Grad Trip x Okinawa

I couldn't be more thankful for such amazing friends to go on a Grad Trip with. After months of planning, we finally made it to Okinawa. Okinawa was beautiful and the food, needless to say, was delicious. We spent a few days at a more rural area, taking in the scenery and going on some adventures underwater. Then we went back to the city and did some shopping. My best summer yet is off to a great start and I'm guessing it will only get better. 

Summer 13' x Tisch

 © My Roomie Olga Ushakova 

My past month spent at Tisch NYU was rewarding and life-changing. The people I had encountered were so passionate about arts, in particular theatre, that they inspired me to work, play, and live to the fullest. Not to mention, New York was so vibrant and cultural, that no wonder people always described it as a city where "anything could happen". Hopefully, now a little clearer of what I love and a little bolder in living, I'll be able to enjoy senior year and get to university (yay)! 

A Day in NYC

Highlight of my long weekend: trip to NYC! Although I study in New York, I'm actually 3 hours away  from the city. The trip was supposed to be "academical" (i.e. visiting colleges), but we ate and shopped at Soho for the most part (hey, at least we passed by NYU & Parson). 

Soho- © Google Image

1st Food Stop: Lure Fish-bar. I just had a salmon tartar as I knew that I would be overwhelmed with food later on. 

Salmon Tartar

2nd Food Stop: Baked by Melissa. The special thing about this cupcake shop is that it has the tiniest and cutest cupcakes ever, served in twelve flavors. 

I have never been to Korean Town in NYC; to be honest, I've never even knew there was such a town. We had our final food stops of the day here, including dinner at Wonjo and we stopped by Paris Baguette to take some baked goods home. 

Dishes of Appetizers

Tofu & Kimchi Stew

I had a sip from one of the stews- tasted fine but it was too spicy for me.

Kimchi Pancake

Korean Barbeque

Beef vs. Pork Belly- I preferred beef; sweet and tender.

Special design of typical Korean restaurants- the pipe, which is used to evacuate the smoke accumulated during the barbeque. 

Because that was my second time having Korean food, I got a little too bold and tried all the spicy food.  I ended up with a sore throat and non-stop coughs. Lesson learned: never push yourself to the extreme.

New York City was a great getaway from the mundane city I'm studying in, but if I were to study there, I doubt I could actually concentrate.

Summer Tour of The Boot

Every summer, my family travels; most of the time we enjoy swimming and eating on tropical islands. This summer, we ventured to Italy, the beautiful and laid-back country in South-Central Europe. And some people doubt this but yes, we did have gelato every single day.

Our first stop was Rome; here we mostly visited historical monuments and sweat a lot (NEVER cut your hair to a length that you cannot tie it in the summer because you WILL die). 

Piazza Spagna

Colosseum

Giovanni DeSimone

A modern artist who died a decade ago. My family loves his potteries and have a few of his collections at home. The figures he drew have cartoonish features and geometrical shapes that remind me of Picasso's cubism.

Second Stop: Florence, the medieval town; a lot of churches, duomos...

River along the leather street; I was thrilled to go home with a leather cross-body bag!

Beef Tartare- my new love!

Fun Fact: Italy has more than 300 kinds of pasta!

The famous Florentine steak: perfecto-ly cooked!

Wish I had a dessert cart at home...

Stopping by Pisa

I had my most memorable dinner at Fiesole, the summit of Florence. The scenery was spectacular, let alone the amazing weather, music, and needless to say: food.

Third Stop: Venice, the City of Water. After arriving, we decided to take a train to Verona first as it was nearby (and forever I've been dreading to go there because of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet). We visited the House of Juliet!

City of Love

Romeo's Costume

Juliet's Dress

Surreal Mixture of Fantasy & Reality

Murano: Glass Factory

Two pieces of artworks my parents decided to buy:

Murano Glass Pandora

When there is water, there is also fresh seafood.

Last stop: Milan, the fashion city. Seriously, there is nothing to do except to shop and eat. 

Louis Vuitton Octopus everywhere...

Best gelato in the world!

FYI, the bottom of the cone is filled with dark melted chocolate.

MY ITALIAN DREAM IS FULFILLED!