Year: 2011

romantic vacation recommend: isle of capri, italy

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Most of my previous travels are to the main cities or towns within a country in Europe. But a few years back, when I ventured towards the Southern tip of Italy (the booth) I decided to take a ferry to the island of Capri. I must admit I wasn’t disappointed with the choice, even though the ferry schedule a bit unreliable and the frequency less than desirable, the trip was well worth it. The way it works is, after disembarking the ferry from Napoli, you have to take a taxi or a bus up to the top ( Alta Capri). This is where the main town square is and most of the civilization on the island. I did get a bit sick because of the altitude or maybe because of my fear of heights, but every where I looked there was the most beautiful view anyone can imagine. We stayed 3 nights 4 days and because the best way to see a place is by walking. We walked one entire day around the island, actually …

midnight in paris – thank you woody allen

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Couple of nights ago, I finally got a chance to see the film, Midnight in Paris. I don’t know what took me so long, but no excuse is a good enough excuse in my opinion. I have this amazing love, love relationship with Paris and if the name is referenced in any title, such as movies, books, travel articles, museum special events, musicals or concerts or blogs, I will make every effort to see what it is all about. To see a film by Woody Allen, I think it is very important to be a fan. If not, the message and film contents may not go very well for the newbees. To see a film made by Woody Allen about Paris, you must have a certain understanding of the city of lights to completely appreciate the film for what it’s worth. I took a friend, who  has a youthful appreciation for Paris, to see her reaction.  The funny thing is that,  after 30 minutes into the film she turned to me and said, “what am …

condo remodel: kitchen and bath update

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Well, things are coming along, slowly a bit but surely. It’s difficult to coordinate a full-time job and a condo remodel, but it is exciting when the pieces come together. We felt it was important to add new hinges plus knobs to all the cabinetry in the kitchen and the bathroom to give it a modern look. In addition, a new linoleum continuous flooring was laid in the bathrooms to give it a tiled look without having to deal with grouting (which is time consuming and sometimes a pain to work with). These minor changes made all the difference to the previously dated condo. Check out some photos.  Have an amazing weekend everyone, see you here on Monday.

summer recipe: fresh fig tart

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Every summer I cannot resist buying a basket full of figs from my neighborhood farmer’s market. I prefer to eat them freshly washed right out of the basket. But while commuting home last night I contemplated incorporating the figs into a light dessert. Check out what I found here: For crust 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal (not stone-ground) 1 tablespoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water For filling 1/3 cup sour cream 1 cup mascarpone cheese (8 oz) 1/4 cup sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons red-currant jelly 1 tablespoon honey 1 1/2 lb fresh figs Special equipment: an 11 1/4- by 8- by 1-inch rectangular or 10-inch round fluted tart pan (1 inch deep) with a removable bottom preparation Make crust: Pulse together flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and rosemary and pulse until mixture resembles …

the other bag for the working woman

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Why is it so difficult to find a bag, in addition to the purse, to carry lunch and walking shoes while commuting to work? (I know a mouthful) Well, for some strange reason I have had alot of trouble locating the perfect tote bag to do jus that. I have, over the last 6 months, purchased and returned 12 bags and at this stage, as a result of my frustration, have settled on a simple Eddie Bauer Rippac Everyday tote for 20.00  to do the trick, as well as hold me over, until I can find the best tote bag to carry my necessaties every day to and from work. I am not picky, it’s just most bags are not designed properly to hold everything in place or if the compartment is designed correctly, the handles are not, if that is just fine, then securing the bag isn’t designed to detour theft while commuting on a crowded train. So, I suppose I either need to design the perfect bag myself or hire someone to create …

condo remodel: kitchen flooring

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As we slowly continue the remodel process, we finally and proudly can say the kitchen floors turned out better than he expected. I already knew it would turn out well, but convincing “my client” in this case was somewhat difficult. Again, just a reminder, we have to work with a small budget, a speedy turnaround time, while making an effort to modernized an outdated condo for a quick sell. Check out the before and after pictures of the kitchen floors. :). For product reference please click here.

a villa in tuscany – vacation paradise

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Between the condo renovation, work hiccups and other matters of family and home, I actually needed a break from the norm today by focusing on my vacation plans for the Fall. Although I love Paris and will consider spending every vacation day there, every single year, I have opted for  a trip to Italy this year because I needed material for my second novel. This time, I am considering  a villa stay in Tuscany just to “veg out”  and get inspired to at least draft the outline for the novel, if not more.  Since that is my plan, I  turned to my favorite site here which I used to use during my travel planning days, to get information about villa rentals abroad. The problem is, most villas house 3 or more vacationers and only a handful are available for just 2 guests. But through my persistance,  I found one villa just perfect for my needs. The problem now is I have to do alot of convincing to hopefully book the villa for our Tuscany portion of the …

fall 2011 shoe mishaps

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Although summer officially started today or yesterday depending on which calendar you look at, but fashion, as we know it runs on a different calendar. So I couldn’t help but take a peek and out of all the shoes, I came up with a list of the worst I have found so far. I think the only inspiration for some of 2011 shoe fashion is Lady Gaga. I have one question, what ever happened to safety, sensibility and sophistication? {for reference: http://www.saksfifthavenue.com}