I'm back with a vengeance

And a new pair of RED CROCS! Heading back to work so I deemed this my welcome back present to myself after a 3 month hiatus (also because my leopard print flats are worn out). I'm not too sure what possessed me, but I felt a strange desire to buy red flats for a long time (maybe because my wardrobe is so blah?). I found these on sale & in my size too!

 Today was the last day that I went to work out of boredom and it was a good thing I did! Manager Hayley made delectable Oreo & cream cheese truffle-like delights! I daresay they were better than Godiva @__@ 

She also made me melting moment cookies for my birthday! ^__^ Sankyuu so much Hayrey! All of this food really made my day! Can't wait to get back in the swing of things on Wednesday!

Totoro ♥

Waiting patiently for the cat bus

And the festivities continue!

  Celebrated my birthday with Jaymie in Kaneohe! We went to Zia's and I ended up stuffing my face with bread and olive pesto. We always take forever to order because we spend so much time playing catch up..I don't think our waiters/waitresses appreciate us very much. I hardly ate my dinner, but had enough room to eat a tiger brownie ala mode! Afterward, we went to look around Ross and bought a bottle opener at Longs.

Jaymie brought a bottle of apple cider so we parked in the empty parking lot on my street and continued to catch up. I guess my neighbors were suspicious of us so they took a stroll up the street and wanted to talk to us on their way back to their house. Of course we didn't look shady..especially when Jaymie struggled to unlock her car door and the bottle of apple cider was still in a paper bag.

Cocohodo Walnut Pastry

 

My mom's friend bought us a dozen (~$5) of these last week so we ventured to Keeaumoku Supermarket to look for them. If there's one place where I feel like I don't belong, it's definitely at a Korean market. As usual, everyone awkwardly stared at us the moment we walked through the door, but we quickly left with the goods. 

The pastry is kind of like manju, but the dough is much lighter, azuki less dense & sweet, and there's chopped walnuts inside! ^__^ It's even made to look like a walnut shell!

Roasted Potatoes

 

 This is a bit late, but I was watching Barefoot Contessa: Barefoot in London over winter break and was inspired to make roasted potatoes that she had seen in a delicatessen. My aunty asked me to bake potatoes for her New Year's Eve party, but there were a couple that didn't fit on the baking sheet so I decided to experiment with them. I used a pairing knife to slice the raw potatoes, placed raw garlic slivers between every other slice, poured some olive oil, and sprinkled sea salt & finely chopped rosemary that my cousin grows in her garden. Because there wasn't any room in the oven, I stuck them in the toaster oven at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. My cousin and Jaymie seemed to really like them so I wouldn't mind making them again, though I'll follow the recipe the next time around now that I finally found it!

Happy birthday to me!

Just because I can't have my first legal drink, doesn't mean that I can't have fun on my twenty-first! The bambino and I spent the day in our jammies drinking milk & virgin mimosas.

Randall got milk drunk and passed out by mid-day! (Jammies: a gift from aunty Shannon that she bought at Gymboree)

Dad bought me #1 teishoku from Kikuya and birthday pastries from Kaneohe Bakery. I was expecting the chocolate frosting on the doughnut to be ridiculously sweet (Zippy's chocolate frosting makes ALL of my teeth hurt), but it tasted like rich chocolate pudding! :9

 My teishoku came with sashimi ;__; I still can't wait to eat sushi. I've been looking at the sushi platters at Genki & Ninja Sushi, but I might just go out of my way to try Kuru Kuru Sushi. Any recommendations?

The day ended with daily chores, watching Jersey Shore (my guilty pleasure alongside SOCS 225), and acting as a makeshift sleeping bag for the little prince. Probably one of the most low-key birthdays I've ever celebrated, but quite enjoyable nevertheless :3

New year, new EVERYTHING

I took inventory of my makeup/skincare collection and restocked with the usual standbys and some new products!

Love, love, LOVE UD Eyeshadow Primer Potion (Original) & Brow Box (I switched from Honey Pot to Brown Sugar since I stopped dyeing my hair). I used to think that they were a bit expensive, but they've lasted me for a little more than a year even with daily usage! I'm always up for experimenting with new products that have a pretty good reputation so I bought Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit (Warm Ivory), Lancome Teint Miracle (Bisque 4W), and Nars Blush (Deep Throat). Haven't cracked open any of the boxes yet, but I'm really excited to try everything out!

 

 I used to think that Naris Cosmetics was strictly for old ladies since my grandma and mom used their products. ..Until a couple of years ago when I ran out of facial soap and my mom gave me a half-empty container of Bioqueen. My life (and face) took a turn for the better. I've used Clinique, Shiseido, and Noevir, but they didn't hydrate my skin very well especially during the winter season. The only downside to Naris Cosmetics products is that it's really one of those things where the more you pay, the better the results. I've tried samples of Rejuarna and Majesta and I can instantly see and feel a difference, but I don't think I could afford the whole line. :< One day though, one day..

Let the festivities begin!

The way to my heart is through my stomach (and a shopping mall, of course). And who would know better than my mom? We celebrated my birthday (a bit early) at Orchids in Halekulani on Saturday! 

  

I ordered the Egg White Primavera..probably not the smartest thing to order for brunch since it's so light, but it still tasted good.

Mom ordered her favorite -- Classic Eggs Benedict. She shared some with me and it was tastier than my egg whites! ^__^ Tohchan had a premium hand-shaken bottle of milk so he enjoyed the beach view while we ate. My dad couldn't come because he had to work, but I think we're ordering take-out at Kikuya for my birthday dinner :9 My favorite!

Call me a narcissist, but I love my birthday! I'm not too sure why though? I don't receive many presents, but I guess my parents have always made it a point to make it somewhat of a big deal in our house! Plus I don't think I ever grew out of having that child-like excitement..which will surely be passed on to Tohchan! ^__^

Yoorika!

 

Tohchan received a belated Christmas/welcome home present from a family friend via snail mail this past week! It's an adorable handmade (by her cousin) stuffed animal with a rattle in its head! ^__^

Please visit her site!:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/yoorika

We've only just begun

This is the one and only picture that I took of my prego stomach. ..Not knowing that life would quickly change within the next 12 hours.