He melts like butter in my hands ...

A very content Pudge.

Feeling the love

These are some flowers one of my bosses brought me to celebrate my birthday. She also got me a cake and gift and all my bosses took me out to lunch on Thursday ... I'm really feeling the love ♥

Old Friends

The main reason I wanted to flee to Vegas last weekend:

Cyndi figured out that we've not seen each other since 1988.
I got to meet her husband, Jeff, and son, Nicholas.

Had not seen Dave in a couple of years.
I'm glad he was able to meet us for brunch before we headed back home.
Dave was brave enough to try some dim sum with us.

It was great to see my friends on this trip and catch up.

Foodie's Paradise

I wish we have foods like these so readily available in SLC,
but that may be a good thing ...

Assortment of bento boxes and musubis at the corner markets.

We went to Makino for my birthday dinner.
My first plate was an assortment sushi.

Second plate full of salads (noodle, seaweed, cucumber), tempuras,
a little bit of just about every seafood entree ... yikes!

Third plate, some awesome steak and a few more of my fave sushi ...
uncle, uncle!

Yes, Wendy went a little overboard at 168 Market.
Yes, she bought all those bags of mushrooms.

No, this Hello Kitty cake at Diamond Bakery was not my birthday cake,
but I think Pinky might like it for her birthday ...

I didn't want a birthday cake, so Wendy got me some squid balls and fish cake fries instead. YUM!

Some BIG shoes to fill ...

I asked the sales clerk in a Cosmopolitan's shop if there's a feature in the hotel we should not miss. He directed us to the 8-foot shoes on display in one of the hallways.

I decided to fall into the pink shoe.

There were a couple of men who wanted to join in our picture.
I said, "Sure, it's my birthday, come on in the picture."

Cosmopolitan

So, last week on Nightline, they did a story on Vegas' newest hotel/casino, The Cosmopolitan. Cyndi, Wendy and I decided to take a look around the place.

Undoubtedly, the most striking feature in the hotel is the two-story chandelier.
There's a bar in the chandelier.

A view of the bottom of the chandelier from the front desk.

View of the chandelier from the escalator.

A vending machine dispensing make-up.
Hello? Why don't we see more of these near restrooms?

Sitting on a log is a lot more comfortable when chair backs are drilled into the log.

We were admiring the carving on a table in a furniture store.
I didn't look at the price tag, but nothing in the store is less than $10k.

A chair made out of Legos -- $71k.
When I asked if it had been tested to withstand anything heavier than a 5-year-old,
I was told that the Legos were set on steel.

1. The name of the store is "All Saints"
2. Behind that mirror is a wall of old Singer sewing machines,
just like the one mom used to own in Indonesia ...

On the streets of Vegas

Not about to pay for a photo op with Elvis,
but how can I pass on a quick pic of the King?

Hello Kitty! Why so sad and alone?

Chinese New Year at the Bellagio

The gardens in the Bellagio Hotels in Las Vegas is always decorated for next holiday. Chinese New Year is just weeks away, so Cyndi, Wendy and I decided to brave the crowds and see how they had decorated for the occasion.

What is the Easter Rabbit doing here? Oh, wait ... It's the year of the Rabbit!

Cyndi and I in front of the "Big Guy"

Wendy and I in front of the "Big Guy"

"GONG XI FA CAI!"

Dragon Fruit

One of the things I love about visiting a big city like Las Vegas is that I find unique things I can't find in Salt Lake. After dinner tonight, Wendy took me to a chain Chinese supermarket and I saw these dragon fruits. Aren't they just beautiful?

The skin is bright pink and green, the inside meat is purple with black (poppy seed like) seeds. It's tasted like a kiwi. YAY for trying new things ...

First birthday gift of the year ...

My friend, Kristen (aka "Pinky"), knows that I've had a wee bit (HUGE) crush on Nathan Fillion, an actor. So, when I met up with her and "the girls" last night for dinner, she presented me with my birthday gift -- his autograph! Love it! ♥

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