Starbuck Secret Menu - Thin Mint Frappuccino

Challenge: Try everything off the Starbucks Secret Menu.

I had a bit of a chocolate craving today, but it was so warm out I thought something minty might do the trick. Like the candy, it was delicious and had just enough chocolate to satisfy my craving, yet not enough to spoil my dinner.

Order a green tea creme frappuccino with chocolate syrup and java chips added.

Zumba - dancing for those who can't dance?

When I was twelve, I tore my left ACL twice. I had the perfect athlete's triad - which basically means I completely destroyed my knee. It was devastating, to say the least.

Now when I try to keep active, I have a hard time balancing between doing what I want/know I'm capable of doing versus what I'm actually able to do. I've been running and doing yoga consistently (and longboarding if you consider that a form of exercise). I love dancing, so Zumba was a great choice of exercise for me.

For those of you who aren't aware of Zumba's existence and/or those of you who have heard of it but don't really know what it is, Zumba is a program in which participants follow a choreographed routine that works certain muscles. The music is a mix of Latin and hip-hop which I can't help but wiggle along to anyway. What's especially nice about Zumba is that it incorporates a warm-up and cool-down into the class which is really good when exercising. It can get hard on my knees, especially during sequences where I have to turn on one leg repeatedly, but most of the time I'm too busy enjoying myself to notice!

It sounds/looks slightly ridiculous, but it truly is a lot of fun. I couldn't really dance before I started Zumba, but it doesn't matter. All I have to do is keep an eye on the instructor and follow his or her moves. There's also Zumba Toning in which participants use hand weights during certain sequences of a routine. I would suggest anyone willing to try it start with light weights, just in case. The first time I tried the toning class I started out with some light weights my aunt brought me, but switched about half way through the class to the heavier weights my aunt was using. I couldn't imagine doing the entire class with the heavy weights - my arms were aching after just half the class!

I'm sure Zumba isn't for everyone, but I strongly encourage you to try it if you have the opportunity. If it hadn't been for a friend of mine who danced, I would've never tried it. Last year I even did it with the entire group of Resident Advisors (and Area Directors!) as part of RA training at Linfield! We dressed up in bright workout clothes (and the occasional tutu) and made an evening of it. Now that I'm back home, I've been dropping in on classes in Tacoma at Studio 6 Ballroom with my aunt. There are classes offered all over - just check the Zumba website for details.

Sunday Drive #1

I was driving today and realized how wonderful music is. Sometimes my mood changes with the music that's playing. Sometimes it fulfills a moment. Sometimes it makes me think about larger picture things. I don't know if I'm making any sense, but I just thought I'd share some of my favorite songs at the moment.

Picture yourself out for a nice, long, relaxing drive somewhere on a lazy summer Sunday afternoon...

George Morgan - You Say

King Charles - Lady Percy

Branches - Helicopter

Finn HP - Chocolate (1975 cover)

Becky CJ - Overjoyed/Kiss You (Bastille and One Direction mashup cover)

Tacoma Ethnic Festival

Today my family and I went to the Tacoma Ethnic Festival. My friend Nathalie (mentioned in an earlier blogpost) was performing so we tried to make it, but by the time we got there they had already finished. Sorry Nat! We had been to Ethnic Fest last year so we knew where we would immediately head - the main stage for music and dancing. They always seem to play great music. And it was perfect weather for dancing barefoot! We met up with Nat eventually and stayed to watch some of the other performers. There were Hawaiian hula dancing, Korean drummers, and (pictured) Korean dancers.

In between performances we meandered around the vendors. Eventually we decided to take the plunge and hit up the food vendor area. BEST IDEA EVER!! By that time I was so hungry - I hadn't eaten much for breakfast because I was anticipating the Ethnic Fest food. There were so many options to choose from! Now I normally am quite practical with spending money, but when it comes to food, I lose it. Whenever I see food that I want to try or food I know I like that I can't necessarily make for myself, I go for it. I wouldn't necessarily call myself a "foodie" but I love food!
I love cooking and eating and conversing about food.

If you, by chance, are like me and don't quite consider yourself a foodie but are a lover of cooking and food in general, check out the book Try This: Travel the Globe Without Leaving the Table by Danyelle Freeman. It is an easy read that provides a great overview of several culture's cuisines as well as some general tips on etiquette and dining. It's definitely opened my mind (and mouth!) to trying new kinds of food. Also, if you have the chance, read Julie & Julia by Julie Powell. It is the novel that the 2009 movie was based on. Although I don't like the book, I liked the idea of setting out on a culinary adventure. Thus, the books inspired me to add the Julie & Julie project challenge to The List.

Anyway, I'm grateful I had Nat and my brother along to help me out. Nat helped guide me through the food vendors and their offerings and my brother helped me finish my selections! Great teamwork, don't you think?

Disclaimer: all the food and beverages I had were DELICIOUS, so I won't waste my time repeating myself.

My first selection was a peach lemonade. I'm a sucker for lemonade and peaches in general, so the idea of the combination was very appealing. I like my lemonade slightly tart and although the peach flavor sweetened it a bit, it was still pleasantly tart. They even stuck half a lemon in there!




My next selection was a corn on the cob. I grew up loving elotes (Spanish for corn on the cob) so this was also a no-brainer! I had always thought that elotes, made the Mexican way, were slathered with butter and sprinkled with paprika and salt. Nathalie informed me that they put mayonnaise on it, so that's what I did. PERFECTION. I'm still not sure what makes elotes in Mexico so freaking good though.


Next we hit up the crêpe stand for a little dessert. If there's one thing you must know about me, it's that I absolutely love crêpes! I don't know what it is about them... Maybe their versatility? They can be served with fruit tucked inside for breakfast, chicken and spinach for brunch, or whipped cream for dessert. Sometimes I simply slather the insides with jam for a quick breakfast. They can be made and stored for later (a college girl's favorite type of food, although they're not as good as fresh-made crêpes).

The crêpe stand had a mixture of both dessert crêpes and brunch crêpes. At this point I was filling up and didn't think I had room for a chicken artichoke crêpe, so I opted for a sweet one. I've been craving chocolate a lot lately - so much so that I recently tried making chocolate crêpes. They turned out great! Granted, I'm not a professional crêpe maker nor am I a connoisseur of crêpes. Nat ordered the fresh strawberry crêpe with powdered sugar and cream and I orded the chocolate turtle crêpe with powdered sugar, cream, chocolate and caramel syrup, and crushed peanuts.

The last thing I ordered was curly fries - because just when I thought I was stuffed, I saw them. Oh the shame.

2am Tea

A few years ago, I woke up extremely early during the summer and had a cup of tea. Granted, 5am isn't terribly early, but it was back then! At that point I realized I would probably end up being a morning person considering how much I enjoyed the calm of the morning.

Since then, I've made it a point to wake up early and have a cup of tea at least once during the summer. I've never really pushed myself to get up earlier than 5am, so I set a challenge on The List to get up at 2am and have tea. I figured if I could get up at 2am and have tea I would be the ultimate morning person!

Anyway, I woke up this morning at 2am and had a nice cup of tea. Normally I would sit outside on the balcony and enjoy watching the sunrise, but it was ridiculously cold so I opted to sit indoors, light a candle, snuggle up in a blanket, and watch All About Eve. (It's from AFI's 100 Best Films list and also part of one of my challenges.) The movie kind of gave a theme to my early morning contemplations... Lately I've been thinking about manipulation.

In the movie, the character Eve Harrington manipulates the truth and the people around her that could have genuinely been her friends. The occasion arrises when she gets her own, but it takes another person a lot more manipulative to do that. People around me have been manipulating me and manipulating the truth and, frankly, I can't stand it. It's more than frustrating.

Fortunately, having tea so early gave me enough peace, quiet, and time to think about the people and situations that are causing so much havoc in my life and give me a little perspective on my thoughts and actions in dealing with them.

I'm not saying it's a good thing for everyone to do, considering schedules and, simply, personality differences, but it's something I like doing and will continue to do so every once in a while.

Book Review: Slaughterhouse-Five

Such a powerful book. I liked Kurt Vonnegut's writing style and loved the idea of being unstuck in time, especially from a veteran's perspective. I can only imagine what it is like to be a veteran although I might liken it to being unstuck in time as Billy is in Slaughterhouse-Five. I won't get into anything too deep about the book, but I will say that I really, really, REALLY liked the first chapter. I don't think anyone really thinks of the book title that much, but the first chapter made me think about it throughout the novel. If you've read it, think about it now: Slaughterhouse-Five, Or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance With Death. Heck, the first chapter itself stuck with me the entire novel! What I mean is, Mary O'Hare's exclamation, "You were just babies then!" says it all - soldiers were unexperienced and unprepared for war (as if you could ever be completely prepared for war) and Vonnegut doesn't glorify them in any way. He makes it clear that soldiers were not as noble and/or rational as one would think. Rather, they are like babies, vulnerable and innocent in some ways. I love the quote bellow from the first chapter particularly because it made me think about the bombing of Dresden and the acknowledgment that innocent people were killed.

So then I understood. It was war that made her so angry. She didn't want her babies or anybody else's babies killed in wars.

Adventuretime: Argosy Cruise to Tillicum Village

My friend Nathalie and I have a thing about making last-minute plans. Our mutual friend has a habit of making them and typically the plans go awry. We're used to our friend's way of socializing and we share the same views about it, so we trust each other whenever we make last-minute plans. This past Monday, I was taking my brother to the library when I got a call from her about going on a cruise in Seattle later that afternoon. 

Nathalie and I are huge Starbucks addicts.
I know, I know, for shame.

 Now, as much as I hang out with Nathalie, I almost never get to talk with her alone in person and the ride up to Seattle was the perfect opportunity. We got to the pier with plenty of time to spare, so of course we stopped for a Starbucks!
We found out right before leaving that the name of the vessel we were sailing on was the Goodtimes II. We thought it was appropriately named.
Since it was a lovely day, we sat in the front seats of the top deck's bow and caught some sun. Oh, fun fact, Nathalie and I were "twinning" that day - occasionally we wear the same sort of outfit, if not the same clothes. (I like to think of it as "tWinning.")
It happened to be a dinner cruise complete with a guided tour. A few other characters onboard also kept us entertained on the trip to Blake's Island, where Tillicum Village is located. Along the way, the tour guide mentioned that some pathways were made out of broken clam shells and thus, the word for clam also meant the word for path. Soon after arriving, we were offered a mug with clams in them whose shells we were expected to drop and crush, as a contribution to the pathway.
The inside of the lodge was huge! There were a few fire pits for baking the salmon we ended up eating for dinner. There was a great array of food - salad, stew, risotto, green beans, roasted tomatoes, fruit, molasses bread, and of course, salmon. They even served single apple pies with caramel for dessert! The salmon and molasses bread were absolutely DELICIOUS. Although they were out of the loaves of bread in the gift shop, Nathalie got the card of a lady who said she would leave as many loaves as we wanted at the pier in Seattle for us to pick up. That's going to be a thing!*

I loved that you could have a bit of everything -
but I think I went overboard (pun intended) on the salad.

The show itself was awesome. I only recorded some of it, because I wanted to get the full experience. One of my favorite stories told was of how birds got their songs. I will never overlook a wren again - it was the hero of the story. The masks that they used were ridiculously cool. Nathalie and I talked to one of the performers after the show and found out that each mask weighed around 40 pounds. I believe it! Some of them, like the one pictured have strings to snap the beaks together. The performer also explained the significance of a mask I was particularly interested in. He said the mask was a symbol of how there are the ancestors and living ancestors as well because the old ways have been passed on to the living elders.

A photographic summation of my trip.

The trip back was very relaxing - so much so that I started falling asleep! Fortunately it was a tad breezy and I ordered a nice, cold ginger ale to keep me awake. We wandered around the pier a bit to watch the sunset before heading home. To complete the evening we stopped and talked about our afternoon over piña colada flavored bubble tea.

Lemon and honey ginger ale is my favorite!
But so is Nathalie. 

Overall it was a lovely trip and I am so grateful I have a friend like Nathalie in my life. :)







*I forgot to mention: this phrase has been used more and more frequently. It's a weird shorthand for saying, "I like that this exists and I want it to happen to me."

Adventuretime: Mt. Rainier National Park

Yesterday my family and I took a trip to Mt. Rainier National Park on a whim. We packed up a nice little lunch of wraps, crisps, and pasta salad and went on our way. I don't know why, but on long car trips I tend to fall asleep reading. Slaughterhouse Five was my book of choice - partially because it follows two challenges on The List and partially because it's hard to put down!

Nothing like a good old-fashioned picnic!
Well, sort of...

We realized once we arrived, that many others had the same idea we did about visiting the park on such a lovely day. There was a long car queue visible even as we drove up to the entrance. Unfortunately we weren't able to picnic at my parent's favorite spot, Paradise, but we ended up at a nice picnic area with three other families. After we had enjoyed our lunch, we took a walk around to admire Mother Nature.
The picnic area had a few trails leading around the creek area, which was reduced to a stream around twenty feet wide. We walked down to the rocky terrain and found a wooden bridge over the stream. It was a hot day and the water looked so cool and swift... I was completely fascinated by it and the rocky area surrounding it. Although it is obviously a man-made bridge, it intrigued me.
The entire time I was reminded of my love for nature and wandering. I enjoyed having family time, but I could have stayed there for hours! We did, however, promise my brother that we could stop at the Elbe train station to look at the old train. I'm glad we stopped -  not only did we make my brother happy to see the train, we also picked up a basket of Rainier cherries and a mango smoothie! YUMM.

Update: Instagram Challenge!

Thanks to The Idea Room I've got an Instagram Challenge for the month of August! There's an Instagram Challenge for the month of July, but since the month's already half past I'll use the rest of this month as my practice period. Next month I'll be using the hashtags #theidearoom and #foolishinthecrowd. Be sure to be following my Instagram

Adventuretime: Tacoma Art Museum

As part of the Tacoma Art Walk, the Tacoma Art Museum not only stays open late from 5-8pm but is also free during that time on the third Thursday of the month. Whenever I'm in town I try to make it there and usually take a friend or two with me to make a night of it. Last night was the third Thursday of the month, so I of course gathered a couple people and went. My special guests of the evening were two of my aunts. My mother was supposed to come as well, but ended up staying home. Although these particular aunts and my mother all live in the same general area, they don't see much of each other, nevertheless spend time together apart from gatherings at my grandparents so I thought it would be nice to have a sort of "sisters evening."

Glass orbs in the midst of the museum.

Anyway, the ongoing Eric Carle (known for The Very Hungry Caterpillar) exhibition was spectacular! We weren't allowed to photography any of his pieces, but there were some cool stamps and book covers displayed. There were also a few other pieces displayed that I had never seen before including some street art. I didn't know Eric Carle did street photography! I wrote down a sentiment expressed on one of the labels that I thought was interesting:

Carl has always been interested in details and when at a museum will stand very close to see the brush strokes in a small section of a painting. His photographic street art zooms in on the often overlooked details that Carle finds so compelling in art and in the world around him.  

Now for pictures. First of all, we didn't arrive with much time before closing so I mainly photographed the glass pieces from the Dale Chihuly collection. Secondly, I really like glass. Thirdly, these are only a few of my favorite pieces. Enjoy!

From the Dale Chihuly collection.

From the Dale Chihuly collection.

Challenge Update: AFI's 100 Greatest American Films of All Time

As of yesterday I have watched 66 of the 100 films! There are still a few on Netflix I have yet to watch and I have placed holds on several films at the public library, though so the last third of the list will flow smoothly. Instead of bouncing back and forth between movie genres as I initially did, I've now got a solid list of Westerns, Dramas, and Post-War films with just a few outliers.

The list is as follows:

• A Clockwork Orange
• A Place in the Sun
• All About Eve
• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Amadeus
• American Graffiti
• Chinatown
• Citizen Kane
• Dances With Wolves
• Dr. Strangelove
• From Here to Eternity
• High Noon
• MASH
• Mutiny on the Bounty
• Network
• North By Northwest
• On the Waterfront
• Patton
• Platoon
• Raging Bull
• Rebel Without A Cause
• Shane
• Sunset Blvd.
• The Apartment
• The Best Years of Our Lives
• The Birth of a Nation
• The Bridge on the River Kwai
• The Deer Hunter
• The Grapes of Wrath
• The Third Man
• The Wild Bunch
• Unforgiven
• Wuthering Heights
• Yankee Doodle Dandy

Starbucks Secret Menu - Cotton Candy Frappuccino

Try everything off the Starbucks Secret Menu.

I tried this after experiencing the Dalai Lama in Portland for an environmental summit. It was light and sweet, just like cotton candy!

Ask for a vanilla bean frappuccino with a pump of raspberry syrup for a tall, 1.5 pumps for a grande or 2 pumps for a venti.

Starbucks Secret Menu - Neapolitan Frappuccino

Try everything off the Starbucks Secret Menu.

I tried this around finals time and the balance of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry perfectly satisfied my stress-cravings!

Ask for a Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino with some vanilla bean powder added in and a pump of mocha syrup.

Starbucks Secret Menu - Apple Pie Frappuccino

Try all the recipes off the Starbucks Secret Menu.

Tasted light and refreshing for a warm summer day. 

Have the barista fill up to the first line with cream base, fill up to the second line with apple juice, then add one pump of cinnamon dolce syrup and one pump of caramel syrup. Top with whipped cream and caramel drizzle and add a ground biscotti if you’d like some crunch!

Starbucks Secret Menu - Butter Pecan Ice Cream Frappuccino

I was in the mood for ice cream today, but since I figured I would be getting frozen yogurt later, I opted for this instead. Tastes like the real thing (minus the pecan slivers)! Smooth, sweet, and delicious. 

Order a vanilla bean frappuccino using heavy whipping cream instead of whole milk and add in hazelnut syrup (1 pump for a tall, 2 for a grande, 3 for a venti).

Sister Bonding Time!

My sister and I weren't always close. In fact, I have a very distinct memory of me thinking, "Well she's graduating this year. I suppose I ought to be nice to her." She was graduating 8th grade - and to me that was a big deal. I'm two and a half years her minor, but despite the age difference, I still consider her my younger sister. Toya (my nickname for her, pronounced "toy-uh") is not only sillier than me, far more creative than me, but shorter than me as well. That being said, I look up to her very much. 

Outside of the salon with our newly manicured nails.

Anyway, Toya and I don't get to hangout by ourselves very often. With a large-ish family like ours, it's hard to have any alone time together. Today we decided to get French manicures at Unique Nails in Tacoma. Toya had never had a French manicure before and we had decided to splurge a little and get gel manicures, so it was exciting. I was grateful I got to experience another "first" with Toya. What I mean is, Toya and I are leading physically separate lives now. She's finished with college now and I'm still traveling back and forth between home and college. She's entering "real life" now and I realize it will be harder and harder to spend time with each other, despite all that technology and social media has to offer. It's not like we're going our separate ways - we're still family, of course. It just makes me appreciate the little things, especially the "firsts" that we haven't experienced that we wouldn't normally experience together now that we're older. Plus, I will definitely miss having someone to be ridiculous with!

Instagram Challenge?

I think I'd like to do an Instagram Challenge... I love taking photographs, but I don't have a specific motivation to post any. Are there any recommendations?

Book Review: Animal Farm

I read Animal Farm as part of the challenge to read at least 50 books on the Modern Library's 100 Best Novels List. Reading through the introduction and preface, I initially thought I wouldn't be able to separate the novel from actual historical events. Animal Farm definitely served as a reminder as several revolutions in history. I took a class this past semester on revolutions in 20th century Latin America and much of what the animals on the farm were experiencing was experienced by actual citizens and revolutionaries of Latin American states. There was a sentiment written in the introduction that I agree completely with - the novel has a way of "[moving] by not seeking to move; almost, it seems, by not seeking to move." Animal Farm has a way of presenting political tactics and rebellion in a simple and appealing manner. I would give it four and half (out of five) blueberries.