March favorites: Healthy snacks

Before getting started on this post, I'd like to wish everyone a 

HAPPY EASTER!

Like I mentioned in the previous post, college life can get pretty hectic. With all the exams, projects, and activities going on, it's not only hard to make time with friends (here's some fun suggestions!) but also very challenging to stay healthy. As a HUGE foodie (proud carb-lover and desserts-fanatic~~), it's definitely difficult to stay away from those late night carbs and sweets. So for this month's favorites are all the things I enjoy doing for fun that are both healthy and not too time consuming! (February's favorites: inspiration quotes on dreams.)

1. Matcha latte. Matcha is such a great source of antioxidants and is super healthy. Take a small spoonful of matcha powder, 1 cup of milk (or soymilk/almond milk in my case), and a teaspoon+ of honey and blend it till it's nice and frothy! Now you have a delicious morning drink! Check out my sister's recipe!
2. Peach milk tea. If you've never had peach tea before, you're definitely missing out. And if you've never had peach milk tea, you're missing out X2! It is such a delicious and refreshing drink. Although it's can be hard to make authentic milk teas at home, all you really need is a (few) bag of peach oolong tea and some milk and honey! The end result is quite refreshing!
3. Oatmeal, pumpkin pancakes. I know some people really dislike the texture of oatmeal. Me? I really like oatmeal personally, but for those who don't, trying blending up the oatmeal into flour and using it to make pancakes! Add in some pumpkin puree for added nutrients!
4. Frozen bananas. As the weather gets warmer and warmer (especially LA!!), a chilling and sweet snack is a must. Cut the bananas into smaller chunks and freeze them in a bag. They'll take wonderful! You can also do this with grapes!

Thanks for sticking with me! Hope you find something fun to make for this week!

What are some of your favorite snacks?

How did you spend Easter?
I went to church and blessed by the testimonies that were shared!

Balancing college life with studies!

The start of this week was quite hectic. I had a Biochemistry midterm on Tuesday, but I had also plans to hang out with friends during the weekend. It's hard to balance hanging out with friends and studying for exams, so how can you do that without pulling all-nighters?

During exam times, my favorite thing to with friends is to study together at a small cafe! Let your friends know that you have an upcoming exam, and most likely they'll agree to the suggestion. When we arrive at the cafe, we purchase a drink and a small snack, talk for 20-30 minutes, and set off to do work. In this way, you have hang out, talk, and study for that upcoming exam~ After a few hours--if you're up for it--go out to eat lunch/dinner together!

Studying at a cafe and then going out to eat afterwards can be quite pricey, but there are many other ways to have fun studying with friends:

• Study and have a short baking session!
• Study and make lunch/dinner for each other!
• Study and watch a short episode of a drama/anime every few hours!

Studying shouldn't be boring, and it shouldn't be all-consuming! It's so important to hang out with your friends and make long-lasting and meaningful relationships in college. These relationships will last a lifetime! Even if you're an introvert like me, be sure to push yourself to spend time with your friends. Studying by yourself may be good during crunch time, but studying with friends can also prevent you from getting distracted. If you see others studying, you're more apt to study as well.

Here's what I did this weekend!

Saturday: Studying at Paris Baguette in K-town with my sister and mutual friend!

 

My Look! They're matching~ This cup stole my twin :( hahaha~

Sunday: Studying at school and eating pasta afterwards!

   

Overall, my studying was actually quite productive! While We did get off track a little bit, I still did more studying than if I were by myself. Moreover, I'd rather get distracted with friends than get distracted just surfing the web. :)

What do you guys do to study and hang out with friends?

Hello Mexico! My first cruise experience~

It's officially spring break, and for the first time ever, I decided to travel! I ended up going on a four-night cruise to Ensenada, Mexico, with my sister and a friend! It was such a fun and exciting experience traveling to a different country and "living" on a boat!

We went with Carnival Imagination. Although Carnival doesn't have the best reputation, I had an amazing time with them! The staff members were all so hard working, and they were super friendly! I was so shocked how sweet and funny they were!

Our first stop was Catalina Island, which, if you didn't know, is still in the United States. Nonetheless, it was a lot of fun. The beaches were beautiful and the water was very blue. Unfortunately, we didn't plan well ahead of time, so we ended up just enjoying some good, old ice cream and handmade taffies! It was still a fun and relaxing experience!

Our second stop was Mexico. Ensenada was definitely very different from Catalina. While it definitely looks much more rural, Ensenada was nonetheless a very beautiful place. In the morning, we went to a flea market. The flea market was definitely targeted towards tourists, but it was fun and exciting anyways. I know I can haggle with the shopkeepers, but I'm super horrible at haggling, so I probably bought everything overpriced...oh well. It's the memories that count~

Later in the afternoon, my friends and I went horseback riding by the beach. It was such a fun and unique experience! I loved being able to see the sea and the open sky while riding a horse.

 

On the actual cruise ship, there was so much food! My friends and I definitely ate our full. We had breakfast, lunch, and 3 dinners! Lol~ The food was quite delicious: we had steak 2x, salmon 2x, and Maine lobster once! What a deal! All these meals were included! <3 yayyy!

 

Breakfast!

Teatime!

 

 

 

Dinner! AND of course many more desserts--just could add them all!! 

Have you ever been on a cruise? If so, how was the experience? If not, where would you like to go? <3

Natural products expo west, Anaheim, CA

This last weekend was the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim! My sister and I decided to attend with my dad, who was already planning to check it out. The tickets was a bit expensive, but luckily they have educational passes for less.

Of course, I went to the expo more so to get business experience and to complete one of my business class assignments than to conduct business deals. Overall, it was a great opportunity for me to see how people market their products/brands to others. I had a lot of fun learning about different foods, supplements, and beauty products! I think the only downside was that people are there to conduct business and not to talk to students, so sometimes, it was quite obvious when they didn't want to talk to me...

Expo West is definitely one of the largest expo's around! There were 71,000+ attendees and 2,700+ exhibitors! That's a lot of people! While I was there, I also noticed many countries represented--there were many people speaking different languages!

 

Of course, there were lots of good foods to try out. One company was celebrating its 20th year, so it was giving out free alcohol and cupcakes! I decided to try some alcoholic drinks this time--I never drink--and my face became so red! I was so embarrassed~~ (Disclaimer: I'm over 21, so no worries!) :)

 

Some of the exhibits were simple, while others were more extravagant. Has anyone had ThinkThin bars? They're actually pretty good--thick and chewy! Unfortunately the bars contain fake sugar, which doesn't always make me feel good. Nonetheless, they're a good on-the-go snack! The exhibit on the right was for a body & skincare products. Their display was so pretty--and smelled great! They had dried flowers on the ground! There's actually a lot more flowers on the ground than you can see in the photos; I guess the photo didn't capture it too well! 

 

 

The photo on the top right was marketing essential oils. Their marketing technique was brilliant, because they got people to interact with them by offering people the chance to DIY their own foot scrubs! Isn't the display so cute?  The top right photo was some of the samples I got to try at the expo! I love the chia pods--great for breakfast and snacks! The bottom two was offered by Chobani. Did you know they have their own cafe in New York City? Well, they came over to LA and made pancakes, granola + yogurt, muffins, cookies, and much more for their audience! The snacks were so delicious! 

I had a great time at the expo, trying different foods and meeting different people. It was also a great opportunity to see how my dad interacts with other business people! I'm so grateful that my professor had us to go see a trade show/expo, and this is a fun and exciting experience for anyone in studying business! Expo tickets can be pretty pricey, but often times, they have discounts for educational purposes! Take advantage of being a student~ :)

Has any of you ever attended an expo before? What was it about? I'm excited to know~

February favorites: dreams

Wow! February passes so quickly! I guess having 28 days actually makes a big difference~

This month, I've been very into inspirational quotes, because they really help change your frame of mind! Reading inspiring quotes from inspiring people really illustrates how a person's attitude and mindset affects his or her actions! Here are two of my favorites for this month!

What stood out to me about these two quotes is the "dreams" aspect. Both state that you can dream for a future, but you must actually go out do pursue those dreams, because your goals in life won't happen just because you want it. It takes passion and perseverance! If you don't have the passion to pursue your goals, you'll end up giving up when things get tough. You need perseverance, because the journey isn't going to be a walk in the park. You must stand strong in the face of difficulties.

Lastly, don't let a "No" discourage you. "No is the first word to success," because you have the courage to continue even when others may not believe in you! When you have this courage, you're bound to succeed. Your dreams are your dreams, so don't let others say you can't do it!

hehe, this last quote was from my professor. She assigned the class a journal entry in which she had us ponder on her ponderings. This was my response to her quote! :)

Weekend food fun at Pikey!

After the difficult and stressful Biochemistry exam last week, I was definitely in need of some friend-time, food, and relaxation. Being in California, my friends and I decided to check out some brunch locations in Hollywood! We went to the Pikey, and the food was phenomenal! I definitely had a great time! The chance to spend time with friends and eat good food was definitely worth the 1-hour traffic each way! hahaha. I'm still a little bummed about the traffic, but at least the experience at Pikey was wonderful. :)

Curry on Toast with fried duck egg

Full English breakfast with fried eggs, sausage, bacon, beans, roasted tomato, and mushroom with grilled toast

Brioche French Toast with seasonal fruit (berries) and crème fraîche

What are some of your favorite foods to eat for breakfast?

I absolutely love breakfast foods, but my favorite would be (good) French toast and pancakes!

My January favorites

[Liar Game][Asian health drink]

[Indian Cappuccino][Origins United State balancing toner]

1. Liar Game (J-drama)
If any of you have never heard of Liar Game, I'll be sad. It's one of the best dramas I've ever seen! The drama is well directed and has an amazing plot line. Furthermore, the main characters are handsome and pretty~ This drama, however, has no romance at all. It's all suspense and mystery.

The drama is about an innocent and (too) trusting girl, Nao Kanzaki, who gets sucked into this horrifying game called the Liar Game. When she arrives at home one day, she sees a packaging containing 100 million yen. In the game, she is called to steal her opponents 100 million yen before the opponent steals her 100 million yen. Of course, if her money is stolen, she has a debt of 100 million yet. Since Nao is so trusting of others, she ends up losing this money. She then acquires the help of an ex-con man named Shinichi Akiyama, who then helps over compete in the game. However, the Liar Game doesn't end after one round, and each round gets more and more difficult as people become more and more twisted and greedy.

Overall, this drama is super exciting, and I love the actors for Nao and Akiyama. They both play their part well, and they would make a great couple! I wish there was just a little romance involved. hahaha XD

2. Asian health drink
There are so many healthy drinks available in Asian. This one is a Black Soybean Grain Drink, and it's amazing! It tasty, yet healthy! Perfect for the between-meal hunger pangs. Furthermore, it's very easy to prepare. The packet contains a powder, which you mix with hot water. Mix it and you're done~~

3. Indian Cappuccino 
This coffee is so fluffy and delicious! It's also super fun (and tiring) to make. All you do is take instant coffee, some sugar, and teeny-tiny amount of water and mix, mix, mix. After 10 minutes of mixing, the instant coffee-water-sugar mix becomes very syrup-like. Add some milk (or in my case, soy milk) and the drink is ready! Delicious :)

If you want to read the full recipe, check it out on my sister's blog!

4. Origins United State balancing toner
This toner is amazing! It's more on the expensive side, but I really recommend it! My parents kindly purchased it for me, because I couldn't bring back my Etude House toner since I didn't have any check-in baggage. This toner specifically targets combination skin types (oily T-zone and dry cheeks). It is also an exfoliator and helps clear up clogged pores. I've been using this toner for almost 2 months now. I'll be sure to do a review on it soon~

Life & Costume Construction

Time passes so quickly--it's already the third week of school! Luckily I've finalized my schedule. I'm taking 21 units this semester (5 units more than usual). I'm actually quite nervous about taking this many classes and worried that it may affect my grades negatively. However, since this is my last semester, I really wanted to take some interesting classes. I really want to choose classes that I can learn from and use in the future!

One fun class I'm taking this semester is called Costume Construction. In this class, I learn how to sew, read patterns, alter patterns, and ultimately create my own "vintage" outfit! Doesn't that sound exciting?? The first assignment is making pajamas! Although it sounds a bit cheesy, pajama shorts are relatively simple to make--perfect for the beginners~

 

This was my first time visiting the Fashion District in Los Angeles. I was a little nervous, because I've never ben there. However, it was overall a very fun experience. There were many little stores, each with lots and lots of different types of fabrics. The ones pictured above were from Michael Levine. Michael Levine is one of the bigger fabric and more organized fabric stores. They have such variety and such cute designs! I definitely want to check it out again. 

The photo on the right was my first assignment for the Costume Construction course. I learned a lot of different stitches! They weren't as different as I thought they'd be, but still, I need lots more practice because I am comfortable with sewing! Overall, the experience was fun, exciting, and new!

This is my first time working with patterns! Like I mentioned earlier, these are patterns for pajama shorts! I'm using a soft, pink knit fabric. I'm sure it end up very comfy...however, I am a little worried about how well I'll be able to make it! This is my first time, but at least it's a step in the learning the process! 

I've always wanted to learn to sew, and this is my chance! I'm super excited!

What is something that you've always wanted to learn? How do you plan on accomplishing it? <3

Long weekend extravaganza!

This past weekend was a three day weekend for (most) students! I was so happy and excited, especially since school had just started and I didn't have any work to do. So my friend decided to come visit me, and we went to Huntington Gardens and to dinner~

Huntington gardens was such a fun place to visit. Even though we arrived a little late (3pm-ish), we still were able to see a lot. We went to the Japanese, Chinese, and Australian gardens. The first two were very pretty and quite relaxing to look at. However, the Australian garden was very plain...were they still working on it? I'm not quite sure... Lastly, we stopped by the cactus garden. All the cacti were super cute, and the "baby" ones were just all the more adorable~~ hahaha. I guess I have a thing for cacti! 

If you have the chance to go, GO! It's so much fun to enjoy nature and hang out with friends! Also, Huntington has much more than just gardens--there's also many paintings you can check out.

 

  

After the trip to Huntington's, we went to SugarFish. It has the best sushi rolls and sashimi I've ever tasted! Usually I don't quite like sashimi, but this was just amazing! It didn't leave any of that icky aftertaste. The fish was very fresh and soft. It melts in your mouth~~ Unfortunately, the setting was quite dark, and I wasn't able to take any pictures...

I did, however, take pictures of food from another restaurant. It's called Alcove Café & Bakery, located in Los Angeles. The food was also very delicious and very unique. The pricing is actually pretty good for their serving size. The Blackened Salmon Sandwich, which I ordered, was $13.95 and had a huge filet of salmon and half an avocado! Quite delicious :) The last photo was my friend's seafood omelette! She liked it. hehehe.

What did you all do this past weekend? Anything fun or exciting?