4 Days in Montréal, Québec

In February, I had a weeklong break from school and I decided to spend it with my best friends from middle school.  I met up with Lindsay and we caught a 6 hour bus ride to Montreal.

For warning...I decided to 'condense' this trip into one blogspot you're in for a long one!

Also yes, it did take me this long to finally post about it.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 16, 2019

FABRIQUE DE BAGEL

What's an experience in Montreal if not to indulge in a well made bagel?  Fabrique de Bagel is situated in the 'underground mall', which turned out to not be as underground as it sounds.  It was tricky trying to figure out where the entrance was, but if you see a big globe on a building that says Chambre de Commerce de Montreal metropolitain just push open the doors and you're there.

I opted for the Bagel au Salmon Fume avec le fromage brie as I am a big fan of both.  It had a ton of flavour and I especially loved the caramelized onions.

ART GALLERY HOPPING

I don't know how often Montreal has gallery showings.  But, on our first day, every art gallery was open for showing.  Lindsay and I had an amazing time hoping around.  As the day progressed, we felt more comfortable speaking French with the people who work there.

DÈLICES ÉRABLE ET CIE

Perhaps as touristy as they get, we saw a big bold sign for 50 cent maple biscuits.  Sounding too good to resist, we made our way to the inside of a brightly lit and bustling café.  We purchased not only several varieties of delicious maple biscuits, but split a maple taffy for two.  This is the place for all things maple syrup.  From pure syrup to maple infused teas, it's a great place to buy a gift albeit the higher prices.

HANZO IZAKAYA

Thanks to Lindsay's fabulous recommendation, we had a wonderful dinner experience at Hanzo Izakaya.  It is an elegant Japanese restaurant inspired by the Crazy 88 scene in the movie Kill Bill.  So before we made our way there, we got comfy on a couch and watched volume 1 of Kill Bill.

Out of every dish was had, I would definitely recommend the Pretty Ricki as a cocktail, the Edamame, the salmon dish (although I can't seem to find it on their menu anymore).

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2019

CINKO

After spending most of the day just logging around in Sena's dorm and finishing up some assignments, the three of us headed out for dinner at Cinko.  It's another very hip restaurant with an incredibly decorated interior.  The food however, was subpar.  I got the Tacos Fish & Chips with a side of chili, which was unfortunately underwhelming and left me wanting actually good fish tacos from Seven Lives in Kensington, which is in Downtown Toronto.  Perhaps a second experience will change my mind.  For now, I'll stick to recommending Hanzo.

ARCADE MTRL

After dinner, Lindsay and I found ourselves at a retro arcade place.  We played the famous Donkey Kong and PacMan along with a whole variety of games.  The entrance fee was $7 and they only take cash.  But once you're inside, they've got a free popcorn machine so bring a water bottle unless you want to buy water from the bar.  It was a very cool experience, but at the same time it was really busy and a lot of the bigger groups were occupying the chairs and better games.

MONDAY FEBRUARY 18, 2019

UPSTAIRS JAZZ BAR

Wow.  What a wonderful time it was to sit down, eat some food, and listen to amazing musicians all night long.  I 100% recommend coming here!  I love listening to live music. 

I also couldn't let Balenciaga get away with this horrible display that looks like a rundown thrift shop's doing.  I've never been a fan of this brand and if this display doesn't convey with enough reason my disappointment with this fashion house, then go ahead and continue to admire their sock shoes or whatever monstrosity they put out.

MONDAY FEBRUARY 19, 2019

MUSÉE DES BEAUX-ARTS DE MONTREAL

Le dimanche dans l'arrière canadien (1859) par Thomas Fæd

Une mère et ses enfants à l'église (1886) par Thérèse Schwartze (The first female artist to be accepted into l'académisme français)

Femme dans la rue (1950) par Karl Appel

Come Monday morning, Lindsay and I visited the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, which is free admission for students.  I really loved Appel's Femme dans la rue painting.  His work is an exploration of the naivety  and spontaneity of children.  

This is an extract from the description:

Appel ne se laisse pas décourager par les critiques: "En voyant mes peintures, il arrive souvent qu'on me dise, "Écoute mon vieux, ma fille de trois ans peut en faire du pareil." Ce à quoi je réponds" Oui, mias à la différence près que c'est moi qui le fais pas elle."

BARBIE EXPO

The museum was supposed to be our last stop before we caught our train back to Toronto.  However, we saw a sign that led us to this Barbie expo, which was grounds for a detour before the train.  And I do not regret it one bit because look at how amazing this collection is!  It totally made up for the fact that Lindsay and I had to ran to the train and get on board 5 minutes before departure.  oops.

Thanks for sticking to the very end!

Sophia

January Recap: My Financial Goals

 Looking back on this month what stands out is that I started my new job at The Seasoned Spoon.  It's my first legit job with a legit paycheck!  Having a source of income has set me back on track with my budget and savings goals.  I can spend hours tweaking my Excel spreadsheets and it's so satisfying to figure out new functions on my own.

One of my spreadsheets is dedicated to my savings goals.  This includes retirement, house downpayment, my emergency fund, and other sinking funds (education, study abroad, etc).  I'm fortunate in a sense that my mom is adamant on paying for my undergrad, which allows me to focus on other goals.

The cold weather got me thinking about summer a lot.  What am I going to be doing for four months?!  I'm hoping to score a job working with animals and have even thought about taking on two jobs.  Seeing how far I have to reach some of my bigger savings goals is really motivating me to make the most of my summer and hustle hustle hustle!

January was also the month of house hunting.  I'm sad to report I have yet to secure a place for next school year.  It's stressful and time consuming but hopefully when I report back for February I'll have found something.

Since we're on the topic of money, I should introduce  the first of my monthly challenges I will attempting for the rest of 2019.  February's challenge is a no spend challenge.  I am challenging myself to not spend any money besides necessities.  Not only is this a good practice to do once in a while to save money, it also speaks to a lot of environmental issues we face today.  CONSUMERISM.  It's become part of western culture and is extremely unhealthy!  I've been quite mindful about consuming single use plastics and living more sustainably.  Fast food, take out, and shopping produce in awful amount of single use plastics.  Think about all those plastic straws, styrofoam containers, and shopping bags you use once and chuck in the trash.  Convenience needs to stop being so damn ingrained in our way of living.  We should be taking the time to cook healthy meals at home, brewing coffee at home, and appreciating the simple things in life.

I would encourage everyone to take on a no spend challenge whether it be for a week, month, or year.    I hope it will encourage you to live ethically, sustainably, and frugally.  We could all use a deep cleaning detox in our lives.  Ring in 2019 with a more positive mindset towards Earth and respecting the wonderful things nature has to offer us.

JANUARY 1 to 31 - WHAT I SPENT THIS MONTH

Eating Out: $97.42

Groceries: $23.15

Phone: $16.95
Clothing: $22.21

Miscellaneous: $52.39

TOTAL: $212.12

OVER BUDGET: $12.12

To be fair, I did use a lot of gift cards for my purchases this month and still counted them towards my spending...

Eating out is still a major category that I over spend in.

Fudao Noodle House in Downtown Toronto China Town

As a Christmas gift to my mom and sister, I brought them to Fudao Noodle House (5/5).  It's a popular joint in China Town known for serving you an unlimited amount of noodles with your broth.  One order of soup is the perfect amount to share with someone else and makes the meal is a beautifully decorated restaurant very affordable.  Instead of exchanging gifts at Christmas, treating each other to knew experiences is way more bonding than any thing you could buy at a mall.  Go see a movie, go out to eat, go to a coffee shop.  Get out the house and do some exploring!!!

Thai curry noodle soup

Spicy noodle soup

Grilled squid tentacles

Jacket: J. Crew thrifted

Skirt: thrifted

Boots: Aldo

Top: Nygard thrifted

The New Year Razzle Dazzle

Dress: Zara thrifted

Shoes: Aldo

Jacket: Braemar by Jeremy Scott thrifted

Pants: thrifted

Shirt: Kirkland via thrifted

November + December Recap: Food, Books, and Movies

I've been quite useless at documenting these last two months.  This is largely due to the fact that I dropped my phone down two flights on stairs, which lead to mass destruction of my screen; shattered (but not beyond repair).  It wasn't until I came home for the winter break that I finally got my phone fixed.  Here's my rather condensed version of my November and December:

NOVEMBER 1 - HOT BELLY MAMA'S

Peterborough has several eateries and cafes that are buzzed about on campus.  This being one of them.  Inside is very dimly lit and buzzing with chatter.  I ordered their honey mustard chicken with a side of sweet potato fries and gumbo.  The honey mustard sauce wasn't impressive and neither was the gumbo which tasted a bit starchy.  At $20 I wouldn't say it's worth it.  I can see how it would be a good place to host a social dinner, but otherwise I don't feel inclined to return.

NOVEMBER 5 - PLANET NORTH

My friends and I (Le Quintrashe) found another great spot on campus to eat.  Cafe food gets tiresome very quick, so knowing you can head over to the Planet for fresh food is reassuring.  Occasionally I'll find myself there ordering their salad and reading a book.  It's a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

NOVEMBER 9 - BLACK HONEY

Black Honey is all you could ask for in a local coffee shop.  They've got vegan treats, biodegradable straws, and sell local art.  I tried their Blueberry cheesecake (4/5) and Matcha Tea Latte (5/5).  If anyone were to visit Peterborough, Black Honey is the first place I'd bring them!

NOVEMBER 12 - THE DEPARTURES

Every now and then clubs host movie nights.  I love going because I get to see movies I normally wouldn't see on my own.  The Departures was a cinematic film that knew how to appropriate add humour into a pretty melancholy story line with a beautiful ending.

NOVEMBER 19 - BODYGUARD

Nearing the end of my first semester, I had more time on my hands.  I tried watching some shows on Netflix but none of them really stuck except for Bodyguard.  I'm picky with my shows and perhaps my relationship with this new British show is too young to really tell if I'll remain faithful for more seasons to come, but as is, it's a great crime show to binge.  Let's hope they don't screw up what could be a good thing by making their love lives a big part of the script.  To this day, I remain faithful o That 70s Show and Criminal Minds.

NOVEMBER 1 to 30 - WHAT I SPENT THIS MONTH

Eating Out: $52

Groceries: $14.03

Beauty: $0

Phone: $16.95

Miscellaneous: $11.76

TOTAL: $94.74

OVER BUDGET: $12.99

December is notorious for being the season of outrageous spending with the excuse that 'tis the season of festivities to celebrate family and ringing in the new year.  I for one got tired of consumerism and materialism in our society.  This Christmas, instead of buying my family gifts I took them out for lunch and cleaned the house.

Besides that, this month I took my final exams and then came home for the holidays.  I've been working almost everyday but somehow still feel like a retired person.

DECEMBER 1 to 31 - WHAT I SPENT THIS MONTH

Eating Out: $46.79

Groceries: $22.90

Beauty: $0

Phone: $16.95

Miscellaneous: $0

TOTAL: $86.64

OVER BUDGET: $0