Jamais Vu

“There’s an opposite to déjà vu. They call it jamais vu. It’s when you meet the same people or visit places, again and again, but each time is the first. Everybody is always a stranger. Nothing is ever familiar.” Chuck Palahniuk

I go back to California every year and it always feels different but the same. I stay with my family, I eat the same In-N-Out burger, and I surf in the same waters - but it somehow always feels like new, like the first time.

But for the first time, I've come back to Boston not to just see family and experience jamais vu, but to actually experience Boston for the first time...from a new perspective.

I left California with a stomach twisted with excitement and quite a bit of anxiety of what the near future had in store for me. But the minute we landed in Mass, all fears were put at ease.

We got breakfast at legendary cheapy-way-too-sweet-good-ol-American-all-day-breakfast at IHOP where bottomless coffee, scrambled eggs and a stack of pancakes fed the butterflies in my stomach before we made our way to my new dorm room at university.

My favorite backpack, ukulele, and every other belonging in tow, we headed inside to check out the room.

It sure doesn't look like much at first, but slowly & surely it's coming along! Once it's up to par, I'll give you a proper tour.
Having checked 'Move In' off my list, we explored my new hometown where I gawked at landmarks and met new friends.

A few days have passed and I've noticed more and more things my dorm has been missing..so a trip to Target was in order!
Loading up 3 carts to the brim, we checked out and I made my first purchase on my own card.
Not a little girl anymore! Although free stuff from mum and pops are always welcome ;)

And we celebrated my move in at dinner where I received my idea of the best 18th birthday gift from my family friends: two tickets to the Red Sox vs. Tigers game at legendary Fenway Park!
Having a dad who's always supported his Mass teams, it was inevitable that his passion would rub off on me. And because I have him to thank for that, I'm taking him with me to the game. After all, I needa split the peanuts and Cracker Jacks with someone I love!

Breakfalunch

Before leaving HK, there was one final brunch destination I had to take Liam to - The Brunch Club & Supper in Causeway Bay.

It's a quirky little upstairs restaurant decked to the 9s with shabby chic decor and mouthwatering aromas of baked breads and egg dishes galore.

Having eaten here before (and having an immense love for them), I ordered the eggs benedict with spinach.

And convinced Liam to get the same - but with beefy bacon instead of skinny girl greens.

They're accompanied by side kicks of salad and hasbrowns to lead to a dynamic team of deliciousness.

It's a wonderful place to have an intimate meal with a friend or two or a cozy hide-away to take yourself on a TLC date to read, drink coffee, and watch the world go by!
They have an interesting way of running their business though...they don't serve brunch on the weekends *gasp* so be sure you make plans ahead of time if you're hoping to get your hands on some benedict or any other options off their breakfalunch menu.

Definitely worth popping in to and definitely a place to keep under your belt if you ever need some place to get away (other than Starbucks) or want/need/being forced to treat someone to brunch because it's pretty affordable! Check out their information here.

I'll Miss Them & the Dumplings

It's official. I'm leaving for university in less than 2 days and I swear, there is no other way to describe what I'm feeling other than bittersweet.
But to kick off the packing and 'see you later's, the crew and I met up at my favorite dumpling place in Wan Chai for a goodbye dinner.
But mind you, this isn't any old dumpling place....this is the best dumpling place in all of Hong Kong and I gladly challenge anyone who thinks differently in an epic dumpling battle!

 We kicked it off with the most addicting lemon tea you'll ever drink

 Followed by the most addicting eggplant and broccoli you'll ever eat

 Chicken fried rice, spicy peanut noodle soup

And the most deliciouswonderfulamazingspectacular fried pork and cabbage dumplings you'll ever get your hands on.

We had several other kinds of dumplings (abalone and asparagus (fried & steamed) and pork, shrimp, and veg (fried & steamed)) and finished the meal off with some maccas ice cream and McFlurries.

A wander around Wan Chai and a game of beer pong later and the 'see you soons' started comin' out.
It's so difficult leaving such amazing friends but it's only 4 short months away until I get to see them again.
December, please don't tease me so hurry along so I can see my second family again!

P.S. I've eaten a lot of Chinese food these past two year but let me tell you, I've gone to this restaurant at least 50 times since I've been here. It is an absolute gem and I highly highly highly recommend you give it a visit by finding it's contact information here.

Insomniacs

Having only a week's time left before I head back to the states for uni, meeting up with friends for lunch/coffee/cake/dinner has become a priority.

So Nicole and I met up to have a medieval lunch in the heart of the urban setting of Lan Kwai Fong.

Decked out with abstract medieval artwork, tables and chairs, this restaurant transforms into a nightclub while still keeping its 'historic' charm.

We started by 'wining' with raspberry and passionfruit mojitos.

And 'dined' with hearty vegetable soup alongside garlic bread

 And avocado salad

A light meal that was more modern than medieval but delicious none the less!
The soup was chunky with fresh veg but smooth with a tomato base.
The salad was flavorful with sharp parmesan cheese, intense red onion, and dulcet with the avocado slices.
But the lunch was most wonderful because it was shared with my dear friend!

If you want to take a step back in time and take your tastebuds on a journey they won't forget, you can get directions and make bookings here.

A Tale of Sun, Seafood, and Sailors

When the sun is out in Hong Kong, it calls for one thing: outdoor activities. 

Living in a tropical region where the weather is as crazy and unreliable as Lindsey Lohan, you have to make the most of the sun when it does come out to play.

As Monday's sunshine rolled around, Liam, Sash and I decided to spend some time at sea on Sash's sailboat.

 Scrumpy, our vessel for the day, in all her glory.

We set sail around 11 and it wasn't long before we couldn't resist jumping into the seemingly cold water.

Which actually turned out to be the temperature of bath water! It was unbelievably warm BUT surprisingly refreshing at the same time.

After tuning in to our inner fishes, we beached back onto the boat, soaked up the summer heat and made our way (slowly but surely) to the seafood restaurant.

 But the boys couldn't help but play Greek Gods along the way...

 Mighty impressive if I may say so myself.

But let's be real, my guns are way bigger than Sasha's

;)

A sail arounds the waters lead us to our lunch destination secretly tucked away for only sailers to enjoy.

 Fried squid

 Sweat and sour pork

 Cashew fried rice

 And deliciously grilled prawns

 All finished off with a bit o' ice cream

With our bellies full to the brim, we jumped back onboard and made our way back to Sai Kung shores.

Back home, we reflected on our deliciously warm, sunny day and optimistically dreamed of the next time we'll set sail across HK waters.