Tuesday, February 21, 2012

My First Time Flying (AV-ED Sport Pilot Center)

My friend, Sze, is currently working on his Sport Pilot license and he invited me to the pilot school, AV-ED Sport Pilot Center, grand opening this past weekend. I've always wanted to learn how to fly, so I was pretty excited about this event. I understand that this is a very time consuming and expensive extra curriculum activity, so I have no definite plan taking on the license path at the moment.  However, I highly encourage anyone who is interested to at least try the introductory flight lesson, which is what I did.  The cost is just under $100, so it's very acceptable, remember we are talking about a flying lesson here.


What I loved about the introductory class is that the instructor actually made me walk through all the safety steps with him, checking the body of the plane, fuel level, fuel clarity to engine oil.  I actually feel like a real pilot!  I was surprised that the take off was nothing like my normal flight take off experience. This is a very small aircraft, it can only carry two people, so it didn't require much of a runway and it just lifted itself up like a bird, very smooth. And my instructor was really good, he gave me as much opportunity as possible to take control of plane during the whole flight.  For about ten seconds when he had to grab my camera and to take photos of me, I was completely flying solo, too cool.  The other thing was that I thought I was going to be very nervous, I didn't want to make a fool of myself.  But to my surprise, I was so occupied, constantly checking the attitude, the speed and tightly holding on to the control that I didn't have much time to worry about anything else.  I guess the only rough part of the entire adventure is the landing, it was a bit windy that day and the instructor had to swivel the control a bit to level the plane.  And first hand experience, mastering landing is really the toughest part of learning how to fly.


It was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon, time well spent!  And thank you to my friend, Sze, for adding such a wonderful and thrilling chapter in my life!  Below are some photos and a short video of the instructor showing me how to check the fuel.  Life is too short, you got to at least try this once in your lifetime!  :D

      
 

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Shop Online for Korean & Japanese Cosmetics...Updated 5/19

My last post was about Korean cosmetics and today I came across a post with a compiled list of online places to shop for Korean & Japanese Cosmetics. I thought I'd share with everyone.  The post is a year old but I think the list is still pretty valid.  I recognize a few of the online shopping sites from the list (i.e. www.yesstyle.com, www.sasa.com, www.strawberrynet.comwww.shuuemura-usa.comwww.kose-usa.com). In fact, I have previously purchase from yesstyle, sasa and strawberrynet, so I know these are definitely safe.  And shuuemura-usa and kose-usa are the US company websites, so they should be fine as well.


And just a word of advice, if have any doubts or if anything looks suspicious to you, don't purchase from the website.  Happy shopping!


Oh! And I just purchased Skin79 BB Cream Miniature Mini Set (Black), I can't wait to get them and try them out.  I'll probably write a post comparing them to my Dr Young BB cream.



Updated 5/19/2012
My latest discovery to shop for Asian cosmetics and skin care products is Pretty & Cute!  Huge selections, free US shipping on orders over $50, free samples and fast delivery.  I placed my order on Thursday and received it on Saturday using just standard shipping option!!! 

Monday, February 6, 2012

Lioele All in One Gel Eyeliner

If you are into cosmetics, I'm sure you know that cosmetics has a huge presence and market in Asia.  Every time I visit NY, I will go search for new Japanese and Korean cosmetics and skin care products. When I went to NY Chinatown this past Christmas, I stocked up a few items and here's the first item I want to share. 


Also, there are countless Korean and Japanese cosmetics brands, I simply can't keep up.  If you are interested to learn more about them, do some research online and you'll be surprised what you'll discover.  Another off the topic comment about Asian makeups are the packaging, these companies really do spend time and money on the packaging, talk about marketing strategies.  Most women would be totally attracted by the package alone, they are all so pretty to look at!

So this is my first time trying gel eyeliner, well officially the second time.  Before I forget, gel eyeliner is the same as cream eyeliner. I bought L'Oreal HiP Color Truth Cream Eyeliner in purple a long time ago, I hated it!  It wasn't creamy at all, very difficult to apply and the brush was impossible to use.  And since that time, I've never touched cream eyeliner until my last trip to NY.  Honestly, I had no expectation but I figured I will give it another try. But when the package looks gorgeous, it somehow translates to it will look beautiful on me too.  How silly but many times that's how I decide on which make up product to buy!  

OK, back to the cream eyeliner.  It's sooo crazy smooth and easy to use, I didn't know I can handle a cream eyeliner too.  The color is as dark as a liquid eyeliner and I could draw thin or thick line.  I included a couple photos below using this eyeliner, the pigmentation really is impressive. I was totally amazed, I've always thought that the brush would be very hard to handle, I was wrong.  I absolutely love this eyeliner!  And it stays on ALL DAY, girlfriends, this is very important!!!  No smudge...finally!  Now, of course, if you are looking for a smudgable eyeliner, this wouldn't be it.  Please go check out my older post for smudgable eyeliner.


I think the eyeliner is very reasonably priced and with an over the top result, I gave it 5 out of 5.  Give this a try and you can find this on Amazon.com, so it doesn't matter where you live, you can own one yourself!  ;)


If you've used other Korean and Japanese cosmetics, please leave a comment and share!
  • Long Wearing
  • Highly Pigmented
  • Creamy
  • Easy to Apply
  • Price 
    • $16.99 at Amazon.com
  • Rating (out of 5)

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Wall Climbing @ Earth Treks

There was a crazy half price deal at Living Social last year to Earth Treks's introductory class that I just couldn't pass up on. I've always wanted to try it but it's not a cheap sport, the gear, the shoe, and the gym membership do add up. But I'm so glad I took up on this bargain from Living Social, otherwise I wouldn't know how much fun I'm missing!
     
I found the introductory class very informative and I learned all the basic skills today. We did two climbs during the class, but we can stay after class to climb for free for the rest of the day! My boyfriend, nephew and I took advantage of it and did a few more climbs after class. The class began at 3 in the afternoon and we didn't leave the gym until close to 7 in the evening. We are hooked already! My arms and legs were really tired, I felt like they were going to fall off but it was a great physical and mental challenge! It's not just about body strength, it's also about the strategy on choosing your next move. We'll definitely come back.

Oh! And the other good thing we found out today is that they have various visit-pass options in addition to the traditional membership, which are a lot more affordable and cost effective for us.

I only got two photos, I was too busy climbing or belaying. ;). If you are getting bored with you regular workout routine, give indoor climbing a shot, you might just get addicted to it!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Silver Fork @ Vermont

Silver Fork
4201 Main Street, Manchester, Vermont 05254

This is a long overdue post and there will be more to come.  As usual, my Christmas is spent at the ski resort and this time joined by my second elder sister's family to Manchester, Vermont.  But of course my vacation always revolves around good food, so here's a review of a local restaurant, Silver Fork.  In my opinion, probably the best restaurant in the area, we absolutely love this place!!!

Rating (out of 5):  

It's a tiny restaurant with only six tables, a warm homey atmosphere with friendly staff and services. The chef's wife attends all the tables and she is a wonderful lady, we chatted with her a little bit at the end of our dinning experience. Yes, it is an experience, not just any regular dinner. You just can't go wrong, starting from the drink, appetizer to main course and finally the dessert, everything is done in perfection and with heart.  The presentation and taste are both top notch! And on top of that, they don't charge you a fortune, it's very reasonably priced.  We all wanted to go to back to this restaurant but we were only in Vermont a few days, so we want to try out as many different places as possible.  But we did go back for my favorite Apple Cinnamon Beignets dessert.


I knew I was going for the duck so I asked for a suggestion on the red wine.  Melanie recommend the Vina Alicia Malbec, Argentina 2007 which was a perfect match for my main course.  Below is the description of Malbec from the wine menu and personally, I found it easy for my palate and enjoy the earthy taste to it.  My brother-in-law is a fan of eggnog and naturally he ordered the eggnog mix drink, I believe it is a Christmas special (sorry, I forgot to make note of the ingredients).  I took a sip of his drink and it was very good, not too sweet with just the right amount of alcohol in it.  It's definitely the kind of mix drink you can keep on drinking without knowing which number you are on. Oh, the eggnog mix drink is decorated with a mint chocolate stick which my niece snatched it away immediately...LOL.
  • Complex aromas of plums, dusty earth, tobacco, and a little iron. Plums upfront transitioning to licorice on the mid-palate finishing with black pepper.
Next the appetizers, we ordered the There cheese onion soups and the Wild Mushroom Crepe for the table to share. I think everyone in the table agreed that it is by far the best onion soup we've all had in our lives.  It's like a little artwork with a flowerbed of fried onion on top of the creamy melted cheese.  The soup came with a pair of scissor which we believe is for us to cut the fried onion into smaller pieces. We all laughed trying to figure it out, it's so much fun to eat this soup. The soup has just the right amount of bread crumbs and onion flavor but not too salty, which is the downfall in many restaurants I have tried in the past.  Somehow these other restaurants think that salty beefy soup means french onion soup...wrong!!!  Silver Fork masters this soup to perfection!


My entree is the Tamarind BBQ Duck Breast served with crisp yuca, marinated onions and peppers.  The duck breast is succulent and the sauce is not tangy, an excellent match to capture the wild game flavor.


And when you think things couldn't get better than this, think again!  I am pretty sure no one in the table expected the dessert to become the star of the night.  My sister and brother-in-law ordered the Homemade Cheesecake and I ordered the Apple Cinnamon Beignets.  I have always been a sucker for apples desserts, I absolutely love the texture and the sweet and sour flavor of cooked warm apples.  The deep fried apple slices topped with homemade cinnamon ice cream served on the sweet creamy sauce was phenomenal. I don't know how the chef did it but the apple beignets were not greasy at all, it was so light and crispy and the apples were still tender and not too soft.  And the smooth homemade cinnamon ice cream did not overpower the beignets, it perfectly complemented the apples flavor.  Let's put it this way, my sister doesn't even like apple dessert and she said the Apple Cinnamon Beignets  is good.

Below are photos of this wonderful dinner, I apologize that the quality is less than optimal.  I had some problems with my iPhone camera but I assure you that everything was absolutely amazing.  Everyone cleaned the plates!!!  If you ever have the chance to visit Manchester, Vermont, be sure to reserve a spot at the great Silver Fork!  Bon Appétit!


 

Monday, January 23, 2012

Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extension Waterproof


I've been itching to buy a new mascara and I saw the Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extension several times in Target already. I can't help it so I bought it a couple weekends ago.  I finally tried it this past weekend and I did my best at the photos, I hope is clear enough you can see the differences between the coats of mascara.  

I'm very happy with the result, it definitely adds length to my almost non-existence lashes.  I didn't get any clump because it's on the thin side, this is especially important when I have to apply multiple coats.  But for this exact reason, you will not get much volume out of this mascara.  But for normal usage, just apply a second or third coat and it should build enough of a volume for most. 

However, if you want lots of volume, then use the Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extension as a base to get the length you want, then apply a volume mascara on top to have that exaggerate bold-looking lashes.  But I suggest you do this sort of application for an evening or party look, it might be too much for an everyday look.  ;P  

I also like the brush on this mascara, I'm not sure what it is but it seems to help give the lashes a better lift compare to my other mascaras.  Oh! Beware, this is a waterproof mascara, no joke, so make sure you use a waterproof eye make remover!


Let me know what you all think, drop a comment. :D
  • Length
    • Add visible length
  • Volume
    • Not much
  • Price 
    • $6.99 at Target
  • Waterproof 
    • Yes
  • Rating (out of 5)
Both eyes with no mascara
Left eye with 1 coat of mascara
Left eye with 2 coats of mascara
Left eye with 3 coats of mascara
Both eyes with 3 coats of mascara

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Mandu = disappointing

We found this Korean restaurant in DC, Mandu and decided to give it a try. But I have to say I'm rather disappointed. The decor was nice but the food was mediocre at best and the service was terrible. No one at the restaurant had a smile on the face, it's as if we've murdered their loved ones. No one came by to refill water or checked to see if we wanted dessert, we were blatantly done with our food waiting and the restaurant was pretty empty.

We had an egg dipped zucchini for appetizer which was OK, a bit too greasy for me. For the main course, we had bibimbap and spicy seafood tofu soup. Nothing special about the bibimbap, very little beef and the soup was blend. Also the tofu wasn't the silky soft tofu that I normally get at the traditional Korean restaurants.

Overall, not a very good experience and not very good food, luckily it's reasonably price. But I'll never come back to this place when I can get much better quality traditional Korean food in any one of the restaurants in Annandale Korean town, not to mention the friendly service that everyone appreciates!