Taiwanese beef noodle soup a la Keiko

Gosh I'm so proud of myself for creating this from scratch..I was missing some key ingredients like Star of Anise but with improvisation with whatever I had in my kitchen, the taste was salvaged. It's just sad that I didn't really follow a recipe and won't be able to reproduce the exact same thing again but I'm really proud of myself for trying to make a traditional Taiwanese dish for once and loving it!

Ingredients: Soy sauce, salt, pepper, carrots, onions, tomatoes, sesame oil, olive oil, parsley/cilantro, ginger, scallions, spices and lean beef. Next time, I know I'll definitely add Star of Anise and pieces of celery.



With Udon


With Lo Mein

My first P.S. I Made This crafting event at the Frye company in Soho

Erica Domesek, founder of the blog 'P.S. I made this'.. makes us feel comfortable by introducing herself and showing us various necklace ideas she has whipped up to help us find inspiration in creating our own piece. We pick our design and she quickly shows us step by step how to create our own leather necklace.



Waiting for my necklace to get stamped with my initials on a hot leather press...



The store was buzzing with girls and patient boyfriends..mine was out drinking with friends so I was there guilt-free!



Posing with my big statement necklace and my new Jewelmint Pomander necklace.



Erica and me...missing my old cell phone. It was old but at least it took better pics than thisss!



It took me maybe 20 minutes to make this but it can be made in 5 minutes if you have crafty creative brains (it's a good idea to place all the pieces in front of you to visualize your final product),swift hands and strong fingers (godarn leather puncher was so difficult!)..Necklace is made with leather strings, same eyelets used to make Frye booties, metal rings and real leather..

Des choses et des choses...

Lost and found


Modest book collection..damn internet


Nail rainbows


Where my jewelries hang out


First flea market purchase

Saturday afternoon treat: Sakura Sencha tea full leaves

I boil some hot filtered water, let it sit and pour it over these deliciously aromatic tea leaves. Rare Japanese Green tea leaves with Cherry Blossom essence.
Full tea leaves are stronger in aroma and taste and carry more flavor than shredded tea leaves.
I purchased this at Sushi Ran restaurant after our meal in Sausalito. A portion of the profits goes to the earthquake and tsunami relief in Japan. A feel good tea all-around!

Getting in the Halloween spirit!

I'm not someone who gets excited about Halloween so I've never really bought a pumpkin for decorative purposes, but who can resist drawing on a mini pumpkin...and then putting it on Totoro!



What will you dress up as for Halloween?
I've decided to help organize a party and it made me excited about Halloween again. I like to organize partiesss!

Po-Z-Tea-V-Tea! P o s i t i v i t y... +++++

Surrounding yourself with positive and happy individual is a key to your own well-being!

Remember to support your family and friends and expect the same in return.

Don't expect too much from anyone else but yourself.

Know that things will move forward only if you make them happen.

Embrace hardship and know that things will always be okay!

Be happy that you are healthy, running, breathing, loved and loving. Be happy to not be suffering, thirsty or hungry.

Food for thoughts that will help me live happy for now until I croak.

XXX

H.C.

nykeiko eats: ABC kitchen in NYC

I said:" I want to go to there" and Dave made reservations :)

ABC kitchen with Jean-Georges offers fresh local and organic ingredients and was name Best New Restaurant of 2011 by the James Beard Foundation. I truly do not know what that is but the combination of Jean Georges and fresh local/organic ingredients = must try!

Plus, don't miss shopping at ABC carpet & home as well as Conran Shop in the basement!

Handmade porcelain dinnerware 
by local artisan jan burtz


From the Market Table menu- Chicken liver toast. The liver taste so strong but so good.


Appetizer - Raw diver scallops, market sweet grapes and lime. Fresh scallops made this dish so good. The limey taste did not do for me but the mix of the sweet grapes did.


Appetizer 2 - Roast carrot and avocado salad, crunchy seeds, sour cream and citrus. The roasted carrots were too salty for my taste.


Whole Wheat pizza - spicy cacciatorini meatballs, habanero tomato sauce and ricotta. This was raved about in reviews. Their other pizzas must be delicious.


Entree- Roast suckling pig, plum and smoked bacon marmalade and braised turnips.


Everything from the dinner plates to the food to the business card is environmentally conscious.

Here are some really interesting facts about the restaurant from their website:

"abc kitchen has a committed focus to local, sustainable and organic seasonal produce
that does not use pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, insecticides or GMOs; meat, fish and dairy 
that is locally sourced where possible, from humanely treated pasture-fed animals free of antibiotics 
and hormones; teas, coffees, spices, organic wines, juices and elixirs that are organically cultivated on fair trade cooperatives celebrating and honoring sustainability, artistry and our global diversity. "

"a rooftop garden that provides herbs and micro-greens; soy-based candles that are free of pesticides, GMOs & additives; and all organic cleaning products".

How to spend 38 hours in L.A. + sleep included! Clinton Foundation concert- LA trip October 2011.

Finally got to visit HOLLYWOOD! Source of movie magic, celeb gossips, celeb DUI arrests and drug overdose, red carpet events, lux shopping, trashy parties, famous landmarks and more!

Why 38 hours? We arrived at 1 a.m. on Saturday morning and flew out at 3 pm on Sunday. A quick but fulfilling trip! I want to thank Laurie for inviting me to the Clinton Foundation concert with her and also thank her for her patience and willingness to follow my itinerary! "What time do we pee and poo?". When I got anxious or became stressed out about time, her motto of the weekend reminded to be cool: "Don't worry. We'll figure it out" . With those words, we barely faced any traffic, parking was a breeze and I got to see everything on my to-do list and more! * high five

Here are some highlights of my trip

We arrived on a delayed flight in L.A. on Saturday so, we got our rental car and went straight to our hotel to get some sleep. My idea to "party it up" at Marmont went down the drain when our flight was super delayed in JFK.

Our first stop in the morning was Mulholland Drive. It is a place to get a good view of the famous Hollywood sign and also a view of downtown LA (I Googled "Best view to see the Hollywood sign" and Mulholland Drive was on the top 3 suggestions!). There were also alot of tour buses there so it's not a secret spot for sure.

Driving along Mulholland Drive was mucho fun. Mulholland Drive is named after L.A. pioneer civil engineer William Mulholland. Laurie decided to switch to driver mode since I was too distracted looking for the sign and looking at mansions left and right while driving. Safety first!

Me pointing at the Hollywood sign. This was on the top of my to-do list. It was mostly for Totoro though.




While on Mulholland Drive, we spotted the Hollywood Bowl from the top. Our concert venue that night. *high five*
"It is the largest natural amphitheater in the United States, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000"



Next stop was Mann's Chinese theater, Kodak theater and the Hollywood Walk of Fame !

Chinese Theater where we learned who Sid Grauman was. "Who's Sid and why is everyone thanking him?!"




Hollywood sign. Apparently, you didn't have to drive miles and miles to get a good view of the sign. This was seen from Kodak theater and also a good view from Hollywood Bowl itself.


Before hitting our next stop, we stopped by a sorry looking Farmer's market where I sampled a candy apple and Laurie got some fresh crunchy grapes.

Next stop, le Chateau Marmont. It would be my only "celebrity" thing to-do. I was disappointed that we couldn't get a drink by the pool-side but it was refreshing to sit on the terrace sippin' on Mojito. Drinks and food weren't excessively expensive.

"The Chateau Marmont is a hotel at 8221 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California. Built in 1927, and modeled loosely after the Château d'Amboise, in France's Loire Valley. It has served as the backdrop for a number of events in the lives of well-known rock stars and actors."



Sippin' on mojito at the Chateau with Totoro


My only celebrity sighting in Hollywood. Ms. Patricia Clarkson. Other celeb sightings were at the Hollywood Bowl...Ellen!!


Next stop, some Los Angeles art sale event spanning three blocks and Rodeo Drive.



Rodeo Drive window shopping!




Shooting locations for some of my fave movies while I was hitting puberty. Pretty Woman and Clueless!
Beverly Hills Wilshire hotel where Richard Gere stayed with his hoooker.



Rodeo Drive's Tiffany's where Cher had an epiphany about falling for her step brother Josh!



We stopped by Koreatown and ate at a homey mom and pop-like resto 'Seong Buk Dong' for some galbi jim and spicy octopus before hitting the concert.


Finally, what we came for, making our day complete! Clinton Foundation's "A Decade of Difference" concert featuring an all-star line up with celeb guests presenters. You can watch the full concert on Yahoo (http://news.yahoo.com/decade-difference-concert/).
The whole concert was amazing. Guest appearance like Ellen made me so giddy. Seeing Usher, Lady Gaga and U2 live. So awesomeness? C'mon!
Bill Clinton is definitely a charismatic and great man loved by millions. I learned a lot about his foundation that night and will begin supporting him from now on!



TO THE BEACH!

On our last day, we made it a Pacific Coast day. We stayed in Marina Del Rey in Santa Monica but saved the beach day before our flight back home. Therefore, we didn't have time to dip our toes in the sand or water.

Brunch at the Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica by the pier. We tried their signature dish, the French Toast Souffle.




Venice Beach!
We thought we were heading to Muscle beach but I didn't see any gyms or body builders...maybe they are off on Sundays or we didn't walk far enough.


Lifeguard tower reminiscent of Baywatch.




I love palm trees


Even though we were tight on time and full from lunch, Laurie led me to an 'In and Out Burger' near LAX to complete my Cali experience. Double Double please. I didn't know about a secret menu! Maybe I would have liked "Animal Style" burger. Actually, Mic did mention the names of burgers and fries he orders but I didn't know he was referring to a SECRET MENU! Oh well, next time!



All quotes stolen from Wiki.

Shelving our memories...one teeny thing at a time

Hope we can fill the typesetter drawer one day and more..Each one of these pieces have a short (or long) but sweet stories to go with them.

Purrfect Saturday picnic in Central Park!

Saturday was absolutely gorgeous in New York city and so we were happy that we and both our friends have booked a picnic basket from a restaurant a block away from CP on 77th. This was from a livingsocial deal, we ain't classy like that. We choose a more secluded spot nearby the Belvedere Castle to munch on our lunch. We had Prosciutto, cheese and marinated artichokes to start, pesto pasta salad to share and two paninis + two apples.



Nap time..