Monsoon - Asian Kitchen & Lounge

So I'm trying to catch up on posting. I have a lot that are just sitting in my drafts waiting to be typed and pictures to be edited. In between my blog and work, my boyfriend and I decided to go out for dinner. We went to Monsoon, Asian Kitchen & Lounge. 

We've been there twice now and we love the food and drinks. We just wanted to go out to dinner to relax and have a nice night together. Monsoon is actually built into an old bank building in the Village of Babylon.

The inside is very open with high ceilings and a lofted dinner area and bar/lounge downstairs. They also hang all these different light bulbs from the ceiling. It's very intimate when dining there.

Red and black is their main colors so they used it from the tablewares to the puzzle piece screens cover the large windows. Also they have a projector screen playing video from different Asian countries. 

Here are our drinks. I had a Cherry Blossom, which was a prosecco and cherry bitters. My boyfriend got a Mai Tai, which they made with Bacardi, Myers Orgeat syrup and Orange juice. Very delicious and strong. I have an average tolerance and these drinks usually get me super red. 

Here are our appetizers. We ordered a Typhoon Roll, made of spicy tuna, scallions, spicy mayo, eel sauce and fried potato. It's crunchy with that kick of heat that tingles your tongue. We also ordered Pork Steamed Buns, made with pork belly, hoisin sauce, and cucumber. It's like having Peking Duck but with pork.  So delicious. The hoisin sauce is sweet, the cucumber is refreshing, and the pork is mouth watering.  

 

For dinner we ordered two dishes. They serve it family style and you can order a bowl of rice to share. We got Sweet & Sour Chicken with pineapple, sweet peppers, snow peas and the chicken was tempura. It taste like what it's named. The sweet pineapple and peppers with that sourness from the sauce.  The tempura chicken, though tossed in this sauce, was still crunchy in texture. Also the Caramel Pork with shallots, garlic, oyster sauce and morning glory. It's salty and very tasty. The pork just melts in your mouth. This is one of my boyfriends favorite dishes. 

Here is my boyfriend smiling after eating all the yummy food. We did take home some of the leftover Caramel Pork and our server was very kind to give us some extra rice. I packed this as lunch for my boyfriend for the next day. We were so full we didn't get a chance to have dessert but they do have some delicious ones.  

At the end, they gave us fortune cookies with some pretty interesting fortunes. They are kind of mocking the ones you get in fortune cookies.  I thought they were funny. 

Afterwards we headed back to my house and he stayed over. He was so full, he got food-itis and fell asleep. Isn't he adorable?

Point is...

If you are ever on Long Island or looking for an Asian fusion restaurant, I recommend Monsoon. 

Off to catalog my nail polish. Happy Blogging!

Weekend Fun: Irving Plaza

So this past weekend was super busy but so much fun! 

My weekend started on Friday. I got to take the day off from work because my boyfriend and I had tickets to see Say Anything at Irving Plaza. We slept in and enjoyed the day. We had a light lunch at The Argyle Grill & Tavern in Babylon Village. I got the Sesame Seared Tuna and my boyfriend got the Rustic Marinated Grilled Chicken Sandwich. Both were very delicious, so if you are ever in the area, I recommend going to The Argyle. Sorry I don't have a picture of our food. We were on a tight schedule to get to the train. After our meal, we headed for the train.

My boyfriend makes silly faces all the time. :3

We got to the city around 5 PM. We decided to eat again so we aren't hungry during the concert. We headed into K-town to our favorite restaurant, The Mandoo Bar. This would be our third time going to this restaurant. They have the most adorable and juicy dumplings. We usually get the Baby Mandoo, 16 tiny steamed pork dumplings.  

Look how little they are!

Also we ordered the Combo Mandoo, which was 4 of each type of dumpling they have; Pork, vegetarian, & seafood. I like the pork ones better.  Also they serve kimchi as an appetizer. I love going to Korean restaurants and using metal chopsticks. 

We were super hungry!

After we ate, we took the Subway to Irving Plaza. There were so many people waiting on line already. It wrapped around the block twice. We were so excited! We haven't seen Say Anything since The Paramount last year. Best part was one of my new favorite bands opened for them, Eisley! Anyway, there were four opening bands that night. I the Mighty, Northern Faces, HRVRD, and Eisley. 

I didn't really get into I the Mighty. They didn't exactly announce who they were or talk to the crowd as much. They also played their music while a video of clips and kaleidoscope effects played in front of them on a see-through sheet. The music was pretty good but I thought the video was distracting from the music and it was kind of funny when their Time Machine wanted to back-up during their performance so they had to fix that.  I listened to their songs online and I'm starting to get into them more.  They are more explosive rock with really amazing guitar riffs and powerful drums.

I The Mighty

Here is their Official Music Video for "Failures"

Also another great song, "These Streets Are Alive"

Northern Faces was second to play and I'm in loved with their music. Their music is a mix of blues and rock with deep bass rhythm and amazing vocals. Most of it was mellow and I really enjoyed it. I bought their EP too. 

Northern Faces

Here is their Official Music Video for "Under My Skin"

Check out their Facebook for more music.

Next HRVRD played, which is basically Harvard without the A's, as the lead singer explained. They were different. I'm not sure how to explain their music. It's very rhythmic, mellow and out there. The lead singer had this tiny keyboard synthesizer that sounded like recorder and a kazoo. You can hear it in the song below. His voice reminds me of the lead singer from Coheed & Cambria. It's definitely music I could see people listening too while they are "high". He ended up climbing up to the balcony in a weird mask. I do enjoy listening to their songs online but live was just a little too strange for me.

HRVRD

Here is their song, "Flaming Creatures"

Then Eisley went on. I love them! They are amazing. The band is made up of 4 siblings and 1 cousin or family friend. Their vocals and piano are amazing and I just love all the songs.  They just released their new album, Currents.  I love the art on the cover too. I'm debating on getting the fish as a tattoo. 

Eisley

Just take a listen to them:

Here is their song "Ambulance" from their last album.

Here is one of their new songs, "Blue Fish".

Say Anything came on after them. They were amazing. They are a mix of punk rock with fun, lyrical songs and memorable melodies. They've been playing since 2000. You just have to listen to them to understand.

Here is the Official Music Video of "Say Anything"

And here are my two instagram videos from the concert. Sorry for the poor quality.

Part of "Do Better" & Part of "Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too"

Side note: Sherri from Eisley and Max from Say Anything are married and they recently had a baby named Lucy. Here's a blurry picture of them all together on stage as a family. Lucy was wearing these gigantic noise-resistant headgear that matched her pink outfit. She was adorable! Also a picture of the cute couple singing together on stage.

Point is...

I had a blast and so did my boyfriend. We didn't get home till 1:30AM. And as we laid in bed, we dreaded the next morning when we had to be up at 6 AM. But I'll have to tell you all about that in another post. 

Let me know who is your favorite band and a favorite song of theirs. Also, have you heard of or listen to any of the bands mentioned above? What do you think of them all?

I Only Got $20 in My Pocket

Recently, I went to the Tri-County Flea Market with my boyfriend. I haven't been there since I was a baby and I've been wanting to go to a flea market for a while. I just love walking around to all the different shops and aisles and see what they are selling. It brings back a lot of childhood memories, especially when you see old VHS tapes of Disney movies and Playskool toys you use to have.

It's also hilarious to see what they are selling and for how much.  I don't know what it is but it seems like a lot of people had rooster related items. We saw several things, from trays with rooster imprinted on it to salt and pepper shakers. 

This one was my favorite.

"What up, I am a big cuckoo!"

We also found some other items.

A cute glass dog with one ear up and one ear down.
(My boyfriend attempting to copy him, too)

The creepiest ceramic mask. :heebie jeebies:

And the cutest dinosaur book end who was missing his pair.
I really wanted to buy it but I took a picture instead.

After walking up and down and all around, I got tired. But before we left, I went into the beauty supply store they had there.  Since I was itching to buy more nail polish, I figured I'd check out what they had.  I found two Essies that I really liked and they only cost $5.50 each. That's the cheapest I've ever found for Essie.

I purchased these two.

Smooth Sailing and Haute As Hello

After that we went to the mall. I got to finally go shopping for Spring/Summer clothes. I have been doing good at not spending all my money and shopping for clothes and pretty things. Also, I've been working out with a Personal Trainer and going to the gym regularly to get more fit and in shape.  I've been skinny my whole life. I'm not complaining and most people would probably say I'm lucky.  I am but I'm not. I've been a skin and bones since I hit puberty.  I've been made fun of for how sickly I looked and that I had no butt or boobs. I've been asked several times if I was anorexic. I could never find clothes that fit me. I wore children sizes up until high school.

Now that I'm older, I've had enough of it.  I'm eating more but healthy.  I'm working out to become stronger and I'm happy. I've gained 10lbs since last November. I'm actually considered normal weight for my height and age. But now, most of my clothes don't fit. I have a lot to clean out and donate, but until I find more time to sort, I got to purchase some fun clothes that fit my body and make me super happy. Especially since my lovely boyfriend bought my clothes for me. He is an amazing! 

Then we went out for all-you-can-eat sushi at Minado. It was super delicious. I wasn't being "Asian" enough that day. We were super hungry so I don't have any pictures of the food, but I have a cute picture of my boyfriend being silly.

I'm a walrus!

Point is...

I'm starting to realize that I do a lot with my life. I work hard and play hard when I can. I'm really starting to take more enjoyment in my life and the time I get to spend with my boyfriend and everyone else. And just starting to feel less anxious about where my life is going to take me and just let that day come when it's ready.

And the fact that I get to doodle at work is pretty fun too.

Working on a magazine and sketching out the photo idea for it.

I hope I get to post about my design work soon; So many projects, so little time!