My "Yes To Carrots" Party products

I recently hosted my first Yes to Carrots party and it was so much fun! Here are some pictures from the party. The first is a picture of the products that we tested. My favorite was the body butter. The smell was light and not heavy on the skin. My skin retained a nice sheeny look throughout the day as well.

Even though the name of the company is Yes to Carrots, there are other product lines that are specific to different skin types, such as tomatoes, carrots and a special one for exfoliating skin.

The last picture are the gift bags that we gave to our guests! Each one contained a lip butter (similar to chapstick), a headband used for preventing hair on the face, and samples of their cream and facial washes. According to one guest, she said her face felt "rejuvenated" and "refreshed" after using the samples!

Green Tea Cheesecake

I haven't baked a Japanese cheesecake since December of last year. Sadly, I forgot how to make it as fluffy and smooth as I remember. I knew I messed up as soon as I finished the batter. But I compensated by adding 2 tablespoons of matcha powder (green tea) and also made a quick cream topping with heavy cream and a little bit of confectionary sugar and vanilla extract. I also added slices of strawberry on top because strawberries go hand in hand with cheesecake! Yum.

Here's a picture of my half-eaten cheesecake before I realized I didn't take a picture of it! It was soon devoured after this picture was taken.

And here are the nicely sliced pieces of my cheesecake on my dining room table.

Hosting my own Yes To Carrots Party!

I'm so excited! I received news that I was selected (er, I signed up) to host a Yes To Carrots party!! Yes To Carrots is a natural and organic cosmetics company which started out with basic lip glosses and lotions. But now they have expanded to include tons of other cosmetic products and for sensitive and dry/oily skin.

Want to hear the best part? As a hostess, I get to invite all my friends who will receive free samples and gift bags of their products - YIPEE!! Stay tuned for more details and pictures of the party!

Making Inari Sushi

I've always enjoyed *eating* inari sushi especially since they are served in Japanese bento boxes, but I've never actually seen it made. It's actually very simple and fun to make. Here are pictures of the ingredients and the final product:

Here is a picture of the frozen tofu pouches. Just make sure you defrost before using.

And the secret to making sushi rice? This bottle of sushi seasoning. There's no need to mix vinegar and sugar anymore!

Make short-grain rice using your normal method. Mix in 4 tablespoons of the sushi seasoning to a bowl of rice (to taste). Fan the rice while mixing in the mixture to cool the rice! Sprinkle in white sesame seeds into the sushi rice (optional).

Next, you take a mound of the sushi rice and stuff into the tofu pouch. Make sure your hands are wet to prevent rice from sticking. Fold the pouch close and that's it.

Looks yummy and is very easy to make!!

LeSportsac Sample Sale

June 9-11, 2009

Tues 4pm-9pm

Wed-Thurs 8am-9pm

Metropolitan Pavilion

123 West 18th Street(6-7 Avenues) 4th Floor

212.736.6262 Ext 2018

Just in time for Dad’s Day and Grad’s Day. A great selection from the current and past collections. Handbags, totes, weekenders, backpacks, messenger bags, computer bags, garment bags, toiletry kits , cosmetic cases, wallets...all of the classics. From LeSportsac Classics, tokidoki, Mens/Guys, Remix and Stella McCartney. All are 60 to 90 percent off. Mastercard, Visa, American Express and cash accepted. All sales final.

Prince Harry's Royal Visit to NYC

Prince Harry's visit to NYC included a stop at the British Gardens in Hanover Square, in lower Manhattan. His intent was to plant a tree to commemorate the British people who died on 9/11. The trip has been somewhat publicized in recent days especially in the local newspapers and television.

The British Gardens is quite frequented by myself. I would enjoy drinking cups of coffee while sitting on the bench. But hey, if this is what Great Britain wants to claim for themselves in lower Manhattan, whom am I to say otherwise? It's a lovely triangular piece of land that has recently been planted with trees and flowers.

During my lunch hour, I walked over to Hanover Square and accessed the best possible location for viewing the Prince. Metal railings surrounded the general vicinity for the public viewing but luckily I was able to get close enough to one side of the garden in hopes of Prince Harry walking in front of me. At approximately 1:30pm, several black SUVs were escorted by the NYPD. And in the first car, came out a man in a suit with red hair! It was him!

There was some pandemonium as the crowd shouted "Prince Harry! Look at me! Wave for the camera!" I should note that the press sure know how to take a good shot. I was able to take a few pictures as he stood in front of me. Sadly he was shaking someone else's hands. There were a few security people protecting him and they stood between me and Prince Harry. One of the men in sunglasses had his jacket open - I'm thinking, is that supposed to deflect any bullets that go towards the Prince?

The entire ceremony was brief. He walked around and shook hands with the dignitaries and representatives of the NYC Parks. After an introduction by a speaker, he gave a 30 second speech. THAT's IT!! He just said how much this meant to his family and country and blah blah blah. Lastly, he helped to plant a tree into the ground (more pictures of that to follow). He quickly left to the India House which is a restaurant across the street from the garden.

Can you spot him in this picture above? He's standing in front of the flag.

New York Women's Foundation Annual Breakfast Event

I had the privilege and honor of attending the annual New York Women's Foundation Annual Breakfast event. I was invited on behalf of my company's women resource group so I was excited to attend and learn more about the foundation. The NY Women's Foundation is a philanthropic organization that supports community-driven projects who help support the needs of women. After hearing the wonderful accomplishments that are supported through the foundation, it has made me very excited to learn more.

And where there is a fund-raising event, there are always politicians! There many deputy mayors, councilmen and even the junior senator of NY in attendance. But there were two big name politicians who stopped by to address the thousands of women at the breakfast.

Here is Mayor Bloomberg. His company, Bloomberg LLP, is a major sponsor of the New York Women's Foundation.


And Govenor Patterson who was proud of his gay rights bill that he's pushing through.

And lastly, (and the main draw for me), was seeing Queen Latifah! She was one of the honorees this year. And here she is receiving a wooden staff. There were more than a few "Moses" jokes this morning.

More Pictures from Lindsay Price's Degree Event

Here are some more pictures from the Degree Women's Fine Fragrance Collection event co-hosted with Lindsay Price.

Japan Day 2009

This might be my first year attending this event - check it out!

Japan Day @ Central Park will be held Sunday, May 31st at the East Meadow (entrance at Fifth Avenue and 97th Street).

Japan Day @ Central Park is an event designed by the Japanese community of New York to promote deeper understanding of Japanese culture. Japan Day @ Central Park returns to fill the green oasis of East Meadow with tents offering a wide range of Japanese traditional and family-friendly activities, free samplings of popular Japanese cuisine and powerful stage performances throughout the day (click here for link of performers), with top entertainers from New York and Tokyo.

Japan Day @ Central Park 2009 begins at 8AM with the Japan Run, a 4-mile race, organized by New York Road Runners. However, the Japan Day Festival begins at 10AM with the opening of all the activity tents; the stage show begins at 10:30AM, and free samplings of Japanese cuisine begin at 11pm. To see a map of the tent locations at East Meadow, click here.

31 Cent Scoop Night at Baskin Robbins

Tonight was the 31 Cent Scoop Night at Baskin-Robbins® in honor of America’s firefighters. Participating stores will reduce prices of small ice creamscoops to 31 cents (with a limit of 3 scoops per person).

Since this is my first time attending this event, I had no idea how long the line would be for several scoops of ice-cream. But I guess people are willing to wait 30+ minutes for ice-cream (including ME!). But what was esp annoying were the families with multiple kids who felt compelled to order 3 scoops of different flavors. And I think that Baskin-Robbins should really consider being environmental by using larger cups for everyone that ordered 3 scoops of ice-cream. Instead, they put each scoop in individual cups with a plastic cover.