Take me to the Mothership

In 2 short days I will be well on my way to the much anticipated trip to the homeland. I find it hilarious to call it 'the homeland' based on the fact that I've spent my entire life in NY. I do enjoy when strangers tend to ask "where are you from" putting emphasis on the "from" as to get me to reveal that I've just come over from China in some type of rickity boat about 2 weeks ago. (side note: Once in Boston a guy came up to me and asked if I was on vacation from Japan - to which I flashed him the peace sign, giggled and walked away.)

So - as I dread this 15.5 hour plane ride, I think how this trip will give me something actually interesting to blog about. My blog has had some virtual tumbleweeds rolling across it recently but I haven't forgotten about it. The voices persist, I just haven't had time to put them down.

I've gotten several warnings about China. People make it sound like a 3rd world country that one must prepare for as if one is going to war. Number 1 - Bathrooms. China is infamous for their toilets, or lack there of. So clearly, from all the reviews I've heard about the said topic - below is what I've come to imagine:

I kept the picture small as I didn't want my readers to vomit on thier keyboards. I however do not believe that we are going to any areas where there are such "facilities". We're going to major cities that are probably a lot more modern than we are. Random side thought, as I was searching for toilets in China:

Pretty cool. I would call it a Very public toilet. Anyway, from all the warnings surrounding the restrooms we have armed ourselves with plenty toilet paper rolls, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes.

Second Warning: the plane ride. 15.5 hours on a plane does NOT sound like an ideal person with a mild to severe case of ADD depending on the day. I have done all I can to prepare for such an event. I am armed with cards, books, music, mandarin lessons, sleeping pills, sodoku and research, not to mention the onboard movies and games. I even purchased a new ipod nano with a longer battery life as to not have to live a minute without soundage. None of this can guarantee I will be able to sit in my seat for so long.

Movin on - Number 3 Food/Stomach Issues. To my surprise, we are not able to drink their water. Apparently it's way too polluted to drink tap water. So what does one do with the tap water? shower in it? then I'll have a layer of pollution ON me. So being that things are washed, cooked, made with this water, how long do you suppose it will take before I get me a case of the stomach rumbles!? which brings me back to the above topic. It's scary as one of the things on the 'things to bring' list that was supplied to us from the tour company was: Imodium. Uh oh!

Then there's the food. I am really excited. The good, the bad, the ugly. I hope we get to try it all! Oh man, that woman's face is hilarious!

Number 4 - my family. 8 family members, 17 days in arms reach of my family at all times. No escape! Don't get me wrong, I love them all tons but this is way too close for comfort. There is not too much more I can say about that - because I'm sure that everyone could relate. For this I am armed once again with my iPod as to drown out their insanity.

Number 5 - Smog. This is the least of my worries, which worries me, because I am not armed with anything. I think we might get to wear SARS-like facemasks! That'll be fun times!

I will try to blog and post pictures. Be ready.

Desserts

It's 1:21am. Can't Sleep - emo bear is keeping me up.

...

...

.swipes bangs away from face.

Train of Thought: Sequence of Events

Event 1: Man places starbucks grande coffee on the floor
Event 2: Man takes out bagel
Event 3: He butters the bagel
Event 4: Takes a bit of the bagel
Event 5: Pick up coffee and rests it on top of his bagel

gross! might as well place the bagel on the floor then eat it!

It's Funny because it's True

Seriously - 2 is being generous. Hope I entertained you for a second!

Viva la Vida

Nothing gets my attention faster than a song with musical instruments (pianos, violins, full on orchestras). Our radio's spew synthasized garbled sounds accompanied with lyrics like "just like a tattoo, I'll always have you". Don't get me wrong, I don't believe I would be considered a music snob, as my taste in music probably would offend the "Oh, I liked that group before they were on z100" kind. So, my sister sends me an email with a song attached: Viva la Vida by Coldplay. I was intrigued - these email attachments are rare. I download...98...99% Complete! itunes opened and play. BAM - Violins! They were entrancing for quite some time. I really liked the dramatic epicness of the song. Then I decided to listen to the lyrics - which usually makes or breaks the song for me. Please listen:

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemies eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing:
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt, and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
Once you know there was never, never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in.
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People could not believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries Wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can not explain
I know Saint Peter will call my name
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

It annoys me that Coldplay hasn't given any explination of the lyrics. There of course have been threads posted all over the internet by Coldplay, Religious, enthusiasts as well as the confused. I fall under the confused category. What it comes down to is the roman empire, Jesus Christ and the Crusades. To me, the song is about good intentions fed with too much power which led to corruption.

In short, I like the violins.

Lists: Noises that Drive me Absolutely Crazy

1. Low power beep (Motorola phones)
2. IM default sounds for recieving and sending messages (list prompted by woman in the office near me making this awful sound over and over)
3. Missed call beep (Motorola phones)
4. The sound of fans

...to be continued

please feel free to send me suggestions.

Melp

Nobu vs Buddakan

Is it right to compare these two? Not being a food connoisseur I would guess they're on the same level. Japanese fusion bougie style. Nobu's atmosphere is quite simplistic with artlike tree's. It's very modern but smaller than I would have imagined. Shockingly, Nobu had disposible chopsticks that you break apart - this seemed very much out of place. Maybe the supplies manager screwed up. Buddakan was sort of Victorian, sort of baroque-ish. The main dining room had high ceilings, one long table in the middle and large chandeliers. I felt like I should have worn my ball gown to greet the queen and king at either ends of the table. Then we got led to the side dining room where it was very dark. The walls were lined with shelves with offensive plastic gold books. Simplicity would have really rectified this issue of tackiness. Simply, i think the restaurant was a bit overdone and bordering on gaudy.

The food was good at both restaurants but Nobu exhibits thier dinner where as Buddakan feeds you. They both consisted of small tapa-esk dishes to share. Nobu took our 5 dishes and seemingly arranged them in a deliberate sequence - one dish at a time. One taste at a time. One focus at a time. Service was impeccable, as soon as one dish was done, the next would be passing through the kitchen doors. At Buddakan, the server mentioned that the dishes would come out as they were ready. We got our 3 appetizers basically at once, so we jumped from one plate to another. All tastes blending with each other. Note: Edamame dumplings are an explosion of mush in your mouth. The consistency was surprisingly unpleasant.

Overall, I would reccomend Nobu over Buddakan. but just because I'm spoiled, dont let it stop you from going to Buddahkan - their food was pretty amazing.

The Cookies have Eyes

Many things become more complex when it comes to our quickly budding technology. Most of all, our civil liberties seem to be at stake, to be dramatic about it. There has been a lot of alluding toward the 1984 Big Brother when speaking about internet tracking and these infamous "cookies". But how real are these fears?

Being in the online advertising industry, it amazed me to learn of the other side of things. We track clicks, paths, buys, coupon prints, registrations, anything that can possibly be tracked. It's all used to infer consumers likes and dislikes and use it to show them things they don't even know they're looking for. It's to 'help' the consumer. Invasion of privacy? or marketing research? Basically its getting to know your audience. So - after seeing both sides of this, I thought, 'who cares if the internet knows that I like dell computer and serves me dell ads?'

Well then I had two incidents. Both involving social networks: Facebook and LinkedIn. Truthfully, being a subscriber to either of these networks really leaves you vulnerable to tmi being leaked out to basically anyone. One Sunday morning as I was adding movies to my Blockbuster online queue - I got a popup. The first time it went too quickly but I got a glimse of the Facebook font. I added another movie and this time, I read the popup informing everyone on Facebook that I added this movie to my queue. What the heck?! I like to be percieved as a low key Facebook patron (even though it is my guilty pleasure). The blockbuster account wasn't even under my name, it was under my fathers. This had to be stopped. I went to my facebook account and immediately blocked any incoming notifications from third party vendors. That was a close one.

Yesterday, I stumbled upon my barely used LinkedIn account. They like Facebook has a new section called "People you might know". On Facebook, it's understandable; they find people who have similar links to your friends. Makes sense and works well because on Facebook, your network is pretty extensive. Also considering the fact that college students on Facebook tend to have friends from their own college - people tend to know each other.

The LinkedIn network tends to skew more professional and with more variation. Also, lets not lie, i only have 25 "contacts" (see: friends), so my network isnt very big. Long story short, the 'people I might know' should be very limited to IBM and Binghamton.

The four people listed:
Steven - a cousin's cousin of which i am NOT connected with that cousin
Charlotte - My IBM friend's best friend, also of which i am NOT connected with
Debbie - A woman I spoke to a few times at an agency not related to IBM or Binghamton contacts
David - A guy I found on a school network and cold contacted - hence, no record of this on linked in.

The only thing that can link all of these people to me is my gmail account. I might have once gotten an email from Steven. I've spoken on gmail chat ABOUT charlotte. I spoke on Gchat with Debbie and wrote an email to David. There is an option in LinkedIn to import contact lists from Gmail, Yahoo and AOL, none of which I agreed to, but it seems they took the liberty to stalk me and find people 'I might know'.

Now i'm scared.

mL

My Daily Constants

A routine is a unvarying and constantly repeating formula. This week two things I took for granted took me by surprise. My question, if everything remained constant, does that mean, I must have changed?!

Monday morning I sleepily stumbled onto the Q27 to my usual seat (across from the back door exit) and as I plooped down - I realized that something was different. Something was off key: my feet were dangling. A good few inches off the floor! All buses thus far, I thought, were the same. 6 months so far and the seats have always been the same height. Had I gotten shorter?

Tuesday morning. I actually knew what I was going to wear - brown pants and a beige sweater (yes, I know I'm adventurous). I put on the pants and they're tight and long. I realize that I had a big fatty dinner last night, ending with a giant deep dish cookie sundae, but damn, these pants used to be really loose. Did I get fatter overnight? and from the above evidence, YES, it can be confirmed, I'm shorter.

mL

note: I came to realize later, that those were not my pants but an imitation of my pants. Also I am still (almost) 5'4.

Melp

S'Mac - Sarita's Macaroni & Cheese

345 East 12th Street

Really - Need i say more? Mac and Cheese, its an American favorite comfort food. For me, thats exactly what it is. After a bad day at work, all I want to do is rip open a box of Kraft's mac and cheese. This takes it a step farther. Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese - enough said. Mediterranean has goat cheese, spinach, olives and garlic. Parisienne has BRIE, figs, shiitake mushrooms and rosemary. Masala Mac has indian spices. Lets not forget buffalo chicken mac, which might sound odd in concept, but in practice, it is more than you can ever imagine. Last night I went for the Cajun which is cheddar and pepper jack, andouille sausage, peppers and onions. The spicy goodness was too hard to not finish. Yes, my arteries are clogged slighly more than yesterday but it was well worth it. Just to make it slightly more fun, their sizes are Nosh, Major Munch, Mongo, Partay!. Any excuse to say the word nosh, I'll take.

http://www.smacnyc.com/

Scream it from the rooftop

Don't you wish you had your own personal rooftop at your disposal, to scream at the top of your lungs, everything you wish you could say - just to get it off your chest? Lately I absolutely feel the need for such. I would say that a padded room would serve quite the same purpose but I feel like it may have a bad connotation, so, I'll refrain from going there. Sure we can scream all the crazy shit we want but in the semi-nice (see: asian) neighborhood that I live in, I cannot do such without someone calling the cops.

I have much on my plate lately, in terms of grievances. Instead of bursting out in tears every time one of these things surfaces, I inhale deeply and do what any healthy person does - repress it. Sometimes this doesn't always work, which inevitably leads to an uncomfortable scene in which people just wonder why you're crying in Taco Bell (note: that was NOT me). There should really be NO reason to be crying in taco bell.

Well, until I have my own non-judgemental rooftop to air all my dirty laundry, I suppose I'll just keep on breathing.

mL

Edit: Turns out that even better than a rooftop to scream your unearthed problems, are a few great friends. People up at 3 in the morning to listen to your seemingly earth shattering emo stories. To all these people in the world who lend a ear to those who need it - thanks!

Test Failed.

unexpected death
lost memories, lost friendship
hard drive failure sucks

Dell Inspiron 600m Jan 2005-Jan 2008

Yesterday, like any normal day I went to turn on my computer and it sounded of cries of desperation. It was trying so hard to fight for life making grinding noises like a plane trying to take off. I first turned it off in fright, panic setting in, took a breath and turned it back on hoping that it was only a misunderstanding. It made the same sound again and this time I let it run for a few seconds until it beeped twice then turned off. This is when I knew that the gig was over. Worst case scenario - everything is lost. Fortunatly, sort of, I backed most of my stuff up last December (of 2006), but this meant that everything that took place in 2007 was lost. I feel like this was a sign of the past year - that I'm not to remember 2007 in too much detail. Like selective memories - of good times such as in pictures posted on my online photo site.

So now, I have some sort of recovery plan (of all documents, photos and music of the past year). I am of course trying with all my might to recover it by extracting it from the hard drive, but I feel that the effort will wind up wasted. I spoke to the infamous Dell customer service and it was actually slightly helpful but still only told me what I already knew - hard drive crash. System tests yielded: Test Failed! messages in red.

I guess I'm not too distraught. Yes, it sucks, yes, shit happens, but it'll be ok. Moral of this story kids? Back yo shit up!

mL

Train of Thought: Therapy

I saw by Matt Nathanson
(press play)

I would say that I spent a good 14.87% of the past 3 months bitching about my commute and about 4.9% of my life thus far, bitching about commuting in general. Then there are moments of clarity when I realize that it can benefit my mental well being. To the naked eye - you might think this ludacris as I am shoved under armpits, squished in a sea of suits, and throwing elbows at little old asian women (who will, in fact, shove you down the stairs while they pretend to look innocent and feeble). When the commuting game is strategically played, there is no shoving, squishing or b.o. to be seen/smelt. There's a cramped seat with theraputic powers. This is your time to do what you please, without distractions. Read, listen to music, people watch, ponder the worlds deepest questions, etc.

I listen to music while either sleeping, reading a trashy magazine, book or newspaper, or ponder whatever comes to mind. So before I diverge any further - the song. This is one of my all time favorite songs. During my routine trek home I heard it and it got me thinking. It made me wistful and hopefull all at the same time. I'm not even sure I know what it's about. It seems to be a song of unrequited love after a one sided breakup - like most songs. Come to think of it, theres nothing really hopeful about the song at all. The thing is, we've all felt this way before.

In my case, it reminds me of the person who gave me this song on a mixed tape (or CD as it were) who was just that - the kind of person who wo give me a mixed tape. As like most relationships, it ended. Not particularly well or poorly although I was the one who was on the recieving portion of the breakup. The line "I'll forget about you long enough to forget why I need to" always gets me thinking. I think everyone has someone that they'd like to forget because they feel that they need to - which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Otherwise, I just really enjoy the song. It's sad in a way that we can all understand. A little extra time in the day to reflect on our past and ponder our future can really be therapeutic and may very well be exactly what we need to maintain our sanity.

mL

A year in the life...

As we approach the end of the year - it is only natural to sit around and create a montage of your year in review. What are your most memorable moments of 2007? I imagined my 24th year to be the 'best year of my life'. Yes, it was a bit overzealous of me to create such high hopes for the year but it was my golden birthday year. Inevitably with all the hype, it was somewhat of a disappointment. No it was not the best year of my life - but it was good, which is better than saying, it sucked tremendously. So here we have the 10 most memorable moments of 2007.

1. New Years debacle. Oh giggles. Oh Viv, for you, i TOO would miss a funeral.
2. First time abroad - EuroFoodTour 2007. Did someone say sausage and mash?
3. The phone call that changed my life - May 30th - and the aftermath.
4. 42 (+3) miles of biking around New York without getting hit by a taxi
5. Summer of 07 - at Sergio's pool. Yeah Rada crew!
6. I'm from Barcelona Groupies at McCarron Park
7. The first 3 weddings to scare the rest of us.
8. Eyal-ing it in San Fran. Sammifying it in Vegas.
9. 6 hour interview with 5 case studies. Worst experience.
10. Having to give the toast at the company dinner my 2nd week on the job, being coached by the COO.

I'm sure there's other moments, but for now - this will suffice. I learned a lot this year and I had to face things that I didn't necessarily like or anticipate so early in my life. I guess it's these things that build character - hopefully it didn't come with a side order of cynicism. There were people who were there for me - who have always there for me (thank you so much), there were people who I hoped would be there for me but didn't pull through, and there was kindness found in places I would have never imagined. Someone told me that 'it's not the bad things in life that define us, it's how we deal with it' and it really helped me not take a giant bite of my 'self pity pie'. I did however, have a taste. It was kind of yummy - tasted like chicken.

To conclude, family was good, health was good, friends were good, career took a turn for the better, and all in all I'm pretty satisfied. True - not the best year of my life - but I'm happy. I have great hopes for 2008. I can't wait to make more memorable moments. (end sappy montage music)

mL

A week in Limbo

It's hard to focus having all that Christmas dinner, cookies and cake under my hypothetical belt (I'm not really one to wear an actual belt). It's hard to be motivated with one holiday behind us, and an upcoming one in a week. I have my Christmas toys at home waiting to be played with, Christmas cookies waiting to be eaten and Christmas flub waiting to be burned off.

ON a positive note - the commute has been heavenly. No getting squished under unsavory armpits or shoved by little old asian women. Quiet sleep on the 7, a seat on the 4/5..Oh man =)

mL

Juno

This movie was absolutely amazing. I cannot stop raving about it. This is definitely one of my top 10 movies, if not in the top 3. I cannot lie - It started as some creepy infatuation with Michael Cera. To defend myself, he is 19 and I've already admitted that it was creepy. Little did I know, that he would spend most of the movie in abnormally short gold shorts. H-O-T...ok, it was truly more disturbing than anything else. haha. It actually turns out that I fell in love with Ellen Page's character, Juno. Between the amazing soundtrack and the perfectly "me" kind of humor - I felt like this movie was made for me. The quick whip humor and the sweet story of best friends made for a full circle of a movie. I laughed. I cried. (I tried to conceal the two tears that I already unsuccessfully tried to blink back) I just cannot wait to see it again. I really cannot get enough of this movie and I need to recommend it to as many people as possible. It was amazing. A definite DVD buy. A definite CD buy.

Visit the site to listen to the soundtrack. You can find the controls on Cera's blinding white legs. The soundtrack is really great. The songs are really cute and strange but you come to realize that sometimes, you too, feel cute in your bunny suit. http://www.foxsearchlight.com/juno/

I guess in the end, I'm just looking for the cheese to my macaroni.

TANSTAAFL

TANSTAAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. From the 1966 novel The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.

Is there really such a thing as a "free lunch"? Before you run away from this post - no, this is not about economics. Or is it?!

TANSTAAFL means that a person or a society cannot get something for nothing. (wiki)

A few months ago when I was looking for a new career/life/path/money making scheme, of course Google was on my long list of potential employers. It the hip company to get into. It's huge, innovative and has a LOT of money. It's on Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work for. Wow. KIND of a big deal. The unconventional, young, fun culture is what we often hear about. We hear of the perks, the unique google "style", and its invoativeness. I was intrigued of course, who wouldn't be?! You'd be crazy to not want - climbing walls, razor scooters, swimming pools, free car washes, laundry service, gyms, and extensive cafeterias (if you can even call it that) with guest chefs every week, as your perks? OK most of those things are only in the Mountain View Campus in California, but wow. Just wow.

So being in search marketing, I work with search engines - mainly google and yahoo. I got a little tour of google NY yesterday as well a taste of their famous meals. The hallways were lined with serving containers of M&Ms, trail mix, chips, and random snacks and I have to gratuitously mention the razor scooter parking lot. As you walk into their cafeteria three men were putting on their google chef whites at their lockers, walls were lined with previous guest chef pictures and stats and then...the unveiling. Not just food made in the back room by microwaves and makeshift grills. Chefs making food right on the spot. All kinds of stations. Grill station, pasta, vegetarian, salad, sides, dessert, and I thought I was hallicunicating when I saw the gelato stand.

A good deal huh? Free lunch!! or is it. You have all the comforts of home - at work. That can be nice - until you realize on your way back to your desk from eating your free dinner that the office has become like home. Like a second home. Maybe that was the intention. Dazzle with the intentions of cutting down lunch time by having employees eat IN instead of taking long lunches and provide dinner for many a late nights. Just a theory. Maybe the unconventional company is a little more conventionally corporate than I once thought. After even working with google for a little bit, you realize that it IS very corporate, being that it's all about the money. But in their defense, you have to be super occupied with money when you're growing so quickly. Plus, I really enjoyed lunch!

mL

Melp

Brandy Library

25 North Moore St

New York, NY 10013

The name pretty much implies it all. It is nothing like anywhere I've ever been. This is the opposite of a college bar in the basement of a dilapidated building serving communial drinks out of a bowl. You know what I'm talking about ahem 'the rat' ahem . It was refined. Leather chairs. Dark mahogony shelves. A bartender with suspenders and an arm band. It's like an old time gentlemen's bar. The problem remains: I can't drink, nor do I wish to sit and "enjoy" a great whisky. I didn't want to blow my spot and tell them that the only whisky's were taken shot style (once in a boot shaped shotglass). So, I figure I would experience the experience - partake in the old age tradition of having a real drink. I asked my fellow drinkers who are huge fans of the "BL" what I should take as a beginner drink. I had an Italian scotch. I never thought I'd ever say that. But my first taste couldn't be described better than with the word: brutal. It was shocking, warm, thick, and burned. It burned my lips, tongue, cheeks, and throat...basically everything. It was pretty vile - not really my style. Not saying it its bad. I guess it really is an acquired taste. On a positive note - it was really fancy and the food was pretty tasty.

Melp

This is my version of Yelp. My daily usage of this site proves much more helpful than books like Zagat. "Real People. Real Reviews"

The Tasting Room
264 Elizabeth St
New York, NY 10012

Hidden on a this small dark street, you can walk by this restaurant thinking that it's either closed or not even notice it. The inside decor is somewhat "barn-like" but in a quiet, dim lighted way that makes it trendy. Our table was kind of messy looking, like it actually belonged in a barn and instead of chairs, I felt we should have been sitting on a long bench. The other tables however were very nice dark wood. I guess for large parties it's hard to find a matching long table. There is quite a big selection of wines and knowing nothing about wine, I opted out for a salty dog, which is some grapefruit, vodka concoction with sugar and salt. Holy salt batman - all over the outside of the cup. The drink though was very tasty. Later we had a Hungarian dessert wine, Tokaji, which was by far the sweetest wine I've ever had. In true Melissa style, I felt the need to water it down, but I realized that was probably a socially unacceptable move.

to Start: Foie Gras "en Torchon"
Molasses Gastrique, Beets, Scallion
to Continue: Muscovy Duck Breast
Okinawan Sweet Potato, Mustard Greens, Pears
to Finish: Bittersweet Chocolate Pots de Crème
Molasses, Bourbon, Coconut Macaroons

Let's not lie - ordering Foie Gras seems a bit pretentious but the book I'm reading got me intrigued. I imagined a liverwurst kind of taste in a pâté form but surprisingly, it was sweet. Unfortunately I was in a salty mood (despite the drink), damn molasses. I could have just eaten a bag of chips and been pretty happy. There goes any kind of classiness I could have otherwise faked. I actually felt less cultured than usual as I enjoyed the pâté less and less until I resorted to just eating the toast.

The Muscvoy Duck or duck from the region in west central Russia or Moscow, tasted like duck from northern queens or Flushing. Four quarter inch slices of duck breast with a layer of fat atop it and a crunchy skin. The slightly rubbery rareness of the meat warranted a walk through history on how you can eat raw bird. I'll believe it - I'm still stomachache free as of now. I actually did enjoy the duck despite everything - I could have eaten more. The Japanese mashed below it was sweet which once again made me crave salty boxed mashed potatoes. The mustard greens (which at the time I thought was spinach) were deliciously salty but only lasted 3 leaves as the portions was really small and my appetite was really big.

The finishing touch was a thick chocolate pudding-like creation with three neatly laid out macaroons. I guess I'm supposed to say something like, "How decadent" but in this case, I might have to go with "eh". Not to say that it wasn't good but it was a bit much, in a way I cannot describe. There was a cheesecake shared with me (see: stolen)that was absolutely great. Light but not too light, fluffy but not to fluffy, cheesy but not too cheesy...the perfect after dinner dessert.

overall - The best part was the stolen cheesecake. I left wanting a greasy burger.

mL

Groupie Love

My boyfriend: Christofer Olofsson

Languages: English, Spanish, Swedish

Hometown: Jönköping, Sweden

Talents: Piano, Singing, showing his beer belly

Where we met: Paris, France

Our first date: he sang to me

Nicest gift: he built me a tree house

Relationship issues: long distance, having to compete with his 28 friends

~Love is a feeling that we don't understand - but I'm gonna give it to ya~

mL