California Modern

What is PED XING???

Am I just plain bodoh... or have i missed something here ?!

Ohhhhhhh... Some passer-by puts me out of my misery and tells me..

"Pedestrian Crossing"

Ah..! And here i thought I was so SMS lingo savvy... :P


I always save my best post for last. Or at least, my favourite post for last... because.. isn't that just how it is done?

This is La Jolla! One of my TOP 5 places to live, in the whole, wide, world, if I had the choice.. it is LUSH, gorgeous, unpolluted, offers great water-sports (work on that great tan!) and generally is just really really cool.


La Jolla Cove (1100 Coast Boulevard) is a very small beach, tucked between adjacent sandstone cliffs. Due to its extraordinary beauty, La Jolla Cove is one of the most photographed beaches in Southern California. It is within a short walk of the commercial area of the community of La Jolla, but retains a character "all its own."

The north facing La Jolla Cove has unusually coarse sand. Grassy Scripps Park is immediately adjacent and an excellent area for picnicking.

Water visibility at the Cove can sometimes exceed 30 feet, making it a popular location for scuba divers and snorklers.

And apparently popular for the "PAK-TOR" too !


Lifeguards are staffed daily throughout the year. During summer, lifeguard-staffing hours are generally 9:00 a.m. to dusk.The guards look HOT in their red trunks i tell ya ;P


Awww... so cute!! I want to take one home... CAN I??? :P


Looks like someone I know... when waking from sleep.. lol !




La Jolla Cove lies within the San Diego La Jolla Underwater Park Ecological Reserve, which helps to ensure that marine life remains plentiful. This is a look but don't touch area and the possession of game is unlawful.

(So I suppose the answer to that one is " NO, you may not take one home!" ... haha!)


So .. a quick stroll to dinner has us walking past the chocolate factory...


Its amazing the amount of sweet things that Californians eat, and the women still look so fit (especially the ones running round the park) !

How do they do it..


Pass the art gallery, and I know I am not suppose to take photos, but technically, I am not IN the gallery.. and OH... I could not resist it! My favourite childhood book character...

Dr Seuss! "How do you do Sir...? :)"




All this gorgeous scenery and walking around is making us hungry..


Ah... we see it! This is my favourite Contemporary Californian restaurant in La jolla...

Introducing Georges at the Cove!


I have been here before, but the view from the Ocean Terrace never ceases to amaze me. This time we are in time for the sunset, and it is spectacular.

On the Ocean Terrace, you can balance the breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean with a breath of fresh air as you take in the region's best rooftop dining.

White chocolate martinis are a must! No better way to start dinner !


As the saying goes... That's life! And this sure is the life !!

C'est La Veev is an inspiringly refreshing drink made from veev acai spirit, blueberries and cucumber. I really like this one!



Just as the sun goes down over the horizon, they serve the starters... George's signature soup - chicken broccoli! Very, very good!


Fresh mussels follow soon after, and they are nothing short of delicious.


Seared rare tuna served on a bed of soba noodle salad, with wasabi soy vinaigrette. Perfection in a bowl...


Grilled Mexican shrimp on citrus risotto. Flawless.


Cod fish served on a bed of corn... low carb but high in taste... that's what I call a meal! lol...

We take a second to catch our breath.. but as our waiter brings out the dessert menu, our eyes fall on the Snicker Sundae !


How to resist?

Chocolate banana cream pie was the straw that broke the camels back.. and we could not eat another morsel of food.

Satiated.

Filled.


As a parting drink we each had a La Jolla Winter - white Godiva, Chambord, Frangelico, steamed milk, dash of cinnamon, served in a brandy snifter... and was thankful for the experience of dining at such a cool place.





It was with some sadness, that we said goodbye to the beautiful La Jolla, but no matter... we vowed to come back real soon :)

Old Town San Diego

Old Town San Diego is considered the "birthplace" of California. San Diego is the site of the first permanent Spanish settlement in California. It was here in 1769, that Father Junipero Serra came to establish the very first mission in a chain of 21 missions that were to be the cornerstone of California’s colonization. Father Serra’s mission and Presidio were built on a hillside overlooking what is currently known as Old Town San Diego. At the base of the hill in 1820’s, a small Mexican community of adobe buildings was formed and by 1835 had attained the status of El Pueblo de San Diego. In 1846, a U.S. Navy Lieutenant and a Marine Lieutenant, raised the American flag in the Old Town San Diego Plaza.



Bazaar Del Mundo Shops, a warren of mostly Latin-themed gift stores, operates this Mexican restaurant situated a block away from Old Town State Historic Park.




Not only is Casa Guadalajara better than what you'll find in the park, it's often less crowded than its counterparts (though waits of 30 min. or more are not unusual here Fri-Sat).

Mariachi tunes played by strolling musicians enliven the room nightly, and you can also dine alfresco, in a picturesque courtyard occupied by a 200-year-old pepper tree. Birdbath-size margaritas start most meals, while dining ranges from simple south-of-the-border fare to more gourmet items like tequila lime shrimp and mango chipotle chicken -- but the extensive menu features all the fajita and combo plates most people expect.

Though Casa Guadalajara is suppose to be less busy, the place was still PACKED when we arrived!

Begin with an appetizer or three, especially the nachos supreme done with crispy blue corn, yellow corn and chipotle tortilla chips and the special nacho sauce; the chipotle chicken taquitos and some of the best guacamole dip in town.

You can order tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tamales and chile relleno a la carte, but the combinations served with rice and beans and specialty dishes lure you to Casa Guadalajara.

Breakfast is also served on weekends. This place (like the Bazaar) is touristy, but out-of-towners looking for old California ambience and reliable Mexican food will find it here.

First time all week, we had respectably HOT and SPICY chilli and so I was pretty happy with the meal! However, Mexican is rather heavy and I doubt that this would be the kind of cuisine I would look for on a regular basis! A nice experience all in all!

Dance lil lady dance...

Downtown San Diego.. on a Saturday night...

Any place worth entering....


Has a massive, massive queue...


Being too lazy to queue... we decided to have drinks 1st .. at a bar nearby...


mmmmmmm.... nothing hits the spot like the 1st beer of the day...


finally... time to hit NOBU for dinner...


The blue electric guitar on the wall, tell us.. we have arrived!


Sony moment.. !!!

the party crew... PRE boogie.... cool, calm and composed... :D


I love NOBU... it's tres chi chi:)

Nobu is renown for its fusion cuisine... which blends traditional Japanese dishes with western ingredients. Its signature dish is black cod in so. Nobu is also famous for its soft shell crab and shrimp tempura rolls. The success of Nobu New York spawned several similarly themed restaurants is various parts of the US, London, Melbourne, Hong Kong and Tokyo !

So.. here we are at Nobu Hard Rock San Diego.. it's packed to the gills i tell ya..

After dinner, we decide to visit another bar.. before we hit the clubs...



here is STINGAREE...


Here are our SHOTS ... pretty maids, all in a row...
Prepare to meet thy maker.. lol :P


Cheers honey... do it fast... it's less painful that way!


After the shots.. we leg it down to... the PARTY!!!

By the time we get there.. the place is rocking...



And more impressively they have my favourite movie, the FIFTH ELEMENT playing on the flat screens.... oo yeah... that's what i am talking about!


As the night progressed .... it got messier for some... !




Yet another Sony moment !



After 2 hours of boogie-ing.. i had enough.. and my stomach was growling again...

Aiiyo.. no mamak in the states.. so how???

Well, we chanced upon the next best thing....

ATM PIZZA!!



Gawd.. you've got to love this country, you do!!

"Aortic Aneurysm by the slice"... no better way to go ... lol:)


Gorgeous, creamy, cheezy, greasy, hot off the oven pizza....

Just the thing to neutralize an alcoholic stomach!

Fantastic end to the night...
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Oh wait a minute, our "rent a car" was low on gas....




yes, yes.. isn't it cute??? we rented the cutest Chrysler i tell ya... and it was zippy, economical, and i could actually PARK it... so there u go!

AH.. there's the gas station..

We loaded up on unleaded (because that's all they had... being sooooo eco friendly and all)...


and headed on home...



the view on the bridge of the city, reminded me why... I love city life... Having said that, a part of me was already starting to miss the chaos that is KL as well as the late night mamaks ...

hmmmm... the 1st signs of homesick hitting me ... me thinks...

( oh well.. nothing a good shopping spree can't fix.. haha!)

A girl's got to do, what a girl's got to do...

Water taxi!!

I had sooooo much fun taking these.. for only USD6 they send you from the marriott to downtown San Diego... to where all the action is!


Wow! Can you see the buildings we are fast approaching... Yup, speed me over, Mr. Boat-man!


The amazing marina... tres, tres cool...

San Diego Downtown!

Is that the Hard Rock I see.. ? Little did I realise that I would have a rocking time there.. later in the week (keep reading blog.. !)

The Gaslamp Quarter is 16 and a half blocks of historical neighborhood in downtown San Diego. Its main period of development began in 1867, when Alonzo Horton bought the land in hopes of creating a new city center closer to the bay, and chose 5th Avenue as its main street. After a period of urban decay, the neighborhood underwent urban renewal in the 1980s and 1990s, and is today an energetic business and entertainment district with loads of exciting contemporary restaurants and a good selection of shopping.


A cute hat shop I wanted to come back to and check out...



And a quick stroll past Horton Plaza... a pretty OK shopping center in the Gaslamp area.. (but Fashion Valley, in my opinion is far better... as you will soon see:P)


But first....

LUNCH!

I am starving...



The Bondi ! Laid back and informal... like its namesake...

It is a gorgeous day out! Warm and sunny... perfect weather for people watching and outdoor dining... We pick the perfect spot overlooking the walkway...

The calamari was delicious.. fresh and crisp...


so was the smoked salmon salad... no complaints... a good 8 out of 10!


Things just kept on getting better... with the scallops.. in orange and coriander sauce...

Cooked to perfection!


The lobster spring rolls were a tad salty... but acceptable, considering the amount of salt we lost on this HOT, HOT day! lol


So now that we have "nutritionized" ourselves....

SHOPPING!

Welcome to Fashion Valley!

I love, love, love this place!

But common now... FOCUS. I have a mission.. and that is to buy the 16GBs iPhone..

so first stop.. the MAC shop:)


there it is.. i see it!!!


After browsing for 2 minutes and not seeing the i-phone, i ask the guy.. where is it???

He answers... " we are all out... has been that way for several weeks in all MAC shops in san diego".

WHAT ???? No i-phone?? unbelievable! then they told me that they would be launching the new iphone with 3G on the 9th of JUNE! That's like 2 weeks away.. No wonder la...

so sad... nevermind... oh well... on to happier things... shopping!!!



And shopping we DID!


We bought stuff here....


here...


here....



and HERE! 2 hours later, I had spent something like USD 300 at Victoria's Secret... no joke! Killer broke...


And VS sure know how to lavish the changing room in girly style....



I mean... from the PINK neon lights mounted on huge gilded mirrors, to the posters of sexy VS models... they have everything PEGGED to a T!!!

Sure they do!


And things just keep getting better!


Juicy Couture... Nice!



So many shops.. so little time... What can a girl do?? (come back tomorrow la.. i hear ya!)

next up.. CHI CHI dining... and then... the groove...!

Osetra Gaslamp

Osetra Wattergrill offers gourmet seafood, prime-aged meat and one of the city's most extensive collections of premium wine.



This place is a hot favourite with the tourists as well as the locals...



Fine dining is upstairs while if you want to sit and linger at the bar, then downstairs offers are really cool, laid back bar where you can sit and chat at.

Osetra is also famous for its fresh oyster bar, a caviar bar and an ice bar with an extensive selection of vodka.

If you are lucky, you can actually can see "Wine Angels" fly through the air to retrieve bottles from the three-story wine tower. They were so fast, I couldn't capture it on my camera!

For starters- mushroom soup! Though the taste was good, this was TOO salty for me!


The Crab cakes were awesome! Tangy and had all the aromas of the sea...


The fillet mignon was cute and little, but HUGE in flavour! Medium rare, seasoned with just salt and served on a bed of mash... it was the perfect mouthful...


The lobster risotto was gorgeous as well... I am a big fan of risotto and if it isn't done well it makes me wanna jump up and down and tear my hair out.. ! (kidding)
Anyway, this dish was perfectly executed, oh yes it was !

All in all... a good night... what else has san diego to offer i wonder :P

The Del

Waiting at the hotel lobby for my friend to arrive... we are going for a quick Asian dinner.. then off to the beach to catch the sunset. There is no better place to watch this than at the Hotel Del Coronado (3 minutes from where I am at).. affectionately known as THE DEL.

Hmmmm... it might get chilly... a quick change of clothes since she still hasn't arrived...

Golly! My friend is expecting NO.2 .. and needless to say she still looks great?! so skinny! What is it with Asian women.. the more pregnant they are.. the hotter they look...

Hope I'll be as lucky! :D



So here we are... Bistro D'Asia... suppose to be ZAGAT approved.. so better be good..

The crispy duck was really good! Crispy on the outside, and soft and succulent on the inside...

The cutest thing is they serve the buns in stainless steel!

The wantan mee was so-so.. but at least we had loads of green chili for the 1st time in 2 days.. and you know a gal needs her chili!

The very mildly spicy chili :( ... (like 0.005 on a scale of 1 to 10.. hahaha... tragic)

Introducing... THE DEL!

Rising from water's edge on the quaint island of Coronado in San Diego, the Hotel del Coronado is considered one of America's most beautiful beach resorts.

A classic historic hotel, The Del was built in 1888 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977. Today, The Del is contemporary luxury in an enchanting Victorian atmosphere. Add the resort's beachfront location, and it's no wonder USA Today calls The Del "one of the top ten resorts in the world." The Del offers a quintessential San Diego resort vacation experience. For those seeking a romantic retreat, the resort's magical architecture and island setting are perfect!

But never mind the inside... just check out the outside of the Del.. where all the action is...

White, fine sand that stretches for miles... it's like... BEYOND!

And even though the weather is turning, as it approaches sunset, some hardcore people are still pounding the surf and playing beach volleyball...

the sky takes on a pink hue...

And as we watch the marvelous sunset on one side...


... we see the moon, coming up on the other...



..we think we might never want to leave...

But we must... because my friend is getting hungry (again!) and cold.. and we need to feed baby FAST..

Hmmmmm... so what else is famous at the Del?

ICE CREAM!

Introducing Moo Time! What a cute name for an ice-cream parlor!

Yes, we agree with all the signs... :P

So... we pig out some more and chat about old times... and finally.. it's time to go home!

What a fun night!



Next change shopping! partying! more eating... downtown San Diego!

The Marriott Coronado Island Resort

First day... hurray...

Great sleep, no jet-lag (yet)

Breakfast at the Marriott... greasy but good!



At least they give you a generous portion of fruits to make up for it.. one thing i notice in the states, though the fry-ups might be unhealthy, they always compensate with a HUGE bowl of salad and/or fruits!


Look at the view! As we are on Coronado Island, that is the bridge you need to cross to get to the main land... alternatively.. the water TAXI!

Hmmmm, I should have brought my tennis racquet... looking at the lush green court.. !

The sun is shining... and it's only 7am! The pool is calling my name. In the distance, you can see San Diego downtown. I think a quick sunbath is in order later in the day ... :P

For the serious swimmer (not me) a gorgeous lap pool all to yourself!


I love this place... I hope the weather holds the entire week!

Lost in Transition...

Good grief!! 4 hours to kill in LAX... in transit, en route to San Diego... we were hungry and tired after flying for the last 17 hours... the last thing we wanted was airport food...

Let's see.. so, do we sit around boring LAX.. or do we go in search of some action...?

Erm...

WE GO!

We jump into a taxi and head for the nearest shopping mall with promise of food...


I was all for the shopping...


But the others would have none of that...




even though the shops were tempting... (oo-er!)


fine.. so.. we soon chanced upon this place called LA Food show...


it looked cool...



the margaritas were great...


and the infamous trans fat laden burger was not bad either...


nor was the fat laden cheese cake...

BURP...


Ah... now that we are full, we can face anything...

or so we thought ...


till we saw the puny aircraft we were suppose to traverse wind and sea in, to get to San Diego...



GULP! Will that thing hold??!



I mean common.. you have to carry your own luggage, and pull the ladder up behind you once you are on board...



also, the propellers were close.. TOO close for comfort i tell ya...



Oh, and look at the cushions they provide... ! what is that flimsy thing.. in that flimsy seat?!


Oh, THAT'S a relief .. we thought.. reading the sign (NOT!) ... lol...



STAY POSTED TO SEE IF WE MADE IT TO SAN DIEGO IN 1 PIECE ;P

to the land of burger and fries

Off to...

California!... back in....

2 weeks! Hugs n keeses...:)

what's in a date... that significant hour you came kicking and screaming into the world!

The birthday girl.... at Vincenzo Bangsar... her husband threw her a surprise party...

Cake, close friends, bubbly and all ! Awww... how sweet!

And as if that was not sweet enough, Macarons (yup, u guessed it.. fresh from the oven of Sunny and Sid) to spice things up even more!

Ah.. the birthday Posse... working on theirs starters...

À votre santé! ... to your health!

The birthday gal.. and her better half!


The Angus Steak was what i would call a "KICK ASS" steak.. tres, tres delicious... smoked back bacon complemented the ensemble.


My scallop and prawn served with rocket salad and balsamic sauce was gorgeous... not too heavy, leaving me enough space to annihilate the chocolate cake... !


WOT? Is it time to go already MOMMY??!!!

Food: 6/10

Dessert: 8/10

Ambiance: 7/10

Service:7/10

MSG levels : low

the eternal wait, till the clock strikes FOUR

Man...we've shopped ALL day... our backs (and bags) are killing us... come on...

Open ALREADY... !

4pm and we haven't eaten since breakfast... hypoglycemia is getting the better of me.. muscle cramp, lumbago.. and gastric pains assault our weary bodies... not a good sign.. !

Introducing my favourite buffet restaurant in Bangkok... reprieve for the shopaholic... when i can no longer dig any deeper into my already cadaverous , drawn , gaunt , shrunken , skeletal wallet, for that final "bargain" , i take refuge in this wonderful thing called "an all you can eat" restaurant.

Oishi GRAND at Siam Discovery... We love it!

But not only does it do copious amounts of Japanese, it has a generous spread of seafood and some Chinese too. There are different prices according to the time of day (and different prices depending on time of year and promotion period). The price i like best is THB 499 (which is a STEAL! ) which starts at 4:00pm, this time period is highly recommended as they will provide full courses of food.

Pardon me, whilst i pile my plate up like there is no tomorrow...

Thank God it's only THB 499 for all this lush food... because that's all that's left, at the bottom of my ravaged wallet :P

Address : 2nd Floor, Siam Discovery Center, 989 Rama I Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok

Food: 7/10

Service: self service!

Ambiance: modern chic

After the sour, cometh the sweet...!

psst... secret men's business...

secret men's business, secret-sauce-in-yellow-bucket... ;P

but it's no secret... simply delicious asam fish! Alas..! we got there late, so no more lotus leaf :(


This is an old, old favourite... ! We pig out here every time and are not disappointed!

Address : That Zinc roof coffee shop known as Choon Sun/Chung Sam, Jalan Anggor, Off Old Klang Road...
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After the SOUR... cometh the SWEET... !


Ah, the famous FGA, on Old Klang Road landmark...

And the 7 HEAVEN'S BAKERY cum Sunbaker equipment shop... we love the LOH POH PANG here... Good place to tapau, for that late night soccer match...



And as if the ASAM fish was not enough... we continued our Wallop-fest with the wantan mee (complete with huge, gorgeous Sui-kao)...

As well as the "CAO-CAO" bbq lamb!
I think we did well, for a mid-week night, oh yes we did!