Lost in the Train

This weekend was CRAZY again. 

On Friday I was supposed to take the train to Elgin to go with my cousin to a picnic her school organized. So I wake up birght and early to get to Union Station and board the 9:30 train on time. Well, I took the train on time, but the WRONG train!!! I was supposed to take the train number 11 and I took train number 9, because they leave from the same gate. Feeling stupid, I got to my destination and had to take another train to Elgin. I finally got there at noon. I missed the picnic, of course!

in the right train, finally!

I tried to make it up to her and we went to the mall. The mall is HUGE. I've never seen a mall that big! I don't even think we finished exploring it in it's entirity. I bought a belt, sunglasses and stockings at Charlotte Russe and drooled over all the pretty underwear at Gilly Hicks.

We ate at Subway (I still have plenty of coupons, so we'll be eating a lot os subs this days) and I had the veggie patty for the first time. I liked it! I also had the broccoli cheese soup. I love it, it's so good!

We didn't do much that day, we slept all afternoon. My legs hurted from an ellyptical session the day before and I haven't been getting enough sleep, so the nap was much needed!

On Saturday we went for a walk around Elgin. They have a beautiful lake with ducks and a lot of forest where you can actually see deer playing around. I also saw a buffalo. It was impressive! We fed the baby deer (♥) and went back home for lunch. 

cute ducks

bambi! ♥

feeding the deer :)

We left home at about 6:30 to attend the Lifehouse show at the Ravinia Festival! it was amazing! We acted sooo lady-like and drank white wine all afternoon! I loved it. We had such a great time, and the show was awesome.

On Sunday we came back to Chicago and drove a couple of hours to Indiana to go to an outlet mall. I was needing jackets, boots, scarfs, everything! I came to Chicago without any winter clothes, and rumor has it that the cold weather will start soon! I didn't buy much at the end, though, because the stores close at 6 p.m. and we got there at 5. I bought a jacket and a hat. 

We also went to Simone's bar again. I love it there, but there wasn't much people and the crowd was kind of old. I might return but on Friday or Saturday!

By the way, I finally found a Trader Joe's! Yay!!!! I bought a TON of stuff, including an amazing tray of sushi I devoured last night:

How was your weekend lovepies? :)

Gunfire in Mexico

Moments of panic and anxiety were lived by thousands of people last Saturday, during the Santos – Monarcas soccer match in Torreon, Coahuila. Players ran to the dressing rooms, leaving the ball unattended in the middle of the field and people ducked under their chairs for cover when gunshots pierced the air inside the Territorio Santos Modelo Stadium.

According to the authority’s version, the gunshots occurred in a Police Station nearby, but people who attended are convinced that it all happened inside.  The event promptly became a Trending Topic on Twitter, and witnesses confirmed that it all happened inside, and had videos to prove it.

And what does the president have to say to all of this? Felipe Calderon tweeted that the situation was “under control” and that he “condemned the unfortunate events”.

This city in the state of Coahuila, in Northern Mexico, has seen a high level of drug-cartel related violence during the last two years, and authorities fail to give a solution.

It makes me so sad even if I don't live there anymore :(

Running for a cure!!

Hey girls!!

I can't believe it's been almost a week since I updated! Life has been pretty hectic, as usual!

First, my mom called me and told me I won a laptop from my old school in Mexico because of my good grades. How awesome is that? I guess being a book worm and a nerd is worth it ;)

Then, my cousins came over to visit for the weekend. One of them lives in Elgin (about an hour away), and the other one lives in Pilsen. We went to the beach on Saturday. It was pretty windy but we had a great time! 

I can't to wait to go to the Aquarium and to Adler's Planetarium soon!

Lake Michigan

Guess which are my feet.

We also went to see this mexican band called Belanova at Douglas park. Their style it's like sweet electro-pop: think Uffie meets Katy Perry. It's really not my style but I'm all in to support mexican bands! It was a little lonely due to the rain.

We also went to Chinatown and to try Pho for the first time! 

I love Chinatown!

The bowl was the size of my head, but I loved it! The aromatic bowl of noodles with mint leaves, lime juice and sriracha sauca, wow, blew my socks off! 

A bowl of Pho bigger than my head

Noodles.

I also loved that the menu had so many types of boba tea: a lot of exotic fruits like lychees, papaya, passion fruit,  dureven some "weird" flavors like red bean and avocado!

Boba tea!

And also, I joined the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure, to run for the Cure of Breast Cancer on September 16th! Please click HERE if you wish to help me!

I'm thinking of doing a bake sale to raise money, or to sell a cook book, what would you prefer? Please help me by linking to this post! And give me ideas of how I can raise the money!

Thanks girls, love you all :)

Hanging out in Pilsen and a quick lesson about the thyroid

The other day I went out with my cousin Irene and wandered all through Pilsen. I've been to Pilsen before, the day we went to Simone's, but this was my first time actually exploring the neighbourhood. 

We walked through 18th and 19th street and she showed me where she used to go to school, the church were she made her first communion and she was baptised, etc. I really love Pilsen, not only because I can actually talk to people in Spanish, but also because it's such an artistic community. You can really breath art in there! All the beautiful murals, art galleries, tattoo studios... I also found a little grocery store where they keep old vinyl records in the back and you can buy them for two dollars a piece, how cool is that? I wish I owned a vinyl-record player.

..guitar played by Carlos Santana ♪ ♫

beautiful murals in Pilsen

just here hanging with Frida Kahlo ;)

street vendor selling mexican candies

What you can also breathe is all the delicious Mexican food filling the air. I particularly like the Nuevo Leon, not only because my grandmother used to work in there in the 60's but because the food and service are outstanding! You should totally try it out if you are ever in the area. (and if you are not, get there, fast! the chips and salsa alone are worth it)

Now, I want to talk about my last post a little bit, because I've received a couple of concerned e-mails. Don't freak out and think I'm about to develop an eating disorder! It's not that. 

For a year I've been battling a thyroid condition that it's actually a relapse (I've had a thyroid condition before, 4 years ago), but this time I managed my eating differently and consequently gained weight. You see, when you have Graves disease, you lose a lot of weight due to over active thyroid function. So when the condition is corrected, the thyroid function is diminished and as a result you put on weight. It is advised for thyroid patients to follow a low-glycemic, high protein, low fat diet to manage their weight. 

that motherfucker thyroid that keeps giving me trouble

As a vegetarian, I've not been following that recommended diet, at all. I'm not saying you can't get adequate protein levels as a vegetarian, but you DO need to be more careful and mindful about it. I've been eating a lot of "good" carbs: veggies, whole grains and a ton of fruit. That is all good and healthy because I get my vitamins and my fyber, but fruit has also a lot of simple sugars. As a person with a thyroid condition, I can't manage carbs as good as other people, and most of my carb consumption turns to fat if I don't burn them right away. So, I'm going to switch to a higher protein diet, and also stop my increased consumption of junk and alcohol (as a result of my moving to Chicago) ;). I know that I am not FAT, but I am about 10 pounds higher than the weight I consider NORMAL for me. (which is about a 20 BMI).

So I'm not going to eat LESS, just better ;)

examples of low glycemic fruits and vegetables

I've gained a ton of weight.

I won't get into numbers but yes, in just 3 weeks I've gained 10 pounds :/ I've been having the time of my life but it's time to get serious or I'll go back to Mexico in balloon shape.

So, today I had:

Papaya, and blueberries with 1 tbs of peanut butter for breakfast.
Coffee with soy milk