where’d you go?

(I miss you so.)

In case anyone remembers my fawning post about the Soupervan back in October, this is me being devastated about its disappearance.

My favorite food truck broke up with me. :'(

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belay-certified

Just thought I’d share with the world–I am now belay-certified! <3

After our couples massage class on Tuesday, Melanie and I passed by the rock wall and went in to ask how much it cost to climb. Apparently, it’s free for all gym members, but you need someone certified to belay you and unless you know someone, you’ll have to pay. :O So, being Asian, we decided to bypass this by getting belay-certified so we could belay each other.  At 15 bucks for a 2-hour lesson and certification, it was a steal.

Our lesson was tonight. :D We learned how to tie the knots for if we were climbing and how to belay each other (and what to check for on each other before we started climbing, since we’re, y’know, putting our lives in each other’s hands and all). Our instructor asked if I’d done it before (belaying) since I apparently did it with such ease (I failed for a while earlier when I was tying that knot though, haha). In actuality, I just watched and did it in my head. I’m definitely better at learning when I get to actually do whatever it is that I’m learning. If there were a way to do this for cell bio, I’d be golden, but alas.

The importance of communication was definitely stressed (and for good reason). Hamidah and I were the first to take and pass the test. I actually didn’t even know our instructor was testing me until a guy walked over and started talking to her and she said, “Hold on, I’m testing someone right now.”

But hooray! :D We ran off to the other side of the wall to start climbing after we passed. Our other housemate failed the first time because she let go briefly with her right hand, although of course, I didn’t believe her. Oops. ._. But all is well, she’s passed too, so we’re good to go! I’m good at climbing the easy ones, but it is my goal to get through and past the crazy incline where you’re almost hanging upside down by the end of the school year! We’ll see how that goes.

I’ve been somewhat toying with the idea of participating in the bench press competition that Rutgers is having, but I’m going to be gone for the weekend of the actual competition. :[ I can be there for one of the qualifying rounds though, and I thought it might be fun? As a female, all I have to do is list 50% of my body weight for just 6 reps. >_> Maybe they’ll let me just do the qualifying round for fun?

couples massage

“She’s my couple,”  my housemate says as she points to me and hands the girl her sign-up sheet.

“…Oh…” The girl doesn’t quite manage to keep her somewhat judgmental tone out of her voice.

It reminds me of the time I dropped one of my closest friends off at the train station and hugged her goodbye before she went in. The person taking tickets went over to a guy sitting near her, smiling [sincerely, I should add], and said, “Were you saying goodbye to your girlfriend?”

When he shook his head no, she turned on my friend and yelled at her about holding up the entire train. (For the record, we were not.) Apparently, it would have been okay for us to hold up the train if I’d been a dude. There sure are a lotta haters out there. :/

And…with such a lovely intro, I signed up for couples massage with my housemate. ($15 for 4 classes was too great of a deal to pass up.) The people in our class are really cool. Our instructor went over how our course would be on teaching us to do therapeutic massage, as opposed to erotic massage. We went over a basic back massage today, and I’m planning to bring in a notebook next time so I can write down notes and such.

This is like a two-in-one deal too, because, aside from learning how to actually give a good massage, I also get one too. Win-win. I haven’t had regular massages since I misaligned my cervical vertebrae in a gymnastics+car accident (they happened separately, in case you were wondering). (My chiropractor’s wife was a masseuse. <3)

I need to wear a zip-up hoodie next time so I can just reverse it and thus, “preserve our modesty,” as our instructor puts it.

This is what I remember thus far:

1) Apparently, any kind of vegetable oil works really well as a massage oil. (Don’t use baby oil since your hands would just slip everywhere.) Oil technically might not even be necessary. :O

2) Once you make contact, you want to try not to break it until you’re done giving the massage.

3) Kneel close to him/her with your dominant hand closest to their head. Remember to keep your body upright and arching your back apparently helps too.

4) Start at the neck, using your finger pads to make circular motions close to the spine, all the way down to the lower back. Whichever way his/her head is facing = the side of the spine you want to be working on.

5) Use the heel of your hand next, to make circular motions starting from the neck and down again to the lower back. Keep your fingers relaxed, and try to do it within 1 exhale. (My breathing definitely isn’t doing that at the moment.)

6) Finish by moving to kneel in front of them and pushing with the heels of your hands from their neck to their lower back (on either side of the spine), coming back up on their sides in a circular motion to join your hands together.

Apparently, I did a really good job! :D Our instructor said my posture was awesome, and my housemate almost fell asleep. (I had to wake her up to tell her to turn her head.)

We’re also getting belay-certified on Thursday so we can go rock climbing for free. Hells yes!

SouperVan

“Farrah, have you ever been to the SouperVan?”

“Huh? The Superman? Is that an event or something? (No, I have not.)”

Rutgers is known for being home to the grease trucks, which have apparently been featured on everything from Good Morning America to Maxim magazine. You can order fat sandwiches, which are basically piled with things that will make you fat. For instance, a “Fat Nini” ($6) comes loaded with a cheesesteak, chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, french fries, and honey mustard sauce. I think sometime before I move out of here, I need to try one of these, or it’d kinda be like going to New York and never seeing the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, or a show on Broadway.

Wait. I’ve been there three times so far and I still haven’t seen any of those. Oops.

But y’see, as long as the SouperVan exists, I might never make my way across the street to try the grease trucks. Why is this?

Because the SouperVan is the anti-grease truck. It supports a great cause, and aims to increase the awareness of domestic hunger. The food they serve is healthy (both in ingredients and portion sizes), affordable, and freaking delicious. They try to use seasonal, locally grown produce, and the containers and eating utensils they use are biodegradable. For every meal that you buy from them, they donate a meal to the local soup kitchen (Elijah’s Promise).You’re feeding yourself healthy food, supporting the local community and feeding the hungry, all in one meal. Does it get any better than that?

I learned of their existence on Wednesday, so I went there to get a celebratory dinner. I don’t think I mentioned my pact to not spend any money on outside food until I’ve finished my Costco warehouse of a room, but…I broke it on Wednesday because…well, it was my celebratory meal.

I’ve kinda been back there every single day since then. The food is amazing, and the people working there are super friendly/awesome, and extremely receptive to customer feedback. They’re doing a pilot-test of their menu right now, but I think it changes every week. I’m on a self-made mission to try everything on their menu, so that makes it a little hard, but it is a-okay!

This is what I’ve had so far…
Fiji BBQ Double Fold
whole wheat tortilla with smoked gouda, caramelized onions, organic agave mustard, royal purple apple slaw with a choice of chicken or organic smoked tempeh

Hungry Bunny
whole wheat pita w/ zaatar hummus, carrots, peppers, cucumbers, crisp greens, organic kale in a tahini dressing

Acapulco Press Double Fold
whole wheat tortilla, queso oaxaca, peppers, pico de gallo with choice of chicken or smoked tempeh

Miso Hungry
organic tofu with carrots, cucumbers, alfalfa, red peppers, basil in an organic peanut satay sauce

Cannoli
Only a dollar! They’re going to start making their own filling soon, and there are plans to infuse fresh raspberry puree into the mix!

Scarlet Bite
Toasted whole wheat roll with shredded basil Romaine blend, balsamic reduction, and choice of chicken or organic tempeh, served on a toasted whole wheat roll with plum tomato bruschetta.

Fresh Herbs Egg White Frittata
Served on a whole wheat roll. Egg whites with red peppers, onions, fresh herbs & Monterey Jack cheese.

Pumpkin Turkey Chili
tomato & pumpkin puree based chili with ground turkey, onions, garlic, spices, black beans & corn kernels served with cornbread and choice of sour cream, cilantro and shredded cheese

Apple Nachos
sliced fresh apples with caramel syrup & chocolate sauce, topped with semi-sweet chocolate chips, flaked coconut and chopped walnuts

Watermelon or Strawberry Agua Fresca
watermelon or strawberry puree, lemon, sugar, super refreshing!

So. Effing. Good.

As such, I was totally talking the place up to everyone in my class today (we do this to everyone who walks by while we’re there too). I convinced one of the guys to come with me (score!). He apparently lives down the street from me, so I guess I have a walking-home buddy now, kindasorta.

They have a sandwich/soup/drink combo for $10, so I got that (so I could try more! :O ) along with apple nachos, which, in all honesty, I could probably make at home, but don’t have the patience to. Dominic gave me the larger size of the pumpkin chili on the house, and later realized that he forgot to put the new sauce they were trying out onto the sandwich I got, so he gave me my money back and told me to just let him know what I thought of the food on facebook. I got the “Miso Hungry” sandwich, a giant bowl of pumpkin turkey chili with cornbread, a 10 oz. strawberry agua fresca and a giant container of apple nachos for $8. o_o

Needless to say, the place grew even more awesome in my eyes (didn’t even know that was possible). If I were not against professing my love to guys I barely knew, I probably would’ve done it. :O

If you are ever in the New Brunswick area, this is where I’d suggest you go. Awesome food, amazing people, and an even more admirable concept. <3 They’re also switching it up from 8-in. tortillas to 10-in. tortillas next week! ;)