Workout Wednesday: Full-Body Workouts

           

It's a new year, a new me and yeah a new day :) I hope that from this day on, I will post more about fun and active stuff like workouts, my actual jogging routines and just how to stay fit ;-) The past few months I have been lacking on regular workouts and training because I had to study for exams and right now, I am also working on papers, so no rest and relaxation for students ;-)

Anyways, when I lacked of motivation at the end of 2013, a dear friend came up to me and gave me a lovely letter with a bunch of 'fitness bloggers' to try out. I'm gonna assure you, I will never make videos like this ;-) there are a whole lot of peeps who can do it better ;-) Nevertheless, I thought it would be nice to share the videos/exercises which work for me and are not too 'depressing', haha =D meaning not too painful, but totally worth it! 

           

So, when I started my workouts back then I used these videos by Popsugar Fitness to help me get going :) I love these women and ever since whenever I want to do a 10minute workout I put them on. I always mix and match different videos depending on what I wanna work on and how much time I have. No more excuses, guys ;-) Be it cardio, strength with or without weights, arms, legs, abs.. Popsugar Fitness have a lot in store for you. Try out the videos and let me know how you like it :) I'm gonna change my clothes now and squeeze in a 30minute workout with these ladies ;-) Happy exercising! ♥  

           

Pattern Mix Vol. 2 x Black Leather

Another recap from last week when I met up Anh from thadarlinh for lunch. If you don't know her yet, check out the interview with her here. Yes, I am here in Berlin over the holidays and spending a few more weeks to be together with my loved one. 

Anh and I actually wanted to grab a bagel and to catch up a bit, since we haven't seen each other since the summer. Unfortunately the bagel place we headed to was closed (holidays..) and we weren't as hungry yet, so we've decided to take some outfit pictures first. 

That day it was pretty warm and the sun was shining, I didn't know until I stepped out the door. I wore a H&M basic shirt, some old Hollister jeans (yeah, I know.. -.- =D but bought them back in 2011, Hollister is just so superdupercheap in the U.S. and they fitted me perfectly), a vintage necklace, the vintage Christmas scarf by Kenzo, a H&M coat from the winter sale (bought it in Dec. ;-) ), Zara boots (on sale!) and my Zac Posen handbag. 

I've called this pattern mix volume 2 because it's quite similar to the one I've posted a few weeks ago. I really like this grey leoprint which you can see a lot on H&M and Monki Clothes. The combination of the grey and red checked pattern works very well and paired with some black leather you can style it up for a lunch meeting :) We ended up at Zeit für Brot in Berlin Mitte, where they have their delicious cinnamon rolls =P

Armparty: & Other Stories rings and bracelet (sale!), Snash Jewelry ring and bracelet plus daddy's vintage bracelet and a handmade Brazilian ring.

Pictures taken by Anh from thadarlinh.

Food Friday: Korean at Madang's Berlin

Today's Food Friday Restaurant Review is more of a recap since I was there back in the summer 2013. That night, we actually wanted to go to Little Tibet, but unfortunately we were standing in front of closed doors. However, we decided to walk up the street and find out what's around. It was pretty late and crowded when we stopped at Madang's, but the chef was so kind to still serve us. 

So, we ordered the grill for two with beef and mixed vegetables. It reminded me a lot of NYC and the lovely dinner I had with my Asian friend Kendy in 2011 :) oh and the Kimchi! Just love it :) funny stories come into my mind when I think about it: some Koreans were on our California trip and brought tons of Kimchi in plastic bags to the U.S. because they thought they'd run out =D 

Anyways, I really like Korean Food and in my opinion it's pretty healthy, too! Lots of protein and veggies ;-) The waiters in there are super nice and Madang is highly recommended because of their calm atmosphere. The prices are fair and the food is really authentic and delicious. Always worth a stop whenever you're looking for some authentic Asian food in Berlin, I will definitely go there again ;-)

Madang, Gneisenaustr. 8, 10961 Berlin 

Watch: Beyoncé's Directors Screening NYC

                 

This lady did the impossible and is motivating us to achieve more, 

dream big and live the life we are supposed to. 

No matter what, believe in yourself and 

do not listen to what they say.

New Years Resolution: No Shopping Challenge

Inspired by Leo Babauta and his Buy Nada Challenge I wanted to challenge myself as well. This past year I've thought a lot about Clearing my Clutter and me wanting less, because materialistic things do not make me happy. Read my first I want less, here and now post here and the second one about clothes and clutter here. 

Last week, I came up with the idea: well why not stop shopping for half a year since I've also wanted to save up money for a big trip in the summer. I thought it over and over again and was like: hmm.. I might not be able to do it, but maybe step by step? One month, then three months and then finally six? However, this morning, I just read an article about The Trouble with 2nd Hand Clothes by BOF and the very last part was really insisting:

“It doesn’t do justice to us or to fashion. Fashion should be about cherishing clothes and creating an identity, [but today it's] based on constant adrenalin and the excitement of purchasing. There is no anticipation or dreaming. Nothing lasts or is looked after. We each have a mini-landfill in our closets.”

As I mentioned before: I want less, here and now is a work in progress, so this will be Step #2 about clothes and clutter. I've set up myself five rules to follow by for the next few months.

1. Today, I am making a commitment that I will not shop clothing, accessories, beauty products for myself until June 30th, 2014.

 2. Except necessities like running shoes or underwear, if they break, or essential products like shampoo, which ran out. 

3. If I need a sweater or a cardigan or something super badly, 

I will find other ways to get it. Maybe borrowing,

trading with friends, making my own?

4. Be creative: I try to be creative with my 'old' clothes as much as possible. Try to create new and different outfits and to try out some Do-It-Yourself-Projects. 

5. If I should give in, I will not be too hard on myself. I will reflect my consumption and move on with my commitment.

What do you guys think about the rules I've set for myself? Are you into it, too? What is your new year's resolution? Do you have any? I would love to hear from you and what you think about my No-Shopping-Challenge :) Of course, I will keep you updated and tell you about my experience :)

Happy New Year 2014

Happy New Year friends ♥

I wish you all the best for the upcoming year,

many wishes, much health and many hugs and kisses.

So much love to share with you.

2013 was full with ups and downs, but I'm stepping into the new year with more strength, happiness, motivation

and confidence. 

Thank you to everyone who was there for me when I was down,

and thank you to everyone who laughed with me during my ups
:) I love you ♥

And thank YOU for everyone who is reading my posts
and sharing the same ideas and thoughts with me.
I will definitely keep up the blog and 
cannot wait for 2014 and what it has in store for me :)
♥ Super excited and ready to spread out more love ♥  
 xoxo

Mindful Monday: Thoughts on 2013

I actually wanted to show you guys a lovely book, which I got for my birthday, but this will be for next Mindful Monday then ;-) So, I came across these 25 questions to ask yourself before the end of the year by MindBodyGreen and tried to answer a few of them. Now, I want what I've thought while answering the questions.

What lessons have I learned?

You are NEVER too old to learn something new. JUST DO IT.

No doubts, no fear. Embrace yourself, do whatever you want. Stay strong, everyone else is going through the same feelings and the same issues, they are going as far as you do, 

but can and will you make it further?

Always be nice and grateful, be the best version of yourself!

Do not hang around too much with people who don't understand you or drain your energy. Turn to those who inspire and bring out the best in you.

Always be open and stay curious, you never know what will happen next. 

Stay true to yourself and don't regret decisions and situations. 

How did I spend my free time?

With new hobbies. I've started a new passion called Longboarding in May this year. 

Read my longboard story here ;-)

Additionally I've found my way back to blogging.

When did I feel most creatively inspired?

When I met strangers, some became friends and the 2nd half of the year was very inspiring: with my internship at LesMads, with longboarding and fellow skaters,

with Off Color and Dreams, 

with small moments in life like taking a walk with my mother

or doing random acts of kindness :)

When have I felt the most alive?

Longboarding ♥ 

How can I improve my relationships?

More patience, my dear. 

Learn to let go of the past, forgive people and you have a decision to change your behavior every single day. 

Read my Flexible Mind post :) 

What would I like to cultivate?

Do more of what I love, have more fun. 

Don't take life toooo serious, but hey,

play hard, work hard ;-)

I want less and clearing clutter.
Trusting my gut more, decide intuitively.

How can I be kind to myself?

Stop watching and comparing to others, 

start doing and be the best YOU you can be!

As you can see, one of the best moments was getting into longboarding, which gave me so much. More freedom, more creativity, more action and more fun :) I truly love it and after the small tour today, I don't want to miss it anymore. Other than that I'm still learning, it's a lifelong journey and I am grateful for all these magic moments that happened this year, next year it will be even better ;-) Do you have any new year's resolutions? I will post mine soon, so stay tuned!

What else did I learn this year? 

Take the good, leave the bad. Making new friends is so inspiring and YES, life is good.

It ALWAYS depends on how you look at it.

Be KIND to strangers, life is full of surprises

and magic moments ♥

Tips on how to get well soon :)

Yes, why? Because I was sick over the christmas holidays and I thought, why not give my get-well-soon tips to you? And here they are :)

1. Sleep and Rest
Nothing new, same story every time ;-) I think, whether or not you're a working bee, you just have to give in. At the latest when your body calls for it and says: STOP! Your body will force you to go to bed, to rest and to yes, stay there for a bit...  It's always hard for me to admit that I didn't get enough sleep the last few weeks and then, to really take my time to rest.

2. Hot Lemon/Ginger Water
This is my Go-To-Water whenever I feel sick or have a cold because lemon will detoxify your body and ginger will cure your illness. My mum always tells me to drink lots of hot ginger water and you can even eat a small piece of raw ginger to help your throat. Read more if you want to know why you should drink warm water with lemon.

3. Herbs, Greens, Vegetables and Fruits
As always, fuel yourself with lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. Especially right after the holidays when I ate heavy food, I'm longing for something light and fresh :) That's why I made myself a Green Juice yesterday. It's so fast to make your own, for instance this one consisted of a kiwi, half an avocado, some zucchini, a few slices of lemon, some ginger et voilá you'll have your dose of vitamins and essential nutrients :) Read more about Green Juices here.

4. Frozen Berries 
This is a tip for anyone who is suffering a sore throat: my friend's mum told me to buy frozen berries, to suck and to eat them. They will work better than any cough drops you have from the pharmacy. Try it :)

5. Fresh Air
Go out, have a walk, not a jog ;-) and let the sun shine in your face (if there's some), breathe in some fresh air and be out in the woods, your body and mind will thank you for!

I hope you're getting better with these tips and really stay at home when your body calls for it! The holidays are over, I'm almost fit again, but will take it slow the next few days :) 

Slow down and breathe,
xo Minh

Merry Christmas x Happy Holidays!

I wish you guys lovely holidays and lots of fun with friends and family. Enjoy the days that you're home and cherish the few moments you have with them. And if you cannot be with your friends, send them Do-It-Yourself Postcards ;-) and let them know that you're thinking of them ♥ If you still need some nice recipes, check out the cookies and cakes!

Unfortunately I'm super sick right now.. again and wasn't able to post this week's Mindful Monday topic, but stay tuned for next week's thoughts ;-) My How-to-Get-Well-Soon-Post is coming up, too :) 

Sending you love and greetings from Berlin, 

xoxo M.

Food Friday: Vegan Muesli Cookies

I guess it's that time of year again although the weather doesn't seem like it! It's raining here, and it's kind of warm, which reminds me of last year's christmas in Germany when I went for a jog with a friend. Weird, huh? Climate Change is showing its effects..

All my friends are into baking right now and what better to give your loved ones than homemade cookies? :) I've already showed you the Almond Biscotti and the Chocolate Chia Peanut Cookie Recipe in the last two weeks. So, if you mix up those with these Vegan Muesli Cookies you'll have some delicious christmas munchies to share with friends and family.

Ingredients:

250g whole grain flour,
1 package vanilla sugar,
1 pinch of salt,
150 to 200ml soy milk,
75 raw cane sugar,
200g mixed nuts with muesli,
1/2 package of baking powder
and 3 large spoons of powdered sugar (if preferred).

1. Just mix everything together until a nice dough comes out.

2. Shape cookies with a spoon and place on the baking sheet. Bake for about 15min. at 170°C (330°F).

After that, you're all set I would say ;-) Why are they so special? Because they aren't heavy on your stomach and the raisins and nuts do their best in this oatmixture, happy baking for christmas! xo

Grey Cos vs. Greens

I've always wanted to make this post about the COS Cardigan, but couldn't manage to take some pictures of it since the weather wasn't nice enough. This sunday, it was sunny out and not too cold to pull out the huge Cardigan and throw it on some basics ;-) When I bought it back in January in Berlin, I honestly wasn't sure about it, because it was a fair amount of money and more special. My friend Samira told me to definitely go for it and yes I really love it now! 

Nevertheless, I didn't wear it often, but used it rather as a jacket than a cardigan. So, it needs to be the right time to wear this, be it in spring or autumn, additionally you have to wear something underneath. I prefer autumn though because I feel like this doesn't match to spring =D Anyways, I need to pull it out more often because I do feel comfortable and cozy in it :) And yes, I've returned the H&M Ankles and got myself the fake-leather Zara ones =P How do you like this outfit?

H&M Black Basic Sweater.

COS Cardigan last season.

UniqLo Pants.

Zara Ankle Boots.

UrbanOutfitters Backpack.

Necklace is from a NYC Flea Market, 

Bracelet and Ring are from Snash Jewelry.

Tune In: Patrice x Selah Sue

Mindful Monday: Inspired by Pharrell Williams

Every Mindful Monday I'm sharing my thoughts with you about actually anything, but sometimes it's just something inspirational for me. So, these days I'm all into Pharrell Williams, his music, his videos, his designs and his words. How come? Not only did I accidently watched some of his 'How to suceed in life' videos on Youtube, which I strongly agreed on; a dear friend just reminded me of his great work with N.E.R.D. when she gave me a CD-mix as a birthday present. 

His words made me really think. Think about my doubts, about my future, about the fear of managing life and dealing with all the shit what's going on around. And also how you treat yourself. Listen to what he says and let him inspire you.

This is what I wrote down in my diary and here I'm sharing it:

Create your own world. Don't wait for it.

Always be curious and keep on chasing. Feed your curiosity.

There's no such thing as nothing. Nothing is a perception, things and reality are changeable. You just have to reevaluate it and love what you do in life.

Ego. It's a funny entity. It's on your side when you're doing great, but leaves you when you fail. So DO NOT listen to and get rid off it.

Failure. Switch failure for lesson or better: it's useful information for the future. 

It's acutally R'n'D: Research and Development. 

It has to be about YOU because if you spend time doing things for other people, you will think: what about ME? 

If you don't pay attention to who YOU ARE, you possibly cannot be good to the next person.

Don't be afraid, go get it!

You have the idea, do it!

Organize your own crew of girls and guys that think like you and start your own movement: people who believe in and represent YOU.

Imagine. What would you do all day long when your bills are paid? Find respective jobs.

If you're not learning you're wasting your time.

These words helped me so much during the last week, and I will always return to these whenever I'm doubting about myself. Really love yourself first and then you can love others. And hey, I've already met up with some creative heads to just sketch together, talk and exchange ideas. Love the idea of a creative Think Tank or a Crew to start my own movement ;-) In the next few weeks or better for the upcoming year I will rethink what I really want in life and how to focus on it better :) It's time for a new Vision Board ♥ Have a happy new week guys!

Superwoman Beyoncé

If you haven't heard it yet: Beyoncé just released 14 songs and 17 videos while we were sleeping, I guess :) Watch this short video about her new album and listen to what she says.

I remember when I was 13, 14, my former best friend and I were so into Beyoncé, we would battle who has more knowledge about her and who's more up to date =D Yes, it was that bad and I was so in love with Destiny's Child as well. This woman is still a big inspiration for me and actually this week, I've wanted to buy myself a new album, yes CD, no itunes ;-) Read a short album review at Refiner29 here and get a first impression.

Food Friday: Vegan Banana x Chocolate Crumble Cake

For today's Food Friday recipe I'm showing you this wonderful Vegan Banana x Chocolate Crumble Cake I've made for my own birthday a few weeks ago ;-) Why vegan? Well, just because I love to experiment with different ingredients and since I don't drink milk at all, I also try to substitute eggs and so on :) So, this is a good recipe for any party, that's why I'll make it again for a friend's bday tonight ;-) have fun baking and share, share, share!

Ingredients:

For the dough:

100g Coconut Oil

120g raw cane sugar,

150g whole spelt flour

30g cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

75ml soymilk

5 spoons soy yogurt

Filling:

3 Bananas, 60g Chocolote Flakes,

2 Packages of Vegan Cream , 4 packages cream stabilizer.

1. Mix all ingredients for the dough together and put it on a pie pan, bake for 30min. at about 170°C (345°F). 

2. After that, carve out the upper part of the cake and leave the ground at the side. Crumble the rest for the topping.

3. Cut the 3 bananas into slices lengthwise and put them on the ground (look at pictures).

4. Whip the cream, you really have to stir and stir and stir, pour the stiffener in and it will work somehow, I promise. Vegan soy cream is just not as easy as the usual one, so don't give up ;-) Mix in the chocolate flakes. Pour the cream on top of the bananas until everything is covered, should look like a hill :)

5. Spread the crumbles on top of that hill of whipped cream and voilá, there you go :) You have your Vegan Banana x Chocolate Crumble Cake. Leave it in your refridgerator for about 2hours and then, serve friends and family :) 

My friends didn't realize that it was vegan, and it really doesn't taste different. The cake is not too sweet as well, depending on your sweet tooth: add or subtract sugar ;-)

Tip: Enjoy right away, it won't be as good the next days since you're using bananas ;-) and sorry for the blurred picture of the dough.

OFF COLOR Analog Shoot

NYC Knicks Beanie, Grey Sweater by H&M, adidas Originals F/W'13 Leggings, Goertz Chelsea Boots.

This is actually a recap-post since I've already received these pictures a few weeks ago but wasn't able to scan them yet, so here we go: some analog pictures during the Dreams Shooting for OFF COLOR's 3rd issue. Although I'm not 'that' into modeling, Katrin Schmidt did an amazing job making me feel comfortable. Working with her was a lot of fun and I could just be myself and do whatever suited me best. 

It was a very spontanuous shoot though, we had an hour to do this at a playground near school and yes, as you can see, there were many children screaming and playing around. But they were too cute, super curious, and they wanted to be part of the whole thing ;-) See the girl in that pink sweater on my right? Too cute :)

Kazumi Snapback, H&M Blazer & Sports Bra, Air Jordans, Baseball Jersey from the Cleveland Indians.

The pictures below were taken in the Turkish area of the town. K told me that she saw that wall sometime when she walked by and just had to do a shoot there. Yeah, definitely a must, don't you like the pattern? :) When she showed me the analog pictures one or two weeks after the shoot, I was surprised that they turned out so 'real', I guess you never know when the photographer is taking a picture ;-) And the T-Shirt is also from adidas Originals F/W'13. Always have fun and enjoy yourself ♥

Tune In: N.E.R.D.

Finding Focus

With this post I'm going to say Thank You so far and Good-Bye for a two-week break from blogging and surfing through the world wide web. This is the time of year that I really have to focus on my studies at college since exams are coming up :) So, I'll be back around the 10th Dec. and be sure to check back then ;) There is so much more to come, cannot wait to play with the keys again and let my mind flourish.

In the meantime: read and dream a bit with Dreams by OFF Color, it's such a nice magazine full of dreamers, believers and thinkers ♥

So how do we find focus?

Take a step back. Back away from the browser and the phone, and give yourself a moment’s space to think.

What do you really want to do right now? What’s most important? What kind of person do you want to be?

Maybe you have 5 things you want to do. Pick one. Subtract.

Read on here if you want to find focus by Zenhabits.

See you guys back in December ♥

Love, Minh

Birthday Weekend ♥

Just wanted to give you guys a small impression of my birthday weekend :) Everything started on saturday when I was preparing for family and some friends, I've baked a bunch of cookies and also tried myself at baking a Vegan Banana Chocolate Cake - post is coming up ;-). Then, I've had a lovely dinner with the family and received some mail from England and Berlin :) Sunday morning, I met up with other friends for a nice breakfast with delicious food and got loads of tea for winter and study time ♥ Once again: Thank you so so much for all lovely wishes, words, gifts and time you've spent with me. Friends, You are the best :) xoxo 

And wuuhuuu, I cannot wait for the skydive next year ♥