Fueled By New

Weird Eating and (Hakuna) Frittatas in Muffin Pan

noreply@blogger.com (Briana) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 23:30:00 +0000

I have an annoyingly high-maintenance body, especially when it comes to eating. Because my maternal grandfather has diabetes, just about everyone on that side of the family has some issues with low blood sugar, and I am no exception. People who hang around me long enough know to ignore my crankiness, impatience, faintness, and overall inability to act like a human being when it's been a while since I've had a meal. (I'm like the hypoglycemic Hulk: you won't like me when I'm hungry.) Not only that, but for some reason (maybe I'm "blessed" with high metabolism), I get full after eating only about half of any meal, and become hungry again in no time. So, instead of eating the typical 3 big meals a day, I eat about 6-7 "mini meals" a day. Needless to say, these little quirks in my eating habits can be incredibly frustrating to deal with, so I'm always looking for new tricks to lessen my weird dietary issues.

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Fueled By Newsroom

noreply@blogger.com (Briana) — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 22:07:00 +0000

HBO's The Newsroom is my favorite new series on television. It is not only features witty dialogue, lovable characters and captivating narratives, but it also provides an insight into the challenges that American journalism faces today. Without giving too much away, the show is about a cable news anchor named Will McAvoy who has focused more on charming his audience than on uncovering the truth. But after his ex-girlfriend becomes his executive producer, he decides to quit his soft approach and actually report the news for a change.

The Newsroom is a pretty new show––the pilot aired in mid-June of this year––and, for once, I feel like I'm ahead of the curve with television trends. (Seriously, I just finished Sex and the City this summer and am still inching my way through Mad Men.) So, while it's still a hidden gem, I'd like to share my reasons for loving this show:

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Gone Camping: Volume 2

noreply@blogger.com (Briana) — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 00:06:00 +0000

As promised, here is the second half of my recent camping trip. (For volume 1, check out this post.)

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Gone Camping: Volume 1

noreply@blogger.com (Briana) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 07:04:00 +0000

Even though I'm sure I went camping as a kid, and I've gone on cabin trips as a young adult, the camping trip I took this weekend didn't quite feel the same. This time, there was no electricity to light my room or parents to take care of me. Just myself, my boyfriend Ben, my friends––Shannan and Ben W., and a car-full of camping supplies and food. For me, the trip was an experience that made me think about all the responsibilities we take for granted in the modern. We were forced to deal with things that our daily lives generally let us ignore––the dark, the cold, bugs, dirt, ~~and the worst creatures on the face of the earth~~ and raccoons. All of that self-reliance, plus the copious amounts of meat I ate this weekend, helped feel just a little more in touch with my deeply-hidden, inner Ron Swanson.

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Dear Readers, I'm Going Camping...

noreply@blogger.com (Briana) — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 18:38:00 +0000

Dear readers,

I want to extend my apologies for not posting as much as I would've liked to this week. But I've got a good excuse, I promise. I'm going camping this weekend! And, since I'm not what you would call camping experts (and also because I'm a skilled procrastinator), the preparations have been taking up a significant portion of my free time over the past few days. But, my bags are (almost) packed and we're (almost) ready to go, and I can't wait to get the weekend underway!

Of course, I plan to update you all with an in-depth post about my experience sometime early next week. But, to tide you over until then and give you a little sneak peek, I'll leave you with just a few photos of some of the things I'm bringing with me. Enjoy!

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Oh, Let's Go Fly A Kite: The Berkeley Kite Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Briana) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 05:32:00 +0000

This past weekend, in search of a new experience, I attended an event that is apparently not-so-new: the 27th annual Berkeley Kite Festival. Besides a lot of kites, I really wasn't sure what to expect from this event, but it seemed that it would, at the very least, provide some entertainment for the afternoon. So, in spite of not actually owning a kite, I decided to see what it was all about, and headed down to the Berkeley Marina with my lovely friend Vicki to do just that.

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Summer Songs of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Briana) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 06:58:00 +0000

Maybe it's the vacation mindset or maybe it's the sunshine, but summer is a season that needs its own soundtrack. While my summer playlists tend to favor catchy pop songs, glam rock tunes, and laid-back reggae-esque numbers, a good summer song can be of any genre. In fact, the only real requirement for a summer song (for me at least) is that it complements certain seasonal experiences––sunshine, road-trips, beaches, backyard BBQs, warm summer night parties, etc. Each year, regardless of whether I actually experience any of these summertime things, I make a playlist to coincide with the season, featuring some old favorites and some new discoveries. And while I don't quite have room to share my entire 2012 playlist with you, it's only appropriate that I share a few of the newer songs I've added to this year's list, considering the theme of this blog. So, without further ado, here are five of my favorite summer songs of 2012:

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Keep on (Food) Truckin'

noreply@blogger.com (Briana) — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 17:10:00 +0000

Lately, the unstructured nature of the whole looking-for-a-job, recent graduate lifestyle has got me in a bit of a funk. (Or maybe it's just the summertime blues.) Whatever it is, on Thursday, it left me in the mood for something new and delicious for dinner, but not in the mood to figure out the details. Luckily I remembered an article I had read earlier in the week about the newly launched Off the Grid near Haste and Telegraph in Berkeley, about three blocks away from where I live. I was craving an easy, delicious dinner on the cheap, and it was the perfect option.

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Surviving Bay Area Summers: Layering Rompers

noreply@blogger.com (Briana) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:05:00 +0000

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." – anonymous

You've all probably heard this oft-repeated quote about the summertime weather in the Bay Area. (Although you may not have known it wasn't said by Mark Twain.) Having lived in the Bay Area for some time now, let me tell you that this witticism is true....just not all the time. In fact, more often than not, the weather in the Bay is frustratingly inconsistent. It'll be foggy and freezing when you wake up, then by midday it's hot as hell, and as night falls, you face the cold once more. (And sometimes it's not even that predictable.) So, how does one survive this moody weather style-wise?

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Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom

noreply@blogger.com (Briana) — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 02:28:00 +0000

Having seen a few of Wes Anderson's other films (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited, and Fantastic Mr. Fox to be exact), I knew that going to see his newest movie, Moonrise Kingdom, would not be a disappointment. At the very least, his films promise stunning visuals, quick-witted dialogue, and a unique vision. This film in particular had the added attraction of being set in 1965, being about young love, and being filled with an all-star cast. Despite––or perhaps because of the fact that I knew exactly what this film was likely to be, I had to see it.

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A Walk in the Art: Oakland Art Murmur

noreply@blogger.com (Briana) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 01:18:00 +0000

Me, Art Murmuring.

Recently, I was finally able to attend Oakland Art Murmur, an event I had heard about time and time again but hadn't actually experienced for myself. Every first Friday of the month, Oakland's galleries and mixed-use venues open their doors, allowing the public to peruse local artwork, soak up the creative atmosphere and take in the night air. And that's exactly what Ben and I did this last Friday.

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A Mexican Snack for the American Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Briana) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 02:08:00 +0000

After getting all dressed up for the fourth, I had pretty much reached my patriotism quota for the day. On this American holiday, I didn't want BBQ. No, and no hot dogs or hamburgers for me either. For some reason (maybe it's the California girl in me), I craved a Mexican snack.

Luckily, Ben's boss had just given him a recipe for some crazy good homemade tortilla chips and Ben offered to teach me how to do it. We also decided to make some pico de gallo and a couple-a margaritas, and make a semi-meal out of it.

The results? Deliciousness. Here's how we did it:

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Four for the Fourth

noreply@blogger.com (Briana) — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 21:10:00 +0000

Hello lovely readers and welcome to my very first style post! As I'll probably repeat throughout this section of the blog, my wardrobe is not as fancy as many style bloggers, but I try to be creative with what I have. So, in light of the holiday, I decided I wanted to come up with four outfits that channel the spirit of the fourth. Continue reading to see photos:

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Sunday Streets and Adventures in Claustrophobia

noreply@blogger.com (Briana) — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 06:09:00 +0000

Me, walking the streets of the Mission.

I had been wanting to try something new in the Mission District, one of my favorite San Francisco neighborhoods, for a long time now. So last Sunday, I stole away my boyfriend Ben and we headed over to a event that happened to be in the neighborhood which was part of a series called Sunday Streets. Put on by the city in order to promote the health of the community and its citizens, Sunday Streets temporarily closes the streets to vehicular traffic in various neighborhoods and opens them up for walking, biking, dancing, hula hooping, yoga-ing, you name it.

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Fiona Apple's "Daredevil"

noreply@blogger.com (Briana) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 17:48:00 +0000

Photo by Sebastian Kim for Interview Magazine.

Before I start writing about "Daredevil," I have to admit something: Fiona Apple is one of those artists that passed me by. I had always heard about her and wanted to check out her music, but I just never got around to actually doing it. I heard a few songs here and there, but I was never the die-hard Fiona fan that some of my friends were in high school. After listening to her newest album with the lengthy and enigmatic title The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do though, I discovered the true meaning of better late than never.

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100% Homemade Mint Chip Ice Cream Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Briana) — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 06:42:00 +0000

My Masterpiece!

For my birthday a few weeks ago, I decided to improve upon my ice-cream making skills and try to create an ice cream cake to share with my friends. As I scoured the internet for tips on how to accomplish this culinary feat, I decided that ice-cream cupcakes would be the easier and more original way to go. I then discovered the Cupcake Project/Scoopalicious 5th annual Ice Cream Cupcake Contest. It was meant to be: I had been wanting to start a blog about trying new things and I'd never made these before, I'd never entered a contest like this before...I had found the perfect motivation to succeed. So I decided to try it.

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Welcome to Fueled By New!

noreply@blogger.com (Briana) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 22:44:00 +0000

Hello dearest reader and welcome to Fueled By New! Let me tell you a little bit about who I am and why I wanted to start this little experiment.

My name is Briana. I am a recent graduate of UC Berkeley. (Incidentally, "recent graduate" is my favorite euphemism for wistful young individual faced with the formidable task of finding a job/career/life in these tough times and longing for the bygone days of student life.) Anyways, if you couldn't tell already, I absolutely adored my time at Cal. I loved being a student, my classes were inspirational, and I frequently left lectures feeling energized by the new ideas I heard.

But, now that I'm in the midst of transitioning into the so-called real world, I have mixed feelings about my new circumstances. While the next stage of my life brings the excitement of endless possibilities, without the structure of school and with all the reflection on how my choices in the present affect my future, it can also trigger overwhelmed feelings and identity crises. Not only that, but adjusting to "adult life" is also a daunting task for any young person, let alone anyone who is determined to live life to the fullest like I am.

So I'm starting Fueled By New partially as a way to push myself to embrace all the new things in my life. (As they say, the best defense is a good offense.) I also want to become comfortable trying new things so that I never stop myself from doing all the things I want to do in life and so that I keep an open-minded viewpoint about the world. And, though my last blog (Alimentary My Dear) was loads of fun, I want a place where I can write about anything that interests me and not just food.

Anyways, I'm making this all sound way more serious than it is. I also just want to do a bunch of fun new things and share them with you in an honest, down-to-earth way. (And maybe hone my creative writing and editing skills for my job search along the way). As I mentioned in my about page, I don't have a ton of resources in terms of time, energy and money, but I'll use all the creativity and dedication in my arsenal to make this blog –– and all the little new things in it –– entertaining for you to read. Hope you enjoy!

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