I've been really into gender-neutral scents in the last few years. Nothing speaks to me more than the scent of a man, or better yet, the scent of my lover. As I recalled, my guy doesn't usually use a cologne, but if he were, a shared scent would be appropriate. Distance makes the heart grows fonder, and restless, and erratic, and many complicated things. Smelling the scent that your lover wears on your skin, which may not smell exactly the same as it is on the lover, but it somehow provide that slight comfort that the lover is far yet near. As if wearing your lover on your skin felt like being embraced by the person. Choosing scents is so personal, it is in the nose of the beholder.

 

Some of the bestselling men's fragrances are Giorgio Armani's Acqua di Gio Pour Homme, Chanel's Bleu de Chanel, Gucci Guilty Pour Homme, Armani Code and Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue Pour Homme. What do all of these fragrances have in common, besides abundant references to the color blue and things aquatic? I remember that my guy had once told me that he got gifted with a cologne set that he does use occasionally, it was the D&G Light Blue Pour Homme. At the time I at no idea what it smelled like but I've heard of its popularity, so I was curious enough one day and walked into a Sephora to smell it. Aacch! Behold, another generic aquatic scent that my nose had detected; it had a powdery dry down that I definitely wasn't fond of. Giorgio Armani's Acqua di Gio Pour Homme is the worst in my opinion. A lot of times these kinds of cologne are too strong smelling or the guys who uses them in such a zealous manner that they announce their arrival a mile away. I don't like colognes that are too overpowering that will announce your arrival or make someone dizzy. Least of all, I don't like common scents, or scents that are too commercialized. Giorgio Armani's Acqua di Gio Pour Homme wouldn't be as bad of a scent if wasn't owned by almost every single guy out there. Where's the originality? It's probably just me, but every time I talk to a guy and detect that he was using this cologne I sometimes would questioned their taste, not only in colognes. My perception is that the guy that uses this cologne follows trends but is not unique or special enough because he seems like every other guy out there that uses the same scent. I know it sounds almost irrelevant to compare guys this way and it sounds bad or maybe I just really dislike popular commercial scents such as Giorgio Armani's Acqua di Gio Pour Homme. Scents are powerful since it provokes negative and positive memories.

 

I've been into gender-neutral scents for the last two years or so. To my understanding, it's getting more popular, the idea of colognes that can be worn by anyone is starting to appeals to many people of both gender. The absence of hyper-feminine or masculine notes makes unisex scents most appealing. Unisex scents are a subtler approach to perfume where personality is more important than preconceived ideas about the differences between male and female. 

Mister Marvelous, I love this name, inspired by a man who is nothing less than that.  It is not a commercial scent at all, although it's more masculine and is advertised as men cologne. This is for the man that doesn't want something from Sephora and can afford it.

According to Roja Dove, the idea of scent for one gender only came along at the end of the 19th century with the birth of the modern perfume industry, before which men and women wore whatever they liked. This reinforces the idea that our perceptions of 'masculine' or 'feminine' smells are cultural rather than innate.

"Nothing stirs the subconscious more than perfume, and it conveys something more mysterious and captivating about the wearer than clothes or make-up. So it's no wonder that fragrances which challenge, rather than reinforce, clichés about our identity are growing in popularity."

Preferably, I think I would like my guy best when he just came out of the shower after a workout and smelling clean and fresh and of soap. If he chooses to wear a scent then I'd prefer it if he not choose a popular commercialized scent that would assault my olfactory nerve.

I never did FOTD before, and perhaps I've been somewhat bored lately so I thought I'd do one.

Face: Suqqu Loose Powder in Natural, Koh Gen Do concealer (not shown). Vidi Vici Small Face Case in #100 for light contouring.

Cheeks: La Prairie Cellular Radiance Cream Blush in Peach Glow

Eyes: Shu Uemura Hard Formula Eyebrow Pencil in 04 Olive Sheen and 07 Walnut Brown, Lunasol Gel Eyeliner, Lunasol Silver Pink Lightning EX03, Shu Uemura Basic Mascara

Lips: Giorgio Armani Shine Lip Gloss in #11, Shu Uemura Lipstick in Pink N 326

Indeed I looked very bored. Maybe in my next batch of pictures I won't look so bored and dispassionate.

I've been wanting to try Haute Dish for quite awhile so a few months ago I went with a couple of girlfriends right after work. It was great to hang out with the girls and catch up on current events in our lives since we rarely get together even when we do see each other on a regular basis; other things always gets in the way such as work. We all were going through some drama at that point and maybe it was a good idea for each of us to get things off our chests. I spent about 2 hours with the girls and then another hour or so with my uncles and their wives at Amazing Thailand (I will review later, or maybe not since it wasn't great).









 







From the First Course menu, we decided to share the Steak & Eggs, which is steak tartare with an egg in a thick buttered toast and oyster shooter (we ordered two more extra so each of us can try one). I think this may have been the first time I even tried beef tartare, I guess I was never that curious enough since I figured I already know how raw beef is suppose to taste like so I assumed beef tartare would taste similar. The dish is a great start to our meal, we used the flat bread in our bread basket to scoop up the steak tartare. If this was my first time trying steak tartare then it was a positive and good experience, I thought it tasted delicious. The oyster shooter was a bit unique, I've had oyster shooters before but the one that I had at Haute Dish left a more deeper impression. The oyster shooter was in a bloody mary mix. I could taste the tanginess, the saltiness, and the spicy kick from the bloody mary; then finally with a surprise when I get to the oyster, it was sweet.....like sugar. It was good starter dish.







One of my co-workers, Katie, wanted a soup and salad this evening so she opted for the Baby Beet Salad. I didn't try any but it does look good.



 



 



Katie chose the Pumpkin Stew from the Middle Menu, which actually came out in the pumpkin itself. It's a panang curry soup with shrimp and tofu. I only tried one shrimp and it was a really big plump shrimp, it tasted pretty good even though I'm not really a big shrimp person.






The three of us shared the Mac & Cheese from the Middle menu, which has king crab, a creamy sauce made with tallegio cheese, and truffles. I didn't see truffle anywhere, maybe they meant that they used truffle oil. Anyway, this dish was really rich and delicious. It was perfect to share amongst us three, this could even be a regular entree for one person.

 










The dishes only got bigger as we move down the menu. My other co-worker, Amy, went for the restaurant's signature dish which is the Tater Tot Hautedish. The short rib was fork-tender and the flavors are not overwhelming. The "tots" are another thing, crispy on the out side yet once punctured, creamy potato puree oozed out. It was amazing really. I would choose this dish as my entree the next time I go.





I ordered the Steak and Potatoes. The ribeye steak was cooked to my specificity (medium rare, more on the rare side). They gave me the option of pomme frites or fingerling potatoes cooked in duck fat, I chose the latter >_> . There were two thick toast to be spread with decadent marrow. Katie and Amy were both squirmish about trying out the marrow on toast, but I made them anyway, and they both agreed that it doesn't taste as bad as it looks and sound. This was a huge entree and could have been split between two people; I shared this dish with the girls but it was almost too much for the three of us since by then we were full.



  



Overall, it the bill wasn't that bad. I didn't have any alcohol so I paid about $50 or so. I really like the food here, it's all the comfort food such as Mac & Cheese and Tater Tot Hotdish but with a more refined twist. I definitely will come back, hopefully sooner than later.

I couldn't sleep
So I thought of you
But if I were to close my eyes
I'd dream of you
And if I were to wish
I'd wish for you
I want to hope
And I'd hope for you
Is that reason enough?

______________________________

Thunder woke me up
Amidst various stages of dreaming
of you
And the more I burrow under the covers
The more I wish to sink
into you
And as the rain pelts against my window panes
The more I wish to painstakingly
reign upon you
In a gentle despot sort of way
But only in special cravings
to spoil you
And as I lay me back down to sleep
I ponderously muse
Where in this world
you are.

-E

My love is an empty night
with nothing beyond pillows to hold
It is lots of missing, if truth be told
A connection fraught with fragmentations
turning to a figment of my imagination
with wet pillows and aching hopes.
somewhere far, far away my love resides
somewhere far, far away he hides
but naught in my arms and always in my dreams
My love is an empty knight
full of wishes in a hollowed keep
finding myself waking in fits of disturbed sleep
and reaching out to air --
there is nothing there.
-E

Je fais semblant de dormir
I pretend to sleep
Pour pouvoir retrouver
In order to find
Tes mots secrètes
Your secret words
Tes mots d'amour
Your words of love
Sous l'oreiller
Under the pillow

My trip to NY was back in May, but as usual, it took me a very long time to post the pictures from the trip. The third day in NY was most memorable to me. The pictures should be enough so I don't think I'll be writing much in this post. We spent our third day mostly in Soho.

 
We put our name down on the waiting list to get into Balthazar for lunch. I was so excited because I love French bistro/brasseries and I also love Balthazar's cookbook. The wait was to be like an hour so we walked around a bit more until we couldn't any longer and settled on the benches that were right in front of the restaurant.

There were those rare moments, in that moment of lonely existence, when I start to feel doubts and despair. The thought have crossed my mind before but it came on so suddenly and dissipate almost as rapidly as it came without leaving a trace that it was there in the first place:

I build myself up
And fly around in circles
Waitin' as my heart drops
And my back begins to tingle
Finally, could this be it

Should I give up,
Or should I just keep chasin' pavements?
Even if it leads nowhere

-Adele

After so long, after waiting for so long...sometimes I don't even know what I'm waiting for. In those scarce moments when doubts start to set it....my hopes also begins to slip. I recovered quickly, usually, but the thought would still linger in the air. What I need is answers and a straightforward confession. I need to hear it from from his lips, where it would echo in my ears and in my heart.

"Are there prerequisites for love? If so maybe I'm over qualified and have been for a long time and just not willing to accept it."

Finally, could this be it?