Influenster Cosmo VoxBox 2012

I recently joined influenster and received this fun box of goodies.  The Ghiradelli Sea Salt Escape was gone in a flash (although I did share, I'm nice like that).  I was eyeing it at CVS, so it was a pleasant surprise to receive it in the mail.  The creamy, sweet, and salty combination is a great holiday treat.  The Pilot® FriXion Erasable Gel Pens are in my bag and ever so useful.  No more of the badly made "erasable" pens from the 90's.  I also loved Forever Red perfume by Bath and Body Works, which was fruity (pomegranate) with the right amount of muskiness.  It's a fun scent, great for day or night.  And finally the Venus Embrace razor with Venus & Olay - I've always been a fan, so no complaints.  Nice grip, smooth shave and the Olay gives extra moisture.  What more can I say?

MOCA Museum of Chinese America Legacy Awards Gala

The Museum of Chinese America, MOCA held their glamorous star studded Legacy Awards Gala at Cipriani Wall Street honoring Chinese Americans in the fashion field.  The Legacy Award winners were Angelica Cheung Editorial Director, VOGUE China,   Silas Chou President and CEO, Novel Holdings Group,  Calvin Tsao Architect, Tsao & McKown, and  Humberto Leon and Carol Lim Co-Founders, Opening Ceremony, and Creative Directors, Kenzo.  Funds raised at the legacy awards dinner and silent auction benefits MOCA's educational programs.

From L to R: Model Fei Fei, Angelica Cheung (Editorial Director of Vogue China), Designer Jason Wu

Piece by Designer Maya Lin (designer of the Vietnam War Memorial)

With Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang

Chiu-Ti Jansen of Chinahappenings.com in custom made red gown of her own design.

Playwright David Henry Hwang

Wearing a cocktail dress by designer and friend Cheng Huai Chuang

With Designer Angela Gao of ANGG

Verizon Small Business Empowerment Series featuring David Chang of Momofuku

Verizon held their Small Business Empowerment Series with special guest, David Chang of popular NYC restaurant Momofuku, at the Laguardia East Sheraton Hotel in Flushing yesterday.  The night began with a networking session where participants signed up to win devices from LG and Samsung.  We also got to see Verizon's VGo telepresence robot in action.  The chest-high roving device has a display and camera built-in and allows users to interact via a remote operator.

David Chang spoke about his non-traditional way of starting his restaurant, with an unusual menu and an exotic name.  He jumped into the business head first and broke a few rules along the way. He carved a niche for himself by taking what others consider "trash" (intestines, feet, offal, etc.) and making it delicious.   Chang had several close calls and at one point was down to his last $30,000.  However, his refusal to give up and to become "just another statistic"and his tenacity reaped him great success and he recently opened his first restaurant in Australia. His advice to the audience?   Work hard.  Hire a good team.  Do not to listen to advice.

Afterwards, a panel of 3 prominent Asian American business owners, Julie Huang, founder of PR firm, Kaimen Company, John-Paul Lee, founder of Tavalon Tea,  and Sandra Lee, CEO of Lee Insurance, talked about their business experiences with moderator Jeff Yang of the Wall Street Journal.

Verizon Small Busines

Rachel Zoe unveils new shop at Bloomingdale's

Today the popular celebrity stylist and designer Rachel Zoe launched her new shop in Bloomingdale's. She had a trunk show for her resort collection and also spring jewelry.  I asked her about her favorite pieces in her fall line and she pointed out a sequined gold dress which was perfect for holiday parties and also a sleek black velvet burnout blazer she was wearing.  Rachel was super svelte and was very friendly. The Rachel Zoe collection had a nice selection of chic dresses, leather jackets, and also statement jewelry.

With designer and celebrity stylist and Rachel Zoe

Chinese Film Festival Schedule October 17 - October 20th

Don't miss out on the last day of the New York Chinese Film Festival!

Saturday Oct 20th

10:00 am Divergence
12:00 pm Q&A with Aaron Kwok
1:30 pm Million Dollar Crocodile
3:30 pm: Q&A: Mr. Lisheng Lin, the Director and Mr. Tao Guo, the leading role
4:30 pm: Lethal Hostage
6:30 pm: Q&A: Ms. Luodan Wang
7:30 pm: Under The Influence
9:30 pm: Q&A with Mr. Shimao Zhu

For tickets, visit AMC Empire 25

The 3rd New York Chinese Film Festival Opening Ceremony

New York City: Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center - As flashbulbs popped, a steady stream of Chinese actors, directors, producers, entertainment executives, diplomats, and entrepreneurs, walked the red carpet for the Opening Ceremony of The 3rd Annual New York Chinese Film Festival.  Among the surprise guests included Luo Yan 盧燕, also known as Lisa Lu, best known for her role in The Last Emperor.  Fans went wild after waiting in anticipation for the beautiful actress Ziyi Zhang, who was the last, but not least, to walk the red carpet.

Stunning Actress Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon)

YUE Magazine is presents YUE National Luxury Week

YUE Magazine is going to host YUE National Luxury Week from September 30 through October 6, featured events include:

1. Moon Gazing Party: Sunday, September 30 at Lincoln Center David H. Koch Theater
We would like to invite you and AsianInNY members to our Moon Gazing Party event, I will send you invitation and more info in a separate email

2. YUE Golf Tournament & Award Ceremony Dinner: 9am - 8pm Monday, October 1 at Trump National Golf Club
The Golf tournament will be presided over by Chinese Ambassador Sun Guoxiang. A series of networking and entertaining events will be organized for both golf players and spectators.

3. YUE Real Estate Summit: Tuesday, October 2 and Wednesday, October
Location: Le Parker Maridien
YUE Real Estate Summit invite Chinese business leaders and investors who are interested in real estate investment come to our summit to connect with and learn more from NY top real estate power players. The summit includes networking breakfast, opening ceremony, twp panel discussions, investors "speed-dating" session, and open house tours. I will send you a separate email for detailed information about YUE Real Estate Summit.

4. YUE Power 100 Award Gala Dinner: 7 - 10pm Tuesday, October 2
On Tuesday, October 2, YUE Magazine is going to host Power 100 Award Gala Dinner to celebrate the most influential Chinese and Chinese Americans at Mandarin Oriental. The gala is a red carpet, black-tie business networking event.

Katie Gallagher - Silent Soil

Katie Gallagher Fall/Winter 2012

JSong ...Way Spring/Summer 2013: Traveling Song

J Song Spring 2013 – I started the season attending the J Song ...Way Spring/Summer 2012 Traveling Song. Her inspiration was traveling from culture to culture and through time.  In fact I felt as if I was traveling with her while watching the show.  There were J Song’s signature embroidered easy pieces, pantsuits, and pleated dresses. One of my favorite pieces was a floral concoction of a dress with netting underneath. Another fun piece was a multicolor color block linen sheath dress that was very mod. Technology played a role in the collection the QR code a prevalent pattern embroidered onto the pocket of a dress. The color story was Monet’s garden of blues, yellows, reds, greens. But the orange pieces were the standout pieces.

Paris: Iris Van Herpen Haute Couture Show

This is a tad late, but I attended Dutch designer, Iris Van Herpen 's Haute Couture Show in Paris, held at the historical Mairie de 5e, 21 place du Panthéon.   As a first time attendee of Paris couture shows, Van Herpen was an excellent way to start.  Known for her showstopping pieces, the collection was fantastic and otherworldly, with unexpected textures (think crystal, metal, rubber) and unusual shapes and silhouettes (are there words to describe them?).  Van Herpen had studied Fashion Design at Artez Institute of the Arts Arnhem and interned at Alexander McQueen in London.   McQueen's influence is apparent in the sharp tailoring and structure of the designs and the dramatic impact is undeniable (Lady Gaga is a huge fan).  Check out the photos below!

Fairway Market & Steak House Cheese and wine Tasting

Thanks to the FeistyFoodie, I had a 3 course meal with a tasting of 6 wines and 9 cheeses at Fairway Market Cafe and Steak house. The head cheesemonger, Steven Jenkins, and the head sommelier, Joshua Wesson, of Fairway Markets gave a great explanation of the different cheese and wines.  We sampled a selection of cow cheeses and sheep cheeses.  The sheep cheese had more complex and sharper flavors while the cow cheeses were more mild in flavor.  I learned that soft cheese have less fat than hard cheeses.  I also sampled a few red and white wines. Chateau La Gironie Monzabillac 2009, a sweet white wine that was very pleasant. My favorite was the sweet and bubbly Saracco 2011 Moscato.  It was so light and refreshing, that I could imagine myself sipping it during the hot summer.