motivation.

“Opportunity is missed by people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison

sitting in the scili on a Friday morning.

My MacBook Pro blends in to the individual wooden cubicle I’m sitting in.

My new black with green, white, and grey designs on the inside cover notebook is full with interview notes and looks oddly hipster on this wooden desk.
Or maybe it’s just the Mellow Indie playlist on Songza that’s singing in my ears.

Sitting in the scili science center on a Friday morning is strangely relaxing. The last time I was here, it was packed with people running around, carrying backpacks full of books, hands full with coffee, tea, anything with caffeine. Now, these rooms are empty, newly cleaned over the break. I feel oddly comforted. Not that I’m getting that much work done – here and there, tumblr-ing and pinterest-ing, in the midst of interview prep.

Nervous, excited, anxious.

a good place!

I can’t believe how much time has passed. This semester literally has flown by and I can’t believe that there are only three more semesters until graduation! I again, realize now, that I have failed on my promise to blog frequently, write in my journal weekly – if not daily, or monthly… What has happened the last two months?! I guess a lot of things. Looking back now, I think I’m in a good place in my life.

I feel good about myself healthwise. Though this week has been hell (schoolwise) and I haven’t been able to go running or go to the gym daily, this semester, I’ve really tried to put exercise as one of my top priorities and have tried to get some in every day. I now realize how important it is and how good it feels after a successful run… and how bad it feels after not going to the gym for a few days. L, V, and J have been amazing too – motivating me by being my gym and running buddies. :) Speaking of which! I’m super proud in having run a pi race (haha yup, 3.14 miles) and running faster than I ever have! And had pie after, which was a huge huge plus. :)

I’ve also been doing alright career/figuring-out-my-life-wise. I know a lot of my previous posts were about me trying to decide where my passions lay and what I actually wanted to do with my life. Though I haven’t figured that out completely yet (though, really… what was I expecting…) I have really enjoyed my internship at the hospital this semester. I got to sit in on a meeting this morning, and I was able to contribute and share my thoughts – and it was just a really rewarding experience. They also use colored pens and endless sticky notes so… really, what is there not to like.

So… my week of death aka three midterms, problem sets, and work has finally finished and I am soo excited for Thanksgiving! Home, family, shopping. What could be better?

Oh, FOOD.

Just Some Destress Cooking

September 8, 2012.

So I am back at Brown and have so far struggled and survived through the first three days of shopping period. I forgot how crazy it gets: the back to back classes that you’re not sure you’re interested in/that you want to take, the iffy professors that you sit through but are too nice to leave for, the no-time-for-food, and the lost freshman! As a W, though, I am totally loving my role this year. My freshman have come to me stressed and asking about classes, W related stuff, and the like – and though I should not really be excited about that, I am. Compliments and money for condoms don’t hurt either. I’m also really just looking forward to doing a better job as a W this year. I think last year, I was scared and not yet ready to be that first-encounter person or that first-responder. But this year? I think I got this. :)

Being off meal plan has also kind of been great. There’s some kind of independence vibe/feeling that you get from planning your meals and cooking for yourself. Not to mention the calming aspect of having a set schedule and being able to take some time away from work. I definitely learned from V this summer how to plan out meals for a week, how to cook efficiently, and how to cook balanced meals. I am now successfully addicted to kale and cute, easy-to-put-together sandwiches. Nbd.

Hummus, ham (works better for turkey, but ham was on sale so… ham it was), and sprouts on wheat bread.

That, and meals that work for lunch and dinner are beautiful. This pasta salad? Genius! Even without the feta – that was bad and had mold in it when I opened it slash when V opened it… yes, not pleasant. But, it still turned out great! And how could I resist adding an Asian vibe to it with scallions?

Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad (from For the Love of Cooking, a new cooking blog favorite):

Salad:
1/2 cup farfalle pasta
1 chicken breast, marinated with 1/6 cup olive oil, 1.5 tbsp lemon juice, a small garlic clove (minced), 1 tsp oregano, and salt and pepper to taste… and then hand shredded
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup olives, pitted and halved
1/2 cup red onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup feta cheese (well not this time…)

Vinaigrette:
5 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 small lemon
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp oregano
sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste

Make the vinaigrette first and let it sit while you prepare the rest of the salad. Cook the pasta al dente. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl, toss in the pasta and the vinaigrette, and mix! And then consume delightfully. :)

Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad

Delish. And now back to some real school work… Or no – maybe some UNIT WARS!

a summer passed.

Yet another summer has passed, and unfortunately, I am just beginning to understand the importance and sanctity of summers. Whatever happened to my promise of blogging more during the summer? False. Unfortunately. But, I think that me not blogging this summer is a true testament to how busy, how fulfilling, and how positive this summer, especially teaching at Breakthrough Houston, has been. Most of my posts are usually of baking… or me needing to get bad feelings off my chest before I explode. Putting both of those together must mean that:

1. I didn’t have much time this summer to bake.

False.

2. Nothing really horrific or life-changing happened this summer. (Ehh maybe…)

Looking back now, though, this summer really was full of smiles. There were smiles from my students, who made the nerdy jokes like “Miss, what is π + z-squared + a? … PIZZA!” and said the strangest, most absurd things like “Miss, boys have swag. Men have class. And I? I have class.” Smiles from seeing that “light” that teachers always talk about fill students’ faces. There were smiles from living with V. Just to name a few: baking peach cobbler scones, going to the outlets and stressing out about the car almost being stolen (OK, maybe there weren’t smiles from that), and watching Chai Lai: Dangerous Flowers, a crazy parody/rendition of Charlies Angels, on my last night in Houston, TX. And even from this last week, there were smiles from being at home: spending a day at a beautiful beach with T and G, seeing my parents, and cooking dinner at home. Even from being productive and going to the library during the summer!

The Beautiful Beach in Maine!                       (And two pretty cool people.)

I don’t want to grow up, finish college, and have no summer. Can we make summers mandatory? Yes please!

it’s been a while, hasn’t it?

So yes… It has been a while. And so much has happened since I last posted – though sadly, not that much baking. I’ve finally realized that there is a negative correlation to how much I bake and how busy I am. And now, I sit on my couch at home, listening to my Norah Jones Pandora playlist with a cup of oolong tea. Happiness? I think so.

A month ago, I started a journal. Yes, I went all hipster and got a black moleskine notebook. But, but it’s so pretty! (I think this journal may also be a factor in the lack of posts here… oops.) So far, I love it. I love the idea of scrapbooking my life with no pressure to keep it updated or worry about who will read it, who will judge. Something just for me. It’s full – well not actually full, more like 8 pages full – of poems I find, drawings I want to recreate, sentimental thoughts, and yes, since I am so cheesy… a list of happy thoughts. Reading through it though after a month and seeing my thought process on a few things is actually really interesting. People say it’s good for the mind… let’s hope so!

On another note… A year ago, I was a sophomore in college. Now, I am a junior.  It’s crazy to think about how much has changed in this past year. I am now a declared Applied Mathematics – Economics concentrator. I’ve met some wonderful new people at Brown and have started realizing who my true friends are, both at Brown and back home. I’ve kind of set down a path for the next few years (though, knowing me that can change very very quickly.) And most importantly, I feel I have gotten closer to the ones that mean the most in my life.

I’ve also succeeded in following a new year’s resolution (thanks to V and the new gym at Brown) of going to the gym everyday. I really really hope I can keep this up over the summer – and also find a partner to run Tufts10K for Women with me in October! In Houston, it may be a little difficult… it being 100 degrees and all, but so far, I’ve kept it up! This past week, I’ve been going running with T and it has surprisingly been a good experience. Of course, I set some ground rules… But after two days of running around 2.5-3.0 miles and doing intense core/arm workouts afterwards (T made me do 79 pushups!!! Well, some were knee pushups…) I can declare that they have not been a complete fail! Success.

And now, I will go make dinner for my parents! And since this is somewhat of a cooking/baking blog… somewhat… I will share what I made myself for dinner two nights ago. [Sidenote: I texted my mom this picture as my dinner and she said… “A glass of red wine.” I wish.]

Ginger and Scallion Salmon with Rice and Sauteed Broccolini.

Yum. Recipe taken (and adapted slightly for one) from My Life in Food.
For the salmon:

Ginger Scallion Sauce:
1 tbsp thinly sliced scallions
1/2 tbsp finely minced fresh ginger
3 tbsp grapeseed oil
1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
a pinch of Kosher salt

Mix everything together in a bowl. Taste and check for salt, adding more if needed. Let the marinate sit at room temperature while you make the salmon. Add to the top of cooked salmon.

Salmon Marinade: makes enough for a side of salmon
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Drizzle the marinade over the salmon and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

[Here, I followed their directions to grill the salmon]
Grill the salmon over medium heat until cooked through. Put it on the grill skin side down, then shut the lid and let it cook through for about 5-7 minutes. Check for doneness by pricking the middle of the salmon with a fork. If it flakes, it’s done. The cooking time will all depend on the thickness of the fish.

For the broccolini:

Chop a bunch of broccolini (as much as desired — the more the better!) Add some oil to a heated pan, some minced garlic, and then the broccolini. Tada! Yummy vegetables.

new revelations?

Today was a beautiful day. I guess we could be cheesy and say that this nice weather brought forth new revelations on the life of Nicole Chen. Look, ray of sunshine… thus, ray of inspiration! Of course. 

We could also say that realistically, the new revelations came from wise advice and more wise thinking. The first one sounds better though so we’ll go with that.  Because really, who could deny that this wonderful weather has some sort of positive effect on inspiring thinking?

Anyhow, getting to the actual point of this blog post. Much of my time – and sometimes I believe an unhealthily percentage of my time – is spent thinking about the future. Three… five… ten years from now, will I be graduating from graduate school or will I be in the workforce? Will I be living in an apartment in the city by myself or will I have a roommate, a suitemate or will I be living at home? Will I be engaged or will I be single or will I have a family? I am almost half way done with college, you know. These things are important to think about! In two years… I will have to actually start my life as an adult entering the real world. (What? No way…) Haha but of course, I also tell myself that there’s no point worrying about it now and whatever happens will happen. But, I do believe that we can change our paths and our future is determined by the decisions we make today so nothing, nothing is set in stone. Remember four years ago when my sole wish was to go to med school and become a doctor? Yeah no. See – I can change my future! :P 

Haha anyhow, I guess this revelation or wise advice is a potential path to pursue. It’s actually really interesting to me to see how other people’s reactions to this “plan” are. V, of course, says go for it and that if it feels right, I will work hard enough to make it happen. Always the hopeful realist. :) T, also a realist I believe, also tells me to not worry, that I’m not alone in being completely lost and unsure of the future, and that this “plan” is a good thing to look into, but also not the only answer. I wonder what V or my dad’s response will be. I never really can tell. We’ll see this weekend I guess! 

Something I’ve noticed about myself though, since this seems to be a post of me reflecting about myself and not caring who reads this. I think I am too easily persuaded by other people’s beliefs, notions, and opinions. And because of this, sometimes it is hard for myself to actually know what I am interested in or where my passions lie. Sometimes, I feel like this is a problem. Anyone know of a way I can change this?

—

Also, I know I have been severely lacking in the baking department. To make up for it – well not really – here is a few pictures of my most recent baking, cooking, and sangria-making to keep your minds (and mouths… lolz) scintillated.

feel like dancing?

oh how lovely and happy they look. :)
(more later.)

QUOTE!

“I didn’t want to kiss you goodbye — that was the trouble — I wanted to kiss you goodnight. And there’s a lot of difference.”

—	Ernest Hemingway

Today

Morning. Things I’m looking forward to today:

1. Coffee

2. The first Spring rain.

3. Blood orange Chobani yogurt. That’s right.

4. Having my concentration approved.

5. Not having to take MATH0520 (Linear Algebra) and APMA1650 (Essential Statistics).

6. Going to CVS.

—

Afternoon. Things I’m dreading:

1. Having to take MATH0520 and APMA1650.

2. After graduation plans. Capstone? Honors?

3. Not being able to finish this micro problem set.

—

Things I’m still looking forward to:

1. Going to CVS. With a coupon.