it's been a while

I find that I'm better at finding food than finding fashion. My budgeting really restricts any weekly shopping trips. My trip to China has set me back a bit on my savings, but, no regrets there. It was the most fun seeing my grandma and my cousins and uncles. The best thing about being in the country side is the fresh food!!! pick from the farm fresh.

took a detour before getting hot dogs and stopped by a small pumpkin patch in front of CVS.  New top from Forever 21. 

Today we went to The Slaw Dogs to tried out some gourmet hot dogs in Pasadena. It was good, a few mins away there is the Dog Haus (tried that a few months ago). both have interesting take on their dogs. Ultimately Dog Haus tasted better and they use italian sausages instead of traditional hot dogs.

I got the Thai style hot dog, it was good.

that's a large jalepeno filled with cheese and wrap in bacon on top of a hot dog. 

just gotta have the sweet potato fries

as we walk to our car, we saw a cupcake store, and I just have to go in. pistachio cupcake.

Something cool I bought from China. This is actually tea. it came as a dried up tea bulb and opens up to this in hot water.. so lovely. 

A dress I just ordered from Forever 21 along with the pink blouse up top. it's cute, so i'm keeping it. 

Have a lovely weekend.

Texas

it was business casual so I put on my fave wedges

I just got back from my business trip to Irving,Texas. It has been over 100 degrees consecutively for 40 days there, but ironically I was freezing. The AC was blasting in the conference room.  These trips are usually more enjoyable when traveling with a coworker. Although, my job is in common with other attendees, but sometimes I feel disconnected because everyone is older than me.  In these meetings we get a glimpse of what's to come and also learn about how the other companies process their work load.
More importantly, how I can put a face to those who I converse with on a daily basis over the phone.

Crossing my fingers that I get to go to the one in Las Vegas hehe.

tritip, sautee veges, mashed potatoes and chicken in cheese sauce

vegetarian dish for my coworker

I'm not familiar with my cut of meats, I think it's a tritip

It's a turtle cheese cake I believe, it was so good.

it's all about the money!

Lately, my biggest stress is about money. I'm sure money put a big strain on everyone else too. When I was working as a register rep and helping people with their financial planning, what I stress over and over to my clients is to have discipline. starting by setting a realistic budget and save save save. There is just too much temptation with sales and coupons. I almost bought this beautiful French Connection purple angora blend sweater, "sigh" it looks so soft and pretty...  XS is still there... oh, I'm so tempted.

I love the rich vibrant purple. it would be so cute of this fall. i love the ribbon belt. 

And speaking of saving money, we made omelets today instead of going out for breakfast, it's healthy and delicious. eggs, spinach, bell pepper, onions and some sausage. 

oh, can't forget about my outfit today, since this blog is about fashion too. I'm loving this old cardigan of mine. it's been a while since I worn it.
i love this baby doll dress from Forever 21, one note if you want to buy it, the white top material is pretty thin, so stick with nude,  or  white bras.

I'm squinting because it's freaking bright outside.

this dress is light and breezy.

delicious on a dime

Ok... it didn't really cost a dime, but you know what I mean. Many people are now more cautious of their spendings. Dining out for most people is the first to go. That's one of the ways my fiancé and I are saving money by cooking meals ourselves, and it's not ramen or mac and cheese; it's restaurant quality dishes.

today, we went to our good friend's J and P's place after work. My fiancé did most of the cooking. He has now perfected this Salmon in Lemon Bordetto with pea puree by the lovely, Giada De Laurentis from the Food Network channel.

J entertained us with this plate of delicious shrimp baguette  

this is the salmon in lemon brodetto with pea puree (found it on foodetwork.com) the green paste is acutally peas puree with parmesan cheese, olive oil and mint. the soup base is made with shallot and lemon zest and just, very  uhhh... lemony.

a light garden green mix drizzled with vinaigrette dressing(olive oil, white wine vinegar, sugar, pepper and paprika) toss with strawberries.

With all the ingredients, this whole meal(minus the shrimp baguette) is only $8 per person. what a great deal, with the money saved from eating similar dishes you can even add a bottle of wine. 

Urth caffe

I went to Urth caffe with a few of my friends last night. Anyone who knows me knows that's my favorite place of all. I bring all my friends there and they became return customers. I should get a cut of their profits haha. They have great espresso drinks with art. Their food is organic and delicious. They are however on the pricier side. Their atmosphere is amazing. That's one of the main attractions to this place. Outdoor and indoor seating. If you're ever in the southern California area, Los angeles to be more specific, you should definetly give it a try.


Large Spanish Latte



BFF drinking her small English latte