One Day Adventures

I decided to take a trip with my boyfriend up to Mitsuwa and then go to New York because it's only 30 minutes apart. I haven't gone to Mitsuwa since last year and now that I'm twenty-one, I wanted to buy some sake. I remembered wanting to buy some the last time I went because they were so pretty! I'm a total sucker for pretty packaging. I'll start off the post with my outfit of the day. I went for comfy because New York is all about walking. Honestly, I should have worn another layer because it was unexpectedly cold that day.

FOOD: Dinner Party with the Gal Pals !

Met up with a group of friends for a mini-dinner party. But before that, I got to hang out with Princess P one on one. She managed to convert me into a pesto loving follower ! Go Princess P ~ We went shopping, sorta. Technically we just went to return things and then hit up the grocery store. Got the ingredients for dinner and here is what me made !

FOOD: Terakawa Ramen

I met up with my best friend for some authentic ramen (or so I think). My city never really had a ramen boom like California or New York but in the recent years, Ramen shops appeared. Some came and went with bad reviews so it took me a while to debate on whether or not I want to spend about $10 on a bowl of ramen when you can get the ones that come in a bag for $1. I finally came to a decision and thought we should try it out.

FOOD: Sabrina's Cafe

Happy March everyone! My spring break started yesterday but it doesn't feel like spring break at all. It is so gloomy outside and apparently there is a snow storm approaching on Monday. Blegh. This is more like a winter break part 2. Any ways, I come bearing a food post!
My boyfriend and I wanted to go to Old Country Buffet but the one we intended to go to was closed down. Huge bummer because my boyfriend really wanted to go. Sadly it took us a total of 3 hours to find it and then find another place to eat. We has plans later on in the day so we decided to eat at Sabrina's Cafe which is close to his campus.

OUTINGS: A Movie & a Dinner

I went to see Ender's Game recently because I really enjoyed reading the book. I even read the sequel and a spin-off featuring Bean (who is also my favorite character)! I haven't watch an actual film in theaters since Prometheus so I was not only excited for the film but actually going to the theater. I also managed to buy another beanie from H&M. I know...my headgear collection keeps expanding.

HOMEMADE: Strawberry Cupcakes

I'm not really a person who bakes but my boyfriend and I decided to make some for fun. Since the both of us aren't really bakers we decided to grab a box because its easy and nothing could go wrong, (right?) We decided to use Duncan Hines's Strawberry Supreme Deliciously Moist Cake Mix (try saying that 5 times fast) because my boyfriend has an unhealthy obsession with strawberries.

OUTINGS: Painted Bride Gallery & Banana Leaf

Every first Friday of the month, there is an art event down in Olde City. My friends invited me to join them and I thought it was a great idea. I like visiting vendors and going to galleries so I thought it would be fun.

Some Snaps: NYC, Again

I went to NYC again! This time around I went with a group of people instead of another couple. I had a pretty great time because I'm always up for traveling especially with a group of friends. I was also excited to visit Time Square. I was slightly disappointed because I  thought it would be a lot more amazing. (Movie influence right here.) There was a lot of walking involve and it was so crowded so I had trouble taking out my camera so I do apologizeee for the lack of photos! Next trip (anywhere) I will definitely take more photos.

Here is lovely Time Squares just before noon. Read more for what I ate. Haha.

FOOD: Sabrina's Cafe

Last Friday I met up with a friend and my boyfriend to grab a meal. We haven't seen each other in a while. Well, it felt like a while. If you're wondering why I'm posting so late; its because I suddenly got sick the very next day. I'm still sick but I'm slowly getting better. I'm not sure if its the food or the irregular weather. Both maybe? Anyways moving on, we decided to go Sabrina's Cafe because it was on my boyfriend's campus.

My friend got their Banana Challah French Toast (?) I'm not exactly sure what this was called. It basically giant french toast plated on top of syrup. Between the toast is a somewhat tart vanilla spread. I would also like to mention the portions are HUGE !Click the read more to see what my boyfriend and I got ! :D

FOOD: Applebee's

My siblings got a free kids meal ticket at Applebee's and my mom finally decide to go eat out. Mind you that this is the first time my mom went out to eat in an American-styled restaurant. We went for the 2 for $20 deal ~

We started with Chips with a spinach dip and salsa. My nom loved it but I was okay with it. She really liked the dip. The whole thing was really salty though. They sprinkled too much salt on the chips at the end, way too much.Click read more for our main courses!

FOOD: Cake

I know, I know. It's been a long while since my last post. I was busy (and slightly lazy.) My winter break just flew by and the next thing I know I was signing up for my Spring Classes. Then the Lunar New Celebration hit. Actually it just finally ended so here I am. In all honestly, I haven't done any blog worthy material until today! My dad's birthday (on the lunar calendar) was yesterday and I bought a scrumptious cake. I thought it was so pretty so I wanted to share.

Its a sweet potato cake ! It was so delishious ~ c: It's a white cake with a thin spread of sweet potato in the center. The cake was light and fluffy and just the right kind of sweet. I'm not really a fan of sweet things. Click the read more for more photos!

EVENT: Birthday & Thanksgiving Weekend !

Hello lovelies ~ I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and scored some deals on Black Friday. Sadly, I didn't score anything. I wanted to get a coat but I couldn't find any. Even my boyfriend tried to help but it wasn't really fitting. But my family did manage to score a HDTV. Its not big but I think it'll do for my family. This year, I went to New York again for a family reunion dinner thing.

This year was a little hectic so I could only take one photo of the food before everyone pounced on the food. Some people had to catch a flight somewhere for vacation or honeymoon. I don't remember exactly where. There is a lot of food because a lot of people came. Some people aren't family but close colleagues and such. I didn't have anywhere to sit but near the window so I was freaking my but because everyone said it was too stuffy/hot.

EVENTS: Month-anniversary ~

This happened exactly a month ago. My boyfriend and I decided to have an impromptu dinner to celebrate our month-anniversary. We rarely celebrate the Month-anniversary. Personally, I think it's a hassle and I like to think about the long run of a relationship rather than month by month.

OOTD: Fancy Schmancy Art Reception

I was invited to a fancy art reception by my boyfriend who was attending. The thought of my camera, somehow, escaped my mind so I took the photos with my camera phone. Sad, but you gotta make do with what you got.

The event called for "Business Casual." But there were a lot people who barely dressed up. Anyways, here is my outfit of the day breakdown:

• Sheer Black High Low Blouse - Ross
• Coral Pants - F21
• Belt - F21
• Bag - H&M (but F21came out with the same exact one that's cheaper.)
• Boat Shoes - Bass

 What is a reception without some lovely snacks? They served various dips with pita break and "cheese curls" which were fattening but oh so good. Their jambalaya was UH-MAY-ZING!

And to end the post with the lovely view from the 11th (or was it the 9th) floor of Philadelphia.

FOOD: Wit or WitOut?

Wit or WitOut is only stationed in Philadelphia as it is a Cheese steak joint. This little joint is behind the busy boulevard. Its not hard to find but the location is odd because it stands alone on the street. I read several reviews stating that it was on par with Steve's Prince of Steaks (my personal favorite since I never ventured down to S. Philly to try) so I decided to try it on my way home.

FOOD: Phileo Yogurt

Phileo Yogurt is probably my favorite froyo (frozen + yogurt = froyo) shop. The interior is really bright and fresh.

EVENT: Class of 2012!

I've been MIA for a while because ... I finally graduated! Whoo! I had a lot of things to do so I didn't get a chance to update. I won't post pictures of me with the actual cap and gown because I looked pretty unfortunate. But I went to dim sum after the 3 hour long graduation. I didn't take much photo because I was famished.

Enjoy your summer, everyone! Anyone have any suggestions to do this summer? Leave a comment. :D

EVENT: Wall Ball 2012 @Vie

I was able to attend Wall Ball 2012 at Vie, a fundraiser and in honor of The Roots. The atmosphere and the event was great. I fell in love with the hors d'oeuvres which I didn't get to take a picture of. It would be rather awkward telling the waiter to stop and let me take a picture while they had to cater to a bunch of other people in the room. I'll just list some for you guys to get a gist of; Bacon and Clam, Deviled Eggs, Sliders, Mushroom Quiche, Cheesesteak rolls, Potato Wrapped Shrimp, etc. To be honest, I like the hors d'oeuvres more than the main entrees.

So here are some pictures, I apologize for them being blurry. The dim lighting was really bad for my camera.

I'm not entirely sure what this is. The server said its was "Umi-something". I thought it was a dessert because it looks like one. I thought wrong. What I thought was a blackberry was not, it was caviar. I did not like caviar because it just taste like salty sea water to me. And the rest of it taste like cheesy ocean mousse. Did not like this. 

I liked this salad (or I think its a salad.) It was a bit tangy and sour which was a pretty good stomach opener.

These were the people preparing the food food. They have ravioli, chip and dip, sliders, mini-crabcake, sushi, steak and mash potatoes.

The steak was wonderful. Medium-rare, just the way I like it. I like the mash potatoes but I felt like some of the potatoe chunks weren't fully cooked. They also had a mushroom gravy that I dunked everything in.

Copycat RECIPE: Chipotle's Cilantro Lime Rice

I'm an avid rice-eater so sometimes I want to change it up a bit. And I have a bunch of limes at home so why not try and make Chipotle's Cilantro Lime Rice. I've browsed through various sites and its seem super simple to make. But here is my rendition of this tasty rice. I tried to keep the ingredients to bare minimum (because I'm lazy.) But it doesn't lack taste ! It such an inexpensive dish, $2 vs $7 at Chipotle.

Ingredients (Serves 2):
1 Cup of Rice
Water
1 lime
A bunch of Cilantro
1 Tsp of Vegetable oil (Optional)
Salt (Optional)

I bolded all the instructions so you can ignore my endless rambles.

Here a compilation of the basic ingredients you'll need. I used Jasmine rice instead of Basmati rice because I always have Jasmine rice lying at home. I also have a rice cooker so I used that. I washed the rice in the rice cooker bowl. Place your hand in it to measure the water. If the water touches your knuckles then there is sufficient water.

As the rice is cooking, chop the cilantro into how thick or thin you want. I don't like the stalks so I discarded them but you can use it to pack more cilantro flavor. Then squeeze the lime juice and mix the two (cilantro + lime + optional vegetable oil.) It should look something like the above.

Mix it with the rice when its done cooking but don't just dump it. Lime sizes vary so taste test it as you mix the cilantro-lime mix with the rice. Optional step, sprinkle in some salt while the rice is still hot. Tada, you're done ! Proceed to eat.

FOOD: Yummy Lan Zhou Hand-Drawn Noodles

Not to be confused with Nan Zhou Hand Drawn noodles (which recently moved down the street.) Yummy Lan Zhou is the other competitor in the hand-drawn noodle business. The prices are usually similar with Yummy Lan Zhou but slightly more expensive.

We were duped with our checks because the menu stated 6.50 for each of our bowls but that wasn't the case. Even though the difference is not anything big, this can serves as an inconvenience to the customer. And I wish the servers notified us about the change. And once we paid, the waiter came right over to clean the table when we left the table yet. He ended up blocking my way.

I did not like the service at all.