June a coming...+ random thoughts

June is looking busy for many reasons...

My daily brain ADD:

-Between preparing for a wedding and looking for a new home.... yesterday, I choose between shopping for a wedding guestbook and checking out an open house in Downtown Brooklyn. The open house won because my Google Offer coupon for Paper Presentation expires May 31. This Saturday, we will be checking out another open house with probably over 100 people in attendance.

NY Open houses are like big house parties where everyone's invited...

-We have been trying to cut down on meat lately...specifically red meat...just because, it's suppose to be good for you. It is hard when you live with a meat lover boyfriend.

-I did a free yoga class yesterday but didn't enjoy it. It was that or a free self-defense class in the East village. It was rainy and ugly out so I felt too lazy to venture so far.

-My boss' birthday is in two weeks. I need to top last year's gift which was a simple mug which he loves. He has showed it off at multiple lab meetings knowing very well we have seen it multiple times. I paid $26 at the time for the mug at a MOMA store...it is now under $10 on Amazon.

-I still have to find a gift for Mother's Day and ship it. I will probably make something..it will be worth it!

-Going to purchase Broadway tickets for Wicked in October. Talk about early planning but then I can get Orchestra seats for $85..that's 50% off.

-Hosting a birthday party for Dave's cousin in our tiny apartment this weekend. Portable lawn chairs for our guests.

-Electrolytement event next Wednesday. Water acrobats, food and of course, water!

-Cake tasting next Thursday...but knowing very well, we won't be able to afford their lovely cakes. Might as well do something fun for our wedding right? They say cake tasting is the best part...unless you don't like cake then that's too bad.

-An impromptu trip to Montreal in two weeks for a bachelorette party organized by my lovely cat loving sister. She is really excited about which makes me feel so loved. Even though I don't have any bridesmaids for my wedding, having sisters is like having a Maid of Honor by default!

That is all....

oh yea..and we ate this after the open house last night... didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. Thank god it was still an undeveloped embryo since I've had some Vietnamese type balut where you're practically eating a baby chick (Don't Google balut!)..but I was younger and didn't think care so much about animals...

Pinoy boiled duck egg #balut at Uminom Bed-Stuy

intermix sale +30% off

J Brand coated capris currently $69.30 (orig. $218) on Intermix...they are stretchy!

via

Black and white is trending again... Maybe you can up pick this skirt for $41.30 (orig. $178)

via

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Long weekend

Hello!

We had a long weekend for Memorial Day and I'm super ready for our 4-day work week!
I felt that, contrary to some lazy weekends we have had, this past weekend's schedule was filled to the brim with activities. From a farewell rooftop party, dresses and wedding ring shopping, hiking, museum, dinners and of course, eating loads of food; I should be exhausted but I am not... ok, maybe a tad!

Random shots from the weekend:

Two little Red Hen's cheesecakes are amAzing!!! I think this is one of my favorite cheesecake ever and guess what! I don't really like cheesecake at all! This was eaten at a friend's farewell party on his rooftop overlooking Central Park. We scolded him for not having more parties before! The view of Manhattan and Central Park was so nice!

Cheesecake from Two Little Red Hens

On Saturday, I got to try some rental dresses that come with our photography and videography service for our reception. I picked two dresses out that I liked..out of maybe 100 I did not like AT ALL. Therefore, it all came down to if it fits or not. One of the dresses I picked, I'll have to lose an inch or two to be more comfortable if I want to eat! 

Picking dresses...

On Sunday, five of us went hiking on Breakneck Ridge up in Fishkill NY. This time, we did the 5 mile loop but did not make it up Sugar Loaf mountain! Scrambling up the rocks for the first hour of the hike is always my favorite part of this trail!

The hour long scramble up Breakneck's rocks while overlooking the Hudson river

On Monday, we had no plans except to eat lobster at Dave's parents but we figured, we had the car for the day and looked for something to do. When a Vietnamese restaurant we wanted to try was closed, we decided we would drive somewhere we can't easily get to by subway. So, we decided to check out ABC Carpet and Home outlet in the Bronx. We picked up Laurie who came with the promise of good food in her belly. We checked out Arthur Avenue in the Bronx know to be the REAL Little Italy in New York.

homemade tangliani pasta with leggy octopus

So pretty driving through the Queensboro...enough for me to make a video of it back and forth..

After dropping off Laurie so she can get back to some "studying", we took the Queensboro bridge back to Brooklyn and as we drove by MOMA PS1, we decided to make a quick stop. I have never been there before and Dave can get free tickets, so we went!

There were some questionable art pieces. As usual, some art was worth the thoughts and some art was garbage...literally.

 trash cans...yup, that's it

A wolf and a deer in one room...what happens next?

And it all ended with a delicious lobster dinner. Lobsters were only $5.99/lb and Dave's parents made some for us on Monday night. They were sweet and salty...no butter or condiments needed...just perfect!!

via my instagram

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nykeiko: Bride to be.... I love gold...

Spray painting.

What I have learned (and you probably already know):

-Wear a mask or just hold your breath while you spray paint. Headache will ensue if you don't. This shit toxic. Also, you will feel something weird in your mouth or throat for a couple of hours.
-When spray painting cardboard, prep with a layer of lacquer, fixative or whatever the guy at the craft store recommends...this will guarantee that you will see the color you see on the spray paint canister can be replicated on the cardboard.
-Protect the area you will be spray painting on...or you will find nice permanent paint where it wasn't suppose to be. I knew that but I just didn't protect a wide enough area. Gold balcony is sexy.
-If you leave your pieces to dry outside and leave the house to play...don't forget to anchor things down or you might not see your stuff ever again. I'm happy the BBQ grill was in the way preventing the letters from flying off our balcony. It wasn't even that windy ...

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VPL: Love or Hate?

VPL bras

I have been wanting to try VPL sports bras for quite some time now. I like the colorblock colors and style of the bras and I'm all for wearing sports bra daily which I should probably do more often! My friend Thao says VPL bras are the most comfortable bra ever but at $95, I couldn't digest it. At $25 each at a sale, better. I finally got to try them on and turns out their signature style, the Insertion bras were not made for my frame no matter how I want them to! The straps dig right into my pits in size S while size M made the bra run a bit too big for my boobies. Some of the bra styles fit well such as the Bisectional bra in M and yes, they are super comfy. I could barely feel them on even though the material isn't silk or anything which made it odd that they can be comfy! But they don't look as cool as the Insertion ones...

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The last smoke by Garance Dore

via

My last smoke was in 2010

Obliged cat pics from my Montreal trip

My sister owns a dog too but I don't really like him because he humps the white cat...

Feeling hurt...

Bridal cat

Fur ball + tail 

Sad kitties going to the kitty spa for a buzz 

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nykeiko: Bride to be....best under procrastination

with beautiful bride in Montreal xx

After attending yet another gorgeous perfect wedding in Montreal, I felt inspired to do a little more for my own. However, that motivation/inspiration came to an abrupt halt when we went back to work from our mini Canada trip. Dave had been working overtime almost every single day and I have been finishing later than usual catching up on some work. We were exhausted...

Over the weekend, we had full (semi-full) intention to work on some wedding stuff such as some wedding decors, look at more wedding bands and watch Iron Man 3 (break from wedding stuff) but nothing happened at all...almost. The spray painting project failed as the color I wanted didn't come out as expected and then it started raining and we could only spray paint outside.  We did go out for a bit to the craft's store for more crafty stuff and then I decided to get a pedicure just a couple of blocks away from the apartment. I haven't gotten a pedi since last Summer and I have decided that I will be getting a pedicure every 2-3 weeks to assure sandal perfect feet when wedding day comes. These cracked heels cannot be immortalized in pictures in my new Jimmy Choos. Iron Man 3 was sold out.

I did manage to do some online shopping. I took advantage of the Friends and Family 20% sale on Beauty.com and got a new Kevyn Aucoin mascara since I ran out last week and to top it for free shipping, I got some Tatcha evening blotting paper (based on this review from Viv) for the Summer. I haven't purchased blotting paper since I moved here from Taiwan but this will be useful for wedding day (wedding wedding wedding, it's all I think about!). I forgot about a $45 store credit so my total was actually $0 (How can I forget about this money?!). I also purchased a facial at Soho's Red and White Spa through Lifebooker where there's an extra 20% off deals so my 60 minutes facial cost $31. Yes, it will be used to prep my face for..my wedding.

Next week, we do have an appointment with a wedding center to look at their rental dresses. I'll try to finally make a decision on a wedding band and if weather permits, we'll finish some decors we have for the wedding. RSVPs are pouring in and I'm nervous about table seatings. I think picking the right people to sit with each other for the entire evening will change the entire dynamic of the guests' happiness at our wedding reception! It's true, we probably do not know 3/4 of the guests that are attending since it's mostly Dave's parents friends and family so we only need to partially worry about table seatings.

The to-do list is somewhat long and we're slowly tackling it... Now it is only two months away, so we must get crackin'! Procrastination will not be an option ...but I work best under pressure so maybe I can wait a bit hehe.

-Flowers?
-Cake?
-Table cards?
-Party favors?
- ...barf. happy thoughts!

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Lulu Frost sample sale [May 2013 NYC sample sale]

Here's my review of the sale for RackedNY.

This is a piece that caught my eye right away but thought I won't have a chance to wear it with anything but what was I thinking?! It could match with anything dressy! It's too late to get it now however, I was suppose to look for a statement necklace anyway which I didn't even get at the sale because I was too distracted by other shiny things... I did get some bridal jewelry...well, jewelry that can be fit for a bride which I hope I'll still want to wear when wedding day approaches. I already picked up a pair of Judith Leiber baguette crystal drop earrings which I was also hoping to wear too...hmm.. should I make an earring change with every dress change?

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Which is the coolest museum exhibit you have been to? [The Rain RoomMoMa NYC]

Me standing in the Rain Room - nykeiko.com

Which is the coolest museum exhibit you have been to? The Rain Room personally tops them all for me currently. It is one of the most interactive exhibits I have experienced and I have been to a couple of cool ones including Yayoi Kusama's 'Fireflies on Water' and Ann Hamilton's 'The Event of a Thread'. In the Rain Room, heavy rain drizzles down in a quite sizable room equipped with motion sensors which detect your presence and will shut the water right above you as you walk through the room and let you stay completely dry (with a few drops here and there of course!). Completely camera and cellphone safe in the rain!

The Rain Room is on exhibit from May 12 to July 28th but you have to go NOW. As the popularity of this exhibit increases, so will the wait time to go in. When the exhibit was in London, the wait was up to 8 hours. We were able to bypass the line as member's guests and still wait a little. We could not be more grateful for the group of people in front of us who decided to purchase the membership and allow us to be their guest for $5...we had already waited for 45 minutes and were barely moving down the line. The people in the front of the line waited almost 2 hours and it was only the second day of the exhibition. They allow up to 10 people into the Rain Room however, the staff kept saying they were letting 6-7 people in at a time to let people feel the maximum effect of this unique exhibit. There is no time limit for each person and photography is highly encouraged. Every picture you will take will look amazing! I posted a few we took! For more info about the exhibit, click here.

Taking pictures while waiting in line inside the building...Click below for more pics.

The Rain Room - NYC - nykeiko.com

Finally our turn under the "rain"...

Trying to lick the rain but can't!!

Rain Room - nykeiko.com

Thank you- stranger who took a good 3 minutes finding the best angle to take a shot of us while we smooched away. Total PDA for this shot. Apologies!

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The arts in NY

Lincoln Center plaza -nykeiko.com

I have a friend who is always going to the Opera or Ballet at the Lincoln Center in New York. He has a serious addiction (a good but expensive one) and has seen over....um...he doesn't know the number of shows he has seen because there has been too many! I think for the past two years he has been living in NY, he's probably seen over a hundred shows including Opera, ballet, musicals, orchestra etc! It's crazy! 

Usually, he's able to get excellent Orchestra seats and doesn't always fork our $300-400 for them. Most often, he will snatch up Rush tickets for the orchestra seats at the Opera for only $25. Those are the times that I am most interested to attend with him!

Last week we saw 'Dialogues des Carmelites" where both of us had a nice afternoon snooze (I like the Opera but this one was particularly boring) and this week, we went to see the New Year City Ballet where both of us had big smiles on our face and even let out some laughter as it was interactive too! It was soooo good. I'll try to find more info about it and share!

I'm off to Montreal now... toodles!

xxx

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In pictures: Looking for bridal shoes at the Jimmy Choo sample sale [May 2013 NYC sample sale]

Hello, here's me sharing way too much about my wedding stuff haha....

Jimmy Choo sample sale shoes size 36

In my pursuit for trying to stay WAY under budget for my wedding, I decided to check out the Jimmy Choo sample sale to find my very own bridal shoes! I wanted to splurge on my wedding shoes since I didn't splurge at all on my wedding dress but with designer shoes going at $500-1000 a pop, I had to accept the fact that I probably would not be splurging on a pair of $1000 shoes for my one special day! I was also going to check out the Manolo Blahnik sale but alas, I am leaving for a trip to Canada tomorrow which is when the sale would have been opened to the public. Oh well. So, the only sale I can go to this time is the Jimmy Choo sale. I thought of going on the first day and battle it out with the crowd but then I still wasn't too keen on paying $250 for bridal shoes. SO, I decided that I wait it out and go on the second day where rumor has it (Adele song in my head. now!) that extra discounts were to be had (disappointedly, there were no discounts when I went at 11 in the morning).

I spotted these evening sandals somewhere amongst the sea of shoes on RackedNY's Jimmy Choo sample sale report.

I need help?

I'm always looking down. Since I've had my iPhone maybe a little over a year and a half ago, I have been told many times that I always have my head down looking at... my iPhone. Especially from the older colleagues who do not have this addiction and cannot comprehend why my iPhone is so fascinating to look at 24/7.

While walking, I check my messages. While relaxing on the couch, I check my phone. As if I get hundreds of emails every minute or something (which I don't!). Because of my own addiction, I tell myself that I won't let my kids own a phone until they absolutely need to. Because of that, I get frustrated when other people can't let their phone down during a meal especially when they are out with someone. I for one, DO try to put my phone away during a meal unless I'm taking pictures of my food which is also something that bothers me about myself. They make fun of people who can't enjoy a meal without taking picture. My own boyfriend makes fun of me so I'm just really good at taking pictures quickly now so he can dig in as quickly as possible.

I have to make a conscious decision and grandiose will power to for not one second, look down at my phone.

I need help? Yup!

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nykeiko: Bride to be.....a touch of heart

Our second invite for our ceremony... I think I messed up half of the hearts but this is as personalized as it can be?

I used acrylic paint and wanted to make it thick so it looks embossed however, it didn't really turn out the way I liked it. Oh well.

I cheaped out on buying a paint brush for this one time project so I used a Q tip instead haha.

nykeiko: bride to be...A little personal touch doesn't hurt anyone.

A little personal touch makes both of us smile....



Our wedding invitations are making their way into our friends and family's homes!
David picked the design and printed them out. All I needed to do was stamp away when they arrived!

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