Belated Xmas Recap

Happy New Years Eve! This is a belated xmas post. My family's Christmas celebration is on Christmas Eve. We've always celebrate on Christmas Eve since I was little. Its our tradition. I love how our holiday celebrations are never your typical or what you would think as your typical Christmas celebrations. Last year my grandma was in town so we decided to go to Vegas during Christmas. You don't expect people to go to Vegas for Christmas, but people really do. Well at least us Asians. Nothing like the celebrating the holidays with a great buffet and gambling. When we were younger we would celebrate at home with big dinner and opening presents. Now that my cousins and I are all older our whole family usually goes out for dinner. This year we went to our favorite Chinese restaurant. The next day with just my brother and parents we had hot pot. Since I didn't get to eat hot pot for thanksgiving we decided to have it on Christmas day. Hot pot is always my favorite kind of meal. There are different types of hotpot styles/flavors, but the one we usually eat is more of a Japanese/Taiwanese style hot pot. I love how hot pot you get to eat a mishmash of all kinds of yummy food that you cook yourself. We always have sliced meat, veggies, and fish cakes. Hot pot was especially great for the colder weather, which is when we tend to eat hot pot. Honey Baked ham was probably the only traditional food we had. That's the thing about our holiday celebrations it might not be what you think is a typical celebration with turkey and all the trimmings, but that's what I think is traditional about it to me. One year we might feel like turkey with trimmings. Another year were off in Vegas having a great buffet. The main thing is that were all together having a great time. Can't wait to watch the Rose Parade tomorrow.

Skincare Sunday (Jar Products)

One of my biggest pet peeve with skincare is products that come in jars. In the past most of my skincare products have come in tubes. In my birchbox I have been receiving some great samples, but some of the skincare have come in jars. Back when I was taking skincare classes we learned that skincare that comes in jars have a shorter shelf life (approx 3 months) and are at risk for contamination. Upon learning that I tried to stick with skincare that you squeeze, pump, or pour out. I don't mind skincare in jars, but I wish they would provide us with spatulas we don't have put our fingers in it. With Asian skincare or high-end skincare, I've noticed that they provide a littler spatula, but I wish everything that came in a jar had a spatula. I mean the benefit eye cream sample I got I'm not even sure if my pinkie would fit in their since it's so small. Also I find it hard to get out the right amount that I want with my finger. I would recommend going to a beauty supply shop like Sally's to find plastic cosmetic spatulas to use if you have any skincare or makeup that comes in a jar. My mom was able to dig up a old spatula for me to use so now I can go back to trying my birchbox makeup. Now I just have to figure out how to store the spatula and keep it clean. Its probably safer to just wash it before using it.

A Day at the Race x2

Yesterday and today I went to Santa Anita Park. My best friend from HS was in town and my cousins were on break from college. This is probably my 3rd & 4th time going to Santa Anita. I've heard stories of people that have visited the track when they were younger, but my first time going to Santa Anita was back in college. I guess we all have one of those places where no matter how close it is to you it is you've just never got a chance to visit until you discover it later on in life. Saturday I couldn't get reservations for Front Runners Restaurant so I decided to checkout Club House Terrace Dining. Saturday was not exactly a great day for the race since it was raining hard, but still had a fun time. Overall it was great to experience the race and I won a few dollars. Sad thing is that one of the races out of nowhere this horse's leg buckled and this jockey fell over. The jockey was alright, but I heard that they had to put the horse down. Apparently once a race horse gets injured its hard rehabilitate it. I wonder if maybe if it didn't rain that hard that the horse wouldn't have got injured. The track looked really wet and muddy. It was nice to experience my friend's first time at the race. 

Today I took my cousins to see the race. They have never been before. I was able to get reservations for Front Runners. I guess Saturday was a popular day to go see the races. The weather was better today. It didn't rain at first and it was just partly cloudy. Though this time I didn't really win. All the horse I picked weren't that great. I'm still not exactly sure how to bet and how to look at the odds. Even looking at the odds you still can't be sure you've picked a winner. These horses sometimes just come from behind and make a mad dash for the finish line. Mid way through it started to rain hard, but it only lasted for a few minutes. I was glad because I didn't want to see another horse get injured.

Overall the going to Santa Anita Park is fun. Betting a few dollars and relaxing with family or friends is a nice way to spend the weekend. I think the best way to get reservations to one of the restaurants they have. Even though the food is on the pricey side and not all the great I think its still a nice way to experience the horse races. Especially since the season starts in the winter you never know if your going to be caught in the rain.

Missing Barre

Ekk it's been four days since I've gone to barre class. With the holidays and different schedules I haven't been able to go. On a good week I can hit barre up to 6 days. Though I don't think I'd just stop going all of a sudden since love barre so much, but it reminds me how easy it is to get lazy. Not going to barre for a while is reminding me of my old on and off relationship with the gym. I can see how four days off can easily turn into 2 weeks or months of not working out. At the same time it's also a reminder to stay on track so I don't fall back into the vicious cycle of working out for a period of time and then taking a big break.

Best Body Bootcamp

I'm so excited to join Tina Reale's Best Body Boot Camp round 4. I've read about it on many HLB, but was always when others was participating. Finally found out that registration was starting for round 4 so I decided to join. Best body boot camp is a 8 week fitness plan for only $25. The great thing is that you get to work at your own pace. I guess you become your own drill sergeant. Even though its an online based program it gets rave reviews. My goals for this is to tone up and hopefully see more changes with my body. Since starting taking barre classes I have seen big changes with my body & fitness in general. I've never regularly worked out with weights before even though I knew it was essential part of any fitness plan. After joining barre and seeing actual changes my overall fitness has improved. I'm sticking with my goals I set and always looking for ways where I can improve. Well paying the hefty monthly fee for barre also makes sure that I go as much as I can. What I noticed is that anything I join where I have to fork over my money as a bet or to join I stick with it better. With SarahFit's diet bet I felt that I put 100% into even though I didn't meet my goals.  Where as some of the Challenge Loops I joined so far has been a fail. I think I just need to focus on 1 activity at a time instead of trying to join so many things. I can't wait for BBBC to start.

Skincare Sunday-Sheet Mask

Another of my favorite skincare products is sheet masks. I don't think sheet mask are big in the US yet. It's really big in Asia. Sheet mask are cloth mask with cutouts soaked in liquid. The most popular kinds of mask you see out there are for brightening or hydration. So 1-2 times a week I use a sheet mask. After thoroughly cleansing my face I chill out in front of the TV & let my skin soak up the benefits of a sheet mask for 20-30 minutes. This is where I insert my scary picture of me face masking. Yeah so that's how you look for 30 min. Oh the things we do for beauty. Haha.

After the 30 min you discard the mask and massage in the remaining face mask that's left on the skin. Then you go about the rest of your skincare routine. The great thing about it is that you don't have to wash it off.  Overall I like the whole concept of sheet masks. Its like getting a facial treatment without spending to much or having to drive somewhere to get a facial. I have yet to see drastic changes with using sheet masks, but my skin does feel more hydrated and temporarily brighter after using it. So with using it regularly you do feel the benefits of the masks. If there was a magical sheet mask that would take away everyone's skin problems we probably wouldn't need dermatologist. www.PrettyandCute.com, www.imomoko.com, & www.Sasa.com are great places to buy sheet mask. You can also find some on Amazon.

My Barre Addiction

One of the Barre DVDs I have.

Hi, I'm Evelyn and I'm a barre-aholic. Haha I'm not sure if that would qualify as an real addiction. After the Pasadena marathon I saw online about how this new barre studio was opening near me. One of my friend has taken barre class few years ago, but I didn't think much of it. I thought that it was just another one of those new fitness craze. For the first week all their classes was free since it was their grand opening, so I was like why not try something new plus its free. Who would have known I'd be hooked. Barre classes typically incorporate the use of a barre, ballet moments, & some kind of prop. There are so many different variations out there. From one that are more cardio based to ones that incorporate yoga/pilates. Overall all barre classes goals are to tone and be long/lean. Of the 10+ years I've been a gym member I have never seen best results/changes since taking barre. Bye bye muffin top. 

I used to have a on and off relationship with the gym, but since seeing results from the barre I've actually been more focused my other workouts. In barre your always pushing yourself and strengthening the core. With other workouts I feel that its easy to improve since you first start or it gets easier as you do more. On the other with barre your 50th class can feel like your just taking class for the first time. Only barre can make 2lb weights feel like you have 100lbs in your hands. I love barre so much that I bought 2 DVDs so I had the option of exercising at home and comparing the different types of barre. Compared to a traditional gym Barre can be pricey, but I think its worth it. I would recommend anyone thinking about trying it just to try it a few times before committing. 

Skincare Sunday-Exfoliation

So far of all the Birchbox I've gotten I haven't had any major favorites that I've wanted to repurchase. Couple month ago in my Birchbox, I received a sample of the Vasanti exfoliator and now its one of my favorite exfoliant next to Dermalogica's Daily microfoliant. The great thing about this exfoliant is that it does have a small grainy texture since they use micro-dermabrasion crystals, so you feel like its working. There are some exfoliants out there that have big harsh chunks that cause tiny cuts and abrasion, but Vasanti doesn't. You really feel like your getting a mini spa treatment. My skin feels softer & brighter after using it. I typically use this 3-5 times a week depend if my skin I sensitive that week or not. What is similar about Vasanti & Daily Micro is that they use Papaya as their main ingredient for exfoliation. Papaya is a natural exfoliant. It's more commonly used as a meat tenderizer. I think this product is great for any skin type. Though if your skin is super sensitive I'd probably just use this once a week. When I'm finished with the sample size I definitely will be purchasing the full size.

Tender Greens

Fried Chicken Hot Plate with Romaine Hearts & Carrot Cupcake

Tender Green is becoming my new favorite restaurant. I love how everything is local and organic. Friday night my family and I decided to go to Tender Greens. I ordered a Fried Chicken Hot Plate with Romaine Hearts and carrot cupcake. This restaurant is cafeteria style like Lemonade another favorite of mine. Its an open kitchen so you get to see your order being made as you wait in line. Its interesting that when you get to other end of the line to pay they have your food ready for pick-up. Everything in Tender Greens revolves around salad. So even if you opted for a hot plate or sandwich it would come with a side of salad of your choice. I usually don't eat fried chicken because there are only a few good fried chicken restaurants near me besides the greasy fast food places. I loved my meal. The fried chicken was juicy and not greasy. Can't go wrong with mash potatoes that's buttery and melt in your mouth goodness. The Caesars salad was light and just right and the carrot cupcake was a great ending to a yummy meal. The place is always full of people so you know this is a good restaurant. I definitely recommend anyone in Southern California or traveling to Southern California to give this a try. I can't wait to go back.

Gotta Run

For the past few months on trying to get in some morning weekday workouts specifically going to the gym or running outside. My problem was that I could never wake up in time. Well not getting to bed at a proper time doesn't really help (note to self). I do have to admit when the bed is warm and comfy its really hard to get out of it. Finally this week I managed to get the 2 morning workouts I scheduled. My main goal is to start running outside again to prepare for couple of 5Ks I'm doing next year. Not that I can't run a 5K now, but I just don't want to be struggling to run the 5K or getting passed by the little kiddos I see running the races. After the doing my first 5K in the Pasadena Marathon, I didn't really keep up with the running. The summer weather and new found love for barre had to do with my lack of running consistently. Now with the cooler weather there is no excuse not to run.

Skincare Sunday-Face Wash

The great thing about couponing is that I can try different skincare products. Even though I'm a big fan of Dermalogica products I do like to try other skincare lines whether its a professional line or drugstore products. I had a coupon for the Neutrogena Naturals line so I decided to try their face wash + makeup remover. It was obvious that this would take off makeup since it has makeup remover, but I was so used to using a face wipe or cleansing oil before using a face wash I was kind of skeptical. I amazed that it cleansed and took off makeup at the same time. I didn't even have to double cleanse like I usually do. If I can skip a step in my skincare routine or find a shortcut I'm all for it even though I am a skincare junkie. Compared to other facial washes I did notice that this one doesn't really foam and is a bit drying. I think since this is a natural skincare line its great for all types of skin, but it doesn't really help with skincare issues like acne, dryness, etc. I think its great for one of those days when your too tired to do your whole skincare routine because you can just wash your face and moisturize.

On another note, I was ready to put a post up of my traditional nontraditional thanksgiving dinner, when last minute a relative invited us over for the traditional American thanksgiving with turkey and the trimmings. I call my thanksgiving traditional nontraditional because what we have is not always what you would see in a traditional American thanksgiving. What I like about our nontraditional thanksgiving is that its not always the same every year. This year our plan was to have Japanese hot pot, but I'm glad I got to eat turkey and the trimmings. FYI the $2.99 pumpkin pie from Ralph's was not good at all according to my brother. I should have gone to Trader Joe's or homemade it.

Korean BBQ

I love eating Korean BBQ. There are so many great KBBQ places in LA its so hard to choose which one to eat. From the ACYE KBBQ to the regular KBBQ. Its been months since i've eating KBBQ and yesterday I finally got to eat ChoSun Galbee in KTown. I love eating KBBQ because you get all the little side dishes. I haven't eaten at many KBBQ restaurants this year so its hard to compare, but ChoSun Gablee has a brown rice option and you can ask for seaweed soup. My mom asked for brown rice, but it looks purple to me because of the mixed beans they add. To me its more of a mixed rice, but the server took down brown rice so I'm asuming they call it that. The server was surprised we only ordered one meat dish, but $33.99 for the beef ribs was enough for my mom and I since we there was so many yummy side dishes. We also ordered the Chap Chae (Korean noodles). If we went with more people we would have ordered more meat. I definitely recommend this restaurant. The quality of meat is great and there's many different side dishes to please any palate. The non AYCE KBBQ tend to have better meat, but AYCE KBBQ you get to try more things so it hard to figure out where to go eat. Well I guess an easy way to decide is to see if your willing to wait 2-3 hours just to get a table at an AYCE restaurant. I think I've heard of people waiting 3+ hours just to sit down. The last time I went to an AYCE KBBQ I waited 1.5 and I had called before hand. The only downside is that after you eat KBBQ your clothes reek of KBBQ. Got too excited of the side dishes I forgot to take a pic of the brown rice & meat. Well guess I should go again.

Breakfast

Veggie Egg Scramble w/ Salsa

I've been trying to mix up my breakfast so I don't have Bircher Museli everyday so I make a veggie egg scramble. I can never make a omlete properly so its easy just to use the same ingredients and scramble it. Though I find it easier to eat Birhcer Museli everyday. Its healthy, delicous, and I never get sick of it. Just checked my Vons "Justforu" personalized deals and found that I get a free bag of FreshExpress salad or veggies. Score for free healthy food. I'm not sure how they figure out what deals to give each person, but I typically don't buy produce from Vons unless its on sale. I love shopping at Trade Joe's or Asian supermarket for my veggies. They always have great deals for veggies & fruits.

Bircher Muesli Dreams

My Bircher Muesli aka Overnight Oats

I was first introduced to Bircher Muesli by my brother who studied studied abroad in Australia for a year. At first when he told me about what Bircher Muesli was I was hesitant in trying it since I never really liked oats. One day I tried some he made and I was hooked. At first I thought I was eating something European since I never heard of this before. This was about the time I started reading Healthy Living Blogs. I started seeing post about Overnight Oats on all these healthy living blogs and I was like oh that's exactly like Bircher Muesli. I'm glad I learned about this from my brother and the HLBs. I'd would probably never had tried in my life. Normally I have Bircher Muesli till my ingredients run out. Lately I been making sure I'm stocked with the ingredients so I've been practically eating this everyday for several weeks. Its a quick easy healthy breakfast. This morning was when I realized I had a Bircher Muesli addiction since I dreamed about it. I happened to make a few batches of Bircher Muesli the night before which could be why I dreamed about it. Well according to dreammoods.com "To dream about breakfast, indicates the start of a new project or the beginning of a new stage in your life. Alternatively, your mind may already be thinking ahead on what to make for breakfast in the morning. It is not uncommon for your fleeting thoughts to be incorporated into your dream." I guess I'm just dreaming about breakfast. My brother is such a foodie. He introduced me to my bicher museli & greek yogurt, which are my favorite breakfast staples.