Stop and smell the roses!

I took a brisk walk through The Park Hotel's trails this morning and enjoyed the slight absence of insects on the real estate. I made sure to take a picture of Peter's lovely roses. Don't forget to stop and smell them!



It must be ladies' golf day because they were actively swinging their clubs on the lawn today. Be sure to play a round in between refreshments at The Park Hotel's bar. The large terrain will provide you with light exercise as you walk from hole to hole.



Last but not least, be sure to visit Piccolina in Virginia. Baked fresh every morning; the pastries are lovely! The coffee isn't too bad either. It's not Bewely's which is highly appreciated. My favorites are the Pain Au Raisin, Brioche, and Pear Danish. Mmmm...wished I could bring some back to the family in the States but I will probably end up eating them before I get there.

The Park Hotel, Virginia, County Cavan

Four weeks really went by fast during my internship at The Park Hotel. I will dutifully take more pictures of service during my last two days of service. It has been been very meaningful here and I have officially fallen in love with Ireland.

The Park Hotel is a beautiful getaway with emerald green grass, walking trails, and golf. They have excellent packages on dinner, bed, and breakfast. I will definitely miss the hotel and the smiling faces of their wonderful staff. The Park Hotel was very kind in taking us in and helping us grow stronger through on-the-job training in Irish hospitality.

Please visit The Park Hotel's website to look into staying at this wonderful boutique B&B (&D?) Where you will be served a three course meal cooked by students and served by students. Help their learning experience for their future!

I plan to revisit The Park Hotel in the future. Probably about 2 or 3 years after I get my degree in Hospitality and work on some projects. Two of them being my best friends' weddings next weekend and in September.

Take a stroll in the pleasure garden at The Park Hotel and be comforted by the serenity of nature.


On side-note, tragedy struck us briefly during our trip and we lost a life. But I know for a fact that we will continue on stronger than ever.

Renting a car...

I have been so busy that looking into starting up a business and making a portfolio has been temporarily put on a hold. Currently I am volunteering as the Volunteer Coordinator at the Seattle Chinese Garden. Sadly, all good things must come to an end. I will be leaving for Ireland in June and would like to aggressively pursue my career in Hospitality.

In addition, I have been taking trips to Canada for concerts! I will be leaving tomorrow to see the JYJ World Tour at Rogers Arena. My passion for music (especially Korean pop music) is a little unnerving to others. I love their beats, personality, culture, and language.

Today I received a notice that there was damage to my prior rental car upon its return. Please be advised to fully assess your rental car for any damages including scrapes, dents, cracks and make sure all necessary operations are adequate.

I want to thank my paranoid friend for repeatedly reminding me to check all these things before driving out of the rental facility. In addition, I want to add Alamo and National to my black list. I did not "drive happy".

Wedding planning blues...

I checked in with Miss M tonight and she was telling me that she was already feeling discouraged about her budget and the food and the venue. While planning a wedding, a wedding planner becomes the psychiatrist for the bride. When the wedding planner isn't providing comforting words, they would have to play a magician. Not every bride can get their dream wedding but a wedding planner has to create some magic to create an event that closely resembles it.

To my frustration, the event planner for Rain City Catering and the Renton Pavilion Event Center has not responded to my phone call or email. I was hoping for some professionalism from them. It looks like the venue is perfect for Miss M's budget.

I am also going to contact Shilsole Bay Beach Club tomorrow to see if they could accommodate Miss M's budget. The Beach Club would be the perfect place for Miss M's reception.

Have been busy...

I am gathering the paperwork to get into the BAS, Hospitality Management program at SSCC. There is an opportunity for me to study in Virgina Park, Ireland. I am so excited!

I am crossing my fingers for this wonderful chance! Maybe this year, my life will completely turn around.

In the meantime, searching for Miss M's wedding venue has been a little difficult due to her fluctuating guest list and their budget. The bride is Vietnamese and the groom is Native, Irish, and a whole mix of things. Miss M has decided that she wants Hawaiian food at the reception. So for a theme...how about a romantic summer evening? With tiki torches, candles, and soft lighting. As for flowers, she definitely wants sunflowers.

Miss H's wedding is slowly piecing together. But I think she is a little bit worried because if I get a chance to go to Ireland, I won't be back until a week before her wedding. I will definitely make sure we have arranged all decorations in order before I take off.

I am hoping to get some pictures for the flowers that we did for two events. Somehow, my request isn't being answered. I will try again!

A flower

My favorite flowers are Tulips of all colors and all sizes.

I would like to share this flickr gallery that I chanced upon when I was surfing for random things.
A beautiful flower

To me the Tulip is more beautiful than the Rose. They bring sunshine into the lives of others more than the Sunflower.

Click on the link to view a gallery of amazing photography.

Instant Golden Curry

They had curry on sale at Uwajimaya today for a mere $0.99 and since it was such a bargain, I had to buy a box. It comes in three levels of spiciness: Hot, Medium-Hot, and Mild. Medium-Hot just has a slight kick to it but nothing too impressionable. It was rated 3 stars on the box but it's more like 1. I usually opt for this one because Japanese curry tastes the best when it isn't too spicy.

Curry in a pouch is very weird. The instructions were to boil the pouch in hot water or pour out the sauce over rice and microwave it.

It was savory but very oily. It's good for curry fans who are extremely tight on budget. The potatoes had the same weird texture that you get when you get in canned stew. The carrots were slivers.

Believe me! You are not missing out on much! If you don't have time to prepare curry, just use a slow cooker. Put everything together like you would do for stew and add the Golden Curry Sauce Mix. Let it stew and you'll get delicious curry when you get home.