#springbreak2012

While my spring break wasn't as eventful as some of my classmates (ahem, sternies), I still had fun in the city, and got to catch up with one of my good friends.
I started off my break by going to Curry-ya, a Japanese curry restaurant in the East Village which Justine had recommended to me. I got the baked Japanese curry, which had potatoes, carrots, butternut squash and beef, smothered in curry, and the topped with cheddar cheese and an egg, and the whole thing was baked. I really liked their modern version of curry. Definitely a repeat!

After that, I went to Dominique Ansel bakery in Soho to get a St Patrick's Day themed pastry for myself. I wanted the heart shaped macarons, but I think that was only for show. Instead, I got the salted pistachio religieuse, which was too pretty to eat! I also brought home a DKA to save for breakfast.

After the bakery, I wasn't quite ready to go home, so I made an extended pitstop in Washington Square to sit in the fountain and watch the street performers and dancers. I think my ankles even got a bit tan.
The next day I made plans to go to Bubby's Brooklyn with Johnny for a belated birthday and general catch up. The restaurant is located right on the East River in DUMBO, and Johnny lives near South Street Seaport, so we decided to walk the Brooklyn Bridge to get there! It was surprisingly crowded for a Monday, but we eventually made it without getting run over by a bike. At Bubby's I got the fried chicken with sides of mac n cheese (which Johnny ate) and baked beans plus a grapefruit margarita. I wasn't that hungry, but that fried chicken was so good! I think the batter had different spices or something, but it was incredibly flavorful. Plus they had a photo booth and I could not resist. For dessert, we tried to go to the Brooklyn Ice Cream factory, but it is closed on Mondays. I was quite upset since I have never been.

The rest of the week consisted of me going to my internship, eating Vanessa's chicken teriyaki lo mein (sidenote: do not get their bubble tea, the tapioca is sub par) and eating too many popsicles.

really liked my nail color this week: Essie, play date

my fingers were pretty tired after stuffing over 200 envelopes! 

easter themed window in soho

new sparkly sandals that look like ones I wanted last summer from Zara (but I got mine for less than half the price at Nordstrom Rack)

using my hedgeyhog dryer balls hehe

need to get a haircut soon, probably next weekend

pre-spring break madness

yikes it's been a while since my last post! I guess it's mid way through the semester, but my midterms are actually quite spread out. Starting February 29-May 9, I have at least one major thing (paper, test, presentation) every week....but for now I can relax because it's spring break!
Things I will be doing during spring break:

• soo much laundry
• Architecture paper/field assignment 
• grocery shopping
• eating at restaurants no one else wants to go to (specifically curry-ya)
• general wandering around since the weather will be in the 60s
• and hopefully meeting up with Johnny for his (belated) birthday!

basically my daily life, minus class. Plus the weather is supposed to be in the upper 60s the majority of the week!

The highlight of the past two weeks has certainly been going home to see my sister in the school musical!! Because I studied abroad last year, I wasn't able to see Laine in Grease, so I was thrilled to see Annie!! Sadly, all of the pictures are on my mum's camera.

Laine with her dance partner from Grease

Snapshots

yummy food from Ktown

coconut milk tea with jelly

petit fours

the ceiling of the Met

Laine's wilderness letter

lots of panda stickers were involved

Canal st subway station

haven't used scantrons in a while

freshly baked pita

extra gooey baklava

Hong Kong: Day 6

This was my last full day in Hong Kong, and I had yet to see the Tian Tan Buddha! The Buddha is the largest bronze Buddha in the world, and can supposedly be seen from as far away as Macao on a clear day. So it was my goal to make it to Lantau island. I eventually made it, but it was certainly a journey. The group of girls I was with this day didn't quite have the same agenda as I did, since they had two full days to sight see. The weather was also drizzly, foggy and generally not conducive to sight seeing yesterday. But, I went to Lantau island anyway, with three girls in tow. Because we got there so late, the round trip cable car tickets were sold out (which makes absolutely no sense to me), so we would have to take a bus from the top back down. I was determined, so I didn't care. It was so foggy as we ascended the mountain, that the cable car was completely encased in fog—I couldn't even see the car in front or behind us!! We eventually make it to the top, only to learn that the bus is departing in 5 minutes OR in one hour. Mind you, there are no other tourists walking around, they are all getting in the cable cars to go back down. I literally took one picture, and had to get on the bus to go back down, since the sun had long set and it was getting pretty dark.  I didn't get to see the Tian Tan Buddha under ideal conditions, but I'm glad I went, however brief my time was.

Macao: Day 5

On Thursday, I went to Macao to meet up with the next group I would be traveling with in Hong Kong. The ferry to Macao was conveniently located in the basement of my hotel, and it only takes one hour. Macao was a Portuguese colony until 1999, so the official languages are both Chinese (Cantonese) and Portugese. I didn't get to see much of it because I was literally in Macao for less than 24 hours, but there's an area where you can really see the Portuguese influence. I wish I had had more time, because I really did not get a good sense of Macao, which is where my pau pau was born! However, I did get the chance to go to the casinos, where gambling is legal for visitors above the age of 18 (21 for residents). We went to the Venetian, but there are dozens of casinos in Macao. In fact, Macao is more profitable than Vegas! Anyway, I was too scared/clueless to actually gamble, but some of the other girls played roulette—and they lost. I tried a few of the slot machines, and called it a night. If you're going to go to Hong Kong, I think it's definitely worth it to take a one day/night trip to Macao, and make sure you get some egg tarts!

Hong Kong: Day 4

Today was super hot in Hong Kong, about 80 degrees. We decided to do some sight seeing today, so Lauren and I tried to go to the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin. But, once we got off the MTR, we had to take a taxi there because it's not that easy to get to. We didn't know the name in Cantonese or how to write it in traditional characters, so we tried our best to get there. Our taxi ended up taking us to a different monastery, who's name I don't remember. It only had one courtyard though, compared to the ones in Shanghai and Putuoshan which have several courtyards.

After we walked around for a bit, we decided to go back to the Mong Kok market because I needed to pick up a few gifts for people at home. Since I was there, I asked how much the Tory Burch reva flats were. This guy said only $380 hkd! I bargained two pairs down to $600hkd for both. They look so real. All the stitching, and the logos on the sole, everything looks so real. Lauren thinks they might be rejects from the actual factory. They even came in a Tory Burch box, which I wish I could keep. It's so pretty! I'm totally kicking myself for not using a larger suitcase when I knew I would be shopping in Hong Kong. I really like the two pairs I got. I literally have one pair of flats, and they hurt the back of my ankles because they're pretty high cut (if that makes sense). I can't wait to wear them in Shanghai, compared to my disgusting Converse that are falling apart.

Hong Kong: Day 3

My day was pretty low key, since my other friends have been staying out until dawn every night, but David and I had only gone out once since being in HK. So while everyone else slept, we were ready to shop! We got a quick lunch at a local cafe and then headed to one of the many malls in TST. We both love Uniqlo, so we headed there first.
The Uniqlo we went to wasn't particularly big (they didn't have the +J collection), but we didn't care. From there, we split up, so I'm not sure what David purchased. I got two pairs of pants, one of which I got altered in 10 minutes!! Asian sizes are so different, because Asian people tend to be of a smaller built, especially compared to Americans. In the NY Uniqlo, we have jeans from size 24-32 (size 0-12), but in Asia, the largest size is a 29 (In between an 8 and a 10). I wasn't sure if this size would fit me, but it did surprisingly! So I decided to get a different color of a pair of pants that I already own in two colors and a pair of black cropped pants, that are actually ankle length on me.
That night, we wanted sushi, so we went to a sushi bar that has the conveyor belt and you simply choose what you want off the conveyor belt, and then they tally up your plates at the end. After dinner, we went to KTV. Karaoke is HUGE in Asia. Instead of going out to bars or clubs, high school and college kids go to KTV. The people I was with are very, very good at KTV-ing. I am not. le sigh.

so dangerous for hungry college students

Hong Kong: Day 2

Today, my friends and I wanted to explore a different area of Hong Kong besides Tsim Sha Tsui, a shopping district where we are staying. So, we decided to go to Victoria Peak, which overlooks Victoria Harbor and is the highest point on Hong Kong Island. There are two ways to access Victoria Peak for tourists: foot or the Peak Tram. Since we did not want to ascend a giant mountain, we took the tram which is the preferred mode by the majority of tourists. The top of Victoria Peak is surprisingly developed—think two malls and a Madame Tussauds! We went in the late afternoon, so the sun was just setting and the buildings were starting to light up, but we didn't get to see the incredible night view of the Hong Kong skyline.

Hong Kong: Day 1

Today was our first full day in Hong Kong and we got off to a bit of a late started. Lauren and I had woken up earlier than the others, so we decided to walk around a bit and we eagerly went into Sasa, Hong Kong's premier beauty store—think Ricky's, but less edgy. We sampled their perfume (Lauren and I both like Burberry Summer) and ended up in the makeup section—both desperate for concealer. There were only two options (beige and natural) and we were both, somewhat surprisingly, the beige color, even though we're both fairly pale. So, we asked the sales girl (who was wearing so much makeup she looked like a geisha) if that was the right color for us, and she agreed. Then it was time to meet the group for dim sum.
 After our dim sum, we decided to go to the Mong Kok ladies market, which three of Lauren and my collective friends had told us to go. The ladies market isn't just for women, it's a giant outdoor market on this one street in Mong Kok with mostly knock offs, but also cheap clothing, luggage, jade, some shoes, lots of purses, etc. I ended up getting two little Domo pouches and a Goyard purse and coin purse. The domo pouches were 38hkd ($4.89) and the Goyard stuff was 350hkd ($45) altogether. They also sold Tory Burch shoes that looked so real! But, they were nearly the price of the real thing. Perhaps another day.