Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He's also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
I like to call myself a Momo Connoisseur! There was actually a time when I would eat momos on daily basis when I was living in India. But unlike Delhi where you could find street food joints serving momos in less than a minutes walk, there are not a lot of Momo restaurants in the Ottawa area. Only recently I noticed that there is a place called The Momo Spot and decided to give it a try.
If you haven’t had momos before, they are dumplings from Nepal (and also Tibet). The Momo Spot is a Nepali restaurant serving a limited menu of basic as well as specialty dumplings.
Chili Stir Fried and Jhol Momos at the Momo Spot!
Their steamed momos are similar to what you would see on the streets however I would recommend that you go for their signature dishes instead which is something I found as a unique experience and not something that you usually see at other restaurants. I also ended up trying their – Chili Stir Fried Momos and Jhol Momos off their menu.
While the Jhol Momos in Nepal are actually served with Buffalo’s meat in Nepal, at the Momo Spot they are actually served with a vegetarian sauce. The dumplings tasted good enough, and the flavor of sauce reminded me of sambar (lentil based vegetable soup). However, I felt that it was not spicy enough for me.
The next item that I had was the Chilli Stir Fried momos and not only they looked red hot, but actually I really enjoyed the flavor as well. They were quite delicious.
The service is alright, the portions are a little smaller so you might feel that you are actually having appetizers. This is probably one of the cheaper restaurants I have been so far in Ottawa! I think on my next visit, I would like to try their steamed momos as well with the different variety of sauces that they offer.
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
Are you thinking about bringing a second cat home; or have to sit someone else’s cat at your residence when you already have one. Well you should know that cats are territorial and if you aren’t prepared beforehand, you might create a bad initial experience for your new cat as well as the old one!
Not all cats are welcoming to another cat entering their territory and while your cat might have never attacked anyone before but things can get pretty heated if you don’t take the right steps when you introduce your cats.
Make some private space for your new cat Don’t release the second cat into home straight away! A lot of times, people end up releasing the second cat the moment they arrive home. That can make the cat feel vulnerable and most of them will try to hide, run away from you!
If possible try to have a small room for your second cat where the cat has it’s litterbox, toys, food and bed. Open the carrier in this room and close the door but make sure that the room is properly ventilated and check on the cat every few hours. It’s possible to install a baby monitor to see what your cat is up to. The cat might end up staying in it’s carrier for a few hours but will eventually come out on its own. You might need to do this for a couple of days as some cats adapt quickly and some don’t.
It might be useful to spray some toys with catnip as cats tend to enjoy it.
Cat Room with Bed, Toys, Literbox and Food
Do not introduce the two cats too soon! This is very important! Cats can be very scared when they are being moved and the first thing you should be doing is to make it as comfortable as possible for the new cat. Most of the times it’s easier for the person to make a relationship with the new cat than other cats.
Make the right introduction with you! Once the cat is out of the carrier, you can enter the room and call by them by their name. Throw some treats at them and see how they respond. Don’t try to chase them at this point. Once the cat eats a treat, start putting them closer to you one by one. That will lure the cat towards you. Spend some time with the cat, and see if they are willing to play with any toys with you. It might take 2-3 days for the cat to feel comfortable with you.
Petting might be risky Don’t try to pet your new cat as they may hiss or try to bite you. You need to give them some time to build relationship with you as well as your first cat.
I usually try to see if a cat tries to eat treats from my hand or not. If not, then maybe I need to give them some time before I try to pet them. Sometimes I bring move my hand in front of them to let them smell and see how they respond.
Introducing your first cat to your new cat The first step for you would be to bring your cat to the door of the private room that you created for your new cat. You will notice your cat smelling around the door or trying to see what’s on the other end. After a while, try to open the door just slightly to let the cats see each other only. If they are hissing at each other then just close the door again. You will need to do it a couple of times over the next 2-3 days, before you open the door completely for your new cat and let them outside to explore rest of the house.
Cats separated through the door
Always keep an eye on the cats for the first few days You will need to make sure that they are not fighting with each other. It can take both of the cats some time to get comfortable with each other and when they hiss, you could try to separate them as you want them to have as much pleasant experience as possible when meeting each other.
Avoid cat fights
I had noticed that the cats were uncomfortable so during night time, I kept them separate for an additional day as I wasn’t sure what would happen. The next day they were doing a lot better.
Monitor cats food and make sure both are getting enough attention Sometimes the dominating cat of the two can end up eating food for both cats so you will need to let the cat know that it is not ok. It can take a while to train the cat not to eat the other cat’s food.
Also you will need to make sure that both of them are getting enough attention. Sometimes the other cat can feel a bit left out so you will need to maybe play with them one by one.
Give them time! It usually takes atleast a few days, sometimes weeks for the cats to get adjusted to each other. It’s always good to monitor your cats and make changes accordingly, so that you are accommodating the needs of your new cat as well as the old one.
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
Patty’s Pub has one of the nice and spacious patios that I have seen in Ottawa so far! While the outdoor looks modern; their in-house dining is a different experience and takes you decades back (in a good way lol)! The owners have tried to create the perfect pub experience and they have done it very well! Not only that but the place has a large collection of lagers from the Ashton Brewing Company.
I got myself Their Works Burger with Fries! And for my drink I got myself a glass of Red Sangria! Both my meal and drink tasted quite good! Works Burger consisted of – Beef patty, cheese, mushroom, lettuce, onion, pickle, and bacon!
Patty’s Pub is quite popular among University students from Carleton as well as Ottawa. You will often end up seeing graduate parties as well at the place!
Overall, I think it’s a really well rounded place to hangout! and I would like to check it out again sometime during night time! Didn’t run into any issues, service was good and atmosphere is great as well!
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from my first trip to Cartagena! After all, the only thing I had heard before my visit was the Colombian Drug Cartels that operate in the country. However I was actually quite surprised with my visit. Here is what I actually experienced during my short stay in Cartagena –
No beggars in Cartagena! Yes there is poverty in Cartagena and you will see it when you visit the place however there wasn’t a single incident of someone coming to me and asking for money! There will be people approaching to you selling touristic services or goods however they are not going to be pushy either! There are a lot of other countries where you end up going and people will chase you for miles trying to sell things to you! But this doesn’t happen in Cartagena!
Cartagena Sign
Make sure to negotiate prices in advance If you are going to get any services like massage, make sure that the prices are negotiated in advance. Also make sure that the prices are in Pesos and not in Dollars. A lot of times, tourists think that the prices being mentioned are in Pesos but later are told that they were quoted in Dollars.
Short stay rentals have security Whether you are doing hotels or short stay rental using vacation rental company like AirBnB, all of them will have additional security at the gate to prevent authorized entry of people into your rental.
There are policemen everywhere! You will see a lot of police officers around the city whether you are walking during the daytime or night. Not of all them are armed but some of them are. Also, I noticed that there was significant military personnel on the streets during night time. In case anything goes wrong you are only a walking distance from them and can run in case you need help.
Be Careful of what’s being handed to you If some person tries to give you things, don’t try to hold it in your hand. They might try to say that the item is now sold and try to ask you for money that way. This did not happen with me but the locals mentioned that it’s a trick that happens often.
Petty crime does exist You will notice crime less within the walled city as there is a lot of police however you will need to be cautious. Make sure that you are not carrying anything too expensive with you when you are on the streets. Also once you are outside the walled city, the chances of crime increase.
Avoid free drinks It is possible that the drink being offered to you by a random stranger is laced with drugs. So you need to be extremely cautious as such incidents can happen.
Be careful of drug dealers In some areas of the city, it is possible that dealers will approach you trying to sell you drugs. It only happened once during my stay and they don’t try to pursue you if you tell them no.
Overall I felt relatively safe within the city and nothing bad happened to me. Cartagena is the country’s major tourist destination and the government has made effort to make sure that it’s safe. If you are planning to go, as long as you are a bit cautious, you should be fine!
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
My cat loves to play with treats everyday and it doesn’t take too long till I am out of them! So this time, I ended up getting him Chicken Flavored Fruitables Cat Treats (with Blueberry).
The main ingredients and benefits of Fruitables Cat Treat are
Chicken – Provides the cat with proteins!
Flaxspeed – Contains nutrients essential fatty acids for a healthy heart.
Pea Fiber – Helps with digestion!
Blueberry – Provides antioxidants.
The product does mention that it does not contain any wheat, corn, soy, artificial colors or flavoring so is very safe to use.
As per the nutrition facts, this treat provides only 1.25 kcal per treat which is much less than other cat treats I have given my cat and they usually have around 2 kcal per treat!
Fruitables Cat Treats
My cat could smell the smell fresh cat treats as soon as I opened them and his eyes were on the treat till I threw it far away. At that moment, he immediately ran to grab the treat! I have played with the Fruitable Cat Treats for a couple of days and my cat seems to enjoy them a lot and playing with it as well!
If you are looking for new treats to try for your cat, it would be worth trying these chicken flavored Fruitable Cat Treats! Since the calorific value is lower, it could also be a good replacement to other high calorie treats that you have been providing your cat!
Buy Fruitables Cat Treats At The Store! I noticed that these treats at priced very high at Amazon! While the price at Amazon Canada was around CAD $12 per pack, You can get them in-store at Canadian Tire for less than CAD $4. That is a big difference!
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
When I started having stress and anxiety in the recent years, I started looking for supplements that might help with it. I noticed that Costco was selling a product to help reduce stress and anxiety called Ashwagandha. I wasn’t sure at first but after noticing that the product had ‘Clinically studied’ on it, I wanted to give it a try as my stress and anxiety levels were bothering me quite a lot on daily basis.
Costco sells Webber Naturals Ashwagandha for about CAD $20 though sometimes you can get it at a discount. You get 120 vegetarian capsules in a bottle and each capsule contains 3600 mg of KSM-66 (Ashwagandha).
Ashwagandha Capsules by Webber Naturals
I have been primarily using this product for Stress and Anxiety but there are some other benefits of using Ashwagandha as well. The product claims to help with the following –
Increase your resistance to stress and anxiety
Improving physical performance in both genders
Promoting healthy testosterone production in men
Sports recovery
Webber Naturals Ashwagandha Product Review I started with 1 capsule per day usually when I felt stressed out and started noticing some improvement in my health after a few days. It does take some time for the pills to take effect, so I try to take the pill early in the morning or before I start to feel worse due to my stress. After using it for a few months, and noticing no side effects I have started taking Ashwagandha 2-times once in the day and once before sleeping.
I am happy to say that Ashwagandha (Webber Naturals) has really helped me get my life back as my stress levels are in control now. I used to have heart palpitations before because of stress/anxiety but since I started taking pills, I haven’t noticed much. Also there was a time when I would have hard time sleeping but taking this pill before going to sleep has helped me resolve it. This has been a really great product for me and I recommend it!
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
As soon I entered the Walmart Supercentre in Plateau, I noticed that they are actually selling Sushi! Eating out at a restaurant has gotten more expensive recently, so instead of heading out to a dining restaurant for the day, I thought it would be good to try out Walmart’s Sushi as the price seemed reasonable.
I was able to get the Crispy California Spicy Roll for about 8 bucks. The box included Ginger, Sushi Sauce, and Wasabi. At 470 Calories, it can be a nice lunch for 1 person.
Crispy California Spicy Roll by Naoki
Once I opened up the box, there are a couple of things I noticed. The sushi sauce tasted quite different than the usual soy sauce that I have at home, and so did the Wasabi. I think that they might be using a lighter version of the soy sauce which has less sodium or maybe have some other formulation. For the Wasabi package I noticed that it actually is ‘Wasabi Flavored Horseradish’. I only noticed this because it was taking some time for the Wasabi to get dissolved in the sushi sauce.
The Crispy California Rolls actually tasted alright though. The main noticeable ingredients in the sushi roll were imitation crab meat and cream cheese (or perhaps mayo). It actually was quite flavorful and much better than what I expected from Walmart.
I think the quality is a lit lower because of the cost cutting but if you are looking for a quick meal or just want sushi on budget, it might be worth just picking up sushi from Walmart!
Address: 35 Boulevard du Plateau, Gatineau, Quebec J9A 3G1
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
I have been to Montgomery Scotch Lounge a couple of times and whenever I go there, I find something new! Turns out the place has some really nice specialty drinks so I decided to try them out this time!
Cocktails at Montgomery Scotch Lounge
The first drink I ordered was called the Cruising Altitude which is made of Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Amaro Nonino, Aperol and Lemon. If you like sweet flavor then this would be the drink for you.
The second drink was a bit of a different experience though – it was the Pompatus of Love which is part of their Enlightment Series. This drink consisted of Aberfeldy Scotch Single Malt, Aperol and Amaro Averna! What’s unique about this drink as you actually get a Smoke Bubble on top of your drink! Blow it up before you sip your drink!
Both drinks had a strong flavor and I had to drink them out sip by sip. It is really hard to chug these drinks even if you are thirsty.
Whenever I have been there, there is always a band performing! I was thinking that the lounge always plays country music but that is not the case. They were actually playing a blend of soul, funk, jazz, reggae and latin music this time and the performance was great!
Mecca of Stank band
I have enjoyed all my visits at this place and recommend it! However there wwere two things that I noticed about this place that I didn’t like. While I have been to the place before when they perform live music, I have never been charged a cover before. But during this visit, there was a cover charge ($10). While it’s okay to charge a cover, none of us were told upon entering the venue that there would be a cover charge.
The other issue was that one of the persons in the group got a sample of the drink and was charged for it. I think it’s important to let the customers know about such charges especially when other bars do not charge for trying out a drink.
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
It is definitely possible for Canadians to Travel to the US from Canada without a passport however instead of a passport you are going to need a document that confirms your citizenship.
Currently there are two documents that are accepted by the US Customs and Border Protection that can be used in substitute of your passport. You can either use your NEXUS Card or an Enhanced Driver’s License (if your province issued you one).
I actually tried it out myself by driving to the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge! All I had to do was show my NEXUS Card to the border agent, was just asked where I was headed and I was free to enter the United States! I wasn’t asked my passport and it was a complete hassle-free experience.
Entering New York from Ontario
I have only tried this at the US- Canada Land Border, and haven’t tried just using my Nexus Card instead of my passport yet for flights from Canada To the United States. If you are planning to just use your Nexus Card, you should check with the airlines if that is okay as some airlines can have different rules.
If you have a Nexus Card but don’t have Canadian Citizenship, you might still be required to provide the border agent your passport.
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
My 3 year old cat doesn’t seem to play much with toys so I thought I will spend a bit more money this time and get him an Interactive Cat Toy instead. I found the Spot’s Flippin Squirrel Toy at Winner’s and it cost me a little more than 20 bucks!
Spot Squirrel Interactive Cat Toy
The company claims that the toy moves like a ‘Real Prey’ and it comes with a USB Charger and Catnip. There is a small zip around the bottom of the toy that you need to unzip to be able to charge the device. Also within the pocket there is a small bag of catnip as well.
On/Off Button For Squirrel Cat Toy
I charged the device for about an hour and turned the device on and put it on the ground. As soon as you turn the toy on, the tail does move like a squirrel however the toy doesn’t itself move forward much. The motion continues for a short period and triggers again if you move the toy a little bit.
To see how my cat responds to the toy – I placed it around a corner and my cat immediately took notice of it. He came closer to the toy after a while, smelt it but then just stopped, didn’t really try to do anything and just went away.
Cat notices Spot Cat Toy!
It also seems that my cat is quite scared of the toy when it moves. I have tried turning off the movement and see if I place the toy on a height somewhere maybe my cat will try to play with it but no.
Trying to get cat to play with Cat Toy
It has been more than two weeks since I bought the toy but haven’t really seen my cat play with it at all. I also tried to put more catnip on it but even that hasn’t helped unlike other toys where my cat picks the toy immediately sometimes.
I have had some other toys from Spot before (non-interactive) and some of them my cat has played a bit more however with this one my cat didn’t really interact at all.
I think this was a bad purchase for me as I expected more out of this one especially as it is priced a lot higher than the usual cat toys in the market.
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
