le café court: 2016

Lunch in DUMBO

On our second-last day of the New York trip, my friend and I ventured across the Brooklyn Bridge for a late lunch in DUMBO, a neighbourhood of old warehouse buildings that have been refurbished into luxury apartments and trendy shops.

The majority of our time, however, was spent on Old Fulton Street, a relatively quiet location with all of the classic New York details: weathered brick buildings with iron balcony fire escapes, stoops, and trendy coffee shops. They've taken the guess-work out of every foreigner's foodie list by clustering delicious restaurants on one block.

We initially planned on eating lunch at Juliana's Pizza, the first store that popped up in our google search for a traditional, coal-fired pizza pie. We soon realized (by the s-shaped line-up) that Juliana's was also the ideal lunch spot for other tourists. Unfazed by the challenge, we mentally braced ourselves for the wait and joined the queue.

Best pizzeria in the US in 2015 (TripAdvisor)

Once inside, we were instantly revived by the sights and sounds of the food and great customer service; waiters diligently maneuvered around one another as they served their chatty customers.

After a long period of indecision, we plumped for the first option on the pizza special: mozzarella, scamorza affumicata, pancetta, scallions and oregon-grown white truffles in olive oil.

I must admit that this pizza was well worth the 90 minute wait. Have a look.

Large pie, please!

The tomato-less pizza was something new and quite refreshing. I especially appreciated the sweet scallions, the savoury pancetta, and the generous layer of fresh mozzarella.

Sunshine and a stroll were well warranted after such a satisfying meal.

Brooklyn Ice cream Factory

Manhattan Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge

Jane's Carousel built in 1922

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beethoven

3 Reasons Why You Desperately Need to Treat Yourself

"Life should be an extraordinarily enjoyable experience... day, by day, by day." - Brendan Burchard

Hey friends!

It's been a while. But I made this post extra special for you. This post is on the subject of wellness, and the importance of doing something extra special for yourself every once and a while.

Treat Yourself

We all do it. We find ourselves at 100% capacity with succeeding at work, in school, and with our personal projects. However, you'll soon find that your Friday evening treat (you know, that glass of red wine) just isn't cutting it anymore.

Three reasons

Rewarding yourself is so essential to your overall well-being. In fact, studies say that we:

work harder
achieve more, and are
happier

when we have a reward system set in place. But in order for it to feel like a reward, it needs to be on a "large" enough scale so that:

It actually feels like a reward because it's clearly defined (i.e. you anticipate it, it's satisfying and memorable)
You feel rejuvenated at the end of it all.

Some may argue that treating yourself is too costly, but I'm a firm believer that doing something "extra special" doesn't have to burn a hole in your pocket. Splurging can be as simple as dedicating a block of your time - let's say, an evening - to go off on your own and do something that you love and not feel guilty about it. That last part is the key. You have to truly believe that your positive actions have made you deserving of something great.

New York City

I recently went to New York for a few days with my best friend on a sort of grad trip/girls trip hybrid. Our goal was to check out some key food spots, monuments, and museums that we've been storing in memory after years of perousing blogs, reading books - and more generally - from seeing in pop culture. We constructed a hefty excel spreadsheet that outlined our activities by day, while keeping fully aware that Manhattan is arguably the largest metropolis in North America, and that we can't see everything in one go.

Despite the fact that we had a jam-packed schedule, some rainy weather, and a 24hr flu; the trip was a great, and felt like a nice way to cap off four years of undergraduate studies. Also, I managed to squeeze in one extra special event: Carnegie Hall.

Dream Fulfilled: Carnegie Hall

125th anniversary (left) Stevie Wonder and other celebrity autographs (right)

Attending a concert at Carnegie Hall has been a huge dream of mine for the past few years, and even moreso in the last two years, as my knowledge and appetite for classical music expanded. The dream was realized in excellent timing too, as 2016 marks the 125th anniversary of the hall's opening.

Emanuel Ax

I attended a piano concerto by Emanuel Ax, a musical mastermind with warm face and humble demeanor about him. We all watched in anticipation as he walked onto center stage and took his seat.

Mr. Ax played an assortment of pieces from Beethoven's Grande Sonate Pathétique. He started the evening with Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio, a piece reminiscent of beautiful despair (shrill almost). However, my favourite piece by far was the Adagio cantabile, a slow, delicate and majestic piece that is played with extreme attention and care. It has a way of lifting your spirits and transporting you to your happy place. Isn't it just beautiful?