December 16, 2012 · 10:41 am

Christmas in the City

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

I’ve always loved Christmas in New York City, with all the beautifully decorated trees, pretty colorful lights, holiday markets, window shop displays, 5th Avenue, and the feeling of joy & good cheer. Before going back to CA for the holidays, I spent the day with some wonderful friends and got to experience all that the NYC holiday scene has to offer.

We met at the New York Public Library at Bryant Park, by the huge and magnificient stately Christmas tree, with pillars and candles on either side of it.

NY Library

NY Library

After marveling at the beauty of the tree, we headed to the Bryant Park Holiday Market, which was lovely and quite charming. We all enjoyed having our hands washed with soap, salt scrub, warm water and then pampered with lotion that made our hands baby soft and smooth. The tree there was also nice, with blue lights and silver ornaments and a star on top.

We continued on and checked out the window displays on the shops at 5th Avenue. There was everything from gorgeous high fashion and elaborate designs, to the cutesy, snowy and fun displays.

Bergdorf's Window

Bergdorf’s Window

Saks Window

Saks Window

We then of course passed by the beautiful Rockefeller Christmas tree and angels…

Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center

We also went into St. Patrick’s Cathedral with the display of Jesus’ impending birth, illuminated with red candles shining brightly in front.

 And of course we witnessed some of the staples of the season: Red bow tied at the side of a building to make it look like a life size present; sparkling belt buckles of twinkling gold lights; decked out lights, diamond accents, greenery in front of Harry Winston (jewelry); a huge brightly white glittering snowflake in the air; a very large scorpion-like bird in bright lights alongside Bvlgari’s shop…

Belt Buckles

Belt Buckles

Harry Winston

Harry Winston

 We finished up at the Plaza Hotel, where I saw my favorite tree yet. It had white lights, gold balls and the best part- cascading glittering silver snowflakes surrounding the tree.

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Wishing you and yours the very best this Holiday Season!

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December 9, 2012 · 11:15 pm

Shanghai Cuisine

soupdumpling

Food in Shanghai was amazing! I tried everything from street food, to restaurant cuisine, to home made cooking at relatives’ homes. ‘

One of the staples of Shanghai cuisine is xiao long bao (pictured above & below), or soup dumplings. These particular ones are from a famous spot where people come from far and wide to try. And they were delicious – Little pockets with plenty of  savory soup and meat.

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Street food was a delight- So many choices, even compared to NYC. Skewer sticks of grilled chicken, lamb, pork, squid, vegetables- potato, tofu, cabbage, leafy greens with spices- delightful peppery mix.

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Fried sesame balls, glutinous rice balls, fish balls, fried radish cakes, fried scallion pancakes. Also warm roasted sweet potatoes (really miss that!), roasted chestnuts, peanuts, walnuts, crispy sesame chips, and so much more!

streetfood

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Fried Scallion Pancakes

We also visited quite a few restaurants, like New NanHua Restaurant, Cantonese Family Restaurant, 930 and several wonderful huo guo (hot pot) ones. My favorite dishes were sweet/sour fish with pine nuts and peas; rice with Chinese sausage; cucumbers displayed beautifully with rice noodles in a yummy sauce; pork buns lightly fried on the bottom (that my dad and I had at the famous walking street, Nanjing Lun); fried duck skin pieces with thin pancake, sweet + salty sauce, onion, cucumber- A version of Peking Duck.

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Sweet & Sour Fish

Fried Pork Buns

Fried Pork Buns

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Cucumber & Rice Noodles Dish

hotpot

Hot Pot

Hot Pot with Fish

Hot Pot with Fish

As for dessert, I loved something made in a soup called “tang yaun” which is  glutinous rice ball filled with black sesame. Also pretty much anything with sweet red bean paste, and fried pumpkin buns.

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Fried Pumpkin Buns

We also ate at home quite a bit, and I enjoyed that experience as well. What was great about that was every morning the person who was cooking for the day would go out and buy fresh meat and vegetables to make for lunch and dinner! I loved the meal below of egg battered fried chicken, lima beans, beef and onions, tofu and celery.

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Being in Shanghai was truly a never ending and eye opening culinary experience!

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December 7, 2012 · 12:18 am

Privé Sample Sale

prive-sample-sale

On my way back to work after my appointment, I passed by The Privé Multi-Designer Holiday Sample Sale that featured jewelry, men’s and women’s apparel up to 70%  off retail price.

Women’s contemporary Winter apparel from Free People, Eva Franco, Alice & Trixie, Tuleste Market, Qi Cashmere, AG Jeans, Walter, Chelsea Flower, American Vintage, and more great brands for a fashionable holiday season.

Men’s contemporary brands include Descendant of Thieves, J Brand, WILL Leather Goods, Michael Kors, Anthony Morato, Tailorbyrd, and more.

Location: 530 Fifth Avenue (at 44th St)

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November 29, 2012 · 12:19 am

Shanghai Fashion & Shopping

New Haircut & Color

China’s fashion (and shopping) capital is without a doubt, Shanghai! I made sure to stock up on glitter, boots, clothes, purses, beautifully designed hair items, sweet little trinkets and treats, super cute fake tattoos/stickers and more.

What I loved most about it was that if you look beyond the fancy and glittering department stores & the famous street, Nanjing Lu, you will find treasures that cost a fraction of the amount you would’ve paid. Street markets, little shops, famous shopping streets, places that maybe tourists wouldn’t know about were all opened up to me, thanks to my relatives in Shanghai. In most of these places, we were able to bargain and get a great deal on an already affordable price.

At the place below, I picked out a gorgeous pink wallet with sparkly gold and an abstract design, with pale pink interior with plenty of pockets, heart cut outs and a pull out card holder. $5. (Wallet also pictured below.)

What did I buy the most of? Shoes, of course! These glittery boots with high heels look amazing and feel good. $25.

This pair of stylish boots I got are brown with fur trim with sparkle and buckle design that I love and have been wearing almost every day since I’ve gotten back, are just so warm and comfortable. $20.

Below the knee blue boots. Suede-ish material. Silver glitter down the side. Slight heel. Soft. $24.

I bought a lovely new purse that I now sport around everywhere. It’s hot pink, with a bit of pale brown, gold accents, a bit of pale pink sparkle, bow detail and gold heart (of course). $15. And, the much too adorable little pink teddy bear to the right of it is its perfect companion. $3. Except that I don’t actually take it with me everywhere.

I also got to check out cute purses and watches from my relatives who has a small business selling name brand items from her home. I picked the purple-ish pink purse in the back. Free.

And though exorbitantly expensive,  department stores in Shanghai are certainly a sight to be seen.

I enjoyed the store displays… One of my favorites (but far too pricey) was the romantic and poetic clothing brand, Roem:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course the gorgeous window displays from stores off the street.

Last, but not least… My favorite ad campaign of Shanghai was Jack Jones which utilizes the gorgeous Orlando Bloom and a beautiful wolf.

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November 21, 2012 · 12:39 am

Shanghai Fun

I can’t believe it’s been a month already, and that I’m back from Shanghai! I had an absolutely amazing time over there, going out with relatives pretty much everyday, whether it be shopping, going to the zoo, dining out, checking out botanical gardens, shopping and bargaining, sightseeing at famous streets, enjoying street food and markets… Even traveling a couple hours away to a place famous for orange (and tangerine) fields, with quite a few sights to visit, such as the Butterfly Island, Egret Islet, Tanxian Stone Castle and a mountain to climb- And yes, I did reach the top, called Yingke Peak.

I loved going to Xujiahua and visit the famous, beautiful and vast shopping centers. Below is an image of me in the huge dome-shaped shopping center, with my new leather jacket.

Then there was the Shanghai Zoo, which was such a fun place. I loved the tigers (Siberian and regular), lions, wolves, panda bears, foxes (and fox-like creatures), cheetahs, jaguar, and pumas the best. There was even a baby tiger and a baby zebra, which was just too adorable! The brown and black bears were quite cute as well- Everyone threw food to feed them (even though you’re not supposed to) and the bears got on their hind legs and opened their mouths to catch the food. They would eat almost anything, from crackers, to bread, to oranges!

Famous shopping streets… The one pictured below is a great place for trying delicious Shanghainese treats, finding great trinkets and little gifts and enjoying the bridge over a lake full of large orange fish.

I also got to go to Nanjing Lu – Another famous shopping street in Shanghai.

And the Bund, which is along the water, showing part of the Shanghai skyline and just beautiful.

Another great and fun street to visit is called CiBao, with many inexpensive shopping and food.

One of the most amazing events was the 2012 Cup of China Grand Prix of Figure Skating. I’ve always been a huge fan of watching figure skating, so when I saw this advertised, I knew I had to go. I went with my cousin, and we had general seating but once we were inside Oriental Sports Center Indoor Stadium, we were able to move around and sit much closer to where the action was.

The Cup of China Grand Prix of Figure Skating started off with ice dancing, women’s short program, men’s short program and ended with pairs skating. There were a lot of Chinese skaters represented, as well as Russian, Japanese, French and Swedish.  During the women’s short program, I was most impressed by 14-year young figure skater,  Julia Lipnitskai (Russia). For one, she was the first skater to not fall during her routine and she just performed with  such grace and passion- made it look effortless. She should absolutely compete in the Winter Olympics…

As for the Men’s program, I loved Brian Joubert (France) and Adam Rippon (USA) – Both handsome, with great skill. This was an exciting and beautiful show to watch!

I also had the chance to go to a couple of botanical gardens, which was just wonderful- I really felt the fresh air and sunshine. Felt peaceful in all the beautiful nature of trees, flowers, ponds, rock formations and little pagodas.

I truly loved visiting Shanghai — such a bright, vibrant, and another city that (seemingly) never sleeps….

Stay tuned for installments about Shanghai Cuisine and Shanghai Fashion & Shopping!

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October 20, 2012 · 12:35 am

Shanghai Calling

Guess where I’m flying to tomorrow? Hint: If the title  doesn’t give it away, the iconic buildings in the image above should.

Yes! Shanghai, China for a whole month! I will be staying with and visiting family that I haven’t seen for a couple of years. I can’t wait!

It will be so exciting to reconnect with everyone, and there will be so much to do and see! The Bund, Nanjing Lu, China Pavilion from the World Expo, the zoo, riding on the back of motorcycles, gardens, nightlife, trying all kinds of Chinese cuisine, night markets and of course, the shopping. Everything is so much cheaper and I am itching to stock up on glitter, jewelry, clothes, shoes, trinkets, movies, cds and much more.

As WordPress may be blocked in China, I may not be able to post for a month but do not fear! I will be back with stories and pictures galore detailing my adventures in Shanghai. Until then, be well my friends!

XOXO

You know you love me.

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October 16, 2012 · 9:52 pm

My Little Pony Party

This past weekend, I happened across a My Little Pony Pop Up Shop, where an opening reception party was being held (likely to coincide with Comic Con). I knew I had to go in. The main section exhibited different My Little Pony one of a kind 18” inch pony figure works of art, designed by artists and celebrities. There were ponies by Perez Hilton, Hanazuki, Hime+you, Junie Moon and Lamour Supreme. They were being sold with a portion of the money donated to charity: Give Kids the World Village, which I found really amazing and inspiring.

I even got a huge My Little Pony bag (pictured below) with  a little gift of mini My Little Pony to keep – Trixie Lulamoon & a DVD of an episode. Yes, I still watch “My Little Pony.”

Some of my favorites: A hot pink sparkly my little pony; cotton candy blue one with colorful swirls painted one; a pale pink one with a black leather mask and stirrup (slightly naughty); a beautiful lavender one with screen printed pixie princess; a Victorian royalty inspired little pony; a white one with pink and pale orange blooming flowers in her mane & tail, with a lovely depiction of koi-like fish painted on her body; a demure pony with little flowers of pastel pink, purple, blue, yellow.


And of course I loved taking pictures with the beautiful and oh-so-girly My Little Ponies themselves.

I even had the chance to get my hair done by a really fun stylist. She put in 2 hot pink extensions in my hair- one on each side, and made a braid (with a hot pink extension woven in) that twisted over on one side then curled the end.

Then I had to get a picture with a Japanese girl with candy colored hair extensions up in a huge bun with bangs and one braid and a too cute for words Princess Celestia shirt.

I also enjoyed the very cute and sparkly displays.

All in all, a very girly and sweet, magical event that really brought My Little Pony to life and satiated my love for them.

If you would like to visit the MY LITTLE PONY Pop-Up Shop, here are the details. Located at The Hester at The Eventi Hotel 835 6th Avenue at 29th Street.

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October 14, 2012 · 11:00 pm

Foodie Weekend

Friday night, I had the opportunity to try Aurora, Italian restaurant for my friend’s birthday dinner. Aurora is a little spot in Soho, hidden away from the bright lights but quite the happening place. We were seated at a lovely corner table. It was cozy and romantic- Lights were dimmed a little bit too much, making it hard to read the menu.

I chose the le Pappardelle al Vitello, which was “homemade wide cut spinach flavored pasta with Vermont veal ragù & gremolata.” It was simply delicious. The pasta was top notch; the sauce tasty accompanied with the gremolata which is a combination of lemon zest, garlic, parsley, and olive oil was light and delightful and the veal was tender and savory. It was so tasty that I ate it all up, and even scraped the plate with bread to get the last of the flavor.

The dessert of chocolate terrine (cake) was quite rich and very chocolate-y with almond gelato and an amaretto stick on top sprinkled powdered sugar, a circle of caramel, pistachios and almonds. This concoction was unique and worked beautifully. I especially enjoyed chocolate with the lighter not as heavy flavor of the almond gelato.


Also Friday night, I got to check out a hilarious musical improv show with another friend and after that went to see Argo, which I didn’t really know about but am so glad my friend convinced me to see it. Based on true events, it showed the incredible covert operation to rescue 6 Americans from the Iran hostage crisis in 1979. This movie was suspenseful, intense, and deeply moving. One of the best this year.

Saturday I spent the morning volunteering at the Food Network NYC Food & Wine Festival, helping out at the Grand Tasting with replenishing wine glasses for the guests. I got to see part of Paula Dean’s cooking demonstration! Before leaving, I had the chance to experience it for myself. I started at the Delta lounge, hanging out on one of the Business Class airplane seats which was actually quite comfortable. I continued on, grabbing delicious small bite samples along the way- Artisan sandwiches and crackers, BBQ, pasta, mac and cheese, potato pancakes, meatballs, and more. I also was given olive oil galore, a multitude of snacks- chips, granola bars, dessert bars and even the official goody bag.

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October 9, 2012 · 11:49 pm

Cancer Fighting Foods Shopping List

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, and in the quest of preventing cancer and staying healthy in general, FabFitFun has created a well-balanced, nutritious and delicious cancer fighting foods shopping list that I love (and thus wanted to share):

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October 3, 2012 · 11:34 pm

Medieval Festival


This past weekend I went with several friends to the Medieval Festival at Fort Tyron Park in Manhattan. The Medieval Festival is held every year, free of charge and brings to life the customs and spirit of the Middle Ages. Manhattan’s Fort Tryon Park is transformed into a medieval market town decorated with bright banners and processional flags. Despite the scattered showers, we had a happy and joyful time!

Two of my friends were dressed up in full Medieval garb and while I didn’t have a costume on, I wore a pretty light purple skirt and a deep velvety purple top. I loved seeing the different costumes on everyone, depicting knights, ladies, princesses, fairies, minstrels, as well as jugglers, jesters and much more! Some of the dresses were so lovely to look at: Ornate, beautifully crafted, and richly colored.

There were plenty of vendors selling medieval crafts, jewelry, trinkets, bath and body products, perfumes, swords, shields and much more. I purchased some delightful smelling olive oil soap in a variety of flavors: Black cherry, Butterscotch, Cinnamon, Green tea and more.

I also picked up some kettle corn and decided to have some real food. The steak and huge turkey leg looked enticing but the line was a bit too long, so I settled for potato pancakes with apple sauce. The potato pancakes were delicious and extremely crispy, the way I like it.

My favorite part was the jousting tournament between four knights on horseback. This was quite exciting and a real treat to see. I loved all the pretense that surrounded the event, with the introduction of the royals and the knights, to the first challenge of collecting as many rings as possible, then the matches between the knights. It definitely made my heart pound, cheering for our favorite knight and watching with bated breath as the knights fell from their horses during the final match. They all recovered afterwards. And after the jousting, I met a charming knight of blond hair and blue eyes.

What a lovely day- I definitely enjoyed all the festivities and Fort Tyron Park (pictured below) by the castle-like exterior of the Cloisters, was the perfect place to hold the Medieval Festival!

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