Honeymoon time!

Sick of seeing pictures of our wedding yet? Well, lucky you because we are going on our honeymoon and I will then bombard my blog with pictures from Hawaiiiiii !!!

We're in the air while you're reading this!

Just married! (but didn't officially sign papers YET)

What I drink... [Pok Pok Som]

Pok Pok Som drinking vinegar

We picked one of this up at The Market NYC in Soho when they were hosting a 3 day pop-up event called Super Duper Market. It's called Pok Pok Som, made from a company in Portland, Oregon which has branched out to opening multiple restaurants and soda lounges in Portland and NY. Remember this amazing authentic Thai meal we had in Brooklyn called Pok Pok NY? It's from the same peeps! Now, Pok Pok is making drinking vinegars. There are many flavors such as pomegranate, temerind, rasberry, pineapple and apple! You add it to Seltzer water and you got yourself a healthy refreshing drink for the Summer!

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Wedding snapshots #6 : The Chinese wedding reception games

How to keep a crowd of 320 + guests entertained...

Cake feeding challenge...

Couple kissing game..

Groom sexy dance with the single ladies...

Garters...

Whip cream throwing ...

Cake feeding game..

Burping and beer drinking game..

Perfect roses

Hand picked bouquet from Rose, Red and Lavender

Whenever I see girls get pretty flowers I'm like..."Booo, what a waste of beautiful life"... "What a waste of money"... "Why don't you buy me nice flowers like that?"... but when I receive flowers from my man, I'm like "Ooh ooh more! More!"

For our one month...Dave got fresh flowers from the same flower shop where I got my bridal bouquet. Umm..I don't mind getting these every month. The roses are so perfectly pink and cute.

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nykeiko wears: My two new Alexander Wang pieces

I was in Soho this past weekend running errands (waxing!, returning a GoPro head strap at REI, getting cheap flip flops at Old Navy for our vacay, checking out sales at Scoop...) and since I was just a couple of blocks away from the Alexander Wang sample sale, I decided to pass by to see what final day markdowns were offered. There was actually a line to get in and lots of shoppers inside although nothing like day 1.

The stock had already been depleted big time since markdowns began mid-week but on the last day, almost everything was marked down. Large bags were almost all gone except the strappy beige Ingrids which was $150 instead of $400 (retail $825). Shoes which were marked down to $75 were down to one style left per size.

I went straight for the ready-to-wear. It was pretty difficult to pull a style I liked from the leftovers on the racks. Since the stock plummeted, everyone is kind of trying on the same things so you can decide what you like by seeing what is being tried on. It was then that I saw this girl try on these tapered black pants (Dave calls them Aladdin pants) that I decided I wanted them too. Luckily, she tried them and didn't want them because I couldn't find a similar one on the racks. I grabbed them. They were $60 and I really liked them. They were originally $150 at beginning of the sale and probably retailed at $400-500+. I also wanted a soft T by Alexander Wang bra which were now $15 (were on sale for $35). Oh yea, and that damn T by Alexander Wang dress I got from Scoop was now $50 which bugged me a bit because i paid more for it haha. The only thing that didn't have any reduction seem to be the small clutches which were still going for $250 and didn't have too many takers.

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There was a bachelorette party! Part 2 of 3: Gettin' tipsy in the park and striking a pose (or 100)!

A while ago, I mentioned a bachelorette party was thrown for yours truly back in the city of Montreal. Part 1 of the bachelorette party, we drew a nude model at an art center which was so much blush-inducing fun! After that, we had the chance to all go home and change and then meet up again at a park in Westmount where my sister surprised us with a small picnic full of sweets and champagne. The spot she picked was decorated with small felt balls and balloons! We popped our first bottle of champagne right away and drank to the last drop of the third bottle a couple of hours later. We found out afterwards that we could have been fined a couple hundred for drinking in the park but when park cops drove by our spot, they didn't say anything (or did not see anything?). While all of this was going down (we wore props, blew bubbles, hula hooped, of course drank)  a professional photographer took pictures of us. I also got to take pictures with every single girl friend so that there could be a keepsake photo of us from that day.

instashot

There were a few other girls I would have loved to join our party but with everyone's busy schedule and also NOT living in the same city anymore, I know it is a difficult request. It just reminds me how I have to make the most of these special moments and keep these lingering warm memories in my heart when I return to New York far away from my friends.

As for part 3, I don't think I am going to post anything about that because I don't have any pictures from dinner :) We all went to this fantastic wine bar restaurant in Montreal's Old Port called Accords. We didn't really go for the wine but my sister picked this place because she thought the cuisine is probably not something I can easily find in New York. She was right. The food was delicious, mostly homemade and all the ingredients were seasonal and locally sourced . The current menu is almost completely different from what I saw back in June which is indicative that there's a creative chef behind the scenes. The food was really good and each dish comes with optional wine pairing. Most of us had too much champagne at the park and skipped the wine but I would love to go back again and try something else WITH wine. On the down side, the service was really extremely slow and the meal lasted almost 4 hours I think. That was a buzz kill since we were all so hungry but the food and desserts made up for it 100%.

I sifted through some pictures. I estimated 400 photos last time but I received over 1200 candid shots from my sister this past weekend! Here are a couple of my fave shots amongst too many...

Shake and pop the cork

My hands were too busy playing to drink

Thank you girls....especially Melissa for being the brains behind this Bachelorette operation.

Oh yea! Here's a "What I wore"!

Leather skirt by Alice and Olicia ($100 at sample sale)
Bracelet by Lulu Frost ($115 sample sale)
Silk top by Equipment (I forget the price I paid on eBay. $30?)
Hat was borrowed and no idea who it belongs to.

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Wedding snapshot #5: Smile

This is me enjoying being the center of attention....and a bit nervous about the garter belt retrieval under my skirt which was happening soon. 

Yes, I still sample sale shop but where are my posts? [Alexander WangNY sample sale August 2013]

photo of the A. Wang sample sale line taken by me via 

As you may or may not have noticed, I haven't been posting much about sample sales here on my blog. The reason is that I have been covering sample sales for RackedNY and cannot repost on my own blog.

The latest sample sale I attended was the "epic" Alexander Wang sale. On Tuesday morning, when the sale opened to the public, I woke up at wee hours of the morning so I could cover the line situation and then report on the sale once I got inside. Many of my friends knew I'd be going to the sale and promptly asked if I got anything. To their dismay, I did not! The prices were not so great for the garments and the utter chaos to get to the bags (which was the better deals) totally discouraged me. How many more girls will end up wearing the same bag around town I thought and why is the Rocco (heaviest bag ever) oh so popular?

I actually found a T by Alexander Wang dress at the sale I scooped up at a Scoop sale back in January for $84, it was only $60 (reduced some more to $50) at the sale. So some deals are to be had but not super deals. This reminds me, I did not get the chance to wear that dress yet. Uh-oh. I hope Dave doesn't read this :)

Update: I eventually bought something.

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nykeiko play: Sling Shot Me [Coney Islands]

The Sling Shot at Coney Islands

Dave and I did something spontaneously about a week ago during a work outing to Coney Island. I could have added this on my 30-30-30 list but since I like roller coaster rides or any heart rate pumping machinery, this wouldn't be too challenging. Except, I have not been on any crazy rides for a long, long time! I'm more sensitive now to any type of rides which saddens me because I love, loved roller coasters. Now, I am THAT person who gets queasy simply from texting or reading on a moving car or bus!

After eating a big Italian feast at Gargiulo's with my colleagues, Dave and I decided to take a stroll to Coney Island's boardwalk and then inside the iconic Luna Park amusement park while everyone else headed to the stadium to catch a baseball game. When we walked into Luna Park, we were all for "just looking and no playing" since Dave overstuffed himself at dinner and was sure that he would definitely puke if did any rides. There was one ride that peaked our interest. The Sling Shot. After a bit of contemplating (mostly because of the price! $35 for 2 people!), we decided to enter this ball cage thing which "slingshots" two people up 150 feet in the air at 90 mph! When we got in, we were pretty nervous but the whole thing finished before you knew it. I also felt a little queasy...just a bit.

After that, we had some raw oysters to um..ease our queasy stomach? I know right? This (pic below) is the LAST thing you want to look at and eat after getting off a vomit-inducing ride...

Another thing I did was get my face painted by this clown hired to entertain the kids at dinner. The adults took advantage of this to be kids themselves again. So, I decided that I wanted a panda face ON my face. It didn't work out so well, the clown was almost clocking out and got lazy and decided to make me a dog instead. Oh well. I received many compliments at Luna Park nonetheless..."Are you a cat?"...

Overall, we had a pretty nice evening...a perfect date almost where dinner was paid for by my boss :)

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Wedding snapshots #4: Cake!

The cake cutting...

Do I have to eat this now?

We ended up getting a free cake from our wedding venue which was a nice gift because we had given up on actually ordering a $6-7/piece cake for our 330 guests. We wanted a good tasting cake for everyone but we weren't sure that people will be eating cake after a 13 course meal...and I think we made the right decision not to have invested in a cake after all. Most people were full after only the 5th or 6th dish and the most of the older Chinese guests (more than 70% of our guests) normally do not like to eat cake.

We did two cake tastings. One was at Sugar Flower Cake Shop where a piece of cake started at $12 and the other tasting at Silk Cakes which offered pieces starting at $7 per piece. Both bakery offered something special and we enjoyed both of them. We were closer to ordering a cake from Silk Cakes because it fit our budget more and we didn't need the fancy 'organic, sustainable, gluten-free' cakes offered by Sugar Flower Cake Shop. We had the flavor and design picked out and everything. It would have been a beautiful cake.

As for the cake we did get for free, I took off an ugly generic cake topper (the typical plastic bride and groom one) and replaced it with this piece I made with aluminum wire inspired by something I saw on Etsy. A simple and easy DIY!

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Hawaii, I might love you...

via

Our Hawaiian vacation has taken flight...in terms of planning that is. We're jetting outta New York on August 30th! Hotels are booked and now we're down to the nitty gritty on WHAT TO SEE, EAT and DO!

At first, we had no idea how many Hawaiian islands there were or which ones we would want to dip our feet in. The first question that people asks us, after we tell them Hawaii is our honeymoon destination, is "which islands are you visiting?" to which I usually answer with a blank look. But now with a little bit of Wiki-ing, I know that there are about 8 islands and we're visiting 3 of them. We're staying in Oahu for 3 days, 6 days in Kauai and finally 7 days on the Big Island.

In Oahu, we will be renting a master bedroom in someone's beautiful condo right smack in the middle of the island which makes traveling to every corner of the island a breeze. We're looking forward to visiting the North Shore for some surfing, Turtle Bay for some turtle encounters and grab some famous Matsumoto Shave Ice. We will be sure to visit Honolulu for a split second where its bustling with restaurants and clubs and then go on to do some peaceful snorkeling in beautiful Hanauma Bay. I don't know what else we will be doing but I feel like we're just going to wing it.

We then head to Kauai and there, we spoiled ourselves by staying at the Grand Hyatt which was only the smartest decision since we got a Friends & Family rate. Plus, since it's our honeymoon, we should stay somewhere fancier non? Our hotel plan for the Big Island is the Marriott but maybe we'll look into renting something more cozy or local.

This is a must-see coast in Kauai...The Napali coast.

via

The famous Manawaiapuna falls which is popularly know as the Jurassic Park Falls (the scene where they first landed on the island and Sam Neill had to tie his belt because he couldn't buckle his seatbelt properly..haaa)...The helicopter ride to bring you there is going to cost you an arm and maybe a leg $$$$.

via

Now, I just have to plan some snorkeling trips while in Kauai and maybe a helicopter ride in the Big Island and call it a day! Also, we need to look for all the delicious restaurants we have heard about but still need to find. Any suggestions? The rest of the time we'll lounge by the beach and not think about home or checking my iPhone...

With only 11 days away..I cannot wait!!!!

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30 in 30 before 30? [30 things to do in 30 days before my 30th birthday]

Surprising a friend with orchids....

We're about 30 days away from my 30th birthday and I am thinking about writing this list.... Does this make it the first '30 things to do in 30 days before turning 30' list you have ever read? 

I have never made a birthday "bucket list" before and it seems like turning 30 is the appropriate time to look back and see what you've been missing in your life. Since I am the type of person that usually lives in the "now", I tend to have accomplished many things I have desired to do. Of course not EVERYthing I desire or it would be too easy. Life's always full of opportunities and I take them as they come. I do not  think that turning 30 or any age is a good reason to start doing anything but if it's a little boost to start doing something to make you happier, then so be it. If I look at where I am in my life right this moment, is there anything I would regret not doing if I fall terminally ill tomorrow? Do I have unfinished business somewhere or a feud with a family member or even friends that need to be resolved? Luckily, I am somewhat at peace and do not think that I have too many regrets (that I think of right now anyway..)... I am ready for my 30s! My mistakes, regrets and past good or bad experiences from my teens and 20s have prepared me well for the new challenges that have yet to come....

It is going to be difficult to write this 30-30-30 list but there's always SOMETHING new you can do so, I'm going to force myself to sit down and write down 30 things i would like to do before I turn 30.

[UPDATE POST-30 HERE!!!!]

Here goes!

1 - Steal other people's 'Things to do before 30' list. I need inspiration.

2- Write 5 handwritten letters to new and old friends or even lost acquaintances. Wait, does writing 150 Thank You cards count?

3 - Do something that scares me: 
-Hiking this trail at Kalalau Trail in Hawaii.  So, we found out there were not giving out anymore permits on the days we are visiting so we won't be able to hike the whole trail...to our relief? We will attempt doing the trail anyway but no walking over eroded trails where one slip leads you straight down into the Ocean.

Doing other scary things? I can also add skydiving but I don't think I'll ever do that so maybe swimming with sharks?

Welllll, since we will be going to Hawaii for our honeymoon and conveniently also going to celebrate my 30th birthday, this will facilitate my list and will help me be more creative:

4- Hike a volcano. With flowing lava will be even more awesome!

5- Meet a sea turtle. I will actually try to shake his hands flippers and ask him how old he is.

6- Drive a Jeep or anything bad-ass to ride off terrain in Hawaii.

7- Swim naked in a desolate beach.

8- Shower under waterfalls or simply just BE under any type of waterfalls would be amazing. Naked under waterfalls?

9- Make really great videos of our trip with our new toy (more on that later). Dave ordered my new ram for the laptop just for that!

10- Swim with dolphins. My original desire would be to swim with whales but I know I am not in the right season to do this in Hawaii so let me swim with at least dolphins?

The next part of the list is Inspired from this video "24 things to do before 30". 

11- "Stop doing things for the pictures, but start doing things for the memories". This one is hard. I always HAVE to take pictures or else it is like the event never happened. So weird. 

12- Go on a long road trip with people I love. This one I am not sure about. I'd love to do a road trip in the West coast but who would I want to spend 24/7 with without becoming crazy or even driving them crazy?! Well, since we're planning a trip to Hawaii soon, this one will have to wait until the near future.

13-Learn how to cook one fancy dish. I'm thinking something French and I need to cook meat more.

14-Find something you are really good at. Oh boy..this one is hard because I am good at everyt.....kiiiidding. Okay, let me think about this one because maybe I'm already good at something but don't know it...sooo, I guess I'll find it :P 

In the clip, there are other things that I would have put on my list but I have already done them, such as:

-Move to a new city. I've done this twice actually. From Montreal to Taipei and now to New York. 

-Go sailing. We have sailed in Boston before but did I mention that Dave proposed to me on a sailboat on the Hudson river? :)

-Party hard for 24 hours in Vegas. Okay, so we did a day trip to Vegas a couple of years ago. We arrived in the morning and took a red a eye flight back home. I think even though we didn't gamble, drink and get wasted, we still did something highly spontaneous together in Vegas.

 -Yell at sports game. Does yelling at the ushers who take food orders count?

- Learn a foreign language. I have always wanted to be more fluent in Spanish but the lack of practice makes it hard and learning a language well is a long process when not surrounded by foreign speakers. So, my new language to learn now is Cantonese/Toisanese which I am slowly and passively doing by hanging out with Dave and his parents :). I have for the rest of my life to learn :)

This list is getting difficult. Maybe finishing this list before I turn 30 should be one of my goals. (okay, I am counting it in as my #15).

16-Try to give one good advice. Key word is TRY. Here's one: Don't let age be a motivator for your life's bucket list such as what I am doing now. Just chase your daily or long term goals every single day and you'll be dandy happy with no regrets. I know, easier said than done but just thinking about it will make you feel better.

17- Send my mom a photo album with flowers to thank her for being her. (oops, I'm not suppose to add my regular to-do list here but since it is an on-going project, it counts...).

18- Purchase a classic grown up lady bag. I had the Proenza Schouler PS11 on my mind for a while but I don't think it is a real classic classic bag. So, a real classic bag for me now is a Chanel purse which seems to withstand trends and time like no other bag. This one might be placed on hold and wait until we make a trip to Paris where supposedly, the bags are a bit cheaper.

19- Do something new with my hair. I am going to try a digital perm next week. Wish me luck so that my hair does not end up in a hair horror story post. 

20- Lose 5 more pounds (in a healthy way!) to achieve my goal weight which is the weight I had in my 20s. This will not only make sure I can look somewhat decent in my bikinis in Hawaii but also make me feel turning 30 isn't so bad for my body.

21-Once I reach my goal weight, I will take nudie photos. I want a professional photographer but I am not sure about a stranger taking nude shots of me....hmm, maybe Dave can do it!!

22- Purge material things from my 20s that I do not need in my life moving forward...basically, another closet cleanse. 

23-Finish books I have started but did not finish. I have "Dreams from my Father" by Barack Obama I want to finish. I can finish it on the beach or during the 11-hour plane ride...yay

24-Care for a plant. I acquired a new plant from Dave's aunt a couple of days after our wedding. I want it to flourish for years to come. 

25-Mix one good gin cocktail. Learn how to make gimlet which is THE drink I order at fancy bars.

26- Bake a pie. I have never baked a pie before! I like apple pies ..or blueberry..or rasberries...mmm

27-Make a donation to a new charity I have never donated to before. Any ideas? I have always donated to WWF and that's about it. The documentary Chasing Ice has really made an impact on me. 

28- Calling my in-laws "mama" and "papa" without feeling weird about it. They did not give birth to me nor did they raise me. Just because I married their son makes me have to call them my mother and father and it is just totally WEIRD for me. 

29- Create something new or make something from scratch. My DIY wedding table numbers and cake topper I made from scratch was gratifying (hello, can you believe I made cement from a powder mix?). I have creative A.D.D.

30-Swim laps non-stop for 1 hour straight. I think I'm doing 30-40 minutes now but that's almost always because I have to stop to un-fog goggles or to prevent from bumping into slow pokes.


THAT'S IT!!! IT STARTS NOW! 

Okay, so there was some cheating here and there but I'm sure I'll find new things along the way! Will keep you guys updated on any progress!! Thank you for reading! xx

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wedding snapshot #3

by the Bow Bridge

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Street shot..East Houston

MiH chambray shirt, J Brand jeans, Comme des Garcons/Tretorn shoes

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wedding snapshot #2

When should I stop talking about my wedding? Neverrrr!

Maybe I should wait for the pro pics to come in before sharing more pictures...

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wedding snapshot #1

Making of the face...

nykeiko eats: NYC gluttony-Things I have been eating recently...

With the family in town, eating out happened almost every day... Here are some highlights of some deliciousness that went into my tummy these past few weeks...not shown: Shake Shack burgers, cupcakes, lots of ramen, steaks and more!

Epic seafood hot pot and grill at Sik Gaek

For the grill

Baby octopus hot pot

Bone marrow at Porter House

Large portions at Tony D's..

First dish served at our wedding reception. A roasted suckling pig.

Family meals

Sashimi( including sea urchin and ikura!), maki and ramen (not shown) meal at Mitsuwa!

Giant oysters with vermicelli and black bean sauce at Royal Seafood Restaurant on Mott St

Serbian food: pork shoulder/lamb dish, blitva, lamb & spinach stew at Kafana NYC

BONUS: Cat picture!

My sister brought her cats from Canada. The white Love sign was a wedding gift and the black one I bought off someone off '100 layercake' that one and only time i visited the site. Great for pictures like this one!

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