fashion.food.fotography

On hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 17:00:00 +0000

I would like to use this post to officially announce that I will go on hiatus for a month. Nothing hurts more than to have yourself dissatisfied with your own blog layout, and hence the lack of blogging mojo. That's right, it means while entering my final year of university life, I will be busting my ass learning HTML and CSS to make my own brand new blog layout.

~~Just be sure to get back here near October.~~

Updates: Until I renovate my new site, then only I'll be back. Till then sorry for my absence.

Just a ritual

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 05:50:00 +0000

Not too bad for a photo taken using my iPhone aye? Here I am, the 7th time in HKIA this year. Heading home for the second round this summer, staying for almost 2 weeks. Then, I'll be back in HK to finish my final year and graduate next summer.

Until the summer ends, I'm just going to slack like a bum for now, doing nothing but eat Asian food like a beast.

It's becoming a ritual for me to sip on a tall Green Tea Frap and update my blog while I wait to board my flight.

Out of town for the weekend

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:33:00 +0000

So I've ended my 4-week summer school and spent almost a week living like a tourist in NYC. I finally get to be out of town and away from the ever-busy New York City. I'm not saying I hate it, it's just that you need some time out from the stinky streets in New York.

Boston is lovely, though I've only seen it under the bright moonlight yesterday. I'm looking forward to explore it and have tones of yummy food for the weekend.

The first stop after my 5-hour bus ride. Quincy Market for dinner!

Boston's specialty, the lobster roll and clam chowder.

Look, I wasn't joking or trying to sound cool when I mentioned 'bright moonlight'.

The company, Vincent for the next 2 and a half day.

Signing off now, as you guys are going to tuck yourselves in bed, I'm going to hunt for a good breakfast place.

Minca, New York

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:47:00 +0000

There are two things that I've been hunting around New York City since I came here, ramen and steak. Don't ask me why, it just happened. Ramen was the quickest and most convenient meal option, it works for both day and night. In fact, I just went to another ramen shop before I settle down here in Starbucks.

Well, so far I've been to 4 ramen shops since I came here and I think I could pick my favorite to share with you all. Minca that is located in the East Village is my favorite spot for ramen. They also have a sister restaurant, called the Kambi Ramen House. Both of them are just a few blocks away from each other and they have the exact same menu, funny aye?

Anyway I've been to both and they taste exactly the same. Twice, I had their Spicy Miso Ramen. Love love love it to bits! The broth is creamy and the spiciness level is just right, it doesn't leave your taste buds numb! The pork slices were kinda large and not too fatty.

I'm not really a vege eater, but when I have their ramen, I chomped down their bean sprouts. That says something, everything is just perfect together that you can't leave out any of the ingredients in it to have a full taste of the ramen.

Butao in Hong Kong isn't as good as how it used to be, guess I'll have to hunt for a new, good ramen place when I get back home.

Baohaus, New York

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 01:52:00 +0000

Just yesterday I was all over the Lobster Benedict I had for brunch and couldn't wait to blog about it. Then, I had these two little bundle of happiness, which I just finished gobbling it a few minutes ago, and I jumped onto my computer right away and made a gif. for the pictures! Lobster benedict can wait for now.

Thanks to Vincent's Cheap Eat article on Facebook, I manage to get my butt off the chair after a solid 4 hours of Photoshop and Illustrator work and head to Baohaus for a quick takeout. Since I hate being lost and not knowing what to order, Yelp-ing always helps. I quickly took note of the favorites that people mentioned and decided on the Chairman Bao and Birdhaus Bao.

It's been long since I last made a gif. The baos came in this super cute takeout box and I instantly thought of making the gif. As you can see, the one with a thick layer of pork belly fat would be the Chairman Bao and the other one stuffed with fried chicken is the Birdhaus. Both were sprinkled with crushed peanuts, which made the taste more hippie!

When my friend first told me that I'm lucky to be living in where I am living right now, I couldn't agree with her. Now, after two weeks of exploration, I find that there are plenty of good food places that are just a few minutes walk away. I am totally spoilt by the choices that I get around here and that makes me a happy girl! *rubs tummy*

And now, after a quick yet satisfying meal, I gotta get back to work.

Another Friday Night in NYC

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 17:14:00 +0000

Last Friday night I was out till 3am on the streets, first time wandering around Times Square and was in awe to find out that the Forever 21 there closes only at 2am! Yesterday, I went to another must-go in NYC, the Empire State Building.

Though the price to get up the 86th floor observatory was a whooping $25, it is still something not to be missed! As dumb as this may sound, the experience of enjoying NYC on the streets and on top of ESB is just incompatible. You'll get a glimpse of 4 different views from each side of the building, each having their own attractions to it.

Me and my friend, Julie were up there around 8.30pm, just when the buildings and streets were starting to light up. My favorite part of the view was the moving yellow cabs in the neatly arranged grid-like streets.

To me, a Friday night is not to be wasted without good food and company. Me and Julie had a splendid yet simple dinner at Cask Bar + Kitchen. The bill only came up to $25 including tax for the two of us! Considering the type of restaurant Cask was, I can only say I did a good job in not overeating this time.

Top: Wild Mushroom Flatbread; Bottom: Philly Cheese Steak Spring Rolls

Both dishes were the top recommendations on Yelp for Cask. I love love love the flatbread though I only had a bite of it! The taste of truffle oil still lingered in my mouth while I was on the ESB. As for the spring rolls, I think that the kitchen missed out putting cheese in it. Either that or the amount of it was too little for me to even realised!

Anyway, can't wait to turn 21 so that I can have Sangria with all the good food I'll have. Teehee!

Life's good in New York City

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 02:20:00 +0000

Trust me, I've been wanting to update this blog earlier but I always ended up being distracted by something else. There is just so much to do, see and eat in this city! Other than acting up as a tourist, occasionally I must stress, I've been buried by the amount of work from my summer school. By the way I forgot to mention that I'm doing Graphic Design in Parsons. Nothing related to fashion, too bad. But I am still glad that I came here!

The dorm that I'm living during the course of my summer school. After that I'll be staying back for an extra two weeks, homeless.

--

One of the awesome restaurants that I've been to so far. Indulged myself in a sort of fancy dinner with Jessica at Social Eatz.

Can't get any more Asian with the napkin.

Jess had their legendary Bulgogi burger while I gave their spare ribs a try. I liked my dish but I just wish there was a side, for their Bulgogi burger it came with Kimchi fries, which was superb by the way.

Food aside, loved the interior and the ambience of the restaurant.

--

Thanks to Jess, I was able to get out of Manhattan even on a weekday. We walked over to Brooklyn with the infamous Brooklyn bridge while watching the sun set. Since I landed in NYC, I've seen countless beautiful sunset views. Though it's different from experiencing it on the beach, the colour of the sky is still stunning each and every time.

--
Just in case you've been missing my style shot posts, here's one to make it up for now.

Cargo Jacket: Zara
Top: Topshop
Black Skinnies: Topshop
Brogues: Monki
Bag: Zara
Watch: Casio
Accessories: MBMJ & Urban Outfitters (wish I could show a close up shot)

--
That's it for now! Can't believe I covered all fashion, food and fotography topics in one post.

Here I am, Big Apple!

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 06:11:00 +0000

3 years ago, while I was applying for my university applications, US never came across my mind as an option because of its tedious process, eg. going through SAT and TOEFL. 2 years ago, I came in UST joining the BBA Global Business program, fully aware of the study abroad opportunity and thought I was pretty much set to be able to explore Europe.

Well things change and sometimes awesome things happen. The school eventually offered me the study abroad opportunity to University of Hawaii at Manoa and my dad decided that he had some extra moolah for me to go to the Parsons New School of Design for the summer. And so, here I am, first time stepping foot in the States and have already been to Hawaii, California and New York. The latter two states which everyone would go hoo-ha about. I'm glad and definitely feeling blessed.

The beautiful skyline as I make my way from Hong Kong to Korea for a 12-hour transit. Stayed a night at the Transit Hotel and was pampered with a huge ass queen size bed all for myself!

Instantly made myself as comfortable as possible, just look at the table. Woke up darn early to grab breakfast and also because a part of me was being paranoid about missing the flight.

So thrilled to finally have authentic Korean cuisine again! I went on to pick all my flight meals to come in Korean style.

It didn't stop there, I even had Korean fried chicken wings as my first meal in New York. By the way, the 14-hour flight from Korea to New York was just painful. I watched 3 movies, slept in the weirdest position and ate like a pig on the flight.

The sun sets while I was making my way back at 8.30pm. I just had the longest day time in my life. Right now I've finally settled down in the Parsons dorm and it was great hanging out the ex-exchanges from UST.

Now, it's time for bed to prepare myself for the orientation.

Hero Sandwich, Tai Kok Tsui

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:25:00 +0000

After being back in this hustling city for almost a month, I finally made myself to go on a solo food hunt yesterday. Once I stepped foot out of the MTR station, I realised why I've been hesitating on going out. I was instantly choked by the polluted air and secondhand smoke, making me almost forgot the reason that I fell in love with this city in the first place.

While finding my way to Hero Sandwich, I got lost in the old buildings and night lightings around Prince Edward.

It is quite a distance to get to Hero Sandwich from the Prince Edward MTR Station but nonetheless, I can tell you that it was worth it.

I had the Rib Eye Steak Sandwich Combo, which comes with fries and a drink for $46. The bread was perfect! Crispy crust on the outside and soft on the inside, as everyone would love to have it. Its crispiness doesn't hurt the sides of my mouth, if you know what I mean. Fries were served sizzling hot and fresh. All in all, it was worth my bucks and the walk.

If you come in a pair to Hero Sandwich, they have a duo set meal for only $99, which I think is a bargain because they also throw in a dessert for you.

Hero Sandwich
Shop 7-8, G/F, Shining Heights,
83 Sycamore Street, Tai Kok Tsui
MTR Station: Prince Edward/Exit C2

--
Can't believe I ditched my blog for more than a month, despite all the free time that I have rotting away in my summer crib. Right now I am counting down 3 days till I jet off to New York city and do what I am suppose to do this summer.

No more promises on future updates (because I barely keep it) but I am definitely working on something in the mean time.

The Journey Ends Here

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Sun, 20 May 2012 08:40:00 +0000

And so my journey of being an exchange student ends here. Yes, that's me living up to my surname, being tan. I'm stucked in the Narita International Airport in Tokyo right now. Just bought 4 boxes of matcha flavoured sweet stuff, mmhm.

These 4 months spent in Hawaii has allowed me to try some new stuff and pushed myself beyond my limits. I think everyone does deserve a time out from the hectic life in HKUST and that's why I am awfully jealous of those taking two semesters off. Well, starting next semester I'll be in my last year of university life and I just can't wait to see what I can achieve afterwards.

Will be spending most of the summer in Hong Kong and New York, not going to miss too much of Malaysia since I can't wander around easily in the country anyway. One thing I distress the most since I started living away from home. But, the amount of good food I get to savour on every time I'm back for a short while in my homeland kinda makes it worthwhile.

20 minutes till the boarding calls, can't wait to be back with my girl friends and spoil ourselves with good food around the island. This blog is finally back to its original, food, fashion and fotography.

Cliff Jumping at Waimea Bay

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:49:00 +0000

Just a little something I did while I was in North Shore last Friday. Took two days off before the finals to actually tour around O'ahu.

Look mom! I wasn't the only one jumping okay. I have to admit I took quite some time to prepare myself to jump off the cliff. Honestly there wasn't much to worry about because the sea water was so clear and you could actually see the sand underneath. Just had a little problem dealing with my wobbly legs. HAHA!

When I hit the water, it felt like my ass got spanked real hard. Nonetheless, the experience of cliff jumping was just epic!

Really short post to brag about it, *pats back* Off for my first finals, wish me luck!

Foooooooooood in Big Island

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:16:00 +0000

A super long overdue post since I haven't been updating much either. Spring break, intense scheduling for the trip and actual traveling actually made me felt like being a proper exchange. Before that, I almost lived like a regular student here, occasionally library cramming session, which is kinda lame I thought since my grades won't be transferred back anyways.

Anyway here goes, my first day in Big Island. It was an all girls trip but that does not mean that this is a shopping trip, just read on. This will be a blog post purely on the food I had in Big Island.

Kicked start the cold, rainy morning in Big Island at Ken's House of Pancakes. The place was only a 3-minute drive away from the airport, perfect distance since all of us were pretty famished at that time. Don't be fooled by the name of the diner, they have a loads of other stuff for you to pick from other than pancakes! Nothing much to rave about but dining at a place where the locals frequent will never go wrong.

Lunch was at Tex Drive In, had Loco Moco and Malasadas. Loco Moco is a local dish here in Hawaii, basically it's made up of rice, either brown or white of your choice, then you have a burger patty with the brown sauce and an egg, also cook they way you like it. As for the plain sugar-coated bun, it's called malasadas. Taste like doughnut but in a bun form, HEH! But just to mention, Tex Drive In has the best Malasadas I've ever had!

We got a visitor while we were having our lunch after snorkeling at Da Poke Shack. Poke bowl is one of my favorite local dished here too, it's basically raw fish salad and I always go for the Spicy Ahi (yellowfin tuna). So in my plate you'll see brown rice top with Furikake, spicy Ahi and potato salad. Major yums, but still can't beat my favorite poke place back in O'ahu.

Third day's lunch at Cafe 100. This is a place where I will go gaga over it, best Loco Moco ever! I used to think that there isn't any difference between the Loco Moco from different places until I had this! The sauce and meat patty, does make a difference. Paired with a large coke and fries, I lose my self-control when it comes to good food.

Grilled chicken with pita, pasta, shoyu ahi with sweet potato chips and crabcakes salad from Hilo Bay Cafe. Not too sure if the food was plain great or we all were just starving because the plates all ended up like below.

Squeaky clean! Everyone just started gobbling the food once it was served, no time for small talks. By the time we realise why the table was too quiet, all the food were already almost gone.

Always have room for desserts, Chocolate Lava Cake with Kona Coffee Ice Cream. *noms*

This is a major summary on the food research I made on Big Island, though I realise that I miss the famous shave ice place in Kona. That couldn't be help because by the time I knew it we were already back in Hilo, which is on the other side of the island.

Next blog post, more scenery pictures, no more tummy-torture ones.

Hawaii State and Its Islands

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 22:01:00 +0000

Credits to loclstylz

Was meant to introduce a little bit about Hawaii's geography since I came here. But I wouldn't pride on my geography knowledge to give you every a detailed view on Hawaii, so I'll briefly point out the places that I'll be blogging on soon.

I am on the O'ahu island, the place where the infamous Waikiki beach is, you've probably heard countless time about that beach. Nothing much to hoo-haa about it if you actually get to explore more of Hawaii. It's probably the most touristy places around here.

You'll notice the Hawaii island on the map, which is also known as the Big Island. The whole state in known as Hawaii because that island was where the King Kamehameha I was on when he united all the islands and named it as the "Kingdom of Hawaii". Correct me if I'm wrong because I have not been educated by any Hawaiians yet. To simplify it, basically you have the Hawaii island and the Hawaii state.

Next moving on, I've been to Maui too. A petite island, compared to Big Island, with lesser Asian tourists flocking on the beach. Great food and lovely towns to explore. It is really near to the Molokai and Lanai island, near as in it's visible from the bay of Maui. I read that they have really amazing snorkeling sites around those two islands! Bummer that I didn't get to go there too.

Lastly Kauai, the only island left that I would really really love to be at but will not have the chance to do so since time is running up, and so is my moolah. I'm giving myself a 5-year time frame to save up and come back to this island. Until then I'll be in search for a lifelong traveling partner and ~~trying to~~ save money by not spending too much on shopping. I can already imagine my close friends giving my shifty eyes when I mentioned about restricting my shopping budget, oh wait, I've never even plan my shopping budget. HEH!

Done with another update! Will start blogging about my island hopping trips soon, this, I promise. Off to snorkeling with the girls now!

Monk Seal Hunting at Kaena Point

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:05:00 +0000

You know how they say when finals is here, everything else just seems more interesting, as long as it's not about studying. So yes, I've decided to blog about my monk seal hunting experience that happened aeons ago.

It was one of those weekends with the perfect weather. I was so glad of the ample sunshine that day until I realised the hike was just a long walk on a flat path all the way to the tip of this island. Thank god for sunscreen and so I managed to survive.

Seeing water and the perfect shade of blue sky just makes me want to stay.

Spotted sea cucumber as well, it elongates after a while. Yuck, I know and it squirts water too.

Finally the main character for the day, monk seal. Spotted 3 monk seals sunbathing way down the cliff on our way back. Hiked down and manage to take a few shots before my camera died.

This hike was also the last time I swam in a tide pool. Totally wasn't prepared to get into the water and so the girls swam with their bras on. Kick ass experience and you won't see me doing that ever again, I hope. HAH!

Typography

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:52:00 +0000

Although I do love food and fashion blogging but MEHHH, I've temporarily lost my passion in doing it. Just temporarily, I promise to share my love for food and fashion once my feet touch down in Hong Kong.

An amateur typography I did today for myself. Let go, move on, but never rush - an excerpt I found on Tumblr. Anyhoo, I've learning some basic HTML editing and photoshop since I started blogging and Friendster, yes definitely a long time ago. So this summer I've decided to step up my game and will be attending summer school in Parsons The New School for Design for Graphic Design. Did I mention I'll be turning 21 in New York too!?

So my plans for this summer July is basically set, June hopefully I can get a summer job and as for August, I might bum around HK. Oh, should find time to go back Malaysia too.

Izakaya Nonbei, Honolulu

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 05:40:00 +0000

No doubt I've been complaining how good-food-deprived I am here in Hawai'i but mainly it's because I haven't been actively wandering around the island and also am a bit intimidated to do so. Seeing homeless people sleeping on the streets, walking around with a push carts was actually the only culture shock that I experienced here and this is also the reason that I've made myself stay in my room more often.

Then again, I won't deny that there are actually pretty impressive hole in the walls around the island. Izakaya Nonbei is one of it and dayumm, the variety of good Japanese places on the island does not stop here!

Sharing the same liking as the boy, this places serves incredible Tamagoyaki (egg sushi)! Blogging about these just makes me want to have another round of it again!

The other dishes, also fanta-licious! My favorite was the wafu steak, the tenderness of the meat was impeccable. If you know me well, you could probably imagine me saying SO GOOOOOOOD, right after having it.

I've decided to share some of my favorite places in Hawaii and my trips to other island and California! Till I get back to Hong Kong, this blog will lack some fashion updates.

Not dead, just a little sick

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:30:00 +0000

Aloha guys! I'm not dead yet, unless you consider the ability of sneezing blood out of your nostrils is, then yes, maybe I am half dead. Caught a cold towards the end of my LA trip.

Thousand apologies for the hiatus over the month and from what I see, my stats still remain the same. Hopefully my blog isn't only visited by bots.

So I'm back in O'ahu (oh-a-hu), trying to get back to my regular schedule but the fact that I'm sick and having to wake up to sore back and shoulders doesn't quite help. Just need to get through today then I'll be off for another getaway.

Anyhoo, since I'm back, more updates will be coming up soon! Counting down 5 more weekends till I land in Hong Kong, until then I have to hit more beaches in Hawaii and do more sun bathing. Well, as you can see in the picture, I am indeed a few shades darker than I was when I first came here.

Kailua Beach Getaway

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 03:30:00 +0000

Weekends feels a little bit longer when you start it off perfectly on the Friday night and still manage to wake up early the next morning, and also for the following one. Hawai'i was soaked during the weekend, the lack of sunshine just forced me to spend more time with my bed, in the morning half awake.

Instead of the usual Waikiki beach, I spent the Saturday afternoon at the Kailua's, a small town that's 30 minutes away from the heart of Hawaii. Though the weather that day wasn't at its best, its fine sand and foamy sea water when washed upon the shore was enough to make up for my trip there.

Except for the lack of good food here, I'm probably having one of the best times of my life right now. No worries, but just enjoy what's left during my university life.

My Extended Weekends

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:07:00 +0000

A picture taken from the Lanikai Pillboxes hike last weekend. Woke up at an ungodly hour - 5a.m after only having a 2-hour sleep the night before that just to catch the sunrise. Definitely worth it since I still get to explore new places and had good food afterwards.

I'm glad I didn't choose my usuals, sunny side-ups and bacon and went for this instead. Red velvet pancakes at the Cinnamon's, perfectly ~~temporarily~~ satisfied my cravings for red velvet cupcakes. It was only close to 10 when we finished our breakfast and when I reached my dorm, I collapsed and only regained senses till 4pm.

Head down to Waikiki afterwards to catch up with the girls and plan our Big Island trip during the Spring break. We tried out Ramen Nakamura, where I had the best gyoza (dumplings) ever since I came here. Every time single time I have a bowl of ramen, it just reminds me of the more awesome and satisfying Butao back in Hong Kong! AHHHH, how I miss queueing up for it.

And this was from last week.
--

Everyone in their shades, all prepared for a wonderful morning out in the sea to whale watch. Unfortunately the boat engine had to break down yesterday, which lead us to kick start our day with hefty American breakfast instead.

They have pretty awesome waffles, which we get to try while we were waiting for seats.

The special crabcake egg benedicts that Tady ordered. Pretty yummy!

Got my usuals! Next time, I'll try scrambled eggs, mmhm I'll try to remember.

As for today, I did another hike at the Chinaman's Hat island. Too bad I can't take any pictures since we had to walk/swim to the island. It was a semi tough hike for me, wish I could just not worry about so much things and just hike. Pfft!

Other than experiencing a 'scene' from the boys, I collected a few bruises and cuts from the hike. Well, at least it wasn't another sun burn, 'cause till now my skin are still peeling.

That's roughly what I do every weekend. There's so much to do that I've never really sleep in on the weekends, not complaining though.

First Design for this Semester

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:40:00 +0000

So I thought by having more time I'll be able to be more productive, eg. learn Korean language and HTML from scratch by myself, but apparently not. Everyday after school, I collapse on my bed and wake up when it's almost time for dinner. Occasionally I manage to force myself to the library. Well, that probably happens only once in a fortnight.

I've been noticing the due dates for my assignments, poster and quizzes highlighted in red since two weeks ago. Yet I procrastinate right up till the last minute, definitely doing it the right way! Teehee! Just finished my poster for the Introduction in Fashion Industry class. Nothing interesting about the class yet, since it's still lectures more on the history and theory. Can't wait to get my hands on doing some window display.

Short updates for now until I end my quiz this Friday!

Here goes!

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:12:00 +0000

Not going to promise any updates but here goes a short one before I settle down for this busy week. Thanks to those who still visit my blog although it hasn't been updated for more than a week.

Days in Hawai'i has been filled with more exciting activities like surfing and getting my back sun burn and also waking up at 5am for a sunrise hike. Not missing home as much as I was when I first came here because now I can cook spaghetti that tastes like home whenever I want to! Just joking, mom's cooking is always the best.

Anyhoo, pictures were taken during the Makapu'u hike. If you're wondering if I squeezed into the broken fence and broke the law, why yes! We ended up being 'chased' by the coastguard that came hovering over us in a helicopter.

So that's it for now. Till I decide to stick my bum onto the chair and have the patience to upload the pictures and add some words to it.

Happy Chinese New Year

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:27:00 +0000

Haven't been updating the blog lately because I was still finding a direction and theme for this blog. I have come to realise that it is almost impossible for me to grab style shots around Hawai'i, though it'll definitely be great if someone would be willing to help me with it since this island has fantastic view! Then again, I rarely dress up around the island, it's always shorts and flip flops.

In the mean time while I redirect the theme of this blog, here's my fair share of the yummy early Chinese New Year dinner I had last week with the regular students here.

Little Village in Chinatown or what they call downtown.

Volcano Pork

Walnut Shrimp *yum*

Mongolian Beef

Kung Pao Chicken

Fried Hor Fun with Beef

Capitol Pork

It was one of the few best meals I had when I first came here. We had a double dose of the walnut shrimp because it was just too yummy! Don't think I've ever had it back home.

Everyone's up now, still getting ang paus and celebrating the second day of Chinese New Year, while I just ended the first day of it. I had a home cooked meal prepared by the girls from Hong Kong. Thanks to them, I didn't had to munch on fast food tonight.

So if you have have any ideas on what I should blog more about, just drop me a comment! Definitely would love to share more about my experience in Hawai'i. And again, Happy Chinese New Year!

The Hike Up Diamond Head

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:10:00 +0000

Pulled myself out of bed for my first hike in Hawai'i on Saturday. Diamond Head, one of the tourist spots on the island, you could catch a glimpse of the whole O'ahu island from the top and maybe the sight of some other islands too.

Loving the pictures because the skies are actually blue, instead of being too overexposed. The trails here are flip-flops-friendly and it takes around 30 to 40 minutes to get up there. On the ground level, you have a farmers' market, having stalls selling organic vegetables and local food. We had our brunch after the hike there and as usual, I went for the stalls that has a line for it.

More pictures will be included in my Week 2's Photo Diary, which should be up soon.

The Original Pancake House, Honolulu

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:48:00 +0000

I do hope that this habit of having American breakfast will become a weekly ritual while I am here. Not worried of having withdrawal symptoms since Hong Kong's Flying Pan also serves orgasmic American breakfast! So bring it on Hawaii!

After being awake for 22 hours straight yesterday, I still manage to wake up at 8am this morning. Will blog more about yesterday's hike and tour around the island soon, pictures taken while I was on the Diamond Head hike was spectacular, even though I still have crappy landscape photography skills.

Anyway, was up early today for The Original Pancake House with the girls from Hong Kong.

3 out of 4 of use had the Junior Plate, serving 2 pancakes, an egg and a choice of bacon or sausage. The usuals for me, bacon and sunny side-up.

Me being me, I ordered another side, toast with jelly. Thanks to me being ignorant, I was expecting fluffy jelly rather than jelly here being interpreted as jam. YAY to jelly and $2.50 worth of toast! Not really.

Another side ordered by Vivian, Corn Beef Hash. The presentation of food isn't that great here but still it all tasted really good. If only this hash was served a little bit earlier after it was out from the pan, as it was tad cold. Tasted good, nonetheless, it was my first time trying it.

The French Toast, apparently it wasn't that great. Overall, this place is on the above average scale I guess but I will never say no to good pancakes for breakfast.

The cute stamp that was behind our bills. Aloha everyone!

Comfort Food

noreply@blogger.com (tansuann) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:16:00 +0000

Back in Hong Kong, Crumbs was my comfort food. Since I came here, I haven't quite have a meal that makes me go woolala except for the hefty breakfast last weekend. That was until yesterday when I tried the curry and roti from my campus. It was the most satisfying meal, with only $2, and the guy at the stall even gave me an extra roti for free! I felt so guilty for not giving him tips after I got back, still not quite used to this whole tipping system.

That nice guy gave me so much curry that I was able to save it for my dinner to go with my packet of microwavable rice as well.

Just came back from the International Exchange party, manage to meet more than 5 new friends, BOOYAHH! Considering the fact that I am an awkward socialiser, that is a pretty big number for me. It's been barely a week yet and I'm already getting intimidated by the amount of work and group projects that are awaiting me this semester. Who said that being an exchange allows you to chill, I need a freaking 60% to pass! Still, I can't wait to make some plans to go around other islands. HEH!