Monthly Archives: May 2012

May 29, 2012 · 2:17 am

Fleet Week Festivities

fleetweek2012

I kissed  a sailor and I liked it!

I started off celebrating Fleet Week on Friday at USMC Day at Battery Park. It was great- Full of good looking men in the crisp tan and blue uniform, as well as dress blues. There were US Marine trucks and tanks all around. They let me hold the machine guns, and were sweet about it too. I even got to see live demonstrations of different fighting tactics & techniques. While taking pictures with the Marines, one of the girls commented, “I love it when they flex,” to which they responded with  sexy grins, “We’re not flexing” which made me even more enamored.


The next few days I went out to West Village, Meatpacking, Times Square and met some more US Navy and Marines. I had some great conversations with the them and did my fair bit of flirting.

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On Monday, for Memorial Day, some friends and I did the free ship tours at Piers 90 & 92 of the USS Wasp and the USS Roosevelt. The Wasp was massive. We went on the flight deck and saw all different helicopters and pilots/technicians that built and run them.

I even a ran into the Navy cuties I met the previous night at Hotel Gansevoort Rooftop. When I mentioned to them that we went to Social after, they tried to assure me they went to look for the place on 48th and 8th ave and couldn’t find it. Oh well, it was great to see them again and had some time to chat more.  I even gave them the idea to display the special silver uniforms and let people try them. The Navy boys are pictured below:


I went to the lower level of the ship after chatting with the Navy boys. In this area there were tons of machine guns and different tanks on display. I climbed on top 1 of the larger tanks- They are really huge and high up.


Then we had  group guided tour of the USS Roosevelt, which smaller than the Wasp but still pretty awesome. Even though it was super hot outside, there was  lovely view from the ship of the Wasp and the open water. We climbed downwards in order to see special rooms, like the Watch (Navigation) Room and the Combat Room which were both so cool. We also got to see the board room, the Captain’s special state room, and the cafeteria.

uss roosevelt


Thank you boys to another great Fleet Week! Have a safe voyage home, or to where-ever you’re going next as you sail away from NYC early morning tomorrow. Wish you could stay!

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May 21, 2012 · 8:50 pm

A Conversation with Paula Abdul

paula

Last week, I had the privilege of attending an event presented by Hudson Union at the Hilton, on the 45th (top) floor, featuring Paula Abdul. I’ve always been a fan of Paula, and met her briefly during a first season taping of “American Idol” and she was so sweet. So I loved getting the chance to see her in person again for this intimate interview.

Paula was just as sweet, and a bit more whimsical and fun than I remembered. And teeny tiny, both in body structure and height. She wore a tight fitting white dress with a flared skirt and black accents, with a super cute pony tail & bangs.

Paula really poured out her heart to us, telling her amazing life story and all the experiences of being a choreographer, dancer and performer. She would take us through all these tangents and different steps of how she got to work with all these amazing artists, and with all those shows and movies. It was crazy how her life interconnected with incredible synergy.

She even shared the reasons why she stopped recording CD’s and how that led her to be a judge on American Idol, becoming very real and vulnerable. It definitely made me teary-eyed to hear how much she had gone through. Few people know the real story, and I am going to divulge it here…

Paula underwent several health issues during this time that involved spinal injuries and so on, from car accidents and a plane crash. She had 15 spinal surgeries and was still not healing, so she wanted to do something constructive with her pain. And that resulted in American Idol, where she was able to coach and help young singers become successful in the music industry.

It was a real treat to hear Paula Abdul’s story- She is such a light and inspiration.

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May 15, 2012 · 11:41 pm

Beautiful Sunday

centralpark

Sunday dawned bright and beautiful, a perfect day for a midday picnic in Central Park.

But first I headed to the UES to visit my friend who works for Mary Kay, as she promised me some complimentary samples. What I didn’t expect was how much she was giving away – a whole bag filled with Mary Kay cosmetics  of different colors of eye makeup/blush and lip sets; perfumes; Timewise moisturizer, eye cream and microdermabrasion, Velocity facial cleanser; large eyeshadow colors set; lip liners, mascara, lipstick/gloss holder.

mary kay

I also bought  Mary Kay Nourishine lip gloss set (shimmery bold colors) & Timewise 3 in 1 cleanser for under $30.

After that I made my way to Sheep’s Meadow Central Park for some fun, sun, relaxing and food! We had a lovely spread of artisan sandwiches; refreshing salads: peach & tomato, etc;  strawberries (with Nutella!); more fruit; chips; veggie dumplings; cookies; chicken…

centralpark picnic

I left the picnic to head to Pier 25 for mini golf, which I have never played before. I also hadn’t really been down to Pier 25 but it’s a really nice area, truly beautiful.

Mini golf was pretty fun.  I think I did pretty well. I got one hole in one and didn’t get the ball stuck in the water trap. My favorite hole was one housed inside a cave with water fountain flowing from the other side.  I liked the natural, half mountainous and half maritime theme of the mini golf range.

 

Mini golf at Pier 25: 225 West St. in Tribeca

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May 13, 2012 · 11:04 pm

Brooklyn Food Conference

brooklyn food conf

Saturday I got to attend the Brooklyn Food Conference at Brooklyn Technical High School. It was amazing event that focused on healthy, mostly organic food choices and was actually free!

The only cost that incurred was the $8 lunch. There were several different choices and I picked the roasted chicken with lemon and rosemary, with collared greens and mac & cheese. It was pretty tasty- The chicken had a stronger rosemary flavor; the collared greens were fresh and bright and you could detect the wheat pasta used for the mac & cheese.

After lunch, we checked out the huge room of vendors, which was a little bit overwhelming but we quickly adapted). The vendors had great, healthy snacks that we happily sampled. There were milk & cookies, baked chips, chocolate covered berries and nuts, teriyaki salmon jerky, teas and other drinks.

There was also a section of freebies: Lime green & yellow bags, Food Bank for NYC bags,  crunchy maple and pumpkin flax granolas, Luna bars, crispy rice bars, First Aid kits, notepads, and a set of 3 planters on our way out.

We also checked out several cooking demos: Preparing Foods with Essential Oils; Thai-Style Mushroom Tacos in Bibb Lettuce Leaves and A Taste of India. All of the presenters/chefs were knowledgeable, fun and charming.

In the essential oils demo, we got to take in the scent of lemon and basil oils which were infused into a rainbow slaw with basil vinaigrette. There were green and red cabbage, carrots, cilantro, mushrooms in the final salad.

Next was Thai-Mushroom Tacos, a twist on the original dish, Thai “Laarb” which is authentically made with ground pork served in lettuce leaves. This was presented to us by Jay Weinstein of the Natural Gourmet Institute. We were shown how to crisp Thai bean thread noodles which was very cool- A couple of seconds in boiling hot water and the noodles plump up into a crispy nest. Then, Weinstein sauteed the ground Shiitake mushroom with shallots, garlic, chili powder, lime juice, date sugar, and scallions. The piping hot mushroom filling were placed into lettuce leaves and garnished with fresh herbs and Sriracha chili sauce.

The last demo we stayed for was A Taste of India, where we learned about the making of a classic Indian dish (vegetarian), as well as the flakey Indian bread, Paratha. Chef Rich Lamarita (also from the Natural Gourmet Institute) made the Indian bread first, using chapati flower, fennel seed, ghee (oil), and warm water then rolled out and layered with ghee  and fried.  He then showed us the steps to create “Curried Lentils with Fava Beans and Swiss Chard.” It seemed like a pretty involved process with quite a few steps, but was very delicious.

brooklyn food

All in all, a very well put together large scale event (that was free!), celebrating healthy and organic food options “to build a great sense of community around our gardens, schools, CSAs, food coops, farmers markets, faith community, healthy bodegas, green carts and businesses.”

I will definitely be back next year. And you’re welcome to join me!

Quote from Nancy Romer, General Coordinator

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May 10, 2012 · 11:57 am

A Whirlwind of a Week

This has been a busy, somewhat tiring week.

Saturday I enjoyed a spa day, complete with a lovely and tasty buffet, massages, yoga class, and a whole program built around the word: Revive. We were also given a handmade Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub as a keepsake.

Afterwards, a bunch of us headed to Max Brenner’s which has amazing decadent & delectable chocolate desserts. Since I had tried many of the desserts before, I chose the steak panini with peppers, asaigo cheese crisps and waffle fries. Definitely delicious.

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I convinced some friends to go see The Cabin in the Woods, which by the trailer looked campy and stupid but it was actually about something larger than it appears. It was really quite good, crazy, intense, scary! It actually gave me nightmares later that night…

Sunday I had an outdoor photo shoot in Weehawken, NJ which is just across the Hudson. Before heading there I had my makeup done by the MUA at Terre d’OC. She was really sweet and used a teal-brown blend on my eyes, along with black liquid liner on the top lid & a brown liner on the bottom. The shoot started at the Harbor Marina with lots of blue and white, then we moved to the park area at the waterfront and the Manhattan Skyline across the way. It was beautiful views on one of the few sunny days we’ve had.


Monday night I had another photo shoot- This time indoors and more of a glamour style. Glitter, lacy high heels, masks and fabrics. We used different fabrics and strategically wrapped them around my body so that they looked like gowns. One in red, the other in black and a pretty midnight blue kimono with cool gold designs.

Tuesday was Asian Persuasion speed dating for Asian women and the men who love them. It was actually a pretty good mix of men with decent jobs in business, finance, law and the conversations were not as awkward as I expected.

Wednesday I had a photo shoot with Done at Riverside Park. I picked up 2 new shirts for total of only $25: One was pretty pink with a bow on top and cut out designs on the bottom, while the other was a flowery dark blue/purple tiered tank. I wore the pink one and the photographer picked a lovely, idyllic spot overlooking a lake, trees and flowers.

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Afterwards, I met up with a friend to see The Avengers. Even though I’m not that big on action super-hero type movies, I was looking forward to this. I really enjoyed it- The storyline, characters, dialogue, fighting scenes were all pretty good. And it helped that some of the characters were very good looking, my favorites being Captain America (Chris Evans), of course with his blue, blue eyes  & deep intellect, and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) with that charm & sparkling wit.

Finally, tonight I had free tickets to the play, Brontë: A Portrait of Charlotte. As a Lit major, this was right up my alley and I rate Jane Eyre as one of my favorite books. I have yet to read the other books by the Brontë sisters, but they are on my list. Brontë was a one-woman play without a lot of frills, but was still quite well done. The actress (Maxine Linehan) really held her own. She truly commanded the stage, as well as our attention. The set was simple but created a mood- Dark, gloomy, lonely home and grounds of Haworth.

bronte

The play gave us a view into the Brontë sisters lives, from their childhood, to literary endeavors, and really transports us back to that time. Brontë is dressed in a wonderful well-fitted garnet colored gown, gathered at the waist and full skirted. And the writing is poetic, emotional and beautiful.

In her rambling discourse, Charlotte picks up toys and other items from the Brontë childhood and recalls their significance, fusses over furnishings, writes to her friend Nell, calls loudly to the deaf and silent maid, and waits seemingly in vain for her one last gentleman caller, her father’s curate, whom she may have to marry out of desperation.

Overall, it was an evocative, powerful and haunting story, filled with meaning and peppered with moments of lightness.

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May 4, 2012 · 1:40 am

2012 Visionaries Conference

Visionaries_Conference

I heard about the 2012 Visionaries Conference today, the day of, and found out RSVPs were closed, I did everything in my power to get in. I knew that this was an event close to my heart and not to be missed. So, I emailed them, wrote to them on the site, Tweeted them, called the venue to try to speak to someone at the conference. All to no avail. Then I decided to actually go to the conference, held at Webster Hall and see if I could talk my way in. Which I did.

Visionaries Conference, an event to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, featuring a panel of Visionary Asian Americans in Fashion, Sports & Entertainment- Industries I love, and want to be in myself.

We were in the main level for complimentary refreshments & hors’doeuvres, which were displayed beautifully. There were pulled pork and regular burgers with all the fixings (such as bacon, onion, tomato, cheese, etc); cucumber tomato feta cheese salad; imitation crab salad; raw tuna on fried wonton skin and assorted fruits.

After the initial networking period, we all moved to the Grand Ballroom where we got to meet the host and guest speaker. XiXi Yang, entertainment TV personality was charming, energetic and polished. There were 3 guest speakers: Joe Zee, creative director of ELLE magazine; Jamie Chung, Actress (was in Hangover 2) and Mark Munoz, UFC Fighter.

visionaries

XiXi asked some really great questions about how the guest speakers got to where they are now, what being Asian American means to them, how their families reacted to them being in nontraditional roles, how they differentiate themselves in their fields, some embarrassing stories, and what advice they can give us.

I really liked Joe and Mark. Hearing them speak was truly inspirational. They really knew what they were talking about and their great personalities shined through. I was not impressed by Jamie; she didn’t have a lot to add to the conversation.

joezee

Joe started by telling us years ago someone told him he will never make it in the Fashion industry because 1) He’s not white; 2) He’s not blond. Yet, 20 years later look where he is- Creative director of ELLE, a major fashion magazine and host of TV show, “All on the Line.” And along the way he has worked for Allure, Details, W and Vitals. His ‘slogan’ if you will: “Don’t tell me no” because that’s what gives him the push and inspiration to get to where he is. The way that he tries to stay ahead of the game is to always tell something new.

Joe also shared with us an inside story about when he was first on the job market and didn’t get the position at WWD. He wisely said, “Every role you don’t get, you can’t wallow in it,” and that down the road there is a bigger plan. He also urged us that it doesn’t have to be a traditional route to get there (whether it be fashion, entertainment, etc), and if it’s not handed to you, create it.

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And then there was Mark, who is an amazing person, beautiful inside and out. Mark told us, “Your experiences shape who you are. Whatever struggle that strikes you, whatever adversity, trial, mistake you make — You can rise above it.” He also urged us to go out and accomplish what we’re passionate about, then mentioned the 5 D’s that he tries to live with everyday:

Desire
Direction – You need short term goals that lead to long term goals.
Diligence – Hard work.
Discipline – In the choices you make everyday… Your character will show through when in front or behind the camera.
Dedication – Need to be devoted to your desire.

Mark also told us that he fights for everything he loves, and that can be summed up in 3 F’s:

Family
Faith
Friends

Mark also talked about failure. Here’s his take: “Who cares if you fail? TRY, do it. Don’t be afraid of failure because that will make you into the champ you are.” His final message was to be walking testimonies of doing what we love, and to leave that legacy. Truly a man after my own heart.

What a wonderful Visionary Conference, and I am so glad to have been in attendance.

visionaries_con

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