toasted marshmallows

I love having versatile pieces in my wardrobe.

One top... Two ways. 

Fio Fio top. Abercrombie shorts. HRH Collection bracelet. 

Perfect for having ramen with the girlfriends... 

Or a summer supper with friends... 

Or indulging in a "dirty" hot chocolate. 

On another note, I may have found a similar dupe to Essie's Angel Food, a polish that I just can't seem to find in stores. 

Sinful Colors in Easy Going

I really love the texture and shine of this nail polish, not to mention the color. Such a great drugstore find!

I will be leaving home for a few days and traveling for my new job. I'm so excited! A new adventure awaits and I'm ready for the journey. 

I'll miss my baby Milo so much! 

I love the way she sleeps... so peaceful. Everyday, I find her in a new position.

She'll be 12 weeks old soon. It's crazy how time flies.

cherry coconut love

It's not easy trying to live a fit and healthy lifestyle... especially when you have a big sweet tooth like myself.

What helps me to curb my cravings is making a delicious (and healthy) fruit smoothie. It's also refreshing for hot day. Today I made a Cherry Coconut Smoothie.

Cherries. Coconut pieces. Coconut milk. Ice. Frozen strawberries. Milled flaxseed (optional).

I have to admit that de-pitting the cherries was a lot more work than anticipated. If you do make this, be prepared to get a lot of cherry juice over your fingers and wash them immediately or else it might stain.

I also had the most amazing dinner at Tender Greens the other day with a dear friend. I already posted the picture on Instagram, but for those of you who are not following... 

Backyard steak. Garlic crostini. Parmesan kale salad. Buttery mashed potatoes. Mint lemonade.

ready for summer

When summer hits, I practically live in shorts.

DailyLook cardigan. Abercrombie tank and shorts. Melie Bianco hobo. Crown & Glitter necklace. Sneakers (gifted).

Indulging in a shaved ice cup is also going to be a new tradition.

Fresh mango. Tapioca balls (boba). Vanilla ice cream. Shaved ice.

Such a sweet treat and super refreshing! It's also the perfect portion.

I definitely intend to be poolside whenever I can. I just love the feeling of cold water against my skin... 

There's also going to be a lot of barbecues to go to. I do love a good burger. It's all about the bun and the meat. I like my buns soft, rounded, peaked at the top, and buttered.

A good ole simple Angus beef burger with buttered buns.

It was also around summer 5 years ago when Toby and I first met. He was the smallest puppy I've ever seen and held. 

Too small and too young to even know how to drink...

A year later, Kami joined the family.

My happy (and chubby) kami :)

triple espresso

Waffles for breakfast is a great way to wake up. I love mine loaded with fresh berries.

Blueberries. Strawberrries. Raspberries. Maple syrup.

Half of a waffle wasn't satisfying enough so I had another one. This time, sans blueberries and with a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

Such a great way to start the day!

When you work in an office for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, it's so important to go out and stretch out your legs... My walks consist of admiring nature, visiting the neighborhood pets, and snapping random pictures.

It looks like the flower is just exuding light from within... Amazing.

The colors are incredibly vibrant.

I'm the type of person that loves meetings... as long as the topic is interesting... or if there's a good spread of refreshments.

Flipping through a magazine during a meeting and came across this...

I can only wonder what the chocolate dome encases...

Driving by, the boyfriend and I decided to make a stop at Currywurst for some German hot dogs. It was unplanned, but certainly beats sitting in local traffic. I can't understand why the city decides to do major road work on a Friday during peak traffic time... but anyway...

The garlic fries with curry ketchup was amazing.

At night, my girlfriends and I grabbed gelato from a local place in the neighborhood.

Madagascar Chocolate. Salted Caramel. Stracciatella. Espresso Chip. 

Unintentionally, we all had a scoop of the Espresso Chip.

I loved today's 70 degrees weather... That is the perfect temperature for me. 

Be Cool shirt. Abercrombie shorts. Guess bracelet. Steve Madden booties.

I wasn't feeling too well though so I needed some Asian comfort food.

House steamed chicken with green onion in oil for dipping. 

So satisfying with a bowl of rice. I wish I knew how to make this for myself.

I also finally got to try some Iced Sea Salt Jasmine Green Tea from 85C Bakery, and I brought home a bag of fresh pastries to try. I can't wait to indulge...

angel food

Today was the ultimate pampering day at my job... We were invited to start the day with a 30-minute Pilates class. I opted out... although I was very tempted to.

There was a manicurist giving express manicures. I always do my own nails so it was so nice to have a professional give it some TLC. Plus, she was such a sweetheart and made sure that I absolutely loved the color since I had told her I was picky.

Essie Angel Food.

I am officially obsessed with this color. It's the perfect balance of white and nude. Plus, it's work-appropriate.

There was a masseuse giving back massages for a limited time... I made sure I got one before heading home... perfect.

There was a great spread for the make-your-own ice cream sundae station with strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate ice cream flavors.

What made this experience even better was the marshmallow topping... 

I had to work off the calories so I exercised when I got home and had a light dinner.

Fresh raw octopus, raw squid, and hamachi sashimi accompanied with a bowl of greens and dipping sauces.

My boyfriend knows how much I love Shakey's mojo's so he made me some the other day.

So simple but so good...

peace, love and sweets

Today's outfits were inspired by a new piece of jewelry in my collection...

Under different lighting, the crystal picks up on different hues of colors and it sparkles like crazy... So pretty.

Top (gifted). Max Studio skirt. Aerosoles wedges.

It looks like summer's going to be super hot if it's already this hot for spring. I can't stand the heat. I'll take cold weather any day!

Epilogue dress. HRH Collection bracelet.

I had such a fun time tonight having dinner with a new friend. We had some Japanese food, and then for dessert, we visited Lette to pick up (more) macarons, coffee and strawberry ice cream mochi from Mikawaya, and grabbed our final dessert at Pinkberry.

 Original yogurt. Strawberries. Kiwi fruit. Oreo pieces. Mochi. 

The hot weather is a perfect excuse for eating lots of sweets.

It's also about the time for Kami to start shedding.

Caught Kami with his eyes closed, but doesn't it look like he's smiling with his eyes? 

8-miles

Some of you may not know that the name of my blog comes from one of my dogs, Kami, a Japanese pure-breed Akita. They are strong, independent, and usually aggressive; however, extremely loyal to their owners. 

 Kami is unusually sweet and not aggressive at all. He is a true baby although he looks quite intimidating. His best friend is Toby, a Pomeranian-Chihuahua mix that is 1/4 his size.

Unlike Toby, Kami's very camera-shy. He always looks away!

Seven7 dress. M. Haskell bracelet. Kenneth Cole wedges.

I made my first visit to Lette today. I love the way they display their macarons.

It's like macarons riding on waves... You have to see it for yourself.

I picked up a box of 6: Vanille De Madagascar, Chocolat Des Caraibes, Cafe De Colombie, Noix De Coco, The Early Grey, and Caramel Sale.

I enjoyed it the way it was recommended. Delicious!

My boyfriend and I also stopped by a neighborhood pizza place for lunch during our 8-mile walk. This place was an unexpected surprise.

Small green salad with housemade Balsamic dressing... The dressing was amazing!

We also shared a hand-spun thin-crust pizza.

Housemade sausage and Wisconsin mozzarella cheese.

grazie mille

A few days ago my girlfriends and I had a great time catching up at Bestia. The food was amazing... Everything is made in-house, from the 60 different forms of charcuterie, their sourdough Pain au Levain, pizza dough, fresh pastas, and desserts.

We started with a Salumi appetizer since their meats are house-cured; one of their specialties.

The large was perfect for 3. It was also served with pickled vegetables, mostarda, and grilled bread.

We also had their Mussels, which was cooked in their delicious housemade 'njuda, fennel seeds, preserved lemon, and more grilled bread.

I love pastas, so I was esctatic when my girlfriends were game for 2.

Spaghetti Rustichella: uni, garlic, fermented chili, and breadcrumbs.

My favorite dish of the night. Although I had expected to taste the uni more, the subtleness was quite delicious. I had the last lick of this plate :)

Cavatelli alla Norcina: ricotta dumplings, housemade pork sausage, black truffles, grana padano.

So good! LOVED the texture of the dumplings. Ahh.. I am so in love with pasta!

Of course we saved room to sample one their desserts. 

"Coffee & Donuts": spiced chesnut zeppole, simple whipped cream, coffee gelato.

This was good, but I had better "donuts."  I would probably try one of their tarts next time.

Bestia

2121 E 7th Pl

Los Angeles, CA 90021