hurricane sandy in bloomington, indiana

although it really isn't my place to be complaining about the hurricane, because it's more than 600 miles away, we currently have awful awful (awful needs to be emphasized)  gloomy cloudy wet cold windy weather.  hard to believe that less than a week ago it was 78 degree "porch chillin" weather.  we still have the beer cans and wine bottles out there to prove it.  anyways todays the kind of day where all I want to do is stay inside, curl up in a ball, sip on my hazelnut coffee, and read.  basically, it's the perfect fall sunday.  instead, i woke up late, ran to the bus stop, missed my bus, and ended up waiting 20 minutes in the cold for the next bus to come.  meh start to a meh day.

the only good thing to happen today was my deborah lippman nailpolish coming in.  i guess i got lucky since the company is based in NYC, it was literally shipped out the day before everything closed down.  i've never owned a deborah lippman nail polish before, probably because i've made a pact with myself to only buy one bottle of nailpolish that costs more than $20 each year.  the last two years in a row, i've been buying rescue beauty lounge products (anne and scrangie), because i fell in love with the shimmery finish, vivid colors, and application.  i'd like to think my nail polish taste has "matured," since then, mainly because i find myself wearing more nudes and pinks than baby blues and shimmery purples.  the color i chose was "modern love" which is a mauve described as a "perfect mix of femininity and edginess."

the iphone 4S camera doesn't really do the polish justice.  this color is actually perfect for my tan/asian complexion.  even though the color appears flat, it does shimmer in the daylight.  i really cannot explain the subtleties that make this color so pretty.  my only complaint is about the brush. it's a little bit on the small side, and the bristles aren't very soft/flexible.  this is a color i'll probably wear year round, so i guess the $20 pricetag is fair.  

the weeknd

Gardens by the Bay

hola,

i have this weird problem where i can't sleep.  it's weird because i go through my entire day sleeping and being lazy.  then once the sun goes down i have all the energy in the world.  ok, maybe it's cause i'm a little jetlagged, but i also swear i'm part vampire or something.  the sun just sucks away my energy like no other.  the only way to restore my energy during daylight hours is chugging coffee asdlfkjsa.

well anyways, i recently came back from singapore, and i swear to god every time i go there the skyline is completely different.  i dont understand how it is possible for  50+ story buildings to spring up in less than a year.  every single building there is so unnecessarily extravagant, it gets a little ridiculous.  like, if you take any of the recently constructed buildings in singapore, the builders basically ask themselves how they can spend the most money possible to be the most over the top.  case and point: gardens by the bay.

Source: www.gardensbythebay.org.sg

one of the newer attractions around the marina bay sands area, these two oddly shaped greenhouses boast vegetation from 6/7 continents (sorry antarctica).  the cloud garden features a cooler mountain climate complete with a 115ft manmade waterfall structure you can walk through.  the flower dome contains most of the vegetation, with some of the main attractions including african baob trees, a huge flower display (that reminded me disneyland california),  and a 150 year old olive tree.  the underlying this attraction is sustainability and being environmentally friendly...uhh hello?  the total area of the two greenhouses is something like 5 acres, and with every inch being air conditioned, i don't understand how this could possibly be good for the environment?

 Cloud Gardens

Flower Dome

i'm not hating on gardens by the bay cause it is an extremely unique attraction.  it is a great place to stroll around, take pictures, and escape the wretched humidity of singapore.  but, unless you're a botanist or just weirdly obsessed with flowers,  looking at plants can only be so entertaining. bring a book to chill with or try some of the homemade ice cream flavors from seventh heaven.  you'll thank me later.  

express yourself

war movie wednesday pt II

welcome to dongmakgol

marukame udon

i work around the corner from this place, and it's literally always packed.  finally got to check it out and the place definitely livs up to the hype.  fresh noodles and a tempura buffet make a filling meal under $10.  if you ever find yourself looking for somewhere affordable to eat around waikiki, look no further.  and don't be intimidated by the line that seems to wrap around the building, it goes by faster than it looks.  

pyramids

dear frank ocean,
you are one of the only legit r&b artists around.  i love you.  keep doing what you're doing,

love,
K

nu'uanu reservoir

lol whoops

so green

waterfall

the thing about hiking in hawaii is, there are literally hikes everywhere.  it's really a matter of where you choose to wander/trespass.  majority of the time, you'll find something amazing, whether it be a waterfall, view, or piece of history (bunkers from WWII?  they're everywhere).  

best oatmeal ever

fact: this is the best oatmeal you will ever put in your mouth. i'm not even really a huge oatmeal fan...but prepare for your mind to be blown because the trick for tasty, flavorful oatmeal is so incredibly simple. chicken broth. ehhh? yessss, replace the water with chicken broth and prepare as you normally would. now, here's where your creativity can kick in. my FAVORITE is pictured above, which is oatmeal with half an avocado and a sunnyside up egg, sprinkled with yellow curry powder, sea salt, and pepper. i've also made another variation that includes a sunnyside up egg, sauteed spinach, and a slice of swiss cheese. also very good. this oatmeal is far from bland, not to mention still incredibly healthy and full of protein. sooo greatto have before my 6 hours of lectures

raspberry balsamic cupcakes

judging by the amount of time i spent watching foodnetwork reruns this winterbreak, i knew i'd be spending much more time in the kitchen this semester. after watching an episode of the next food network star (season 7) where mary beth albright put balsamic vinegar in one of her frosting recipes, i decided to try and find a similar recipe. and that's how i came across love and olive oil, my new favorite culinary blog. who ever would have thought of putting balsamic vinegar in something so sweet? i sure as hell have no idea, but it does give a tangy kick to the density of the chocolate cake. the recipe calls for balsamic vinegar in both the frosting AND cake.  paired with fresh raspberry balsamic icing and it's game over. all i can say is a baked a dozen yesterday, and there are only 3 left. my stomach hurts...

check the recipe here ---> Love and Olive Oil: Raspberry Balsamic Cupcakes

new years resolutions

Realistic

1. study at least two hours a day
2. blog twice a week
3. eat healthy
4. write out grocery lists before going to the store
5. stop buying useless shit just for the sake of spending money

Non-Realistic

1. make a 4.0 this semester
2. work out 5 times a week for at least an hour
3. blog daily
4. stop ordering pizza at 2am
5. no more online shopping