Montreal Comiccon 2014!

The past weekend was Montreal Comiccon! I’ve never been to Comiccon in Montreal and although last year I wanted to go, I had to give it up because I had something more important in the form of TIFF for The Wind Rises and Rigor Mortis.  I totally do not regret making that trip. However, this year, I’m working on the Montreal events and this one was right on the list and I bought the ticket right when they were released.  I only got a 1 day pass.  However, after Saturday, I’m positive that I’m going to be going back and maybe even for 3 days if they have great guests..we’ll have to see for next year.

Lets not get ahead of myself: here’s how Saturday went!

Shortly after running into Day’s Lee, we saw Spiderman perched on the railings on top of the escalators leading to the hall looking awesome.

Spiderman

The line-up was super intense.  It was one line to get our tickets checked, then another line to get our tickets scanned and hands stamped then up the escalators and weaving all over the place to eventually get to the exhibition hall area.  Apparently, starting this year, Montreal Comiccon took over all of Palais des Congres (the convention centre in Montreal) so it covered all the floors.  We took a good look at the map to get to the first Q&A.  The lineup took longer than expected so I didn’t get to Billy Boyd’s Q&A so we went straight to Star Trek with three lovely ladies, Marina Sirtis, Denise Crosby and Gates McFadden.

Star Trek Q&A panel: Marina Sirtis, Denise Crosby, Gates McFadden

I haven’t watched a lot of Star Trek.  Only bits and pieces of it: a little bit of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine mostly.  However, these ladies was absolutely a joy to watch.  They were all extremely hilarious and entertaining!

Getting out of this one, we looked at the time and found it perfect timing to go straight to lineup for Sir Patrick Stewart’s Q&A in the main exhibition hall.  We sat down to eat lunch while waiting an hour in advance.  We chatted a little and before we knew it, we were moving inside. We managed to sit in the middle of the last row in the first section.  Still, my zoom wasn’t great so this was the best I could get.

Sir Patrick Stewart Q&A Panel

There is something amazing about seeing Sir Patrick Stewart.  It could be the whole crowd giving him a standing ovation as he entered the hall.  Or just how completely classy he is while bringing in lots of funny moments.  He is extremely charming to watch and so very much achieved.  It was really something to hear him talk about how he didn’t take himself getting a role in Star Trek serious as his family didn’t either and how even when he got he role, he didn’t unpack the whole time because he wholeheartedly believed that they would realize they made a terrible mistake and would kick him out.  When asked who was the best to work with in all of XMen, he thought for a second and said Ellen Page.  He even explained in a funny way how he should be called Sir Patrick (as opposed to Sir Stewart) and even joked with someone who said Good Evening although it was clearly the afternoon.  Regardless of the questions, he took each one and gave it his own twist and it made for an extremely lively and fun panel to listen to.

Plus, he gave us a quick 5 minutes update of what he is up to.  Aside from the next X-Men movie, he is part of this Seth McFarlane produced sitcom called Blunt Talk.  And he recited some Shakespeare which I didn’t record the whole thing.

After this panel, and finally finding our way to get back downstairs, we managed to get to the main area where there was tons of amazing costumes.

Warcraft (I think)

Silent Hill

Spaceballs

Frozen

There’s a whole bunch that I don’t know.  If its part of video games (newer ones) or anime, chances are I won’t know them.  However, the efforts are amazing.  So amazing that Day’s asked me if maybe we should do it next year.  I mean, I did a pretty quick version of Resident Evil before.  With a year to plan, I’m sure I could ressurect that or do something else.  Its always something to consider.

After a bit of shopping and photos, we had to get to Q&A panel for Danny Glover.

Danny Glover Q&A

Danny Glover is an actor that I’ve known more of his more recent roles.  I know what he has done before and I really should get around to see those roles.  You can tell that he’s a man with a lot of deep thoughts.  Plus, he took a lot of time to give detailed answers to the questions.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get to stay for the whole thing and had to leave, and even that apparently wasn’t soon enough for the next Q&A.

The next Q&A panel was in the main exhibition hall again and this time, although arriving 45 minutes in advance, we ended up lining up right at the entrance of the waiting area.  That was pretty intense.  This Q&A was for Stephen Amell 🙂 Its also my last Q&A for the day.

Stephen Amell Q&A panel

Needless to say, although I was only 3 rows back from where I was for Sir Patrick Stewart earlier in the day, it was far enough that you can’t really see much.  Still, he had people lined up to ask him questions even before he entered the stage.  There were two rules as he entered with the Comiccon host: No marriage proposals (because he’s already married and he touched his wedding ring at that same time) and no asking him to take off his shirt (because then the host would do it). I wasn’t exactly sure on what to expect for Stephen Amell because I am a newer fan of his and I haven’t followed his social media much either.  However, everyone asks a lot about the stunts and asks him to recite lines like “You have failed this city”.

He talks about how he wants to get the chance to do all the stunts himself and sometimes he really works on a simpler but more realistic version to make it work.  He did that for one scene where he tells the stunt crew about how they were robbing him of the opportunity to slide over the hood of a car and he argues to get it shot both ways and eventually  his way works better and thats the one they used.  A charming and funny guy to listen to.  He makes a few jokes and talks about how he would love to have Arrow as part of the Justice League movie except with shooting schedules for TV series, it wouldn’t work for shooting a movie.

The best part was this part where they asked him to recite the lines for the opening of Season 2 or something (I couldn’t hear that question properly) but he gave it his own twist and decided to do the first opening of the pilot in Season 1 of Arrow instead.

After this last Q&A panel, we were ready to walk the exhibition hall and all the vendors and stalls. They had a few things for viewing and we took pictures here and there.

Indiana Jones

Ghostbusters

Doctor Who phone booth (100% of donations went to Montreal Children’s Hospital)

Piglet visiting the Comiccon

Little Big Planet 3 poster at PS4 booth

This may sound stupid but I’d totally get a PS4 JUST to play Little Big Planet 3.  Thats how much I love it.  Just to justify this picture a little.

Now, I was being extremely cheap and kept thinking about the photo op and eventually by the time I wanted to do it, it was full.  So to end this post off, its not Stephen Amell but this guy has a fantastic Arrow costume.

And that was my first Montreal Comiccon! It was so much fun and I’m definitely going again next year. Whether in costume or not, I’ll think about that a little first 😉 However, next year’s Montreal Comiccon is now pushed into early July, set for July 3-5, 2015.  If you are looking to check it out, jot that down on your calenders!

Also, please go check out Day’s post on the Montreal Comiccon right HERE!

Which costume up there do you find the most impressive?  Out of curiosity, would you like to see Arrow as part of  the Justice League movie? 

Saguenay, QC: Hiking in Mont-Valins National Park

Day 2 started on a good note.  We were energized and warmed up from the day before and ready to tackle the Mont Valins National Park.  It was about a 45 minute drive or so from the hotel.  We had to first go to the Information Building where we paid our fees and learned a little about the trails to decide where to start and what takes us where.

We finally decided to drive up to the higher trails so that we could benefit from seeing the higher viewpoints and not having to worry about not completing the trail and ending off in the middle of nowhere and having to turn back.  The drive up was the most painful for the car because it was off road and huge slopes.

It was quite a relief when we finally got up there and parked.

Off we go for the hike on the Pic de la Hutte Trail! It crosses over two other trails and includes three viewpoints. The top most one is also the starting point for paragliding and has a breathtaking view.  It makes trekking through this crazy mountain with snakes, birds and frogs worth it.

Entrance to the trail

Along the trail

Berries

Flowing Stream

First viewpoint

First Viewpoint

Mushrooms

Frog

2nd Viewpoint

Berries and moss

White berries

Final Viewpoint at the top!

Final Viewpoint

Final Viewpoint

Hiking is amazing because of getting in touch with nature (even if I’m mega freaked out by snakes). Its also great because its motivating and great exercise.  This time, we were better prepared with snacks and abundance of water so we were able to set a good pace and keep our energy going.  The best part about hiking is going higher and higher up and seeing that absolutely stunning 360 degree view that really nothing can compare.  The reward at the end makes all that hard work feel almost like nothing.

Saguenay Lac Saint Jean region has some of the most beautiful hiking trails that I’ve ever gone on.  Its really a treat and if you are a hiker, I highly recommend it! 🙂

I’ll be wrapping up the Saguenay weekend getaway with the last day events tomorrow! Remember to check back..I promise a lot of cuteness! 🙂

Saguenay, QC: Parc de la Caverne Trou de la Fée

This year, my boyfriend and I had a big purchase: our house.  With a few other events budgeted in, we had to make cuts.  That went to cutting down on the vacation we had together in the end.  However, we did decide to take a trip since it was nice to take a breather, relax and just be together away from everything.  Thats what weekend getaways are fantastic for.

Our choice was Niagara Falls and Saguenay.  Seeing as we’ve already been to Niagara Falls two times in the last 6+ years, we decided to go back to Saguenay and do what we weren’t able to do last time.

The first one was scheduled for Day 1 for a cave exploration and walking and hiking trail located in Parc de la Caverne Trou de la Fee. What that directly translates to is “Fairy’s Hole Cavern Park”.  The park is actually very affordable with a guarantee of at least 3 hours of activities. Its separated into 4 parts.

The first part is going for the 15 minute cave exploring.  They are known for their wide settlement of bats, except summer isn’t the season and with some climate changes, its caused an irregularity from what the guide said.  Inside the cave, it was impossible to see anything so I didn’t even bother to take any pictures but I promise you, there is actually a shape of a fairy in there on the walls and there’s a little piece of history attached to it.  However, the walk to the cave had a few pictures.

Overview of the park area at the start of the trail

Looking back from the bridge over the falls

When you reach the other side, its a little bit of a hike and then you get to the cave, where we wait for a little bit and head in to explore.

Waiting to go into the cave!

If you recall, I actually did another cave exploration earlier this year.  This one had a little bit more maneuvering around rocks.  It had some narrow spaces but it was short enough to not be too much of a problem. There was three chambers to go through and some stairs to climb here and there. It was pretty impressive!

Coming out of the cave, the second part of the hike is following the path back, except when we cross to the other side of the bridge, there is an actual hiking trail to the Three Falls.  This trail does a loop and leads to an open area with three waterfalls.

Lots of water around the site! Love it!

Near the falls!

A beautiful rainbow

The hike is a simple family trail.  Its easy and comfortable.  Coming back into the loop, you come back to the main path and this time, instead of heading back the way we came, you go down to walk on the old electric dam facilities which now forms a tunnel with some information about what this site used to be used for.

As you walk through this, it is connected with some wire barriers like this one, which leads to wooden pathways.

This path eventually leads to the final part of the trail which is the Green Corridor/Coulée Verte. This part is yet another hike but a super calming and beautiful fun.  The only thing is this one gets a little more challenging with narrow paths and some slippery uphill areas, rocky paths and that sort of thing.  Hiking shoes are useful not only for the caves but also for this trail.

During this path, I gained my new obsession on this trip, aside from waterfalls and flowing rivers: assorted berries and mushrooms, especially along mossy areas.

The Green Corridor was long and curvy.  It was pretty tiring as the ending of this trail, mostly because our day started at 6am and a 6 5+ hours drive.  However, it was a great preparation for warming up the muscles and getting ready for our actual hike the next day.

If you are in the Saguenay Lac Saint Jean area, this area is a must do.  Its not expensive and you get a whole lot of activities to do which makes it completely worth it.  Its part of getting in touch with nature.  You can always choose to not do the cave and just do the trails and that costs less.  Or you could choose to do everything including the 350 feet high zip line crossing.  I wasn’t brave enough to do that.  I’m not actually sure of the actual height but its pretty high so I wouldn’t be surprised if it is.

Thats Day 1 in Saguenay for us! Getting in touch with nature, a bit of hiking, lots of water, calming and refreshing! I loved it! 🙂

Day 2 coming up tomorrow! 🙂

May & June Reading Recap!

Its been a while since I’ve done a reading recap and I’ve been way behind with my reading challenge.  I’m hoping that as work slows down, my energy will return and my focus on reading will pick up.  It also helps when I have a captivating book in my hands.  I’m starting to think that as I read more.  I’m becoming a harder audience to please.  Or maybe I just didn’t like the style of the book.  That can happen, right?

Lets get started 🙂

Dead Ever After (Sookie Stackhouse #13) by Charlaine Harris

It took 13 books but Sookie Stackhouse finally came to an end.  The last few books have been a chore to get through with more meaningless parts than actually good stuff.  But, the writing style is always so easy to read that it doesn’t take much effort to go through it quickly.  Dead Ever After is the final book and I guess the question is how does Charlaine Harris wrap this up.  She has to pack Sookie’s dangerous, crazy and romantic life all up. In the foreword or whatnot, she justifies that its how she’s wanted this to end.  Right off, the setup of the novel is different, featuring a mysterious side story which reveals itself in the end, supposedly maybe wanting to give it a little thriller-esque sort of feeling.  Except, its become so predictable that although this last book wasn’t bad, I wasn’t exactly enthused. After having some time to digest it, I really didn’t like the ending at all.  It wasn’t just that it didn’t meet my expectations but it faded out some pretty important characters.

Seeing as True Blood was what got me into this, I’m more curious as to how this last season will go.  Will they change the ending from the novel? Lets just say, if they do keep it the same, I won’t be quite so pleased. I just don’t really see how the series would build itself to that ending.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

I bought this book in hopes of reading it before going to see the movie.  Obviously, that didn’t happen as I planned.  But thats okay, because apparently, the movie was really good and that comes from friends that actually read this and enjoyed it.

I had extremely low expectations when I first started this book. I honestly have no idea why.  Maybe its the worry that all these teenage books (Harry Potter aside) might end up like Twilight.  Still, this one did well.  I made it through the whole book in a rather quick pace.

Divergent has a great premise.  The concept behind the whole story works really well and the characters were developed decently.  At least the main characters were done well.  It might have benefited from having a little more emphasis on some key characters rather than just our main characters Tris and Four.  While there is a lot to like, I can remember the beginning taking me time to adapt to because the writing style seemed so amateur, maybe. It had something I didn’t quite like but I couldn’t really figure out what it was but that only lasts for a few chapters until it picks itself up and carried me straight to the end.

I don’t know how bad the movie can be but when I get a chance to see this, I’m going in with an open mind.  Plus, I’m already planning out when to get the second book and continue with the series.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

I can’t say for other people who read this but I definitely picked up this one and hesitated and hesitated over an over again because I was not only curious to see how J.K .Rowling would do in the books for an older audience but also I had my doubts.  What eventually made me pick up the courage and read it was that it was unfair that I knew nothing of the plot and I had already judged it.  I’m just that kind of person and I won’t be that kind of person.

For the record, I wanted this book to be good.  It was just so damn long and the pace was so slow.  The story itself touches on morals, integrity and just so many social issues as well all embedded in a little town.  It sets off by one character’s death which allows us to see a bunch of characters and their lives, viewpoints and how there’s a lot of friction and just how self-centred and ugly everyone was.  I spent a good part of it really hating on the characters and in the beginning its a bit confusing because there’s a mountain of names and characters introduced throughout the first few chapters.

I don’t remember this book a lot other than the surprisingly good ending but I do also remember thinking how J.K. Rowling had gotten really sexually explicit in some descriptions.  I didn’t really think she would go there.  I’m not saying its a bad thing but I guess thats what makes her stand out.

I just can’t help but wonder if maybe she just needs more practice as its just her first step into the books for adults or maybe she’s more geared for books for the younger audience?

The Giver (The Giver Quartet #1) by Lois Lowry

When I was in elementary/high school, I know that some classes got to read The Giver.  However, my English teachers never did so I never knew what it was about either.  Now, The Giver is a short novel. Its a bit over hundred pages.  Its also the first I knew that its actually part of a series.  Believe me, you will know also when you reach the end of this book.

The Giver is about a dystopian world which is the opposite of what we have now.  Its in a space of Sameness where everyone has their life planned out for them and in routine.  This world is emotionless and colorless and painless.  Our main character,Jonas has one of the rare jobs which no one had got chosen for since 10 years ago called The Receiver.  His job is to work with The Giver who will pass him memories.  They are the ones who others believe see beyond and carry the burdens and knowledge that others do not have.

The Giver is a great book.  I loved it a lot and I read through it extremely fast because everyone was written well and developed in a good way.  Of course, the book being short also makes certain details blurred over but in general, the events that went on and just the inner struggle of our character is one that is intriguing all on its own.  Its about seeing a world living in ignorance.

From my Goodreads review, I end it asking this question: Can you imagine a life without memories and everything is simply black and white? Simplicity has its pros but it also strips away the desires and wants that are what motivates us everyday. However, remembering more and feeling more also brings on more pain so would you choose to fully experience life or be in a simple and protected world where your choices are made for you?

The movie looks like its going to be good with a decent cast.  Jeff Bridges possibly in a more serious and heavy role.  This one I have to see.  I’m not sure how anyone can ruin this book adaptation and my fingers are crossed that they won’t.

The Wild Beasts of Wuhan (Ava Lee #3) by Ian Hamilton

Jumping into the third book of this Ava Lee series, all the complaints from the second one has pretty much subsided in this one.  Ava Lee is sent on a mission to recuperate money on some fake paintings which takes her around the world to Wuhan, Hong Kong, London and New York.

All in all, this one is quick-paced and fun to read.  Its a definite page-turner and reminds me of the Ava Lee that made me fall in love in the first book.  It carries suspense and less violence but at the same time, she carries intelligence and this time around, we get a good look at her personal thoughts on her relationship and her family.  We dive into her awkward family and I’m pretty sure the next book is going to be head-on involved with a family member.

There really is nothing to complain about in this one because its a satisfying read and I’m hoping the next books will have the same greatness to it 🙂

OVERALL…

As I was writing this up, I realized how many novels are actually series.  Its really amazing how there isn’t really any standalone books anymore.  I mean here’s 80% series.  Of course, there are good and bad but for the most part, Sookie Stackhouse kind of overstayed her welcome whereas Ava Lee is still a work in progress.  I’m only the third book in and there’s probably already a few more if I’m not mistaken. However, that is a series that I think deserves more attention and would make a pretty awesome TV series or movie.

On that note, I can’t wait to see The Giver in theatres and I’m hoping its a wide release, but I’m willing to travel further to see that since I’m so in love with the book. I also just finished another book that will be adapted into a movie soon but I will post about that in the next recap.

I’m on a reading spree and I have a bunch of books lined up with a few independent writers in the mix once my tablet behaves and lets me load my ebooks again.  I’m working on that while I read some physical books 🙂

What movie adaptation are you looking forward to this year? Did you read any of these books? What are your thoughts on it? Any interesting reads that you’d like to share?

Adventures with Friends, Food and Gardens!

I’m a bit behind schedule.  I had a pretty jam-packed weekend.  But then, I start acknowledging and asking myself whether it ever isn’t. I guess I just like to make every moment of my life in a fulfilling way.

With that said, we have a lot to talk about 🙂

Last Sunday, I went to Arbraska Mont Ste-Gregoire for a tree trekking adventure with my friends.  For some of you, 2 years ago, I also went to this adventure but it was so refreshing to go back.

I’m sure some of my friends would like to stay private so thanks to my friend who brought a camera and opted out of a trail, I finally have a picture of me doing this stuff. She’s just awesome 🙂

On the obstacle course

One of the crazy additions to the courses was this little teamwork pulling maneuver thing.  It was really tough to go through.

It was a fun 3 hour activity and really boosted up my energy after coming back from Hong Kong.  It also reminded me that when in doubt, working out is something I should get back into.  With that said, I’ve been thinking of reviving my Workout updates but with a little twist (along with a few new things I’d like to talk about) but thats for another post in the very soon future. We ended the day with an early dinner and then me and one of my girl friends went to go see How to Train Your Dragon 2.  The review should be up tomorrow 😉

Have you done treetop trekking/ziplining? Where was it?

After work on Monday, I went to do some after work stocking up at Costco anticipating the day off for St. Jean  (Quebec day) the next day.  When I went to my new place to drop off stuff and look at my garden, I saw that there was one strawberry all red.  My boyfriend decided that it was ready so here it is:

Lets just say, it was quite sour.  Lesson to myself: Always wait a few days for it to be thoroughly ripe before harvesting 😉 But our first harvest from the garden makes it so memorable. At least all this work is for something.

How about you fellow gardeners? Any harvests? What do you like to plant?

On Tuesday, I went all out on the moving and shifted 2 heavy boxes to my new place, almost clearing off the bookshelf that goes in the office.  It included shifting (my guestimate) 90lbs of books. That what all that money in university and cegep was.  I also cleared out another 2 boxes that I had brought over before but didn’t put away. Its really the final stretch now with mostly the heavy stuff and my essentials that need to go over.  As the painting picks up again, its slowly falling into place. Feeling all self-satisfied, I went home that evening and finally made myself an actual meal with meat and veggies and even tried out gluten-free pasta.

What was on the menu, you ask? Well, here it is:

Herbe de Provence Drumsticks

I did an improvisation with this one while searching one up and came up with using Herbe de Provence, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, a bit of sugar, olive oil, wine and pepper to do this marinade.  As skeptical as I was about it, this turned out to be so good and even had leftovers for lunch the next day 🙂 On the note of gluten-free pasta, its actually not too bad.  Maybe its because I mixed it with this sauce and gave it an acceptable taste 😉

My best friend, who currently lives in Saskatchewan also came back to town and we had a little quick hangout while I had a late night at work and her with her studying. So we met up quickly to fill up our tummies. She took a quick trip to check out my new place, which is really close her parent’s right before I dropped her home.  I had some delicious mussels that night at Les 3 Brasseurs.

Mussels at Les 3 Brasseurs

Finally, we reach Saturday! This was a huge day because I spend the first half of it having a cycling trip with my friends, had lunch and came back.  It was an adventure because my tire decided to pop on the way back in the scorching heat and I had to walk back with it slowly. My friends were pretty chill about it.  We changed the tire with the help of the guys.  No pictures because I didn’t have my phone with me.

In the afternoon, I had a bit of time to do my first solo plant transplant and that was for my geranium citronella, lemongrass and orange thyme so that it was the simple version of the mosquito control plant that I was planning to do.

Mosquito control plant

I placed it strategically by the patio door so that if I ever have to step outside that would be where I’d be protected.  Here’s hoping it’ll work 😉

That evening, we had a gathering for my best friend and my friend (and yes, blogger) Phoebe for their belated birthdays at Mrs. Amigos, our favorite hangout spot.

Barefoot Bubbly

Carrot and Ginger Puree

Lamb Steak with Rice

Souffle

In the long wait for the souffle, we all sat around and did some group selfies (groupfies?). I won’t start showing everyone but this one is me with my best friend 🙂

My best friend and I

On Sunday, I had to work in the morning.  My boyfriend left with me because we had a show associated with the Montreal Jazz Festival to go to.  I had no idea what it actually is but its called Tarantino in Concert and it pays tribute to a few of Tarantino’s movies like Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs, Django Unchained, Pulp Fiction, etc.

Tarantino in Concert program and tickets

Using the songs and re-enacting the scenes on a musical set.  The crew included Bruce Willis’s daughter Rumer Willis and it was very awesome because I got some awesome seats in the alley where they actually were dancing in and out of the audience alleyways. So we had a lot of singing and action right in front of us. Plus, my highlight was when my boyfriend got dragged out during a dancing part to dance with one of the ladies.  It was pretty awesome! The show itself is amazing! So much fun and all the performers and the band were crazy talented.  I loved every single bit of it! There was surprise moments and the whole jumping from one familiar scene to the next was so much fun.

Have you had a chance to see this show?

My weekend is pulling into the end but before I let you go, here’s a picture of a new dress that my best friend got me as a belated birthday gift.

I have no idea what possessed to get me this dress but here’s to the second tube-y (bodycon?) dress in my closet. Now I know why I need to get back to training.

I’d have to say that I had a pretty awesome week.

I’m having a serious backlog of posts to go up so Hong Kong posts might actually take throughout this whole month so that there’s some diversity. Plus, I have a bunch of movies expiring tomorrow on Netflix and I’m hoping to get through two of them tonight 🙂 Wish me luck!

Before I let you go, here’s an awesome song with very inspiring and positive lyrics called 3 Things by Jason Mraz!

There are three things I do when my life falls apart, Number one I cry my eyes out and dry up my heart…
The second thing I do is I close both of my eyes, And say my thank-yous to each and every moment of my life.
The third thing that I do now when my world caves in, is I pause, I take a breath, and bow and I let that chapter end. – 3 Things, Jason Mraz

Remember to drop by again soon! I’ll be introducing some new stuff here 😉 

 

Hong Kong Restaurant: Federal Palace at Citygate Outlets

More dimsum! Yay!

The next day was an outing with my godmother and my mom’s friends from  Montreal at Federal Palace Restaurant in Citygate Outlets located in Tung Chung.  All according to plan because I get to see family and go shopping afterwards.  I usually like to go to Esprit (especially since its stopped operations in Canada) and then go around and check out some of the other clothing outlets.

Still, for our brunch-esque sort of meal, we ordered a bunch of food.

While we were waiting for my mom’s friends to arrive, and I’m telling you travelling around Hong Kong is a bitch. But that only applies when its for my relatives that live in the most secluded places. Like end stations at every subway or train line and I have family there or some business or other there. Regardless, I had already been to Federal Palace two times before in previous visits and I really like the food.

Beef Rice Noodle Rolls

Shrimp Dumplings

Fried Turnip Cake

Soup-filled Steamed Pork Dumplings

Lotus Leaf Rice

I have to say that Federal Palace wasn’t quite as good this time around.  I used to love their Steamed Pork Dumplings but they weren’t as good this time.  However, the fried turnip cakes are actually really good.  They put something in it that gives it a little flare.  Plus, the Shrimp Dumplings were really decent as well.

Federal Palace has decent service plus although its a bit on the outskirts, it does have a very optimal position.  Citygate outlets has a lot of stores to offer and honestly, if you went to all the stores, it would take you two days.  I went for a few hours skimming Esprit, Giordano, Nike, Adidas, Puma and ended up getting myself some nice clothes and accessories.  It was pretty cool.  Its also good I left after a few hours because if not, I’d be flat out broke 😉 If you aren’t into outlet shopping, its also right next to Ngong Ping 360 where you can take the cable cars to Lantau Island.

Do you like outlet shopping? What are the best outlets you’ve been to? 

The Best Feeling In the World…

This past week was busy and crazy at work but it also went by really fast.

Maybe it had to do with having Monday off to do the official transfer to our new place and then simply looking forward to seeing friends on Friday and then the actual key exchange on Saturday morning.  Even standing in the empty house after all the movers had gone seemed a bit surreal.  Is this really happening? I have to happen its a pretty wow moment.

Before I ramble on with that, Friday with two of my really good friends was really fun.  It feels like I haven’t had many friends of late as I polish through keeping the people matter in my life.  At the same time, its been just a whirlwind of crazy at work that I work 9-1o hours every day and then some days, I’ll even go in to work on the weekend. Either way, work is work.  I managed to luckily get through my urgent deadline on Friday and met up with them.

We started our evening with dinner at Casey’s in Quartier Dix30.

It started with a pitcher of a Mont-Tremblant Sangria which was fully loaded with all sorts of hard liquor and was served in an original way 🙂

Mont-Tremblant Sangria!

Then our main courses!

A rack of ribs with Jack Daniels sauce

Burger

Flank Steak

And for dessert, we shared a Cinnamon Sugar Nachos.

Sweet Nachos

Ice cream and Whipped cream

The ice cream and whipped cream should be on top of the sweet nachos but we had it on the side due my lactose intolerance.  This sweet nachos was super good.

Raspberry Mojito

I even added a little raspberry mojito.

After that we headed over to Indigo to just hang out for a little bit. We had wanted to catch a movie but decided to just go over to my place to watch Zombieland.  If you missed my review, its HERE! I love that movie to bits.  The cast, the dialogue, the story, Bill Murray cameo: just so fun and awesome!

Saturday came along the next day and after popping in to work for an hour to wrap up some urgent stuff that my boss needed for a client over the weekend, I got back right in time for my boyfriend to pick me up and head over to get the keys.  After a little while of the previous owners (since we’re the new ones), they took us for a detailed trip around the house for the things they left behind and what is outside and what they could only pick up after the ice/snow melted (hopefully) next week.

Changing locks

We proceeded to buy some stuff and then my boyfriend and his dad changed the locks and after we took a little break where I had a late lunch and he took his parents back home, we went back later on to do clean up, which lasted pretty much the weekend.

I used this time to look through my room and moved one of my best friend’s long time gifts and shifted some of the contents to use the garbage can she gave me with a bunch of stuff inside.  Yes, I  know its weird but she wanted to be creative and give me something useful.  This is what I sent her to show her how I found a use for it 5 years later.

The message after went something like her garbage can was not only useful but the first item that is being moved from my room to my new place. I’d say thats pretty awesome.  Now I just need to figure out how to use all those cranes 🙂

Today was pretty much more cleaning and I’d say its about 70% done. I’ll just have to drop by one more evening and wrap up probably so that we can start painting next weekend.  Aside from that, we also went to the most badly organized advanced polling station ever and had to stay in line so much longer to vote. I’ll fill you in more next week on how the house is going. I’m actually thinking of maybe adding a segment because there’s just so much work to do.  I’ll be getting all crafty and learning a whole bunch of home renovation knowledge on the way.

In a nutshell, this quote is how I feel!

 

Enough about the week, lets move on to some fun stuff!

Other than recommendations, I had a few Netflix movies expiring in April so I figured that I’d watch as much as I can, now I have a huge amount of reviews to write up for next week.  Nothing was bad at the very least and no, I’m not going to do the lazy 3 quick reviews format. I need to get back on track with doing full on posts.  My schedule has been way off. Some to expect would be Contagion and Sleepless in Seattle among others.

Also, I started watching another series, Psych! There’s seems to be a good 6 seasons so I’m taking that slow.

This is dragging out a bit long of what seems like nothing so I’m just going to go do some baking, because I haven’t done it in a while.  Before I head off, here’s some music that I’ve particularly enjoyed!

And an additional little sound effects video that I found was pretty cool with basketball dribbling and Buick.

Just in case, the music doesn’t work for you, how about a cute picture of my cat this morning?

Hope you enjoyed the videos and the post! 🙂

How was your weekend? All rested up for the next week?

Week 39: Reward with Nutrition!

Dietbet started on Monday and it was the first day to get into the groove of healthy eating and getting my workout routine back to par.  As much as I love challenges, even with two paired up, it didn’t really mean a very active lifestyle and was only suitable for busy periods when I couldn’t afford more than 10 minutes for workouts per day.

WEEK 1: DECEMBER 2-9, 2013

Monday

I didn’t change my eating habits too much but I watched my calories intake more.

BREAKFAST: White bread with peanut butter (I have to finish up the last few slices before getting a loaf of whole wheat)

LUNCH: Homemade rice with tofu and chicken

DINNER: Steamed rice with okra and chicken breasts with a fried egg

SNACK: Granola bar, apple, banana, crackers

As for workouts, I decided since Nicole at Pumps and Iron initiated this Dietbet I’d start with one of her kickass workouts and chose the 500-rep Kettlebell Workout!

It was pretty awesome! Very exhausting for some but a full body workout that did its job.  My legs were shaking at the end of it and my arms also.  I do need to probably invest in a 10 lb kettle bell eventually. It seems I didn’t feel like I got stronger but I did.  Last time I did this workout, I could only do part of it in 7lbs and then I had to give up bu this time, aside from 100 Russian Twists in 5 lbs, I did everything else in 7. Felt great! 🙂

Tuesday

BREAKFAST: same as Monday

LUNCH: same as Monday but with okra added in

DINNER:  Steamed rice with Chicken, Shitake mushrooms, Black wood ear with a little bit of steamed tilapia

SNACK: Granola Bar, Apple, Asian Pear, Banana

Workout consisted of 2 minute plank and 35 minutes of DDR/cardio 🙂

Wednesday

BREAKFAST: Quaker Real Medley Peach Almond Oatmeal

LUNCH: Fried Rice with chicken and veggies

DINNER: Same as Tuesday without tilapia but with a bit of fried egg and tomato

SNACK: Rice Cake, Asian Pear, Banana

Lighter workout to compensate  with a mix of yoga and strength training

The second workout is a short 10 minute strength training that you can find the vid and description HERE!

I’ve posted about the yoga routine before.  Its relaxing and gives a great stretch and even works a bit of body weights in.  I followed it up with a quick and efficient strength training without weights to give my muscles a little break from the past two days.

Thursday

BREAKFAST: Instant Oatmeal Apples and Cinnamon

LUNCH: Fried Rice

DINNER: Steamed Rice, Salmon, Green beans with pork

SNACK: Rice Cake, Banana, Apples

Rest day

Friday

BREAKFAST: Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon and Spice

LUNCH: Fried Rice

DINNER: Steamed Rice, Salmon with tofu, Green beans with chicken

SNACK: Rice Cake, Granola Bar, Banana

1 hour indoor Dragonboat practice consisting of approx. 42 minutes of paddling and 15 minutes of calisthenics and medicine ball exercises

Saturday

BREAKFAST: Whole Wheat Bread with peanut butter

LUNCH: Granola Bar

DINNER: Steamed Rice, Chicken Thighs made with THIS RECIPE,  Chinese Ribs with Taro with dessert of my mom’s Banana Walnut Cake

SNACK: Granola Bar, Cereal (without milk), Banana, Preserved Plums

Rest day but did do 3.5 hours of gift show walking around lugging gifts I had bought and did a morning walk of about 45 minutes.

Sunday (slight cheat day)

BREAKFAST: Homemade Banana-Walnut Cake with Banana

LUNCH: Hot Dogs with a bit of Fries

DINNER: Dinner out –> Mussels with Tomato, Garlic and White Wine Sauce and a side of fries (shared that with my boyfriend)

SNACK: Rice Cake, Banana

I finally managed to get in a workout at 9pm after a very exhausting weekend.  Still, with my cheat days, I never have one without a workout.  It makes me feel like I wasted all my previous efforts. So I chose this since I had bought myself a set of Resistance bands on Saturday.

However, because of all the muscle pain from Friday’s workouts, I went a bit gentle on myself.  I still went all out during the workout but I only did it two times although I probably should’ve done 3 but with work the next day, I needed to make sure I didn’t injure myself or anything.  I’ll just work harder the next day! 🙂

That wraps up my first week of Dietbet.  I’m currently weighed in on Sunday morning at 134.6 pounds –> 1.3 pounds lighter.  Just need to keep it up for another 3 weeks!

Seriously, right? I have to keep it up! Its worth it if it means staying healthy, feeling awesome and looking better than now 🙂

BRING ON WEEK 2!!

How Many Times Is It Already This Year? Here I Come Toronto! :)

I don’t even remember how many times its been, maybe its the 4th?

Either way, I’m off for the weekend to Toronto.  This time, the bunch is a peculiar one with one of my childhood friends and her fiancee and who is my buffer, you ask? My mom! Thats right! She has some business to take care of in Toronto and I haven’t had a trip with her this year so we’re going for a weekend trip away 🙂

A 5 to 6 hour drive with my mom will prove to be a very challenging task.  Lets hope she tucks the criticism in the back of her mind and let me do my thing: driving I mean.  Its been a while that I’ve left for Toronto in the evening so I’m hoping all will be a-ok!

I’m excited for what we have planned, at least the highlight event! I’ll be back with an update post some time this weekend.  If you are in the Toronto downtown area, I’d love to hang out (without my mom).  I am 27, haha! Maybe tell me the hot spots to go at night to experience some form of night life with my friends.  Drop me an email, tweet me, maybe a comment here, I’d love to hear it 🙂

As always, before any road trip, I leave you with some music! TGIF, right!

I’m totally seeing the awesomeness of Hunter Hayes!

Have a great weekend! 🙂

Are You Ready To Face Your Fears?

WELCOME TO OCTOBER HALLOWEEN MONTH!

I felt like I need to actually get a post up to start things off around here! Movie marathon, events and baked goods related to Halloween will go up! The normal photo challenges will go up and workout updates as well but those are the only ones that will not be Halloween related..unless oddly, I find a way to incorporate it in 😉

I may not have a movie review to go up today.  However, I do have an event/project that I’ve just learned about that is going to launch in Montreal this coming Saturday called Peur Depot (aka Fear Depot).

What is this all about, right?

Peur Depot features essentially 10 sensorial trails. Its put together by 10 forty foot containers and the concept is that its facing your fears but removing the danger element.  Nothing is in your control and you really just follow and continue on the trails.  Provided there is still a lot of mystery as to how it actually will be as its the first year this has been put together here.

This is exactly what the creators of Peur Dépôt.(Fear Depot) have realized. Each time a visitor will enter into one of the 10 sensory courses, he won’t have control over anything : no control over what he sees, over his behaviour and above all over the outcome of the situation. In real life , this loss of control is synonymous with danger. But if we take away the danger factor from the fear , all we are left with is this high intensity thrill , as if we had the privilege to explore a normally forbidden domain. – peurdepot.com

As I was flipping through some of the pictures and reading through some articles, I started thinking its a new twist on the fear factory concept: walking in complete darkness for 12-15 minutes at a time. Thinking about it somewhat freaks me out as fear of the dark is already one of my biggest phobias in itself. I’m guessing they are so confident that they actually offer the second trail for half price provided you finish the first one. One of the articles state that they will play with your mind and your senses with projections, mechanical sceneries and even people that will scare you when you least expect it.

(My translation) The creators of this frightening attraction wants to offer an experience that touches the world.  “People will be confronted with a variety of fears: fear of the dark, of unknown, of cold, of insects, of death,etc.  There are no monster, vampires, these are all things can happen to us.  Its even more scary than the things that don’t exist”.- Journal Metro

Fear Depot has two themes/trails: Urbania and Claustrophobia with 5 trails each (from what I understand) Which one would intrigue you more?

Some of you actually might be interested in this, because even as chicken as I am, I’m still debating on going…I’m going to wait for some reviews before I decide.  I’m not exactly sure I’m ready to face my fears yet and just be totally put in a situation where I’m completely not in control.  Would you?

For more information on this event, you can check out HERE!

What are your biggest fears? Would you be game to do this? Do you think I should? Anybody want to join me (provided you are close enough to go?)