Madison Square Eats, Mighty Balls!

This past Thursday (May 16) was the last day of classes of my Spring semester! This called for a trip (finally!) to Madison Square Eats, which is open in the Flatiron district until May 31, 2013. Once I saw that one of the booths was Mighty Balls, I knew I had to eat that for lunch:

I got the pork balls with jalapeño jelly, with a cold cup of their iced pomegranate lemonade! But my all-time favorite will always be turkey balls with jalapeño jelly and goat cheese (which I tried last winter at the Union Square Holiday Market, pictured below):

My walk to MSE from my school allowed me to meet plenty of dogs– I couldn't breathe because they were all so cute! I saw so many wolf-like dogs, and those kinds of breeds are my favorite!

13-year-old Bonnie

Yoshi. I couldn't breathe.

And of course since it was the last day (AND 80 beautiful degrees), the sundresses had to come out! I'm wearing an H&M dress with a quilted texture, which I borrowed from my little sister.

With my friend, Besart!

Now it's back to studying for finals– I cannot wait for this week to be over! Although I'm slightly jealous of the majority of my friends who have already finished school and/or are coming home, I'm happy because something AMAZING is happening tonight! Plus, the weather is gorgeous again, today.

Stacks on Stacks, & Pink Raindrops

So over spring break almost 2 months ago, I blogged about pancakes. Since then, I haven't had any time to eat a full breakfast– and you guys know, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! Here's that time I made a full load of pancakes (& stacked them up because they always look so cool like that in the movies):

While we're walking down memory lane, let's enjoy the cherry blossoms that bloomed 2 weeks ago in my backyard (before they were sadly destroyed by last week's rainy and stormy weather)– but cheers to the weather finally turning around!

After last week's weather, here's the aftermath: pink rain. I took this picture this past Sunday (Mother's Day) right before I left for church!

Behind the Scenes: Tea Party Preparations

Lots of thought goes into planning a royal tea party, and a dress made out of coffee filters is no exception! Here is a special back room peek of my production diary...

First, I laid down my foundations with sturdy eco-friendly brown paper bags. In order to create the shape, however, I used Painter's Tape. I knew I wanted a sweetheart neckline because of the unique texture and pattern of the coffee filters– I wanted to insert a splash of 'mermaid' in there:

After modpodging it with Tacky glue and water, I spray painted the whole top portion with gold metallic spray paint. Then I started adding my first layer of plain white filters. This layer is the most important because it ultimiately must support every single layer underneath!

Here's an in-progress picture at 3AM when there's horrible lighting (bear with me!):

Now it's 530AM and you know what that means– better natural lighting! I gave myself a deadline of 7AM (yes the morning of the art show), and I'm almost there!

OK, you guys caught me; I did this the night before my art show. I pulled an all-nighter, got to the UWS by 11AM, set up for the art show all day with my fellow curators until doors opened at 6PM. Honestly, it's a miracle from God that I get things done. But it makes me feel so amazing that I can't stop. Look at the finished piece, here!

Tea Party, Tea Party, Yeah!

Last week, I curated a fabbbbbbbulous art show (in a team of 19) on the Upper West Side, NYC. I also like to display my artwork too, though, and you guys know it's my goal in life to always surprise people. So I attempted to create a life-size fashionable dress made entirely out of coffee filters! It's a three-way cross between Alexander McQueen's Savage Beauty collection, the Medieval period, and a royal garden party.

In the end, I decided to go with a gold collar piece (not pictured above). It's approximately 5 ft tall. Here's a close up:

Here's a picture of it hanging in the art space:

For my next blog post, I'll share my thought process and pictures of in-progress moments! In the meantime, walk down memory lane and see my dress from last year's art show– made completely out of The New York Times!

Ode to Macaulay: Food Haven

What I absolutely love about Macaulay is that not only is the food really on point, but there's free food available practically every day. No, there is no cafeteria like NYU; no, we don't have sponsored cafes indoors; we just have MHC events in the building all the time...and there are always leftovers afterwards! This is what I found available for brunch today, after a lab session with the Macaulay New Media Lab early this morning:

Seriously, I am impressed with Macaulay food– aren't you? Let's take a quick look back at some other free food I've scored at Macaulay this past school year:

Breakfast For One

There's something so calming when you wake up and you're able to eat breakfast by yourself with everyone else out of the house. With my family members gone, and the house completely quiet, I feel like time has stopped. It's such a peaceful feeling.

I'm eating whole grain, non-GMO(!), mango-peach flavored Peace Cereal (I know, I'm being obnoxious) with sliced banana on top. I was sad to find that we were all out of milk, but it wasn't too bad : ). Add some Hilllsong, and you KNOW it's going to be a great rest of the day...

TBT: Drizzling Smores

I don't know what it is about rainy days that makes me crave smores. Since it's supposed to be thunder-storming today like it did yesterday, I was reminded of the last time I made smores (a few weeks ago) with my little sister, Glo.

If you don't have a fire going on outside that you can enjoy, microwave a giant marshmallow for 15-20 seconds so it gets perfectly squishy and warm. Then you want to add slightly melted/warm chocolate on top (use fair trade and say no to slavery!). Don't forget to top it off with a graham cracker, too.

Princess of the Gold Spike

Pyramid studs and spikes have gotten a lot more popular over the past year, and they're not only for goths. White and gold is one of my favorite combos because there's something so effortlessly elegant about it– especially with sheer white blouses.

Top Abercrombie & Fitch | Bottoms Lululemon | Hair American Apparel | Wrist F21

I love how A&F is performing poorly in the market right now because they are going crazy with their massive sales. I got this Taylor Dotted Chiffon blouse for 40% off. I'm not obsessed with A&F, but if I see something unique and different every once in a while, I'll check it out. Remember when they were the ultimate popular place for teens/tweens only like 6 years ago?

Try rolling the sleeves only a few inches above your wrists, to emphasize the skinniest part of your arm.

This semester, I've also been obsessed with hair bows. I mean, there's not much else to explain– haha.

Spring Breakers, Pancake Life

My favorite meal of the day is breakfast, hands down. And let's just say that pancakes are really up there. This morning, my mom made pancakes while my sister and I cut up fruit and some chocolate for our last day of spring break (is school really tomorrow?). Now, my idea of an amazing spring break is not committing a thrilling crime (e.g. Spring Breakers), but it's eating– let's be honest. After a stressful week of midterms just prior to break, eating is a beautiful comfort.

I like to top my pancakes off with confectioners sugar, doesn't it look so pretty?

Now, pancakes exist in multiple variations and are found in many cuisines all around the world! The French have a flatter/thinner version called crepes, while the Germans have a thicker version called pfannkuchen. They were also eaten in prehistoric societies going as far back to the ancient Greeks, who called them tagenias (τηγανίτης). The poet Cratinus is credited for being the first to record a mention of pancakes.

Do you guys love pancakes, too? If you could give pancakes your own name, what would it be?

Easter Cupcakes for Everybunny!

Today is Easter Sunday! I bought Sprinkles cupcakes (Red Velvet, Carrot, Strawberry, Black & Vanilla) for my family (of 5, this weekend), bunny version, to just show them that I love them and appreciate them being in my life– even if we annoy each other a lot some times! Sprinkles gave out cupcakes with bunny toppings for this holiday, and I just love them!

I also bought them as a sweet (tooth) celebration for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, of course! In all seriousness though, Easter is not just about bunnies and eggs. It's about remembering and celebrating the fact that YOU & ME don't have to be perfect. God loves us so much that He gave us His son to take on all of our sins; he gave us amazing grace. Anyway, hope everybunny has a beautiful day today– from my family to yours!

Macarons from Épicerie Boulud

Free Macaron Day just passed in NYC, and sadly, I had forgotten about it. I still remember the first macaron I've ever tasted– it was from Ladurée, directly from Paris! Nevertheless, last week, my friend Ann and I went to check out Épicerie Boulud on the Upper West Side. I don't eat macarons often because of how sweet they are, and these were definitely super sweet. They were not quite up to par as Ladurée to be honest. However, it is something you should try at least once in your life! I recommend anything chocolate or hazelnut or green tea flavored!

NYC Urban Grunge

Shirtfrom Korea | SweaterJuicy Couture | CardiganRomeo & Juliet Couture | ShoesCharlotte Russe

I styled my younger sister in my clothes the other day— going for that Urban Outfitters meets cool NYC grunge look. No UO articles of clothing though. You can make different patterns/textures work as long as you mute one (e.g. the stripes) and show-off the other (e.g. Aztec pattern). Keep them generally in the same color family or in a color pair that compliments each other.

Fashion tip: don’t be limited by your own closet. Venture into your mom’s, dad’s, siblings’ closets— you just expanded your wardrobe 5x.

Russian Fetch

Shirt from Korea | Sweater Dockers | Pants Victoria’s Secret PINK | Shoes Vince Camuto

It’s Thanksgiving break and I found my sister’s hat just chillin’ in the guest room closet. Obviously I’m going to wear it all day— inside & out of the house.

If you want to wear an oversized comfy sweater, stick to tighter bottoms, unless you actually want people to think you gained weight over the short holiday break (then go for it). I bought this sweater from the men’s section at Housing Work’s Fashion For Action 2011 where I volunteered (basically a huge discounted fashion sale in which all proceeds go towards ending the dual problem of homelessness and AIDS/HIV).

I call this outfit Russian Fetch cause I’m wearing a freaking fur hat and it makes me feel so fetch.

Il Mare, Tasting Italy in Seoul

While I was in Korea for the first time this past summer, my middle-aged uncle pushed me to become friends with people my age…Seriously awkward. I’m 19. Come on, how do you make new, foreign friends like that? But, I knew he was right if I wanted to optimize my experience in Seoul.

So, I became friends with SHS— a guy around my age who worked at Il Mare (an Italian franchise also found in LA, Chiacgo, etc.). Since he aspires to become a professional chef, he wanted to know how different food in Korea tasted from food in NY.

I got the usual tomato basil pasta dish, and he ate a creamy something, something (I don’t like creamy sauces…). What was super interesting though was the texture of the noodle. I don’t want to generalize but I said that these noodles tasted much chewier in a really strange way, and he said “Reallyyyy?”— the texture was so weird that I couldn’t decide if I liked it or disliked it. You know when you’re having that thought? And even though you finish the whole thing anyway, you’re still confused? But that if you ate everything, it must’ve been good? Yeah, me neither.

Then he also ordered a whole pie of pizza with four different toppings. it came out a lot thinner than a regular NY pie, so obviously it justified me eating like five, six slices (like a lady).

Look at the tomatoes! They look so silly like that, haha. It was actually really good. But, still, nothing beats New York pizza, I’m sorry.

Overall, it was a nice meal— it was interesting to see Korea’s take on international cuisine. I fell in love with the huge wall posters of Audrey Hepburn (I had to explain to SHS who that was…) throughout the place, and it was definitely “higher class” than most restaurants in Korea— simply because:

1. We had a placemat.
2. Our eating utensils were placed on a napkin.
3. Our water glasses were periodically filled up for us. 

Cute as a Pumpkin

For those celebrating the recently passed Korean Thanksgiving (추석, Chuseok), one popular family activity is eating rice cakes! In my family, however, we always like to make things from scratch. Here are some of the rice cakes we made:

My mom made the dough and inside filling, my 12-year-old sister (Glory) assembled the dough and filling, and I did the decorations! We made rice cakes in the shape of pumpkins and flowers, and even just plain, flat rectangles with falling leaves.

All the colors are naturally added, by the way—no artificial coloring at all! This activity made me super excited for the traditional Thanksgiving celebrated in the United States that’s coming up. My household definitely goes full out during the American version of Thanksgiving more so than the Korean Thanksgiving.

Anyway, happy Fall!

Hello Kitty Cafe, Good for your Seoul

When I made my Korea bucket list, eating at the Hello Kitty Cafe was the first thing I jotted down. I believe there are 4 of these cafes in Seoul, Korea—but they’re like hidden gems you have to find! I went with two friends and it was just the cutest and most adorable experience ever.

Inside, the walls were pink and were adorned with Hello Kitty: family photos, wall deco stickers, cute chandeliers, dolls, squishy bright red comfy couches…and a TV that played HK music videos and T.V. shows— did you know they even existed??!

Summer 2012 has been one of the most warmest and most humid seasons for Korea…but that didn’t stop me from ordering a hot white mocha! I just NEEDED to order something warm just so I could get the cute face on it! How could I not…?!

I didn’t have the heart to ruin Hello Kitty’s face…this is PRETTTTTYYYY good, right? (I used a straw to sip my drink without ruining the top, haha). (:

This cafe also serves waffles and similar cute cafe food. My friend, Ellen, ordered this one. Doesn’t the fudge deco remind you of HK’s whiskers??! *fan girl squeal*

All in all, I was a very satisfied customer. I would drink ten more hot drinks in 100+ weather just to see HK’s face again. If you ever visit Seoul, make sure you hunt for a HK Cafe!

DIY: Studded Shorts

Let’s say you got a weird stain on your denim shorts that won’t come out (e.g. salad dressing, oil/acrylic paint, traumatizing period stain—yikes!—etc)…well thank goodness acid is a trend, isn’t it?

Take your shorts and spray the area you want to fix with a bleach spray (Clorox works great). Then move around and spray unto other regions. Soon, you’ll notice the acid wash effect starting to take place. If you’re not an acid fan, however, just completely bleach the whole thing and get white shorts.

Now don’t stop there! If you want to slightly toughen up your look and look absolutely downtown London street cool, add studs! For clothes DIY, I rarely, rarely use a ruler. Just eyeball to achieve that natural and worn-in look.

I added studs on the left side face of the shorts. You can add studs on the edges, or in the pockets— be creative! Now, clothes are supposed to look good from every angle, so add a little bit in the back, too:

Keep it simple or let your wild child shine. Either way, dress it up (with a sheer collared top tucked in, + with ankle booties) or down (with a loud graphic tee and worn out sneakers).

Go further: Roughen it up a little more with a nail file and fray your denim!

P.S. wash your shorts once before wearing it out! No one wants to walk around smelling like bleach, ok?

UNFI Trade Show: A Costco & Black Friday Combo

This past Wednesday, I went to a trade show in Chicago hosted by UNFI (United Natural Foods, Inc) at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Center.

If you don’t know, a trade show/expo is an: “exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase/demonstrate their latest products/services…In contrast to consumer fairs, only some trade fairs are open to the  public, while others can only be attended by company representatives and members of the press”  (wiki). In other words, it’s basically a big Costco where you can sample every product and decide if you want to buy it or skip it (as a retailer).

It was my first trade show, and it was absolutely incredible! As soon as you walk in, you see grocery shelves displaying all different products of the participating exhibitors (look but can’t touch!) in the midst of hundreds of tabletops making up at least 20 aisles:

I saw some incredible companies there and was wondering if you guys were familiar with any of these brands….

Annie Chun’s, All Natural Asian Cuisine. Americans love seaweed snacks! I only saw Koreans taking the Go-Chu-Jang samples though…

Vita Coco, Coconut Water. Personally, I’m not a fan of coconut water, but everyone who loves coconut seem to love this line!

Skinny Pop, Popcorn. See how there’s a display, but also a “here-take-a-sample!” all in one table?

I’m really excited to share some awesome products/brands with you though that you guys should try out. I ended up pre-ordering a few boxes with my buying card (further explained below):

Nature’s All, Freeze-Dried Fruits. Check List: Raw, Vegan, GMO-Free, Gluten-Free, Kosher, No Sugar Added, Peanut-Free/Dairy-Free, No Preservatives. Umm, what more can you ask for? Taste. Oh, it has that, too. I talked to the representative and he told me the Strawberry is their top seller, followed by Banana, Mango, and then Pineapple. Here’s an exciting secret though, it’s coming out with 4 new flavors soon— including Apple! I can’t wait!

Angie’s, Kettle Corn. You know that popcorn bag that comes in the dark grey packaging? Please tell me you’ve seen them around…They taste so good, they’re addicting! They’re: All Natural, Gluten-Free, Kosher, GMO-Free, Cholesterol & Trans Fat-Free, Dairy-Free, and MSG-Free. What’s even better is that they have new flavors mixed with peppermint (AHHHHHHH!) and one called Boom Chicka Pop (which is unsweetened and so, so light and amazing). It’s a guilt-free snack, for sure.

What’s amazing about this trade show compared to previous years, is that each table had a touchscreen, so members with a “buying card” can just swipe in and order specific products they want from a company at wholesale price with the special trade show discount. Obviously, I did not order any for myself (because you can’t), but for Nice N Natural, a health food store on Long Island, NY!

In the last 15 minutes of the trade show (which is like, 7 hours long), everyone is allowed to grab as many samples as they want. This is when it suddenly becomes Black Friday for retailers/buyers and we are allowed to take things off the grocery shelf displays! All the remaining foods are later dropped off at a food shelter, which is so awesome!

I wish I could share all the companies that were there and that I loved, but then this blog post would become a novel and you would get butt cramps while sitting on your chair. Thus, look for product reviews coming soon— I’m ESPECIALLY excited to do a review on Stash Tea!

The Porter House New York: We Were Made to Eat

In honor of the 20th anniversary of NYC Restaurant Week, I decided to eat at The Porter House (10 Columbus Circle, NY, NY 10019) after church today (again). If you don’t know, Restaurant Week is something that happens twice a year, in which hundreds of NYC restaurants participate by giving customers a fixed lunch or dinner price with a limited menu. The sweet thing is that the majority of these restaurants are all high end or more expensive options that the average New Yorker cannot really afford or enjoy.

I definitely encourage you guys to check out the list of participating restaurants, here, and to remember to skip the Classic Caesar Salad, and instead, pick something that sounds so incredibly unique that you probably won’t ever have the opportunity to eat (or find) again! My friend and I ordered a Cantaloupe Soup (that turned out to be a pleasantly cold dish!) and Endive & Field Greens Salad as appetizers.

For the entre, we both ordered the Petite Filet Mignon, marinated in shallot-red wine sauce, sitting on truffle mashed potatoes. The onions on top added the most perfect sweetness to the steak, and fresh greens added a light balance to the heavier potatoes and meat.

For dessert, we had:

Raspberry & Passionfruit Sorbet— a sour but enchantingly cold and refreshing treat for a sunny and hot NYC afternoon, mixed with fresh fruit…

and Flourless Chocolate Cake— pure, rich chocolate that is slightly crispy on the outside. As soon as you put your fork into it, it slides down with the smoothest ease. That same effect carries over into your mouth as the chocolate melts on your tongue in a fluffy explosion. This is definitely a crowd pleaser. Skip the NYC Cheesecake, please.

All of this for $25…? It’s too good to be true! Just a word of advice, if the restaurant is fancy shamcy, please dress up a little more than usual. Other than that, have fun and go with friends and eat your heart out. We were made to eat.

If you still want to participate this summer, Restaurant Week ends on August 10, 2012!