Current Mood

Reading...

World Travel: An Irreverent Guide

Anthony Bourdain's life of experience is collected into a travel guide that introduces some of his favorite places in his own words. It also includes essential advice on how to get there, what to eat, where to stay and, in some cases, what to avoid. As a big fan of Anthony Bourdain and his work, I mostly got this to  reminisce about his favorite locations as well as use it as a guide for new travel plans.

Watching...

Hospital Playlist

We're not usually into medical dramas but this show which focuses on five doctors, who formed friendships in medical school and are reunited when they all begin working at the same hospital is such a gem. Once we started watching it, we could understand why it had such high ratings and critical acclaim. While they do feature cases, the crux of the show lies in the stories and the humanity of the main characters and those who surround them. It's a feel good drama that is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster filled with heart and humor. The soundtrack is amazing too. I highly recommend this if you're looking for a feel good watch and am looking forward to Hospital Playlist 2 in June. 

Listening to...

Eat Drink Asia

This award-winning podcast from the South China Morning Post deep dives into the forgotten history of some of Asia's most popular dishes that have gone global. A few of my favorite episodes include one about the medieval English origins of Hong Kong egg tarts, how tofu made it's way to the West and sushi did not actually originate in Japan. Fascinating stuff!

Eating...

Salad for breakfast
I've never been a fan of traditional breakfast foods because alot are not that healthy so I just eat what I like for breakfast when I'm not on an intermittent fast. I actually really like vegetables any time of the day. A simple one I enjoy is lightly sautéed kale with white beans and a lemon vinaigrette.

Enjoying...

Butterfly Pea Flower Tea

Made from a flower native to Southeast Asia called clitoria ternatea, this antioxidant and flavonoid rich tea has mood and skin-boosting benefits. When I first started drinking it, I was amazed at how mellow it made me feel so I gave some to my husband and he felt the same. Aside from the wellness benefits, it's also aesthetically pleasing and fun. The natural color is blue and if you add a little lemon, it changes the pH so it turns bright pink. 

Indulging in...

Hu Dark Chocolate

I rarely crave sweets ever since I gave up sugar but I do like good chocolate every now and then. Hu Dark Chocolate is high quality and delicious while made without any refined sugar, cane sugar, sugar alcohols, dairy, palm oil, gluten, or soy. I'm partial to the Hazelnut Butter and Vanilla Crunch. I actively avoid sugar especially processed sugars because it increases inflammation which weakens the immune system plus it's terrible for aging.

Enjoying...

Cherry blossoms

I swear the flowers and trees seem to bloom earlier every year. We are very fortunate to have some lovely cherry blossom trees in the garden downstairs which I like to sometimes just revel under or do photo studies o0.

Finally trying...

Augustinus Bader Skincare

I've been wanting to try the Augustinus Bader Rich Cream which has been touted as "the best skincare in the world" and recently came across a really good discount on The Tandem Set which also includes the body cream. I haven't started the face cream yet but I've been using the body cream for a little over a week and it has made my skin so incredibly soft.

Personal news: I'm now fully vaccinated. Felt the effects a little more with my second vaccine which included fatigue and a low grade fever but I was fine and quite energetic the next day. I feel a better sense of protection from Covid now but I'm not doing anything different and still wear masks and observe social distancing. The only things I'm going forward with is scheduling my medical screenings that I previously pushed back and getting my teeth cleaned. You definitely won't catch me dining out. With the attacks on Asian people getting worse, staying home is the safe bet. My husband has started running errands for me because he fears for my safety. Just this week two women got attacked with a hammer in NYC, two women were beat with a brick in Baltimore and two women were stabbed while waiting for the bus in broad daylight in San Francisco. 

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