#TBT= My#ThrowbackTravels #42: Chérie's Beachside Haircuts [Hawaii]

While driving from one destination to another in Hawaii with no planned itinerary, we saw a sign on the side of the road: "Chérie's Beachside Haircuts". "You need a haircut!" I squealed. "Do it here! Do it here!" Nothing excites me more than encouraging my husband to get a haircut in a shaggy little hut by the side of a dusty road. Dave is used to $4 buzz cuts from Chinatown so how bad can this be?

nykeiko shops: The Unstainable™ White Shirt [Kickstarter] #LizLemon

I just backed this project 'The Unstainable™ White Shirt' on Kickstarter and got myself The Liz Lemon modal tee. First off, the name is great because who doesn't love Liz Lemon from 30 Rock? Second, $25 for a t-shirt is the same price as a concert tee or even cheaper. It is also cheaper than ANY designer tee out there charging almost $100 for a tee. Third, how fun will it be to wear this white shirt and pour wine or ketchup all over myself and see people GASP? And then I explain the whole technology behind it and then hear a collective 'ooohh'. Okay, so I just need a plain white tee that I won't be afraid to stain. Boom! Here it is! I heart Kickstarter!

Check out the campaign here. Watch the funny video too! 

nykeiko plays: Hike it! Mt. Tammany trail in New Jersey

Winter is definitely over but the temperature has been hovering in the chillies these past few days. We took advantage of the not-so-hot weather this past weekend to get the heck out of the city and hike up some (mini) mountain. Because we haven't hiked in a while (since Iceland back in September), David decided on a semi-easy 3.5-mile hike up Mt. Tammany trail in Northwestern New Jersey. 

nykeiko shops: Maje's first NYC sample sale [April 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

I stopped by the Maje sample sale last night during the two hour pre-sale. Here's my report for Racked and you will see that I was disapointed with the prices. I'm happy to say that I've come out empty handed yet again from another sale which is fine with me! I liked a few pieces like this leather jacket and also a bordeaux wool blazer with leather trims but priced at $350 for the leather jacket and $195 for the blazer, I knew it wasn't the best deal to be had. Next week, Sandro's sample sale is coming up. Hoping for better deals? Maybe?

nykeiko plays: Cherry blossoming in Central Park

Look! Cherry blossoms in Central Park. My sister was visiting and on her last day, we grabbed lunch at Shake Shack and afterwards, we took a stroll together in the park seeking the blossoms. We found lots of magnolia flowers behind the Metropolitain museum and it was only walking towards my work from 90th street to 96th street where we found a path (Bridle path) decked out with cherry blossoms. All of them have bloomed and are quietly fading away but we were pretty happy we caught the peak of it. It was a hot but breezy afternoon to take a stroll.

magnolia flowers behind the Met

nykeiko shops: Marissa Webb Pop-Up Sample Sale [April 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

This is my first time attending the Marissa Webb sample sale. Here's my sale report for Racked. I'm on a shopping hiatus again (and again) so even though I had my eye on several pieces (a black combo wool/leather sweater for $100, the 'Cadenza' silk top for $60, a 'Genevieve' white jacket ($125) and a body hugging 'Andy' crepe red dress for $150), I behaved and came out empty-handed (Pat Pat on my back.)

nykeiko #TBT: One picture, many thoughts...

I found this picture of Dave and me. We took it at a mock up photobooth inside a Sephora in Times Square. We were on a date or just playing around. Probably ate ramen nearby (probably Totto ramen) or just decided to walk through Times Square because we wanted to.

The date was on July 11, 2011. We had been together for a little less than two years. Let's see... We were living in our first apartment in Williamsburg and pretty content with life. Just dating and enjoying being independent adults. No plans of marriage or kids. We were maybe already shopping for apartments which was a serious move for us. We were looking at purchasing as well since paying over $2,000 for a one-bedroom apartment was pretty excessive. It's probably my fault because I just HAD to have the washer/dryer inside the apartment :) And who doesn't love having elevators??

I didn't own an iPhone back then looking at the little Spongebob phone accessory sticking out of my pocket. It was probably attached to my Sony Ericsson phone I brought from Taiwan. I bought Dave that Obamao t-shirt while I was in Beijing. A nice thoughtful 'buddy' gift because we were just friends before I decided to move to New York city in 2010 :) He doesn't wear it anymore though.

I don't think I have discovered sample sales yet because I remember overpaying for that Alice and Olivia top at Bloomingdale's. What I did discover is shopping at Bloomies like Rachel Green.

I want to look through more oldies pictures and remember my own thoughts back in that moment in time.

nykeiko shops: Rebecca Minkoff sample sale [April 2015 NYC Sample Sale]

I covered the Rebecca Minkoff sample sale yesterday. Here's my review on Racked. I had no interest in attending the sale but went anyway because my sister is in town and she's looking for a new leather bag. She wasn't able to wake up early with me to attend the VIP portion but she went later on the day and bought herself a new pair of shoes and a top. No bag! The top, we both agreed was a regretful purchase since $75 for a cotton top is not cheap at all. I was not there to give her guidance! But $50 for a new pair of leather flats, not too bad!

nykeiko travels and eats: I never knew.... [Japan]

I never knew Japan had the best tasting strawberries in the world..or safer to say, sweetest tasting strawberries I have ever had. Our tour guide told us it is something we had to try during our visit. I thought fruits in Japan were scarce and expensive so I did not think any type of fruits produced there would be worthy of my dollars but these strawberries were definitely worth every penny. We bought about 4 boxes throughout our trip and devoured them all with no guilt. They were not too pricy at $2-$3 for a box of strawberries (about 8-10 berries?). That's the price of berries at Whole foods sometimes and they don't even taste as good. I have no idea how they make their strawberries so consistently sweet and I don't care! I just want more!

Oh and Spring is finally upon us here in New York buuuut I already experienced spring time back in Japan last month :) Proof!

nykeiko eats: Streetbird Rotisserie in Harlem. Uptown Funk!

This past weekend, we checked out Marcus Samuelsson's new funky eatery Streetbird Rotisserie, in Harlem by 116th street and Frederic Douglas Boulevard. The restaurant has only been open for two weeks but it feels like it has been part of the neighborhood for ages. The decor is so busy but in a good way. The wall is covered from top to bottom with unique murals (by graffiti street artist Cey Adams), a ton of large and small memorabilia, vintage gears and wares, random decors and oozes Harlem culture big time. I kept looking around non-stop and finding neat things tucked here and there. There are conversation pieces all around like a subway door in the kitchen! The chandeliers made out of cassettes and old school boom boxes were a cool touch too. A bit of nostalgia kicked in at one point.

nykeiko travels: Snapshots from Japan [Toyama, Hida, Gifu, Takayama and Nagoya districts]

OH my, I have neglected this blog long enough. I meant to post more about Taiwan but time flew by and I was too busy eating yummy food and hanging out with my parents.

Well, I'm already back to good ol' cold New York and memories of my trip back home (my first home) still lingering in my heart. I had the chance to visit Japan for five days. This is my second time in Japan (Well, if you do not count airport layovers or else this would be my 20th trip to Japan.) Anyway, my first trip to Japan was to the small island of Okinawa which was like an Asian Hawaii. This Japanese island is actually closer to Taiwan and the culture seems no where like the main island so I never made it count.

I spent five whirlwind days in Japan with my parents. We joined a tour that cost each of us around 26,000 NT (That's around $815 USD with the current exchange rate.) and it is all inclusive. Yup, hotel, transportation, accommodation and food in my tummy, all for just under $900. It's always nice to travel somewhere with my parents because I get to spend day and night with them. In Taiwan, they are busy with their daily routines but when we travel, we're kind of stuck with each other 24/7.