Saturday, February 26, 2011

Inspiring Women Everyday: Words to Live by From Antionette Ball

Photo credit: http://alumni-space.ning.com/profile/AntionetteBall

I found these words to live by from a Pine-Sol Advertisement, yes, the pine-smelling cleaner, and thought to post them because I found them exactly that, "Words to Live By."

"Surround yourself with people who are thinkers and doers."

"If you truly believe in something, it lives in your heart, soul, and mind."

"Take a moment and evaluate your life. If you are in a constant state of evaluation, it will engage you in positive action."

"Consider the people you have around you and then do the math: Do they take from or add to your life?"

"Your inner self is without any ulterior motives and will keep you out of harm's way. Just listen."

Antionette Ball is the founder of Women's Employment Opportunity Project, Inc in Atlanta, Georgia. It is a nonprofit organization intended to train and coach women who are seeking employment to prepare themselves in the professional world. She also received a Master's Degree in Public Administration from University of Southern California.

To read her linkedin profile click here: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/antionette-ball/28/b52/8a3

To visit her nonprofit organization click here: http://www.weop.org/

According to the site, "The mission of WEOP is to provide women and girls with technology based solutions, tools, training, and opportunities to advance economic sustainability. WEOP also serves as a leader and advocate for workforce development programs and initiatives to insure the inclusion of women and minorities in new and emerging career opportunities."

It is women like her who make a difference in this world, not just for the benefit of herself but also for the sake of others. I hope this posting inspires you to live by these words. :)














Saturday, February 19, 2011

Review (Rant): Confetti Cupcakes in Issaquah



I first heard about Confetti Cupcakes through one of Groupon’s Daily Deals and thought about what a bargain it is to get a dozen aesthetically pleasing cupcakes for $16, a 52% discount of the normal $33 price. When I bought this coupon on Jan. 24, 2011, I thought I might use it for a special occasion such as a holiday or birthday for my family. Well, Valentine’s Day rolls by and I thought why not just get the cupcakes to share with the family on this day?

So, the day of Valentine’s Day, at 1:52pm, I called to ask if the cupcakes had to be pre-ordered or if I can just drop in and pick some out like you do at a doughnut shop. The phone just rang a few times and then it went to voicemail, so I left a message. An hour went by and I was getting antsy so I called again, and still no answer. I figured they must be really busy given the holiday and all so I just gave up on that idea for the day. I wonder how many other customers they lost that day because they couldn’t answer their phones? A smart business would utilize the holidays for that surge in sales.
Anyways, I get a call back the next day at around 12:33pm from Barbara who asked if I wanted to make an order and told me to just give her a call back when I get the message. I was kind of irked that she didn’t answer my question I left on their voicemail asking if I need to make an order or if I can just stop by. So, I called back to get clarifications and she said “Oh yeah, that’s fine, just come on down, I put your name down for 2pm and we’ve just got a batch baking right now…” Hmmm I thought it was interesting she mentioned putting my name down since she said it would be just fine to walk in?? Neither did I ask her to put my name down and told her I wasn’t planning on coming in at that time but at a later time. I thought it didn’t matter what time I came down since she said I could just walk in and not need to preorder.

They look better than they taste

So, I decided to drive up there on the following Saturday, today, the 19th of February, since it’s about a half hour drive and since I made plans to do some shopping up on the Eastside today. It was around 4pm when I got there and two families were in front of me, so I thought it to be a good thing that the place seemed busy. Finally it was my turn to order and I told her that I had a Groupon that I wanted to redeem. She asked if I had placed an order yet, and I told her I hadn’t but called a few days ago and I was told to just come in. She gave me this look like “aww I’m sorry but you have to place an order 24 hours in advance since it’s such a big order.. blah blah blah.”

Like, why the hell did you tell me it was okay in the first place?! Is my Groupon order not worth that much to you!! So then she tells me that just this one time, she’ll let me take the order, but to make sure to call in advance. I was just so turned off by her contradictions. Then not only that, there was a couple behind me that she said she was going to take their order first since mine will probably take longer. Wow, my first impression of this place has seriously gone down the drain. So, I sat there on my iphone, writing my first negative draft review of this place, boy does this woman have no idea what I’m about to tell the world about her place!
The couple asks Barbara if she owns the business and what Groupon is. Then, she tells them, “yes, me and my son do.” She also said that the Groupon thing was to only get the word out and that they don’t normally do discounts, reassuring me that my Groupon business is not good enough, thanks.
It was finally my turn and I just wanted to get it over with as I just didn’t want to be in her pretentious little store anymore. $3 cupcakes my ass. I ordered a variety of flavors just so I can make an adequate review of their different flavors. I asked if I was done paying with the  Groupon and she tells me “yeah, Groupon takes half of what we make so it’s sucks for our business.” I’m thinking in my head, then why did you offer Groupons?! I sucked it up and said “thank you,” as I rushed out the door.

What a horrible first impression I had with this place. I come in there hoping to have a pleasant cupcake experience and the first words that comes out of this lady and last words were all negative. Please keep your negativity away from me. The cupcakes weren’t all that great. I got 2 of the Red Velvet and 2 of the Carrot Cake since I read on Yelp that these were the best flavors. The Carrot Cake was dull and had more of a ginger flavor. The Red Velvet was the best flavor of all the cupcakes. The combination of the rich flavored cake, soft-center, and creamy frosting was amazing, but definitely wasn’t worth the experience or drive I had to go through.


From top left: Cookies and Cream, Chocolate Mint, Carrot Cake, Red Velvet, Tuxedo Chocolate, Vanilla/Vanilla, Strawberry, Coconut, Peanut Butter/Choc, Red Velvet, Chocolate/Vanilla, and Carrot Cake.

Everything else was bland. The Peanut Butter needs to be richer, as I was expecting a Peanut Butter Cup Reese’s taste. The Strawberry Cupcake was just gross and too sweet. The Coconut one was also gross. The Cookies and Cream Cupcake just tasted like Oreo frosting on top of a chocolate cupcake. I was expecting the frosting to taste like the combination of Cookies and Cream. I thought the Chocolate over Vanilla Cupcake was good, but then again I can make this for less than $3 at home and make it just as good. So, if you ask me if I recommend going to this place. I’d say no, make your own cupcakes at home and save the trouble of horrible service or go to any place else. Don’t waste your money here.

*Parking is also a pain.

Price: $3 per cupcake, $33 per dozen
Website: http://www.confetti-cakes.com/

Hours of Operation:
Sunday-Wednesday 11am-7pm
Thursday-Saturday 11am-8pm

Phone: (425) 369-2225

Address:
94 Front Street N
Issaquah, WA 98027
For directions via Google Maps, click here.

Read Other's Reviews (Apparently I'm not the only one with dissatisfaction):

From UrbanSpoonConfetti Cupcakes on Urbanspoon
From Yelp

A place with horrible customer service

Friday, February 18, 2011

Simple Green Beans and Ground Pork Recipe (Filipino Ginisang Sitaw)


This delectable Filipino dish is a staple must! It is called "Ginisang Sitaw," which translates to "Sauteed String Beans." Not only is it savory, but healthy too as you get a good dose of your green beans, garlic, and tomatoes. Create a balanced meal in under 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 Bundle of String Beans
1 Medium Tomatoe
3 Cloves Garlic
Ground pork
2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3-5 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce depending on taste
Black Pepper to taste

1. Chop up your string beans into bite-sizes. Then chop up your onion into your preferred size, I like mine to vary so I just chop it freely. Next chop your tomatoe into thinner slices so that its consistency is barely detectable when you sautee it. Lastly for preparation, mince the garlic.

2. Heat the oil under low to medium heat (just depends on how long you want everything to simmer) and then throw in the garlic and onion. Once, the garlic has turned to a brownish color, throw in the tomatoe and ground pork and let it simmer for about 5 minutes and stir fry occasionally. Be careful not to overcook it or the pork will dry out.

3. Next, toss in your soy sauce and black pepper to your preferred taste and mix well. Then finally, throw in your string beans and stir fry until the string beans have cooked to your liking. I served this over white rice but for a healthier alternative, top it over some brown rice or basmati rice.

*Optional: You can also add some fish sauce with or instead of the soy sauce in place of salt.

To make sure you're doing it right you can check out a very similar recipe with step-by-step directions with photos for each step at: http://stepbysteprecipe.com/2010/10/03/ginisang-sitaw-2/. According to this website, you shouldn't cook the string beans for more than 3 minutes, so keep that in mind. Good luck.

Friday, February 11, 2011

The Lemongrass Restaurant Review on First Hill, Seattle (across from Seattle University)

Beef Noodle Soup aka Pho

I came upon  The Lemongrass by accident as my colleagues and mine’s first choice was this Italian Restaurant across the street from the CASA training building that we found out was closed during day hours and only opened at 5pm. It was our lunch hour at the time so we settled for this nearby Vietnamese restaurant. We were in luck because although the place was very busy, we were able to get a table right away. The exterior of this place has no justice on what you’re in for.  You take notice of the the air, which was filled with exotic smells of spices and aromatic herbs as soon as you walk in.
Curb Appeal: The place was decorated with its Asian-Vietnamese theme, with lots of bamboo and floral/plantal designs. There was also a large wall-sized waterfall type of décor on the side of the entrance. The seating was a bit tight as the interior was small, but this was common for Vietnamese restaurants. Seating by the door was too breezy with the wind blowing in from people walking in and out, so I’d avoid that area if you tend to get cold.

Customer Service: We came during lunch time, so it was very busy. The service here was average. I was upset that they didn't serve my Pho of choice, which is White Meat Chicken Pho. Our server said they only had the dark meat kind, yuck. I settled for the Beef Pho. My colleagues ordered Grilled Pork Sandwhich, Grilled Chicken Sandwhich, Fresh Spring Rolls, and a special order of Chili Paste Tofu with Chicken, but she had to order Rice separately (surprisingly rice is not included?).

The server got the sandwhiches mixed up, saying one was chicken when really it was pork. Wouldn't that have been a shame if she was a Muslim or Jewish. Luckily, our group is pretty happy-go-lucky people, we didn't make a fuss about it. I give them points for the chocolate mint for my basil breathe and getting us separate checks with no fuss and in no time.

Fresh Spring Rolls with a side of Peanut Sauce.
Photo Credit by Marissa S. on Yelp.com
Food Quality: The Pho was ok, there was nothing special about their broth. I was pleased they weren't chintzy with the add-ons (lime, basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, and jalapeno peppers). My colleagues complained that there wasn't enough meat in the sandwhiches nor in the special Tofu order, so I'm thinking if they had a do over they'd order a heartier meat dish. I thought my Pho had plenty of meat though, but if I had a do over, I'd try one of their Vermicelli bowls or Vegetarian dishes. The Tofu there looked yummy! All in all, with these prices, it beats going to a fast food restaurant, and it's much healthier for you.

Price: Affordable!! Most all the entrees are under $10. A great place for lunch with colleagues.

Specials/Happy Hour: They're specials vary weekly, this week they had Vietnamese Sandwhiches for only $5. You can check on their website what their current specials are.

Website: http://originallemongrass.com/Lemongrass/Home.html

Hours of Operation:
Sunday-Thursday 10am-9pm
Friday-Saturday 10am-10pm

Address:
514 12th Ave
Seattle, Wa 98122-5509


View Larger Map

Phone: (206) 860-8164

Read Other's Reviews:

From UrbanSpoonLemongrass on Urbanspoon
From Yelp
From TripAdvisor

They also have two other locations, one in Seattle's International District and one in the Renton Village near Uwajimaya.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Nail Polish Review: OPI Nail Lacquer Diva of Geneva




OPI is a reputable brand name when in comes to nail polish. Their nail polishes or excuse me, nail lacquers have thee best shine compared to other leading brands and holds up the longest, from my experience. Currently I am sporting their "Diva of Geneva" color. It is sort of a brick red color with purple-violety tones.


This is what it looks like with my camera flash on. You can clearly see the purple-ish tones.

This is more of its true color.
I applied a base coat first and then two coats of the polish after. I didn't apply a top coat yet and it's still really shiny. This color is definitely a classic and can go with any outfit color.