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.

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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.

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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.

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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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April 30, 2012 · 12:05 am

Chris Daughtry In Concert

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When I found out that Chris Daughtry, “American Idol” favorite who most definitely should have won over Taylor Hicks, was going to performing for free at MLB Fan Cave, I made sure I would be there. It was a really nice space and not that large, so it was a sort of intimate setting with some 100 fans. My friend and I were able to see Chris Daughtry and his  band pretty well, only a couple rows from the first.

Chris was lovely and perfectly charming, singing about 5 songs and I fully enjoyed hearing each one. His voice was so sweet, and emotion-filled love stories. I especially liked “4AM,” which he is gorgeously crooning below.

chris daughtry

Alas, the concert ended too quickly and I wasnt one of the lucky few to win a “Meet & Greet” with the performer Chris Daughtry but I still loved the experience of seeing him live!

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April 26, 2012 · 10:07 am

Hair Update

The other night I went all the way to Buswick, Brooklyn to get my hair cut and colored by someone who I worked with at  Hair Design Institute, who has since gotten her credentials.  She also gave me a great deal for doing both.

We started with coloring my hair. The mixture was carrot colored at first which had me a bit apprehensive, but of course the color didn’t come out like that. The color came out to be brighter orangey red on top and a more toned down reddish brown on the rest of my locks.

While I had the color in, the hairdresser ordered dinner for us.  I got chicken quesadilla with Jack cheese and a huge container of lemonade- the natural kind with actual lemons- and all for $5.25!

Washing my hair out with lovely scented products felt really nice and made my hair feel extra silky and beautiful.

The next step was getting the cut. I didn’t go for a drastic change- just a few inches at the end to get rid of split ends, and a more pronounced layers style.

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April 22, 2012 · 10:02 pm

USA Japan Music Goodwill Concert

carnegie

Last week I attended the USA-Japan Music Goodwill Concert at the most prestigious concert venue in the world, Carnegie Hall. We got complimentary tickets and got to sit in the 2nd Tier which was a great view and not too high up.

Around 150 Japanese ladies were flown to Carnegie Hall to perform. They were wonderful, and looked beautiful in perfectly tailored purple gowns.

The first part of the concert was the Goshiki Sakura Story Suite where the Japanese ladies sang in their own language. It was beautiful and the subject matter was “A Story of Five-Colored Cherry Blossoms.” Most of the songs were sung by the entire choir, with dancers in traditional, lovely and very colorful Japanese kimono garb, scarves, parasols and other props. The dancing coincided with the topic of the songs and were so graceful. During some of the songs, a soloist came to sing an aria, which sounded both wonderful and haunting (in a good way).

Here were some of my favorite lyrics:

Through cold winters they endured
and bloomed in joy of life.
Our dreams came true in cherry colors,
and so are the sky and our hearts

After the Cherry Blossom themed songs, more Japanese performers came out with instrumental music from Japan using the piano, flute and ocarina. This was complemented with a drummer, and Japanese ladies kneeling on the ground on red mats and doing crazy cool movements and twists with props.

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We also heard the Japanese choir sing some great American songs. They had changed into gorgeous flowing dresses of blue, almost royal blue- just a tad lighter. They did selections from West Side Story: Tonight, I Feel Pretty, America and One Hand, One Heart, as well as “A Spoonful of Sugar” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” It was delightful and charming to hear their versions, and loved the ending when they cleverly transformed into a car for “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and left the stage in that way, smiling and waving.

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We heard from the Westchester Chordsmen after that, which was a real treat. They sang some great songs, such a “Oklahoma!” “Summertime” “God Bless America” with gusto and heart, charming us with their strong voices and lively formations that mirrored the words and sentiment of the songs. They also sang “Prayer of the Children” which is the song used for special, serious occasions such as the 9/11 commemoration, memorial service for the Columbine High School tragedy, and for a concert in memory of the Oklahoma City bombing. This rendition was emotional and heart wrenching.

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The finale was when all the performers, from the Japanese singers and dancers to the Westchester Chordsmen to sing “New York New York” and was just magnificent and a feast for the visual and auditory senses.

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April 16, 2012 · 3:57 am

Beautiful Event-Packed Weekend

I enjoyed a full weekend, starting Friday night with a 3-course meal at lovely 21 Club and getting to see The Fantasticks starring Aaron Carter. I was actually kind of excited to see Carter in it because I have listened to and liked his music. He was a nice addition to the show, and still looks super young and fresh faced with spiky hair and dark eyes. The part of the Luisa was also well cast- Pretty, sweet, and innocent with a beautiful voice.

fantastiks

The plot of The Fantasticks is inspired by the “The Romancers” where the the starry-eyed boy and girl next door fall in love but face challenges when their parent separate them with a wall between the two. This was an fun and interesting play with great music, leaping and effortless choreography, charismatic as well as silly characters.

Saturday turned out to be gorgeous sunny spring weather so it was perfect for an outdoor photo shoot at an idyllic lake and underneath a cool bridge with black/white checker markings and arches.

I headed to the Pamela Kay Cook 1st Annual Scholarship Fundraiser event that night. Normally, I don’t often go to fundraisers, but this one was worth it. All the proceeds go directly to the cause, which is the help the uninsured and the reason for it is a sad story: Pamela Cook passed away because she was unable to get treatment because she was not insured.

We celebrated the life and legacy of Pamela Kay Cook at a wonderful location, the New York Public Library and enjoyed an evening of fun featuring a delicious food, dessert bar, live band, DJ, and raffles with amazing prizes.

When we first came in, we got to glam it up and have our photos taken on the Red Carpet. Then I found one of my friends sitting at where all the desserts were placed, so I happily joined her there. We sampled marshmallow rice cripsy treats, red velvet cupcakes and vanilla cupcakes with lavender frosting; cheesecake in a jar. My favorite were the red velvet cupcakes- Delicious and rich frosting paired with moist red velvet cake. (All desserts from JackBill Baked Goods).

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Some stand out hors d’ouevreswere waffles with fried chicken (*my absolute favorite!), lime shrimp on skewers, homemade grilled cheese with warm tomato soup- fresh basil and onion, fried pot stickers and hamburger meat dipped in melted cheese. Food was provided by Beth Morgan Catering.

There was also a live DJ playing club hits and later on, live performance by Boss Culture which was fully enjoyable- Great songs, lovely lead singer backed up with keyboard and guitar. We also got full access to the Royal Photo Booth which was a ton of fun- It took 4 poses each and the images turned out beautifully!


I also entered to win a couple of the raffles. The ones that caught my eye were Night Out on the Town with free night in W Hotel, dinner & comedy show; makeup collection complete with makeover and haircut; and a day at the spa with lunch at Red Rooster. I ended up winning the Day at the Spa, which was very exciting. I can’t wait to be pampered and relaxed.

On the way out, there were wrapped homemade chocolate chip cookies with the recipe and hand written note attached. A really sweet and personal touch and a nice way to end the evening.

Sunday also dawned sunny and warm and was a great day for the Central Park Spring History Tour with Random Events that I help host, guided by David Cervini. This was unique journey back in time where we got to see see the grandeur of the original design, seeing the updates, improvements and actual pictures taken from the 1800’s through today. We started at the old Tavern on the Green (sad that I never got to dine there), going through The mall, Navy Terrace, The Ramble, Belvedere Castle, ending at the Great Lawn.

My favorite areas were the graceful flowing Betheseda fountain, tunnel with gospel singers and gorgeous tiling, cherry blossom trees (though more will be blooming in about 2 weeks), the most photographed bridge in Manhattan, the Belvedre Castle (but of course) and at the very end of the tour where we got to see a great view of Central Park.

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We had brunch at nearby Noona afterwards, and I ordered the cheeseburger with french fries. Burger was okay, but the fries were delicious- crispy and flavorful.

Then I headed to Dex Beauty for a Baubles and Garden Party- Stella & Dot jewelry trunk show; strawberries and grapes; and amazing red velvet cupcakes. I also enjoyed makeup application by John Henry (National Makeup Artist) with Dex’s gorgeous line of eye shadows with names of Manhattan/Queens locales. He used Riverside and Harlem Nights on me (purple hues). John Henry was such an expert at what he does and so fun-lovable.

I ended the night working at a cocktail party (in charge of the drinks!) at a great space, General Assembly. I got to meet some very cool people and enjoyed the conversation.

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April 13, 2012 · 12:10 am

Lockout & The Lucky One

lockout
I had the privilege of previewing two movies (at free screenings) this week. The first was Lockout with Guy Pearce  where he plays a sexy bad guy who is given the mission to rescue the president’s daughter from a maximum-security prison in space that has been overtaken by hundreds of inmates, who are murdering and taking crew hostage.

It’s an interesting plot, but the execution of it wasn’t so great. It was cliche, predictable and the dialogue was lacking. Though I did like some of the banter between Snow (Guy Pearce) and Emily (the president’s daughter). The characters were not very developed and many were inconsistent. I also found most of them to be pretty dumb. The smartest person in the movie was Snow.

Snow (Guy Pearce) was probably the most redeeming quality of the movie- Good acting, and oh so sexy and smoldering with swagger and a sweet physique of bulging muscles.

But I did enjoy watching Lockout. It was entertaining and action-packed.

luckyone

The other movie I got to see was The Lucky One which I was expecting to like a lot more than I did, especially since I’m a big fan of Zac Efron. He was decent in it and looked great with those beautiful blue eyes of his but the plot, character development, and dialogue were mediocre, at best.

I mean, I liked that Zac played a Marine and that he lived through all those crazy life threatening situations because of one thing in particular, but to base a whole movie off that- it was a little much. I would’ve liked to see more twists. I wanted the movie to go deeper, to explore more themes and show motivation behind actions.

I also wanted to like the Beth (Taylor Schilling) more than I did. I found her to be whiny and ridiculous at times, and it didn’t help that I kept thinking she looked like she was in her 30’s when Zac is clearly much younger. Their relationship was not fully developed either.

I did really like Ellie (Blythe Danner) who was Beth’s grandmother. Ellie was understanding, funny, sweet and wise. And of course Logan (Zac Efron) was a beautiful character- Mysterious, but fiercely protective and loving.

I’m definitely glad I got to see these particular movies for free!

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April 11, 2012 · 1:21 am

Psycho Therapy

psychotherapy
Monday night my friend and I got to see Psycho Therapy at the Cherry Lane theater in West Village. I had heard about it previously and was somewhat interested before, so when the play came back and I had the opportunity to get free tickets I took it.

We decided to have a little picnic on the bench right in front of the theater before the show. My friend had picked up sandwiches and drinks from Bear Burger near her place at the Upper East Side. She had gotten me a panko-breaded chicken sandwich with onions, mushroom, bacon, mayo. It was the best chicken sandwich. I would make the trek there just to have another one.

Then we headed into the Cherry Lane theater lobby waiting area. It was nice and charming, with complimentary desserts of homemade chocolate chip cookies. After we had some of that, we were allowed into the theater which had a realistic set up of a therapist’s office with a white couch, a little table with a tissue box and candles, and a large black hanging on the wall.

Psycho Therapy takes place in Los Angeles, where Lily comes in for couples therapy. However, all is not as it seems and the person who arrives for the first session is not actually Lily’s current beau and fiance, which the therapist doesn’t know. That person is Lily’s hot, young, immature and highly sexual ex boyfriend, Dorian. Next came a scene between Lily and Dorian which gave background to their heated on-again, off-again relationship.

Lily’s fiance, Phillip finally comes into the mix at the next couples therapy, turning the session into couples therapy for three. Things get crazy intense between the characters and at times, quite humorous with the yelling, fighting and revelations.

I enjoyed the acting in this, but thought the plot could be a little stronger.

The characters were interesting: Lily, a model/actress type is beautiful and stylish but really doesn’t know what the hell she wants. Both Dorian and Phillip are good looking blonds but their personalities and what they want from life are miles apart. Then there’s the therapist herself who has a crazy life (or at least crazy friends) and some not so sane tendencies, but when dealing with her patients, appears insightful and together.

The ending is a breath of fresh air, yet exasperating at the same time and effectively turns the tables.

Below, the cast: Phillip (Laurence Lau), Lily (Gabrielle Miller), Nancy (Jan Leslie Harding), Dorian (Alexander Cendese).

psychotherapy cast

Location: Cherry Lane Theater at 38 Commerce St.

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April 8, 2012 · 10:33 pm

Happy Easter

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“Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life.” ~ S.D. Gordon


Photo taken from Your Comment Codes

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