#anyway yay rice cooker!

[cinamun]

[the-kipsabian]

merry crumbus or whatever

[lynne-monstr]

ranking my kitchen tools in order of how much i love them

champagne stopper - my love, my beloved. 40s me cannot drink like a 20 year old anymore and you let me stretch a bottle of sparkling for three to four days

staub dutch oven - you are heavy and you don't fit in a drawer but you are pretty enough to be decor on my stovetop and you make delicious soup

immersion blender - creamy soup, do i need to say more? no, i do not

the nutribullet blender - tbh you aren't #3 because you leak all the time and i'm unsure if it's a design flaw or a hand strength issue. thank u for daily breakfast smoothies

coffee pot - is it a betrayal of my ideals that you're not #1 or is it just that i'm making this list in the evening rather than the morning. anyway, you are the reason i am still employed

cut glass raised shallow bowl - i don't know what your intended function is since i inherited you when i bought this apartment but you're pretty and you hold my avocados

honorable mention to the 1 person rice cooker because yay delicious rice even though i do not often make rice

[m-jelly]

The bunny's keeper - Chapter 4

@ladycheesington <3

Levi x fem! reader.

Modern AU, fluff, romance, falling in love, Levi has tattoos and piercings, bad boy Levi, protective Levi

In this chapter: After standing up for yourself and talking to Levi, you go meet him for lunch. As you make your way to him, you get a bit scared and run into Levi's arms. Levi and Erwin try to meet the biggest gang leader in the city, but it doesn't go well. Both men seek your advice and you begin plotting together.

Massive thank you to @ladycheesington for helping me flesh this story out and helping with the side plot of Erwin and how the gang started <3

Part 5

You sat on the fire escape outside the window to the apartment with a cup of tea in your hands. It was a nice warm summer day. Today you have some time off work so you can relax and do some housework. You were people-watching mainly and you noticed a bit of a nasty exchange going on between two men. You frowned a little when one seemed to be fiddling with something in his pocket.

You narrowed your eyes a little before shouting. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you!”

The man flinched and looked up at you. “What?”

You sipped your tea. “Pull that knife out and stab that nice man. Bad idea.”

“What do you know, huh!?”

You sighed. “I know this area is looked after by Erwin Smith and Levi Ackerman. You’re in gang territory. So, put your silly little paper cutter away and piss off.”

He walked closer to the fire escape. “What if I come up there and cut you?”

You turned your cup upside down and poured your hot tea on him. You smiled as he screamed in pain and stumbled away. “Bye.”

He panted and tripped. “Bitch!”

You waved to him before looking down at the man left. “You okay?”

He walked closer. “I am. Thank you so much.”

“You’re very welcome.”

“I’m Richard.”

You smiled at him and said your name. “Nice to meet you.”

He laughed nervously. “You’re pretty.”

“And taken. Thanks though. So, do you need anything? Do you want me to call someone?”

He gazed at you for a while. “No, no it’s perfect. You’re perfect.”

You hummed. “Well, have a nice day and stay safe.” You stood up and waved to him. “Bye.” You climbed back inside and closed the window. You checked the front door was locked before making another cup of tea. “What a weird morning.” You perked up when your phone rang. “Levi!” You answered it and smiled. “Hello, grumpy!”

Levi softly said your name. “Hello. It’s so good hearing your voice. I miss you.”

“Miss you too.” You made your tea as you spoke. “Oh, something weird happened.”

“Oh yeah?”

You hummed and looked out the window. “Two men were outside the apartment in the street. They were arguing and one looked like he was going to pull a knife.”

Levi said your name with concern. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay!” You giggled. “Anyway, I told the man off and said it was yours and Erwin’s zone and they needed to leave. I poured my tea on him and he ran off.”

Levi released a long concerned sigh. “Bunny, you’re amazing but that’s dangerous.”

“I locked up the place.”

He hummed in thought. “You’re very cute.”

You picked up your cup and sat in front of the coffee table. “Thank you. So, are you having a good day?”

“It’d be better if I was with you.”

You giggled. “You flirt.”

He moaned a little. “Bunny, I want to come home.”

“But you need to work.”

“But you have a day off.”

You nibbled your lip. “Well, how about I meet you? Unless you have gang stuff today.”

Levi smiled a little. “I don’t have gang stuff. I would love to have you come over.”

You squeaked in delight. “Yay! I will make you lunch!”

“I look forward to seeing you.”

You hurried to the kitchen area. “I’ll end the call so I can make you lunch.”

Levi whined on the phone. “But bunny.”

You propped your phone up. “Okay, we’ll stay on the call.”

“Good!”

“Do you want rice or a sandwich? I can put on the rice cooker.”

Levi hummed. “Sandwich, please. Is that okay?”

You smiled and got everything out to make something nice and big for Levi. “I’ll make something good for you. Do you want meat?”

“If we have some spare.”

You checked what you had and smiled. “We have some beef. I’m thinking some mustard with this and maybe some rocket and watercress?”

Levi hummed. “Delicious. Could you add red onion? I prefer it.”

“Absolutely!” You smiled as you put a bit of butter on first, and then you spread the nice mustard. You gently lay the beef and then add the veg on top and cut. “Do you want some crisps too?”

“Please.”

You placed the sandwich in a tub and then grabbed a handful of crisps that you knew would pair well. “I think this will be good.”

“You’re the best.”

You put everything in your bag before collecting your phone. “I’m on my way. I’ll end the call.”

Levi whined again. “Don’t. Keep talking to me.”

You giggled as you pulled on your shoes. “Just a needy grumpy. You are so cute!” You unlocked the door and then locked it behind you. “I’m gonna give you so many kisses when I see you.”

“You better. I need my kisses.”

You checked the road before jogging across. “I love you.”

Levi mewled. “You caught me off guard then. I love you too.”

“Is work going okay?”

He released a long. “It’s going okay. A lot have come in today. We’ve made some good money.”

“Proud of you. You’re doing so well Levi. You work so hard and you’re so sweet. You always make…” You stopped walking and turned quickly when you had this overwhelming feeling that someone was following. “Mm…”

Levi called your name. “What’s wrong?”

“I just felt like someone was following me.”

“If you feel like someone is, it’s likely true.” He moved around where he was. “I’m going to come and meet you halfway.”

You gripped your phone. “I think I’m probably imagining things.”

“Bunny.”

You started speed walking. “It’s probably nothing.”

He grabbed his tool belt and strapped it on, which he would use as weapons if he needed to. “I’m still coming to meet you.”

You came to a stop and turned again. You felt a cold shiver go through you. “I don’t like this.”

“Keep moving bunny. I’m on my way.”

You backed up a bit before turning and slamming into a man’s chest. You felt your cheeks burn in embarrassment. You bowed your head and avoided his gaze. “Sorry!”

The man spoke softly as you ran. “It’s okay.”

You glanced back at the man and thought you recognised him, but you weren’t sure and couldn’t put your finger on it. You moved your gaze ahead and saw your handsome boyfriend jogging towards you. “Levi! Hi!”

Levi smiled and sprinted right up to you. He tackled you into a hug and held you tightly. “Hey, are you okay?”

You squeezed him. “I’m okay now you’re here.”

He kissed the top of your head a few times. “I’m sorry you were scared.”

“It’s okay.” You gripped him. “I feel back though.”

“It’s okay. I was happy to come meet you.”

You looked up at him with your wide eyes. “I kind of bumped into a man too.”

Levi stiffened. “You bumped into someone? Where?”

You looked behind you. “Oh, he’s gone. He was that way.”

Levi clenched his jaw. “I don’t want to scare you, but that man was likely the person following you. He bumped into you on purpose.”

You shook a little. “What?”

Levi didn’t mean to scare you, but it was concerning. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s get back to the workshop and have a nice lunch together. You can stay there all day.”

“If you don’t mind me being with you all day.”

“Not at all. I love it.” He held your hand and walked with you to his workshop. “I have an office here that’s comfy and clean for you.”

You smiled at Levi then giggled and waved at his workers. All of the men there were so friendly and sweet to you. As soon as you got to Levi’s office you melted into the sofa in there. “Comfy.”

Levi cupped your face and kissed you. “Are you okay, darling?”

You nodded. “I’m good, but I’d be better if you ate your lunch I made you.”

He sat down next to you. “Let’s eat then.”

You rummaged in your bag and gave him his lunchbox. “Enjoy.”

“Did you bring something to eat?”

You pulled out your lunchbox. “Yes. I knew you’d want me to stay with you.”

“I need you.”

You whined a little. “You fluster me so much.”

Levi chuckled, and then he started eating. “Mm, bunny this is so good. Thank you.”

You leaned over and kissed his shoulder. “I’m glad you like it all.”

“You’re the best.” He kissed your neck. “I’m going to get you something to protect yourself, okay? I need you to stay safe. I don’t want that to scare you though.”

You smiled at him. “I understand. I do.”

“I’m glad. It’s just until Erwin and I make a bigger mark on this place.”

You leaned against him. “You’ll be amazing. I know it. I believe in you both.”

“Thank you.”

Levi watched Erwin as he kept fixing his suit over and over. “Erwin, you look fine.”

Erwin looked over at Levi. “I need to make sure it’s all perfect.”

Levi picked up Erwin’s phone and video-called Kay. “Hey Kay, so your man needs you to talk to him.”

Kay giggled. “What’s he worried about?”

“His suit.” Levi turned the phone to face Erwin. “Please tell him he looks fine.”

Kay gasped. “Bear! You look sexy! The suit is nice and tight. It grips you well!”

Erwin took his phone from Levi. “Do you think I look serious? Like I mean business?”

“Of course, my handsome man. You look like you own this city.”

He smiled sweetly. “Thank you.”

“The meeting will go really well, okay? You will rock this.”

“Thanks.”

“I love you.”

Erwin blushed. “I love you too.”

She hummed. “I have something to give you a boost.”

Erwin’s eyes widened when Kay flashed her boobs at him. “I…thank you. I feel very confident now.”

Levi stood up. “I’ll give you two a moment.” He slipped outside and looked around his workshop to see his workers gathered around someone. “Oi? What are you lot doing?”

The older man parted to show every single one of them was eating a muffin. In the middle of these men stood you in a cute dress with a smile on your face. The men who worked for Levi were like Dads to you and Levi. Levi and you had your fathers, who were incredible people but it was always nice to have a lovely group of dangerous men look after you as well. Levi employed men who needed to help their families, came out of prison and wanted to change their lives or has a shit life and wanted to do better.

One gentleman smiled. “Your Mrs came to give us some food. She’s the best.”

Another nodded. “She’s so nice. When are you marrying her cause you need to snatch her up fast.”

You grinned and waved at Levi. “Hi, Levi.”

Levi melted at seeing you smile. “Soon. I’ll marry her soon.” He walked over to you. “Did you bake for everyone?”

“I did. I thought the gents would like something.” You looked up at Levi. “It’s going to be fun staying here with them.”

Levi cupped your face. “You’ll be nice and safe here.”

You put your bag down and wrapped your arms around Levi. “Please be safe today. I know you always do this, but this man is hazardous and head of a major gang.” You looked up at Levi. “I know you’re very strong, but you’re not unstoppable.” You cupped his face. “You’re human and you’re mine. Come home to me.”

Levi pulled you close and kissed you. “I’ll come back to you, I swear. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He kissed you again and hummed. “I’ll be back later. Stay here.”

The most muscular man who worked for Levi, who was as sweet as anything moved over. “We’ll order some pizza later and have a little pizza party.”

You smiled brightly. “That sounds like fun!”

Levi ushered you to his office. “Take a nap in here when you want.”

“Promise.” You sat down and gazed at him, you looked like a sweet and innocent bunny to him. “I’ll wait here for you.”

“Good bunny.”

Erwin opened the office door. “Levi? It’s time to go.” He waved at you. “See you soon.”

You waved at Erwin. “Yeah, be safe. I don’t want my dear friend and boyfriend getting hurt.”

“I’ll keep us safe.”

“Bye, guys.”

Levi waved to you for a while before leaving with Erwin. “I miss her.”

Erwin smiled at his friend. “It’s hard leaving our girlfriends. Before we dated them, we just did anything and wasn’t bothered at all.” His gaze went soft. “I think it’s great.”

“It is. I like having that in my life.” Levi climbed into Erwin’s car and started it up. “I’ll drive you.”

Erwin sat in the front. “It’s odd to think that I will need bulletproof things in the future.”

Levi gripped the wheel of the car. “Well, we’ll have more people in the group by then and more money, so it’ll be easier to protect you.” He released a long sigh. “Erwin, this might go bad.”

Erwin clenched his fist. “I know. I know I’m racing into this head first and it might be too early, but there is a risk to your girlfriend. She’s my friend as well and I don’t want her to get hurt.” He let out a shaky sigh. “We have two choices, we kill him or we give evidence to the detective we work with.”

Levi tapped his thumb against the wheel. “If he went to jail, he would still have the power to hurt those we care about.”

Erwin released a long sigh. “I have a plan. We’ll get him to jail and then I’ll contact a few on the inside. Prisoners are killed all the time.”

“That could work.” He pulled up at the building and sat back. “Okay, let’s do this.”

Erwin released a long shaky sigh. “Yeah, let’s do this.”

The two of them approached the tall and expensive-looking building. Confidence was needed, but it was hard to be when you were walking into the enemy territory. As soon as they walked into the clean reception, it was clear that they were not wanted. It was a very cold welcome and it was like people saw them as a joke. It irritated Erwin a lot to be seen in a bad way, but for Levi, it was normal for him.

Reception put little effort into notifying Mr Francis Seymore. Levi knew that they were going to drag their heels. Levi supported Erwin and thought he was an incredible leader, he deserved nothing but the best. It annoyed him that people were not taking him seriously. He knew that he needed to stay in control of his emotions because he didn’t want to lash out or hurt anyone.

The two of them expected to enter the lift, but instead, a man came down that was Mr Seymore’s assistant. He walked over with a simple smile. “Good afternoon, gentlemen. I’m afraid Mr Seymore is too busy to see you.”

Erwin frowned. “We organised this meeting with him.”

“Oh, I know.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm. “Sorry. Mr Seymore is just too busy. He has given me some information to give you.” He handed Erwin a book that was a child’s guide to starting a group of friends. “Here you go.”

Erwin gripped the book tightly. “He said to hand this over?”

“Yes. He also said you remind him of a little puppy trying to take on a big wolf. Just know he thinks you’re amusing.” He smiled a little. “All right, thank you for coming.”

Levi grabbed Erwin’s upper arm. “Let’s head home.”

Erwin turned and stared at the book in his hands. “Sure.”

Levi pulled Erwin outside and put him in the car. He glared at the assistant, who was now laughing, before getting into the car. Silence filled the car as the car moved through the city back to Levi’s workshop. He sat in the car after pulling up to the spot for Erwin. The pure rage and devastation rolling off Erwin was making the car stuffy.

Levi looked over at his friend. “Wanna rip that book apart with something at my workshop? You can use any tool you want.”

Erwin’s shoulders dropped and his voice was soft, almost like he was holding back a sob. “He didn’t take me seriously. Am…am I…am I joke?” He glanced over to Levi to show his eyes were filled with tears. “You must be disappointed and ashamed of me.”

“I’m not. I’m proud of you every day. Your family lost everything and you’re working your ass off to restore what was taken from you. You are going about it all in a good way. You have good intentions and that does mean you have to work a lot harder.” He sighed. “We’ll make it through, I know it. We’ve faced a lot of shit in the past and we will face more, but we will pull through.”

“We will. We can do this.”

Levi rubbed the back of his neck. “You know, now our girlfriends know about us being in a gang, we could always ask them for some advice.”

Erwin smiled a little. “Sure, we’ll do that. They will be able to give us a fresh new look into everything.”

“Exactly.”

He cleared his throat. “Sorry for crying.”

Levi shrugged. “Would be weird if you didn’t cry. Nothing wrong with crying. I cry.”

Erwin rubbed his tears away. “It’s comforting to know someone very tough gets emotional.”

“Erwin, you’re human and humans have the pleasure of feeling many emotions. Let yourself experience them.”

“I will.” He smiled at Levi. “Thank you, Levi.” He let out a long sigh. “I really want to see my girlfriend.”

“You can see her soon. I just want to say, be happy that he underestimates us.”

“Why?”

Levi smiled. “Because then he won’t see what’s coming. We’ll fucking destroy him for underestimating us. He won’t be keeping an eye on us and that’s good.”

Erwin smiled. “You’re right.”

“I often am.”

Erwin laughed. “Sure, Levi.”

Levi smirked before climbing out of the car. “Got you laughing.” He tossed the keys to Erwin. “Let’s go see bunny and then you can see your kitten.”

Erwin walked with Levi. “Do you think they’ll have some food? I could do with eating something bad for me.”

“They said they were going to have pizza and Bunny did bake, so there might be some muffins left.”

“Sounds good.”

Levi led the way in and went to his office to see you napping on his sofa. He crouched down next to you as he petted your hair. “Bunny? I’m back.”

You woke up with a smile on your face. “Hey, handsome.” You sat up and stretched your joints. “Erwin, hello. How did it go?”

Erwin lowered his head. “Mm…”

You covered your mouth with your hands. “Oh, oh no. What happened?”

Levi sat next to you. “He made us feel like shit. He didn’t even meet us, he sent a damn assistant.”

Erwin handed you a book. “He gave us this.”

You stared at the book. “How rude.”

“Said we were puppies and he is a wolf.”

You looked over at Erwin. “Is he an idiot?”

Erwin frowned. “Idiot?”

You laughed. “Puppies? Puppies do grow up into dogs and wolves. They grow up so fast, you look away just for a one moment and they’re all grown up.”

“You’re right. You know, Levi said something similar. He said him underestimating us is a good thing, we can use it to our advantage.”

You tossed the book on the coffee table before sitting back and humming in thought. “Yeah.”

Levi gazed at you. “Bunny? What are you thinking?”

You nibbled your lip as you thought things over. “I have some ideas, but I don’t want to step on anyone's toes.”

Erwin sat on the coffee table. “We want to hear your ideas.”

You sat up and released a sigh. “We need to do some PR work. Mr Seymore kisses up to the rich, but he neglects the rich, who make up the biggest population. You need to win them over, so you should do things to help them out. Maybe pick a small community and do it up. Build kids a park there, and help fix up apartments there as well. Make the common man trust you.”

“We can arrange that. That’s smart.”

You pointed at Erwin. “You need to get the mayor on your side. The mayor is massively against drugs and is trying to clean up this city, so if you show him you’re helping clean the city he might work with you. Plus, you’re really good at talking to people. You need to connect with communities and shop owners. Build a network and even steal some people from Mr Francis Seymore, people he didn’t treat well.”

“We can do it slowly so he doesn’t suspect.”

Levi perked up. “What do I do?”

You leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You, my handsome man, you need to recruit people for the gang. You’re a well-known badass. People will join very quickly.”

He leaned over and kissed your face a few times. “I can do that.”

You shuffled in your seat. “The next part I know that Levi won’t be happy about, but I think it’s a really good idea.”

Levi hugged you tightly. “I’ll trust you.”

“Do you wanna know the best people to have on your side? The media. Get reporters, journalists and people like that on your side and they will spread the word for you and sing your praise. I know a lot of people in that world because I’m a brilliant editor.” You nibbled your lip. “Not to toot my own horn.”

“Play it, darling. You’re really good.”

You blushed. “Thank you. Well, I’ll get these people on your side and get them to do pieces on Mr Francis Seymore. He didn’t like one person doing a report, right? Well, there is safety in numbers. If we get multiple people reporting it he won’t be able to do a thing.”

Erwin smiled. “I like it.”

You smiled a little. “I will help you make connections and I will also help you with charity things.”

“Charity things? What are you thinking?”

“Well, we can bake things and raise money for communities and Kay can do some charitable paintings.” You smiled a little. “What do you think?”

Erwin smiled. “It’s the perfect plan. We’ll take everything from Seymore while looking like good and wonderful people.” Erwin chuckled. “You are an evil genius.”

“Thank you.”

Levi hugged you tightly. “You’re incredible, Bunny.”

You giggled. “I’m glad I could help. I just hope you’ll be okay with me getting involved with this all.”

“You might have a bigger target appear on your back, but I will protect you from anything that happens.”

“I know you will.” You smiled a little. “So, let me know when you want to do this takeover and I will reach out to my contacts.” You shifted a little. “Just to let you both know, I will be filming and taking pictures of the good deeds you’re doing to build an online following as well.”

Erwin stood up. “I think that’s a good plan. Getting people online to support us is useful.” He stared at the book. “I need sleep. This day has drained me.” He looked over at you. “Your ideas are incredible and we’ll start working on them tomorrow.”

You shook your head. “No, you both are having two days off and then we’ll start working. You both need to recharge. Sound good?”

Levi picked you up. “Sounds great. I get two days with you, I’m happy.”

Erwin chuckled. “Two days with Kay sounds perfect. I need a good rest. All right, in two days we start working hard to take down Francis Seymore.”

[alltimefail-sims]

I woke up to a few anon messages that came in batches at different times, so I'm not sure if these are all from the same person or a few different people, but I'm just going to answer them all here!

Questions and replies below the cut ↓

That is absolutely what I would do. I wouldn't even upload sims who use cc to the gallery, especially if the sims team/EA refuses to tell you what about your sims is being flagged as inappropriate by their standards. After a few suspensions and warnings they will go ahead with a permanent ban and from what I've found in my research, they don't seem to have a lot of flexibility to undo a ban once it has been issued, so you're right to play it safe rather than be sorry.

Thank you for saying that, I genuinely appreciate it! I'm so glad you stopped by for help, and that I could be helpful to you in any way. ❤️

I agree on all fronts! I'm almost positive there will be bugs with this new EP upon release, I just hope they're mild and managable until the Sims team can get out a hotfix. Just hoping the bugs aren't as bad as My Wedding Stories, for instance - that pack was completely unplayable upon release.

I think what we have seen of the build buy items looks really unique and beautiful. I'm always excited to see new traits, although some of them seem so pack-specific that I'm worried how they'll impact gameplay outside of the renter situations. I reblogged a couple isolated screenshots on my page that break down some new potential features - like a rice cooker, standing toilet, marbles and hopscotch for children (new child activities!!! Yay!!), and so on! The world itself seems immersive and different than what we already have and I think the non-American representation has been severely lacking, so it'll *hopefully* be a breath of fresh air.

Somewhat related to this point: the inclusion of a non-American world also gives me hope for the future. I'm still holding out hope for a Spanish inspired world or an African inspired world, but perhaps they'll incorporate one or both in the future. I hate that Selvadorada is a vacation world only!

The negative part of me kind of hates that this feels like "City Living: The Sequel." I'm curious how this will impact the already existent apartment lot types in the game. Hopefully it's different enough to stand on its own, but I just think we should have been able to create apartments all this time. That's the main selling point of this pack for me, and it would seem like that's the shared sentiment in the community as well, so that's unfortunate that we all have to buy/acquire a different pack to implement a feature that could and should have been implemented in another pack. I'm going to withhold judgment until I play though and try to go in with an open mind!

I love refreshing the townies, too! It's actually one of the first things I do when I start a new gameplay save because, like you said, a lot of them don't even have hot/cold weather outfits which is... well, it's expected of the lazy ass sims team lol. I'm not surprised. 🤦 But I can't stand seeing townies walk around in the wackiest outfits, especially the townies I really like!

I've always thought the community, by and large, does a better job handling townie refreshes anyway. I think every time the Sims team touches a beloved townie or alters their lore in any way, they fuck it up lmao. I would rather they just leave it to the people who actually care about these sims...😬

Thank you so much for the compliment, that means so much to me! I know it's cliché, but the more you practice making sims, the better you will get and the more you'll start to see your own "style" take shape. One tip I would give is to use real people as a reference: this helps avoid that "same face" syndrome you can get yourself into. They don't have to be perfect and exact to your reference, but you'll find over time that looking at all these different real people will not only diversify your sims, but also your ideas of beauty. You'll start to notice little things about a face that make it different - a bump of the nose, a slant of the eyes, pulled-in corners of the mouth, a cupid's bow arch of the lips versus a perfectly rounded edge. If you go to Pinterest and just look up "Face claims" you will find a never-ending amount of pictures with people of all different facial features, ages, ethnicities, hair textures, etc. Create a board on there - public or private (that's totally up to you) - and save all the faces you think are beautiful, unique, intriguing, etc. It helps me so much, and my sim style has really developed over time just by doing that!

I have to admit... I'm not a particularly fashionable person: I've been dressing pretty much the same way since middle school not gonna lie (think thrift store grandpa in band/graphic t-shirts and leggings exclusively lmao). So I try to think of the kind of personality my sim has first, which helps me pick an aesthetic style I want to go for when it's time to dress them. I'll think of questions like are they more alternative, or are they preppy? Do they dress for comfort or for style? Would they spend a lot of money on their clothes, or do they prioritize simple, affordable, staple pieces? Are they environmentally-conscious, avoiding animal furs/clothes that could be over the top but also made cruelly? Do they have a culture, religion, or belief-system that encourages modesty and head-coverings of some kind? So on and so forth. Then I might look up pictures or just play around until I find a few outfits that feel right. If you need inspo, go to TS4 lookbook tag as well- there's lots of variety and seeing how people pair some cc pieces might help your creative juices flow!

The Goth family will always have a special place in my heart, first and foremost. Naturally I have to include Erwin Pries (Strangerville GP), my number one silly goose, because he feels like he's mine. I know EA made him and we all have him in our games, but he feels so personal to me. I also love Penny Pizzaz (City Living EP) and the entire Jang family (City Living EP), Sienna Grove and Don Gooseman (Horse Ranch EP), Max Villareal and Lucas Munch (Get Together EP), Bob Pancakes (BG), the Vatore siblings (Vampires GP), Morgyn Ember and L. Faba (ROM GP - sorry Simeon).

Honorable mention to every Wildfangs werewolf and Celene López: I love all of them equally and could not pick a favorite. Another honorable mention to the Behr sisters as well: I don't play with them often, but I love their aesthetic.

Little blurb but this was such a tough question because I had to decipher between the townies I love because I have an attachment to them, versus townies I love because they're done so well by someone else (Gunther Munch by Ai, Hugo and Malcom by tricoufamily, and so on). I feel good about the above list though - I think these are my favorite sims that I play with based on my own attachment and personal headcanons.

Thank you so much!!! 😊🥰

It genuinely makes my heart happy to think that anyone will find joy in a build that I had joy in making. It's like sharing brain children, collaborating in a way - my build housing someone else's sims, two elements creating one story. Idk if that makes sense, but that's my favorite part of the community... just like, creating together.

I wasn't a good builder either, I found the mechanics really confusing at first, but it's actually become kind of a catharsis for my anxiety and adhd. It keeps me focused and grounded and gives me a task to direct my, at times, directionless energy. I also recommend using floor plan pictures from Pinterest to help practice building as well! I have a whole board of floor plans and exteriors!

Anyway, if this is all my same friend who came to me for help, I'm sorry I wrote you a book lmao! If this is more than one person, I'm also sorry all my answers were long. I am so appreciative when anyone comes to talk in my inbox, I'm so happy that running this account has helped me meet so many wonderful people!

Anyway, I'm probably too sentimental this time of year (lol). I'll wrap it up now.

Byeeeee! ❤️

[umbrellahat07]

I just got a rice cooker and today I decided to use it for the very first time.

Disclaimer: I have never used a rice cooker before.

So I put the water and the rice in the rice cooker, and I turn it on, and I leave it be to go take out the dog. Because, it's a rice cooker, I don't need to watch it.

Boy was I wrong! I come back and this rice cooker is boiling over and there is boiling rice water coming out of the sides around the lid, and spraying out of the hole on the lid like a fucking fountain. I didn't know it could do that! I have no idea what to do, but google tells me to remove some of the water. How does one go about removing boiling water, google? Huh?

So I take off the lid, measuring cup that comes with the rice cooker in hand, and it stops as soon as the lid comes off. Well. That solves the problem. One of them at least.

The other problem is that there is now rice water all over my counter, and the cooker itself now some some weird crusty rice starch residue all over it. What the fuck.

Some more googling has led me to the conclusion that: I need to wash the rice.

Well fuck me I guess for not doing that because I didn't think it was important but apparently it was. Wash your rice, kids.

[annakie]

A Lot of Words about a Thing

This is a “I’m writing this out so next time someone asks I can just point them to this (or copy/paste) instead of having to type it again” thing.

I’ve been doing Hello Fresh for the last two or three months and I thought I’d talk about the ups and downs of it and if I’m going to keep doing it.  This is not an endorsement (which will be clear when you get to the overall middling scoring), but I will put a link at the bottom so we can both get a deal if you want to try it.

---------------

So anyway, I had been thinking about doing a meal kit for a long time but pulled the trigger on it back in... like Mid-January, I guess? 

the tl;dr of it all is that I like it and I’ll probably keep doing it for awhile, but it’s not for everyone, and is expensive for what it is, especially if you already know how to cook.

Before I started, I made myself sit down and write out a quick list of what I wanted to get out of trying a meal kit experience, so I’ll rate how successful or not each one of those things is.

First of all, I want to also say, I can already cook.  I’m a pretty good cook.  I can follow a recipe and improvise successfully when necessary usually.  One reason why a lot of people do a meal kit is because they need to learn how to cook and that definitely wasn’t me.

Also, they offer a variety of number and portions on meals to try.  I get three meals a week, with two portions a meal, which means I cook Hello Fresh for dinner one night, and usually the next night have the leftovers.  Friday night is usually “Yay You Made It To The Weekend, You Get To Order Takeout” night.  You can order for several more meals a week, and for up to four portions in each meal, if you want.

So on to the reasons why I decided to try HF, with a grading of how I feel about each one after trying.

Reason One: Try Something New

I was super excited at the beginning of the pandemic now working from home full time, because this was a great chance to really start trying some new recipes.  I had fallen into a pretty bad rut for awhile of some of the same frozen type meals or just making super easy things for dinner and sandwiches for lunch pre-pandemic.  Even though my commute was stupid easy I often felt too wiped at the end of the day to make like, real meals.  So when the pandemic hit and I was Home All The Time, for the first couple of months I was buying interesting ingredients (what I could get my hands on at the time) and really digging into making new and interesting things.  Even baking my own bread and bought some new kitchen gadgets like a pressure cooker to expand my repertoire. 

By like... the end of summer... well the good news was that I was still cooking and hadn’t fallen back to a packaged-food routine most of the time (though still some frozen pizzas or bags of pre-made Asian or Italian food you cook on the stovetop mostly for lunch) but also I had more or less found The Ten Things I Make (like Spaghetti, a great chicken and rice dish that is so good and makes about 6 meals worth of leftovers) and I was real tired of like, recipe hunting.  The most work I was then doing was finding new pressure cooker recipes and tbh almost all of what I was making was Chicken In Some Kind of Sauce Over Rice.  I was burned out.

So Hello Fresh... has been great for that.  I have only made the same thing a couple of times and those were only because i loved them so much the first time I wanted that thing again.  For the most part, I have tried just a ton of new things, including some ingredients I’ve never worked with before or really thought I wouldn’t like!  And I did!  I feel like I am often trying something I have never made before.

Reason 1.5: Variety

OK this is hand-in-hand with Something New but also slightly different.

Try Something New would be rated like a 4.5 out of 5 stars.... but some stars are taken away though, because a lot of their recipes are very similar.  For a protein, there’s like, chicken breasts, hamburger meat, pork chops, chicken sausage and pork sausage.  Occasionally steak.  Basically every meal will start with one of those things.... oh and I guess there’s like some fish choices, but I hate fish.  There’s also vegetarian options, which I have only occasionally gotten.  So within the variety, there’s a lot of similarities.

Also there are a lot of same ingredients in their recipes.  I have grated a lot of lemons and limes.  I have chopped up a lot of carrots, green onions, and potatoes (so many potatoes.)  I have consumed more sour cream than I ever have.  I have started looking for ways to add even a little more variety to the things that are often-repeats that they give you.  

But part of that is my fault -- I am mostly selecting items that I know I will like, or can modify to how I like.  There are a lot of veggie and fish-based choices I could pick up most weeks which I avoid. 

And almost everything I’ve ever made... I’d make again.  I save all the recipe cards so that someday when I don’t wanna do HF anymore, I will have all them all handy to make later.  The HF Subreddit also has a lot of resources like how to do their custom spice mixes, very handy.   There’s been maybe 3 things I’ve made which I’d say were Just Okay, but nothing I’d say that was bad.   And some of the ideas in this paragraph I talk about more, further down.

But also on the topic of “Variety” -- since every meal I make has two portions (occasionally I will stretch something to three) -- points are given back because I’m not “Making a huge pot of spaghetti that I eat for five meals in a row.”  So that’s good, even if it means more cooking overall.

So honestly, on Something New overall, I’ll give this like a 3.5 out of 5 stars, correcting up to 4 stars on a curve, since I strike entire categories of their offerings based on my own tastes.  They offer a pretty good variety of meals to select, and part of the problem here is my fault for hating All Seafood and not being thrilled with the vegetarian options (I also don’t feel like I’m getting my money’s worth without a protein) so there are a lot of meals re-using similar ingredients.   It slides back down to a 3.5 though when you factor in Reasons 3 & 4 below.

Reason Two: Kill Analysis Paralysis

A thing I found increasingly happening by the end of last year was analysis paralysis.  Especially as I started a new job where I’m much, much busier (but happier) in October.  I would find myself staring at the fact that I’d have to make the decision on What To Make For Dinner and dreading it more and more.  It wasn’t really the cooking I hated, but the deciding what to cook, which got me into the lack of variety rut.  More often than I’d like to admit I’d just make a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese or like... just... toast... for dinner because the decision-making part of my brain was tired... or out of spoons as the kids say these days.

This is maybe my favorite part of Hello Fresh overall.  Once every week or two I log onto HF, pick what I’m going to eat like... 5 or 6 weeks in the future, which I can do at a time when I have that decision-making energy, and forget about it.  Every Monday a box shows up on my doorstep, I see what nice things I picked out for myself several weeks ago, and the most I have to decide is which order I will make those things in.

So when it’s a “Make Dinner” day, I don’t have that “shit, I have to make a decision” feeling.  I already know because I pre-planned it back when I wasn’t at the end of a long workday.  It’s one of those small, dumb things that really really helps me mentally in an almost inexplicable way.  And I can feel better about myself because I didn’t eat something dumb for dinner.  And I still allow myself to make easy things for lunch, like a small frozen pizza, a sandwich and some chips, or hey, Kraft Dinner.  And sometimes I do make a big pot of Spaghetti or something that I love and will just have that for lunch every day for a week, and so I don’t have to feel like I’m always cooking.

And on Eat HF Leftovers For Dinner nights, that’s even better, because I have a tasty meal and it just had to get reheated in the microwave or stovetop.  Some meals are easy to half-prepare ahead of time on day one, and just do the last steps on leftover night the next night to have fresher dinner easily.

 Just 5 out of 5 stars here.  This is my favorite part.

Reason Three: Eat More Vegetables.

Uh, yeah, I’m terrible about eating veggies on my own.  The best I can do usually is buy a bag of mixed greens and try to have a side salad with dinner, or buy bags of frozen foods and hope they come with veggies I’d eat. 

So the good thing here, is that when HF sends me vegetables to make, if it’s a veggie I like, I’ll probably make it.

The big problem, though, is that there’s no substitutions.  And I’m still not gonna eat brussell sprouts or, broccoli, or mushrooms. I was a sport and tried making them (except the mushrooms) the first time I got recipes that used them as sides.  And nope... still cant.

But hey, I have done a lot better at eating more fresh green beans, and onions, and carrots, and peppers.  Though sometimes I just snack on the bell pepper instead of cooking it. Still, I call it a win.

I really, really wish I could trade out the side-dish vegetables I know I won’t eat for like, a small side salad, an apple, or hey, even just... carrots!  But nope, no substitutions. =\  I’d score this way better if we could do so.

Still, I’m doing better here, and overall, more vegetables are being eaten.  So, 3 out of 5 stars.

Reason Four: Waste Less Food

The amount of fruit and vegetables I’ve ordered and thrown away over the last year make me cringe.  I would order things with every intention of eating them and then just... not.  Oh yeah I need two lemons, an orange and two limes in case I make ____ recipe!  I need a new bag of baby carrots to snack on and make a side dish and cut into a salad! 

And then I maybe... maybe use half of that before it goes bad.

Probably less.  Because of the Analysis Paralysis and not trying new things.  You run into that problem where you don’t have the ingredients on hand to make a new thing so you can’t make a new thing... but then you buy them but forgot (crucial thing) so the thing still doesn’t get made.  Or you just... don’t plan when you’re gonna make the thing and by the time I’d be like “Oh yeah I should make something with those vegetables” they’d have already turned.

SO... I felt shitty throwing away so much produce, and loaves of bread, and other perishable food that got maybe half-eaten.  So much, for so long.  Yeah, I know I could do better with my meal planning, but it’s been one of those things I always vow to do, and then did not do that thing.

Doing HF has really made me re-evaluate what I buy as groceries, and I have cut way down on ordering unnecessary produce and perishables like bread.  Because I don’t really have to worry about dinner and am allowing myself to do easy lunches that don’t require real “cooking.”  So, overall I am definitely buying and tossing less food.

Also just as another quick note -- what also tends to get tossed out of my HF boxes is a “spicy ingredient”  But in some ways, this works in HF’s favor.  I don’t really like spicy foods.  A small amount of spice is OK but I’d rather just do without it in most things, sorry I’m that white girl.  Most “Spicy” HF meals get spicy by a spice blend, a packet of sriracha / hot sauce, or a jalapeno which they want you to cut up and include.  So whenever I see something that looks good but listed as “spicy”, I can check the ingredient list first and see what makes it spicy, If I think the thing still sounds good without the spicy part, I can order it.  So yeah, I’ll toss spicy ingredients, but that is 100% my choice and it makes things better because it gives me more variety to order those meals and still make it to my own taste.

Oh, and occasionally, the produce is just bad when you get it or not long after.  I haven’t had this problem often, mostly with ginger and garlic.  I do evaluate which meal has the most perishables when I get my box on Mondays and make those first.  Apparently you can call customer service if this happens for a small credit, but I just use pre-diced garlic or powdered ginger when this has happened to me.

So, this would be a 4.5 out of 5 except for... as discussed above... I end up tossing out HF vegetables on occasion I know I hate and won’t eat, and they won’t let me make substitutions. 

But also... cooking for myself... when I make a big batch of something that lasts 4 - 6 portions... more often than I’d like to admit, the last portion or two would never get eaten.  Sometimes I’d TELL myself I’d eat them in a week or so and freeze them only to throw it all away months later.

So let’s call this a 4 out of 5.  Overall, significantly less food waste with HF.

Reason Five: Save Time

I thought that doing HF would mean less prep-work and less time in the kitchen, especially with their easy-to-follow recipes and pre-measured ingredients.

So in that way, yes, time is saved, and it so again takes that mental load off in a lot of ways of not having to make all those pesky decisions.  The materials you’re working with and what you need to do are all Right There for you.  It’s really, nice.

As a side note, like I said I’m a good cook, and I haven’t had any problems following along anything I’ve made, but there were a few things I think are more of a moderate skill level and could be a little challenging for newcomers.  But then, I see people on the HF subreddit all the time saying they learned to cook with no skill and they find the recipes easy so... we’re good there.

However, Saving Time loses points for two big reasons:

First, I’m only making two portions of each meal.  Which, ok... this is my decision.  I could order four portions per meal.  But then... hey that’s taking big points away on the “variety” front. 

The Vegetable Chopping / prep work on a lot of the recipes often takes 10 - 20 minutes, depending on the number of fruits and veggies.  So yay for meeting Goal #3 (more veggies) even if it is balanced out by Goal #5.

And unfortunately, most meals end up taking up more dishes than I’d like to clean up (usually at least a pan and baking sheet, sometimes also a pot.  Plus knife, cutting board, tongs, stirring spoon, maybe a zester, etc.)  So no time is saved on cleanup, either.

Mostly where time is saved is having to pick out recipes and making sure you have/buy all the ingredients.  Not much is saved in the actual cooking.

I do, however, enjoy the time I spent cooking and the knowledge that I’m gonna make something good, so we’ll give it a bit back, there.

As a time saver, I’d give HF a 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Reason Six: Save Money

Y’all, Hello Fresh is expensive.  Honestly the #1 reason I re-evaluate whether I want to keep going with it every few weeks is the cost.  Even though I can afford it.

For basically six meals a week, I’m paying $63 for the food, plus $9 for the shipping.

Which means I’m paying $12 a meal.  For food I make myself.

Not cheap.  A luxury.

Where I don’t feel quite so bad about it is the fact that... for the most part, I am wasting a lot less food.  Except, as mentioned, when I can’t swap out vegetables I hate for something I’d actually eat.

So that makes it irk me even more when I am throwing out vegetables I really hate, because they’re expensive vegetables.

Also that price tag is motivation to make and eat every meal.

Overall, my grocery bills have gone down... honestly pretty significantly.  Because I’m not overbuying food!  Now, they haven’t gone down enough to even out the cost for Hello Fresh... I’m still probably spending about 50% more overall for each dinner now than I was before.

This isn’t a cost savings.  It’s an expense, but one I can afford.  And part of writing out this post is to remind myself to decide when the experience is no longer worth the expense.

1 out of 5 stars.

Reason Seven: Eat Better

I would like to challenge myself to define “Better” because that’s all I wrote down when I made the list.

Healthier?  Eeeehhhhhh.... maybe?  But not much.

Hello Fresh does offer lighter choices, and sometimes I pick those because they look good and are filled with things I will eat!

But I’m just as likely to pick the most calor-ific things on the menu.

HF also adds a lot of Sour Cream to their recipes, and encourage you to salt and butter your food liberally.  I try to cut down on some of this where I think it’s too much.  But sometimes there’s not much to cut out and still have the meal you ordered.

But also I’m not eating any worse calorie-wise than I was before, probably.  And overall I’m eating a lot more “real food” instead of “packaged food” and fast food than I was.... especially pre-pandemic.  And again, I AM eating a lot more vegetables, so.... that’s... better?

If I define better as Tastier, yeah, I’m doing pretty good in that regard, haha. 

So Better as in healthier: 2.5 of 5 stars.

Better as in tastier: 4 out of 5 stars.

Overall Scoring & Tips

Okay, overall that comes out to a 3.18 out of 5, which I’d round up to a 3.5... which is a pretty good score for how I feel about HF overall.  My current plan is to keep doing it until I go back to working in the office again, and re-evaluate.  For now, it works for me.

IF YOU WANT TO TRY IT, this is my referral link, you’ll get $70 off over a month’s worth of meals (so like, $20 or something off 3 boxes and $10 off the last one, something like that. 

I also have four “Free box” codes to give out, PM me if you want one of those.  I don’t think those are compatible with the $70 off link, but it might be a box of completely free food for you?  I don’t know how it works, but this may be the better deal?  PM me.

If you decide to go for it, here’s a few tips:

Every week or two, go in and choose your meals, don’t let HF choose for you unless you really don’t care.

Read the ingredient list and make sure there’s not too much stuff you don’t like coming in a meal.

The extras are pretty expensive and not really worth it.

Plan on each meal taking about 45 minutes to cook from start to finish including chopping vegetables.  Another 10 - 20 with cleanup depending if you have to handwash dishes or not.

Look for ways to make the meal healthier, especially if it encourages you to add more butter and salt near the end.  You probably do NOT need to do so.

Buy a decent pepper.  I love McCormick’s Peppercorn Medley pepper grinder.  Also sea salt grinder is my personal salt preference.

Add some of your own seasonings.  I buy a jar of pre-diced garlic (yes yes I know the criticisms of the stuff but it’s easy) and throw in a half tablespoon or so of that into a lot of recipes.  Also there are a lot of potatoes that they want you to just cook with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Throw some garlic or onion salt on them, or some Lawry’s Seasoning Salt or steak salt of your choice for some variety.

Your basic 2 quart pot, 8 - 12″ frying pan and cookie sheet, plus a cutting board, decent veggie knife, and typical kitchen utensil set are all you need.  However, a decent meat thermometer and a zester that collects the zest as you go are both highly recommended. 

A sieve and very small rice cooker have also been a lifesaver for making good rice that doesn’t get overcooked.

[angelcatsiel]

in today’s events, I had the most awkward therapist appointment ever because I wanna talk about breaking up with my boyfriend but also find it hard because I’m terrified he can hear me (I go upstairs and shut the bedroom door while he stays downstairs working) and I mean he definitely can’t but I still get scared talking about it just in case and it makes therapy more difficult

and in other events I made a meal I’ve never made or eaten before and I had no idea if I would like it but it was fucking delicious, chicken in the slow cooker cooked in honey and soy sauce mixed together with garlic and black pepper and ginger, with vegetables (carrots and peas and asparagus, I so badly wanted to add broccoli but my bf doesn’t like it) and rice, it was so tasty

my boyfriend’s computer has been broken for a month but he finally got it fixed today yay! which means he’ll be less stressed and maybe up for some fun kinky times this weekend! I may probably be breaking up with him at some point in the future but for now I’m gonna keep having my fun bc I can’t go without it especially during all this

anyway that’s about it. just felt like sharing. now I need to find the motivation to deal with the pile of laundry on the bed but ugh that’s hard work and all I wanna do is write porn (might share it when it’s done maybe if I finish it) and carry on sewing a lil rug I’m making for my model horse

[postwarlevi]

For your anniversary.... Is there something special you prepare for your f/o out a special place you make reservations for?

DID MY COMPUTER FREEZE RIGHT BEFORE I WAS DONE WITH THIS!?! It's okay here we are.

Anyway, are we self shipping? YAY

I'd try to make their favorites, you know, that I can actually make lol

Jean is getting four cheese lasagna with a special tomato sauce. There's a side of zucchini bites and baked strawberry oat bars for dessert. Honestly he'd probably want to help and might make me something :)

For Levi I'd make stuffed peppers. He likes red and I like green so it'll be both, with lots of cheese and rice and kidney beans. Also have a carrot and parsnip soup in the slow cooker to sip on, and a warm apple cinnamon crisp to end it.

Alternatively we might book a reservation for our favorite restaurant where we have lots of memories. We order whatever we want and don't worry about cost. Then we book a late evening cruise for some entertainment and also a private area. Since we already ate we just have drinks.

That is for both ships :) Thank you for sending this!!

[z-bot]

Yay! I've been looking forward to this ep, but I knew it would make me hungry so I came prepared.

I was gonna make my own, but I knew I wouldn't have the energy to even turn on the rice cooker after work, so I did the next best thing and ordered some from a local Hawaiian restaurant. And then took the most unflattering photo possible because this is a new phone and I have no idea what I'm doing.

Anyway, I normally don't like the holidays, but the Watcher crew puts me in good cheer!

OUR FIRST HOLIDAY SPECIAL! Pro Chef Spam Vs. Homemade Spam

[mingi-bubu]

Watch “Love O2O” with Me!

Episode 25

oh my god we have like what

five episodes levt???

omg

anyways

we open again with the last seconds of the previouss how

as the ever lovely mark lee would say, lezgeddit

hmmmm

i dont like where this seems to be heading

if the fucking cousin shows up while weiwei is there im going to be

pissed

nooooo

i do not like this

stop being a fucking creep kyle

take no for an answer

she said oh hell no bitch

stop being such a fucking creep jesus

oh snap he did not jsut insult my boys

get fucked kyle

hahahahaha

get wreckdt

oh god no

ajdlfkjasd its almost as if theyre the same person

HALF OF THE CLSOET UGH

HE HAS NO CONFIDENCE IN HIS SELF CONTROL I FUCKIGN CANNOT

oh that cant be good

oh no the fish!

whos place

OH NO HIS PARENTS’ PLACE

yoooo thats a sick fucking mop thing

she really said youd sleep in the offic ebut lets takl about it

he said oops i stay

he looks so snuggly im *smsiling with three hearts emoji*

SEVERAL DECADES FROM NOW OMG SHUGT UPP

coffeee!!!! only character i care about!

im so sick of this guy jfc

coffee is the cutest!

let him rot

you deserve better

ice & fire that place looks dope

i gotta lookit up

i wonder what he’s gonna do

theyre really misreading everything huh

DAMN HE REALLY CAME OUT NO HOLDS BARRED

OH SHIT WOW

hard to look badass on a fuckin vespa bud

afkasl i love his rice cooker so much

dude can you fucking chill???

the way nai is just looking at the screen

THE SMIRK BITCH IM FUCKING WEAK

what do you think that means??

i am so sick of this man

yeah yeah yeah stop typing bud

OH

MY

GOD

kill the rat man

fakfjashd he just confessed to nai instead im so weak

how many times do you think that the coffee travel cup fell over when they were filming?

cute cute cute

SHE CALLED HIM BAOBEI OH MY GOD

OH MY GOD OH MYD ADFIJAOIWH

THEYRE SO FUCKING CTHE SCHEECKAKDFJA

THE HEADBUMBPEAIJHFOAJK

I WANT WHAT THEY HAVE

I AM SICK OF THIS MAN

what is glasses doing now

i knew he was meeting with zhenyi

what papers

that is

extortion

why not talk to nai first about what is going on???

just give them fake information

its not like he’d know what youre talking about

why does this mean so much to them?

rat man

why do they be shouting tthough

stop being rat men im sick of this shit kyle

the guy at his table at the end with the glasses???  im in love with him

god hes kind of a hmmmm how to say

rat bastard?

YAY SEPTEMBER HASNT HAD SCREEN TIME IN FOREVER

thighs

ooooohhh kodak be buying things

homes

???

al;dfkjasdl;kfjasdklfj

THEYRE SO DRAMATIC IM SO IN LOVE WITHH HIM

THE WAY HE HIDES UNDER THE DESK AND IMMEDIATELY PROTECTS KODAK I LOVE IT

LKAJDSFL;KAJSDKFASKJRARKLAEWI THE KEYBOARD

i do not care about the plot i just want to see the #squad and weinai

and we reache the end of this episode!

thank you for reading!!!

stay safe and stay healthy <333

[onebrokegirlworld-blog]

The PERFECT rice recipe!

I will admit, there are a GAZILLION (is that a word??) recipes out there in books and on the information super highway touting themselves as having the easiest, best rice recipe.  From baking to microwaves to slow cookers, it’s all out there.  And I’m sure each home cook has their own go-to rice recipe.  Good on ya!  But if you are looking for an easy, sure-fire way to cook rice (college students, I’m looking straight at you), this is THE one!

Rice is a staple across the world. A starchy filler that extends the meal and is a perfect compliment, and essential item, to many dishes.  It’s cheap, filling, tasty and great for sopping up sauces.. mmmm. sauces... droool.

I got this recipe from an ancient Chinese master.  Not really.  More like I wandered into an Indian catering business one day and simply asked, teach me how to make a half decent pot of rice.  This recipe has never let me down. In fact when I was married, my ex never ate rice.  She said her Mom always made it soggy and tasteless.  It took a little coaxing but she tried MY rice and loved it!

Super simple, I like simplicity!  I use basmati rice. This south Asian staple is fragrant, holds it’s texture and reheats well.  Another favorite of mine is Jasmine rice, a lot sweeter but cooks exactly the same.  I know I know, white rice, it’s like white bread right? Full of empty calories.  Not true at all! Rice has tons of fibre and although the trend is towards brown rice, brown rice is hard to cook because you have to break down the husk through slow cooking.  And instant rice?  bleh!  No thanks, I’ll stick to my white rice thank you very much.

Ok enough blabbing.  This is a stove top method.  Doesn’t matter if you have a non-stick or regular pot, just something large enough to hold about 4 cups and has a tight fitting lid. k, two cups of rice, that’s all the measuring, we’re done with measures now, finito! I don’t bother with rinsing the rice, it doesn’t seem to make a difference with this method.  So again, a time saver, yay! 

Take that pot over to the sink and pour enough water to cover the rice by an inch.  It’s ok to eyeball it, it doesn’t have to be 100% accurate, just as long as around an inch.  Next, toss some salt in that pot.  I measure, again eyeball it, we’re not really measuring here, about a tablespoon of salt.  I just fill up my palm with what I think is a tablespoon.  Don’t judge me.  And then I’ll take a regular ol’ spoon and take a scoop of margarine or butter and plop that right in the pot.  There’s we’re prepped and ready to go. 

Start with the stove off.  Seriously. Put the pot on the stove, don’t worry about the lid right now.  Once on the stove, crank that burner up to high, don’t worry, we’re not going to burn this. Now don’t wander far at this point, because we’re looking for the rice to start to perculate.  You know, when we start to see little wells form in the rice where the water is bubbling through. Once you see those, turn the heat right off and pop on the lid.  That’s it folks.  Now leave that pot on the stove for however long you want, the heats off so nothing to worry about and because the heat’s off, it’s not going to overcook.  C’mon back in say, half an hour, now you can wander off and do what else needs to be done. 

Trust me, you will have fluffy NON SOGGY fragrant and tasty rice!  Once you have got it down, and it may take a few batches to get the jist of this, you can fool around with adding broth instead of water, spices like chili powder, adding veggies, cheese, garlic, anything!  Sky’s the limit!  And this stuff freezes well for up to three months.  it gets kinda gnarly after three months.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

-jenn <3

[ceritanyaanifah]

Kayak idup yang kadang kita suka khilaf memaknainya dari 1 sisi yang keliatan aja, lalu abai pada sisi sisi baik lainnya. #ApasihIni HAHAH!

Nah, sama dengan ricecooker, sebagian dari kita, saya, kami dan kamu kamu para penghuni kostan suka terjebak ama kata ‘rice’ di ricecooker ini, sampai akhirnya kita terjebak zona nyaman pakai ricecooker untuk kegunaan mainstream masak dan angetin nasi aja, paling mentok banget buat bikin mie instan dan manasin sarden. Done, itu aja. Saya nggak ngerti sebagian  dari kalian sudah pernah mencobanya belum, tapi buat saya waktu itu.. penemuan ini ajaib banget #Plak. Karena pada intinya memasak adalah pemberian panas pada suatu bahan makanan sehingga bahan itu menjadi mudah dicerna, aman dan secara rasa mungkin lezat ketika  kita mengubah bentuk penyajian. Jadi nih, missal saya punya sayur sawi, bayam sama kacang. Saya rebus sawi dan bayamnya, saya goreng kacangnya. (semuanya pakai panas kan). Maka  simsalabim jadilah pecel! Yeay! Dan fungsi pemberian panas terhadap bahan makanan itu bisa dilakukan oleh ricecooker. So basicly, we can cook everything with ricecooker! Hahah #jumawa

yay, kita mulai  bedah yah makanan apa aja yang pernah saya coba masak pakai ricecooker aja di RiceCooker Undercover part 1 ini!

1. Omelet

Yaps! Lauk termager ini bisa dibuat pakai ricecooker. Caranya gampil banget, karena pada intinya sama kayak bikin omelet biasa. Kupas bawang putih secukupnya (untuk 1 telur, saya pakai 1 bawang putih), gerus dengan garem secukupnya (less salt better sih buat kesehatan!). Oh iya gerus cukup kok. Gak usah shopisticated lah yah pakai prepare cobek apalagi lumping mortar dll.Haha! Trus abis itu kocok telur di sama gerusan bawang dan garem tadi. Lalu tambahkan isian omelet sesuai selera yah! Kebetulan saya sempat nyoba 2 variaso waktu itu omelet jagung manis (kanan) dan sosis (kiri).Tambahkan irisan bawang merah juga Oke. Its up to you lah pokoke. Abis itu panaskan minyak di ricecooker, tuang deh adonan tadi. Challengenya emang di ngebolak-balik telornya supaya bentuknya agak enak dipandang sih.

Penampakan Sebelum Dipotong

Omelet Sosis

Omelet Jagung Manis

Oh iya anyway, kalo saya masaknya waktu itu gak pakai minyak! Iya saya bikin omelet tanpa digoreng, karena pada saat itu sejarahnya saya pengen ngurangin makan yang minyak minyakan dan emang kenyataan nggak ada minyak goring dikosan! Haha . Caranya sama aja, adonan omelet masukkan ke plastic anti panas lalu panaskan air dan masukkan plastic tadi. Jadinya seperti di atas!

2. Soup Semua jenis soup pada dasarnya bisa dimasak pakai rice cooker. Cara masaknya pun sami saja. Panaskan air pakai rice cooker sambil kita siapkan bumbu. Gerus bawang putih, garam dan merica (untuk soup, rempah rempah lain disesuaikan mau bikin soup apa). Iris tipis bawang merah. Masukkan ke rice cooker yang airnya sudah agak panas ato mendidik, tekan tombol cook lagi di rice cooker, supaya panas yang dikasih lebih SUIP! tunggu sampai uap bau agak harum rempah rempah. Lalu masukkin sayur yang sudah dipotong-potong.

Soup Jagung V1

Soup Sawi,Wortel, Sosis

Soup Jagung Brokoli V2

Note untukUntuk masukin sayur urutannya masukin dulu yang butuh effort panas banyak contoh wortel kentang, jagung, untuk sayuran ijo dan isian semacam sosi,bakso dll masukkinnya last minute saja biar sayurnya nggak ancur juga masih ijoan. Tunggu sampai sayurnya layu. Dan Done! Berikut beberapa jenis soup yang pernah saya coba.

Selain 2 menu (sokiye banget menu hahaha) selama kuliah dan ngekost saya juga pernah nyoba buat nasi goreng, puding, scramble egg, telor ceplok,  apalagi yah pakai ricecooker haha. Sayangnya nggak terdokumentasikan. Kuncinya masak pakai rice cooker atau peralatan yang serba electric adalah SABAR! yah karena mungkin kita butuh waktu 1-1.5 kali lebih lama dibandingkan masak pakai api beneran. Tapi disitu nikmatnya ya,setelah kita lama menunggu. Eit tapi jangan lupa, nunggu lamannya harus tetap produktif yah! Biasanya, jaman dulu saya kalo buat makanan pakai ricecooker saya pakai sambilan ngerjain tugas, baca buku ato nyetrika, jadi nggak berasa ntar. Haha!

Sekian ya sharing ricecooker undercover hari ini. Semoga nanti berkesempatan nyoba nyoba makanan lain pakai rice cooker dan jadi referensi mahasiswi/a hemat macam hayati (apaan nih). Happy trial and error everyone! 😉

      RiceCooker Undercover (for Anak Kost) Kayak idup yang kadang kita suka khilaf memaknainya dari 1 sisi yang keliatan aja, lalu abai pada sisi sisi baik lainnya.

[jumpingpools]

Money saving tips/hacks for broke hoes

Here’s what I’ve learned about saving money. From one new adult to another, from one broke hoe to another, let’s share the knowledge!

Medical:

buy off brand over the counter drugs-cheaper and work just as well

Prescriptions (in the US) don’t cost the same everywhere (I didn’t know this at first). CVS might be more expensive than RITE Aid vise versa and etc. so compare prices first. My doctor told me about the app “GoodRX” it tells the price of your drugs at different places and has coupons!

If you can’t afford your medical bills, ask for a payment plan, hospitals/doctors’ offices usually will give one to you without interest (a bit difficult to get though).

I’m pretty sure you can stay on your parent’s medical insurance until you’re 25 in the US

Food: Depending on where you live, food can be pricey:

Buy fresh food when it’s in season. check farmer’s markets, might be cheaper

Don’t go out to eat!! Cooking is a pain sometimes but you’ll save so much! (yes, even if you order off the dollar menu)

Eat healthy on a budget:

Smoothies: bananas are cheap. Frozen berries in the grocery store are generally cheap along with other frozen fruits, and milk. BAM you got a smoothie AND vitamins

Rice: make some rice:  put cooked rice in a skillet with some olive oil and season with a sauce of some kind (soy etc). Add an egg or two and chopped onions (both cheap). BAM you got a filling dinner/lunch

Beans/other dry goods. Look I hate beans, I don’t eat them, but you could.

Tofu: You might be like “ew so squishy and gross” but like it’s like mushrooms where it absorbs flavors and pretty easy to cook. Google recipes. Tofu has a lot of protein and usually costs around a dollar. A hell of a lot cheaper than meat.

Eat less meat. Meat is expensive!! Depending on where you live, seafood may be a much cheaper option. or eggs (Or tofu!!)

Pasta sides: and other instant cheap foods. Pastasides is about a dollar and has lots of vitamins and fills you up. (not paid by them to advertise)

Grow your own food!!!  I know you’re like “bitch I’m not a farmer” or “I live in an apartment” but like trust me, you got a window you got some food. Peppers and tomatoes are generally easy to grow outside in a yard/deck/porch. Just water those thirsty hoes. Mint, cilantro and other spices are easy to grow inside. Make a food trade with family/friends that also grow their own things. Example: I give mint to my neighbor and they give me basil. A tomato plant is like generally ~$2 and makes around 15 tomatoes a season so you get a good deal.

Microwave a kitchen sponge (completely wet) for 2 minutes to cleanse it.

Make your own bread/pasta/pasteries/cookies/soup. Homemade tastes better anyways and is cheaper than store bought. Ask an elder for their recipes (my grammy makes some DANK bread). Or google it. Youtube knows all.

Canned goods! They last a long time and are tasty. Canned pasta sauce is cheaper. Canned veggies and soups are a good idea too. Canned meat (ew) but cheap!

Pot luck with friends. Get a variety of foods!

Look yall, if you’re going to go out on the town, if you’re going to hit up the bars, pregame you dummies! Get drunk on liquor at your place or sneak that shit in in your purse like idk but bar drinks are expensive, like only buy one or two when you’re out.

 Coupons! google coupons for things while you shop, screen shot those hoes and scan them at check out. There’s probably apps to help too idk.

Buy damaged foods (cans, boxes) make sure they’re still safe first. My grocery store has a section of damaged goods that’s much cheaper and still good!

Invest in a rice cooker and a crockpot. Both of which you can get used. They are very useful.

 THRIFT STORES!!!!

Furniture, appliances, kitchen supplies, washers, dryers, clothes, bags, outdoor supplies. Like anything you can think of they probably sell it. Habitat Restore and Goodwill are common, but local ones might be cheaper. Buying second hand lets you SAVE THAT MONEY. Also some places of worship sometimes have thrift stores so check those out too. Make Macklemore proud.

Look online like on FB for resale pages in your area! I got a couch for $30! I got a coffee table for free!!

Other:

Cancel subscriptions. No Netflix, spotify, hulu etc. I know, it sucks, but in the long run it drains that money. Ask a friend to share one or ask someone with a cable subscription to have their login and password to watch things on the channel’s website like nbc or fox etc. You can usually watch a few free episodes on their sites anyways. Consider watching foreign shows on Dramafever or Viki (full seasons free and legal) bc of copy write laws and such.

Put your toothbrush in the dishwasher to clean it

Hang dry clothes to save money on electric and keep the clothes in better condition

LED lightbulbs!! They last forever and save so so much on electric!

If the weather is nice, open windows and turn off AC/heat

If work/shops are close, BIKE! I bike 3 miles to work and I have great quads and save so much on gas, especially during rush hour.

Public transportation: not available in a lot of areas, but if it is, probably cheaper than driving.

If you can’t bike, MOPED! Invest in a moped. Mopeds are cheaper than cars and so so so much better on gas! Also fun. Much more common outside of the US

Just graduated college/highschool etc? Live at home if you can. I know it feels LAME but like you can save up so much! offer to pay rent/buy food/take care of siblings (a lot of parents will say not to). Leave the nest after a year if you can. Don’t stay too long.

Hydrogen Peroxide gets blood out of anything

Use bar soap instead of liquid (much cheaper)

Leave a bar soap in closets to make them smell nice instead of using sprays etc.

Make your own laundry detergent!! HERE! Or HERE! There are so many recipes and options. You will save so much money! If you’re not down for that, buy liquid soap instead of pods bc it’s cheaper.

Make a list of wants and needs. Needs will be food etc. Make sure to prioritize.

Make your own furniture. You might be like “bitch what? I ain’t a carpenter.” like GURL neither am I but I can nail two things together and make a small table or shelves for a few bucks. Places that sell wood will usually cut it for you so like just nail those woods and make ya something good.

Side jobs: babysitting, dog walking, lawn mowing. Like do you have a skill? Sell it! Tutoring, rock carving, painting, like it doesn’t matter, sell it. Post yo skillz online like fb pages and such and make that dough gurl. (Meet only in public places, stay safe).

The dollar store pregnancy test works just as well as the expensive ones in CVS.

When you travel stay in a hostel. They’re fun bc you meet lots of cool people and a hell of a lot cheaper than a hotel. Or camp. That’s cheap too and yay nature.

Use rags/old T-shirts instead of paper towels. Throw them in the wash and reuse. Also use them instead of Swiffer pads.

Dilute your dish and hand soaps.

Learn how to change your own car oil. Youtube guys, it’s great. Or find a friend that can and like give them food in return.

Library! Libraries sometimes have movies and TV shows you can rent! Or you know, just books too. If you want to keep the book, buy used online/locally

Go to your bank and make them explain EVERYTHING to you. Like do you have a credit card or debit card? Make them explain how it all works, every little thing about it. How to pay on time, how loans work, what a CD is, best ways to invest etc. You may need to make an appointment. Don’t feel dumb or shy, tell them you want to be responsible and they will respect that.

Alright that’s all I got. Add your tips too so we can share that knowledge! Help out your fellow broke hoes!

[opepin]

july: week one

03: i was so tired waking up. lol my back was sore af from the massage yesterday. x_x; i hopped on my laptop and then had some breakfast and did some work. my plan for the day was to record the rest of the videos today except for one that i don’t know much about... no one on my team was working today apparently. meh. kevin went to work for a meeting and ended up working a full day basically. i recorded a good amount of videos and found some that i need to record later too. i spent the rest of the day watching ff-x cutscenes on youtube. there is a full video of them that is 11 hours long. i want to get through it haha. kevin gamed when he got back. we also ate a very yummy mango when he got back. mmmm. it’s summer time~ i did some errands and then i exercised for 45 minutes and kevin eventually cooked at like 9 pm. we were excited for another “weekend” day tomorrow. after eating, we showered and then i gamed and did my pt stretches. i think i iced my feet as well when kevin came to the couch to play hollow knight. i got real tired and got a headache. staying up and getting up late in the day has not been good for my health :/ i told kevin this while he was gaming and i was half asleep, lol. i stayed awake for the rest of his gaming and then we brushed up and i went to sleep at like 1 am. i think kevin stayed up gaming with friends until 3:30 am...

04: ho hummm. i think we got up at like 12 pm haha. i still wanted chipotle so i called to see if the closest one to us was open, and they were! then we got up and drove over to the mall and found the chipotle. i got a chicken fajita bowl and kevin got a steak burrito. they didn’t fill my bowl up at all and didn’t wrap kevin’s burrito properly... womp womppp. it was below average for chipotle but still delicious because it’s chipotle. we stopped by clark’s to see their sale but i didn’t want anything so then we just drove back home and ate. we didn’t have plans today except to chill and bum. so kevin gamed for the majority of the day and so did i. kevin played a good amount of hollow knight so i was able to game next to him. i got into completing the beastiary, compounding abilities, and all the weapons and etc. i still have one more genome to get after i defeat the game though. i also gave up on waiting to buy dr. bronner’s lip balm and found out about hurraw lip balms and bought those instead on iherb for a very good discount and free shipping! yay! i got the night time chamomile, spf 15 sun, pitta one, and the earl grey one. i’m excited~ then we went outside to grill burgers for dinner. so we did something related to the 4th haha. i wanted ice cream for dessert so we drove over to kam man and we got mango and black sesame mochi ice cream as well as more canned fruits and coconut milk to make che thai.

i think i added too many chia seeds and palm seeds in it because it was super heavy... :( kevin confirmed after we chilled it and tried it out. next time, i’m only using half of that palm seed can and about half of the chia seeds lol. we ate the mochi ice cream right when we got back and found out one of the brands packaged the mochi individually...and was also packaged in the insulated bags inside of the cardboard box...that’s intense. kevin played more hollow knight and then when he went to play pubg, i picked myself up and did cardio kickboxing for an hour. i was so tired after 30 minutes... man, my cardio has gone down! then i cooled off, did my pt stretches, showered, and iced my feet while defeating the first boss of the end game in bravely default. it was around 12 am so i brushed and went to sleep at like 12:30 am. zzzz. it was hard to go to sleep that early tbh so i rolled around a bit before managing to calm myself and sleep.

05: i set my alarm for 8:30 am but i got up at 9 am, which i was still happy about. then i got myself to do some cardio even though i felt so sore from yesterday’s workout. lol kevin made rice last night and forgot to put away the rice and our food for lunch tomorrow. he also left the ‘keep warm’ feature on the rice cooker...derp. he went to sleep at 3 am again...tsk tsk tsk. i showered, he brushed his teeth, and we ate breakfast together. then he left for work and i figured out one of the videos i could record (yay me). then i started editing my videos and ate lunch and then continued on to make one pagers. it was a very quiet morning of work. i also got my book of the month in the mail along with my mom’s birthday gift (: i found a mint condition wan wan the dog crystal for her to complete the family collection ;D ! the rest of the day was super productive. i watched some ff-x cutscenes after work and then worked out my obliques while watching more haha. then i did my pt stretches and prepped the veggies for dinner.

kevin got back, we showered, and then started cooking dinner. i continued watching cutscenes and then we ate while watching some pokemon showdown streams. he played a bit of hollow knight after dinner and then washed dishes. i iced my feet and watched some youtube videos. then i brushed up and hopped into bed and read a bit of my new book of the month. i went to sleep before 12 am. zzzzz. it’s been hard sleeping because it gets so hot in the room -__-’ we have the a/c on but it doesn’t seem to keep the apartment completely cool all the time....

06: i woke up at 8 am but then went back to sleep to continue my dream?! i dreamed of a woman who loved hurting people with acid...O_O and then i did some shopping in that dream and got sick??? LOL. uhh... anyway, i got up at 8:50 am and then did a low impact workout because my feet aren’t completely healed. i’ve gained some fat :( and it’s definitely because of my eating habits right now. i don’t think we’ve been eating healthily even though we still cook most of the meals at home... then i showered and woke up kevin and started work! it was another productive day at work from home. i got to record three videos before i had to leave for physical therapy. my session today was fun and relaxing. bryan put heat packs on my feet and then massaged them. then i did my daily exercises and did a new one. then i got to scrunch up a towel with my toes and pick up marbles with my toes. then i got iced and made another appointment before i go to stockholm and copenhagen!

i did some editing work after i got home. kevin came back home from work and we spent the evening playing hollow knight. well, he gamed and i watched. we ate leftovers for dinner and then i did leg exercises before showering and getting ready for bed. i hope i get back on track soon. i just feel like kind of a mess but it’s possible for me to get out of it quickly. i spent some time packing during the evening as well. well, i spent like 2 hours trying to figure out what to wear to the club for nancy/ryan’s outing saturday night and i got it with the help of frandzzz, but mostly mindy because i spammed her haha. we packed and then went to sleep zzz. well, i went to sleep at like 12 am.

07: i was supposed to wake up early to exercise but my body felt weird so i slept in. kevin went to work and then i went straight into work so i could finish what i needed before leaving for the airport. i got a lot done, actually. i managed to fit in some exercise before leaving too. our flight got delayed by an hour so i got to do more work :P i washed the dishes and then put them away. then i made sure we had everything packed and turned off the a/c. i picked up my hurraw lip balms from the mail room :3 and took one for the trip, woot. when it was time to leave, i got drenched by a passing bus LOL. i also stepped in a deep puddle of water so my shoes were wet. oh well. i met kevin at the silver line stop and he got us mcdonald’s. we tried the lobster roll from there and it was alright. i think it made my stomach hurt though....eh heh heh. the airport was kind of full, but we made it through tsa with some time to spare. i got a pink drink, as usual. our flight was full of babies. we experienced the flight where one baby cries, then the next one, and then the next one. kevin and i just wore our earbuds for the entire flight.

i tried watching some movies that were playing but then i rq’d and played bravely default. omg, i beat the game on the flight! eff yeah! my mom was there to pick us up and then we got home where i ate my mom’s home cooking for dinner. kevin rested for a bit and then left to go to yeowoosai to see brittany and mike. i stayed the night at home and talked with my mom until 12 am or so. then my mom went to sleep, i showered, and watched some youtube videos while icing my feet with frozen bags of veggies. i stayed up until 1:45 am and then tried going to sleep but i couldn’t because i had to open the door for kevin; he doesn’t know how to open my front door with the keys. i ended up waking up at 2:45 am and waiting 10-15 minutes for him to get back because he was on his way home already from soundbar, lulz. when he got home and went to shower, i instantly knocked out. i think it was about 3:30 am or something when i went to sleep.

08: i woke up at like 8:30 am and figured that kevin was too tired to drive me to see hen. so i asked my mom and she drove me to logan square’s la farina. hen got there and i was so excited. i got a slice of raspberry lemon cake and a breakfast toast with scrambled eggs and side salad. i didn’t finish all of the food, but ate a good portion of it. we caught up, talked about adulting, and etc. then hen took me to her new apartment and i got to meet her boyfriend. :) then i left at around 11 am and realized the walk to the chicago diner from here was about 20 minutes, and i was meeting daniel at 12 pm. so i took my time walking there. i stopped by a thrift store and a game stop before getting there 10 minutes before 12 pm. daniel was stuck in some traffic but i put my name down before the rush of lunchtime people came in. daniel came in at a good time because they sat us immediately. we went ham on ordering because it was a vegetarian / vegan place and i was curious. daniel was cautious in his choice of meal haha. we split a cooke dough peanut butter shake, i got the white truffle mushroom lentil loaf, and daniel got the steak and eggs (safest choice). i also got this ginger ale made with cane sugar called, ‘blue sky.’ it was very light.

the shake was delicious and it didn’t kill my stomach so, it was 100% dairy free. i recommend getting their shakes. daniel’s seitan steak tasted like nothing with spices... it literally tasted like nothing. i felt empty eating it. we also didn’t know if his eggs were real or not but they were pretty true to the real thing if they weren’t. lol my loaf was interesting... it was seasoned perfectly but the texture of the loaf was goopy and thick... i felt healthy and fibrous when eating it though, haha. i only got it because it had a side of roasted potatoes and green beans... obviously, they were DELICIOUS. i took mine to-go after a while because i was so full. daniel and i caught up in between bites and it was nice chilling with this one. i’m glad he asked if i was free and that we should get lunch. i think i under-planned in a sense but it all worked out! daniel drove me back home and coincidentally, kevin just finished parking. i thanked daniel and said goodbye to him. then kevin and i went home and he showered.

we went to a nearby chase only to find out that they needed 1-3 days to get the currency to the bank to do an exchange :( the lady there was super nice though. i guess we’ll kind of wing it then? but now we know. this is the downside of living in massachusetts -- no chase banks. kevin drove me to my eye exam and i found out that my eyes got worse. i am now around -8.00... so there’s that. my exam was quick and then we drove back home. my mom took me to a last minute hair appointment when we got back. apparently, they were booked until 5 pm but then my mom made me call when i got back to check and they said they were closing at 4 pm?! i was so confused. they’re my mom’s friends so we rushed over there (i left kevin to nap or rest or whatever at home) and then i got my hair cut. my mom was supposed to cut my hair but i think she didn’t want to mess it up and she was tired. so i got an angled bob more than an a lob and i can look like an asian mom if my hair is a certain way. LOL. well, when we got back home, kevin was ko’d and i guess we were eating dinner at home.

i lazed around the house kinda tired but not really sleepy while kevin snoozed away. he took a 3 hour nap... we ate dinner when he woke up and then lazed on the sofa while watching tv with a bad signal. then we went upstairs and got ready for tonight. i decided to wear the sports bra and skirt outfit that mindy liked but i also brought my packable parka by clipping it on to my purse. hehe. kevin called an uber and we headed to arbella to meet up with brittany, her date, linda, and mike. this place was pretty fancy. kevin and i got here first and mike got there last. we ordered some tapas and i got the airmail drink, which was super yummy. linda got cognac ice cream, which was really delicious. oh, it was my first time meeting everyone in that group (except mike) in person. it was nice meeting all of them. then i bounced at 9:50 pm to get to the hotel for ryan’s birthday thing that nancy invited me to. i walked there kind of tipsy but i was ok. i met up with mindy and garrick outside then we went in together. i said hi to gbf in the hallway and when we got into the hotel room, we were bombarded with shots of vodka. i think i took three 1 1/2 shots in total there and i basically was drunk after that, but not puking drunk. it was nice to gauge my tolerance again without all the mixing of drinks and stuff. i also remembered that vodka burns like crap.

we took pictures, met everyone, said happy birthday to ryan, who was already gone in a sense, and then walked out to mercer. omg, i kept dropping the magnetic part of my wallet because i didn’t realize that the magnet was on the other side. thankfully, someone in the group picked it up and i am forever grateful. the two that picked it up kept asking me if i had my wallet the rest of the night when they saw me >_<” heh. when we got to the club, we met up with eileen and ada! then i just remember scurrying around to find mindy and hillary. oh, lol i gushed to rowan about how i admire him for what he’s doing -- i think i’m really in a rut about what i want to do with my career :/ so it’s really special for me to see people like rowan continuing to do what they want to do without the huge focus on money. yeah... i mean that’s what i’ve been feeling on the inside so i guess it came out when i saw rowan. but i was also just super excited to go out with gbf and rowan because i haven’t ever before!

anyway, mercer wasn’t playing any music that i remember... hilllary took care of mindy with garrick and i was there hoping to dance with them but mindy left early with garrick and by that time, hillary and i were too sober for this club LOL. gbf dragged me to the dance floor where i tried to dance but then i rq’d and asked hillary if she wanted to go home. so we said bye to everyone and we got an uber to got to the apartment in lincoln park. hillary and i talked before i got dropped off and then she took the uber home. kevin met me outside and we went into the sticky af floored club... the music was better here but not perfect... the dj played some interesting rock and rap selections... i got hyped because mike dancing is so fun to watch, ahah. we left at around 2:30 am. we showered and brushed before sleeping and then then ktfo. we also drank water because we were whoozy.

09: i somehow woke up at 9 am and then got ready to meet up with julie, juan, and jia at longman and eagle. i had a bit of a headache and was a little woozy but i felt fine. kevin was kind of dead so he told me to go without me and he’ll just sleep. my mom drove me to logan square yet again and i saw juan sitting outside and then jia came from a weird direction. LOL. julie decided to sleep in (haha no judgement there!) we got the last table for 3-4 people and then the breakfast / brunch rush came in. woo! i got the pork belly benedict, and it was delicious. i also got earl grey tea because i’m on a earl grey and chamomile roll. juan got the chicken and waffles but he also wanted the pbr breakfast. jia got the duck confit hash -- it was smaller than our plates but she said it was quite filling. i couldn’t finish my benedict so these two savages finished for me, haha <3 i had a really great time hanging out with these two :))) i’m so happy i got to hang out with them this weekend.

we walked to a nearby coffee shop after and just chatted about random things. we also took some pictures and then jia had to leave for lunch (she pushed back her lunch planz for us -- thank you!) and then juan and i walked over to the fullerton bus stop and just talked about life. i was gonna take an uber back but meh, mind as well save like $10 and take the bus to red line. plus, kevin was still ko’d. we waited for the bus for a while but our conversation was never dull. when we finally got to the red line, i realized i was a noob at ventra T_T i put in the wrong zipcode and juan just laughed at me and a person had to help me; she thought i was putting my credit card in incorrectly...haha. i said goodbye to da chubscrub and got off argyle. i always have a great time with juan and jia and julie whenever we hang. i know i can always leave our hangouts feeling a bit more understood and grounded. kevin was ubering to me so i went into pho 888 and ordered for us. we had to wait longer for our food because there was a large family dinner going on. then we ubered to ryan and terence’s apartment and ate our lunch there.

kevin rq’d his egg noodles and just ate toasted bread at the apartment. i managed to eat most of the che and my vermicelli noodles. sarah was deboning a chicken when we got there while ryan and terence were helping out. nluu was late, haha, but he got there eventually. we just chilled and then terence dropped off sarah at her apartment so she could get ready for her potluck and when he came back, we started playing with legos. we tried playing chromecast games but the connection was terrible. we also tried spyfall but the spy was clearly kevin ahahha. so instead, we wrote things on slips of paper for us to recreate with legos, mixed them up, and then picked from there. one person had to recreate it while the others guessed. lol tell me why i got trump, basketball player, and idk, kinda hard ones?! haha. ryan cried when i made the basketball player...”we don’t see color here.” LOL. 

when it was about 5 pm, we left and said goodbye to everyone. yeah, this visit was better than the last one... i hung out with almost everyone without stressing about seeing people. kevin and i dozed off in our uber back to my house. then we packed and i was grumpy because my family was kind of hovering about when to leave and kevin was feeling worse than before and he was kind of helping but not. sigh. packing to go back to boston is always stressful. well, we did it and stopped by my grandma and uncle’s house and he gave me my very late high school graduation gift LOL. i was grumpy because i napped in the car and had to wake up. my parents dropped us off, i said goodbye to them, and then kevin and i got in line for tsa. i told kevin that i was disappointed in his food choices (they were pretty terrible: sushi (my mom bought it), seafood egg noodle, and multigrain bread (i didn’t realize this until we got to the airport)) he could have eaten the congee in the fridge or zong zi... well, he told me not to be mad at him until tomorrow and i told him i was just worried.

our flight was delayed by like 20 minutes but when we got there, they started boarding everyone early? so i got to pee and then rushed back over. kevin got us mini water bottles before the flight so we could stay hydrated. i watched dateline, the cartoon channel, and shark tank on the flight. kevin slept and felt better after. we didn’t skimp out on the free snacks either. we got a total of like 5 bags of terra chips, 1 bag of pretzels, and 1 bag of skeeter’s chocolate chip cookies. i also got more water and ginger ale. i felt really tired prior to landing. i also needed to pee. we forgot food on the plane so we waited for people to get off and got it back, rushed to pee, and then took the bus and train home. i think it was 11 pm or 12 am when we got back. we unpacked and also ate a good amount of zong zi before sleeping at like 2 or 3 am? i’m not sure. i was so tired though. the two nights of 4 hours of sleep hit me right then.

[sanguinesprout]

The sky is a beautiful blue today~ (Some updates, nicer things, random snippets of memories and why I write about weather so much lol)

I was thinking maybe I should write about something lighter, like the things I did recently, in particular the good things, my small triumphs and such c: 

I’ve spent a lot more time out with my sister (and sometimes her bf and my mum) recently, especially in the case of going shopping~! I bought quite a lot of nice tops with interesting and motivating text based designs on them (maybe I’ll photograph them sometime), and some of them were on sale too yay! :3 Usually I try and avoid going out too many times in a row or when I don’t feel mentally prepared beforehand but I went and it was alright! Though some of the times I had no choice as I had a doctors appointment, but instead of just going home I went to the shops or the supermarket afterwards and had a nice long browse around~ 

I used to remember a long long time ago when I was younger I really did not enjoy shopping and would always constantly be asking when we could go home lol but now it’s pretty fun (apart from the fact I’m actually really poor). Also a long time ago I would trail around after my sis or whoever, but now I go off on my own and look at whatever I feel but sometimes my sis trails after me instead lol and likes to moan about me looking at things too slowly quite a lot. It makes me anxious but I told her about it so she does it less or I’ll tell her to go look at something else, cause I like taking my sweet time yo >3< I don’t mean like I only started doing this recently haha, but it did take quite a few years before I felt confident enough to go around on my own and actually enjoy it. I would go shopping completely on my own and take public transport after college and uni sometimes and such, I feel I’ve kind of taken a step back since then but I’m not back at square one at least I guess, it’s something!

I still feel awkward and anxious when people are blocking the way of an aisle or when they’re looking at the same rack of stuff, but I’m gonna try and push these feelings aside, be more assertive and so and so. There were also times where certain unusual situations were kind of traumatic for me and maybe I’ll write or draw about them sometime, but they’re not important and I shouldn’t keep thinking back on them and feeling hurt. I still sometimes get that ‘lost kid that has to look down every aisle and worries everyone already paid and left’ feeling after wandering around when I go to the supermarket with my parents lol, because they are all about being quick so they can go home and get ready for work and stuff, but having a phone now unlike when I was a kid and didn’t have one makes everything suck much less hah take that!

Anyways, back to the present! The weather has been pretty flip floppy lately, on some few random days the weather was real hot and some super rainy and cold and some calm and neutral, like today. I really love when it spontaneously rains so hard and immediately after the sky is such a wonderful clear blue, I feel it’s analogous to when you have are suddenly overcome with negative emotions and once they pass you feel at ease and can think with clarity again aka. the calm after the storm. I really like the weather and making weird metaphors about it as you could probably tell already lolol. The weather is just something that’s always there, something that affects mood but is also so moody itself, something everyone experiences and uses for small talk and something so mundane but also wonderful and unpredictable (unless you look at the forecast everyday, I mean it’s real easy to check on the phone widget but I don’t haha, as much as I talk about it I don’t worship the weather channel or anything lol) ^^ 

Oh also in relation to this, when I said I was going to write this blog a bit more like a diary, it made me think of a time when I was little and my mum bought me a diary book. It was a simple Winnie the Pooh diary with a gold lock and guess what I wrote in it hahahaha I wrote in huge writing on each page a 3-4 word sentence of how the weather was that day LOL It was super wasteful and my sis and mum were like what even?! XD I’ve had lots of diaries since then and lots of attempts at writing about actual things but I’ve never been able to keep it up past a few days. I just hope this blog doesn’t die out like my past diaries or become a brief weather description collection either hahaha. Today’s post title is kinda like a tribute or slightly more advanced version of my kiddie diary x3

Okay enough about that lol! One of the days recently I went to the park~! I did say I wanted to go and my sister suggested it. It was some time in the afternoon on a weekday so it wasn’t to busy. It was pleasant and refreshing to go walkies sine I hadn’t gone there for a while, even though I really really hate all kinds of bugs (and things that have bugs in them, like trees) and shriek and flail at their presence lol. I saw some pretty flowers, sat on the see saw with my sis briefly (which I was nervous about cuz there were kids around and well I’m not a kid anymore *sob* but I will always be a kid at heart and so will my sis, so I did it anyways! Yolo, gotta sit my but on all the things next time XD). I also saw the duckies! Or well I think they were actually geese but they were so pretty and derpy and their little floofy babies omg! ;w; Soooo cute!! I definitely want to go see them again sometime :D I’ve come to kind of dislike zoos (and aquariums too) because I feel so bad seeing some of them so distressed looking and it feels unfair that they have to live in such a contained and artificial space without choice, but when there’s wildlife living free like the duckies in the lake, it’s just such a pleasant thing to witness.

Oh also some good today was I cooked my own breakfast...kinda... It was just a fried egg with tuna in it pretty much and there was rice too (made in a rice cooker not by me lol) but I cooked the egg part! It takes so much convincing for me to be able to do just this. My mum and dad don’t like me hanging around the kitchen because ‘you’re too slow’ and ‘you’ll make a mess’ etc. I know they keep babying me and want things to go smoothly their way... but it needs to change! I don’t want to be dependant forever :c I was persistent this time and I’m glad! :D And I also suggested that maybe everyday I could maybe learn something new from them, whether it be just some small technique or a recipe or whatever. I am lacking in well... life skills because I was never taught or allowed to do certain things, like cooking for example. I can make something easy like instant ramen or pasta, but they usually handle all meals and don’t let me experiment or cook for reals. The only thing they really trust me with is making tea and sandwiches and the only time I cooked something from a recipe was cooking class at school a long time ago lol. Sometimes I help my sister bake stuff, but they get annoyed at her too for being in the way and stuff, but she isn’t a weak spirited person like me so she just carries on haha.

I can watch video tutorials all I want but it’ll never be useful without actual execution and practice, you know! >< My dad is a chef and is particularly prideful of his cooking, and also quick to insult and get annoyed for small mistakes, so it’s gonna be tough but I’m gonna try anyways! Lately I’ve been trying harder to just chat and bond with my dad more, we watch drama/animation series together at supper which is nice~! (Even though he feigns reluctance to watch and that he’s interested sometimes lol). Conversation is particularly hard because of the language barrier, but if I make the conversation about learning language like I did the other day and maybe now even about learning cooking stuff, then maybe things will go at a much better pace :D 

I also drew some things I was kind of happy about lately, and didn’t give up on trying to interact online even though I really wanted to! I need to get my stuff organised and start posting stuff! I feel like the longer I leave it, the less it’s making me wanna do it, stop it perfection, you’re unnecessary! x^x I really hate having an empty account, it makes me feel like a creep (like on youtube it’s okay but on other places it’s unusual, right?) ;^; Something I keep forgetting is that there is no rules and no obligations for me (or anyone else) to do anything or feel anything. There’s no right or wrong, silly self! I need to stop worrying so much and just go for it! Yolo the hell out of everything (maybe that’s not quite the right phrase lol) and just stop falling into the paralysis by analysis trap! X3 Imma try harder! ò^ó

Uh uhhh before I end this, I have some update-y stuff on my therapy situation... I have my first appointment tomorrow! I’m so nervous!! xAx The funny thing though (or well, not really), is that when my doctor was giving me options on who to see, I could either go for the general therapist who works in the same facility or to go for the referral service for a more specific recommendation. I opted for the second in hope that I could see someone with a specialism in idk... AVPD or personality disorders (if there is a such thing), but it seems I’ve ended up going full circle and ending up getting recommended to the general therapist back here >< I mean, at least it’s convenient and better than nothing I suppose... Anyways, I don’t know how it’ll go so I shouldn’t make any assumptions or have any wild expectations. I can do this! It’ll be okay! I’m glad I got a female therapist, because I get even more nervous around guys and the one I had in the past was ahhh idk... maybe I’ll write about it with whatever I write about after the app tomorrow. I just hope it goes well! 

Don’t give up! You can do it! Have a nice day~! :3