A New Work Out Class!

The Bar Method work out class is my new obsession. And before you ask, no it does not involve going to bars or drinking at all. : )

Well, I guess you can't really call having only gone to two classes an obsession but it's definitely something that I'm about to dive into. Today I even purchased a month long package deal. I've been bored with the gym lately and my running routine outside is slowly getting too hot to do when I want to do it. In comes my dear friend Belinda who has been going to bar method classes for a few months now to help her trim down a little in time for her amazing Hawaii wedding at the end of this month. We had plans to meet for dinner last week and she suggested that I come with her to one of these classes before we grab dinner. I am so glad that I took her up on this offer because the class felt amazing!

Here is the description of what exactly the bar method is all about: "Exercise classes that integrates the fat burning format of interval training, the muscle shaping technique of isometrics, the elongating principles of dance conditioning, and the science of physical therapy to create a revolutionary new workout that quickly and safely reshapes your entire body." It's a combination of dance, pilates, yoga and then some strength training thrown in there too. Sounds easy enough, right? Uh, not so much! It's a tough hour-long work out that burns just about every muscle in your body. Tonight's instructor told us, "the more you shake and the more you burn, the better".

Apparently all the celebs are taking bar method classes so it's incredibly trendy right now, especially here in Los Angeles. Drew Barrymore and Kelly Osbourne specifically have recently lost a ton of weight and it's all because of these workout classes. They both are looking incredible these days! I'm a big of Ms. Drew Barrymore so that enticed me to try the classes out for myself too.

I'll keep you posted on my progress! Have you ever heard of the Bar Method?

Top 5 best dinners of my life!

Last night I had an AMAZING dinner at Mastro's Steakhouse in Beverly Hills. It is one of LA's renown steak restaurants with a few other locations here in California and also in Arizona and Nevada. Mastro's boasts excellent service and incredible steaks of course. Well, they certainly delivered in every way. Seriously, it's on my list of the top 5 best dinners of.my.life!!

Our waiter quickly arrived to take drink orders and was very friendly and laid-back. He joked around with us throughout the night which caught me a little off guard. Usually at places like this, the staff acts kind of 'hoighty-toighty' which can be intimidating. It was refreshing to see how casual the waiters were with their customers given the type of establishment we were at. It definitely lightened the mood of the dark room. Actually it was so dark in the dining area that we were give a small flashlight to see the menu. Romantic, eh?

Apparently, the appetizers were amazing-raw oysters. I don't care for raw oysters so I missed out on those. Together the 6 of us chose 4 sides that we shared and then we all picked our own meat entrees. Our sides were seriously out of this world: creamed spinach, Gorgonzola mac and cheese, brussel sprouts and the incredibly delicious and our table's favorite dish of the night, black truffle gnocchi. This gnocchi dish had crab meat, Parmesan, breadcrumbs and white truffle oil in it. I really couldn't taste the crab meat. This side was mouthwatering. I urge you all to try this STAT! The picture below doesn't do it justice at all. Oh geez, I really want some right now!


For my entree, I ordered the 8oz. petite filet. It was sooo good. It's rich juicy flavors literally melted in my mouth. I just discovered that all their steaks are marinated in a 15-ingredient rub and cooked w/ butter. I think that I can go as far as saying that it is perhaps the best steak I have eaten in my life. It was a simple and elegant steak…the way it should be. I really cannot rave about this meal enough!
This wasn't my modest 8oz. petite filet but my friend's entree which I'm not sure exactly which one it was. I'll have to ask. He loved it and seriously looked like he was in heaven as he ate it. : )

By the time the dessert menu was passed around, we were all completely stuffed but our waiter urged us to share just one thing. He recommend Mastro's Signature Warm Butter Cake. We happily obliged. In a word it was, delightful. It was served with a side of freshly made whipped cream. Yum. This butter cake was a warm, smooth, rich dessert. It was strangely light and fluffy yet dense at the same time. Turns out, they use cream cheese as a secret ingredient to give the butter cake its texture. It was the perfect size for the 6 of us to share.


Despite how superb this dinner was, it was also superbly pricey so I definitely won't be making it a habit to eat dinner hear often. I read the following on a food blogger's website, "Mastro’s is a great steakhouse with fabulous service and even better food. A dinner here, though, will put a nice fat dent in your wallet. But it’s well worth it, I think." I couldn't agree more.

Invisalign

Well, I finally did it, I finally agreed to getting Invisalign. While my teeth are by no means in horrible shape, there is one spot that is not pretty at all. I know that most people don't even notice until after I point it out, yet it drives me crazy sometimes, and especially in pictures. It certainly annoyed my Mom.. haha! She was always telling me that I should look into getting it fixed. Well, I'm doing that now Mom.

My dentist in Tucson has been telling me for years to get braces or Invisalign to fix a couple spots. Since moving here, I've gone to see my friend Belinda's boyfriend Casey who just so happens to be a dentist! I've gotten to know him since I've moved here so I really value his professional opinion so when he told me that he recommends me getting braces too, then I knew it was something that I really should do. Evidently, one of my problem areas on my teeth for cavities is around the crooked patch so straightening them out while help me brush those hard to reach places now. That made me really decide to go ahead with fixing it. If it was just cosmetic then I wouldn't have since it doesn't bug me too much.

Fortunately, I'm a candidate for Invisalign! Braces are a lot less convenient, more painful and can be quite the eye sore. This past Tuesday, I started the whole Invisalign process but I won't actually be getting the trays till May 5th. My dentist Casey assures me that I'll only probably be having to wear them between 6 and 12 months. Let's hope it won't be longer. I would love to be out of them in September, just in time for my Half Marathon....we'll see...

Here's some basic info on Invisalign: The Invisalign treatment consists of a series of aligners that needs to be switched out about every two weeks. Each aligner is individually manufactured with exact calculations to gradually shift teeth into place. And since the Invisalign system is custom-made for each set of teeth only, with a plan devised by the dentist or orthodontist, you know you'll end up with a smile that truly fits. Invisalign is the best way to transform your smile without interfering with your day-to-day life.

Family Night

Tonight, well, technically last night, (it's almost 1am) I went over to my high school friend Belinda's home to watch the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. Sadly, they started very late and I never got to see them since I already had later dinner plans after. It was still so nice to visit with her and her boyfriend. Then our other high school friends Mya and her boyfriend Paul came too. That is the three of us in the picture. I know I look like a giant compared to them but I had on heels! : )

I can't describe what it's like being around people that knew the 'me' that lived overseas. It's not like I'm a different person now... it's just that they really understand me and where I'm coming from. They also knew my parents and were around them all the time. There is something so comforting being around that. I am so grateful that they invite me to get-togethers and want to show me around LA. They are certainly my new LA family.

After I left this party I went to my college friend, Jason's home in Brentwood. It was barely a 10 minute drive away from Belinda's home in West LA. That was awesome! I have yet to drive very far to get anywhere! So I met Jason my sophomore year at UofA and we stayed pretty good friends and hung out most weekends for awhile. Towards the end of college, we didn't see so much of each other and then when I graduated, he still had one more year left. He has been living in LA about a year now so that is really nice having someone around who knows the area fairly well. Anyway, he invited me over to his home for a home-cooked Persian dinner. He lives with his parents and his mom is a great cook. His two brothers and sister in-law also came to dinner. So, I got to meet the whole family! While it was delicious food, I mostly enjoyed the family dynamics around the dinner table and the humor of it all. They obviously are all very close and friendly with each other. It made me miss my parents a lot and our dinner table conversations. I hope to be invited again for family dinner night. : )

This is one of my favorite quotes about family:

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one." -Jane Howard

Background on Moi

So, in yesterday's post I gave you some background information about LA, today I shall give you some background on moi! However, most of you that will read this already know me and my life story, but for those newbies, here's my 411:

My parents were teachers at American International Schools my whole life so we traveled around a lot. Just about every 4 years, we would move to a new country. I was born in Pakistan and just as I was learning to walk in the airport, we moved to the Gambia, then Venezuela, then Somalia, then Mozambique and finally Myanmar/Burma where I graduated from High School. My parents loved Africa and Southeast Asia the most.

Then I went to college at the University of Arizona. GO CATS! After graduating from there in 2007, I moved to Phoenix, Arizona and got my first post college job and starting really living on my own. After living there for almost two and a half years, I felt it was time for a change so I moved to LA. That brings you up to date with my current residence here in sunny Los Angeles.

I've had an amazing life and I feel very blessed that I was able to have all the experiences that I've had thus far and I only hope to have more adventures in my life.

The number one question I get asked after telling my life story is which country was my favorite and that answer is Myanmar. I spent the most time there-6 years and I made the most lasting friendships there. Buddhism is the main religion in Myanmar and it makes for quite the peaceful and kindhearted people. I mean how could you possibly find anything wrong with a religion where they don't even believe in killing ants?! But yes, Myanmar was wonderful. I would love to go back there now and really appreciate the culture more than I did when I was living there. It really is true what they say, "the youth is wasted on the young." I knew that I was having an amazing life living in all those countries but not to the extent that I do now. Oh well, all I can do now is look back on those memories overseas with nothing but gratefulness.

So, this background brings you up to speed with who I had lunch with yesterday, my good 'ole friend from my Myanmar days, Belinda Lee. She was a couple years older than me but we did go to the same high school and thanks to networking sites, aka facebook, we stayed in touch. And I am actually living in her house now! She wanted to move in with her boyfriend and was looking for someone to take over her room in the house so voila, here I am! It all worked out really well and pretty quickly too. The picture above is of her and I in our room. : ) So, not only did I move to this awesome fun city but there also happens to be this huge network of my friends from Myanmar living here too. Two for the price of one, huh?! I look forward to spending lots of time with them and meeting new friends through them too.

"A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature." -Ralph Waldo Emerson