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Rewatch & Recap: The Secret Circle 1×02 “Bound”

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Hi friends!

Did you think I was joking when I said I’d be recapping The Secret Circle each week? Last week, we saw the main heroine, Cassie Blake, go back to her roots in Chance Harbor. Five other teenagers revealed her connection to magic and left her in a state of shock. During high school, teenagers question their identity and the news of a “secret circle” confuses Cassie even more.

On episode two, the episode starts off with Cassie reading a letter from her deceased mother. She finds this letter in her family book, which showcases the history of their magic. She warns Cassie to be careful of who she trusts, especially because of the strong power she possesses. Her power is supposed to keep her safe from those trying to wrong her. At this point, siding with the rest of the circle is far from Cassie’s mind.

We’re then taken next door to Nick’s residence. He and Melissa are hooking up. Melissa pretends it’s just a hookup, but when Nick makes a douchebag comment, we can see it’s more than a hookup to her. As Melissa leaves, Nick sees Cassie again from his window. This time, Cassie tries to obstruct the view and goes a little overboard by breaking Nick’s window.

Faye’s grandfather, Henry, decides to pay a visit to his grand daughter and daughter-in-law. Faye looks like she absolutely adores him, but Dawn is clearly weary of his visit. Later on in the episode we find out that Ethan (Adam’s dad) called Henry after his little encounter with Charles Meade.

Throughout the episode, Sally Matthews, the class president, constantly tries to make Cassie feel welcome as the new student. At this point, she’s just a normal student without magical powers who constantly butts heads with Faye. While Sally invites Cassie to volunteer at the fair, Faye interrupts to bring up the topic of binding the circle yet again. Faye is still against it. And Cassie is still against all of it.

During Chemistry class, Faye provokes Cassie with some fun chemistry magic. Faye gets things boiling which causes Cassie’s glass beaker to break. Cassie’s pissed and ignites a fire before running out. Adam, the knight in shining armor, runs after her and offers to help her understand.

Diana’s pissed at Faye again after the stunt she pulled in class. The power struggle is real. Faye does NOT want to bind the circle, while Diana is standing her ground about binding the circle. Melissa is starting to lean towards Diana’s side of the spectrum, but Faye shut that down real quick.

We then see Cassie and Adam practicing their magic again. This time they play with electricity: battery –> Cassie –> Adam –>light bulb. Energy passes through them and Adam encourages Cassie to try herself. There’s too much energy and Cassie is scared of the connection she’s making with Adam again.

Cassie accepts Sally’s offer of normalcy and volunteers at the fair. Faye thinks it’s a perfect time to practice more magic. Winning fair games becomes so easy, but Henry catches her from afar. He reports this to his daughter-in-law who does a good job at acting like she has no idea and even offers to. Because of Henry’s suspicions, Dawn asks Charles to pass over the magic crystal so she can make sure another mess doesn’t happen.

Cassie and Ethan have another encounter. Like their past encounters, Ethan talks about Emilia and the energy and attraction they shared. Cassie knows exactly what he’s talking about because she feels the same thing with Adam. This scene is then followed by Adam and Cassie staring at the sunset.  Diana watches from afar and it’s almost heartbreaking, especially since Faye decides to be a brat and rub it in Diana’s face.

Fast forward to the night at the fair. Nick tries to make the moves on Faye while Melissa stands to the side. Faye would rather start another storm than hook up with Nick. While the storm is brewing,  Faye tries to provoke Cassie again. Sally attempts to save Cassie from Faye’s nonsense and Faye pushes the class president a little too hard. Her magical strength pushes Sally over the pier onto some rocks. The girl appears to be dead, but mama Chamberlain swoops in and discretely uses the crystal magic to resuscitate Sally. There is no way in hell she’s letting her daughter go away for killing another student. The incident with Sally is what pushes Faye to side with Diana’s request.

Henry saw Dawn use the crystal and finally puts it all together. He wants to stop the use of magic and possible binding of the circle and knows Dawn is involved with it somehow. He threatens to go to the Elders, but Dawn thinks the old man shouldn’t be around anymore. She induces a heart attack and tells Faye he’s at the lakehouse resting. It appears Charles and Dawn’s plans are going as planned.

Before the binding ceremony, Diana confesses that she’s nervous. She’s nervous about what happens after and what could happen between Adam and Cassie. Adam reassures Diana that he loves her, but Ethan’s “written in the stars” spiel is playing like a broken record in the back of my mind.

The final scene brings us to the beach. Diana leads in the chanting and questions, “Do you accept the circle?” The remaining 5 accept and the bonfire burns strongly. The circle is bound, now what are the parents up to?

xoxo,

Adele

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Rewatch & Recap: The Secret Circle – Pilot 

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On September 15, 2011, the Pilot episode of The Secret Circle aired. At that time, I hadn’t watched The Vampire Diaries, but from what I gathered, this show was sort of a spin-off about witches. However, it wasn’t really a spin-off. It was based off the book series by L.J. Smith, who wrote the TVD series. TSC also shared some of the same creators and producer.

But I was excited and watching for two reasons:

1. Shelley Hennig was starring in it. At the time, the former Miss Teen USA was mostly known for her role as Stephanie Johnson on Days of Our Lives and TSC was her first role after leaving the daytime soap opera. I’ve seen a few of the other actors work on previous shows, like Britt Robertson in Life Unexpected and Phoebe Tonkin in H20: Just Add Water

2. Witches and magic. There was so much hype around vampires with the Twilight series, other supernatural beings were being shunned away. And as a fan of Charmed, I was ready to see a new generation of witches kick butt and defeat evil.

Sadly, while the show was picked up for a full first season, it was not renewed by the CW. This was one of the show cancellations that I actually cried about. I became too attached. I dreamed I was part of the circle! Over one season we saw 5 characters, with all different personalities, work together because together they were more powerful. They had to fix the mess their parents put them in. Personalities clashed, relationships formed, and there was a power struggle between all of them. The main goal was to defeat the evil beings of the world together, all the while surviving the drama that is high school. And of course there were four bad-ass female characters.

And I’m still bummed about the cancellation. I signed the petitions and I was all over Twitter trying to help the show get picked up after such a cliffhanger of a finale. With the majority of the actors having shows ending soon, one can’t help but hope some revival or reunion comes through soon.

Luckily, the 1st and only season of TSC was on Netflix for a while. It was recently taken off, but just became available on the CW Seed. You can watch it online or on the app for free!

So if you’re up to watching an old show about some new witches, feel free to join me each week as I rewatch The Secret Circle. 

The Pilot episode begins with the main heroine, Cassie Blake (Britt Robertson). It’s a dark night and she’s driving down a long road towards home. That is until a mysterious car cuts her off and causes her to get a flat tire. It’s definitely not an accident when we see the car stall from afar before driving off. While Cassie calls her mother to inform her of the situation, the same car happens to pull up to their house. A little bit of magic here and there and Cassie’s mother and home go up in flames.

After the tragedy that ensued, Cassie is forced to live with her grandmother in a small town named Chance Harbor, where her mother grew up. She starts school at Chance Harbor High School and the first person she meets is Principal Dawn Chamberlain, her mother’s old friend.

We then are taken to two other students expecting the arrival of the young blonde, Cassie’s brooding neighbor, Nick Armstrong (Louis Hunter) and other brooder, Adam Conant (Thomas Dekker). When Adam first sees Cassie down the hall, you can feel the chemistry between the two forming. But Adam isn’t the first person to introduce themself to Cassie. Resident bad girl, Faye Chamberlain (Phoebe Tonkin), the Principal’s daughter, oozes out some sarcasm before “helping” Cassie open her locker.

Then Diana Meade (Shelley Hennig), Chance Harbor’s girl next door, comes into the picture. As the unofficial welcome committee, Diana invites Cassie to hang out at the Boathouse Grill after school. Before seeing Diana, she’s awkwardly approached by Adam’s father Ethan, who reminisces about his love for Cassie’s mother, Amelia. “It was written in the stars,” he says before Adam stops him from continuing.

When Adam leaves Cassie alone for a moment, Faye swoops in along with Melissa Glaser (Jessica Parker Kennedy). Melissa is sort of Faye’s sidekick. They continue on with the sarcasm which causes Cassie to leave. Melissa tells Faye, “I don’t think she knows,” and Faye decides to put Cassie through a magic test. This test includes setting Cassie’s car on fire while she’s locked in. Cassie fails,  but luckily Adam is there to use his powers to save her.

Diana’s a few minutes late to the epic event, but when she sees Faye she knows exactly what happened. During this scene, we find out that Diana and Adam are dating. The look of disappointment falls on Cassie’s face.

Remember when I talked about power struggles? Well here goes one with Faye and Diana. Diana’s almost like the leader of the circle. She wants to take it slow and does not want to risk being discovered. Faye on the other hand is loving all the magical energy and wants to use her powers, especially since she saw what Cassie’s energy did with the fire.

At home, it seems Cassie’s power has awoken. But she has no idea what is happening. The next morning she walks into town looking for her grandmother and bumps into a familiar face. At least he’s familiar to viewers. He was the man outside the Blake residence in the beginning of the episode. Turns out he’s Diana’s father, Charles Meade. It makes you wonder if Diana’s aware of what he did considering how nice she’s being to Cassie.

Cassie’s grandma seeks out Dawn Chamberlain and suspects that the kids are practicing after Cassie’s car caught on fire. Dawn’s feigns disbelief claiming that she knows the kids and what they do in their spare time. Practicing magic is not it.

But as we know, they are practicing. And when Cassie is suspicious of weird activity, Diana finally decides to introduce Cassie to the whole gang, aka the secret circle. They have a secret hideout in an abandoned house and it’s finally confirmed who’s in the circle: Faye, Melissa, Nick, and Adam. Cassie completes the circle of six and while Diana tries to lay it on her softly, Faye is blunt AF. “You’re a full blooded, 100% witch.”

Cassie thinks they’re all loony, which is completely understandable. Mr. Conant’s “written in the stars” comment is starting to make sense when the members of the circle explain the existence of each families’ books and the loss of a parent. But for proof, Adam convinces Cassie to chant, “A drop of water as light as air,” and again with their strong chemistry, they produce magic around them.

For a moment, Adam forgets he has a girlfriend. Cassie leaves in search for more answers from the people that knew her mother. She doesn’t get anywhere and appears to be convinced when Diana recalls what she knows about the last circle. 16 years ago there was an accident and all the people that died were members of the circle and happened to be their parents.

What’s more convincing is Faye putting her newfound power to the test again. This time she messes with mother nature and makes it rain. She’s on a high, that is until Diana interrupts and gets hurt. Faye can’t stop it on her own and Cassie intervenes. Faye’s little display for attention has convinced Cassie…convinced her that she doesn’t want to be involved with any of them.

Charles Meade continues to be sketchy. He visits Adam’s dad and gives him a warning to shut his mouth after seeing him speak to Cassie earlier that night. If witchcraft was banned since the last circle, how does Charles have magic?! In a major plot twist, Dawn and Charles are in cahoots with each other. They planned for Cassie to come to town and everything is going as expected.

The episode ends with Cassie finding her families’ book and a letter from her Mother. Looks like Cassie might be siding on Diana with this one.

See you next week with the recap of episode 2, “Bound”.

xoxo,

Adele

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Now Watching: The Bold Type, Season 1 Review

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It’s been a week since The Bold Type season one finale aired and I’m going through withdrawals! With Pretty Little Liars over and done, I needed to fill my Tuesday night show void and feel young again. I am young, what am I talking about?

On July 11th, The Bold Type premiered on Freeform fka ABC Family. I had seen ads on the network and wanted to support one of my favorite actresses in young hollywood, Katie Stevens. From what I could tell, the premise of the show: three twenty something year old women trying to juggle relationships, their careers, and life as a millennial while working together at one of the top magazines, Scarlet. One of the tag lines was “I’m not a boss bitch. I’m a boss, bitch.” If that doesn’t scream badass, I don’t what does. It wasn’t hard to convince me that this would be a show I’d like.

The Pilot episode gave us a glimpse of the trio of strong women and what relevant issues they’d be tackling head on.

First we have Jane Sloan, played by Katie Stevens. Jane is the bright eyed writer of the trio. Like her best friends, she started as an assistant and was recently promoted to “writer” at Scarlet Magazine. It’s her dream job as she often reminisces about being “a young girl in Colorado reading Scarlet magazine in my closet.” But things get a little hectic and intimidating when Scarlet’s head honcho, Jacqueline Carlyle (Melora Hardin), constantly pushes her to think outside of the box and get out of her comfort zone. In the first episode, we see Jane second guessing herself and reluctant to revisit her past for a piece, but Jacqueline doesn’t take no for an answer.

Sutton Brady (Meghann Fahy) is the one among the three that’s still slaving away as an assistant. It’s what she’s known for the past 4 years. She’s comfortable, but longs for a lot more than sitting at the front desk of Lauren Park’s office. And it sounds ever so familiar to me. Seeing her best friends move up the ranks while she stays behind is a little disheartening for her.The most out of routine thing in her life is her secret relationship with an older guy, Richard Hunter (Sam Page). Their relationship is a bit taboo as Richard is Scarlet’s legal advisor and a board member. While Sutton makes Richard feel younger, Richard supports Sutton’s endeavors to leave the assistant desk. Later on in the season, she leave’s Lauren’s assistant desk for Oliver’s assistant’s desk. But at least it’s in something she’s passionate about – fashion.

Kat Edison (Aisha Dee) rounds out the trio. After 2 years of being an assistant, Kat became involved with the social media team at Scarlet and was recently promoted to Social Media Director. When we first meet her in the Pilot episode, you could tell she is very outspoken and confident. She speaks/does things before she thinks. Things change a little when she meets Adena (Nikohl Boosheri), a Muslim lesbian, who is also very outspoken. After spending some time with Adena, everything she thought she knew about certain things went down the drain. Many times we see her deem herself as the one who doesn’t do relationships, but she becomes immersed into one. Her relationship with Adena sparks a lot of spontaneity.

The trio gets a lot of support from other Scarlet personnel. We have Alex (Matt Ward) who I think is that honorary best friend to all of the young women. He’s Jane’s wing man, Kat’s voice of reason, & Sutton’s not-so-secret admirer who is ultimately friendzoned in the end. There’s Richard who always seems to put in a good word for Sutton. However, when he meets with Kat and Jane, I think he realizes that he doesn’t quite fit in their world. There’s also Jacqueline, whom I mentioned earlier. She’s the head boss at Scarlet magazine and is definitely a motherly figure to the three young women. She helps them when in need and is understanding to their feelings, but knows when to put her hand down. She’s just not a boss to them, she’s a mentor who was once in their shoes.

The Bold Type has covered topics from feminism to politics to sexuality to social media, etc. In one episode, Jane is assigned the sex column and has to write about orgasms. Having never experienced one, she has to get very familiar with herself and ends up getting familiar with Ryan (Dan Jeannotte) aka Pinstripe. They inspire each other in more ways than one, but later on in the season Jane wants more in their relationship.

In another episode, they cover breast cancer awareness. As a twenty something year old, I think it’s not something I’m too familiar with or open to discussing. But The Bold Type gave us that perspective and put me in an emotional roller coaster ride as we learned more about Jane and her mother. During this episode, Kat and Sutton were also there for Jane knowing that it was a sensitive topic. They are friendship goals. Everyone needs a squad with a Jane, Sutton, and Kat.

The finale episode covered the topic of rape, which isn’t an easy topic to talk about. Jane decides to shine a spotlight on an activist who was a victim of rape. She goes head to head with Jacqueline on how to approach and understand the person of interest. The finale scene of this episode reveals something about Jacqueline, but it’s so full of hope, positivity, and support.

For me though, I think the recurring topic that rung to me as a viewer, was the feeling of not being challenged and getting out of your comfort zone, as I mentioned before. I graduated from college 6 years ago. I’m sure you can imagine how “stuck” I feel. At the end of the season, Jane is faced with choosing between what she’s known for years or starting with something new that could possibly (or not) be good for her career. Kat has this responsibility with Scarlet as the Social Media Director, but Adena has inspired her to see the world and leave it all behind. Then there’s Sutton. She was the assistant that was left behind, but her drive and passion for fashion got her one step closer to her dream. She wasn’t challenged anymore and she did something about it even though she had no fashion experience on her resume.

Another recurring thing that stood out to me was their meeting place. Throughout the season, we see the trio face obstacles together and often see them talking things out in a safe/neutral place, the fashion closet. The fashion closet housed many celebrations, freak outs, and of course fashion emergencies. The moments in the fashion closet were my favorite. I wish I had a place like the fashion closet to escape to at my job.

Speaking of fashion, the fashion on the show is on point. The cast of The Bold Type definitely rock their outfits confidently and I would love to raid their closets.

This review does not do The Bold Type any justice, but I highly recommend you binge watch this show if you’re looking for inspiration.

As far as I know, Freeform has yet to renew the show, but they should! Obviously, it’s very far from what Pretty Little Liars was, but if this is the direction that Freeform is going in, I’m not complaining.

You can binge watch The Bold Type on the Freeform app or online.

xoxo,

Adele

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Now Playing: New Music Friday 9.8.17

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Hello!

Here’s yet another edition of me pretending I know how to review music. To be honest, I really just want to showcase my feels when I hear songs for the first time, especially from artists that I love.

Here are a few songs that stood out to me on this week’s New Music Friday playlist :

“You Don’t Do It For Me Anymore” by Demi Lovato

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/3JBUv4SVXFAbZVlnchORpU

At 10 p.m. PST last night, I saw that this song was released. I was about 1 hour late, but you better believe I went straight to Spotify and streamed it. I will always love Demi Lovato’s voice. It’s so strong and soulful and there’s just so many feels when she belts out those high notes. Her ballads are always my favorite.

This is the 3rd track from her upcoming album and from what I’m hearing I could tell that I’m going to enjoy it. I feel like she’s gotten some inspiration over the years and just like Sam Smith’s new song, I feel some heartbreak.

Her 6th studio album, “Tell Me You Love Me”, will be released on 9/29/17.

“Too Good At Goodbyes” by Sam Smith

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/7oAraczbemGSNWqnbkU87R

It’s been two years, so people have definitely been waiting to hear from Grammy Award winner, Sam Smith. With records like “Stay With Me”, “Lay Me Down”, and my personal favorite “Not In That Way”, expectations are high. And being deemed the male version of Adele, emotions are high as well.

In “Too Good At Goodbyes”, Sam gives such a soulful performance. He is basically singing about not giving a f**k when the relationship in question ends. But even though he’s trying to mask it, you can hear the heartbreak.

“Let Me Go” by Hailee Steinfeld with Alesso feat. Florida Georgia Line & watt

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/5Gu0PDLN4YJeW75PpBSg9p

I love Hailee. For some reason, I feel like she’s been in the music industry for a while and then I remember she’s only 20 years old. While her sound is very pop, I feel like she stands out as an artist. When I listen to her sing, I don’t see Hailee Steinfeld, the actress trying to merge into the music business. I see her as the solo music artist, if that makes sense. I think she does a really good job at keeping the two careers separate. I’m hoping a studio album is coming out soon.

Anyways, this song has a very familiar sound to it. It’s definitely clear that Alesso is on the track. But I think the cool part of this song is how Florida Georgia Line is featured. When country meets pop, it’s always a good time.

“Love So Soft” by Kelly Clarkson

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/0o7glLPfZgns8ZF14Wlpf7

It’s so hard to believe that it’s been 15 years since Kelly Clarkson was deemed the 1st American Idol. Makes me feel old AF. But Kelly Clarkson, along with Carrie Underwood, is undeniably one of the most successful American Idols.

With this song, I feel like Kelly stayed true to herself, but added a little more flavor to go along with what we’re currently hearing on the radio now. It’s a song to sing along to and it gets you up and moving.

“Leave Right Now” by Thomas Rhett

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/0wyja8xD9cNhDtfuY0dVMP

I don’t listen to country often. I don’t hate it, but it’s just not something you’ll see on my playlists. I’ve never listened to Thomas Rhett, but like most country songs, this song sounded super sweet. I like that it starts off sweet with an acoustic guitar and then later on there’s some electronic music infused as if a DJ came and remixed the song.

From what I can tell, Thomas Rhett is kind of straddling the line between country and pop and it sounds great. If I didn’t know that Thomas was a country singer, I probably wouldn’t have thought this was country.

“Dark Side of the Gym” by The National

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/1OdpIb0nzhDcqwkiYp0O1u

I have no idea who The National is, but apparently they’re an indie rock band that’s been around since 1999 (maybe even longer). I usually like alternative rock, but just like country, it’s not on my typical playlists (at least currently).

This song is pretty chill and mellow, but there’s a music break towards the end that makes me think of those cheesy teen movies from the 80s. I even get a 50s vibe. All I picture is a young couple slow dancing in a gym at their school dance.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/1YuIEfhp8umr6QSal4FTK4

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/4nGW06TRJOIrVRfjnuK4se

A few of these songs will be on repeat for the next few days and I’m extremely excited to hear what’s coming up for the artists.

Do you have any favorite new music that’s out?

xoxo,

Adele

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My Favorite Asian Snacks

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I love snacking and sometimes I have weird cravings when I wake up in the middle of the night. One time I woke up around 1 a.m. & started to crave salt and vinegar Lays chips.

But lately I’ve been craving lots of snacks from the Asian market. When I’m shopping for produce and meat at the asian supermarket, I make sure I grab some of the following snacks each visit. And I’m visiting at least twice a week, so it’s always snack time! I know, I know, I should eat healthier…

Shrimp Snacks (Original flavor)

These are my absolute favorite snack that I pretty much buy every time I’m at an Asian supermarket. They are basically these light and crispy chips supposedly made from real shrimp. I’m not sure if I taste the shrimp, but it is salty goodness that I need in my life. The bag says to grab your favorite dip, but I love them plain and original. The chips just melt in your mouth and lately I’ve been super addicted.

Sweet Corn

These are addicting as well! If you’ve ever eaten cheese balls, these are basically corn balls. They are yellow colored balls with the same sort of texture as cheese balls and they taste like sweet corn. I’m captain obvious today. They’re a perfect combo of sweet and salty, but mostly sweet. It’s kind of like popcorn in a different form.

Prepared Shredded Squid

This is obviously not for everybody since it’s seafood. But if you’re down to try it, it’s dried squid with seasoning and a hint sweetness. I usually go for the original flavor, but it comes in spicy if you like hot stuff.

Boy Bawang

Bawang is tagalog for garlic. Boy Bawang is like the Filipino version of Corn Nuts. And it’s highly addicting. The most common flavor is garlic, but there are so many other flavors like hot and spicy, barbecue, and adobo flavored. Again, I’m basic and opt for the garlic flavor.

Hi-Chew

I believe this year was the first time I had a Hi-Chew. They are basically a chewy candy, kind of like taffy. There are many different fruity flavors, but of the ones I’ve tried, my favorite flavors are mango and melon.

Pocky or Pepero

I always love Pocky or Pepero! They are dipped biscuit sticks. My favorite Pocky flavors are Strawberry and Green Tea. The strawberry ones can get a little too sweet sometimes, but it doesn’t hurt to have some once in a while. As for Pepero, I absolutely love the White Cookie Chocolate Covered Cookie Stick. I just discovered this flavor a few months ago, & it was heaven.


Dragon fruit

Here’s to a healthy snack. When I first saw a dragon fruit, I was mesmerized by its colorful, bright skin and it’s odd shape. It’s a cactus fruit with a bunch of health benefits. I read somewhere that it helps control blood sugar levels, so as a person having diabetes, it’s good to have. I usually buy a pre-cut cup of dragon fruit as opposed to the whole fruit. It’s much easier in my opinion.

What things are you snacking on at the moment?

xoxo,

Adele

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Adele cooks: Tacos

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It’s not Tuesday, but I made tacos. My mom was planning on grilling eggplant so I decided, i’d go to the grocery store and buy steak. I haven’t had steak in a while and since the gril was going to be on, why not kill two birds with one stone.

Now, I’m no master at the grill and i’m definitely not a master at steak. I don’t know how to choose the right cut. I just choose what’s inexpensive. I’m not picky when it comes to meat. It all tastes the same to me. I apologize to all the steak connoisseurs out there.

At first, I was just going to grill a steak. But then I remembered that we had tortillas. You got to utilize what you have right? So the thought came to make steak tacos.

As far as the type of steak I bought, I chose beef chuck steak. It was about 1-inch thick and it was the least expensive. While at the grocery store, I also purchased a bunch of cilantro and pre-diced onions.

When I got home, I [garlic] salted the steak. While I let it sit for a while, I decided I didn’t want to grill outside. It was too hot and I didn’t want my mom to have to wait for me to finish or vice versa. So I ended up searing it in a pan. As I let the steak marinate, I heated and oiled up the pan. When it was hot enough, I seared each side for about 6 minutes and it came out medium rare, which is mostly how I like it!


When it was done, I sliced it up into pieces, placed it in my flour tortillas & topped with the diced onions and chopped cilantro. For some reason I had a tough time chopping cilantro. Hopefully, I’ll be better next time.

And then voila! I was done making dinner. I was too hungry to open up the store bought salsa, but the cilantro and onion gave it some flavor!


Cooking is all about experimenting and using things you have available.

If you think what I wrote sounds good, here are the ingredients I used:

  • beef chuck steak
  • garlic salt to season
  • oil (I would’ve used olive oil, but I only had vegetable oil)
  • diced onions
  • chopped cilantro
  • your choice of salsa

Obviously, you can add your favorite taco seasonings and toppings, but I wanted simplicity. But mostly, it was a last minute craving.

What did you have for dinner today?

xoxo,

Adele
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New Music Friday: Fifth Harmony

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As a self-proclaimed harmonizer, I’ve been patiently waiting for Fifth Harmony’s third studio album. I remember loving them on the X-Factor when they were these 5 teenage girls back in 2012. My favorite performance of theirs was “Anything Could Happen” and at that moment, I felt like that performance was their turning point in the competition.

After finishing off the X-Factor in third place, their EP “Better Together” was released the following year and included their first ever single, “Miss Movin’ On”. It became an anthem for all the young girls getting over a break up.

Now they are all grown up and sans a fifth member. But they are still Fifth Harmony. And I’m still #5HAF.

This time around they are a little less pop and a lot more R&B with a small tinge of hip hop, giving listeners like me a nostalgic vibe going back to Destiny’s Child and Danity Kane.

Let’s take a look at the tracklist for their self-titled album, “Fifth Harmony”:

  1. “Down” featuring Gucci ManeTheir self-titled album starts off with “Down“, their first single off the album featuring Gucci Mane. This song is super catchy much like past singles like “Worth It” & “Work From Home”. “Down” is the only record on this album that has a feature and it was quite interesting to me that they got Gucci on it. I guess he’s making a come back. The music breakdown during his verse is my absolute favorite.  The overall message: You got my back, I got yours.
  2. “He Like That”
    Along with the release of their album, 5H released the music video for this record. It’s definitely a lot different from past music videos, but there is no doubt the girls are confident and sexy.  They’re rocking the “pumps and a bump” as they sample the MC Hammer song. The girls have said that this was one of their dirtiest songs and while it’s far from what we’ve heard before, it’s absolutely great.
  3. “Sauced Up“This is THE party jam! They’re of age and celebrating their youth just like any 21+ year old should. They’re out to dance the night away and fall in love with the night. It sounds like they’re all down for a good time – good vibes only. No one will ruin it. I’m still sitting here trying to figure out which song is being sampled. It sounds so familiar!
  4. “Make You Mad“”I’m gonna make you miss me. I’m gonna make you mad. I’m gonna make sure i’m the best you ever had.” I would say this song is self-explanatory. It insinuates a sexy night out. There’s more of an electronic feel on this track compared to the others.
  5. “Deliver“This track sounds a lot like the past Fifth Harmony we’ve heard. It’s between the pop and R&B and gives off that 90s vibe. It feels so familiar and definitely makes you want to get up and jam. They delievered with this song and it’s one of my favorites of the album.
  6.  “Lonely Night“In this track, the girls spell it out for any guy who’s trying to keep a relationship with them. “Get ya shit together,” enough said. You have to be a family man with no girls on the side. If you’re disrespectful, then don’t waste our time. “Lonely Night” is definitely an anthem in the making!
  7. “Don’t Say You Love Me“This is another one of my favorites. It seems to be another track that is an ode to past Fifth Harmony sounds. It’s one of the slower tracks, but it’s not exactly a ballad. It is one of those love songs that kicks you right in the feels. They’re in it for the long run, so if you’re not don’t make any promises. Lauren starts the song, “Don’t say you miss me, when you don’t call…” and then Ally ends the song with the lyrics,”Don’t say you love me, unless you do…” and i’m almost in tears. I’m getting major “Who Are You” flashbacks.
  8. “Angel“5H delves into the trap/electronic scene with Skrillex and Poo Bear. It’s a great beat and they give zero cares as they perform. They’re not angels and they make sure we know that.
  9. “Messy“I don’t know why, but I really love this song. Is it the fact that they sample Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me”? Yeah, it’s one reason. It’s another slower track and while I love the music to dance to, I’m a sucker for slower songs because I feel like there’s a lot more feelings. I guess that’s the main reason why this is my favorite. They are pouring out their heart and soul in the lyrics. They admit they aren’t perfect and it’s super vulnerable and beautiful.
  10. “Bridges“”Bridges” is the track least like the others. It’s more pop than the rest, but it has the most important message out of all of them, #LoveOverHate. With everything that’s happening in the world, this song of coming together and building “bridges” is something that I would hope will spread positivity amongst all of the negativity in the world.

Overall, Fifth Harmony has proven they can get over hurdles and still conquer in the business that isn’t that great to girl groups. Their sound has matured and it’s great to know that they had control over the making of the album. They are a little more sexy and a little more edgier and I love it because they are embracing their youth. In fact, this is their first album that has an “explicit” label warning!

They have a mix of tracks to dance to and tracks to sing in the shower to. And to me, most importantly, their voices still compliment each other and there’s no one overpowering another. Also, I absolutely love Lauren’s voice.

Now, I realize this review is a bit biased. Believe me, there are songs that i’d skip, but overall I think it’s a great album, especially after all the drama surrounding it.

Anyways, I can’t wait to see them in concert. Yes, I’ll still go see them even though I’m a grown woman. I’ve seen them perform like 5 times and I plan to continue on.

Once I get my CD in the mail, i’ll be popping it into my car like i’ve done with the past albums and I’ll be blasting it. I still have 7/27 in my car stereo!

You can stream the new album on Spotify or Apple Music and download on iTunes!

https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5aB1cocy4MjfE1bCunuvp1

What are your thoughts on Fifth Harmony’s self-titled album?

xoxo,

Adele

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What’s in my Netflix queue? (Part One)

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I used to watch a lot of television. Keyword(s): used to. I’d get excited for new shows and new seasons every Fall that I would create a little spreadsheet/calendar of premiere dates.  I would typically stay on top of my shows and never really have to catch up.

I still watch a lot of television. But i’m so behind on my former favorite shows. Plus, I hate watching TV in the presence of other people. I’m anti-social like that. And I have no wifi.

The only show that I love and stayed caught up on was Pretty Little Liars and currently Game of Thrones and The Bold Type.

I’d like to catch up on shows before the new seasons start.  However, I feel like I have a long way to go, especially since my Netflix queue is all over the place. Let’s take a look…

THE TOP 5. These series are a few of my all time favorite shows. Sadly all of them are done, but I’m ready to binge watch.

Glee ended two years ago. I still listen to the soundtracks and see each performance in my head. It gave me life then and it still gives me life now. I miss seeing those kids every week. I need to hear them singing new songs and covers.

Pretty Little Liars just ended back in June. I tried binge watching all the eps before the finale, but that just didn’t work out. 160 episodes to watch in two weeks was pretty impossible. But it was so nostalgic watching the pilot compared to the last few episodes. The finale was an ode to the fans.

Gossip Girl came back on my radar when two of my favorite Filipino actresses revealed they was rewatching episodes. The pilot episode gave me so many feels, but I’m still mad at how it ended.

One Tree Hill had Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush, two people I love. Unfortunately, I still need to catch up on OTH. I don’t remember ever finishing the last 2 seasons. But I did watch the finale.

The Secret Circle will always be the one that got away. When I heard of this cancellation, I was devastated. The first season left us with such a cliffhanger! I legit cried and I even participated in signing those petitions and tweeting #SaveTheCircle. Out of all the CW cancellations, this was the one that disappointed me the most. #WitchesRule

THE FAVES I NEED TO CATCH UP ON. These shows have new seasons coming soon and some even their last!

The Originals. I watched TVD to watch Phoebe Tonkin kick ass as a werewolf (She was on the Secret Circle). Then she got her own show with the Original vampire family, so I had to watch it. However, I think I stopped during season 2 or 3. It’s 5th and final season is premiering this Fall and I may wait and just binge watch after it’s done.

Once Upon A Time has many changes in the new season this fall, with several main characters leaving. There are so many twists and turns on our favorite fairytales. I’m curious to see how it goes without it’s main heroine and family, but I have to catch up on about 1 and a half seasons. But since it’s sort of a reboot maybe I don’t have to catch up…

How to Get Away with Murder. I’m on the season where they focus on “Who shot Analise?” That’s season 2 I think? HTGAWM makes me think too much. At first it was confusing with all the flashbacks, but I started to understand more and it sucked me in. In fact, it’s the only show in Shondaland I ever got into.

Orange is the New Black doesn’t have a new season coming out anytime soon, so I have a lot of time to catch up. This past season is pretty good so far. There’s so much chaos amongst the inmate takeover, I can’t wait to see who survives it.

THE SHOWS ABOUT THE SUPERHEROES. Smallville was my favorite show growing up, so to see the following shows make such an impact on their audiences is pretty amazing.

To be honest, I need to catch up a lot on these shows. I might as well start from the beginning.

Supergirl. As a fan of Superman, I was so excited for this show. I was so excited to see Supergirl’s story, not just Superman’s cousin. Honestly, when they brought Superman on the show (Tyler Hoechlin), I was kind of pissed and scared that he would outshine Kara. But anyways, Kara and her friends felt relatable. She wasn’t just this alien, she was a girl trying to figure out what she wanted in life. Also, as a Gleek, Melissa Benoist made me proud.

The Flash. I didn’t know much about Barry Gordon, other than what I saw on Smallville. I still don’t know much about him, but Grant Gustin is a dork and how can you not fall in love with him.

Arrow. Just like the Flash, the only Oliver Queen I knew was played by Justin Hartley, and I loved him. I didn’t know Stephen Amell, but I knew Katie Cassidy and I wanted to support one of my favorite CW actresses. But I fell in love with the drama and the action. What can I say? I love the brooding guys that come out of their shell. Am I talking about the right show?

Gotham. I never finished season one, but I liked what I saw in the first few episodes. We’re all used to seeing grown up, broody Batman, but in contrast, we see the future Batman as an innocent little boy who just lost his parents. However, we do see some brooding from Benjamin McKenzie. Oh how I missed that.

This isn’t my whole Netflix queue, but it’s the ones that are on the top of my list! Stay tuned for more of my list and maybe we can watch together.

xoxo,

Adele

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Travel Bucket List: International Countries

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It would be a great opportunity to be able to get on a plane and travel to certain destinations at my own discretion.

I’ve been to the Philippines and that’s about it for international destinations, unless I count my stopovers in South Korea. The airport is really nice.

As far as other places here in the U.S., I’ve been to Dayton, Las Vegas, and more recently, New York. It was a short weekend, but it was great to travel as an adult and tourist. Vegas is great, but it gets old real quick. I hope to visit New York again and check out more great spots along with other cities in the U.S. But I’d love to get more stamps in my passport and learn about other countries.

Here are the top 10 countries I’d like to visit if I had the money and vacation time to do so!

CANADA

Oh, Canada! Since middle school & high school I wanted to visit the country up north, specifically Vancouver. The main reason had/has to do with my love for television. I remember always wanting to do a road trip just so I could see where exactly my favorite tv show, Smallville, was filming. For some reason I thought that if I was able to road trip it to Vancouver, I could easily meet Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, & Alison Mack. I’d still love to make it to Van city to see where some current shows film. I’d also love to visit Toronto to see my Degrassi people and where Drake started.

But other than my love for television, I’d like to go sight seeing at places like Niagara Falls and Old Quebec and even visit the top of CN Tower to get a view of Lake Ontario.

FRANCE

Bonjour, je m’appelle Adele! For those of you that don’t know, I took French for four years from middle school to high school. Too bad I only retained a few things. If someone spoke slowly to me in French, I’m confident that i’d probably be able to pick up a few words.

Je voudrais aller à Le Louvre et L’Arc De Triomphe. If I wrote that correctly, I just said, “I would like to go to the Louvre and the Arc De Triomphe.” These were a few destinations we learned about in French class. I’d also love to admire the architecture of all the castles and palaces like the Palace of  Versailles. And of course what would my trip be without visiting the Eiffel Tower? I’d love to see it during the day and how it’s lit up at night. The hopeless romantic in me pictures someone proposing to me right in front of it in the city of love, Paris.

ITALY

Let me start off by saying that I love Italian food. Pasta is life. By saying that, i’d want to navigate through Italy and eat all the Pizza I can.

I’d want to admire the art, see Da Vinci’s Last Supper and climb the steps of Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral) and then I’d go to the Trevi Fountain and make a wish. Visiting Verona, the home of Romeo and Juliet would be amazing too!

But most of all i’d want to visit St. Peters Basilica and just sit and pray for a little.

UNITED KINGDOM

I want to be cliché. First, I’d visit the Buckingham Palace. I’d want to stand next to a guard and try to get them to crack. But I don’t want to be obnoxious. We both know I wont pester them. I’d just stand there and smile awkardly. Then i’d pretend to make a call from a red phone booth and cross Abbey Road. Maybe, I’ll meet a cute british boy who’ll charm me with their accent and then we’ll go find a Nandos and have lunch.

JAPAN

Although I’m a bit claustrophobic, I’d love to cross the Shibuya Crossing. I mean, it cracks me up how I see people stand in the middle and almost stop pedestraim traffic to take a picture. I’d want to do that to, but I don’t know if I have the guts to do so.

Tokyo Disney is on my list and visiting my friends who are stationed there is also a must. Oh and food. I’d go around to find the best sushi and desserts.

SPAIN

I dont’t know much about the landmarks and history of Spain, but like other countries, I’d want to explore the architect and the beauty of the building and culture.

AUSTRALIA

Of course I’d love to visit the land down under! It would be so cool to celebrate the New Year here since it’s the first country to celebrate. I’d like to watch the fireworks go off at Sydney Harbor Bridge.

THAILAND

Just like Spain and Australia, I’m not too familiar with famous landmarks or even the culture. But it’s definitely another Asian country I’d like to visit.

I’d want to visit the many islands and I’d be very down to eat the streetfoods. And shopping, always shopping.

GREECE

I want to have my own little Sisterhood of Traveling Pants moments and meet someone to take me out of my comfort zone. I am forever a hopeless romantic.

But mostly, I’d like to visit all the places we’ve heard about in Greek Mythology and history. I’d want to visit the Parthenon and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Also, although I’m not a big fan of beaches, I’d want to see Myrtos Beach as well!

PHILIPPINES

As mentioned earlier, I’ve been to the Philippines already. The first time was when I was 16 and I mostly stayed in the province of Zambales. The second time I went was last December, 11 years after the first time. As an “adult”, I made lists of places I wanted to visit, but just like when I was 16, I was mostly in the province. We were in Subic and Manila a few times for shopping and whatnot and even took a whole bus full of 50+ people to Pangasinan and Baguio, but there were so many places I wanted visit.

When I go back to the Philippines, I’d like to go to Vigan and see the Spanish influences in the architecture. I’d love to explore  Manila and Quezon City along with Makati and Tagaytay. Palawan and Boracay is on my list for beaches. I’d even hike a little to see Mt. Pinatubo! There’s even a lot to check out in my family’s province, i’d want to explore more. I just wish it were a little cooler in temperature.

Remember #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines.

I hope that one day I’ll get to visit at least half of these countries. But writing this list made me realize I don’t know much about other countries. For a lot of countries I wouldn’t know where to even start, but I know I’ll figure out a plan if I do get the chances to step foot in each of these countries! I look forward to learn more about each country and the culture.

If you have any recommendations of places to visit in each country, let me know!

xoxo,

Adele

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My Morning Routine: Health and Beauty Essentials

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I like to think of myself as a morning person, at least moreso than a daytime person. Sure, I dread waking up early to get ready for work, but I’d rather get up early for work than wake up later and starting later. I always found that mid shifts wasted your day. But if I’m being honest, my days are usually wasted anyways. It’s my choice & I know it’s not a good one.

Anyways, when my alarm goes off at 5:40 a.m. I get up to snooze it and wait 10 more minutes for my 2nd alarm to go off. By the 2nd alarm, I’m not fully awake, but I’m on the way there. After wasting a few minutes staring at my phone, I start my morning routine wish a shower to wake up.


This is where I’ll start wish washing my face. For the past few years, I’ve been using the St. Ives line of cleasing washes. Sometimes I interchange the facial washes, but I use the Blackhead Clearing Green Tea Scrub the most. Not only do I love drinking green tea, but it’s a great scrub on my face. It smells just like green tea, but it’s scent isn’t strong at all. The exfoliating beads aren’t as strong/prominent in this scrub compared to others so I don’t feel like my face is being scratched off. I don’t have many black heads so it must be working. Also, it’s supposed to calm redness, which I believe is working as well!

After washing my face, I continue on with the typical shower stuff: Shampoo, conditioner, & body soap.

However, to cut my morning routine short, I end my shower with In-Shower Body Lotion by Nivea. I believe there are 3 or 4 different in-shower lotions, but I’ve only tried the hydrating lotion with sea minerals. The scent of this lotion is my favorite. Anyways, what exactly is in-shower lotion? It’s lotion you put in the shower, duh! It helps keep you moisturized even after you rinse it off and dry off after your shower. I don’t have to worry about lotioning up again after I get out of the shower. My skin stays soft all day and I’m definitely glad I found out about this product!

After showering and brushing my teeth, I continue my routine with moisturizing my face. My face gets dry really easily so I make sure to moisturize every morning with Ponds Dry Skin Cream. I’ve been using this for years and it’s always been good to me. Some moisturizers make my face feel and look super oily, but this one doesn’t. To me the scent isn’t strong either & that’s always a plus when you put something on your fave that is forced to smell it. Also, it’s reasonably priced & you can find it in travel size in case you are on the go!

These three products are my go to when cleansing and moisturizing my body. They make me feel fresh, clean, and ready for a new day. What are your go to products to keep your skin moisturized?

xoxo,

Adele

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