Friendship & Being Yourself

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For my 1st Friendship article, let me officially introduce myself to you…

Hi, my name is Fia, & I love to:
1. Help people.
2. Give advice to help people.
(If you happened to be surprised on the 2nd fact, I’m somehow not surprised. But let’s move on now, please…)
Strangely, I’m frankly and ironically the type who gets easily irksome with uncalled, unsolicited advice.  The most recent incident recollected was when I bought water at a supermarket’s checkout line.  Behind me, this guy (around the same age as me) spontaneously and adamantly advised me that it’s bad to drink water from the [plastics]–blah, blah, blah.

The logical, analyzing part of me did understand where the premise came from; I am a sucker for reading health articles, for the record.  But when it came to challenging my social etiquette, inside of me was developing that red-faced, blood-boiling cartoon character getting aggravated because somebody invaded my personal space.

So for this reason, I decided to put all of this worded, seemingly cathartic energy into my blog, so that YOU can freely decide whether to read it or not.

Another challenge with this 2nd fact was dealing with my more dominantly introverted persona, which, I bluntly want to reinstate…

Yes, I am shy, but: Introversion does NOT equal shyness, or vice versa.  (Details will most certainly be coming up soon!)

See: if you’ve interacted with me in-person, I’d talk normally (I assume) yet I’d incline onto listen mode.  But when it came to deeper conversations, such as boy troubles or work issues, & you were looking for advice, saying something was difficult for me to give off right away–unlike for my lovely extroverted buddies.

This is when writing became my hobby partner-in-crime.  I want to delve into my thoughts first before audible words potentially become indelible.  So as a fair warning: please don’t ever tell me to post on Youtube–until I let you know it’s absolutely okay.  Remember: this topic is about being yourself, so let’s stay coherent, shall we?

Now that I mention it…

I can [finally] approach this Be Yourself subject, focused to you.

If you already know, deep down in your spirits–or your neurons, if you’re radically pro-science–and you are being honest with both yourself and others…stay this way.

That’s right, flaunt what you were born with.  If you honestly feel your best and natural to be:

-Opinionated
-Shy
-Blunt
-Innocent
-Very liberal
-Painstakingly cautious
-A hypochondriac
-A World of Warcraft addict
-A sex kitten
-A workaholic
-A Victor Hugo fan
-A medical marijuana advocate
-The center of attention
-Etc, etc, etc…I can go on & on, but there’s this thing called time…

Please, stay that way.  UNLESS…

-YOU don’t like how you act, & YOU want to change, for YOU.  Understand?
-You are intentionally harming people or yourself.

Why do I think it’s such a big deal?  Well then, my questions to you are:

Who do you know will really be supporting you?  Who really won’t give a darn about you?  Who are the most trustworthy and unconditionally loving people you can think of when you, for instance, decide to…

-Come out of the closet
-Reveal your idiosyncratic, perceptibly weird favorites (I won’t mind sharing this tidbit of mine: I am EXCITED to listen and sing to Christmas music again. And what?)
-Mope for months & months because you lost something irreplaceable or someone (i.e. a dream job or death)
-Start over something to get better
-Change location and move out-of-state
-Change career
-Date somebody who may not fit others’ standards–as long as you are deep-down, truly happy to be in this relationship
-Put in hours of studying instead of evening Happy Hour to reach your ultimate career goals
-Not party wild anymore
-Become rich because you have genuine skills that qualify you to make 6-figure income
-Leave something that isn’t working for you

When you have the answers: you better have it written down somewhere so that, when you feel absolutely ready, you can thank these people.  If you have noticed this outline, they pretty much reveal a consistent theme: change*, which I now fully accepted that it’s required to have a fulfilling, flourishing life for the better.

If people are okay with your change or your quirks: these are the ones who you should spend some of your valuable time or keep in touch with, even as tiny as a “Like” button on your friend’s picture of her tripping on a skateboard–if she’s the one posting it.  Reflecting on my experience with the guy behind the checkout line, I have accepted his unexpected interaction with me; I’m naturally flustered from utter invasion of my introverted bubble.

However, those who are unwilling to accept, backstab you, mind your change, or will take advantage of you…this means that, one, they don’t really love you, and two, they can no longer belong in your precious, present moment.  Or they no longer can fit into your chapter 27, unlike in chapter 19.  I’m not saying that if you reveal something, they’ll automatically back away; I’m stating that once you’re more comfortable or ready to expose more of yourself, there is definitely some social risk involved, and you need to be aware of this and trust your feelings.

Because once you realize this…I know that this is difficult to deliberately let go, especially if you have the tendency to “attach,”…in order for YOU to be at your best self, you need to cut these strings–and (internally) thank and/or contact those who you have answered easily to my questions.

In other words: if they can’t be happy for you, what’s worse: hanging onto them still, or forgetting about those who already love you?

So give yourself a pat in the back, a treat to your favorite spa, or a good ‘ol nap.  You deserve a happy life and an everyday satisfying one because you’re being yourself.  I thank you for being you; even if you feel strange in your own way, I don’t mind & I am always here to listen =).

“Be who you are and say what you mean. Because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” -Dr. Seuss

——————————————————————————————————

*To all friends of mine: if there is some change happening to you, and you somehow think I don’t care,–falsies: that’s simply because I don’t know what is going on with you, & I would rather hear from you directly.  I check Facebook, but I’m not the type who will snoop around your page or take too much time on the already overwhelming News Feed. *Cross my heart*

Foodie at Wildberry Cafe

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Travelling to several states within this year alone, one of my favorite questions asked from friends would be, “What’s good to eat in [city of interest]?”

Venturing into the most colonized Midwestern city twice by far, shockingly I haven’t jumped into the pizza or Portillo wagon.  I have endured eating quests from an overwhelmingly unfocused Chinese restaurant in Chicago’s Chinatown to an amazing Easter “egg hunt” at a Puerto Rican hole-in-the-wall joint in the southern suburbs.  For this particular entry, I’m concentrating more on where folks will intuitively walk around the most—downtown—and thus will describe about one of my beloved brunches in America: the Wildberry Café.

With 3 locations existing, this eatery is quite hospitably facing right across Millennium Park; if this sounds totally unfamiliar, I bet you’re aware of the shimmering, mesmerizing Bean—I mean, Cloud Gate.  There are 2 major caveats, where both can be prevented if time and planning are your wonderful allies.  If you dare use anything w/ a steering wheel and an engine, either you safely park it in a nearby parking structure or pay a lofty minimum of $10 if luckily adjacent to the meters.  The 2nd concern is that, because The Bean may as well be the scapegoat, a myriad array of customers—enough to occupy a large lecture hall—were waiting outside to hold onto their shaking device to indicate that their table was ready.
Yes, they carry Intelligentsia Coffee
Once we heard and felt their “Go” sound, we were led into an expected camaraderie of breakfast/brunch lovers surrounded by the vast, modern, cabin-like atmosphere–clandestine against the metropolis.  Other than their obviously renowned Pancakes (with a Wild Twist), they can cook up some classic breakfast dishes, Omelettes, Belgian Waffles, Eggs Benedict, French Toast, Skillets, Crepes, healthy food (which I’d dissuade when on vacation)–whatever your hunger is calling you out to the most.  In this case, hunger and curiosity tied for their Red Velvet French Toast ($8.95), while my boyfriend and I effortlessly agreed upon the Corned Beef Benny ($9.50).

Scrambled Eggs w/ Fruit, Jumbo Sausage Links, & Wheat Toast
Our friend respectfully decided to eat classically, which on the menu it’s indicated as 2 Eggs Any Style w/ Choice of [Fill-in-the-Stomach].  The only item we were surprised to be offered generously by our friend was one of the Jumbo Sausage Links, and in an advisably frenzied matter: this was the juiciest, most flavored and well-seasoned piece of protein I have ever tasted and ingested.  That made me realized that, oftentimes, it’s not just the wild ones that stand out.
Homemade Everything: Whipped Butter, Syrup, and Wildberry Preserves (as the result of the friend’s order)
Now, onto the sweet side…
Red Velvet French Toast
Oh, it was marvelously delectable, most certainly.  It may be personally borderline sweet, but the critical Red Velvet flavor flaunted like it’s supposed to, in conjunction to the wowed Cream Cheese Frosting in between the stacks.  I have a heavy Salty Tooth, but I could catch myself temporarily converting into the other side.
However, I must caution the French Toast purists that I will admit that it lost a lot of its identity; upon chewing and moving the bits around my mouth, it’s quite deceptive for its cake-like moisture and texture.  To me I was absolutely fine with this party-sparking phenomenon, but I just don’t want my battered bread fans to get shocked when they’re diving into this utter indulgence.
Corned Beef Benny

The savory aspect was, on the other hand, more infatuating.  In my experience, tasty corned beef came from the can because this is a popular, inexpensive breakfast meat in Filipino cuisine–even if it’s healthily subpar.  This plate, however, completely changed my outlook on restaurant-quality, homemade corned beef, as well as discovering that this became one of my 2 cherished Eggs Benedict items (the other is located in San Diego). 
Just-right salty and terrifically pan-grilled in consistent shape, it synchronized lovingly with the gooey, runny poached eggs; plumped English muffins; scrumptious hashbrowns; and powerhouse kickin’ chipotle hollandaise sauce.  It was unexpectedly heavenly that, in order to completely fill the void of realism (it was our last Chicago day), we made sure to eliminate every crumb and liquid that once it’s accomplished, my brain strangely warned me–that moment–that my satiety’s done for the daytime.
And of course, as an everyday yet seriously amateur coffee connoisseur, regardless of mealtime I had to awaken my mind with Intelligentsia’s Hazelnut Coffee.  Unfortunately this flavor wasn’t frankly striking, but I did applaud for their slightly silky consistency!

There: that’s one of my answers to their Visiting-Out-of-State questions.  P.S. If you are reading this during the fall season & are currently in Chi-Town, please inform me if Intelligentsia or other local coffeehouses also are fanatically serving those alluring Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

Overall Grade: A-

Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe
130 E Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 938-9777
http://www.wildberrycafe.com

Wildberry on Urbanspoon

Foodie at Cibo Pizzeria

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Last week was tireless, where my usual power naps were completely devoid and failed to integrate as a result of accumulating lots of mileage from a rental car and the boyfriend’s transitioning to thrive the Phoenician life (yes, that’s the adjective for the capital city of Arizona—you are aware that’s the capital, right?) by apartment-hunting and learning the basic geography thanks to a local friend.  Not to worry, Golden State: I am still planted with you, but I can elongate beyond and thus adapt to how the Southwestern folk enjoy their evening out under humid 90-something degrees.
One tableau is Cibo, pronounced CHEE-bowh if going hardcore on Italian, where it brilliantly mimics a quaint house that frankly fit in with the neighborhood homes and apartments.  The main difference, besides the purpose, was from the outside lots of patio seating were lovingly scattered for guests who were either plucky savoring the desert atmosphere or were interested in hearing the night’s music gig.  Such tyros of the moistened heat gathered safe and sound inside a well-conditioned, unpretentiously homey interior, full of an equal ratio of crowding, all awaiting to have their hands full on Cibo’s renowned pizza, categorized in 2 statements–Red/Rosse and White/Bianche.
Dinner Menu

The party of 5 commenced our cheesy rapture with the Burrata($14), as highly recommended by our productive waitress.  Never had this antipasti?  Think of the quintessential mozzarella, but more softened and creamy in silky ball form.  In this case multiply that by 2, then add a lavish drizzle of sultry and decadent balsamic glaze to altogether knife-spread at ease with the viciously toasted yet deliciously crunchy sliced baguette, and finally topped that off with at least one paper-thin, divinely smoky Black Label Prosciutto Crudo to summate into an effortlessly awe-induced emotion—ahh, at the very beginning.
From the Rosse half of the 10-incher was ordered as a Diavola and the other a classy Margherita to tally up to $13.  The former was amassed with sumptuous tomato sauce spread below the much more familiar mozzarella, meanwhile culminating Cibo’s way of an invitingly spicy and flavorful salame, aka sausage.  I missed the action on the latter, yet the boyfriend simply adored this paradigm, stating that the light tasting tomato sauce, mozzarella, and fresh basil were spot-on delicious.  Despite the minute setback, the basil leaves could appear more orderly than the actual picture.

Top half is the Diavola, bottom half is Margherita

On the non-lycopene, mozzarella-based Bianche spectrum lit up half of a Procida and half of the Tartufata, totaling to $14 while both amassing the prudently rich prosciutto crudo and overall powerful flavors.  Distinctively, the former was carefully orchestrated with the mellifluous slices of Asian pears, peppery greens of arugula, and acutely phenomenal goat cheese, which might taste-wise be too discomforting for those not personally in favor of strong dairy products.  The latter submitted a bossier gusto, thanks to the finishing touch of drizzled, yet visually unnoticeable white truffle oil over the white mushroomsand cheese—again might win a certain pool of gastronomes.
Left half is Procida, right is Tartufata
However, like all matter, one that possesses in such immediately positive attributes has some degree of flaw.  The thin crust for both colors certainly flaunted the yeast-y taste, but if not prepared to engage in the small, triangular slice by utilizing both functional hands, the flimsy texture might unfortunately spill part of the precious ingredients, such as the spicy salame.  That said, if your teeth pines for sounds, adamancy for a crispier, longer cooking time in the brick oven—assumingly—is firmly recommended.
Whether ordering pizza with more sophisticated ingredients or a customary take, Cibo is indirectly encouraging to set a date night; the side effect, though, includes a slightly boisterous ambiance especially if inside.  If you happen to not be fond of no reservations, unless it’s a minimum of 6 guests, then have 5 of your crew ready to delve into a 18% fixed gratuity and zero split check policy underneath such picturesque, romantic scenery.  Just please regard the Burrata if you are not considered a lactose intolerant, vegan, or anti-microbe eater.

Grade: B

Cibo
603 N 5th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85003
(602) 441-2697
http://www.cibophoenix.com

Cibo on Urbanspoon

Foodie at Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ

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For all you barbecue maniacs: here are some interesting, factual ties to this catchy, famed eatery name that tempting assumptions, both shallow and deep, should be either set aside or be restrained:

Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ is not the typical brick-and-mortar restaurant; it is inside a small gas station, roofed in eye-catching, chalky green hue.  It is not located in Kansas City, Missouri (which I honestly and especially presumed), but in Kansas City, Kansas; these 2 states “happen” to touch each other and thus force to share the city–but have their own zip codes.  Lastly, the name is not because of a human moniker, but because it’s the name of the smoker that helped Jeff Stehney and his Slaughterhouse Five virtually won dozens of BBQ competitions, which eventually led to open a business at, well, a gas station.

Arriving a little after the 1100 hour proved to face the lesser line length.  However, the outside portion was literally displaying superficiality, discovering that once through the door it’s another 20+ minutes or so.  To tempt a warm start, Oklahoma Joe’s is quite ingenious to place pages of their paper menu so that there’s less chance of a poor fool still indecisive on what to pay at the counter.

The lunch line after the ravage, and that’s just 1/3 of it.

In spite of this possible dilmema, if you either forget to snatch the paper menu, or you’re inclined to place it back where it originated and then lost track, the gargantuan, easy-to-read-from-a-distance blackboard menu, several feet away from the cash register, is your alibi.

Blackboard Menu

As soon as you’re steps away ordering while controlling your drool from naturally snooping other customers’ food, they’re quite brazen to sell you selected seasonings, sauces, and the best complementary drinks for BBQs.  If I didn’t end up with another meat-munching dinner bonanza later that day, I would not mind calorie-consuming on a PBR.
The boyfriend and I were decimeters close to honing only 2 items to share, i.e. the Rib & One Meat Dinner ($12.99) and K.C.’s Best Fries in a bag ($2.79).  But as non-native, Midwestern temps, that so-called YOLO Effect butted in by leaning towards another eye-catching platter that more than 50% of those eaters chose, the Z-Man Sandwich ($6.79).
3 Beef Ribs and One Pulled Pork “Dinner”

So let’s evaluate if these smoked-out meats excelled in the wood-burning, slow-cooked criteria:
-Beefy and porky? Check.
-Massive muscles? Check.
-Smoky? Checkeroo!
-Charred? Check, especially for not going overboard on darkening the meats.
-Remarkable seasonings? Check plus! Plus for not ensconcing the most prominent ingredient of all–oink oink.
-Pork-tacular with succulence?  Che-eh-eck!  If I were to establish a “barbequest” in California, I wouldn’t be surprised on how seldom I’d find this lavish pork butt at the exact level of its Midwestern relative.
-Ribs tender off-the-bone?  Oh yah, babe: check, check, and check.  So please allow yourself to bite tenderly while absorbing these flavors.  My boyfriend enjoyed the ribs candidly that their modestly sweet and robust famous sauce needed not be smothered further.  For tradition’s sakes, though, I saturated mine anyway.
Upon our take on the fries, they achieved consistent deep fry-dom and sound crispness.  The earthly seasonings could give some more love by literally sprinkling just a half more.
Le Fries
Meanwhile, playfully theorizing the etymology of this tempting sandwich, man–amaaaaaaazing flavors.

Z-Man Sandwich
The soft and bread-y Kaiser roll just gleefully buttressed the deeply harmonized components–i.e. the lustrous sauce, impeccably juicy and mouthwatering beef brisket, gooey and non-slippery smoked Provolone, and jovial onion rings–soothing the edacious 5-foot figure and partly to her BBQ-crazed significant other (meaning that he allowed me to finish 4/5 of the bulk).  I would not mind reordering as we need to head back to central Iowa, yet time was unfortunately not on our side to dread another lengthy line.

But dang, if I were precocious in planning all perspectives, I’d either make Kansas City International Airport as my day-long layover or as a departure point, so that I could sleep peacefully–from the inevitable food coma–while soaring back to my home state.  To make more sense: Oklahoma Joe’s would unquestionably be my top excuse to obtain frequent flier miles to KC any time soon.  Thank you, Mr. Stehney, for your victorious competitions as your way to add fuel to your meats and thus make my post-workout worth it.

Overall Grade: A
Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ
3002 W 47th Ave
Kansas City, KS 66103
(913) 722-3366

Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue on Urbanspoon

Frenzy Fixes Her Fringe

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Roughly a month’s length inched through since the day I destined for a new haircut by going blunt with the bangs, instead of my safe-zoned side-swept look.  That span certainly augmented my self-frenzied fact that my mane grows–and sheds–at a visually above average rate.

The 3-week difference, including the light source

The thought of paying and driving to a hair salon solely for the stylist to snip in a matter of 120 seconds had me flinched like I directly sucked on a lemon slice, leading me to scour through numerous DIYs on the interwebs, i.e. through Pinterest and Youtube.
So, thanks to them, now it’s my turn to instruct.

1st, what you’ll need are these 3 everyday items, plus a reliable mirror (mine felt like it was a meter stick away from me):

2nd, to be careful not to have the metal interact with the much longer strands, I updo’d my hair, like so:
BOO!
Make sure that:
-Your bangs are parted, as if you made a symmetrical triangle over your visage.  Can’t do this with a digit: that’s the purpose of the tail from the rattail comb.
-Your fringe is almost dead straight.  You’ll be trimming–to your best–at the shape of your original cut.  If they tend to be curly, your straightening iron has a new task.
-These stranded shorties are either mist-leveled damp or dry.  I never have trimmed them wet, but what I did notice was that when I would dry my hair after a shower, my bangs had become bouncier and had uplifted by at least 1/2 an inch–which happened to be my starting goal for this shear madness.
3rd: Now you are wondering, what’s with the semi-transparent tape.  I literally stuck a long piece of it directly and horizontally onto my bangs–in its natural state, not pulled–to easily visualize on the bottom part, acting as the stopping zone, or how far do I want the affected strands snipped.
In the end, though, once I got the concrete aim, then it was okay for me to remove the tape.  If you happen to lose sight suddenly (and figuratively), either use the tape again or go with your pointing and middle fingers as your holding guideline from your non-cutting hand.
4th: Snip, snip, snip–slowly (hullo, beginner!).  To be frank I progressed both by the diagonally vertical direction and the horizontal moves.  But regardless of angle, every time the snips made sounds, I quickly–but not recklessly–retracted my scissors and repeat until I feel that it’s the length I’m cool with.
Can’t vividly think these motions? Picture using a saw or steak knife: notice how a carpenter, lumberjack and cook don’t manually slice like easygoing butter.  That’s because your beautiful locks contain multi-layered textures, just like wood or muscle of meat; it’s the counter-intuitive result of a smooth, not obviously jagged look–unless you desire this style.
So as a complete tyro, a grueling–yet worthwhile–20 minutes later…
My (pun intended) take home suggestions:
1. I do NOT recommend using household scissors, like in the one 2 images previously; so if possible and/or if it’s somehow lying around your home, use shear or barber scissors.  Why?  Simply because the “knives” were too bulky, with its half behind my trimming bangs to forcefully get too distant from my forehead, therefore additionally risking further on cutting more than attempted.
2. Until you can do ninja speed level, please plan ahead and don’t accomplish this if:
-The White Rabbit is seriously being pesky to you.
-It’s an hour or so before the Big Day: I don’t know, graduation, job interview, totally hot date.
-You’re on commute–oh yes, it happens…
3. Know how fast your own hair grows.  It seems that, as far as this season, mine flourishes apparently like bluegrass or bamboo, so I have to maintain every 1-2 weeks.
4. Find some surface where it’s simple to catch the flying hairs without necessarily vacuuming.  Unless they’re metallic-like thick, go ahead with the sink reliability, though you might want to have a drain-cleaning product ready (thank goodness it didn’t happen in my case).
5. Don’t ever secure or hold onto that “perfecting perception” in your mind–maybe except in incredibly extraordinary situations.  Trust me: generally and obviously for this, I’ve gone through this, and I realized that, perfection is reinforcing my thinking that it’s not enough or it’s not clean-cut straight (blah, blah, blah), super stressing the begeezus out of my psyche through the roof!  Otherwise, you’re at higher risk at number 6, which is…
6. Have an emergency back-up in your thoughts.  Because if you did screw up, I hope you have the number of your stylist plugged in your smartphone. (I’m pretty much saying: your fringe, your responsibility.)
It was honestly nerve-wracking and quite scary, but all in all, my lessons were:
1. I learned a new task.
2. I saved gas AND minimum of $7+ (tip included)–depending on salon–that I would be blissful for purchasing nail polish instead.
3. Once I’m developing this upkeep, I save precious time–no commute, no rude drivers, no waiting for a so-called appointment!