Hard to believe that it's been two months since I blogged. I felt like I could've went on and on without blogging but I do want to record what happened within those two months. I definitely was overcame by laziness and then work started to get really busy, like no-joke kind of busy.

I remember February was when my boyfriend and I had our 5 year anniversary, I actually wrote out a blog entry for that but never really got a chance to post it --

I enjoyed this past Saturday so much, definitely something memorable. It was our 5th year anniversary and it was the first time we've been in the car together and just drove around. It was fun and interesting at the same time, no words can really describe it.

We headed to the Brooklyn Brewery first. J got us tickets for unlimited beer, bacon, and belgian waffles from Waffles and Dinges. A nice experience. Drinking beer at 10 in the morning is something I've never done and it wasn't so bad. Not to mention the Mary & Maple Porter was pretty dam good but the bacon was definitely better. We left at around 1 and headed to our next destination.

The ride to Mitsuwa was fun and a bit aggravating at times. Thank god for J's GPS phone. He drove while I try to map out the directions and tell him where to go. There were little boo boos here and there but we eventually got to Mitsuwa. Oh, while getting to Mitsuwa we had to drive down this hill. Oh em gee, scariest thing ever. I don't think I would be able to do it if I was in the drivers seat. I hate those kind of roads in Jersey, it's like having a free roller coaster ride.

Finding parking in the parking lot was a pain since there was literally no spots open. We arrived in the afternoon and go figure that everyone shops around that time. We circle the parking lot 3-4 times until we found a spot. It's pretty much about luck and if you got the skills to cock-block the person in the other cars.

Mitsuwa was a lot smaller than I expected. For some reason, I was picturing a mall not a supermarket. They also have a bookstore and a miscellaneous gift shop. The supermarket was huge though. You can basically find anything Japanese in there, from groceries to house-hold items to skincare and even booze. There were endless shelves of sake and the bottles were just so pretty. There was also a food court within the supermarket, excellent food btw. Pretty legit and so cheap. I would come back just for the food.

The green tea bubble tea was so good, so different but so good. They actually blend the green tea and milk together to make it extra frothy and thick. The tapioca balls were sweet which was fine by me. Surprisingly, it tasted healthy. Loving Mitsuwa so far.

Next stop, J was supposedly going to surprise me but there's no way since he has no idea how to get there and he needs me to help with his navigation. How cute. He planned on taking me to play mini golf. I was hesitant at first, wasn't too sure if it's my kind of thing but once we started, it was so much fun. The ride there was getting dark and harder to read the street signs. Jersey's street signs are no play, they are tiny and hidden behind friggin trees and fences.

Bogota Golf Center was close to the waters, so when we hopped out of the car the wind just smacked us in our faces, so cold! I was so glad the place was open and that there were no one there. The mini-golf range was all to us, yes! I have to say, I enjoyed it a lot. I don't know about real golf but I do like mini-golf.

Just before we were going to leave Jersey, J had to go to one more spot. White Manna. The oh so famous place we saw on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. Really, what's so great about it? The burgers you say? Since we're there, might as well head over. The drive was close but driving in the dark in a place you completely know nothing of is scary and fun. We crossed a little bridge that literally freaked us out.

White Manna was a small burger joint. Enough to seat maybe 20? The burgers are cooked right on the spot and only cost $1.50 each. They look similar to White Castle's burger but taste so much better. I can see what the hype is about, but I wouldn't go out of my way coming back. If I'm in the neighborhood, definitely get a couple to go.

Driving back to NYC was quick and there was no traffic at all. A whole day of experiencing my boyfriend's driving wasn't so bad, not that I had doubted him.

We ended up not getting anything to eat back in the city since the burgers satisfied us. We played a game of pool to end the day.

He took me back to my place. Before I got out of the car, I gave him his gift. A gift he once said that he wanted. I got him a pocket watch. Took a while to find "the one" that suited him. I had to like it and make sure that he'll like it also.

Once I saw this I knew it was the one for him. A two-tone color and the dial was blue, absolutely perfect... just like him.

After 5 years of being with him, I realized that he's it. He's the one that I'll spend the rest of my life with. In everyone's eyes, we are "it." And I'm sure they're waiting for the wedding of a lifetime to happen... haha *getting full of myself here*. But yes, 5 years and still going. I'm going to enjoy the years to come.

Quite a day. Since then, nothing happened. I was just swamped with work because of tax season. Worked from 9am-10/11pm each night the past week and even went in on Saturdays. It was tough. I was lacking sleep so much. I was surprise I didn't screw up anything at work. There were times where there were mountains of files near my desk. They started to get on the shelf, window sill, and even the floor. It was literally that insane. But the good side to all this was how much I learned and plus all the great food my firm feed us with.

So relieved that it's finally over. And because it's over, I practically have nothing to do. Well, not nothing to do but it's much less. It felt so weird to be able to get off work early and not stay until late into the night where the sun is already gone. What I'll remember would be the cab I take at home from my firm, the cab driver drives uber fast and gets me home within 30 minutes. That's a record, especially from midtown. The car is pretty neat also, leather seats and drives quite smooth. I once got an SUV instead of a sedan, now that's classy.

No idea how happy I am now that it's all over and I can get my sleep and free time. I even have this Friday off.

Truthfully, when I work I don't expect to get praises from people. I really don't. I just want to get my work done, what I'm responsible for and just do it right. As long as people acknowledge and know that, it's ok. I don't need them to tell me so but it never hurts to be appreciated and praised. I guess how I see it as is, it's my responsibility and I'm hired to do the work and finish all the duties that are given to me. Technically, I would be a great employee because I don't need much feedback from employers, I don't need immediate feedback at least.

I need a massage so bad. Not enough sleep and working long hours can really make the body stiff. I need to pamper myself and totally indulge. Probably go shopping, it's usually a great therapy. I also have to remember to start working out next week and start eating healthier. The past week at work was insane, the amount of food and junk food they serve us was scary. Not to mention summer is around the corner and I really want to look presentable. But I just feel so lazy, I need motivation! I think I need a personal trainer to push me... I am so horrible at this.

Hopefully now that tax season is out of the way, I can write a bit more here. I really do miss it.

2012 is here, another year has gone by with another year to look forward to. I have to say that 2011 seem oddly quick. Many things happened, some were memorable, some weren't. I realized I made a New Year's Resolution last year but I won't be this year. Seeing that I didn't really follow what I wrote last year, there's no point doing it again.

What I have been doing during the holidays was gaining weight. My firm is holding "The Biggest Loser," which we have 8-12 weeks to lose as much as we like. Winner takes money. So, I'm starting the process now. The hardest part is to think of what to eat, have to eat healthy and exercise - I feel like this is just plain horror. But, I have to stick with it... I want that body and money!

My New Year's was nice. I got to the most of the time with my boyfriend and that's really all I need. We ate Takashi, you might recall that it's the same spot we ate at New Year's Eve for last year. I guess we turned it into a yearly tradition. They had some new items on the menu which was quite exotic.
J and I had turkey testicles before and it wasn't the best experience we had, I mean we did end up eating it but it was just really really bad. This time around, we saw cow testicles on the menu and J wanted to get it. I was definitely skeptical since our first encounter with testicles weren't so great. But this time, the cow testicles were made escargot style and you know how much we LOVE escargot. The dish came out and I just couldn't stop laughing, it surely looked extremely weird. But you know what, it was quite tasty. If you had escargot before, you'll have no problem eating this at all. Cleverly prepared.

So back track, we started the day at Blockheads. J never had their bulldogs so I wanted him to try one before the year was over. Bulldogs come in different flavors but the finishing touch was the upside down corona bottle that they jam in the middle of the cup. All bulldogs has a margarita ice puree topped with a layer of different flavor choices (jager, sagria, tequila, etc.) and then the corona bottle. I personally still like the Jager the most even though the Red Bulldog looks pretty. We also ordered a quesadilla and it was ginormous, it's a meal for two for sure. Since it was NYE, we decided to get a shot of tequila - like why not?! The waiter came back with 2 shots of Patron Silver, and let me tell you they were no shots. They were the lowball glasses that serves margarita on the rocks, it was like 2 shots in one glass. Whoaaa what a way to start the day!

Then, we went to catch a movie. Sherlock Holmes, which I passed out towards the end of the movie and missed the ending. Total fail. After the movie, J tried summarizing the ending for me as we walked to Takashi.
Overall, it was a simple NYE. We were together when midnight striked, I wouldn't want to spend it with anyone else but him.

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Alright, so besides the whole New Year thing I have been waiting for T-ara's new MV - Lovey Dovey. I saw their first one, which was Cry Cry and got hooked onto the song. The MV was also really good and because there was a part two, I've been waiting and waiting. So, in the meantime of waiting for the T-ara MV... I've been crazy "obssess" (guess we can use that word) with Infinite - another Korean male group. Ever since Shinhwa in high school, I haven't been this crazy over a male group in a long time. They have great synchronization when it comes to choreography and the songs are addicting also.
I always have a favorite among groups, so my absolute fave is L.Kim aka L aka Kim Myungsoo. Sungyeol is also growing on me since he's the big fun wacko of the group alongside Dongwoo also. If I'm not mistaken, they're having a concert some time in February. Another item on my to-buy list.

So, that was a quick update of what I've been doing. Now, it's back to slaving away at work.

The end has come but it's not the last of it

Felt so surreal when we woke up on our last day in Montreal. And to think we only arrive to Montreal just 5 days ago, time sure does go by quick when you're having fun. Before our trip, I told J that the last day will be the day where we decide which place we want to head back to have their food again. I bet you all thought it would be Frite Alors... but you'll see.

J went down to get us our last hotel breakfast. It was nice, breakfast in bed. I'm going to miss this kind of treatment from the boyfriend.

I really liked their waffles and J likes the toast. Simple breakfast, something to keep our tummy happy before heading to our final stop.

Our room cards. I didn't realize there was a map on the card all along. Boy, wouldn't that make it easier for us to find the hotel when we were walking like crazy the first two days.

The amount of metro-cards we bought. If we were well prepared then we would've only gotten the 3-day pass with a 1 day rather than pay for all the single rides. We learned out lesson, must do research and be extra prepared next time wherever we go!

After the quick breakfast, we packed everything we need and checked out of the hotel a little before 12pm.
Took the metro to our favorite restaurant in Montreal, Papillon.

It's official, we love this place. Whether it's the fabulous escargot they make or the great service, we love it. The restaurant wasn't pack, as a matter of fact we were the only customers for lunch. You might think that's crazy but that's how Montreal roll. A lot of restaurants barely have people in there and it became the norm for us.

Instead of coffee, we both had Earl Grey tea. J made milk tea with his but I like mine plain.

Greek Salad. I tried avoiding the olives like crazy. Overall, a good salad.

We both forgot what this soup was, but it tasted soooo good. This is why I hate it when J always picks the better dishes. UGHHHH... I want to kick him.

I had the salmon which was cooked perfectly. The vegetables were quite amazing also, I usually don't like the accompany vegetables because they taste bland, like they just boiled it. But for Papillon, they actually sauteed it and gave it some flavor. Man, I love the French!

J's braised rabbit. He loved it. I liked it also but that maple sauce was a tad bit weird for me. And why did he have more mushrooms than meee???

We also ordered the escargot, but since I already had so many pictures of that I didn't bother retaking it. Our last meal in Montreal was lovely. We had window seats and the restaurant was quiet enough for us to enjoy our food and chit chat before we had to head to the airport.

Montreal is beautiful in its own aspects. I'm glad I got the chance to really explore what Montreal had to offer again with the boyfriend. I definitely seeing myself coming back, either for the escargot or the poutine.

When we were done with our meal, we lugged our baggage to the train station and took the metro to the airport. It's so much easier and simpler than NYC. There was a bus that ran directly to the airport, so we caught that bus and held hands thinking about the great times we had in Montreal.

Some silly pictures on the bus before heading home.

And the next thing we knew...

We're back at JFK waiting to head home.

This trip was definitely one of those test. It's a lot different than our trip to Cancun where everything was handed to us and we didn't have to go anywhere for anything before it was just so convenient. In Montreal, we had to travel around in the city hoping that our directional skills will take us to our destine places. J and I did argue during this trip, it's totally normal even though I wished we didn't. After this trip, I'm sure we can tackle any other trips since we already had a language barrier here which was French. I'm looking forward to our future trips which I'm sure would be a lot more challenging and fun.

Feeling like kids in a candy shop

Sunday was a dreary day so J and I wanted to spend some of time indoors. We plan on going to a museum/zoo/aquarium thing, it's an all-in-one spot. But before going out, we need to check out the continental breakfast that our hotel offered.

A sufficient breakfast. They had a lot of carbs and starch-ie food, no meat at all. The orange juice was pretty good, coffee wasn't so great. I really liked the waffles, actually it's the maple syrup that I really like. It's not extremely sweet and tasted just perfect, slab on a little whipped butter and that's a perfect waffle for you.

After breakfast we chilled a bit in our room until we felt like getting our asses up to head out. We thought we probably should get something to eat before heading to our destination. Of course, we went to Frite Alors and got some poutine. Can you see how much we love Frite Alors? J was eye-ing the pulled pork since day one so that's exactly what we got. The pork was a bit on the sweet side so it actually tasted better without the meat.

The train ride wasn't long, within half an hour and we were at the Biodome. Pretty excited.

How do you like them apples? We got a student discount with our NYC student IDs. Totally surprised that they even accepted it.

Biodome incorporates 4 different physical atmosphere to educate the public of the animals that lives in them. The killer was the forest, it was so humid and hot. Truthfully, I gave after a couple of shots because there were way too many people and I could hardly take any photos.

A birdie roaming around. J was telling me how they pop out of nowhere and if he wasn't paying attention he would've kicked one when he walked.

And that's all I captured there. These things are so high up in the trees which makes it so difficult to capture them, not to mention they move also -_-"

The Biodome wasn't bad, nor was it that amazing. I guess we both expected a lot more but when we looked at the price again, it seemed about just right. Right across the street from the Biodome was a movie theater. It was ginormous. Rather than go see a movie, since most likely they're all in French we just zoomed right into the arcade section.

We found the air hockey table! I don't know why, but I love air hockey and I'm sure J took an interest in it also. The scoring was weird, I mean c'mon 37? In the states, we only go up to 7 points. The price was insanely cheap, a $1 a game. I thought I was hallucinating.

It was extremely tempting...

After killing some time here, we finally decided to head back to the hotel and rest. Since our dinner reservation wasn't until 9pm. It was either 5:30 or 9, I'm not rushing to the restaurant at 5, that's just way too early for dinner. As we got back into the city of Montreal, we found the shopping area near our hotel. But guess what we bought... more liquor! Gosh we are insanely alcoholics on this trip.

Remember these photos? I took them on day one in daylight and I told J that wouldn't it look great during the night. He dragged me here after we got some liquor which was heavy! But the sight of it was worth it.

We lugged our heavy bags back to the hotel. During the stay in Montreal, I have to say we watched a lot of Discovery Channel. Never knew they had such interesting shows and educational also. Finally, it was 8ish and we left the building for our anticipated dinner.

We were finally there. The hype about this place was over the roof. It's nice to be able to experience it.

We started off with a sample platter. There was tongue, sausage, terrine, and pate. I loved the pate, totally different from the usual pate I usually eat. This had flavor and texture, not mushy at all. My least favorite was the terrine, that black blob. It wasn't the texture issue, it was more of the intense flavor that filled my mouth and nostril that made me want to gag. I'll remember to avoid that. And did anyone hear of pickled egg before? I mean, pickled like a pickle... so good!

Bison tongue. So soft and tender. J and I love tongue - yes pun intended

This dish was certainly an eye opener. Little balls of liquid foie gras in the center. Crunchy on the outside and once bitten, the warm gooeyness of the foie just melts in your mouth. Genius! But I'm not changing my mind about foie gras.

Condiments for our entree.

So, J was really disappointed that they were out of pig's head. We initially wanted to indulge in the pig's head since it's a two-person meal. The waiter said they were sold out, and boy did J expressed a big reaction. Seeing him so upset, the waiter said he'll whip up something that off the menu. That deep dish consisted of tongue, quail, duck, ribs, pork belly, foie gras, and bone marrow. When I saw it, I was going to die. We somehow finished the entire thing, ok more credit to J since he's a beast.

The meal was satisfying. We're definitely going back to Au Pied de Cochon to get the pig's head even if that means we have to reserve it.

Heading back to the hotel we were stuffed and quite content. Looking in the fridge made us more content.

I forgot how beautiful Montreal can be at times. This is my second trip back to Canada, specifically Montreal, Quebec with my boyfriend. We know we wanted to revisit since the last time we went. This time around, we made a list of things we must do and see.

Let the fun begin

We woke up pretty early and got driven to the airport quite early also. This actually seems like deja vu since we had the same experience with Cancun last year. Going through airport security went smoothly and we were on the plane in no time. The airplane this time was a lot smaller since it was just an one hour flight, plus my carry-on got to go on a valet ride.

When we go to Montreal, the airport was literally empty. Going through customs was a piece of cake also. We thought something was wrong since there was barely no one, I thought it would be crowded from past experiences. So much for thinking that people would travel on the holidays. We went looking for a cab to take us to the hotel. The ride cost a flat rate of $39.

The hotel was amazing. We chose it because it had a built in mini kitchen which was so convenient. The room was clean and tidy. They provided free wifi and complimentary continental breakfast. Sometimes, I have to give it to my boyfriend for finding such great places. So, after dropping off our baggage we headed straight back out to get some food. I was excited since I thought we would get poutine, poutine being Quebec's staple comfort food. It consist of fries, cheese curds and gravy. Just as simple as that.

Our first stop was Frite Alors. I don't remember how I landed on this place but it was definitely the burgers that caught my eyes. I mean, c'mon caribou burger... rudolph burger as I quote from J. We started with beer, I'm not a huge beer drinker but hey... Montreal's beer isn't so bad.

Caribou Burger. This burger was insanely good. First bite of Montreal and it totally wowed me. The melted cheese with pickles and caramelized onions, it's a great combo. The meat was tender and soft, surprisingly good caribou meat. I was sold.

We also ordered pork links with garlic and white wine. This dish made me feel extremely healthy. It certainly doesn't look healthy but the taste of it was truly healthy. Their sausage wasn't as heavy and fatty as ours in the states are. The pork sausage was light with a hint of flavor, to J and me, it lacked a bit of spices. One thing we both agreed on was their fries. They are definitely heavenly, by far the best fries we ever had... EVER. I was sure we were at least half an hour into our meal and the fries remained light and crispy. The darker ones, where some people calls it the burnt fries, were solid with a hint of smokiness to it. Frite Alors has definitely master the fries department. Screw McDonalds and Burger King, Frite Alors FTW.

After such a satisfying meal, J took me to see the underground city. I admit, we were lost and didn't know how to get there but somehow our little feet lead the way. The underground city had everything you need. Unlimited shopping areas and even a food court so you don't even have to go above ground. The best part is if it's too cold outside, you can literally just camp out here since the metro is connected also.

J and I decided that we should hit up Chinatown in Montreal. We reminisce the Dragon Beard Candy so we were determine to get there.

Montreal is actually quite pretty if you capture the right moments. The day was dreary and cloudy and not much sun at all. J and I captured the moving clouds as it slowly gobbles up the sun that was there for a split second.

I was intrigued by the colors that this building incorporated. And the next thing we knew, we were in Chinatown.

One of the gates that harbors Chinatown. The last time I was here, I thought there were more to Chinatown so wanted to explore more this time around. But Montreal's Chinatown is extremely small, their streets shaped like the letter T and had very few stores. We walked through the entire Chinatown in less than an hour, or was that half an hour?

One of the main reason we visited Montreal again. We were hoping the old guy was there since he was the one that made fresh candy for us last time.

It was fresh, nor was it the old guy that served us. The taste was a bit off this time, it wasn't fluffy or soft. To say the truth, we were disappointed this time. We only ate two and just took the rest back to our hotel.

We also happened to stop by a bakery. I was in the mood for some bubble tea but the place just failed to please me so I didn't even bother taking a picture of it. If you're thinking, was it that bad - yes it was! J saw these egg custard tart and it looked awfully tasty and fresh. Two for $1 isn't a bad deal, then again it was when you factor in the tax they added. Not only that, but the egg custard tart was bland. First off, it's suppose to be sweet! I'm thinking how Montrealers are eating such bland food. Maybe that's why they aren't obese like Americans.

After a quick walk around Chinatown, we decided to head back to the hotel. Yet again, we walked back and it wasn't a crazy long walk but the slopes of the road were insane. Like, literally steep and inclined... we were huffing and puffing when we finally reached the "top." So relieved to be back at the hotel and just crash into the comfortable soft sofa chairs.

After hours of deliberation, we knew what we were having for dinner.

Schwartz's. If you ever been to Katz's Deli in NYC then that is what Schwartz's is in Montreal. The rave about this place is over the top. Everyone that ever been here has said nothing but great things about them. They usually have lines out the door and you couldn't even get a table within an hour. J and I already had the feeling that we'll most likely have to wait but we were crazy hungry so it was a great night to be waiting on line for a quick bite. Lucky us, we only waited 10 minutes and a table was ready for us. 

Nothing better than a coke with a sandwich. Although the coke is J's, I had a sprite. I don't know why I always opt for Sprite rather than coke, maybe cause it's sweeter?

Schwartz's has three different type of cuts for you to choose from - fatty, medium, or lean. I'm definitely staying away from the lean since that means no fat and just dry pieces of smoked meat. I chose the medium, which I thought was fair since I was afraid that fatty would clog my arteries and make me pass out. This sandwich was superb and the mustard just worked with every bite. For less than $10 a sandwich, I would go here every week if I can. The price was a lot more reasonable than Katz's and the service was friendly. We had a quick chat with the waiter for a couple of minutes if ya know what I mean.

J's fatty sandwich. I'm totally not surprised that he chose this. I know my boyfriend and he loves his fatty meat. And of course, he always seems to choose the best. I was talking to J about how the fatty, medium and lean part works. Medium cuts are literally just combinations of fatty and lean. As I was talking to J about this, one of the waiters came by and asked if I was displeased with my sandwich. He saw me talking seriously and with hand motions in the air, so I told him I was actually very pleased with their sandwich. It's delicious and I have nothing against it, I was just "discussing" the different cuts of the meat with my boyfriend. I could've sworn I heard a sigh of relief from him.

As we left Schwartz's, the line got insanely long. I consider us lucky cause if we stalled a bit longer at the hotel then we would've been on that long line.

Day 1, not bad at all. Got a couple of things done on our list. Back at our hotel, we checked out our balcony. If it wasn't that cold in Montreal, I would say that the balcony is a great addition to the room but in our case, we'll just have to lock the door and pull the curtains. Day 2 of our adventure coming soon.