G.R.O.W.T.H.2.0.1.3

This year will be a time of growth.

Give back to the community
Read at least 5 books this year
Organize clutter - get rid of things that hasn't been used in years
Workout
Take time to meditate, reflect, and appreciate
Healthy choices in food and lifestyle
2 new places I never traveled to before
0 regrets but if it happens - learn and move on!
1 new recipe every other week
3 DIY projects this year

Here's to a good year of adventures in growth on becoming a better person, inside & out. :)

new years eve 2012

<3, phu

food adventures

Have you ever had those days, where it is entirely about food?  Normally, I plan my vacations around restaurants, but the great part about this weekend was that lunch was the only thing planned, and everything else fell perfectly into place.

East Coast Flan visited during MLK Jr weekend, and as soon as they landed our food adventures began...

Mission Chinese Food

located inside Lung Shan Restaurant

2234 Mission St

San Francisco, CA 94110

(415) 863-2800

Neighborhood: Mission

http://www.missionchinesefood.com

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snickerdoodle ice cream sandwich with caramelized honey ice cream

The Ice Cream Bar

815 Cole St

San Francisco, CA 94117

Neighborhood: Cole Valley

(415) 742-4932

http://theicecreambarsf.com/

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(devoured before pictured) my homie calls this his "boo burger"

True Burger

146 Grand Ave

(between Valdez St & Harrison St) 

Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 208-5678

http://www.trueburgeroakland.com

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mussels & frites / goat cheese fondue / short rib pot roast / ox tail sugo / salmon /banana fosters

Luna Park

694 Valencia St

San Francisco, CA 94110

Neighborhood: Mission

(415) 553-8584

http://www.lunaparksf.com

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potstickers / fried chicken / spicy pork flavor with mentaiko

Ramen Dojo

805 S B St

San Mateo, CA 94401

(650) 401-6568

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Needless to say, my tummy was VERY HAPPY that weekend.  We filled in the empty space between meals with drinking, dancing, and debauchery.  Okay, maybe not me, I took naps in the car and slept early, but the others, definite debauchery.

Check out some of these favorite spots.  It'll be worth it.

Thanks for stopping by today!

<3 roe [a roesy life]

California Love

Although my journey in life has taken me to Chicago for the time being, California will always be home and of course, I will always love California. I will probably always use the word "hella" and have much love for the bay. (Go Giants! Go Sharks! Go Warriors! Go Niners!) D showed us this project a long time ago and I've always wanted to make one. Wintery cold days are perfect for craft days and I finally was able to get the chance to make this California Love String Art and decorate my place. :)

Material:
wooden board
pins (cut pins short enough to pin into board, the pins I used were thin enough that I didn't have to use wire cutters)
pliers (used to bend the pins short enough to be pinned into the board)
cut out of state
string
hammer
pencil
scissors

1. Print out the state to the size that will fit your board and cut. Trace the state onto your board.
2. Draw a heart over the city desire
3. Hammer in each pin leaving a little space in between (some parts of the wood was soft enough to just push in the pins with my hands)
4. Take the string and tie a knot or two around a pin. Next, loop it around one of the heart pins to the next outline pin (I had a hard time stringing so I would suggest going to the link I provided that gives the instructions on how to string). Keeping looping the strings until done.

I used yarn on my first trial and didn't like how it turned out so got some string instead. It's been awhile since I've been able to craft and have missed it. Time to think of my next DIY project. :)

<3, phu

In the Kitchen

A recap of some of 2013's most delicious homemade meals... so far.

Roasted Veggies and Chicken Breast

w/ balsamic vinegar and apple juice

Pancetta Waffle

w/ pure maple syrup

Root Beer Floats

w/ vanilla ice cream

Pasta All'Anatriciana

w/ bacon and onion

2013 Intentions

I recently read an article that suggests that most people fail to meet new year's resolutions because the word "resolution" by definition implies that we possess flaws that need fixing. What flaws? ;) I've never set resolutions in the past, but let's see how I do with these intentions.

1. CREATE at least 1 thing a month
2. DOODLE everyday
3. SEND snail mail to faraway family and friends
4. GIVE more gifts
5. SPEND more time at home
6. COOK more
7. COMPLETE 1 household task in the first 10 minutes I enter the door
8. WAKE UP 20 minutes earlier to eat/make breakfast and handle my hair
9. ELIMINATE clutter, including clothes
10. REMEMBER my office keys!

Sounds simple enough. Might as well add these too.

Good luck in 2013!

<3 C

cold weather layers

Living in SF, you know a thing or two about layers.  It was so cold today, I wanted to wear my leggings, my sweats, then my windbreakers on top of that.  I wanted to put on my long sleeve base layer shirt, a tshirt over that, a sweatshirt, and then my snowboarding jacket, but that's not work appropriate, let alone life appropriate.  Glad I came up with the above combination instead of waddling around like a toddler.

{outift}

J.Crew Factory Sweater Dress | American Apparel zip up hoodie | Madewell Denim Jacket | Mossimo Patterned Tights | Nine West Booties | Cole Haan Bag | Scarf from Viet Nam

<3 roe [a roesy life]

New Year, New City, New School

For me 2013 will be a year of big changes.  I just found out a couple of months ago that I'll be moving to SoCal for nursing school. Not only have I never lived outside of the SF Bay area, I have also never had a place all to myself either. My lifestyle as a full time nursing student will be very different than the lifestyle I've been leading as of late. While it is a welcome change of pace, it's also a little bit daunting hearing from other students how tough this program is. All of my free time will be spent studying, my income will also be minimal, and I will be living mostly off of savings and loans, so this year I need to learn how to manage my spending a little better.

Since most of my money is spent on eating out, one simple solution is to cook more at home. Cooking in batches and freezing single portions so I won't be tempted to grab fast food when I'm too busy or tired will help, too.     

Most of my time will be spent in scrubs, all white with white leather upper shoes. Scrub fashion remixes? Scrubs with hair in bun. Scrubs with hair in higher bun. Scrubs with hair in low bun. No? We'll see. It's a shame, I'll finally have a walk-in closet again, but I won't really need it. 

For now, I'm stepping back from remixing, but I'll update as much as I can. Happy 2013. I wish you all happiness, health, and success! 

Style Resolution

Needless to say, I've been lazy.  Yes, I love looking pulled together and casually refined, but it's so much easier to throw on sweats and call it a day.

However, a new year, calls for further growth, and this year it's focused on a growth in style.

1. Purge the closet 2x this year
2. Reevaluate the closet for essential pieces
3. Make a list of needs vs wants
4. Limit 'lounging in sweats' to 1 day per week.
5. 30 day Remix Challenge
1. Love the clothes I own
6. Complete 4 DIY Projects for my wardrobe
7. No impulse buying: Follow 3 steps below to avoid
1. Try on the item, how does it fit? perfect? or needs work?
2. How will it work in my current wardrobe?
3. Leave it behind.  Do you still want to go back and get it?
8. Keep a monthly spending log --> Stick to the monthly budget!!
9. Blog more often.  Start with 2x a month, to weekly.
10. Be Bold & Be Confident

Thanks to Lam An, from Wish You Were Here, for the beautiful surprise card!

<3 roe [a roesy life]