manna from the sky

Wordpress

2010-01-18T14:46:00.002-05:00

Now that I'm entering my last semester of college ever, I find it appropriate to develop a new blog that will be focused on my journey to the next stage of my life. Perhaps it will be my road to become a registered dietitian, perhaps not, I have no idea what's in store for me, but follow me on Manna From the Sky at Wordpress, and you'll be sure to see how my life is changing! :D

My 5 miler

2010-01-15T23:15:00.002-05:00

for tomorrow....!!!! Wish me luck!

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3413559

By the way, I'm trying to transfer to wordpress right now... any idea on how to do it???

It's a 1/2

2010-01-13T00:10:00.003-05:00

Gotta start my half marathon training! I'm going to follow Hal Higdon's half marathon training schedule. I used his to train for the 10K, and I did fine, so I'm pretty sure I'll be fully trained using his for the half marathon as well.

I'm going to play around with what days I run/ stretch and strengthen though. Like, today I couldn't run 3 miles, so I just cross-trained (walked a LOT) instead. I'm excited to start running again tomorrow... I haven't ran in SO long!!!

Quite the week

2010-01-10T20:08:00.004-05:00

It's been awhile.

This past week was quite hectic due to my last VISION conference which lasted from the 4th to the 7th! VISION is a NY/NJ region Christian conference, hosted by Korea Campus Crusade for Christ, that invites students to come and learn more about their faith in God, deepen their relationship with Jesus, and find accountability with other students. I have been to all 4 VISIONS throughout my college career, and I can't believe this was my last as a senior! I only remember attending it as a freshman...

Seniorsss wha whaaaat!

VISION had some great speakers, including Steve Douglass (the president of Campus Crusade for Christ International) and Pastor Stephen Um from Citylife Church in Boston, MA. Pastor Stephen Um spoke at the last VISION and really challenged me, so it was exciting to know that I'd get the chance to hear him again! As expected, his sermons were challenging and inspiring, and my small group even got a chance to score a picture with him (dedicated to me because I was sick on the 3rd day!).

DPD plus Bungfy

I'm still pretty exhausted and a little sick, but can't stop for rest because of work. I regret not taking a full week off, but what can I do. It's better than being lazy.

I haven't had much of an appetite since I got sick. So my meals are a bit boring. Maybe once I get better, I'll spice them up again.

On another note, I finally registered for the World Vision Half Marathon in April (thanks Chaka!)!!!! Let the training begin :)

Tadpoles

2010-01-03T18:37:00.004-05:00

Happy first Sunday of 2010!

I decided to help and teach the tadpoles at church again over break, and I am so glad I did. I didn't realize how much I missed these cute little chickadees!! Especially my fave ETHAN, even though we're not supposed to have favorites hehehe. It is so crazy to see these tadpoles growing up so quickly now though. I remember when Ethan always used to look worried/sad and never talked, but now he is a talking, happy boy!

Here are the cutie patooties:

Tadpoles in class. From top right, going clockwise: Jisae, Elizabeth, Hanah, and Iain.

Bung and Ethan rocking in style. Ethan's the cuter one of course :P

Food-wise... I had a lot of good eats! Breakfast consisted of skim milk with Trader Joe's Soy & Flax Clusters, pumpkin seeds, and raisins. Lunch was provided at church! I had some broccoli bowtie pasta and a macadamia nut chocolate brought from Hawaii by Pastor Mark. I had more food during the 2nd fellowship hour... I ate some communion bread (egg challah... love that stuff!) and another macadamia nut chocolate. Seriously, chocolate is the death of me now... I gained some pounds 'cause of this stuff!! And now I'm munching on some Trader Joe's nonfat Greek yogurt with Puffins Peanut Butter cereal and heated apple chunks. Nom nom nom. Food makes this girl sure happy. =)

No pictures! Please excuse the laziness :P Once I buy my new camera and everything, then expect LOADS!!! Now I'm really tired and want to pass out, but I should finish my personal statement before going off to VISION 2010 tomorrow... My last Vision and hopefully the BEST!

Joyeux nouvelle anniversaire!

2010-01-01T01:12:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if that's grammatically correct to say "Happy New Year" en français, but you get the gist. Happy New Year! I can't believe it's 2010 already. I'm graduating this year. I turn 22 this year. Gross.

No pictures of anything today... sorry to the visual-oriented readers. What I do have is a list of 2010 goals for y'all to read though. Goals are good. Goals push me. And I need to be pushed, or I'm the laziest girl alive. So yes, be excited and read my goals for this year, and be motivated to make your own!!!!

2010 Goals, holla:

Pray to God daily as soon as I wake up. Dedicate the coming day to Him. I used to do this, but I slowly allowed the busyness of my life to deceive me in thinking that I had no time for God. Lies, all lies! God > anything on this Earth.
Try to go to Morning Prayer 2x a week. This is about discipline.
Join a Morningside small group. I need to be spiritually fed yum yum.
Practice yoga at least 3x a week. I need to strengthen my body!
Run a half marathon. I'm registering for the World Vision one for April! EEKS!
Do your best in everything. No indifference allowed!
Try to cook at least 1x a week. Let's improve my cooking skills shall we?
Call a friend 1x a day. I know it's sad to write this as a goal, but I'm so horrible at calling. I can work on this.
Volunteer somewhere, hopefully at a private practice or fitness center. Give back to the community.
Get to know my professors. They're cool people. Don't feel intimidated.

Also, some potential plans for this coming year:

Visit Molly in North Carolina. THE SOUTH baby!
Visit Megan in Arkansas. This is being accomplished because I'm going there for spring break woot woot!
Travel abroad to Europe. Hopefully I can do this in the summer. I must, I must.
Practice my writing and grammar skills.

That's my 2010 goals and plans. I'm excited for this year. Let's make it a success!

Good morning Baltimore!

2009-12-28T08:37:00.004-05:00

Does anyone ever wake up with that tune from Hairspray in their head? I do! Listen to the song, and it'll wake you up for a bright and early morning. It works for me!

Last night, I met up with two of my childhood friends at Starbucks, but it closed earlier than we thought, so we moved over to the diner. We (unfortunately) got disco fries--which by the way, are fries covered in Kraft cheese singles and gravy... what in the Lord?-- and fries being my weak point, I ate a good portion. Sigh... but nothing beats eating comfort food with good friends.

This morning, I woke up to do a little boot camp for myself.

50 jumping jacks

30 mountain climbers

100 jumping in place

A run around the block for warm-up

6 hill sprints

A run around the block for cool-down

25 lunges

Needless to say, I hate bootcamp stuff, but this workout definitely gave me a jumpstart for the day! Now I'm eating my current favorite meal: Fage 0% yogurt topped with heated apples, Trader Joe's Soy & Flax Clusters, and peanut butter. Yum yum yum!

(Please excuse the bad quality of the picture... I've been using my camera phone!)

Have a good morning!

Our Quest to find the Gingerbread Man

2009-12-27T18:01:00.006-05:00

was not successful. No gingerbread man was to be found at Bouchon Bakery in the Time Warner mall at Columbus Circle. I'm so sad =( BUT, we did find instead this pretty snowflake cookie, which is supposed to taste similar to the gingerbread man without molasses (according to the employee). And ta da, the employee was right because it totally tasted like I would've imagined the gingerbread man to be like (although now I wonder how amazing it could have been with molasses!!!). We also got this vanilla macaron, and the employee ended up giving us two of them. I do not know if we got it for free or not, but it's all good. Better for us hehehe. By the way, Bouchon Bakery's macarons= heavenly! The vanilla buttercream is just too good for words... all that butter and vanilla beans... YUM. Definitely not for those who are watching their weights =X

Check out all the deliciousness... jealous riiight?

We ran to the Time Warner mall and back for a grand total of 6.8 miles. Not too shabby, not too shabby at all. It felt amazing! I haven't had a good run like that in awhile, but it's probably because I keep running at my comfort pace. Today, I most definitely did NOT run at my comfort pace. I was trying to keep up so hard! We bumped into someone along the way...

LOL.

We also passed by the Christmas tree at Rockefeller, which I didn't get a chance to see yet. So here's my shot with it!

Nothing beats a nice run on a nice day. Y'all should definitely get up and try it too. You feel so refreshed and energized afterwards. Plus you feel REALLY good. Love it!

My eats for today included leftover black bean chili with ham for breakfast, some salad and an itty bitty portion of pasta with sausage for lunch, my amazing snowflake cookie and a vanilla macaron for snack, and (oh my gosh, this was the BEST), Fage 0% yogurt topped with Trader Joe's Soy & Flax Clusters, heated apple chunks, and a spoonful of peanut butter for dinner!! I heart yogurt and peanut butter yum yum yum =)

Now I'm off to see some childhood friends and get some coffee. I hope you have a great night too!

It's always sunny in NYC

2009-12-27T14:01:00.001-05:00

Okay, maybe not always, but today sure is! And it's a gorgeous day for an awesome run to Columbus Circle!!! Gonna get me a gingerbread man yum yum yum.

I am happy to report that 2 people will be joining me on a running adventure!! Morningside running crew, wha whaaat. I gladly introduce D-MONEY and SAM into the club! We gonna hit the streets of New York hollaaa.

Okay, I'll come back with pictures of the run and GINGERBREAD MAN!! Peace out, homeslice!

PIcture Overload

2009-12-27T01:38:00.008-05:00

Okay this is going to be a HUGE picture update. Let the pictures do the talking =)

(12/19) Seniors Secret Santa Party hollaaaa! Mad Asians, I know.

A glimpse of the potluck dinner we had.

My ddukbokgi I made for the roomies for our own little Secret Santa party (12/22)!

The delicious caramel with cinnamon, chipotle, and cumin candy Hannah got us from Dylan's.

This is the box the caramel candy came in!!

And the peppermint rice krispy Hannah got Monica.

My cards and gift from the roomies! I love them SO much<3

The yummy scrambled omelette Monica made me the next morning (12/23).

(12/25) Avatar with my cousins in Jersey! This movie is a def must-see. Go watch it in 3D or IMAX!!!!

Life is good at the moment. I love my family and friends, and I'm looking forward to the new year! Here's to 2010!

It's already midnight???

2009-12-26T00:21:00.003-05:00

Geez, time goes by so quick. I got back from watching Avatar an hour ago. It's definitely a MUST SEE! And if you can, watch it in 3D or in IMAX; I think the experience will be even more worthwhile. James Cameron is the man. He really knows his stuff when it comes to cinematography. I really wish I did watch it in 3D because apparently this film is a breakthrough in stereoscopic imaging. I researched online about Avatar, and apparently, this movie was in development since 1994, and it was supposed to be released after Titanic. Wow, props to Cameron for putting so much work into this film.

Back into the city tomorrow for work. I'm off to bed to read some more of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged! Tootles!

It's Christmas and I'm...

2009-12-25T16:40:00.006-05:00

totally bored at my own house. Merry christmas by the way. Forgive me for the rather blasé attitude.

I woke up this morning around 8 to go on a nice and friendly run with my pops. Brrr, it was a cold and chilly run! Towards the end, I got all sweaty though, so it wasn't so bad running in my own sweat... riiiight. Jumped into a hot shower right away, and that made things all better!

Our family has a tradition of always going to church on Christmas Day. We rushed to pick up my aunt and cousins, and then off to Oakland! I'm not a huge fan of Christmas service, only because it's all in Korean. Now I can read and understand Korean, but Korean services are the death of me. I can't understand 99.1% of the time, so I was muchos grateful when there was a translator for us 2nd generation noobs.

So, here's a subject I'd like to diverge on... I've always been super duper jealous of all those families that have actual Christmas traditions: the whole "waking up Christmas morning and opening gifts together" shebang. My family is nothing like that... and I want that! Too bad we're all so freakin' stoic, and we don't like to express ourselves, at least to one another. It's nice to have my aunt and cousins here in America now though. We ate Christmas lunch together, a feast of Korean appetizers and traditional dduk gook plus steamed crabs! It was deeeelicious.

Now I'm home and I'm bored. My dog is playing around with a soda can and making a ruckus. I'm online shopping, and I want so many things. I think I may invite my cousins to go watch Avatar with me later... yeahh... that sounds like a plan.

Did I say Merry Christmas already? Merry Christmas!

This is melt-in-your-mouth, truly fantabulous Belgian chocolate from the aunt... oh geez, chocolate is the death of me.

Hittin' the double digits!

2009-12-22T20:03:00.006-05:00

Today I woke up to do the biggest run of my life- a 10.2 MILER!!!

I planned the route last night before I went to sleep. It was a little daunting, I'm not going to lie, looking at how long the route was, but I was pretty sure that I could run it. This is the route I made for myself: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3376339

Overall, the run took approximately 2 hours. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad time, but I don't care. This was my first time running 10 miles, and I'm darn proud that I was able to do it! I ran at a slow pace, so I wasn't tired or out of breath. And the scenery was nice so I didn't really get bored, but towards the end of the run, I really just wanted it to be over and go back home. 2 hours is a long time to be running...

After my long run, I quickly came home, got some lunch together, and then went out to do some of my dietetic application stuff. And then I had to go gift shopping for our Secret Santa exchange the roomies and I are having. I think I got a pretty sweet gift for my Secret Santa, hint hint.

For our own little Secret Santa party, I made rabokki (ramyun + ddukbokki)!! It has ramyun, dduk, fishcakes, sausage, and onions in it. Yum yum yum, it is oh-so-delicious!!!! =)

Hannah was my Secret Santa; I got a Starbucks gift card, yay! And then she got us some treats from Dylan's... peppermint chocolate rice crispy and caramel flavored with cinnamon, chipotle, and cumin. Quite interesting right? I wasn't sure if the flavors would work, but they blended in with the caramel quite wonderfully! I wish the cumin was stronger though... I love cumin!! And don't even get me started about the rice crispy; it was SO SO scrumptious!!!!

I'm sorry I don't have pictures of everything yet! I uploaded them, but I'm at home in New Jersey right now and didn't bring my laptop. I'll do a huge picture entry soon~

Until then, hope you have a great night!

Too sweet for ya!

2009-12-21T22:56:00.003-05:00

I swear I understand why people gain weight during the holidays. I literally crave for sweets SO MUCH!!! I used to be a salty over sweet gal, but now my sweet tooth is taking over! I had a serving of green tea ice cream and cream puff today at the buffet for lunch, but after dinner, I wanted something sweet again so I had a cup of yogurt with chocolate chips and 2 bite size heath bars! And then I had a mini Hershey's dark chocolate with rice crisp and a Gobstopper candy cane. My blood sugar is definitely reaching the danger zone... my poor poor body has to overwork itself to produce all that insulin to carry the glucose into the cells... and then the rest get stored as triglycerides in fat :( GREAT.....!!! I know all this info, yet I still do it!

At least I'm going to run tomorrow morning! I like to balance my unhealthy sweet diet with good exercise =) I got a new running shirt so it should be super duper fun! I need a new running route... I'm getting bored with mine now!!

Can't sleep

2009-12-21T05:06:00.002-05:00

I woke up at 3:45 AM and I can't go back to bed. My mom's snoring here and there as I am typing away. I want to sleep...

There's always something about home. Whenever I come back home, I revert into a little kid again. Sometimes that's good, sometimes not so good. I want to show my parents how mature (HA who am I kidding!) and responsible I have become, but I end up acting like a little kid around them. At least I'm more aware of that now, so I try harder to not act all selfish and immature, but sometimes it just slips out. Wah wah wah.

I'm not going home during this winter break; I will be mostly in the city... slaving away at work. Just one more month of funds! That's all I need. Then perhaps a babysitting gig... any offers?!?!

I saved up quite a money though. I want to purchase a dSLR; I am thinking perhaps the EOS 500D (Rebel T1i)?? What's a good one? I also want to buy nice Orchestra tickets for a musical for my parents... Do you think they'll understand Wicked? It's possibly one of my favorite musicals EVER: the story line, the songs, the setting are all amazing (triple A alliteration right thurrr hehehe)!

I guess I should sleep... or else I'm going to be mad tired for fieldwork tomorrow. Still gotta go interning at the hospital!

I'm excited for tomorrow's lunch!! Minado (all you can eat BOOFAY.. that's right I say boofay, not BUFF-et)!! Peace out homeslices.

DUNZO

2009-12-17T20:59:00.004-05:00

DUNZO. FINITO. THE END. I AM FINISHED!!!!!!!!

Freedom feels oh-so-good, and what makes it even better is that I really feel like I did my best on these finals! I don't think I ever tried studying this hard ever since I entered college. Hopefully, my efforts will show, but whatever the results are, I still give all glory to God man. Dude, seriously, He somehow pulled me through this hell week. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!

Nothing beats finishing finals than a good ol' glass of wine and slice of Artichoke pizza. Weird combo I know, but oh-so-scrumptious!!!!

Here is the ridiculous bottle of wine I got today from Trader Joe's... I was going to get a normal bottle of Bordeaux wine, but I ended up with this:

I know!!! It's crazy, but I just had to! This blue baby was calling my name man.

Well, I'm going to call it a night and peace out. I haven't had a decent night of sleep since last Saturday!!!!

Good eats!

2009-12-16T08:42:00.005-05:00

Morning! I am so tired. I fell asleep on the floor of my apartment last night after I got back from the library around 3:30/4 AM. One last day to study and then it's game time! I can NOT wait. I just want this whole misery to be done with.

I have work today from 4 to 10 PM, so a huge chunk of my day is gone. I really really hope I can get a lot accomplished from now until 4, and then some more afterwards... Should I stay up late tonight? Probably not. Instead I'll try to wake up early Thursday morning...

Alright, this entry's going to be about some good eats! These recipes are what I've been eating the past couple of days. Sorry, I have no pictures; I was in too much of a rush to take pictures and upload them, but I'm sure you can use your imagination =)

Best Thanksgiving sandwich ever:

Get 2 slices of bread and toast them. Slather on pumpkin butter on one piece of toast and cover with a handful of raisins. Then get a couple slices of turkey and place on top of the layer of raisins. Close the sandwich with the other piece of bread. Ta da~ this sandwich is delicious and reminds you of Thanksgiving. Quick and easy!

Peanut butter and pumpkin oatmeal:

Prepare a serving of oatmeal (1/4 c oats, 1/2 c soy or almond milk, 1/2 c water). As the liquids are almost fully incorporated into the oatmeal, add a dollop (or a couple...!) of peanut butter and pumpkin butter and stir into mixture. Then, incorporate a handful of raisins and trail mix into the oatmeal. Continue to heat and stir to desired consistency. Voila! This is delicious; it hits the sweet and savory note from the pumpkin butter and peanut butter. Mhmm~

Oatmeal, Elvis-style:

Man, you can never go wrong with peanut butter. I love it! Prepare a serving of oatmeal (1/4 c oats, 1/2 c soy or almond milk, 1/2 c water). As the liquids are almost absorbed into the steel cut oats, slice a banana into the pot. Let the banana get incorporated into the oatmeal. Add in raisins or trail mix into the pot, if you like (I do!). Scoop oatmeal into a bowl, and add a dollop of peanut butter on top. And I do say... "Thank you, thank you very much."

I think oatmeal is so underrated, when it is possibly one of the best foods out there!!! It's a heart-healthy, high fiber meal, and it keeps you full for hours!! Plus, you can make so many variations with oatmeal; all you got to do is put your thinking cap on. What kind of ingredients do you like to add to your oatmeal?

To the weak

2009-12-15T10:59:00.004-05:00

It's so easy to give up at the most crucial moments, the moments that will be the deciding factor of pushing forward or falling behind. And I know that I am more of a "start strong, finish mediocre" kind of gal. I want to just fall into an attitude of indifference and not care, but indifference leads you nowhere.

Running has helped me to understand so much more on the power of endurance: what it means and what it can help you to accomplish. Endure the rough patches to reach the final goal. Endure the obstacles because they only last temporarily. The finish line makes it worth it in the end.

I'm not going to lie though, I am so weak. The only thing that really pushes me to keep going is the fact that I understand my purpose is to glorify God. It is really easy to forget this and make the finish line that final goal, but I am thankful to be reminded--through the bible, friends, praise songs--that what we do in our lives is a way to glorify God.

So, Lord, please continually help me to study not as a final means of getting good grades, but as a way to glorify You. And whatever happens... I trust in Your plan. AMEN!

Here is a clip of this guy playing "All Who Are Thirsty" by Kutless. He is one of my fave acoustic players on YouTube.

And I forgot to mention that I saw James Franco yesterday while studying at Starbucks. He was sitting five feet away from me!!!

I secretly took this photo, excuse the blurriness.

Stuck in the library

2009-12-14T20:57:00.003-05:00

So today I locked myself in the library for awhile; I knew otherwise I wouldn't get any work done. I covered a lot of material so I'm pleased with myself in that sense... but I have this fear that everything I'm going over will not be retained in my brain. Lots of material covered, but little confidence in self at the moment... Say a little prayer for me, whoever reads this.

Gracias.

Pppppokerface

2009-12-14T09:31:00.003-05:00

Bonjour!

Take a study break and check out this funny clip of a group of UC Berkeley guys doing an aCapella of Lady Gaga's Pokerface. (Found by Hannah)

This totally made my day! Hope it makes yours =)

It's late,

2009-12-14T01:57:00.003-05:00

but I have to write another post.

There are so many thoughts running my mind right now... Actually, more like one main thought that seems to be spreading throughout my brain... my mind... my body. It's spreading like one deadly tumor.

The thought: What's my future?

So many burdens, so many stresses right now. More than I realized. I didn't realize how much I am actually worried about this because I play it down. I play down the fact that the dietetic internship application process is hardcore and that the internship programs offered throughout the country are highly selective. I play down the fact that I may not be accepted into an internship program.

I know I'm laidback and all, but I know for a fact that I am also a perfectionist, an "all or nothing" type of gal. Not getting into a dietetic internship would affect me. A lot. At least for a teeny while, I'll feel like a failure.

I know for a fact that God has a wonderful plan for me and that His timing is by far greater than any of ours, but still, I'm human, and I know I can't help but feel a certain way when the time comes. I'll either be ecstatic or depressed. Two responses. Well, I'm going to write this to remind myself: A person has a choice in everything. I can choose to respond to the future with apprehension or with eagerness. I'd rather choose the latter. Lord, in Your mercy, give me that faith!!!

There are some things...

2009-12-14T01:37:00.005-05:00

...I want right now...

for Thursday to come and be done with
to kick ass on my finals
a new camera... perhaps a rebel???
to vegetate on my futon and be a waste of life
for my applications to be miraculously filled out and sent
to be accepted somewhere!!! anywhere!!!
for life to slow down... time is going by way too FAST

And why do I always stay up later than I plan to? That scheduled 4 mile run... is not sounding too pleasant to my ears right now... maybe I'll reduce the mileage...

BON SOIR!!

From dusk to dawn

2009-12-13T21:39:00.009-05:00

Yesterday was quite an intense night for me. I realized that I had way more to study for than I could fit in my schedule, so I knew I had to pull an all-nighter at some point before my finals on Thursday. Rather than pulling one closer to the exam day, I decided to stay up all night yesterday. Boy, I haven't done that in awhile. I went to the library at 10 PM and left at 7 AM. I saw the sun rise while walking home, and I have to be honest, it was pretty exhilirating to see the sky slowly grow lighter and lighter! Surprisingly, I managed to be awake throughout most of the night, with a minor slump around 5:30 AM. My can of red bull definitely held me over :P

There's my notecards, my notes, and my binder alongside some bottles of drink that Andy managed to salvage at the bottom of the vending machines for FREE!!! We got FOUR bottles!

Today's been pretty uneventful for the most part... I got home from the library, showered, and slept around 7:40 AM. I woke up at 11:30 and got ready for church, and afterwards, Monica and I went to go kick some mo' butt at studyin' at Think Coffee. We betta kick these finals' butts!!

Here are some more pictures that I forgot to post previously:

My yummy egg white omelette with tofu, tomatoes, and spinach with homefries and crunchy tater tots that I ate after my 10K race!

Delicious fudge at Dylan's Candy Bar!!!! The death of me... I got the Peanut Butter Explosion, yum!

Look what else I found at Dylan's: Harry Potter Fudge Flies! Perfect for a Harry Potter fan like me!

Walking down 5th Ave on the coldest night ever... and during the first SNOW FALL!

Bergdorf Goodman's awesome window display... I love this one: the details of the dress are gorgeous! I love love LOVE the sequins and feather details especially. I just love sequins in general. There's this sparkly sequin zipper cardigan designed by Jimmy Choo at H&M... I really wanted it, but it's $129!!! Too expensive to buy... :-(

Hannah is so hilarious... She organized our chocolate box so neatly... all the chocolate laid out neatly in rows!!!

That's it for now... More updates coming soon. I'm planning a light 4 mile run tomorrow... I need to destress from all this studying! I can't wait until freedom comes on Thursday!

The end is near!

2009-12-12T09:53:00.002-05:00

Hello, hello!

It's CRUNCH TIME for finals... I have two on Thursday and then I'm done! Whoo! I need to study super duper hard, so I will be MIA for the next couple of days. Once finals are over, I'll be back on this baby in no time.

Until then,

Peace out, homeslice :-)

Rain, rain go away

2009-12-09T09:39:00.002-05:00

Rain in New York is always so blah. I hate dreary weather, but what can you do... You can only control how you respond to it.

I originally planned a 5 mile run towards Grand Central, but my plans have been thwarted by this blasted rain! Dang you Rain! BUT, I could have either been sulky and said to myself, "Great, now I can't run!" OR I could have pulled myself together and go to the school gym for the first time this year! I decided to do the latter =)

Ahh.. the gym. I am not a huge fan of the gym, but when I need to use it, I will gladly use it, especially since being a NYU student gives you free gym membership! So this morning I trekked over to the gym and decided to do a 5 mile run on the treadmill. It was a toughie (I get bored easily on the treadmill... I feel like a hamster!), but I managed to pull through at my usual pace! I felt so good afterwards, all fresh and energized. I love running!

Today's plan includes completing all my homework assignments and going to work. Let's go HM!

To be a body builder or not to be... that is the question

2009-12-08T07:20:00.006-05:00

Good morning! I like to start my day early in the morning. I realized that I'm much more productive in the morning than at night. Maybe it's because it's so still, or maybe it's because less people are awake? Regardless, all I know is that I'm not as distracted in the morning and I can focus on my work.

Today, I woke up at 6 AM to a still dark day. Even the sun wasn't out yet! Oy, it's going to be hard getting myself to run at this time. I'm going to continue training for the half marathon now, but running in the dark is a bit intimidating for me !!!

Instead of running today, I focused on strength-training. Now, I'm not a big weight-lifting fan. To me, I feel like I'm wasting time, and I could be doing so much better while I'm doing it. However, I decided that I needed to start incorporating weight-lifting into my training schedule because strength in the upper body helps you to run FASTER! And I definitely want to improve... So here's a cheer to weight-lifting!

I'm following Hal Higdon's half-marathon training schedule, and he has these strength-training exercises posted online. Check them out right HERE.

NYRR Joe Kleinerman 10K (cont.)

2009-12-07T22:13:00.010-05:00

Hello, hello. I'm quickly on blogspot to update y'all with some race pictures like I promised last night. I don't think I have any of me actually running the course sadly, but I do have pre- and post-race pictures.

Before the race... I'm all excited and being dorky.

After the race:

My roomies came out to support me AND made me a banner. They're the best!

And thanks to Andy too for the support!

I'm blessed with wonderful people in my life~ I'm so pumped for the next race I run!!!

As of now though, I am currently stressed and overwhelmed by everything that I have to do. Reminds me of how HUMAN I am and that nothing is possible without the grace of God...

How do you respond to stress?

NYRR Joe Kleinerman 10K

2009-12-06T22:35:00.006-05:00

I'll update y'all with more information and PICTURES as soon as I get all my workload done, but I just wanted to leave you guys with my results =)

Btw, the race.....was freakin' EPIC!!!!!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO RUN IN THE HALF MARATHON!!!

Statistics:

Overall Place- 3140 (can you believe there were over 4,000 people racing today?!)

Gender Place- 1248 (not too shabby...!!)

Age Place- 129 out of 227 (YAY!)

Finish Time- 59:01 (I did better than I thought!)

Pace/Mile- 9:31

AG Gender Place- 1400

AG %- 51.3% (nice, I was in the average.)

What's ridic is that people finished the 10K in 30 minutes!! Around 30 minutes, I reached the 3rd mile marker... =____=

Drip, drip, drip

2009-12-05T14:18:00.008-05:00

Today's one of those rainy days when you feel like doing nothing. A "do nothing while sipping a nice cup of coffee" day. Unfortunately, a lot of those times, you actually have things to do, actually a LOT of things. I set myself a goal today to complete my take-home final and cultural food practices homework assignment. Can I do it? The only answer I can give myself is yes...

Race is tomorrow. I hope it doesn't rain! I'm going to go buy an iPod running case today. That'll be my reward.... maybe some shoes too ;P

Geek in Pink

2009-12-03T19:22:00.004-05:00

Only 3 more days until my 10K race! I'm strangely not too nervous about the race, but I think that's just because I am not really aware of how many people are doing this or how intense it actually may be. Ahh, this is when you really can say, "Ignorance is bliss!"

I picked up my nifty race souvenirs today at the NYRR headquarters on E. 89th St. I got my race number (!!!), my D-tag, and my sweet 10K shirt. It's OFFICIAL. I'm really doing this. It's not a dream, it's not my imagination, it's reality. Whew, now all I got to do is actually do the hard part: run the race (har har har).

Hey, but I think God gave me a sign ;-) My race number is on a pink bib. Isn't that weird? I swear, I never thought pink was my favorite color, but I guess subconsciously, it is because I have so many things in pink! And now my bib is pink? It's totally providential, no?

Ha, anyways, so look for the geek in pink on Sunday morning running in Central Park!

6 days until my 10K!!!

2009-11-30T12:56:00.008-05:00

I wrote out this elaborate post, only to have it deleted. I hate it when that happens :(

Anyways, I was saying earlier how excited I am for my upcoming 10K race this Sunday, Dec. 6. It seems so surreal that it's finally almost here! Only 6 more days baby!

To prepare myself physically for the run, I ran my longest run the other day (7.5 miles), and now I'm slowly going to taper aka reduce my mileage runs and cross-train more. I ran 5 miles today, and I'll do simple 3 mile runs for 2 days this week. The remaining days, I am going to cross-train, whether I jump-rope or ride my bike, and on Saturday, I am just going to REST and sleep early to be fresh for the race! Sounds like a plan, doesn't it? Booya~

It's crazy how 5 miles does not seem like a long run to me anymore. Just back in October, I though running for 30 minutes was such a challenge. But now, I am able to mentally push myself further. I love that! It's so true how running is more of a mental challenge than a physical one. My friend Megan was right: If you can run 3 miles, you can definitely run a marathon. You just need to train yourself mentally. I'm hoping to run a half-marathon in the spring. Here's to a-hopin'!

My knees have been feeling weak for a bit. I need to start doing knee exercises! Here's one I found on this website (http://www.bigkneepain.com/knee-exercises.html):

Quad Strengthening Contractions:
Sit in chair. Extend legs, heels to floor. Keep knees straight (or as straight as possible if you have arthritis.) Tighten thigh muscles. Hold for count of 10. Relax for count of 3. Do 10 repetitions. You can do this several times throughout the day. You can build up to 2 or 3 sets of 10 repetitions at a time.

And for this week, I have lots to do. I must finish immediate homework assignments, catch up on reading, study for Clinical Nutrition Intervention & Assessment quiz, and start assignments for next week. Can I do this, or can I do this? YES I CAN... I just need help on focusing from the big G =)

How do you guys try to concentrate on your work? I wouldn't mind some tips from y'all!

Home is for the lazy

2009-11-28T12:31:00.004-05:00

I swear everytime I go home to NJ, I never ever get any work done! Something about home makes me just want to sit back, relax, and enjoy my sweet time. This is not good when you have loads of work to accomplish!!

Lucky for me, I get to go back to my apartment in the city this afternoon (sigh). Once I go back to the city, reality hits me again, and I realize that I can't just be a lazy bum. Plus finals are just around the corner!! Crunchtime baby! Keep my eye on the prize~

Oof, my legs are so sore. This week, I focused on increasing my mileage. I went from 3 miles on Monday to 7.5 miles today! I don't think I should've done that actually... because my leg muscles didn't get to rest and repair themselves. But tomorrow will be my rest day, and I'm slowly going to begin tapering for my 10K run next Sunday!! I'm really excited for the run, but I'm nervous about the hills too. I didn't get to hill-train that much; today on my run, I added some hills, and they killed me. It took all my strength to keep going and not stop, even though I wanted to sooo badly.

So, like I said, I ran 7.5 miles today. I've been noticing on my runs that the first 2-3 miles are rough for me, in the sense that I am aware of my legs being stiff and I get tired, but once I pass the 3rd mile, I suddenly get this extra energy that makes me run a little faster and feel good. It's like my body knows when the run is halfway over!! My goal was to run the 7 miles in an hour, and I ran the total course in 75 minutes. Not too shabby I suppose. 7.5 miles in 1 hr 15 min. I think I can do better next time though! =)

Pre-run meal: 1/2 bagel with cream cheese and jelly, 3 wheat roll crackers with jam and butter, 1 cup of orange juice

Post-run meal/ lunch: 1 bowl of Swiss muesli and jam with skim milk, a lot of leftover mac 'n cheese pasta, 2 clementines

I love to fuel my body! See you all later!

Gluttony at its best

2009-11-26T20:45:00.004-05:00

Whew! Another Thanksgiving dinner has come and gone. All the food my mom and I prepared has been demolished, for the most part. Everyone ate loads and is happily watching a Korean TV program right now while I snuck away to write this blog entry hehehe =)

Our Thanksgiving meal was a combination of two cultures: Korean and American. My mom prepared yook gae jang soup, which is a spicy beef and vegetable soup. It's super yummy and stock full of vegetables ranging from green onions and bean sprouts to portobello mushrooms! I made the classic mac 'n cheese from scratch, using 2 types of cheese (cheddar and monterey jack). But it was little dry for my liking... too many noodles and not enough sauce! Next time, I'll perfect it~ Then, we obviously had a huge turkey roasting in the oven; we marinated it with olive oil and red pepper flakes. Koreans like their food spicy, what can I say :P Other side dishes we had were corn, cranberries, and salad. Overall, I would say that our Thanksgiving meal is healthier compared to other families'.

What y'all been waiting for... PICTURES!! P.S. Please excuse the poor quality of pictures; I left my camera at the apartment.

Thanksgiving dinner (BEFORE)

Thanksgiving dinner (AFTER)- we killed it.

My mac 'n cheese

And to mention what else I ate before this delicious Thanksgiving meal... For lunch, I had some of my mom's yook gae jang soup with dumplings and a side of pickled vegetables. YUM! I also had an apple as a mid-afternoon snack.

Hope your Thanksgiving was as foodie-licious as mine!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T12:01:00.006-05:00

Seriously, time flies by as you age. I cannot believe it's already the end of November and that this year is almost over. Can we please slow down time so I can enjoy life more!!!

This year, I am so thankful for many things:

*I am thankful for my lovely roomies who are patient with me and supportive of what I do.

*I am thankful for all my friends who accept me and continue to stay by my side.

*I am thankful for my parents, especially my mother who drives into the city and back every Sunday and Monday to take me home for my fieldwork at Englewood Hospital.

*I am thankful that I have an internship, a job, and a volunteer position that help me to comprehend more about my major and the real world, particularly since I'm almost out of college!

*I am thankful for DPD and GSNs as we work together to help KCCC at NYU to grow and become more God-centered.

*I am thankful for my cutie-wootie dog Hammie for always embracing me with a huge hug and kiss =)

*I am thankful for my blog readers who continue to check this site. Please continue to read and comment! I'd love to know what you think!

*I am MOST thankful to God for being the loving Father He is and continually reminding me how much I need Him.

There is so much to be thankful for when you start listing them out! Ahh, the spirit of Thanksgiving~ I love it. What are you thankful for?

On another note, today I planned a 6.2 mile run through 4 towns (Demarest, Closter, Haworth, Cresskill), but somehow while I was running, I ran a slightly different route and ended up running a 6.8 mile run!! Around miles 2 and 3, I got a little tired but I kept thinking, "God is waiting for me at the end, God is waiting for me at the end" and "Temporary pain for eternal gratification." Cheesy, but they work! These phrases helped to push me forward and continue running.

My pre-run meal: Cinnamon-raisin toast with crunchy peanut butter and banana slices, a cup of coffee, and a cup of orange juice

My post-run meal: Swiss muesli with skim milk and a dollop of strawberry preserves, string cheese

Mhmmm, can't wait for Thanksgiving dinner tonight! I'm excited to make my mac 'n cheese dish and probably dessert too... I haven't decided yet. My cousins and aunt are coming over; it's going to be a nice family reunion!! =)

I'll try to take pictures of the food and update y'all on dinner! See you later!!

It's the Gobble Gobble Season

2009-11-25T12:11:00.007-05:00

Gobble, gobble.

I bet so many turkeys get killed during this time. Thank you turkeys for all your delicious white and dark meat! You help make this holiday so freakin' yummy!!!

Yesterday was KCCC's annual Thanksgiving Banquet. And it was a total success! I think this was the first year where we actually didn't run out of food! We had so many leftovers that people could come and get seconds, thirds, fourths...!!! Talk about gluttony :P

We had turkey (props to Eric Cha, Yooie, Susan!!) and side dishes like stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, and green beans from Whole Foods. The plated food looked so pretty with its different colors that I wanted to take a picture so badly! Too bad I had no camera... so you'll just have to use your imagination.

Today I scheduled myself to go on a 5 mile run through Lower East Side and Chinatown. It went alright... but I probably won't ever run through Chinatown again. It wasn't my cup of tea: the narrow streets, the busy commercial shops, the smell of fried foods, and the sight of meat hanging were not so pleasant. Plus, I felt a little bit uneasy running in certain parts. Let's just say I have never entered that deep into Chinatown before!

My snack before my run: 4 Whole Wheat crackers from Trader Joe's with peanut butter and jelly. Mhmmm, nothing beats peanut butter~

My brunch after my run: 1/2 cup of Swiss Muesli with Almond Milk, an omelette with cumin, garlic, and red pepper flakes, and 2 slices of pork belly. Yes, pork belly! I have been using it as my version of bacon haha. Hey, whatever works right? They're both from the same animal...

Well, I do have a lot to do today before I go to work at 4. I am planning to finish reading my chapter on diabetes for my class Clinical Nutrition Assessment and Intervention. Hopefully I can continue to work on my personal statement after that.

See y'all later!

Andddd it's taking a toll on me

2009-11-23T23:36:00.001-05:00

My knees hurt :(

All this running is really killin' my knees. Any suggestions you recommend me doing? I'm all ears to listen!!! Especially with my 10K race coming up...

There's no place like home

2009-11-22T19:19:00.003-05:00

Another Sunday night, another weekend come and gone. I'm back in New Jersey again, in the comfort of my childhood home. And it is soooo nice to be here.

I know I complain a lot about how much time gets eaten up when I travel back and forth from Jersey, but I'm not going to lie, I love going home every weekend! I get so pampered by my parents... starting from getting picked up in the city (no need to hate!) to getting ridiculous amounts of good food prepared by my mom. Today's dinner was spicy kimchi spare ribs in kimchi jjigae with multigrain rice and typical sidedishes. YUM~ I lurveee Korean food. Can't live without it baby!

I'm glad it's going to Thanksgiving break now though. I just cannot WAIT for the semester to be over. I am not liking all this studying and reading I have to do at the moment! So much work to catch up on =( I just want to focus expanding this blog, cook delicious food, run in races, and spend more time on my hobbies. Sigh~ That's only in my dreams though. I want to do so much, but I am so limited.

I stopped by Trader Joe's before I went back home. I bought some teeny groceries for my meals this week, not that I have many meals to cover before I'm back home for break! I bought pumpkin butter and peanut butter for my oatmeal, as well as some Sweet 'n Savory trail mix! I love this trail mix from Trader Joe's because it totally satisfies my sweet tooth and salty needs. I'm one of those crazy people who like the sweet 'n salty combo!! The pumpkin butter I bought is interesting... I remember I bought it last year and I thought it'd be more like butter with pumpkin flavor, but it's actually very similar to jam. Not very buttery at all, but it's still oh-so-delicious, especially with toast. I'm excited to try it with oatmeal!

And finally~ it's officially 2 weeks before my 10K race! Eeks! I have to practice 1 run at Central Park before the actual race. I gotta get familiar with the route, naw what I'm sayin'? I'm excited to pick up my souvenirs and stuff next week hehehehe.

Today I ran 4.2 miles. It was a harder run than usual, maybe because I didn't sleep a lot the night before. Also, my sneakers have been feeling a bit tight on me. I think I didn't buy a big enough size for my poor toes. Oh well~ I must suffer because I just bought these sneakers! =(

FYI, if you read my blog, I'd love to hear back from you (ahem!). Leave me some lovE!!

Why I love Running

2009-11-20T13:09:00.011-05:00

Andddd I am back from my run!

This was the route that I ran:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3330989

I am so proud of myself! 6.5 miles? I wasn't even planning to run that much, but while I was running, I really felt good and knew I could push myself to run a little further. I can't believe I ran past the Grand Central Station and actually went all the way to PJ Clarkes, where I ate dinner with my roommates last night.

Can you believe that just a month ago or so, I could only run around 2 miles maximum? Now, I can run past 6 miles! This is a huge improvement and makes me feel so empowered. I think this achievement just shows how you really can do anything as long as you are determined and

believe in yourself.

But I have to take it even one step further than that! Many times, I think we believe in ourselves so much, that when we fail, we really go down this downward spiral of negativity. This is when we have to remember that it really is not about just believing in ourselves. It is about God and trusting that He has a wonderful plan for our lives. It is about knowing that God already accepts and loves us, whether we "succeed" or "fail" according to the world.

This is why I love to run. Running is like therapy to me. During the times I run, I seem to be able to speak to God more intimately and personally. He reminds me of His love for me. Not to sound cheesy, but He's my personal trainer and counselor hahaha.

So, to all my readers out there, don't forget that God loves you and He is the one who gives you strength! =)

(Picture 1 is at Grand Central Station; Picture 2 is taken right on 1st Ave, near the Trump World Tower and UN)

Shining

2009-11-20T10:48:00.000-05:00

Good Morning!
The sun is shining and bright... perfect day to run outside!

After a not-so-good week, especially the last couple of days, I am so glad it's Friday and extremely happy that I don't have classes until December! It is a most needed break for me... a good time to step back, think, and focus on what is necessary.

My week was horrible this week, with work just being bad and my concentration to study being limited. I was wondering why... and I just realized that I haven't been spending enough time with God. If anything, my mind was so focused on school and other things... God > all the things in this world. He knows what's best, so I don't know why I decided to not turn to Him.

Thank God that God is always still faithful and He is patiently waiting for us to turn back to Him. I am currently reading Deuteronomy, and it's so crazy to read about all the rules that the Israelites had to follow. There are so many specific rules that I wouldn't have guessed to be even mentioned. And then the punishment for breaking a lot of these rules is death.

Reading Deuteronomy makes me so thankful that God sent Jesus to die for our sins. Seriously, Jesus took away my punishment of death, hurrah!

Anyways, lots to pray about and think about during my run for this morning. I am attempting to run 5 miles and towards Grand Central Station. Wish me luck!!

Breakfast before run: 1 medium banana with peanut butter (yum~)

The Life of a Student

2009-11-18T23:08:00.003-05:00

I can't call myself a student if I don't spend SOME time in the library... Currently I'm at Bobst trying to study for a Clinical Nutrition quiz tomorrow. 'Cept, it's one of those days where you just can't seem to process through the materials. STILL, if I can run, then I can plow through this stupid stuff... Onward I go...!!!

Tomorrow's my rest day. But I want to run. I shouldn't though. I need my muscles to recuperate and repair. I haven't been eating enough protein though to help with the muscle repairment process. All I've been eating these days is carbs, carbs, carbs! So bad. I need to be more nutritiously balanced!

Currently playing:
Knock You Down- Keri Hilson (ft. Kanye West and Ne-Yo)

This one's for You

2009-11-17T23:38:00.003-05:00

This one's for You God.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3326757

My run planned for tomorrow morning =)

I can't seem to focus right now! Why?!

Sunrise, sunset

2009-11-17T06:25:00.002-05:00

It's 6:25 AM, and it's still dark outside. This makes me not want to run...

----------

It's currently 7:41 AM, and I got back from my run at 7:08 AM. 38 minutes for a 3.7 mile run? Not bad! At least I think so... haha. I ran across the city today between 14th and 23rd St, from 1st to 9th Ave. It's harder running across than up and down the city. I don't know why, but somehow the run feels longer. Still, it was beautiful running back towards 1st Ave today because I saw the sun rising, splashing its rays of red and pink across the sky in bits of layers between darkness. Ahh I wish I could have taken a picture!! As I was running, I couldn't help but smile in knowing that God was watching over me.

Eeks, I'm going to be late for morning prayer!

Mid-November already?

2009-11-15T21:20:00.003-05:00

The month of November seems to be flying! It's going by way too quickly. Can we stall time a bit please??? Next thing I know, it's going to be December with Christmas coming, not Thanksgiving!

This week is Monica's birthday so I'm super excited because it's just another reason to celebrate! I can't wait for her birthday dinner at PJ Clarke's and then her party on the weekend. It'll be a good way to relax after a busy busy week (as usual)!

I've been spending so much money this month so my groceries for this week were light. I just bought some steelcut oats to make yummy oatmeal, skim milk, organic baby carrots, cilantro and jalapeno hummus, and nonfat french vanilla yogurt. Yum! I still have some eggs and pork belly left over, and my mom got me some muesli, so I think I'll be fine in terms of food. I'll just have to eat lots of oatmeal and muesli, but that's fine with me. It'll make my meal at PJ Clarke all the more worth it =)

Running is a lifestyle for me now. It doesn't take much to get out the door and start running, but I do need to push myself a little harder so I can improve my speed! Ah!

Tomorrow's attempt run: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3322766
I'm excited!!!

Tryin' to be money efficient

2009-11-09T10:44:00.004-05:00

I'm currently at my fieldwork site (EHMC) right now in Jersey. I love being here, even though sometimes the work seems tedious and useless. In the end, I know I'm helping out Joanne (the chief clinical dietitian), so as long as I can be a help, that's alright with me.

So, this month, I've already spent a good portion of my budget money going out for meals. All these birthdays is making me spend lots of money! That's why for this week, I didn't even go grocery shopping really, and I decided to make use of the things I have at home.

My recipes for this week: fire-roasted peppers and onions quinoa and teriyaki grilled chicken. I also have some oatmeal left to make me some hot pipin' oatmeal breakfast! And eggs, how can I forget my delicious, brown, CAGE-FREE eggs. Note the emphasis on CAGE-FREE!!! Everyone should buy cage-free eggs because otherwise you're supporting these poor chickens that are cooped into tiny pens. Did you know that they are injected with tons of antibiotics so that they don't get sick from one another's poop and urine in those tiny pens? So inhumane... so stop supporting these kinds of animal-farm institutions!!

I went for a run this morning right before coming to EHMC, and I ran 3 miles! A 3-mile run got nothin' on me now! I am positive now that I can do a 5k. A 10k... I'm not too sure, but this upcoming 10k run will be good. It'll challenge me and test my endurance =)

a u t u m n

2009-11-07T18:34:00.005-05:00

I have huge, major updates since my last post. What have I been doing?

1. I've been officially training for the 10K run that I will be signing up to do this coming December!!! So I've been trying to run almost every day (with a rest day scheduled in) in the mornings, waking up as early as 6:15 AM. It's crazy, but definitely has been rewarding so far.

2. I've been busy with school, WORK (especially last week because of Halloween), and dietetic internship apps (that I have yet to start filling out!). I had a major midterm for one of my classes last Thursday (which I totally aced!) and a project also due that same day but by God's grace, it was pushed to this past Thursday!

3. I made some delicious stuff since my last post, including kimchi-pork belly pizza and banana chocolate-chip muffins!

4. It was my dad's birthday this past Tuesday, and he likes to run too, so I got him Aasics running sneakers =)

-P I C T U R E S -

10/22/09- Best late night meal snack= grilled cheese and tomato soup from Cafeteria on W. 17th and 7th Ave!

10/29 Sisters' Night- Brooklyn Bridge and Grimaldi's yummm

10/31/09 Halloween- I caught me some Hamburglersssss

11/5/09- Our delicious kimchi-pork belly pizza, all made from scratch!

11/7/09- Biking all over NYC, 15.7 miles!

I also went running this morning, covering a distance of 3.6 miles. I don't think I ever did so much physical activity like this in one day! I am pretty sure my body is going to be dead tomorrow...!!! But I love it. I love knowing that I can push my body to accomplish such crazy distances! That's why I love running. You can ALWAYS improve =)

call me a freaper.. but...

2009-10-23T00:33:00.005-04:00

I can't help but take snapshots of my friends!!! We are so tiredddddd and wanna sleeeeep.

***Btw, I just looked at Gmaps Pedometer again and I totally read it wrong. I only ran around 2.7 miles, NOT 5 miles. I'm retarded.... So just kidding, I only ran 2.7 miles... erf.

5.524 miles baby!!

2009-10-22T08:00:00.005-04:00

MY RUN

Whooooo!!! I feel badass because I just completed a 5.524 mile run baby! I looped around the Stuytown complex twice, and it didn't feel even that difficult for me. Bring it on, 5k run! I'm totally ready to kick this thing in the butt. Definitely the key for a good run for me is to have enough energy, which means I have to eat mad carbs at least 8 hours beforehand. Otherwise, it's a no-go. I still definitely struggle with how much I have to eat and the diet I should have for my body, but at least I get to experiment. I know for sure though that when I eat less throughout the days (aka small meals), then I tend to binge-eat later at night. So no more small portions, but I'll try to find that right meal size for my body.

Time for my classes, eek!

Why customers need to learn some manners

2009-10-22T02:29:00.007-04:00

Like my angry face?? %$%#$!@#@#!!

This entry's dedicated to all those customers at work who decided that the store is their personal closet and that it's okay to just throw all the clothes around and not put them back in the right places or even on the hangers. I'd totally just shout out a million censored phrases right now, but I'm wayyyy too polite and nice to do such a thing... riight.

Geez though, seriously, work today sucked because of three reasons: we're really understaffed, it's the week before halloween (aka everyone is searching for costumes), and customers decided to be really rude with all the clothes they touched! It's like there's no such thing as common courtesy anymore!!! Things were all over the place. At one point, I had to take over fitting room because the girl who was there went off on break, and at that moment, stock decides to bombard us with all these clothes. And I had to do all this myself. Because there was no one else on the floor besides the cashier. Me plus a gazillion clothes... and five more hours before my shift was done. Talk about a whammer.

My shift ended nicely though because Monica and Hannah surprised me with a visit at the store! Yup, my roommates are way better than yours. They visited ME at WORK. I was so shocked, and the whole store definitely knew because I yelled out, "Oh my God" as soon as I realized it was them. Way for me to be subtle... It was unfortunate though because I was busy edging, so I couldn't talk to them much.

So my workout for today, I just went for a run twice around the inner parts of Stuytown, but tomorrow morning, I believe I'll try running the perimeter of the whole neighborhood. I mapped it out on gmaps ped, and it says it's around 2.6 miles. Perfect for my 5K training! I can't wait to sign up and run in the race!!! Future goal... half marathon. But it sounds way too daunting right now.

This one's dedicated to the big G

2009-10-21T00:33:00.005-04:00

Huge, huge change in attitude from yesterday. Yesterday, I was all like, "I hate life, everything is overwhelming me" but today, I felt kickass. And really blessed. God is seriously like da man. I really really started this day off in prayer, and needless to say, it helped. A lot. Made me wonder why I don't dedicate my days to Him more. Silly me.

Got some homework done, before I headed off to work, but yeah, first off, I ain't the new girl at work anymore!! We got two more hirees, so now I'm like, legit, naw what I'm sayin'? No more fitting room duty, I can be a floater baby. Joyce (the assistant manager) also asked me to train Steph, the new girl, a little, ha! Empowerment, people, empowerment. That is totally the key to making you feel all important, when it's not that big of a deal. Steph's pretty chill; she's from Australia and speaks with an accent so obviously that boosts her cool factor up by a gazillion points. I find myself responding back in an accent frequently, so I have to catch myself...

I had my yummy fire-roasted peppers and onions, chicken quinoa today for lunch. Delicious! I didn't post the recipe last time, so here it is:

My kickass quinoa

1. Pour a cup of quinoa into a pot with 2 cups of water. Wait for water to boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover.

2. In another pot, boil water for the chicken breasts. Once water is boiling, drop those babies in.

3. Prepare all vegetables (you can substitute for any). Cut, slice, do what you gotta do to get those veggies ready! Steam them.

4. Once chicken is ready, cool and shred into bite-size pieces.

5. Combine veggies with the cooked quinoa (you know it's done if you can see the clear bran outline). Add chicken.

6. Add couple of dashes of basil and cumin.

7. Add a splash of vinegar and olive oil.

8. Add 2 spoonfuls of ketchup and mustard each.

9. Mix and enjoy!

It's seriously the bomb diggity. And it keeps you full, I swear, because it has your grain, protein, and veggies for fiber.

Anyways, I got good news today... My professor who I thought left the school replied back to his email address and agreed to write a good recommendation for me!! Yay!!! I just got to get all my junk ready for him... That's the hard part now. Thank you God though, because that was one of my overwhelming problems.

Let me just cry myself a river...

2009-10-19T21:04:00.008-04:00

To explain my pathetic title... I hate those days when you feel like you're not in control of anything. Everything is just overwhelming me right now. Literally. Just with school, work, internship. I have so much on my plate, and I can't think properly or manage things well. I think this is when God really reminds me again that I am not in control of my life. Darn it! Why you gotta be humbling me God?

So, I'm trying to regain some sense of organization in my life... And I know I'm being organized, but I still feel so messy in terms of how I handle things. Ahhh, life, 1, HM, 0. KO.

Plus, I went out for a run today, but today is definitely just a no-good day for me. The kind of day when life just kicks you in the butt. I probably ran less than a mile, but it was still a killer. I was so tired and didn't want to push myself. Yesterday I ran, and I was like, "Fresh air! Birds! The smell of fall! I love it!" Today, I was like, "Ugh, it's cold. Ugh, my knee hurts. Ugh, those damn birds." Talk about a total attitude change lol.

Okay, besides all this self-pitying though, I have to say, these are the days I really understand the meaning of dependence on the Lord. Kinda. A little bit. I mean... God has to humble me somehow right????

Cooking for the week

2009-10-18T19:06:00.002-04:00

I'm back home in Jersey again, as I always am on Sunday nights. Since last week, I started to make my meals ahead of time, so that during the week, I wouldn't have to worry about food at all. It worked out so well last week, that this week I'm doing it again. My recipes for this week? Hot steel-cut oatmeal for the harsh cold days and fire-roasted peppers, onions, and chicken quinoa. Can you say "mhmmmmmmm"?

So I've been having some self-revolutions for the past two years, learning more about myself and trying to understand myself better. I know, some of you guys might be thinking, "Shouldn't you have figured that out already? Being 21 and all?" Hell no! Don't be a-judgin' but the city is rough and just rips your soul apart. Okay, I definitely exaggerated, but living in the city has definitely worn down my spirit, soul, and identity, so I am slowly building myself up again, and in Christ of course. Duh.

I am quite unmotivated, unless I have specific goals in my life. When I have things that I want to accomplish, then I will put my heart into them. I can't just be happy, just living by the moment style. Maybe temporarily, but in the long run, I feel lazy, unproductive, and useless.

That's why... (drumroll please), I am signing up for a 5K RUN!!! Okay, 5K isn't much, but seriously, it's something I can train for, and I'm doing it not only to discipline my body but my mind as well. I also don't like the fat accumulation on my body, so training will help me to lose some fat too! Then, I want to try running a 10K and eventually a half-marathon. Eeks! The idea of a half-marathon right now is a bit daunting and disgusting. Thank God I have awhile to go heeheehee.

I'll keep you posted on my training. Today I ran 2 miles though. And it was a quite satisfactory run: not too rough, not too long... justtttt right.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

2009-10-17T22:52:00.009-04:00

After a long day at our annual Sports Day, I finally came home to chow on some food and BAKE with the roomies. We decided to make oatmeal cookies, because we lurveeee the texture of oats in cookies. I wanted to bake the oatmeal cookies I made before last year, but I couldn't find the recipe. What a shame, because let me tell you, they were D-E-LICIOUS!!

This is the recipe for the chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, adapted from blogger Baking Bite's oatmeal cookie recipe.

Ingredients:
-1 cup whole wheat flour

-2 cups instant oatmeal
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 tbsp butter, room temperature
-1/2 cup white sugar
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1 large egg
-1 egg white
-2/3 cup vanilla yogurt
-1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking poweder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars.
4. Beat in the egg and egg white, followed by the yogurt and vanilla extract.
5. Stir in the flour mixture and the oats so that no streaks of flour remain.
6. Stir in the chocolate chips.
7. Drop batches onto the baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on the level of crispiness).

Check out these babies!!

My roomie Hannah suggested that next time, we should try this recipe with less flour (1/2 cup less) so that the texture of oatmeal would be more apparent, and I couldn't agree more. The cookies are quite yummy and chewy, but adding less flour would probably make them less "bread-like."

Cafe Orlin

2009-10-16T14:19:00.004-04:00

So my favorite meal of the day is breakfast/ brunch. Nothing beats eating after a good night sleep!! Not that I slept very long... I did come back home from watching Where the Wild Things Are around 2:30 AM. Still, waking up early is usually no biggie for me. I know, I've been so graciously blessed by God- to be given the talent to wake up and go to sleep easily hehehe.

Today I had a brunch date with the lovely Grace Han at Cafe Orlin, located on St. Marks Pl, between 1st and 2nd Ave. I was super duper excited because first of all, I haven't eaten out in the longest time (I've been so good eating at home or brownbagging it!) and secondly, it's BRUNCH, only my favorite meal of the day!!!

Because I was so excited for this brunch date (and plus so hungry last night after I came back from the movies), I had already studied the menu and figured out what I was going to get. Sigh, the power that food has over me...

Anyways, back to BRUNCH at CAFE ORLIN. Cafe Orlin is this cute restaurant that I always walked by whenever I went to campus. I always saw a lot of people in there, so naturally, being the follower that I am, it piqued my interest. A lot of people? It must be good. The reviews on menupages were quite good for Cafe Orlin too, which only made me want to try its food even more. So when Grace and I decided to get brunch, I obviously suggested this place!

I got the salmon omelette with dill, cucumber, onion, and cream cheese. Grace ordered the fontina cheese omelette with tomato and spinach. And all omelette dishes came with homefries, rye toast, and salad. Talk about a hearty meal :P

My delicious omelette!!

My salmon omelette was exactly what I wanted to eat. It really tastes like lox: yummy, scrumptious, delicious, creamy lox! Mhmm, writing about it is just making me want it all over again. The only complaint I would have is that there definitely was not enough filling within the omelette. Towards the edges, it was only egg. The homefries, rye toast, and salad added a nice accompaniment to the meal. The portion size of the omelette wasn't ridiculous, but just perfect.

I think you have to be careful about what you order though, because Grace's omelette was good, but in my opinion, I would want something with more flavor. Maybe the cheese should have been stronger to make the omelette stand out more. All I know is, my dish was good, and I definitely am coming back!

MIA? NOPE

2009-10-15T00:11:00.002-04:00

Noo... I am not MIA. I haven't updated because I haven't made anything since I made those 2 yummy meals for the week! I've been really good this year in terms of going out to eat too; I haven't done much of that. So unfortunately, there is less to discuss on this food blog. But have no fear! Next update will be about a food review! Hurray! :D

Quick meals for the week

2009-10-12T14:50:00.005-04:00

Okay, I love to cook/ bake, but I often fall into the following categories: a. I get lazy; b. I get too tired to cook; or c. all of the above.

SO- in order to make this whole blog thing work, I decided to make my meals for the week all at once. Yup, that's right. In bulk. I'm genius, I know.

I made two staple dishes that would hopefully last me until Saturday, along with some other staples like yogurt and granola bars.

My first recipe is... tuna veggie tabbouleh. Alright, so the name doesn't make the dish sound so appetizing, but I swear it's a yummy and nutritious dish. Why? Tabbouleh is a popular Middle Eastern dish, whose ingredients include chopped parsley, bulgur, mint, tomato, onion, and other herbs. The bulgur in the dish adds a nutty flavor, and it is more nutritious than other grains like rice or couscous because it has more fiber and a lower glycemic index (how quickly glucose enters your bloodstream). I added tuna and lots of vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, baby corn, carrots, and snow peas) into my version of tabbouleh to boost up the fiber and protein content even more. Talk about being healthy!

For my second dish, I kept it relatively simple. I made chicken and cabbage stirfry. This is really easy to make. Super duper simple. It's just chicken and cabbage stirfried in soysauce and cumin. I added cumin to kick up the flavor a bit more. I got my protein and simple carbs and fiber in this dish. Yum, yum, yum!

Now I'm all set for meals this week. I'm happy!

Back from my hiatus

2009-10-11T19:06:00.002-04:00

This is it. I'm back. No more breaks, no more huge gaps in between entries. I'm going to be consistent and steady.

I took a mini-break because I just got lazy. I didn't want to upload pictures, write, or experiment with baking and/or cooking. Especially because I gained some weight, so I wanted to lose that first. But if I wait to be "perfectly" satisfied with my body, then I think I'll never be back.

So I'm back and ready to rumble.

I didn't make anything today. But I will. Don't you worry.

See you tomorrow.

all about cheese and bread baby!

2009-08-12T20:57:00.008-04:00

This entry is dedicated to one of my good friends, JUICE aka Dumber. Hollatcha son!

Okay, so I came back almost two weeks ago from a very beautiful city: Zurich, Switzerland! It was my first time in Europe, so the trip was such an eye-opener.

I loved everything about Switzerland. I loved the atmosphere, the culture, the food, the people. I loved the lifestyles they lead, so free and laidback. I loved how active they are. And I loved seeing God's beauty in the environment. Blue skies and vibrant green everywhere! Sparkling clean water!

Sigh, I really miss the country. Anyways, the FOOD.... oh my goodness, the food was AMAZING. It was so so fresh and natural. As a student studying nutrition, I must say that the Swiss people are very healthy, for the most part, because they eat food that is fresh and unadulterated, and they are very active.

My favorite food in Switzerland actually was the cheapest things ever! I loved the brie cheese and freshly baked artisinal bread. Give me those two and a glass of milk, and I'll be a happy duck. A wedge of brie cheese is around $2 whereas in the States, it's $6! And a loaf of bread is around $3. I think I'd survive fine in Switzerland, despite it being known as a relatively expensive place to live.

Even though these two products were cheap, the quality was awesome. The brie cheese was so creamy and buttery that it spread so smoothly on the bread! And I mean, freshly baked bread? Anyone knows that warm, rustic bread is the best. Also, the milk was by far the creamiest one I've drunk in my life. So creamy that two glasses would make my tummy feel funny... (and I'm normally not lactose intolerant).

Dairy is actually really big in Switzerland. The Swiss people love their chocolate and cheese! Our team got to try two famous Swiss dishes while we were there: cheese fondue and raclette. Cheese fondue is like chocolate fondue, except instead of dipping fruits into a pot of melted chocolate, you dip potatoes and bread into a pot of melted cheese. It's very yummy and heavy for the stomach because of all that cheese. Raclette is similar, except you use a special Raclette machine (almost like a portable broiler) to melt a thick slice of raclette cheese and then you scrape it over potatoes and meat. This dish is extremely satisfying.

--PICTURES--

View of Old Zurich at night.

Bratwurst is a very popular meat here (another common Swiss meal).

Different types of CHEESES we tried in Locarno, a city very close to Italy.

Different meats.

Enjoying a nice picnic by the lake. Cheese, bread, bratwurst, grilled veggies... talk about heaven!

Tea and coffee are common to have after a meal. Yummy!

Swiss people love sunflowers and so do I!

I don't have my pictures of the cheese fondue and raclette on my mac yet, but as soon as I do, I'll update!

kmart flashlights to chinatown dim sum & i<3ny t-shirts

2009-07-03T19:15:00.004-04:00

Look! Two updates in a row! I'm doing pretty well, considering I'll be mia for the next three weeks (I'll be in Switzerland). Of course, once I get back, I'll do a massive, HUGE update all about Zurich, but maybe this is just my big mouth talking and I'll never come around to actually write the entry. No, I'll do it. I promise.

So once again I find myself in the city today. Commuting to the city is so tiring, and now I realize that I probably would have never survived commuting back and forth to NYU from Jersey. So I'm glad I didn't follow through with my thoughts about commuting. I would've died. Literally.

I came into the city today to go shopping with my missions team; we needed to buy gifts and flashlights. We met in front of the Union Square Whole Foods, where I bought an iced coffee-tea. Weird right? An iced coffee blended with tea? Anyways, it tasted alright, nothing too special about it. The description for it sounded a lot more appetizing. Once everyone got to Whole Foods, we bought some flashlights at Kmart and then proceeded to walk to Chinatown to get some dimsum and gifts! I was really happy and surprised because no one seemed to mind that we were walking to Chinatown. Whew. If they were my school friends, we definitely would've ended up taking the subway. Which is lame.

Dimsum in Chinatown was good, but we couldn't get a lot of dishes because we came towards the end. Still, we got plates of mantou (steamed white bun) with sweet egg paste, beef chow mein, shrimp chow fun dumplings, and beef chow fun dumplings. Everything was quite yummy and reminded me of Beijing. I miss China... but I can't wait for Switzerland!! My favorite dish out of those four was the mantou. Then again, no surprise there since I love bread and mantou especially is so yummy because it's steamed and the interior is fluffy! Fluffy bread! YUM :-)

After dimsum, we stopped by the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. FINALLY, I got to see this place. I've always wanted to go, but never found it. It's a lot smaller than I thought. I thought it'd be like... a factory. I was being silly I guess :-(

The ice cream factory has a lot of interesting flavors, but Eve and I ended up sharing the taro and coconut. YUMMY!! I LOOVE ice cream, and it was perfect because I was craving it.

I will post pictures up as soon as I upload them. I only want to post this entry because I'm greedy and want to seem like I'm consistent in my post entries lol.

I ate enough chicken to feed the 500

2009-07-02T21:20:00.005-04:00

There is always something about me and food. Always a new adventure, a new happening in which I'm not sure exactly how the meal will play out. It's totally a "Man vs. Food" thing. Will food win this round or MAN?

My mum makes really yummy dishes with chicken. Last night she made chicken marinated in kochujang (korean red chili paste). I couldn't wait to try it! So naturally when I woke up (around 11:30 am), I decided to have some of my mum's chicken for lunch. That was a good meal- chicken, rice, clam miyukgook (seaweed soup), and dried squid for banchan. I'd show you a picture of the delish meal, but of course, I ate it before taking a pic!

I spent the afternoon with one of my oldest friends Monica; we went shopping at the mall and then visited her mom's nail salon to get our nails done. Bright orange finger nails! Orange-red toe nails! Oh the excitement!!

I don't get home 'til seven though, and by this point, I'm hungry, but surprisingly not famished, even though my last meal had been noon. I guess I don't know how to read my own body's hunger cues yet because I must've been a LOT hungrier than I thought.

I downed another normal portion of chicken teriyaki, rice, miyukgook, and dried squid. That should've been good enough, BUT my mom must have planned the death of me because she decided to FRY some chicken. How can I resist FRIED CHICKEN?! So I totally devour another complete meal of fried chicken. Sigh.

I'm full, I'm good, but something... something... is missing. Dessert! My body wants something sweet! This, I blame my ex-roomies. I used to never want sweets! NEVER! Now I seem to crave sweet things a lot. So I end up eating the rest of my double chocolate cookie crisps that I originally made for my parents. Go me -__-

Food has won the battle for today.

Double chocolate cookie crisps

2009-07-01T13:18:00.005-04:00

I know it's been awhile. Alright, a long while. I've been so caught up with life-- school, internship, team meetings for my summer mission trip!!! I haven't been able to bake or cook in such a long time, so of course I couldn't update my food blog.

But now I'm back... right before I leave on a month-long mission trip to Switzerland. I know, perfect timing as usual. Oh well, what can I do. This is how I work, and y'all are just going to have to deal!

So last week (or was it two weeks ago?), I was really craving something chocolatey and yummy. Naturally, I decided to bake using the materials I got in my kitchen! The result: melted Three Musketeer bars, cocoa powder chocolatey goodness! Yum, yum, yum.

This picture doesn't do my cookies justice! I should've plated them, but you know me, I just didn't want to spare a clean dish just to take pictures. So there you go, my double chocolate cookie crisps pictured on aluminum foil :-)

-Ingredients-

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup of melted butter

1 egg white

Three musketeer bars, melted (however many you want to use; I used six)

-Directions-

1. Cream together the melted butter and sugars. This incorporates air into the butter and adds an airy factor to the cookies.

2. Add in the egg white and mix.

3. In another bowl, mix together the flour and cocoa powder.

4. Slowly add the flour mixture into the melted butter and sugars, in 3 batches.

5. Fold in the melted Three Musketeer bars.

6. Make small cookie balls and place on a baking pan sprayed with oil (to prevent them from sticking).

7. Place in a preheated oven of 350 F. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Enjoy!

Cheerio!

2009-06-07T00:07:00.003-04:00

I always reflect on a movie after I watch it. For instance, yesterday I watched "Away We Go" with Grace, and in conclusion, I have decided that I need a guy who is understanding to my needs and has a giving heart. And I have furthermore concluded that he is going to be John Krasinski. Just kidding! Hahaha.

I borrowed "Happy-Go-Lucky" a couple days ago, and just got around to watching it today. Now, this is a movie that definitely is making me think. It's making me think about my own attitude towards life, how I act with my friends, and what makes me ultimately happy. Watching the way Poppy lives her life definitely is aspiring to me; it makes me want to bring cheeriness to others! I might sound silly, but ey, I hate it when I get so serious and I feel like New York tends to do that to me now and then. It's only when I stay around my childhood friends I get more silly. Now why can't I do that with everyone? It's funny how that changes, doesn't it?

I shouldn't sound so bored all the time. And so indifferent. Geez, I care so much about what people think, or rather, I care so much about how people will feel. I'm human too, I'm an individual too, and I need to definitely also think about myself, no?

And I say, I like spending time with anyone. So please, let's all just drink and be merry!

유자차 muffins!!!!

2009-06-02T03:01:00.001-04:00

1 1/2 c whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 c butter

1/2 c brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 tbs 유주차

2009-05-30T00:52:00.003-04:00

I've taken a break on updating recipes, but I still update my life on tumblr. So check out hmkim.tumblr.com if you want to know what's going around in my life!

2009-05-23T18:48:00.003-04:00

This one's for the people out there who visit my site occasionally-

Dear Friend,

Thank you so much for stopping by. I get ESPECIALLY giddy when you tell me that you checked out my site and was sad that I was MIA from it for quite awhile. That makes me realize that people DO come by and ARE curious about what I do.

I've been busy... not being contemplative and not experimenting with food. I guess you could say I've been doing a whole lot of eating rather than cooking or baking. (Hence, a whole lot more of exercising too...). With summer starting now, I should be a more frequent writer on my own food blog, but knowing myself, I may be super lazy too. Keep telling me that you check out my site and that I suck for not updating, and I will be pressured to write in it!!

You rock.

Yours always,

Hyemyung

2009-05-02T09:19:00.003-04:00

I've decided for the most part to start up a database of my recipes. That way it'll be easier for me to pull them up to use again, or to improve them. And then who knows? Maybe one day I'll be famous just like all these other Food Network stars =P

Culinary school definitely seems intriguing to me right now....

What do you think? After I graduate, I do one year of internship, take my RD exam, and then work for a couple years.... Apply to culinary school?

We'll see.

2009-04-27T22:59:00.004-04:00

Okay, I know- I've neglected this blog horribly. So many things have been happening that I couldn't update as frequently.

But I do have the pictures of my peanut butter and jelly cookies!

And recently, I also made some oatmeal cookies with 유자차, this Korean citrus marmalade-like substance you put in your tea. Came out quite yummy actually!! :)

TIME FOR PICTURES-

Peanut butter cookies with a strawberry jam center! A delectable treat for all you peanut butter and jelly fans.

These are my 유자차 oatmeal cookies. You can't really tell in the picture, but they were pretty good. You need to really like the crunchy texture to enjoy these =)

And here are some pictures of what I've been doing-

Visiting Jen in Atlanta

Uppersssssss take flag football win

Senior banquet

Febulous as always

Jihan/Paul's bday

2009-04-12T14:57:00.003-04:00

Tres desolee for the lack of update. I've been busy with school and work and friends. I still need to upload pictures of my peanut buttah and jelleee cookies but that entry will come, I promise.

I find photography to be such a fascinating art. Food photography is especially beautiful when properly done. Ahh, to see every detail and color and setting of the food. =)

Look at the gorgeous color contrast of these cupcakes. The orange sticks out so much against the white. The presentation is so pretty!!!

I've never seen bibimbap look this good.

Presentation is key to make food appetizing.

--Pictures from aromasysbores-heidileon and Epicurious--

Stay tuned for my update on peanut butter and jelly cookies!!!

2009-04-05T04:48:00.000-04:00

An Ode to Rice Cakes

2009-04-01T16:46:00.004-04:00

Yummy, glutinous, sticky rice cakes.

How I love thee.

Always chewy and soft,

Never failing to please my taste buds.

How do I make thee?

Teach me thy ways...

So that I will be happy forevermore.

baking frenzy

2009-03-01T22:28:00.006-05:00

I've been baking a lot these days,
maybe a new hobby?

Today I baked raisin scones for my mom. She's been obsessed with those Panera blueberry scones, but I know those are chock-full of butter and sugar.

So I decided to make her my own version: healthier and better!

They were so.... so... SO

moist,
buttery, and
rich in flavor!!!

Next project: peanut butter and jelly muffins or avocado muffins?????

What will inspire me to BAKE!

Fusion

2009-03-01T00:03:00.003-05:00

I find fusion food to be so fascinating. I have been thinking for awhile that Korean food mixed into American would do quite well... the not so familiar with familiar.

Too bad someone did it first =( I will bring it to the East Coast soon enough....
but for now, check this link out: http://kogibbq.com/

I want to make a Korean-style "white manna" and "baoguette" on the east coast.
WE'LL SEE.

Thursdays are always baking nights

2009-02-27T11:54:00.006-05:00

This week on the menu: choco-pb chip, banana-oatmeal muffins!!! =)

Recipe-

1 3/4 cups oatmeal

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp of baking soda

1 tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp of salt

2 eggs

1 cup of skim milk (or whatever kind you want to use)

1 cup of canola or vegetable oil

3/4 cup of brown sugar

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

large heaping of chocolate and reese's peanut butter chips

1 mashed banana

1. Put together the dry ingredients (the first five) in a large bowl and blend together.

2. Put together the wet ingredients (eggs, milk, oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract) in a separate bowl. Whisk until ingredients blend together.

3. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Whisk until everything is blended together.

4. Fold into the batter the chocolate and reese's peanut butter chips.

5. Fold in the mashed banana last.

6. Bake for 23-25 minutes at 375 degree F.

Oh yeah, I forgot to add:

These muffins are healthy (whole wheat baby!) and low in fat (only 1 cup of oil and no butter!). The crumb is moist, nutty, and flavorful. It's a definite must =)

Tofu disaster

2009-02-20T08:47:00.005-05:00

So I bought these noodles the other day... They were tofu noodles, and I thought I'd give them a go.

Huge mistake. HUGE HUGE mistake. I decided to make my stir-fried kimchi spaghetti with them, and the dish was an utter disaster. I literally made crap.

I can normally eat anything. I like to cook for other people, but not really for myself. So I skimp out a lot when I cook for just me, and I usually just eat the blandest, plainest foods ever. But this dish was one thing I really could not force myself to eat. The noodles' texture was really smooth, but once you chew them, they have a rubbery consistency. It's really gross.

DON'T BUY THEM! THEY ARE NOT WORTH IT, even if they're labled as only having 40 calories per bag.

Thursday night at 7D...

2009-02-20T01:22:00.004-05:00

Today was a total baking day. I baked dark chocolate frosted peanut butter cupcakes, cinnamon-honey oatmeal cookies, and helped bake biscuits all from SCRATCH! Homemade goodies baby =)

Say hello to peanut butter deliciousness =)

....eeeyeahhh, my oatmeal cookies kinda expanded and joined to become one HUGE cookie...

Our prebaked biscuit babies.... sooo byoootiful =)

THIS MAKES ME WANT TO BARF.

2009-02-18T02:10:00.003-05:00

2009-02-11T10:27:00.003-05:00

I love tastespotting- whoever created it is pure genius!

Valentine Day Smores, cute... TOO CUTESY!

What should I make for Valentines....Hmmm....

restaurant or psychiatric ward?

2009-02-02T14:18:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, Grace, Monica, and I found ourselves on our way to Aquavit, a Scandinavian restaurant located on E. 55th St, for lunch.

The first thing that came to mind when we entered the restaurant was that the architectural style of the furniture was very sleek and minimalistic. Grace and Monica thought of a higher end version of an Ikea home display. Secondly, our hostess and waiter both were rather eccentric in their behaviors. They didn't help make us feel welcome, but instead gave off an impression that we were getting checked into a pychiatric ward. It also didn't help that the setting of the restaurant was very quiet and still. I almost felt like I had to whisper in order to not disrupt the stuffy silence.

We all got the prefixe restaurant week lunch special comprised of 3 courses. Being a chilly day, we opted for the butternut squash soup and hot-smoked salmon. For dessert, Monica got the chocolate custard cake with caramelized banana and cashew ice cream; Grace and I got the artic circle, a goat-cheese parfait with passionfruit curd and black currant sorbet.

The butternut squash soup was perfect to warm our bodies up from the cold wind that day. The soup was garnished with cardamom seeds and marshmallows, which simulated the feeling of drinking hot cocoa. Creamy yet not too thick, the soup had a salty tang to it that accentuated the flavor of the butternut squash. We were all satisfied.

The hot-smoked salmon came next. It came with beets, potatoes, and orange-mustard sauce. Cooked raw-medium, the salmon was soft, flaky, and flavorful. With every bite I took, I could taste the smokiness of the juicy flesh. The fish complemented well with the mustard sauce and potatoes.

Finally, it's dessert time! I wasn't sure what to expect with goat-cheese parfait, but I wanted to try it because it sounded interesting. I thought the texture would be similar to a yogurt parfait, so I was surprised when I saw a cone-shaped block come on the plate. The goat-cheese parfait was garnished with a thin wafer crisp with a dollop of black currant sorbet on it. The dessert overall was light and refreshing and ended the meal well. The goat-cheese parfait had a texture similar to ice cream and went extremley well with the passionfruit curd, while the black currant sorbet helped to refresh my palate.

Overall, the meal at Aquavit was very good in taste, but I feel like any good restaurant can make the butternut squash soup and salmon. The dessert is the only thing that makes a visit to Aquavit worthwhile. Other than that, there is nothing extraordinary about the restaurant and the environment will definitely not be missed!

dreams

2009-01-29T04:39:00.004-05:00

I've been having crazy, crazy dreams these days. I never had so many consecutively that I could remember vividly. Even now, I just dozed off: in my dream, I had my knees up with my mac propped on them, and then all of a sudden, I slipped on the top step of the stairs and fell. The funny thing is I actually jerked like it actually happened. What is going on in my mind? Such real-life dreams... is my mind trying to say something to me?

2009-01-19T00:19:00.001-05:00

one word.

RESTAURANT WEEK

Uhhhhhhhh....

2009-01-14T23:22:00.002-05:00

I was bored.

A la carb

2009-01-14T02:04:00.004-05:00

I'm obsessed with the whole grain bread from Panera.

Nutty, crunchy, flavorful. Enough said.

Oh, and Vision? It was unexpectedly, amazingly, a blessing time, and freaking awesome to serve as soonjang. God works in such funky ways, but I'm slowly learning, slowly learning :)

my small group- what an awesome group of girls!<3

pollyanna

2009-01-04T01:15:00.008-05:00

Did you ever watch the movie "Pollyanna"?

WATCH IT.

It's been a childhood movie of mine, but it's so so good in terms of optimism and personal attitude. Pollyanna is like, the queen of positivity.

Anyways, she is always glad about something, so this year, I'm going to always say something that I'm glad about, so that my heart may become more and more thankful for the things God gives me.

Today, I am so so glad that I went to soonjang training because God opened my eyes a leeetle more through Young Chae GSN's lil' pep talk. I am also VERY glad that I went to the training because I got to eat pizza! And I was really really craving pizza. Also, I'm glad that I got to help out at the office, however minute my help might have been. And I'm glad that I went to Eddie's place because I got to not only see a suhweet apartment but also got to eat Papa John's pizza AND wings!

I welcome you

2009-01-02T02:58:00.004-05:00

Another year has come and gone, and another new year has begun.

This is my blog, and I'm not gonna pretend or hide any of myself in anyway. When I feel elated, you'll know it; when I'm utterly depressed, you'll know it. Still, even through my ups and downs on this so-called roller coaster of life, I have got my God on my side. I may not realize this at times, and I might sound like a fool, but I'm only momentarily hopeless.

With that said, I just finished watching Sense and Sensibility, and Marianne reminds me a little of myself: impulsive with little thought to the consequences of her actions or words. Hmm... I feel like I think too much, yet too little at the same time. I am seriously just a walking contradiction as a person. Oy. I still need some sense knocked into me.

A new year usually brings about resolutions, but I have never been good at keeping those. I have so many desires and wishes, but I lack the impetus to make them happen. This makes me really wonder if I have truly grown as a person- not in terms of spirituality because I have no doubt that God definitely has been blessing me so much- but in terms of humanity. I feel as if I am still innately the same lazy, selfish person. Every day, my indolence starts to disgust me more, but I can't help it. I choose comfort over... I don't know what the latter would be.

So maybe this year, I shall resolve to be a more active person in all parts of my life. I look forward to where God leads me this year.

A place full of Temptations

2008-12-28T16:45:00.003-05:00

Saturday night, I met up with some of my close friends and other high school kiddos, and we went to Temptations Cafe for dinner. Located in a cute little town called Nyack, NY, Temptations Cafe is the typical American cafe for local residents that one tends to find in small towns. It's quaintly decorated with all American classic decorations like the small coffee shop tables, dim lights, and Candy Land board games, tea boxes, and a whole array of candies displayed along a bookcase.

Though the cafe is known more for desserts, I opted for a meal, choosing the "American in Paris" sandwich, which comprised of smoked turkey, melted brie, and sliced granny smith apples on French bread. It came with a side of hand-cut sweet potato fries. The meal was simple, yet satisfying. The apple and brie combo is always a fave of mine, hitting the note of sweet and savory. The French bread was a surprise because it was shaped like a hero, but the texture of the bread was satisfactory- chewy and soft on the inside. I really liked the huge sliced sweet potato fries as well. They were baked, not fried, and the cooking method really brought out the original taste of the sweet potato. Yum, yum, yum.

I definitely suggest people to check out Temptations Cafe if they're ever around the Nyack area. =)

Temptations Cafe

80 1/2 Main St.

Nyack, NY 10960

it's the most wonderful time of the year

2008-12-25T01:53:00.003-05:00

so it's funny how things turn out...

anyways,

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

let us not forget what this day really means though :)

stir-fried veggies plus bulgogi

2008-12-24T17:23:00.005-05:00

i think Asian dishes are the easiest to make. it's seriously just a pot of whatever you want. yesterday i was craving lots of veggies with something satiating, so my mom and i made this stir-fried bulgogi and veggie dish. it was super easy, super simple, and super delicious (and healthy!).

ingredients:

-cabbage

-squash

-scallions

-bean sprouts

-onions

-bulgogi (lean beef marinated Korean-style)

-olive oil

-soysauce

-rice vinegar

-salt

there aren't even measurements to make this recipe because it's honestly about your own taste preference and how much of each ingredient you want. my mom and i put A LOT of cabbage into this dish because stir-fried cabbage is the best, but you can switch accordingly.

basically, what you have to do is cut up all your veggies while you are stir-frying the bulgogi in olive oil in this huge pot. when you cut all your veggies and the bulgogi is cooked, move the bulgogi out of the pot and into another bowl. next, put all your cut veggies minus the bean sprouts into the same pot in which you stir-fried the bulgogi. stir-fry the veggies in olive oil as well. stir-fry the veggies for a good 5 to 8 minutes, until the veggies seem slightly wilted. then, add in the bean sprouts and stir-fry for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, and afterwards, add in the bulgogi and soysauce and rice vinegar. Put in a pinch or two of salt, stir-fry for a little longer, maybe 2 minutes, and ta-da, your dish is finito~ A complete, savory dish with all your veggies and protein. Eat this dish with a bowl of rice.

Bridge to Terabithia

2008-12-24T17:14:00.002-05:00

so so SO GOOD.

i cried.

swish swish

2008-12-24T10:09:00.001-05:00

it's time.

2008-12-22T09:51:00.005-05:00

shout out to my bro lewie soaivan for always being encouraging and caring =) you have one of the most caring hearts ever, and i thank you for showing that you care in the most OBVIOUS way everrrrrrr

soooo..... just wanted to say.....

ROCK YOUR FINAL LEWIE!!!

2008-12-21T12:23:00.001-05:00

suchhhhh a freakin' pessimist right now.

Psalms 103

2008-12-19T09:41:00.003-05:00

It's so easy to overlook what God is plainly giving us... or maybe I'm just speaking for myself.... eeeeyeahh, lol. I always fail to see the obvious. I feel inadequate to just accept God's love, and instead I feel like I always have to earn it. God just wants us to accept His love freely, no strings attached. It's so easy that it's hard lol.

Knowing I fail to measure up to people's standards as well as the world's, it becomes so discouraging a lot of the times. It's so shocking and relieving at the same time to know that God accepts us, flaws and all. He makes my worth complete, and I praise Him for that. I praise Him for always bestowing good to me, forgiving my sins, redeeming my life from death, crowning me with His love and righteousness, satisfying all my desires. In the end, everyone just wants to be loved, and He is that ultimate Provider.

We have all we need in You
And all we need is You
All we need is You.

2008-12-16T23:35:00.001-05:00

being sick during finals week sucks.

Always Daddy's girl

2008-12-09T22:35:00.002-05:00

I got a text today at Barnes & Noble-

Dad: I love you! How is everything with you?
Me: Tired. Finals :-( How are you doing??

Dad: To NY & ups back & forth everyday. too tired. but ok. cheer up. miss you!

I love my dad.

jeremiah 32:40

2008-12-01T12:54:00.005-05:00

"I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me."

SO TRUE

2008-11-29T14:24:00.004-05:00

I think prayer is so amazing because it's an indirect way to help people.

-Josephine Koh

Happy thanksgiving!!

2008-11-27T12:07:00.010-05:00

What am I thankful for?

This year, I'm thankful for....

-my mom because she is so good to me. She always gives with her whole heart and wants the best for me. She encourages me and gives me strength to move forward. She babies me, comforts me, provides for me. She loves me unconditionally.

-my dad because he is always working hard to provide for my family. He works even when he probably doesn't want to work. He works to make sure I get what I need. He loves me and deserves the best.

-my small group girls because they are active in coming out. They are so good-hearted and willing and none of them give me a hard time just because. I fail so many times in praying enough for them, but still, they show me love. For that, I am grateful.

-the people who reach out to me because they are relentless. Haha, just kidding, but even though I may be aloof sometimes, they still always talk to me and want to get to know me. They are always there to listen even when I may not always turn to them specifically.

-my roommates because they take me as I am, faults and all. Thank you.... you have no idea.

-my dog Hammie because she always greets me with a happy face and wants to be loved by me.

Presenting... the thanksgiving meal!! We had sooo much food. Our menu was honey-glazed smoked ham, roast beef with roasted vegetables, oven-roasted turkey, four-cheese baked macaroni and cheese, mashed potato with gravy, cranberry sauce, honey-baked acorn squash, corn, oven-hot cornbread, cheesy broccoli, and a garden salad~ Food overload right? Preparing the feast was so much fun :D

My four-cheese mac&cheese is almost gone! And mhmmm, that delicious roast beef... just look at that color heehee :D

There is the turkey fresh out of the oven!! The honey-baked acorn squash is on the side~ It was so good with the moist turkey breast. I highly recommend acorn squash if you want to eat something hearty and delicious AND low in calories!

My macaroni and cheeeese, yum yum

Here is my plate full of food!

the perks of being a wallflower... not really

2008-11-27T02:08:00.005-05:00

I'm going crazy over the thoughts in my head. It's like a whirl of negativity swirling and swirling and swirling around my head. I feel like I am falling deeper and deeper into this never-ending hole, sucked into the black hole where only sadness and depression and hurt linger.

Why... why am I forced to live my life based on my emotions? Why do I let my emotions control ME? I'm so aware--too aware--- of people's reactions toward me. I crave to feel wanted. I am needy.I need to feel wanted at every moment. If I don't, I crash. I feel like no one cares.

But that's a total lie. I know it in my head, but how does Satan know exactly how to deceive me.... to think otherwise? People do care about me. I just push people away.

I'm full of faults. I see so many of them. They're almost ALL I see, and I get discouraged. Always comparing, always seeing what I lack. Always searching for something better and not being grateful for the things that I have.

And you know what's sad? I know GOD is my father, the Father. I know He is a God who will never stop doing good to me and who will daily bear my burdens. I know He loves me so so much and will probably be the only one who can full satisfy and meet all my needs. Still... still... as of now, I am a hopeless case.

How did I get to be so melancholy?

blackjack

2008-11-26T09:39:00.006-05:00

Everyone is turning 21 these days. It's so weird. Why are we all growing up!??!? @.@

At the same time though, it's pretty exciting, and it's cool to see how we blend in with the twenty's crowd now. We don't look like we're out of place in trendy restaurants or anything~

Anyways, this time, we celebrated Monica's 21st birthday dinner at Aquagrill!

Part of the crowd with the birthday girl =)

The birthday girl looking all pretty and coquettish~!

Some awesome people in my life :D

Food that people ordered:

This is the truffle-crusted cod with mushroom ravioli. I had a bite of this, and it was soooo good. The fish meat was buttery and full of flavor~

Kat ordered the bouillabaisse hahaha. Even though it was soup, it was good nonetheless! The soup was rich and flavorful. REALLY flavorful.

And this was my deliciousss seared sea scallops with creamy lobster meat risotto and string beans. So succulent, SO rich, SO YUMMY!

"What's good here?"

2008-11-25T17:19:00.006-05:00

.... is a question I get a lot at Butter Lane. I always recommend the banana with cream cheese cupcake. It is so SO yummy. I can't even describe how good it is. It's almost more like a muffin. The banana bread is naturally so sweet and moist, and the cream cheese frosting perfectly adds an extra kick to the already decadent bread. YUMMY!!

So, working at Butter Lane has been a lot of fun so far. Time passes by relatively quickly. The shop is warm, smells AMAZING, and feels really homey. Can't complain yo.

I spend most of my time frosting those damn good cupcakes. I think I taste so many types of frosting like key lime, blueberry, and coconut, just to name a few. And I also get to eat some ugly cupcakes that aren't worthy of being sold... I'm sooooo gonna get chunky from this job lol :(

Pictures taken from my phone!

The interior of Butter Lane

The display of cupcakes

1950s

2008-11-18T11:12:00.004-05:00

Is it weird that I really want to be a wife and mom?

I want to be able to carry the elegance and esteem that so many of the 1950s' women carried while being an awesome wife and mom too. I live in a world of romance sigh~ I have yet to gain that aura of confidence and glamour.

I love to take care of people and cook and clean. I don't think it's demeaning at all; being a mom and wife is probably one of the hardest things ever.

I mean, don't get me wrong. I definitely want to finish my degree and become a registered dietician and even more, but I want that as a side job. I don't know... I'm so a 1950s girl, not the independent, strong-willed, career-first woman that's so typical nowadays~