Spring is here!

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My spring has been pretty good. I obviously feel more energetic and much cheered up than I was in winter. I got to eat more healthy as you can see in my food diary (or check out my Instagram for more food photos). I also stay outside more and enjoy the beautiful nature of Helsinki. 

I will also get out of my blogging freeze and be more active in writing blog posts for Feminine23. I am having so many different ideas with a limited amount of time, so sometimes I cannot devote all my time to Feminine23 so far. But I will try my best and I believe I can do it!

This spring I make a little planning and hopefully all those would be achieved!

• Get a summer body. I am actually working on it by going to gym almost everyday. What I need to work harder is taking control of what I eat. I cannot stop myself with ice cream, bubble tea or frappe. Oh well it's spring! :)
• Write and write more. As you may have seen I was very inactive in blogging recently. I would stop making excuses and just write and write more to brighten up my blog!
• Work hard to improve my Finnish skills. What a shame that I have lived in Finland for 4 years and been unable to be fluent in the language. I got job rejection due to the lack of Finnish skill so I must get myself working hard on it. I am actually trying to speak Finnish as much as I can with my boyfriend now and pushing him to reply to me in Finnish too (He always tempts to speak English to me since it is much easier). Keep fighting Anh! 

My little plan seems to go well since I am actually putting them into action. I will update soon when much progress is made!

How is your spring going on? Tell me because I am curious :)

Anh

Daily Eats | My Food Diary

Have you guys kept a food diary to track what you eat daily? I have tried out by keeping a small notebook but it didn't work well, since I always forgot to write down. Then I changed to take note with my phone but again, I never could be able to keep it for more than few days. So hopefully this time Instagram will help me to keep up with this good habit. And also it can be used as a reference when I run out of idea what to cook.



This morning I have breakfast with a boiled egg, a toast with 2 slices of salami, one banana and tea. I am trying to have a big breakfast to keep my energy up until noon because I normally get hungry again very quickly after breakfast.



For lunch I cooked some pork stir-fried with cucumber and tomato, and served with rice. It is so quick to make and very yummy to taste. I especially like the cooked cucumber because its extract makes the meat soft and flavored.

For the dinner I had some instant noodle and chocolate :D I know I know. My boyfriend was having night shift today at work so I was kind of bored to make food myself. So I decided to indulge myself with something quick and unhealthy. So no picture for that ;)

Let's see how long I can keep up with the food dairy! How about you? Are you maintaining a food diary? What are your tips to keep up with it?

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How to set resolutions and actually achieve them

Hello 2014! I wish you guys all the best ahead. A new year : a new start.

I had a great NYE with my friends and my boyfriend. We made yummy Vietnamese food and drank quite a bit. My mom and dad also called me from Vietnam to wish me a happy new year. Then we headed out to center for fireworks. It was probably 5 C degrees, yet we were by the sea so it was very windy and super cold. The firework show was perfect. My friends went for clubbing and drinking but my boyfriend and I refused to join. We went home for warmth together.

That was how I spent the NYE. I hope you all had a great one too!

As usual, it should be the time to set fabulous resolutions for 2014. Honestly, I failed badly last year. None of the resolutions was achieved.  It is such a shame that I must try to avoid this year.

So, this year, instead of sharing 2014 resolutions, I would share some tips to make resolutions you are actually able to do and achieve? 

From what I have learnt, there are two things you should keep in mind to assure achievable resolutions:

• Never set your resolution by somebody else’s resolutions
• Make your resolutions as specific as possible

I used to look up from other people and see what their resolutions are. If I found something cool and interesting, I would immediately pick it up, add to my resolution list and think that I would do the same. But most of the time, I failed at having an urge to actually make myself work on such a resolution. Even when I started, I would quickly drop because of losing motivation.

If you don’t know where to start, focus on your area of problems. What kind of problem in life you want to stop or improve in the new year? You have problem with your job? What don’t you like about it? Is the problem coming from you? How can you fix it? Ask yourself as many questions as possible. It is such a great way to see the underlying problem and find a practical resolution for it.

When making the resolutions, be as specific as possible. Instead of “work out more”, I would set my goal as “work out 5 times a week: 2 cardio and 3 weights”. Put more thoughts on your resolution. If possible, take time to write a concrete plan on what should be done to achieve a resolution.

With these tips, I hope that you guys will be able to make great resolutions and fulfill them at the end of the year. May I keep 2014 resolutions for myself? Or may I may deliberately reveal it during the year along with the progress journal?

I hope you all will start a new year with great energy and motivation. 

All the best ahead! 

Cheers.

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DAILY EATS | Rice Burgers

I love noodles and rice. It is always exciting for me to look for different ways to cook noodles and rice, especially from other Asian cuisines. I actually heard about rice burgers long time ago but never actually tried to make them. Of course, since I have never tasted it, I couldn't know how authentic my version is. But I still wanted to give it a try. And the result turned out great.

So, today I share with you my recipe. It is very very simple, only the rice "burger bun" filled with Asian-styled marinated beef and cucumber and tomato. Next time, I probably will try with more fillings such as sesame or kimchi. Actually you can fill in with anything up to your own choice and creativity. If you come up with any other fillings than mine below, please share!!!

Let's get started

• Short-grain rice or sushi rice. I used porridge rice (puuroriisi). In general, you need some kind of sticky rice in order to make the rice patty
• Sliced beef
• Cucumber & tomato
• Soy sauce, sesame oil and oyster sauce

How to make:

1. Cook the rice. If you don't use sushi rice, remember to add a little extra water than usual for short-grain rice to make it soft and sticky
2. Marinate the beef with soy sauce, sesame oil and oyster sauce. Mix well and let it stay for 15mins. Honestly I didn't measure how much sauce and oil I used. We Asian use our common sense and experience for marinate and taste. But remember don't put too much soy and oyster sauce otherwise it turns too salty. 
3. Mold the rice by using a ring mold. Heat the pan on medium heat and place the rice patties for a few minutes until they turn slightly brown and crusty. 
4. Set the rice patties aside and cook the beef. Stir fry the beef on high heat until they are well cooked. Now you can put the rice patties back on the pan so they can absorb the extracts from the beef and gain more flavors. 
5. Display as in the picture and serve.

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I am Back & The Autumn Tag

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Oh my god I cannot believe that my last post on Feminine23 was exactly 2 months ago. What a shame on me!!! Last few months was quite interesting. Life went upside down and there was moments I thought I would give up (not on on blogging but other things in my personal life). Thanks God that I have my boyfriend who is by my side to support and give me strength. So right now, I feel great and excited for bright things ahead. I conquer any challenges!

Alright, so it's autumn here in Finland! I heard somewhere up North has started snowing already. But in Helsinki where I'm living now, it is just chilly and rainny. The temperature is around 0 to 10 C degrees during night and day. This morning I looked outside through the window and was shocked. It reminded me of the movie "The Mist": super foggy. Seriously, autumn and winter can easily cause depression. I actually experienced it a few week ago when the weather was getting colder and darker. But badminton saves my life! I got back to long lost hobby and it helps me to gain energy and boost my mood during the dark season. So here is my advice for anybody suffering from dark, gloomy weather: do sports, get active!

THE AUTUMN TAG

It might be a bit late for the autumn tag!? But who cares :) There are quite many different kinds of autumn tags circling around. I read all through and only picked up things I'd love to answer. Let's get started!

Favorite thing about autumn: Its coziness. The winter is way too cold that people just stack with many layers of clothes. But autumn is cold enough that you can still dress warm yet stylish. The atmosphere that autumn gives is much more warm-hearted. Plus, autumn means holiday. A lot of days off await.

Favorite place to be: Probably home or the badminton court! Normally I'd like to stay home and cook something hot and good for myself. The weather kinda makes me lazy for going out. But if anyone is up for a badminton training with me, I'm all ready for it.

Favorite autumn color: Mustard yellow or warm red orange, especially for house decoration. Too bad that I don't look good on such color, otherwise I'd like to have a mustard yellow beanie or scarf.

Favorite fall activity: I don't really have any favorite activity particularly for autumn. But in autumn I tend to stay home and be lazy in front of my computer more than often. So probably I'd read blogs and write more blogs :)

Favorite autumn clothing items: Ankle boots. I never can have enough of ankle boots. A few warm cozy sweater that I can rotate. A few pairs of thick legging/jegging to keep me warm and fashionable at the same time

How about you? If you do an autumn tag post, please leave the link below so I can check out! Happy Autumn!