My NY Weekend

New Yaaaaaaawk always conjures up images of the concrete jungle; a city filled with steely high-rises...

cramped apartment spaces...

lotsa people milling about...

and a city filled with cold and shadiness...

You know when you watch movies and TV shows and the character, just getting into the city, spins round and round Time Square, dazed and confused at their surroundings? Kinda like this?

So silly, close-minded me was not really expecting...

The sun! And green stuff! (I think they call them trees and grass?)

But then of course with sunshine and greenery, there are also... allergies.

I don't think Victor was too happy about that.

Nonetheless, we ventured forth the city, enjoying the beautiful weather, attempting to ignore our raw, red, itchy noses and dry eyes.

This here is the high line. It's this really awesome overpass bridge that "enables visitors to learn about horticulture, urban design and New York history," but I think it's mostly for people to eat their lunch while staring at traffic. As you can see, this is a pretty popular past-time.

When we got tired of watching cars zoom by, there were other things to turn our attention to, such as a fashion photoshoot.

Once the gawking got old, we headed on over to the Chelsea Piers.

Though there were quite a few boats docked there, they are famous for their driving range. Apparently, Justin Timberlake is a fan of this golf spot here. Though these two could give Timberlake a run for his money with their golf skills.

Plenty of other activities occupied our time. Like Foosball and Jenga at 675 Bar.

Tallest Jenga game EVERRRRRR. I would tell you that I was the one who ended up losing the game but if you know me, then you know about my clumsiness/bad luck with all games not Cranium, then you would have already deduced my loss.

The Broadway spectacle, "In the Heights" with my favorite Johns. It was really fun trying to get rush tickets. You have to go there two hours before showtime, and place your name on a paper. Then you come back an hour beforehand and they read off people who got drawn to purchase front row theatre tickets for like, $20! As we waited for them to draw out all the names, the suspense would build up so tight that you'd think we were trying to win the million $ lottery or something.

It was also really funny analyzing all the hecklers who were perched right across the street from the Church of Scientology building. It's like, does attracting more attention to something you don't like actually help your cause?

Catching up with old friends also required much of our time.

Besties. So cute together!

Me and my long-lost cousin, Johnny. The man is the epitome of a New Yorker. Hard to believe he's only been there a couple of months!

Me and my other Johnny.

Me and my Annie. (I'm possessive, okay?)

Dude, totally felt a lot of love that weekend. New Yorkers are actually a lot nicer than you think! When I got lost on the Subway (and that was...a lot), people were so willing to help me out. One of my favorite moments was when I was in the middle of this getting-to-know-you with this girl on the train and my stop suddenly popped up and I had to jump off right in the middle of my story. Oh well, it was nice meeting you, Adena!

Oh yea....FOOD.

I actually didn't eat as much as I intended to this trip. And I had a lot more sit-down meals than I intended to. The restaurants were nice but nothing to write home about...

...EXCEPT for these 5 for $1 potstickers!
Maybe it was because it was my first meal at 1:30 in the afternoon. Maybe it was because we rode this train and that train, walked this way and that way to get to the shop. Maybe it was because it was a full meal for only a George Washington. Maybe it was because we enjoyed them sitting at a comfy Chinatown park bench underneath a beautiful blue sky. But these were THE. BEST. POTSTICKERS. I. HAD. EVER. HAD. The crisp green onion pieces, the piping hot sauce dribbling over your mouth as you sink your teeth into them, the crispy sides, hao hao che ah!

Guacamole always conjures up excellent memories. This one was no exception.

I really wanted to try a ton of street food this trip but my stomach failed me. I'm sorry to report that I do not know how a New York street dog tastes. I do not know how Chicken & Rice tastes. I do not know how Momofuku tastes.

But I do know how the Artichoke Pizza tastes!
This is some hefty stuff. It's like artichoke dip on a pizza crust. I did not finish this.

This was not even my breakfast but I wanted to post it because it was so pretty.

I also did not buy any souvenirs this time. I did take these home. If you see something you like, leave me a comment and I will mail a copy to you. (And by copy, I mean a photocopy.)

My trip to New York felt incomplete (of course, what do you expect going there for only 3 days?). I fully intend to tackle it full-on in the near future. Somehow, I think living there for a couple of years could get me well-acquainted with the city. Who knows!

Until next time...

Foodographers

It first started because of my roommates.

Two of them were excessive bakers. Feeling guilty because I was of no help (except to help them eat), I decided to photograph their edible pursuits. Taking pictures of the deliciouness seemed to have made them last longer and sharing them on Facebook and my blog seemed to have allowed more people to enjoy them (even though most of my viewers seem to hate me for spreading such beauty into the world. I often received comments like,"Ughhhh why did you post this after I just went to the gym?" and "Now I'm hungry, you suck.")

Now I can't seem to stop. No longer are my past roommates baking (at least not for me) but I am still clicking away.

The New York Times wrote a really on-the-spot article about this obsession and burgeoning trend.

Be expecting lots and lots of food pictures as I chomp my way through The Big Apple this weekend!

Magic Castle

A castle fit for a princess.
A castle filled with magic and mystique.
A castle high up in the hills.


This is the Magic Castle. High up in the Hollywood hills, this historic landmark is the favorite hangout to magicians all over the world. Outsiders need to garner an invite in order to just pay the $20 admission fee.


That on top of the pricey fancy meal can make for a steep night but it's rare for one to be able to have an opportunity to doll up in LA in places other than clubs and lounges. Watching magic shows is a refreshing change.

Don't we all look so ravishing? I think so too.


Here I am getting magic'd on. He later set my hand on fire. Just kidding (?)

Sad this blog has not been updated on as much as I'd like to. Been working regularly these days, making it hard to go out for a jaunt of sorts. However, next weekend, I will be visiting another magical place: New York City! Get ready for much updates then (though many may be about food... you don't mind, do you?)

Heading Home

I've been up since 4AM thanks to jetlag so I will update.

I'm back in California after having spent the past two weeks in Hong Kong and Beijing!

Hong Kong is such an amazing place. I remember when I first visited my cousins there; amidst the hustle bustle of street vendors selling shoes and egg balls, financial types shuffling to and from work, the winding roads wafting with the essence of traditional China, oldtown Great Britain and the one-of-a kind Hong Kong, I was set on making the city my permanent home. No matter what I did for a living, I wanted to be able to do it in the place where I can hop on the mini-bus and ride to Causeway Bay to do some shopping, or mingle with Stephen Chow in Volar, or drink high tea at 4 in the afternoon.

This time, the visit felt a lot different. Having graduated college for half a year now and getting a slower start on my career and life than I had anticipated (no full-time job, no marriage proposals, no investments in a home), I wasn't able to enjoy Hong Kong as just a vacation anymore. It was more of a wake up call, like, "hey, if you want to make it here, get your ass up and take action!"

The city is constantly moving and the people are constantly talking-about you. You're lucky if they're talking about you. Everyone wants to stand out, make something, make money. Money was never my first ambition but maybe it should be. I want to be able to support and give back to my family as soon as I can. I also want to do what I'm passionate about. I hope I can find a balance with the two wants.

My greatest fear is to have unfulfilled potential. I am dedicating this year to making sure that never happens.

Breaking Beijing Bread

This is the story about a torrid love affair.

A love affair between three girls.

And their beloved 16th floor. What is 16th floor, you ask?

16th floor is the heavenly executive level of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Beijing, opened from 8-10, serving fine culinary delights that tickle the senses and jiggles the belly.

With a wink of its European-carpeted eye, 16th floor entranced the poor three girls, luring them in at all hours of the day to dine on the fine sweets and salties, including homemade macaroons, wine and cheese, and dim sum. Of note: cheese! for Janice, chips for Jessica and cookies for Irene. Our tastes are fairly simple.

It would have been a dream come true if not for one thing-

These were not the girls' only meals of the day. 16th floor was visited in between lunch and dinner trips to some of the most exquisite restaurants in the city.

Fake duckies and REAL seahorses from the red-lanterned Nineteen Forty Nine - The Hidden City.

Posers.

The real deal.

I dared nosh on a sea horse.

*I mention "wong" in the video, which is basically the inards- or guts - of most seafood you taste - particularly the crab. 'Tis yummO!

Some super-comforting steamed dumplings and pork noodle soup at ubiquitous Din Tai Fung. (I have never even tried the Arcadia one but I'm sure everything's more authentic in Asia.

Some smashing Peking duck and mouthwatering red bean rolls at the homey Xiao Wang's Home Restaurant.

Oh, to watch the our chins disappear and our love handles burst out was hard to bear but when would such culinary delights tickle our taste buds ever again? (With my foodie cravings, most likely sooner than you think.)

Only one restaurant was less than satisfactory this entire trip but even so, the dining experience was so unusual, so different that it garners a whole entry in it of itself. Until next time.

The Look of Brr...

What is Beijing like around December?

One word:

Cold.

Some more words:

Blistering, knife-cutting-through-your-skin, skull-blasting, can't-think-about-anything-but- making-a-run-for-the-sun coooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooold.

Like this picture. We were in a warm bus and the three of us ran out only to be pretty much stunned in the face with a blast of frozen air. It took a fair amount of energy to summon up the smiles for this shot. However in the world does the guard in the back stand like that through the entire day?

She may look warm but she is not.

On the first day, we ventured out to try and shop. Hah! What a joke that was. All us Hong Kongians and Los Angelesians accustomed to warmth couldn't stand 15 minutes out in the streets.

We sought the nearest warm shop to huddle in.

Despite the cold, Beijing is sure quaint. This street, known as the outdoor silk street, has kept its traditional Chinese exterior but has all these little shops inside. We saw many a quirky things but these Chinese are smart (or stingy) and wouldn't let us photograph.

Cold.

So cold.

So cold the Christmas trees turned gray.

So coolness, I had really wanted to see snow this holiday season. We were hoping that Beijing would grant us our wishes but the entire we were there, we faced the unbearable cold but no snow!

That is...until the last day...

The whole city was blanketed with a light layer of white. Haha, "Federico" down there got a little happy writing in the snow.

Jessica and I are Californians so snow is not a regular occurrence for us. We were delighted!

Our cousin, Irene, not so much... (she's from Toronto)

The weather kept us from being outdoors the majority of the time so we had to resort to our most favorite (and most hated) hobby. What is it? I'll let you know at next post. (Which I hope will be updated at a much faster rate than I have been updating these past few weeks.)

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all enjoyed a lovely day where you gorged on food, gave thanks to the day baby Jesus was born, relaxed to the max and spent an insufferable amount of time with the loved ones. That's how my Christmas went, anyway. I guess my family didn't get my bulletin announcement of how I didn't want anything for Christmas. They went and bought me some lovely knicknacks and pattywacks, for which I'm really appreciative of, thanks! Nevertheless, my favorite Christmas gift would have to be this:

When I first saw it in its comatose state of propped to one side and lying in the storage room, I thought it was either a big screen TV or a robot. But as you can obviously see, this is a mahjong table. A top of the line mahjong table that shuffles and sorts the cards by itself. All you have to do is press a button. Excessive? Not for our family.

Our family love ourselves a little gambling. They can spend all week on the casino floor of Vegas (and have). My young sister has an annual pass to Morongo. And our favorite way to spend away a rainy afternoon would have to be playing mahjong. And because we have a large family with many members itching to get in on the game, we're not content with just one table. We play with two.

Even though I'm not the biggest gambler in my family, I love playing mahjong because it is the one event (other than eating) in which our entire family can interact and hang out together. Our entire family - the grandpas and grandmas, nieces and cousins. Around the mahjong table is where we can spend some quality time laughing and playing, sharing stories and trying to gyp each other off (in a fun, family-friendly way, of course). And the money? It makes no difference who wins or loses. Okay, so yea, my cousin, Irene wins far too much, she has to have cheated, but whatever. No biggie. I'm no sore loser. So she took 5 HK dollars from me the other day. Whatever. Jk. Irene wins fair and square and I just have to suck it up.

The other big thing our family does together is eat. Post to come shortly. Enjoy the holidays, y'all! I'll be spending the New Year in BEIJING! 好 好 玩！