass of water, I couldn’t help him, because I didn’t want to miss a single word.):

• RUDDERLESS, values and purpose
• SATURATION, brands and media
• SHOUTING, “He who shouts loudest wins?”
• ECONOMY hits the wall
• FREE FALL confidence
• MEANING do I really need this
• CONSUMER, all about me
• COMMUNITY unleash army of David’s
• LET your brand go

There were more than 50 slides containing amazing illustrations about the fall of advertising and the rise of social media. M. Chapman then showed us his impressive marketing stunts: viral video “Bride has massive hair wig out” and the Nissan Hypercube, first car to launch without a dollar of advertising.

Finally, he gave us a patriotic speech about how Canada could lead the world. Indeed, being such a multicultural country, Canada could become the laboratory where we create all the new models to meet the needs of the new sophisticated consumers. Obviously, it would require a great deal of choreography. M. Chapman also confessed that if Canada finds a politician worthy enough (i.e. who speaks fluently 3 languages and understands the power of Internet) to lead this country, he would be ready to follow and back up this chosen one.

Personally, I believed him, he seemed truly sincere. Even at the period of questions, he succeeded in answering them impressively. I totally liked his idea of introducing web cams in the Nike sweatshops in order to deal with the accusations. Overall, M. Chapman really convinced me that with courage and conviction, the results will come.

Now, the ‘pièce de résistance’, M. Godin, mentor and principal reason for the majority if not the aggregate of the crowd. After a quick lunch, he dashed out from his table (yeah, I kinda stalked him since I sat at a table next to his). At first, I thought that it was to prepare his presentation. But come on, how long does it take you to plug a MacBook?

Maybe we are way too demanding as die-hard fans of THE guru, but several of us expected somehow more from THE Seth Godin. Don’t get me wrong, his presentation wasn’t awful, on the contrary, there were enough images to make us feel and understand his ideas. But if I had to summarize it, I would say that he simply recycled the material from his 6 books. On the other hand, I can understand that maybe this conference wasn’t for those who had read all of his books and blog posts. As a result, we didn’t feel ‘refreshed’.

To compensate that, we would have forgotten this non-refreshment if he had giving out autographs or had accepted to take some pictures. But no, not only he didn’t take the time to sign books or pose for photos, he totally ‘humiliate’ the woman who questioned him why he won’t allow comments on his blog. After answering it mechanically, he asked the crowd “Is there any other more interesting and productive question please?” Ouch you say? Ouhhh we said… as he rolled his little hand luggage rapidly towards the exit to catch his plane.

Anyhow, we witnessed the clash between the agressive-not-so-empathic criticizing way of the typical American Idol judge VS the more-constructive-empathic Canadian way. Risquy observation and generalisation I admit, but these were only the thoughts of a frustrated fan who didn’t get a photo with her idol.

Jerome Blais Biking 6500 km to Prevent Suicide

Suicide is a serious matter that haunts our society. I find it sad to know that there are people who are willing to give up on life. Trying to be empathic, I can understand that pressure is not always easy to handle. But then again, what is impossible to do?

I consider myself as an eternal optimistic: nothing is impossible. My friends sometimes call me a naive girl when I say that everything is gonna be alright. Others see me as a stubborn fighter because I refuse to lose (whether it is during sports, an argument or a Chinese chess game 象棋). One thing is certain, I rarely throw in the towel and I will always persevere.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to convince you to become a bad loser. I’m only realizing that there are many types of person in this world, and that on a certain level I can count myself as an extremely lucky girl. My life has been so great so far. I have success in school and in sports. I always meet warmhearted people wherever I go, even when I’m heading towards the other end of the planet.

Lately, I noticed some campaigns on the prevention for suicide. Have you watched this week’s episode of ‘House M.D’? If you haven’t, don’t worry, I won’t spill out the HUGE spoiler like one friend did to me (damn you!). But at the end of it, during the credits, they shared an organization for those with suicidal thoughts.

‘If you are in crisis and thinking about suicide, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

For general information about mental health issues, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness‘

I find it wonderful to witness social responsibility by the mass media.

Furthermore, I have friends who are taking part in raising awareness for suicide prevention. I bought their promotion T-shirt on their website (altitude-sports.com) and I encourage you to do the same. Get your own ‘Suicide Action Montréal 6500 km à vélo‘ T-shirt.

more info about the cause:

Altitude-Sports.com invites you to support Jerome Blais as he cycles across Canada to raise awareness for suicide prevention. Encourage him by purchasing one of the 100% cotton t-shirts by BLANK, proudly made in Quebec.

In Quebec, suicide is the leading cause of death in men aged 20 to 39, as well as in women aged 25 to 29. Suicide Action Montreal (SAM) is an organization which, thanks to its many volunteers, works hard in the area of suicide prevention. SAM offers support to those with suicidal thoughts and their friends and families.

Please note that the entire expedition has been personally funded by Jerome. We are therefore asking for your generosity in supporting a very important cause, not to pay for a trip. All contributions, including the profits of t-shirt sales, will be donated to the SAM Foundation.

from Jerome Blais

Facebook: un modèle d’affaires profitable?

“As-tu un compte Facebook” est devenue une question fréquente au sein de la nouvelle génération.  Ce réseau social fondé en 2004 par un étudiant de Harvard a connu un essor foudroyant depuis les dernières années.  Il existe toutefois des centaines de sites de réseaux sociaux.  Or, pourquoi Facebook connaît-il autant de succès?

En effet, Facebook recense aujourd’hui plus de 125 millions de membres.  Cependant, en ce qui a trait à son aspect financier, certains sont perplexes quant à son modèle d’affaires.  Le réseau social a perdu de l’argent l’an passé et ce sera le cas cette année aussi .  Pourtant, Facebook reçoit 22,5% du trafic hebdomadaire mondial des réseaux sociaux (Universal McCann, 2008). Nous nous demandons donc s’il est possible pour le réseau social de monétiser à profit toute cette popularité.

Pour se démarquer dans l’industrie, il est important d’avoir une synergie à travers ces composantes : l’interface client, la stratégie, les ressources stratégiques et le réseau de partenaires (Hamel, 2000).  Stratégiquement, Facebook présente une mission qui se veut d’utiliser Internet pour donner le pouvoir aux gens de partager et faire un monde plus accessible et connecté.  Non seulement cette mission a comme objectif de faire participer les gens, mais elle vise également la population mondiale.  La valeur au cœur de n’importe quel réseau social est la connexion et la communication entre les membres (Karp, 2007).  Le médium Internet est l’une des raisons de succès pour le phénomène des réseaux sociaux, car il permet d’élargir la portée de façon significative tant autant des dimensions du temps que de la distance.  Compte tenu du nombre astronomique de réseaux sociaux sur Internet, Facebook a cherché à se différencier.  Pouvant rejoindre un vaste nombre de personnes, Facebook devait se concentrer à bâtir une interface de qualité pour améliorer l’expérience de l’usager.  Un usager satisfait reviendra pour sûr et continuera à interagir avec ses amis.  Les communautés s’agrandissent, et voilà que Facebook a franchi le cap des 125 millions d’abonnés.

La compétence de l’interface client réside en sa simplicité.  Les ingénieurs ont su agencer les composantes des pages de profil et du « newsfeed » d’une façon optimale.  L’offre du service en plusieurs langues a contribué à l’internationalisation des marchés pénétrés par Facebook.  Le site est toujours à l’écoute des membres qui peuvent suivre les nouvelles avec le blog.  Des rubriques d’aides sont également disponibles pour guider l’usager dans son expérience.  Il est indubitable la quantité d’informations que Facebook détient sur ses utilisateurs.  C’est la segmentation des renseignements donnés par les membres qui représente l’or aux yeux des entreprises sachant les mettre à profits (Stutzman, 2006).

Quant aux ressources stratégiques, Facebook est devenu un leader de l’industrie des réseaux sociaux, car il a su développer des compétences distinctives.  Tout d’abord, sa politique sur la vie privée permet à ses usagers de configurer leurs préférences.  De plus, Facebook a déployé l’application web #1 de partage de photos (Comscore, 2008).  Le partage de photos étant une activité populaire chez les membres, cela a valu à Facebook un succès considérable dans l’industrie des réseaux sociaux.  Pour supporter son processus d’affaires, l’équipe a su mettre en place les technologies adéquates pouvant contenir tout le trafic et gérer les milliers de bases de données.  Récemment, Facebook a voulu acquérir Twitter .  Cette acquisition aurait été stratégique notamment dû au succès de Twitter dans le monde du micro-blogging.  La communication représente l’un des fondements d’un réseau social, le choix de Twitter est donc cohérent.

Pour resserrer son réseau de partenaires, Facebook a ouvert sa plate-forme aux développeurs.  Depuis des mois, les usagers peuvent ajouter des applications programmées par de tierces parties.  C’est dans le but de rehausser l’expérience des membres, que Facebook a rendu accessible des centaines d’applications.  Le fbFund a été mis en place pour justement encourager la qualité des applications et attirer les meilleurs développeurs.

Ceci étant dit, Facebook semble être sur la bonne voie pour offrir la meilleure expérience possible à ses usagers.  Cependant, où sont les profits?  En fait, la première source de revenus de Facebook provient des annonceurs qui lui achètent des espaces publicitaires.  Les modes de paiement de ces bannières publicitaires sont par CPC ou par CPM.  Ceci peut expliquer la gratuité de l’inscription à Facebook.  En effet, le site a intérêt à regrouper le plus grand nombre d’abonnés possible pour augmenter le nombre potentiel de cliques et d’impressions.  Tout de même, avec les 125 millions d’usagers, les cliques ne convertissent pas à un taux satisfaisant.  Pour expliquer cette situation, nous croyons qu’il y a une contradiction avec la mission de l’entreprise.  Un usager qui cherche à connecter et à communiquer avec ses proches ne serait pas poussé à cliquer sur une annonce et sortir de sa communauté (qui est présentée par le portail de Facebook).

Dans une perspective à long terme, la stratégie à adopter est de chercher l’engagement.  Il faut chercher à faire participer l’usager, lui donner le pouvoir d’évaluer, de commenter et de partager l’annonce (Owyang, 2008).  Puisque les ressources technologiques de Facebook sont de taille, et que le système de newsfeed est à point, les annonces publicitaires qui engagent connaîtront relativement plus de succès.  De plus, cette présentation d’annonces ne gêne pas la navigation de l’usager, puisque l’annonce est intégrée, comme un widget sur le côté, et les actions (clique, évaluation, partage) ne feront pas quitter la personne hors du site de Facebook.  La rétroaction des membres avec les marques représentera tout aussi des informations ayant une valeur importante.   Durant les prochaines années, Facebook devra donc développer une stratégie de présentation d’annonces publicitaires qui réussira à chercher l’engagement des usagers.  Également, il devra continuer à être à l’affût des acquisitions cohérentes à sa mission.  Il devra toujours chercher à soutenir l’interface client de qualité et le bassin des usagers ne cesserait de s’agrandir.  La communauté implantée représente un atout stratégique primordial.  Assurément, la communauté de Facebook lui sera unique : les nouveaux arrivants pourraient tenter de copier de façon intégrale son modèle, mais d’une aucune façon, ceux-ci pourraient lui soutirer sa communauté.  Finalement, Facebook a les éléments clés (interface client de qualité, vaste bassin d’usagers, technologies supportant le modèle).  Il ne suffit que la liaison et faire le pont avec les annonceurs. En dernier lieu, nous croyons que le bateau de Facebook n’échouera pas tout de suite. Étant parmi les pionniers du domaine, il a déjà une grande avance devant ses compétiteurs et son image de marque est plus que forte, elle ne cessera pas de si tôt d’attirer du trafic aussi impressionnant.

Ryan Started the Fire

There are more and more celebrities on Twitter. Thousands of fans can follow their tweets and interact by using the ‘reply @’ function. A few minutes ago, The Office’s Dwight, actor Rainn Wilson shared a fan video with this tweet:

I am really impressed with the result, I wonder how much time it took the fans to make it. I am also curious to see how this buzz will go. By the time I viewed the video, there were already more than 6000 views. With the help of the Web 2.0/Social Media power, I predict thousands more…
Now, enjoy this fan video and sing along “Ryan started the fire” ♪

Office-themed “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” Made by Brad E and Ashley G
If you are a true fan of ‘The Office’, you will ♥ the lyrics:

Ryan Howard, Holly Flax, David Wallace, Future Fax
Jim Halpert, Dwight Schrute, mustard yellow shirt

Creed Bratton, Michael Scott, [...] Continue Reading…

Systèmes, contrôle d’applications et sécurité WEB

Vous trouverez plus-bas la présentation (SlideShare) préparée par mes collègues Frédérick J. Fortin, Pierre-Luc Soucy et moi-même. Ce billet se veut donc l’endroit tout désigné pour laisser vos commentaires suite à notre présentation.

Merci et au plaisir de vous lire!

Isabelle, Frédérick et Pierre-Luc
Systèmes, contrôle d’applications et sécurité WEB
4-970-02 - Gestion du risque, contrôle et sécurité du commerce électronique
Séance 5
Présentation sur les systèmes, le contrôle d’applications et la sécurité WEB
Isabelle Chrun B.A.A, Frédérick J. Fortin B.A.A, Pierre-Luc Soucy B. Ing.

Got to learn that Slumdog Millionaire Jai Ho dance

‘Who wants to be a millionaire?’ is the tagline of the famous TV show which inspired the movie of the year (in my humble opinion). ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ has already won 4 Golden Globes and 7 BAFTAs.  Everybody is anticipating the Oscars gold for this Danny Boyle movie.

I finally decided to go watch this movie after many friends’ recommendations (and after all its success at the Golden Globes). ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is simply magnificent. The storyline is interesting, the kids are endearing, the editing is inspiring… no wonder the movie already won this many awards.

Most of all, I have to admit that I still can’t get the song ‘Jai Ho’ from the ending credits out of my head.  Following the Bollywood tradition, the movie ended (no spoilers) with an impressive dance where dozens are moving with the rhythm of ‘Jai Ho’ (A R Rahman ft. Sukhvinder Singh, Tanvi Shah & Mahalaxmi [...] Continue Reading…

Hôtel Morphée: Où vous ne dormez pas

Hotel Morphee ne serait pas vraiment le meilleur choix si vous vouliez dormir.  En fait, c’est un nouveau groupe de musique, avec tant de potentiel.  Composé majoritairement de cordes, Hôtel Morphée saurait plutôt faire ressortir vos rêves.

Puisque je n’ai point un discours digne pour décrire cette formation géniale, je préfère vous faire part d’une de leurs pièces “Montréal est infidèle”.

Les superstars de Hôtel Morphée

Laurence Nerbonne (Voix, violon et amie du cegep avec qui je jouais au bball)
Blaise Borboën-Léonard (Violon, glockenspiel)
Mark Grand’Maison (Guitare, basse)
Philippe Mius d’Entremont (Violoncelle)
Stéphane Lemieux (Batterie)

J’ai eu la chance d’assister à leur spectacle hier au Quai des Brumes, et ce serait un euphémisme de dire que j’ai apprécié leurs oeuvres.

À ne pas manquer aux Francouvertes le 16 mars au Lion d’Or.

En attendant, allez voir cet hôtel 5 étoiles sur myspace ou sur Facebook

-isaSuperstar

Web analytics: Le film dont vous êtes la star

3, 2, 1…

WEB ANALYTICS: Le film dont vous êtes la star!

C’est avec grand plaisir que je vous accueille sur mon blogue. Vous trouverez plus-bas la présentation (SlideShare) préparée par mon collègue Frédérick J. Fortin et moi-même. Ce billet se veut donc l’endroit tout désigné pour laisser vos commentaires suite à notre présentation.

Merci et au plaisir de vous lire!

Isabelle et Frédérick

Web analytics: Le film dont vous êtes la star

MKT 4-170-00 Marketing électronique
Séance 3
Présentation sur le web analytics
Isabelle Chrun B.A.A & Frédérick J. Fortin B.A.A

Ugly and Still Can Do Networking

As I was watching an episode of Ugly Betty “Dress For Success” (3×11), I found myself amused by how Marc St. James (Michael Urie) explains the basics of networking to Betty (America Ferrera). Networking is indeed important in the fashion (and business) world, but it is not always easy to learn it.

Now, before you view the clip, I want to reassure you that although the superficial speech might shock you, do not worry, our Ugly Betty’s true personality always win in the end.

Step 1: Be memorable

Step 2: Gathering information

Step 3: The exit strategy

If I may, the supporting characters of Marc and Amanda are absolutely endearing. They play a big part in the success of this great show.  Their podcasts are quite funny too.

Have you ever watched ‘Ugly Betty’ ? What are your thoughts?

-isaSuperstar

Zeitgeist, the Revolution is Now

What do Christianity, 911 and The Federal Reserve all have in common?

Learn the truth with this must see video and watch out for the men behind the curtain.

“They must have find it difficult… Those who have taken authority as the truth,

Rather than truth as the authority”

“Power corrupts,

Absolute power corrupts absolutely”

“When the power of love the love of power, the world will know peace”

http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/

Carabins undefeated during this OUA tennis season

It is with an extreme pleasure that I’m sharing with you how my teammates and I won this year Ontario University Athletics tennis title.  It is with absolute pride that I am wearing the blue colors of the Carabins tennis (Montreal University sports teams).  I have succeeded to win my 18 matches without even dropping a single set.  Being undefeated gives me a marvelous feeling ^_^

On the other hand, I must also apologize to you all. I wish I could blog more often, I love blogging, I really do, but since this new school year, my schedule is insane.  Not only have I started my Master’s degree in e-Commerce, I am also studying advanced Chinese and I am training hard to keep my shape for the University tennis season (it was worth it: OUA CHAMPS!).

Even for my dearest friends, I can’t find time to spend with them: the only [...] Continue Reading…

Pourquoi Amazon est une superstar en e-commerce?

Selon la « 2008 Best Global Brands List » de Interbrand, la marque Amazon (classée 58e) est devenue plus influente que celle Yahoo! (65e). Comment Amazon s’est-il pris pour passer à travers toutes ces premières années sans profit réel et arriver à la position de leader dans le commerce électronique?

En effet, en ce qui a trait aux modèles d’affaires sur Internet, celui d’Amazon est cité maintes fois et représente un exemple à suivre dans l’industrie. Ce pionner a su profiter des opportunités amenées par l’évolution des technologies. Le fondateur Jeff Bezos a pris avantage du marché traditionnel du livre qui était fragmenté. Étant donné l’existence d’un nombre considérable d’éditeurs, de titres et qu’il était tout simplement impossible de tous les offrir sous un même toit « traditionnel », il a sauté sur l’occasion pour mettre en place la librairie qui rendrait accessible le plus [...] Continue Reading…

I love Kosuke Kitajima’s breaststroke swimming style

Michael Phelps is a swimming machine, but we have to give the breaststroke crown to the Japanese Kosuke Kitajima. I have to confess, I can’t swim (…) so I guess I can’t really talk about swimming techniques. Nevertheless, my hours in front of the Beijing Water Cube events could give me some credibility, perhaps? No?

Well, can I just say that I love watching Kitajima swim then? He seems so comfortable in the water. Here’s a little video of him when he broke a world record during the 2008 Japan Open.

-isaSuperstar

Chinese Yang Wei dominates in gymnastics

I must admit, I am not the biggest fan of gymnastics, I only watch that discipline once every 4 years. The thing is that when all those olympians begin their routine, I just can’t switch channels (yes, u r right, all the other channels are also broadcasting the Olympics, but it is not my point here). I can’t look away from their routine because their performance is astonishing. I just can’t believe how they do all those maneuvers. They are so quick, jump so high, and incredibly strong (especially on the rings).

China won 9 of the 14 gold medals in gymnastics artistic. Lately, there is a lot of echo about under aged female gymnasts. I prefer not to discuss about this matter.

I would rather share with you how much I respect Yang Wei, the individual all-around gold medal winner. He was absolutely dazzling in each of his routine.

更快更高更强

-isaSuperstar

Jujie Luan is a superstar 50 years old fencer

Jujie Luan

I heard a beautiful story today, there is this woman, Jujie Luan, who won the gold medal in fencing for China during the 1984 Olympic Games.  24 years later, at the age of 50, she wants to go duel in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, but this time, representing Canada. Obviously, she doesn’t need to win a medal to gain my respect; just to see how passionate she is for her sport, she is my new idol. Watching her first battle at the foil competition was so inspiring. Although she is way older than her opponent, she fenced with authority by reacting aggressively after each of her point, and with her experience, she won against the Tunisian Ines Boubakri.

Because of Jujie Luan, I have discovered how fencing is an incredible sport and how an athlete’s will goes beyond what we can imagine. Thank you for your inspiration.
“As [...] Continue Reading…

Michael Phelps is a superstar swimmer

Michael Phelps

I know, this is a too easy choice, yes, he is already a big superstar. Nonetheless, I wanted to emphasize the grandeur of his quest: mister Phelps wants 8 gold medals. Not just 8 medals, but 8 gold medals, he might win more Olympics titles than the Canadian nation overall (no comment). Anyhoo, this swimmer won his first gold medal in the 200m freestyle. How many medals do you think he will win during these Beijing Olympic Games?

-isaSuperstar

Chen Xia Xia is a weightlifting superstar

The first Olympics event that was broadcasting on my TV is weightlifting. Because I watch the Canadian channel, they were presenting the performance of Marilou Dozois-Prévost from my hometown, Montreal. It is nice that we get to know more about our athletes.

Another nation that I follow very closely is China (of course). The host country didn’t wait long for their first medal. This superstar, Chen Xia Xia not only won the first gold medal for her nation, but also broke 2 Olympic records. This 25-year-old snatched and jerked a total of 212 kg.
Chen Xia Xia

-isaSuperstar