Fall Shopping

We're on the last weekend of summer before Labor Day—then it'll officially be fall. Le sigh.

On the bright side, holiday weekend sales are happening and aplenty!

These caught my fancy over at Rebecca Minkoff:

1) The Maria

I instantly thought of my niece, Maria (who's no longer so little) and sent the link promptly to her mom. :) I love the punchy color combination, the envelope design, and the pleats. And it seems roomy enough to stash essentials and more.

2) The Coco Clutch

I would love this for myself, but alas, I rarely ever go out for cocktails or events these days. (Maybe if I start blogging more I can revive my editorial life, haha.) But then again, I think this can work at the office—I always carry a second, roomier bag anyway (e.g. my reusable Trader Joe's shopping tote).

3) M.A.C. Clutch

It's white! It's laser-cut! It's adorable! This reminds me of an old pair of pointy slingback flats I had a long time ago...

There's hope for me!

"She has learned that if she makes herself stay for a fixed period, she often gets over her social awkwardness and ends up having fun."

—Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer on wanting to leave any party within the first fifteen minutes and disciplining herself to deal with shyness; Vogue September 2013

New York Summer Streets

Bikers on Park Avenue.

"Summer Streets is an annual celebration of New York City’s most valuable public space—our streets. On three consecutive Saturdays in the summer, nearly seven miles of NYC’s streets are opened for people to play, walk, bike, and breathe... On August 3, 10 & 17, from 7am to 1pm, nearly seven miles of New York City’s streets are opened up for everyone to play, run, walk and bike." Source: NYC.gov

Here are pics from yesterday's lovely walk down Park Avenue from 42nd St. by Grand Central, down to the Flat Iron District in the 20s. Summer Streets goes the full stretch from East 72nd St., all the way downtown at Brooklyn Bridge. Here's the route from the website:

Summer Streets route, including rest stops.

Park Avenue tunnel closed to traffic from 7am to 1pm.

Sharing the streets.

Bikers, rollerbladers (even skateboarders and unicyclers) all welcome!

It looks like they added more Citibikes for rent for this event.

A Gotham-y shot near 23rd St.

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!