Coffee Chat: Blue Bottle, Bonfires, and Being Busy

Isn't this the most blogger-friendly scene you've ever come across? It's the new Blue Bottle location in downtown Palo Alto, and I'm so obsessed. If you think this outside area is darling, you'll go absolutely ga-ga over the whole concept – Blue Bottle Palo Alto actually serves as a part of Hanahaus, which to my understanding is a startup-esque rentable workspace for entrepreneurs. Think Google offices, but for people who work for themselves or small businesses. Genius, right?

I thought it'd be the perfect location for a catch-up over coffee for us. It's certainly been awhile. Yesterday, my roommate and I set our alarms for a quick afternoon nap ... and woke up three hours later. On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, I have zero time for anything but classes, homework, club activities, and work. So on Thursdays, I crash. 

Needless to say, things have been busy. I constantly seem to be one step behind my schedule. My Bloglovin' reader is backlogged for days (probably the most devastating thing, in all honesty). But I'm not complaining because it feels like the good kind of hectic.

My house had a bonfire tonight over by the lake. Bonfires... well, bonfires simply are nostalgia and reflection, aren't they? It's hard not to get a little sentimental whilst your hair and clothes absorb that smoky smell, the chocolate and marshmallows melt tantalizingly betwixt graham crackers, and indie songs croon away in the background. You're overwhelmingly in the present, but just on the verge of the past and the future at once.
My friends and I made the last minute choice to attend Senior Formal tonight. The past couple of days have been a frenzy of visiting friends across campus to borrow dresses, making appointments for blowouts, picking shoes that pinch our toes the least, and deciding which party bus to board. It'll be at the Exploratorium, which you MUST visit if you're ever in SF. The coolest place of all time. I'll report back on Monday, I'm sure.
In other "things are sort of wrapping up" news, I'm speaking at an overseas studies panel today to an audience of new admits and their parents. Four years ago, I sat in the auditorium listening to students speaking at the very same panel. In fact, I vaguely remember the faculty advisor (who I work closely with now) making the exact same joke that he likes to make at every event. Oh how full circle it feels. Wish me luck in all things public speaking and charm, please! 
I'm off to have a few moments of calm before the crazy starts back up again, but I hope your Friday is just as fun and full as mine will be this week! Or you know, maybe you're due up for nothing but Netflix and to that, I say SOS TAKE ME WITH YOU.
I'm curious... what have you been up to these days?

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The Birthday Formula

So I spent my birthday in my birthday suit.

Wait, wait. BACK IT UP. Let me explain. Recently I've developed this little theory that I like to refer to in my head as The Birthday Formula. No it's not the formula that the hospital made you feed on on the day of your actual birth. That was a stupid joke, and I'm sorry. Rather, The Birthday Formula is a list of nonnegotiables that make your birthday the best day of the year. When you're young and naive, you might think that the optimal Birthday Formula includes a pinata or a Barbie cake, which I actually won't argue with. But for my early twenties, my Birthday Formula consists of:

Ringing in the new year with the closest of friends, multiple renditions of Happy Birthday, and taquitos. Two to send the old year away, one to welcome the new one.

Getting pampered with my sister. This year, we decided on pedicures and a voyage to a Korean spa. This is where the birthday suit thingamajig comes in. Imagine ... hot tubs, cold plunge pools, saunas. Buttttttttt (pun intended), clothing discouraged. It's also completely single-sex though, so that's not a huge issue, but still. Pret.ty. awk.ward. However, the treatments were so insanely amazing that braving the awkward is more than worth it. A scrub, massage, facial, head massage, and hair washing later, I was completely transported to a parallel world where my entire being was clean and relaxed and soft like a baby's butt smothered in butter. That good. Oh, take me back.

NEXT. Noodles. Noodles are highly ranked on my Birthday Formula because I'm Chinese, and therefore we eat noodles on birthdays because long noodles = long life. Don't question the system.

Sushi's also a huge priority. It's my birthday cuisine of choice, always. This year, we went to Maruya. This was some next level sushi, so we chose to go with omakase, which is every indecisive human's dream come true. The courses were many, but the standout moments for me were: the gold flake atop the something-or-other because it made me feel like a rap star on his day off, the sea bass because sea bass, and the uni! Uni uni uni!

My Birthday Formula also consists of intermission activities, such as picking out a cake at BiRite, watching terrible movies, napping, grabbing burritos with oozy cheese, writing last minute essays on my phone while getting a pedicure, and arranging an outrageous cupcake tasting.  

Also critical within My Birthday Formula is the fact that a birthday needs to be prolonged as long as possible. To make this happen, you need to start dropping hints to people that they need to divvy up the two weeks sandwiching your birthday and keep the party goin' figuratively and literally.

Lauren's really good at picking up those hints.

She planned a whole day (again, every indecisive human's dream) of brunching until combustion, oohing and ahhing our way through Anthropologie, manicure-ing, napping, and then study dating at Starbucks before a quick and easy dinner. I've trained her well. 

And then, always always always, a birthday needs to end like so ^^^^^

No exceptions. 

What's your Birthday Formula? What are your demands?

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A Happy List + $125 Kate Spade Giveaway

– A Happy List –

// Trying out new-to-me restaurants with top notch menus {if you're ever in Palo Alto, Mayfield Bakery & Cafe serves up a finger-lickingly yummy braised short rib Eggs Benedict on a biscuit and an insane smoked salmon carpaccio}.

// Closing tab after tab of study material after a midterm or a paper, until all that's left is a satisfyingly blank space and some Starbucks lovers slate.

// Super sweet text messages from real life friends about the blog. I always forget that people I know in real life check in every now and then. I should probably restrain myself when it comes to sharing how I haven't showered in X amount of days or whatnot (don't look at me like that, I'm just lucky not to have lost ALL my marbles, it's midterms week!), because these people actually have the potential of catching a sniff if I run into them, but they humor me and tell me nice things and for that I love them. {Shout out to you, Leah!}

// Seeing Stanford and San Francisco flash across the screen during the Mindy Project, and still being a little pissed that I almost could've seen it all happen.

// Carrot cake for dessert. Our chef makes the best one of all time, and when I see it on the menu, I practically pee my pants I'm so excited. I would literally sell my soul for an extra extra extra large slice.

// Getting snapshots from my mom of my family celebrating the Lunar New Year in China, all bundled up in festive coats and waving red envelopes of ca$h$$$$. I'm like, HELLO I EXIST. Over here!! Will beg for European travel funding!

// Teaming up with 9 other amazing bloggers to bring you a chance to win $125 to Kate Spade (or Paypal money if you so choose)! Enter in the Rafflecopter below, you know the drill!

Caroline ~ Perpetually Caroline // Chelsea ~ The New Wifestyle // Mary ~ Uncustomary Art // Lindsay ~ Bourbon, Lipstick, & Stilettos // Alex ~ Always, Al 

Aileen ~ Aileen Barker // Alison ~ Puppies & Pretties // Kaelene ~ Unlocking Kiki  // John ~ Shout John // Helene ~ Helene in Between

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Gilmore Girls Day

One of the most exciting moments in Gilmore Girls was when (kind of spoiler, not really) Logan tries to convince Rory to move to Palo Alto with him. I get so excited for selfish reasons, really. "We can go hiking the Dish on weekends, and then grab coffee on University Avenue!" Logan says, his gorgeous blue eyes all sweet and puppy dog adorable.

"I volunteer as tribute!!!" I yell at my TV desperately. 

Knowing Rory, she would've hated hiking the Dish. It's this three mile long pathway around this small mountain / big hill. Three quarters of it is uphill. The trick of the whole thing is to start by turning right at the very beginning, because if you start on the left side, you have to survive like four extra steep hills. If you're feeling crazy, you can run the the whole thing. If you're feeling insane, you can run the whole thing starting on the left side.

If you're Rory Gilmore, you'd avoid the whole thing altogether, which is what I usually do. So when I subtly asked Lauren (who runs and SoulCycles and is generally active, much to my dismay and confusion) "hey, wanna hike the Dish this weekend," she looked at me suspiciously and said,

"This is for that whole Logan Huntzberger line, isn't it?"

Girlfriend knows me too well. Guilty as charged.

Want to know a secret? We actually went on two separate adventures over the course of two weekends.

The first weekend, we did the whole Dish thing and then grabbed caramel macchiato's at our campus Starbucks, exhausted from our wee walk.

Then, this weekend, we Uber'ed our way to University Avenue to what used to be our favorite brunch place (University Cafe) – after a summer fiasco of a car ramming straight into the restaurant, it is now under new ownership and called Local Union 271. We had an iced Verve coffee each (staying true to Gilmore rather than testing out the Bloody Mary bar or trying any number of their delicious looking brunch cocktails), breakfast tacos, and an egg scramble. Delicious!

Now, how many times do you think I need to repeat this whole routine before I run into a Logan Huntzberger of my own?!

You're right, I'll just go ahead and ––

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CREAM: Obviously For Research Purposes Only

I'm going to preface this post by telling you that the only workout I completed in the past few weeks was last night when I was laughing so hard at Best of Vine videos with my roommate that my abs burned real bad. Essentially, I haven't been nearly active enough in recent days to deserve a treat of the caliber I'm about to show you...

But I don't regret it, not for a second.

Ever heard of LA's Diddy Riese? CREAM is the exact same thing. Mostly. Both are located smack dab in a cozy college town, and the process is as easy as 1) picking two cookies and an ice cream, 2) handing over your payment (50cent discount if you use cash!), and 3) thanking the sweet Lord above before mentally preparing yourself for your life to be changed.

The consensus? The roommate and I both agreed that CREAM was just as good as, if not even better, than the Dids. Personally, my combination of a snickerdoodle and butter sugar cookie sandwich with coffee ice cream absolutely rocked my world - the cookies were still warm and soft and gooey, and nothing was too sweet which is a huge dealbreaker for me. At $2.50, it's more expensive than the original DR, but if you think about it - it's definitely a good option for a sweet study break and one that's much cheaper than Coldstone, Starbucks, or any other go-to!

{It wasn't even a study break. It was a break from an extended study break...}

{It was for research purposes. For the blog. Obviously.}

{I was not compensated in any shape or form for going to CREAM and raving about it, except maybe in 400 extra calories and my circulation getting cut off by my jeans.}

---

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Living The {Lyfe Kitchen}

There's still time to enter my giveaway!

After last week's harrowing and devastating events,

my mind's still reeling and I'm still struggling to understand -

but I've accepted the fact that I probably never will.

But amidst tragedy {last week was a long and difficult one:

not only did the Massachusetts events hurt us sharply,

but of course there are those who are struggling in

Texas and in China - both places especially close to my heart.

And then there are those hundreds of tragic events

that take place every day around the world that we never hear about}

I find that seeking joy and normalcy is important as ever.

And boy, do I have a lot of joy in my life -

my friends and family simply spoiled me on my birthday week.

Not only did I get to spend a fabulous weekend with my sister,

but my actual birthday was kickstarted by a surprise birthday party

organized by my besties and funded by my sister

{a princess theme, lots of pink, and even a pinata! they know me too well.}

and my day ended with a super mellow Sex and the City marathon with my suitemates.

On top of all that, I got some extra special quality time

with some of my favorite people - including, of course, that roommate of mine.

Last Sunday, we paid a visit to Lyfe Kitchen.

With healthy, light, and delicious fare & an affordable price range,

it was such a fun restaurant for a late brunch/early lunch.

The main takeaway point: everything was just so flavorful.

Sweet and tangy and savory and spicy, 

so many complex flavors mixed into a single dish -

and this rang true for every. single. thing. we. tried!

If healthy is always this yummy, I'd be a health nut any day!

Go & seek some joy in your day, friends!

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{Good Eats} Umami Burger | Palo Alto, CA

There are not too many things on this planet

greater than having a Friday free of classes,

a looooong afternoon nap,

a (very!) quick shopping trip,

and then trying out Umami Burger 

with my two favorites,

and of course the extra Yogurtland on top!

I was thrilled to see that Umami came to Palo Alto -

it's just as fabulous as I expected.

The fun, library-like decor,

the nice lady who seated us when she didn't have to,

and the yummy food (the buns! the buns!) -

it's got a thumb's up from me!

Umami Burger | 452 University Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301

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The Only Reason I Wake Up On Weekends

The answer: brunch.

The other answer {if and only if first answer doesn't happen for some reason, God forbid}: 

just to wake up past noon and chuckle at the idea that I woke up past noon.

College life - it's excellent, I tell ya!

Fortunately, this past weekend

(seriously, I'm so behind on posts sometimes...

it's because I'm up to my neck in computer science coding,

which makes me sound really smart,

but then I'll tell you that I started it two days before it's due,

when you're supposed to start about - you know - seven days before,

and then you realize maybe I'm not so smart anymore.)

was one of those brunch days.

This lovely lady and I walked into Downtown Palo Alto

and then back home. 8 miles. Exercise - check.

(afterthought:

actually yes, this is how we function. we exercise to eat... and it's not even 

really exercise. we go get food and call it exercise.)

Chai from La Boulange!

...except we didn't go to La Boulange for brunch, even though I've heard rave reviews.

We just went and picked up some sweet (for her) and spicy (for me) chai.

It's very yummy - I highly recommend,

although I think Coupa Cafe will always have my heart when it comes to chai.

We instead visited University Cafe in Palo Alto, one of very favorites.

Sorry the lighting of this is kind of weird.

I think I'll just tell you that the lighting gods wanted you to focus on that

delicate, pillow-y egg which glazed over with sunshine-colored yolk

at the gentle prod of a fork,

and that gorgeous hollandaise sauce that I basically licked off the plate.

Eggs Benedict, there's nothing like it.

This is Lauren's omelete,

which I for once didn't steal a bite from,

mainly because I was having joy spasms from my own food.

But she said it was delicious!

And I trust her over anyone when it comes to good eats.

Have a good (brunch-filled) weekend, 

you pretty and nice friends, you!

9

Thaiphoon

Important question:

Once Upon a Time was so amazing last night, am I right or am I right?

But the dementors soul-suckers were.... straight out of Harry Potter and I don't know how I feel about that.

Second important question...

You drooling yet?

My sister took my friend Lauren and I out for dinner this past weekend (and yes, we got the same thing as tradition dictates... I swear we don't plan this!). We chose Thaiphoon, one of our very favorite local Palo Alto restaurants.

Pictured above is the Tom Yum Seafood soup, which although I choked and sputtered over only because I'm a spice wuss, it was absolutely delightful. Do you think if I start spiking my water with chili peppers or something I can up my spice tolerance? Because that'd be really handy.

Also pictured is the Pad See Ew with chicken - very delicious! 

Fun Fact: My hall had our hall dinner here last year and we saw Andrew Luck's girlfriend wearing his sweatshirt and ordering takeout. Sounds anticlimactic, but it was cool at the time...

06/21/13 Update: New website for Thaiphoon here!

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