Doughnuts and fried chicken are some of most popular foods in America, why not get them both at the same place? Introducing Astro: Doughnuts and Fried Chicken. (They also sell sandwiches.) Recently, I went to downtown Los Angeles to shoot some pictures for a photography assignment. (I will be posting all of the images I took for this assignment when it is done.) With downtown LA being super crowded that day due to the multitude of events going on, I found street parking near Astro: Doughnuts and Fried Chicken on W. 6th St. in between S. Grand Ave. and S. Olive St. near Perishing Square. Just driving around looking for parking, Astro caught my eye. I wanted to check it out, and so I did after taking my pictures. When I walked in, it was a bit different from other stores. The first thing I noticed is that not many of the employees smiled or greeted me at the door. Only one did, and there were about two or three other employees working in the front. Most of them simply looked up and went back to their work. Aside from that, the store itself was small. There were about three tables in front of the cashier and two window seats. The two of the three tables seated up to four people, and the other only seated two. The maximum capacity for Astro was only about 74 people. But that's enough about the environment. Let's get to the food. 

Discovering new foods are always one of our biggest weaknesses because food is life, for most of us. There is a new collaboration going on with Zero Degrees and the Travel Bottle. Right now, if you go over to any Zero Degree cafe, you can get selected drinks in a Travel Bottle. Honestly, it's so worth it.

Needless to say, we had a blast just getting the drinks and the drinks themselves were amazing. Everything was freshly made and the boba was the absolute best. It was made to perfection and I can't wait to go back. In total, it costs about $26 because the drinks were about $3-4 each, boba was $0.50, and as expected, the bottle itself was about $9. But it doesn't matter because I checked the prices for the travel bottles on their website and it's about $13 by itself, so my sister and I got the bottle and a free drink. 
Anyway if anyone wants to check it out, I have the address and website listed down below. They are also going to be opening up another location in Norwalk very soon. 
Zero Degrees: 
9822 Bolsa Ave.
Westminster, CA 92683
http://www.zerodegreescompany.com/
​The Travel Bottle: 
www.thetravelbottle.com/

So recently, Starbucks has released a new drink called the Cold Brew Float. It's basically cold coffee with ice cream and it is delicious. I personally love it so much because come on, who doesn't love coffee and ice cream?  But they only serve it in a tall and it's about $6. I know right. That's crazy and unreasonable to the price to be $6, especially for a tall. But honestly guys, if you love it so much, just mix some vanilla ice cream and cold brew coffee together at home and you can have as much as you for less than $6. My sister just made some because she wanted ice cream, but then she saw some cold brew coffee in the refrigerator and decided to make some coffee ice cream. While she was experimenting with the amount of coffee to add to the ice cream, she just kept mixing and it became a drink. She had me try it and it reminded me of the Cold Brew Float at Starbucks so I just had to write about it. 
Also if you can make the drink yourself at home, just do it. It will save you the money and the drive to Starbucks. 
SIDE STORY:
Yesterday (15 September 2017) was my last Hello Dance. Honestly, I'm pretty sad that it was my last one and the seniors didn't even get first place in the lip sync. Besides that, I'm proud of everyone in lip sync because everyone's performance was amazing. Thank you for all the hard work our choreographers put into making these dances amazing. I had such an amazing time with my friends. This year, ASB donated $2 for every ticket bought to help all of the people affected by the recent hurricanes. Thank you to everyone who could make it to the dance yesterday and hopefully all the people who were affected by the hurricanes are getting the help they need. 
Anyway, i know this is pretty short but I hope everyone has a great week. And if any of you are interested in volunteering at the senior homes, spending time with the elderly, and live in Cerritos or surrounding cities, contact me because I'm looking for more volunteers. Alright, peace out! 

So if you guys don't already follow me on Instagram (@stunning_life.blog), you would know that I have traveled to the Northwest part of America to go to seattle and portland for 8 days. And while I was there, I did so much, visited over 20 famous attractions, stayed at 4 different hotels, ate at 12 different restaurants/cafes, and learned some interesting stuff from the locals and uber drivers. So from the title already, here are my thoughts on a few of the restaurants I ate at during the trip. Their websites will also be available for you at the end of the post. 
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• Tamarind Tree // The Hai Nam Chicken was pretty good, not as good as the one in rosemead (sorry I don't know what the restaurant is called despite that fact that I always go there for Hai Nam Chicken) but it was really good. 
• Ivar's Fish Bar // The Fish & Chips were alright. The fish was a little over cooked so it was a bit dry. If you want amazing fish & chips, you should definitely go check out Gordon Ramsay in Las Vegas near the LINQ Hotel. It is absolutely amazing. 
• Quincy's // The Grilled Chicken Sandwich was so good. It's located inside a huge food court (called the Seattle Center??? I don't really know. Please if anyone lives in Seattle and know where I'm talking about, please tell me.) across from the Chihuly Garden & Glass.
• Cafe inside the Museum of Flight // Heehee all they sell there is comfort food so like baked potatoes, bagels, classic salads. I got the baked potato and it was the greatest freaking thing I have ever eaten. *insert internal t-rex screaming here* It was just so perfect with the butter and the sour cream and the cheese. Delicious. Also I got a bagel and cream cheese and well, it just tasted like every other bagel and cream cheese. Still good tho. To be completely honest, the bagel with cream cheese and baked potato was my lunch. 
• King's Teriyaki // Every time my family and I go on a trip, we always stop at the first asian restaurant we see because there are some places where asian food just doesn't exist so we have to get whatever we find to feel closer to home. This place was really good. It was kind of heavy on the teriyaki sauce but whatever. My family and I shared the Family Plate for 4, which consist of chicken, beef, pork, chicken katsu, and 8 pieces of fried gyoza. Out of the entire plate, my favorites would have to be the beef and the pork.
• Joe's Cafe // OMIGOD the portions are literally HUMONGOUS. Unfortunately, I didn't know how big the portions were going to be so when I ordered a breakfast burrito, it was my breakfast burrito, lunch burrito and it was going to be my dinner burrito but I don't know where it went. Legit tho, the burrito was thicker than my forearm. It was crazy. 
• Thai Ginger // The Pad See Ew was very sweet and the Thai Iced Tea was very good but a little too sweet. 
• Tillamook Cheese Factory // I was told there would be freshly made grilled cheese but since the main part of the factory (for visitors) was under construction, there was no grilled cheese. But I did get the White Chocolate Raspberry Yum and it was so good. It's a bit sweet but my dad liked it which says a lot. There, at the factory, are also cheese samples for tasting.
• The Fish Peddler // I ordered the Oyster Po Boy and now I know that oyster isn't my favorite. The other stuff was good tho like the shrimp and crab melt (I don't actually know if that's what it's called, that's what my sister got and she didn't even remember it when it was our turn to order) and the fries with their house-made tartar sauce. 
• Teriyaki Town // It was so good. I got the beef short ribs and the short ribs were perfectly cooked. It is a must try if you like asian cuisine. 
• Portage Bay Cafe // I ordered the Portage Bay Club which was just a chicken BLT. I love it tho. It was so clean and even tho it was a pretty big sandwich, I finished most of it without feeling that disgusting feeling after eating too much fried food. The food there is all organic and local too which I love, well despite the fact that we found a sticker in the salad but we got half off on the salad and I didn't eat it so whatever. 

Restaurant websites: 

• Tamarind Tree: tamarindtreerestaurant.com/
• Ivar's Fish Bar: www.ivars.com/ ​
• Quincy's: www.seattlecenter.com/locations/detail.aspx?id=114
• Museum of Flight Cafe: www.museumofflight.org/Plan-Your-Visit/Food-and-Drink
• Joe Brown's Cafe: www.joebrownscafe.com/index.html
• Thai Ginger: thaiginger.com/
• Tillamook: www.tillamook.com/
• Fish Peddler: www.yelp.com/biz/the-fish-peddler-at-pacific-oyster-bay-city
• Teriyaki Town: www.yelp.com/biz/teriyaki-town-bainbridge-island
• Portage Bay Cafe: www.portagebaycafe.com/

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Well that is it for today's edition of Seattle / Portland Trip. I hope for those of you who live in Seattle or Portland, or want to visit Seattle and Portland, got something out of this post. Thank you for reading and I see y'all next time. Peace! 

Hello hello! I'm back with another food review! This restaurant has been open for a while now and it's in Town Center so if you haven't tried it yet, Islands is definitely a must-try.
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So for those who haven't been to Islands yet, "Islands is a casual, dining restaurant chain that specializes in burgers, fresh cut fries, and specialty drinks.​" My family and I went there yesterday to celebrate my parents' anniversary, and it is such an amazing place. First off, it doesn't even have to do with the meal. It's just the "ohana" vibes. The service is great, the employees are super nice, it's just amazing. When the waitress came with our appetizer (which was the BBQ chicken wings), we all said "thank you" and she was so flattered. (To be honest, I think people said "Thank you" less and less. People, be nicer when you get something.) Every time our server came to check on us to make sure we were okay with everything, there was always a small fun conversation like the server was a friend. (Most servers that come to me just check and leave.)
As for the food, I ordered the Hula Burger on white bread with the medium cooked patty, and it was so good. It was so perfectly cooked. The patty was so juicy, the lettuce was crisp, and the bread was toasted and not soggy. My sister got the Chicken Club Wrap, my mom got the Tortilla Soup, and my dad got the Island Tacos. Everything was super good. I finished about 3/4 of the burger and ate two chicken wings. Everything was so good. If anyone wants to try something but doesn't know what to order, try the Hula Burger, Chicken Club Wrap, Tortilla Soup or the Island Tacos. I give them an A+. But if you want to try something else and want to find a location near you, check out their website. Their link will be down below. 
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Overall, I enjoyed Islands so make sure to go check them out. Thanks for reading this food review and I hope you all have an amazing summer. One more day til Graduation seniors!!!

Islands Official Website:
www.islandsrestaurants.com/

Hi friends! I know it's been a while but I have just visited a new ice cream shop. Unfortunately, it's not close by. It's all the way in Los Angeles. It's called Wanderlust Creamery. It's an ice cream shop inspired by desserts all around the world. Every month they introduce new seasonal flavors that will be in stores for only that month. 

As mentioned in the previous blog post, here are my thoughts on the North Italia Restaurant in Irvine. First off, this restaurant is one of the most ideal urban styled restaurant I have ever seen. It's just unexplainable. I would consider it a great place to go for a lunch date. 

As for the general price range, it's pretty moderate. My pasta was $19, but I think it was worth it for the portion and the quality of the meal. This is what it looked like. 

If I were to rate this restaurant, I would give it five stars. The service was amazing, our waiter was super nice, and our food did not take that long to be prepared. I definitely recommend giving this restaurant a try. 

​North Italia: 
2957 Michelson Dr. Irvine, CA 92612
Official website: www.northitaliarestaurant.com/locations/irvine/
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​Anyway, hope you enjoyed today's review. If you get the chance to go try it, comment down below what you thought of the restaurant. Did you like it? Did you not? Also, leave some recommendations for me, too because I'm always looking for new places to go and try. Alrighty friends, thank you for reading and I'll see you next time. Peace!

Good  day friends! This morning, my family and I went to eat brunch at the Black Bear Diner instead of our usual IHOP. It is a similar to IHOP. They serve big portions of pancakes, waffles, omelets, EVERYTHING. They have the traditional American breakfast and brunch, and the environment makes you feel like you're at Big Bear. The diner I went to was the one in Buena Park. The diner is in a cabin and the employees are just the kindest. They will make jokes with customers and make you feel at home. Since breakfast is big at Black Bear Diner, the wait is pretty long. We had to wait about 10-15 minutes for a table and then and then another 10-15 minutes for our food. For a family of four, we only ordered three items. I ordered the Corned Beef Hash, my dad ordered the no meat, just eggs please, and I think my mom ordered the two cakes (those are pancakes.)

The Corned Beef Hash consists of corned beef, choice of potato, eggs, bread or biscuit, and a slice of orange for design. It was pretty good but the hash browns had no seasoning on it. Along with that, I had a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and you can tell that it was freshly squeezed because I found a seed in it and you can taste the beads of orange if you drink with a straw. 

I forgot to take pictures of the food so I will link the yelp page below. Thank you for reading this food review and I will be back next week with another post. 

Black Bear Diner Yelp page:
https://www.yelp.com/biz/black-bear-diner-buena-park?osq=black+bear+diner 

Last week after a club meeting and ultimate frisbee game, I went to SOLID Coffee Roasters. When I went in, it was the perfect minimalistic coffeehouse ever. There were wooden tables, white walls, the typical chalkboard menu, and succulents at every table. I was greeted with a warm welcome and the barista helped me right away. I ordered a cappuccino and a toffle, which is a waffle made out of tater tots served with cheese, sour cream, bacon, and chives. My mom ordered an americano. We were going to take it to-go but the barista told us that it would take 15 minutes to make the toffle so we should just have the coffees for there. So we waited in the coffeehouse for the toffle with our drinks. When I got my cappuccino, I looked at it and was in awe. THEY DO FOAM ART. Here's what my cappuccino looked like. 

The cappuccino was pretty bitter when I first drank it, so I added about half a bag of sugar and it tasted better. And even though they serve it as a hot drink, it wasn't as hot as other places are. It was more warm than hot, which in my opinion isn't bad. My mother, on the other hand, couldn't adjust her americano to her liking. At first, she didn't know americanos don't have milk in them; they're just straight coffee. So she went and asked for milk but it still didn't taste good to her, and so she added, I think, two and a half bags of sugar and then it was too sweet. She was just like screw this and fixed it up when we got home. After getting the toffle, we went home to enjoy it. Here is the toffle. 

Omigoodness, it was so good. If you ever go to SOLID, get the toffle. Sure it cost $8.75 but it's so worth it. That's sour cream by the way, not butter. 

Overall, I would rate SOLID a 3.5/5 on drinks and 5/5 on the toffle. Just the toffle because that's the only thing I tried. Thank you for reading this week's blog post. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I'll be back next saturday with something for y'all to read. Peace out. 

Here is where you can visit SOLID:
12147 South St, Artesia, CA 90701
You can also follow them on Instagram @solidcoffee and tag them with #drinksolid

Thanksgiving break for me started on Monday after the Tustin Conference. I only had USH homework and I was determined to finish it first to get it out of the way. I had to go to academy on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Then on Thursday and Friday, I was at my cousin's house.

On Monday, I went to academy from 9-6. We worked from 9-12:30. Then we went to get lunch at In-n-Out where I saw a few friends. Then I went back to academy and just did homework for the rest of the time. After 6, I went to my friend's house to have a movie night. We watched Doctor Strange and in my opinion, it was okay. I thought there would be more to it but I expected too much. 

On Tuesday, I had to take my permit test, which I didn't pass, at 8 am. After that, I went to academy and finished my homework. In the afternoon, we went to the movies and watched Trolls. I thought it was okay when it came to the characters like they aren't really that cute, but I love the story of wanting to spread happiness. Then again, I watched the beginning, slept through the middle, and woke up again for the ending. Then I just chilled for the rest of the day. 

On Wednesday, I went to academy but then we went to the library. Since I was going to go bowling with my friends at 11, my dad picked me up from the library and I thought I was going to go home after hanging out with my friends. Anyway, I went to the bowling alley and we played two games, which I lost both times. After playing two games, we went to eat a 3 foot long burrito at Mexican Food. Let me tell you, that burrito was so good. If any of you are interested, the 3 foot long burrito costs $45.95 and and the 6 foot long burrito costs $64.95. According to their website, it should take about 10-15 people to finish the 3 foot, and 20-25 people to finish the 6 foot. In my opinion, it was worth it. It is filled with beans, cheese and rice, beef, chicken or combination of both carnitas, carne asada or combination, and it Includes a bag of fresh chips and Salsa. I'll put the link to their website down below. After lunch, I went home and just chilled with my parents, watching Cooks vs. Cons on Food Network,  later cartoons with my sister, and after that Stuck in Love on Netflix. Oh I love watching shows. 

From Thursday to Saturday, I stayed at my cousin's house and it was pretty fun. On Thursday, we had a casual Thanksgiving with take-out crab and KFC. After dinner, my aunt took me and my cousins to Michaels where we bought ribbon to decorate some Christmas lights. Oh my goodness, getting the ribbon was easy but when we started the project, it took hours of measuring the ribbon so it was perfect, cutting the ribbon, taking out the wire from the wired ribbon, preparing a pattern, and finally tying all the ribbon onto the Christmas lights. All of that took us about eight hours. It was so pretty in the end. (There's going to be a picture of it in the gallery.) On Friday, we went Black Friday shopping at the Citadel Outlets and it was the biggest mistake of my life, It was six hours of my life wasted at Citadel, and on top of that, there was a fire nearby so everyone getting out of the parking lot was moving at 0 mph. Then there was a fight about to go down between a couple Filipinos, Mexicans, and African Americans. One of them looked like they had a gun in their pocket. It was so scary. Anyway, I got home safely after hours in traffic. On Saturday, I just chilled and went home. On Sunday, I went to volunteer at the hospital as usual, and after that, my family just went to Target to get some stuff to get ready for Christmas and get the necessities. 

Well, that's how my Thanksgiving break went down. How was your Thanksgiving break? Comment it down below. Anyway, since school is starting up again, good luck with getting back to school. 
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Mexican Food: 
I don't know what the exact address is but if you know Cerritos, it's in the plaza across from the Target on the corner of Bloomfield Ave and Del Amo Blvd. 
The menu to Mexican Food:
 http://chileverdeus.com/menu.html