Tuna Melt at Grey Dog

Buckwheat Crepes at a restaurant in Noho


Poached Egg and Polenta

As of late . . .

My friend Kevin's instagram of us at Veniero's Pastry Shop (rainbow cookies, chocolate mousse, and 2 cappuccinos)

On an entirely different note, I've also been inspired by Kevin's motivation to complete Insanity, and have taken the plunge and ordered it myself. From kickboxing to bikram yoga, rock climbing to hip hop dancing, boot camp classes to ballet, I have done a lot of different forms of exercise and dance. I really wanted to hit a new plateau and continue on with my active lifestyle well into the summer, so I decided to just go ahead and take the Insanity challenge. I know it'll be intense (the people who have done it are probably laughing at the fact that I have NO idea how intense it really is), but I decided this is the year I'm going to challenge myself and just do it already.

Wish me luck lovely people! Oh, and updates of when I start the program and how I'm doing will SURELY come. Ta-ta!


(P.S. If you're wondering whether the Eurotrip photo porn will keep coming, it will most definitely keep coming)

Another day in Milan

Another day, another gelato.

The Ideal Parisian Diet

Oh yes, welcome to my tummy little Parisian pastry.

I left my heart in Firenze

Hey guys, how have you all been?
I've been doing really well. I just got back from my 2 day (really only 1.5 days) in Firenze (Florence), Italy. All I can say is I am IN LOVE. I also decided this was probably good I didn't get to see everything there because now I have an excuse to go back.

I definitely am on a gelato diet. But seriously, gelato here is like eating a sweet cloud...nothing like it!

A true Italian brand, Missoni!

Cute little stores everywhere . . .

The art in Florence is amazing e molto bella!

This is only a fraction of the pictures I took there (don't worry, I'll probably post images for days after I come back).

I stayed at the Westin Excelsior in Florence, and the reason why I have to mention that is, if you ever stay in Florence and really want to stay somewhere nice or have people with whom you can split the cost (it's pricey), stay there. The rooms are amazing, fully equipped and comfortable, and the service is top notch! Ilaria, the woman who checked me in, was super attentive and personally took me to my room. And the next day, Alessio (it's something similar to this but not exact) at Concierge was amazing. He was personable and super informative, and helped me reserve tickets at the Academia and Uffizi so I wouldn't have to wait in line (after letting him know I was leaving that same night). I just thought I would let everyone know because I work at a hotel and after staying there, it's really inspired me to be even more amazing.

Oh Firenze, mi manchi già (I miss you already!)

Italia!

Hello from Milano! I arrived safely a day ago and already I'm in a daze. The air is so different here and the people are so laid back! And I have never been in a place crawling with so many straight men (art high school, fashion college, you get the gist).

The trip getting to JFK was the worst part of the whole thing. The subway just would not move, and I thought I was going to miss my flight! It was only when I actually arrived in Germany that I calmed down a great deal and started to enjoy myself.

I had a 9 hour layover in Dusseldorf, Germany. That being said, I did not end up going to some of the major places I was planning to go to (I was kind of scared I would have another almost-miss-my-flight episode), so I just stuck to the central part of Dusseldorf.








It was Sunday and everything was closed, but I still enjoyed walking around (and eating brat). The people there are so nice! I had people help me with directions, buying train tickets for me (no English option on the machines I'm afraid), and one man by the name of Oliver literally went out of his way to make sure I got to the right airport (as in, took me there with his train card and made sure I got there safely). I regret not getting a contact but I am eternally grateful Oliver!

I arrived in Milan a few hours later, at night. My friend Isadora picked me up at Centrale Station, where we hugged and celebrated the fact that I did not get lost and end up in the middle of nowhere. She took me to her apartment and introduced me to her roommate/friend Jacki (she is super cool!) After a very late dinner, we hit the hay.

That leads me to today . . . Duomo.





(Duomo and me!)

Everything is BEAUTIFUL. I could never see something like this in NY . . . it would be ruined by skyscrapers and construction sites in the background. This is definitely something you guys have to get on a plane and see (and I urge you to do so).

We also had some AMAZING gelato. The name of the place escapes me but they basically drizzle chocolate from a chocolate fountain into your cone, load up two flavors of gelato (your choice) on top, and finally, they stick a wafer cookie in it. It was TO DIE FOR. The place was crowded and we did end up waiting for a while, but it was worth it. If you ever find this place (I'll try to get the name), get the flavor called Caprese. Tastes like a rainbow cookie (SO GOOD)!

Anyway, I gotta sleep soon (it's close to 1 am over here!) But look forward to more pictures soon~ Ciao lovelies, from Isadora and I!

Randomly Me

I tried to jump.

And an extra shot of my midnight snack!

Chipotle hummus is my new obsession.

Homemade Breakfast

Homemade oats, homemade jam, and homemade smoothie! The breakfast of champions.

Food is a friend o' mine . . .

Seafood Curry at Menkui Tei (63 Cooper Sq)

Chili with a side of Nachos and Red Onion at Olive Tree (117 MacDougal St)

Ham, Cucumber, and Cheese Croissant Sandwich, Curried Tuna Salad, and Hibiscus Iced Tea and Pomegranate Lemonade at Made Fresh Daily (226 Front St between Beekman St & Peck Slip)

Roasted Chicken with Carrots and Peas at Marseille (630 9th Ave between 44th St & 45th St)

An extensive post will come soon enough! For now, enjoy the pictures, and stop by those places if you're in the area!

My 5k and Recent Buy

Hey guys! It's another bright day in NY. The weather earlier this week was wet and dreary, but summer decided to show it's face yet again.

I recently hung out with my friend Melissa.

Cardigan- Sexy Dynamite London, Tank- F21, Shorts- thrift, Leggings- H&M, Boots- Ebay, Glasses- Peach Frog, Bag- Friend's gift, Headphones- Sony

Shoe shot!

After lolly gagging in Bryant Park, we headed to Lily O' Brien's and got hot drinks!

My salted Lily! It was a good pick me up. Pretty sweet, so I would just go with a small. I love the combination of chocolate and salt.

Then on Sunday (Labor Day Weekend!) my friend Kievan and I went to Governor's Island for the Run to Remember (9/11) 5k race!

Waiting in line (another shoe shot).

Waiting in line and camphoring. Fun-zo!

I had a lot of fun. I did the same race last year and though I went over my time from last year, it didn't matter because I still had a blast running. I also mildly got obsessed with coconut water after that and I've been drinking one everyday since!

Finally, I snagged this cute cardigan at Forever 21. I'm not the biggest Forever 21 fan because their quality is so-so, but they have cute things from time to time that I just can't stop myself from buying. This cardigan is a good example.

Anyway, I'm off to sleep a bit more, drink kombucha, and eat lunch (maybe not in that order). Tata and see you guys soon!

First time updating on the phone!

Technology seems to have come pretty far in terms of phones. How else would I be blogging now?

I recently went to a friend's party in Staten Island. It was my first time on Staten! Similar to some parts of Queens I've been to...



I need to get used to phone posting more but this is a start, right? See you guys around!

Recently decided to try this new thing called updating.

Remember in my last post I was wearing some new shoes?

These are my new shoes. Oxfords, to be exact. I adore them.

Mango, on sale, for $58!

And then I decided one pair wasn't enough so in the next 3 weeks or so, I managed to snag a new pair of sandals. I seem to like tan.

Aldo, on sale, for $57!

I like shoes.

But I can't say no to food either! Sorry wallet.

I went to Alice's Tea Cup Chapter II with a family friend from Japan. I've gone many times before but I can't seem to resist their pumpkin scones every time I go. I highly recommend getting those if you decide to visit!

The family friend also went to Prince Edward Island in Canada before she came and got us these chocolates. I love Anne of Green Gables (I own the box set and vhs tapes!)

My favorite eating out experience as of late was when my friend Kievan and I were wandering around South Street Seaport, and discovered a place called Made Fresh Daily!

Seriously adorable, casual, and slightly Amish, this place has good food for good prices. They seem to change the menu daily because what we ordered (above) doesn't seem to be on the menu page. Regardless, we're planning to go back again (Kievan will be very upset though if no tuna melt is around).

The sky the day we went to South St.

I seem to eat out a lot with Kievan (and it's great because apart from olives and probably garbage, we pretty much eat anything) so we also recently went to a restaurant called Spice.

The place is actually a chain and has many locations. I went to one in Chelsea. It was nice and casual as well. I had green curry for the first time. It was sweet and hot and after the first few bites, I got really into it. I had a lot left over for my lunch break later that day too (dinner break rather).

Finally, while I'm on the topic of recent happenings, I also cut and colored my hair!

Less volume, darker color. My roots were growing back so I thought might as well go dark brown. The cut is very flattering. I just can't wait till Fall, when I don't have to worry about the heat messing with my hair so much!

That's it for now. See you all in a bit. Toodles noodles!