Just Some Pictures of Food and a Rant

Went out with the boyfriend over the weekend, ate at Olive Garden~

 



^Minestrone!! Fresh vegetables, bean and pasta in a light tomato broth - a vegetarian classic.

^Eggplant Parmigiana!! So Americanized (fried eggplant?? Really??) but then again... what did I expect from a chain restaurant^^ Lightly breaded eggplant, fried and topped with marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Served with spaghetti.

 

This entire week has been crazy busy. Last night, after our last class (had classes non-stop from 12:30PM-4:30PM), I went out with a group of classmates to eat an Oktoberfest dinner at the school. I had never tried German food, so that was an interesting experience^^

 

 

 

Right afterwards, we studied Chemistry together, but I found it too distracting with them... I really like being around Lay and Nat - but only for conversational purposes, or for fun... They are super garrulous and won't stop talking, and while they're hilarious and I love how crazy they are, I already regret agreeing to do Inquiry 3 lab with them because they're driving me nuts and I want to preserve our friendship.

 

I did the Inquiry 3 proposal last night with very little contributions from them. But I'm beginning to think that maybe it's because there's something wrong with me... Even Nat pointed it out, she asked me if I was a perfectionist, because apparently that's how I come off as. Whenever she makes a spelling or grammar error, I can't help it - I have to take over.

 

And then I try to do everything myself because I feel like others will screw it up.

 

Back in high school, when I used to always work with my ex-boyfriend, we'd do great on group projects because we were both perfectionists... but with this group, they're sloppy, and now I'm just paranoid about everything.

 

Anyway, I left early because I couldn't focus with them, and when I went back home, B unexpectedly texted me, asking if I was going to the Chemistry academic community. I felt like I should, and so he picked me up, but we both ended up going to the library instead since the review session didn't seem very helpful.

 

At the library, I could study much better... It's a lot easier to study with B than it is with Nat and Lay and S and Bre; he asks me a lot of relevant questions, and when I teach him these concepts, I learn it better as well... And we don't get off-track, thank goodness.

 

I came back home at around 11 o'clock, and went to sleep at 12. And now it's a Wednesday, which is the most miserable day of the week, and I've had a Mocha Frappuccino (which is good but too sweet) and I need to take Chemistry exam tonight and study Biology for the exam on Friday... and we've got a huge Inquiry 3 lab, arghhh I feel so distressed.

JDRF Walk

As part of the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children organization in the Austin chapter, we volunteered at a Cure for Diabetes Walk. It was a lot of fun, I mostly served snowcones and handed out snacks, and at the end I came back with a bottle Schlotzsky's Moderately Hellacious Louisiana Hot Sauce and a few bananas.

^Me and C with free hot sauce!!

 

 

 Sorry if I look ridiculously pudgy around the waist, that's because I had on a tank top and a tshirt under the green volunteering shirt, haha... It was super cold in the morning.

^Helping with the snack stand!!

^Running the snowcone line!!

^Enjoying a sugar-free snowcane^^

^Foundation in International Medical Relief of Children!!

Starbucks' Cinnamon Dolce Latte

Espresso with steamed milk and cinnamon dolce flavored syrup. Topped with sweetened whipped cream and cinnamon dolce topping.

So I have a presentation today and I need caffeine... This espresso is really good. It's full of cinnamon and sweet enough even without whipped cream!! My only complaint is some sort of aftertaste I can't really identify, but that aftertaste isn't exactly icky or gross, just a lingering hint of something... buttery..? Which isn't even a bad thing, just sort of weird to feel.

Mm... I need to savor this cup of coffee...

Let Me Ask Some Questions About This

My friend and I went to Noodles and Company today and just talked. It was nice and refreshing.

^Bangkok Curry! Sweet coconut curry, broccoli, carrots, red pepper, onion, mushrooms, a light portion of rice noodles, served on cabbage with black sesame.

^Mango and Milk Tea Boba~

All a Girl Needs is Mascara and Lipstick

I haven't worn make-up in such a long time... it's so much more comfortable this way^^

Been kind of busy lately, what with tests and quizzes and labs... Today I went out to eat lunch with a group of friends (K, Nat, B, C) and am - once again - so relieved to be at UT, where just about everyone's intellectual capacity is high enough to the point of being able to hold a decent conversation.

The only problem with that is, I feel less superior as a result, and more convinced that I need to not only catch up but actually EXCEL as well.

When it comes to studying, I am a queen.

^On my lips, I have Lancome's Camisole (Shimmer).

 

Described as sheen, muted lavendar mauve... I love the color!

Biology Test Celebration

Yesterday, after finishing the Biology exam, I decided to go out to eat with a few friends. The whole group consisted of exactly three guys and three girls, and we all sat in perfect synchronization on opposing benches, organized neatly into two discriminatory rows - one all girls, the other all guys. Haha. It was super weird and funny, especially since we don't have any particulary boundaries gender-wise and are all just sort of nonchalant about who we sit with.

Anyway it was a fun brunch/lunch type thing at Kerbey Lane Cafe, and served as a great break too :)

^I ordered Pesto di Pistachio Pasta... really good!! A mix of roasted eggplant, tomato, onion and garlic with fettuccini in a creamy pistachio pesto sauce, served with garlic French bread.

^One of my friends ordered a yummy SoLa Quesadilla :) Portobello mushrooms, red bell peppers, caramelized red onions, spinach and cheddarjack cheese.

 

The best part? I just found out my Biology grade today... Got a 95.2%, when the class average and median was around 70-85%. That was indeed something to celebrate over then!!



Starbucks' Caramel Macchiato

Freshly steamed milk with vanilla-flavored syrup, marked with espresso and finished with caramel sauce.

I have a Biology exam today... so I felt the need to order a Starbucks coffee. Since I generally don't like coffee (just too bold for me; I prefer tea's subtleties), I tried to order something that sounded like it'd be sweet...

But I really ended up not liking this drink :( Maybe the people at Jester Java didn't make it right or maybe it's not as sweet as it sounds, haha... but it just tasted kind of bland. Like warm milk with a little bit of sugar. I couldn't taste any caramel... And there was so much foam on top, which might normally have been a good thing, but even the foam seemed bland.

Well... at least it warmed me up for the test.

Noodles To Go

Phew, this week has been exhausting... My eating schedule is a little crazy right now since for the past few days, I've been eating lunch at 2 o'clock - it's because of labs and expos and all that good jazz... Now I start getting the urge to eat at like 10 o'clock at night too, which is pretty crazy.

Maybe this is how people gain the Freshman 15, haha.

A few days ago, one of my friends, Nat, took me to a place called Noodles & Company. They have a wide selection of noodles - from all-American to exotic Asian to refined European. I hadn't eaten Pad Thai in such a long time ago, it was great :) And not at all expensive!!

^Rice noodle stir-fry with scrambled egg, carrots, cabbage, sweet chile, citrus, peanuts, Asian sprouts and cilantro.

Starbucks' Salted Caramel Mocha

Just ordered the Salted Caramel Mocha Espresso from Starbucks before meeting up with my Biology professor - I really love it.

And I don't even like going to Starbucks (that much) LOL.

I went to the Starbucks website just to check out what others had to say about it (I thought it'd be sort of like one of these review websites, like how Teavana has reviews on a certain type of tea or something; bahhh I'm such an ignorant child), but instead found... a menu. With nutrition facts.

WHICH I ALSO LOVED. Whoever designed the website... is pretty cool.

So I discovered that by ordering and drinking a tall Salted Caramel Mocha Espresso with no whipped cream, I just downed about 250 calories (60 of them from fat) and a horrendous 40 grams of sugar.

I'm not on a diet or anything, but I just found that fascinating... haha.

And then the description is just... wow.

Espresso and steamed milk, blended with mocha sauce and toffee nut flavored syrup. Topped with sweetened whipped cream, caramel sauce, and a mixture of turbinado sugar and sea salt.

I wasn't sure about the salt part, but it really worked somehow. So good.

I can't believe I spent a whole blog post raving about my newfound love of Starbucks... but I will definitely not be hanging out there everyday (I mean, I'm on a student budget!). Maybe just once a week. :)

First Thursday Night Outing

Well, that was a lot of fun~ We just went around South Congress Avenue, eating and exploring. Austin definitely has a lot of culture.

K: "If you're not Christian, well... you just might be by the time we get out of here."

^LOLLL in reference to all these missionaries lounging around.

^Waiting for the bus...

^Eating out...

 

^Ordered Hot and Crunchy Avocado Cone from the Mighty Cone! It's got sesame seeds, almonds, arbol chili flakes, sea salt, sugar, and corn flakes... only $4.95 :)

^Browsing weird stores, haha!

Natural Sciences Kick-Off

Getting sort of anxious... I have a Chemistry test on Wednesday, a Calculus test on Thursday :( I'm not so worried about Chemistry... but Calculus is really difficult... Well, just gotta try my best!

Had a one to one session with my mentor, who makes the best cupcakes ever!

^Us two cheapos who wanted free pizza, ice cream, and tshirts haha.