Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Madonna Inn
Birthday getaway to this whimsical place! It was colorful, tacky, magical, silly - and I loved every minute of it! We stayed at Vous (from Ren-Dez-VOUS) the first night and then Merry (from MERRY-Go-Round) the second night! Vous felt like a mini Royal Blue Victorian paradise. Velvet sheets, Victorian wallpaper, embellished with a grand chandelier - it looked straight out of a fashion magazine. Merry, on the other hand, was like Barbie's dream house! A kaleidoscope of pink everything and glitter walls!
Monday, June 9, 2014
LA Chapter Brunch
Lorenz and I hung out around downtown one Saturday morning. We went to the LA flower district where I scored some beautiful peonies and succulents for my cousin's wedding shower. Afterwards, we had brunch at Ace Hotel's LA Chapter. The food was delicious, but what I loved the most was the HONEYCOMB BUTTER on top of the Banana Ricotta Pancakes! I'm a huge fan of honeycomb so I absolutely enjoyed this! It made the pancakes 100x better!
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Marugame Monzo
This place is just too delicious for words. I've been here a few times and everything I've ever ordered has never failed. Their udon is always so perfectly chewy and you can watch them make it! My favorite dish would have to be the Mentai Squid Butter. I love the flavor and how rich the broth is. Below are pictures of some dishes we ordered that night - beef tataki, Kikusui sake, onigiri, and braised pork belly. We loved the Kikusui sake so much that they gave us free pins! I've also tried the Kakiage Don, Uni Creamy Udon, and the Pork Belly Salad - all very delicious! The last picture was my dessert from Demitasse Cafe. I got their hot chocolate with a large homemade marshmallow! It was the perfect sweet treat to top off my amazing meal!
Running Through White Sands
Earlier this year, Lorenz and I took a spontaneous road trip passing through California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. One of the most magical places we came across was White Sands National Monument. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever laid my bare feet on. The area was filled with fields and fields of white sand dunes. The sand was powdery and soft - perfect for sand sledding! We loved that place so much that after watching the sunset there we visited it again the following morning.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Laurel Broughton
I've been wanting the strawberry clutch ever since I saw it on Opening Ceremony, but it was just too damn expensive. Laurel Broughton's accessories are just so playful and cute. Why can't money grow on trees?
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
JAPAN VIDEO !
I don't know why I didn't make this sooner (probably cuz of laziness), but I finally edited last year's Japan trip! I was inspired by EAT MOVE LEARN video series by STA Travel Australia. Music: High Highs - Dey. Enjoy!
Japan from Kaesi Feliciano on Vimeo.
Japan from Kaesi Feliciano on Vimeo.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Thursday, January 16, 2014
HELLO ZOSIA
A little video of my neighbors going about their day. Baby Zosia born August 24, 2013!
HELLO ZOSIA from Kaesi Feliciano on Vimeo.
HELLO ZOSIA from Kaesi Feliciano on Vimeo.
THEME PARK PHOTO SHOOT
Inspiration Thursdays! I've been wanting to share this since I saw it on Rookie Mag last July! So obsessed with this style shoot by Eleanor Hardwick in Hanayashiki, Japan's oldest amusement park! Love the style, colors, muse ~ etc! It's so playful, edgy, and cute!
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Food in Japan
This post is long overdue! Last year's Japan trip was so overwhelming that I just didn't know what to do with my 2000+ pictures and videos. Now that I finally have some downtime, I thought this would be a good opportunity to share with you some of my Japan food adventure experiences! I'm pulling these pics straight out of my Facebook album. Enjoy!
1. Calbee!!! - So damn good !! They had these amazing seasoned french fry-like sticks and really yummy fried mochi with the peanut powder! The concept of this store was pretty cool. They made their grocery snacks come to life! You can try their hot potato chips right out of the fryer and maybe add a drizzle of chocolate on to it.
2.Sushi at the grocery store - Lorenz and I wanted to save money on this trip ... so sometimes we would eat at the grocery store or a 7-11.Sushi at the grocery store tasted better than I thought it would. It tasted like actual restaurant sushi instead of cheap bland sushi they served at like Ralphs or something. What made it even better was the price! The sushi box below cost like $12, but we got it for 50% off ($6) since it was after 5PM. Amazing deal, quantity, and quality!
3. 7-Eleven food - Why can't our 7-Eleven be as cool as Japan's!?? I lived off their rolls for days.
4. Pot Lucks - We stayed with a lovely couple in Osaka and they hosted a pot luck under a cherry blossom tree at the Shinto Shrine. It was BYOB and they had an interesting variety of food. I got to try some Okinawan food that was very tasty!
5. Little tea houses in between JR lines - I don't remember what this tea place was called, but they had some amazing dessert pairings with tea!
6. This random egg place on the way to exploring the temples in Kyoto -I never thought raw egg with rice could be so tasty. The egg custard was yummy too!
7. Izakayas - We went to a nearby Izakaya from our place in Shimokitazawa. My friend Saori and her bf treated us there and we couldn't thank them enough. The service was absolutely amazing and their small plates were impeccable! Sake was good too!
8. Oden - OMG! I wanted to take Oden back with me to California. Honda Ya serves Oden now, but it's just not the same! It was a very simple soup with your choice of Japanese meats and vegies. I got it almost everyday from 7-Eleven. It was perfect during the cold and rainy days!
9. Yakitori - Japan was street food Yakitori heaven! Plenty of food served on skewers. Can you spot the quail head below?
10. Mister Donut - This place was everywhere in Japan! It was not your average American doughnut. It had a chewy mochi-like consistency, but pretty light. I absolutely loved it! The original flavor was my favorite!
11. Curry - This was breakfast that we had from another JR stop. It went perfect with the fried soft boiled egg.
12. Ice cream on black sesame cones - milk, chocolate, and strawberry flavors! We got this at the Skytree mall!
13. Okonomiyaki + Negiyaki - Osaka was known for this stuff! The Dotonbori district was packed with restaurants that served this. We made our own Negiyaki (thinner version of Okonomiyaki). It's definitely Japanese comfort food... so easy to get full off this stuff.
14. The lovely couple we stayed with provided a simple breakfast every morning! Japanese cereal and toast!
15. Little snack bars in Kyoto before heading to the temples - The green tea ice cream was very "matcha-eee"... haha I can't explain. It was good! Hint of bitterness and not too sweet. They also had these freshly made little baked chips wrapped in seaweed. Warm and flavorful! Perfect as a little snack while exploring the city!
16. Shabu-Shabu - O.M.G ... best shabu shabu I've ever had! We ordered the cheapest and most basic one too, but the meat was divine! I don't remember the name of the place, but it was in a mall in Kyoto near the bullet train. The waitresses were so cute too... they were all wearing kimonos and they prepared the shabu shabu for us.
17. Ramen - This was actually my first meal in Tokyo! My friend Saori took us here and we ordered from a vending machine type of thing. It was so delicious!
18. Sushi - We ate at this sushi revolving bar in Harajuku. Ughh.. so good. I don't think Japan could go wrong with their sushi. Everything was perfect, cheaper than California sushi, and generous.
19. Hello Kitty cakes at Puroland - I thought these were donuts, but they weren't. They were little cakes dipped in chocolate and were oh so cute! I must admit, these weren't all that great. I just had to get them cuz I couldn't resist the cuteness.
20. More food at Puroland - Everything at Puroland was very cute-sy! Everything honestly tasted mediocre, but the cuteness just made up for it.
21. Festival street food in Gion - Not sure what was going on that day, but we stumbled upon this temple festival at the Gion district in Kyoto. There were so many food stands! I wanted to try everything.
22. Dotonbori distrcit in Osaka - This place was like food heaven. So many different restaurants and stands. You can't miss this crab stand!
23. Hole in the wall Takoyaki stands in Osaka - I don't know what the below picture was, but we got it for free when we ordered Takoyaki. It was super yummy!! I might have actually enjoyed it more than the Takoyaki itself!
24. Fresh mochi + sake in Asakusa - UGHH.. so good. Going through my old photos is such a tease! I want to re-eat everything I'm posting! Anyways, we met up with Matt and Saori here. It was a cold day, so the sweet, hot sake was perfect! It was even better with the fresh mochi! I swear I could eat like 1000 of those mochis. I loved the sweet peanut powder they tossed it with. YUM. #takemeback
25. Private bars in Shibuya - We went here with some of Matt's friends. It was a pretty interesting / cool setting. It was like a bar / izakaya, but made up of all private tatami rooms. The setting made me feel like I was in Kill Bill or some exclusive Mobster club.
26. McDonalds - Teriyaki burger, seaweed fries, green tea shake! Need I say more?
27. Krispy Kreme - Why was everything in Japan so much cuter? Green tea donuts!
28. OMG.. Popping Shower from Baskin-Robbins - this is my favorite ice cream flavor! Why don't we have this flavor here!?? I demand Baskin-Robbins to bring this to California! I can't explain how it tasted. It was just sweet, creamy, and with POP ROCKS! The Baskin-Robbins in Japan even sold crepes and mini cupcake-like ice creams.
29. This sweet potato truck in Nagoya - Warm, sweet, and simple. Perfect for munching under the cherry blossom trees.
30. Straw Hat Cafe @ Studio Ghibli Museum - Everything was so cute and delicious! Look at the plates! Kiki's black cat and sootballs!
31. Green tea Belgian waffle - I think this store was somewhere near the bullet train in Kyoto, but my memory is so cloudy. Ugh... this is why I'm a little mad at myself for posting about Japan a year after my trip. Anyways, this was so good! Warm, crispy, and not too sweet!
32. Kit Kats - Japan has all sorts of flavors! Strawberry, green tea, cheesecake, milk tea, hazelnut - you name it! Perfect souvenir for my family!
33. Not pictured - Yoshinoya. I probably have pictures in my hard drive, but that's not on me right now... so my description will have to suffice. The Yoshinoya was like 100x better in Japan! It was a sit down - bar stool type of restaurant that actually served you. They even gave us sides and a raw egg to crack on our beef bowl.
34. Vending Machines
35.
36.
37...
...... I can seriously go on, but I'll stop here!!!
1. Calbee!!! - So damn good !! They had these amazing seasoned french fry-like sticks and really yummy fried mochi with the peanut powder! The concept of this store was pretty cool. They made their grocery snacks come to life! You can try their hot potato chips right out of the fryer and maybe add a drizzle of chocolate on to it.
2.Sushi at the grocery store - Lorenz and I wanted to save money on this trip ... so sometimes we would eat at the grocery store or a 7-11.Sushi at the grocery store tasted better than I thought it would. It tasted like actual restaurant sushi instead of cheap bland sushi they served at like Ralphs or something. What made it even better was the price! The sushi box below cost like $12, but we got it for 50% off ($6) since it was after 5PM. Amazing deal, quantity, and quality!
3. 7-Eleven food - Why can't our 7-Eleven be as cool as Japan's!?? I lived off their rolls for days.
4. Pot Lucks - We stayed with a lovely couple in Osaka and they hosted a pot luck under a cherry blossom tree at the Shinto Shrine. It was BYOB and they had an interesting variety of food. I got to try some Okinawan food that was very tasty!
5. Little tea houses in between JR lines - I don't remember what this tea place was called, but they had some amazing dessert pairings with tea!
6. This random egg place on the way to exploring the temples in Kyoto -I never thought raw egg with rice could be so tasty. The egg custard was yummy too!
7. Izakayas - We went to a nearby Izakaya from our place in Shimokitazawa. My friend Saori and her bf treated us there and we couldn't thank them enough. The service was absolutely amazing and their small plates were impeccable! Sake was good too!
8. Oden - OMG! I wanted to take Oden back with me to California. Honda Ya serves Oden now, but it's just not the same! It was a very simple soup with your choice of Japanese meats and vegies. I got it almost everyday from 7-Eleven. It was perfect during the cold and rainy days!
9. Yakitori - Japan was street food Yakitori heaven! Plenty of food served on skewers. Can you spot the quail head below?
10. Mister Donut - This place was everywhere in Japan! It was not your average American doughnut. It had a chewy mochi-like consistency, but pretty light. I absolutely loved it! The original flavor was my favorite!
11. Curry - This was breakfast that we had from another JR stop. It went perfect with the fried soft boiled egg.
12. Ice cream on black sesame cones - milk, chocolate, and strawberry flavors! We got this at the Skytree mall!
13. Okonomiyaki + Negiyaki - Osaka was known for this stuff! The Dotonbori district was packed with restaurants that served this. We made our own Negiyaki (thinner version of Okonomiyaki). It's definitely Japanese comfort food... so easy to get full off this stuff.
14. The lovely couple we stayed with provided a simple breakfast every morning! Japanese cereal and toast!
15. Little snack bars in Kyoto before heading to the temples - The green tea ice cream was very "matcha-eee"... haha I can't explain. It was good! Hint of bitterness and not too sweet. They also had these freshly made little baked chips wrapped in seaweed. Warm and flavorful! Perfect as a little snack while exploring the city!
16. Shabu-Shabu - O.M.G ... best shabu shabu I've ever had! We ordered the cheapest and most basic one too, but the meat was divine! I don't remember the name of the place, but it was in a mall in Kyoto near the bullet train. The waitresses were so cute too... they were all wearing kimonos and they prepared the shabu shabu for us.
17. Ramen - This was actually my first meal in Tokyo! My friend Saori took us here and we ordered from a vending machine type of thing. It was so delicious!
18. Sushi - We ate at this sushi revolving bar in Harajuku. Ughh.. so good. I don't think Japan could go wrong with their sushi. Everything was perfect, cheaper than California sushi, and generous.
19. Hello Kitty cakes at Puroland - I thought these were donuts, but they weren't. They were little cakes dipped in chocolate and were oh so cute! I must admit, these weren't all that great. I just had to get them cuz I couldn't resist the cuteness.
20. More food at Puroland - Everything at Puroland was very cute-sy! Everything honestly tasted mediocre, but the cuteness just made up for it.
21. Festival street food in Gion - Not sure what was going on that day, but we stumbled upon this temple festival at the Gion district in Kyoto. There were so many food stands! I wanted to try everything.
22. Dotonbori distrcit in Osaka - This place was like food heaven. So many different restaurants and stands. You can't miss this crab stand!
23. Hole in the wall Takoyaki stands in Osaka - I don't know what the below picture was, but we got it for free when we ordered Takoyaki. It was super yummy!! I might have actually enjoyed it more than the Takoyaki itself!
24. Fresh mochi + sake in Asakusa - UGHH.. so good. Going through my old photos is such a tease! I want to re-eat everything I'm posting! Anyways, we met up with Matt and Saori here. It was a cold day, so the sweet, hot sake was perfect! It was even better with the fresh mochi! I swear I could eat like 1000 of those mochis. I loved the sweet peanut powder they tossed it with. YUM. #takemeback
25. Private bars in Shibuya - We went here with some of Matt's friends. It was a pretty interesting / cool setting. It was like a bar / izakaya, but made up of all private tatami rooms. The setting made me feel like I was in Kill Bill or some exclusive Mobster club.
26. McDonalds - Teriyaki burger, seaweed fries, green tea shake! Need I say more?
27. Krispy Kreme - Why was everything in Japan so much cuter? Green tea donuts!
28. OMG.. Popping Shower from Baskin-Robbins - this is my favorite ice cream flavor! Why don't we have this flavor here!?? I demand Baskin-Robbins to bring this to California! I can't explain how it tasted. It was just sweet, creamy, and with POP ROCKS! The Baskin-Robbins in Japan even sold crepes and mini cupcake-like ice creams.
29. This sweet potato truck in Nagoya - Warm, sweet, and simple. Perfect for munching under the cherry blossom trees.
30. Straw Hat Cafe @ Studio Ghibli Museum - Everything was so cute and delicious! Look at the plates! Kiki's black cat and sootballs!
31. Green tea Belgian waffle - I think this store was somewhere near the bullet train in Kyoto, but my memory is so cloudy. Ugh... this is why I'm a little mad at myself for posting about Japan a year after my trip. Anyways, this was so good! Warm, crispy, and not too sweet!
32. Kit Kats - Japan has all sorts of flavors! Strawberry, green tea, cheesecake, milk tea, hazelnut - you name it! Perfect souvenir for my family!
33. Not pictured - Yoshinoya. I probably have pictures in my hard drive, but that's not on me right now... so my description will have to suffice. The Yoshinoya was like 100x better in Japan! It was a sit down - bar stool type of restaurant that actually served you. They even gave us sides and a raw egg to crack on our beef bowl.
34. Vending Machines
35.
36.
37...
...... I can seriously go on, but I'll stop here!!!
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Peter Pan + Wendy forever
UGH! This proposal had me all teary-eyed at work! I first saw this last night from my cousin, Patrizia... but I had to watch it again! So cute!! My favorite part was when he said, "It's not Peter Pan, it's Sandor Sturbl a Dutch man of 28-years old looking at the love of his life, Jane Mary Sullivan." SWOOON. I don't care how cheesy you think this is, it's super adorable! HAHA.
Chvrches Cover Tightrope
I am loving this cover of Tightrope! It sounds completely different from Janelle Monae's original upbeat version, but I enjoyed Chvrches' creative take on it. The change in riffs created a calming and catchy melody to the song. Plus Lauren was just super adorably cute. #GirlCrush
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