Through the Looking Glass

Next month is National Photographer Appreciation month and I originally wanted to save this piece for next month, but I wanted to write this down while it's still fresh in my mind. This entry is a combination of the dreaded "free work" for friends and family and the always controversial topic of expensive wedding photography. Some may not agree and some may be nodding their heads furiously knowing exactly what I'm talking about. But whatever stance you take, I hope you'll listen for bit because I found out just how important it was to always be true to yourself and your beliefs before you ruin a good relationship over work. I'll try and be as objective as I can, so bear with me.

Every now and then you'll see articles on couples asking why wedding photographers are so expensive and always asking  what most in the design industry consider "low balling" prices. Even I sometimes take photographers in general for granted thinking: "what a life they have, all they have to do is pick up a camera and shoot." I was ignorant to think photography was that simple. Especially in the wedding photography market. What makes everything more difficult is when friends and families ask for favors from photographers in terms of free photo shoots simply because they're so good at it and it'll be easy for them to come up with some great shots. This logic was applied to us: we were designers, so we must know how to shoot with a a DSLR.

This past weekend I was given the duty of being the wedding photographer at my friend's two day wedding. Plenty of things happened that was partially my fault but I ended up doing this gig with my boyfriend basically for free. Note that neither my boyfriend or I have any experience in candid portraits of people, especially weddings and wedding photos are pretty important to the family and the bride and groom. That made the entire experience even harder for us, at least for me because I of course wanted to do a good job, but I had no idea what I was doing and to be perfectly honest, 50% of my photos had people with their eyes closed (to which I deleted promptly going through them). I had to throw in extra effort and focus to make up for the lack of experience I had in this field and it was exhausting.

I struggled through the first day of the shoot always trying to follow the moment and it was hard, people were constantly moving and you had to have the eye to capture the moment before it happens to get the timing right. But the second day was even tougher than the first that I snapped and gave up half way through leaving my boyfriend out to dry and shooting most of the afternoon by himself. I normally wouldn't do this to an actual client, but when you're not getting compensated for your work, effort, blood, and sweat-- why try at all, right? 

The reception later that night was by far the hardest, the moment you want to sit down and rest someone wants their photo taken and you always had to be walking around to make sure you capture the moments with the bride and groom and their family. You were basically their shadow for the day. It was a mountain load of work and stress that was honestly undeserved and had already breached the max capacity of what a favor is considered. We always had to be there earlier than everyone else because we had to capture the in between moments, so we were waking up at 6:00 AM in the morning to prep their wedding shoots. To say the least, it was probably the most stressful weekend I have had this entire year.

Ideally, your friends would fully realize what they're asking and do their best to not act like a paying client. Unfortunately, this never happens. From the humbling experience of this past weekend I learned that I needed to stand up for myself, don't let other people's words sway against your own better judgement. The moment the situation was created I should've put my foot down and declined stating my own policies that I don't do free work as I've had this happen to me before. But sometimes as hard as you try to avoid these kind of circumstances, you find yourself in the grasp of "pro bono" work time and time again.

It's completely okay to say no to a friend, the sooner the better before it's too late and it bites you in the ass. Also, start taking up policies of not doing free work for friends and family if you know full well what they want and the work that it involves. Some may ask: What's the big? They're family, you ought to just push through with the gig. It's a big deal because it's become a problem. A designer/photographer/artists' time is not worthless. Our skills and experience are all worth something and shouldn't be handed out for free to everyone for the rest of our lives just because you're a friend or family member. It strains the relationships between people and it'll start feeling more like a shady business transaction rather than being an understanding and supporting family member or friend. What I would like to call: faux-relations. Instead friendships should be built through mutual trust and understanding.

This is just the tip of my story, I can go on for a few more paragraphs on the work that went into this wedding gig. But the gist of this is that wedding photographers are at your mercy always adjusting to your whims and wants on the spot, they are standing there all day shadowing your movements to get the most intimate of moments on camera, they will spend countless hours editing and picking photos through the dead of the night to get it to you on time. That's what you're paying for, their knowledge, know-how and labor. I know it's expensive, but they deserve it for all the effort it takes to becoming a good wedding photographer that makes your big day look as gorgeous as it should.

Conclusion: I definitely felt like I walked a mile in another's person shoes and the lesson was definitely learned. I have a new found appreciation for all my photography friends if this is what they have to go through after every shoot. Next time you see your photographer friend, give them a big hug. :)

Happy early National Photographers Appreciation Month!

Sticker Peelin'

When I got the Ninja 300 it was the special edition, and personally those special edition stickers were hideous. It really was one of the two reasons why I didn't want to buy it right off the market. I'm a bit aesthetic crazy when it comes to my bike. :| I remember taking the longest time to find my Ninja 250 because I refused to purchase any other color that wasn't white or black and at that time only bright ass colored 250s were for sale until 2-3 weeks into looking a black one popped up, etc, etc. Happily ever after, right?

BUT I digress, it was mentioned that the SE stickers were peelable so we did some research and found that it was pretty easy from what we can see. Now remember I'm no expert on this, all I am doing is sharing my experience on taking the stickers off the bike. Some people advised on using a heat gun, well I didn't heat gun so I used the next best thing: a blowdryer. Trust! It worked just fine (use in high heat).

1. Look at this hideous sticker...

I took the blowdryer and placed it over the stickers until it had this gummy and soft texture, had to be careful after burning my fingers a few times.

2. Blowdryer

Once it's soft, it easily came off the bike-- but you have to take it slow once you actually start peeling it or else the adhesive won't completely come off. But you can always take Goo Gone to it after, but that's just extra work and I'm relatively lazy. I would rather go slow and save myself some time.

3. Peel slowwwly.

I still managed to leave some small dabs of adhesive, but I just took some Goo Gone to it and it came off clean. Ta-da! All done! It was super easy, tedious, but easy.

4. Use some Goo Gone if adhesive left.

All clean and pretty! Off to get some vinyl work done. :)

Chicken & Scrambled Eggs

I suppose the downside of eating healthier or even when you stop eating something altogether and you go back to it once, your stomach likes to fight it. Maybe that's just me? /squints. For example: If I consume too much bread, dairy, or just grease in general (deep dried stuff), I get freakishly bloated and stomach pains starts to settle at night. Then the next morning I get a 100% guarantee trip to the restroom.

Every now and them I still allow myself to eat things like doughnuts or a piece of bread, but in moderation of one small bite or so or else I end up facing the wrath of my stomach. But you know you what I don't regret making this decision. At all. So what if I can't eat rice, noodles, pasta, or deep fried Oeros? I have my own arsenal of snacks and delicious recipes. #NoRagrets. It's all about finding that balance and coming to realization what you're giving up and if you're willing to give it up to become a better you.

Here was day #3 of my health journey:

Eggs has become my best friend... Get them brotein!

Happy Eating!
~Kitty

Bunless Burgers

The thing about being overweight is that you don't notice yourself gaining weight and realize that you're actually getting pudgy. At least that was true for me. You tell yourself pretty little lies like "Oh, I know I'm not fat" or "There's no way I'm overweight" It wasn't until I decided I really needed to weigh myself to truly see where I was and this was a tough feat. I guess somewhere deep, deep, deep down I had known all along that I wasn't as healthy as I should be and had started to develop this intense fear of weighing myself. I finally gathered up the courage to step on the scale.

As of August 2013 I was a hefty weight of 147 pounds.

It was mindboggling at the amount of weight I had gained since entering college. Something had to be done. I decided I needed to change the way I ate, especially given that I hated going to the gym (I preferred doing sports). I took up the challenge of going paleo for a month. This was the initial challenge. It wasn't easy the first few days, but it actually got easier as time progressed. It's been over a year now that I've begun this journey. What started as a month challenge I decided to make a life commitment. I'm proud to say that I've shed 40 pounds from learning to choose the make the right decisions. :)

Day #2 Meal:




















The recipe can be found two posts down if you're interested in making it at home!

Happy Eating!
~Kitty

About Staying Healthy...

I feel like... I need to use this blog more. :| If it wasn't for sheer laziness, I think I would. Well, maybe not laziness, more so... I feel like blogging time could be put to better use like walking the dogs or something. I'm just not dedicated enough. -_- #LameExcuse #FTW.

But I'm here to clarify a few things that people has been asking me a lot about. And I mean a lot. Like serious a lot. "How do you stay so skinny? Must be those good genes!" or "How'd you lose so much weight? Must be good genes!" Please. You might as well just stop now, turn around and walk away. If that was that easy I would've gotten this done a long time ago. Everyone seems to use that 'gene' excuse as if it held the secrets of the world when it comes to staying healthy and fit. Let me you, it's fucking not. It's about dedication, sweat, and most of all will power. Are you willing to make a lifestyle change? No? That's really your loss.

People also have a tendency to to blame their genes for being overweight, I know there's a fine line between those people who really do suffer from weight problems because of it, but I have also seen people abusing that excuse as a reason not to be healthy. I'm not sorry to say that I don't believe in 300 pound 'curvy women', I just don't. You only get one chance at this, make every second count. Why would you want to destroy your body? My thoughts exactly.

I'll admit it I've never had super overweight problems before, but I did reach an astounding 147 pounds at one point in my life last year and I was only 5'3". I was terrified of looking at the scale because I knew I was getting to the point where I was disappointed in myself. I wasn't working out and I had a pretty bad diet to go along with it. I knew something had to change or else I was going to drown. I started working out 6 times a week and made some muscle gains, but my appetite went through the roof. With this I was actually gaining MORE weight than I had anticipated. After 4-5 months of working out, I needed another option. Around this time a friend (Thanks, Gabe! LOL) actually introduced me to a diet called 'the paleo diet' named after cavemen diet of veggies, nuts, and meat only. No bread, wheat, dairy, rice, and processed sugar (as opposed to natural sugar like fruits). I didn't honestly didn't think I would be able to pull through, I love carbs way too much. I was scared, but I told myself 'fuck it, lets do it!'.

The first week was tough, but once I got the ball rolling it was surprisingly easy. Saying no to rice and pasta was merely a wave of the hand and I found myself craving healthy food. I stopped drinking (serious excess calories, but red wine every now and then is actually good for the heart ;) ). Junk food actually started giving really bad stomaches (I broke out in hives once from eating greasy KBBQ) and that was when I decided to just make a lifestyle change, it was much easier to just eat healthy then having to stay on the toilet for hours on end because of a cupcake I wanted to eat for dessert. Not that I don't treat myself every once in while because it's good to treat yourself, it'll keep the cravings away. I've been on this diet for about nine months but it only took the first four and half months for me to shed 32 pounds, the rest was about maintaining the weight.

It gets easier, but it's never 100% easy. Watching friends eat whatever they want is hard, still is. It's a battle everyday to say no to other things like ice cream and milk (I love milk :( and most dairy products) but I push through. I literally have to shove that motherfucker of a thought off the edge of the cliff to get it off my mind, so no, it's not my genes. The amount of will power and dedication that I have put into being healthier is what got me to my goal. So don't ask me how I stay fit when you're buying a handful of chocolate bars and chugging down two Rockstars, don't tell me it's my genes when you're shoving a fried twinkie down your throat. At the end of the, it's the choices that you make that shapes who you are. Literally and figuratively.

I'm not saying my decision is the only path you can choose, but rather everyone has their own goals, mine was simply to lose weight and be healthier, other people's goals range from being fit and build muscles to just toning out, but these all take a lot of dedication and will power. The question you have to ask is: Are you up for it?

Happy Eating!

♥ Kitty

A New Year with Protein Burgers

It's a new year! Happy belated new year to you all and hope you all had a wonderful holiday! :) I'm hoping for great things in 2014, one of them being able to blog more and continue this fascinating adventure I've taken in 2013 in search of a better and healthier lifestyle. I'm quite proud to say that I've lost tremendous weight being relatively average in size through making smarter choices in picking what I eat. Now that the holidays are over it's back to better eating healthier again! I've been feeling the full force of holiday dinners and parties for the last 31 days and they are not pretty. But it's back on track from here. :)

There are certain things I've learned in the last five months in taking control of what I ate and I have to say that eating healthy is really tough in this society. The fact that we have so much fast food chains every few steps it's tempting not to go in and order a large hamburger with fries and a soda, plus it's convenient for most consumers. People! There are great alternatives to eating such high calorie foods by swapping some of the ingredients out for something else. For me, since I love burgers I have them protein styled. Making them at home is so simple and easy with just a few ingredients it makes for a great meal.

Protein Burger
Ingredients:
90% and above lean ground beef is most desirable
Worchester Sauce
Salt & Pepper
Onion Powder
Romain Lettuce
Tomatoes
Onions

Many places that offer protein burgers usually wraps the burgers in Iceberg Lettuces. In all honesty, that is a big no-no in my book. Iceberg lettuce while shape works great in a lot of situations lacks flavor and texture, nutritional value, and overall sustainability in your fridge. Compared to iceberg, romaine has five times more vitamin C and a hundred times more beta carotene. I take the large leaves of romaine, wash them and cut them in half and use those as my buns.

As for the meat we use ground beef, before shaping them we drizzle Worchester sauce, I don't use a spoon, we eyeball when we cook. About three to four seconds of drizzling of the sauce should work for a medium sized bowl of ground meat. After we put in the salt and pepper and onion powder. We use grinder salt and pepper from Costco and we use about four turns when making our protein burgers. Then we shape them into balls the size of an average fist as the patty shrinks when cooked. The tomatoes and onions can be cut however you like them to be. Once the patty is cooked, place them on the lettuce, dab on the vegetables and voila! A hearty hamburger! I normally also eat them with yam fries on the side from time to time. :)

Eat smarter. Healthier life. Happy eating!
~Kitty

To the Girl Who's Drowning

A comment wasn't enough because I had to tell you more.

You are gorgeous. I wish you can see that about yourself. I wish you can see the potential that I see in you. But you don't. Instead you take each and every part of yourself and rip it to pieces until it seems like nothing is worth living for. Not even your own self-worth when that really is all that matters. All I ever wanted to say was have a little self-confidence, bring those lips to a genuine smile and for once be happy for yourself. Not for him, not for them, not for anyone else, but yourself. The chance at life should be enough to give you a reason to breath.

Bad things happen, we get hurt, you got hurt. I may not know what it is nor would I probably understand the true depth of the pain you feel, but you've let it eat you alive already. Is that the legacy you want to leave behind? Knowing that you've lost before you've even put up a fight? As you've said, "put up a fucking fight". I know you're better than that. You are better than that, don't let your bad past define who you are in the future, don't let it destroy your happiness because I can see it festering inside your heart, the sleepless nights and the way you curl yourself away from the world-- unmoving and vulnerable. I can only reach my hand to you so far and say that I can relate, it's a terrible place to be-- in that endless void of a hole where it seems like time is endless and day and night begin to sound and look the same... But at some point you're going to have to crawl out of that misery and start rebuilding that broken heart of yours.

To love a person means also learning to compromise, to love is to be vulnerable. It also means you're going to get hurt. A lot. A little. Different circumstances. Love is a gamble and a risk. Just because you gave them your whole world doesn't mean they're going to return that favor to you. You give them 200% and they can still take your heart wring it ever so slowly until it breaks to a million pieces then proceed to dump it a boiling pot of salt water. It's a harsh reality. But we take that leap anyways because for that brief moment of happy bliss, we are satisfied. But if and when it stops, you get your heart broken, you cry, you're going to get angry, but after move on. Things aren't going to get any better if you stay locked up forever in your room. If you want to change something, you're going to have to actually get off your ass and make it happen.

He never stopped loving you, he wanted it to work. The way he told us when he came to us, broken, dejected, and just plain exhausted, he said "I really thought she was the one," He just couldn't physically do it anymore. Coming back from work only to stay up with you every night because you couldn't sleep. He'll manage two-three hours of sleep before going back to a 8-10 work day. It was wearing him down, couldn't you see he was falling apart? In the process of keeping his promise to take care of you, his own health was put into compromise. He's sacrificed so much to be with you and yet you say he never loved or cherished you is a lie. Relationships is a two way street, you take care of each other, not just one person forever protecting the other.

You said that if a person truly loved someone, they'll let them go is total bullshit. It isn't entirely bull, you can't stop yourself from moving forward just for love or else you're going to be stuck. It may be a happy moment you want to keep forever, but it'll only suffocate and wither just like a flower if you feed it too much water. It'll drown. You have to give it space to grow and be better. He had a life to live. He had a career he wanted to think about, a future, especially a future with you in it. But you didn't want to let go of the beginning moments when everything was still new and thrilling. You were essentially stuck afraid to move on with him. He let you go because you needed to learn how to stand on your own two feet without relying on him. He felt like you were denigrating by being with him, you were becoming heavily dependent on him that you forgot to be independent. On your own. He just wanted you to be strong, yet you weren't letting yourself...

You gotta learn to let go... Live and be happy.

New Paleo Things

I've been trying a few things the past few months to try and tone up and lose weight at the same time, but after two months of trying, I wasn't seeing the results that I had wanted. A good friend of mine actually suggested changing my diet, because a big part of losing weight is about what you put in your body. I considered it and the thought of change terrified me. I love my food, especially carbs. But nothing was going to change if I didn't take the first step and so my journey into the Paleo World began. In short, a paleo diet basically mean a caveman diet that consists of mostly just meat and vegetables, no carbs, grain, and dairy. Supposedly everything should be organic as well, but in this day and age living off a college budget, it's hard. I still try and buy organic when I can though.

The first few days were harder than most as I tried adjusting what I ate and cooking took twice as long as now my boyfriend had to cook two different meals rather than one. Yet once the ball started rolling it did get easier. Yes, I said it, it does get easier. I could feel my body getting accustomed to the greens and protein and whenever we had those terribly nice cheat days, greasy food (even simple things like bread) just made me bloated and nauseous. It made me think that I never wanted to eat them again. Working out were the worse right after cheat days which then I've concluded, it's much better off not having them. The occasional (in small moderation) I think would be much better than stuffing your face on cheat days.

As I move along this new path that I'm taking with my health and diet, I thought I'd share a few dishes that I've been trying and that maybe you guys out there might want to try it out yourself. :)

Day One consisted of a Grilled Chicken with Mixed Fruits. We just added a simple shake of black pepper to each side and slapped it onto the grill. I picked out an apple and a few nectarines, chopped it up and used that as a side.  It's amazing how filling it is! ^__^

Happy Eating!
♥, Kitty

... Chicken Dinner

It's the start of a new year and yes, I haven't posted in a long while in between almost having three jobs and paying off bills whilst still in school, and trying to balance a social life: life gets hectic. Although from time to time I take a deep breath, take a step back and just relax. Well, it's close to midterms week and I thought I'd find a recipe that was full in nutrients and protein that will fuel my body to study this weekend. I decided to go with the one I used at my friend's housewarming party: a Lemon Chicken Mushroom Alfredo Pasta. Last time we used rotini and this time we decided to go with penne.

We started off going to Vons to get some chicken, being on a very tight budget, I'm always looking for the right bargain. Since chicken breast wasn't on sale, I opted for a large packet of chicken thighs for $5.31 (about 8-9 pieces), button mushrooms, and lemon. We also went with Classico's Creamy Alfredo  for the sauce. David cut the bone out of the thighs (we used about a piece each) and while he did that I sliced up the mushrooms and lemon that will be tossed in a wok to be stir fried.

These are the seasonings that we used to rub through the chicken. After we gutted out the bones, we put in some ground black pepper on both sides with some pink salt, and a few shake of parsley. Then we added Lawry's seasoning salt. Before putting the pieces onto the grill, take the lemons and squeeze out the juice over the chicken, let it sit for about 2-3 minutes. Once the chicken is cooking, stir-fry the mushrooms until brown, it's okay to use a box for two as once they cook they will dramatically shrink in size. After, we added in the sauce and let it simmer before taking it off the stove. Don't forget to set a pot aside with boiling water for your pasta. Boil your pasta to al dente as you will be cooking it twice with the sauce so that it'll be soft by the time you serve it.

Grill the chicken until it's golden brown, make a little slice if you want to to double check if it's cooked thoroughly. Take it off the grill and plate it. Next, we took the pasta, strained it and mixed it with the alfredo sauce in the wok turned the fire to medium and stirred it. After plating we added a dash of parsley on top of the penne as garnish for that finished look. :) Hope everyone that drops by or sees this, tries this home- it's super simple to make and a lot of fun! Until next time~!

Ciao!
Kitty~

Just Another Day...

I give you another easy recipe to work with for those weekend mornings with your loved one. :) Maybe even a bed and breakfast would sound lovely! It's a simple and tasty breakfast choice: Cinnamon French Toast with Powdered Sugar.

You only need a few easy ingredients from your local supermarket: eggs, cinnamon, maple syrup, white toast (try and find thick toast if you can), and powdered sugar.

We cracked the eggs into a separate bowl and added in a few dashes of cinnamon, then mixed them until it's slightly foamy. We then dipped the bread into the mixture and placed them on the fryer. Give it about 3 minutes on the stove before flipping it over (Make sure it's like this golden brown before flipping). Repeat process and place it on the plate after making however many you want. Lastly, shake powdered sugar onto the toast with another light addition of cinnamon. Drizzle the syrup and voila! :) Done! Nice and easy~ Hope you guys enjoy this one too. ^__^ Until next time!

Ciao!
Kitty~

Winter Dinner!

It's getting rather chilly out these past few days in Socal- I had a rather strong hankering for a bowl of soup that wasn't too heavy on flavor. Something light enough to warm the body and Di was craving pasta. After a few minutes of discussion and going out to get groceries, we decided to make Seaweed Egg Drop Soup and Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta for dinner!

First up, I made the Seaweed Egg Drop Soup since it was so cold and really needed something warm. I boiled a pot of water added a speck of chicken bouillon, tossed in dried seaweed (not available in just any supermarket- I suggest going to a Chinese market) let it simmer until it softens then crack in the eggs. I like to use two, one to break the yolk, one so I can boil the yolk as a whole. Let it simmer again on low heat until serving time. Prep time: 2 minutes, Cook time: 5 minutes.

The main dish was the Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta of course, Di boiled the pasta to al dente before mixing the chopped mushrooms, garlic, onion, and chicken with melted butter, 3/4 cups of Marsala Wine, chicken broth and heavy cream. We let the sauce boil in a pan until it was lightly thick then we mixed the two together then topped it off with Parmesan cheese and Voila! Dinner! Prep time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 15-20 minutes. Here's a link to a more detailed recipe: http://blogcritics.org/tastes/article/creamy-chicken-marsala-pasta/

Hope you guys enjoyed this dinner entree as much as I did as it did warm up my body from head to toes! :3 Until next time!

Ciao!
Kitty~

Six Two Six

I live in an area which many people refer to as the San Gabriel Valley, also known as the "626" within our community. It's given itself a reputation for good and authentic Chinese food, boba milk tea, and large Asian neighborhoods. It's a bustling jumble of culture! I'm what anthropologists called: "parachute kids", but instead of being a child shipped from Asia living in the United States, it's vice versa for me. For a good part of my childhood I've resided in different areas of Asia, Guang Zhou, Shang Hai, Hong Kong, you name it. I was then brought back to the United States to attend grade school when I was older. So, I was lucky enough to be brought up with a palette for Asian and American food. But I find that living within these two cultures, I'm still more amazed at the versatile use of ingredients within my own culture. Here's just a few of the dishes that I enjoy the most when I go out to eat:

First, we have the famous, Minced Pork over Rice or sometimes referred as the Pork Stew over Rice. Whenever I went back to Taiwan I was notorious within the apartment building as the girl who inhales bowls of these! It's relatively cheap, usually $3-$4 within the SGV. It's just your basic marinated pork pieces drizzled deliciously over white rice with a side serving of tea marinated egg and slices of yellow pickled radishes.

Here we have Hainan Chicken with Rice. Tender chicken with lightly oily rice, oil that originates from the chicken itself when they prep it. I really like the one from ABC Cafe and one from Savoy Kitchen whom are quite famous for them. This dish usually ranges from $7-$9 depending on which restaurant you go to.

For more dessert-like dishes, my favorite would have to be the Brick Toast (cinnamon or the coconut butter flavors are my favorite). The one from Tom n Toms is the best from the ones I've tasted so far and it's super close to my house so there's no fuss on how far I have to drive to get one. Although TnT is usually located in DTLA Korea Town... The closet one near the Walnut/DB area is on Goldensprings. These usually range from the $5-$7 give or take.

Those are only just the tip of the iceberg from the massive list of my favorite dishes but drop by the SGV if you're ever in the area or if you're craving good Chinese food! :) Until next time!

Ciao!
Kitty~

Change of Scenery

There was always this little hiking trail that I've passed by quite often on the way to school. It's located on Steep Canyon Road in Diamond Bar and there was a trail that lead to somewhere... I just didn't know where. Apparently, it lead to Sycamore Canyon Park! It was because Di and I decided to walk the dogs this evening and we walked from home to Sycamore Canyon Park, one that I had often visited when I was a child. It's dog friendly with plenty of dog bag posts all along the park and freshly filled with the scent of Mother Nature. :) It used to be filled with more trees and the creek ran all the way across the lower half of the park, but they've paved it and created a secondary playground for kids. A part of me was a little sad, but hey, more space for the kids to run around. The general hiking area is beautiful, just as gorgeous as I remembered it. Luscious green foliage covered by thick dark brown trunks and the sound of running water.

If you walk a little farther in, there's a place where you can walk down to a miniature waterfall. It's quite the scenic route to take if you're doing a after dinner walk with your husband or boyfriend. ;)

The dogs absolutely loved it, they were running around the baseball field and up the trail, it wasn't until we reached the steep stairs that our youngest baby, Adrian had trouble getting up the stairs, so just be wary of each of your pets, kids, and family members' ability to hike! The trail itself is a worthy exercise routine, from Di's house to the park to the trail and back was almost a total of four miles!

Happy Adrian! :D Hope you guys enjoy the park if anyone ever does decide to hop on by, it's definitely a hidden gem that should be preserved and visited! Until next time!

Ciao~
Kitty!

Sweet Tooth!

I'm not a big on sweets but here's a few places that I actually like to frequent when the cravings do come. I go to some more than others depending on the level of sweetness. Perhaps you've been to these places before, if you have please leave a comment below letting me know what you thought of the places!

Everybody seems to be on the cupcake hype and bandwagon, I personally find them too sweet- but Sprinkles in Newport Beach is a really popular place with the locals to grab a few on the way out. :)

I picked out the Coconut one, which I thought was pretty good. Here's a tip: Grab a bottle of milk while eating this. It balances out the sugar.

I'm a big fan of sweet waffles versus the savory ones. There are two places I'm just in love with, one is called Love To Go in San Gabriel and the other is Cafe Haus in Walnut. Both very good places!

Chocolate Toffee Waffles from Love to Go! Great pick and very popular. :)

Here's to ice cream sandwiches! Diddy Riese in Westwood sells relatively cheap cookies and ice cream for $1.75- It used to be $1.25. The price has been jacked up the last few years, but it's still cheap compared to other places.

My favorite: Cinnamon cookies with Cookies n' Creme!

And finally snow ice, it's been popping up everywhere these days, but the only place I like the best still is Class 302 in Rowland Heights. Although I like Class 302, Ten Ren's (Also in Rowland Heights) has some pretty snow, it's decent enough to eat with plenty of condensed milk. :)

Strawberry Mango Snow Ice from Ten Ren's-

Here's to all the sweet lovers out there! Cheers! Until next time!

Ciao!
Kitty~

Romantic Foodie

Decided it was time that we took some time out of our busy lives to go out and have a nice, romantic dinner. After much research (Di being the picky eater that he is) we both settled on La Bohème. It's a cute little French restaurant in West Hollywood off of Santa Monica Blvd. We made our reservation on Opentable through Yelp for 6:00 pm the past Saturday. It's a good thing they have a 15 minute grace period seeing as LA traffic is pretty much terrible! But we managed to get there with two minutes to spare. :) They valet there for $5.00 so no need to find parking~

The place is simply gorgeous with deep dark red tones, beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and glass mirrors draping the walls. We sat up stairs, facing the center and this place was just so magical in itself. Gorgeous ambiance that makes you feel FANCY. :)

We had the Herbed Fries for an appetizer and my god, it was delicious- it was definitely worth mentioning. It's light, crispy and it didn't feel like those greasy, oil-drenched fast food ones.

Had us a few cocktails, the Maribel and Golden Mojito for dinner. Golden Mojito, very good: bubbly, minty and citrusy.

I ordered the Rich Mushroom Risotto for dinner. It's a very good for vegetarian eaters. :) Thick slices of mushroom and sauce with long grain rice.

And Di ordered the Herbed Steak Hanger. This one was... Beyond what I can say. The meat was tender with a vinaigrette like sauce that complemented the meat very well. The mashed potatoes, ohhhh! So soft and creamy and dericious! I think it was one of the best of the night next to the steak.

Lastly, dessert: Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee!

One of the most romantic dinners I've been to, next time I really want to try and get a seat outside. It's equally beautiful with small lights surrounding the sky and plants and candlelit tables. All guys should take their girls for dinner here, definitely won't be disappointed. ^__^ Until next time!

Ciao!
Kitty~

I wish...

I had this awesome piece of kitchen ware from Kitchen Aid... D: A fairy godmother would be nice right now to grant my wish...! :)

So beautiful and purposeful!

Sugary Goodness!

Wasn't feeling too well last night, so we decided to stay in for the night. :) After a light chicken noodle soup with rice for dinner we decided to bake some desserts. We scoured the web to look for something I would want to eat and we fell upon a recipe for Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread. It looked delicious and we had all the simple ingredients at home already. So off to the kitchen to try it out!

We started out with all purpose flour and, sugar, yeast, whisked eggs, melted butter, milk, and vanilla extract. Later made the filling with nutmeg, cinnamon, and more sugar.

Whisked it all together, waited for the dough to rise before rolling it out and putting the cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar mix. We then cut the dough into equal strips vertically and horizontally.

We then stacked it together and placed it in a PAMed glass loaf pan and let sit for another 10 minutes for it to rise.

We preheated the oven to 350 degrees, wrapped the two loaves to let it rise some more for another 10 minutes. We then set the timer for 35 minutes and placed them into the oven after.

35 Minutes Later...

Warm, delicious and yummy Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread! :)

Here's the link to the recipe that we used: https://sites.google.com/site/foodsnotsprintablerecipes/cinnamon-and-sugar-pull-apart-bread. It only took us about two hours because of all the rising/waiting that needed to be done. But I had so much fun making this and I hope sharing this recipe gives you guys the same feeling. ^__^

Quick Bruncheon in the Sun!

So I just woke a few hours ago (yes, noon...) and I was pretty hungry, went to the kitchen but was feeling groggy from sleep to make anything for myself. Di, being the awesome person that he is suggested that he'd make some Birds in a Nest for me to try as I've never tried it before and I was lurking on the web late last night looking at different versions of birds in the nest. Do they look ever so delicious... So he strolls to the stove and starts pulling bread and eggs out of the fridge. It's a rather simple recipe and I think it's a great dish for kids in the morning! And I felt this deserved a blog post~

Add a bit of black pepper I think would give it a nice kick! Maybe even draw a cute ketchup heart for your significant other, wouldn't that be cute? ;)

Another one of my favorites for brunch is Eggs with Hotdog Pasta, it's also a pretty simple dish to make. I usually buy regular hotdogs cut them into little pieces with a few chops of green onion and two eggs. Which pasta you use if really up to you, I like the shape of pasta shells, so that was the one I choose to use.

I use chicken broth sometimes for a lighter brunch dish. Boil the pasta, about 7 minutes in when their al dente, throw in the hot dog, green onion then the eggs to make a pasta soup. :) But when I'm feeling more a spaghetti type of pasta I would fry the hot dogs, put in tomato sauce under a medium fire then let it simmer for a bit before mixing the boiled pasta in it.

Ramen has always been a quick fix when one is hungry but too lazy to actually make anything. To make it more homey for myself, I literally just take an extra 5 minutes out of my time crack an egg on the fryer, add a dash of green onion for flavor and voila! A better tasting ramen!

Lastly, when I have more time on my hands, Di and I make something more fancy. Something like green onion (I love green onion on almost everything ;D) buttered corn, homemade lemon iced tea, and strawberry nutella bread.

All can be bought at your nearest supermarket! Have fun with these ideas next time and have a safe Labor Day weekend! Until next time!

Ciao~
Kitty!

Dinner For Two~

Eating out is a great way to expand your taste palette in terms of getting to know the delicious textures of Spanish cuisines or the exotic flavors of Asia. But nowadays it seems like people are such a hurry to get to places that they don't spend enough time in the kitchen to really experience the joy of cooking for yourself or for you and your family. The past few months, being the college kid that I am (and my ever so short budget) I've found a joy in making food at home when expenses are low. It's especially fun when you have someone to cook with. I spend most of my time switching off kitchens with my significant other when we do cook at home. He's quite crafty with the knife and the seasoning, somehow, someway, he always end up making dinner for two. ;)

Sometimes when we're feeling something easy, we always go to our childhood favorite: HK styled teatime spam and egg sandwich paired with french fries on the side with corn. Basic white bread with a fried egg, two slices of tomatoes, a few pieces of romaine lettuce, and spam. The fries can be bought from any of the supermarket for about $3.00 a pack, bake it rather than fry it, it's healthier. :)

When I don't feel up for heavy food, the boyfriend would always just throw some of that romaine lettuce with a few slices of honey chicken and strawberries for a light dinner.

We also get those times when we feel like we should indulge, because... C'mon. One needs to spoil themselves once in a while. ;) We throw together a steak dinner lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, garlic mashed potatoes, homemade bruschetta, and a plum ginger sesame salad.

Take some time out of your busy life and try making dinner at home, I'll guarantee you you'll have loads of fun. Until next time!

Ciao~!

Kitty

The Greatness of Paninis...

I had my fair share of paninis from Panera Bread, Corner Bakery, Urth Caffe, to Slymar's Fix. I gotta say that my favorite one by far is are the ones stuffed to the brim with delicious goodness. The ones that use sourdough bread I find the most delicious. Panera Bread had always been my favorite place to grab a good panini, but over the recent years I have found that they were starting to put less in them than they usually did and that they've stopped using sourdough bread. :( They now use plain white toast. On the other downside, if you get the sandwich alone, it's still $7.85+. It's worth more if you get the half sandwich with the salad, soup, or bread with fruits or chips for $6.99 (As they call it their U-Pick 2!)

Chicken Chipotle with Strawberry Poppyseed Salad and a side of chips. ($7.99 Premium U-Pick 2)

Corner Bakery does almost the same thing as Panera, but their paninis differentiate themselves with the different use of cheese and they add arugula into their chicken pomodoro panini. It's $7.95 for their combo that comes with a pick of soup and chips with a slice of pickle.

Chicken Pomodoro Panini with Mother's Chicken Noodle Soup and Chips

Urth Caffe's Roasted Turkey Panini had thicker biscuit like bread, the meat was a little too dry and it resulted in it being too hard to bite. It was served with baby spring mix with a really good tangy vinaigrette-like sauce. Being Urth and its organic ingredients it is a little more costly to eat here. The panini here was $12.95 although not a bad place to check out for coffee! 

Urth's Roasted Turkey Panini

Lastly, a friend introduced me to new hole-in-the-wall joint near Arleta of the greater Los Angeles called Sylmar's Fix. Raving reviews online (http://www.yelp.com/biz/sylmars-fix-sylmar#query:panini%20sandwiches) and the portions of VERY generous. By far my favorite place to get a panini fix. They were large and delicious, they stuffed it with juicy mushrooms and large slices of chicken. Totally worth the $6.95! It's located behind a shopping center on Foothill Blvd in the city of Sylmar. Pure deliciousness!

Chicken Mushroom Panini

Well, I'm still on my journey to find other great paninis out there and these are the few places that has been on my list that I want to share! Until next time!

Ciao!
Kitty~