LA ZOO

While sitting at Starbucks this afternoon, we made a spontaneous decision to go to the LA Zoo. It was probably not the best day to go as it was another hot day here and the animals were hiding in the shade to stay cool but it was still so much fun. On the top of our list to see were the big animals like elephant, giraffe, lion and tiger. Seeing the elephants brought back some fun memories of my trip to Bali last November. I was actually quite disappointed that with all the gates and fences, we were only able to see most of these animals from a distance. I will include a few pics below from my Bali trip at the elephant safari park. It was one of the most fun experiences and I highly recommend going there if anyone is going to Bali.

Bali Elephant Safari Park

See how close you can get to the elephants? they have buckets of elephant food for you to grab and feed it to them. You can pet them and take photos with them. The workers are so friendly, they will even help you take photos

This is the elephant show. Meet Debbi, she is an artist and is creating a one of a kind painting! After the show, Paul and I hurried over to purchase the painting. Nine months later, we finally got it framed!

Riding on the elephant was an incredible experience! Each elephant can carry 2 passengers and one tour guide sitting in the front like the below pic. It will take you around the entire safari.

While on the elephant, you will also go into the water which is pretty awesome!

LA ZOO

I had to take these pics from a distance and zoomed in to get a close shot but still fun to watch

the zebras were so pretty!

we were lucky the giraffes got super close to us and I was able to get a few nice photos

Pink flamingos fighting over a spot to lay their eggs

black neck swans

tigers drinking water

Ohmmmm....... being one with nature

Me VS. elephant       ROARRRRR!

FOOD COMA

Hope everyone had an awesome weekend! The highlight of my weekend was FOOD! Are you drooling yet? We had brunch with Sean & Kristin at Bea Bea's Cafe. It was deeeee-lish! For dinner, we went to a middle eastern restaurant called The hummus bar and grill. I dont usually like middle eastern because their vegetarian selection is very limited but I really like this place and would go back again! It is one of the two middle eastern restaurants I like.

COLD DISH {asian cucumber salad}

I dont consider myself a good cook but when I am in the mood, I can whip up some yummy dishes! I dont use recipes or measurements, i like to season to taste and eye everything. It somehow always turn out fine for me. One of my favorite fast and easy dish to make is the cucumber salad. If you plan to make several dishes for dinner, I would do this dish first since it needs time to marinate and chill in the fridge. This salad is so yummy and refreshing and best of all, very low calorie!

You can find a big bag of these from costco. I use about 7 or 8 cucumbers.

step 1: chop into 3 or 4 sections //  step 2: take each section and chop in half  //  step 3: chop each half into three

and get a big bowl of beautifully chopped cucumbers, already looks yummy doesnt it?

Magic sauce (sorry, i dont have measurements but this is whats in it):  ponzu sauce (citrus soysauce), soysauce, rice vinegar (only need a tiny bit), chopped chilli pepper (dont use this if you dont like spicy), sesame oil

pour the sauce over the chopped cucumbers and mix very well. then put it in the fridge to chill. Stir it occasionally so the ones on top get marinated as well. when you finish making the rest of your dinner, this is also ready to serve!

Dinner is ready: Asian cucumber salad // french long bean stir fry // my version of spicy eggplant and tofu

MILK GLASS- DIY

I've always been a big fan of Martha Stewart DIYs and came across this simple and inexpensive DIY project. Although it was simple, i managed to screw up on two of them but its not a big deal since the glass containers were only a dollar each at the thrift store. I chose to do mine in white because it just looks good anywhere! This is an easy way to recreate vintage milk glass vases.

I experimented with champagne glasses and it turned out great!

waiting for them to dry so I can fill it with pretty flowers

You can find very pretty and inexpensive little jars at the thrift store

use any color you want and swirl it around. then put it upside down and let the paint drip.

wipe the rim every few minutes with damp paper towel. When it stops dripping, you can turn it over and let dry for a few days

looks great in aqua!

SWEETS

Had my first dress fitting yesterday. Turned out not so great because I was completely shocked at how much alterations cost. American labor is so expensive!!! I was told that bridal gowns usually run smaller than street clothing but I think it is quite the opposite (at least in my case). I was prepared to spend money on alterations but not the amount that it came out to... it was nearly $500!! being petite is expensive. I dont consider myself an emotional eater and I rarely have a sweet tooth (usually a salty tooth..mmmm french fries...) but krispy creme was so close by I couldn't resist the fresh warm donuts. A dozen donuts after bridal gown fitting... Why not?

New treasures: instant coffee container, coffee cup and gold untensil

Krispy Creme donuts are the perfect size, not too big and not too small and so chewy and yummy. My fav is always the original glazed

cant get enough leopard!

Polka dots x Leopard = perfection