Wandering Myra

1. Baby smiles!

This past month our little bundle of joy has really started smiling a lot. I can be completely exhausted from sleep deprivation brought on by baby’s fussing over a gassy tummy or the voracious appetite that comes with a growth spurt and it just takes one little smile to turn me into an overjoyed momma without a care in the world. 

2. Jellycat Bashful Grey Bunny

Image source: http://www.amazon.com

When I was a kid, it was tradition to get a chocolate bunny for Easter each year and since chocolate is not yet on the menu for our little one, I decided to find the softest bunny plushy I could find. And here is the winner! I ordered the medium sized plushy which is 12″ tall and I couldn’t be happier. This little guy is soooo soft!! And I found out the company makes a variety of animal plushies and companion books as well. I may have some more shopping to do. 😉

3. Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser

Image source: http://www.amazon.com

I’ve been using Aveeno products for a long time now. My skin tends to be sensitive and react rather badly to a lot of products but I haven’t had that problem with Aveeno. This foaming cleanser has become part of my daily routine to gently wash away the dirt of the day. It’s also fragrance free which is another plus for me. And unlike some other products I’ve tried, I can use this day after day without any concern that it’s gradually irritating my skin into a full-blown breakout. Definitely a win!

4. Neko Atsume app

With all the time spent taking care of baby needs, I find I have very few real blocks of time leftover. The time I do have seems to be quickly eaten up with chores like dishes and laundry. (How can such a small person create so much dirty laundry?!) So this is the perfect game for me right now. The Japanese name translates to “Cat Collection” and it’s incredibly easy to play. You just place goodies such as blankets, balls of yarn, and boxes around the room, fill the food bowl with something tasty, and wait for the cats to appear! It’s that simple! Each cat has it’s own personality and preferences when it comes to toys and treats so if you want to see them all, you have to try different combinations. And when cats visit and play with toys, they leave you fish in return. You can use these fish to purchase more goodies and treats. It’s a very cute game and it requires only as much time and effort as you want to put into the game. I can put out some toys and food and then leave it alone. When I have another moment, I can look at the app and see what cats have wandered by. And I never have to change a litter box! 😉

5. Mango Maui Black Tea

Image source: http://www.hawaiicoffeecompany.com

There for a while I had the habit of taking a break each day and enjoying some tea with cookies…something I brought back from my vacation in London last year. I pretty much stopped drinking tea while pregnant but I’m getting back into the habit again. Recently I’ve really been enjoying this Mango Maui black tea. I tend to favor a simple black tea and this variety adds just the right amount of mango flavor to give it a little pizzazz without going overboard. I find it goes really well with Pepperidge Farm Milano dark chocolate cookies. Yum!!

Okay, time to get to bed for me…right after I get that laundry finished!

1. Graco Pack ‘n Play Playard Snuggle Suite

Image source: http://www.amazon.com

Space is at a premium here in Hawaii and when I first started looking around at our little one-bedroom apartment, I had a hard time imagining space for all the things I saw advertised as essential for a baby’s nursery. Then one of my friends told me about how some play yards are now made to take the place of cribs and are designed for smaller spaces. After some research, we selected the Graco Snuggle Suite version and I absolutely love it! The bassinet section provides a safe and comfortable place for our baby to sleep and the attached entertainment feature includes a light that allows me to easily check on her in the middle of the night without turning on the bright overhead room lights. The suite also comes with a changing table and storage area that snap onto the frame so everything is conveniently located in one place. One of our baby’s favorite features is the bouncing infant seat: it can snap onto the frame or be removed to carry into a separate room. I love it because I can easily take our baby into the other room and have a safe spot for her to rest and she loves the ‘soothing vibration’ feature, which often lulls her to sleep. It takes up less space than some of the more traditional cribs plus we don’t have to have a separate changing table. As she gets older, we can remove the bassinet and the lower section becomes a play yard. And the frame folds up into a convenient carrying bag! While we haven’t needed the portability aspect of the pack ‘n play just yet, it’s one of the features we were looking for and I’m sure we’ll be happy for it soon. :)

2. Chicco Bravo Trio Travel System

Image source: http://www.chiccoshop.com

I love, love, love this travel system! When I was looking for car seats and strollers, I did a lot of online research and asked friends and coworkers who are parents for their recommendations. I also went to a couple stores and tested out floor models of various strollers to see how easy they were to turn, fold, etc. This travel set won out. The KeyFit 30 infant car seat is highly rated and with the leveling foot and bubble-level indicator, it was super easy to install the base for the car seat. Anytime we go somewhere, we simply set the car seat on the base, listen for the click that tells us it’s locked in place, and we’re good to go! The stroller functions as a carrier for the infant car seat and once again, it’s very easy to slide the seat into place on the stroller and with one click, you’re off! It also includes a basket so you can easily carry bags/supplies without having everything slung over your shoulder, a convenient tray with cup holders for parents, and a canopy that keeps the sun off our baby. I love that the stroller is very easy to maneuver and it’s super easy to fold as well. You just pull the handle located under the seat and it automatically folds itself…only one hand required! (And let me tell you, I’m finding that I always seem to need another hand for something these days so this is really awesome!) Plus, once our baby grows out of the infant car seat, the carrier transforms into a full toddler stroller. So convenient!

3. Monthly baby photo

The past few weeks have gone by so quickly and while I did notice that our baby was growing, I didn’t realize how very much she had changed until I was showing family some photos taken the day after she was born. It’s amazing how much they grow and change in just one month! To help capture this, I decided to do a monthly photo of our baby so we can see her progress over time. After looking around Pinterest for some ideas, I decided to go with a simple chalkboard and include updated info each month (things like weight, height, milestones, what she’s loving this month). I simply dressed her in a cute outfit, placed her and the chalkboard on a cream-colored blanket, had the hubby snap a photo, and voilà! Instant adorable photo! <3

4. Logan

Image source: http://www.imdb.com

One of the things our visiting family members suggested we do was take a little time for ourselves to get out and see a movie. We’re definitely not going to have a lot of time for just the two of us so we took them up on their offer and went to see the latest Marvel movie. I don’t even remember ever seeing a trailer for it so I was expecting basically what I expect from the majority of these movies: an action-packed, fun and entertaining movie that doesn’t necessarily have a lot in the way of complex plot or superior acting. That’s not a criticism really; I quite enjoy that kind of movie on occasion. But this movie was much more than I expected. I don’t want to spoil anything but it was much more serious than any of the other Marvel movies I’ve seen…in a good way! The more serious storyline allowed Patrick Stewart (Professor X) and Hugh Jackman (Logan) to actually show off their acting chops. This movie is much darker than the simple/fun movies I usually expect and is set in a future where things have not gone well for the original X-Men team (what and why are revealed during the movie) leading Logan and Professor X to go into hiding from the world. I was especially impressed by how well Hugh Jackman portrayed a very weary Logan with the weight of the world on his shoulders. It was definitely not a happy movie but it was very well done and I would certainly recommend seeing it.

5. Banán

Banán is a cute little spot offering dairy-free soft serve made from locally grown bananas and other ingredients. The soft serve comes in several flavors like acaí, liliko’i (passion fruit), and green tea and though they all have a strong banana flavor (at least all the ones I’ve tried have), other flavors definitely do come through. They also have a lot of tasty toppings like shaved coconut, honey, and pineapple. My favorite so far has been the chocolate mac flavor with local dark chocolate and mac nut honey butter toppings. Yum!

That’s it for March! Now maybe I can take a quick nap before the little one wakes for her next meal… ;)

I realized as I began to make my list for March that I never posted my list for February. The past few weeks have been incredibly busy…I think I say this all the time but it’s been busy in an entirely different way than usual: baby time! Our little bundle of joy arrived and while it’s been just as exhausting as I was warned, it’s also been more incredible than I could have ever imagined! <3 We’re all doing well and I can’t believe how quickly the time is flying by. So, let’s get to the list before it gets any later!

1. Maternity leave

This one is perhaps really obvious. I’d originally planned to work right up until I went into labor and except for being a bit more tired than usual, I certainly felt well enough to do so. But, I ended up starting my leave a week before my due date simply because that was the only way I was going to get any down time from work (I was working all day plus most evenings and weekends right up until I took leave). Not only did I want to have a little time to mentally prepare myself for the upcoming life-changing event, but family also began arriving before my due date to spend time with us and await the baby’s arrival. It really helped to have some down time then and having time off to focus entirely on our daughter has been wonderful. I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to split my focus with anything else!

2. Lamaze Maternity and Nursing Sleepwear pajama set

  Image source: http://www.target.com

Toward the end of my pregnancy, it was difficult to get comfortable to sleep despite being more tired than usual. One thing that helped was looking forward to a nightly routine, which included brushing my teeth, washing my face, and changing into comfy pajamas. I found this Lamaze pajama set so comfortable with its soft, breathable fabric with room in the midsection for my greatly expanded belly. Plus I loved the lace detail and the cute stripe on the pants.

3. BabyCenter app contraction timer

I mentioned the BabyCenter app previously but now I can say I’ve used the contraction timer feature and found it very helpful. Of course you could always time your contractions using your phone’s timer or a watch but I found it very convenient to use this timer. The tool is easy to use and keeps track of the start and stop times, the contraction length, and the time between contractions. It made it very easy for me to see when my contractions met the 5-1-1 rule (contractions are 5 minutes apart, lasting about 1 minute each, for 1 entire hour) and it was time to call the hospital.

4. The Accountant

Image source: http://www.amazon.com

This movie follows Christian Wolff, played by Ben Affleck, who is a math savant and much more than your typical accountant since he handles the accounts of some of the world’s largest criminal organizations and still manages to stay alive. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone so I’ll just say I very much enjoyed the movie and appreciated how well the action was balanced with character development as bits of Wolff’s past were slowly revealed throughout the movie.

5. Cake Couture chocolate cupcakes

These are the most delicious cupcakes I’ve come across in some time. I’m not so much a sweets fan as I am a chocolate fan so these are perfect for me…they are definitely rich but not overly sweet and they are very moist, too. The bakery does offer several flavors of cupcakes each day as well as some specialty cakes but I go for the chocolate every time. ;)

Okay, time to go for now. The baby calls! Hopefully I’ll have the March list posted soon!

1. New Lenovo Y700-15ISK laptop 

Image source: http://www.amazon.com

My big Christmas gift from my husband was a brand new laptop and I love it! My previous laptop was still working so I wasn’t completely convinced I needed a new one at first but I have to admit it was showing more and more signs of impending failure…plus it was probably about 9 years old. Yes, I get attached. ;) When I opened up the new laptop, I thought it looked rather intimidating at first. It’s really built to be a gaming laptop which means it’s meant to be a high performance machine and probably has quite a bit more than I need but now that I’ve been using it a few weeks, I can’t imagine going back! The startup is so fast and everything just runs so smoothly. I love the feel of the keys and the 15.6 inch screen is large enough to comfortably watch movies without being so large that the laptop is just too heavy for me to ever want to take anywhere. And though I’m definitely not using it to its full potential at the moment, I am very glad that if I do choose to add some of the software I use for work, then this laptop will handle it with ease.

2. BabyCenter app

Image source: http://www.babycenter.com

I’ve actually been using this app for the past few months and I love it! Each day it delivers articles that might be of interest to me considering the stage of pregnancy I’m in. This includes a large range of topics from tips for a healthy pregnancy to how your body is changing as the weeks progress to what to expect at checkups throughout the pregnancy. Also included are guided instructions for how to prepare a birth plan and the essential items you might consider buying before the baby’s arrival. One of my favorites is the weekly update on about how large the baby is…they find a fruit or vegetable comparable to the size each week which really helped with visualization. It includes a lot of other useful tools that store bumpies, answer questions about what is and is not safe and a contraction timer…haven’t used that last one yet!

3. Bella B Tummy Honey Butter

Image source: http://www.amazon.com

Okay, first I feel the need to add a disclaimer. As far as I know, there isn’t any definitive research out there that shows that the various butters, creams, and oils advertised to reduce stretch marks actually do just that. And while I’m getting close to my due date and have yet to develop a single stretch mark on my tummy, I can’t be sure that it’s the butter and not a result of good genes along with a slow and steady weight gain throughout my pregnancy. That said, I’d still recommend this. Even without the consideration of minimizing or preventing stretch marks, this tummy butter makes my skin feel so much better! With all the stretching my tummy is doing, my skin has felt super dry and I do NOT want to be scratching my tummy all day long! This tummy butter is thick and really lasts the day. Plus it doesn’t have a strong smell, which was a major concern  early on in the pregnancy when just about everything with a scent made me sick. I would definitely test it out if I were wearing anything delicate that I thought might stain, but I’ve had no problem with it myself. It’s been all positives for me!

4. Simple flower arrangements

I bought this simple arrangement on an impulse and only after having it by my laptop for a day did I realize how much I’ve missed bringing a little nature into my indoor space. Yes, I do enjoy the flowers I see as I’m walking to and from work but there’s no reason I can’t enjoy some when I’m sitting and working inside, right? Such a simple thing that brightens my day. :)

5. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf non-coffee dark chocolate ice blended drink

And finally, I have to include a bit of chocolate! I really try to limit my sugar intake but this has become my weekly treat. I’ve yet to develop a taste for coffee but I absolutely love dark chocolate. Plus the hormone surges that come with pregnancy seem to keep me running hot. That makes an ice-blended dark chocolate drink my perfect pregnancy treat! I’ve also been using it as a reward to myself so each week I set aside time to work on something that I’ve been dreading or procrastinating on and that is when I head to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and get myself this drink. It’s been quite motivating.

And that’s January! I’d like to say I know at least one thing I’ll be loving in February but I hear that babies arrive on their own schedules so we’ll just have to see. ;)

Goodbye 2016. Hello 2017!

Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted here. After my last post, I started my final year in my Master’s program and things just got crazy busy. I was also working at the same time and just somehow allowed a lot of the fun things to slip through the cracks, including this blog. But it’s a new year and that means a fresh start, right? I’m ready! So here is a brief summary of where I’ve been…

Image source: http://www.imdb.com

Image source: http://www.amazon.com

Image source: http://www.marycagle.com/letsspeakenglish/82-oh-my-baachan

It’s time for me to play catch-up. Things got super busy before the Fall semester even started and once I got behind in posting, the job of getting back on track seemed more and more daunting. I’m still super busy but I’m going to try to post for each of the months I missed even though they’re so late. It’ll be good to remind myself that even though I sometimes feel like I’ve done nothing but work the past few months, there are always things to enjoy. :)

Nexus 5

Image source: http://www.amazon.com

My husband decided it was time for us to get new phones. The phones we’d been using were probably 6 years old. We got them when we first moved to Hawaii and then used them in Japan, too. They actually still worked perfectly fine…by which I mean they worked great for such old phones…but they didn’t support all the latest software and we’d kind of run out of storage on them long ago. Now that I think about it, I’m surprised my husband lasted as long as he did before looking at new ones since he tends to keep up with the latest technology. I’m a bit more of a “use it until it doesn’t function at all” type. But I admit, I absolutely love the Nexus 5 and wouldn’t dream of going back. It provides helpful updates on appointments, distances/times to destinations, news, interesting articles, etc. in a way that is much more seamless than I’ve seen with other phones. Very happy with this!

Awapuhi Wild Ginger Styling Treatment oil

My hair is very fine and gets tangled very easily. When I went in for a cut, I saw a new stylist and she couldn’t believe how easily my hair tangled as she was working with it. She suggested this product to help smooth out my ruffled feathers. It takes just a very little bit to run through my hair while wet and like magic, it’s silky and smooth! I couldn’t believe how much it helped to keep my hair from tangling. And I love the wild ginger fragrance, too.

Let’s Speak English comic

Image source: http://www.marycagle.com

My husband introduced me to this comic and it really cracks me up. It’s drawn by an American who is teaching English to elementary school students in Japan and chronicles some of the interesting experiences she has there. Often I’ll start laughing because many of the experiences she has remind me of my time there. I especially love the times she comments on things she finds odd about differences in customs because I’m usually sitting here saying, “That’s so true!” ;)

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield

Image source: http://www.amazon.com

I found this book to be both entertaining and motivating which I think makes it a great read. It includes many stories about the years Hadfield spent training to become an astronaut as well as his time exploring space. I loved getting insight into his perspective on the many challenges he was faced with and how his mind tackled the years of intense training for what most would find an impossible dream rather than a realistic goal. Hadfield injects a lot of humor into his stories which kept me smiling even when he was relating tense, life-or-death scenarios. I highly recommend this!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Image source: http://www.imdb.com

Oh, Brooklyn Nine-Nine. You amuse me so. This comedic TV series follows the officers of Brooklyn’s 99th precinct and the wacky situations they get themselves into. Each character is crazier than the next but somehow the writers balance it all out so I can’t wait to see what will happen next. Whatever it is, I know it’ll be entertaining.

That was July! Perhaps it’s just because the summer heat still hasn’t left us but I feel like it was just last week I was discovering these items!

Photo source: http://www.imdb.com

I have been relaxing so much this summer that it’s just slipping by me so quickly! I’ve really been in that mode where I forget what day of the week it is and when I actually go to schedule a meeting with someone, I realize it’s already half way through July and wasn’t it just June?? Yeah…time to post that list of things I was especially enjoying in June!

1. Rainbow Shower Trees

There are quite a few of these trees planted around Oahu with several lining the streets through campus. They have beautiful cascading flowers that range in color from pink to yellow. Even when I’m wilting in the heat on my walk to campus I have to appreciate the beauty of these trees and smile. :)

2. Waimanalo Bay Beach Park

Photo source: http://www.aloha-hawaii.com/

Before a friend’s birthday bash, I didn’t even realize this little beach park was there. The entrance is far enough inland that it doesn’t look like there is beach access and there isn’t really a sign to lead you there. The park has several spots for camping back off the beach in the shade. The beach itself is beautiful of course and when we went, there weren’t the crowds you see at a lot of Oahu beaches, which I really appreciate. More beach for me!

3. Hawaii Star Wheat Sour Dough Bread

I love sourdough bread but I don’t see it very often here in Hawaii. Sweet breads are more popular here. So when I saw this in the store, I had to give it a try and I was pleasantly surprised. It’s not quite San Francisco sourdough sour but unlike most brands I can find here, you do get that sourdough flavor. My only problem is the loaf seems to be gone as soon as I open it! I kept forgetting to take a photo, or thinking there was still bread left for a photo only to find that was not the case. That’s why you get a photo of a partially eaten sandwich with the wheat sourdough bread, some roast beef, cheddar, and tomato…and now I’m hungry!

4. Stargate Atlantis

Photo source: http://www.imdb.com

Stargate SG-1 was included in May’s list so Stargate Atlantis has to make the June list. Atlantis is a spin-off series that takes off during season 8 of SG-1 and continues for 5 years. In this series, the characters are part of an expedition that uses the Stargate to venture to another galaxy entirely, the Pegasus Galaxy, where they of course encounter new cultures and a new enemy, the Wraith, who feed on humans. It has the character interaction and imaginative science fiction aspect that I loved in SG-1 but it’s quite different as well. I think it’s perhaps a bit geekier in that characters in the show occasionally reference other science fiction shows. The heroes aren’t really your typical hero types either. Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett) is the lead science guy and while he’s clearly brilliant, he’s also rather arrogant and lacking in social skills, sometimes painfully so. He says whatever he’s thinking and occasionally his overconfidence in his abilities comes back to bite him. But as the show continues, we see more and more of the other aspects of his character such as his willingness to do whatever necessary for his team (though he’s probably letting everyone know just how terrified he is the entire way). Lt. Colonel John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) seems pretty laid-back and perhaps too lazy to get very far in the military but when his team’s welfare is on the line, his loyalty to his team becomes apparent and we see a lot more depth to the character. And he definitely has a darker side that occasionally comes out when he’s trying to protect his own. When McKay is planning to sacrifice himself to a Wraith in order to save his sister, Sheppard basically convinces someone else to step in and take his place. Definitely not the typical hero.

5. Pepperidge Farm Milano Double Chocolate cookies

Photo source: http://www.pepperidgefarm.com/

Someone brought these into the office to share while we were writing some coding for a project, just to keep our energy levels up. It took just one cookie for me to be sold on these. The dark chocolate are great but the double chocolate have double the goodness! ;)

I hope you are all having a terrific summer!

1. Summer break!

Of course the beginning of summer break has to start off my list. The spring semester was especially busy and stressful so I was feeling long overdue for a break by the time finals rolled around. Being able to just relax and sleep in was such a relief! It’s also been so nice to go from having every minute scheduled to being able to make my schedule whatever I’d like. I can go work in the library all day or take a break to go for a quick hike. It’s fantastic!

2. Nijiya sushi lunch

When I was in Japan, I would often grab a sushi bento for lunch and I’ve really missed that lately. Luckily for me, there is a little Japanese grocery store nearby called Nijiya that offers a selection of sushi. This is the avocado salmon, which is very tasty. I look forward to stopping by for my lunch there more often!

3. Stargate SG-1

Image source: http://www.imdb.com

Since I have a lot more free time now that it’s the summer, I’ve been revisiting one of my favorite TV series: Stargate SG-1. It’s a great science fiction series about a team exploring different worlds through a device called a Stargate that was unearthed in Egypt. The story actually begins with the movie, Stargate, starring Kurt Russell and James Spader, so if you decide to take a look at this, start there. The movie is fun but I think the series has a lot more to offer. The banter between Colonel Jack O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) and teammates Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) and Major Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) guarantees a steady flow of humor as the team tries to deal with some of the social and technical difficulties you would expect from encounters with peoples from different worlds. The straight-faced observations of their alien teammate, Teal’c (Christopher Judge), also add an element of humor as you see an outsider’s perspective on “Earth culture.” While I would enjoy this series just for the character interactions, I also love the science aspect. If the team encounters a black hole, I’m not only going to look forward to seeing how they deal with it but I know I’m also going to have a great conversation with my husband about black holes and what we think we know about them. And the show does a great job with continuity. Whenever the team encounters a new problem that you’d think could be easily solved with some bit of technology discovered in a previous episode, if they don’t go that route then one character will actually ask why they don’t just use that technology and an explanation as to why it won’t work in this scenario is offered. It’s an older series (1997-2007) but watching it again I’m finding it holds up well. I highly recommend it!

4. Bananagrams

Image source: http://www.amazon.com

I love this game! Bananagrams is a fun anagram game that’s kind of like playing a timed version of Scrabble. You start out with all tiles facing down and each player takes 21 tiles. Once the game starts, each person flips his/her tiles and begins making words with the tiles. Unlike Scrabble, each person is working on a separate grid of connected words. As soon as one person arranges the letters so all 21 are used, he/she yells “Split!” and each person takes 1 tile from the pile. In order to use that new tile, you often have to rearrange words you’ve already created. If you can’t figure out a way to use that tile, you can dump it back in the pile and take 3 tiles in its place. When all the tiles have been taken, the first person to complete his/her puzzle yells “Banana!” and wins the round. It’s a simple game but lots of fun and easy to travel with since it has the convenient banana pouch.

5. Bubbies ice cream

My husband and I were dropping off some recycling when we discovered a little ice cream shop we’d never noticed before called Bubbies Homemade Ice Cream and Desserts. I don’t know about you, but when I see “homemade ice cream and desserts,” I immediately want to give it a try. It may not have been difficult to decide to go in but it was hard to pick what I wanted to order. So many options! Not only do they have several ice cream flavors to choose from, they also have other desserts like ice cream cakes and mochi ice cream pieces. I was glad we had to wait in line because it took me a while to decide. In the end, we tried a piece of the Functioning Prostate ice cream pie (yes, they have very strange names!), which is layers of raspberry sorbet and chocolate ice cream on an Oreo crust and topped with fudge. Yum! I can’t wait to try more options!

So as you can see, after working so hard the first half of the month, I’ve really enjoyed myself for the remainder of the month. My motto was “taking it easy” and that’s just what I did! :)

Things I’m Loving – April 2015

As I was reviewing my Things I’m Loving list for May, I discovered I never posted my April list! I guess it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise because April felt like a string of deadlines held together with days of increasing stress, moments of thinking I was about to have a lull in my schedule to relax, and realization that there was yet another extra project/reading/paper thrown at us. April…

1. Spring Break!

This probably needs no explanation. The first couple weeks of March I think I was largely trying to hang in there to make it to Spring Break. With so much going on, a week off sounded like the best thing ever! Of course I had a lot of studying planned but just knowing I didn’t have to be anywhere at a specific time and could finally catch up on sleep…that was terrific. The unfortunate part was that I got sick for the second half of the break. It was a nasty bug that I’m just now getting over so a lot of the work I’d planned to catch up on and fun beach days I was hoping for didn’t happen but there was a bright side. I got soooo much sleep! And my husband was so good to look after me, bringing me soup and medicine and making me as comfortable as possible. While it’s never fun to be sick, it is nice to be taken care of when it does happen. So I’m looking on the bright side for this one!

2. Relaxing evenings with friends

Before I got sick during break, I managed to spend some relaxing evenings with friends and catch up with folks I hadn’t seen since winter break. Just kicking back and chatting with friends over some delicious pupus (appetizers) felt so restorative. I’d love to see them more often but it’s also nice to know that even when you can’t see friends frequently, you can fall right back into step when you get together. And one get-together involved randomly creating pastel art on a friend’s lanai! Gotta love my friends. :)

3. Greed dice game

At one of my get-togethers, someone brought along a fun little dice game called Greed. It involves throwing six 4-sided die in an attempt to get the highest score possible in each turn. Different combinations allow different points but each time you throw in your turn, you have to keep back at least one dice from the next throw until all are used. The catch is that if you throw a combination that doesn’t allow you to add to your score, then you lose all points earned during that turn, thus allowing your greed to get the better of you. I won the game so I might be biased but I think it’s a simple and fun game that’s entertaining while still allowing you to chat with friends. It’s definitely going on my wish list!

4. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

I read this book years ago at the recommendation of a friend and when discussing books with another friend, this book came to mind and I decided it was time for a revisit. Normally I feel too busy to read many “fun” books but while I was sick and taking medication that made me a bit drowsy, I couldn’t really read anything that required too much focus (like biostatistics). I took advantage of that time to reread The Left Hand of Darkness and remembered why I’ve loved the stories I’ve read by Ursula K. Le Guin. She has a fantastic hand for world building and this work introduces the reader to an alien world of individuals who may change their gender but spend most of their time genderless. It’s a fascinating story that I’d recommend to anyone who loves science fiction.

5. Salted Caramel Clusters

These are so delicious! I saw these at Sam’s Club and it was like they were calling my name. As you’ve probably guessed from some of my other posts, the caramel and dark chocolate combination has become one of my favorites and the pretzel combination gives it a nice twist. I’d say the best pretzel is the one covered in dark chocolate. ;)

It’s time for me to be finishing up some midterm papers and catching up on work I missed during my illness so it’s busy, busy as usual. With the months flying by so quickly, I hate to wish any time away but I’m already looking forward to summer break! >_< Maybe then I can actually complete some of the longer and more involved posts I’ve started and never finished over the past few months. But until then, I’ll keep my eyes open for gaps in my schedule for an evening with friends, try to fit some fun reading in before bed, and of course enjoy a bit of chocolate now and then!

Celebrating Pi Day of the Century

Pi Day is celebrated all around the world on March 14 every year (3/14) since the Greek letter pi (π) is used to represent the mathematical constant for the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, which is approximately 3.141592653. This year they are calling it the Pi Day of the century because the date 3/14/15 covers the first five digits of pi. And of course, at 9:26:53 on 3/14,…

Image source: http://www.imdb.com/

February was quite a busy month. So busy that when I went to write this post, I discovered I hadn’t ever finished my January Things I’m Loving post! I knew I’d worked on it but I forgot that I still needed to add photos and hit Publish. >_< Oh well. It’s done now. The one good thing about it I suppose is that it further supports my decision to cut back on my commitments. I’ve just had too much going on and was beginning to feel rather run down. I did reduce my hours on one project so hopefully I’ll feel like I have a little breathing room for a change. Considering this post isn’t a month late, maybe it’s already working! ^_~

1. A friend’s visit!

One of my long-time friends visited us from the mainland for over a week and we had so much fun! I had too much going on to just completely relax and pretend I was on vacation as well but I rearranged my schedule as much as I could to enjoy her visit. It’s always good to catch up with close friends and we had lots of good conversations while hiking, swimming, relaxing on the beach, catching sunsets, and just chilling out in the evenings at home. And she completely spoiled us by cooking dinner for us as well as making sure there were always fresh brownies or cookies for dessert! :D

2. Obsessed with Star Trek game book

Image source: http://www.amazon.com/

At some point in the past, perhaps for a birthday or Christmas, my friend who was visiting had gifted us with a game book all about Star Trek. I did not grow up watching Star Trek as my husband and friend both did (my family was in the Star Wars camp) but my husband had insisted that I find out what I was missing and over the years I’ve watched all the movies and most of the series…I haven’t managed to make it through the entire original series just yet. Since we had a Star Trek fan visiting us, we pulled this out as one of the games to play at night after a hard day at the beach. You just push a button to ask for a question and then once a number appears, you look through the book for that specific question. The questions range from really easy to somewhat impossible (at least for me!) but since it’s multiple choice, you always have a chance at least. I think this would be a fun game for any Star Trek fan.

3. Veronica Mars

Image source: http://www.imdb.com/

While she was here, my friend recommended we watch a TV series called Veronica Mars. Since we’d just recently finished Leverage, we decided to try it out and quickly made it our go-to study break show. It’s all about a teenager helping her private investigator dad solve crimes, complete with lots of witty banter and fun, nerdy references. Sadly the show was cancelled after 3 seasons and the last episode really left a lot unanswered. That always frustrates me! Luckily, they made a movie that takes place several years later when the characters return for their high school reunion and it ties things up nicely. It was also fun to see where the characters ended up after college. I was surprised to see they actually got a lot of the original actors back to play their characters. Maybe they all really enjoyed working together. :)

4. Mixed tomatoes

One weekend while shopping in Sam’s Club I found a box of mixed tomatoes. I love tomatoes and often include them in my lunch salads but I was especially happy to see a box like this because I like to have lots of color in my bentos. The tomatoes are delicious and the red, yellow, and orange just brighten up my salad in the middle of a work day spent looking at mostly black and white text.

5. Peppermint hot cocoa

I hardly ever visit coffee shops since I don’t drink coffee and usually just carry a water bottle with me wherever I go. It’s a lot cheaper and I stay hydrated. But over my holiday vacation, we made several stops at Starbucks so that other family members could get their caffeine fix and I took the opportunity to drink as much peppermint hot chocolate as I could. So good! I love chocolate and peppermint together and am always happy to see the combination pop up during the winter. Apparently my love for the stuff was obvious because my family sent me home with a can of the cocoa mix. It might seem strange to drink hot cocoa in a warm place like Hawaii but believe me, I’ve grown accustomed to the constant warm weather so the slightly cooler winter days do seem cool to me. And really, do you really need any excuse for hot chocolate?

I know the month ahead will be busy but hopefully not quite as busy as the previous two have been. My friend’s visit did a lot to remind me of what a beautiful place I’m living in. When things get so busy, I spend the great majority of my time on campus in classrooms or offices and I can go weeks without a single trip to the beach or the mountains. It’s time to make a change! I’m not sure how long I’ll be living here in Hawaii so I really want to make the most of the time I do have here. Time to get back out there and start exploring the islands again!

Image source: http://www.worldmarket.com/

Image source: http://www.imdb.com/

Image source: http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/

When I went to prepare my February Things I’m Loving post, I discovered I never published this January edition! >_< I knew I’d worked on it but I forgot that I still needed to add photos before I could publish and with so much on my plate this semester, it slipped my mind entirely. So here is that January post…only a month behind. Better late than never I hope!

January felt a bit like December in reverse. It started out with lots of relaxation but once I got back to Hawaii, I jumped back into work and then the Spring semester began. I actually have more commitments than last semester and I feel like I’ve been scrambling to keep up with it all. As hectic as the last few weeks have been, there are always things to enjoy and here are some of the things I’m loving this month.

1 & 2. Owl measuring cups and spoons

Image source: http://www.worldmarket.com/

Image source: http://www.worldmarket.com/

Ever since visiting an owl cafe in Japan, I’ve found owls rather adorable and these measuring cups and measuring spoons were just too good to pass up! Who wouldn’t want cute little owl-shaped measuring devices?! Maybe these will be enough to get me into baking. ;)

3. Bath & Body Works pocketbac sanitizing hand gel

Image source: http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/

This was in my Christmas stocking and I immediately attached it to my backpack. A busy student does not have time to get sick! Having this always handy made it easy to quickly sanitize my hands before grabbing a snack between classes or after working on a library computer…ever think about all the germs that could be on that keyboard? Yep. Good to have that sanitizer close by!

4. Leverage

Image source: http://www.imdb.com/

While visiting family in San Diego over break, I was introduced to the TV series Leverage. It’s a drama series about people who are cheated, robbed, and scammed but who are not getting justice through the legal system. In comes a team of modern day Robin Hoods who are criminals themselves but turn their skills to good. It’s a bit cheesy but I found it very entertaining and somehow managed to finish the series (5 seasons) by the end of the month! >_<

5. Sea salt dark chocolate candies from San Diego Old Town

I brought back some treats from a candy store in Old Town San Diego and amazingly enough I managed to save them until after the semester began. The dark chocolate and sea salt combination is one that I’m really loving!

With the first month of the year already over, it’s looking like the Spring semester is going to fly by. I have lots of hopes for the semester and one of those is that I can get everything done! Last semester was so busy at the end and it has felt even harder to keep up the pace this semester. That might be why time management is high on my list of priorities this year. ;) We’ll just have to see how February goes!

1. Beach walks

Living in Hawaii, it seems like I should be taking walks on the beach all the time but this semester was so busy that I really didn’t get to the beach very often. When we got to San Diego, we were determined to relax as much as possible and walks on the beach were a must. Our go-to spot is Torrey Pines and with beautiful weather when we first arrived, we were there every other day!

2. A day at the races

I have loved horses for as long as I can remember so I was excited to go see them race at Santa Anita Park this month. We made a day trip of it, having lunch in the club house and just staying the rest of the day. The setting for the track is absolutely gorgeous, especially as the sun begins to set and paint the hills with beautiful colors. We all picked our horse each race, with each person going with a different strategy…whether that strategy was based on stats or the originality of the horse’s name. And of course I had a lot of fun just watching the horses. ;)

3. Disneyland

Anytime we visit family in San Diego, we all try to make a trip to Disneyland in Anaheim. We don’t always manage it but we did this time! We always have a lot of fun with the rides but this time we also managed to get reservations for dinner at the Blue Bayou restaurant, which I love. It’s hard to get a reservation (one of us made a reservation 3 months ago to be sure we got in) and it’s rather expensive but the atmosphere they create is just amazing. Another thing I loved about this trip was all the Christmas decorations throughout the park. Beautiful!

4. Old Town San Diego

Another spot we love to visit is Old Town San Diego. It’s a great stop for California history and has lots of fun shops and great restaurants. I always enjoy walking through the shops, stopping for some hot chocolate, and getting some great Mexican food. This time we went to Old Town Mexican Cafe, which makes their own hand-pressed tortillas. Delicious!

5. Chocolate chip pumpkin cookies

No picture for these because they disappeared so quickly! One thing that amazed me was how they stayed moist instead of getting dry like the other cookie varieties made at the same time. I’ll have to try to get the recipe for these because they were so tasty and I don’t want to have to wait another year or two to get them again!

As we head into 2015, I am thinking hard about what my goals for the year will be. I usually allow myself the first week of January to define my goals and determine milestones for those goals. But for now, I’m enjoying every moment left in 2014. Wishing you all the very best for a Happy New Year! :)

I completely missed the change over from November to December and my regular posting of the things I’ve been loving! I blame it entirely on Thanksgiving break. This month has been even busier than the last (I added volunteering to my schedule) so when Thanksgiving rolled around, I took relaxing seriously. I did absolutely no studying/work for a couple days and while it was so wonderful to have that break, I feel like I’m having a hard time picking up speed again. >_< To get back on track, here are some of the things that I enjoyed in November!

1. Pancakes

Ah, pancakes. When I was a kid they were a weekly treat that I loved. Now I tend to avoid anything so sweet early in the morning but then I saw this chocolate macadamia nut pancake mix and I had an instant pancake craving. I reasoned they would be fine to eat if I just didn’t have them first thing in the morning, so one weekend we had a pancake brunch with the macadamia nut pancakes and lilikoi syrup. It really hit the spot! The syrup was super sweet so just a little will do but the combination really satisfied my craving.

2 & 3. Dinner and a movie!

Source: http://www.wired.com/2014/09/interstellar-app/

Remember how I set a goal to integrate some self-care into my schedule? Taking a study break to go see Interstellar with my husband was part of that! We both enjoy movies but rarely get to the theater because of our busy schedules and the expense. Add a bite to eat before the movie and you have a date! We shared a burger with cheddar and avocado along with some shoestring fries from Kua ‘Aina. I added a little Thousand Island dressing to my half. Since we were sharing, we got the 1/2 lb burger and I was completely satisfied with just half. Afterward we headed to the theater for the movie portion of our date. I love science fiction, especially the kind that is really thought-provoking, and Interstellar is definitely that. It’s a bit long so I imagine if you’re not into that genre then it could be a bit much but for us, it just inspired an hour of conversation once the movie was over. :)

4. Turkey

A lot of you have probably been eating Thanksgiving leftovers the past few days and maybe you’re sick of turkey but I’m still going strong. Turkey was really hard to find in Japan and most apartments there don’t have ovens (just as ours didn’t) so even if we could have found a turkey, we couldn’t have prepared it. During our time there we did manage to find a place we could get a precooked turkey breast for Thanksgiving but it wasn’t cheap and it wasn’t as good as cooking a turkey ourselves. That’s why I was so happy that we had an oven this year to cook our own turkey! I enjoyed it for Thanksgiving dinner but what I really enjoy are the leftovers for turkey sandwiches. Sourdough bread, cheddar cheese, and turkey…yum! (And btw, our oven is a bit on the small side so that turkey isn’t quite as big as it looks…we didn’t go too crazy!)

5. Leftover Halloween candy

I had really expected a lot of trick-or-treating to happen in our neighborhood but apparently there are specific neighborhoods known for the best Halloween candy hauls so people drive to those instead of staying in their own neighborhoods. (At least, that’s what I was told the day after Halloween when I was wondering what to do with all the candy still sitting at home.) Since no one wanted the free candy, I decided that just meant I had lots of Halloween candy to last me the month of November. I like to have something sweet around the house so this definitely qualified and besides, I’d made sure we got candy that we liked in case any was left over. ;)

Now that I’m looking back at November, I’m thinking I just need to go live in the gym! The jeans are definitely feeling a little tighter than they did in October and there are several holiday parties in the next few weeks so gym time is going to be very important. Plus a little time on the treadmill will help me burn off some of that nervous energy that comes with finals. Final presentations for semester-long projects have already begun in some of my classes and exams are just a couple weeks away…time to get back to studying! Wish me luck!

Lots of people visit the park during the peak season for the autumn colors. It’s a bit similar to the viewing of cherry blossoms in Spring except it doesn’t quite draw the same crowds (the cherry blossoms only last a few days so everyone is viewing them at one time) and you don’t have the picnics beneath the trees.

Still, we tried to go on weekdays when there were fewer people. There was an exhibit the park presented with images created from flower petals and twigs from trees. These must have taken a lot of time! The first image is from an anime named Gatchaman Crowds while the second is a scene with fireworks and autumn leaves.

The entire park was filled with beautiful autumn leaves so we just enjoyed walking down the various paths and enjoying the beauty while enjoying a hot chocolate from a vending machine.

We even found some flowers blooming!

The Japanese garden section had some of the most beautiful autumn scenery so we spent quite a bit of time there. There were some turtles enjoying the scenery and fading light as well!

With that trip down memory lane, I’m feeling more in the spirit of the season! :)

Back to Bentos: Shumai Bento

It’s been a while since the last bento post. October was so busy that at some point I gave up making lunch in favor of an extra half hour of sleep. While it’s fun to grab lunch out every now and then, there are only so many lunch options convenient to campus (especially when you only have half an hour between class and work). Those options tended to be not quite so healthy and definitely more…