Randoms.

I haven't updated in a bit 

So I'm going to post some random pictures I've taken that I like.

I took this in Shanghai.

Pot Luck BBQ in Los Angeles. I don't like mushrooms, but I love this Photo!

A Bar in New Orleans, I love it there!

This is from a little shop at a the Spier Vineyard in Stellenbosch, South Africa. 

What a beautiful place!

Another Vineyard in South Africa... Not sure of the name, but it's amazing.

Any direction you look is more beautiful than the last. 

And there are tons of Vineyards.... Amazing :)

My friend's cousin is a Chef in South Africa & these are some of his delicious dishes.

Yummy!

Strawberry Shake from a super cute Tea Garden Restaurant!

Australia or Cheesecake Factory?

I think these Thai Lettuce Wraps look like the Sydney Opera House. 

Haha... What do you think?

More photos to come...

Tea Bags.

I really love the little quotes on these Celestial Seasonings Tea Bags....

Everyday at work I have a cup of tea just so that I can read these quotes :)

It was entertaining to try and find places in the offices to put the quotes.

This is one of my favorite quotes~!

Fortunes.

Oh Blog, how I've missed you!  Busy week, but I do have pictures to add! 

I've run into a lot of fortunes this week 

(I wish that meant money ha) so here they are….

I was looking for some type of spicy Asian soup to help cure my cold (I didn't have any of Mom's chicken noodle soup) so I looked up some Pho places, but honestly I don't really know what to expect from pho because I've never had it…  So I decided on Hot and Sour Soup instead. Now this is a first for me because I've never liked the smell of it haha, but I decided to go ahead and give it a try. 

I ordered from The Palace on Hillhurst which is really cute! I haven't been to a Chinese restaurant in a really long time, it kind of reminded me of when I was a kid. It seemed like family sort of place. All the employees were extremely nice and friendly! As I waited for my take-out, I stared at the fish tank, Chinese restaurant-style, while listening a lady play the Chinese harp on a little stage :)

To be honest I did not like the soup that much, it was a bit thick for my taste and I'm not a big fan of mushrooms, plus I wish it had been a bit more spicy. Aside from the soup, I would definitely go back there. (I ordered vegetable steamed dumplings and they wer tasty!) Anyway the picture above was my fortune.

In addition to the spicy soup I have been drinking a lot of Tea (at work) 

and Celestial Seasonings tea bags have little quotes on them, which I like.

I am trying to photograph one tea bag quote a day, in different settings. Fun.

Shrimp Fajitas

I'm really enjoying this whole Blog thing... I am loving taking pictures, editing them, posting them, I learn something new every day. It's really challenging and fun!

I got take out from Mexico City on Hillhurst and I ordered Shrimp Fajitas to go...

The shrimp didn't have much flavor.... For me that wasn't too much of an issue because shrimp is my favorite protein. 

Side note: I still don't really understand why shrimp is Ever served with the tail on. It's one thing if you are eating with your hands and peeling the whole shrimp (Baltimore style, mmm Old Bay Seasoning!) but say, for example, you're in a fancy Italian restaurant and your fancy pasta dish has fancy shrimp in it.... I think it's really annoying to have to cut the tail off. It's not the classiest thing in the world to pick up the shrimp by the tail, take a bite, discard the tail and lick your fingers... so naturally that's what I want to do!! haha, but I wouldn't have to think about it if Shrimp wasn't served with the tail on! Some people argue that it looks nicer with the tail... nah you can keep it!

I brought my fajitas home excited to take pictures... But first I had to take the food out of separate containers (there were a bunch!) and arrange it as best I could for a photograph. I'm pretty pleased with how easily I plated it. I think I learned a thing or two from waitressing! Then I was sort of struggling for good lighting because there was no where in my apartment with nice natural light. I went to my back yard which was better, but I still had to add a little bounce to try and grab some more light. I'm not in love with this round of photos, just in like.

So back to the food... the fajita part wasn't too flavorful. The guacamole and salsas saved it. It also wasn't hot by the time I ate it, but that was my fault considering I took the time to take pictures. The flour tortillas were a little thick for my taste, but hey, at least I had the option of flour instead of corn.

Sushi

My roommate and I just had lunch at Koda Sushi on Sunset 

Koda Sushi & Sake, 3719 Sunset Blvd. At N. Hobart Blvd.

(the address is the same number as the house I grew up in! Fun fact, sort of, ha).

The Sushi is pretty good and really cheap!

They have a daily Happy Hour from noon to 7pm 

with a pretty large selection of Starters, Salads, 

Beer & Sake, Sushi and Dessert is just $4.

I've only ever had the California Roll, and I enjoyed it. 
My roommate had an Albacore Roll, which she said was just alright.

She said that the Crispy Rice Cakes were amazing!

Breakfast

I was in Australia for my friend Jessica's wedding a couple of years back and I had the most delicious breakfast ever.  My friends and I have been trying to recreate it ever since!

It was basically the best Eggs Benedict I've ever had!   I think the bread was the best part, but that's the one ingredient that none of my friends can pinpoint!  I remember a square-shaped, lavash-type bread but thicker, slash pizza dough-type bread, but thinner….  On top of that was ham (thinly sliced, not Canadian bacon), then cheese, poached eggs, avocado and hollandaise.

Here's my version… I'll toast a piece of whole wheat bread, put a slice of cheese on it, fry a slice of ham or turkey next to a sunny side up egg, and top it off with some avocado.  A little a salt & fresh ground pepper, yum!

Here We Go~!!!

Ok so I think it's time that I admit to myself that I would like to start a Blog…

Could be the new hobby I have been looking for!

So my hesitations/rebuttals are as follows…

I don't think that writing is my forte - People have told me that I type (emails and texts) the way that I talk…. So that might not be so hard to read :) Plus it will be more about the content than the grammer!

Who the hell is going to read my blog anyway?? - Who the hell cares! haha

What am I going to write about everyday?  - I really wanted to start a photo blog anyway, so I'll give myself photo assignments, and along with that might come a story that I want to share :) 

Will my photos be good enough to post? - See above… Who the hell cares?! ha! I can post photos and write about what I struggled with or how I succeeded on the photos!

I am already inspiring myself! Wooohoo!

Will it look good and be user friendly?  - Over time when I learn and figure out how to do it properly! I can always add and change the more I learn and figure out.

How can I afford to buy all the groceries and cook all the food that I want to Photograph? - Over time, I can mix and match, build my supplies and what not. I can also categorize so it is just a daily blog not necessarily all about food, and I can always rearrange it.

How do I bring my camera everywhere that I want to take pictures? - Suck it up and carry it! And remember that once I start taking pictures my surroundings disappear and I'm just looking through the lens. I am already walking around feeling like I'm looking through the lens everyday now :)

Ok done. Inspired. Here we go!!

Oh, P.S. I'm adding a photo I took just for sh*ts and giggles.