A Giant Silvery Lipstick

55 W 46th Street Building

I'm hurrying along on 45th Street because I had to get to the subway, when I saw this dazzling building.  It reminded me of a giant, silvery lipstick case.  It loomed over this small public green space.  The light seemed to hit it just right and it caught the diagonal zig zag lines.  That's the thing about New York, you're minding your own business and thinking about the next meeting or event and suddenly something in the landscape just grabs you.  Awesome.

Another Celebrity Financial Cautionary Tale

The entertainment industry was all abuzz about how Mischa Barton, a former well-known actress (because has-been is too cruel), was going to lose her 8-million-dollar house because she is behind $100,000 on her mortgage.  The estate has 8 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and great ocean views of Catalina Island.  It only goes to show no matter how much you earn, it only matters what you get to keep.  People also forget that salaries don't always go up, although I think people realize it more now.  If you're in a fickle industry like the arts, your income can be notoriously unstable and any high income that you get can be very temporary.  It's a lesson too few people really learn.  They want to live like the Rich and Fabulous without acknowledging that you can lose it all.

Getting rich in a short time can be very illusory situation.  A lot of money can be quickly spent if you're not prudent.  Preserving money and making it work for you over the long term is hard.  It's hard to keep your head together when you get a windfall, but that's why it's important to hold fast to your normal budget and not make any financial decisions until at least six months later.  You can get a better picture of your financial situation.  Don't forget that a temporary windfall also means that you have to pay more taxes.  What you get to keep is what matters.

In addition, I have to wonder why she bought such a big house.  How many kids does she have?  The entertainment reports don't even mention if she is married with kids.  If she lives in that big house all by herself, she would have to hire staff to maintain it -- that's another expense.  She has to keep working as an actress in order to keep her estate.  I haven't really seen her in anything lately.  It's like Hollywood actors have an expiration date.  Wealth can have an expiration date also.

For artisanal, one-of-a-kind cocktails, The Dead Rabbit is a Treat

If you want to experience cocktails that give you the same experience as a five-course meal, then The Dead Rabbit is a place you should go.  This historic downtown pub (on the same block as Fraunces Tavern) has one of the best cocktail menus in the world.

If you've ever seen the movie, Gangs of New York, then you have an idea of the historic background of The Dead Rabbit.  The pub takes its name from a time when Irish immigrants came by the boatload, and in order to survive, organized into gangs to protect its members and essentially was a network to be able to find jobs and live a piece of the American Dream.  The leader of a powerful gang, The Dead Rabbits, was John Morrissey.  He emigrated from Ireland with his family and lived a rough and tumble life then eventually becoming a respectable politician and millionaire.  The pub's cocktail menu is based around the life and times of Morrissey, so for example, his early years are reflected in the types of cocktails that are herb-based and refreshing, in accord with how green he was when he came to the New World.  In each phase of his life, types of cocktail are grouped together.  There's at least six phases.  All the cocktails are very original and a delight to the palate.  

The originality of the cocktails is owed to the many infusions of liqueurs that the pub creates along with the mind-boggling combinations.  These cocktails are based on bartender recipes that were available from the 19th century.  From the outside, the pub looks a little feminine because of the decor.  You come inside and it's a man's world, baby.  On the first floor is The Taproom.  You have a choice of many different beers as well as cocktails.  

The back shelf of the bar is creaking from the many bottles and knickknacks it holds.  If you look around there's plenty of wood panels and if you look up there's a lot of old-fashioned postcards sticking to the wooden beams.

When it comes to beers, you can choose from a list of beers on tap on bottled beers.  However, liquid nourishment is not the only things offered at this pub, it has a very solid bar menu.  I tried the fish and chips and it was very tasty.  My friend ordered the Dead Rabbit Burger (she was assured that it came from ground beef) and found it to be tasty.  They both came with a side of Belgian-style fries.  Yummy!

However, the real action is on  the 2nd floor, The Parlor, and that floor is where all the mixologists can be seen at work.  When you sit at the bar you are handed this menu of cocktails grouped around the life and times of John Morrissey.  You can take your pick from the extensive list and all the cocktails are $14.

Once you have picked a cocktail you are treated to the sight of an artisan creating a masterpiece.  I'm not sure how they can keep track of all the different ingredients that goes into a cocktail but the mixologists are doing a damn good job of it.  I tried the Port of New York.  Its base is Mezcal with several types of juices and a lot of other things for a very savory  drink with heat on ice.  I say with heat because it's not a spiced cocktail.

While you are enjoying your drink, they also offer you a wee sample of the house punch.  In addition to the house punch, the pub offers homemade meat pies.  On certain days of the week you can order $1 oysters during Happy Hour, or as they prefer it L'Heure Verte (The Green Hour).

The pub is located at 30 Water Street, not far from the Staten Island Ferry terminal.  If you take the R to Whitehall, the pub is just a few blocks away.

What's Great About Living in Queens?

You get to enjoy a view like this.

That plain rectangular shape on the right is the UN building.  The two skyscrapers with needles don't need any introduction.  The one on the left is the Empire State Building.  The one on the right is The Chrysler Building.

You can enjoy even more vistas from Hunter's Point South Park.  It's a great little park facing the East River and the east side of Manhattan.  I visited on a crisp fall day when they had an event going on.

First of all they had free food for the first hour.  There was a whole line of food trucks.

And I basically had lunch because I lined up for everything.  I first got a slice of pizza from Eddie's Place, then a mini lobster roll from Red Hook Lobster Pound (so good!), then Shrimp Drunken Noodles from Mamu Thai Noodle, then a Three Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwich from The Milk Truck.  Just as an aside, this grilled cheese is so fabulous; it's three cheeses -- Aged Gruyere, Aged New York State Cheddar, and Wisconsin Blue -- grilled so they melt together, then topped with caramelized apples.  SO UNBELIEVABLY GOOD!  I was on line for dessert: a cookie  and a coffee from The Sweetery truck when the hour ended up being over.  Darn!  What got the line held up were all these people wanting lattes and hot cider.  DOES NO ONE DRINK PLAIN COFFEE ANY MORE?

Anyway, I can't complain, I got a free lunch.

So let me now talk about Hunters Point South Park.  It's a smallish park.  It has a nice playground for the kids...

 with plenty of things to climb, swing, or ride.  Of course there are some park benches for the adults and the view for them to enjoy.

There's also a level green field so that kids can run free like maniacs.  That building on the left is the entrance to the ferry that takes you to Manhattan and the docks on 34th Street.  They were giving out free rides, but it was too cold for me.  There were some family-friendly activities being held in the tents but I can't see to many kids wanting to be cooped up.

It was a great day at the park.

Long Island City Partnership Expo

I went to a business expo sponsored by Long Island City Partnership at Astoria World Manor last week.  It's a huge place that people use for big events, like weddings, etc.  I think this was the firs time that the Partnership used the Manor for the Expo in previous times they usually hold it at Terrace in the Park at Flushing Park.  Whosever idea it was to hold at the Manor, it's a great idea.  It's a wonderful venue, they were able to fit all the tables in this great big space and walking around was so easy.  At the Terrace it was cramped and broken up into various spaces.

There were some outstanding presentations.  The Sage General Store, a catering service, always has some great samples.  I had a sample of a delicious salad (sorry I didn't ask what it was but it was good), sausage, and they had kettle chips as well.  Needless to say, their table was so busy.  I also stopped by a table from The Paper Factor Hotel which just opened.  The site was originally a paper factory and it was converted into a hotel.  I've seen pictures of it.  They've kept the old industrial look and still made it look hip.  I'm going to stop by and check out the bar and the decor one of these days.  It looks like an interesting hotel to stay in.  They were giving out those plastic cold drink tumblers with a straw so I took one. There are certain giveaways that you have to have.  I didn't stay for the luncheon because I had so much to do but I think I'm going to check out LICP's events more often.

Great Public Toilet

No one appreciates the public toilet.  There are some that are so disgusting, you know that you're not going near it.  The vast majority are just so forgettable, but when you run into a model that is ideal, you have to mention it.  This public toilet is at the women's bathroom at O'Hare Airport in Chicago.  It's so amazing.  You come in and you are confronted by this great feat of engineering and utilitarianism.  You wave your hand over a sensor and a new plastic cover goes over the rim for your own personal use.  Once you're done and stand up, it automatically flushes.  How cool is that?!

I wish every public bathroom had toilets like this.  My "go" was such a short visit with this kind of toilet.  I didn't have to use toilet paper to line the rim.  I didn't have to use my foot to flush the toilet.  It was so easy.  After I was done, I was a little sad that I had to leave.

Halloween Night

I look at Halloween as the beginning of the holidays.  First off, everyone from toddler to adult enjoys Halloween.  It's not for kids anymore.  During the daytime, you'll see children going around in costumes and in the evening the adults join them.  I spent my evening at Luke's and snapped this pic.

Let's see, there's a flapper, a cab driver, devil, hippie, with Mario being the DJ.  The restaurant was all decked out in cobwebs and there was a scary portrait on the wall.  The food at Luke's, by the way, is so delish.

Now a lot of people go to the Halloween Parade but unless you have one of those great apartments that overlook the parade route, you're not going to see much and it's such a crush that it's not fun at all.  I had more fun walking around 14th Street Square because everyone is still in costume and just came out of the parade.

Tis the season to be Pumpkin!

I love fall.  There's a crispness in the air, the fall colors are in bloom and the light on a sunny day seems to make everything more vivid and festive.  I was walking down 34th Street, past Seventh Avenue when I saw all these pumpkins.  Pumpkins in New York?  You betcha!

As a jaded New Yorker, I'm surprised no one has tried to steal them.  However, It could be that there are cameras keeping an eye on them to prevent any petty thievery.  And this wasn't the only one.  The whole block was lined with these pumpkin displays.

You can see spots of orange past all the people.  And all the girls are so fashionable.  They're wearing high boots or booties with close fitting jeans and short jackets.

Warn Everyone About These Two Guys!!

Maksym and Denys Pashanin

I read about these two guys who were taking advantage of short-term rentals in order to squat, according to a Flyertalk article.  Read all about it here.

New Urban Oases

Sixth Avenue and 23rd Street

I've noticed lately that Manhattan streets have become kinder public spaces.  The busy crossroads like 23rd Street and 6th Avenue, the 34 St Herald Square area, and Times Square, are much nicer to pedestrians by inviting them to sit down in these nice cozy chairs and tables.  Growing up, these intersections were traffic nightmares and pedestrian no go zones.  I happened to be walking around 6th Avenue and 23rd, and it was such a serene (for New York) setting.  The air was nicer because there was no exhaust fumes coming out of so many cars, the traffic was diverted away from these rest areas.  People were enjoying the day and just sitting around small tables people-gazing or eating.  It's just so civilized.  A lot of this is due to former Mayor Bloomberg who championed these urban islands of serenity amidst all the noise and pollution.  Giuliani may have made New York safe, but Bloomberg is the mayor who made New York livable.

Think Before You Cosign for that Student Loan

A lot of college students are making their way back to campus to start their semesters.  Many of them have student loans that their parents have co-signed, and who are ultimately responsible for paying off the loan.  Most parents would never think of refusing to cosign a student loan for their child.  However, it's important to note that one should take some precautions before they cosign the loan.  The story of Steve and Darnelle Mason is a cautionary tale of what can happen when the unexpected happens.

The Masons readily cosigned student loans for their daughter, Lisa, who was going to nursing school.  Lisa graduated from her nursing program, got a job as a nurse and was starting to pay off her loans, everything was okay.  Unfortunately Lisa died suddenly and she died with most of her student loans still outstanding.  You would think that those outstanding student loans would have died along with Lisa's passing but that is not necessarily true.  Lisa's loans, that were part of a federal program were forgiven.  However, most of Lisa's loans were from private programs.  Now Steve and Darnelle are liable for Lisa's student loan, the balance remaining being $100,000.  In addition, Lisa's two children now live with the Masons so  the couples expenses have increased.  The Masons make a modest living and were unable to pay off the loan.  Pretty soon because of late fees and interest, that original $100,000 became $200,000.

Declaring bankruptcy would not be a solution because these private student loans are exempt.  The Masons would still have to pay off these liabilities.  They have asked for relief and some of the organizations have reduced the outstanding balance or have forgiven a loan in light of their situation.  The main loan provider, according to the most recent articles, has not gotten back to them.

So how can parents protect themselves in such a case as this?  One solution is to buy term life insurance on their child.  Of course no parent wants to think that their child would pass away before they do, however, if you are thinking of co-signing for a loan in which you would be responsible, protect yourself in the case of an unexpected passing by getting life insurance on your child.

XO Taste Restaurant

Pan fried dumplings

I went to lunch with my client and she recommended this restaurant as a different take on the traditional Chinese dim sum.  The pan fried dumplings above are amazing.  It's a mix of seafood and pork in simple soy based sauce.  There were originally six of them but I stopped myself before they were gone so that I can take a picture.  We also shared a large won ton soup and the won tons also had seafood in it.  For a drink, I ordered a pineapple crush which is a smoothie made from a mix of coconut milk and crushed pineapple.  Unfortunately I didn't take a picture because I was hungry and thirsty and everything was just so delicious.  We also ordered the spare ribs dim sum and mango pudding.  The spare rib was just like the normal dish but they added taro to it to take out the greasiness from the ribs. The mango pudding tasted like real mangos.   No pictures of either, they were all gone.

 I did take an interior shot of the restaurant and you can tell that they strive for something a little different.   The decor is a mixture of industrial and rustic.  The pergola gives it a nice homey feel and the chinese lantern style lamps keep a touch of tradition.  The prices were very kind.  I don't think anything I ordered was over $5.  I plan on coming here again.

The restaurant seems to also try to cater to non-locals because there are many pictures on the walls of various dishes and their prices in English.  The menu was a mix of Chinese and English.  The restaurant is located in Chinatown, 41 Elizabeth St and the cross street is Canal St..

Robin Williams Passed Away and I'll Miss Him

Who was not shocked to hear about the death of Robin Williams on Monday afternoon, August 11?  It was so unexpected.  One of the funniest men on earth and I thought someone who also enjoyed life.  My thought was that someone who can see the funny side of life and makes us see it should be able to deal with his own demons better.  I guess not.  Still, I don't want to remember Robin Williams as a troubled soul.  I want to remember him as someone who was unexpectedly funny and sweet.  As a child who watched Happy Days who can forget when we first saw Mork?  Who didn't laugh when Mork first sat down in Mork & Mindy?  Robin Williams' comedy was refreshing and sweet.  His humor was never mean.  It always spotlighted those odd things that people think are normal.

As for his movies, I will never forget him in Good Morning Vietnam.   He played a DJ who cheered up the troops with his morning radio show.  The way he said, "Good Morning Vietnam!" woke you up happy to be hearing him first thing in the morning.  His rapid fire delivery and quixotic jumps of comedic vignettes was a wonder.  My next favorite Robin Williams movie was Mrs. Doubtfire.  Enough said.  But I think one of the best scenes in a Robin Williams movie was the waltz scene in The Fisher King where all the commuters in Grand Central danced.  In the movie, Robin played Parry, a homeless man who fell in love and follows her through Times Square.  The scene was magical.

His verbal virtuosity was sublime as the voice of the Genie in Walt Disney's Aladdin.  You could just listen to him for hours.  Any one who listened to him as a stand-up comedian is amazed.  Of course, as a performer, he challenged himself with other roles and not just in comedies but also in more dramatic pieces.  I could never sit through those movies.  I thought there's so many people who can do a dramatic role.  I preferred him in funny scenes, comedy was where he shined.  Not many people can do comedy well.  One savors his comedic performances.

There are very few artists where I experienced a feeling of loss at their passing.  Jim Henson, the creator of The Muppets was one.  Robin Williams is now the second.  These two were such original, creative beings.  You know that the world had lost something when they moved on to the afterlife.

Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy

It's funny. It's loud.  Two babes are fighting it out.  Great music.  There's also a wise-ass mammal.  That's what Guardians of the Galaxy has going for it.  As an older member of the viewing public, I didn't know what to expect from this movie.  It was based on a teenage comic book saga now on the widescreen because Hollywood lacks its own creativity.  However, this movie at heart is a traditional western.  Think the Magnificent Seven reduced to five with the setting in outer space and lots of special effects.  The plot also reminds me of  The Chronicles of Riddick but not so dark.  Needless to say the movie is about a group of misfits who banded together to save the universe from a dominating overlord because at heart they are noble heroes.  You can't resist it.  The execution is highly stylized with plenty of pop culture references to keep it interesting.  It's worth your time and effort to go.

Dinner and Movie Meetup - My First Event

Shawn, the one with the grin, is the organizer

I finally attended a meetup.  For those of you who don't know me, and you may be many but you're probably a select few, I am part of several meetup groups.  I don't know why I do this but I can easily join a meetup, get announcements for meetings and then I don't go.  It's gotta be annoying for organizers because, I am probably not the only one.  Anyway, I went to my first meetup and I had a great time.  I joined a group of 30 and we met at the Starlight Diner, not far from the 34th Street AMC movie theater, to have dinner.  Afterwards we went to see Guardians of the Galaxy.  I got to meet a lot of nice people.  Shawn is the organizer of the meetup.  I can't wait to go to another dinner-and-movie meetup since this was a pretty easy event to attend.

Meetup is a great idea to meet new people who enjoy the things that you like.  It's easy to find any type of group in your city.  Of course, the website is Meetup.com.  One of the things, in a technology obsessed culture like ours, that have gone by the wayside is cultivating friendships on a reality level.  I don't care what anybody says, I just don't think a Facebook friend is a friend.  And yes, I know that people go on Facebook to have thousands of friends, but what does it mean at the end of the day?  I'm biased because I don't have a Facebook account.  And I may open one in the future, but I just think it's odd to count Facebook friends as real friends.  At some point, relationships will probably flower from those group of contacts but, I'm not sure that those people are presenting their real selves.  Besides, it would be hard to hold these Facebook friends accountable to their real identity.

It's far healthier to have real time friends.  It's more of a commitment, but that's part of the whole deal.  We have, as part of our mythic traditions, the rugged individualist.  But in reality, our society has thrived more by people coming together and doing things together.  I can remember from my history class that people had the barn-raisings when the West was settled.  The keen French observer of American life, Alexis de Tocqueville, was surprised by all the volunteer organizations that we had and called us "a nation of joiners" in his book, Democracy in America.  Americans are joiners because each of us know that having friends or a network of people with whom we can have relationships with is what makes our life fun.

Now, I do not deny that there are all sorts of dysfunctional people out there.  But it is up to you whether the dysfunction is something that you can tolerate or not.  I would never advocate suffering a toxic relationship.  However, just as with anything, you have to discern what relationships are healthy for you and what are not.  And the more relationships you have, the better you will be at discerning what is a good relationship for you.  Good relationships are hard to come by and Facebook friends just don't cut it.

The Millennials are not Saving their Money

Millennials spent their discretionary money on three things: Coffee, fast food, and alcohol.  First of all who are the "Millennials"?  According to the report by Level Money (a budgeting app), it's that group of people in the 18 to 35-year-old age range; they are formerly known as Generation Y.  That's a pretty wide age range. Technically, you can have a parent and child in there and they would both be called Millennials.  The two can enjoy their fast food together while the 18-year old pairs it with an iced coffee and the parent can enjoy a brewski.

Apparently, you are a Millennial if you were born at least 17 years before or at most 17 years after the turn of the century.  The oldest in this group was born when personal computers became popular, barely knew that a nation called the Soviet Union existed, and listened to music on CDs or MP3 players.  I can relate to this.  My parents listened to 8-track tapes while I listened to music using a Walkman.  Remember those?

The members of this group spend their money trying to wake up, rushing through lunch, then taking advantage of Happy Hour.  They splurge on Starbucks, cheap out by eating a Happy Meal, then indulge again on cocktails.  Nowhere on this report does it say that they save money for that rainy day that inevitably comes or that they save money for a goal such as buying their own place.  Retirement is not even a blip on their thought horizon.  I guess it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.  I don't think anyone in America is taught to be financially practical nowadays.  I was brought up by lower-middle class parents who taught me and helped me to understand the value of a dollar.  And even then it's hard for me to resist materialism.  How much more so for people who don't have parents like mine?

Am I the only one who...

does this?

• Takes home the extra roll of premium toilet paper when I stay at a hotel?  Everyone takes the soaps and other stuff but if there's an extra roll of toilet paper and an extra box of Kleenex, I take those too.  I think it's mine because I paid for the room and it's included.
• Plays with their pudge?  You know what I mean, men call it their flat tire, I call it my pudge.  It's that roll of fat around my waste that I have been trying to get rid of since forever and never seems to go away, so why not play with it.  It's soft and squishy.
• Takes home extra Splenda from gourmet coffee houses?  For the prices they are charging for a hot beverage at those places, I feel that I should take extra.
• Smells a shirt or pair of pants to see if it's worth wearing one more time?

BlogHer 2014 Wrapup

Many bloggers write for love.  Although there are small hopes of fame and fortune, the chances of that happening are pretty minimal.  That's what I got out of this convention.  One of the few that achieved stratospheric heights was Arianna Huffington, the blogger who started Huffington Post.  She was the keynote opening speaker on Sunday, July 27.

Arianna Huffington with Guy Kawasaki

Part of why I was fascinated with listening to her was her fabulous accent.  But she also was talking about giving back to the community, which is outlined in her new book, Thrive.  Basically she says that we are overworked and that life should be more balanced and that should be the definition of success.  She was interviewed by Guy Kawasaki, tech writer and start-up extraordinaire.

The keynote speaker for the luncheon was actress, Kerry Washington.  She's enjoying her success at Scandal, one of the few television shows lead by a black actress.  Kerry has a natural, appealing personality which everyone at the luncheon appreciated.

In between keynotes, various sessions were held.  One that was valuable, involved using tools like Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. for driving traffic to your blog.

The mini-con that I went to about personal blogging was a waste of time.  It was supposed to be three hours long but I left after an hour and a half.  It was basically a panel of three bloggers with random stories.  I'm not against ad hoc examples, but I was looking for something with more numbers. 

I visited the Expo after the min-con and by that time, most of the displays were just giving stuff away.  There was a closing keynote but I didn't bother attending, instead I took a walk around downtown San Jose looking for a bag to hold all the convention stuff that I picked up.

Lining up for a Happy Meal

The closing party involved a McDonald's Happy Meal with your choice of champagne or other alcoholic beverage.  While dining, you can hear the musical scratches of DJ Reverend Run from the 80s group Run DMC.  There's a story behind this odd closing party meal.  Apparently, the first BlogHer convention was so small that afterwards, women gathered in one hotel room and ordered cheeseburgers all around.  Ever since, the BlogHer convention ended with a McDonald's meal.

"Reverend" Run electrifying the party crowd

I was glad to have gone to the convention, the best part was meeting other bloggers.  However, as a new blogger, I thought that there would be more information about the mechanics of blogging, such as marketing, setting realistic expectations and goals, what blogs do better, etc.  But maybe, in the world of blogging, there are no hard numbers but a lot of trying new things and discarding things that don't work.  Blogging is a personal creation and what works for one might not work for another.

Blogher Conference 2014 San Jose: Day One

It's been awhile since I've posted, but that is one of the reasons why I am here in San Jose, California.  I'm attending my first Blogher conference.

For those who don't know about Blogher, it's a community for women bloggers.  Their website is blogher.com.  They hold a conference each year to help women bloggers become better at blogging.  Of course, they don't bar men from attending, but the focus of Blogher is women centered.  One of the things I hope to be doing with this blog is to be consistent about posting.  I'm also curious whether I'm doing this blogging thing right.

The Blogher Conference held at the San Jose Convention Center is a big event and offers numerous sessions over the two days it's being held.  I've attended the Fundamental Blogging sessions because I consider myself a newbie.  Yesterday was my first day of the conference and it started off very smoothly.  There was a newbie breakfast and the buffet offered was delicious.



Blogher Breakfast Buffet had everything you'd want: danishes, croissants, muffins, pineapple chunks, strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon...YUMMMM!

There were introductions to one of the founders and one of the conference organizers, and we even had a veteran blogger at each table helping to facilitate.  Everyone had business cards with their blogs on them.  It didn't occur to me to even have a business card for my blog.  So this is one thing I know I have to address.  The conference had bloggers from all parts of the US and even from Canada, the Philippines, and Turkey.  Everyone I've met is friendly.  Afterwards, we went to the welcome keynote presentation.

 

The keynote sessions were well attended.

The conference also has an expo and the sponsors were varied. GoDaddy, Dixie (makers of paper plates and cups), Lysol, Angelsoft (toilet tissues), Glade, Bridgestone tires, and Skype were some that had big displays. It's pretty much domestic products-centered and tech-centered because Blogher was initially founded by what are called mommy bloggers. Meaning, these are the stay-at-home moms who started blogging to create a community to discuss ways to address challenges they encounter at home. Since the moms are at home, domestic product companies like P&G and Johnson&Johnson were some of the first supporters. They saw this mommy blogging community as another chance to address the decision-makers for domestic products. Pretty soon my conference bag was full of swag. In fact, I spent so much time at the expo that I was late to my first session.

The Angel Soft display was popular.  I got a coupon for free toilet tissue.  I don't know why I get excited over that but I am.  Did you notice their hashtag, "Sheet Happens"?  They wanted to feature that they offer more sheets of toilet tissue than Charmin.

 

Lunch offered vegetable wraps, roast beef sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, salad, and those gorgeous-looking fruit tarts.

Of course there was a break for lunch and another keynote presentation, and then cocktails for the evening with another light food buffet. I ate and tried everything...okay, I pigged out.Then there were suite parties that you could go to that were held by various sponsors.  By the end of the day yesterday, I was exhausted,stimulated, well fed, and ready to return to my hotel and sleep.  I'm writing this early in the morning Saturday because I woke up according to my normal wake up time -- inNew York.  I can't wait for the day to begin.

Women are born to lead!

Asian Women in Business (AWIB) presented Born to Lead: Beyond the Glass Ceiling this evening, sponsored by McGraw-Hill Financial and held at their corporate office on 1221 Avenue of the Americas.  The four women above told some amazing stories and their perspective on being women in some high powered positions.  From left to right they are: Sheryl WuDunn, moderator; Julie Yoo, SVP Corp Development at Scripps Network Interactive; Susan Soh, Partner at Perella Weinberg Partners LLP; Anu Alyengar, Managing Director in Mergers and Acquisitions at JP Morgan Securities, Martina L Cheung, Chief Strategy Officer, McGraw Hill Financial.

There was a lot of networking and lively conversations.   I met and got to know some great women.  In addition, McGraw-Hill served some great food, an open bar, and tasty pastries for dessert.  A very successful night indeed.

How I Scored Reebok Sneakers for 75% Off

Yeah, I could't believe I could do it, but I did!

Reebok Easytone Reenew

Of course, it happened because all the sales and discounts were in alignment.  The Reebok Easytone Renew was originally priced at $109 and the Reebok Alpha Cheer was originally priced at $99.  Well it just happens that I got an email from Reebok.com announcing their end-of-season sale and that you can get an additional 30% off with a special code (which of course was plastered on the website).  So I like Reebok because they design and make shoes that are so comfortable on my feet, and I don't think it matters what style, certain manufacturers are kinder to my feet than others.  I also like Nike but I can't find huge discounts on them.

Anyway, these two pairs were on already sale at 55% off.  With the discounts they were $49.00 and $44.50.  With the additional 30% off, I saved approximately another $28.  So far, these two pairs of sneakers cost me $66.  NO TAX and NO SHIPPING COST!  So far, I have a great deal.  And then, I saw that American Express was offering to take off $20 from my bill if it came up to at least $60.  Ka-ching!  Final cost for these two pairs of sneakers came to $46!!!

Reebok Alpha Cheer

It tipped over to become a FABULOUS buy!  Thanks Amex and Reebok.

Impressive Portal to the United Sherpa Association

You never know what you're going to see while walking down an ordinary street.  This impressive door at the United Sherpa Assocation in Queens was hard to miss.

Tuesday Night Trivia at The Recovery Room

Enjoying some awesome chicken wings while trivia games are at play.

An active Mother's Day weekend

This past Saturday, I had a ticket for the annual Self Workout in the Park, held at Rumsey Field at Central Park. The sun came out, there were lots of giveaways, and the workouts by top-notch trainers from various gyms were amazing. So glad I didn't forget to go this time.

Exercising with our swag bags all around us

Lining up for swag

YES! That's Bob Harper, one of the trainers from The Biggest Loser, signing autographs for his new book.

Then Sunday, I went to my parents' house to spend time with Mom. I bought pie and ice cream. She relaxed all day; a rare occurrence. Everyone had a nice time.

It's all about eggs, hats, and outfits during a New York Easter

I know this is kind of late but it's still fun to see pictures of this year's Easter happenings.  People were ooh-ing and aah-ing over eggs.  Huge, brightly decorated eggs.  And they are giant eggs too.  About 268 scultpured eggs were created by artists and fashion designers, then hid all around the city as part of an Easter egg hunt, culminating in this exhibition that takes place all around Rockefeller Plaza.  Each egg will be sold, with the top 35 eggs that had the most bids being sold on auction by Sotheby's.  The rest of the eggs will go through an online bidding process.  The prices of the eggs range from $500 to $360,000.  All proceeds from the eggs will go to a charity.  The project was sponsored by...Faberge, of course!  What a great way for the jeweler to get some great publicity.  Faberge, of course, is known for its egg-themed jewelry creations that were made for the tsars of Russia.

New Yorkers and tourists had a great time being photographed with creative eggs and creatively-dressed New Yorkers.  The photos don't do the day any justice.

As soon as you come out of the subway, you knew that something special was going on -- just look at all those giant, decorated, eggs!

Movie Review: The Other Woman

Official Movie Poster

Revenge has never been so scandalously funny.  The plot is classic; a married guy two times his wife, meanwhile the other woman finds out that he's not the man of her dreams, together they find a way to give him the shaft.  It's the details that makes this movie worth watching.  For those viewers who like plenty of broad, physical comedy, buy yourself a ticket.  Director, Nick Cassavetes, has put together a movie reality where all the women get along and men are just plain awful.  Don't bother to look beyond that.  This movie is just for fun.

Cameron Diaz plays the other woman, Carly, a sophisticated and successful but lonely hot-shot lawyer, bored with dating frogs and looking to finally settle down.  Unfortunately she was taken in by a married man who has a ditzy but faithful wife (played by Leslie Mann) at home.   The wife, Kate, finds out about Carly, and seeks her out. Then they find out that there is still another woman (played by the lush Kate Upton) involved, and the three team up to exact revenge.  The movie runs for a little over an hour and a half but it doesn't seem like it.

Happy Easter to One and All!

Arise, My Soul, Arise!

Movie Review: God's Not Dead

Official Movie Poster

This independently made film is a gem.  One of the few movies around that will stimulate you intellectually and tug at your heartstrings, and because it is the Easter weekend, a very appropriate time to see it.  At the heart of this movie is a debate between a cynical, atheist professor of philosophy who challenges a devout Christian freshman to a debate about God's existence.  It will be up to the students of the philosophy class to determine the winner.  Intertwined around the main story are some vignettes of other characters and their relationship/nonrelationship to God.

There are no special effects, a rarity nowadays, just classic movie storytelling. There are no big movie marquis names to pull people into the theater.  In fact the only two well-known actors are Kevin Sorbo (of the Hercules TV series) and Dean Cain (of the Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman TV series) and they're only known to Generation X movie goers.  The movie doesn't need anything else and it's worth watching.  Originally released with a limited number of theaters, the good reviews from moviegoers have made it popular and this movie has legs.

Atlantic City Getaway

This is the year that winter did not go away.  Easter is this Sunday and the temperature is in the 30s.  I am still wearing my winter jacket.  It snowed overnight yesterday.  But we can't let the low temperatures get in the way of doing fun things.  So this past Sunday being Palm Sunday, I decided to celebrate by taking my Mom to Atlantic City!

We got a great rate at The Showboat Hotel Casino through Hotels.com and a $20 food and beverage credit was included.  We took the Greyhound at the Port Authority.  There seems to be a bus every half hour.  We took the one that dropped us off at the Showboat.  For $38, we got a round-trip ticket and a $25 voucher to spend at the slot machines.  Yippee!

The Showboat

Orleans Tower room 1685

It's a huge hotel casino and its theme is New Orleans Mardi Gras, so it's a lot of fun colors, fleur de lis, beads, iron-rail balconies, masks, etc.  Our room was spacious and gave a view of the Taj Mahal which is the hotel casino next door.  What's great about this place is it has a Starbucks, Johnny Rockets, and Earl of Sandwich; affordable places to eat.

Bathroom

We got in around 7:30pm and by the time we got to the buffet, it had already closed.  We didn't want to eat at the Earl of Sandwich so we ended up at Johnny Rockets.  So did everyone else, but it was worth the wait.  Once we got in, we ordered a couple of Philly steak sandwiches and they were delicious.  It was a nice balance of firm but soft bread, nicely chopped steak, onion and cheese, and it came with fries.  We left satisfied.

The Boardwalk

The Trump Taj Mahal Hotel Casino decor is over the top!

The next day was sunny but chilly.  After a coffee and croissant from Starbuck's, we started our stroll on the famous Boardwalk,  a must-do activity, with our jackets on.  I have to say, I didn't expect the place to recover so quickly from Hurricane Sandy, but it's like nothing happened.  Everything looked like normal. We took our time at a candy shop called, of course, It's Sugar.  It's fun inside with all the different sweets, the giant-size candy bars are amazing to see.  I almost couldn't resist the giant red gummy bear -- the only thing that stopped me was the thought of having to eat it for a whole month.

The original Boardwalk

We went inside Ceasar's Casino to walk through and reach the Tanger Outlets.  It's a favorite activity for practically every one.  Our first stop, Banana Republic.  Everything was at least 50% off that day.  In fact we shopped at several other places and before we knew it, the afternoon was gone.  We haven't even hit the slots to spend our voucher!  But we were tired and went to the buffet for dinner.

The Bally's Hotel Casino

The French Quarter Buffet

So did everyone else, it seemed.  But once we got in, we had our choice of five different cuisines: American, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, and Seafood, not to mention a salad bar.  There were so many types of food to choose from.  I started off with southern fried chicken (really good and very popular), mac 'n cheese, garlic mashed potatoes, breaded shrimp, pulled pork, pork au jus, and another fried chicken.  For dessert there was cheesecake, ice cream, brownies, creme brule, and so much other stuff that I'm forgetting.  Our soda and coffees were included for a reasonable price of $19.99.  And since we had a $20 food and beverage credit, we really only paid for one person instead of two.  Ka-ching!

The place is pretty, the ceiling was painted like an evening sky, there were giant beads as hangings, the service was prompt, and although the place was huge and busy it didn't feel like there were a ton of people all over the place.

We waddled out of the buffet.  I ate so much that I quickly went to sleep.

The Casino

My Mom and I decided to hit the slots right after breakfast and then, finally take the bus home.  I'm not much of a gambler so I let her choose the machine.  We won, would you believe it?  Not a lot, I won a little over $18 and she won a little over $12.  That was breakfast paid for, right there.

To pay, we had to get Total Rewards cards.  We slide our card into the slot, then we put in our voucher.  We saw our credit for $25 and to maximize my chances of winning, I basically bet a quarter.  It's fun to win but I don't see it as very interesting after awhile.

Going home was harder.  Most of the Greyhound buses were leaving from Bally's. so we took a shuttle to get there.  That shuttle reeked of alcohol and we were afraid to sit down, nevertheless, it was a full van.  At Bally's we looked for the bus stop.  There was a bus each hour, and it was pretty full.  Everyone lined up early so that they can get a good seat, so we waited half an hour on line.  Once we were in, it was an easy 2 1/2 hour drive home.

We plan to do it again next year.

Lexington and 53rd Street Subway Art

New York City is one of the world's centers for art.  Artists come here to learn, create, and sell their artwork.  For many of us, we don't even have to go to a museum or auction house to see art, it is presented before us in all its glory.  You can find such art inside subways.  The art installation above is at the 53rd Street and Lexington Avenue subway stop, right below the Citicorp Building.  It's great, when you come up from the platform, you suddenly find this -- in your face -- and it jolts you out of your morning doze.  And it's only one part of a huge project by artist Al Held.  It's made out of tile, a massive mosaic.  It's abstract, of course and so colorful.  Sometimes, I wish I had the time to stop where I am and just enjoy it, but I usually have to catch a train.  Ironic huh?

Three-Day Japan Week

 I happened to go through Grand Central on Thursday last week and saw that there was a Japan Week presentation, but it was only for three days (March 6-8).  I took some pictures.  There was a slide show on the stage.

There was one stand that was featuring white peach jelly and other delicacies.  It looked delicious.

If you wanted to go to Japan, there was a visitors' table that had a lot of brochures of palces that you could go in various cities.

There were also a lot of other stands.  Delta Airlines had a raffle for a chance to win a round-trip ticket to Japan.  Seiko Watch Corp was showing off their latest watch model, The Astron.  And you could also fill out a card to try and win one.  There was a sake bar with all these differen types of sake, but no one was allowed to go in, so I think the official presentation hasn't started yet.  There were various other tables showing other things and it was fun to go through it.