Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I....

1. Received my online orders from Saks during their Friends and Family event. I kinda went click happy while browsing the site and when I saw several of these rather large boxes filled with clothes, I knew this was getting a bit out of control. Thankfully a couple of the clothes didn't fit well so I will be returning those items. Phew.

2. Finally tried Bikram Yoga. I bought 10 sessions to try out several weeks ago and finally went to my first class. It was definitely...an experience. I'm not used to all that gross sweating within 90 minutes but thankfully I survived the class with out having to leave the room during the session. Gonna head back again this week and am actually looking forward to it. Not sure if it was the class itself or if I was really tired that day but I seriously had the best sleep that night.

3. Met up with my friend for brunch at Vinoteca, located in Washington, DC. I've been there several times during their happy hour and dinner but this was my first time checking out their brunch menu. They have bottomless mimosas for $15 which is always a pleasing thing to see on a menu. Needless to say, my friend and I seized that opportunity for a boozy Sunday. Good times.

4. Painted my nails with a fresh coat of Essie's "Turquoise and Caicos," which by the way is now on my travel list after hearing about my friend's recent trip to Turks and Caicos. I'm by no means talented when it comes to nail art and adding stripes on top of the polish is probably the best I can do.

5. Relaxed with a new glossie while drinking mint green tea. Ever since I bought my mint plant, I've been adding mint leaves and agave nectar to my green tea and it has been a total game changer to my tea game. I think I may have developed an unhealthy obsession with mint green tea.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I...

1. Hosted a casual dinner for some of my girlfriends. I cooked them shrimp burgers (recipe here from a previous post) a 5 layer dip, and a key lime pie for dessert. My friend Mel made delicious butter beer for our drinks (along to having a bottle of chocolate wine another friend brought over) and was basically a great night that involved lots of laughter catching up on each other's lives and some good ol' girl talk.

2. Went to Frizzles hair salon located in Virginia to get my hair re-ombred. When I first got the ombre done on my hair almost a year ago, I had the pleasure of having the talented Barbara from the salon color my hair. I was so happy with how it turned out that I wanted her to redo my color again. Very satisfied with the results...again:)

3. Painted my nails with Essie's 'Pretty Edgy' from a nail polish set that Aquaphor sent over a couple of weeks ago. It's a gorgeous emerald green color that is vibrant to the eye. Couldn't resist modifying one nail with a different shade;)

4. Dined at Yechon, a 24 hour (!!) Korean restaurant in Annandale, VA to satisfy a craving for Korean food, specifically dol sot bibimbap. It's a beautiful, flavorful dish that involves a medley of pickled vegetables, marinated beef, and steamed rice that's all mixed together with a spicy hot pepper sauce called gochu jjang. It can be eaten hot or cold but I prefer mine hot served in a clay pot so that the rice on the bottom is still cooking and becomes crispy. Such a comforting meal. Major nom.

5. I bought Sheryl Sandberg's (COO of Facebook) new book, Lean In. There have been some unexpected but very good changes the past couple of weeks which involves my career. I had lots of restless nights from researching ways on how to successfully negotiate and trying to mentally prepare myself to take on a major leadership role. Coincidentally, that same week I happened to read an interview Oprah did on Sandberg for her O magazine on Sandberg's book and thought the timing was a bit eerie. The book is about women and their role in the workplace and touches upon subjects involving the lack of voice heard from successful women at work and the road/experience to get to that place of full potential. I began to question why I felt so much anxiety during the negotiating period and started to wonder if men go through the same feelings. Basically it came down to me questioning myself on what compelled me to initially hold back. Definitely looking forward to reading and utilizing this book as a stepping stone for better insight into these areas and to help me progress professionally in my career.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend....

1. I officially converted into becoming a Mac user. I bought a much needed laptop (my previous one was on it's deathbed) and decided on the new Macbook Pro with retina display. I've been playing around with it over the weekend trying to familiarize myself with it and the more I've become used to it makes me realize....why has it taken me so long to get one?

2. Finally satisfied my sushi craving at one of my favorite sushi restaurants (Yuraku) located in Germantown, Maryland. It's a bit of a drive but well worth it, especially when it comes to my food cravings.

3. Upgraded my current David Yurman Albion ring to a bigger version of it and in a new color. Don't get me wrong, I'll still be wearing my 1st one frequently but I am loving my new ring. Bling bling.

4. Received a package full of new Essie nail polish colors and cuticle kit courtesy of Aquaphor! Looking forward to sharing these new colors with you.

5. Went to dinner with Mel and company to our favorite hot pot place in Virginia, called Hot Spot. This weekend was unusually frigid, especially with it being Spring so warming up to a hot meal and butter beer was perfect.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I...

1. Picked up this little guy from Neiman Marcus to add to my jewelry collection. I've been eying this Alexis Bittar piece for awhile now and when my wonderful SA (sales associate) lady at Neiman's notified me there was a sale, I knew that this was the right time to bring him home with me.

2. Made this stove top mac n' cheese again. I found the recipe last month and have now dubbed this my new go to recipe for stove top mac n' cheese. It's cooked all in one pot while the pasta cooks along with the roux. Recipe coming soon.

3. Was shopping at my nearby Bed Bath and Beyond and discovered they merged with World Market. Amazing. Half of the store is Bed Bath and Beyond products while the other half is World Market products. I've been sorta obssessed with ginger beer ever since I had it at my friend's potluck last month and was so happy to discover it at World Market. I had an amazing cocktail (Moscow Mule) at a restaurant a couple of weeks ago and found out the ingredients needed were ginger beer, Stoli, and lime juice. Easy and really good. Trust me.

4. Had a craving for Korean BBQ so made my way to Honey Pig in Annadale, VA, otherwise known as K-town. We ordered the boneless short ribs, spicy chicken, and pork belly. Craving satisfied.

5. Needed some down time for myself and relaxed with by painting my nails with my new nail polish by Essie (Saint Tropez) and the latest Elle magazine. Glass of wine not pictured;)

How was your weekend?

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I...

1. Finally decided on a BB cream that's perfect for my skin. I have been testing BB creams for several months with many different cosmetic brands (Dr. Jart, Clinique, Dr. Brandt, and Dior) and really love how Boscia absorbs into my skin. It has great coverage w/o it being too heavy and though there is one color for the line, it blends perfectly well with my skin tone. I was debating between Dior's and Boscia's but ended up buying Boscia's because Dior's cosistency felt more like a foundation, which is what I didn't want since I use mineral powder on my skin. I don't like the feeling of wearing so much make up on my skin. I also picked up a new nail polish color, which I'm currently loving;)

2. Picked up some winter accessories at H&M to keep me warm from the cold weather. I received a 20% coupon off one item that is valid until 12/31 that I used HERE. Go to the last page for the coupon. Enjoy. Xo.

3. Went to Lincoln restaurant for the first time and fell in love with the space. The food is served as small plates and is meant to share which I like because you can order several things off the menu to enjoy an array of dishes. I couldn't take pics of the dishes I ordered because the lighting in the restaurant is very dim but the one pic I was able to somewhat snap was a picture of their amazing mac n' cheese and bone marrow dish. Another stand out dish was the butternut squash risotto, which had the most perfect creamy texture to it. The decor is impressive with mason jars used as lighting fixtures and pennies covering the floor of the restaurant. It's definitely a place I would come back to.

4. Went to see Twilight with my friend Mel. I've been a fan of these books since they came out so I had to see the last installment of the movie, naturally. The movies obviously don't have anything on the books but it was one of those things I had to see to close the chapter on the movies.

5. Had a craving for Poutine. My usual go to place for this junk food dish is at Victorias Gastro Pub in Columbia, Maryland. It's a French-Canadian dish that is french fries fried in duck fat then topped with cheese curds and gravy. Additional ingredients can be added and the restaurant I went to adds duck meat on top of the french fries. Not pictured is the lobster grilled cheese and escargot. Everything was decadent, delicious, and gym inducing to say the least.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I....

1. Got back from vacationing in Portugal. Spain was also supposed to be included in the trip but due to the recent riots, I decided to cancel that portion of the trip. Instead, we traveled to Porto, the northern part of Portugal which was gorgeous.

2. Unpacked and did laundry. Not very exciting but it was something that needed to be done after a couple of weeks of being away.

3. Bought a couple of new nail polishes and repainted my chipped nails to this newly obsessed color from Essie called Mink Muffs.

4. Wore my new Alexander McQueen wrap around bracelet I bought at the Harrod's duty free shop in London Heathrow airport, which I'm in love with. Long live McQueen.

5. Overdosed on sushi. It was the very first thing I wanted to eat when I got back from the trip and boy was it good.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I....

1. Was craving chili cheese fries so I went to Ben's Chili Bowl to satisfy that craving. Ordering a half-smoke sealed the deal for a content stomach.

2. Caught up on some new magazines during "me time."

3. Restocked on my gummy vitamins. I've been taking gummy multivitamins for awhile now but noticed the grocery store had Caltrate gummy vitamins now! I know that I don't take enough calcium in my diet, which makes me fearful of getting osteoporosis down the road especially because I'm Asian and petite-framed. I know that I could take regular Caltrate pills but I love gummy vitamins. Don't judge.

4. Bought new nail polish. Essie has a new Mirror Metallic collections summer line and I absolutley love some of their new colors. I'm wearing "Good as Gold" and am obsessed.

5. Cooked some delicoius chicken parmesan this weekend using a recipe from the pioneer woman. Recipe will be posted soon.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I...

1. Stopped by Panera Bread in the morning to grab some coffee and was told I had a free pastry waiting to be claimed! If you ever eat at Panera, make sure you sign up for their My Panera card which basically racks up point every time you purchase something. I rarely go often so I was surprised I had enough points for a free pastry. Score.

2. Dined at Kushi (again). What can I say, I love that place. Pork belly ftw.

3. Bought the latest issue of Test Kitchen and went post it crazy with so many appealing recipes I want to make soon. I recently made a Filipino adobo chicken dish from that magazine and it tasted SO DELICIOUS. In face, the boy requested if I could make it again next weekend so hopefully I will have my camera ready to share with you guys.

4. Bought a new nail polish because the color reminded me of Spring. It's a beautiful coral color from Revlon called "Marmalade" and I coated it with Essie's "Set in stones." I also bought a blemish balm (BB) cream from Garnier. For those of you not familiar with BB creams, it's a hugely popular in Asia and the US is starting to pick up on the rage. Sephora explains it as "One of Asia's biggest beauty sensations, B.B. cream—short for "blemish balm" or "beauty balm"—is truly an all-in-one skincare wonder. Their lightweight, multitasking formulas provide SPF sunscreen protection and work to moisturize, conceal, and treat skin in just one simple step. The silky, tinted lotions effortlessly blend with your natural tone, minimize the need for concealer and foundation, camouflage lines and imperfections, and serve as a skin-perfecting primer." I've tried a sample from Clinique's and had lukewarm feelings towards it so I wanted to try Garnier's version since it's also much cheaper. I believe Dr. Jart+, Bosica, and Two Faced are the other companies getting on the BB cream rage.

5. Wore a recently bought necklace from Neiman Marcus this weekend. Love the rose gold against gold.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Snapshots

 This weekend I...

1. Started to re-read The Hunger Games, in preparation for the movie out next month (!!!) because I forgot parts from the book since it's been awhile from the time I originally read it. So excited for this movie. So excited.

2. Took out some winter accessories after the sudden blast of below freezing temperature we had over the weekend. Mother nature wasn't playing around this weekend.

3. Ate lots of not so good for you food with my sister and the boy (on separate occasions). My sis and I usually have late night get togethers every month where we catch up over unhealthy food to gossip about what's been going on in our lives. It's very therapeutic for me because nobody will understand me like she does (the bond between sisters is a special thing) and I'm going to miss that when she moves to NYC this summer to start her anesthesia residency.

4. Bought and painted my nails with Essie's "play-date." One of the spring trends I'm looking forward to is pastel colors so why not start introducing that trend with nail polish? I think that makes sense.

5. Picked up a copy of the latest issue of the Food Network magazine because the cover was basically screaming the boy's name: chocolate.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I...

1. Stopped by Ikea to stock up on some of their Tindra candles which not only smell divine, but are so cheap. Each candle is $1.99 people! Get on it. I also bought several picture frames because I want to (finally) print pictures of my favorite places I've traveled to around the world and have a wall at my place dedicated just for that.

2. Experimented with some Valentine's day baking. I love chocolate covered pretzels because it has both the sweet and salty component to it. I also decided to add Valentines Days colored sprinkles to give it a nice finishing holiday touch. This was easy, tasty, and cute--what's not to love? Will post recipe later this week

3. The boy cooked dinner for me. He made a delicious dinner of a Chinese noodle dish that consisted of bok choy, pork and mushrooms, along with egg drop soup. Unfortunately in the process he ended up cutting himself pretty badly but that's a whole another post in itself. Sigh.

4. Squeezed in some "me" time which consisted of catching up with my favorite magazines and drinking chocolate wine. Taylor Swift makes me want to buy a big, floppy hat and trim my bangs. Note to self: I'm not Taylor Swift.

5. Bought more Essie nail polish. Hehehehe. They have a line called "Essie Luxe Effects" which consists of glittery polish and well ya know me...I can't resist sparkle. The colors I purchased are "a cut above" and "set in stones."

6. Received an email from Refinery 29's DC editor asking if she could use this outfit I posted about a week ago to feature in her article, "The Perfect Outfit," and well, I obviously said yes and thank you! Check it out: http://www.refinery29.com/the-perfect-outfit-mixing-colors-and-prints

How was your weekend?