Summer Highlights

One of the challenges I find with blogging these days is the "real-time-ness" of posts—chronicling notable and bloggable events on the same day. I'm constantly playing catch-up...or going completely M.I.A., as you can tell with my complete lack of posts for the month of July. Sigh.

But, moving along. I have been meaning to write about season's highlights. I'm a summer girl at heart. Summer is my favorite season, summer is when I feel the most nourished, summer is when I get an ample dose of Vitamin D, and summer is also when I can get dressed in five minutes flat (I'm a matchy-matchy kind of person so you can just imagine the agony of putting together layers in the winter time).

Without further ado, highlights from the last couple of weeks (which, in the blogging world, is eons!):

1) Summer Beauty
Well, it was still technically spring when I purchased these two lip treats from Sephora: Bite Beauty High Pigment Matte Pencil in Pomegranate and YSL Volupté Sheer Candy Glossy Balm Crystal Color in Succulent Pomegranate. The former does say 'matte' but it goes on soft and creamy, leaving a rich hue on lips, while the latter is indeed a colored gel-balm that leaves a nice hint of sheer cherry. YSL's packaging is absolutely adorable and I certainly got it for prettiness.

A couple of weeks back, before it got really hot, I got a tube of Brazilian True Tan to kickstart my summer sun-kissed skin. I'd originally planned on purchasing something from St. Tropez, but, after reading the ingredients and giving it a whiff, I went for the former. Brazilian True Tan's formula is supposedly infused with AHA, so you don't have to exfoliate before applying. The color you get is very subtle, hence the claim "non-streak" on the packaging, because you can build on color, instead of slathering it on in one dark dollop. As with any self-tanner, you still have to watch it when it comes to elbows, ankles, and knees—wipe off any excess on these areas.

Okay, it's the weekend—I'm a beauty copywriter by day so writing about beauty on my day off feels like a bus driver's holiday—so I'm moving on to the next summer highlight...

2) Summer Solstice!

Next to Christmas, this is my favorite time of the year. It is the longest day where we get the most sunlight. Fortunately, my husband spotted the invite in the mail to sign up for the yearly Solstice In Times Square event. It was so surreal doing yoga right there, that I kept on peeking during Savasana to look at the buildings towering above me.

Bright and early!

I believe Vasisthasana (Side Plank) was the peak pose for that morning's session. That's me on the left, in the rainbow pink top. I'm quite proud of my Vasisthasana, simply because I could barely do one only a few years ago. Next stop: the full expression of the pose (yogi toe lock, leg extended at a 45-degree angle).

Fun and surreal doing yoga in Times Square!

3) Hova brought sexy back.

We got to see Jay Z and Justin Timberlake in concert at Yankee Stadium! :) The Legends of Summer tour paired the two music heavyweights, resulting in a concert experience to remember! Happy Summer days indeed.

Made With Love

If there's one thing I learned amidst the dizzying yet important elements of Ayurveda and nutrition is that anything made with love at home energetically trumps anything from the finest restaurant, even if it's organic. Actually, I've picked up a bunch of things during this weekend's workshop with the very knowledgable Ayurveda and yoga teacher, Maria Garre. But, I'm not going into specifics as I'm blogging about tonight's dinner recipe: Grilled Flounder Pita Pockets with Sriracha-spiked Sweet Yogurt and Garlic Dipping Sauce.

Absolutely easy to make. I recently purchased a non-stick grill pan so it's been a breeze to get things out the kitchen. If you don't have a grill, no problem—pan-frying in olive oil works just fine (you just won't get those pretty grill marks!). Note: The recipe may look long, but believe me, it's pretty quick and easy—I'd say ready in under 30 minutes.

INGREDIENTS & DIRECTIONS

3-4 flounder fillets

4 small pita pockets

lettuce sliced into strips

Dutch edam or any hard cheese, cut into sticks

sliced onion and/or cucumber, optional

Rub for the fish:

salt and pepper

dried thyme

paprika

turmeric

olive oil

• Rinse and pat the fish fillets dry and proceed to season each with the above spices and drizzle with olive oil. With clean hands, 'massage' the flavors in.

• Cook one side on medium-high heat. After two to three minutes, flip and lower heat to medium. While the first side is cooking, combine the following in a small bowl:

pinch of salt and pepper

juice of half a lemon

1 tsp maple syrup

a splash of orange juice

drizzle of olive oil

• Use the above concoction to brush the fillets on the cooked side. Repeat on the other side. This keeps the fish moist (and shiny) and gives a subtle sweetness that complements the savory spices.

• Once fish is done, set aside on a plate. Wipe grill clean with a damp paper towel, and warm the pitas; turning them once or twice and lowering the heat if necessary.

• This is my favorite part of the recipe: Use the leftover liquid marinade that you brushed the fish with for the dipping sauce, and add the following:

3 heaping spoonfuls of plain yogurt

1 minced garlic clove (or garlic powder, to taste)

squirt of Sriracha hot sauce

• Mix well and transfer into a small bowl. Add more Sriracha if desired. Swirl and marble it in for extra prettiness!

• Slice each pita on one side to open up the 'pocket' and fill each one with the cheese, fish, lettuce, and onions/cucumbers (if using the latter—I didn't, for these). Serve the sauce on the side and drizzle on every bite as you eat. Enjoy!

Dressing Appropriately for One's Age

Lately, I've been thinking more and more about age-appropriate dressing. At 33, I'm doing a wardrobe update of sorts, adding more "grown-up" pieces—e.g. shift dresses, collared (sleeveless) buttoned tops, and skirts—infusing the same pops of color and play on prints that I've come to love all these years.

Oddly, I dressed more like a 30-year-old in my twenties and a 20-year-old in my thirties; a teen when I was a tween and a tween when I was a teen!

That said, I'm a lover of clothes (and accessories!). I remember as a child, my mom and I would go on regular visits to the town's seamstress who would make us pretty things that I will brazenly say resemble Resort pieces in a prepster kind of way. Back in the day—which really isn't too far back as this was only the eighties—it wasn't unusual for people to go to a family tailor or seamstress to have clothes made.

Fast forward to 2013, we have Zara, Gap, H&M and a hooplah of ready-to-wear pieces that frankly, do a fine job of translating high fashion to us mere (rent-paying) mortals. I'm just a bit more scrutinizing of fabrics these days, after having read "Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion," a thoroughly researched book by Elizabeth Cline. Check out this New York Times review.

So, back to the age-appropriateness of my wardrobe. I've recently put together a peg that more or less encapsulates my game plan for this age and stage. It's a happy hodgepodge of pages clipped from the March 2013 issue of Vogue that I've been using as a guide for shopping. (Trivia: I'd inadvertently picked out Pantone's "color of the year," emerald green, as seen below on the Eres ad. Who knew?)

Clockwise from top left: structured "corseted jacket" with tortoiseshell-plexiglass belt and breastplate, Alexander McQueen; cutaway top with "fishline detail," Alexander Wang; black tweed top and shorts, Sandro; happy pops of colored enamel, Revlon; model-y looks e.g. silk pants paired with a printed blazer, A-line demi and pencil skirts by Proenza Schouler (the latter look as seen on Victoria's Secret model Miranda Kerr, I totally intended to copy with a recent purchase of a sheer black top and brocade skirt); cute green bra, Eres; scents from Balenciaga and Narciso Rodriguez.

Oh, and yes—my take on age-appropriate dressing? Wear what makes you happy, confident and comfortable! True, I do cringe at the sight of skimpy clothing, especially on mature women and teenagers... or make that, in general. But then that's just me, I may have grown more conservative over the years in terms of that balance between going short here, long there; business in front, party in the back, etc. But, who knows? Maybe one sweltering day I may just bust out a tube top and mini myself!

The Blondness of It All

Because my teens and twenties were marked with drama, upheavals, and crises of different sorts—including spending a big chunk of my teenage years in a household that, while loving and truly well-meaning, tended to be overtly psycho-analytical when the literal and verbatim would have been better for my psyche—now that I'm 33 and finally happy(!), I am more and more inclined to have a sense of humor about life, even if it means taking a simplistic approach to a lot of the "major" things.

I do not mind being the blond in the room.

(By the way, this reference is merely for illustrative purposes only and I have no intention whatsoever to offend or discriminate. However, if you are a blond in real life and are offended by this on some level, you are most welcome to crack an Asian joke and we can call it even. :) And, just so you know, if I weren't as averse to the scalp irritation that peroxide can bring, I'd have long bleached my hair a nice strawberry, gold, or platinum. Heck, I already use Jolen on my brows!)

At this point in my life, there is comfort and wisdom in not knowing and not having to project knowledge. I am completely comfortable in being more of a voyeur, soaking all the information in. Of course, it's a slightly different story and path when it comes to my work and career, where taking a bit more of an authoritative approach better serves the situation and is the wiser move...if I want to keep paying for yoga classes!

Speaking of which, I've just started my 300-hour yoga studies and from the first weekend alone, I have a clearer vision of the kind of yoga teacher I'd like to become. I want to be that teacher who can let students find meaning in the mundane, and pique their curiosity enough to venture out and explore further, and maybe go deeper into their personal paths to enlightenment...or not. If I can tap into the physical and make classes fun and approachable to get people going and moving (and perhaps score FLOTUS points/earn a thumbs up from the First Lady), then I've done my part.

If I can do my best to give anatomically spot-on alignment cues, encourage mindful breathing, and cultivate inspiration—with people leaving the room feeling invigorated and kinder, or experiencing an incredibly relaxing Savasana (one of my teachers refers to a "blissed-out" one and getting people to "la-la land"), then I've really done a marvelous job and I would simply be grateful for having had something or anything to do with it.

The rest is then up to the students, each of whom, by virtue of being a living and breathing inhabitant of this planet, I assume is innately smart.

When Kids Speak

Because kids tend to speak their minds in the most unfiltered way, what they end up saying is on-point and more often than not, incredibly hilarious—even if at times, morbid. It reminded me of an older post from when one of my nieces was seven and she said something about flies sucking blood from your eyes. :)

I had the pleasure of spending Easter weekend with not one, not two, but three adorable children from my family. Each had something to say at one point that cracked me up.

Nine-year-old boy cousin from Manila who looves mac-n-cheese to my 10-year-old brother, who is American who doesn't really care for the dish:

"You know if you don't like mac-n-cheese and want to try it, go to Italianni's*."

*Italiannis is a resto from back home where my cousin apparently orders two of these. He was also was also very amusing/entertaining with his use of the word "dude."

Seven-year-old cousin to me, while walking into Toys 'r' Us:
"There is a skeleton puppet that says, 'I kill you!'"

According to my quick Google search, she was most likely referring to Achmed the Dead Terrorist. Note, this little girl is incredibly smart. I could barely figure out the game she had on her iPad called Doors & Rooms.

And last but not the least, my little brother:
Me: "How old am I?"
Bro: "33."
Me: "Good, you know, wow. You're 10, right?"
Bro: "Yes. And you're the oldest. When my friends and I talk about siblings, they either have a younger brother or sister; or an older one who is a teenager, and you're the oldest." :)

[Photo: Gorgeous day at the Intrepid Museum.]