Did I do what I said I would in 2010?

 2011 is right around the corner, but before I jump the gun and create a list of new resolutions, it's time to see if I kept my 2010 resolutions (my results are in red):

• resurrect the SF museum & sightseeing mission
• Okay, so I didn't go to as many SF sights and museums as I would've like to this year.
• continue to exercise my brain by reading, writing, blogging, etc.
• Read a ton of great books this year and kept it consistent in the blogging space.
• complete as many items on The Big Eat SF: 100 Things to Try Before You Die list as I can
• 12 down, a ton more to go! This will stay on my resolution list for 2011.
• take one domestic vacation
• New York, Philly, Tampa, does LA count?
• take one international vacation
• Thailand!
• give back to my community/ volunteer my time for those in need
•  Definitely lacking in this area, but I did manage to volunteer for a friend's event that supported education programs for children in need/ supplemental education
• spend less time doing mindless stuff online (ie. facebook)
• I don't spend much time on here, but I am still on it. That's not bad right?
• master the acoustic guitar
• Lessons have been going great and I learned all of the basic chords and how to play a few songs. I won't be taking lessons anymore after next week, but will still practice and master it. Work in progress.
• run another half marathon, maybe a 10k - the point is to continue to be active
• Ran the San Jose Rock N Roll half marathon with my sister, Craig and brother in law, Matt. It was the guys first time and a lot of fun to be able to experience this with Craig. I thought I was done with these, but I think he may be hooked now and wants to do another this year. I also ran the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge with my coworkers.
• be a better daughter, sister, girlfriend, employee, friend & independent. 
•  Yes on all counts. I even managed to get promoted this year!
• exude more positivity (by surrounding myself with more of it & less negativity)
• Every day.

NYE post back in December of 2010: CLICK HERE

Coming soon: 2010 wrap up and 2011 resolutions. Stay tuned. 

Peru Planning

Back in 2008 I started planning a trip to Peru for 2009 and it didn't pan out - I think I went to Australia instead (not a bad plan B!). Well, I've officially put Peru back on the list of things to do for 2011. I already have a ton of recommendations from friends, but am always open to getting more travel tips & tricks. Here's to another amazing year of travel...

Follow my blog with bloglovin

Triplets

Sometimes people think we're triplets. If we weren't 5 and 7 years apart with me being the youngest, I might be able to take that as a compliment.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your families a very merry xmas. Cheers!

XOXO,
Melissa

Busy Bee

I love being busy, but right now all I want to do is crawl up into a ball and do absolutely nothing. I will get a good post in soon. Until then, hope everyone is having a holiday season that's a little less stressful than mine. Guess that's what I get for working for a retailer. For now, I'll leave you with a photo and an "until next time" to my dear friend Rosalind who is leaving for the Netherlands for Spring semester. Wishing you the best! Cheers :)

Runyon Canyon Park

Runyon Canyon is the place to take your dog for a walk in West Hollywood, but not just any walk - an intense one. There are inclines with beautiful views of LA. You can even catch a glimpse of the famous Hollywood sign. The park has a liberal dog policy so there are tons of cute pups roaming around with their owners unleashed. This was the perfect way to end a weekend of eating.

LA Food Crawl

Went down to LA over the weekend and my friends took us on the most gluttonous (yet, delicious) food crawl all in a 24-hour period. Here's where we went from start to finish.

I should also add that I had absolutely no complaints - EVERYTHING was yummy.

1. UMAMI Burger - They grind their own meat here and the burgers were so delicious that I scarfed it down before I could even get a photo of it. I did, however, manage to get a photo of some of their beer offerings & steal a friend's photo.

2.  Fisherman's Outlet Seafood Restaurant & Market - Fresh seafood and a ton of options. Get something grilled and with garlic butter and you can't go wrong.

 

3. Wurstkuche - Exotic (and gourmet) sausages. We tried the Buffalo, Beef & Pork and the Gator & Pork sausage. I'm not much of an exotic meat girl, but I figured if it's in a sausage it can't look that scary. Plus, it's their specialty.

4. Scoops -  The gelato here is made with fresh ingredients and the flavors are unlike anywhere else. My picks for the day were Banana Cream Cheese & Burnt Sugar. Two thumbs up for both. It made the perfect palate cleanser for the next meal.

5. Kyochon Chicken -  These tasty Korean chicken wings are soooo tasty. They're crispy, sweet and now my mouth is salivating because I would like a few more right about now. Time to look for a place like this in the Bay.

6. Beul Dae Po - All you can eat Korean bbq. LA's Ktown really does Korean food best. Everytime I come to LA, my trip isn't complete without it. Even after a long day of eating, we were all still ready to take part in "all you can eat" kbbq.

Disclaimer: Please do not attempt to consume all of this food on your own in a short time period. This was done in a span of 24-hours with 6 friends sharing food at each place. It also included a short nap before the all-you-can-eat session. This food marathon was also followed by a hike the next morning in an attempt to burn off a few calories. See details of this hike in the next post.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

 

 

Black Friday

I love great deals, but not at the expense of ruining a holiday. That's just me though. Instead of waiting in line for 2 days, I'd much rather spend time indoors preferably with the heater on and surrounded by Thanksgiving dinner. Every year I am amazed at the amount of people that camp out to get the best of the best deals. Don't get me wrong, I give it to these folks because they do get amazing deals ie) TVs & laptops at half price.

At about 1am on Black Friday, a few of us decided to head out to check out the scene (not so much get in line). We drove past lines at Best Buy and Target to chat with a few people about how long they've been in line and what they intend to buy. One man was there since Wednesday and was first in line and does it every year. People had their tents up, grills going and heaters running. They were definitely professionals. After scoping out the scene we decided to run into Walmart since they're 24 hours. Well, upon arrival we were greeted with a line outside the door. Turns out it was taking people at least 45 minutes just to get in and another hour to pay for their merchandise. We didn't end up going in. We went right back home. Black Friday just isn't for me. Cyber Monday on the other hand, that's more my cup of tea.

Mini Provolone Popovers

 

 These delicious cheesy popovers are unbelievably easy to make. After trying a few my friend Caroline made, I begged for the recipe. I was expecting a complicated recipe, but to my surprise it was as simple as combining a few ingredients and throwing them in the oven. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup whole milk

2 large eggs

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and divided

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/3 cup finely chopped provolone

2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1 1/2 tbsp chopped chives

EQUIPMENT:

mini muffin pan (24) or you can use a regular muffin pan (12)

Whisk together milk, eggs, flour, 1 tbsp butter, salt and pepper until smooth. Then stir in cheeses and chives. Chill 1 hour to allow batter to rest. 

Preheat oven 425 degrees. Butter the muffin pan with remaining tbsp butter, then heat in oven until butter sizzles, about 2 minutes.

Gently stir batter then divide among muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden brown. 18-20 minutes.

Best when served immediately.

T H A N K F U L

In the spirit of tomorrow's holiday, here are a few of the things I'm thankful for this year...

1. FAMILY - They are everything to me

2.  MY OWN PLACE - Because having your own space and freedom to do as you please is unlike        anything else. It also helps that we have a beautiful view.

3. MY JOB - Just because I work in beauty, it isn't always pretty. Though I have to say, working here has been such a pleasure and at the same time a great learning experience. With the unemployment rate up so high, I'm just thankful to be working.

4. FRIENDS (not all are pictured) - After all these years, it's nice to have the same friends by your side through good times and bad.

5. THE BF - If you read my previous post, you know that he's a keeper.

6. Being HEALTHY - It's one of those things that people take for granted. I want to embrace it. The older I get, the more scared I become. We're not invincible and I want to take my health as far as I can. Without it, I wouldn't be able to live my dream of traveling, play music, be crafty, hang with the kids and more.

What are you thankful for?

Sephora Photo Booth

Sephora has put photo booths in select locations and guess who's face graces the sides of these photobooths? Mine! Right now, you can go into the Powell Street store in SF and the Venetian store in Las Vegas (and 2 other store locations I'm not sure of), take fun photos (with or without a Sephora makeover) and upload them directly to Facebook or email them to yourself/ friends. If you're near one of these stores, check it out :)

Lucky Me

Gio's birthday celebration last night left me in a lazy hangover status all day today. Luckily, the amazing bf pulled out all the stops today by doing laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping and cooking dinner all while I sat on my bum/ napped/ watched tv. All on his own :) After all this and a forced Advil by him, I realized that I am one lucky lady and this man is a keeper.

Girl Time!

As the years have passed our schedules have been overloaded with work, boyfriends, family and more - we just don't get together as frequently as we used to. We also don't reside in the same city any longer. To put things into perspective, in our "college days" we would see eachother as much as 3-4 times a week. So nowadays, when we do get together, it's always nothing but fun and laughs. Can't wait for the next one...

This night, Ariel and I head to watch Talib Kweli perform at Yoshi's Fillmore with our sig figs (i love this intimate venue). Following the show, we meet up with some of the girls at Harlot, we have a drink then head over to a place we used to go to all the time in the past, Fluid. Wow, 2 clubs in one night! It's unheard of for me these days.

SF Brings in the Crowds & the Crazies

Today was the parade for the Giant's and the start of the parade was just about a block away from my building. They took the same historic route from when the Giants first arrived in SF from NY about 50 years ago or so which was really cool - gotta love history and traditions. Since it was a block away and many of my coworkers headed out to experience it, I figured, I might as well too. The city (fans) have waited 50 years for this (obviously they've never won a World Series title here) and you can tell by the craziness. People were actin' a fool out there and I did my best to capture a few of the many...

 Btw, the guy standing on the newstand, he fell through the glass moments later - right on top of another man shattering glass everywhere. Classic.

 I couldn't believe this man (at least 60) had the strength and energy to climb up this light post. I was worried about how he was going to get down, but he made it safely.