What Newspaper?

I agree that majority of young people do not care about reading the newspaper, a point that needs emphasizing, since so many people believe that, young people do not care about what is going on in the world. Now days, majority of citizens choose to read the news on the Internet. Reasons why the internet is better than the old newspaper:

1. It is more convenient- No more waiting at the door step in the morning

2. Internet users have more control of what they want to read or see- No more pulling out the Sears ads or covering your eyes at the adult video advertisements in the back

3. Easily accessible news feed that is constantly being updated- “News at your fingertips”

4. Comments from REAL people who have interesting opinions, allowing online readers to engage in discussions- entertaining and enlightening

5. Eco-friendly :)

The standard way of thinking about news is that true facts are being told. But when I compared articles on the same topics and events from different newspapers in different countries, it was clear to me that the NEWS IS SKEWED. Also, I celebrate the fact that my generation is becoming a lot more liberal and forming their own opinions; questioning THE MAN.

News being consumed on the web rather than on paper is a big deal for the newspaper industry. They are not going to be able to compete with companies like, Yahoo or NPR unless they change… something. In addition, advertising companies are currently going through a dramatic change. Technology is allowing them to target exactly whom they want to target for an effective investment in social media websites (have you noticed the ads you are seeing on the side of your computer relates to what you are viewing on your computer screens?). It is a bit scary.

The Internet is changing the way we view the world.

Farts of the Vegans in Portland

I was out and about today (because it was sunny) and I thought I would look for that vegan/raw cafe called, Prasad that my friend works at. Located in the Pearl District, the little cafe shares a garage-looking space with a yoga studio called Yoga Pearl. Sort of bizarre but the layout makes sense for a cafe that is featured in an episode of Portlandia.

The menu is amazing to me; categories on the menu are: breakfast, drinks, soups and greens, bowls, wraps, fresh juice, health elixirs, and smoothies. I got the Soul Salad: spinach, chiplotle tempeh, black beans, toasted pepitas (yum), slow roasted tomatoes and avocado with red chili vinaigrette and garlic tahini for $8.50. It was very filling and delicious; tempeh is my new favorite power food. I felt so great after, I decided I would even walk the 1 mile home... then I started getting gassy.

Anyways, I got home and started obsessing about the cafe over the internet. I came across this funny Portlandia video- filmed in Prasad and making fun of it. So true. Unfortunately the fart patio is made up.





Photos from Prasad Cuisine's website:
The Gaucho Wrap:
Chipotle marinated tempeh, slow roasted tomatoes, spinach, black beans, jalapeno cashew cheese, smash avocado and lime in a whole wheat tortilla $8 (Same as the soul salad I ate today except in a wrap with cashew cheese)





One of those women is the owner; Karen Pride

Found a recipe for a vegan dressing that Karen gave to another obsessive blogger who blogged about Prasad. I need a food processor so I can try to re-create it at home.That way, I'll be in my own privacy when I eat raw ;)

Summer Freckles are IN

Summer is just around the corner, and so are your darkening freckles. But please don't be ashamed of your freckles, embrace your individualistic skin. Everyone thinks they make you look friendlier anyways.
Freckles are not harmful. Freckles develop because it's your skin's response to protect itself against UV rays. After being in the sun, the outer layer of the skin (the epidermis) thickens and the pigment-producing cells (the melanocytes) produce the pigment melanin at an increased rate, creating freckles. Freckles are IN so forget the full coverage foundation; A tinted moisturizer with SPF or a mineral/sheer foundation is what you need for a healthy, dewey, natural looking glow.

Beach Time at Heceta

Chiyomi recently had her (and Mikes) beach house renovated so we got to occupy the new amenities this weekend. They named the summer rental, THE PEARL AT HECETA BEACH. Located at Heceta Beach in Florence, a short walk to the beach was on our agenda every day. The ocean breeze put us in a trance until Monday morning.

Foods at the Beach

F R E N C H T O A S T



This was the first time I used gluten free bread to make french toast. It was a good idea because the bread is a lot denser than regular bread, it soaked up the egg mixture very well. However, the gluten free bread takes longer to cook.
Egg mixture was:
Eggs, vanilla, cinnamon

F I S H T A C O S



Coleslaw was used for the lettuce of the fish tacos. Green and purple cabbage make the tacos look colorful. We found a healthy coleslaw dressing at Fred Meyers called, Walden Farms Coleslaw Dressing. It is sugar, fat, carb, gluten, and cholesterol free.

As the afternoon sun was on the patio, we broke in the new grill
Grilled halibut
Simply seasoned the fish with olive oil, salt, and pepper
Corn tortillas on the grill with olive oil. Burnt the first 4 of them to learn that they only need 5 seconds to get warm and a bit crispy. If you like crunchy tacos, keep them on the grill longer







Slices of avocado, two different salsas: green chile taco salsa and a garlic and lime salsa, slices of lime, and cilantro topped the tacos

Sweet Potato Experiments

Sweet Potato is a great carbohydrate because it is cheap and has zero saturated fat.These french fries were simple to make.

The ingredients needed:
1. Olive oil
2. Pepper or your own seasoning (I used hickory smoke salt)
3. One sweet potato

Directions:
1. Cut up the sweet potato
2. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet
3. Drizzle oil
4. Season
5. Stick them in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 min
6. Flip it over
7. They go in for about 15 more min or until crispy




Just bought the salt free ketchup from Fred Meyer's on Sunday and it tastes like the real deal. There is a salt substitute in it.

Another way to eat a sweet potato is to roast it in the oven:
1. Wrap it in foil with olive oil
2. Stick it in a oven for 400 degrees for 1.5 hours
And you are pau

Nice and hot
For a sweeter taste (and if you enjoy the consistency of baby food):
1. Mash it up when it is hot
2. Mix in a generous amount of maple syrup and little bit of brown sugar

SPF

The sun has come back into our lives Portlandians! Before getting dressed for the day, put on that SPF. It is important to maintain a SPF routine in the AM because the layer of sunscreen will act as a reflector to the sun or absorb the UV light to filter the UVA- it depends if the ingredients are organic chemical compounds or inorganic chemical compounds. This Eucerin is my favorite SPF because it is so affordable, feels good on the skin, not greasy, doesn't leave residue, fragrance free, and seeps right in.
The Ageless total lightening serum is Vitamin C to reduce redness or any brown spots. Used at night before bed and in the AM first thing.

Zaru Soba, Wild Mushroom, and Kale Salad

On Saturday, I picked up a $5 bag of wild mushrooms and $5 worth of kale. I have finally found the creativity to cook them together using what little ingredients I have around my kitchen (I'm proud).

Directions:
1. Sautée chopped up garlic with vegetable oil
2. Throw in mushrooms when garlic is semi crispy
3. Cover skillet with a lid for 5 min.
4. Season (Ms. Dash salt free seasoning)
5. Throw in kale
6. Wait for the kale to be warm, 1 min
7. Put some zaru soba noodles (mommy sent them to me ^.^ ) on top.
8. The dressing was a Japanese soy sauce dressing. Ingredients are: soy sauce, bonito extract, sugar, sweet rice wine, and caramel.

Japanese dressings are the best kind of dressings. The sweet, salty, and light refreshing taste makes my mouth water.

Mrs. Meyers for Spring Cleaning

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day products are made of essential oils, from flowers and herbs smells, these products smell oh so refreshing. These lovely cleaning products also cuts out daily dirt and grime. The products come in scents of lavender, lemon, basil, verbena, and geranium.
This brand of cleaning product does not contain chlorine bleach, ammonia, petroleum distillates, parabens, phosphates, or phthalates. Meyer’s uses biodegradable formulas and renewable plant recourses such as coconut, pam, corn, SOY, or olive.
These sell them in grocery stores such as: Zupans, Fred Meyers, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and New Seasons.

Ohana in Washington DC

Hey folks.


After visiting Washington D.C. during Spring Break, I feel the appreciation for all the Portland peoples. It may be stereotypical to categorize people from where they are from; though I can spot the difference in people's attitudes depending on where I am. For example, in Hawaii people are very relaxed, in Texas most people have southern manners, East coast people love to honk their horns ("beep beep I am uptight"), and Oregonians love Birkenstocks (they are hippies).

I could not wait to get back to Portland because all of the friendly people. There is something about the Portland spirit that is so unique.
I did a lot of tours of our nation's capital because there is much history that happened in that city that affected us. Understanding the history of our country, helps us to grow an appreciation for our country.
I went on a couple of tours: Assassination of Lincoln, Ghosts of Georgetown tour (where The Excorism was filmed!), and my favorite one called Nighttime Bus Tour that took us to most of the national statues (even drove to Virginia). One of my favorite places in Washington D.C. was the National Mall. I thought I was walking to a mall, but it turned out to be a beautiful park. To the right side of the "mall" is the Lincoln Memorial and to the left side of the mall is the U.S. Capital.
The National Portrait Museum is located in the heart of downtown, close to China town (they have an impressive China town)
The National Portrait Museum took me four hours to walk through. The art is amazing. It holds art from the 1700's and half of the museum is modern art. Portrait painting is my favorite type of art because I love to see people's facial expressions.
All of the media displayed had captions explaining who this person was to the artist and how they have influenced them or someone else.


In front of the White House: