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