the blog named X

In an attempt to save some money I decided to make lunch for a friend and I. A co-worker told me about Thai Chicken rolls and I decided to give them a shot on my day off. They turned out pretty good!!

Before I even touched the chicken, I made the Thai vinaigrette which consisted of peanut sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, and sugar. Smelled scrumptious.


Then I sliced up some boneless chicken thighs and browned them in a frying pan.

Look at that golden crust :)

I let the chicken cool and shredded the bigger pieces by hand. Then I put it in a large bowl with a bag of coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots) and poured the vinaigrette over it. I tossed it until it was all well combined.


With that done, it was time to wrap. I bought a pack of rice wrappers. Soak each wrapper in warm water until pliable. Scoop some of the filling and wrap it like a burrito and you're just about done!

TA-DA!

Happy Father's Day! Well, my dad's not home and I woke up early, so Carmen and I decided to meet up to go explore a nearby area.


I can see the appeal of living here. Birds chirping, sound of sprinklers, Victorian houses with their green lawns (because they actually have front yards), the slow crawl of people walking their dogs. Even the drivers are nice. It's one of the rare times I didn't feel like I needed to rush across the street.

The suburban rush really hits you when you start entering the "name" streets. It's not East 1st, 2nd, 3rd Street anymore. It becomes Argyle Road, Wellington Court, and the like. The street names seem to bring out the personality of the homes more. They're no longer just a number!

It makes a perfect Sunday walk to the farmers' market on Cortelyou. The emergence of this Park Slope-esque is relatively new (few years?) but still, I can't believe I've never known until now...considering how close I live.

So it was decidedly brunch at The Farm on Adderley. I got the famed Yelp Fishermen's Eggs and Bloody Mary.


I've never had a bloody mary before so I have nothing to compare it to, but this one had all my faves. Pickle, onions, and tomato juice. The onions added a 'zing' to it, but the waiter confirmed that there was also hot sauce in it. I liked it. The fishermen's eggs were so good. It contained 2 poached eggs, smoked trout, potato latke, and mixed greens. That was not a small portion. I finished the entire. thing. Even the potatoes. I never finish the potatoes!


Then we headed next door to Qathra. I don't drink coffee, but because they're famous for it, I'll try it next time. We sat in the back outdoor area. So pretty! Both of these restaurants would without a doubt be the perfect date spot! It was cloudy at first, but by the time we left, it was sunny and picturesque. Being decor obsessed, I liked the touch of the little fountain with lots of foliage. Anyway, I ordered a regular latte with a smoked salmon sandwich. Yes, I'm aware I just had a meal before this.

Look at all the magazines we brought! Yes, we actually read them. And I took a photo of an ant communicating with another ant because I just felt that "one with nature" in the middle of a neighborhood that had to be too good to be true. Ditmas Park isn't going away anytime soon but I'm sure in a few days, I'm going to wonder why I ever took that picture...

It was a quick walk through the last of the farmers' market, then on to the Flatbush Food Coop that's like a Whole Foods alternative. I got some tea and soap, and it was a Sunday wrapped up before 4.

I've always wanted to live in the middle of the city among skyscrapers, but factoring in the late night barhopping and loud traffic, this slow and quiet kind of lifestyle is a haven when you need to escape from chaos.

I'm addicted!

I was Yelping for places to eat near work and came across Cafe Zaiya. After reading the reviews, I was intrigued and had to go try the Chocolate Mochi Donuts, and let me tell you it was delicious. My co-worker compared it to a zeppole. It wasn't as sweet and puffy as your average donut, it was a bit chewy but in a good way. After trying the chocolate mochi donuts I came across a recipe for Green Tea Mochi Cake. The recipe calls for a cup of butter which has me kind of scared...so I may try to find an alternative to make it a little healthier.I imagine the texture of this cake to be similar to that of the donuts. While I haven't had time to try this recipe out yet, I'm posting this as a little reminder to self to try it out possibly next weekend. Look out for an update next week with pictures. :) Till then, if you're in the NYC area, definitely stop by Cafe Zaiya and get yourself a Chocolate Mochi Donut. They sell out fast!

1) They're better than onions (more anti-oxidants, minerals, and vitamins)
2) High in Vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber, folic acid; good source of calcium, iron, protein
3) Aids brain function and helps prevents Alzheimer's disease
4) Easily digested
5) Lowers blood sugar levels for those with diabetes
6) Cancer prevention: liver, stomach
7) Boosts immune system
8) Thins the blood to help prevent against cardiovascular diseases
9) Promote liver health
10) Makes skin look younger

I have a whole array of weird eating habits, but I consider myself lucky to have habits like these that keep me balanced next to the 12" pizzas that I swallowed the other day.

I always gain so much weight during hibernation season. Except this year, the weather has proved to be indecisive so my body hasn't gotten the message that it should've started preparing for summer a while ago. I always have to lose some weight before summer because most of my shorts are a size smaller than my jeans. Plus I'm semi committed to doing an 3-mile obstacle course in less than 2 months, which is not much, but I can't jog for more than 5 minutes at a time, let alone jump over fire.

I love exercising when I can commit to it, but exercise comes in spurts for me. Either I do it intensely or I slack off intensely. But these are some of my favorite fitness iPad/iPhone apps that I keep coming back to so they must be doing something right.

1) Self Magazine - free to download, costs to subscribe

I was at Walgreens and picked up the Wet n Wild  Walking on Eggshells eyeshadow palette. The YouTube makeup gurus all rave about Wet n Wild shadows so I decided to try one.

Wet n Wild 380B Walking on Eggshells Eyeshadow Price: $2.99

Swatches without flash

As you can see from the swatches, they are all shimmer shadows. They are very pretty colors. The pink shade is a pink that actually works well on my skin tone. The other pinks I tried made me look like I had eye infections. The crease color also works well with my skin tone. Its very easy to work with this color and I really like it a lot. The brow bone white color is nice, but I wish it was matte. All the colors of this palette are shimmery.

With flash

With flash

As you can see from these pics, the pink did not show up much. You can see it better in person, but it is still a very nice, subtle pink.


At Walgreens, I also purchased the Loreal Magic Perfecting Base. I had decided to start using primer again because the weather is getting warmer and my skin is getting even more oily and making my pores look disgustingly huge. I decided to get this Loreal primer because I heard some good things about it. This face primer has a very interesting texture. It kind of has a combination of gel-like and mousse-like texture, very hard to describe. It is kind of thick but once it is evenly spread on the face, it feels very light. It instantly mattifies the skin when you put it on. As the day went on, my skin was slightly less oily than usual, but it was still oily. I still really like the primer, though, because it hid my pores really well and it was also able to smooth out my skin so much that it was much easier to apply my foundation.

Loreal Magic Perfecting Base (3 weeks Trial Size) 0.17 FL. OZ. Price: $5.99

I went to H&M to return my mom's shirt and of course I had to get something for myself while I was there. I saw a whole rack of cropped tops and the color I liked the most was this one. I want to go back and get the light peach colored one though!

H&M Cropped Top Size 6 Price: $9.95 American Eagle Denim Size 00 Price: ? Others: American Apparel belt, Express nude mini wedges, LYLIF necklace

-Shirley

So I went to Forever21 to return some stuff and I bought this sleeveless button down. Love the tiny polka dots!

Sleeveless navy polka dot button-down Size Small Price: $17.80

-Shirley

The rooms I'm responsible for cleaning get really clean right around the time I have midterms/finals/big projects due...

Anyway, the catchall room has been prime real estate for everything. Extra hangers? Put it in that room. Clean clothes? No space? Put it in that room. XXXXXX? Put it in that room!

The change is actually really drastic, considering it's all the same stuff that was in the room minus the unnecessary clutter. Oh, and I can actually see the floor! There's zero (and by zero, I mean ZEERO) storage space in this room  because if I had a choice, I wouldn't take a picture with all the stuff piling up on the table. So I'll have to purchase something to hold all my art crap.

I'm pleasantly surprised at how it's turned out. I may like this room more than my bedroom right now.

Took a little break from working on an essay and went to the bathroom to take off my contacts. Considering that I didn't even step out of the house today, I'm not sure why I put them on in the first place but the computer screen was drying my eyes out. As I pulled my contact lens solution out of the bathroom junk drawer, it occurred to me how out of hand it had become. No bueno! Junk drawer no more.

In October 2010, I did an overhaul of my unorganized bathroom vanity that was starting to become my art supply storage. I spent around $60 and went from having no organization to an organized counter top that was easy on the eyes. I wish I had proper before-after pictures with the same lighting and angle but this is the closest it'll get.

      

It was a work in progress for some time. This mini-makeover was my pride and joy (still is!) and has proved to be effective and functional for the past 1.5 years, making my mornings stress-free and my nighttimes easier. But I'm still a messy person at heart--I just try very hard not to be.

So come 2012, while mostly everything has stayed the same, my little junk drawer has gotten so overwhelmed!

I needed an instant solution so I gathered:

• foamcore
• x-acto knife 
• cutting mat (or cardboard)
• t-square
• straight-edge
• ruler
• pen/pencil to mark

Sunday is usually a lazy day for me. I like to lounge around the house in my pajamas and relax before another hectic week begins. Yesterday I whipped up enough chicken parm to last me until lunch today so I didn't even have to cook! All I had to do was reheat my pasta and throw the chicken in the oven to warm up. It was a simple recipe. I threw some garlic and red pepper flakes into olive oil so the oil becomes infused with the flavors, followed by a touch of chicken stock and a can of crushed Italian style tomatoes. Let that simmer for 30 mins and you have your very own marinara sauce. The chicken was pretty simple, you take some thinly pounded chicken breasts, dip it in flour, egg, and then bread crumbs. (I like to use Japanese panko bread crumbs) *Make sure your flour, egg, and bread crumbs are all seasoned.* Then you just pan fry your chicken. Ladle some sauce in a baking dish, put the fried chicken breasts on top, cover with more sauce, and top it with some cheese. Throw it in the oven at 425 until the cheese is bubbly. Serve with spaghetti and sauce on the side.

yumm

It was a tad chilly today and I was craving some hot chocolate. Of course I had a bunch of midterms to study for and did not want to risk having to face the distractions of going out to Dunkin Donuts. I decided to just make some Nutella Hot Chocolate. Heat up milk with however much Nutella you like and that's it. Top it off with whipped cream if you like. I normally opt not to put whipped cream for health reasons but i had a tiny bit left in my fridge so i decided to use it up so I can make room in my fridge.

because everything is tastier in a mustache mug :)

That's all! Happy Sunday everyone! :D Now back to the never ending pile of notes I have to get through before the weekend is over! D:

Here are some products that I am hoping to buy soon.


1. Kai Eyebrow Scissors with Comb (~$ ?)
I saw a Youtube makeup guru (itsjudytime) use eyebrow trimming scissors that have a comb! I have really long eyebrow hairs and I used  to use manicure scissors to trim them. I would randomly trim the hairs and would always mess up by cutting unevenly. However, with the comb on these scissors, it should be a lot easier to cut the hairs evenly.


2. Clinique Youth Surge Night Age Decelerating Moisture for Combination Oily to Oily (~$50)