A Trip to Vegas

From Dec 26 to Dec 29, we spent 3 days and 2 nights in Sin City. I've heard so much about Las Vegas and what's expected to happen to me or what I'm expected to do so I was extremely excited to see what the commotion was all about.

Transportation
I believe there are 3 main ways to get to Las Vegas. Flight, car, and public transportation with the more popular form being the bus. There are Megabuses and Boltbuses that takes visitors over, but we opted for a slightly cheaper and lenient New Sun International bus. I paid about $65 round trip from LA to Vegas and back. I think the prices change depending on the dates and times.
Although the ride was bumpy and the bus was not as punctual as I'd hope, it was cheap, fast, and dropped us off right in front of our hotel. As this was my first time going to Vegas, I underestimated how long and big the Strip is. I recommend for all those traveling without a car to take a bus that will take you directly to your hotel or at least, close to it to reduce on-feet travel (not fun when you have luggage to carry).

First glimpse of Vegas from the bus window.  


Don't let the sunlight fool you. It was pretty chilly! 




Accommodation
There is no shortage of accommodation in Vegas. From the opulent Bellagio and Ceasar's Palace to the more affordable Treasure Island and Flamingo, you will be able to find a hotel with rooms to fit within your budget. We stayed in Treasure Island, which was very reasonable when you book from online booking agencies like Bookings or Hotel.com. The hotel is a little old, but we were very satisfied with the amenities and the cleanliness of our room. Also, the famous original Cirque du Soliel- Mystere was shown there and residents of TI were able to take 35% off of the original price of the ticket.
Our abode for the trip. 
My advice is to stay on the Strip, most preferably in the middle of the Strip as that is where most of almost everything is located. If you stay further away, you might have to take a monorail or a bus back. The action is not unreachable, but your life will just be a little bit more convenient if you stay closer.

Length of Stay
We left LA in the morning and arrived in Vegas in the early afternoon. We stayed for 2 nights and 2 and a half whole days (with the half being the first day). Our last day there was very full as we left the city at 10:30pm. I thought this duration was too short and considered extending our trip to stay an extra night. However, I soon found out that with proper planning- 2 nights/ 3 days was the right amount of time for us. Each day will become incrementally expensive and tiring. Of course, everyone has different agendas/motives and preferences when they take vacations. While others might enjoy a more leisurely schedule, others would prefer a more jam-packed day. Me, I'd like to have a full day so that length was perfect.

Where/what we ate
On top of the countless number of restaurants, there were so many buffets in Las Vegas. On our first day, we went to Le Village Buffet (in Paris- the Hotel) where we had a very filling and delicious "Parisan" meal. Their cream-based entrees were very good and their desserts were amazing. The line gets long pretty fast so I'd recommend people to had over during odd hours- maybe 30 mins or so before/after peak times would be the best. Unfortunately, I never knew how to pace myself when I eat so I overate too quickly and made myself nauseous in the end. This is no fault of the food there, but rather my weak stomach and fast hands shoveling copious amounts of food into my month.
On our last day, we headed to Rio World Buffet (located in Rio Hotel), famous for it's offering of food from various parts of the world. You can fill your plates with Brazilian steak, American pizza, Chinese dim-sum, Japanese sushi, Mexican tacos... so on. This time around- I learned my lesson and paced myself when eating. Luckily, I did not get a stomachache after Rio.

In between the buffets, we visited New York where we had Shake Shack and tried different types of Coke and floats around the world in the Coke store in that region. Later that evening, Eric's friend drove us to a Tapas restaurant slightly off the main Strip. The food there was so bold and flavorful that I'd love to go back and revisit...if only I remember the name of the shop.

Another thing that I saw but didn't have room in my stomach or time to try was the Sprinkles cupcake, specifically ordering their cupcake from an 24/7 Cupcake ATM machine. This way you can relieve your cravings anytime of the day. This was located in the lively pocket near Linq.

What we did: 
We did so many things there- we watched 3 shows, went to 1 nightclub, visited almost all of the hotels and window-shopped, tried our luck at the slot number, among others.



On our first day, we went to XS Nightclub located in Wynn. Apparently, if you sign up in their guest list online, you can get free entrance into the club. Ladies also get a complimentary drink with their admission. The ambiance of the club was nice and it was located in a very snazzy hotel. I wasn't really feeling the music that night and the bar was too pricet for its own good. However, I was grateful to experience clubbing in Vegas. I think this club also do a lot of promotional activities as someone commented on my Instagram picture of my time in Vegas, urging me to contact her for free admission to XS.

XS Nightclub in Wynn
On our second day, the first thing we did was buy tickets for a 9:30PM Cirque Du Soliel performance. We decided on Mystere- it was the original performance and some might say it has the most value for its buck. We paid around $75 each for the last row in the venue. Although our seats were far away, we were no less awe-struck by the performance. We also bought the tickets a little last-minute. I'm sure with proper planning, you can find cheaper and better alternatives online. The performers were so talented and so limber. They did so many aerobatics tricks and stunts that I was worried that they might slip and fall. None of that happened, of course. I was blown away by their performance and would love to see another Cirque Du Soliel performance next time.

Amazing show, a must-see. 
Before our show in the evening, we headed to New York, NY to grab some Shake Shack for lunch and visited their Coke and M&M store. If you've been to NY and to Times Square, I don't think there is a need to visit the M&M store, Hershey store, or even Shake Shack. They are pretty much the same. The Coke shop was pretty interesting as you get to try different Coke flavors all throughout the world. For $8, you can try 16 different flavors. For $14, you can try a Drink and Float beverage- which is another 8 floats on top of the 16 drinks. I don't recommend this unless you have a lot of people. The two of us couldn't finish the combo and the sheer amount of carbonation left us a little bubbly.
NY in Vegas? 


After New York, we headed to Excalibur, Luxor, Tropicana, and other hotels on that side of the Strip. Theme hotels like Luxor and Excalibur were very interesting and you can see replicas of pyramids and medieval castles. Although not at all authentic, it makes for good photo-ops.
Later that evening, Eric's friend took us out for dinner nearby the strip where we had Spanish tapas. He was a frequent visitor to Vegas so we bombarded him for tips on making the best of our time there.

Super pretty interior. 

That evening, after Mystere, we visited some of the hotels we haven't visit yet. Namely, Ceasar's Palace and Bellagio. I tried the slot machine for the first time in Ceasar's Palace and won about $33 with just $5. My confidence was boosted as I tried my luck on other machines. I won about $20 on 2 separate tries on 2 separate days. This increased my false sense of ego. I quickly learned my lesson as I lost $10 in quick succession on my last day. My lesson? Don't think luck is on your side, especially if you've won a bit of money.

Visited the shops inside the hotels~ 

On our last day, we headed to the Tix 4 Tonight discount booth where we bought tickets for a magic show (Jan Rouvin) for a reduced price, a $2 discount to Rio Buffet, and a $10 to go up the Eiffel Tower at Paris. After our very filling lunch at Rio, we headed to Harrah's for a free show to Mac King, a comedy magician. We recieved a free show after signing up for a Total Rewards Card. Actually, it wasn't completely free. We had to pay for a drink voucher which was ~$15. Apparently the sign-on process for the card wasn't difficult so I'd recommend it if you're interested in pocketing some extra savings. I really enjoyed the show and I found the magician to be very funny. It was a very family-friendly laced with subtle adult jokes so audience of all ages can enjoy it. The only complaint I had was the unorganized start of the show where some of the audience was lining up to get drinks from the bar as the show started. Also, the show started 30 mins later than planned.
Despite this, I enjoyed it thoroughly and dare I say it, I like it more than my $43 ticket to see Jan Rouvin, an escape artist. We saw that next at 6pm at Tropicana. Although I was utterly impressed and blown away by Jan, I think Mac King was more memorable for me. Jan's show was a lot more flashy with huge contraptions and showy dances/movements. The two are very different and shouldn't be compared so I think different types of people would enjoy one or the other more.
After these two shows, we used our discount ticket to head up to Paris's Eiffel Tower where we saw the night view of the Strip. I'm glad we got up for $10, because I do not think it's worth the full price. The view was beautiful and the night scenery was romantic, but the space was smaller than I had envisioned and once crowded, it was hard to see anything.

Night view from the "Eiffel Tower" 

After this, we headed back to our hotel to grab our luggages and head to Bally's to take the night bus home.

I had a lot of fun at Vegas. I think it was a very eventful and productive trip and we were able to make full use out of our days there. Since it's close to LA and I will be in LA more often in the future, I'm excited to head back and do some things that I was not able to do this time around.

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First day of work!

Yesterday was the first day of work at company A. Even though it has only been one day and yesterday was just orientation, I saw immense differences between this company and the company I worked for in Japan.
The most glaring difference is the focus on the employees vs the focus on the CEO. In my previous company, I remember I had to read one of the CEO's books and write a report on it prior to entering the company. Also, the image of my manager dedicating about 5 minutes in the morning meeting gushing over the latest book written by the CEO and encouraging us to purchase it is still etched in my head. On top of that, HR sent out a nearly mandated survey for all employees to evaluate the book. We were expected to pay for the book from our own pockets and set aside our personal time to read the book.
Other than this example, I was not sure if the company's goals were to train their employees and equip them with the best tools to grow professionally and contribute their utmost part to the company or to inundate us with messages on how lucky and appreciative we should be to work in the firm. I heard this story where the CEO absolutely refuses to speak/respond to an employee because he was planning to leave the firm.

On the contrary, the company I am joining now seems to care about our own professional growth. Instead of admonishing us for entertaining the idea of using the company as a stepping stone, the presenter at yesterday's orientation assured us that working there for a few years before moving on was fine and common. The focus seems to be on us, on our career progression, and on how we can contribute to the company. Moreover, they also touched on the importance of doing good for the future generation.

I am excited to embark on this new journey, but I am also nervous. I'm nervous that I might not do so well and that my manager won't like me. I'm nervous about making mistakes and saying stupid things. I think the more I worry, the worse I will carry myself and the worse the impression I inflict on the people around me. I will try to be confident in myself and in my abilities.

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Turkey-less Thanksgiving & Cars in LA

I'm not really a fan of turkey, but it is a quintessential part of Thanksgiving. So imagine my disappointment when I arrived home to no turkey after missing out on this celebratory day of gratitude for two consecutive years. Instead, we went out to a Chinese buffet where our aunt (mom's sister) and my cousins joined us. We also saw our uncle (4th aunt's husband) (it was completely unplanned). The buffet was located near our old house in NE Philly- where I have lived for 17 years. The neighborhood has largely remained the same, but I feel like the Asian population increased dramatically. I also have fond memories of trekking to the McDonalds down the street with my grandfather and ordering superfluous amount of fries because I didn't know that an order already come with fries.

After stuffing our faces with delicious food, I fell into a deep food coma in the car. Around dinner-time, my mom whisked a long table worth of food where we were prompted to eat some more. We ended the day playing board games and cards with the cousins. My aunt also bought some pastries from Paris Baguette so food never stopped coming along. Needless to say, I was stuffed and probably gained back all of the weight that I lost in SF.

I'm back in Philly Chinatown. 

Roasted Duck lunch with my dad. 

Aside from the food, I looked forward to spending time as a family with my siblings. It has been close to 2 years (or more) since we were all together as a family. We didn't do much of anything though. But it was just fun talking and catching up on each other's lives. My sister is now in her senior year of college and my brother his sophomore year of high school. Both seems to have a vibrant and active academic and social lives. However, I'm not too sure if I'm as relieved about my parents as my siblings. My mom displayed some health problems and my dad definitely showed signs of aging and fatigue. Sometimes I really worry about my role in their lives and I am consistently battling between finding a fruitful life of my own and taking care of my parents by staying in close proximity. It's just that the truth of the matter is I do not see a particular future for myself in Philadelphia. I might even want to head back to Japan in the future for work. I might apply to the west coast for grad school- which might prolong my stay here. I tried to reason with my parents about why I chose to work and live where I am. They don't seem to understand why I chose SF. I suppose a part of why I dislike heading home sometimes is because I feel a sense of guilt. I feel like an unfilial daughter who is not physically close to provide sufficient support to my family. If they are enjoying life and doing well for themselves, I wouldn't worry as much. The problem is that I don't think they are.

Slight crooked but the food was second to none.


Ending the day with some sweets.

On Saturday morning, I flew out of Philly airport to LA where he picked me up in expense of missing the ultra important USC-UCLA game. I felt really terrible for making him miss the game as USC won and it's probably the last game of the semester. And I still wish I let him watch the game in its entirety. I hope to make it up somehow.

We bought a cake from Paris Baguette to celebrate our job/internship offers! It was in the shape of a cappuccino and it was absolutely delicious. After resting for a bit, we had clam pasta at Hometel. We watched the Hunger Game movie- the Mockingjay Part 2. I completely fell off the bandwagon when it came to this trilogy and didn't read any of the books prior to watching the movies. I didn't even watch part 1 so I was a little confused. I later looked up the synopsis of the story which filled in some gaps. I like the trilogy. I thought it would be very similar to Battle Royale, which I have read years ago. But the Hunger Games had a much more embellished plotline with political undertones and brings humanity into question.

Happy Job-Search for us! 
Christmas tree in the plaza



We had planned on going to the observatory after the movies, but I was feeling tired so we postponed it (for the nth time) and went back home.

The next day, we woke up and had delicious soondubu in BGD Tofuhouse in Koreatown. It was so filling. Our order was preceded with a wide array of side dishes- completed with a fried fish! I was really impressed by the price and the flavor. I especially enjoyed the kimchi- the sauce is a little thicker than kimchis I've tasted in the past. The tofu was also very smooth and silky. I think many people have already raved about this place, but I will also give it two thumbs up.

They gave us so much! 
Crack Crack 

During that day, there was a motor show down near Pico Station close to the Staples Center. I've been to the Nissan showroom in Yokohama, but I have never been to an auto-show before so it was a new experience. Although my knowledge of cars is a borderline 0, I had fun looking that the different types of cars and sitting inside them. We also got a free Monster drink and a Lyft coupon. Free things always make me happy.

They had a VR experience with the movie. The graphics was lacking. =.=
This guy was very amusing lol .
I'm a pretty car! 

I'm a pretty car too! 



We had a break in Starbucks. I realized I just like talking with him. We don't have to do interesting things or go to interesting places for me to feel fortunate and happy. I just enjoyed passing the time talking about anything that enters my mind.

I took a flight back to SF later that evening. I don't know what happened, but I flew first class! It was the first time in my entire life that I flew first class so I was excited. I also flew in the first row which meant I was one of the first ones to get on and off the plane. I was also offered beverages twice in the flight and complimentary snacks. I wished I had realized it sooner, but near the end of the flight- I noticed that I can recline my seat to an almost prone position. The seat was very wide and comfortable and there was ample space between me and the person next to me. It was only a short flight- about an hour and a few minutes, which provided plenty of time for me to enjoy this new experience. I don't know if I can afford any first class seats in the near future, but at least I got a taste of it.



 USC students protecting the dog from Bruins lol. 

The one with the coat is my seat. It was so comfortable!  

I arrived home super late and feel almost immediately to sleep. I have today and tomorrow off so right now I'm resting and sorting out what I need to get done before my first day of work on 12/2. I'm really excited about this opportunity and I just hope that I will be surrounded by kind and generous senpai. I hope to learn and grow and make genuine connections.

Also, can I just ask, where has 2015 flew off to? Tomorrow will be December. I can't even fathom how fast time passes by.
Last year this time, Eric and I were planning a trip to Southeast Asia-where we hit Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Macau. I was also fruitlessly studying consulting case studies. Now looking back, I should have studied the JLPT N1, especially since I was in Japan and my Japanese improved greatly. Now, I feel my Japanese slipping away like grains of sand. During that time, I was just enjoying my time in Tokyo. I wish I blog more frequently back then. I want to reminisce about my days in Tokyo and live vicariously through my past self.

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Offer Signed, Sealed, and Shipped

Yesterday, I signed the job offer for Company A. I am expected to start next month, actually in less than 3 weeks! I will be a digital marketing analyst assigned to one of the most innovative IT companies in the world with possibilities to work in their famous "campus". Plus I will have health insurance and will not have to make the excruciating decision between allocating more money to my student loans or paying a couple hundred dollars a month for healthcare.
I'm extremely excited for the upcoming changes, but yet pensive about whether or not I am making the right decision.

I told my boss about this decision last week, which came as a huge shock to him as I've only been working at Company B for close to 2 months. However, after 2 months, as much as I like the direct mentorship from my boss and the various tech events I was able to attend, I realized that there are some downsides to working for Company B. After my previous company, I wanted to escape from the downfalls of big companies- from office politics to petty negotiations. Maybe I can escape it in the future, but right now, the higher salary, better pay, retirement plan, and opportunities seem to outweigh the disadvantages. I felt so terrible and guilty for accepting an offer so soon after working for B that I can't even look at my boss's eye or even stay in the same room as him without getting nervous. I just feel so bad...

This was not a sudden and capricious change, but came about as a result of weeks of thinking and consulting with family/friends/boyfriend. I just hope that I learn and grow in the next company as much as I thought I would be able to grow in my current company.

my mom's reaction upon finding out about my job offer

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BIG BANG concert & LA Korean Festival

In my mind, LA is heavily equated with Korea. It might be due to a certain someone who lives in Koreatown.

Over the weekend, I stayed in a Korean home & hotel mix, checked out the nearby Korean festival, attended a K-pop concert, made kimbap, and shopped at the Korean supermarket for three consecutive days.

I took an overnight Boltbus from SF to LA. I arrived on Friday morning.

 



After that, I was soon whisked to the home and hotel mixed where a delectable healthy breakfast was waiting for me. Something that I highly coveted after weeks of eating "American" continental breakfasts. Then I headed to USC where I worked on some materials for Blue Fields. The campus is...pristine! With fountains using water at full-blast, perfectly shaped bushes and greenery. Then we headed to the Korean Festival nearby his place. It was much better than my expectations. With stalls that showcased local delicacies, samples galore, and free raffles, it was obviously largely popular with the local Korean citizens. It pleased me to see that regular Americans are also interested in learning about Asian culture. As an Asian-American, it's always great to see people showing interest in that part of the world.
Highlight of the festival: we made a temple and a pagoda out of paper! (in addition to having makkori and bulgogi fries ^^)





After which, we head back to the home and hotel for dinner. Then, we played Dead or Alive for the rest of the night (with an interruption to buy some groceries at the supermarket nearby).


On Saturday, we woke up and headed to the college where I worked in the East Asian Library. After that, we visited the science museum for free. After looking at highly "scientific" displays, we went to a graduate student event for the free food. Then we headed to the festival again. To our dismay, it was a lot more crowded than the previous day. We were not able to enjoy it as much as the day before. Then we head back to eat dinner.
After which, we headed to my first K-pop concert. What better than Big Bang for my first concert. I was so excited. I was swept by the size of the stadium, the endless energy of the fans, and the grandeur of the concert that only Big Bang can deliver. Our seats were also great as we were on the end and were not in between anyone. That concert energized me for hours.
Can't wait to attend another Big Bang concert!
We ended the night with another visit to the supermarket.




On my final day in LA, we cooked omurice, kimbap, and udon for lunch, dinner, and lunch for the next day. We spent hours making food. It made me happy to cook again after so long. It took a long time to prepare everything. But everything came out wonderfully. We also made 6 rolls of kimbap lol. Then we headed to Santa Monica. When you speak of LA, Santa Monica is the first place that comes to mind. It was a little chilly, but the streets were clean, the puppet shows were entertaining, and its existence perfectly fitting for LA.

LA was incredibly fun :). I am counting down to the next time I get to visit again.

Days of Hometel Food

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Fun in the Sun on the West Coast

Although I still don't know that many people in San Francisco, I have no regrets moving here. Moving here was risky. Without ever visiting SF, I acted on gut/instinct and the courageous impulse found in youth to quit my job at Rakuten and sign up for a summer course in Berkeley. While taking my statistics course at UC Berkeley, I looked for jobs and applied to almost everything under the sun that consist of the title "marketing". In the end, I didn't continue the marketing path and I didn't work for a traditional start-up. Instead, I found an internship at a boutique consulting firm that specializes in US-Asia cross-border market entry, growth analysis, and market research. I started on Sept 14th after spending a month at home in Upper Dublin.

It's been a whirlwind of technical terminologies, pages of startup CEOs and founders, sentences spattered with the words- "innovation", "disruption", "valuation", which is enough to make my head spin and feeling like I'm falling behind in this highly specialized world that's called Silicon Valley. 

On the other hand, it's exciting to learn. It's exciting that I don't know what's going on around me. And it's exciting that I'm in an environment that's supportive of my learning and growth.
my home over the summer 

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Starting Life in San Francisco

Starting life in a new city is always difficult, especially when you don't know many people there. After exercising and taking a shower today,  I've decided to watch 2 movies by myself: Jurassic World and Trainwreck.
Afterwards, I had some food and am now sitting in Starbucks, trying to plan out my life. I signed up for about 4 Coursera courses, am in the midst of taking coding lessons from a free site, studying for the GRE, and trying to figure out my personal finances.

I realized... I don't like to eat out by myself anymore lol. I much rather be with people and do activities that do not circle around food.

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