Hawaii Trip: Day 1

Japanese visitors take up quite a significant tourist population in Waikiki, hence many things are customized in favor of the Japanese culture. That's absolutely the place for a Japan lover like me!

I even spotted One Piece shuttle bus in Waikiki, which I don't see in Japan at all!

Being the state capitol, Honolulu is a vibrant and blessed land filled with beautiful nature, historic landmarks and the inevitable shopping district. That means you can easily get a hang of everything from surfing to shopping, awesome isn't it? However, we spent more time at the beachside relatively to other places because beaches are still the main attraction of Honolulu to us.

If we haven't been to the beaches here, we haven't been to Hawaii.

Despite the heat, sitting at the beach can be a truly blessing here with such an amazing view and clear blue sky.

Sunny weather+breathtaking beach views, what more can I ask for?

After some leisure beach time, we moved on to the next destination- Downtown. Good thing about public transit here is that lots of buses pass by Downtown from Waikiki. Tada, we reached downtown in merely 20 minutes. We were immediately welcomed by the King Kamehameha statue and Iolani palace.

     King Kamehameha statue

Iolani Palace

State Capitol Building

Honolulu landmarks have very unique architecture compared to other parts of the U.S, where skyscrapers blossom in the heart of the big cities. Buildings are relatively lower and less commercial in Honolulu. In fact, some of the buildings even remind me of the Southeast-Asian architectural design back home.

Among all, State Capitol building is one of its kinds as it portrays the history of this land through architecture . It incorporates the Aloha spirit and landscape in it to resemble the Hawaiian open political system. 

We went back to Hilton beach by evening to catch the Friday fireworks which is held on every Friday. :) Catching the fireworks by the beach with the crowd was just fantastic, it was definitely a romantic moment which spiced up our trip.

The entire performance took about 4 minutes. I think it's a must-do-thing in Honolulu as you get to see good performance for free, in this Aloha land where passion is all about. :) It's a nice bonus to the trip!

Always want to be inspired :)

One thing I love to do after coming home from work is browsing through traveling images.

After one whole exhausting day at work, all I want is simply returning to my source of rejuvenation and be inspired. Many of the pictures I find online are so surreal, they motivate me to work harder to make the surreal to real.Especially when my job is highly repetitive and partially disconnected from the outside world, seeing images of these breathtaking scenery widen up my sight and allow me to join in the virtual world temporarily. Hmmmm, I want to step foot on these places and breathe in the awesomeness myself.

The world is just so big and full of wonders, it never fails to amaze me.

33 Unbelievable Places To Visit Before You Die – Earth Is So Amazing

Sea of stars in Maldives is definitely on my list now! I will make my way there in 5 years.

心宽路就宽

喜欢摄影的其中一个原因，是因为喜欢摄取自己想保留的影片，让自己留住当下的心情。摄影对我来说，更多的是保留住一份感觉，让它不随着岁月的流逝而泛黄。别人懂得欣赏自己的作品确实会让我欣慰，但毫无保留维持兴趣，留住自己的眷恋才让我觉得无憾。

透过镜片看着的同一片天空，透过不同的人，不同的手法呈现出万种风情，是摄影的魅力所在。这仿佛就像在提醒自己，同一件事情只要从不同角度去看，就会出现不一样的风景。

心宽，路自然就宽了

Hawaii Trip: Hotel Review (Aqua Palms Hotel)

We booked an evening flight so it wasn’t too tiring. The 6-hour flight was so smooth and we even got to watch the beautiful sunset on plane, what a romantic way to start our journey!

It was night time when we touched down Honolulu.  We took the public bus to the hotel and it was a 45-minute ride. Fortunately, google map did its job accurately this time and the bus stop was only 5-minute walk to the hotel. The $2.50 bus ride saved our pockets from taking cab. However, just be aware if you are carrying big luggages as you may not be allowed to get on the bus. In that case, airport shuttle may be a better option. 

For less hassle, we actually took a shuttle to the airport on the last day and the price was reasonable, only cost us about $12 each person. The hotel bell boy was thoughtful enough to have lent us a hand in the arrangement.

We were pleasantly welcomed by friendly receptionists at Aqua Palms hotel. Room rates were reasonably priced at $125 CAD/night including tax. Considering the big room size and strategic location, I think this hotel was truly a gem and worth every penny we paid. On top of that, they even provided lemon water and fresh apples for free in the lobby.

Location was also quite ideal as it was right across from Hilton Hawaiian Village. It was only 5-minute walk to the Hilton beach, so you could catch the Friday fireworks night at ease. For shopping lovers, this hotel was about 20-25 minutes of walking to Ala Moana shopping centre. There was a bus stop near the hotel and buses and shuttles came by quite often, so we had no problem moving around.

J Best thing I love about the hotel is the blue theme of the room decoration. It makes everything looks aquatic and fresh! Bed is lined with tropically designed bed scarf and cushions which is just a perfect resemblance of the sunny island. It helps to boost up the Aloha spirit instantly.

Hawaii Trip: Fashion

I know I know.... I should have blogged about my Aloha trip long time ago but I was always caught up with something else before converting my trip into words. But there you go, I've finally sat down to work on this and decided to split my trip into a few posts to include more details.

Being a girl coming from a tropical country with summer all year round, there are times when I miss the sun and summer fashion back home. Only until I've come to Canada, I realize how being able to wear short sleeves and flip flops out at anytime of the year can truly be a blessing, really! And Hawaii is the closest geographical substitute to home from Vancouver. 

Another reason Hawaii is on my list is because of a Japanese drama I watched long time ago. Courtesy of Proposal Daisukusen, the last proposal scene filmed in Hawaii was just stunning and made me in awe of the beauty of this land. Really wished I could enter my laptop screen and be teleported to Hawaii at that moment! *fangirling*

Source: http://marinmusic.blog.163.com/blog/static/44757576200831824653559/

Source: http://archive.kaskus.co.id/thread/1465359/540

My trip finally came true when baby had some credits left from the previous flight cancellation and it must be used before September. That was just a perfect vacation time for me as my work was less busy at that time. August was the off-peak travel season for Hawaii I guess, the low airfares was a double bonus for me! :D I know I know...Hawaii welcomes me with open arms.

Going to Hawaii means a lot to me. It's a teenage dream come true, it's my first long trip with baby, and it's  the time to pull out my summer clothes and put them to use. Raincouver weather made me lazy and I just wanted to get away of the gloomy weather in exchange of a few sunny days.

 It had been a while since my travel luggage was so mini and light, thanks to the hot weather *Tee hee* And here I am, proudly presenting my fashion posts for the entire trip.

City tour day

Snorkelling day

 Half-day tour to Pearl Harbour and National Memorial Cemetery

Shopping day

Beach day

Hehe, I shall stop my narcissism here and write about my trip experience on the next few posts. Stay tuned!

Let it go

Recently stumbled upon this article I’m Letting My Wife Go and it was very thought provoking and worth to be shared to everyone out there, single, dating, or married. It's not something only people who are attached to another person should know, but it's a valuable lesson every one may benefit from.Having faith in each other and giving  moderate amount of freedom and privacy always make relationships grow fonder and become more lasting.

I'm fond of the idea of supporting each other and encourage my partner to pursue his dreams. Most people have dreams, big or small, but many of them will be forgotten along the way for many reasons. Dreams are not easy to be achieved, we encounter obstacles before even getting to start the path towards our dreams. Many people are haunted by the possibility of failing and lack the courage to even try to make the first step, before monetery reason and lacking hands-on experience come into play.

But I think all these can be changed. Fear can be overcome by love, support, and encouragement. More dreams can be realized if we are willing to give a kind word to people around us to give them a little push. That undoubtedly applies in relationship as well. Don't be afraid to tell your partner about your dreams because if he/she is the right one, he/she will let you fly and live through your dreams as you wish. If he/she doesn't, then probably you may want to re-consider spending the rest of your live living under the same roof with a person who restricts your dreams and limits the voice within you.

And as one of the commenters says, if that person doesn't come back to you after all that you have done, it's not a relection of yourself but a reflection of your partner for not being able to keep up the promise and return the unconditional love. Don't allow people who don't love you to take away your confidence and ruin the rest of your lives. They don't deserve it, just like you don't deserve to live a bad life for all the pain you have been put into.

'Real love shouldn’t limit a person’s potential, it should expand it.'

Love is.....

I can't agree more that love requires efforts, and unrequited love will barely work in a long-term relationship. No matter how long couples have been dating each other, there's still a need to scratch head for surprises occasionally, be it big or small. That keeps relationship fresh and fun, while motivating both parties to continuously work on their relationship.

My baby is not a romantic person, nor is he good at lying, but I really appreciate his effort for trying to be mystery (in a good way) once in a while.

It all happened last week, when he kept telling me to dress up nicely for our dinner date on Friday without telling me any details about the venue. It was not a usual thing he would do, so I was extremely curious about it, and even tried to pledge for some hints about the plan. But he managed his plan as an absolute secret, so I just went with the flow and stayed anticipated throughout the day. It was so difficult to control my anticipation for the night and go through the entire work day feeling so excited.

Baby being the usual gentleman, waited for me outside of my company and brought me to the secretive place he planned earlier. I still couldn't get a clue on our way there, but I was sure it couldn't be any worse than my expectation since the restaurant is located at Waterfront, a place where most high-end restaurants are placed in.

And I was right. He brought me to a place where I had never set foot on but always wanted to!

I was stunned by the fabulous view and romantic ambience of the restaurant. It was just a perfect place for dating!

Ok, enough about the view, I'll move on to the food

Baby ordered the Stuffed Mushroom Caps for appetizer. I can't really take mushroom due to its strong flavour, but the mushroom stem was really tender and cheesy! The strong cheesy taste successfully overpowered the mushroom flavour I hate. That just brought mushroom down to an acceptable taste for me, so people who dislike mushrooms as much as I do shall consider going for this dish.

Our main dish came shortly after finishing the appetizers. I got the Chicken Cordon Bleu with a mixed mushroom cream sauce. The portion was bigger than I expected, but the presentation could be more thoughtful. Despite I understand that this is Cordon Bleu, I still think that it would be more thoughtful to slice the chicken into half and then stuff the filling. That way I can enjoy every bite of the chicken with its filling, not just half with solely chicken meat, while the other half with cheese and ham filling.

The mashed potato was rather disappointing as well. It was not fully cooked, hence the strong raw potato smell on the inside. And there was insufficient sauce to dip it, so I tried to mash it with the chicken meat and ate both together to cover the smell. Wow, that was not very thoughtful when customer had to find a way to get rid of the dish.

We finished up with the desserts. Baby had the New York Style cheesecake. The presentation was exquisite, cake's texture was rich, and the strawberry sauce gave a nice touch to the original cheesy flavour.

I had the Peach Panna Cotta with Mango glaze. It was okay, not impressively good because it reminded me of the Mango dessert from T&T. The presentation was rather disappointing because frankly speaking, it came with no decoration. I think good food presentation should contribute to a huge part of fine dining, and this was definitely not a visually pleasant dish to see.

Again, this was more of a dating place with its spectacular view as selling point, so I shouldn't expect too much from the food. Another downside of the restaurant was the server's unprofessional behavior. In my opinion, he provided his service based on customer's tips-giving potential. For family, he showed his friendliness by chit-chatting with them and explained the recommended dishes patiently. Obviously, we did not get the same treatment because he seemed like he only approached us or interviewed about our dining experience when he was on the way to another table. Oh well, we took revenge by not giving a good tip.

Despite the flaws, the dining experience was still considered pleasant, as Baby and I both had a good time while enjoying the night view of Downtown together.  The amazing night view in Vancouver Downtown was beyond my expectation and that made our date wonderful. I was so grateful for the man in front of me, it's just not the thought that counts, but the effort to realize it makes me feel appreciated. He always tries to make me happy, and that makes me want to give more and try harder for our relationship. 

 Lastly, I have to apologize for the blurish photos as they all came out of a phone. >.< Hehe, it's the sharing that counts eh?

Good life starts with positive mindset

I'm a firm believer of the law of attraction, thus I have faith in having a good thinking to attract good things coming to my life. Recently heard this from work 'We are prime to things that fit into our theory' and it helps to re-assure my belief on our natural tendency to things that we believe are true.

And I... always do my best to keep myself happy under any circumstances. Even if I was to be sad, I try to shorten the period of depression as much as possible. I find ways to execute my negative feelings, either through music, writing, or friends. 

 Friends always say I should study arts instead because I'm just not that scientific, I have way too many emotions to be a scientific person. :) But who knows, I may end up with an artistic job in future, you never know. Our destiny still falls in our hands but not the piece of degree we earn, the stable job we think would lead us to a good life. What's most important is our courage to accept changes.

I guess, that's the reason why I never stop learning other things and keep hearing inspiring stories and thoughts from other people. I want to be passionate about life, not just the small circle I'm currently tied in.

I...love life. :)

I love spending quality time with my favourite person in a quality place.

I love visiting beautiful homes!I keep myself updated with the property prices, while dreaming about the day I own one of these places one day. Optimism  and hard work make me believe that I will lead myself towards a financially secured life without having to move in/out at least once a year. I hope I can establish the sense of security soon.

I love the cheekiness and childishness between baby and I. Oops, that was me trying to apologize to baby because I deleted some of my ugly photos in his phone while he was sleeping.

Hehehehehe.

:) After all, my life is good as it is, and all I wish is another year as good as this. Happy 2014!

Snow pictures this year

Taking snow pictures is my annual routine and fortunately I've been able to discover different photography spots every year. City in the park in Edmonds has been my new favourite recently. It's definitely a gem in this neighbourhood because it's so quiet and nicely decorated. I dare say every corner of it is worth a picture and it will make your picture look pretty effortlessly.

I should let my pictures do the talking to justify my statement.

Feels like I just stepped into a small palace.

I also took some pictures around Joyce. It gave me a different feeling here, as if I just stepped into a forbidden forest.

I can tell my  photography style is evolving as year goes by. I've encountered snow for several times now, but nothing beats my affection towards one of the very first snow pictures I took when I first came here. It has a calming effect on me.

I didn't have a professional camera at that time, nothing but a regular 8 megapixel digital camera but it walked me through every season of the year and embraced the special moments with me. I was just a girl who loved to look through the lens and took as many pictures as possible to share with my family who was a few thousand miles away from me.

My photography skill is still no where near professional but I enjoy this hobby a lot. I guess that just tells me about how passion can keep non-living things look alive, how simple tools can make some magic to my life. :) I have to thank this beautiful city as well, for allowing me to capture its beauty and stay sensational and grateful towards the smallest thing in the world.

Testing my selling skills this Christmas :)

Christmas is finally around the corner! I don't even have to be reminded about that, as most of the households are geared up for this big day and started putting on colourful decorations around their houses. Thanks to their effort, these pretty lights make bus rides much more interesting and delightful.

This Christmas is a little special for me, not because of Christmas party but I'm making use of the pre-seasonal shopping urge. :) This is the time where many people are scratching their heads looking for Christmas gift ideas and bustling across malls for that. Being an opportunist, I decided to ride on the wave and start my own Christmas sales to earn some pocket money. Many people have higher buying tendency at this time so I definitely don't want to miss this opportunity.

It's not the first time I get into online business but I did it on a small scale and considered it as a 'side side side' job for extra pennies during college and university time. Until last year, I started considering about the true potential of online business in terms of the financial profits it could potentially bring when resources are not available abundantly. At this age, I really don't have many financial resources to begin with, so it would be good to start up small and brush up my entrepreneur skills to better prepare myself when resources become readily available.

Even back in high school, I used to help my sister with some small online sales seasonally. The things we sold were various, from cosmetics to clothing to items few sellers touched on, such as umbrella. We also did silly things like walking along the street to sell roses on Valentines day ( although this didn't really work out *cough cough*). These are very valuable trading experiences to me as they exposed me to the techniques of finding target customers and convincing them. I'm not the pushy type, instead, I make honest response and very often add in my own thoughts about the products I'm selling just for customers reference.

One thing I always have in mind is to start up my own business by 30, because that's about the time I want to be financially stable and feel accomplished about my career while settling down for other aspects of my life. I see no harm in gaining more hands-on experiences on online trading to build up my business knowledge and foundation, considering that I lack business background and knowing some business concepts is very essential in successful trading.

And...one last but the simpliest reason- I'm computer literate, I know my target customers and online platform to sell my stuff, so why not give it a shot?

Instead of having all my thoughts in mind, I want to realize my dreams and make them happen. I'm 24 now, there's still 6 more years for me to work on my goal, hopefully my wish will be granted so that all of my other dreams will fall into place. :) And this Christmas will be my try-out period, wish me luck peeps!