Thou art to me a delicious torment. 

                                               –Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is nothing safe about sex. There never will be. 

                                                       –Norman Maile

Bokeh Photography

Absurdism.

**Warning - spoiler alert. If you have not read Albert Camus' 'The Stranger' - and I highly recommend that you do - these passages are from the last chapter and give away the end and purpose of the book.**


"I was pouring out on him everything that was in my heart, cries of anger and cries of joy. He seemed so certain about everything, didn't he? And yet none of his certainties was worth one hair of a woman's head. He wasn't even sure he was alive, because he was living like a dead man. Whereas it looked as if I was the one who'd come up emptyhanded. But I was sure about me, about everything, surer than he could ever be, sure of my life and sure of the death I had waiting for me. Yes, that was all I had. But at least I had as much of a hold on it as it had on me. I had been right, I was still right, I was always right. I had lived my life one way and I could just as well have lived it another. I hadn't done this thing but I had done another. And so?

It was as if I had waited all this time for this moment and for the first light of this dawn to be vindicated. Nothing, nothing mattered, and I knew why. So did he. Throughout the whole absurd life I'd lived, a dark wind had been rising toward me from somewhere deep in my future, across years that were still to come, and as it passed, this wind leveled whatever was offered to me at the time, in years no more real than the ones I was living. What did other people's deaths or a mother's love matter to me; what did his God or the lives other people choose or the fate they think they elect matter to me when we're all elected by the same fate, me and billions of privileged people like him who also called themselves my brothers? Couldn't he see, couldn't he see that? ... The others would all be condemned one day. And he would be condemned, too."

"As if that blind rage has washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself - so like a brother, really - I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate."

                                                                           ~Camus, 'The Stranger'

Absurdism, therefore, is a philosophical school of thought stating that the efforts of humanity to find inherent meaning will ultimately fail (and hence are absurd), because no such meaning exists, at least in relation to the individual. As a philosophy, absurdism also explores the fundamental nature of the Absurd and how individuals, once becoming conscious of the Absurd, should react to it.   (Wikipedia)

"I wanted so badly to lie down next to her on the couch, to wrap my arms around her and sleep. Not fuck, like in those movies. Not even have sex. Just sleep together, in the most innocent sense of the phrase. But I lacked the courage and she had a boyfriend and I was gawky and she was gorgeous and I was hopelessly boring and she was endlessly fascinating. So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane."


                                                                              ~John Green

Where I want to be right now..

Ginger, Montreal.

My friend, who is my go-to for trying new restaurants and dining out, and I recently ventured down the street to Ginger, an asian-infused restaurant on Avenue des Pins, literally minutes away from my house. I don't know how I have never heard of it before! It is phenomenal. We went late, and so there were only a few other tables of people in the restaurant. It was quiet, dark, and intimate, but also felt very trendy and popular though there was little clientele there. 

Our server was great; we loved that she recommended appropriate drinks after having started with wine  before going out (which was a large bottle of sake to share :) ). However, when it came to suggesting menu items, it didn't take long to realize she was looking to raise the guest cheque average rather than meet our dining needs. For appetizers, we ordered the shrimp and veggie tempura and the beef tataki (as per her suggestion). The tempura was crispy and cooked to perfection, showing up at the table at a perfect temperature. And I must admit, although it was one of the most expensive appetizers, the beef tataki was well worth the money spent! It was a nice cut of meat, tender and medium-rare throughout. It.melted.in.the.mouth. It was heaped on top of a vegetable salad, including celery, carrots, and rocket accompanied by a sweet and sour tataki vinaigrette. Too much food for one person - and actually too much for the two of us! But we took it home and finished it with the rest of the bottle of wine afterwards :)

Main course - two huge rolls of fresh, delicious sushi! I'm not usually one for large rolls because I have a hard time eating them, but they were so good and worth the price. We got the traditional spicy tuna roll, which is a favorite of both of ours, and were surprised at how big the slices of tuna in the roll were. Not quite as spicy as we liked and lacking the tempura that is common with spicy tuna rolls, but good none-the-less. Although it didn't satisfy my craving for my favorite roll, it was good and, as the waitress told us, they definitely are not stingy with meat! The other roll we tried was the royal, which was one of their expensive rolls and another recommendation. Huge, delicious, and fresh, just like the other! 

I will definitely be going back to Ginger - the food was amazing, and the server was really great with all of our questions about the menu. I would recommend it to everyone, although it is slightly on the pricey side!