Brunch at Audrey's

Baby it’s cold outside // 07×52

February 17, 2015

Love is like the wind, you can’t see it but you can feel it. -Nicholas Sparks, A Walk to Remember.

The campus is looking beautiful with a fresh layer of snow, but don’t let its calm demeanor fool you. Something unseen threads its way through the spindly branches and rustles the fallen leaves. It finds its way to the hood of your coat and snakes past your scarf, seeping all the way down to the very tip of your toes. And you will know that one thing is true: you can sure as hell feel wind chill, and it’s a biatch.

So I guess it’s an accurate metaphor for love. LOL jk, hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day 🙂

festivities

Everything LOVE-ly

February 12, 2015

ONE // Rose petal infused honey

Everyone knows the way to my heart is through my stomach. A festive pizza is always a good idea. Or perhaps start with something a little more refined like this rose petal infused honey, avocado toast egg-in-a-hole, or Valentine’s Day treat box, which would also make a great gift. But who are we kidding? I’m eating this all myself! In fact, I’ll also be indulging in this slutty brownie sundae. Other cute desserts are London cheesecake, almond cake, and confetti hearts bubble gum cake. Valentine’s Day is not complete without red velvet recipes: pancakes with honeyed whipped cream cheese and layer cake with cream cheese frosting. Or change it up with raspberries: salted chocolate raspberry stout doughnuts and chocolate cupcakes with creamy raspberry frosting. If you have time, try these rainbow heart cookies. Or just take a swig of alcohol: champagne punch, cocktails, and grapefruit mojitos.

TWO // Be the best Valentine

I’ve never had a boyfriend before, but I’ve never been bothered by Valentine’s Day. I’m really excited for February 15 though; I can’t resist chocolates on sale. As a single person, I’ve always regarded Valentine’s Day as a time for me to be selfish, indulge in what I want, and treat myself. But this time I challenge you (and myself) to not limit Valentine’s Day to romantic love. Give all the lovely people in your life some appreciation. Show your friends you love them. Love yourself. Just because you don’t have a date doesn’t mean you can’t dress yourself up! Make a cute arrow and heart hair pin. Go casual during the day and formal at night. Go for a soft ensemble with a sweet and simple look or go bold lipped. Make them kiss proof just in case. You never know what the day might bring! Or just tune out, relax, and take a bath with Lush’s Valentine’s Day collection, because as Sylvia Plath says, “There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them.”

THREE // Printable Valentine party bags

For those of you unlucky enough to have the obligation to give your significant other a present, here are some helpful gift guides to make your life a little easier: for her, for him, and most importantly, for yourself. To get you started, here are some freebies: printable card 1, printable card 2, printable wall letters, and treat box labels. Personally, I think DIY gifts are the best, especially for a sentimental holiday like Valentine’s Day: you’re dynamite, branch tree, photo banner, mini-zine, flip book, lightbulb, typographic favor bags, tic-tac-toe, and more and more! Don’t underestimate the power of the traditional sweethearts candies (graham cracker conversation hearts, balloons, glitter heart candy boxes, leather gift tags), handwritten note (love note wall art, message in a bottle), or flowers (tips for buying flowers, paper flower pop up box, note wrapped flowers, crepe paper tulip).

FOUR // Your life is a hot date. Show up. (img src: Design Love Fest’s 10 favorite pins right now)

“I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.” -J.B. Priestley. Whatever you do, don’t wallow in self pity. Today is not the day! Fall in love with everyone, fall in love with life. Wake up every morning ready to seize the day. Find beauty in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary. Read a cute comic. Skip 50 Shades of Grey. Go on a boat ride. Go do something. Find the lost art of free time. You have more than you think. Live simply. Waste note, want not. Don’t forget your passion projects.

FIVE // Create a cozy date night

Much like Christmas, Valentine’s Day isn’t about giving and getting gifts but about spending time with the people you love most. Have a cozy date night at home without any distractions and spend some quality time together. Doesn’t that sound nice? Now I’m wondering, why wait until Valentine’s Day? Why not have date nights all throughout the year? 1000 Thread’s 52 dates project last year inspired me to do my own 52 project this year, so if you have a date, definitely give this a shot! You don’t have to have a whole soiree, but if that’s what you want, that can be a lot of fun too! It’d be a great excuse to pull out some confetti poppers. Or is a soiree too sophisticated for confetti? Nah. Whether for a large group or just for yourself and significant other, change things up with this modern romantic Valentine’s Day table or inspire yourself with this more traditional pink and gold brunch moodboard.

PS: Throwback to this time last year.

Hothouse Coffee // 06×52

February 9, 2015

I’m in a good place right now, both physically and mentally. Physically, 1) there are only two more weeks until Centennial Conference Champs, so I better be in shape after two seasons of training, and 2) Bryn Mawr College is an awesome place with awesome people and awesome professors (hardcore evidence) who inspire me. Mentally, I have been waking up excited to learn and have been engaged by the assigned readings. I know, barf. But my professors this semester are so passionate about what they teach, I can’t help but be interested in all the knowledge they’re passing down to me.

One such class I’m taking is Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. Our latest assignment was to write a “thick description” paper, which requires us to do basic ethnographic research by observing social interaction in a public space and taking detailed notes based on our observations. Doesn’t that sound like fun? No, that was not sarcasm. To me, that assignment translates into: people watching.

Library haul // 05×52

February 2, 2015

I wondered how long I could retain the excitement of winter break (coming soon on the blog!) and put off the humdrum college life, but the interminably grueling rhythm of assignments has commenced. I was supposed to watch The Imitation Game with Kevin today, but after getting back from Saturday’s swim meet later than expected, I was too anxious about school work to properly enjoy a movie and thus opted out. Kevin still went though, which I’m glad about. He says it was great. I need to get around to it.

I don’t know how you picture my life to be, but I know that whenever I read blogs, though I am aware that what you see on v/blogs isn’t the whole picture and that v/bloggers only show you what they want to show you which often means only the most interesting parts of their life, I always end up wondering, “What the heck am I doing with my life? Why can’t I be as cool as them?” I’m looking through my blog right now and my life doesn’t seem too extraordinary so you probably don’t feel that way about me, but today was even more unfabulous, the most average of average days, and you’ll see how the typical college student really spends her weekend.

Memory keepers // 04×52

January 28, 2015

Over fall break, Kevin and I visited our dear friends, Kathleen and Jonathan, at Princeton, and this weekend they came to return the favor! In preparation, I frantically searched for things to do and places to take them. After a semester here, you’d think that I’d have a list off the top of my head, but I actually haven’t explored very much. In the end, the two main stops we made were at Snap Custom Pizza and Hothouse Coffee, which you’ll be hearing about in separate posts. It was a busy weekend spent with good company, but for some reason, I’m finding it harder to compose something to say about it.

A pet peeve of mine is when people try to be “different” just for the sake of being different. Everyone is different; you don’t have to try to be. You just need to let it come naturally or take the time to figure out what it is that makes you different instead of making a lazy attempt at distinguishing yourself. Because seriously anyone would rather wear a dress with Converse than with heels.

Another peeve is when people try to be “deep” but are really just talking nonsense. When writing about an abstract topic like “nothingness” or “simplicity,” it’s easy to use a bunch of colorful adjectives and talk very generally for a more universal approach that more people can (maybe) relate to, or at least get caught up in the vivid descriptions and forget that it’s just fluff. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn’t, and that’s when it bothers me. And I think I may be on the verge of doing that myself, especially with this 52 project, in which most mornings consist of nothing more than idling around.

I’m a hypocrite! Just like how I hate tourists when I’m traveling and trying to get pictures for myself as a tourist. But I’m trying to be better about it. I thought that this weekend would be easier to make a post for, because I finally had concrete things to write about, but I failed to take into account the feels.

Quoting Urban Dictionary, feels are “a wave of emotions that sometimes cannot be adequately explained.” I can show you a collection of GIFs to illustrate my emotions, but give me words and I’ll lose them. It’s especially hard to articulate yourself when consumed by such overflowing joy like I was.

Nothing beats hanging out with fellow photographers. We don’t do anything. We just slow down and appreciate what’s around us, capturing as much of the world as we can through our tiny viewfinder. We also find delight in crunching through freshly fallen snow and making Animal Crossing sounds.

We’re memory keepers. We chase nostalgia. What more symbolic than a playground? As children, playgrounds were our world. We built cities in the sandbox, evacuated ships via slides, swung through the jungle on ropes, and climbed the mountain of stairs. We ruled the yard and nothing could touch us, unless we were playing tag.

Morning became noon became evening, and before we knew it, the four of us had made our way through the day that could never be long enough. But who is the sun to dictate when our day ends? We stayed out long after the sun set, which reminds me of a similarly nostalgic moment back in Beijing. Oh yeah, and today marks the first time I’ve hopped a fence. Yup, into an elementary school playground.

It came time for them to leave, but not without us serenading them with Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” as they boarded the train. Unfortunately they did not stay with us because they needed to escape Juno (lame), but I’m excited for them to do amazing things in their part of the world and come back to share it all with us. Meanwhile, I’ll be trying to kick off my second semester of college on the right foot and then just keeping forward, as much as I like to romanticize the past and everything that it holds. I’ll be spending many more mornings here on campus, and it’ll be interesting to see how I give each morning a fresh look, because every day is a new day with something else waiting to be discovered.

Sleep seems terribly inviting though.

PS: 02. 01.

tagged

#tagged: grateful blogger tag & liebster award

January 24, 2015

Tags like these are very common on Tumblr and even on YouTube. They’re great if you’re looking for a quick read that will show you the personal side of a blogger. But my posts tend to be on the lengthier side, and that’s because I want to be sure that I blog with purpose. I don’t want to post anything unless I really have something to share, something that I have a lot to say about.

That being said, I still think that tags like these are so much fun and are a great way for you to get to know me better. Also, if my readers are tagging me or asking questions, I sure as heck am going to answer, however late I may be. Same goes for comments, which I sure as heck am going to reply to. (I’ve caught up with all except for the ones on my 2015 blogging goals. Getting there!)

Thank you to Janine for tagging me with the Grateful Blogger tag (like three weeks ago) and to Michelle for tagging me with the Liebster Award (like five months ago, so sorry!). I hope you don’t mind that I’ve piled them into one post, but I’ve gotten around to these so late that some questions aren’t quite as relevant as they were before. Back when my blog was still based on Tumblr I was also tagged with the Liebster Award by Meg and Eline, so check that out if you’re bored 🙂 I may start linking these on my about page or include them as a category on my blog if they happen frequent enough.

Thank the person who tagged you and leave a link for them.
Write ten things you are grateful for. Think about what’s important and why.
Tag 10 bloggers and comment on their blog. Let them know they’ve been tagged.

Running the risk of sounding bratty, I want to admit that I am an extremely privileged person and I’ve been taking it for granted until now, because I didn’t know any better. Privilege is never having to think about it, and I never did. There’s so much for me to be grateful for and I am. Life is so much easier for me because I am a cis-gendered, heterosexual, able-bodied, middle/upper class, Christian, American (by nationality), English-speaking person. I am grateful for my family, my friends, my health, my education, as are most people. I am grateful for food, for shelter, for being socio-economically stable enough to not have to worry about whether or not I’ll make it until tomorrow. So in this Gratitude List, I want to be more specific by sharing the milestones and transformative experiences in my life that have made me who I am today, because–in the most in-conceited way possible–I am grateful for who I am.

MOVING TO CHINA // I can’t imagine living in one small town my entire life. Well, even if I had stayed put, I wouldn’t have had that small town experience where I was in Los Angeles. Sometimes I wish that I had stayed put, that I had grown up alongside neighbors and friends, that I had that friend who I’d known since elementary school or even pre-K, who would walk into my house unannounced, with which I could do the same, who knew my parents personally from being around so often for so long, who stayed up talking about everything under the sun, moon, and stars, who had really been there for the good and bad, the ups and downs, and everything in between. But then I remember how much more I’ve seen of the world, the cultures I’ve experienced, and how many different people I’ve met.

ATTENDING AN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL // We international students have a bad rep for being overentitled, and while that’s not true about everyone, it’s true for some, and by my senior year of high school I was not having any more of it. Even after graduating, the international community is something I’m now a part of and forever entangled with. I have no right to look upon the international community with such disdain, especially since this is an overgeneralization and I’ve reaped many benefits, so in fact, it’s quite ungrateful of me to not appreciate this community as much as I should, and quite pretentious of me to be giving criticism at all. My high school gave me so many opportunities, many of which involved traveling that will help me build relationships and networks around the world.

APAC SWIMMING 2013 // I was short on inspiration for this post and was going through photos I’ve been tagged in on Facebook to rediscover things I’ve participated in, milestones, etc. and saw a bunch from APAC swimming 2013 in which I looked genuinely happy, where I wasn’t worried about how I might appear to onlookers or how to smile and angle my face so that it wouldn’t look like I had a double chin. I remember that that was the year my school hosted the event, which means I had to take more responsibility and be more engaging despite my anti-social tendencies. Even though I was competing and socializing all week, I fed off the positive energy and it was invigorating. I found my love for it, which encouraged me to open up and explore the extroverted part of my personality.

STARTING MY BLOG // I started personal lifestyle blogging in September 2013 on Tumblr. I had been on Tumblr for much longer but was getting tired of seeing the same old superficial things on my dash. When Kevin introduced me and a few other lucky people to the world of lifestyle blogging, I was sold. Blogging doesn’t stop at the screen. I could write a whole post about how blogging has influenced my life, and maybe I will, but for now I just want to establish that it has changed my life for the better. It’s true, blogging takes up more time in my life than it should, especially considering that it’s just a hobby, and yes, I think about blogging when I should be thinking about studies, but blogging has also given me an eye for the world. It exercises my creativity, but more importantly, it helps me find inspiration, beauty, and joy in my own life and in the lives around me that I would have otherwise missed.

BUSKING IN THE ART DISTRICT // I’ve been involved in the performing arts for awhile, but it was never my thing. I discovered my gift in classical singing, and though I thoroughly enjoyed developing it, I never felt it. I think part of the reason I have such difficulty evoking emotion in song is due to guarding my insecurities. Even though athletics are what most people consider competitive and performing arts are what most people consider a celebration, I’ve always found the performing arts more competitive. It’s a dog eat dog world where people put a smile on their face, whisper behind your back, and trample everyone for the spotlight. The last thing I’d picture myself doing is busking, but that’s exactly what I did. It became a whole thing of good vibes, soul, and late nights in which I learned how to express myself.

MY LAST MONTHS IN BEIJING // I almost listed this as “Project Based Learning” because that was definitely a catalyst for adventure seeking and memory making during those last months. People from my high school groan at the thought of PBL and so do I, because it was terribly executed by the administration, but my friends and I made the most of it. Our project was to practice our photography by roaming both the traditional and modernized parts of Beijing. In my head, this was our last hurrah as seniors, together. I probably did more exploring of Beijing in those last few months than I did in the last eight years. I only wish I hadn’t waited until then to take advantage of the wonderful city I lived abroad in. Improving my photography and editing skills were a welcome side-effect. Despite its gross weather and unrelenting pollution, Beijing and all of its juxtapositions will always hold a place in my heart.

COLLEGE // without which I’d be as dependent as ever. It wasn’t until then that I realized how isolated and protected my whole life had been. It made me realize that a little bit of kindness could go a long way. Thank you to the man who helped me with directions, with my luggage, and gave me one of his extra SEPTA tickets. Thank you to the ice cream man who gave me (and the swim team) a 25 cent discount on our $20.25 purchase of popsicles. Thank you to the friend who walks me to my dorm despite the fact that my dorm is basically off campus. Thank you to the random people who I run into who say hi, smile, and/or ask how I’m doing even though I’m probably one of the least cool people they know. Thank you to the friend who always checks to see if I’ve made it home safe because he knows I’m hopeless with directions. I haven’t entered the real world yet, but I’m a step closer.

I know, I know. Audrey, did you fail elementary math?! There are only seven things! Well, this list and its explanations have gone on for long enough. I’m only eighteen. How many transformative experiences could I have had? Not enough for an autobiography, but maybe one day. I admit, my brain has run dry, but if nothing has jumped out at me, then it couldn’t be that significant, right?

Darn, now I know why this tag asks for a gratitude list, not a life story. I feel like a very ungrateful person for not being able to complete it. To be fair, I could just stick on friends, family, health, food, shelter, clothes, and other materials to more than complete the list, but I’d rather not. A part of me wants to restart and do this tag the right way to be able to complete it, but… the things I’ve already listed mean a lot to me, and after writing it all out I want to share it! I guess not every post can be perfect. Quoting my favorite family movie Meet the Robinsons, I just gotta “keep moving forward!”

Another thing I take from this is that I should start taking more risks, putting myself out there, welcoming change, and not let opportunities slip by. There’s always room to grow to be your best possible self. These experiences in my life that I’ve shared with you through this list weren’t anything special at the time, but in retrospect, they’re game changers. Of course you can never predict when these things will happen–the best things happen at the most unexpected moments–but what I hope is to be able to notice these things when they happen so that I can appreciate them instead of taking them for granted.

>> Read more >> to see the ten questions I answered for the Liebster Award and who I tagged >>

Thank the blogger who nominated you.
Answer the set of questions they set for you. (11 questions)
Nominate 11 bloggers and let them know.

What made you smile today? Being able to sleep in. Yay for no classes on Friday!

Who is your favorite villain? Not exactly a villain, but he’s more than a little messed up: Tate Langdon.

What are your thoughts about the recent plane incidents? Sad, tragic, awful, baffled, freaked out.

What is the last thing you downloaded into your computer? A font called Besom.

What are your thoughts about the Fifty Shades of Grey trailer? Loving the “Crazy In Love” remake!

What would you suggest for everyone to try? Something they’ve always wanted to. & Taiwanese food.

What is the best thing you’ve done for a stranger? Help someone through an airport. (very thoroughly)

What is your favorite thing in your room? My cupcake shaped cup filled with candy.

What is something you’re good at that only a few people know about? My tummy can do the wave.

What is your most embarrassing moment? My time of month came at an… inconvenient time.

Can you keep a secret? I’m good at keeping secrets because I can’t remember them in the first place.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

TAG, YOU’RE IT!

I know that some people are very strict with their blog style, so I’ve tried to tag people that I think might actually continue this tag, but of course there is no pressure to do so if you don’t feel like it. Also, even if I haven’t explicitly tagged you, please feel free to answer these questions in the comments, on your own blog, or whatever floats your boat. Don’t forget to send me the link so that I can check it out!

Amber @ Ambuhr (or here?)

Anita @ What Anita Said

Pearl @ The Wandering Dreamer

Sarah @ Temporary Secretary

Stephanie @ Native Blush

Teesh @ Brown-Eyed Perspective

MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU

I’ve decided to combine the Grateful Blogger tag and Liebster Award by including “what are you grateful for?” as one of my questions. You can list ten things or just share one. I wanted to ask big questions (and sprinkle in some small fun ones) because these are some questions I think are important for everyone to consider and that I am genuinely interested in about everyone. Also, feel free to use these questions as a source of inspiration for your next post if you’re feeling stuck, because some of them are certainly big enough questions for a whole post! In fact, if you’re tagged but don’t want to answer all these questions, just answer one or however little you want. I might use some of these as well…

Who are you?

What gives you life?

What is your message?

What is your passion?

What is in your emotional emergency kit?

What are you currently obsessed with?

What is something you should have done awhile ago but never got around to?

What is holding you back?

What are you grateful for?

What can you do for someone else today?

Where are you going?

What is your credit card number?

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Baby it’s cold outside // 07×52

Everything LOVE-ly

Hothouse Coffee // 06×52

Library haul // 05×52

Memory keepers // 04×52

#tagged: grateful blogger tag & liebster award

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