Polish Food at Westsider Cafe

I went to Westsider Cafe over three months ago but I really wanted to share these pictures. The food was so scrumptious! Although the Westsider Cafe offers a wide range of breakfast and comfort foods, I came to try the Polish food. I had the golabki (stuffed cabbage), some super tasty kielbasa, cheese and potato pierogies, kapusta, and rye bread. Although the Polish food was delectable, the dill pickle soup was my favorite part of the meal. I was hesitant to try it (as I generally don't think pickles belong in my soup) but I was so glad I did. It was creamy, but the pickles added just the right crunch and flavor.

Don't Break the Chain!

photo credit: topher76 via photopin cc

   
If you're feeling unmotivated, I know of a trick that may change your life for the better. This trick is often called "Don't Break the Chain!" and was developed  by world-renowned comedian, Jerry Seinfeld. According to an article I found in the depths of Lifehacker, Seinfeld used this trick to motivate himself to write new jokes every day in order to become a better comedian. I had first heard about the trick from the hilarious and adorably nerdy Charlie McDonnell in this video quite a long time ago, but for some reason I decided to give it a try about two weeks ago. It has made a great impact on my productivity and I hope it will help you achieve your dreams and all that jazz as well.

 To use this technique, all you have to do is take out a big wall calendar and hang it somewhere where you see it everyday. Then you must decide on a task that you wish to complete each day (like writing a new joke, juggling, or practicing the harpsichord). For each day that you complete that task, mark a big "X" on the calendar. Your objective is to go for as long as possible without breaking the chain of X's. The secret behind "Don't Break the Chain!" is the satisfaction of seeing the chain grow. I have been using an app for the iPhone that uses the same principle. It is called Chain Drive and you can get it for free. There are some similar apps out there with more functionality and prettier interfaces for a few dollars more, but I am a very cheap college student and couldn't resist downloading the free version. On top of that, the free version suits my needs just fine. Anyway, I have used this app to practice guitar, Mandarin, Spanish and to work out each day for the past two weeks. At this rate I'll be the world's best and most fit Mandarin and Spanish speaking guitar player in the world by the end of the summer. My childhood dreams will finally be fulfilled (lawllzzz!). I hope you will consider using this technique in some form or another. Good luck, y'all!

Gimme a Break

Another semester is over and I am now on summer break. Although classes are over, I am having a blast working in a robotics lab at school. It is so much fun to look at all of the things I am capable of doing. I'm building robots, yo!!! Even though the stress of college can be daunting, it is certainly worth it. College has been the most stressful, life-changing, terrifying, invigorating, happy, frustrating, and confusing time of my life. I have never felt like I have failed so many times, nor been so happy. I have learned about things that I didn't even know existed, and worked harder than I knew I could. Now that school is over I want to take this chance to make myself healthier. For the past few years I have neglected my sleep schedule and adopted some horrible eating habits. My exercise routine consists of me walking around the library to find a quieter place to study (a side effect of that hawt engineering life). This summer I have created a plan to get healthier.

Sleep:
I will sleep before 1 a.m. every night and cut out coffee (except for on special occasions, like Saturdays).

Food:
I will pack a healthy lunch every day and cut out sweets (except for on special occasions, like Saturdays, again). I will drink green tea every morning.

Exercise:
I will do yoga or run every morning.

Relax:
I will not work on Sundays. This will be my day to go to a park or coffee shop and read a book or go on adventures with my friends.

So this is my plan and I'm stickin' to it (or at least for the next two weeks, hopefully).

Way 1 Supermarket Haul

One of the best things about Ann Arbor is the assortment of food one can find. One of my favorite places to shop for interesting treats is Way 1 Supermarket. Way 1 is not your average American Supermarket. It is essentially an Asian grocery store, selling many products that cannot be found in your typical American market. Here are a few things I picked up on my last trip. The Choco-Pie's are hiding behind the jelly cups, but they are definitely one of my favorite purchases from this haul. I used the fish balls, bok choy, and tofu to make the fish ball soup below. It turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself.

My First PCB!!!

Today I soldered my first PCB together! I didn't actually make the board, but the soldering itself was tiiiight. I'm going to program it and post a video later.

Food Review - Iorio's Gelateria

Yesterday I dragged my boyfriend to Iorio's Gelateria to grab a cup of one of my favorite desserts. The sun was shinning for the first time in a very long time, and I felt that it was the perfect day for a cold treat. Iorio's is one of my favorite locations for desert in Ann Arbor. They constantly change the gelato flavors, so tasting their new creations is always an adventure. They have created many unique flavors like Chocolate Sriracha (for my fellow srirachaholics out there), Irish Whiskey with Coffee Beans (one of my favorites), Earl Grey (another favorite), and Guinness Espresso Chip, just to name a few. Yesterday I tried the Red Velvet, Chocolate with Nutella, and the Irish Whiskey with Coffee Beans. It was very delicious and a great way to take a quick break from studying.

I'm Tired, Not Drunk

Hello world,

For the past three weeks, I have unintentionally been sleeping three or fewer hours a night. Although I don't know the cause of my insomnia, I would guess it has something to do with my exams and several projects which caused me a lot of anxiety. When I first came to college, studying for exams usually involved me laying in the fetal position for several hours, crying "Why me! Why me!" Now I usually only lay in the fetal position and cry for a maximum of a half hour when studying for my exams. That's an exaggeration, but you get the picture. Unfortunately, my sleep deprivation has caused me to do some very stupid things. I have tripped over my own feet in front of people basically every single place I've gone, immediately forgotten peoples' names when meeting them, and fallen off of chairs, benches, bus seats, etc. I'm pretty sure one of my professors thought I was coming to class drunk for the past few weeks. One thing I have noticed when I get tired is that I also become brutally honest with people I don't know particularly well. I don't know why this happens, but I really wish it would stop. This past week I told a guy in my group for a project that he was being lazy and needed to contribute more to the group (which was entirely true). Everyone in the group was shocked I said something, but ultimately happy that I confronted him. I thought he was going to cry. On one occasion, I was talking to my friend as we walked down the hall at school and didn't notice that she had stopped behind me to tie her shoe. I continued talking to another girl walking next to me. She was really confused. To this day I'm fairly certain she thinks I'm crazy. Tonight I will be taking a big sleeping pill and hoping for the best. Good luck to anyone else out there who shares my pain.

Here is what I'm using to stay awake this morning. I'm pretty sure it is from Thailand, but I actually have no idea.