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#FourForGlenCocoFriday + The Rest of the Weekend

We've reached that point in the year,
when the days are whizzing by,
and the end of school is so, so close.

Just a second ago, we were exclaiming,
"it's already February?"

and now,
we're already at
"it's already almost-May?"

2013 is almost halfway over.
Wowza.


The good news is,
with the realization that we're almost halfway done with college,
I've been trying to make these last few weeks of sophomore year the greatest possible.

And that is how I decided last Friday,
that it would be #TreatYourselfTuesday,
except it wasn't Tuesday and there is no good synonym that starts with F.
So I came up with #FourForGlenCocoFriday (lame, stop I know), in which
we pretend that I am Glen Coco and I gift myself with whatever I want.

... such as a pedicure, lunch off-campus, new sparkly sandals,
and some fun weekend outings:
seeing my friend's performance (twice! purple flowers for my pride and joy!)
stopping by my suitemates' softball game (first time I saw my roommate hit a home run, woohoo! i mean it happens all the time, really, but she never does anything good when I'm in attendance... that scoundrel),
checking out the men's lacrosse game,
and getting some spring cleaning done.

Let's finish strong, dah-lings!
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Birthday Giveaway Winner!

Thank you guys so much,
for participating in my first giveaway!


A sleeping bag, a Chinese takeout box (it's clean, I swear),
and some birthday beads. Welcome to how we do things around here.

And the winner is...


!!!

Congratulations, Ashley!

I will e-mail you shortly with more information-
hopefully, we can do another giveaway here soon!
4

Spring Has Sprung

Last day of the Giveaway!

Fully into Spring now,
we've been enjoying the most blissful days.

On campus, it's been eighty degrees and sunny,
with slight breezes, and lots of color.
Every day.

(Yes, I do know how lucky I am.
Trust me, I know bad weather.
I'm from Houston.)

For me, Spring is defined by:


Campus at its most beautiful:
palm trees, blue skies, warm air.
Perfect for a lighter course load, 
and tanning/lounging outside all day.

We don't call it "Camp Stanford" for nothing.


Glorious sunsets at night.


Meals (especially from Coupa) eaten al fresco w/ friends.


New dining hall treats.
We had a whole 'nother cereal row installed.
FIFTEEN CEREAL OPTIONS,
that's all I'm sayin'.


Remnants of birthday festivities!


New, bright kicks & some jogs.
Or just... new, bright kicks. Period.


Birthday drinks to cool off from the heat!


#treatyoself Tuesdays.
(Thanks for the idea, Caitie!)
(That would be a Cuban Coffee cupcake on the right, yum!)


Leaving class early to go frolic in the fountains.
(And I think Cassandra is officially on this blog more than me.

Good.)


What does Spring mean to you?
20

Living The {Lyfe Kitchen}

There's still time to enter my giveaway!


After last week's harrowing and devastating events,
my mind's still reeling and I'm still struggling to understand -
but I've accepted the fact that I probably never will.

But amidst tragedy {last week was a long and difficult one:
not only did the Massachusetts events hurt us sharply,
but of course there are those who are struggling in
Texas and in China - both places especially close to my heart.
And then there are those hundreds of tragic events
that take place every day around the world that we never hear about}
I find that seeking joy and normalcy is important as ever.

And boy, do I have a lot of joy in my life -
my friends and family simply spoiled me on my birthday week.
Not only did I get to spend a fabulous weekend with my sister,
but my actual birthday was kickstarted by a surprise birthday party
organized by my besties and funded by my sister
{a princess theme, lots of pink, and even a pinata! they know me too well.}
and my day ended with a super mellow Sex and the City marathon with my suitemates.
On top of all that, I got some extra special quality time
with some of my favorite people - including, of course, that roommate of mine.

Last Sunday, we paid a visit to Lyfe Kitchen.
With healthy, light, and delicious fare & an affordable price range,
it was such a fun restaurant for a late brunch/early lunch.
The main takeaway point: everything was just so flavorful.
Sweet and tangy and savory and spicy, 
so many complex flavors mixed into a single dish -
and this rang true for every. single. thing. we. tried!
If healthy is always this yummy, I'd be a health nut any day!

Go & seek some joy in your day, friends!

8

{Perpetually Caroline} - First Giveaway!

Y'all.
I am so excited about this.
I have never done a giveaway on my blog -
I've never felt that the time was right.

Until now.



There are so many things I want to celebrate:

+ my first blogiversary (...which was three months ago, whoops!),
+ 100 followers (finally! we're playing the slow & steady game here!),
+ my birthday (i need you to love it as much as i do!),
+ in light of Monday's tragedy, I felt a tiny bit of light would be welcome. 
+ and of course, just to say thank you.

Thank you guys for reading along,
for all of your sweet comments and lovely e-mails,
and for just being an extension of my real life.
I can't wait for all that's yet to come,
and I can't wait to share all of that with you all.

So what's the giveaway, you ask?

IT'S A SURPRISE!

The roommate and I are going to go pick out a box at the post office,
and fill it with whatever we want -
we are going to fill it with some of my favorite things
{so... expect some sparkly things, some coffee-related stuff, 
some makeup, a package of Tim-Tams maybe?!}

and then for whoever wins,
I'm going to make you fill out a fun questionnaire
{I make you work for your prize, goshdangit}
about all of your favorite things.

Then, I'll mix it all up
and send a bunch of 
{snacks, accessories, music, gift cards, reading material, 
and other fun, sparkly, amazing, exciting things} 
right to ya!

US readers only, please;
winner will be chosen randomly-

to enter:
+ Follow {Perpetually Caroline} on Google Friend Connect.
+ Follow {Perpetually Caroline} on Bloglovin'.
+ Follow me on Twitter.
+ Tweet and/or blog about this giveaway - include link!

Leave a separate comment for each entry w/ your e-mail!

Giveaway ends april 24!

Contest has ended!
42

Because Obviously Birthday Calories Don't Count


Before I say anything else,
I need to first apologize for the atrocious quality of these pictures.
Clearly, photography was the last thing on my mind.
When there's food in front of me, everything's the last thing on my mind.

{Also, I'm sorry for bombarding you with a million food pictures again -
I probably need to go find some other hobbies,
but whatever, I doubt that'll happen anytime soon.}



Wednesday the 17th is my 20th birthday
{I said I wouldn't freak out, but I'm freaking out.}
& I celebrated in the way I know best:
with my big sister and basically seeing how many calories I could consume
in the shortest time span possible.
You guys, I know that this is a difficult life skill,
but I'm proud to say that I've become highly accomplished.

I finally got to try Bi-Rite Creamery,
and y'all, it was a religious experience.
I have higher standards for my ice cream than I do my future husband,
and I'll just casually throw out there that Bi-Rite might just be the Matt Damon of men.
The malted vanilla especially - it can be Hugh Jackman for all I care -
it can sing, dance, act, and be handsome in all of its ice cream glory.

My only requests for our day was that we have ramen and sushi at some point.
Our first stop after the amazingness known as Bi-Rite,
was Waraku in Japantown to get some satisfyingly aromatic ramen.
There is nothing in this world I'd rather do than eat bowls on bowls of noodles with my sister.
Waraku didn't disappoint - the very best part {of life}, of course, is that egg - too. good.


To prove to you that I have the mental capacity to do something other than eat,
here I present my favorite form of cardio: shopping.
Twenty years of shopping, Daddy, do you know how much money I saved you in not
having to get me a therapist? Do you even know?

After picking up a carrot cupcake from Cake-o & some Stanford water
{just proves that you can't get too far from the Bubble, no matter how hard you try}
we headed over to Bliss Spa for some much-needed massages.
Not only did I not engage in physical activity to burn off my calories,
I laid there & imitated a lazy seal relaxed for an hour.
Clutch move - birthdays only.
{As if.}

{And yes, I know I have the best sister ever - keep reading, it gets even better.}


I used to refuse to eat raw fish,
and then my sister took me to Nobu,
and I figured... if it was good enough for Beyonce, it was good enough for me.
And ever since, I've been addicted to eating Nemo.
Just kidding.

I'm sorry.

I'm really sorry.

I bet you Nemo hates salmon, & that's what I {mostly} stick to.

Kama was delicious;
I was especially a fan of the Rainbow Roll -
pretty and yummy -
that's my kind of lovely!


Finally, as a special treat before she sent me back to school,
we stopped by Beard Papa's for some cream puffs.
I love this place so much, I once tracked it down in some underground mall in Beijing -
{trust me, that takes willpower & a whole lot of guts}
the creamy, fluffy, extra-light custard filling is just ... otherworldly.


Thank you so much, my lovely big sister & other half,
for a most amazing birthday celebration - I loved every single second.

And although my jeans already feel extra tight on this Monday
{it was in the dryer... okay?}
I'm not stopping anytime soon -
I consider my birthday to be the entire month of April,
and my calorie count is going to represent that very accurately.

Over and out soul sistas!

21

{Good Eats} Umami Burger | Palo Alto, CA









There are not too many things on this planet
greater than having a Friday free of classes,
a looooong afternoon nap,
a (very!) quick shopping trip,
and then trying out Umami Burger 
with my two favorites,
and of course the extra Yogurtland on top!

I was thrilled to see that Umami came to Palo Alto -
it's just as fabulous as I expected.
The fun, library-like decor,
the nice lady who seated us when she didn't have to,
and the yummy food (the buns! the buns!) -
it's got a thumb's up from me!

Umami Burger | 452 University Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301

17

Cherry Blossoms and Creepy Crawlies






There is nothing more terrifying than opening one eye to snooze your alarm for the fourth time,
and seeing a gosh-darn ANT crawling next to your face on your beloved pillow.
DEAR ANT, please get out of my personal safe/warm/snuggly/clean bubble.
I have half a mind to lecture you about the definition of an invasion of privacy,
but then I'd have to kill you. (Oh wait, I already did.)

Rant over.

{Dear universe, if this stupid ant infestation is a test to see if I'm capable of handling my twenties,
I'll just tell you right now that I can't & I vote to stay a teen forever thankyouverymuch.}

Rant really over.

Scroll back up for some more pleasing mental-picture material.
Cherry blossoms!
Our few little baby trees are pretty far off from DC's blossoms,
but oh boy are they trying their hardest. 

And they are so special -
these pictures were taken when they were already not at their fullest.
But at their peak, they were all soft and pink and fluttery.
And every time I walked by, I'd feel all "Memoirs of a Geisha," - 
a breeze would blow by and a whole lot of blossoms would drift by me,
and I swear, I've never smelled anything so sweetly, pleasantly delightful,
and everything and the world was just terrific.

And then the ants showed up.
14

Let's Have (Dim)Sum Fun!

See what I did there?
;)

Last week, I was home in Houston for Spring Break.
It was a week of good, wholesome fun:
Mama's cooking, lots of sleep and TV time, and making my dad do my taxes.
(As it's going to be for the next 50 years, glad we're establishing this now.)

My birthday's coming up soon,
so my parents took me out for some dimsum - my favorite! - as an early celebration.


Fung's Kitchen | 7320 Southwest Fwy #115, Houston, TX 77074


My typical order:
(sorry I'm butchering Chinese right now...
it's a tad embarrassing.)

luomiji - glutinous rice w/ chicken filling wrapped in lotus leaves.
xiajiao - translucent, steamed shrimp dumplings.
charsiubao - BBQ pork steamed buns.
changfen - shrimp in rice noodle rolls.
xianshuijiao - deep-fried savory dumplings w/ sweet, sticky exterior
zhou - congee (I always ask for 1000-year eggs + pork)
yutoujiao - mashed taro + veggie/mushroom dumplings w/ crispy exterior.
and my sister's favorite - fengzhua aka phoenix claw/chicken feet.

We always order an additional couple of fun dishes,
but these are the ones we usually judge a dimsum restaurant by.

(The consensus, if you Houston folks are wondering,
was that Fung's Kitchen was decent, but not incredible.)

Now, go and have (dim)sum fun!

What are your thoughts on dimsum?
What are your favorites?
Do you have a favorite dimsum restaurant?

10

#CCTakesLA: The Sights



Finally we have reached the final segment of the Los Angeles Saga.
Is that a sigh of relief I hear?

The roommate and I aren't the stereotypical sight-seers
(ahem, we prefer to go straight to where the food is, thankyouverymuch)
but we snuck in a couple of fun places nevertheless.

---

Let's get the awkward story out of the way first.


A huge reason why we made this trip,
was because we managed to procure two general tickets to a Chelsea Lately taping.
Key word: general.
After getting all gussied up and almost breaking my toe in excitement
...

we didn't end up getting to go.
As we awkwardly waited in line while all of the "priority ticket" people were let in,
we sadly accepted the fact that we wouldn't be able to see our idol in action this time.
It's all good though - we have raincheck "priority" tickets for the next time we want to go!

---

During our down time, we...:





---

And Cassandra also showed me the very coolest bookstore I have ever seen,
The Last Bookstore.
This is a book-art-weirdstuff-vintage-collectibles-anything lover's heaven.
It is all good quirks and whimsical exhibitions - such a gem!









---
Finally, we paid a visit to Griffith Observatory,
and took in some breathtaking, sweeping views of Los Angeles.
(Future bridesmaids take note: I want my bachelorette party here -
it's $$$$$$ for a whole night here, but apparently the stars are unreal.
Stargazing + good food + laughter = my dream come true.)





---

Thank you, Cassandra's family, for being so lovely.
Thank you, Los Angeles, for showing us a great time.
And thank you, amazing folks, for reading along!

See you soon, SoCal -
until next Finals Week, we meet!



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