If you guys read my last travel post, you know that I'm obsessed with Brooklyn. It's my favorite NYC borough and my goal over the next three years is to explore all of its nooks and crannies. Last weekend, I had Sunday off and needed to do some work, so I decided to check out Park Slope and get some work done there.

Holy crap, I loved Prospect Heights, but Park Slope is even more gorgeous. It screams "yuppie", but at the same time appears to be a very family-friendly area that feels much safer than Prospect Heights in my opinion. There are so many unique coffee shops and boutiques here. Plus, the real estate here is stunning (but more on that later).



I got to Park Slope around 10:30 am, a little bit later than I had intended, but I was surprised to see how quiet the streets were. I guess most people were sleeping in! I know there's a lot of sunburst in the photo above, but hopefully you can see all the shops that line the main streets running through Park Slope. A good number of these are coffee shops, but there are also some unique boutiques, restaurants, and grocery shops.

Above is the snap I took of my latte and bagel from the coffee shop I went to, Konditori. It's a Swedish espresso house and the Yelp reviews raved about what a great study spot it is. The latte was very strong and the bagel was delicious, although a bit stale. I have to say though that Sit & Wonder, the coffee shop I went to in Prospect Heights, was much better. Nonetheless, Konditori was a great place to study and get work done -- tons of sunshine pouring in through the windows, free Wifi, and a large seating area.

After I finished reading a few articles, I decided to walk around and explore the area. I went to this adorable gift shop/paperie called Lion in the Sun. They had adorable stationary, NYC-themed gifts, Christmas cards, and various knicks and knacks. I was really tempted to get a souvenir (the Brooklyn tote bags were adorable), but it was quite above my budget especially since I spent a fortune on Black Friday this year.

What I loved most about Park Slope was the gorgeous apartments and townhouses that lined the side streets. Brownstone buildings are my favorite, and there was no shortage of those in this area. I'm sure the rent is an arm and leg, but it's so worth it for the location. I couldn't stop taking pictures of the buildings, they were so stunning. If I were to stay in New York after residency, I could definitely see myself living somewhere around here, if I could afford to. It's such a (relatively) safe, clean area and it has great accessibility to Manhattan.




As I was making my way through the streets, I saw an outdoor flea market. It was funny because a lot of the stuff there seemed like what you would find in India at a much lower cost. I love flea markets and outdoor vendors like this especially on beautiful sunny days.

Eventually, I ended up walking all the way to this giant intersection at the edge of Prospect Park. You might recognize it from my Prospect Heights blog. I love how stunning the view is here. The Brooklyn Public Library was nearby so I decided to pop in there and get the rest of my reading done. It's such a huge library! 

Unfortunately, I didn't take photos of the rest of my evening in Park Slope. I pretty much ended up walking back to Park Slope and we went to a sports bar called 200 Fifth to watch the Jets vs. Patriots game with my friend from college who was in the area for a late dinner with his co-residents. It was my first time going to a sports bar to watch a football game, and it was so much fun. The food was amazing there, even for a pub. So upsetting I didn't take a photo of the place. 

All in all, it was a very productive and fun Sunday. Park Slope is a gorgeous part of Brooklyn and comes in at a close second after Williamsburg. 

#healthyholidays Day 3 : resisted the urge to binge eat!! I was craving McDonald's for lunch, but instead I heated up some leftover chicken fajitas I had those for lunch. After the meal was done, I was satisfied and don't remember why I was craving McNuggets in the first place :) 

Travel Diaries: A Weekend in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn

Hey lovelies! Hope your weekend is starting off well. I've been getting over laryngitis that really hit me hard last week. I could barely squeak out even a few words. But I'm happy to say that my voice is fully recovered now and I'm back on my game. 

Today I wanted to share some photos from my trip to Prospect Heights a few weeks ago. It was my second time in Brooklyn, which I absolutely fell in love with a few months ago when I went to Williamsburg. There are so many cute little corners of Brooklyn that each have their own unique charm and flair. In fact, not gonna lie, I think it's slowly becoming my favorite NYC borough. 

So I decided to get up early in the morning and venture out to Brooklyn about two Saturdays ago. Unfortunately all of my friends were busy or working that day, so I decided to just go on my own. I had to do some reading for my residency program, so I figured my first stop should be a coffee shop. Brooklyn is known for being hipster, so of course coffee shops are everywhere. After searching Yelp, I decided to try a shop called "Sit and Wonder" out in Prospect Heights. It seemed to have the best blend of hipster, urban, and looked like a spacious study spot with a cool scenery and free WiFi. I got a caffe latte and oh my goodness, it is the best latte I have ever had in my life. It helped that the cup it was poured in was extra cute. Strong, but not bitter, with just the right amount of milk. Oh and the croissant was delicious and buttery.

Prospect Heights is of course home to Prospect Park, which hosts a farmer's market each Saturday. Sadly I forgot to take pictures of the market :( but the park itself was quite beautiful and serene. The Farmers Market was quite large with a mix of cute little stands. Next to the park is the Brooklyn Public Library. It's a really beautiful, spacious library with (get this) free WiFi even for non-card holders! It's really well kept and I wish I lived closer so I could come here and study in my spare time...does that sound nerdy?!

After roaming around Prospect Heights, Prospect Park, and the Brooklyn Public Library I was exhausted and famished! I decided to try Kimchi Grill, a unique blend of Mexican and Korean. I got a chicken burrito and it was pretty good! I think they went a little overboard on the kimchee, but it went really well with the fajita flavoring of the burrito. It was a pretty huge burrito for only about $10. Definitely hit the spot and a great ending to my day in Brooklyn! Cannot wait for my next adventure there. 

Travel Diaries: London & New Delhi

Greetings from across the world! I wasn't planning on writing a post on this trip, but I ended up bringing my laptop and had some spare time, so thought I would write a bit. SO much to talk about. These last two weeks have been full of adventure, family time, exploring, and the best part of it all...relaxing! I really needed this time off. Of course, it's going to stink having to go back to the real world in a week but trying not to think about that too much and just focus on the present. I really loved exploring London and New Delhi, but hands down my favorite part of this trip has been getting to know my relatives. I know, I would never have thought that meeting relatives would be the favorite part of this trip! My uncle is coming in tomorrow so super excited to spend time with him for a few days as well. I think I'm finally old enough to appreciate family relationships and the value they hold. I'm having such a blast hanging out with my grandpa...this time is truly invaluable to me and I will cherish it for the rest of my life. Spending time with my aunt in London was so cozy and heartwarming since she is one of the nicest, bubbliest people I know. A true inspiration for how everyone should model their lives. Besides meeting relatives, I've been doing a lot of traveling and exploring. In London, my dad and I took the Hop on Hop Off Bus tour that showed us all of central London and included a river cruise on the Thames. In Delhi, I've been going to different spots with my aunt, cousin, and grandpa. So far I've seen Connaught Place, Jhanpat, Chandni Chowk, Red Fort, India Gate, Qutab Minar, Lajpat Nagar, Dilli Haat...literally everything. Plus been doing tons of shopping and eating at fabulous places. I bought tons of Indian clothes since I didn't have any in my current size. Also very happy to say that I haven't gotten sick yet even though I've cheated and eaten street food twice!

My vacation formally ends next Thursday. I cannot wait to be back, but a big part of me is going to miss New Delhi, especially being with my grandpa. I have so many things planned for when I return like filling up some photo albums, making scrapbook pages, organizing my apartment, working out, playing around with new baking and cooking recipes, playing with new makeup, etc. I also have to catch up on all my beauty blogs and youtube channels, which I've been neglecting for the most part since I've been here. And of course, have a ton of school responsibilities to attend to such as finishing my research report, getting ready for the PICU, and making my rank list. So tons of excitement and tons of responsibilities to look after, womp womp. 

But for now, I'm off to brew a cup of tea, catch up on Pretty Little Liars, and just relax with the love of my life, my grandpa. :) I'll catch up on my research and medicine readings on my 15 hour flight home next week. Toodles! 

Exploring Indiana: IUP Campus

Last week when I was staying at Indiana, one of the places I'm glad I got some time to explore was the IUP campus. I half-expected it to be old and full of dilapidated buildings, but I was surprised to see that it was a really gorgeous, modern campus! I didn't go inside any of the buildings since school wasn't in session, but admiring the campus from afar was great as well. I really enjoyed driving through the campus because it has a very "campus"-y feel to it! The buildings all looked like they were recently built and had a beautiful terracotta-beige theme to them (like the school colors). Plus, the campus was very neat and tidy, and well maintained. I love Pitt, but one of the things it's missing is that it doesn't feel like the stereotypical campus that I saw in movies. Therefore, it was really refreshing to see a school that has the college feel to it. I honestly wish I would've toured IUP during my college hunt. Take a look at the pictures below! (I don't remember what the buildings were named, but they were gorgeous nonetheless!). 

Isn't it a gorgeous campus?! I wish I had taken more pictures! Anyway, I'm done living in Indiana for the month. I'll be commuting to the clinic everyday since I had a little issue with the neighbors in the apartment they selected for us. In a nutshell, he was a creepy old little man and it was in a sketch neighborhood, so I decided to just play it safe and commute. Also, sorry for the lack of beauty and makeup posts! Now that I'm getting back into wearing more makeup, expect more beauty-related posts :)

Exploring Indiana: Blue Spruce Park & Caffe Amadeus

Today, I had a free morning since clinic didn't start until 1pm. I was initially thinking about driving back to Pittsburgh last night, but I decided to stay in Indiana and explore. Since I had a full half-day, I decided to go for a nice nature walk at Blue Spruce Park.  

My 30 minute walk this morning was so peaceful and it gave me a chance to get away from the hustle-bustle of school and everyday life. Below you'll see pictures from along my walk. It's a beautiful, serene park...definitely one of the most quaint spots I've been to in a long time. The morning air was cool and crisp this morning, so it felt almost like fall weather. It was so nice to start off my morning by doing some light exercise. I'm sure I didn't burn a significant number of calories, but the walk left me feeling super energized, relaxed, and ready to start my day. I didn't even need a second cup of coffee today like I usually do! It's 8pm as I'm writing this, and I'm still super energized and relaxed! My goal for this month is to take 30-60 mins out of each morning to go for a walk at a park or a trail. There are so many walking trails around Indiana that I'm hoping to explore a couple more spots during the rest of my time here! And I'm hoping to continue my morning walks when I'm back in Pittsburgh. I have thyroid issues and even though I take medicine, I'm still tired throughout the day no matter how many cups of coffee I drink. I'm hoping that starting off my day with exercise will make me feel more energized and happier...and maybe even help me shed some weight! 

Park entrance 

Beautiful landscape and greenery of Indiana County 

Walking trail by the lake

Fishing spot by the lake 

Lake in the middle of Blue Spruce Park

Surrounded by nature on a peaceful walking trail

After my walk, I decided to spend the rest of my morning at Caffe Amadeus located in Downtown Indiana, PA. When I first got to Indiana, I did a search on Yelp for good study spots and coffeehouses, and this place came up with excellent reviews. The pictures of their drinks and desserts looked divine! Plus, they roast their own beans so I knew the coffee would be fresh. I decided to get just a regular latte and skipped the pastries since I didn't feel like eating anything sweet early in the morning. It's so cute how they give you a shot of water along side the coffee to take either before or after your coffee to cleanse your palate. I think you're supposed to take it before you drink your coffee, but I did it at the end to get rid of that residual coffee taste in my mouth. Their latte was absolutely delicious with a nice rich flavor. Also, one of the best latte arts I've seen. The decor of the coffee shop was a little quirky with pictures of classical composers, authors, and literary figures hung on the walls and antique armchairs and sofas spread throughout the shop. Needless to say, it was one of the most unique coffeeshops I've ever been to. It makes me realize how I should explore the coffeeshops in Pittsburgh instead of always going to Starbucks or Panera! At Caffe Amadeus, I read a few articles I had saved on my laptop and sipped my latte on a comfy armchair. It was a great study spot even though they didn't have Wifi. All in all, I would definitely like to stop by Caffe Amadeus before I go back to Pittsburgh, and try another espresso drink and maybe even get a pastry.

Since I had a few more minutes to spare, I decided to just walk along Philadelphia Street, which is the main street in Downtown. It has a bunch of unique stores that reminded me of antique shops. There were a few bakeries along the way too which I almost splurged at, but managed to control myself! Indiana is such a small little town, and it's refreshing to be somewhere away from a big city like Pittsburgh, and see how life functions in a small town.

Philadelphia Street at sunset

All in all, I'm really liking Indiana more than I thought I would. Although I was a little afraid at first, I'm finally getting used to the place and liking the small-town charm this place has. I can't wait to explore more places in Indiana during the rest of my time here! 

My Travel Beauty & Hair Essentials

Whew, talk about massive heat wave this week! It was our "spring break/summer weekcation" and oh my goodness the temperatures have been up to the 90s! Summer is my least favorite season, so I'm not loving the heat that much.  This week has truly been a stay-cation. I started it off with a bang at Niagara Falls, but the rest of the week was spent running errands and finishing up my research data collection. But I did want to take the time out to talk a little bit about the beauty supplies I brought with me to Niagara. This is what I usually pack for a weekend vacation. 

This is the makeup bag I take with me while I'm traveling: 

It's a beautiful Tarte travel makeup bag that I got in a Christmas gift back in 2013. I'm not sure if Tarte sells much of these anymore, but you can find similar bags in other brands at Target, Walmart, etc. These bags are super handy for storing my beauty stuff while traveling -- it holds all of my makeup, some skincare stuff, travel-sized items, hair stuff, etc. I remember before I had this, I used to pack like 5 separate bags for my beauty stuff, or I had them rolling around in my bag, which was a huge mess. This bag has honestly made packing my beauty stuff SO much easier and more convenient. Even when I'm staying overnight at my parent's house, I store my beauty stuff in here. I really like that it's separated into 3 compartments of different sizes, so you can store delicate stuff in the small bag without having to worry about your bigger-sized items crushing it. And it provides ample space for most of my beauty stuff, especially for shorter trips or overnight stays. It has a loop on the top, so you can hang it off of any hook. Usually hotel rooms have a hook on the bathroom door, so it's perfect. Below I've shown what I store in each compartment.

The smallest compartment -- I like using this for more fragile, smaller items. Oftentimes, I'll store jewelry in this compartment, although I didn't take any pieces with me on this particular vacation. The other thing I really like using this small pouch for is for my hair accessories like scrunchies, bobby pins, etc. They don't get lost as easily in small pouches like this. This pouch is also a great size for smaller sized makeup products. For this trip, I packed my under eye concealer, dark spot concealer, eyeshadow primer, a travel-sized Pixi eyeshadow palette, and a mini NARS blush pan. I also put some fragrance samples I got from Sephora for both me and my mom. And then of course I stuffed some scrunchies in there as well. Oh, and I forgot to mention that this pouch is detachable, so you can carry it in your handbag or store it elsewhere if you wish.

Medium-sized compartment -- I use this section to store bulkier makeup products, such as face products. I also like to keep all of my lip products in this compartment, so they're all in one location rather than spread out everywhere. As you see, I fit a large-size bottle of foundation, my bulky face powder, a large mascara tube, and 3 full-sized lip products. I usually take a gloss, a lip balm, and a lipstick with me while traveling so I can wear whatever I'm in the mood for. This time, I just stuck to one color, but if I"m going on a longer vacation I'll pack a few more lip products in various textures and colors. I chose peachy-pink colors for Niagara since they're neutral, brighten my lips, and are perfect for the spring season.

Largest compartment -- I personally like using this compartment for miscellaneous products such as skincare items, body care, makeup brushes, cleansing pads, etc. I've even managed to store some palettes in here before!  I stored a travel-size conditioner, toothpaste, and face scrub. I also threw in a small pack of makeup removing towelettes so I didn't have to drag my large pack of Simple cleansing wipes. I also put my eyebrow and eyeshadow brushes in this compartment, but I usually put my face brushes in a separate brush holder so they don't get super dirty. I could have also fit my travel sized body wash and lotion in here, but those were very last minute additions to my suitcase so they didn't quite make it into the bag! :(

These are the other products I took with me that were larger and didn't fit in the Tarte bag. I try to buy travel-sized products for vacations as much as I can because they take up much less space in my suitcase, and I don't have to worry about carrying around heavy, large, bulky, dripping wet bottles. If I'm going on longer vacations, I usually just buy a bottle of shampoo/conditioner at my destination because it's honestly a lot easier than lugging around a bottle of shampoo from home in my suitcase. Plus, once you're done, you don't have to worry about carrying wet, already opened bottles of liquid back home. I don't know...maybe it's just me, but I hate always worrying about if my shower products are going to drip in my suitcase! Bath & Body Works sells a wide array of travel-sized body washes and body lotions, which I always take with me on vacation (as you see here). I usually take deodorant and hair products from home (except for shampoo/conditioner) because they don't make smaller sized versions of those, and my deodorant is small enough. And as always, my Wet brush goes with me everywhere because that is one of my holy grail hair products.

So that is what I pack for a weekend getaway. Of course the makeup products may change, but overall the types of things I take stay the same. I didn't mention any specific products in this post, but they've definitely all been mentioned in previous beauty posts on my blog, so check those out if you're curious! :)

Travel Diaries: Niagara Falls

I'm super excited to be writing my very first travel post on this blog! I don't get to travel too much anymore since school has become so crazy busy. So naturally, I was beyond excited when I got a spare weekend to travel to Niagara Falls with my family. I've been to Niagara so many times since that was my family go-to destination during my middle school and high school years. However, I was surprised that I actually had a great time and really enjoyed my visit to Niagara despite having been there loads of times before. The falls are just breathtaking each and every time I visit. The picture above was taken on the Maid of the Mist that takes you directly to the falls. So beautiful.

We left Pittsburgh on Saturday morning and reached Niagara after a 5-hour car ride. We got to our hotel, the Comfort Inn Suites, around 3pm. I had driven the entire journey, so naturally I needed a little refreshing before exploring. After washing my face and putting on some makeup, we headed out to Clifton Hill. We went on the Sky Wheel, which was a really nice experience. Even my mom and dad, who are both scared of heights, joined my brother and I on the Sky Wheel! It was a bit scary at first, but the view of the falls was really nice. It was just a really good experience, and one that we hadn't done before on our previous trips to Niagara. 

Here are some pictures from the Sky Wheel:

We walked around Clifton Hill a bit more, and made our way down to the falls which were a bit of a walk from the bottom of the Hill. Really gorgeous, but super duper cold since it was the evening by the time we got down there. For dinner, we went to Rainforest Cafe, which has a really nice tropical forest feel and has really delicious food. Really fun experience.

After dinner, we retreated back to our hotel for the night. My brother and I went down to the drugstore a few blocks from our hotel, the Shopper's Drug Mart (the Canadian version of CVS). I was hoping to find some makeup to try, but they didn't really have anything I couldn't find in Ulta here. 

The next day was reserved for the Falls. We went on the Maid of the Mist (now called the Hornblower, actually) which is one of the most fun experiences in Niagara Falls. Got super wet, but it was so refreshing! We also walked around the Falls as well and snapped many photos. We then drove to Niagara On The Lake, the lakeside "suburb" of Niagara. On the way, we stopped at Southbrook Winery and I picked up a bottle of Framboise Wine, a raspberry-flavored wine. We got to taste a few types of wine, and that one was by far my favorite. I think it will be a nice treat on weekends after a rough week, plus a nice little memoir from the Falls. My mom picked up a bottle of dessert wine as a little treat for herself. Niagara On The Lake was a gorgeous view, but there were so many dragonflies around, oh my goodness! Kind of dulled the experience, but it was still breathtaking nonetheless. 

We actually didn't spend that much time at Niagara On The Lake. We stopped for a few minutes for the view, but then we decided to continue our drive up north to Mississuaga for some Indian food. It was a much longer journey than we anticipated! It took about an hour to drive there, but it was a really nice drive. The roads were open, wide, and empty. The views were spectacular as well. We ate Indian food for dinner and then went to an Indian supermarket to pick up some snacks and delicacies for back home. We also stopped at Shopper's Drug Mart since I wanted to bring back some Cadbury chocolates for myself. By the time we got back to our hotel that night, it was 10pm and we were all beat. 

We woke up the next morning, our last day of the trip. It was a lazy morning. We ate breakfast, relaxed by the pool, and walked a little bit down Clifton Hill. We stopped at Tim Horton's after breakfast for some coffee and croissants. 

We then decided to leave for back home early since we all had work the next morning and my brother had school. We stopped at a Duty Free shop before crossing the border back to America, and I picked up a little birthday treat for myself (post coming up soon!). We then drove back home with a stop at Chipotle in Erie for dinner.

Overall, it was a really really really fun trip! Even though I've been to Niagara Falls a billion times, I still have fun every single time I go. The views are just so breathtaking and there's so much to do there. It's a really beautiful spot and the views never cease to amaze me. I'm actually quite sad to be back home, but I'm already looking forward to our next family vacation. I absolutely loved the time I got to spend with my family after such a long time. This year has just been so crazy busy, it was so nice to have a week to relax and spend with loved ones, and to get away from Pittsburgh!