Blog Posts

Explore Writing in Your Apartment

Everyone has a story to tell. Whether you’re writing down real life experiences or making up a fantasy story with dragons and knights, there’s something magical about watching your words come to life. In today’s post, the Liv Ahwatukee Blog is sharing two creative writing exercises. We’ve been focusing on taking adventures around Phoenix, Arizona all month, and today we thought we’d invite you to take an adventure in your own apartment. See which writing exercise works best for you. Describe Your Surroundings This is a simple exercise. Take a look around the room and write down what you see. The challenge is to use descriptive language. Instead of writing something like, “I hear the birds chirping through the windows,” you could say something like, “I sit quietly in in my chair, absorbing the peaceful chirping as I watch the birds through the western facing windows over the patio.” Food Ingredients This is a fun exercise that will help you stretch your ideas. First, select a packaged food item and write down the ingredients (Baked Potato Chips: contains dried potatoes, corn starch, sugar, corn oil, salt, soy lecithin, and corn sugar; Snickers: contains milk chocolate, peanuts, corn syrup, sugar, palm oil, skim milk, lactose, soybean oil, salt, egg whites, and artificial flavor; and Teriyaki Beef Jerky: contains beef, sugar, water, soy sauce, salt, hydrolyzed soy protein, monosodium glutamate, garlic powder, guar gum, polysorbate 80, caramel color powder, and sodium nitrite). After selecting a food item, begin to write a short story. It can be about anything that you want, but it must include the ingredients from the selected food item. At least three of these ingredients need to be the names of your characters. Set a timer for ten minutes and write until the time is up. Strive to fit the ingredients in a creative way, especially those with unique sounding names. We hope that these writing exercises send you on an adventure of your choosing without even having to leave your apartment. Share in the comments what your favorite writing exercise is, or even share a short story of your own. Thanks for reading!

Top Rated Sushi Restaurants Nearby

This month, Liv Ahwatukee is focusing on taking adventures in and around your apartment in Phoenix, Arizona. Today, we’re talking about flavorful seafood rolls known as sushi. Check out this great article from Quick Easy Cook , about everything we need to know about this seafood favorite. Step outside, get into your car, and head on over to these delicious seafood restaurant favorites that are just minutes away. Sushi Ken “If you are looking for real traditional Japanese food, Sushi Ken is in the Ahwatukee neighborhood. I was so so surprised to find this place, I just hope people in this area know what traditional Japanese food is and appreciate it” — YELP reviewer . With over 130 options to choose from, Sushi Ken has endless combinations for you to enjoy. Enjoy a variety of rolls, entrees, and tasty Japanese desserts just five minutes from your apartment. Hong Kong Gourmet Buffet “We've been coming to Hong Kong Gourmet Buffet for a few years and this might be my favorite place for sushi. The All You Can Eat Buffet includes a made-to-order sushi station and prime rib and crab legs are served for the Dinner Buffet. I would suggest coming with a big appetite and taking your time, as there are many different types of dishes to try, including seafood, traditional Chinese favorites, and a made-to-order Mongolian stir-fry station. We usually bring the kids on Tuesday evening, as that is when kids eat free with each paying adult” — YELP reviewer . Ginban Sushi “Wonderful variety of rolls and outstanding main course options. Sushi bar and kitchen both do a great job of quick, fresh preparation. Love the volcano roll and Snow White. They also have a very good selection for Happy Hour” — YELP reviewer . We hope you enjoy some time out of your apartment as you adventure around Phoenix, Arizona this month. Let us know your favorite sushi place by leaving us a comment. Thanks for reading.

Go on a Virtual Reality Adventure

Last month, Liv Ahwatukee Blog discussed how to make your own virtual reality glasses in your Phoenix, Arizona apartment. To follow up, we thought we’d talk about an exciting place you can spend your afternoons or free time: VR Junkies . “Paint a masterpiece in Rome, explore robotics and technology in The Lab, or fight zombies in the apocalypse. This all-inclusive experience can take you around the world without leaving the studio. We are Arizona’s premier arcade for single, cooperative, and multiplayer Virtual Reality.” VR Junkies is a great place to experience the wonders of virtual reality. With multiple options for adventures, there’s no shortage of fun. It’s also affordable. For five minutes of playing time, it costs $5. For ten it costs $10. For thirty it costs $25. For an hour it costs $45. There are also a bunch of discounts and promotions. Check their website for more information, or call the number 480-458-8033. Heather, a reviewer on YELP , said, “Excellent service and really great gear. Highly recommend. The guy who helped us was really knowledgeable and patient. We had a great time and will definitely be back.” If you’re looking for further virtual reality adventures in this great state, Visit Arizona has been the center for incredible experiences. VisitArizona.com shared some great insight into the virtual adventures available for everyone: “Arizona was made for hardcore adventure, with endless heart racing, pulse-pounding activities all around the state. Whether you’re eager to dive right in or just want a taste from the safety of your armchair, we’ve got the next best thing—two fully immersive, incredibly vivid virtual reality film experiences.” “We partnered with pioneering adventure filmmakers MacGillivray Freeman Films—creators of 2016’s top-grossing documentary, National Parks Adventure—to bring you so close to the action, you can practically feel the wind in your hair.” Grand Canyon Skydiving Look around and take in the stunning bird’s eye view of this remarkable wonder. Sedona Mountain Biking Get a first-hand glimpse at this mountain biking paradise and watch the (virtual) dirt fly as you race across trails surrounded by Sedona’s striking red rock cliffs. What virtual reality experience is your favorite? Share in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

Go Retro with these Awesome DIY Toys

It’s fun to look back and imagine life as a little child: the world is so big and filled with wonder, everything just out of reach of your tiny hands. Today, Liv Ahwatukee Blog invites you to experience life as a child with these toys that you can make in your apartment in Phoenix, Arizona. If you have kids, they’re sure to love them too! Yo-yo The first historical mention of the yo-yo was in the year 500 B.C., which is probably a lot further back than you expected. These toys are fun and engaging, and they’re just as simple to play with as they are to make. In order to make a homemade yo-yo, you’ll need a couple of plastic bottle caps that are the same size, a few screws, double-sided scotch tape, a ball of yarn, and ten to twenty minutes to spare. For the full instructions, check out this article: How to Make a Homemade Yoyo . Slinky This is a fun take on the classic metal toy. Made with paper, this origami slinky is a fun, colorful 4-step project. If you own a classic metal slinky, check out this awesome project where someone made a slinky escalator . Propeller Toy This vintage toy is simple to make and fun to play watch fly. With only seven parts, you’ll have a lot of fun with this hand-powered propeller toy . View-Master First introduced at the New York World’s Fair in 1939 , the View-Master became a popular device which showcased classic television characters. Today, View-Masters are still popular, but the possibilities are wide open. Create custom reels in your apartment. Then, order them in addition to your very own viewer. This is a great gift for any occasion, or just keep it for yourself if you want! Keep in mind that these can get pretty pricey, so if you have some extra money to spend why not go for it? We hope you have fun with these DIY retro toy projects. Let us know what one is your favorite by sharing in the comments. Thanks for reading!

Make Your Own Virtual Reality Glasses

Enjoy rock climbing on the other side of the world, skydiving, and deep sea fishing—all without leaving your apartment in Phoenix, Arizona. Virtual reality is an incredible experience that’s entering homes all across the country. It’s available for mobile devices, video game consoles, and there are even virtual reality centers that you can visit to experience it around the country. No matter what your choice to experience this new or alternate reality is, a world where in the blink of an eye you can be in the middle of an ocean or desert, there’s always cost to factor in: How much are you willing to pay to put yourself inside of a 3-Dimensional world? There are actually a few affordable options when it comes to virtual reality. Today, Liv Ahwatukee Blog is sharing information on how you can make your own pair of virtual reality glasses. You’ll need: Two 45mm biconvex lenses Four strips of VELCRO A Cardboard shoe box Scissors Glue stick For full instructions, a print-out design, and detailed images, check out instructables.com . After you’ve made your pair of glasses, download the Google Cardboard App for an awesome experience. Virtual reality is becoming more and more popular, and each year it’s getting better. With new and improved technology every year, better graphics, and more affordable solutions, it’s a great time to take advantage and enjoy this ground-breaking experience. Virtual reality puts us inside of an environment, an experience, that seems so real it’s as though we are actually there. Whether you’re using it for entertainment purposes or training for a new job, it looks like we’ll be seeing this technology around a lot more often and for years to come. What’s your favorite thing about virtual reality? Have you made your own virtual reality glasses? Thanks for reading!

How to Avoid Losing Things

Is it difficult for you to lose things? We’re not talking about weight. If you’re used to losing things — keys, wallet, phone, television remote — then you’re no stranger to the frustration and anger that it can cause. Unfortunately, losing things, especially in an apartment, is an all too common occurrence. But what if this was different? What if the idea of “losing things” could be lost altogether? There are easy tips to help you keep track of your possessions, and Liv Ahwatukee Blog wants to share them with you! Following these simple ideas may prove the difference between losing your possessions and saving your time and money. One of the best ways to avoid losing something is to choose a spot for them. This should be a place specifically chosen for this item — perhaps a place you know you’ll look at every day. A good way to remember this place is to visualize it in your mind. Before you place your keys or your wallet, take a few seconds to create the scene in your head. Doing so has been proven to help improve memory, which can help keep you from losing items. Designating a single place where you always keep your items is a great way to remember where they are. When we keep something in multiple places, it can be hard for our brains to remember. If there is one place, however, made solely for one item, it will be easier for our minds to keep track of. If you want to keep all your important items — keys, jewelry, and wallet — in one place together, only keep those things there. Don’t add other items into the mix, or else it might become a mess. Another great tip to avoid losing things is to keep a clean apartment. If you’ve ever had to dig through a trash bin to find an old receipt or search through a pile of dirty clothes for something that might be in one of the pockets, then you know the pain that such an experience can be! The cleaner you keep the apartment, the easier it will be to find things you might have lost (or may lose in the future). If you find yourself losing important items more often than not, then learning to clean on a regular basis, putting important items away immediately, and organizing things so that important items have a designated space are just a few tips that might help you in the future. Do you have a habit of losing things? We’d love to hear about any tips that you might have. Share in the comments so that other people of our beautiful community in Phoenix, AZ can benefit. Thanks for reading!