Sunday, February 27, 2011

My favorite meal

In honor of my roommate's sister coming into town, my friends and I went to the mall which happens to be attached to a Cheesecake Factory. Okay, so that last detail may have been a major factor in going but we did shop a little too! I love what I ate so much last night that I've realized it's my favorite meal. Yes, my favorite meal is at the Cheesecake factory. Yes, i'm aware of how lame it is my favorite meal is from a chain restaurant. Please try not to drool as you look at these pictures, although if you do, I won't judge.

At first there was bread...and then there was love.

If you've never had the Whole Wheat Baguette at CF, you must find the closest one and eat baskets full till your heart's content. I promise you this is the BEST table bread you'll ever get at a restaurant or perhaps I just love carbs too much. The salty-ness of the butter combined with the sweet, soft, warmth of the bread is just divine. I truly think it's my favorite part of the meal. That must be some damn good bread for someone to say that, right? I did some digging and found their bread supplier! It' a Chicago based company called Maple Leaf Bakery. You can buy the bread direct from the supplier here. Why would you buy a whole case and have 36 loaves? Why wouldn't you.

On to drinks! The Passion Fruit Mojito!


This mojito is absolutely the best drink i've ever had. Ever. I've had it at multiple locations and worried it would taste differently each time since it's made by a different bartender every time but it's consistently delicious. A server once told me it's because they use high quality passion fruit syrup made with real fruit and not "natural flavors." Whatever their secret it, it's delicious!

Louisiana Chicken Pasta, so good i've never tried anything else.


This was the first dish i'd had at CF and it continues to be the only dish I eat there. The chicken on top is parmesan crusted chicken breast medallions (thinly pounded chicken breasts so they are more tender and absorb flavor better). I've since become a vegetarian so I omit the chicken and the dish is still just as amazing. It's too bad CF doesn't have tofu as a substitute for vegetarians! The bow tie pasta is tossed with peppers, onions, and mushrooms in a "Spicy New Orleans sauce." It's creamy and spicy and all around perfect.

Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake, WOman's best friend.

I am a dessert connoisseur in every sense of the word. Not only do I know too much about flavors, textures, and where to go for your afternoon chocolate fix, I am (according to Wikipedia's definition of a "connoisseur) "an "expert judge in matters of taste." I have dessert in practically every restaurant I dine at and have concocted my own creations at home. This cake pales in comparison to any morsel of chocolate i've ever tasted (except of course Magnolia Bakery in New York which now comes up automatically when I type "M" in my browser because I stare at the pictures so often, but that's a whole other post in itself.)
This cake has a chocolate chunk wall, layers and layers of moist fudge cake, light and airy chocolate truffle cream, chocolate mousse, all topped off with CF's homemade whip cream. I try not to eat the whip cream in my feeble attempt to save calories but lord, is this cake worth it. I could write about it forever but i'd rather you taste it for yourself so you can write to me and tell me I was right and that you can now die happy. Because this cake is that good.

Well it's almost noon and you know what the best part about CF is? The portions are large enough for left overs. What better thing to do after writing this post than to have this very meal for lunch? Tell me, what is your favorite meal?

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Saturday is for cupcakes



One day, i'll make these and they will be the best thing I could have done with that day.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

I dream of real estate

It's been a crazy day filled with too much work and not enough sunshine. I already treated myself to chocolate but somehow, i'm left desiring more. Don't worry, I was shocked too. As I started to daydream about better things to come, my thoughts landed upon old photographs I'd forgotten I had. I saved these upon one of my many fantasy New York apartment hunts long before I got my New York internship. If I had to tell you one reason why these pictures mean so much to me it's that, in my head, this is what I imagine when I think of my New York [real estate] dream. In the chaos of the concrete jungle that is the City, having a paradise like those to come home would be the ultimate comfort. It's like a well kept secret you got to first, and made your own. Take a look:



Look at all the space! And the French doors! And the beautiful windows! And the ceiling fan! And the coffee table! And the hardwood floors! Okay, you get it.



Imagine waking up that view, with all the gorgeous light! That bed looks like the best sleep of my life. I love the bedding, it fits so beautifully with the color palette while introducing new textures into the decor.



Oddly enough, this is my favorite picture and my favorite part of the apartment. There is something so majestic about that view, how intimate that table for two is, and the simplicity of the flowers in the window. Maybe it's because i've woken up in New York to this very light (unfortunately not the same view) that i'm so enamored with these photos but whatever the reason, it's a lovely space isn't it?

I know I could have chosen to idolize photos of a penthouse apartment or something of the likes but to me, this is perfect. It's out of reach for now but very much attainable one day in the future. I stupidly did not save the listing for this apartment so I don't know what neighborhood or street it's on but, I suppose it's not all about the apartment. It's about how it feels to me and surely i'll find a place that will make me feel this real estate infatuation again, right?

On a side note, the interior decor of this place is not my taste at all but i'm head over heels for the actual structure of the apartment. I just had to put that out there so no one thinks i'm a 30 year old at heart.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

BunBun is one!



Yesterday was my precious Bunny's first birthday! I gave her extra love and extra treats :)
She happened by accident but she has been such an adventure since day one. I was supposed to be shopping for a desk chair when I went to a pet store instead. She was the only black and white bunny and I fell in love with her instantly. She was so small she fit in the palm of my hand! I had absolutely no idea what it meant to take care of a rabbit back then, but boy have I learned a lot. I've learned that they enjoy chewing up carpet, cords, and paper. I've also learned they climb into your lap for treats, give you "nose bumps," and lay down and roll over. She's a wild one but she's adorable and she's mine :)

Happy birthday BunBun :)

Monday, February 21, 2011

Know thy virtual self

I found this clever, incredibly accurate cartoon on The Geek Culture's The Joy of Tech. I think it sums up the subject of this post nicely. This morning, a good friend of mine asked for help putting together her resume and cover letter and that got me thinking. I've been to countless workshops, talked to numerous professors/professionals, and spent hours at the university Career Services office perfecting my resumes and cover letters. What about the rest?

In this digital age, employers are looking at your Facebook page just as much as they are looking at your resume and what good are traditional forms of capturing an employer's attention if the pictures of you taking shots last weekend are just as influential? Don't believe me? According to a survey by Jump Start Social Media, 48% of hiring mangers use Facebook, 75% use LinkedIn, and 26% use Twitter to research candidates before making a job offer. CNN.com says 34% of hiring mangers choose not to hire a candidate based on what they find in online profiles. Now that i've got your attention, here are some tips to help you clean up your online identity.

1. Detag, detag, detag. Don't limit reasons to untag photos to those that are "unflattering" because that dress was too tight. Detag photos in which you're drinking, dressed inappropriately (doesn't matter if it's a theme party), and any activity that could be detrimental to your reputation and ultimately the company's reputation should they hire you. This also applies to your profile picture. It's not enough to clean out your closet if your room is still a mess. Be sure to delete inappropriate ones from your Profile Picture album too! It doesn't matter how hot you look standing next to the drunk, shirtless frat boy, it doesn't reflect positively upon you.

2. Privacy settings are your best friend. Facebook reveals so much personal information which is fine for your friends and family but do you want your potential employers knowing about the rager you're throwing Friday night? Remove your self from friend searches, limit profile people you're not comfortable sharing so much information with, and don't accept every friend request you get! Sure it's cool to have several hudred, even a thousand plus friends but how well do you really know them?

3. Clean up your wall posts, statuses, notes, videos, etc. Don't think an employer will stop at your photos, they're going to read the content you post and hold you to it. Even if you were just having a bad day at work when you posted a status about how your terrible your boss is, it's not professional. Same goes for videos of you dancing at a bar, personal notes, and wall posts from friends that are hardly PG.

4. Utilize your info tab. The info tab is such a wonderful tool to highlight aspects of yourself that don't come across on an resume. How attractive is it to potential employers to know you're well read, enjoy traveling, have a penchant for volunteer work, or the ever important "Employers" section. Did you leave internships or past jobs off your resume you didn't have space for? Well now they know.

5. Avoid having to clean up your online profiles altogether. If you don't have the time or don't want to, then consider deactivating your profile while you're in the interviewing process. I know, it'll be the end of the world if you can't check your Facebook multiple times a day but it's an important step in ensuring your future success.

If you want more information, check out these helpful links from allfacebook.com and devonhopkins.com.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

"Shake ya body like a belly dancer"




Seeing as it's my last semester of college, I approach any opportunity presented to me with the attitude that it may never come again, thus I should take it. So when the opportunity to take belly dancing classe arose, I took it. The primary reason is that it's a great way to exercise but also, it's a bit of mischievous, sultry, fun. It's only the third week of class but we're learned so many things like The Egyptian walk, The Cuban, and The Algerian Sway. If I can convince a friend to take a belly dance class once a week while getting a work out, i'm gonna do it, okay?
Tell me, would you belly dance?

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Introductions are in order

I'm a blog addict that's been dreaming of starting my own blog for so long. Turns out all it took was one Saturday at home, a few online tutorials, and free photo editing software to make this dream happen. Oh, and a passion for blogs/blogging of course.

Why "La Vie en Rose?" Yes, it's an Edith Piaf reference but more than that, it's a way of life. "La Vie en Rose" roughly translated means "seeing life through rose colored glasses." I like to think I live my life like that, and as of late, I have plenty of reasons to.

Come May, I will be graduating from Miami University with a degree in Psychology, I recently got my dream internship in New York, and am now embarking on the exciting project of launching a blog! So what will I post about? Anything and everything.There are so many things rolling around in my head i'd love to share with you all, granted you want to hear it.

XOXO
(Totally kidding.)