Mother’s Day

This is a bit late but I still want to take the time to appreciate all the mothers out there, especially mine.

My mother is the most wonderful person I know. She’s kind and giving, yet strong and unwavering. I have learned the best from her and I cannot thank her enough for raising and supporting me. Growing up, it was just her and I, but I never felt I was missing out on anything because she gave all she had.

I give to her endlessly and unquestionably because it’s never enough for what she has sacrificed for me. My mom is a beautiful woman and anyone who had ever met her, loves her. There’s not one person who gives more of herself that I know.

Happy Mother’s Day Momma! I cannot admire you more.

Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.

Proverbs 31:29

Viva Las Vegas

What’s there to say about Vegas that hasn’t been said already? Oh, the city that never sleep, it’s always an experience, to say the least.

In this blog post, I’m going to do a club review of Hakkasan, the newest and hottest club on the strip, located in the MGM.

We got our pre-sale tickets for the grand opening on April 27th of this nightclub about a month prior. Upon arrival, there were numerous security and bouncers, helping organized the many lines to get in the club. They let in the pre-sale ticket line first, right at 9:30PM when the club opened. Once we went through a few stops with checking IDs and tickets, we were sent on our way to the dance floors. The first two story is held off for the restaurant that wasn’t opened yet. The third floor is the hip hop dance floor, thus reserving the fourth and fifth floors to the main stage, EDM (electric dance music). The stairs were difficult, especially for girls in heels. They reserved the elevators for people with table reservations.

I was blown away by how absolutely stunning the main dance floor was! It had 4 LED panel walls that was the focal point of the entire space. There were a total of 4 bars and more tables than I could count. The entire staff was so friendly and helpful. Everyone greeted us with a smile and answered any question we had. We had more than one staff member offered to take our group pictures for us. Honestly, best staff of any club I’ve been to. It even rivals some of the hotel staff I’ve encountered on the strip.

Calvin Harris was the featured DJ that night. He had Fergie opened and closed for him, and he only played for 1.5 hours from 1:30-3am. Tiesto also made a quick appearance, and did spin some songs. After paying what we did, I wished Calvin Harris played a longer set. While he was playing, he was distracted by all the commotion going on behind his DJ table. There were models, and lots of men in suits (investors I’m sure) that he had to mingle with. At one point during his set, he was making out with a model instead of spinning. It was probably the excitement of Grand Opening weekend, but it wasn’t a good set by him.

There were some high points and low points. Overall, gorgeous, top notch club with great service. However, crowd needs to be more diverse (80% Asians) and the DJ sets needs to be better. They charge $9 for a small Fiji water which I thought was ridiculous. No outside area is a huge letdown too.

Tip: Arrive early.

Run for Boston

Boston has always held a soft spot in my heart. The hubs went to school in Boston and lived there for 6 years. It was there that we fell in love with each other again. I’ve visited the city four times now, each time with a different group of my girlfriends, and each time making such fun and lasting memories. After visiting so many different cities, Boston still remains my favorite city for its unique balance between city life and down-home comfort. Hell, they can drink like no other too.

In the recent event that shook the city, as well as everyone else around the nation, I couldn’t get myself to grasp the magnitude of the impact. Maybe because I’m naive enough to believe there’s still good and right in this world – that people’s sole purpose of living isn’t to harm one another – but instead to bring each other up. My heart is heavy and my soul is overcast, but today, I will run for Boston.

Today, April 17, 2013, is the national RUN FOR BOSTON campaign, happening every where. It’s simple – anytime today:

1. Gather your friends
2. Pick a place
3. Wear blue or yellow
4. Take a picture with a “Run for Boston” sign and post here on their Facebook page

From TheBlaze:

Still reeling from the tragic events occurring at the Boston Marathon Monday, runners nationwide are banding together Wednesday to “Run for Boston.”

Chris Field, a marathon organizer in Texas, started off asking if local runners would like to get together to show support for the victims of the bombings, which killed three and injured more than 170. Soon afterward, he expanded his idea, creating the Facebook page Run for Boston 4/17.

“This is a tangible, meaningful way we can come together and say ‘I care about this. This matters to me,’” Field told TheBlaze in a phone interview Wednesday. “Particularly in tragedies, we want ways to show how deeply we care. This is something we can do.”

 

I Work Out!

Working out, going to the gym, exercising – all were foreign words to me. I was never one to get my lazy bum off the couch and move ever since I was a kid. I loved watching TV, hanging out at home, and surfing the web on my computer. When I got a little older, I hung out with my friends at the movies and mall instead. Then when I went off to college, like most every one else, I ate out every meal and drank beer instead of water. But I learned, everything eventually catches up to you.

My body, as great of genes as I got from my small, lean Asian parents, isn’t meant to sustain high caloric food intake along with empty caloric consumption of alcohol, while at the same time, sitting on my tush all day at work without moving anything except my fingers to type. My lifelong style of eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and however much I wanted eventually all caught up to me in my mid 20s. I gained weight, but that was the small factor. Worse than that, I felt horrible! Imagine how you’d feel if you worked at a chicken or fish fry restaurant and you stood next to the fryer all day. The smell of grease and oil covers your body and you feel disgusting by the end of your work shift. That’s it! That was exactly how I was feeling for most of my days.

I knew something had to change. I started changing my eating habits but that played a small difference in the way I was feeling. Luckily for me, the hubs was my biggest supporter through all of this. We bought our 2 year passes to 24-hour Fitness and I made it hell for us to go to the gym in the beginning, making up excuses and putting up such a fight! But he persevere, knowing that I just need the emotional support to get started. I am now proud to say we go to the gym at least 3x a week! I also scheduled weekly gym dates with my girlfriend to work out as well!

It’s crazy how much life changed me and my lifestyle. I was dead set in my ways but Mother Nature eventually took over and dominated. In order to make it through life’s journey in one piece, I say you just have to be flexible. Be flexible to change because change is always for the better.

Lemon Poppy Seed

I’m not a fan of lemon desserts. It’s surprising because I love all citrus fruit and tart, fresh desserts, but for some strange reason, never got around to appreciating lemon desserts. I went to a Lemon Festival a few years ago in Santa Barbara, with everything under the sun related to lemons and it did nothing for me. I didn’t eat one single item.

But I adore poppy seeds. Poppy seed bagels, breads, muffins… you name it, I love it. So, when I came across this Lemon Loaf recipe that claims to be a Starbucks copycat recipe, I had to try it with poppy seeds. That, and the hubs is crazy about everything lemon poppy seed related!

Ingredients

Loaf

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter; softened.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup oil

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Lemon icing

1 cup powdered sugar; plus 1 tablespoon.
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

1. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
2. Use a mixer to blend together the eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, lemon extract and lemon juice in a medium bowl.
3. Pour wet ingredient into the dry ingredients and blend until smooth.
4. Add oil and poppy seeds and mix well.
5. Pour batter into a well greased 9×5-inch loaf pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into center of the cake comes out clean.
7. Make the lemon icing by combining all the icing ingredients in a small bowl with an electric mixer on low speed.
8. When the loaf is cool, remove it from pan and frost the top with the icing.
9. Let the icing set up before slicing.

Couples Retreat

It’s difficult to be the first married couple among our friends. We got married last year at the age of 25, which in this day and age, is still young to start a family of two. My best friend and her husband joined the Ring Club a few months after but it’s still difficult with most of our friends still single and remaining no where close to taking the next step.

So when we were presented the option of taking a couples’ weekend getaway at a top resort in San Diego with 2 other couples, we were ecstatic! These couples were some of our closest friends and we’ve have always enjoyed our time with them. This year welcomed us harshly in our professional lives. Work has been more than demanding so picturing a weekend escaped to sunny San Diego, filled with laying out at the pool, spa massages, golfing on the greens, and good company was exactly what we needed!

It was an amazing weekend, filled with relaxation, fun, and best of all, we got to know these couples even better!

Snowboarding

Late to the sport of snowboarding, I picked up snowboarding last year because of the hubs. It’s something that I never thought I would do, mainly because I’m not into sports. The first time I went was during our trip to Big Bear to celebrate New Year’s Eve with friends. We got a cabin and stayed the weekend up there, so I happily agreed to try snowboarding because that wasn’t the focus of the trip.  I remember thinking I was going to hate it because I figured I’d be terrible at it.

I fell in love with snowboarding instantly! Maybe because I had a good teacher or that I didn’t fall constantly. Snowboarding was the funnest activity I had done in awhile. Everyone says that your first time snowboarding is awful, with all the falling, but I fell only like three times. I was hooked and I couldn’t get enough!

We’ve gone snowboarding 10+ times since that Big Bear trip and every time we go, I enjoy it even more. I’m slightly getting better with each trip to the slopes. Currently, I’m learning to be on my toes with the board so that eventually, I can carve down the mountains (like everybody else!). It’s such an exhilarating feeling to have the wind in your face and the snow surround you as you go down the slopes. Not to mention, the majestic beauty of the landscape with the mountains and pine trees take your breath away!