San Diego 2014: May 24 - 28

As a graduate student we are often told that we need to practice self-care to prevent burnout.  My type of self-care is traveling - whether it be a weekend trip up to Washington or a few weeks in Hawaii for the holidays, as long as it has nothing to do with school, I'm set.  My best friend moved to San Diego last summer and ever since we've been talking constantly about visiting each other.  I had enough miles to use for one leg of my trip, and found a great flight deal to pay off the remainder.

The weather in San Diego was nice and sunny - not too much of a difference than the temperature up in the Pacific Northwest, but for some reason seeing palm trees instead of evergreens just makes the whole environment feel warmer you know?  I also got to see the ocean, which seems silly coming from someone from Hawaii who doesn't go to the beach very much, but being near an ocean this past weekend gave me a sense of calm that I haven't felt in a long time.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are thousands of thousands of words for you to look at:

Saturday Night: In-N-Out as a post-flight meal!

So gluttonous and fattening but oh so delicious when you are starving.

Sunday Morning: Brunch at Great Maple with my best friend and several of her San Diego girl friends. 

Beignets!  I LOVE beignets - so much that I learned how to make them - and these were just so cute and oh so perfect for brunch.  They were served with a side of lemon curd which added some tartness to the super-sugary beignets.

Okay, seriously is this real life?  First of all it's a flatbread.  Second of all it's a breakfast flatbread.  And third of all, it was amazing.  Served on a cute little cutting board, this flatbread had proscuitto, truffle oil, onions, and two perfectly poached eggs.  Ridiculously savory and satisfying.

Sunday afternoon/evening: Fashion Valley Mall

When my friend gave me a list of malls in the San Diego area I was contemplating between Fashion Valley and an outlet for the longest time.  That all changed once I saw the directory for Fashion Valley and learned that they had a Boudin Baker.  The.  Boudin.  Bakery.  Which serves the clam chowder of my dreams.  It wasn't from SF but it was still an actual Boudin Bakery restaurant so that was literally the one and only reason why I wanted to go to Fashion Valley Mall.

Since I no longer live right next to an Urban Outfitters (I moved to the 'Couve!) and noticed there was a 50% off all sale items thing going on at the UO at Fashion Valley, my friend and I decided to take our chances and see if there was anything that we would like.  UO clothing has always been hit or miss with me and I refuse to buy a dress with an unfinished hem that looks shredded for $50 because it is somewhat hipster-looking.  </rant>  Anyhow I managed to find this adorable dress for $15.  It was the only one left so I took it as a sign from God that I was meant to buy it.

One thing that I really miss is really, really, really good Japanese food.  Granted, there are tons of sushi places and Asian eateries in Vancouver (Washington, not Canada), yet I have yet to find an excellent ramen place.  My friend took me to Santouka which is nestled in a Mitsuwa shopping market.  I got the shio ramen with a pork & rice bowl and an egg.  I also asked for extra ume for 50 cents more.  Everything was deeeelicious~

Monday Morning: Baked Bear, Sunset Cliffs

After perusing Brandy Melville - which is another non-existent store in the PNW - we stopped by Baked Bear which is not as fancy as Milk in LA but still delicious.  They have cookies, waffles, or brownies that you can use as the sandwich and choose which ice cream you want as your filling.  I decided on a snickerdoodle and funfetti cookie with cookie dough ice cream.  SUGAR OVERLOAD. 

An impromptu trip to Sunset Cliffs!  This was a chance to see the ocean (yay!) and take a picture with my (tall) best friend which is a rarity and we hardly have any pictures together.

This view!  Ahhh!  It's my desktop background now!

Monday Evening: We also spent Memorial Day at a friend's BBQ where I ate even more food!  I don't have any pictures because I was too excited to eat everything - whoops!

Tuesday Morning: Hepburn's Tin Fish Bar, La Jolla Shores, Gelato

I'm so grateful to my friend and her boyfriend for driving me literally anywhere and everywhere for me!  For my final full day in SD I wanted to get a taste of some good fish tacos.  We went to the Tin Fish down in Gaslamp where I got two sea bass tacos, crinkle cut fries, and the freshest slaw ever.  So, so, so good.  Incredibly fresh, not overly oily, and I ate EVERYTHING.

After scarfing down our fish tacos we went over to La Jolla Shores and saw sea lions basking on a rock.  So cute!  The weather was a bit overcast however and not as sunny as it had been when we visited Sunset Cliffs, but the ocean was gorgeous again so no complaints here!

Also in La Jolla there is was a Gelateria that had so many different gelatto and sorbetto choices!  After sampling the guava and lemon sorbetto I went with lemon with a sugar cone.  My sorbetto was scooped so nicely and placed atop my sugar cone with care.  It was absolutely delicious and I swear I finished it in a few minutes.

Tuesday Evening: The Tofu House

I have been dying to get my hands on some tofu chigae ever since my boyfriend moved down to Vancouver and we are no longer within close proximity to an H-Mart with a BCD Tofu House.  The Tofu House is located right next to an American Pub (literally that's what it was called) where a huge soccer/futbol game was going on.  (While dining I repeatedly heard UNITED!!! being shouted at the top of several people's lungs next door.)  Since I'm allergic to shrimp I was thrilled to see an "As You Wish" option for my tofu chigae which allows you to pick whatever you want.  I decided on clams and beef which I felt was a very protein-filled combination.  They have a tiny basket of eggs on the table that you can crack into your chigae when it gets to the table.  And of course there was lots of banchan (side dishes) available for me to devour.

Although I'm not a fan of driving in California I am forever jealous of the food that everyone has access to.  Hopefully I can go back again soon!  Did you do anything fun for Memorial Day?  Travel anywhere?  Feel free to leave a comment below and don't forget to follow me on bloglovin`!

Namesake

I suppose I'm in the mood for writing because I'm adding this new post immediately after I just published my entry on The Waffle Window.  Jerrica is a very unique name and for as long as I can remember I have been told, "You have a really interesting name!"  "That's really pretty!"  "That's different!"  "I've never heard of that name before!"  I always just respond with, "Thank you!" and don't explain any further.

But lucky for you all who read my blog, I'm about to tell you.  I was named after Jerrica Benton from Jem and the Holograms, a cartoon from the 80s.

Jem is the main character and she's this White girl who he has earrings that can 'hologramify herself' and turn her into Jem, this super-awesome-rock-and-roll-singer-star-person.  My mom used to watch the cartoon when she was working in the cancer ward at Queen's Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii.  After watching the show multiple times she vowed that if she ever had a daughter, she'd name her Jerrica.  I had a coloring book of the show when I was a child and always liked to see my name in it.  There was a sense of pride - the kind that you felt when you were 8-years-old and there was a math problem with your name in it as the example.  Jerrica was never mentioned in any math problems, but I had a whole coloring book with my name in it so all was well.

Here's a video clip from the show thanks to Youtube:

Look at all that bright neon glory!  Now if you haven't heard about Jem and the Holograms until now don't worry, you're about to hear a whole lot more about it.  Jon M. Chu - director of Step Up and the G. I. Joe franchise - is going to make a Jem and the Holograms live-action film.  No word on casting yet nor what the storyline will be.  I don't know if I'm going to see it since I don't really know what it's about, but it would be pretty cool to see where my name originated from.  I'm pretty sure my mom will want to see it though.  Maybe I should check to see if Amazon has the series on DVD (since that Youtube video above says it's available now).

Where did your name come from?  Is there a special story you'd like to share?  Feel free to leave comments below!

Portland Eateries Part I: The Waffle Window

It definitely seems like my blog is naturally becoming one centered around food, and I'm fine with that.  I realize that there is no way at all I can become a professional blogger - one who updates things regularly - since my last post was over a month ago!  Whoops...

Anyhow I decided to make a series called Portland Eateries!  Is this going to be a weekly thing?  A monthly thing?  A whenever-I-feel-like-it-thing?  I have no idea.  But what I do know is that The Waffle Window on NE Alberta St. is amaaaaaaazing.

Whenever I have friends visiting Portland I am often asked, "What food place should I try in Portland?"  I always say "The Waffle Window!"  The Waffle Window has two locations - one in SE Portland and the other in NE Portland.  I've only been to the NE Alberta St. (NE Portland) and it's because on both occasions I wanted to sit down and eat.  From what you can read on yelp, the SE Portland has a dining area that it shares with an adjacent restaurant.  The NE Portland location however is more like a cafe-esque type of place where you can sit and happily munch on your waffles.  They have SO. MANY. WAFFLES.  From sweet to savory and to even waffle sundaes (what???) with seasonal specials, there's something to satisfy everyone and anyone.

Now for some beautiful waffle images:

The "Three B's" Waffle - Bacon, Brie, and Basil

Look at how beautiful that is!  I somehow always wind up getting the Three B's.  Even when I feel adventurous and want to try something new, I end up asking for it.  There's just something so magical about the harmony between crunchy, salty, sweet, and savory tastes that form in my mouth with every bite.  It also comes with a big heaping of their house-made peach jam.  I die.  I'm kicking myself for not knowing the exact price, and not all prices are listed on their menu, but I believe it was less than $9.

More waffles:

Nutella and Fresh Banana Waffle looking all delicious.

I'm not a big fan of sweet things, so the waffle above was happily devoured by my boyfriend.  I had about two bites and it definitely reminded me more of a cake than a waffle.  The whipped cream wasn't too heavy nor did it taste like it came from a can, and it was topped with delicate cinnamon-sugar and fudge.  Again, I'm not too sure about the prices but I'm positive this one was less than $9 also.

They also have some hand-crafted lemonades like blackberry basil and green tea mint.  I'm a devout fan of green tea so you can guess which one I always get.

So basically if you want to eat something different, delicious, and satisfying, definitely try The Waffle Window the next time you're visiting Portland!  You'll spend less than $10 a person and leave happy!  Are you a fan of waffles?  Have you visited The Waffle Window before?  Let me know what you think in the comments below and don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin`!  

Things that are delicious.

Hi there everyone! I'm so sorry about the lack of blog posts, but it's been really hard to keep up with blogging and school going on at the same time. Butttttt, the one thing I do have time for is eating. Here are a few things I've eaten over the past two weeks complete with location and price for your epicurean convenience!

Sausage/Ham/Cheese Soondubu from BCD Tofu House (Lynnwood, WA) $8.00

If eating twice a week didn't give me so much heartburn, I think I would eat it every day for the rest my life. Soondubu is, in essence, a spicy tofu stew along with any type of meat or vegetable that your heart desires. BCD has 20 different combinations. Twenty. For some reason though I always wind up going back to this one no matter how many other combinations I try. Along with your soondubu you get 5 different banchan or side dishes with your meal. All orders come with a mackerel (a whole fish just for you!), kimchee, and different types of pickled vegetables that vary each week. This time I received bean sprouts, spicy cucumbers, and spicy radishes. Oh and don't forget the stone pot purple rice! For $8 including tax and tip, you can't go wrong. 

Poké Bowl from Uwajimaya (Beaverton, OR) $7.99

Holy moly macaroni are my eyes deceiving me!? Do poké bowls actually exist up in the northwest? Apparently they do now! I loooooove poké and always make it a point to eat as much as I can when I go back home to Hawaii. Now for $7.99 (no sales tax in Oregon!) this poké bowl was decent. Was the fish absolutely amazing? No, but it was pretty darn close. They give you A LOT and the chunks of poké are bigger than some other poké bowls I've had, Hawaii included. You can choose what types of poké you want as well so I settled on shoyu ahi and spicy ahi. 

Mini Cream Puffs from Beard Papa's (Beaverton, OR) $4.95 for 5 puffs

When I have a sweet tooth I want something that's light and delicious. I know that's vague but it's not like I'm craving a giant cupcake or anything like that. Anyhow I LOVE cream puffs because they're an incredible light dessert, if made properly. Usually the regular size puffs are a bit messy to eat and all the cream filling goes everywhere and it can get messy. But not these mini puffs! For $4.95 you receive a cup of 5 puffs and you can mix and match to your heart's content! I got 3 vanilla and 2 dulce de leche puffs. I would say that eating all 5 is like eating 2 regular sized puffs so I feel like you get more value out of these. Also they fit in your car's cup holder for easy snacking!

What are good foods to eat in your area? Feel free to comment below and don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin!

My obsession with toast.

For Christmas two years ago in 2012, my parents gifted me some USB handwarmers.  But these aren't just ANY handwarmers, these are toast handwarmers.  Potato bread toast to be exact.

Created by Smoko Inc. (which you can learn more about by clicking here) these toasts were (forgive my humor) rather toasty.  Now, two years ago, Smoko Inc. seemed to only be making USB handwarmers and also USB Flash Drives - in the shape of toasts, of course.

Fast forward to Christmas 2013 when my dad asked me what I wanted for Christmas.  I don't remember how I came across Smoko Inc. again, but lo and behold they have new products!  One of their new products is a toast pillow warmer, and another is their toast Bluetooth wireless speaker plushie.  So cute yet completely unnecessary, my dad surprisingly agreed to get them for me.

The toast pillow warmer has the name of Butta (buttered toast on the left) and looks very cheerful and overly happy - which I feel is necessary here in the cold and gloomy Pacific Northwest.  Basically to make him actually function as a warmer you unzip a small pouch near the top of his head (do toasts have heads?) and push a button on a battery pack which connects to a warmer within the pillow.  Even if you don't actually turn the warmer on, Butta makes a good companion.

The Bluetooth wireless speaker has the name of RyRy (rye toast) and looks kind of melancholy but I feel like I can relate.  RyRy is pretty nifty since he can double as a tablet holder!  To use him you basically pair up the bluetooth device inside (again) a small pouch near the top of his head and can then stream your music to your heart's content!

I posted a video of RyRy in action on my Instagram and it caught the attention of someone at Smoko Inc.  They asked if they could have my videos and promised that they would send me some gifts as a thank you.

Last week the gifts came in and I am quite blown away with the package!  I was expecting something small like stickers or something but I received a pair of Hello Kitty USB handwarmers and a USB Butta flash drive!  Smoko Inc. has incredible customer service and their products are high (and adorable) quality!  I'd definitely recommend looking into them if you're looking for something functional yet aesthetically pleasing goods.  And even though plushies are usually reserved for children, don't forget that you can always be a child at heart!

This is an independent review of products available from Smoko Inc.  The company did not pay me in any way for making this review.

The Melting Pot: I love me some fondue.

This past weekend up in Everett my boyfriend and I had an early Valentine's Day at The Melting Pot in Bellevue, WA.  This was in the middle of the huge Snowpacalypse that decided to unleash some white wonderland snowflake fury on the Pacific Northwest.  You can read more about the Snowpacalypse by clicking here. The Melting Pot is pretty much the perfect place to have a date night if you don't mind slightly small portions, and slightly high prices.  There are a lot of options and I definitely left feeling full, but it's not some place that you can frequent on a weekly basis.  Here are some pictures below of the delicious experience!  All food descriptions and more information for The Melting Pot can be found here.

No full length shot, but I have no shame in saying that we both looked pretty cute!

1st course: Traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue (Gruyère and Emmenthaler Swiss cheeses, white wine, garlic, nutmeg, lemon and Kirschwasser) alongside baguettes, assorted meats, granny smith apples, and vegetables)

2nd course: The California Salad, perfectly proportioned.  (Mixed baby salad greens, Roma tomatoes, candied pecans and Gorgonzola cheese with Raspberry Black Walnut Vinaigrette)

3rd course: Our entrees!  We opted for the Mojo cooking broth (Caribbean-seasoned bouillon with a distinctive fresh-garlic flavor and a citrus flair) and ordered The French Quarter (Premium filet mignon, all-natural breast of chicken, and Pacific white shrimp seasoned with Cajun spices and accompanied by flavorful Andouille sausage) and Steak Lovers (Premium filet mignon, teriyaki-marinated sirloin, and seasoned choice Angus sirloin).  These are also accompanied by 5 sauces: Curry, Gorgonzola Port, Green Goddess, Ginger Plum, and Teriyaki Glaze, and a bowl of assorted vegetables.

4th course: Dessert!  Holy moly this was delicious.  We selected the Chocolate S'mores for our dessert fondue (milk chocolate with marshmallow cream, flambéed and topped with bits of graham crackers).  All dessert fondues come with an assortment of strawberries, bananas, red velvet and brownie bites, rice krispies treats, marshmallows, and a cheesecake.

Watch our dessert fondue being made in action!

Cost: ~$50/person

Quality: 4 out of 5

Service: 4 out of 5

Would I go again: Yes!  But only for something VERY special...don't want to break the bank.

They also bring you back seconds for the cheese fondue and the dessert fondue so don't worry about rationing everything out!

Have you ever had fondue before?  Have you ever made your own fondue?  I think that'll be my next adventure!  Don't forget that you can follow me on Bloglovin` by clicking the Eiffel Tower to your right!

Snowpacalypse 2014.

Hi everyone, it's been a minute!  Forgive my lack of blog posts but I blame Snowpacalypse 2014.  I can now say that I've driven through a snow storm!  That's something I thought I would never have to do - considering I live near Portland where it never snows!  And if it does snow, it never snows enough to stick to the ground.

Anyhow to make a very long story short, I was on my way up to Longview, WA for an internship interview when it started to snow.  Hard.  It was actually sticking to the ground and it wasn't stopping at all.  My interview was rescheduled to a later date but even though I was so close to the border between Oregon and Washington, I couldn't turn around due to a 27+ car pile up on the I-5 South!  Going home was out of the question.  I decided to keep pressing onwards and learned that it wasn't snowing further up north (weird), and since I had planned to visit my boyfriend to have an early Valentine's Day dinner, it made more sense to keep moving rather than staying in one place, or waiting in a LONG line of cars to get back home.  (I found out later as I kept driving north that they actually shut down the I-5 completely!)

On Sunday we woke up to find Washington covered in a blanket of snow!  It reminded me of a gingerbread house smothered in icing!  We were going to walk over to a little park area to play in it, but realized that the snow was pretty slippery and we didn't have waterproof snow gear.  Instead we used the snow that had collected on top of my car and managed to make a decent snowman and a snow bunny!  I drove back to Oregon to find my apartment still blanketed in more snow and looking like it was something out of a Christmas greeting card!

I would never wish driving through a snow storm on anyone!  It's incredibly difficult and scary and I'm incredibly thankful that I wasn't involved in any major accident.  

Even though it is childish, I would blame the groundhog for seeing his shadow and causing 6 more weeks of winter.  Here's to warmer days and cozy nights!  Don't forget that you can follow me on Bloglovin` by clicking the Eiffel Tower to your right!

How To Make Kale Chips

Hi everyone!  Now I know I'm literally years late on the kale-chip-bandwagon, but here's a very, very, very easy recipe (below) on how to make these delicious, irresistible, crunchy power greens.  There are tons of reasons why kale is awesome; according to MindBodyGreen, kale is low in calorie, high in calcium, fiber, iron, Vitamin A, K, and C, and has 0 fat!  It also has a ton of antioxidants and works like a "detox food" (aka regulates your digestive business), and also serves as an anti-inflammatory food and it's awesome when it comes to cardiovascular support.  Not to mention when massaged with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt, kale chips become the healthy (and equally addicting) version of our dear old buddy, Mr. Potato Chip.

Easy Kale Chips

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F.  Get out your kale! The easy way to go is to buy your kale already cut, chopped, and cleaned.

2. Line a baking sheet with foil - this helps with the clean up - and take out a small handful (roughly 1 C) of kale onto the foil.

3. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over the kale.  You can also use coconut oil if you'd prefer.

4. Massage the oil into allllll those nooks and crannies in between the leaves of the kale to ensure even cooking.  (Yes your hands will get super oily, but olive/coconut oil are good moisturizers for your skin!)

5. Sprinkle sea salt sparingly onto your oiled up kale; seriously less is more.  You don't need to physically sea the salt piling up on the kale chips.

6. (Optional) I wanted to try out Mrs. Dash's Lemon Pepper seasoning on my kale chips today.  Yes, I realize Mrs. Dash is salt-free, so putting the sea salt first completely ruined the point of it being a healthy seasoning alternative - but I had it in my pantry and decided to try it.

7. Make sure your kale chips are in a single layer and not bunched up on top of each other.  Pop them into the oven for 12 minutes.  Yes, 12 - not 11 and not 13, but twelve minutes.

8. After 12 minutes, take your lovely baked kale chips out of the oven.  As you can see they do shrink down quite a bit!

9. Put the chips into a bowl, toss the foil out, and enjoy!  I dare you to just eat one and walk away (it's impossible!)

*Storage note: 1 cup of kale can easily fill up a small bowl (see the first pic) so I wouldn't really recommend making a lot of batches.  If you do make a lot of batches, don't be surprised if the kale gets soggy or wilted overnight, even if you keep it in a container, and it'll definitely depend on the humidity of where you live.  BUT on the bright side, just pop them back into the oven the following day again at 325°F for about 6 minutes and they'll be back to their fresh, crispy selves.

Oh and if you were wondering how the kale chips tasted with the lemon pepper seasoning, I would give it 3 out of 5 stars (boo!).  I think the other seasonings within the lemon pepper shaker actually burned in the cooking process so a lot of my kale chips ended up tasting charred and just plain gross.  I think I'll stick to plain old sea salt or garlic salt next time around.

If you try out this recipe please let me know!  I'd love to know if it worked for you or if you made your own little adjustments to it!  Don't forget you can follow me through bloglovin by clicking on the Eiffel Tower picture to the right!

Enjoy your kale chips!

Firsts: Godiva Rewards (read: FREE CHOCOLATE EVERY MONTH!)

Self-disclosure: I don't like chocolate.  I used to say that I hated chocolate due to a bad experience as a child; my parents didn't know they had to pick me up from an after school program which resulted in me staying at school until 7:00 PM.  Back then cell phones were still only used by adults, I didn't have money for the payphone, and my parents firm statement of, "Don't talk to strangers!" prevented me from asking other teachers to use their in-class phones.  Long story short, the only thing I had to keep me company was a bag of Easter candy.  So during my 4-hour wait, I devoured plastic eggs filled with m&ms, bite sized Twix and Milky Ways, and who knows what else.  I like chocolate cake, chocolate milk, and chocolate ice cream, but anything that was in a candy bar-esque form was immediately rejected by me.

15 or so years later, I am now able to ingest dark chocolate on occasion.  I especially crave it (as does any other young female) when I'm about to start that oh-so-wonderful time-of-the-month.  Enter in Godiva Rewards Program.  I actually read about the program through a Buzzfeed article called, "13 Free Things You Can Get For Free Right Now."  Number one on the list said, "A free Godiva truffle once a month."  Whaaaaat?  As much as I hate chocolate, if it's Godiva then I'll tolerate it.  And for free!?  I needed to investigate further.

According to Godiva's Reward Program's site, you receive the following as a member:

1. 1 free piece of chocolate every month
2. Spend $20 and receive a free gift the following month
3. Free standard shipping for one online order
4. Exclusive offers every month

Also, according to the chocolatier at the Godiva boutique in Washington Square Mall, on your birthday you receive $10 to use and buy whatever your chocolate-loving-self desires!

Wanting to get my free piece for the month of January, I went to Godiva today and asked the chocolatier which pieces were eligible for the free month gift.  She was extremely polite and helpful and another chocolatier offered me a Dark Chocolate Caramel Pear piece.  I don't like the combination of chocolate and caramel since it reminds me of my horrible experience stuffing my face with Twix bars for hours, but since it was dark chocolate I accepted.  I appreciated that this piece wasn't part of my Rewards Program piece, and it was actually the WHOLE chocolate, not just a small sample of it.

After contemplating for some time, I decided on the Strawberry Creme Tarte truffle.  I gave the chocolatier my phone number so she could look up my Rewards Program information and I was happily on my way with adorable (read: FREE) truffle in hand.

My truffle all wrapped up in wax paper - a bit excessive for such a tiny truffle, but it was nicely twirled.

Tada!  Here's the Strawberry Creme Tarte Truffle!  Like I said, it was a lot of wax paper for such a tiny little thing.  I like strawberries and I like tarts, so I was hoping that this wouldn't be overly sweet...

After the first bite!  It was just the right amount of sweetness and tartness!  Godiva's website describes this truffle as "strawberry puree and vanilla mousse inside a white chocolate shell" which to me makes it sound like the puree and mousse would've been blended more together.  I had to mix the two substances in my mouth to get it to taste perfectly but nevertheless it was delicious!

I highly recommend joining the Godiva Rewards program for anyone because well, who can say no to free chocolate?

Firsts: Bella Luna Korean Spa & Sauna, a co-ed jjimjilbang.

From now on, every time I try something new - whether it's a new store, new food, or new experience - it's going to go under the title of "Firsts."

This Saturday marked my first experience going to a co-ed jjimjilbang.  A jjimjilbang is a traditional Korean sauna.  You might have seen one if you're a fan of k-dramas, or if you've seen Psy's Gangnam Style music video.

From kpopnews.org

A jjimjilbang typically has several dry sauna rooms, several wet sauna rooms, a bunch of pools and a bunch of pools you can go into.  I've always wanted to try going to a jjimjilbang but unfortunately Oregon only has one, and it's a bit out of my way.  My boyfriend however lives up in Washington near Lynnwood - a city that hosts a bunch of Korean eateries, supermarkets, and hair salons.  I figured if there was any place to look for a jjimjilbang in the Pacific Northwest, it would be Lynnwood.

Thanks to the power of Yelp, I learned of Bella Luna Korean Spa and Sauna.  Most jjimjilbang that I've seen are same-sex only, but surprisingly Bella Luna is co-ed!  Since my boyfriend is half-Korean I asked if he wanted to have a day or relaxation with me and he happily agreed.

*Note: Forgive my lack of pictures but I didn't like the idea of bringing my phone into 150 degree rooms just to snag a few photos.  Sorrrrrrry!

Bella Luna charges $25 for all-day use of their facilities.  If you want to get a massage or scrub, it's some additional $$.  Since I wasn't in the mood for a scrub and since my boyfriend and I planned on getting a couples massage later at a different location, we just wanted to use the sauna.  After paying, the girl at the front gave my boyfriend and I each a key to our locker, a pair of pants, a shirt, a body towel, and a face towel.  I also got a little bath cap.  We were instructed to take off our shoes and place them in a little cubby.  The floor is heated! We were then shown the gender-specific locker areas.  In the locker areas there are same-sex only sauna rooms, and a bunch of pools.

I met my boyfriend out in the co-ed lobby area and we set out to find the different rooms.  Each room has some mineral in it that's supposed to remove impurities from your skin and basically detoxify your whole body.  Our first stop was the clay room - which I didn't realize until after was the hottest room ever.  No wonder they had a note that said to only stay in it for 15 minutes!  After the clay room we found the salt room which is basically a room in which you can lie on a bed of salt.  That was at a much more comfier temperature thankfully!  Bella Luna also has a snow room which is a room with a bunch of freezer coils all along the walls, which allows you to cool off in between.  There are also ridiculously comfy couches in the lobby area complete with magazines and foot massagers!

After the snow room we went to the jade room which is probably my favorite.  This room is COVERED in jade and a bunch of other different rocks.  It was at a temperature in between the salt and clay room, so it was pretty warm but still comfy.  We migrated later to the charcoal room which was my boyfriend's favorite since it was only 108 degrees.  I think he fell asleep at some point!

We took a break to have some lunch at Cafe Robins, which is a restaurant inside Bella Luna that's run by an ahjussi and ahjumma.  We ordered the bulgogi plate, and some spicy ramyun alonside an ice coffe and green tea.  The ahjumma gave us little cookies on the side and lots of delicious banchan (side dishes).  I was debating about getting my phone to take a picture of everything but my boyfriend told me to relax and not worry about Instagraming everything.

After our meal we relaxed on the couch in the lobby before returning to the salt room.  I wanted to check out the Elvan stone room in the women's area so I bid my boyfriend goodbye for a bit.  The Elvan stone room was comfortable and set at a lower temperature.  Surprisingly there was a girl in there using her phone and eventually she fell asleep.  I don't know if her phone made it or not.  After the Elvan stone room I found my boyfriend sleeping in the jade room.  We basically cycled through all of the rooms again and finally near the end I said I wanted to go in the pools.  The boyfriend wanted to take a shower so he said he'd meet me back out in the lobby so we could grab some dessert from Cafe Robins before leaving.

Let me tell you about the pools.

First of all, you have to be comfortable getting naked in front of people.  There are signs all over the pool entrance that no swimsuits are allowed and your bath cap must be worn at all times.  There were lots of naked old ladies and women my age walking around not really caring at all.  It was slightly intimidating, but I found out you get over it really quickly.  The shower area also has shampoo, conditioner, and body wash so if you brought your own body loofa then I'm sure you could take a shower after you were done with everything.  Also within the pool area are scrubbing areas, and two additional wet saunas - an infrared room and a steamed jade room.  There are 3 different pools: 1 hot-tub like one, 1 mid-temperature large one, and 1 small freezing ice pool with a waterfall.  Surprisingly the ice pool felt amaaaazing to sink in to at the end of my time in all three pools.

I met my boyfriend in the lobby after changing and found out that there were no other men in his locker room so he got to test out the pools all by himself!  We went to Cafe Robins and ordered a yogurt berry patbingsu or shave/shaved ice.  This is the ONE picture that I took of the entire time at Bella Luna, but it was so delicious!

Nom, nom, nom!

Homemade ice cream atop a giant layer of red bean, followed by fresh raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries smothered in condensed milk, on top of a bed of freshly shaved ice and berry yogurt on the bottom!

Needless to say we gobbled it up in less than five minutes!

Overall my first time at a jjimjilbang was awesome!  I would definitely go again - especially if it's only $25 for the whole day and this place opens at 9 AM and closes at midnight (whaaaat??)!  I'd definitely recommend it to you if you're ever in the Lynnwood, WA area.

What about you?  Have you ever been to a jjimjilbang?  Comment below and don't forget to follow me on bloglovin by clicking the Eiffel Tower!

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Shopping - a pleasant surprise.

I've mentioned before that the 3 things in life I am willing to pay full price for are skin care, footwear, and books.  But if I can get an amazingly ridiculous deal on any of the aforementioned 3 categories, then it makes everything that much sweeter.

This Monday marked the official start of the new semester for me, but since I only have classes on Tuesdays I decided to hit up some of my favorite retail areas in hopes of finding a good deal.  Little did I know that virtually everywhere I went would have huge clearance sections because most stores are preparing for spring.

My first stop was Paper Source which is the cutest little stationary store.  Ever.  They not only have all the supplies for making stationary but they are well stocked with other little desk goodies and household decor.

Here are some of the calendars that were available. I ended up choosing a watercolor calendar that wound up being $25 (!!) which is a bit steep for a wall calendar but at least it was pretty. Unfortunately Barnes & Noble didn't have any calendars available, which was rather surprising since a month ago they had waaaay too many. 

My next stop was DSW where I literally found the best deal my entire life.  I was perusing to the clearance section when a Cole Haan box happened to catch my eye. I looked at the sales price and noticed that it was $109.94, marked down from $158.  What surprised me the most was that this box gold tag which meant that it was 80% on sale.  I whipped out my calculator and then realized that these adorable Cole Haan flats would be $21.98. I also realized that I had a $10 off coupon for DSW, meaning that I could get this pair of shoes for only $11.98 (!!!). Major score right?  There was also an adorable pair of mel shoes available in gold, which also happened to be 80% off of $29.94 (read: $5.98!). I made my way over to the checkout register, and noticed there was another bin full of things that were last chance clearance on sale for 80% off. Lo and behold but what do I discover? An adorable pair of Kate Spade tights originally $19.94, now available for $3.98! After applying my $10 reward, my total came out to $21.97.  I saved a total of $209.03!!

After finishing up at DSW I went over to Washington Square mall. I immediately went to Express where I had a $5.22 store credit. I guess it was a "shoe day" because Express also had a huge clearance on their flats. I found an adorable pair of black pointed toe flats with little tiny silver studs on sale for $11.99. I had to pay $6.77 in cash that was fine because the shoes were originally $19.94.  Select the end of the day I only spent $28.74 for 3 pairs of shoes and some cute tights. You can see my purchases below.

This was a very pleasant surprises normally I never find deals this good! Did you go shopping after the holidays for any sales? Feel free to share your deals below!

Cheers to 2014!

This year I resolve to:

1. Worry less. 

2. Remember that positivity breeds positivity. 

3. Be kinder. 

3 simple things that I am 99.9% sure are completely doable! I also should add that I resolve to read more books for fun! Here are 2 that I am dying to read:

 

Both are by David Mitchell who wrote Cloud Atlas, and I am dying to get my hands on them! What are your resolutions for 2014?

Weekend adventure: Maui, Day 4 & 5

To cap off my last two days on Maui:

I got my hands on a Zippy's Chili Plate! I haven't had Zippy's in forever so it was great to sink my teeth into some bean less goodness. 

On the 31st I had mochitsuki (もちつき) with my boyfriend and his family.  Mochitsuki is a New Year's tradition that involves the pounding of mochi by hand and forming it into bite sized mochi. My boyfriend's mom decided to put Trader Joe's Cookie Butter in them!  Here's my boyfriend hard at work!

All in all Maui involved a lot of food, sun, and relaxation. I can't wait to go back again next year!