@taylorfkingrae All-You-Can-Jet #AYCJ was actually held last Sept. Unfortunately, we can't discuss any future sales or promotions.

On Wednesday evening, Meghan of Wit Whimsy hosted a Style and Beauty blogger meet-up. There was a really good turn-out, and I wish I could have stayed for the duration of the event and met more people.

Attendees walked away with fantastic goodies from Benefit Cosmetics and Shop It To Me. I finally had a chance to look inside this evening, and just WOW!

Lots of goodies, including: BADGal Lash Mascara, Ultra Shines Lip Shine, High Beam, one of their new Crescent Row fragrances, and a one-year subscription to Harper’s Bazaar.

To celebrate receiving a Cherry on Top Award and to share in the awesomeness of the goodie bag, I’ve decided to host a giveaway!

Originally, the giveaway item was a bottle of So Hooked on Carmella, but I realized how difficult it might be to mail a bottle of perfume. We’ve got strict rules on liquids in the mail, so the giveaway will be a surprise. I will be selecting a winner at random next Friday, August 6th!

Here is how to enter:

Please leave a comment below with your beauty bag essential. What can you not possibly function without?

Bonus Entry: Spread the word via Twitter or blog post. Leave me a comment with a link!

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

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So the cherry on top of my day was receiving an award from the Tsaritsa! In order to accept this award I have to do three things [not a fan of chain-type things, but FINE]:

1) Answer this question that Tasha posed: “If you had the chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be?”

While I try to live my life free of regrets, fully aware of the consequences of my decisions, there are still things that I could list off when it comes to what I could change because my life is full of changes. There is always something to work for, to strive for.

However, if I were to go back into the past to change ONE thing, it would probably be my reluctance to learn Chinese. The parents made my sister and me attend every Saturday morning, and I really wish I’d paid more attention and was more diligent about studying the language. I still speak more than most would expect, but it’s a little embarrassing to tell people just how many Saturdays were spent in Chinatown and what little I really retained.

2) Pick six people to pass the award on to. Their blog should be truly deserving.

Linda @ Curious Notions, Ange @ Lushlee, Ashley and Stephen @ (never home)maker [this counts as two, right?], Not That Kind of Girl, Dorry @ Living With Healthy Hunger.

3) Thank the person who gave you the award, in the form of a comment on this post.

Done!

To celebrate, my next post will be a giveaway. Stay tuned!

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Oh, @JetBlue, how I love thee... On my way to NOLA for a week... Talking to my boyfriend, we decided we need another #AYCJ month! : )

We went sailing with friends in the Bay this weekend. RV brought his fishing poles in hopes of catching a halibut that would make a great addition to our mostly carb lunch of sweet potato chips, an orzo pasta salad, and focaccia. Unfortunately, he didn’t catch the halibut he had intended to, but he did land a few other things.

At first, we thought the line was stuck under the boat. The line seemed unyielding, and RV had to let some of it loose a few times to bring it in. As he reeled in, the rest of us were anxious to see what was holding down the line. Whatever it was, it swum back and forth under the boat, leading RV to both sides of the boat while keeping a grasp on the fishing pole.

When it finally came up closer to the surface, we could see that it was a Stingray! It flapped around from the surface, trying to set itself free from the line. It was fairly huge, and before we could get a net around it, the line snapped. Goodbye, Stingray! Goodbye, bait fish!

Correction: It was a Bat ray!

RV hadn’t brought the crab snares, so we definitely were not expecting to see a Dungeness crab, but there it was holding onto the frozen fish bait RV had used. You can’t keep Dungeness from the Bay anyway, but RV tried to lift it out of the water for the rest of us to at least catch a glimpse. The crab let go though, so no pictures!

What RV did end up landing was an average-sized adult leopard shark! It put up quite the fight before it finally gave in and let itself be reeled in and netted for the photo opp. Before holding the shark up, RV took the hook out of its mouth. He said that it blinked at him. :p

He looks so proud of himself, doesn’t he?

I’m proud of him too! Before the trip, I totally made fun of him for wanting to fish for our lunch. I told him that the entire group would starve if we waited on fish from him, but at least he did provide a bit of entertainment and excitement for the day!

We spent the last hour of the trip wondering what this monster was up to. It moved much faster than we did, so we watched it go by and maneuver through narrow channels.

It was a fun day, even when I was holding on for dear life as the wind kicked us around! I’m very lucky to have friends who belong to a sailing club, and I’m hoping that we get to go again some time! More sailing day photos: here.

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For a friend’s Spanish-themed party of sangria and tapas, I decided to try my hand at making deviled eggs. They’re bite-sized if you open up your mouth wide in a not-so-mannerly way! Also, because I don’t really follow directions very well when it comes to cooking, there’s not an official recipe yet.

Being a little on the green side, if one did not know that there were avocados involved, it might gross you out a little bit. But yes, instead of using mayonnaise, I used avocados to hold the gloopy insides together! So these are HEALTHY deviled eggs!

While the eggs were boiling, I was avocado-mashing. To prevent the green mess from turning brown, I threw in some lemon juice. For about two dozen eggs, I used four avocados and one lemon. I also added a hint of honey [which really didn't do much else] to offset the lemon.

With a sharp knife, I cut the peeled eggs in half and squeezed their yolks out. At first, I didn’t know any better, and I was trying to scoop ‘em out with a spoon. Thanks to the internet, I found the easier method! Once the eggs were all de-yolked, I mashed them in with the avocado, lemon, honey, PLUS salt, chives, Sriracha, a little bit of garlic. I tasted as I mashed to determine how much more of each flavor to add. The sister brought over some Old Bay Seasoning, so I sprinkled a little on top.

They turned out quite nicely, and it wasn’t all that hard. Just lots of steps. In terms of flavor, they were tasty and most definitely eaten up at the party. I definitely could have kicked it up a few notches with the Sriracha though. They could have been spicier, but I didn’t want to go overboard on the first try! Since I didn’t want the avocado to overpower the eggs, the ratio was about one wonderfully ripe avocado for every half dozen eggs. If I were making them for myself, I’d just sit there with a bowl of guacamole… I am an avocado fiend! :P

Since this time didn’t turn out a complete mess, I will likely try making them again, perhaps even coming up with an actual recipe for them.

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@JetBlue gotta say, I'm a little disappointed with the fare sale. And no #aycj this year?

An idea borrowed from Maddy of Iced Jasmine Tea:

Write a letter to these people:

Day 1 — Your Best Friend
Day 2 — Your Crush
Day 3 — Your parents
Day 4 — Your sibling (or closest relative)
Day 5 — Your dreams
Day 6 — A stranger
Day 7 — Your Ex-boyfriend/girlfriend/love/crush
Day 8 — Your favorite internet friend
Day 9 — Someone you wish you could meet
Day 10 — Someone you don’t talk to as much as you’d like to
Day 11 — A Deceased person you wish you could talk to
Day 12 — The person you hate most/caused you a lot of pain
Day 13 — Someone you wish could forgive you
Day 14 — Someone you’ve drifted away from
Day 15 — The person you miss the most
Day 16 — Someone that’s not in your state/country
Day 17 — Someone from your childhood
Day 18 — The person that you wish you could be
Day 19 — Someone that pesters your mind—good or bad
Day 20 — The one that broke your heart the hardest
Day 21 — Someone you judged by their first impression
Day 22 — Someone you want to give a second chance to
Day 23 — The last person you kissed
Day 24 — The person that gave you your favorite memory
Day 25 — The person you know that is going through the worst of times
Day 26 — The last person you made a pinky promise to
Day 27 — The friendliest person you knew for only one day
Day 28 — Someone that changed your life
Day 29 — The person that you want tell everything to, but too afraid to
Day 30 — Your reflection in the mirror

It might be more like little notes to these people… or not. I’ve not yet decided if this is a project I’ll be able to finish.

I like the idea, but I start so many that I have yet to complete…

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Panama, like its Caribbean neighbors, likes its rum.  And lots of it.

It's the first thing you're likely to notice when you're in the liquor aisle at the grocery store in Panama City.  Front and center is Ron Abuelo.  At the Super 99 grocery chain, a 750 mL bottle of the añejo goes for $5.99.

In fact, rum is so popular here, you can get smaller bottles for between $2 and $3.  Cheap.

Beer



But if you're more of a beer person, Panama offers a four of its own brands.

The top two sellers (based on my scientific research of seeing how much shelf space each gets in the Super 99) are Balboa and Atlas.

Balboa is named after the famed Conquistador, and reminds one more of European type beers -- ie., stronger.  Atlas is lighter.

And then there's Panama brand beer. (Hmmm ... how did they come up with that name?) This one also tends to be on the lighter side.

A fourth locally brewed choice is Soberana.  It seems to be the least preferred of the four.

Price

At Super 99, a six-pack of Balboa goes for $2.77, while Atlas is $3.12.  Individual cans of either of the four local brews go for 52 cents each.

Seco

But aside from rum and beer, there's another drink of note in Panama -- seco.

Invented in 1908 by the Varela family, their Herrerano brand is the easiest to find here.  It's regarded as Panama's national alcoholic beverage.

Basically, it's fermented sugar cane.  Strong ... as in 70 proof.  Be careful.

Seco sometimes replaces rum or vodka in mixed drinks, and can be mixed with anything from tropical fruit juices to milk.

Officially, Panama's currency is the Balboa, which has been fixed at a rate of 1:1 to the U.S. dollar since Panama became an independent nation in 1904.

It's named in honor of Spanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa, who lead the first European expedition across the Isthmus of Panama, in 1513.  In doing so, he and his men became the first Europeans to make it to the Pacific Ocean.
But while the Balboa is the official currency, you'll never see a Balboa bank note.  They don't exist.  In fact, they were only ever printed on one occasion, in 1941.  And those notes were recalled seven days after they hit the streets.

Instead, the country simply uses U.S. dollars.  But when you get change, take a close look at the interesting coins you receive.

You might receive regular U.S. coins.  Or you might get some of these:



The big coin on the left is a Medio Balboa, or half-dollar.  Unlike in the U.S., where half-dollars have disappeared, the half-Balboa coins circulate freely here.

Next is the Cuarto de Balboa (quarter), the Decimo de Balboa, Cinco Centesimos (5 cents), and the Centesimo (penny).

And yes, the Balboa coins are made to the exact same dimensions, weight, and composition as their U.S. counterparts.  In fact, they are minted by none other than the U.S. Mint.

In Panama, use either Balboas or U.S. coins.  Your change will often include a mix of the two.

Editorial cartoon in today's edition of La Prensa, Panama's newspaper of record:

#aycj anyone? I'm ready!

As I scour the city for the familiar and the not-so-familiar stores and restaurants, sadly, I have not uncovered any Starbucks, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, or Carl's Jr. locations.

But I will assume it's only a matter of days, if not hours, until Starbucks shows up.

Most of the familiar food chains are here.  A visit to the MultiPlaza mall alone, and you'll find McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Quizno's, Dairy Queen, Cinnabon, Subway, and Tony Roma's.

In other places, I've also spied Popeye's, Dunkin Donuts, Baskin Robbins, and Wendy's.

When it comes to retail, you won't find any of the familiar U.S. department stores, but the malls (aside from MultiPlaza, there's MultiCentro, Albrook, and a newer mall near Tocumen Airport) do have more than their fair share of brand outlets, including The Gap, Hugo Boss, Levi's, Zegna, and others whose names escape me at the moment.

Oh, and you won't find an Apple Store, but instead a "Mac Store" at the Albrook Mall or MultiPlaza.  Not quite sure why they call it the Mac Store here, but whatever the case, it sells the same stuff as a regular Apple Store (just smaller in scale).

But in MultiPlaza, I also made a surprising discovery -- Sanborn's.
Yes, the popular Mexican chain has a restaurant/store right here in Panama City.  According to my sources, it had its grand opening in the fall of 2007.
A walk through the store, and it's the same Sanborn's you'll know from Mexico.

And also of note for those of you familiar with the malls in Mexico, you'll find a Cinepolis movie theater complex at MultiPlaza.

Meanwhile, at nearby MultiCentro, they've got Cinemark, another of the familiar movie houses in Mexico.

My first impression of Panama upon arrival was from my window seat on Mexicana Airlines.

What I first saw was a landscape of volcanoes and clouds near the Costa Rican border area.

Then I caught a glimpse of both oceans at the same time, as we crossed the Isthmus.

And as we had begun our descent into Tocumen International Airport, I was struck by the sight of some two dozen ships clustered near the Pacific entrance to the Canal, lining up and waiting for their turn to cross the famous Canal.

And once I caught a good look at the city itself?

I was struck by a very modern city, dotted with skyscrapers.

This city is at the junction point of the two Americas.  And it's clearly capitalizing on its location.
The Canal is doing great business -- over 14,000 boats cross each year, paying an average toll of $100,000.  That's $14 billion right there.

Aside from that, Panama City is a buzzing financial center, and is regarded as the banking capital of the Americas.

And as you look at the skyscrapers -- a mix of office buildings and apartments -- you notice that nearly half seem to have cranes at the top.  In other words, they’re still under construction.

I have yet to see any other city in North America with such economic activity happening all at once.

Panama is a city on the move.

misses his #AYCJ (All You Can Jet) @JetBlue travel time.

@kwotescriptures when is #AYCJ happening this year? :)

@ELALUSA will we able to use #trueblue points to go to Israel????!!!! Please say yes! (How about an #AYCJ? Hehe... jk about that part)

Are you truthful? You probably said, “well yes, of course I am!”  Are you really?  Most of us aren’t.  I’m not.  That’s because there is more to being truthful than just not telling lies.  Not telling an affirmative lie is the easiest kind of truth.  It’s like saying that you’re a kind person because you don’t [...]

Last night, we had a few friends over for dinner. Between just the six of us, we went through two pounds of Alaskan halibut [that's a LOT of fish!], a slab of yellowtail, pasta salad, a little bit of seaweed salad, a large bottle of hot sake, and five bottles of wine.

RV’s mother’s friend caught the halibut up in the icy cold waters of Alaska this summer, and several vacuum-sealed pounds magically ended up in our freezer! LUCKY US! It was sashimi grade, so of course, we sliced it up as so and put out the soy sauce and wasabi [not a fan, but others LOVE it, so I had to go and buy it!].

Picture stolen right off the sister’s Facebook page. I was too busy eating and not taking any photos of the evening. That’s yellowtail [hamachi] on the left and halibut [ohyo or sometimes hirame meaning "flat fish" in restaurants] on the right. So tasty!

Since we’re such classy individuals, this video came up in our dinner conversation, and we were, of course, thoroughly entertained:

There was also mention of the ShakeWeight commercial… Oh, Infomercials.

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So inspiring! @iheartjetblue going to be the youngest woman to do 50 marathons in 50 states. Met her while doing #AYCJ http://bit.ly/coRdo2