Highlights from my 19th birthday!

21 May 2016

Happy Wednesday everyone! I just turned 19 years old this past Saturday and I had such a fun day. 

Just wanted to share with all of you the places I visited, the things I saw, and the food I ate. 

Places I visited: 

• Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI) in Astoria, Queens

• Sweet Spot in Astoria, Queens, New York

• Black Tap in New York, New York

Museum of the Moving Image! 

 

 

      First Picture: Listening to old movie soundtracks! 

Second Picture: Usher's uniform, Radio City Musical, 1949

We were able to sit down and watch an old cartoon show! 

(Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk)

Outfits previously worn by actors!

 

The flower dress was used by Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire. 

To the side of the dress, there is a body suit he also used for the role.

                 

When we pay at the entrance, the person gives you four coins to use in the arcade center. The arcade center contains many old games, 1960's - 1990's. 

 

First Picture: We were to twist a handle and be able to see flip animations!
Second picture: Vintage cameras!

My favorite exhibits from the Museum!

So for a specific movie, an alien ages from childhood to adulthood in the matter of a couple of seconds. To create this scene, they used over 100 models to create such a short scene!

First Picture: A Nightmare on Elm Street! 

Second Picture: For the movie The Exorcist (1973), the main character Regan is possessed. One of the most memorable scenes from the movie is Regan being able to spin her head a full 360 degrees. To create this scene, they created a replica of Regan, and her robotic head was able to move its eyes and mouth and spin completely.


This is one of the coolest museums I have ever visited. There is plenty of interactive opportunities, from making your own stop motion animation movie, sound booth station where you can use your voice to alter existing movies, and an arcade center where you can play old games.
TIPS:
• Free admission Fridays 4-8pm
• Reduced price if you bring your student id (18+)

Sweet Spot in Astoria, Queens, New York
After leaving the Museum, me and Stephen went to lunch!

Truffle Mac n’ Cheese

Delicious appetizer for two!

Skirt Steak Tacos

Kept me full for most of the day! 

The service was really nice and quick! 

Would recommend to anyone wanting a quick bite.

Black Tap in New York, New York (SOHO)

The hype is real! 

This location is mainly known for their unique looking shakes and their burgers. The wait is long, so be aware. When we got to NYC, we decided to take the walk to pre-burn the calories we were about to eat. It was more than thirty blocks away.

As we approached the location, we saw a good line circling the location. We were prepared to wait since we have read their reviews on other websites. We waited an hour and a half, but we would have deff waited another hour if we came in a larger group. 

TIP: Go in a small group! (2-3 people) Larger groups had to wait an extensive amount of time.

Left picture (Me): SWEET N’ SALTY ($15)

Right picture (Stephen): THE COOKIE ($15)

The waiter told us to quickly choose what we wanted because the kitchen was backed up. The faster we ordered, the faster it will arrive. We both got The Texan Burger ($17). 

Was it worth the wait? Yes it was. 

Will you come back? Possibly, but glad we can say we tried it! 

DIY chicken pizza at home!

17 May 2016

Hi everyone! Me and Stephen were very hungry yesterday, so we decided to create our own DIY pizza from stuff we had available at our use. These are the ingredients we used that made it taste so delicious, but of course you can always use bits and pieces of the recipe and make your own style! 

What you will need: 

・Two breads (which you can cut in half and make four slices) 

・Tomato sauce (any brand)

・Grated parmesan cheese

・Four slices of Mozarella cheese 

・Two slices of American cheese 

・Diced onions

・Onion powder

・Chicken breast

・Garlic powder 

・Salt

・Table grind black pepper

・A Toaster

・A Pan 

To save time, start off by marinating your chicken breast. We used salt, garlic powder, onion powder,

and table grind black pepper. Once marinated, cook it in the pan. 

Once done, cut the chicken breast to little cubes. You can put these to the side while you start your pizza!

Excuse my bread cutting skills haha!

・Apply tomato sauce all over the four slices of bread

・Cut your two slices of American cheese into small squares

・Apply diced onions and the squares of American cheese to each slice of bread

・If available, apply a decent portion of grated parmesan cheese to each

slice of bread for more flavor.

・You can now add your chicken cubes to the bread slices!

・Top it off with a slice of mozarella cheese on each slice of bread.

・If your preference is crunchy pizza, leave it in the toaster for 20 minutes.

・If your preference is soft pizza, leave it in the toaster for 10 minutes. 

Hope you guys enjoy your pizzas! 

Bugz's first birthday!

Bugz has been a part of our lives for six months now and yesterday was his first birthday. According to some sources, he is ten years old in bunny world. It is amazing to see how he started off, he was so distant, would be so attentive, and would not eat around us. Now, he is very comfortable and starts jumping around when he sees us. Having a bunny as a pet is not like owning a cat and dog, it is quite different. They don't bark or meow, they do not nudge you when they need to pee or enjoy a litter box. We watched many videos on Youtube about how to pick him up, how we should care for him, how to make his perfect home because they're not your usual pet. Through these months, we got the experience to care for such an amazing animal, pet, and friend. 

                                    

                                   

... So for Bugz's first birthday, Stephen and I threw Bugz a little birthday party.

"What is going on???" - Bugz

Bugz wearing his party hat!
Featured in the picture:
• Three cupcakes
• Cupcake shaped mineral treat 
• Four candy shaped mineral treats
• Carrot shaped toy
•  Lava Block chew toy

Squad eating their cupcakes! 

We do not let Bugz eat the entire treat, we allow him to chew 

it a couple of times and take it away from him. He gets too crazy 

when treats are involved!

The Beauty after the Madness! 

Outback Steakhouse, Hotel Breakfast & La Casita Miramar in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Hi everyone! I finished my second semester of college this week and was finally able to have time to write this blogpost. 

So this is a continuation of my Puerto Rico 2015 Post. 

This deserved a second post because I am an unofficial food critic hahahah! 

28 July 2016

Our dinner for the day was Outback Steakhouse. 

It is a chain restaurant, has over 900 locations, and this was my first time trying it.  Overall I really enjoyed this restaurant and the experience. The waiter was nice, but the service was quite slow. The taste of the food, however, made up for the service. 

I got the Baby Back Ribs with a baked potato on the side. 

According to their website, the ribs are "smoked, wood-fire grilled and brushed with a tangy BBQ sauce." 

The ribs were very delicious and left me wanting more. The BBQ sauce was really good.The baked potato was stuffed with sour cream, mixed cheeses, chives, butter and bacon bits. So delicious!

In the background: Stephen's mac & cheese. He loved it!

29 July 2015

I have never stayed at a Hotel, so this was a different experience for me. We were to wake up early, so it wouldn't be so busy. 

There were two lines, the cook-to-order omelet line & the buffet type where we can pick and choose what we want. I was really impressed by all the variation they had in the Embassy Suites Hotel, from oatmeal to yogurt to fruits to french toast. 

I got fruits (cantaloupes & melons), french toast with syrup, scrambled eggs, Light & fit yogurt, cereal with milk and a cup of fruit punch. 

Yes... very fulfilling breakfast. 

For Stephen's mom's birthday, we went to La Casita Miramar.

They did not have an official menu because they change their menu daily. What they had for dinner was written in a big chalkboard, which I felt was different but was not very helpful. It was hard to read, but the waiter explained what was on the chalkboard. I personally felt that if the menu was printed with a description of the food, it would be much easier to order. 

The food was quite pricey! I was not the biggest fan of this place, but I thought the ambiance of the restaurant was very nice. It looked like a traditional home. 

Me (dish on the right): 

The drink was Sangria. Not a fan of it. 

The food: 

I got a portion of rice, a side of kidney beans, and some type of meat. 

I thought the food was quite overpriced, but I guess it's just a tourist thing haha.

The garnish was nice!!

Stephen (dish on the left):

He got a chuleta with a side of rice and kidney beans.

His thoughts on his food were

• "Quality Puertorican food"

• "A lot of garnish"

•"It was really good"

•"My grandma does it better though" 

We ate in a couple other restaurants, but the pictures somehow got lost. 

Puerto Rico was a great experience and I truly recommend going there for vacation with friends or family. 

Have a happy Saturday!

How We House a Bunny!

We have picked and chosen different ways to accommodate him, 

but we finally have a plan that works in his and our favor. 

Bugz says, "Welcome to my Crib!"
We bought this cage at Pet Smart. It was quite pricey, but he loves it, so we do as well.
At first, we would leave the cage closed while we were at school or at work, but we made his home a little larger. Now the door is kept open and he just goes in there to pee/poop. (Makes it much easier to clean it up)
Water bottle: He used to drink out of this water once in a while, but now he does not drink out of it at all. Just a decoration now!
Chew Toy: He does not really play with it anymore, so just a decoration now!

Hay Manger: We used this hay manger for a couple of days and he was not really pleased by it. Just a decoration now!

(All three products are from Pet Smart) 

My Dad divided his room in half and made this fence.
This allows Bugz to be able to exercise and run around all day long. We do not allow him to run around the entire house because there are many cords around that Bugz can chew up and he can get himself into mischief. It is not bunny proofed!

This is the main place that Bugz loves hanging out in. He usually sleeps, cleans himself and eats here. He also loves to be under things so that's why he enjoys his little cave.

Bugz's toys include: 

Lava Block

Carrot-Shaped Chew Toy

Carrot-Shaped Hay Chew Toy

His food:

He is fed pellets and hay 75% of the time. He has a big bowl that has a smaller bowl of pellets in it and hay. 

He usually eats a bowl and a half of pellets a day.

The black bowl that looks like a witch pot: his water bowl

His pellets are stored in the recycled cookie container.

His hay is stored in an airtight Container Store container. 

(Very similar to this one)

He is inside the travel cage in the picture, but not very visible. 

We bought a dog travel crate for Bugz since they don't usually sell any for bunnies.

They had a variety at Pet Smart and this one was $25. 

It's pretty spacious for when we need to bring him around.