Category Archives: Travel

I like to travel, especially to the cities with great food and unique culture. Among all the great cities I’ve been to, I especially enjoy visiting Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, San Diego, Las Vegas, Taipei, and Shanghai.

This Travel category has a collection of posts on my travel experiences and my favorite hotel properties.

All Posts, Travel

Richard Clayderman Piano Concert

Richard Clayderman (a famous French pianist) is one of my favorite piano artists. I learned how to play many of his songs when I was a child. And he was the main reason I look forward to go home practice piano each day after school.

Richard Clayderman Concert

I was very glad that Richard Clayderman scheduled one of his piano concerts in Seattle! (This was his first time being to Seattle.)

Richard Clayderman began his concert with some of his signature piano songs. Including Nostalgia, Ballade pour Adeline, A Comme Amour, etc. Growing up I listened to his music all the time. Watching him play in-person was fascinating.

During the concert he also played a lot popular Hollywood movie theme songs, such as Titanic, Star Wars, and etc. He even played two popular Chinese Mandarin songs (from 20 years ago).

Because I grew up listening and playing Richard Clayderman’s piano music, I have some all-time favorite pieces. Unfortunately, he didn’t play the two song that I was really looking forward to hear at the concert. The two songs are Mariage D’Amour and Souvenirs d’enfance.

I haven’t played piano for years, but I can still remember how to play Mariage D’Amour without reading the music note.

As for the Souvenirs d’enfance, there are some bitter and sweet memories associated with practicing this song. There’s a part of the song that I always had difficult time to play smoothly. And whenever my dad hears me playing this song, he’d criticize me and ask me to replay the song. However, I have to admit that Souvenirs d’enfance is a beautiful song. I am very glad that I learned how to play it.

Listening to Richard Clayderman playing his songs brings back a lot of fun childhood memories. I am very grateful that my parents gave me the opportunity to learn how to play piano, so I can appreciate all the beautiful music pieces.

All Posts, Travel

First Time Making the Wedding Centerpieces

A month ago my best friend got married. When she planned for her wedding ceremony and reception, she decided to make her own wedding centerpieces.

I’ve never made any centerpieces in my life, not to mention making it on the night before the event! I was a bit skeptical on how we can pull this off, especially when most of us had no idea on how to make the wedding centerpieces.

After six hours of teamwork and following a friend’s creative ideas, we finished what we set out to accomplish. We made eight medium size centerpieces (for the bride and groom, and their family’s tables) and six big round centerpieces (for the guests’ tables) using dozens of roses, peonies, hydrangea, and baby’s breath, all in white color!

(Below is one of the six guest table centerpieces we made. We spray painted the baby’s breath and the hydrangea’s leaves to gold color.)

(Below is a table full of the centerpieces we made.)

(Below is one of the guest tables at the wedding reception. Picture taken by our friend.)

(Below is the table for the bride and groom’s family at the wedding reception. Picture taken by our friend.)

All Posts, Travel

Summer Disneyland Trip with My Nieces

Video

During my most recent trip to visit my brother’s family in Irvine, California, we went to the Disneyland park.

(A short clip of the “Together Forever – A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular” fireworks at the Disneyland Park)

Because my brother’s family lives in Orange County, we’ve never considered staying in the Disney hotels when we visit Disneyland. However, this time my brother’s family and I checked-in to the Disney hotel the day prior to our visit to the Disneyland parks and took the advantage of the “Extra Magical Hour” opportunity to get into the parks one hour before they opened to the general public. We also did park hopping between Disneyland and the California Adventure theme parks.

We were at the parks from 7:00am to 10:30 pm, the longest time I’ve ever been in any Disneyland or Disneyworld parks in one day. By the time we got home we were exhausted! (But we had a blast!)

Below are some of the many pictures we took during the trip!

Brunch

Before we checked into our Disney hotel we ate brunch at the Storytellers Café, where my nieces took pictures with the Disney characters.
Disneyland Storytellers Cafe Brunch

Mickey Waffles
Disneyland Storytellers Cafe - MickeyPancakes

Views from our Disney Hotel Room

View of the California Adventure Park from our room during the day
Disneyland Hotel Room Window View

Night view of the California Adventure Park from our room
Disneyland Hotel Room Window View at Night

Lunch Break

Angry Dog (spicy hot dog) at the Disney California Adventure Park, Pixar Pier
Disneyland Angry Dog

Mustard and Hot Sauces (Seething: Sriracha Ketchup and Raging: Buffalo Hot Sauce)
Disneyland Angry Dog Sauce

Wine Break

No vacation is complete without a wine break in the middle of the day! At the Mendocino Wine Bar, Disney California Adventure Park, Pixar Pier.
Disneyland Mendocino Wine Bar

A Glass of Sauvignon Blanc – the refreshment “juice” to keep me going in the hot summer day!
Disneyland Mendocino Wine Bar - Sauvignon blanc

Cheers to the Disney California Adventure Park, Pixar Pier!
Disneyland Mendocino Wine Bar - Cheers

Dessert Time

Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats at the Disney California Adventure Park, Pixar Pier
Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats

Pixar Pier Frosty Parfait (Nondairy Lemon Soft-serve with Blue Raspberry Swirl)
Disneyland Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats - Pixar Pier Frosty Parfait

Mickey’s Toontown

Mickey’s Toontown at the Disneyland Park
Disneyland Mickey's Toontown

Disneyland Mickey's Toontown - 2

Disneyland Walt Disney and Mickey

“The End” of the July Disney Park trip!

All Posts, Food, Travel

Spago Restaurant in the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas

While I was on my business trip to a Deep Learning conference in Las Vegas last month I ate at the new Spago restaurant in the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. (The Spago restaurant was in their soft opening when I ate there and they were officially opened on Thursday, June 7.)

The Spago restaurant is owned by the celebrity chef, Wolfgang Puck, who has many restaurants including five Spago restaurants (in Beverly Hills, Istanbul, Las Vegas, Maui, Singapore). The Spago restaurant in Las Vegas used to be at The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, and it’s now re-opened in the Bellagio hotel in June.

The Spago restaurant serves California cuisine, which means it offers fresh ingredients and all-natural meats, and the food is prepared in different cooking styles.

The décor of the new Spago restaurant in the Bellagio is simple and yet has a modernized look and feel. It is located by the Fountains of Bellagio. If you sit at their patio, you will get the close-up view of the fountain show every 30 minutes.

During this Las Vegas trip, I ate at Spago twice; dinner with colleagues on Monday and lunch with a friend on Tuesday. I guess this shows how much I enjoyed their food!

For dinner, my two colleagues and I sat at the patio. We shared Smoked Salmon Pizza, Sweet Corn Agnolotti, Fettuccine with Wild Mushrooms, English Pea Soup, Seared Alaskan Halibut, Grilled Prime New York Steak, and Roasted Colorado Lamb Rack. Each dish was delicious. After a day of work, a couple of Dirty Martinis with Gray Goose Vodka, delicious food, and great company were just what I needed!
Smoked Salmon Pizza
(Smoked Salmon Pizza)

Seared Alaskan Halibut
(Seared Alaskan Halibut)

Roasted Colorado Lamb Rack
(Roasted Colorado Lamb Rack)

The next day, I met a friend for lunch and we went to Spago. The menu for lunch is slightly different than previous night’s dinner, but I was glad that they offered the same Fettuccine with Wild Mushrooms as the previous night. This pasta dish brings out the best flavor of mushrooms, and it has became my new favorite at the Spago restaurant.

Fettuccine with Wild Mushrooms(Fettuccine with Wild Mushrooms)

For lunch at the Spago, my friend and I shared Half-Dozen Kusshi & Beausoliel Oysters, Caesar Salad, Tuna Tartare (served in Sesame-Miso cones), Fettuccine with Wild Mushrooms, and Grilled Double R Ranch Filet Mignon. We also had assorted treats for dessert.

Half-Dozen Kusshi & Beausoliel Oysters

(Half-Dozen Kusshi & Beausoliel Oysters)

Tuna Tartare (served in Sesame-Miso cones

(Tuna Tartare – served in Sesame-Miso cones)

Grilled Double R Ranch Filet Mignon
(Grilled Double R Ranch Filet Mignon)

My overall experience at the Spago restaurant in the Bellagio hotel was great! The service on both visits at the restaurant was equally great. I like the fact that they are open for lunch while most fine dinning restaurants at the Bellagio hotel don’t open until dinner.

Next time you visit the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas and are looking for a place for dinning, I recommend that you try the Spago restaurant!
Desserts at Spago Restaurant
(Desserts)

The featured image of the Spago Restaurant’s patio was from the restaurant’s Web site.)

All Posts, Fashion, Top Five, Travel

5 Things to Try This Month – July 2018

July is a great month for me. Workwise, I just finished a project that I’d worked on for months and can take a few days break before I go into the planning mode for the next one. Personal-wise, I get to enjoy the 4th of July with my nieces and go Disneyland park hopping with them.

Below are a few of other things that I will do this month.

Making Flan

My nieces have been my big fans when it comes to eating the desserts I make. The flan is one of their favorites. While my elder niece spent her Summer with me, I made flan for her many times. Each flan is about nine inches and she can literally eat more than two-thirds of it per day! Nothing makes me happier than when she enjoys the things I make for her!
Homemade_Flan
(My homemade flan covered with berries.)

Homegrown Mushrooms

Last week my mom and I visited our local Farmer’s Market and bought some home-grown mushroom kits for both baby oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms. This is our first time growing mushrooms at home and the idea seems exciting. It only has been five days since we started the mushroom kit and we already have seen a great result on one of the kits. Just in a few days, we will be able to taste our first mushroom harvest!
Hoemgrown Shiitake Mushrooms
(My homegrown shiitake mushrooms.)

Disneyland Park Hopping

In the beginning of July, I am taking my niece back to CA. Since it’s a holiday weekend, we are going to Disneyland park! My brother’s family lives in Orange County, so we’ve never considered staying in the hotel at Disneyland. However, this time my brother’s family and I will check-in to the Disneyland hotel the day prior to our visit to the Disneyland parks and take the advantage of the “Extra Magical Hour” opportunity to get into the parks one hour before they open to the general entry. We will also do the park hopping between Disneyland and the California Adventure theme parks.


(Disney California Adventure Park.)

Girly Gel Nails

While my niece was enjoying her Summer vacation with me in Seattle, I took her with me to my gel nails appointment. Initially I was concerned that she might be bored sitting in the nail salon with me for one and a half hour, but I was glad to see her wanting to participate in selecting the nail colors for me. After scanning through the gel nail magazines, she picked the combination of light pink and light iris colors with glitters for me. Since we were going to Disneyland in a few days, the color and the design of my new gel nails are perfect for the occasion!
GelNails_July2018

Dress for Summer Wedding

July is a popular wedding month in Summer. I need to look for a new dress for a wedding I am going to. Since floral patterns are in vogue, I want to pick one with a floral design that would be perfect for the wedding reception. I think it will take a lot of work to fine the ideal dress.
Zimmermann_FloralPrintedDress
(Floral Printed Dress by Zimmernann.)

All Posts, Fashion, Top Five, Travel

5 Things to Try This Month – June 2018

June is the beginning of the Summer season. I am excited for a couple of trips I have lined up for this month.

Business Trip

Las Vegas is one of my favorite getaway places, even during the hot summer season. I will be there on business and I plan to find time to visit my friend who lives there. Las Vegas is a great place to mix business and pleasure and I got a new outfit for the business part.

Shirley Style Business Trip Outfit
Outfit for the Business Trip in Las Vegas

New Restaurant Spago

One of my go-to lunch place at the Bellagio Hotel, Olives, has been closed since the beginning of this year. I am very glad that Wolfgang Puck’s Spago restaurant will be open at where Olives restaurant used to be. During my June trip to Las Vegas, I will definitely check out the new Spago restaurant.


Fettuccine with Wild Mushrooms from the Spago Restaurant

Seattle Great Wheel

After my business trip to Las Vegas I will go to CA to pick up my seven year-old niece and bring her back to Seattle with me. She will be staying with me for three weeks. One of the things I’d like to try with her is to ride on the Seattle Great Wheel. The Seattle Great Wheel is the tallest Ferris wheel (175 feet) on the West Coast of the United States. I hope my niece will get a thrill on the ferris wheel, which is bigger then most of the ferris wheels in CA.

Seattle Great Wheel at Night

Red Gel Nails

After last month’s hot pink gel nail with multi-color glitters, I am ready to go back to my favorite red. This time I have gold glitters and Swarovski crystals over the red gel nails. I also have a gold embroidery stickers over both ring fingers.

Red Gel Nail for June
Red Glitter Gel Nail for June

Father’s Day Afternoon Tea

Since my niece is with us this month, she gets to celebrate Father’s Day with my dad. Along with the usual dining celebration, I put together a afternoon tea in our backyard. The weather on Father’s Day was very nice and it was perfect for our event.

Afternoon Tea by Shirley
Father’s Day Afternoon Tea in our Backyard

All Posts, Holidays, Travel

New Year’s Eve in Barcelona, Spain

My family and I just returned from our Christmas holiday trip to Las Vegas. We are now planning for the New Year’s Eve. As I look back on what I did for last year’s holidays, I can’t help but think about my last year’s trip to Spain. It was my first time going to Spain and celebrating the New Year’s holiday in Europe. It was a great trip.

To celebrate the New Year’s Eve, my friend and I went to the New Year’s Eve party in the lounge at the W Hotel in Barcelona, where we stayed for the Barcelona trip. There were several memorable things from the celebration party: drinking tons of Cava, eating twelve grapes at midnight, and watching the fireworks from our hotel.

Drinking Cava
Cava is the Spanish sparkling wine made in the traditional method of the French sparkling wine Champagne. I don’t usually drink Champagne in the States because it’s too bubbly for me, but during my Spain trip (Barcelona, Majorca, Madrid, and Toledo), I drank a lot of cava just for fun. Since the Spain trip, I’ve become more used to drinking Champagne.

Eating Twelve Grapes
Eating a grape at each bell strike (total of 12) by midnight of the New Year’s Eve is a Spanish tradition since 1909. During the New Year’s Eve party at the W Hotel in Barcelona, each guest received a bag of twelve grapes. We were supposed to eat and swallow all twelve grapes by the midnight for good luck and prosperity for the upcoming year. Based on my personal experience, eating all twelve grapes within twelve seconds is a very difficult task. Our local friends told us that for the little kids, they usually gave them chocolates instead of grapes, so they can finish them on time.

Watching the Fireworks
One of the perks of staying and parting at the W Hotel in Barcelona is the close up view of the fireworks. While we were busy counting down and swallowing grapes, we had no problem finding a perfect spot at the balcony for the fireworks. I have to say welcoming the New Year in a foreign country was definitely a fun experience!

This year, instead of traveling oversea during the New Year’s Eve, I am spending the time with my family and my two nieces in Irvine, California. It won’t be as crowded as last year, but it will be just as memorable as any other New Year’s Eve!

All Posts, Fashion, Travel

Personalize The Iconic Louis Vuitton Leather Goods

When you buy a fashion accessory, nothing is more thrilling than being able to personalize your item to suit your style and make it a unique piece.

I am a long-time fan of Louis Vuitton’s leather goods. For years, the only kind of personalization I have done for my handbags was hot stamping them with my initials. But on my most recent trip to Las Vegas, I did something I’ve never done before; which was to customize a new handbag with colorful patches of my choices.

What do I mean by customizing a handbag with colorful patches? This is actually a new personalization service Louis Vuitton offers recently (Summer 2017), called “My LV World Tour”. This personalization service is available on Louis Vuitton’s iconic Monogram Canvas items and can only be ordered in some designated Louis Vuitton stores.

(Front of My New Monogram Neverfull Noir)

The process of ordering the “My LV World Tour” leather goods is all done electronically in the designated Louis Vuitton stores. The SA (Sales Associate) will bring an electronic pad and ask you to pick a Monogram Canvas item you’d like to get. Then, you can decide on which of the “My LV World Tour” patches you’d like to put on your product.

There are five different patch groups: Cities, LV Heritage, Grand Hotels, Make It Your Own, and LV Pop. Each patch group has twelve patches. (See the patch sample in the bottom of this blog post.)

You can choose up to ten patches to put on your Monogram Canvas product: five patches on the front and five patches on the back. Each patch you choose can only be used once. If you already choose a patch on the front of your product, you can’t use it again on the back.

After you finish designing your personalized “My LV World Tour” leather goods, the SA will show you the markups of your product. Once you finalize the order, it may take up to six weeks for the product to be completed. The finished product will be sent to the Louis Vuitton store you order the item from, and the SA will contact you for pick-up or shipping.

(Back of My New Monogram Neverfull Noir)

For “My LV World Tour” personalization service I chose a Monogram Neverfull Noir. This Monogram Neverfull Noir design is kind of like a hybrid of the Neverfull in the classic Monogram and the Neverfull in the Damier Ebene. The classic Neverfull Monogram comes with natural color leather handles and trim, but the Neverful Damier Ebene comes with brown leather handles and trim. Based on my years of experience using the Neverful Damier Ebene in the past, a brown leather handle and trim is essential.

(Interior of My New Monogram Neverfull Noir)

The only thing I have to do now is to wait for my personalized Monogram Neverfull Noir bag to be done!

My LV World Tour Patches

Cities

LV Heritage

My LV World Tour - LV Heritage Patches

Grand Hotels

My LV World Tour - Grand Hotels Patches

Make It Your Own

My LV World Tour - Make It Your Own Patches

LV Pop

My LV World Tour - LV Pop Patches
Check out my open box video on my personalized LV World Tour Neverfull Bag

All Posts, Beauty, Top Five, Travel

5 Things to Try This Month – September 2017

September is the beginning of the Fall season. Luckily, there are still a few sunny days left before the chilly weather kicks in. Below are five things that I am trying for September.

New Liquid Lip Colors

Rouge Dior Liquid Lip Stain is one of the latest beauty products Dior has launched recently. For someone like me, who loves lip color products from Chanel, Dior,and YSL, it’s hard to resist the temptation of getting my hands on the new Rouge Dior Liquid Lip Stain. Out of the 27 new Rouge Dior Liquid Lip Stain shades, I bought Impulsive Matte, Spicy Metal, Impetuous Satin, and Rock’n’Metal. I guess these should be plenty for me to use in September.

Black Truffle

My friends and I plan a trip to Las Vegas in the beginning of September. One of our favorite restaurants in Las Vegas is “Sinatra” at the Encore Resort. It’s part of our tradition to try their pasta dish with black or white truffles at the Sinatra restaurant. And I expect our upcoming experience will be as great as always.

Making Paella

While I visited Spain in the past January, I really enjoyed eating paella at different local restaurants. I haven’t found many restaurants in Seattle that offer great paella. My goal for this month is to try to make paella. I just bought a paella pan and I am looking forward to trying it.

Embroidered Hat

Embroidered hats have been very popular in the summer. If you haven’t tried one, it’s not too late to do that for September. Usually, it’s hard for me to find a hat that fits me perfectly, but I found one for my September trip to Las Vegas. Embroidered Beach Hat

Bookstore for Fun

Amazon just opened another brick-and-mortar bookstore in Bellevue, Washington. I had the chance to visit it a few weeks ago. I found a new book that I’d like to read for September. The book is “Thinking Fast and Slow”. It’s a book about behavioral sciences and explains the systems that define how we think and respond at every moment of our daily life. I can’t wait to read the book and find out more about the topics.
Think Fast and Slow Book

All Posts, Food, Travel

The Picasso Restaurant at the Bellagio Hotel In Las Vegas

The first fine dinning experience I had in Las Vegas was at the Picasso restaurant (French cuisine) in the Bellagio hotel, back in year 2005. I was there celebrating our best friend’s engagement. My memory of the restaurant was upscale decoration, fancy food, and great  wine!

It has been a long time since my last visit to the Picasso restaurant, because there were too many great restaurant options on the Vegas Strip, and the Picasso restaurant was closed sometime during last year for renovation. But I finally had the chance to eat there during  my recent trip to Las Vegas!

As I walked into the Picasso restaurant by the award-winning chief, Julian Serrano, I recognized the newly renovated interior. It looked different than what I remembered, but the restaurant was still unique and colorful. And the Picasso paintings were all over the walls just as they used to be.


I’ve dined at most restaurants in the Bellagio property many times, such as the Prime Steakhouse, Le Cirque,  and Todd English’s Olives. I’ve also sat at the tables right by the window, where I could enjoy the closer view of the Fountain of Bellagio. But for this time at Picasso, we preferred to sit at the table a slightly away from the window, so I could sat back and get a bigger view of the fountain via the window frames throughout the night.

My friend and I ordered the prix fixe menu ($118 per person). We got to choose from the menu for each part of the three-course meal and a dessert in the end.

I ordered Poached Oysters, Roasted Langoustine, Roasted Milk-Fed Veal Chop. And my friend ordered Crème of Butternut Squash, Sautéed Filet of Scottish Salmon, and Sautéed Filet of Black Bass. (The pictures are presented below in the order of the list.)

Poached Oysters

Roasted Langoustine


Roasted Milk-fed Veal Chop

Crème of Butternut Squash

Sautéed Filet of Scottish Salmon


Sautéed Filet of Black Bass

My friend and I were craving for different food on the night we went to Picasso (as you could tell from the items we ordered). But all of our dishes were delicious.

I love to sample a variety of foods. I was very satisfied with my choices. The Poached Oysters (garnished with Osetra Cariar) were slightly warmer than the regular chilled oysters, but they were delicious.

The Roasted Langoustine was prepared exactly to my liking. The other restaurant that makes a great langoustine is Joel Robuchon in MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. And the Roasted Milk-Fed Veal Chop is the perfect main course. It was tender and flavorful.

I tried a bit of my friend’s dishes; they were also very tasty.

I’d say no fancy meal is completed without a nice drink. I ordered a Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail drink. It is made of Bacardi Light, Luxardo Maraschino Cherries, Fresh Grapefruit Juice, and Fresh Lime Juice. The drink tasted different than other Hemingway Daiquiris I’ve had in the past, but it was definitely very good.

Hemingway Daiquiri

After we finished our delicious three-course meal, we were pretty stuffed. When it came to ordering the desserts in the end, I got to make the choices for both of us, because my friend wasn’t as into desserts and I was.

For desserts, we ordered Chocolate Bread Pudding and Pineapple Tart. My friend only had a few bites of each dessert, and I basically ate all of the them. (When it comes to desserts, I just couldn’t resist the temptation of the delicious sweets sitting right in front of me! )

Chocolate Bread Pudding

Pineapple Tart

Our overall experience of the Picasso restaurant in the Bellagio hotel was great! The services was outstanding, food was unique, and the ambience was perfect.

I’d say for a fancy restaurant like the Picasso in the Bellagio Hotel, the price we paid for our meal was well spent.