Legend has it that, a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away (Ste-Dorothee is far for me…), existed the largest car meet in the area. These meets began sometime last summer, and sadly enough, suffered the same fate, but much much sooner this year.

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Due to a few immature car owners, the large parking lot around the Ste-Dorothee Mega-Center is no longer hosting (what I was told) 1000+ cars on a weekly basis. A time for car friends & fans to come together and hang out was quickly spoiled by a certain few. A certain few who thought that acting malevolent by doing burn-outs would garner praise. 

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On that note, I would just like to send a general message to any car & automotive fan in Montreal:

Please act responsibly, and help us keep our local meets going, instead of destroying the community some people have worked strongly to build these past few years.

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All the drama aside, here are a few photos of our Local Hero, taken at the now “private” JDM Monday meets, which will be at different undisclosed locations every week.

This Sunday May 6th, many BMW owners gathered at a familiar local landmark.  Being a centralized meeting spot for Montreal and it’s surrounding suburbs and shores, it is home to different meets throughout the week.

BMW fanatics decided to make today it’s un-official season opener, and I was glad to be able to meet other enthusiasts. Here are the few photos I took:

Here are the five candidates for @PMAG2012, which will be held on May 5th @ 7:00pm at Salle La Découverte, in Montreal, Qc.

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Contestant #1

Melanie
20 years old • Born & raised in Montreal, Qc
Student of Athletic Therapy at Concordia University 

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Contestant #2

Marjorie
22 years old • Born & raised in the Philippines
Graduate of St. Augustine School of Nursing (Philippines)

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Contestant #3

Sharonrose
22 years old • Born & raised in Montreal, Qc
Student of Finance & Administration Honours at University of Western Ontario / McGill University

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Contestant #4

Mariel
19 years old • Born & raised in Montreal, Qc
Graduate of Dental Assistance at CDI College

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Contestant #5

Jilliene
18 years old • Born & raised in Batangas, Philippines
Graduate of Batangas State University (Philippines)

@PMAG2012 (Miss Philippines Montreal Ambassador of Goodwill) will be held on May 5th @ 7:00pm at Salle La Découverte, in Montreal, Qc. This event aims to express the beauty, leadership and empowerment of the filipino community, especially though the five lovely contestants between the ages of 18-25.

Along with organizers @_hellomeredith & @FeastUrEyes, I was given the chance to do a beauty/glamour shoot with the beautiful ladies who have been invited to participate in this year’s event.

I will not be able to share the final photos as they will be revealed at the show, but I’ll leave a little “Easter teaser” for you to see.

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And here’s a quick, un-edited “teaser” of the look we were going for:

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Happy Easter & God Bless.

Last Monday was Park Avenue BMW’s F30 3-series official launch. Gotsoul’s DJ @ToddyFlores was in charge of the soundtrack of the night, with his DJ booth right above the main entrance.

Hors-d’oeuvres and wine was served throughout the night, as guests admired the sixth generation of the flagship luxury sedan.

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Here are a few shots of the night.  Visit JNQ&Co.’s Facebook page for the full album.

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More photos after the jump.

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The Montreal car scene seems to be growing more and more every year. Last year, Julep Tuesdays re-established an ever-growing VW/Audi community and (not so JDM) JDM Mondays @ Mega-Center Ste-Dorothee showed that it is possible to have a large amount of enthusiasts together, no matter the make/model/origin/style of the car.

The Wednesday South Shore meets at Wal-Mart Dix30 seems to be kicking off well, and despite the cold weather last night, there was still at least 100 cars that attended.  I had just stopped by to meet up with a few buddies, but I’ll definitely be there on a regular basis, probably taking many more photos.

Enjoy this one of Mike’s special edition 1st gen Miata:

Here’s a quick shot of DJ Toddy Flores, with his set-up above the main-entrance at the BMW Park Avenue (Brossard) new 3-series F30 launch.

More photos (and videos?) should be uploaded soon.

Lia & Rick are such a beautiful and amazing couple. They compliment each other perfectly; you can tell by the infatuation between them in way they interact, without always having to be attached. They are such generous and thoughtful people, and made sure that everyone at their engagement party was having a good time, even/especially their photographer!

Despite the chilly day yesterday, they were very eager when I proposed to take a few photos outside. As you can see, they easily warm each other up with their bright personalities.

With an engagement party like this, I can only imagine how great their wedding will be!

Here are a few of my favorite photos. For the rest of the samples, visit JNQ&Co.’s Facebook Page.

Kabana Dix30 hosts resident DJ @Taha Lake every Saturday, for fine dining and great music for you to enjoy. As you can see in the photos, the place is filled with movement, and Taha does an awesome job pleasing the crowd.

For the full album, visit the Facebook page.

(English version follows)

999 mètres.

C’était la distance qui me restait à franchir afin de compléter le demi-marathon de Montreal Blake’s, qui commençait sur le pont Jacques-Cartier, et se terminait dans le Park Maisonneuve.

Il y a trois mois, mon ami et collègue de travail, Mike, a fait l’inscription pour cette course de 21 km avec moi. On allait se motivé à s‘entraîner, pour pouvoir tenter notre premier demi-marathon. J’étais content parce que, depuis les dernières années, j’essayais de reprendre la course à pied. Habituellement, en me fixant un objectif, je me motive suffisamment pour me garder concentrer à l’atteindre.

Je ne sais pas comment, mais je me suis perdu en chemin.

Depuis le jour qu’on s’est inscrit le 18 Juin 2011, je me suis seulement donné deux jours d’entrainement; un jour en mi-août dans la ville de Québec où j’avais couru 45 minutes autours des Plaines D’Abraham, et une course de 16km Lundi passé (soit 6 jours avant la course) pour pouvoir observer comment mon corps allait réagir après une longue distance. En 2008, j’étais un coureur passionné des courses de 10km. J’aurais dû savoir que la surconfiance m’aurait surpassé.

Surconfiance. Je ne sais pas comment j’ai pensé que j’aurais pu compléter une course d’endurance sans m’entraîner adéquatement.  Je peux donner une multitude de raisons: ne pas avoir assez de temps, avoir trop d’engagement à la fois, sentir constamment fatigué/avoir une manque d’énergie —- il y a beaucoup d’excuses, mais cette expérience m’a démontré le danger de mon arrogance. En tant qu’entraîneur de basketball, et professeur d’éducation physique, j’encourage la confiance en soi, alors que je crois qu’on est, nous-mêmes, notre meilleur source de motivation. Mais à un certain point, la confiance peut se transformer en arrogance et égoïsme, et peut nous empêcher d’attendre notre potentiel réel.

La réalité m’a frappé de plein fouet. Après 19km, je me sentais bien. J’ai fait le « plein de glucides » le soir précédant, et les démarches pour être sûr que j’étais bien hydraté avant, et surtout durant la course. À 2 kilomètres de la ligne d’arrivée, je sentais un regain d’énergie, alors j’ai commencé à augmenter mon rythme. À un moment donné, je me souviens avoir pensé: « je devrais ralentir ; je ne sais pas si je serais capable de garder ce rythme. »  Mais je me sentais à l’aise, et je pensais pouvoir continuer à cette vitesse gardant l’élan que j’ai accumulé. Tout juste après avoir dépassé la bannière qui signalisait le dernier kilomètre, j’ai frappé un mur.  Le fameux « Runner’s Wall » dont j’ai souvent entendu parler, et croyais que je n’aurais jamais à ressentir.

Je n’ai jamais senti autant de douleur de ma vie ; non seulement physique, mais aussi au moral (ironiquement, Kanye West jouait dans mon iPod). Tout d’un coup, tous mes muscles sont devenus raides. Je ressentais des crampes surmonter tout mon corps. Premièrement, mes deux mollets ont bloqués, suivi par des douleurs vives à travers de mon dos. À un moment, mes mains se sont engourdies, et il n’y a pas d’autre moyen pour moi de le décrire que les comparer à des pinces d’homard. J’étais à peine capable de parler lorsque des spectateurs et agents paramédicaux me demandaient « est-ce que vous allez bien? »  Mentalement, je n’ai jamais arrêté de penser à quel point que j’étais stupide de penser que je pouvais terminer à un temps plus rapide, déjà que mon corps était loin d’être préparé pour cette course.

Maintenant, plus que jamais, je vois l’importance de s’entraîner. Ces dernières années, j’ai accepté tous les défis qui se sont présentés devant moi. Cela m’a permis d’acquérir une telle confiance, surtout envers de nouvelles expériences. J’ai toujours sorti « vainqueur » en trouvant le succès, même lorsque je me méfiais de moi-même. Mais pas cette fois. Maintenant je comprends totalement comment la pratique et l’entraînement nous préparent à atteindre nos objectifs, ainsi de nous fortifier pour des imprévus. 

Premièrement, j’aimerais grandement remercier ceux qui m’ont aidé après m’avoir écrasé. Sergio, qui courrait à mes côtés quand il m’a dit que j’avais « tombé sur lui » au dernier kilomètre. Il a eu l’amabilité de s’arrêter et de rester avec moi 10-15 minutes après que je me suis effondré, sacrifiant son propre temps de course. Benoit, qui lui aussi avait une amie qui a « frappé le mur » à quelques mètres de moi. Il faisait en sorte que je ne perdais pas connaissance durant le voyagement sur le véhicule paramédical qui nous conduisait à la ligne d’arrivé. Phil & Louis, deux jeunes agents paramédicaux qui m’ont aidé à me relevé, et ont pris soin de moi dans la tente médicale.

Deuxièmement, je tiens a remercier Andréanne (et sa sœur Sarah), Myriam et Amélie, trois jeunes dames dont j’ai le plaisir de « coacher » ces trois dernières années. Merci de m’avoir encouragé aux kilomètres 4, 12 et 16.  Plusieurs fois durant la course, je sentais que je voulais arrêter, mais je ne voulais pas vous décevoir. Je suis vraiment désolé de ne pas être une « personne modèle. » J’aurais voulu avoir le même engagement et loyauté que vous durant ces trois dernières mois à m’entraîner et m’améliorer ; des traits que vous avez démontré à chaque pratique cette année.

Finalement, merci d’avoir lu cette expérience inoubliable, qui est devenue une leçon d’humilité. Cet évènement m’a aidé à réaliser qu’il n’y a aucun raccourci, peu importe du niveau de force et de confiance que tu crois avoir. Lorsque j’étais capable de marcher, on m’a quand même remis une médaille du « demi-marathon » ; une médaille dont je ne mérite pas. C’est un symbole de ma défaite, mais aussi un rappel de ne pas me perdre ; non-seulement durant l’entraînement, mais dans tout aspects de la vie.

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999 meters.

That is the distance I had left to complete this year’s Blake’s Montreal Half-Marathon, which started on the Jacques-Cartier bridge, and ended in Maisonneuve Park.

3 months ago, my co-worker and good friend Mike registered for this 21km road race with me. We were going to help motivate each-other to train, and push ourselves to stay on track to attempt our first half-marathon. I was really excited, since it’s been such a long time that I’ve been trying to get back into running, and being able to set a goal to achieve usually motivates me enough to keep me focused.

I’m not sure how it happened, but I got lost along the way.

Since the day we registered on June 18th, 2011, I only gave myself 2 days of training; one day mid-august in Québec City, running 45 minutes around the Plains of Abraham, and a 16km “test” run that I forced myself to do last Monday (6 days before the race), to try to understand how my body would feel after such a long distance. I was an avid 10km runner back in 2008, and I should have known better, but over-confidence got the best of me.

Over-confidence. I don’t know how I thought I would be able to complete an endurance run, without proper training. I can give you a number of reasons for not training: not having enough time, taking on too many things at once, constantly feeling tired and not having any energy —- there are many excuses, but this experience showed me the danger of cockiness. As a basketball coach and Phys. Ed. teacher, I promote self-confidence, as I believe that you are your own best motivator. But at a certain point, confidence can turn into cockiness, and will prevent you from your true potential. 

Reality hit me hard. After running 19kms, I felt great. I carb loaded the evening prior, and made sure I was properly hydrated before, and during the run. I had 2 kilometers till the finish-line and I felt a boost of energy overcome me, so I started to increase my pace. At one point, I remember thinking “I should slow down; I’m not sure if I can keep up this pace,” but I felt perfectly fine, and thought I would go with the momentum. Right after passing the 1km banner, I hit the wall. The dreaded “Runners Wall,” that I’ve read about numerous times, yet never thought I would experience.

I have never experience such pain in my life; not only physically, but also to my ego (ironically, Kanye West was playing on my iPod). Every single muscle started to get stiff. I felt cramps overcoming my whole body. It started with both my calves locking-up, followed by sharp pains through my back. At one point, my hands got so numb, and there’s no other way for me to describe them than calling them “lobster claws.”  I was barely able to speak, as supporters and paramedics asked “are you ok?”  Mentally, I could not shake the thought of how stupid I was to think I could finish in a faster time, already that my body was far from prepared for this run.

Now, more than ever, I see the importance of training. For the past few years, I’ve accepted every challenge that has come across me, which allowed me to acquire such confidence, especially towards new experiences.  I’ve always come out “victorious,” finding success even when I felt a bit wary. But not this time. I wholly understand how practice and training prepares you to reach your destination, as well as strengthens you for the unexpected. 

First, I would like to give a big thank you to those who helped after I had crashed. Sergio, a man I was running next to, who told me that “I fell on him” after the 1km mark. He was kind enough to stop and stay with me 10-15 minutes after I collapsed, sacrificing his own run-time. Benoit, who’s friend also “hit the wall” a few meters away from me, made sure I was doing well as the paramedics drove us to the finish-line. Phil & Louis, two young paramedics who helped lift me to the medical tent, and made sure I was in good condition before I limped away.

Secondly, thank you to Andréanne (and her sister Sarah), Myriam and Amélie, 3 young ladies who I’ve had the pleasure of coaching for the past 3 years. Thank you for cheering on me at kilometers 4, 12 and 16. Many times during the race, I felt like I wanted to stop, but I didn’t want to let you girls down. I’m very sorry for not being a role-model. I wish I had your dedication and loyalty during the last 3 months to train and improve; something you’ve shown at every practice this year.

Lastly, thank you for reading this unforgettable, and very humbling experience. This helped me realize that there are no shortcuts, no matter how strong or confident you may feel. When I was finally able to walk, I was still handed a “half-marathon” medal, one that I did not deserve. It is a symbol of my defeat, but also a reminder not to lose myself; not only in training, but in all aspects of life.

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Le début du demi-marathon sur le pont Jacques-Cartier. / The start of the half-marathon on the Jacques-Cartier Bridge.

Ce que j’avais d’l’air lorsque j’étais capable de boiter, déçu de ma performance. / What I looked like at the end when I was able to limp, disappointed of my performance.

Here are a few snapshots of DJ @Toddy Flores spinning at Kabana Dix30 on Saturday, September 10th. Definitely a great atmosphere to be in on a Saturday night, with Toddy delivering great vibes for the people.

Resident DJ @TahaLake is there on a weekly basis,  and you’re always guaranteed a great night with the Gotsoul fam.

See the rest on JNQ&Co’s Facebook page.