Sunday, March 31, 2013

A Low Maintenance Companion

Not too long ago, I had a betta fish named Grumpy. He was a feisty little fella. Grumpy was a fast swimmer and loves to interact with people. He likes to follow you wherever you go, especially your finger. Unfortunately, he came down with a fetal disease called dropsy and he was lost.

Yesterday, I happen to be around Petco and I decided that its time to get a new pet for my empty fish tank. 

Here's to the birth of Curbie!

Curbie is a calm loving delta tail male betta fish. He can be lazy and he loves to sleep on the plants. He loves to interact with people, but if your finger gets too close to his personal space, he gets pretty mad. He will start flaring at you or may back away until safe. He likes to just sit and stare sometimes. So far, he loves all his food, I guess he's not a picky eater.



*Pictures will be updated. 

Delta Tail Betta Fish
Delta Tail Betta Fish
First Bought!

Delta Tail Male Betta Fish
Look at his pretty tail!


Wednesday, March 20, 2013

The Urge To Eat Some Mexican Foods!

Every once and awhile I get this gut craving for the the taste of salmon sashimi, beefy enchilada, crispy onion rings, creamy broccoli cheddar soup etc. Today my craving goes to tacos and where do you get the best tacos? *Drum roll* Yes, it is the taco trucks. You can't go wrong going to an authentic Mexican truck. Sure, its not the best place to eat in contrast, to a nice seated table indoors, but these are the tacos to go for. Its one of those places where you least expect good food to be at.

Just look at the picture, it speaks for itself.


BBQ Pork Taco and Carne Asada Taco
BBQ Pork Taco and Carne Asada Taco


Thursday, March 14, 2013

Sandwich Feast

Typically, a fast and fulfilling meal can be satisfy at a local deli shop. Others time its better to opt for something else than a regular sub sandwiches. Well, I want to let you know some sandwiches are worth it, in terms of cost and waiting in line. They are the best definition of a simple lunch.

Sandwich Review:

Gregoire 
Buttermilk fried chicken sandwich with spicy cole slaw
Buttermilk fried chicken sandwich with spicy cole slaw
Order: Buttermilk fried chicken sandwich with spicy cole slaw

  • Bread: Not toasted, which is a -1 for me. 
  • Filling/Sauce: Flavorful sauce, a bit tangy and spicy mixed in cole slaw. I really like this sauce, just wanted more in it.
  • Chicken: I was very disappointed that the chicken was not crispy. First bite, a fair moist in the chicken, but after a couple of bites, the sandwich became a bit dry. 
  • Sides: Hesitant to try the macaroni side, but surprisingly good upon trying. It was a sweet and sour taste to it, like it was pickled macaroni.
  • Cost: Around $8 
  • Overall: A good sandwich. Sandwich may fall a bit dry but the sauce and the side really does well to the whole combination of a good lunch. Love the sauce!
*Other food review for Gregoire can be found here

Bakesale Betty
Fried Chicken!
Fried Chicken Sandwich

  • Bread: Also not toasted, so a -1 for me. 
  • Filling/Sauce: Packed with greens, maybe even too much. Lots of flavor, taste like a sweet vinaigrette with spicy flavor.
  • Chicken: Very crispy chicken. I love how moist and crunchy the texture is.
  • Cost: Around $10
  • Overall: A very good sandwich with a good balance of veggies to meat. Love the chicken!
Ike's Place
Matt Cain


Sandwich Order: Matt Cain
  • Bread: I got the Dutch crunch. It was the best bread with a good crunch; it was not to crunchy and not too soggy. 
  • Filling/Sauce: Known to be the meat sandwich. Sandwich contains roast beef, salami, turkey, Godfather Sauce, provolone, lettuce, pickle, tomato, pepper jack, jalapeno
  • Cost: Around $10
  • Overall: A messy good sandwich packed with sauce, meat, veggies, and crunch bread. Love the bread!


Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Clothes Haul

Picking out an outfit, can be a very troublesome, yet enjoyable task to do in the morning. Most of the time it depends on your mood. You want to be laid-back, dress causal. You want to be a little girly, let's put on that dress with some ruffles. You have a party to attend, fancy pansy is what I need. Clothes are essential for defining who you are and how you want to express yourself.

Sometimes you can get a little creative and start exploring options of style. You want to be sophisticated, try on a chiffon blouse with some boot-cut jeans. You want to stay vintage, top it off with a repro pattern dress. You want to be sporty, you go for loose tees and yoga pants. Trying something new, in terms of unique clothing, can be a daring adventure.

Some of my more recent purchases.

Clothes Review:

Bird patterned scarf
  • I really like the bird pattern. Its really unique and it can make a plain outfit stand out in the crowd. Its a wonderful accessory to brighten up a dull outfit.
  • Purchased at: Target
  • Cost: I think it was around $10

Dark blue scarf with white birds all over pattern
Bird Patterned Scarf
 Flower Circle Scarf

  • I got this as a gift from a friend. Its a different piece of style to what I am accustomed to, but its a change to my style. Its a very unique scarf because you see that there are two different patterns in one.
  • Purchased at: American Eagle



Two colored scarf. Half is light blue. Other half is dark blue with red pink flowers
Flower Circle Scarf

Two colored scarf. Half is light blue. Other half is dark blue with red pink flowers
Flower Circle Scarf
Zigzag Dress

  • I love how you can wear this dress on causal days. The dark color of the dress is great for pairing up with more colorful accessories and wearing more extravagant shoes. I also like the half sleeves for a modest look.
  • Purchased at: Charlotte Russe
  • Cost: Bought it on a happy hour day, so all dresses were 50% off. Original cost was $30. I got it for $15.

Dress in navy blue. Zigzag pattern all over stitched on. Mid-sleeve. Round neck. Dress length to knee
Zigzag Dress
 Causal Stripe Tee

  • Just an everyday wear tshirt. The cool feature is the circle cut-off in the back of the tshirt. The sleeves are also very flowy, so more comfort in that area.
  • Purchased at: PacSun
  • Cost: Store closing sale so this was very cheap! Got it for $2.50.



White t-shirt. Flowy sleeves. Circle cut-out on the back. V striked pattern design .
Causal Stripe Tee
Mosaic Pencil Skirt
  • I had to buy this because the pattern was too cool to pass. I am in awe of the purple and mixed of pastel colors. Its a very nice combination of colors.
  • Bought it at: PacSun
  • Cost: Store closing sale so this was very cheap! Original cost is $16. Got it for $5!

Mini skirt. Pattern: Mosaic design with purple, dark purple, mint green, pink, black color.
Mosaic Pencil Skirt
Mini skirt. Pattern: Mosaic design with purple, dark purple, mint green, pink, black color.
Mosaic Pencil Skirt
Cozy Sweater

  • I bought this at the kids store. It was surprisingly big for a xlarge and I really liked the white  colored sweater. I especially liked the pattern and the texture, so it was too good to pass, even if it was in the kids section. Hey, as long as it fits and looks great, right?
  • Purchased at: Abercrombie Kids
  • Cost: Original price is $30. I got it for $15.

White knitted sweater.
Cozy Sweater in White

close up shot of white knitted sweater
Close-up shot of the pattern
 Feather Dress

  • My first impression of this dress was that too much was going on. But after picking it up and trying it on, it looks really nice with my beige tan skin tone. The fabric is really light and very comfortable.
  • Purchased at: H&M
  • Cost: Original price is $20. Got it for only $7!

Dress. No sleeve. Knee Length. Purple, black, lavender colored feather design.

This consists of my winter/fall haul, even though it looks like majority of the clothing are spring haul. Its never too soon to prepare for the next upcoming season. I can't wait to wear some of these!




Sunday, March 3, 2013

Birthday Eat Outs #2

Don't you just love celebrating other people's birthdays? 
I do. And I really mean it when I do. First of, it makes me feel appreciated as either a friend or family or a special significant other when I am invited.  I congratulate you if you are also invited to a birthday party/celebration because you are now, a special place in that person's life. Not to mention that its always a blast when you share that special moment with each other.

Yesterday I happen to have a birthday celebration! I celebrated my friend's birthday at an Italian restaurant.

Restaurant Review: Trattoria La Siciliana


Trattoria Food SignInterior of the restaurant. People sitting and eating





What I ordered:

Complementary:
  • Bread & Olive Oil Dip
    • Bread was very hard to break apart but the hardness makes a great complimentary chew to it when you dip it in the oil olive. 
    • Olive oil dip is so good! I hate garlic with all my heart, I will gag if you make me eat it. To my utmost surprise, I enjoyed the flavorful cooked garlic and herb dip on my bread. It will probably be the only time you see me eat garlic...with excitement.
Two loaves of bread
Complimentary Bread
Olive oil with herbs dip
Olive Oil & Herb Dip
Pink carnations in a white vase
Carnations Decor
Appetizer:
  • Scalloped Potatoes
    • Nothing that special. The flavor was like a spaghetti sauce except on potatoes and not on pasta. The pasta might have been covered with a little too much dribble of olive oil.
    • Cost: $7
Scalloped potatoes drizzled with oil and cilantro
Scalloped Potatoes

Entree:
  • Pork Shoulder (sorry forgot the name) served with potatoes in a gravy sauce
    • I would say this dish is very savory with the gravy sauce. The pork shoulder was cooked tenderly, you can break apart the meat without using much knife force. The potatoes was absolutely savory. 
      • However, the dish is not completely satisfactory because it was just too salty. I feel like I had to drink water after every bite or else I feel like I'm just eating a whole bunch of salt. 
    • Cost: $16
Pork shoulder with herbs sprinkled on
Pork Shoulder with potatoes

Friend's order:
>I won't be going into details
  • Linguini Tutto Mare
    • Consists of manila clams, P.E.I, mussels, shrimp, calamari, fresh tomato sauce, italian parsley 
    • I really like the pasta taste. It was not too tomatoey, but still had the essence of tomato taste in it. This pasta was made slightly toward the sweeter end. The mussels was spot-on, it was tender and juicy, without the excessive chew.
    • Cost: $16
Tomato based pasta with clams, shrimp and herbs sprinkled on top
Linguini Tutto Mare

  • Linguini Al Lido
    • Consists of lightly fried eggplant sweet onion, tomato sauce, herbs, choice of fresh diced fresh swordfish or wild Alaskan salmon 
    • This pasta was more heavy on tomato taste and herbs, so it tasted like a more traditional flavorful pasta dish.
    • Cost: $15
Tomato based pasta with salmon and fish. Herbs sprinkled on top
Linguini Al Lido

  • Linguini Al Pesto Con Gamberi
    • Consists of Rosa's award winning basil pesto, shrimp, grana, cream, pine nuts
    • I love pesto. The pesto sauce was very creamy, maybe a little too creamy for my liking, nevertheless it was a yummy dish. 
    • Cost: $14
Pesto based pasta. Creamy green appearance all over
Linguini Al Pesto Con Gamberi

Dessert:
  • Chocolate Souffle
    • I imagine that a chocolate souffle would have chocolate melt onto the plate when you cut the dessert piece in half, but no, that's not what I got. It was just a gooey texture of chocolate that had a hard time flowing out. I was disappointed but it was delicious.
    • When you take a bite, you taste a fluffy chocolate brownie with warm chocolate goo, followed by a stash of light whip cream, gives you sweetness all mouthful.
Chocolate Souffle (left). whipped cream with fudge drizzled on top (right)
Chocolate Souffle

  • Tiramisu
    • I tasted Safeway tiramisu before, but this takes it up a notch. It was so rich with flavor yet it had a lightness of cream at the end.
Tiramisu with fudge drizzled on
Tiramisu


  • Coffee Ice Cream with Biscotti  
    • I have to say that the placement of this dessert is beautifully made. I love the layers of white and light brown with two sticks of biscotti biscuit.
    • You basically have yourself a coffee whip creamed ice cream and a snack of biscotti as a crunch balance to this gorgeous creamy dessert.
Cup with ice cream and coffee. Biscotti placed on top
Coffee Ice Cream with Biscotti



How To Get Rid Of Oily Hair

I wash my hair practically everyday to get rid of oily hair. It really bothers me when I skip a day of washing my hair and the very next day, I can see the oil already forming on the layers of my hair. It makes me feel irritable and uncomfortable knowing that my hair is not clean

Lucky for me, it just so happens that I stumble upon a box that had a trial size of the TRESemme Dry Shampoo. It was included when I bought a hair spray, I just never test tried this dry shampoo. 

Product Review: TRESemme Fresh Start Volumizing Dry Shampoo 

What it does:
  • Product is for fine/oily hair
  • Eliminates oil and odor with mineral clay and citrus 
How to use:
  1. Shake rigorously 
  2. Lift sections of hair and spray lightly on roots with short bursts, holding 8 - 12 inches away from head and leave-in for 1 - 2 minutes
  3. Use fingertips to distribute evenly
  4. Can be use throughout the day
My thoughts:
  • It was my first time trying a dry shampoo, so I was a bit skeptical of how well this product will work. It was easy to use and it worked great. 
  • My hair was not washed for a day and it was pretty nasty looking with grease spread all over. I did a couple of sprays to test it out. I could see immediate results of lively hair again, without the oil that is. It does have a bit of volume but I wouldn't say that it was very volumizing, but in terms of removing the oil, it does do the job. I could also smell a nice refreshing scent from the spray, so I assume that is what the product meant when it says that it eliminates odor (its more like masking the odor than eliminating).
  • What I didn't really like is that you might have to re-apply this product every couple of hours, because this product is not a permanent solution for clean hair, its just a temporary solution.
  • Overall, a great product when you didn't get a chance to wash your hair and the next morning you're stuck with very oily hair. All you need to do is bring this mini bottle and voila, a 2 minute wash is all you need.
Spray bottle. Light bright green cap. Black bottle. With TreSemme words in white.


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...