four inches lighter

the second week of april brought about a lot of fun things, changes, and new discoveries.

my best friend, leta, and i got together on monday for a long overdue girl’s night and so we had to take a picture with my polaroid camera. i don’t know why but i always love how i look in polaroid pictures. the extra charm about them is getting to write the date yourself, reaffirming that this magical moment took place. i really wish the film for these cameras wasn’t so expensive. i would take more pictures spontaneously, if that was the case. for now, i only save them for special occasions.

after taking lots of pictures and gabbing on the couch, we headed out for food. there’s a pretty decent ramen shop inside the whole foods nearby, so we went there. i tried the spicy ramen broth this time. it was definitely delicious, but i guess spicy ramen is just not my thing. next time i visit, i’ll have to go back to the regular miso flavor.

as if we weren’t full enough, we headed over to try this new rolled ice cream place. leta never got to try it when she went to thailand last year, so she really wanted to get some. i’d never tried it before so of course i was excited to go and give this place a taste. i will tell you now, with absolutely zero exaggeration, this was the most delicious ice cream i’ve ever had in my life. they hand mix the cream and ingredients in front of you, and you watch as the liquid slowly hardens from the cold metal it’s placed on. i’ve been nagging bae to take me back to this place all week, so hopefully i can go back soon.

on wednesday, i went in for a haircut with the same hairstylist i’ve been seeing since i was born. i initially wanted to just get my bangs cut- they were starting to get in my eyes and driving me insane. when i went to see her, i told her i was thinking of a change and we discussed cutting my hair shorter. every time i’ve cut my hair too short, i’ve cried and made a huge fuss, so she will never cut my hair shorter than shoulder length. in the end we mutually decided cutting it to my collar bone. now my hair is four inches shorter, my head feels much lighter, and i (unfortunately) look so much younger.

after my haircut, i went home and decided to enjoy my last night off this week so i treated myself to a much deserved bubble bath. i continued using the bubble bath bar that i got at lush. this star was so thick and after i used it i still had some left over. lush does an amazing job of making bubble bath products that not only make your skin silky and smell amazing, they also give you a guilt free experience since you know everything is ethically made. i really need to fit bubble baths into my schedule more often.

on friday morning when i woke up, my first thought was i hope there are donuts today.  when i got into work, my wish came true! there were donuts in the kitchen. i always love round point star sprinkles, they’re cute and have a special crunch to them. i’m still remembering the taste, now.

my line sister from my sorority called me that she was going to be in the area during lunch time, and that she was craving poke. i couldn’t resist, so i met up with her and got myself a bowl. it was one of the most satisfying bowls i’ve had, and the conversation made it even better. sometimes simple things like a short catch up session with a close friend can really brighten your day and outlook.

after getting to this point, i realized that i really showcase food for my weekly joys. i wonder if that just goes to show that some of the simplest pleasures in life are the sensations of taste. on sunday we had a big crab feast with my family. a whole bushel was able to feed all of us. as per usual, i got a nasty cut on my thumb, which is actually throbbing a bit while i type this. i have no regrets, the food and company was worth it.

finally, on sunday, we helped leta move into her new home. as a thanks for our hard work (the boyfriends did most of the heavy lifting) she treated us all to bartaco. if you ever wander into bar taco, make sure to try the pork belly taco. after i took my first bite, the meat melted into my mouth and made me exclaim. again, food can bring so much happiness, can’t it?

this week was trying in some ways, but a huge blessing in others. i’m glad that i experienced a lot of precious moments with people i love. there’s nothing quite like a meal shared between people to bring out warm conversation and irreplaceable feelings. but above all you can’t forget to also take a pause and take care of yourself, too.

did you enjoy the past week?