new year, new start
to my weight loss efforts, that is. : ) might as well spend most of my time in the sun, now that glorious summer is finally here- no more crappy cold weather and i can finally wear boxer shorts to bed at night! i've started going for a run at least once a week. i'm not a huge fan of running, but i guess i have to do it if i want to lose poundage. what i've learned over the last year is that there isn't a quick solution to losing weight... it still boils down to exercise and eating right.
now that i've my near-ED saga behind me, i can finally look forward to making a fresh start in my life... i'm hitting the big 3-0 next month! i have to finally say goodbye to my crazy early adulthood eating habits and embrace a healthier lifestyle. i think it it's true that once you hit your 30s it's a lot harder to lose weight. oh well, i'll try not to get sucked into the evil device that is the weighing scale... maybe i should just bin that thing and get it out of my life once and for all.
moving along...
i survived my 1st month of eating vegetarian. more happy cows on this planet! the reason why i embraced this diet is because i want to lose the extra weight (no surprise there) but also i feel sad about the animals who die for the reason of being eaten. i was a pescatarian for a few months back in 2008 and found it hard to maintain when we moved to NZ since i still didn't know my way around the kitchen. now that i'm better at it, i'd like to eat more earth-friendly foodstuff and not feel guilty about what goes into my mouth.
but that's not to say i've said farewell to desserts and all fattening stuff. they will always haunt and taunt me. hehe.
being vegetarian doesn't mean boring rabbit food, it means pushing your culinary imagination further. you're actually forced to be more creative and believe me, you won't miss the taste of meat. i still allow myself dairy and eggs, so it isn't that tough to maintain.i still am enjoying this diet although if i were to revert back to eating meat, i'd eat less of it instead of eating it every day. i don't think i can adapt a vegan lifestyle, because that means i couldn't have ice cream and that would make me sad and miserable.
i didn't talk much about our US trip and it has been 2 months since we came back. man, time does really fly!
top 10 US food joints we (well, mostly me) tried and loved -
1. Guelaguetza Restaurante (LAX) - aaaahhh. my one true Mexican love. their black mole and coloradito were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! i had something (fried chicken and waffles) before arriving yet i had to stuff myself silly with their food. it was just too good to not eat. go on and don't feel guilty because you look like a glutton. you have my blessing.
2. Chapeau (SFO) - yum-o! never had good french food before (and not too expensive at that). joel's godmother brought us here and the food was fantastic. it was a party in my mouth.
3. Il Laboratorio del Gelato (NYC) - what can i say. i love me some good, no, great gelato and this was it. owned by the founder of Ciao Bella gelato.
4. R&G Lounge (SFO) - crazy packed Cantonese restaurant but if you were here for one dish alone, it better be their Anthony Bourdain-approved "Salt and Pepper Crab". fan-freaking-tabulous.
5. Hong Kong Lounge (SFO) - another Cantonese restaurant (what can I say, I am Cantonese after all!) with lightning fast service and super delicious food.
6. Hot N Juicy Crawfish (Las Vegas, NV) - never had so much fun eating crustaceans in plastic bags.
7. Ike's Place (SFO) - three words: "menage a trois". enough said.
8. Momofuku (NYC) - although we didn't get to try their food, we did however taste their pork buns and it wins by a mile compared to ippudo's.
9. Philippe's (LAX) - the original French dip sandwich. only have it there!!! their sandwiches are outta this world good that you seriously couldn't decide which one to get. (the guy in front of us decided to get two because he couldn't make up his mind!)
10. Sushiran (SFO) - my first michelin starred restaurant experience. spent US$80 for lunch (yikes!) but it was well-worth it.
other runner-ups: Tartine (SFO) for their morning bun; Earl of Sandwich (Las Vegas, NV); Ippudo (NYC); and Grimaldi's (NYC).
you won't believe the amount of stuff we had during our near month-long trip yet i came back only 0.5kg heavier. i think i did more damage over the christmas holiday stuffing myself silly with ice cream and "crema de fruta". those days are now long gone... : )
now that i've my near-ED saga behind me, i can finally look forward to making a fresh start in my life... i'm hitting the big 3-0 next month! i have to finally say goodbye to my crazy early adulthood eating habits and embrace a healthier lifestyle. i think it it's true that once you hit your 30s it's a lot harder to lose weight. oh well, i'll try not to get sucked into the evil device that is the weighing scale... maybe i should just bin that thing and get it out of my life once and for all.
moving along...
i survived my 1st month of eating vegetarian. more happy cows on this planet! the reason why i embraced this diet is because i want to lose the extra weight (no surprise there) but also i feel sad about the animals who die for the reason of being eaten. i was a pescatarian for a few months back in 2008 and found it hard to maintain when we moved to NZ since i still didn't know my way around the kitchen. now that i'm better at it, i'd like to eat more earth-friendly foodstuff and not feel guilty about what goes into my mouth.
but that's not to say i've said farewell to desserts and all fattening stuff. they will always haunt and taunt me. hehe.
being vegetarian doesn't mean boring rabbit food, it means pushing your culinary imagination further. you're actually forced to be more creative and believe me, you won't miss the taste of meat. i still allow myself dairy and eggs, so it isn't that tough to maintain.i still am enjoying this diet although if i were to revert back to eating meat, i'd eat less of it instead of eating it every day. i don't think i can adapt a vegan lifestyle, because that means i couldn't have ice cream and that would make me sad and miserable.
i didn't talk much about our US trip and it has been 2 months since we came back. man, time does really fly!
top 10 US food joints we (well, mostly me) tried and loved -
1. Guelaguetza Restaurante (LAX) - aaaahhh. my one true Mexican love. their black mole and coloradito were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! i had something (fried chicken and waffles) before arriving yet i had to stuff myself silly with their food. it was just too good to not eat. go on and don't feel guilty because you look like a glutton. you have my blessing.
2. Chapeau (SFO) - yum-o! never had good french food before (and not too expensive at that). joel's godmother brought us here and the food was fantastic. it was a party in my mouth.
3. Il Laboratorio del Gelato (NYC) - what can i say. i love me some good, no, great gelato and this was it. owned by the founder of Ciao Bella gelato.
4. R&G Lounge (SFO) - crazy packed Cantonese restaurant but if you were here for one dish alone, it better be their Anthony Bourdain-approved "Salt and Pepper Crab". fan-freaking-tabulous.
5. Hong Kong Lounge (SFO) - another Cantonese restaurant (what can I say, I am Cantonese after all!) with lightning fast service and super delicious food.
6. Hot N Juicy Crawfish (Las Vegas, NV) - never had so much fun eating crustaceans in plastic bags.
7. Ike's Place (SFO) - three words: "menage a trois". enough said.
8. Momofuku (NYC) - although we didn't get to try their food, we did however taste their pork buns and it wins by a mile compared to ippudo's.
9. Philippe's (LAX) - the original French dip sandwich. only have it there!!! their sandwiches are outta this world good that you seriously couldn't decide which one to get. (the guy in front of us decided to get two because he couldn't make up his mind!)
10. Sushiran (SFO) - my first michelin starred restaurant experience. spent US$80 for lunch (yikes!) but it was well-worth it.
other runner-ups: Tartine (SFO) for their morning bun; Earl of Sandwich (Las Vegas, NV); Ippudo (NYC); and Grimaldi's (NYC).
you won't believe the amount of stuff we had during our near month-long trip yet i came back only 0.5kg heavier. i think i did more damage over the christmas holiday stuffing myself silly with ice cream and "crema de fruta". those days are now long gone... : )